The Iberian Peninsula.

It has many names in many different tongues. Península Ibérica. Iberiar Penintsula. Al-Andalus. Long a gem of Europe, it has been home to as many nations in its lifetime as any region you could imagine. With control over the sole passage between the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Oceans, it is at the true center of the financial world. Its riches - both in land, minerals, and people - have made its rule the fantasy of kings for a millennia. But now, it seems, comes a war to end all wars on this shining peninsula.

A crisis has been brewing since the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella Trastámara over the future of the peninsula. The fear of much of the nobility - a united Spain under the Trastámara or the Habsburgs - seemed imminent. Of course, the path taken since then has been anything but straightforward.

After a stunning defeat in the League wars, the crowns of Aragon and Castile (mostly Aragon) lost a lot of land to the Navarrese during which Queen Isabella's poor planning led the country to bankruptcy. The subsequent actions of Isabella did little to strengthen their positions, with her handling of the inquisition especially causing much tension in her own court and with the church. Her subsequent murder, and the Cortes-supported governmental takeover by Diègo López Pacheco only further strained the country. And now, with Ferdinand the Catholic back in power as King of Aragon and Castile, his position - which once seemed inevitable - feels as weak as could possibly be.

Seizing on this moment are three groups. The first are the Portuguese, in particular King Manuel. He claims the right to the throne of Castile through his wife, and is willing to do battle over his claim. There is a massive amount of support for him by the Castilian nobility [23!/20], who see him as the rightful alternative to rule by the Trastámara whom they despise. From this support comes a volunteer force of 3800 troops (2800 light horsemen, 300 swordsmen, 500 pikes, 100 archers) to help him take the crown for himself.

The second group are the Navarrese, lead by Queen Catherine. She claims the right to the throne of Aragon through her uncle, and is supported by much of the Catalan nobility there [12/20]. They have raised a force 2300 strong (40 crossbows, 60 muskets, 100 pikes, 1300 swords, 800 horsemen) as a volunteer force to aid any a war of inheritance by the Crown of Navarre against the Crown of Aragon.

The third group are the Muslims in the south who, free of the inquisition, have bode their time waiting for a moment to strike. And in this chaotic maelstrom of war, some have seen it as their time to rise [9/20], and raised a force 3500 strong to reassert Grenadan independence (2000 militia, 700 pikes, 500 swords, 300 archers).

Accosted from all sides the Aragonese nobility rally around Ferdinand [16/20], and provide him with a volunteer force 4000 strong to aid his endeavors (90 muskets, 210 crossbows, 100 archers, 900 pikes, 2300 swords, and 400 horsemen). In addition, an elite guard has appeared in Castile (20 pikes, 110 swords, and 70 light horsemen) to protect him while he is there.

In this storm of steel lies the future of the peninsula. Success by any of these parties could mean an end to the dream of a unified Spain, and the rise of a new major power. But, if Ferdinand can hold onto his position against all odds, there will be nothing stopping him from forming the Kingdom of Spain once and for all.

This is truly drama at its highest level. Deciet, treachery, love, loss, war, famine, hopes, prayers, and the whims of the fates all have a part in this performance of the century. And by the end, rivers may run red with the blood of those spilled over the crowns of these two Iberian Kingdoms. But until then, the relentless march of history continues to its unforeseeable terminus, and we can but watch at the horrors it has yet to unfold.