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Part 17: The Magnificent

"My lord, why are you turning your back on Ahimsa? Your father and your father's fathers since Ramapala himself were followers of the path of peace" asks Deva's guru.
"Because we never were men of peace. Each Pala since the beginning of our dynasty has killed and conquered. Each has sent men to their deaths. Each has men murdered in their beds. Ramapala's wish was to bring peace to India. He wanted his sons to spread Jainism to every corner of the known world. But Naren understood that peace can only be enforced on the end of the sword. And while the heathens control the Kingdom of Sindh there can be no peace. We must drive them out. And only the gods can help me."
"You would create peace by waging war? Is that what you're telling me?"
"It's what we've done since the beginning. I am just making it official."
"Deva, these Hindus are dangerous. They persecuted us for centuries before your fathers saved us. Are you going to bring us back to those dark days? Enforce a caste system that enslaves the hungry and oppresses the weak?"
"Bhiva, you've been a good man and a faithful servant. I respect you deeply and so I promise you that the Jains will have my full protection, as will the Buddhists. But do not count me as one of your own. The Hindus will stand behind me as I cleanse India. The Jains will not."
"Is this goodbye?"
"I'm afraid it is."
The two men walk their separate ways. They never see each other again.



Alright, we've finally come to Hinduism. If Jainism is all about stability, then Hinduism is about war. Here's a quick breakdown of Hinduism

1) Hinduism is the only Indian religion able to wage full holy wars. Buddhists have a weaker single-county holy wars and Jains have none.
2) Hindus cannot choose their heir at will.
3) Hindu vassals have a short reign opinion malus, unlike Buddhism and Jainism.
4) We no longer have the +30 opinion bonus from being a Jain. Converting to Hinduism after such a long stint as a Jain can be a bit of a bumpy ride as your vassals suddenly start getting angry at you.
5) Hindus can choose a patron deity.
6) Hindus must pay very close attention to the caste system. I'll repeat what I told Deceitful Penguin.

quote:

They are in order from highest to lowest: Brahmin (Priests), Kshatriya (Warriors and Rulers), Vaishya (Merchants, and Casteless. Castes are represented by an icon in the traits section of a character screen. When characters of two different castes marry, the children inherit the lower caste. If you marry a different caste than your own, you will get a -30 opinion malus from your Hindu vassals.



Bhairav is a Brahmin. I've drawn an arrow pointing to his caste trait. As a Brahmin, he gets +.5 piety per month. Hindu Brahmin may only hold temples, but Jain and Buddhist Brahmin can hold any holding.



Bhavashankari is a Kshatriya. Once again I've drawn an arrow pointing to her trait. Kshatriya get +.5 prestige per month. Hindu Kshatriya may only hold counties and baronies, but Jain and Buddhist Kshatriya may hold any holding.



Zorawar is a Vaishya. Vaishya get +.03 gold per month. Hindu Vaishya may only hold cities, but Jain and Buddhist Vaishya may hold any holding.

Casteless are converts to the Indian religions from non-Indian religions and get a flat -15 opinion malus from all Hindus.

If you're having a nobility Christmas and you can't figure out why you can't give the old Hindu man with great stats the new county, this is why. Seriously, when dealing with Hindus, you are only allowed to give them what their caste allows them to have. The other options won't even show up. If you manage to get a holding that does not match your caste, you will get a -30 opinion malus from Hindus. So it's very important to be a Kshatriya.

It is possible for non-Kshatriya to become Kshatriya. For Brahmin, you need 200 piety. For non-Brahmin, you need either six years income saved up or 12 learning and three years income.

So when you look for a wife, make sure she has the same caste as you.


In addition, Hinduism has four different branches: (you can click on the underlined text for a link to a Wikipedia article on the subject)

1. Shaivaism. This gives +.5 prestige per month.
2. Vaishnavism. This gives us a +5 opinion bonus from our vassals.
3. Shaktism. This gives us +20% fertility.
4. Smartism. This gives us +.5 piety per month.

During my playthrough at this point, I choose Smartism for the piety boost, but I should have chosen Vaishnavism. Here's why:
First, we don't need Shaivism because at this point we are getting prestige out the wazoo.

Second, we don't need Shaktism because we can get concubines. I suppose if we were female Shaktism would be more useful.

Third, we don't need Smartism because we can get a lot of piety through holy wars.

Finally, Vaishnavism helps because at this point we are ruling over a lot of people and we actually have to pay attention to our vassals' desires.

But there's no going back in time at this point, so Deva is stuck with Smartism.



Deva knows he needs a god to aid him in his coming wars, but he needs to figure out which one to be his patron. Shiva looks appealing, but for some reason Deva feels he needs someone from outside the Trimurti.

It's time to choose our patron deity. Choosing a patron deity will increase one stats by one point and decrease another stat by one point.

1. Choosing Shiva will increase our Martial by 1 and decrease our Diplomacy by 1.
2. Choosing Vishnu will increase our Diplomacy by 1 and decrease our Martial by 1.
3. Choosing Brahma will increase our Intrigue by 1 and decrease our Stewardship by 1.



It is Kali that appeals to him the most. It is she who will be pleased with the sacrifice of the heathens. It is she who will wash the land clean with blood.

1. Choosing Kali will increase our Martial by 1 and decrease our Learning by 1.
2. Choosing Ganesha will increase our Learning by 1 and decrease our Stewardship by 1.
3. Choosing Ganga will increase our Stewardship by 1 and decrease our Intrigue by 1.



This is how your patron deity is shown on your character screen.

Note that choosing Kali will give us access to a very special event. If you have any other questions about Hinduism, please post them on the thread.



Of course, Deva has need of a teacher in his newly-chosen faith, so he sends out his messengers to find a guru.

If you're planning to have your next ruler convert, make sure you hire a guru after you convert, so you can have a very good religious adviser.



Narayana answers the call. A former soldier, he still wears his old uniform. But there are few in the empire that can match his wisdom.



In the wake of Tengriism's recent victories, the most devout and fierce warriors of the Tengri Kingdoms have formed an order known as the Lords of the Sky. While currently they are serving the King of Cumania, they are will to aid all Tengri lords in the struggles against the heathens.

This is the reformed Tengri holy order. While the Norse get the Jomsvikings, (who to be fair, might have actually existed) all the other reformed pagan faiths (as well as the Indian religions) get the X of Y as their holy orders.



The time has come for the heathens to be driven out of India. But before the war can begin, Deva must hold a very special festival.

It's time for the Kali Puja. This can only by celebrated by Hindus who live in the de jure Bengali Empire or have Kali as their patron deity. Before the recent patch, only Hindus with Kali as their patron deity could do it. It's pretty metal.



For the most part, it goes like any Diwali.



Up until the darkest night of the Kali Puja. Deva must hold a special sacrifice before launching his war on the Muslims.



"BRING ME FORTH A FOLLOWER OF THE PROPHET FROM THE DUNGEONS!" booms Deva.
There is a long silence before someone speaks up.
"Um, sir, we don't have followers of the Prophet in the dungeons."
"THEN FOR KALI'S SAKE GET ME SOME ELEPHANTS INSTEAD. IT'S NOT LIKE I NEED THE MONEY."

If you have any prisoners you can sacrifice them at the Kali Puja for a nice amount of prestige and piety. Since we do not (I didn't bother to check) we'll have to sacrifice some elephants instead. Sacrificing the servant is free but gives us less prestige.



As the elephants lie dying and screaming, images of heathens burning and crying out for their gods to save them pop up in Deva's mind. The thought brings a smile to his face.

We managed to grab both Cruel and Zealous for this. While this was pretty , Cruel isn't the best trait for an emperor. While it gives +1 intrigue and +10% morale damage in battle, it subtracts -1 diplomacy and gives a -10 opinion malus from our vassals. And we need all the support we can get to prevent a rebellion.



Shortly afterwards Deva marches with the Spice Marines against the Soomras. Deva laughs with glee as he cuts down the enemy. Every single Muslim ruler is kicked out after the war. The Muslim peasantry will be dealt with in other ways.

The Soomras didn't have a snowball's chance in hell to withstand our assault.



One small Muslim province breaks free from the Soomrans before they collapse. They too are swallowed by the bloodthirsty Hindus.



It's getting harder and harder to wait before slaughtering the infidels. Deva begins looking westword for more heathens to kill. The Ilkhanate looks like it will make for a good foe.



Not wanting to bother with the day to day running of the Kingdom of Sindh, Deva gives the job to his kinsman Mukundanarayan, on the condition that he will change his name to something easier to spell.

Normally, I wouldn't hand out a kingdom title (vassal kings much harder to deal with than vassal dukes, IMO), but I didn't want to spend anymore time dealing with gavelkind. That's Mukun's problem now.



Deva looks at the Tripartite Crown his father assembled. The three empires of Rajastan, Deccan, and Bengal are represented in its workings. But there is no need for it now. Deva takes out a hammer and bellows out to the throne room "THERE IS NO MORE RAJASTAN. THERE IS NO MORE BENGAL. THERE IS NO MORE DECCAN. THERE IS ONLY INDIA." He raises up the hammer and almost brings it down before an aide interrupts him.
"My lord, you still haven't conquered Sri Lanka yet. And there's no need to shout."
"KALIDAMMIT. PREPARE THE SPICE MARINES. WE'RE GOING STRAIT CROSSING. AND I'M NOT SHOUTING. YOU PEOPLE ARE JUST TOO DAMN QUIET."

The inhabitants of Sri Lanka are no match for the numbers and skill of the Spice Marines. Before the year is done they are under the control of the Palas.

This event comes from something that actually happened. I was prepared to make myself Samrat Chakravartin before I realized that I still needed to take over Sri Lanka.



Deva rushes back to his throne room. He takes out his hammer and smashes the Tripartite Crown. "NOW THERE IS ONLY INDIA. GOT IT?" The news spreads quickly throughout the empire and soon, the entire world. The subcontinent of India has been united and its ruler hungers for blood. Hindu call Deva the Samrat Chakravartin, the ideal universal ruler, a paragon of spiritual and secular power.



He cares not for that name. The name he cares for is the other one people have given him.

The Magnificent.

Next Time: Persia, here we come!