Lords of the Earth

Campaign Nineteen

Turn 55

Anno Domini 1171 - 1175

Turn 56 Orders Due By:     Saturday April 30th.  Orders will not be accepted after Midnight MST on Sunday, May 1st.

A

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The Taira Bakufu

Taira Tanko Mitsuoke, Daimyo of Kwanto, Shogun of Japan.

Diplomacy    Kagoshima (+10 YfC), Tottori, in Shimane (+8YfC)  

        Tanko continued to try to mend fences with the hostile daimyos of Kagoshima and Tottori.  In addition, two new ports, Sakurajima and Takamatsu were built in Kagoshima and Shikoku, respectively, as well as a royal road link between Kwanto and Aichi.  An attempt to explore the Inter-Island arrow to the Marianas foundered (not literally) when the admiral in charge died shortly after leaving Edo.

The Moluccas Seahold

Rokaku III, Lord of the Spice Islands

Diplomacy    No effect.            

        Rokaku pretty much minded his own affairs although some ineffectual diplomacy was done in Palembang.  And then the Javans showed up and things got a trifle…weird.

The Kingdom of Java

Nang Ha, Beloved of Ganesha

Diplomacy    Palembang (un, from ea Moluccas), Srivijaya, in Palembang, (c, from t Mollucas)

        Apparently, Hang Nah made some kind of arrangement with Rokaku in which Javan Sabah would be exchanged for Moluccan Palembang.  Sabah was dropped to a (nt) in preparation for the Moluccan diplomats and trade was opened up.  Unfortunately, the former action wasn’t reciprocated on the part of the Moluccans in regard to Palembang (at least it wasn’t in his orders), so when Nang Ha showed up with offers of alliance, he had to fight an uphill struggle against the Moluccan diplomats who were there bandying their own offers.  In the end, the prince of Palembang went neutral in disgust and Nang Ha wound up dropping dead form the strain in 1174.  The diplomat sent to woo the Srivijayans had only slightly better success.

The Maree Kingdom of Australia

Taree II, Prince of Maree

Diplomacy    Eha-Rana (ea)      

        Diplomatic work among the Polynesian communities in the northeast continued to bear some fruit.  Closer to home, Yarram, Kurrara and Nambour all grew to size 6.

The Arikat of Maori

Ghorgon, King of the Southern Islands

Diplomacy    Fiji (f)

        Ghorgon decided to complete the colonization of the Southern Island, begun long ago by his ancestors.  Consequently, admiral Kamara was kept very busy, ferrying hundreds of colonists to their new homes in the south.  Tarnaki and Hokitika

Were colonized to (2/10) and Otago and Te Wai Ponamu to (2/8).  In the Great Northern Ocean, diplomacy among the Fijians was successful.

The Kingdom of Shan’si

Chao the Grim, King of Shan’si, Watcher of the Northern Marches

Diplomacy    None

        Golden Moon, New Inchon and Morning Calm all continued to grow (to sizes 7, 2, and 2, respectively).  A fortress was raised in Silla and road links were started between Bao’Ding and Hopei and Koguryo and Silla.  Work also continued on the great Jade Buddha.  Finally, a Shan’si leader was caught by the locals sneaking around in Suzhou and relieved of his head.

The Kingdom of Hupei

Cao Shen Han, King of Hupei

Diplomacy  Changde, in Ghang’de (f), Kaifeng, in Hopei (f), Nanjing, in Hwai (f), Nanchang, in Jiangxi (f)

        Not content to rest until he had fortresses in every region of his realm, Cao Shen Han ordered new defensive structures and landing places in Tsainan, Fujian, Cheinnan, Shangtung, Kiangsu, Taiping, Chekiang, Fukien, Jiangxi and Ghang’de.  Great Wall segments were also begun in the southeast, along the border with Kwangsi.  In urbanization, a new port city, Quinn, was raised in Fujian and Yantai, in Shangtung grew to size 7.  In the north a road link was built between Hopei north into Bao’ding.  Finally, Fujian was put under cultivation. 

The Kingdom of Kwangsi

Chu Shun, Prince of Kwangsi

Diplomacy    Kiang’si (a), Ganzhou (ea)

        A new port, Kian, was built in Kiang’si on the Yangtze River.  To the south, a road link was built between Kwangsi and Lingnan and another link hence to the Champan border.  Finally, Kwangchou grew to a size 7 and Fuzhou to a size 4.

The Kingdom of Champa

Bao Dai IV, King of Champa, Lord of Vijaya

Diplomacy None

        Activity was quite apparent in the temple precinct in Vijaya as work on the Great Temple of Brahma was completed and work on the Great temple of Vishnu was begun.  Vijaya itself also grew a level (to size 9), while a new city, Katu, was built on the highway in Korat.  Finally, a fortress was raised in the foothills of Guizhou, to keep watch on the border with Hupei.

The Kingdom of Kambuja

Anucha, Deveraja of the Kambuja

Diplomacy    Panat, in Kedah (a)

        Yet another new port, Ranong, was built in Thaton.  A royal road link was built between Mon and Thaton as well.  Finally, work began in putting Kedah under cultivation.

The Kingdom of Maghada

Vikram, Raja of Bengal

Diplomacy    None

        A quiet turn of PWB investments.

The Kingdom of Chola

Kamadev, King of Chola, Lord of Tanjore

Diplomacy    Gangas (a)

        Gagan died in late 1174, but not before overseeing the construction of a new royal road system, stretching from Chola, south into Pandya and north again into Chera.  In addition, Satava was put under cultivation.

The Pratihara Empire of Kaunaj

Mogli II, Emperor of India

Diplomacy    None

        No orders…

The Kingdom of Jungaria

Alp Arslen, Lord of Karakocho.

Diplomacy    Beshbalik (a)

        The cultivation of Beshbalik continued apace.

The Emirate of Samarkhand

Al-Haji, Emir of Samarkhnad

Diplomacy  Firoz Kohi (f), Carmania (t), Baluchistan (a), Bandar (f)

        Work on the Southern Highway continued, with links between Gurgan and Firoz Kohi via Khurasan being completed.  A new port, Tamaresh, was raised in Bandar and both that place and Baluchistan were put under cultivation.

The Khazar Khanate

Bashtu, Kagan of Khazar and Saksiny

Diplomacy    Bolgar (fa)

        Determined not to take no for an answer, Bashtu ordered his son, Balgitzi to bring the Urkel to heel.  This he did, leading over 17,000 heavy cavalry into the region and grinding the natives into pulp.  The heir then converted them to the orthodox faith at sword-point.  This done, he than marched south to join the Byzantine armies in Lydia.   In other events, the Crimea was put under cultivation.

The Hamadid Sultanate

Omar ibn Hasan, Sultan of Damascus and Protector of the Holy Places

Diplomacy    Circis (ea)

         Hasan died in late 1172, but not before announcing that the Holy Places in Jerusalem were off limits to Frankish pilgrims, in retaliation to the continuing French efforts to send missionaries into the Levent itself.  The new Sultan, Omar, also announced his solidarity with his Fatamid brothers by cutting trade with the perfidious Byzantines.

The Buwayid Emirates

Tajir ibn Ibriham, Emir of Emirs, Protector of the Caliph.

Diplomacy    Arbiliq (c)

        Buwayid urbanization continued apace, with Baghdad growing to a level 5 city and Shirvala, Eruk and Isfahan all growing to size 2.  The royal road link between Media and Azerbaijan via Kurdistan was completed.  More grain was sent to the Byzantines, an event which led to muttering in some circles.  Some went so far as to accuse the Emir of being a Byzantine lackey.

The Emirate of Aden

Sulemain ibn Umar, Emir of Aden and S’ana.

Diplomacy    Zufar (fa)

        Sulemain continued to beautify the many mosques in the vicinity of Mecca and Madina.

The Eastern Roman Empire

Constantine Paulos, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Diplomacy    Epirus (c)

        The Cold War against the Egyptians continued, with the Emperor shuffling troops hither and yon as well as playing host to Khazar and Muscovite armies as well.  Subsidies and grain payments continue to pour out of the Imperial coffers to Poland, Verona, the Buwayids, Bohemia, Khazaria, Muscovy and even the French.  Some Imperial plans were fudged somewhat by the death of the Emperor in 1173 as well as the passing of the strategos Demetrius.  Events on Rhodes where also troubling (see Verona, below).  On the domestic front, the road between Constantinople and Thrace was rebuilt and Varna, Athens and Volos continue to expand (to sizes 5, 4, and 7, respectively).

The Principality of Muscovy

Aleksandr I, Boyar of Muscovy

Diplomacy    Turov (fa)

        Work on the royal road between Smolensk and Polotsk was completed, as was the link between Muscovy and Suzdal.  An attempt to enslave the pagans of Murom was a fiasco with Aleksandr being wounded and his forces repulsed.  Further south, Mordva was repopulated back to its old level.  Finally, the Boyar dispatched general Konstantine at the head of over 5,000 troops south to assist the Byzantines (not that the latter needed assisting).

The Kingdom of Poland

Jerzy “The Stutterer”, King of Poland

Diplomacy    Meissen (f)

        Well this was a fine how do you do.  First off, Stanislaw died in late 1171, just after dispatching his son and heir, Lech, south to beat up more Magyars.  The campaign was a disaster.  Lech’s second in command, Prince Tanek, died en route and the Prince himself got an arrow in the brain while attempting to secure Bakony (The natives are two for two!  See Muscovy above.).  Both of Lech’s brothers, Konrad and Jerzy claimed the throne as their own.  Jerzy had the loyalties of the troops in Warsaw while Konrad had to decamp from Lausatia and march to Slovakia in order to gather up the survivors of the Bakony campaign before marching on Warsaw itself.  The subsequent battle was a bit of a farce as Jerzy’s troops became disordered while still routing Konrad’s.  The latter was taken captive however and speedily executed, thus bringing the question of who was in charge to a messy end.

        In other events, a postal road link was built between Little Poland and Bochnia.

The Duchy of Estonia

Ahti Viikberg, Duke of Estonia

Diplomacy    Kostroma (fa)

        Things were fairly quiet here.  The royal road between Rzhev and Kalinin was completed.

 

The Duchy of Bohemia

Ewald Govner, Duke of Bohemia

Diplomacy    No effect.

        A diplomatic embassy to Bakony was disrupted by the Polish Invasion and by the fact that the Ref forgot to notice that nations with really high religious Strengths can’t go around doing diplomacy against regions with a hostile religion.  In other news, a new port, Retion, was built in Pomern and Freiburg, Brunswick, Prague and Trieste all increased in size (the first three to 9, the last to 7).

The Vernonian Empire

Valdemar Germanicus, Emperor of Italy

Diplomacy    Tyrol (a)

        Some urbanization went on with Massa-Carrara expanding to level 6 and Milano to level 9.  But the really interesting stuff occurred in Rhodes at the end of 1171 where the entire Veronan navy (nearly 800 ships and 47,000 troops) was sent to support the Byzantine naval interdiction of the Gulf of Cyprus.  Things got off to a shaky start with the death of Admiral Romus in Reggio at the very beginning of the turn.  Fortunately, the Emperor’s brother, Riccardo, arrived at the port and took command of the fleet, transporting general Griffin’s troops to the Gulf of Cyprus and spending the balance of the year waiting for the Fatamid navy to show itself (they didn’t) before sailing back to Rhodes and finding the Byzantines were absent, Admiral Pausanias was busy shuffling troops around.

        And that’s when the trouble started, for Riccardo was a viper just waiting for an opportunity to spread mischief.   (he had a big fat loyalty of zero, folks) The renegade spent a good chunk of the winter secretly trying to build up support among the bored troops and sailors for a bid for the throne.

        Consequently, when spring came and the fleet prepared to resume interdiction operations, Riccardo made his move, in a stirring oration to the troops, he beseeched them to back his attempt to oust that “effete fop” Valdemar and set him up in his stead.  Unfortunately for Riccardo, he had not been able to silence General Griffin and the latter made an equally spirited appeal to the troops’ loyalty. (In other words, they tied their CHA checks).  So the army and fleet split down the middle with half backing Griffin and half backing the potential usurper and started fighting it out with one another in and around the island (much to the bewilderment of the locals).  Riccardo was the better commander and managed to drive the loyalists into the city of Rhodes, which was quickly besieged.  It was then that Riccardo’s luck ran out, for Admiral Pausanias FINALLY showed up with nearly 400 warships and managed to co-ordinate an attack on the rebels in co-ordination with the besieged garrison of the city.  Caught between the hammer and anvil, Riccardo’s forces were crushed and he drowned while trying to escape.  With the conclusion of the fighting the once mighty Veronan fleet had been devastated and the shipwrights in Italy will be very busy indeed.

Le Royaume de France

Henri Capet, Regent for…

Some Punk Kid With No Name, King of the Franks

Diplomacy:   Auvergne (f)

        Yet another road link was built, this one between Vermandois and Brabant.  Limousin was put under cultivation and a new city, Bourges, was raised in Orleans.  In addition, Nantes, Bordeaux and Narbonne all increased to size 2.

        Desiring a say in the situation in the eastern Med, Gerard dispatched his uncle Henri to Cyprus along with some 60 ships and 5,000 troops.  Henri had no sooner disembarked in Lefkosia that word arrived that he had to return at once: Gerard had died and his son was nowhere near maturity.  Sighing mightily, the Prince re-embarked and sailed home.

The El Reino De Navarre

Miguel II, King of Navarre

Diplomacy    Estremadura (a)

        Overall, things were quiet in Spain.  Corunna, Madiera and Valentia all increased to size 9, while Lisbon grew to size 7.  A new road link was also built between Valencia and Granada.  Work on new links also began between Navarre and Old Castille and Aragon and New Castille.

The Kingdom of Wessex

Ehtelred Harethson, King of the Angles and Saxons

Diplomacy:   Port de Saxon, in Wessex (ea)

        Things here were pretty quiet as well.  Wessex was put under cultivation.

The Kingdom of the Svear

Gregor, King of the Swedes

Diplomacy    None

        The quiet continues (not that I’m complaining).  Tronheim grew to a level 3 and Kristiansand to a level 5.

The Norse Kingdom of Iceland

Gregor Jornson, King of the Norse

Diplomacy    None

        The Norse finally managed to navigate the Greenland – Labrador Sea II arrow (which means things might get interesting here pretty soon).  Closer to home, Haraldswick grew to size 7.

The Maghreb Emirate

Bashar ibn Umar, Emir of Morroco

Diplomacy    None

        Aside form expanding some cities (Cincart, Rusicade, Caralis and Mahidia, all to size 6.), the Tunisians were quiet as well.

Al Fatamid Caliphate Al Qaira

Muhtadi Mujahid ibn Fadi, Fatamid Caliph of Egypt

Diplomacy    None

        Having felt the wrath of the Byzantines, Muhtadi hunkered down and built up his armed forces.  He would not be conquered easily!  The next five years saw the Caliph’s intelligence services beat off innumerable attempts to damage the inner workings of the Fatamid government.  Finally, Muhtadi giggled over the discomfiture of the Italians and wished he could take credit for it.

The Kingdom of Ghana

Komla, Lord of Kumi-Saleh

Diplomacy Sudan (a), Takrur (ea)

         The “phony war” between Komla and Ta’ziyah continued.  The Ghanans did some diplomacy and began putting Gambia under cultivation.

The Kingdom of Nupe

Ta’ziyah Surinama, King of Nupe and Oyo

Diplomacy Gurma (f)

        For his part, Ta’ziyah remained on his guard…and Wawa increased to size 2.

The Kingdom of Togo

Akroke, King of Togo and Akan

Diplomacy Niete (t), Bomi (c)

        Akroke continued to upgrade the kingdom’s infrastructure, building a postal road link between Togo and Gagnoa via Akan.

The Kingdom of Kanem-Bornu

Susiseko II, King of Kanem and Bornu

Diplomacy Kwararafa (t)

        Did some diplomacy and that was it.

The Bakongo Kingdom

Ugo Wambolea, King of Bakongo

Diplomacy    Nambe (fa)

        Kinshasa and Cabowa both grew to size 6.

The Kingdom of Nyasa

Asserate III, Chief of the Nyasa

Diplomacy None

        Nampula increased to size 2.  Other than that, Asserate sat on his butt.

The Kingdom of Rozwi

Ntombhela, King of Rozwi, Lord of Zimbabwe

Diplomacy Hah!  For wimps…

        Maputo was increased to a size 4.  In other events, after having general Zethembe publicly circumcised, Ntombhela sent him back into Tonga with the heir and 7,000 more troops to smash and enslave the locals once and for all.  The Zambians were also browbeaten into paying tribute at the same time.

The Kingdom of Vaal

M’tesa III, King of Vaal and Mapungubwe

Diplomacy None

        Pretty quiet here.  M’tesa died in late 1173 and was succeeded by his son and namesake.

The Tlingit People

Ka-Seen, Chief of the Tlingit, Lord of the Far North.

Diplomacy None

        Grey Owl died in late 1173, but not before marrying off his son and heir to the Yokuts princess Ojai in a ceremony of some magnificence.  The new Chief started off his reign by finishing up the census that his father had started before the latter suddenly felt THE ICY HAND OF DEATH UPON HIM!!

 

California

Dark Coyote, Ruler of California

Diplomacy None

        Work on the Great Northern Highway continued with the links between Yakima and Tucannon and Tucannon and Sawtai completed.  Road links were also built between Yokuts and Patwin and Ipai and Tipai.  San Francisco and Tula’ree both grew to size 9 and Kemhi was colonized to a (2/1) region.  Finally, Dark Coyote was pleased that Princess Ojai finally got hitched…

The Anasazi Nation

Motega, Chief of the Anasazi, Lord of the Chaco

Diplomacy None

        Eagle’s Bluff was raised to a size 6 port and Ute and Unita were colonized to (2/2) and (2/5) respectively.  An attempt to learn the secrets of the Angamos Sea was unsuccessful.

The Mississippian Empire

Patamon, The Great Beaver of the Snake

Diplomacy None

               Michigamean westward expansion continued.  Ogala was colonized to a (-/3), while Missouri, Oto and Dakota were settled to a (1/6), (1/1) and (1/3) respectively.  The latter three regions were also put under cultivation.  A road link was built between Michigamea and Quapaw and the postal road running from Sangamon to Oto via Missouri was also finished.

The Natchez Confederacy

Buffalo Fog, Great Sun of the Natchez

Diplomacy None

         Choctaw was colonized to a (2/3), Onate to a (1/9), the latter was also put under cultivation.

The Yamasee People

Eagle’s Feather, Chief of the Yamasee

Diplomacy None

        Things were fairly busy in the muggy South.  The port area in Chatot was turned into a city, Okaloosa.  Ocenee Harbour expanded to a size 2 and the capital Kolomoki grew to size 4.

The Toltec Hegemony of Chichen Itza

Moya, Grand Hegemon of the Maya

Diplomacy    None

        Aside from putting the jungles of Chontal back under cultivation, the Mayans were pretty quiet.  Huytahata died in late 1173 and was succeeded without fuss.

The Arawak of the Islands

Tizoc, Lord of the Islands

Diplomacy    None

        Arawak ships crisscrossed the Caribbean, shuttling cargos and people around.  In this way, the city of Manatee Bay was built in Timuca, facing the Delta Sea; while Indiatlantic grew to size 4 and Arecibo to size 2.  In addition, many of the Arawak cities had additional walls built and Port-au-Prince had a citadel added.  Finally, Tamox died in early 1172 and was succeeded.

Solar Empire of Chibchan

Rama, King of the Chibchan

Diplomacy None

        No orders.

The Kingdom of Paraiba

Panib III, King of Paraiba

Diplomacy None

        The Paraibans continued to build up the infrastructure in the northwest, building a royal road between Piaul and Terembembe via Potiguara.  To the south, Jurucu was cultivated.

The Mighty Incan Empire

Cochari, Emperor of the Incas

Diplomacy None

        Aside from a glut of city expansions (Pusharo > 4; Huexotla and Cuatico > 3; and Pisac, Llactapata, Paykikin and Alta > 2), the Incans were somnambulant.

The Kingdom of Karanga

Amaru II, Lord of the South

Diplomacy None

        Work on the Caranga – Guanacane road continued.

The Kingdom of Shokleng

Ake, King of Shokleng

Diplomacy None

        Like his northern neighbor, Ake worked on continuing to get a trade route to the Incas.  To this end, Minuane was colonized to a (2/8) and Abipon to a (1/3).  A road link was built between  Charrua and Minuane and Abipon was put under cultivation.

The Mapuche Empire

Malachite, Emperor of the Mapuche

Diplomacy None

        Most activity this turn centered around the region of Errandi, which was put under cultivation and colonized to a (1/3).  A road link was also built there from Chechete.