1379

Coming in to 1379, Western Europe was a spinning ball of political flame. The late 14th century was already a superstitious time, but the *Scream of Spectres* was a new benchmark for the *Incidence of Incidents*. So much so that it influenced the direction of Rome and the collective Christian Churches as much as the accelerated Protestant reformation.

On that note, instead of France or the Empire installing politically-friendly popes, it seemed the English Lollards had finally found a pope of their own. Politically inconvenient, Rome was now extremely friendly to the Protestant movement.

Pope Urban was healing old ecclesiastical wounds but uncovering festering political sores, with conflict taking arms where diocese were unwilling to divest their temporal prince-bishoprics. Changing the dialogue in ways that hadn't been seen since Christ himself, the new Jesuit priests of England and Rome alike were *actually healing people*. That was huge news across a Eurasia that was experiencing a plague surge.

All of this combined *still* wasn't the town crier's headline. Rather, the demonstrable magic of Aquitaine and England was a direct callback to the myths of Merlin. That millennia-old legend wasn't confined to England – it reached far and wide across Europe.

The fear of witches was largely supplanted as the slow, steady growth of the *actual arcana* now gave a baseline of comparison: "witchcraft" had little if any actual magic. This was a boon to practitioners of herbalism and the like, though there was a bit of a let-down when they didn't know how to respond to actual supernatural events.

With benign magic like the Glow Stones making slow circulation, the beneficial effects were counterweight against the *Incidents*. This heavily contrasted with London's own apocalypse, now eight months removed. With the Crown fighting, and apparently winning, against a foe believed to be the devil himself, it heavily influenced allegiances in England, France and most anywhere in earshot of the stories. England was doing *the Lord's Work*.

This also slammed traditional political momentum and posturing. Prince Rick had been back in England for a month now, while the Edwardian offensive surgically claimed northwestern France. From Breton across through Normandy, father and son looked close the gap to Calais in this new year. The perception was that England was the premiere military power in Europe, and with magic behind them, maybe the world.

## **World Events**

* **January:** the resurgence of the Black Death. From 1331 to 1353, the bubonic plague had migrated across Eurasia. Now, just as the population recovered around Nanjing, there was a deadlier, more virulent pneumonic version that started and spread from East China.
* **February:** Rupert I, Elector Palatine, is elected King of the Romans (King of Germany) in an emergency session. Taking nominal leadership of the Holy Roman Empire, Rupert sends peace envoys through the empire in an attempt to bring peace.
* **May:** King of Castile and León Henry II, as well as his son John I, perish in a gunpowder accident in Toledo. The blast was so massive it destroyed half the Alcázar and threw the kingdom into crisis and confusion as survivors sorted through the rubble.
* **June:** John of Gaunt presents himself as rightful heir to the Castilian throne. Accepted *enough*, John divests his Lancastrian duchy, trading it for a new created barony in the south of England.
* September 9 – The Treaty of Neuberg is signed, splitting the Austrian Habsburg lands between brothers Albert III and Leopold III. Albert III retains the title of Duke of Austria.

### **Date Unknown**

* The Venetians and Ottomans invade Constantinople, and restore John V Palaiologos as Byzantine co-emperor. Andronikos IV Palaiologos is allowed to remain as Byzantine co-emperor, but is confined to the city of Silivri for the remainder of his life.
* Bairam Khawaja establishes the independent principality of the Turkomans of the Black Sheep Empire, in present day Armenia.
* Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow raids Estonia.

## **The Sphere of Magic**

### **January**

* **Edwardian Sweep of Northern France:** The English Edwards meet the Aquitaine Bayonne regiment, still guarding Calais until the English arrival. By now, most repairs had been effected, allowing Bayonne to depart. Instead of heading back to Aquitaine, it became a complementary force that assisted the English counterattack, taking Artois, Flanders and Picardy by the end of the month.
* **Wandstone:** the plan to open a magical academy in the London area had been in the works for some time, but making it worth the while to teach while creating a curriculum that didn't blow up the students was a challenge. Fortuitous, then, that Wandstone opened when it did. The Clerkenwell parish was immediately north of the City of London, and Wandstone took a step to empower and encourage the still-jittery post-Teardrop locals.
* **York's *Ineffable Fairies*:** the city of York reports bubbles of various size, all with silvery, mirrored surfaces, floating through the countryside. They sink into the ground and pass through matter as if it's not there. They're not lethal, but there is a falling sensation if one sticks their head inside a bubble (!). The Royal Order of Merlin is dispatched to investigate.

### **February**

* **Edwardian reach into Luxembourg:** Charles IV pressed his resources into assisting his nephew Charles V at Calais. That included armies from Luxembourg and Burgundy, both of which were effectively destroyed by Aquitaine. The Edwardian offensive now counterattacked Luxembourg, namesake of House Luxembourg, and allied areas to the north, annexing them in retaliation.
* **A Ricardian Presence in York:** Prince Rick is "banished to York" by King Edward after a Ricardian quote reaches the English Crown disparaging their retaliatory war ride as unchristian. That is, itself, controversial, but is largely buried by rumors of the *Ineffable Fairies of York*.
* **Cairo's Burning Frogs:** the city of Cairo, capital of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, reports waves of frogs appearing... then burning away. The city is partially abandoned as word makes its way to Alexandria and eventually to Rome. A magically-trained Jesuit contingent is dispatched from Rome to investigate. Their findings: angels have either gone mad *or are at war with each other*...

### **March**

* **Edwardian tactics eschew traditional battles:** The Edwards continue their war ride, but this isn't the fabian tactics of resource attrition: rather this is a terrifying direct strike on political leadership. Possibly influenced by the Ricardian tactics at Poitiers, the two-regiment campaign takes Champagne, then turns to Paris.
* New College is founded in Oxford, England. Similar to the original, this is intended to be a learned training center for priests. Unlike the original, the construction is completed in about two years and goes on to train priests using magically-created, SNS-based training aides.
* **The Atlantean Audacity of Aquitaine:** The Royal Navy of Aquitaine, something of a legend now with its ultra-sleek, ultra-fast ships, officially discovers the islands known in the alternate timeline as the Azores. There had been rumors of islands in that location, but nothing official and nothing politically claimed – until Aquitaine did so. Upon planting a flag, did no less than [re]found the *City of* *Atlantis*.

### **April**

* **The Ghosts of the Living:** As the Edwardian regiments prepare to attack, Paris is haunted by an army of ghosts. Not just the dead, but the ghosts – possibly the souls – *of the living* wander the city. The dead are angry or sad, but it's the souls of the living that terrify people. Stricken the hardest in the haunting is Dauphin Charles, resulting in a French armistice. Prince Richard, the ROM and the Jesuit Contingent are summoned from England.
* **Dominus Exorcus:** Dauphin Charles is healed from *the* haunting, sparing him (and his father, King Charles V of France). The event is terrifying not just for the Valois but the Plantagenets and the rest of the city.
* ***The Treaty of Paris******:*** The House of Plantagenet, under King Edward IV of England, assumed the Kingdom of France, including the Duchy of Burgundy. In an act of mercy, Edward kept the House of Valois alive, but subordinated, as the Carolignian-led *Duchy of the Île-de-France*. To the east, Burgundy was split off in a recreation of the Kingdom of Arles (officially "Arelat"), while to the west was created the Kingdom of Aquitaine. After the decisive victory, and the experience of the *Dominus Exorcus*, the Edwardian Crown retired to England while Richard, now King of Aquitaine, became the French regent.

### **May**

* **Arelat Redefined:** The Audit and Rectification that King Édouard started in Paris was carried forth by *King Rickard of Aquitaine*. With four Regiments behind him, Rick consolidated the eastern frontier. Having made a point of speed, surprise and raw power, he combined the French Duchy with a quietly-annexed Holy Roman county, fusing them into a *new* Duchy of Burgundy within the *Kingdom of Arelat*. *The Magus* proclaims former HRE-claim *Arelat* is under the stewardship of the House of Plantagenet.
* **Calculating a Path to the Future:** the Royal Academy is already seeded with engineering and math for calculating machines, but the natural pathway is diverting with the addition of magic. In this case, templates and carriers, essentially arcane circuitry, are built with enough power to support self-awareness.

### **June**

* **Burgundy's Southern Expansion:** Aquitaine swept south through the Imperial-Immediacy cities of the Swiss cantons, then into Savoy. The Quad Regiments brought them to the negotiating table; magically-enhanced oaths and treaties brought them firmly back into the reconstituted Kingdom of Arelat (a title still used by the Holy Roman Emperors). Queen Joanna was present to include Provence and former Papal fief Avignon, and the capital at Arles was confirmed. Joanna accompanies as the Regiments rolled into the Republic of Genoa, who'd also participated on the attack on Calais. The mainland area was given an immediate A&R and was eventually turned over for inclusion in a unified Italy. Genoa's far-flung slave-trade colonies were retained and repurposed by Aquitaine.
* **Books of Learning help education blossom:** Public education had been mandated by the Crown, and with magical tools like *Books of Learning*, should've already been cranking out well-trained students... but the devil was in the details (of curriculum, certification, licensing and all the other points the Crown's modern view supported but didn't have guidance in place to make it happen). By mid-June, the details were hammered out and implemented, leading to a countryside renaissance.
* **Lancastrian Divestment:** John of Gaunt, having obtained the Crown of Castile, divests himself of his northern England duchy – surrendering it to the English Crown. King Edward was set to bequeath it to still-Prince Rick (at least in that Kingdom), but Rick suggests federalization. Gaunt is granted a newly created barony in southern England.

### **July**

* **The Italian Creation:** the Kingdom of Naples prepares to assume the Papal territories, to create the *Kingdom of Italy*. The overall capital is in Rome and Queen Joanna is to be crowned by the Pope. The Plantagenet momentum, however, carries across northern Italy to redefine and correct what it means to be "King of the Romans," removing this title from northern rulers. While popularly called the "Kingdom of Italy," the technical title is the "Royal Republic of Italy" holding great portent for the future.
* **Navarrese Resolution:** a dangling loose-end, Aquitaine's war with Navarre is resolved with a prompt surrender at the arrival of Prince Richard. Charles II dies at the sight of the approaching army (presumably of a heart attack). Charles III is allowed to retain the area, but it is downgraded to a duchy and made a vassal of John I's Castile. The act comes to be known as the *Mercy of the Magus*. Also very telling: Rick didn't retain the duchy, but instead kept to the principle of geographic contiguity and contributed to Uncle John's kingdom.
* **Holy *No-Longer-Roman* Petition:** Rupert I (HRE) sues Aquitaine for peace. In contact with the "noble court" of Bohemia, mostly led by the struggling House Rosenberg, Rupert is aware of young Bohemian Queen Anne's presence in now-King Rickard's Court of Aquitaine. Seeing that England possesses Luxembourg itself, namesake of House Luxembourg of Charles IV, *that* battle is over. Rupert as statesman and diplomat, proposed peace on behalf of the tattered and war-torn *former* Holy Roman Empire. He won it with the *Treaty of Bayonne*...

### **August**

* **The Reach of the Angevin Domain:** The Noble House of Plantagenet, an independent but supporting entity based in Angers, is granted baronies of Brest, Calais, Dover, Basel (northeast Arelat, next to the heart of the German patchwork), and Santa Maria di Leuca (on the lowest tip of the Italian heel). The Noble House performs homage to the respective kings, collecting tax and paying a percentage to the host sovereignty. The idea of corporatizing Houses is starting to look attractive to aristocratic families.
* **CCC finishes namesake castle:** Castle Cavalon is built on the Calf of Man, the islet south of the Isle of Man. Walls encircle the island, a bright lighthouse towers from the high point, and the upper grounds of the castle can be seen from the main island. What was once a barren, wind-blown island is now dotted in keeps and covered in fruit trees (mostly apple).

### **September**

* **The Plantagenet Gates:** the port of Calais (now a *Noble* Plantagenet barony), built a pier out beyond the normal docks with an odd, one-sided barbican. Like a door to nowhere, this gate is finally revealed to its true purpose: it is a locked portal, permanently connected to a matching portal in Dover. This allows road traffic to pass through and the first to cross is no less than the Regiment of St. George. The toll is significant for merchant traffic, so maritime trade isn't obsolete (but it is on notice).
* **Expanding the English Royal Arms:** Just as the Regiment of St. George returns to London, among plenty of pageantry and celebration, the Royal Armies of Chester, Lancaster and York are certified in England with requisite ceremony.

### **October**

* **The Future of Wales:** Welsh nobility, both allied and now-pacified, are summoned to the Round Table of the newly created, extremely magical Castle Cavalon. Discussions open the future of Welsh autonomy and a deal is struck: Wales will have an empty royal Crown, held in abeyance for King Arthur, filled instead by a Sovereign Prince who will answer to England.
* **The Arcane Cartography of the RANP:** the Royal Academy released downgraded maps of Europe that were still *centuries* beyond cartographic and survey science of the times. The maps they revealed (and sold) were incredibly accurate, but not nearly as detailed as what the RANP kept to themselves. The subtext some read into it was that the Plantagenets knew the lay of the land better than the locals... and that wasn't far from the truth.

### **November**

* **Fanfare of the Explorers:** English exploratory ships *Discovery* and *Explorer*, carrying RANP cartographic teams, set out to sail around the world and map as they go.
* **Blood & Thunder's Northern Trinity:**The three new English armies stage and practice gunnery at the current Scottish border, in the English-held Scottish territories. If the Royal intentions weren't clear enough, King Edward gives fair warning to the Parliament of Scotland: *I am coming*.

### **December**

* **Treaty of Berwick, *Revisited****:* Scotland watched the rise of England, the consolidation of Wales and the collapse of France, taking the Auld Alliance with it. Force of arms is the primary fear, and magic is part of that equation. Given the English holding southern Scotland, attacking English territory was no longer an option. Now, as three armies prepare to ride through and finish the job, Scottish Parliament urged Robert II to recognize and abide by the Treaty of Berwick.
* **Request for Reconfirmation:** The English Baronage, now a little more than three years after the Edwardian *Audit and Rectification*, requests the English Crown confirm the principles of the Magna Carta. The effort to revise it already widely known, and given the Crown success, the king has never had more power. This effort formalizes the dwindling patience of the aristocracy in an already-changing economy.
* **A Merry Christmas in Bordeaux:** the first year of Christmas as an independent kingdom, the king thereof spent a quiet holiday in the city of his birth, in the country he was king. The rest of the city, however, was having a raucous celebration. Over the 12 days of Christmas, King Rick brought a few new traditions to Bordeaux.