[Submod] Mysteria: An Initiation into Classical-Era Mysticism
In the great gulf between the present, and the debut of my M2TW modification, "Blood, Broads, and Bastards," the landscape of the Total War franchise has irrevocably changed, as has the Internet, and the human civilization in which we live. But despite this passage of time with all its geopolitical, cultural currents, the Classical era still calls to us all, as one Neo-Roman empire clashes with the other in the hinterlands of Eastern Europa. It is my intention to seize this moment, in the great tradition of the builders of Europa Barbarorum, by returning to a historical simulator without parallel, and illuminating that which has remained cryptic and chthonic in gaming (and history) for far too long.
I will be developing a submod, based on the latest release of Europa Barbarorum (v2.35A R3.5), entitled no less than "Mysteria". A successor to "Blood, Broads, and Bastards," this modification will introduce new traits, ancillaries, scripts, and events that encompass the disparate Mystery traditions of the Mediterranean (e.g. Semitic, Greco-Roman, and Kemetic), utilizing the foundation and immersion of EBII. Although "Mysteria" will stray from the purely objective rendering of history that Europa Barbarorum is (in)famous for, it will call upon over a decade of private scholarship that has culminated in my own study of Latin, Ancient Greek, and now Biblical Hebrew/Phoenician. Modernists often scoff at the concept of ancient religions, and their cultic initiations, thinking them fear-based systems of indoctrination and cultural assimilation. I enjoy mentioning that three of the most influential Roman Emperors—Augustus Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, and Julian the Apostate—were each initiated into the Mystery traditions, either at Eleusis, or elsewhere along the Aegean.
My modest development plan: Incrementally release a playable alpha of "Mysteria" by early April of 2023, detailing exactly which EBII & M2TW files have been altered; and also provide a step-by-step explanation of how players can integrate this new modification into their own installations. If an official patch of EBII releases in that time, I will of course update "Mysteria" accordingly. You can expect periodic updates here in this thread (or other preferred channels like Twitter & Discord), including an explicit feature list, installation instructions, and a submod banner. Much like all my modding ventures, I envision this as an openly-collaborative effort, and welcome ideas or assistance from anyone in the EBII or TWC community intrigued by the concept of this submod.
Let us enter into the Mysteries of Earth and Starry Sky, together!
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Inspired by the extra dimension of finally having female playable-characters in M2TW again, I've now expanded, and in some sense re-centered the focus of the EBII modification I'm developing. 
