[center][u][b]Colliding Worlds: Europe 1200 AD[/b][/u][/center] [hider=Time Line]1106 AD Battle of Tinchebray- An English war of succession came to an end at the Battle of Tinchebray, in Normandy. It began with the death of William II, King of England on August 2nd, 1100. Henry I (Beauclerc) seized the throne, but was opposed by his brother Robert II (Curthhose), of Normandy. Henry defeated Robert at Tinchebray and returned him in chains. Robert spent the rest of his life in prison. 1125 AD Henry V Dies Matilda Returns to England- Henry V, King of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, died after leading an expedition against the French Louis VI. His widow, Matilda, returned to England where her father forced English nobles to accept her as his successor after the death of his son at sea. When Henry I, her father, died Stephen of Blois, Henry's nephew, refused to accept Matilda's rule and he seized power. This resulted in a ten-year war of succession. 1143 AD Alfonso I King Of Portugal- Under the terms of the Treaty of Zamora in 1143, the independence of Portugal was recognized. Alfonso I became the first King. 1147 AD Second Crusade - The Second Crusade was organized by Louis VII, King of Spain and Conrad III, King of Germany. The Crusade came to a disastrous end due to a lack of leadership and control. It ended with an aborted siege of Damascus. 1147 AD Morrocco Conquered By Almohads - Morocco was conquered by Abd al-Mumin, the leader of the Berber Muslim Almohad Dynasty. This conquest brought to an end the Almoravid Dynasty. By 1152, Algeria was also brought under the control of the Almohads. 1157 AD Eric IX Jedvardsson Defeats Finns- Eric IX (Jedvardsson) Christian King of Sweden, defeated the Finns. He then forced them to convert to Christianity. 1163 AD One of the most notable gothic churches was begun in 1163- Notre Dame. The church was conceived by Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris. 1168 AD The school of Oxford was founded in 1168. After the founding of the University of Paris in 1200 Oxford became an offshoot of it. 1171 AD Saladin Founds Ayyubid Dynasty- Saladin, ruler of Egypt, proclaimed the end of the Fatima dynasty that had ruled Egypt since 968. He declared himself Caliph of the new Ayyubid dynasty. 1171 AD Henry II Launches Invasion of Ireland- Henry II, King of England responded to a request for help from Ireland's deposed King Dermot MacMurrough, by sending forces to Warford. Henry was recognized as the ruler of Ireland by the Treaty of Windsor in 1171. 1174 AD Henry II defeated William the Lion, King of Scotland at the siege of Alnwick Castle in 1174. William officially accepted Henry as the ruler of Scotland. 1176 AD The Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I (Barbossa) was decisively defeated by the Lombard League at Legano. Frederick was attempting to reassert his authority over northern Italy. 1184 AD Streets Paved In Paris- The streets in front of the Louvre were paved. This marked the first time streets in Paris were paved. 1185 AD The Japanese Tairo clan was decisively defeated by the Minamoto clan in a naval battle that took place off Dannoura. The child emperor Antoku, who had been held prisoner by the Taira, was killed in the battle. Japan entered the Kamakura period in the aftermath of the battle. It was a era marked by a clear division between the powerless imperial court and the dominant military government. 1187 AD BChristian forces from the Kingdom of Jerusalem attacked a caravan carrying the sister of Saladin. In retaliation, he began a holy war against the Crusaders. At the Battle of Hittim, he defeated a combined Christian army. He then laid siege to Jerusalem and captured it, although he did not sack the city after the conquest. 1186 AD Second Bulgarian Empire- A successful revolt took place against the Byzantine rule of Bulgaria. 1192 AD Spurred by Saladin's triumph, the Christians launch the Third Crusade, led by Richard the Lionhearted. Despite many difficulties, they reached the coastal area of the Holy Land and successfully captured the Acre fortress. Richard negotiated a truce with Saladin that ensured Christian access to holy sites in Jerusalem. 1199 AD Richard The Lionhearted Dies- Richard the Lionhearted died of an arrow wound while besieging Chalus in Western France. Richard, ruler of England since 1189, had actually spent very little time there. Instead, he helped lead the Third Crusade. Richard had been imprisoned by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1193, but managed to purchase his freedom. He fought an on-going battle with Philip II of Normandy. While Richard was involved in affairs outside England, the land was administered for him by Jubert Walter. 1200 AD Winter is marred by intense storms that batter the land. Shortly after, the ‘Colliding of Worlds’ occurs, bringing forth alien populations of mythical beings. [/hider] [b][u][center]The Exodous of Gorika[/center][/u][/b] The world of Gorika was dying, and none knew the reason. The land cracked beneath the feet of those who lived upon it; entire nations crumbled into fissures, and the seas boiled as the planet’s core sought to escape its prison. The skies sent forth volleys of corrosive rain down onto the inhabitants of Gorika, devouring those who were not fortunate enough to live under the protection of hastily erected magical forcefields. Knowing their doom, the grand multitude of Gorika’s races gathered together on the last barely surviving continent, even as the very ground they stood on slipped into the abyss, and there, despite centuries of war, they allied themselves against the unstoppable force of nature. Thousands of wizards, mages and sorcerers merged their power as one, and vied to match the Quiet One’s strength by achieving a Godly feat of passage. Calling to them the chaotic energies erupting from the planet’s surface, this gathering magical practitioners were able to force open a series of portals, through which their kin could escape. They paid a heavy price, however, as to keep the destruction from following those they were saving, they had to remain behind to ensure the portals were closed. This selfless sacrifice is known to all as ‘The Great Giving’. [b][u][center]Europe, 1200 AD[/center][/u][/b] The portals bypassed space and time, appearing instantly on planet Earth. This was never the design of their creators, whom lacking adequate preparation, had simply projected them towards a random star far from their dying home world. The skies above Europe were torn a sunder, as unseasonal storms boiled from seemingly nowhere, striking the ground beneath them with forks of malevolent lightning. The Atlantic Ocean, reeling from the sheer power wrought by the gateways connecting Earth and Gorika, was whipped into producing gigantic waves. These destructive walls of water crashed across Spain and Great Britain, threatening to submerge them entirely, but withholding at the last second. Earthquakes racked France and Germany, bringing towns and cities to their knees. The portals appeared randomly, all over Europe. The first of Gorika’s refugees to emerge, were the High Elves of the now non-existent Realm of Quandier. Appearing outside of the very walls of Rome, they were heavily sickened by the tolls taken on their bodies from traversing the gateways. Pope Innocent III, proclaiming that Hell had spewed forth its legion, ordered the Catholic nations of Europe to rally their armies for the ‘end times’. Markward von Anweile, the Holy Roman Emperor’s defacto ruler of a recently defeated Kingdom of Sicily, descended upon the High Elves with an army of twenty thousand men. [i]… We came upon them at dawn, many of us mounted upon beast, and we fell upon them with lance and sword. They were a strange peoples; shorter than we, with long white hair, pale angular faces and piercing eyes of sapphire. They pleaded with us in an unknown tongue; but we heeded not the words of the devils, whom had surely come to claim our souls. For the greatness of God, we put them to the sword without question. Men, women and children all. Some resisted, and their weapons were of a strange quality, but they bled the same as us and soon victory was ours…[/i] – Makward Von Anweile, the Rome Massacre of Prince Thalas’ column. Other portals soon opened however, pouring into the world a multitude of various beings. Some were as helpless as the High Elves at Rome; others, like the Orcs of Blackspire were not. Normandy burned as the Orcish Warchief Brakkar Fellblade led his warbands across the vast expanse of the Norman countryside, pillaging and slaughtering as he went. The English fought back with Arthur of Brittany leading the charge. After a bloody battle outside of Caen, Brakkar was finally brought to heel, but not before he had put the greater part of the region to the torch. As the human Kingdoms and Empires fought a war of genocide against the ‘demon spawn of Hell’, Gorika’s refugees started to rally. Realising they had happened upon a hostile world, those who were fortunate enough not to appear in the face of the enemy from the moment they stepped from the portals, established themselves as armies with the objective of securing a foothold from which their people could continue to congregate safely. The second High Elf column, appearing outside of Rome, and seeing the remains of their massacred kinsmen, quickly stormed the city. After a fierce melee upon the city’s walls, and a brutal engagement in the streets, the High Elves overcame the Papal army with the heavy use of lesser magic. After seeing fireballs launch from the hands of their adversaries, it was not long until other native forces within the city’s immediate bounds retreated north and south to the safety of the Holy Roman Empire. The Pope was held responsible for the murder of the High Elven prince and his peoples, and was burned alive for ‘crimes against the innocent’; an ironic end to a man of such standing. With Rome secured, and the human population subdued under the boots of the High Elven occupiers, the way was clear for the rest of their kin to safely make passage through the portal; thus allowing them to establish the first Gorika kingdom on Earth. Other races from Gorika started to follow suit; despite early native victories, they were able to forge their way through the hostile world, and lay claim to areas of land which they would later call home. The Colliding of Worlds was in full swing… [b][center][u]The Roles of the Players[/u][/center][/b] Hello, and welcome to Colliding of Worlds. In this RP, players will choose one of two options: [indent]Option A) To claim a race from Gorika, and to choose a nation that they have successfully liberated from native control. Option B) To choose an existing native Kingdom or Empire. [/indent] You must then lead your country through this catastrophic time. Whether you are the English King, driving Dwarves from the fringes of Scotland, or a Halfling Prince, trying desperately to establish peace with Saladin in the Eygpt, your goal is to survive and expand. Form unexpected alliances, unite against your kinsmen, or indeed with them. Embrace Gorika’s refugees, or put Earth’s native humans to the fire for their evil reception of your desperate peoples. [b][center][u]Planned Features[/u][/center][/b] - Live map of Europe, with coloured borders to denote the extent of all nations. - NPC nations to be controlled by the GM, who will decide their diplomatic and military objectives towards players. - Inclusion of lesser magic; to be explained in final product. - Seasonal time system; simple and paced. - Simple troop recruitment and technological mechanics. - Diversity. Players will be able to create their very own fantasy races. - Simple combat system. Detailed in final product. - Religions, such as Catholicism, Orthodox Christian, Islam, Paganism and Krelanism. - And more! For those who are involved with me in other RPs, including the one I am currently running, the Fractured South, do not fret. Unlike everyone else, I somehow have plenty of time to see to my RP obligations despite having an active love life and a dreadfully depressing job. To those who aren’t, does this garner your interests? I’ve got the RP outlined, and I just need to start fleshing it out. I don’t want to waste all of that time and effort if it’s for nothing, however. Taking questions and suggestions.