Post feature Report RSS Faction Previews: Iberian Christendom

This is a preview showcasing the factions in the mod including the ones included in later releases.

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Note that some of the featured factions will not be included in the first release. These previews will be divided by factional groupings similar to Rome 2's style. Reposted from TWC team member Lord Giovanni.

IBERIAN CHRISTENDOM
Reconquista: +20% morale bonus when fighting members of a foreign religion
Religious Fervor: +4 religion conversion rate

The Kingdom of Castile
Legacy of El Cid: +1 authority, strategy and zeal for all generals
The Camino Road: +30% Wealth from Commerce
Iberian Hegemony: Major diplomatic penalty with all Iberian factions

The Kingdom of Castile has established itself as the most powerful of the Christian kingdoms of Iberia. Under the long and inspired rule of its king, Alfonso VIII, the Castilian monarchy has been strengthened against the unruly Castilian nobility, the knightly holy order of Santiago has been tied tightly to royal patronage, and the mutual security of the Christian kingdoms of Iberia has been secured against their common foe, the Moors. His rule has been marked by conflict from its earliest days, and the last years of his reign will see even greater battles.

Alfonso was the initiator of a treaty that is unlike anywhere in Christendom. Faced with the pernicious warmongering of the Almohads, Alfonso broke through the distrust that Castilian hegemony has engendered in the other Christian kingdoms of Iberia, and signed a defensive alliance with them against the Almohads. The treaty also ingeniously worked out the zones of expansion that each kingdom could take from Muslim Iberian territory.

That alliance, even though it was signed decades ago, is needed more urgently than ever now. Spies have reported that the Almohads have marshaled a massive army from their entire domain and are marching north to destroy Christianity in Iberia once and for all. Even though wars and raiding have moved the frontier back-and-forth between Christianity and Islam for many years, this new threat is an existential one. His Holiness, Pope Innocent III, has lent additional weight to the coming conflict by calling a crusade to defend Iberia from the Mohammedan menace. Some French crusaders have diverted from their war against the Albigensian heretics in Toulouse to rally to the defense of Christendom, and their presence is most welcome.

The lords and knights of Castile have all been raised on tales of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, or El Cid, the Castilian knight whose exploits against the Moors are the stuff of legend. His heroic example has influenced the tactics of every Castilian lord. The Knights of Santiago, a crusading order of the same caliber of the Templars or Hospitallers, have also joined the fight. They are not only sworn to fight the Moors until all of Iberia is Christian once again, but they are also indebted to King Alfonso for his granting them the castle which became the center of their order. Such a force at Alfonso's command, though vastly outnumbered by the slave-soldiers and ghazis of the Almohads, may yet be able to carry the day.

Even so, every sword and lance that Castile can field will be needed against the scale of the threat that it faces. If the Almohads can be overcome here, they can be driven back to Africa. This has been the goal of the Reconquista for the last 500 years. God willing, the dream of an Iberia reclaimed for Christ will soon be realized. But it must first face its most terrible test since the dark days of the first Islamic Invasion.

The Kingdom of Aragon
Mediterranean Ambitions: -40% Upkeep on all ships
Foreign Intervention: +20% morale when fighting outside own territory
Meddling Presence: Major diplomatic penalty with all Frankish factions

The Kingdom of Aragon occupies what was once the frontier of Charlemagne's Frankish empire, and it was formed in the fires of battle. The Aragonese have a proud tradition of victory against the Saracen invaders that blight the Iberian Peninsula, yet they have other strengths as well. Straddling the sun-washed shores of the Mediterranean, the Kingdom of Aragon is a rising naval power. Aragonese galleys and the men who crew them have proven to be some of the most robust in Christendom, and through both trade and war have furthered the interests of their kings.

Yet even though its positioning may favor a focus on maritime power, the strength of Aragon's knights is immediately called for. The thrice-cursed Almohad Caliph, Muhammad al-Nasir, has landed in Iberia with a massive army of warriors and slave-soldiers to crush the Christian kingdoms. Even though Aragonese knights have crossed swords with Castilian ones in the past, a defensive alliance among all the Christian kingdoms against the Almohads that the Aragonese are a party to has come into effect. Every Aragonese knight has been summoned to join with the forces of Castile and Portugal to face the Almohads in the battle that will decide the fate of Iberia. Defeat is not an option; Aragon would be swiftly crushed if it were to happen. But if Aragon can take the lead in advancing the Reconquista following a victory in the upcoming battle, it can tip the balance of power in Iberia, placing itself on a more even footing against the powerful Castilians.

Even though it is the most urgent and pressing matter facing Aragon, the Reconquista is only one avenue of potential expansion for the kingdom. Opportunities are beginning to present themselves for Aragon across Southern Christendom. With the Albigensian Crusade bringing chaos to the Duchy of Toulouse to the north, that region has been effectively removed from the protection of the Kings of France. Therefore, there is an opportunity for Aragon to secure territory beyond the Pyrenees. Across the sea, in Sicily, the people of that kingdom are already wearying of the internecine conflicts with both the Pope and Holy Roman Emperor that their new German king is pulling them into. There is the growing sense across Europe that intervention there may be necessary. Should not Aragon be the kingdom to offer the Sicilian people a more beneficial rule after overthrowing their hated lords?

The Kingdom of Aragon is ready to use the might of its armies and fleets to secure power both in Iberia and across the Mediterranean. It must only be careful not to make too many enemies at once... at least not until it is strong enough to do so.

The Kingdom of Portugal
Diplomatic Counterweight: Moderate diplomatic bonus with all Frankish factions
Maritime Economy: +30% Wealth from all ports
Roots of Rebellion: +50% Resistance to Conquest

The Kingdom of Portugal is one of the youngest realms in Christendom, having only been raised to the status of kingdom a few decades ago by papal decree. This has not sat well with the kings of Castile, whom the lords of Portugal were vassals to before the ultimately-successful Portuguese rebellion. Even though it is possible that Castile may try to reclaim their feudal rights over Portugal, in defiance of the Holy Father's decree, present circumstances will likely deter Castile from attacking Portugal.

With the rise of the militant Almohad Moors to the south, King Alfonso VIII of Castile has formed an alliance with all of the Christian kingdoms of Iberia, Portugal included, against the Almohads. The Reconquista, which Portugal has valiantly participated in, is about to enter a deadly new phase. The Almohad Caliph has raised an army from across his vast empire that would dwarf the knightly armies of Portugal, or indeed any of the Christian Iberian kingdoms. Castile has issued a call to arms to its allies, and Portugal has answered, knowing that only the combined might of Christian Iberia has any hope of defeating the Moorish horde marching northward.

The Christian alliance must defeat the Almohads, and the alternative is too terrible to contemplate. But once the Moorish threat is past, Castile may once again seek to subjugate Portugal. Fortunately, Portugal has found itself potential friends throughout Christendom to help it against the growing power of Castile. The English in particular could become a strong ally, though it might also be possible for Portugal to ally with the French. Both of those nations are about to come to blows in a massive war of their own, and so Portugal should monitor the situation in France closely and choose the victor for its friend.

The positioning of Portugal means that most of their produce and trade is seaborne, but the Portuguese are natural mariners, and are quite capable of sending armies overseas to help their friends- and potentially conquer new coastal territories along the way. However, Portugal's roots as a rebellious county has the unfortunate side effect of limiting the authority of Portugal's king when claiming new territory, since the newly-conquered vassals of that land may resent being lorded over by someone whose ancestors were vassals themselves not too long ago. If Portugal can make the right friends and choose carefully when- and at what pace- to attack its enemies, the formerly rebellious county may become the premiere power in Iberia, and from there, Christendom.

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fenix02
fenix02

cant wait for this!

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Rokulda
Rokulda

release date?

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Frayuk
Frayuk

These faction descriptions are making me excited for the mod - can't wait!

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