Events hurtled at a reckless pace, Spring to Winter taking ony two days to complete.
Robbed by the Knights of St John the Ottomans used their last card to attack the Holy League fleet at Messina, but odds of 16-7 availed them naught as they were repulsed with the loss of a galley and a corsair while only the Papal fleet was destoyed. The Ottoman retreated to the Ionian Sea shivering their timbers in case the two Spanish galleys came out to pack them off to the Black Sea. sleim had Piyale Pasha's sons heads are mounted on spikes outside the Coron's harbor's entrance pour encourager les autres. Spain was able to use Galleasses to return the Netherlands to Catholicism, only Amsterdam keeping the new faith.
With the Ottomans, Spain, England and the Protestants all passed out in a drunken stupour France and the Empire played out the decade in a flurry of card play. The Black Shadow *gasp* Klein Henszlein (a North Sea Pirate 1560-73) set out to the Guinea Coast while I garrisoned Rouen with Il Piccolo Soccorso. "Henszlein the mighty sails into the new world! Spanish colonies fear his my piracy! Then he sails into the Spanish Main to continue his ravages!", so ran the Imperial report, but all he got was a bad doss of snake eyes. It roused Spain from his turpor though as Storms damaged the Imperial expedition. "Hah! The mighty Henszlein cannot be destroyed by weather! He perseveres!" coninued the report. We could scarcely believe our eyes as the Austrians demostrated why they usually had no navy, but they were too tempted by the naked Spanish colonies. While this clownery was going on I used Border Reivers to power up my influence in Scotland and raised some French mercenaries in Paris (when I found I could not take political control of rebel Nantes). The Emperor returned to sense by backling Mercator's scientific studies to the hilt, which ended the turn, until the Protestants made a last minute rebellion in unoccupied Amsterdam.
I pulled back the French regulars from Bordeaux and Orleans and shifted my galley from the English Channel to Brest with the Galleon. The marriage of Elisabeth and Charles resulted in True Love, with honour and treasure for both parties, but the marriage between Don Carlos and Anna of Saxony was cancelled. Anna took her dowry to the convent while Carlos and Arran went made, though Philip II, William of Orange and Leicester aged well. Palladio built the Suleimaniye Mosque in Vienna, Dee an Observatory in London and Ali Reis began the Excavation of the Suez Canal. Meanwhile Bellaso for Spain (Mirror of Countries) and Mercator for the Empire (On The Magnet) won fame for their discoveries in a Scientific Golden Age. France was congratulated on holding Paris and I received a special bonus for marrying off Elisabeth de Valois. Elizabeth I fame as the Virgin Queen spread (though Leicester was hanging around her stables again).
As I wrote up my report Catherine de' Medici and her entourage visited my office on the Rue d'Intrigue and I was able to say we were the second state in Europe. I basked in their praise as the ladies of the court congratualted me on doing so much with so little. Now all I had to do was marry off King Charles IX and Mary Queen of Scots while fending off the jealousy of my rivals. I had Grand Tour hidden up my sleeve for next turn and as we should get treasure from the New World and more funds at home I looked to the future with confidence.
Spain +10 Keys +5 Religion +1 Scientist = 16
France +8 Keys, +1 Valois, +1 Paris, +1 Piracy, +1 Wedding = 12
Holy Roman Empire +8 Keys +3 Architect +1 Scientist +1 Wedding = 13
Ottoman +11 Keys = 11
England +6 Keys, +1 Piracy, +1 VQ +1 Religion = 9
Protestants +5 Keys, +2 Religion, +1 Piracy = 8
Robbed by the Knights of St John the Ottomans used their last card to attack the Holy League fleet at Messina, but odds of 16-7 availed them naught as they were repulsed with the loss of a galley and a corsair while only the Papal fleet was destoyed. The Ottoman retreated to the Ionian Sea shivering their timbers in case the two Spanish galleys came out to pack them off to the Black Sea. sleim had Piyale Pasha's sons heads are mounted on spikes outside the Coron's harbor's entrance pour encourager les autres. Spain was able to use Galleasses to return the Netherlands to Catholicism, only Amsterdam keeping the new faith.
With the Ottomans, Spain, England and the Protestants all passed out in a drunken stupour France and the Empire played out the decade in a flurry of card play. The Black Shadow *gasp* Klein Henszlein (a North Sea Pirate 1560-73) set out to the Guinea Coast while I garrisoned Rouen with Il Piccolo Soccorso. "Henszlein the mighty sails into the new world! Spanish colonies fear his my piracy! Then he sails into the Spanish Main to continue his ravages!", so ran the Imperial report, but all he got was a bad doss of snake eyes. It roused Spain from his turpor though as Storms damaged the Imperial expedition. "Hah! The mighty Henszlein cannot be destroyed by weather! He perseveres!" coninued the report. We could scarcely believe our eyes as the Austrians demostrated why they usually had no navy, but they were too tempted by the naked Spanish colonies. While this clownery was going on I used Border Reivers to power up my influence in Scotland and raised some French mercenaries in Paris (when I found I could not take political control of rebel Nantes). The Emperor returned to sense by backling Mercator's scientific studies to the hilt, which ended the turn, until the Protestants made a last minute rebellion in unoccupied Amsterdam.
I pulled back the French regulars from Bordeaux and Orleans and shifted my galley from the English Channel to Brest with the Galleon. The marriage of Elisabeth and Charles resulted in True Love, with honour and treasure for both parties, but the marriage between Don Carlos and Anna of Saxony was cancelled. Anna took her dowry to the convent while Carlos and Arran went made, though Philip II, William of Orange and Leicester aged well. Palladio built the Suleimaniye Mosque in Vienna, Dee an Observatory in London and Ali Reis began the Excavation of the Suez Canal. Meanwhile Bellaso for Spain (Mirror of Countries) and Mercator for the Empire (On The Magnet) won fame for their discoveries in a Scientific Golden Age. France was congratulated on holding Paris and I received a special bonus for marrying off Elisabeth de Valois. Elizabeth I fame as the Virgin Queen spread (though Leicester was hanging around her stables again).
As I wrote up my report Catherine de' Medici and her entourage visited my office on the Rue d'Intrigue and I was able to say we were the second state in Europe. I basked in their praise as the ladies of the court congratualted me on doing so much with so little. Now all I had to do was marry off King Charles IX and Mary Queen of Scots while fending off the jealousy of my rivals. I had Grand Tour hidden up my sleeve for next turn and as we should get treasure from the New World and more funds at home I looked to the future with confidence.
Spain +10 Keys +5 Religion +1 Scientist = 16
France +8 Keys, +1 Valois, +1 Paris, +1 Piracy, +1 Wedding = 12
Holy Roman Empire +8 Keys +3 Architect +1 Scientist +1 Wedding = 13
Ottoman +11 Keys = 11
England +6 Keys, +1 Piracy, +1 VQ +1 Religion = 9
Protestants +5 Keys, +2 Religion, +1 Piracy = 8