CK3 Bookmarks & Start Dates
19 Bookmarks
A complete and up-to-date searchable list of all CK3 bookmarks and start dates.
Bookmarks are the curated start dates and scenarios you can pick when beginning a game, each setting the world at a particular historical moment.
Start year
| Start year | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| A Never-Waning Moon | 1066 | Almost a half-century has passed since Fujiwara Michinaga, Kampaku of Japan, penned his famous poem: "I think of this world as my world, and the full moon as never waning." Widely interpreted as a statement of the Fujiwara family's unassailable position as imperial regents, his words so far seem to ring true. Michinaga's son is set to pass his all-powerful position to the next generation. Will the Fujiwara maintain their dominance over the imperial court, against the protests of other aristocratic houses and the imperial family? |
| At the Gates | 1066 | Since time immemorial, peoples have migrated across the steppes, and followed the ways of the nomad for countless generations. Now, the world beyond encroaches on their homelands. Settled empires push their frontiers further and further every year. Can the tide of settlement be turned back? Should the nomad's ways be cast aside? In towns and farms, the peoples of the steppe can find new lives... but, should a new age of great conquerors arise, the old ways could be saved! |
| Autumn of Virtue | 867 | For two and half centuries, the Great Tang have ruled China. In that time, it has known and endured immense strife and countless calamities, not least of which a rebellion that claimed innumerable lives, and yet still it survives, and even thrives. But survival always has a price. To better defend the empire, the Tang bestowed extraordinary powers upon military governors, who in their newfound freedom saw the opportunity to found states of their own, petty despotates paying only lip service to the throne. The falling of even a single leaf can herald the coming of autumn. The wise seek warmth and shelter from the winter to come. The bold make plans. |
| Call of the Empire | 1178 | An aging emperor, a juvenile heir, and a recent battlefield defeat at the hands of the Anatolian Seljuks have left Byzantium vulnerable, and history has proven time and time again that the greatest threats to the empire come from within as often as without. Will the heirs of Rome face their last twilight, or will they make it through the long night to a new dawn? |
| Heaven in Turmoil | 1178 | China lies asunder. The Son of Heaven has been driven from the Central Plains by Jurchen invaders and the leading lights of the empire have chosen to pursue a policy of abject appeasement over the reclamation of the land of their ancestors. Tigers and wolves roam rampant and rivers run red with the blood of the righteous. To have allowed such a calamitous fate to befall the empire, Heaven's disfavor must be profound. The people cry out for a hero to bring an end to the disorder – who will answer the call? |
| Humble Origins | 867 | Every dynasty comes from humble beginnings. The climb to power is usually a slow process, each generation moving a few steps up the ladder, through carefully planned marriages and ceaseless wars. But these are times of great change and upheaval. With a lot of courage, and maybe a little luck, a hero might raise their family name from obscurity to legend. Are you ready to take on the challenge? |
| Iberia in Pieces | 1066 | When the old king Ferdinand I passed away his three sons all inherited a piece of his Iberian kingdom. Greed, ambition, and holy wars soon push the Iberian Peninsula to boil, and the bonds between family members start to fray. Are any of the Fernandez siblings strong, or cunning, enough to emerge victorious over the rest? How will war and diplomacy mold the Iberian peninsula? |
| Living Gods on Earth | 867 | There is no place where regal and spiritual power is as closely entwined as in Southeast Asia. For hundreds of years the Dharmic faiths have gained a stronger hold over its people, but only in the last century have those who were once Kings begun to assume the tile of Devaraja, God Kings. Which of these God Kings will build a legacy of devotion, and who will be vanquished and forgotten? |
| Rags to Riches | 1066 | :TitleFont:20 Legends of Crusader Kings III Throughout Europe, families fight and scheme for power. A lot of land lies disputed, as battles are won and lost, and dynasties come and go, as their rulers are outmaneuvered. Kings of old are being replaced, while newcomers reach for the stars. Which will you be? |
| Rise of the Bushi | 1178 | Little by little, the samurai have wrested power from the capital, ruling the provinces of Japan as their own fiefs, enriching themselves and their followers. The last decades have seen the proud Minamoto bested time and again by the unstoppable Taira. They lick their wounds while Kiyomori dominates the capital. Fear and force now govern there, as the Kampaku and imperial family watch on, helpless. Can the Minamoto put an end to the Taira ascendancy, or does some other fate await these islands? |
| Song of Splendor | 1066 | Out of the ruins of the Tang was born the glory of the Song. Greatness such as this has not been seen for nearly two centuries – tribute flows to the imperial capital from afar like a mighty river, rebellions are infrequent and swiftly suppressed, and the government is firmly in the hands of the capable and meritorious. However, with great prosperity comes great temptation. Nomads have coveted the bounty of Central Plains since time immemorial, while even within the empire the unscrupulous oft cloak themselves with feigned nobility to divert its wealth into their own pockets. The Son of Heaven holds the world in his palm, but what of those who may compel even the Son of Heaven to act according to their will? |
| Swords of Faith | 1178 | Driven by religious fervor and the promise of rewards both spiritual and temporal, princes and paupers alike marched eastward in the name of God, gold, and everlasting glory. Their holy war won them the kingdom of Jerusalem and now, nearly a century later, their heirs struggle to maintain the crusaders' legacy in the face of such mighty Muslim potentates as Salah ad-Din Yusuf, the new Sultan of Egypt. This is the age of the crusades, at the crossroads of religious zeal and worldly ambition. Choose your path wisely, for what prize is greater than the Holy Land itself? |
| The Carolingians | 867 | After the passing of Louis the Pious, the once-great Carolingian Empire was divided up into the three separate Kingdoms of East, West, and Middle Francia. Since then, these realms have only splintered further as wars, rebellions, and inheritance variously cause instability and fragmentation. Are any of the Karlings strong enough to reunite their empire? Or will their family squabbles leave them vulnerable to exploitation by opportunists? |
| The Endless Sky | 1178 | The migratory movement of a nomadic people is an incredible sight to behold — a living, thronging sea of lives and livestock, venturing vast distances in search of pasturage. The seemingly endless hoofbeats of their herds and flocks beat like a war drum, a reminder to sedentary neighbors that the hordes could strike at any moment! For what are such wandering tribes if not armies forever on the march? The world of the sown lies ripe for any chieftain courageous enough to claim its bounty. Will you lead your tribe beyond the endless expanse and carve out an empire from horseback? |
| The Fate of England | 1066 | When the childless King Edward the Confessor died it plunged England into a succession crisis unlike any that had come before. Three men attempted to secure the throne for themselves: Harold Godwinson, William the Bastard, and Harald Hardrade, while Svend and Malcolm stood by, ready to pounce at any sign of weakness. Who will stand victorious after this tumultuous time in history? |
| The Iranian Intermezzo | 867 | Two hundred years have passed since the Rashidun Caliphate conquered Persia, absorbing the vast plateau into the mighty Arabic Empire. Two hundred years of servitude — yet all things turn in time. Now the Lords of Arabia wane, whilst Persia's ancient nobility wax stronger and fuller than they have in centuries, flourishing amidst the shattering of the once-almighty united Islamic Ummah. To the west, the Abbasid Caliphate controls only the heartlands of the former Rashidun empire, their great governors from Iberia to India independent in all but name, the succession embroiled in an anarchic mess of betrayal, murder, and rebellion. To the east, Islamic adventurers and sell-swords cut off by the Hindu Kush eye the spoils of Rajasthan and Delhi greedily. Persia finds itself at a crossroads. Those loyal to the Caliph clash with the remaining followers of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism, ambitious warlords squabble with mountain chieftains, and Turkic mercenaries spar with Arabic invaders. The world turns: where will it take you? |
| The Struggle for Iberia | 867 | The old powers of Iberia are breaking. In the north, Asturias is rife with ambitious vassals, straining to be free. In the south, al-Andalus waxes strong but faces rumblings of discontent. The border military districts mutter about independence and intrigue plagues the ruling Umayyads. Hungry foreign powers eye Iberia's rich lands covetously. Centuries in the making, the Iberian Struggle enters a new phase, and whether it ends in blood or brotherhood lies on a roll of the dice. |
| The Wandering Exiles | 1066 | Lords and Ladies tear the world in twain with their petty games of power. Meanwhile, great adventurers rise from humble beginnings to carve their names into the edifice of time. Unbound by duty, without titles or crowns, their homes are on the road, and their destinies unlimited. With great courage, cunning, and ambition, you may brave the bickering of nobility and exploit their vain designs to advance your own glory! Do you have what it takes to struggle through mud and dust to become a legend? |
| Wrath of The Northmen | 867 | Two years ago, King Ælla of Northumbria threw the great Viking hero Ragnarr Loðbrók into a pit of snakes to die. Upon hearing the news, Ragnarr's sons set sail for England to avenge their father. The brothers have since established a firm foothold in York and The Isles. The Anglo-Saxon kings have lost battle after battle — their future looks bleak indeed. But all hope is not lost, and a great hero could still turn the tide of history. Will you lay all of England under Norse rule, or vanquish the Great Heathen Army from Anglo-Saxon soil? |
A Never-Waning Moon
At the Gates
Autumn of Virtue
Call of the Empire
Heaven in Turmoil
Humble Origins
Iberia in Pieces
Living Gods on Earth
Rags to Riches
Rise of the Bushi
Song of Splendor
Swords of Faith
The Carolingians
The Endless Sky
The Fate of England
The Iranian Intermezzo
The Struggle for Iberia
The Wandering Exiles
Wrath of The Northmen