Faction descriptions for R:TW Barbarian Invasion {BARBARIAN_INVASION_TITLE}BARBARIAN INVASION {BARBARIAN_INVASION_ALEMANNI_TITLE}The Alemanni Tribes {BARBARIAN_INVASION_ALEMANNI_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nThe

forests of Germania have been the home of many warlike tribes for many centuries . These are lands that the Romans never managed to subdue. They remain beyond th e borders of civilization. The Alemanni are one of the many tribes of this regio n who can be described as Germans, and were originally an off-shoot of the Suebi . They first came to the notice of the Romans in around 213 AD when they unsucce ssfully attacked between the Elbe and Danube rivers. They have also made war upo n their neighbours, the Franks, Saxons, Frisians and others, with mixed success. \n\nNow, however, threats and opportunities are conspiring to make the Alemanni look beyond their borders once again. Nomadic peoples from the east are pushing against the more settled Germanic peoples. The weakness of Rome in the west is n ow becoming obvious: Emperor Julian, who beat the Alemanni in battle in 357, is dead and his successors are not as militarily skilled. The Roman world has split into two once more, and perhaps there are rich lands to be taken from the grasp of a dying empire...\n\nHistorically, the Alemanni crossed the frozen Rhine in 366 and occupied Roman territory. Eventually they settled in what would become m odern-day southern Germany, Alsace and Switzerland. They also gave French and Sp anish the word for German: Allemagne and Alemania. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_EMPIRE_EAST_TITLE}The Eastern Empire {BARBARIAN_INVASION_EMPIRE_EAST_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nC onstantine the Great remade the Roman Empire to suit his own ambitions. He estab lished a new capital in the East at Byzantium, renaming the city Constantinople in his own honour. He established Christianity as the new state religion and, by force of will alone, ruled a united Roman world. Since his death in 337 AD few have been up to the task of ruling the world on their own. The Roman Empire has, by default, been split into two unequal halves.\n\nCentred on Constantinople, t he Eastern Roman Empire is rich and powerful, although largely Greek rather than Roman in character. Unlike the West, trade has remained strong and the tax inco me of the Eastern Emperors has been sufficient to pay for an efficient military machine. This is just as well, because the Eastern Empire has a border with the Sassanids, a powerful successor to the Persian empire of old. It has not, howeve r, suffered too much from incursions by noisome northern barbarians. It is entir ely possible that an ambitious Emperor in Constantinople could one day rule in R ome as well, and reunite the Empire beneath his banners.\n\nHistorically, the Ea stern Empire survived the fall of Rome and its armies marched 'For the Senate an d People of Rome' for another 1000 years. The renamed Byzantine Empire finally f ell in 1453 AD. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_EMPIRE_WEST_TITLE}The Western Empire {BARBARIAN_INVASION_EMPIRE_WEST_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED HARD\n\nSince the death of Constantine the Great in 337 AD the Roman Empire has effectively b een divided into two unequal halves, and at least nominally Christian. Other men have tried to rule everything, but their efforts have foundered. Julian the Apo state, the last man to try, had spent much of his energy in trying to make the R oman people pagan once again. In this he failed.\n\nNow the Western Empire is th e weaker part of the Roman world. Western Europe has never been as rich as the e astern end of the Mediterranean; Imperial taxes and population have been droppin g and the upkeep of the army is increasingly difficult. Over the last hundred ye ars barbarians have been allowed to settle in Roman provinces. Barbarians have b een allowed to fill the ranks of the Roman Army, and now the Western Empire is v ulnerable. A strong Emperor could hold the frontiers against the barbarians from the north and east. A strong Emperor could even reunite the Empire and rule the world from Rome, but this would take a very strong man to carry the title of Au gustus.\n\nHistorically, the Roman Empire in the West disappeared in 476. Romulu s Augustulus, the last Emperor, was so irrelevant that he was merely deposed and allowed to live out his days in retirement. Rome was ruled by a succession of b

arbarian kings, while learning was kept alive in the West only through the Roman Catholic Church. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_FRANKS_TITLE}The Frankish Tribes {BARBARIAN_INVASION_FRANKS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED EASY\n\nThe Franks or Franci - the name was translated 'Free Men' - were a Germanic people origina lly from the region around the middle and lower Rhine in Western Germany. Tacitu s lumped them together with all the ferocious 'Germani' tribes when the Romans f irst encountered them, but they were organised enough to hold the Romans at bay. They were not organised enough, however, to attack Roman lands as a coherent fo rce, even a couple of centuries later. With the disappearance of the Cherusci as a tribal power the Franks emerged as a coalition of smaller tribes. Such a defe nsive alliance was inevitable in the face of external pressures, such as the mig ration of nomadic peoples from the east.\n\nThe Franks were, like most Germanic people, famed for fighting on foot and with great bravery; their francisca throw ing axes were a fearsome weapon to face. A bold warlord could have every chance of leading the Franks to greatness against the weakening power of Rome in the We st.\n\nHistorically, the Franks occupied the whole of Gaul by 476 AD, the final collapse of the Western Empire, and eventually gave their new country its name: France. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_HUNS_TITLE}The Huns {BARBARIAN_INVASION_HUNS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED EASY\n\nIn 376 AD wo rd reached the Roman world of a fierce people far in the east. Goth witches, it was said, had been driven from their own tribes and had then coupled with malign spirits to produce half-men who lived their entire lives on horseback. These cr eatures were monsters with the faces of devils, horned and strange. More frighte ning still, the Goths themselves were begging for sanctuary within the Empire. T he new terror was, of course, the Huns. They were a completely nomadic people fr om the wide-open steppes, and one of the most successful to ever emerge from the wilderness to threaten more 'civilized' people. They may even have been the Hsi ung-Nu who threatened China.\n\nWherever they come from, the Huns strike terror into their enemies and have absorbed weaker tribes, such as the Alans, into thei r ranks. They are the finest horsemen in the world, trained to ride almost befor e they can walk, and armed with the most effective form of composite bow known i n Asia or Europe. They are, simply, a terrible threat to any who stand against t hem: a vigorous warrior people. \n\nHistorically, however, the Huns didn't overr un the former Roman empire. They were fantastically successful but even Attila c ouldn't subdue Roman power. The Huns found no resting place in Imperial lands, a lthough they did take Hungary and were eventually driven back to the steppes by the Germans. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_SARMATIANS_TITLE}The Sarmatians {BARBARIAN_INVASION_SARMATIANS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nTh e Sarmatians were an Iranian-speaking people who lived on the plains between the Black and Caspian Seas. They were supposedly descended from Scythian fathers an d Amazon mothers, at least according to the Greek historian Herodotus. Over the ensuing centuries they moved westwards towards the Don river and Greek accounts say that the region became a desert partly thanks to the savagery of 'the Syrmat ae'. The Sarmatians were certainly strong enough to demand tribute from towns ar ound the Black Sea. Sarmatian wives fought alongside their men wearing men's clo thes and armour. Sarmatian virgins were not allowed to marry before they had sla ughtered an enemy. Fighting as armoured horsemen and horse archers the Sarmatian s were dangerous opponents.\n\nThe Sarmatians are a naturally warlike people, an d have the potential to rule the open steppes and much of Europe. Their situatio n is not without risks, however, as they are surrounded by equally warlike barba rians and steppe nomads. To the south the Sassanid Empire could be rich pickings if the Sassanids are sufficiently distracted by a confrontation with the Romans .\n\nHistorically the Sarmatians were renowned as warriors. As auxiliaries in th e service of Rome they even ended up in Britannia. Those within Roman lands at l

east survived as a distinct group. Beyond Rome's frontiers the Sarmatians were w iped out by the Huns. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_SASSANIDS_TITLE}The Sassanid Empire {BARBARIAN_INVASION_SASSANIDS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nThe Sassanids were the last native dynasty to rule in Persia after the Parthians we re overthrown and before the Arab conquest of later centuries. Sitting astride t he trade routes to the east, the Sassanid court was fabulously opulent, and the empire was dynamic and efficiently run. The military was equally efficient and d angerous, and a constant challenge to the Eastern Roman Empire. What caused much of the tension with the Romans was the establishment of Zoroastrianism as the s tate religion in Sassanid lands and the subsequent persecution of Christians. Th is gave the Romans a pretext for war whenever it was needed. The Sassanids were certainly organised enough to expand their control of Armenia and to hold off th e various steppe peoples. Rather than move southwards into Sassanid lands, most of these chose to head west towards the richer and far easier pickings of Rome.\ n\nA strong Sassanid leader has the chance to expand westwards while both halves of the Roman Empire are distracted by their own squabbles and barbarian hordes. \n\nHistorically the Sassanids lasted over 400 years from the fall of the Parthi ans until the coming of Islam and the Arabs. Islam replaced Zoroastrianism and t he Caliphate made Persia a part of a new society. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_SAXONS_TITLE}The Saxons {BARBARIAN_INVASION_SAXONS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nThe Sa xons were a people from modern-day north Germany, Denmark and northern Holland. They were a warlike and harsh folk and, like many of the German tribes, under pr essure from the influx of eastern nomadic peoples. However, instead of looking t o the south, the Saxons looked across the sea to the Roman province of Britannia . Increasing pressure from Saxon raiders, invaders and finally settlers encourag ed the construction of a line of coastal forts in Britain. In 410 AD the Saxons provoked the British into appealing directly to the Emperor for help. It wasn't forthcoming. The Saxons proved to be quite vigorous expansionists, adept both as coastal sailors (which is all they needed to be) and warriors. Their style of w arfare was typically Germanic in that it emphasised individual heroism rather th an an organised military. It was, however, a very effective way of fighting.\n\n A Saxon leader should be able to match the historical achievements of the Saxons in taking most of the old Roman province of Britannia. Warfare against the othe r German tribes should also prove challenging but probably victorious. The Saxon s, however, will be at a disadvantage fighting against any people who rely on ho rses for their military power.\n\nHistorically, the Saxons and Angles (a sub-tri be) created the idea of England instead of Britain. Their influence and language has lasted until the present day. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_VANDALS_TITLE}The Vandals {BARBARIAN_INVASION_VANDALS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nThe V andals had lived for centuries in the area that would later be Silesia, but unde r pressure from nomadic peoples, the Vandals began moving westwards, eventually crossing into Roman territory. Their westward progression caused a domino-like e ffect in other tribes too. Unlike some other peoples, the Vandals kept on moving once they reached Gaul, crossing into Hispania. They were granted lands by the Western Roman Empire, but they did not stay in Spain. They moved further south i nto Northern Africa and eventually they took the rebuilt city of Carthage as the ir new capital. Eventually, they would sack Rome itself, but attack from the sou th having marched around the end of the Western Mediterranean and crossed back i nto southern Italy. Unlike many other barbarians the Vandals were Christian, hav ing converted to the Arian form of the faith. This would lead their rulers to pe rsecute Roman and Orthodox Christians unlucky enough to be in their lands.\n\nAl though seemingly unsettled, the Vandals are actually a powerful nation on the mo ve with an effective military. They manage to adapt well to different conditions and deal with a variety of enemies on their long march. A competent leader shou

ld be able to take them to victory. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_GOTHS_TITLE}The Goths {BARBARIAN_INVASION_GOTHS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED EASY\n\nThe Goths w ere an ancient Germanic people from the Baltic coast region who migrated towards Dacia in the 3rd century AD, but before that they were reputed to have crossed the Baltic from their original homeland. They settled around the Vistula river a nd at some point the tribes divided into the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths, or We stern Goths. The Western Goths were the first barbarians to carry out a major in cursion into Roman territory and, while the other barbarians were even more brut al in their warmaking, the Goths struck fear into the enemies. Their practice of sacrificing captives to their war god, Tyz, was particularly horrifying.\n\nThi s practice has been abandoned now that the Goths have adopted the Arian version of Christianity. They are, however, still dangerous warriors and well able to ex ploit any weakness in Roman lands or among their more barbarous neighbours.\n\nH istorically the Goths were driven across the Danube and into Roman territory by pressure from the steppes. While the Goths tried to behave peaceably the Romans treated them abominably. At the battle of Adrianople in 378 the Goths destroyed an Imperial army and killed the Emperor. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_CELTS_TITLE}The Celts {BARBARIAN_INVASION_CELTS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nThe Cel ts are the pre-Roman inhabitants of Britain who were never subdued after the inv asion in 55 AD. Hadrian took the decision to build a physical barrier to separat e northern Britannia from the Picts to the north (in what is now Scotland). No R oman ever felt it was worthwhile to establish Roman domination over the Scotii ( in modern Ireland). As a result the old ways lingered on in these remote areas. Now, with Roman power on the wane, the Celts are looking to the rich province of Britannia. Their style of warfare has not changed much and would have been reco gnisable to Julius Caesar. Raids into the relatively rich Romano-British provinc es are now an attractive option, as is conquest and the re-establishment of trad itional ways. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_WHITE_HUNS_TITLE}The White Huns {BARBARIAN_INVASION_WHITE_HUNS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED NON-PLAYABLE\n \nThe White Huns - called the Hephthalites by Greek scholars - were a nomadic an d apparently well-travelled people from the steppes who were known to the Chines e, Indians and Persians by an assortment of names. They were, however, the same distinct group, as their customs stayed the same for generations. The Greeks cer tainly thought that they were part of the Hunnic nation, although they were know n to stay apart from other Huns.\n\nAs with any other steppe people, they did no t have settlements until they invaded more civilized areas. In the case of the W hite Huns they attacked southwards into Transoxania and eventually invaded Persi a and the Ganges valley in India. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_OSTROGOTHS_TITLE}The Ostrogoths {BARBARIAN_INVASION_OSTROGOTHS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED NON-PLAYABLE\n \nThe eastern Goths settled in the Ukraine until effectively subdued by the arri val of the Huns. After the dissolution of Hun power they were allies of the East ern Roman Empire and were persuaded to attack Italy. The sheer breadth of Goth l ands meant that it was almost inevitable that a single people would split into c ompeting sub-kingdoms. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_ROMANO_BRITISH_TITLE}The Roman-British {BARBARIAN_INVASION_ROMANO_BRITISH_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED NON-PLAYAB LE\n\nBritannia had been a part of the Roman world for nearly 350 years, and Chr istian for almost a century. The province was on the edge of the Empire, but tha t didn't make it any less important. Constantine the Great had actually been pro claimed Emperor in Eboracum (York) in northern Britannia. A tremor of fear must have gone through the people, however, when the last Legions were withdrawn to d

efend the Imperial heartlands.\n\nIn 410 AD the inhabitants of Britannia were di sappointed to find out that their formal request for help to defend their corner of the Roman Empire had been turned down. Emperor Honorius wrote to them saying , in effect, that they were on their own, and that defence of the Saxon Shore as the vulnerable coastline was called - was in their own hands. Honorius had hi s reasons, but this was of no satisfaction to the loyal Britons.\n\nIn place of the Roman Empire a series of petty leaders and kingdoms emerged to provide some measure of local defence against the Picts in the north and the Saxons from the continent. All owed allegiance to the idea of a High King of Britannia, and they were still recognisably Roman in many ways. The old ways were not going to disa ppear without a fight and, while the Romano-British are essentially a defensive force in military terms, they are not necessarily one that will inevitably be de feated... {BARBARIAN_INVASION_SLAVS_TITLE}The Slavs {BARBARIAN_INVASION_SLAVS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED NON-PLAYABLE\n\nThe Slavs are an Indo-European people who appeared in eastern Europe millennia ago. At some point in the 2nd Century AD they crossed the Carpathian mountains into what is now Romania and Slovakia, but saw no need to march any further south or westwards. Over the next couple of centuries the coming of the Huns, Avars and o ther nomads drove the Slavs towards the Balkans, where they ran into Roman and B yzantine forces.\n\nThe word 'slave' came into French and then English thanks to Charlemagne's wars against the Slavs in later centuries as a direct result of h is captives being sold into servitude. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_BERBERS_TITLE}The Berbers {BARBARIAN_INVASION_BERBERS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nThe M oors and Berbers represent the many desert peoples who harried the Roman Empire in north Africa as the Western Empire slowly declined. A change in the climate m ay have helped drive these tribes to attack the Roman frontier, or it may simply have been the perceived weakness of Roman garrisons. In either case, the danger was such that the Romans were forced to construct a limes, or system of frontie r forts, and provide for garrison troops to protect their holdings. The desert r aiders were never quite strong enough to drive the Romans or the later Vandals i nto the sea and claim the North African littoral as their own. {BARBARIAN_INVASION_MOORS_TITLE}The Moors {BARBARIAN_INVASION_MOORS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED NON-PLAYABLE\n\nThe Moors and Berbers represent the many desert peoples who harried the Roman Empir e in north Africa as the Western Empire slowly declined. A change in the climate may have helped drive these tribes to attack the Roman frontier, or it may simp ly have been the perceived weakness of Roman garrisons. In either case, the dang er was such that the Romans were forced to construct a limes, or system of front ier forts, and provide for garrison troops to protect their holdings. The desert raiders were never quite strong enough to drive the Romans or the later Vandals into the sea and claim the North African littoral as their own. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ ********************************************************************************* ********************** ********************************************************************************* ********************** * * EXPANSION PACK TEXT CHANGES BENEATH THIS LINE!!! * * * Only changes made after 18/04/2005 12:45:00 * *********************************************************************************

********************** ********************************************************************************* ********************** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ ********************************************************************************* ********************** ********************************************************************************* ********************** * * CHANGES BENEATH THIS LINE!!! * * * Only changes made after 07/06/2005 10:50:00 * ********************************************************************************* ********************** ********************************************************************************* ********************** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ Change made to description to allow for non-inevitabilty of Christian conversion {BARBARIAN_INVASION_VANDALS_TITLE}The Vandals {BARBARIAN_INVASION_VANDALS_DESCR}Difficulty Factor: ESTIMATED MODERATE\n\nThe V andals had lived for centuries in the area that would later be Silesia, but unde r pressure from nomadic peoples, the Vandals began moving westwards, eventually crossing into Roman territory. Their westward progression caused a domino-like e ffect in other tribes too. Unlike some other peoples, the Vandals kept on moving once they reached Gaul, crossing into Hispania. They were granted lands by the Western Roman Empire, but they did not stay in Spain. They moved further south i nto Northern Africa and eventually they took the rebuilt city of Carthage as the ir new capital. Eventually, they would sack Rome itself, but attack from the sou th having marched around the end of the Western Mediterranean and crossed back i nto southern Italy. Historically - and unlike many other barbarians - individual Vandals were attracted to the new faith of Christianity and many converted to t he Arian form of the religion. In time, this lead to persecutions of Roman and O rthodox Christians unlucky enough to be in Vandal lands. There is, however, no g uarantee that the Vandals will automatically become an Arian Christian people.\n \nAlthough seemingly unsettled, the Vandals are actually a powerful nation on th e move with an effective military. They manage to adapt well to different condit ions and deal with a variety of enemies on their long march. A competent leader should be able to take them to victory. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ ********************************************************************************* ********************** ********************************************************************************* ********************** * * CHANGES BENEATH THIS LINE!!! * * * Only changes made after 27/06/2005 11:48:00 *

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