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.
ITALIAN CHRISTENDOM
Mercenary Armies: -40% Mercenary Upkeep costs
Urbanization: +30% wealth from region center buildings
The Republic of Venice
Venetian Arsenal: -40% Ship Upkeep costs
Trade Empire: +50% Wealth from Trade Agreements
The Great Betrayal: Major diplomatic penalty with all Orthodox factions
The Most Serene Republic of Venice has recently emerged as the premiere trading nation in Europe. Using its network of trade connections throughout the Adriatic Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, Venice has acquired the wealth to make it a power to be reckoned with, even in this age of feudal power. A mercenary's crossbow can kill a charging knight with little difficulty.
Though Venice's wealth and influence come from its wide network of trade connections, it has not hesitated to use force when it felt the need to do so. Venetian citizen-soldiers have stood against the might of the knights of the Holy Roman Empire and triumphed, and Venetian galleys have aided many of the coastal battles of the crusaders in Palestine. But it was the actions of Venice during the Fourth Crusade that have cemented the republic's fame and notoriety. The Fourth Crusade was nothing short of a triumph for Venice. Having used their position of strength as being the carriers of the crusading forces, the Venetians used the crusaders to not only extend Venetian territory, but also to deliver a deathblow to the Byzantine Empire, which had been the archrival to Venetian commerce for centuries. The Venetian fleets had proved invaluable in the capture of Constantinople, and proved to the world that their galleys are to be feared. The city of Venice has turned the building and maintaining of galley fleets into an art form, with the Venetian Arsenal being one of the busiest military ports in Europe.
The crusaders whom Venice took to the walls of Constantinople have established a new Catholic empire in the heart of old Byzantium, and have granted Venice preferred trade rights to the wealth that flows through that land. The Venetians delivering a dagger to the heart of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, however, has earned them the deep enmity of all those who followed the Byzantine Emperor into schism from Rome.
The Republic of Venice at this point stands proudly above the other city-states of Italy, having used the strength of its fleets and the cunning of its leaders to change the face of the Mediterranean. Whether it will work with the Latin Empire to continue carving new territories out of the corpse of the Byzantine Empire or extend its influence closer to home, there are countless options for expansion available for Venice, though admittedly some paths will be more difficult than others. The republic has reached great heights of power, influence and wealth, and even better days are surely ahead of it.
The Republic of Genoa
Crossbow Pioneers: +2 XP ranks for all archers
Bank of Genoa: +30% Wealth from Commerce buildings
Greener Pastures: +10% upkeep costs for all non-mercenary units
The Republic of Genoa has truly come into its own at this time. The Genoese have used the newfound knowledge of compound materials for bows, learned from fighting the Saracens and Turks in the Crusades, to undertake a renaissance of citizen-soldiering. By adding elements of horn and iron to the traditional wood of a bow, archers can fire volleys with greater range and force than ever before. The Genoese have applied these lessons to crossbows primarily, as they are the prime infantry weapons for defending or attacking a city, as well as against pirates or corsairs at sea. Genoese crossbowmen have quickly become the standard of crossbow excellence, and have hired themselves out to many of the lords of Europe rich enough to pay them, especially to the kings of France. The life of a mercenary has become so lucrative for Genoese soldiers that the republic usually needs to pay extra to keep soldier companies in its service.
But then, this additional cost is of little concern for the republic. Wealth truly flows through Genoa. It has begun to make use of the budding merchant class to build and staff banks, which Genoa uses with a great deal of influence from nearby Florence, which is becoming a powerful banking center. Genoa is also a great trade hub of the Western Mediterranean, and their fleets ply the trade routes throughout the region. However, Genoese trade dominance is not nearly as powerful as their rival mercantile city-state, Venice. Genoa has watched the actions of Venice during the Fourth Crusade with a great amount of disgust; not only did Venice hijack the crusade from its goal of liberating Jerusalem, but it used the fruits of its treachery to secure trade rights through the Constantinople trade route! As the old saying goes, though, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Genoa would do well to ally itself with one or all of the various Byzantine successor states. This should be done if for no other reason than to secure those primary trade rights for themselves when the Greeks retake Constantinople.
There are also opportunities aplenty available for Genoa throughout the Western Mediterranean. The Holy Roman Empire is about to launch into a destructive war with France, and perhaps now the time is right for Genoa to liberate Milan and re-establish the Lombard League that defeated the legendary German Emperor, Friedrich Barbarossa. From there, it would be a small matter to show Venice the depths of Genoa's wrath. Venetian militias would prove no match for the powerful crossbows of Genoa. On the water, Corsica and Sardinia would be natural additions to Genoese territory, and Genoa could also come to the aid of the Christian kingdoms of Iberia against the Saracen threat there.
