AFRICA

West Africa

THE AKA'MURRID EMIRATE OF FULANI
Mohammad II, Emir of the Fulani, The Philosopher-King of the Sahel
Diplomacy: Galam(f) Niani(nt) Kitsanga(t)
     Mohammad built his first artillery pieces in 1520. The Aethiopians showed up in 1521 with gold and technical support, the later of which REALLY helped. Mebewe headed into Niani to screw up negotiations with this region vital to trade with Andalusia. Mohammad succeeded in turning almost all of the nobility away from even the most unorthodox teachings of Allah. After a couple deadly pregnancies, Mohammad had a daughter in 1522.

THE SUPREMACY OF TOGO
Oduduwa, Supreme Oba of Togo
Diplomacy: Yoruba(nt)
     Oduduwa left the safety of the Mud Hold to talk with the Yorubans. This may have disastrous effects in the coming years for, without his leadership Asante, Borogou, Kru, Mossi and Niete all revolted, cutting trade with the Fulani.
     The Togo warships outclass their land qualities.

South Africa

THE BANTU KINGS OF OKOYO
Ogourke, Ba King
Diplomacy: None
     Ofusu returned home victorious.

THE GREAT ZIMBABWE
Malachai, Chief of Zimbabwe, Holder of the Five Twin Jackal Chair
Diplomacy: Kilwa(t)
     Malachai succeeded in turning almost all of the nobility away from even the most lax orthodox teachings in the Koran. Jol went hunting for wild game improving his great standing in court and with the women. Hasdai Shalom was executed for his failure to conduct the census properly, his replacement wasn't a very good administer. Land trade with Aethiopia will have to wait until all territories between the two capitals are at least paying taxes. Luckily the professors from the north made it, unfortunately religious philosophy and language barriers made them less than effective.

East Africa

THE KRAKAS KINGDOM OF AETHIOPIA
Gobbu VII, Alem 'Elum, King of Aethiopia
Diplomacy: No Effect
     Mysterious lights in the sky panicked the people. Once again, Gobbu attempted to outstrip production by assigning merchants to cities that didn't have port facilities to spare. As a result, most of the heavy transports and crews just sat in Corona getting drunk. Gobbu had another son in 1521. Basqu headed west with more than twenty thousand men to escort Delkua to deliver gold and expertise to the Fulani. Then most of the army dropped south into Ikego and Gwari, pacifying both, including the unwalled port city of Lokoja.
     Tilima took control of close to a thousand ships and more than forty thousand men. Not a great admiral, he had some trouble commanding such a large fleet. But Shaluga assured him he'd be able to do it, before he died in 1520. They sailed out of the Nile into the Mediterranean and then west to finally land in the Canary Islands. Here Tilima found that the Merchants of Casablanca controlled the islands, so he sailed home.
     Finally, Gobbu ceded Ad'Diffah to Iesti - although it promptly revolted. Ambuti in Ghebel Gharib was not successful.

North Africa

THE SULTANATE of IEST
Khalid ibn Abu al Arrod, Sultan of Mahidia
Diplomacy: Ad'Diffah(c) Malaga(F)
     Khalid completed the conversion of Sardinia to cultivated and begun the construction of two Grand Mosques in Mecca and in Medina Karib in the New World. Also in the new world, Said was built on Bermuda. Public works were built in Sardinia before the cultivation project was completed, so that's why they cost a little more than Khalid expected, which was fine because no public works could be built in Said yet anyway.
     Deals were made with the Krakas over Ghebel Gharib and Aswan for Ad'Diffah. With Ad'Diffah the following proclamation was given: The residents of Ad'Diffah and Tobruk are welcome in our lands. They are also free to retain the practice of their religion, although we hope that they will see the wisdom of Allah and convert to Islam.
     Hashim took a caravan of food across the deserts of North Africa, noting that there was still life along the coasts, leaving Iest lands in Petra heading into Jordan, the desert of Bostra and finally crossing into Iraq to deliver his charge in the middle of 1521.
     Karim sailed west from Bermuda and was seen again delivering food to the Dabbagh. Once again, missionaries were successful in proving that they are heartier souls than the sickly Amerinds in Tairona, Timote, and Cumangoto.

THE ALMORAVID EMIRATE of ANDALUSIA
Kadir, Emir as Sevilla
Diplomacy: None
     I Kadir, Emir as Sevilla, have decided to charter a Naval Observatory at Cadiz in order to standardize and modernize the instruments that our nations naval officers use to sail the worlds seas. And to discover new and better ways to help in the navigation of our ships.
     Saladin spent his time raising his children, bringing a pair of twin boys into the world in 1521. His wife died later that year. Colonists from Bermuda were sent down to South Africa to live in Herero, now a 1/2 region.

CASABLANCA WESTERN HAWALA OVERSEAS MERCHANT PROTECTIVE COMPANY
Rik, Merchant of Casablanca
Diplomacy: Canary Islands(ea)
Capitalization: Galway(ma) Mediterranean Mercs(Brokered) Middle-Eastern Mercs(Brokered) Northern European Mercs(Brokered) Acre(bo)
     Al Kharki purchased food from independent markets willing to sell, hired all three Mercenary groups in range, and expanded the market quarter of Casablanca. Trade was initiated with SEVERAL nations. Containing many street stalls selling the strange and wondrous good of the world, lively cafes, and the villas of merchant princes... "I urge you to beware, there are vultures everywhere, vultures, vultures, vultures!" Syndicate agents were captured attempting to steal gold from the treasury AND Al Kharki at the same time. Kharki removed his trade fleets to the Syndicate as a result.
     Al Kharki and his friend Rik hired a TON of mercenaries and sailed off towards the Canary Islands. As they were unloading supplies, Al Kharki died. Rik continued as the top leader of the Western Hawala Overseas Merchant Protective Company (WhompCo), with his first action bringing the Canaries into the collective and building the port fort/city of Tenerife. While on the Islands he heard of the mischief the Medici Syndicate were causing back at home... [ See Medici Syndicate]

     WHOMPCO Mercenary Policies

     These are the current policies of the Western Hawala Overseas Merchant Protective Company with respect to the hiring of mercenary forces represented by our company. All policies described below are subject to change if we deem it necessary for any reason.

     1) Bidding for a Force - Mercenaries will be available for hire on a highest bidder basis. Each merc-band is bid for separately, with the winning bidder receiving the services of the entire force and its leader for the turn. One client can place separate bids upon more than one band. Minimum bids start at a base of 50 GP for the merc-leader plus 2 GP per unit (remember no leader, no mercs). We reserve the right to refuse any bid. Bids should be sent to: <huefe@yahoo.com>.

     2) Bid Announcements and Final Bid Deadline - Prior to the final bid deadline, one or more announcements may be made indicating the current amount of the highest bid to date for a particular merc-band. If a current top bid announcement is made, the identity of the top bidder will remain undisclosed. The final deadline for all bids is one week (168 hours) prior to the turn deadline. Bid winners will be notified individually, and their confidentiality will be respected. No public announcement of bid winner will be made (if you don't get the winning note, then it's a good bet you didn't win the bid).

     3) Marching Orders - All bids should include a proposed set of marching orders that indicate routes to be followed and actions to be done by the mercenary force. If your bid is accepted, then WHOMPCO will direct the merc-band to perform your orders. Post bid deadline changes to orders are not encouraged, but will be accepted when feasible. Depending on how extensive and late the changes are, an additional fee may be charged. Marching orders should begin and end in the base city of the individual mercenary force unless special provisions have been arranged for in advance (some extra charge may be required, with the price dependent upon how far from their base you want the merc-force to end up). At present, home base cities for the merc-bands are as follows: in Northern Europe, Galway; in the Med. Sea Theater, Casablanca; in the Mid-East, Acre.

     4) Superior Foe Deposit - our mercenaries will fight against larger opposing armies, so long as the disparity in force size is not greater than two to one (no suicide missions please). Due to the higher casualty rates resulting from battles with superior opponents, an additional charge is required for such service. When a numerically superior force is fought, the cost for a mercenary force is increased to double the winning bid price. Clients who desire our mercenaries to fight when outnumbered should mention this when they bid, and be prepared to pay the additional sum up front along with the payment of the winning bid amount. The additional sum will be handled as a refundable deposit held in escrow against the contingency of an encounter with a superior foe, and returned to the client at the start of the next turn if no superior force is encountered. Please be forewarned, clients who do not place a "superior foe deposit" with us risk having their mercenary forces withdraw from the field in the face of a larger enemy.

     5) Payment - A merc-band must not be paid directly. Rather, payment can be made at any city where WHOMPCO maintains an active office. WHOMPCO cannot assume responsibility for funds before we receive them, and our merc-bands will not begin movement until payment is received (please factor this into your marching orders if necessary). For these reasons, it is therefore strongly recommended that prospective clients consider permitting WHOMPCO to establish an office within their domains so that transfers of funds may be expedited.

     6) Canceled Contract and Refund - WHOMPCO reserves the right to cancel a client's merc-band contract at any time if a hostile force directly threatens our company's major assets. This is hopefully not likely situation, but if it should transpire that a contract is canceled after receipt of a client's funds has occurred, then the sum will be refunded on the following turn with an additional twenty-percent interest added to compensate for the inconvenience and lost opportunity.

     Give us your business, and we'll give your foes the business!

EUROPE

Western Europe

THE SULTANATE OF ELSUT (Ingiz Jihad)
Abdullah Ralif, Sultan of Ingiltarra, Northern Sword of Islam
Diplomacy: Sussex(f)
     Medici agents were caught attempting to pilfer from the coffers of the Sultanate. Abdullah had the same problem the Medici's had though, not understanding how MSP and HT disbanding of units work (see Medici). This meant that he wasn't able to build up that big army in London this time around. Elsut was expanded and Wessex finally cultivated.
     54 year old Abdullah Ralif married 16 year old Sarabeth Buford in an attempt to cement the legitimacy of his new Kingdom by marrying into the royal family of the previous Norman dynasty. Sarabeth gave birth to his son in 1521. Her older sister Elizabeth died a spinster in 1522. Abdullah gave Sussex to his lieutenant as a personal fief then sent a diplomat to talk with the new fiefdom. Later he found a half eaten danish in his research rooms.

THE KINGDOM OF MORAY
Angus Og Mac Donald of Islay, ifth Lord of the Isles, Lord of Argyll and Kintyre, Earl of Ross, Captain of Clan Donald, Ri Innse Gall
Diplomacy: Man(nt) Northumbria(fa) Connaught(nt)
     Angus walked around the highlands, strutting and preening.

THE NORMAN KINGDOM OF SAXONIA
Henry IV, King of the Saxons and of the Normans, Count of Blois
Diplomacy: Orleans(f) Castile(a)
     General Gedric caught Cosimo d'Medici setting up an agent in Rouen. He was duly imprisoned. Henry sent out several agents to do his dirty work in the Cantons, and sent Bonoque de Samanigo off with General Gedric and the entire Saxonia military into Holland to link up with the Thearian army.
     Henry had the Midas touch when it came to investments. Government, infantry, Intel, it's all good.

THE DUCHY OF PERIGORD
Roderic, Duke of Perigord
Diplomacy: Aragon(H)
     Roderic returned home to relieve Oliver. Otherwise, Roland was not spending enough time wooing the Aragons.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
Boniface X, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ, Servant of the Servants of God, Supreme Pontiff on the Universal Church
Consecration: Sancelade(mn) Kimmelstimburg(ch) Norgau(ch) Bremen(ch) Saxony(ch) Brabant(ch) Vermandois(ch) Lorraine(ch) Burgundy(ch)
     Boniface rode up into the Cantons to preach and lay down some papal influence, then he continued north with his train of Cardinals establishing churches.

     My brothers and sisters in Christ,

     Whereas, on recent days we have been in deep consultation with Rolfo II, Rex Lagobardum, and,
     Whereas, we have discovered innumerable commonality of goals and desires, and
     Whereas, Rex Lagobardum Rolfo II has demonstrated glorious valor and steadfast devotion to the Holy Church,
     We hereby bestow upon Rolfo II, the titles "Imperator Occidental Romani" and "Defensor Christos".
     We place the Crown of Caesar upon Rolfo, and humbly offer him these symbols of office, (a sceptre of gold and sapphires, and blue crystal orb) along with our our everlasting friendship and support.

     Yours in Christ,
     Boniface X, Servant of the Servants of God, Bishop of Rome

     Boniface returned several nation's tithes, yet some of the nations, like the Duchy of Crakow and the Helvetican Cantons - North lost theirs. Italy's was saved in a special bank account in Rome.

THE ARLES EMPIRE OF ITALIA
Rolfo II, Rex Lagobardum, Imperator Occidental Romani, Defensor Christos
Diplomacy: Galway(f)
     Rolfo was sure he smelled sauerkraut when he went to pick up his trade profits from the Syndicate. The casks were empty, save for some leftover bratwurst! Luckily he had saved enough to cover most losses in that quarter. Most regions in the empire had their field fortifications removed so that Rolfo could build up an impressive navy.
     Rolfo then took up more than seventy thousand men and marched east into Verona with Lord Luiggi and Lord Augustus supporting. Waiting through the summer of 1520, Rolfo pressed on into Slovenia where he gave his full support to Wilhelm Kemmelstim. [See Battle of Tyrol]
     Italian inventors showed off hot air balloons at a country fair in Pavia.

THE REPUBLIC OF HELVETICA
Lord Johan Handhahn, Constitutional Monarch of Helvetica, Regent of Reinhold
Diplomacy: None
     Jango exclaimed "They're coming at me from every side! I expect Saxonia, Thaery, the Roman Empire, Perigord, and the Pope. Italy says he is on my side, but who really knows?" Italian agents destroyed Jango's intel research. Jango put out a bounty of 100gp for Wilhelm's head.
     The total amount of money spent on the assassination of Jango and his men by various nations out paced the entire income of the Helvetica nation. It's no wonder then that several of these nefarious men of Theary and the Roman Empire passed each other on their way into Jango's bedchamber with poisoned knives. Within the days that followed, General Keinerhof also in tyrol with Jango, was found dead, assassinated by Saxonia and Italians. The same fate met general Urfalund. Stein was killed in Wilhelm's prison. This left Generisches Leit with the army and Johan Handhahn with the task of calling the constitutional assembly in Munich to formalize the new republican government.
     Johan arrived in Munich in April of 1520 and met with the heads of state there gathered. The constitution was ratified by all present. Johan was elected as Regent to the Rienhold Crown. Many free citizens of the joined the army to defend their new republic. Enemies were found in the north and in the south. In the North, combined armies of Saxonia and Theary marched through provinces on the Theary border. They didn't attack, just marched through and then back into Hesse. In the south, massive armies crossed the Alps...[See Battle of Tyrol]
     After Trangau fell Johan was forced to flee behind the walls of Munich with the remains of the Republic which he had just founded. One of the many hurdles Johan must face is the fact that he is regent for a 4 year old in the hands of the enemy.

THE EMPIRE OF HELVETICA
Wilhelm Kemmelstim, Grand Doge of Helvetica
Diplomacy: None
     Wilhelm caught some northerners snooping around the treasury vaults red handed. He was happy to hear that Jango was dead, but angered by the move to a republican form of government by Johan. Men were pulled from the walls of Citherione and the northern fleets to fill his new army. General Fleishenhaker was confused with his orders so he remained in Slovenia. Wilhelm waited for a Byzantine army in Slovenia until July of 1520. From there he marched into Verona to meet the Italians. With his combined forces of close to a hundred thousand men, he crossed the Alps into Tyrol.

     Battle of Tyrol 1520
     Knowing that they were coming didn't help too much with Tyrol outnumbered almost 2 to 1. The superior leadership of the Roman Empire turned the tide against the defenders who at the end of the day withdrew to the battlements of Trangau. Here Wilhelm ordered that his forces lay in an active siege of the city. Myron of the Roman Empire was wounded and Italy's Lord Augustus was killed in the first foray. The loss of the Italian meant that the Italian forces were a tad disorganized than they were before. The fight raged on into the following year, with neither force losing many men. Finally in 1521 Generisches Leit surrendered the city, ending the civil war. Wilhelm's grandson was found in the palace.
     While Wilhelm was sitting with his allies at Trangau, Lieutenant Orgul was marching through northern Italy, up through Lyonnais and into Burgundy. From there he found the land owners willing to continue to support the Empire and then the northwestern provinces of Champagne, Alsace, Hesse, Franconia, Nordgau, and Swabia. They only came in at tributary due to the fact that Jango had conscripted and some kind of self-rule nonsense. Orgul was finally stopped seeing that Johan led the forces of Bavaria.
     After Trangau fell, Wilhelm sent Otto with the Italians into Switzerland to force tribute from them. After that he rode down into Bavaria to take it from Johan.

THE NORDIK KINGDOM OF THAERY
Maxim (III) Goldnose, King of the Danes
Diplomacy: None
     Maxim sent Kjel off with most of the armies of the empire to tromp around Northern Helvetica with the Saxonians. No orders to actually attack anyone, so they ended in Hesse in 1521. Erland wasn't much help to Maxim. Maxim's guns are the hottest around now.

THE MEDICI SYNDICATE
Cosimo d'Medici, Guildmaster of Medici
Diplomacy: Brest(ea)
Capitalization: Portugal(ma) Porto(bo) Lelander(ci) Accra(ma) Heraclea(ci) Pescara(mf) Venezia(mf)
     A number of things that Natani wanted to do before he died were scuttled because he misunderstood that when you remove shipping from trade routes, the ships remain as transports for a certain amount of time, in this case 3 years. (Rule 5.2.5)
     Natani checked out the lay of the land in Casablanca on the QT. He watched Al Kharki sail out of Casablanca, noting that there were plenty of leaderless mercenaries protecting the city still. Finally Admiral Boccaccio showed up with the heavy transports, most of which was removed from the lucrative trade routes of the Syndicate, full of mercenary infantry and seigecraft, which he was unable to hide. As Boccaccio sailed up to the port he remarked that it was full of mercenary warships, and the walls were quite high and full of nasty looking Andalusians. Since his orders weren't to beseige the city in any way, he sailed home.
     While that was going on, Natani himself was in secretly dealing with the other members of Rik's merchants - intent on taking control of the whole organization. The wiley old devil died as soon as talks began though. Cosimo d'Medici, in a Rouen prison at the time, became the new Guildmaster of the Medici Syndicate.

Eastern Europe

THE GRAND DUCHY OF CRACOW
Roman Staszavic, Blackjack Duke of Cracow, the King of Polka
Diplomacy: None
     Stashu took more than twenty thousand men into the rebellious Sandomir to pacify the rebels. Random was as undefended as it was left, so it was taken as well. He went on to pacify Kuayavia, and Kassubia as well. He crossed the Vistula into Pomerania and received word that his father was dead...
     Prince Borslav took a little more than four thousand men into Ozu to attack the rebels. His heavy infantry didn't fair well in the steppe and he was forced to return to Bochnia unsuccessful. Guy Dulac continued to administrate, while it was made almost painfully obvious that he was very bad at the job. He was joined in his idiocy by another unnamed lieutenant - not good.
     Lord Donovan died early in 1520 while Lord Stephen took ten thousand cavalry across the Carpathians intent on forcing tribute out of the entire valley, starting with Carpathia, moving through Banat and then into Alfold.
     At the time of Roman's death, Stashu the heir was in the north, in Pomerania. Prince Iven, Prince Borslav, Guy Dulac, and Lord Donovan's replacement, Piotr were in the capital with more than ten thousand men. Piotr made a power play to take the capital guard, but he was killed in the process. Lord Stephan in Alfold chose to take his army, bursting with the pride of success, north to seize the crown. He was repulsed by Stashu himself, who ordered his death and retrieved the horse soldiers.
     The famine took it's toll on the Duchy as Kiev, Sandomir, Carpathia, Banat, Alfold, Lyubbech, and Wiczin revolted. Kiev was the linchpin upon all trade out of Krasnik was based, so with it's loss so too went the trade. Wiczin was the Duchy's port on the Skaggerak. Stashu supported his father's plans to increase the fishing fleet sizes.

THE KINGDOM OF THE BALTS
Rurik IV, King of Baltica, Prince of Novgorod
Diplomacy: Kubishev(fa)
     Rurik volutarily reduced the stresses on his government by letting the people of Kotlas, Polotsk, Prussia, Suzdal, and Viatka mostly rule themselves. Yaroslav dropped to tributary as well. In 1520 he had another daughter.
     Mikhail evacuated the people of Chernigov to a new location as a port across from Kiev. Alexi sailed out north of the Shetlands never to be seen again. Dihaj agents were found snooping around the vaults.

THE DIHAJ KHANAT
Chevak II, Mighty Servant of Allah, Regent
Diplomacy: Kama Bolgar(nt)
     Saykhin travelled to Kama Bolgar to try to bring it into the Khanat. At the end of 1522 he died at the age of 49 after weeks of headaches. Upon his death two of his generals rebelled. One was killed outright by Makki, the other was convinced to realign his thinking. Saykhin's brother Chevak stepped out of the shadows to rule the Khanat as regent. Donets and Nogai revolted.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE - Phormion Dynasty
Ilias Phormio, Imperator Romanus, Basileus of Constantinople
Diplomacy: Pereslavl(F)
     Ilias supported the war with more than 25,000 men. [See Battle of Tyrol] At home he expanded the public works of several regions and built HUGE walls around Hesperia in the Orkneys. Several routes were expanded and Togo received trade goods directly from the Empire. Ilias had 4 more children, another son in 1520, daughter in 1521, and then twins in 1522. Each birth was celebrated with grand feasts in exquisite extravagance.

ASIA

The Middle East

THE DABBAGH KINGDOM
Kabeer al-Waliy
Diplomacy: Lebanon(t) Acre(H)
     Kabeer hired Mosheh to head the diplomatic mission in Lebanon while he headed East in support of the Dar Al Islam...

THE DAR AL ISLAM EMIRATE
Suleiman, Emir of Baghdad
Diplomacy: Kuwait(nt) Hawali(nt) Karbala(H) Siffia(nt) Bostra(AW)
     Suleiman's Address to the Islamic Army before the Offensive:

     My brothers,

     We have found ourselves by ill-fortune cast from the summits of magnificense to the blackest despond. For our pride we find ourselves overthrown, and our enemies, whom we despised now laugh at our fall and whisper behind our backs as to how they shall divide our possessions when we at last are dead. And this upstart, this arrogant Master of Lies, now deigns to suppose that he may claim himself the first prince of Islam, the successor to the Caliphs, and haughtily believes that his success lies in the strength of his arms, when all of his success stems from treachery and murder. Would we allow the curs who burned Jerusalem, who destroyed the Dome of the Rock, who set the world at direst enmity, to assume their august vantage point without a true contest? They are mad, I tell you, and worse than mad, for they are evil. However, should Allah judge us wanting, then we shall fail, but we will have proven ourselves a worthy successor to the throne of Baghdad and the memory of the Caliphs. You have bled for Saladin. Now I ask you to bleed for me.
     Suleiman marched at the head of more than forty thousand men into Hahmar, noting that Hammad had just headed north into Diyala. Here he quickly pacified it, but in the fray he was wounded. He ended his moves then by forcing tribute out of the city of Najaf.
     Hassan Pasha skirted around the southern regions proclaiming that the Empire remains alive, that loyalty would be remembered, and that for the good of Islam, they must fight against the enemies of Islam - would they be slaves of fanatics, the destroyers of Jerusalem? He met with limited success until he was taken prisoner by the Bostrans, who accused him of being an agent of the same Empire who was in league with the destroyers of Jerusalem.
     Mehmed al-Fatih crossed the Tigris with a similar force into Diyala, just as Hammad moved into Arbiliq. Mehmed was sure that if he had caught Hammad in Diyala he would have crushed him. Instead he made due with forcing tribute out of the Diyalan's. Then Mari was sacked and pillaged. Next he rode into Jibal, took a look around, noted the lack of walls in Hamadan as he rode through it as well. It seemed to be just a scouting trip as he returned to Diyala soon thereafter.
     Mehmed continued on into Arbiliq and Raqqah, forcing tribute from each.
     Cyprus revolted.

THE SECRET EMPIRE OF THE BURNING SWORD
Hammad Abu-Hassan, Keeper of Secrets, Master of Lies
Diplomacy: Abadan(ea)
     Once again, Hammad attempted to make his fuedal allies Princes without any blood ties. They gladly accepted more troops, feeling that at this rate they would be able to start expanding their own empires of Diyala and Damascus. Ahead of the Dar al Islam armies, Hammad made it into Jazirah were he found the forces of Dabbagh! Were his missives ignored? Was Kabeer there to seal his doom? As the armies met on the field there was a hush as the white flags of parlay were unfurled. The two commanders rode out to meet in the center, swords were drawn with gasps going up by both armies. Were they going to kill each other right there? All was made clear when the swords were thrown to the ground and the men clasped hands. Hammad then set up a directed defense in the south of Jazirah against the forces of Baghdad, which never showed.
     The Lord of Diyala left in the summer of 1522 to liberate his people, riding through Arbiliq on his way. Here he cut Dar al Islam's trade with Zhong.
     Finally, in 1522 the effects of the famine were felt throughout the Empire as Diyala, Samarra, Akkaq, Hasakah, Syria revolted. Hammad was on hand to pacify the Samarrans, but was quite distressed to see the Diyalans go as he had grown quite fond of them. Without a port on the upper Tigris or Euphrates, Hammad found that all of his trade was lost, save the one land route with Dabbagh.

LAHILLA PRIMACY OF ISLAM
Lahilla
Consecration: None
     Lahilla recognized Hammad as just another ruler of men, but not of their souls.

AS SHIRKI AL BAHRI AL BASRA (SBB)
Mustafa al Haj, Kalifat Rasul Allah, Captain General of the Basra Overseas Trade Company
Capitalization: None
     Mustafa did nothing.

Persia & Central Asia

THE GHORID SULTANATE OF AFGHANISTAN
Omar II, Sultan of Afghans
Diplomacy: None
     Omar felt confident that all was well and good, that was until the Tara Horde started ravaging the northern prefectures... [See Tara Horde]

THE TARA HORDE
Batu, Grand Khan of the Step1pes, Destroyer of Civilization
Diplomacy: Kirgiz(nt) Aral'sk(nt) Surhandar(nt) Kyzl-Kum(nt) Uzbek(nt) Turgay(nt) Tarhain(nt) Betpak(nt)
     Batu headed south into the deserts of Aral'sk where he encounted forces nearly equal to his own. After a destructive test of strength in which close to ten thousand of Batu's forces were lost, the Aral'sk allowed the Tara to pass. Batu crossed the Jaxartes into Kyzl-Kum, where he was able to charm his way out of conflict. He camped in Uzbek for the winter after raiding Khwarzim.
     Batu raided Bactria and Soghdia, neither of which had any defences to hamper him before moving back into the steppe to find an ally in the Turgay and Tarhain peoples. Finally he moved into Betpak where he encountered yet another group of nomads nearly as strong as his own.

India

THE HARAYUK RAJPUT EMPIRE
Rupika Chandravara, Khan of Khans, Master of Kaunaj
Diplomacy: No Effect
     Rupika added royal road projects into Assam, Nadavaria, and Chitor. Floods on the upper Ganges washed out the royal road into Punjab. Massive public works projects sprang up in Jijohti, Kuru, and Punjab. Huge deals were worked out with the Sindicato involving everything the merchants love, gold, ships, and monopolies.
     While Rupika was heading home to literally screw around (gaining him an heir, by the way), Narasimha, Vejani, and Balu were all heading east into Manipur to smack the Dai Monphu around some more. It and Elephant Flats were taken easily, Kachin on the other hand had recently revolted from Phan and so put up a meager defense, although no casualties for the Rajput army of close to fifteen thousand.

THE CHALUKYA KINGDOM OF BANAVASI
Harshana-varman, Maharaja in Banavasi, Yogi of the Maldives
Diplomacy: None
     Harshana did little.

South-East Asia

THE DAI VIET EXILE KINGDOM OF MONPHU
Phan Jainan, Wang Dai Viet
Diplomacy: None
     The famine continued, but it was relieved slightly by the Rajput armies taking Elephant Flats. Phan built up some walls around his remaining cities, sent a general up to White Mountain, and requested support from his Primate.

THE MIET-SI EMPIRE OF ANGKOR
Ne Sutak, Emperor of AngKor
Diplomacy: None
     1520 was a bad year for the Miet-Si Empire. Troubles began in Mon where a very well lead revolt took out the thousand man elite infantry garrison. The revolutionaries would have continued on to take Pendash if it were not for the strong fortress heavily manned by the Pakxe.
     In Pakxe itself, Guieu Hong, heir to the Empire and commander of the army was in a world of hurt when he found his men dissatisfied with his leadership, even his smell. A brawl broke out and he was killed, his men choosing among themselves another man to lead them. When Guieu Anh heard about this, his attentions to ruling the Empire was assuredly distracted, enough so that an assassin posing as a butler was able to kill him.
     
Lampang, Saigon, Preikuk, Kracheh, and Teak Forest revolted. The Pendash rebellion was quashed by the manned fortress in the city.      General Ne Sutak, with more than 100 elite warships in Cochin, quickly sailed up the Mekong to evacuate as much of the government as he could in advance of the Tonking armies and fled to Angkor where he vowed to beef up defenses! Guieu Hong's heir was quietly tucked away to be forgotten. Nothing could be done.

IL SINDACATO GRANDE ORIENTALE COMMÉRCIO (Republic of Portale D'Oro)
Don Santino Carpachi, Il Doge della Portale D'Oro
Diplomacy: None that you know about
Capitalization: Dvaravati(ma) Polonarva(bo) Seylan(ma) Linan(mf) Mangfu(ma) Chehsi(ma) Wenchou(ma) Fuchien(ma) Shensi(ma) Goa(bo) Jamnagar(bo)
     Don Santino sent his leitenants hither and yon to increase the holdings of the Sindacata. Big deals were made with the Rajput and new routes were opened to the Burning Sword and the Mahiyana Primate.

THE VIET VICEROYALTY OF MAKASSAR
Zhen Xiao, Viceroy of Makassar
Diplomacy: None
     The widespread famine sent waves of revolution across the nation as Atjeh, Aceh, Lampung, Srivijaya, Luzon, Moluccas, Ambon, Perak, Malacca, Sulawesi, Makassar revolted. Even the capital city needed to be pacified by Zhen Xiao.

China

THE KINGDOM OF TONGKING
Vhoi Tien, Wang Tong King
Diplomacy: At the point of our swiftly spinning swords!
     Vhoi left the armies to Bin Ak and headed east to colonize Hainan. It was his intention to hire the mercenaries, but he offered far too little for Lun Ang Chhoub's liking. Later in the year Vhoi found that the mercenaries decided to party pretty hard in Loangphrabang, reducing the city to ruins, but satisfying their desires for gold none the less.
     Bin Ak colonized Nam Pung with some men from the army who wished to settle there. Then he marched on Hmong and Pakxe, too late to stop the evacuation of the city.

THE MAHIYANA BUDDHIST MISSION
Kong Asuang, 2nd Host of the Longevity Buddha
Consecration: Jao(mn) Yen(ch) Ta'Ting(ch) Loyang(ca)
     Kong opened trade with Il Sindacato and requested that they open trade to any nation on his behalf. Kiapei and Tsing Chu blessed the Loyang cathedral, something that possibly Tsing Chu himself would have had no problem doing, but both men were old and Kong wasn't taking any chances.

THE HIDDEN DRAGON OF CHEKIANG
Quan Gui, Celestial Emperor of Chekiang
Diplomacy: None
     Several crates were left on the docks addressed to Quan Gui from the Il Sindacato unattended. They disappeared shortly thereafter.
     Cultivation projects on Mindanao were initiated and Dukuo in Gtsang was expanded. Quan Gui's great vision begins to take shape: the Celestial Observatory and the Imperial Library both were initiated in 1520. Scientists from all over the known world (particularly Arab scholars, who are much admired) are invited to receive the benefit of full Imperial patronage, which include a virtually unlimited research budget, their own palatial quarters, and an Imperial title. He had an heir in 1521.
     Suma Ch'ien left Nam Pung to deliver the Southern Expedition to Shan Feng at Hue in Mison. Then he sailed up the Yangtze to Kweidu in Szechwan. Here he was supposed to pick up 500 elite cavalry and then begin his Grand Tour of the World. The small army was not there, so he decided to wait for further instructions from Quan.
     Shan Feng arrived and unloaded at Hue in Mison at the end of 1520. It was from there that he invaded the Miet-Si Empire, hitting Champa in the spring of 1521 with close to twenty thousand men and full naval support. The fortress at Vijaya was assaulted soon after, which was made especially easy due to the fact that the garrison had mutinied. Similar events happened in Cochin except the fortress in Phi To needed to be eradicated. Shan Feng marched across the Mekong Delta then into Phan Rang. This took him longer than expected, but luckily there weren't any defenders there either. Saigon, an independent city of considerable size, was also taken with few casualties.

THE CIAO ZHONG CHINESE EMPIRE
Fei Pi, The Noble, King of the Northern Prefectures
Diplomacy: None
     Several crates were left on the docks addressed to Hei Pi from the Il Sindacato unattended. They disappeared shortly thereafter.
     An impressive display of the power of the Ciao Zhong was made in Fulao where the city went from having no public utilities to having nearly the best in the world - no expense was too high. Mudan was completely cultivated.
     In 1522 Hei Pi died. Fei Pi, his brother took the throne and the army as regent for his 4 year old nephew. Jehol, Delpo, Langshan, Parhae, Liaoyang, Shangtung, Chinao, Shansi, Taiyuan, Tsingfeng, Henoi, Wu Hai, and Wunao all revolted. Mei Zhi was killed in Parhae by revolutionaries. Finally, a plague of locusts reduced the empires harvests significantly, making Fei Pi wish that his mad brother hadn't sent off large caravans of grain to Persia along the silk route.

THE ANGORA HORDE
Toghril Khan, The Fuzzy, Khan of the North
Diplomacy: None
     Forty thousand men with nothing to do is a bad recipe... Toghril headed south through Karakorum, Hsi-Hsia and finally into Gurvan. The Karakorum allied with Toghril Khan, the Hsi-Hsia allowed the Angora to pass, and the Gurvan allied as well. Now more than fifty thousand bored nomads...

Japan

THE NIHON EMPIRE
Showa I, 89th Emperor of Nihon, Descendent of Amaterasu
Diplomacy: Hokkaido(F) Sikhote(t)
     Several crates were left on the docks addressed to Showa I from the Il Sindacato unattended. They disappeared shortly thereafter.
     Showa transferred three trade routes extremely heavy with transports over to the Sindacato all in the relatively small port of Miyazaki. The merchant house was not prepared for this even with Showa granting half of it's monopolies to them, and so most of the shipping was unused. Missionaries on the mainland were quite ineffective. Diplomacy in these asiatic pagan regions met with little success.
     Mantap, Silla, and Suifenhe withdrew their alliance while Sikhote and Tumin stopped paying taxes. As a result, Showa ruled and granted independence to Amgu and Lakema, Ostroma, and Takama, hoping to stop the problems caused by too little government control.

Australia

THE VAKAS IMPERIUM OF THE AKETTA
Vakas Afangoo II, Sorceror-King of the Aketta
Diplomacy: None
     The Vakas hunted goanna and flung dung at each other, again.

Pacifica

THE EMPIRE OF THE STORM
Thunderhead, Storm King, Emperor of the Middle Kingdom
Diplomacy: None
     Few storms swept the south seas.

The NEW WORLD

THE GREAT DEATH UNLEASHED (1416-?)

Western North America

THE MANITOWISH EMPIRE
Yellowfeet, Master of the Manitowish Empire
Diplomacy: None
     Yellowfeet expanded Manitowish and Waupaca.

THE COLONY OF NYDANIA
Styrbjorn, Regent, Konik von Nydanland
Diplomacy:
     The King and the ranking Bishop of the Catholic Church met in a very private audience. Bishop Axel complained violently about a newly discovered heretical movement in the homeland region and Serrano, which some refer to as "Manitouish", or "Spirit" Christian, apparently a sort of fusion of native and Christian beliefs, with a little Norse pagan thrown in. The King refused the Bishop's demand for an Inquisition. The King pointed out that the Aesir, Asgard, and Vanir regions already had a strong Old pagan revival movement, and that moving against this new belief could easily spark a revolt in those areas, as well. The King was angry enough to point out to the Bishop that he was a Bishop in name only, that no truly consecrated bishops had survived the journey to this new land, that there had been no contact with the Pope for more than a generation, and that the people were well aware of this fact. It was the King's position that all Catholics would have to step softly and carefully for now, and pray that the guiding hand of the Mother Church could reach out to them as soon as the Good Lord would permit. The King finished the audience by telling the Bishop that he would be wise to put off his formal robes for the garments of a commoner, and to travel the roads of the north, to see how often in inns the sign of the hammer was made over a tankard of ale. "The same sign my father made when your predecessor wasn't around, priest", the King muttered after the Bishop had left.
     Hamlet had another son in 1522, just before his death at the age of 52. His brother William had died a year earlier. His youngest brother Styrbjorn took up the regency for Hamlet's oldest son. One of Hamlet's last acts was to begin the intensive cultivation projects in the fertile Nydania valley.

THE POPOCELOTL KINGDOM
Uictolio, King of the Smoke Jaguars
Diplomacy: Hohokam(F)
     Uictolio continued the cultivation of Chiricaua.

Eastern North America

THE ILLINOIS CONFEDERATION
Mark Skywalker, Great Liege of the Ancient People
Diplomacy: None
     Mark invested in twiddling his thumbs.

THE ADENA EMPIRE
Benko Lawenro, Great OLD Chief of Adena
Diplomacy: Miami(F) Quapaw(N)
     Benko's son Ishul died at the ripe old age of 70, his son Pepin II upon returning from a secret mission would be the new Adena heir. The Wenro claim was beautified.

BONNY KINGDOM OF MERCAIN
Malcolm IV, Elder King of the Land, Sword of the Vanished Tribes
Diplomacy: None
     Malcolm cultivated the homeland.

THE BLESSED COUNTRY OF KORNLAND
Hector Simonsen, Jarl of Kornland, Sachem of Chowan, Keeper of the Faith
Diplomacy: None
     Hector dropped Monacan from the Kingdom to continue his goals of managing it all until his infrastructure could handle it.

Central America

THE OAXACA EMPIRE
Coatlamoc, King of Oaxaca, Lord of the Maya, Master of the Otomi, Leader of the Quetzal World, Emperor of Mexico
Diplomacy: None
     Coatlamoc continued his investments and luckily was able to rule through the time of thin government.

Western South America

THE INKA KINGDOM
Flutie Flakes, Coca Mogul
Diplomacy: Moche(H)
     Flutie wanted to trade with the peoples investing the lands of Guayami, but they were strangely quiet folk, so instead he assisted his people by rebuilding most of the public works devastated by the plague. Wairajikira dropped to allied status before Flutie could do anything about it.

THE WAJ MAPU CHE
Lord King Cabia, sovereign over the Four Parts of the Devastated Earth
Diplomacy: None
     Aragu felt the sickness with his people as nearly all of them succumbed. Atacama and Coqumbo revolted as the remaining people chose Cabia to lead them.

Amazonia & Eastern South America

THE EMIRAT OF ALAGOAS
Rahgeesh Abdallah, Emperor of the Paraiba, Emir of Alagoas
Diplomacy: None
     Lijima ruled the kingdom from Alagoas while Rahgeesh was busy teaching his son the ways of the governing during the day and bringing more children into the world by night. 2 sets of twins were born in 1520 and 1521. Then the Plague hit. First in the ports and then from the outlying. Caete and Ahmarraim dropped to tributary. Considering the fact that he had been trading with Europeans for many decades, it was a great relief to know that the plague was only half as deadly. But death is death, and if you're half dead they'll still bury you. I'm not dead yet, I feel like dancing! You're not fooling anyone. WHONK!

THE TUPINAMBA EMPIRE
Corn Flower, Top Tupi Tribesman
Diplomacy: None
     Corn Flower built some public works in the homeland.

Average Horde Pop: 5.7           Adjusted increase: 8%
Added 3 more horde blocks around the Angoraland Horde.

The Bogazgol Horde burst out of from between the Urst-Urt and the Kara-Kum Deserts like an ugly zit...