The Dark Ages 865

The Dark Ages was an RP round created by Snark and held by the NRPU between January and March 2021. It has a sequel round (also created by Snark) called Years of Catastrophe 925.

## Lore

Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 395 Europe was plunged into what many have called “The Dark Ages” which was a time of lawlessness and constant war across Europe and the Middle East as the Saxons, Huns, Visigoths, Vandals, Germans and Franks ravage the old order. The Saxons in particular migrated to the British Isles and invaded creating the “Anglo-Saxon”. Meanwhile on the mainland the Franks created a large empire in 481 under King Clovis which quickly became the largest post Roman state. Elsewhere the Byzantines under Justinian reconquered much of the old Roman Empire cementing themselves as the Great Power of the world before plague and famine robbed them of what could have been Rome’s resurrection. In China, warlords and armies battled for supremacy with none claiming the title of “Emperor”.

Meanwhile in the East, the rising tide of Islam began with Mohammed and his followers subsequently annihilated the Sassanid and Byzantine Empires. Their caliphates stretched from Baghdad to Madrid with the Umayyad Caliphate making it all the way to Tours before being stopped by the armies of Francia led by Charles Martel, grandfather of the Great Charlemagne who would push Francia into its Golden Age.

Following Charlemagne’s death in 814, his son, Louis the Pious took over the massive Frank Empire which was racked by civil war as his sons fought amongst themselves for land and title. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun led to the division of Francia splitting it into East, West and Middle which brought a tense peace among the three brothers.

Now it is 865… with Rome a distant memory and Charlemagne dead, chaos and unease has once again crept back into Europe. The Vikings have begun to raid deep into Europe with the British Isles being attacked by the Great Heathen Army led by Ubba, Guthrum and Ivar the Boneless. The dream of an United England within Wessex now faces the darkest days of the Dark Ages. The Abbasid Dynasty is seemingly invincible as the Byzantines and Asturias hold back the unstoppable tide. In India a fractured region is a battleground between countless states. While the Tang hold firm they also are surrounded by war and slaughter. With this who will survive the Dark Ages?

### Nations List

#### Ireland

* Kingdom of Uí Ńéill
* Kingdom of Connacht
* Kingdom of Leinster
* Kingdom of Munster

#### British Isles

* Kingdom of Wessex
* Kingdom of Mercia
* Kingdom of East Anglia
* Kingdom of Northumbria
* Kingdom of Wales
* Kingdom of Strathclyde
* Kingdom of Alba/Scotland/Pictlandia

#### **Christian Europe**

* Byzantine Empire
* Kingdom of Asturias
* Republic of Venice
* Papal States
* Great Moravia
* Kingdom of Bulgaria

#### Pagan Europe

* Magyar Confederation
* Esthland
* Obotrites
* Principality of Serbia
* Vikings and Northern Europe
* Kingdom of Denmark
* Great Pagan Army
* Kingdom of Norway
* Kingdom of the Islands
* Iceland
* Kingdom of Sweden
* Novgorod
* Kievan Rus

#### Franks

* West France
* Kingdom of Brittany
* East France
* Bavaria
* Duchy of Croatia
* Duchy of Croatia Pannonian
* March of Carinthia
* Kingdom of Lotaringia
* Kingdom of Italy

#### Muslim World

* Abbasid Caliphate
* Aghlabid Dynasty
* Tulunid Dynasty
* Emirate of Crete
* Tahirid Dynasty
* Samanid Empire
* Emirate of Cordoba
* Saffari Dynasty
* Rustami Dynasty
* Idrisid Dynasty
* Kingdom of Aksum
* Ziyadi Dynasty
* Imamate of Oman

#### Central Asia

* Yumtän Tibet
* Ösung Tibet
* Khazar Khanate
* Karakhanid Khanate
* Kingdom of Qocho
* Khaganate Kyrgyz Yenisei
* Remanate of Khaganate Uyghuristan

#### Far East and Oceania

* Tang Dynasty
* Nanzhao
* Silla Korea
* Balhae Korea
* Imperial Japan
* Srivijaya Empire
* Khmer Empire
* Khitan Horde

#### India

* Rashtrakuta Empire
* Eastern Chalukyas States
* Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty
* Pala Empire
* Chola Dynasty

### Maps

#### Dev Map

* **Green** - All buildings
* **Yellow** - All buildings except for level 4 and up for factories and forts
* **Red** - No factories and railroads and nothing higher then a level 3 fort
* **Black** - OOC