Season 13

Final Map of the World (S13)

**Season 13: Gold and Steel** was the thirteenth season of the roleplay and the eleventh under the direction of Crimson. This season was set in a slightly diverted Earth starting in 1800. The point of divergence for this season was set in 1700s all changes could only occur after that point.

## World History

History is the same up until the point of divergence

### Events of the Roleplay

The roleplay was dominated by the backdrop of revolutionary France and the Napoleonic wars. The season began in an alternate 1800, where the war of the second coalition ended two years early. The first few years was spent on various military and industrial projects, as well as some political developments, particularly when it came to colonial affairs. By April of 1800 tensions between Portugal and the Indian Kingdom of Mysore were building over the status of the city of Goa, as a result King Tipur of Mysore mobilized his army. Portugal too mobilized which drew criticisms from the French Consulate Republic under Napoleon, who made vague threats to the British who were openly backing the Portuguese. In June with pressure heating up, Portugal relented, and signed the Treaty of Goa, which made the city a vassal of the Kingdom of Mysore.

Meanwhile in Italy, the Kingdom of Naples declared its intention to invade the Papal States. Both Portugal and the Kingdom of Piedmont Sardinia condemned this, and when Neapolitan troops crossed the border in August Portugal delivered a formal ultimatum, though did not set a deadline. Naples rejected the ultimatum, though attempted to defuse the situation by giving guarantees to the Catholic Church. Portugal rejected these overtures, and declared it would send a force to defend the Papal states from Neapolitan aggression. They quickly recanted however when Naples clarified there position on the status of the Pope, and a temporary truce was declared. The Portuguese Military mission was delayed for the truces duration.

The truce would drag on for months, with no significant developments until October of 1800, when Sweden condemned the invasion. After that the crisis seemed to simmer down, with the truce dragging on.

1800 finished off with few other major incidences. Mysore would launch wars of expansion against it's non European neighbors, slowly building a coalition that Tipur hoped would one day unify India, France would expand in Canada, and British South Africa would fight bush wars against hostile local Kings. Mysore and the Ottomans signed and alliance, and the Ottoman Empire was allowed to build a trading outpost in the sub continent. Piedmont-Sardinia would fight a war of expansion against Sicily, and win significant victories there. In March of 1801 Naples would resume the war against the Papal States, this time international condemnation was not forthcoming.

In May of 1801, Great Britain condemned the Ottoman trade outpost as an attempt to colonize India, and began issuing letters of Marquis to privateers in the region. This prompted a response from Mysore, who declared it to be 'British Piracy' and warned that any attack on Ottoman shipping would be considered a declaration of war. London made a statement in response, declaring that the target is indeed Ottoman shipping, and warning the Sultan to stay out of it, lest they risk war. British preparations continued however, and the Prince Regent of Portugal dispatched a substantial taskforce to Goa. The Royal Navy dispatched the East Indies fleet, and began operations against Ottoman shipping that week. War in India now seemed inevitable.

Back in Italy the war in Sicily ended with the Treaty of Enna, in which island being absorbed into Piedmont-Sardinia as an autonomous province. But just as this war was ending, another one was brewing. Throughout May reports had been circulating of a massive French Military buildup in Spain, who had apparently been strong-armed into giving allowing there passage. An army of 370,000 men began massing along the Portuguese border, and arrayed against them were barely 22,000 Portuguese troops. The Prince Regent gave a short statement to the press, stating that an invasion by French forces of Portugal was immanent. Preparations were frantic, as the small army in Portugal fortified the border with Spain. However all was quite for now, and as May turned into June the French Army continued to prepare, and the Portuguese continued to brace for the coming storm.

Near the end of May Naples would declare war on the Papal states officially, though hostilities had been ongoing sense last year. This provoked a response from King Charles of Spain, who in June condemned the attack on the Pope, and threatened open Spanish intervention.

Meanwhile in Germany, King Fredrich of Prussia and King Maximillian of Bavaria signed the Potsdam declaration, dissolving the Holy Roman Empire (though they technically did not have the authority to do so) and declaring the formation of the North and South German Confederations, each lead by the two signatory states. To everyone's surprise Emperor Francis did not respond at all, and simple accepted the end to the centuries old entity as a matter of modernity.

Back in India, tensions over the issuing of the British letters of Marquis finally boiled over, and the Sultan of Mysore declared war on Great Britain that July. He also issued a declaration outlining the terms by which he would respect Portuguese neutrality, mainly being that Britain could neither station troops in Portuguese territory nor receive aid from Portugal in anyway.