Third Odyssey: Back to the Motherland is a Game Mod for Europa Universalis IV built around this concept: what if the dying Byzantine Empire decided to pull up its roots and flee to another land, emulating the Trojans of legend?
A series of events results in their arrival on the east coast of North America, at the same spot as modern Washington D.C., and the founding of the Empire of Elysia. From there, the path is open.
There is an extensive mission tree, a small book's worth of event text, unique decisions, two new religions - with two more from vanilla being edited for the purposes of the mod - and three new culture groups. To the north are the remnants of the Viking colonies, long since reverted to paganism with their own, somewhat more limited mission tree as well as their own unique decisions and flavor events. To the south the Central American jungles will become the home of a splinter group of the Elysians, modeled after the ancient Spartans. There have been stated plans to add two Persian nations coming from the opposite side, to help give more of a challenge to the Elysians, and ideas have been tossed around to add a smaller Chinese exile accompanying the Persians.
The mod can be downloaded on the Steam Workshop
, and the wiki can be read for more information.
Third Odyssey: Return to the Motherland contains examples of:
- Alternate History: What if the remnants of the Byzantine Empire escaped to North America?
- Alternate History Wank: The Elysians have a tendency to have very few problems taking over most of the continent even in the hands of a moderately competent player (despite repeated attempts by the developers to minimize this).
- Back from the Brink: Elysia can go from being a collection of struggling Byzantine exiles to a mighty empire surpassing even Rome at its peak.
- Best Served Cold: Even if it takes centuries, it's possible for the descendants of the Byzantine exiles to not only "reclaim" their ancestral homeland from the Turks, long after the European powers had written them off for dead. They could even seize Rome itself.
- Game Mod: Of Europa Universalis 4.
- Going Native:
- The Spartanians, despite claiming to uphold the memory of Ancient Greece, increasingly resemble their Mesoamerican subjects, to the point of acting more akin to the Aztecs with a thinly Hellenic veneer.
- Downplayed by Elysia. It still remains recognizably European and Hellenic by the time the Age of Exploration gains traction, but time and distance have made its people culturally distinct from their distant homeland. It became slightly less downplayed with the 1.21 update as the names Elysia for the country and Elysian for the people became tied specifically to abandoning ambitions to return to Europe in favour of focusing on America as their new home.
- Government in Exile: The Elysians at first view themselves simply as the Eastern Roman Empire-in-exile. As time passes, however, and a new generation comes of age with no first-hand memory of Europe, they can either retain the old Byzantine claims or do away with those altogether in favor of pursuing a new path.
- Horny Vikings: The Nordic colonies of Markland and Helluland survived in this universe, are at each others' throats and have been raiding the Native Americans for centuries.
- Meaningful Name: The titular "Third Odyssey" refers to how a fleet of Byzantine exiles, led by their Emperor, not only set off for the New World to escape Ottoman dominion. But despite hardship and losses, survived.
- Not Quite Dead: As the Elysians discover, it turns out that the old Norse colonies not are only still around, but could become a legitimate threat.
- The Remnant: The Norse colonies are the last remaining vikings left from a bygone era, still holding on to their faith in the old gods vigorously.
- Renegade Splinter Faction: Spartania, being established by an Elysian offshoot group, can become this should it truly embrace some of the less savory aspects of Mesoamerican culture, including human sacrifice.
- Settling the Frontier: As Elysia expands and consolidates into a proper state, its people will have to decide over what to do with the natives. Whether it be living harmoniously with and integrating them, or forcing them out at swordpoint.
- Vikings In America: The old Viking colonies of Markland and Helluland have survived till the 1400s, and play a part in the Byzantine exodus and settlement to the Americas in 1444.
