Gathering the Land of the Rus

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Tired of the eternal "border gore" and messy frontiers in Eastern Europe? Annoyed that a truly large and powerful state rarely forms in the region?

This DLC-level mod is designed to fix this. It adds deep regional mechanics, new event chains, and a massive custom Situation — "Gathering of the Russian Lands".

The main Situation of the mod does not begin at the start of the game, but roughly in the 1360s. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t see the new mechanics on the first day of the campaign — the region needs time to prepare!

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The system of the Horde and its subjects is now a fully-fledged political arena where everything is tied to the Khan’s Authority:

• Intrigues in Sarai: Russian princes can now actively engage in under-the-rug struggles. Spend gold and your spy network power to slander a rival before the Khan. If the Horde believes it, they will send punitive expeditions to smash your neighbor themselves!
• Anti-Tatar Coalition: If the Horde’s authority drops below 65, the princes can unite. "Minor Campaigns" are available (hold the target capital for exactly one year to bite off a border province) along with a final, full-scale "War of Liberation" for the unifier leader.
• The Khan’s Wrath and Mercy: The suzerain doesn’t sit idly by. Using Punitive Campaigns, you can forcefully return escapees back under the Yoke, and in the later stages of the game — launch the process of full integration of splintered Tatar uluses back into the metropole.

If you are playing as the Horde, get ready for hardcore survival. Forget about classic rebellions that can be ended with a single pitched battle.

• Leapfrog of Khans: Scripts won’t let you relax. Reigning rulers will be assassinated in coups, and a defeated pretender’s place will immediately be taken by a new usurper from the shadows.
• Goal — Survive the Chaos: You need to hold out until at least 10 Khans have changed on the throne. Only then will the Horde be reforged, gain the "Iron Khan" status, and restore its Authority to the maximum. And if things go really badly and the death toll exceeds two dozen, there is a chance for the historical appearance of the legendary Tokhtamysh!
• Dynamic Collapse: While authority is at the bottom, minor ULUSES will break away from the Horde. New tags have been added to the mod: Crimean, Kazan, and Siberian Khanates, the Nogai Horde, and the Uzbek Ulus. You can play as them and win your independence under the cover of the civil war, or simply refuse to defend the weakening Horde when it is attacked by Russian princes!

• Fine-tuning the AI: Decision-making weights have been reworked. Computer opponents now assess the balance of power more adequately, are less likely to throw themselves into suicidal adventures against the Horde, and behave more cunningly within the Coalition.
• Situation Visuals: The design and visual style of the main Situation’s interface have been slightly updated — it now looks even more atmospheric and pleasing to the eye.
• Interface Polishing: Minor fixes have been made to the logic and display conditions of various interaction buttons for a smoother gameplay experience.

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Before the main Situation begins, a story chain unfolds in the Polish-Lithuanian lands:

• Poland and Lithuania receive buffs for their historical confrontation with the Teutonic Order (the war more often ends in a draw).
• In 1341, Halych starts a war for independence with Poland’s support, while Volhynia secures the support of Lithuania.
• Player’s Choice: You are free to guide history along your own path, but the historical (and AI-supported) outcome after liberation from the Horde is Halych becoming a Polish fief, and Volhynia a Lithuanian vassal.

When the Situation starts, the region is divided into two major unifier groups: Southwestern and Northeastern.

• Fate of Novgorod: The Novgorod Republic gets an event to participate. The AI always refuses, as it requires a different approach, and drops out of the race. The player, however, can accept the challenge and try to form the Great Russian Republic.
• Diplomacy of Giants: At the start, the Lithuanian AI initiates negotiations with Poland. If Lithuania owns Volhynia, a division of spheres of influence is possible. If not, Lithuania can propose a union. Upon agreement, Poland exits the Situation as an active participant.

Leaders of both groups have access to a special "Unification of Rus’" Casus Belli against any participants in their group (except their own subjects). But their approaches differ:

Southwestern Unifier:

• War for Tributaries: Can declare war on the Horde for its tributary. The tributary will fight on your side, guaranteeing their transition under your control.
• Rapid Annexation: Instant annexation of a vassal participating in the Situation is available. This imposes severe debuffs on assimilation and conversion in the region but provides a small boost to control. When annexing a large principality (4+ provinces), the capital receives a temporary accessibility bonus.

Northeastern Unifier:

• Purchasing Loyalty: Instead of instant annexation, has a powerful base bonus to integration. Can also peacefully vassalize any principality in its group for a very large sum of money.
• March on Novgorod: After 1465, an action unlocks that automatically declares an annexation war on Novgorod.

• Struggle for Leadership: The top 5 principalities in the Situation periodically quarrel via events, preventing them from forming an ironclad bloc of alliances with each other.
• Absorption Rules: During wars, principalities can annex each other if: the loser has fewer than 20 provinces, shares a border, is in the same group, and is not a unification leader. If the AI cannot annex, it will vassalize.
• Note: The player can annex competitors only if they themselves are the Unification Leader. A leader cannot be annexed immediately, but can be knocked out of the leadership race for 5 years.
• Second Stage (1450+): The AI in games is often too passive. Therefore, after 1450, the button that granted a unification claim starts automatically declaring war. No more staring matches for a thousand years — Rus’ will be united!

• New Countries: The ability to form a Polish-Russian or Lithuanian-Russian Tsardom.
• Cabinet Action (from 1450): The Leader of the Northeast, Russia, and the new tags can integrate non-European territories by entire regions.
• Conquest of the Steppe: A new Casus Belli against steppe tribes and hordes (the AI also gets events for aggression into the Steppe after unification).
• Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: Significantly increased chance of forming the historical PLC. New macros track dynastic crises and propose the Jagiellonians.

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For the best experience, it is highly recommended to play together with this mod:
Historical Tweaks

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