Extended Intermezzo

Don’t like how the Legacy of Persia DLC only offers content for roughly 80 years in the 867 start date? Don’t like having to race against the incredibly tight Concession Ending timer just to have the AI do something stupid that ruins the ending you were going for? Well then this is the mod for you!

This mod includes a major overhaul of the endings to the Iranian Intermezzo as well as some other tweaks that will make playing in the region a lot more enjoyable, while staying as close to a vanilla experience as possible.

The time until the Concession Ending is triggered automatically has been greatly increased due to adjustments to the catalysts and phase duration. Instead of the only roughly 80 years you get in vanilla, you can expect the struggle to last around a more historically accurate 200 years, giving both you and the AI more time to achieve an ending.

If you’ve been achievement hunting for all the struggle endings you’ll know how utterly painful some of them are to realize without just conquering the entire region. Many of the checkmarks are entirely down to hoping the AI doesn’t blow up your chances by doing something that is entirely out of your control. Some of the worst offenders have been reworked to be both much easier to comprehend and act upon.

I’ve always found it a real shame that the DLC basically only works with player intervention. In the many games I’ve played I have never seen an AI end the struggle, sadly wasting a potential strong enemy for you to face. For this reason, the above improved ending requirements have further been slightly lowered for AI characters. With the mod enabled, I have seen all of the possible endings being achieved at least once in an observer game. It’s still rare, but it CAN happen now.

The Seljuk invasion that was added with the DLC is what can only be described as a major letdown. In vanilla, the Seljuk leader will spawn around 50 years too early from the historical date, then conquer a duchy or two with his 5k stack of special soliders that get wiped out after three wars and then die of typhus. In this mod its leader and his troops have been given a great buff. This invasion is actually scary now and WILL conquer all of Persia if you don’t stop them.

While the AI can perform the Seljuk invasion, unlike the Mongols, the player has no option of taking up that mantle, which is a major disappointment. Therefore this mod adds a player-only decision for any Turkic heritage character that will let you gather your tribe and start the great migration yourself. Careful tho: if the scripted AI invasion beats you to it, the decision will disappear.

• Your Realm is larger than that of the Caliph NEW: only within the Struggle Region
• NEW: Your Faith is present in at least 40% (35% for AI) of Counties within the Struggle Region
• Your realm size is 50 or more (NEW: 40 for AI)

• The holder of the Sunni Caliphate also holds the Arabian Empire
• NEW: If the Caliph is still Emperor of Arabia, the ending will function as normal; if he is not, you will instead receive a pressed claim on the Arabian Empire and vassalize the Caliph (if he is independant)
• NEW: Ash’ari is present in at least 40% (35% for AI) of Counties within the Struggle Region
• You control Samarra and have personally held it for 5 years
• You personally hold control Baghdad

• No Independent Involved or Interloper Duke or higher has the Dectractor of the Caliphate Trait
• No Independent Involved or Interloper Duke or higher has a non-Sunni Faith
• NEW: At least 80% (70% for AI) of all Counties within the Struggle Region are controlled by Sunni characters with the Supporter of Caliphal Authority trait or an alliance with the Caliph
• Your Level of Devotion is Paragon of Virtue (NEW: Devoted Servant for AI) or above
• You completely control control at least 90% (75% for AI) of the Arabian Empire

• At least 60% of all Involved or Interloper Counts or higher share the Iranian Heritage
• NEW: At least 60% (55% for AI) of the Struggle Region is controlled by Iranian Heritage Rulers

• The Seljuk Invasion can now trigger while the Struggle is still ongoing
• On the historical game rule the invasion will happen about 50 years later than vanilla, roughly between 975 and 1030
• The invasion will spawn further north than vanilla, close to the Aral Sea
• The Seljuk leader spawned by the game will have the Whole of Body trait to stop him from dying to Typhus right away
• The number of special troops has been greatly increased to around 15000
• The invasion will now continue even after the Seljuks have formed the empire, until they control most of the Struggle Region
• Improved war target selection and added a required gold buffer for them to declare wars so they don’t go into debt right away

• The de-jure capital of the Arabian Empire has been moved from Damascus to Baghdad, this is to prevent the Caliph AI immediately trying to move away from the Struggle Region and becoming Uninvolved (if you know how to move de-jure capitals in script please message me as I would like to implement it being moved back to Damascus for all endings minus the Renewed Caliphate)
• The Request Incursion interaction now has a much longer cooldown for AI