After two years of continuous play I am in need of a rest. The pressures of running a campaign, a young family and a demanding job have finally took their toll….ahh I hear you all say <g>

This is not to say that I will not pick up the mantle once again in the new year. However, I'm returning the campaign material to Thomas who will run it from Arizona until a new/interim GM can be found.

Many thanks for all the enjoyment you've given me. LOTE is the best game out there and had come a long way over the past few months. I hope you've all enjoyed playing in 24, despite its ups and downs, chops and changes.

Please redirect all your enquiry's to Thomas Harlan (thomash@throneworld.com) from now on.

History

Click here to go straight to the History section

Regional Mercenaries

Instead of a set leader per region any nation can bid for one Mercenary Captain. Each Captain will have a certain level of skill based on the amount of gold spent on him. The minimum bid for a Mercenary Captain is 6 gold; there is no maximum. To retain an existing leader you must pay him gold equal to his total Command and Diplomacy attributes. Any payment below this level will reduce his Loyalty. Any payment above this level MAY improve his Loyalty.

Each region will have a maximum number of units that can be hired from each main type, all mercenaries are regular (no elite or inexperienced).

Each region will have a QR for each main troop type.

It will be possible to hire the Mercenaries from turn to turn. It is possible to counter-bid the Mercenaries to leave their employ and join another employer or even sit idle.

The total number of regional mercenaries that can be hired are listed below.

 Eastern Europe

10i, 5c, 10xc, 5w, 5t

Western Europe

10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

Northern Europe

10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

Middle East, Moslem Spain and North Africa

10i, 5c, 10xc, 5w, 5t

West Africa

10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

East Africa

10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

South Africa

10i, 5w, 5t

India

10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

The Far East

14i, 9c, 5s, 5w, 5t

South East Asia

10i, 10w, 10t

South America

10i, 5w, 5t

Turn Cost: Turn cost is US $3.00

You can pay by check or money order (to address listed below) or with your credit card via the PayPal service:

Orders should be sent to: lords24@throneworld.com
(in Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, plain text or Adobe PDF format) [ Get Order Forms ]

Checks for turn credits (from the UK or Europe) should be sent to: 

 Lords 24, Care of Lorne Colmar: 50 Promenade Court, Regent Walk, Aberdeen, AB24 1RF Scotland

Checks for turn credits (from Canada or the US) should be sent to:

Lords 24, Care of Thomas Harlan: 4858 East Second Street, Tucson, Arizona, 85711-1207 USA

or from your Credit Card via the PayPal.com service.

See the MSI Listing for the very large list of player openings. 

All positions require an initial payment of to cover at least one turn before new Players are included.

Eastern Europe

The Western Bulgarian Empire

1100-1104: Euthemius continued to wrestle with the affairs of government, hopefully ensuring a peaceful transition of Bulgaria to communion with Rome. His hopes of a son were achieved but at the sad loss of his new Bulgarian wife in childbirth of their second born. Cyril the Just was commissioned to compile a great survey of Bulgaria and Greece. A task that would hopefully bear fruit as the years progressed. Euthemia, the daughter of Euthemius was declared the Emperor's heir in the chance that something should befall him.

1095-1099: Euthemius took the unprecedented step of declaring Euthemia, his eldest daughter, as his heir. Some dissenters within the empire were already beginning to murmur that the emperor had gone to far down the road of reform; especially as the he had already declared his intention to convert to Catholicism and allow Papal missionaries into Bulgarian lands.

The Oriental Roman Empire

1100-1104: Constantine sent some much-needed gold to his hard-pressed Abasigian allies. Maxian Tsakalis travelled east with the gold but died shortly after delivering it to the Abasigian capital, Bospurus. Basil was left in charge of the army and unsuccessfully attempted to sire some offspring.

1095-1099: Constantine turned over command of the mighty Byzantine army to his militarily able son and heir Basil. Basil had time on his hands to sire two healthy sons before his Morean wife expired through exhaustion. Zoë, daughter of Constantine, travelled to Lombardy in the hope of cementing a firm relationship with the rich but independent kingdom. However, the Lombard's were insulted that a princess well past her prime should be offered in a diplomatic marriage of such importance. Zoë barely managed to talk herself out of the straits she had inadvertently been put into. Old and feeble Alexius Phycos was only too happy to take the retirement to his estates offered by his emperor. The old general was beginning to be an embarrassment at court due to his rapidly advancing senility.

The Varangian Rus of Kiev

1100-1104: Old Alexsandr finally passed the burden of command to his son and heir, Alexsandr II. The recently crowned ruler of Kiev was content to oversee the expansion of Kiev while Olaf and Nikolai were dispatched to preach the Orthodox gospel to the heathen of Kirivitch. A great number of Kirivitchi swore allegiance to God, due in part to the influence of Vitebsk in their lands and missionaries from Alexsandr's capital.

1095-1099: The lands of Kiev and Chernigov were finally brought to their full potential with extensive efforts being made to cultivate the wilds surrounding these important Kievan cities. The Orthodox Church was busy in Kirivitch to tempt the pagans from their misguided ways. Aleksandr presented his second son, Thorfinn, to his court in order to gain his help in expanding the Kievan's growing nation.

The Principality of Illyricum

1095-1099: With labour and gold from Rome, Sejanus was able to raise the city of Petropolis in Illyria. Bosnia was brought closer to the Principality through the efforts of Prince Sejanus. He was accompanied at all times on these expeditions by his wife Anna.

The Kingdom of Abasigia

1100-1104: Alexander eagerly awaited the subsidy from Constantinople. It seemed as if allying his nation with the Romans had paid off. Deciding that he could no longer support his fledgling clergy, the Abasigian ruler declared that no longer would their funding come from his purse. Mikhail was dispatched to Patzinak to persuade the pagans that their future lied with Alexander. However, the nomads were under the sway of the Yasi and reluctant to appear disloyal.

1090-1094: The king of this desperate nation finally gave up on the southern regions or Abasigia and Georgia and left them to the Yasi's tender mercy. The sight of Princess Zoe of Byzantium was welcomed by all of Bosporus and the alliance offered taken with open hands.

1095-1099: Old Rikoulo was buried beneath a mountain of paperwork. The Lithuanian Empire stretched from Kauyavia in the west to Polotsk in the east. Although this gave the king great joy it was also the cause of his frequent and painful headaches. The reason for dilemma was that the old Wend councils that the new empire had inherited were far too outdated to serve a modern Catholic nation; there were simply not enough scribes and tax-collectors to successfully bring in the empire's revenue. Kalautis was dispatched to persuade the old Polish ally, the Duke of Kauyavia, to give Rikoulo more control of his lands in exchange for Lithuanian protection; surprisingly Kalautis succeeded. Meanwhile, Lithuania's over-stretched government was futile in its attempts to stop Bialoweza, Goryn, Little Poland and Volhynia all reducing their ties with Vilna. The Papal envoy travelled through Lithuania and gifted Rikoulo a large sum of gold to aid the nation in these pressing times. Rikoulo was personally worried about other things despite the headaches of governing an over-stretched empire, that of his dynasty. Childless, the old ruler nominated his nephew as heir to his kingdom.

The Yasi Horde

1095-1099: Not satisfied with his defeat of the Abasigians the Gargarm ordered his brother, Yagunt, to subjugate the Georgians. The entire population of the province was ruthlessly rounded up and marched west to Abasigia to work the fields and pastures of these recently settled lands. The hovels and manors of the Georgian people were then to become the homes of displaced Yasi tribes. Yagunt himself did not live to see this come to pass as he was sorely wounded fighting the brave but hopelessly outnumbered Georgians in their defence of their homeland. Yagunt's wounds soon turned septic and despite the efforts of the tribes greatest Shaman and copious mare's milk salves, the Khan's brother died from his wounds. Over twenty thousand Yasi horsemen then turned north to Alan to attend their herds. The Khan pushed his horde west by settling the lands of Torki.

Northern Europe

The Saxon Kingdom of England

1100-1104: Harold continued his appraisal of the England's wealth. His brother John was declared Regent in the unfortunate occurrence of young Robert's death should happen. The fenlands of Anglia were drained and the fertile soil put to good use in providing new wealth for the kingdom.

1095-1099: Harold oversaw the re-alignment of England's drastic trade imbalance. Old and unprofitable routes were closed and their shipping re-allocated to more lucrative enterprises. Harold, too busy with the affairs of state to seek a diplomatic marriage, wed a young girl from a good Sussex stock. His new wife eagerly provided him with a young and healthy son.

The Kingdom of Svear

1100-1104: Godfred and Olgar hired the services of the Viking Svalsolf, along with a multitude of landless men to aid them in their attempts to rid the Svear of the treacherous Skane. Karl was threatened that if he didn't switch sides his family would die horribly after the war. Seeing the inevitable. The Skane admiral sailed the fleet into Uppsala harbour and then made himself scarce. Godfred then moved onto Skanet. The city fell easily and was closely followed by the pagan Halland. Hasolf himself was captured and executed as a traitor by the victorious Svear. Although Godfred's daughter, Freja, was offered as a bride to the Norwegian Jarl nothing came of the liaison except an increase in understanding between the two Norse nations.

1095-1099: Godfred saw the light. No longer would the Svear pour down upon the hapless southerners. His great Nordic kingdom would join the growing community of Catholic nations Firstly, however, Turku would be persuaded to join his nation. Following the betrothal of Godfred's daughter Stina to the Jarl of Turku, Tarolf persuaded the Baltic state to even closer ties with Uppsala; so close that Turku happily converted to Catholicism along with Kopparburg, Smaland, Danzig and Uppsala. Tarolf's next task was to head south to Riga and persuade the King of Estonia to aid the Svear. His was a difficult mission but the prmise of the Est wife for Olgar, heir to Godfred, soon produced the desired result. Godfred tasked himself with the subjugation of the rebel Hasolf. Einar was ordered to blockade Skanet with the fleet whilst Godfred marched south with the Svear army of five thousand infantry; a force that included Godfred's elite guard. Skane had been fortified in the years following Hasolf's rebellion and it was with these to aid him that Hasolf III, King of Skane and Halland marched to meet the invader with his army of three thousand. Although Godfred was not a military man by nature, his adversary was even more inclined to avoid the hardships of battle. So despite their cavalry advantage the forces of Skane were pushed back to the very walls of Skanet. Hasolf had gained most of the old Svear fleet when he rebelled and dispatching Karl to attack the blockade commanded by Einar he was at least successful in eliminating the invader's navy. Einar managed to escape aboard his longship and return to Uppsala. Godfred pushed onwards through Skane, stopping only to deploy a small but adequate garrison amongst the population. The siege that followed was marked by its very length and the blood let on both sides of Skanet's walls. Hasolf himself was wounded early in the first Svear assault when he personally led an unpredictable attack to rally the city's defender. Over the coming months it seemed as if the Svear would conquer the small garrison remaining in the city but eventually the tide was turned and it was Skane's turn to punish the invaders. Skanet is still besieged but the losses were high on both sides. A mere twelve hundred men on each side opposed each other across the killing ground outside Skanet's walls. Attempts by Godfred to cede the control of Danzig to Germany led to the province rebelling from Svear control.

Western Europe

The Duchy of Bohemia

1100-1104: Sviatoplus extended his postal road network to link Bavaria with Austria. Sverod and the Duke of Moravia were then dispatched to Slovakia to bring the fear of god to the heathen Slovaks. Delayed by a contingent of poorly armed peasants, Sverod arrived shortly after Moravia. This delay cost Moravia his army as the Slovaks were quick to take advantage of the Bohemian's lack of cohesion. Moravia managed to escape but his army of nearly a thousand foot were caught and killed by the Slovaks. Sverod arrived just in time to rescue Moravia and fell upon the battle weary Slovaks. Slovakia was subjugated and control of the region was established from Praha.

1095-1099: Sviatopluk was content to rule his prosperous Duchy with the aid of his son Sviatoplus. A much needed postal road was built out of Bohemia and into Austria. Bishop August was also present in Praha to preside over the marriage of Sviatopluk's daughter, Salena, to the Count of Bavaria.

1095-1099: Alexander surveyed his mighty empire and realised that the German people had temporarily reached the limit of their expansion. His heir, Frederick, took over the reigns of ruling the vast empire whilst Alexander aided his son in a more advisory capacity. The Catholic Bishop Paci was also able to land his expertise in affairs of state. Frederick also took a wife during these years but the young girl died shortly after giving birth to a daughter. The strain on the empire was beginning to show when the port of Bremman and the northern provinces of Pomern and Pomerania both sought lesser ties with Hanover. An envoy arrived from besieged Skane entreating the Germans for aid. A rumour at the Hanover court was heard by the Skane that Alexander had sold out his lands to the Svear in return for Danzig and the conversion of the Svear to Christianity.

The Papal States

1100-1104: Aged Sixtus took the hazardous journey to Saxony to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor. The Bishop of Paris, Louis D'Albret, aided him in his travels. The Pope was successful in extracting a tithe of one-twentieth of all Germany's income for the holy church. Cardinal Tobias Glemp was instructed to hold the province of Croatia for Illyricum, even though the nation had been given temporal control to Bulgaria, The Bishop of Viterbo, Lotario dei Conti, continued his efforts in Serbia to convert the remaining adherents of Orthodoxy to Catholicism.

1095-1099: The dispensation of Vatican gold continued unabated with vast quantities of wealth being sent to Illyria, Lithuania and the Svear. Trade was opened from Latium to the Ummayad's of Oran, the Akramids of southern Spain and the Western Bulgarian Empire. It was with largesse from the Pope that enabled the port of Petropolis to be raised in Illyria; aiding the wealth of the growing Vassal State of Illyricum. The work of Bishop Lotario led the all out attempt to convert the Bulgarian's. It seemed as if another Orthodox nation would soon join the growing ranks of Catholicism. Sixtus himself oversaw the raising of a monastery in Lorraine, aided by Louis D'Albret, Bishop of Paris.

1100-1104: The attempts of the Principality in gaining closer ties with the Lombards continued unabated. The entire royal court travelled north to Lombardy to discuss an alliance. During this time both Naples and Palermo grew in size.

1095-1099: Vitturio entrusted his daughter Maria to lead the mission to Palermo; the city's people would be made to see the error of their ways and turn to the one true God. The able missionaries managed to persuade one in four of the city's Moslems to renounce Islam for Christianity. Salerno 's attempts to convert the Sardinians was marked by failure but at least no attempts were made by foreign powers to wrest the island from Vittorio's control. Marcelus took his new wife to Lombardy to press home their successes from previous years. However, the Lombard's were unimpressed by his visit; at least the reception was not as heated as that received by the Byzantine princess, Zoë.

Middle East, Muslim Spain and North Africa

The Karakhanate of Ilig

1100-1104: Suleiman died suddenly from a short illness following an unusually harsh winter. His son Ahmad took control of the empire and was declared Khan by Suleiman's own and final words. However, the royal princes, Bin-Alik and Ali, both had other plans. Bin-Alik moved quickly through Otrarsh and onto the capital where he was met and killed by the young Khan. Ahmad then turned to face the rebel Ali who had moved east through Kophat-Dagh and Bactria. Sadly, the Ahmad was no match for the wily prince and was captured along with Hassan. The usurper wasted no time in declaring himself Khan and taking Suleiman's daughter Jasmine as his wife issued an edict that Ahmad had killed his father and should be executed. Despite the demands of Omar-alih to stop this madness the unfortunate Ahmad was beheaded along with Hassan and a host of Suleiman's old supporters. Suleiman's young sons also disappeared and it was said that Ali's hand was in this also. The ruthless Khan had little time to enjoy his victory when he to died of a fever a few years later. Meanwhile, Omar-alih had taken the lands of Khwarzim and Turkmen from the Karakhanate and restored the old Khwarzim nation from Khiva. Omar-alih lived only long enough to hear of Ali's death. The empire in disarray, Jasmine looked to the future with trepidation as she tried to restore her father's realm. Suleiman's legacy lived on in the completed royal road between Merv and Iskander.

1095-1099: In a grand ceremony in Samarkhand, Suleiman's son, Ahmad II, was declared his successor. The khan then moved to consolidate his current gains and ordered prince Bin-alik to Balkh. In Samarkhand, Suleiman was determined to make the city the most opulent and beautiful place on earth. The khan ordered lavish spending to achieve his goals. The ruler of Balkh took offence to Bin-alik's manner and 'politely' requested (due to the size of Bin-alik's escort) that the Ilig prince leave. More labourers were employed in bringing the road out from Iskander towards Merv, now an integral part of the growing nation.

Ummayad Caliphate al Oran

1100-1104: Mumwhar took a rest from his grand schemes and plans of conquest to return to Oran. Whilst in the capital the Kalif set about a radical re-organisation of the nations trade and government; finding time to sire a young son and daughter. Al-Walid ibn Ishaq returned from his naval patrols to spend time in Merrakesh persuading the local chiefs to closer ties with Oran. The Emir of Kabilya travelled to the region to aid Al'Walid in his persuasion.

1095-1099: The Kalif, now content that had managed to recover his western provinces, headed east to lay siege to the important city of Mahidia. Blockading the port's harbour with the Umayyad fleet commanded by al'Walid, the Umayyad force of 8500 men stormed the Mahidian walls. In the first wave of the attack the Mahidian ruler, the Zirid Nusir, was struck by a sapper's axe and fell to his death on the rocks below the battlements. The Zirid forces rallied suddenly and managed to inflict high losses on the attackers before a breach was made within the walls. The city fell quickly as the overwhelming Umayyad forces swept inside. The Emir of Kabilya was dispatched to subdue the tribes of Al' Hauts, thereby proving free access to Wargala. Trade was established to the Lombards, the Fatmids, Rome, Constantinople, La Rochelle, Brest and Bulgaria. No longer would the Kalif suffer the injustice of foreign merchants stealing his wealth.

1095-1099: A deadly outbreak of Cholera caused widespread death amongst the inhabitants of Tabar. The death toll was so high that the remaining population fled the city for the relative safety of the countryside. Tabar is now a desolate ruin.

The Buwayid Emirates

 1100-1104: A great consolidation of the empire was undertaken with the diverse garrisons swept up and taken to protect Baghdad. Elsewhere amongst the empire a great number of irrigation and land clearance schemes were put in place.

Africa

The Makuria Kingdom of Dongola

1095-1099: Raphael remained in Omdurman to oversee the growing realm of Dongola. He dispatched Arounja and Jijoiti south to Senner to persuade the lord of these fertile lands to join his nation, promising to sometime adopt Christianity as Dongola's state religion. To further this aim Kokopili attempted to lower the influence of the witchdoctors at the Nubian court.

 The Mwene-Mutupa Empire

1095-1099: N'Tombe remained in distant Matapos to offer his hand in marriage to a princess of that land's royal tribe. Meanwhile, N'Babwe was busy persuading Khosia to join the empire. N'Tombe's growing empire proved to large for his ineffective government to handle. Several valuable outposts were tempted, and indeed acted upon these temptations, to leave the empire.

The Yoruban Onium of Ibo

1100-1104: Ispwego pushed for further integration of the rich lands of Hausa and Nupe. Sadly, the old ruler was cut down by a fever when travelling to these lands and it was left to Abwanze to take control of the empire. Asking the priests for omens on the coronation of the new Oni, the people of Ibo were horrified when a plague of locusts swept in from the wilderness and devoured large amount of their crops; not an auspicious start to his tenure.

1095-1099: Desperate to acquire the lands of the old Tsofou Birni nation, Iswego led the headlong frenzy into Hausa and the city of Tsofou Birni to persuade both province and the old capital to join the Onium. Both Ibo and Akwanga grew in size during these prosperous years.

India

The Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj

1100-1104: Kavali found himself the inheritor of a vast fortune. Choosing to spend his wealth wisely, Kavali set about a vast land clearance and irrigation project in the heart of Rajput itself. The earthquake in Vijayapala had disrupted Kaunaj's trade and Kavali ordered the clearing of the cities harbour to make way for new ventures. Kavali was not only interested in matters internal to Kaunaj. He dispatched Rahira to Gujerat to increase the influence of his nation over that of his smaller neighbour.

1095-1099: A sudden and disastrous earthquake enveloped the harbour region of Vijayapala. The resulting shock-wave caused massive disruptions and eventually blocked the harbour mouth itself. Vijayapala no longer became able to act as a port and all its shipping now lies idle. 

The Far East

The Empire of Japan

1095-1099: The Japanese army was separated in two. Sankin, by far the most able general marched into Kwanto with a force of over eight thousand men, including a large cavalry contingent. His aim was to liberate the province and regain the important city of Edo from the rebels led by Kenji. The second force was led by Kido and contained a mainly infantry force of nearly six thousand men. Kido was tasked with regaining Toyama and the port of Kanazawa from the Nigata. No sooner had Kido crossed the mountains than he was met by Kenji himself. The King of Nigata had envisioned such an attack and had mustered the entire might of Nigata to counter it. Kido was forced to retreat back across the mountains while Kenji went east to tackle the army of Sankin. This time the forces were more evenly matched. Kenji's remaining ten thousand men had the advantage of a large lightly armed but extremely manoeuvrable vanguard but this was easily countered by Sankin's cavalry. The crossing of the mountains had depleted the Nigatan force and when the Japanese met the attackers Sankin's leadership was obvious in its superiority. The war raged for months with the two sides manoeuvring throughout Kwanto's fertile lands. On the third decisive engagement it seemed as if Nigata would hold the field until the fateful moment that Kenji was wounded by a Japanese spear. Kenji's wound was mortal and his army, now leaderless, fled northwards to Nigata. Sankin would have pressed home his advantage but was himself sorely wounded in the engagement. In all, the losses were not great with the Japanese losing three thousand to the Nigatan's eighteen hundred.

The Goryeo Kingdom

1100-1104: A quiet time in the east as Moa decided to integrate Bandao into the Goryeon kingdom. Old Cho Zun and Chenji were to die during these times from a virulent brain fever.

1095-1099: A quiet time for the northern kingdom as Moa Ta Zun presided over an all out attempt to convince Bandao to unite with the Goryeon kingdom. The city of Kaiching benefited from Moa's largesse when new public baths were built to reduce summer disease outbreaks.

Da Song Handi Guo

1095-1099: Song Zho Min took a wife from the splendid court of Pienching. His new bride blessed him with a young son and daughter to add to his growing family. His brother, Bin Wei, was designated heir in the unlikely event that disaster should befall Zho Min's son Bau Bun led a grand diplomatic tour to bring the rebellious provinces back into the empire. Aided by the princes Bin Wei and Li San, Bau Bun persuaded Shangtung, Kiangsu and Jiangxi to join the Song once again. Events in Anhui came as a surprise to Zho Min. He had sent Ying Foo to investigate the province to discover the extent of foreign or even domestic meddling.

1095-1099: Ancient Song Shi Bing continued to rule his nation benevolently and wisely while his son, Han Zhou, watched with amazement at the energy of the octogenarian ruler. New trade was established from Chang'An down the Huang Ho and over the sea to Kaiching in Goryeo.

The Americas

The Chimu Kingdom of Chanchan

1100-1104: The transferral to a more open society continued unabated. Old Teewa-e-Puyiwo passed away and left the reigns of kingship in the hands of his son, Puyiwo-o-Madetsu. Teewa's last wish was for Puyiwo to conduct a great and sweeping census of his lands, a task that completed shortly before Puyiwo's died in childbirth. A healthy son survived the birth.

1095-1099: Teewa-e-Puyiwo had the pleasurable task of overseeing his growing kingdom. His son, Puyiwo-o-Madetsu, had the even more pleasurable task of expanding his family. Sadly, after giving birth to a healthy son, his wife died in the childbirth. Ozu-roy and Pikko-fooppa were dispatched to persuade the valuable cities of Chiclayo and Maranga to join the Chimu nation. The transfer to a more open society continued unabated.

Chitchen Itze

1095-1099: The Central American kingdom was busy consolidating its position by persuading the Yucatec's to join them. A grand census of his nation's people was ordered by Quachotl.

(end)