Just something from my (mostly) hands-off game. I created an immortal named "Constantine Rome",
gave immortality a 25% chance of being inherited, piled on positive traits, and set him up as the
Caliph of Baghdad at the start of the Old Gods scenario.
Rather than a unified super-empire that conquered the known world, the Middle East is a fractured
mess. The Mali are Catholic, a major Indian Kingdom is Lollard, all the Hordes have died, Mecca
is Catholic, the immortal Constantine had about a hundred children, many of which were immortal
and whom passed on the trait to their many children.
The Byzantines converted (even under the same dynasty) in the 10th century of the game.
But, in time, the immortal became an incapable, insane, maimed, and diseased man whom was
forced to leave office. A mortal branch of the family took control of the caliphate until they died out.
Faruk bin Constantine Rome, an immortal son of Constantine, eventually took control of Baghdad.
However, Faruk would never become Caliph. The title was taken by a dynasty that had
overthrown the Rome family. This family would, in turn be overthrown. And again, and again.
Faruk would, as Emir of Baghdad (and many others), would defend the East from the Mongols.
He was killed, and after his death the Mongols came and brought ruin upon dar-al Islam.
Eventually Uways conquered the Caliphate in the thirteenth century, and maintained
control over the Arabian Empire. By then, however, the Arabian Caliphate had been torn
to pieces. The Constantine, a deranged mayor, suddenly became capable again (not me),
and was readily proclaimed Caliph (me, just to see what would happen). Constantine's return
would be cut short with his assassination in the 14th century.
Though the Mongols converted to Islam, and the Byzantines were Sunni, and Immortals
began to populate other ruling families in the Middle East, to the west a monster was born.
The Holy Roman Empire was forged upon the many corposes of the Karlings, and
when the King of Italy was elected Holy Roman Emperor, the Welf's brought about the
complete restoration of Christendom. All Catholics, apart from a petty king in England and the Pope
were a part of this massive state.
To the east, the Carpathian Empire forged from the crown of Hungary were Orthodox Christians.
Many small princes in Russia had also converted to the Orthodox faith, though they warred
constantly with the Vikings of the North. On their ends only stagnation reigned. The German
Empire, Holy and Roman, launched a crusade against the Byzantines for Greece. The converted
Byzantines broke, Greece was conquered by the militant Hospitallers, and severed from Constantinople
the Romans of the East converted to Catholicism, again under the same dynasty.
Though the Middle East fell into chaos at that point, the West was pacified under the Ummayad
Caliphate. Though Mauritania had recently broke off as a cadet branch of the Ummayad rebelled,
On the whole, the West seemed an island of pacifity. No war had been fought between Arab
and German for over two centuries. However, upon the conquest of Greece, crusading
fervor made Rome look to its close neighbor. Four long wars were fought between the Crusaders
and the Western Caliphate. The Western Caliphate was destroyed. Its its place more knights rose.
All of this may be blamed upon the ascension of a certain Pope Agatho II, an immortal.
This Catholic was once a Sunni Emir, the grandson of Faruk. Great Grandson of the Caliph.
Many question how such a conversion might have taken place, but his conversion brought
with him the Sultanate of Africa bringing even more Immortals under Agatho's cousin.
The Crusades began shortly after Pope Agatho's ascension to the papal throne in the mid 14th century.
The Norse would not remain pagan for long, and though their crowns fractured after
the Holy Roman Empire conquered Denmark and cast aside its pagan tiara, they were more
than a big enough force to begin a conquest of Lithuania. It remains unfinished, for the
Lithuanians converted when all hope was lost. The Carpathians soon converted to Catholicism
and became very much the junior Emperor in Christendom, though they are a superior force.
The Orthodox now exist only amidst the Russians, and even there it is weak. Constant contension
with their Catholic coreligionists to the west, and even more constant wars with their heathen Mongols
to their east has left them weak and their future is uncertain. The Norse are all gone now.
The Lithuianian Pantheon has been erased, while their slavic contemporaries cling
to life with just three dukes isolated on the fringes of the world continue to pay homage.
In India the Lollard Heresy is amongst the most popular religions, with the Hindu and the Jain
wavering in a tie for second place. The Buddhists, however, are in decline.
No Shiite rules, though a few Yezidi claim rule over the odd mosque and castle. The Miaphysite
can claim rule over the lands of Somalia, though the returned crown of Ethiopia was
left by a Catholic Greek whose claim is more dubious than most and a remnant from Byzantine Jihad.
Timur was never born, and thus once the the Golden Horde eliminated the Il Khanate, there was
none to replace the Horde as the dominant Mongol Power after rebellion tore it apart from the inside.
