Lords of the Earth
Campaign Twenty-Four
Age of the Crusades
Turn
23
Turn 24 Orders Due By
Announcements
¨ Build Charts: At the bottom of your stat sheet is a build chart – this is the correct, up-to-date chart for this campaign and replaces the Build Chart in the rulebook.
¨ Non-Played Nation Changes: We’re going to be keeping the NPN system, with two main changes: First, there will be four levels of control: Influenced (no tribute provided), Tributary (25% tribute provided), Allied (50% tribute), Free State (75% tribute) and Incorporated (100% tribute, and the NPN is folded into your realm). Second, when an NPN king dies, a roll will be made to see if the level of control degrades.
|
Control |
Tribute |
You get… |
You can… |
|
Influenced |
0% |
-- |
-- |
|
Tributary |
25% |
Gold |
-- |
|
Allied |
50% |
Gold, stat sheet |
Issue orders to their leaders. |
|
Free State |
75% |
Gold, stat sheet |
Build and invest with their GP and NFP, issue orders to their leaders. |
|
Incorporated |
100% |
Regions and armies are added to your stat sheet. |
NPN becomes part of your nation. |
¨ King Auto Admin: This feature has been TURNED OFF. Your King and/or Heir must now explicitly Rule / Administer to govern your realm.
¨ Flags and Royal Portraits: Any nation submitting a GIF or JPG picture of their national flag or banner (no more than 80 pixels wide) and their ruling monarch (100 pixels wide), will get a +1 bonus to all Leader efforts. The flags go on the web-site, the leader pictures in the newsfax.
¨ Leader Names: If you have an unnamed leader attempt an action, he gets an automatic –1 modifier. So name your leaders, eh?
¨ Tithes: Any GP that you receive from a tithe (either because you are a primate, or because you have a tributary ally), is automatically included in your Saved Gold each turn. So don’t be adding it in again…
¨ Order Formats: Please use one of the standard forms if at all possible. If plain text (or email) is used, please summarize all expenditures in the builds and investments sections.
¨ Intel Operations: Please specify the target clearly on intelligence operations: for example, CI can be used to defend vs. a specific area of your nation (Government, Intel, Religious, Army, etc.) Many operations failed this turn for lack of specific targets. If you place a “floating” CR operation to cover “any possible leader revolt”, there’s a moderate negative modifier for non-specific target, if he’s then outside your CCR, there’s more negative modifier.
¨ Operating Bases: Action range is traced in Action points from a “controlled region”. For open nation purposes, a “controlled region” has a status of pt, p, or t or higher. For Primacies, this is a region with an Abbey religious site or higher.
¨ Holy Wars: In the recent update to the GM’s Handbook, we changed how religious troops (Crusaders) are generated. Basically, if a Holy War is successfully called, then a target number of Crusaders is calculated (based on your nations’ religious strength and city/regional GP production). The nation afflicted with supporting a Crusade then has to produce that number of national troop points to go on the crusade. If the nation does produce that number of troops, then some additional “religious” troops join them from the common population. If the nation does not send that number of troops to fight, then the religious army appears anyway, but its strength is ripped right out of national NFP production, which (frankly) will put it into negatives for 2-3 turns.
¨ MSP Basing: The MSP Basing Formula has been changed a little:
MSP Capacity = City GPv × 20 × TaxMultiple
This is the big change. Please note that this means that T and PT cities only give you half of their capacity, and NT not at all.
¨ New Religious Primacy status: The new first status that a Primate gains in an area or city is a Church (ch), acquired through the Establish Church (ec) action.
Table 0‑1. Religious Authority Control Statuses
|
Control Status |
Control Code |
Taxation Multiple |
Count Control? |
NFP? |
|
Church |
ch |
0.10 |
No |
No |
|
Abbey |
ab |
0.25 |
No |
No |
|
Monastery |
mn |
0.50 |
Yes |
No |
|
Cathedral |
ca |
0.75 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Holy City |
hc |
1.00 |
Yes |
Yes |
¨ Merchant Shipping Conversions: When bringing MSP out of a route into ships, you must convert it in groups of 4 MSP, which become 1 HT, while paying 4 GP.
¨ Hiring Mercenaries: Note that mercenaries must be hired at a City within the Regional area that they form the mercenary pool of. If a group of mercenaries move out of their Regional area into another, they may be hired at the location they ended the previous turn.
¨ Warships as MSP: If you allocate Warship units to be MSP on a trade route (as opposed to their being anti-piracy patrols), they become MSP in number equal to the warships Cargo and can only be withdrawn from the route as Heavy Transports (see above).
¨ Opening Trade Routes: If you do not provide me with all of the trade route information (your base port, the other nation’s name and base port, the distance, the MSP assigned) I will not open the route.
¨ Official Map Changes: The region of Carmania (southern Iran) is Hostile Desert, not Wilderness. The southern edge of the Celtic Sea is moved up to the tip of Cornwall, making the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay adjacent. The Asiatic province of Kur, on the Amur river, is Kurshin instead. The Burmese-area province of Shan is now Wuliang, instead.
¨ Regional Mercenaries: 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 below each regional header.
Nomenclature
Turns are currently five (5) years long. Base tax rate is 100%
Infantry (200 men = 1 point), Cavalry (200 men = 1 point), Siege Engineers (200 men = 1 point), Warships (2 ships = 1 point), Transports (2 ships = 1 point).
Lords
24 Web Resources!
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www.throneworld.com/lords/players/resources.html
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…and following the instructions on that page.
Contacting the GM
Team
Thomas Harlan, Colin Dunnigan
4858 East Second Street
Tucson AZ 85711-1207
Various
Fees and Levies
|
Turns |
$3.00 per turn. |
|
Maps |
Available on-line at the Lords 24 website. |
|
LOTE 5.7.2 Rulebook |
Printed ~ $10.00 (Local) or $15.00 (Mailed in US), $18.00 (mailed overseas). Emailed as PDF ~ $5.00 |
Manchu’ko
and Nihon
Mercenaries: 20c, 20xc, 14i, 9c, 5s, 5w, 5t
The Ju-Chen Khanate
Wa-Yen A-kut-ta, Khan of the Ju-Chen, Favored of the Thunderbolt
Diplomacy Manchou(t), Sungari(t), Harbin(a), Ch’in(f)
Despite the urgings of his son, Wu’ki, to demand enormous tributes of the Chaosen and the Chin, A’ku’ta was more circumspect in his dealings with the southern kings. He did, however, move south with some speed – gathering up the various and diverse tribes that now followed his banner. The Khan did not think his realm strong enough for war, not yet, but perhaps there would be favorable pickings among the ruin of the Sung…
As it happened, the Khan’s raid into Lu’an was partially stymied by the presence of a Middle Sung army there, as well as powerful border defenses. His riders, however, were able to steal quite a bit of gold, sheep, cattle and portable women. The Khan was impressed by the wealth of the mud-people.
The Goryeo Kingdom
Go Yun Zun, King of the Chaosen
Diplomacy Bandao(f)
While still keeping a weather eye on the northern steppes (lest the Ju-Chen decide to raid him), Go Yun oversaw the construction of a new port city, Ji’an, in Anshan province.
Kiyowara Principate
Kiyowara Motosuke, Lord of the North, the “victorious”
Diplomacy None
The Kiyowara wound up controlling Toyama (Kanazawa), Nigata (Sakata) and Kwanto (Edo) provinces.
Fujiwara Japan
Fujiwara Torashima, Shogun of the Isles, Protector of the Emperor
Diplomacy Failed
Despite his great age, Torashima kept busy with his concubines, siring another daughter. He also dispatched loyalists to settle on lands and businesses recently confiscated from the rebels in the north – while this policy worked successfully in the cities of Edo, Sakata and Kanazawa – it provoked violent peasant uprisings in Nigata and Toyama prefectures. The remaining Kiyowara landholders eagerly joined the revolt.
General Sankin, who had recently marched south to return part of the Shogunal army to Torashima, now turned around again and marched back north in haste. Commanding a force of some four thousand mounted samurai, Sankin crossed into Nigata province, heading for Sakata-town, where the Fujiwara garrison was besieged by the rebels.
After some maneuvering, the rebel army (now composed of both Nigatan and Toyaman troops) collided with Sankin’s Fujiwara (now reinforced by the local garrison) at Atsugashiyama. This time, without the massive army Fujiwara gathered for their previous campaigns, the southerners were sharply defeated. Sankin escaped over the mountains with only two thousand men. The general then marched south to Yamato, gathered up the main part of the Fujiwara army, and then (whew!) turned back around and marched back to Kwanto.
The rebellious Kiyowara lords, meantime, had recaptured the cities of Sakata and Kanazawa (slaughtering the new Fujiwara settlers) and then lunged over the mountains into Kwanto. There – to their great surprise – they found the locals had gladly accepted Fujiwara rule. About the time the rebels were attacking Edo, Sankin returned, having force-marched his troops up from the south. A second battle flared up at Hachioji Temple on the road to Edo. Though outnumbered (six thousand rebels against almost eight thousand Fujiwara), the Kiyowara commander (Motosuke, pictured at the top of the newsfax) scored a sharp victory over Sankin, turning his armies flank and driven them in confusion south along the Tokaido road.
Disheartened, Sankin fell back with the remains of his army to Harima in Aichi province to brood. Edo fell soon after to the Kiyowara, who found their ancient realm restored (much to their surprise, and everyone elses as well).
While the Shogun was busy in the north, the southerners in Kagoshima province, urged on by a particularly charismatic monk, converted en masse to Buddhism (particularly that of the Chaosen sect practiced in Silla and Koguryo.) Buoyed by religious fervor, the local daimyo also distanced himself from Fujiwara rule.
The
Land Under Heaven
Mercenaries: 15i, 5c
Northern Sung (Dragon)
Xing Yan, True
Emperor of the Sung
Diplomacy None
Eager to claim the princess’ hand for himself, Xing Yan hired a large number of Turkish mercenaries. The corrupt and indolent Emperor, he proclaimed, would no longer hold the people in his evil grasp! A Middle Sung effort to murder Xing was foiled by his alert guardsmen (also Turks), which enraged the general even more.
His own substantial army reinforced, the young Emperor-presumptive stormed south across the river with 36,000 men… time to settle accounts with Song Zho!
Middle
Sung (Imperial)
Song Bun Wei,
Celestial Emperor of the Middle Kingdom
Diplomacy Shangtung(f)
Meanwhile, in the somewhat battered Imperial Capital, Song Zho Min cemented the Empire’s interests in Shangtung province by marrying his niece, Su Lan to the Prince of Shangtung, Tzan Zu. That worthy lord then sets out to do work for his master. Shortly after the wedding, Emperor Zho is slaughtered by Dragon Sung assassins. Confusion resulted, and some of the more venal lords fled the capital, fearing the end of the regime.
As the Dragon Sung host approached Pienching, most of the outnumbered Imperial forces retired into the city and prepared to endure another lengthy siege. Unfortunately for the defenders, Prince Li San slipped away with his men, to join Xing Yan and his rebels.
Despite this defection, the Imperials still mustered 19,000 men to defend the walls. Unfortunately, without the wise leadership of the now-dead Emperor Zho, the rabble of leaders commanding the defense made a hash of everything. The city only managed to hold out four months against a determined Dragon Sung siege. Xing Yan’s army stormed into the city, eager for blood. The surviving defenders and the remainder of the Royal Family were slaughtered, but prince Bun Wei was not present, having already slipped away before the siege began. Bun now found himself emperor, and moved south to establish a new capital – somewhere safe…
To the north, Tzan Zu led a small force into Yen to try to convince the locals to rejoin the Empire. Alas, the locals were implacably hostile and refused to countenance such a plot. Dejected, the prince returns south. He was even more dejected to find that the capital was in enemy hands, so he avoided the Dragon patrols and hoped, someday, to find the reconstituted Imperial government.
Western Sung (Po Hai)
Song Chou Lin, “The
Grim”, Lord of the Middle Lands
Diplomacy Shan’si(nt)
The Grim king of the West continued to watch events in the lowlands with amusement, though he did not take advantage of the civil war raging in the Imperial heartland. Instead, he bided his time. His army continued to swell in size, however, and the men trained diligently.
Kingdom of Tibet
Chandragumra, Lord of
Lhasa, King of the Tibetians
Diplomacy None
Chandragumra’s missionary efforts among the people of Gtsang continue to produce glacial results. The lowlanders were neither impressed by his yellow hat nor by his theology.
South
East Asia and the Islands
Mercenaries: 10i, 10w, 10t
The
Dai Kingdom of Annam
T'an Minh, Da-Wang ti
Annam
Diplomacy None
Despite some suggestions by his more avaricious advisors that the Annam should take advantage of the confusion in China, T’an Minh contented himself with ordering, and receiving, a count of all those that paid him homage and tribute. The revitalization of the Kambujadesa in the south was a matter of concern, as were the militaristic ambitions of the Thaton in the west.
The Kambujadesa Empire
Suryavarman II,
Devarajah – God-king of the Khmer
Diplomacy Vijaya in Champa(fa), Siam(t)
Like his northern neighbor, Suryavarman ordered a “Great Count” of the hamlets, villages and cities of his realm. At the same time, the metropolises of Angor and Feranga expanded.
The God-Empire of Sirivijaya
Ginandjar, Blessed of
the Bohdisattva, The Builder
Diplomacy No effect
“What plague is this?!” Ginandjar was furious. His efforts to expand the Empire had failed. Failed! His realm was still so small, and puny, and barely a blot on the map… how could these things be? Was he not the Blessed One? The Builder? Oh, the ignominy of it all!
The Kingdom of Thaton
Anawratha, Lord of
the Mon
Diplomacy No effect
“We of the Empire of Thaton are a peaceful people. But peace and security often must be won by acts of war. We will do what we must to secure safe havens for the followers of Bhuddism. In order to have no misunderstandings about our intent, we now announce to the world at large what we consider to be our ‘spheres of influence’. The following regions are either currently under our control or are parts of our ‘sphere’: thaton, Pegu, Mon, Ava, Burma, Arakan, Manipur, Kedah, Perak, Nakhon, Johor, Samatata, Kayah and Sagaing. Unauthorized entry by another power into any of these areas will be considered an act of war. Additionally, should any Bhuddist nation come to us and ask for us to administer a region which is a part of their ‘sphere’, we may then, at that time, expand. We are a peaceful people and would like to remain so. Do not take this warning lightly.” ~ Anawartha, Lord of the Mon, Emperor of Thaton.
To back up his words, the Emperor dispatched Prince Jayavar into the south. The Thatoni force of over 40,000 troops conquered Kedah and Perak and converted the Hindic populations there to Buddhism at sword point. Jayavar was in the process of reducing Kadaram when he caught an arrow with his eyesocket. Very messy. With their general dead, the Thatoni army remained outside the walls of the city, still enforcing the siege. To the north, Arakan revolted and lynched the Thatonese emissary there who was trying to convince the locals to accept the true faith.
India
Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t
The
Pala of Bengal
Nasir, regent for…
Rubapala the Young,
Second of that Name
Diplomacy Chandela(t)
After some dickering, the Pala and the Pratihara agreed to share suzerainty over the province of Chandela, though Laksana was forced to send a suitable “gift” to Emperor Kavali. Trade began with the Tripuri kingdom, and (late in the turn) Laksana suffered a seizure and died. Luckily, lord Nasir stepped in before chaos or other confusion could result. King Rubapala is still too young to rule himself.
Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj
Kavali, Emperor of
the North
Diplomacy Chandela(t), Tripuri(Free State), Gujari(Allied)
Kavali felt pretty smug – the Pala paid him tribute and send lavish gifts, the southern principalities bowed before him. Diplomatic efforts continued in Tripuri and Gujari, with great success. Even the wrath of the gods fell not on his realm, but on the truculent Chalukya! The cities of Vijayapala, Rewa, and Thanesar expanded – fueled by the continuing prosperity of the Rajput domains.
Kalachuri Kingdom of Tripuri
Ajayapala the Weak,
King of Kings, Lord of Ramagiri
Diplomacy Free State of the Pratihara.
“Yes, lord Kavali. No, lord Kavali. May I kiss your buttocks, lord Kavali?” Ajayapala practiced in front of the mirror, bowing and scraping before the Emperor of the North. His advisors and generals turned away in disgust – where was the martial valor of Kalachur? Where had their honor gone, their proud spirit?
Paramara Gujari
Samavasima,
King of Dhara
Diplomacy Allied to Pratihara.
The Paramara lords took some small consolation in the fact that they did not bow quite so low as the Kalachur did, though the yoke of Pratihara dominion lay heavy on their necks as well.
The Paramara Avanti
Munja the Young, King
of the Dhara
Diplomacy Kayal in Anhivarta(a)
Munja, still relatively young, carted his entire court down to the port of Kayal, where he noodled about, attempting to convince the locals to support his regime. At the same time, an embassy arrived from the Chalukya, proposing a marriage between Mularaja’s sister and Munja. After some dickering, the Dharan king agreed to the match. Almost immediately afterwards, word came that a terrible disaster – the very wrath of the gods! – had struck the Chalukya. At first, Munja was filled with terrible fear – surely the gods would strike him down next! Then the thought occurred to him that with Prince Taila’s death, he now had a chance to inherit the Chalukya throne … if Mularaja perished in a swift and efficient manner.
Western Chalukya Kingdom
Mularaja, Lord of
Anahillapura
Diplomacy Karnata(t)/Manyakheta(nt)
Finding himself trapped between the growing power of Ceylon in the south and the monstrous Pratihara in the north, Mularaja dispatched an embassy to the Paramata seeking a suitable marriage for his sister, Rania. At the same time the Chalukya lord packed his brother Taila off to Kalyani to try and secure open access to the port there. The able Lord Muhar was sent south, into the Karnatic, to seek alliance with the lords of Manyakheta.
Prince Taila entered Kalyani were great pomp and splendor, accompanied by a thousand minstrels and two sacred white elephants. He cast gold to the crowds cheering his arrival, and a hundred Brahmins preceded him, praying for the blessings of Vishnu and Krishna. Even the day was glorious, cool and bright, with a wind from the sea driving back the funk of the town.
Who expected, then, that the sky would darken? That a roaring sound would fill the heavens? That something would plunge from the sky, trailing fire and sparks and filling the whole world with the shriek of its descent. That something – who can say what was thrown down from heaven by the angry gods? – smashed to earth thirty leagues from Kalyani with an awesome, sky-shattering crash.
The earth heaved, the sea boiled. Fire rained down for ten days and nights. Kalyani port was set alight, then drowned as the sea roared up, smashing the buildings and drowning the shrieking populace. Prince Taila and all those that accompanied him, down to the last Brahmin, perished. All of Nasik province was laid waste and the land poisoned, the fields choked with ash, the forest burned to stubble. Much later, men sent by Mularaja found a vast crater in the plains, still smoking and fuming. Poisonous vapors afflicted the land, killing the unwary. The streams were filled with dead fish, the roads carpeted with suffocated birds.
This was not a good sign.[1]
Sad Drivida Kingdom of Ceylon
Vijayabahu, Lord of
the Tamil and the Nadu
Diplomacy Chera(a), Maldives(f)
Ignoring the rapidly spreading power of the Pratihara in the north (who swept across the land like some monstrous fungus, or a horde of ants, or…) the Drividians were content to build a port city, Jaffna, in the Maldives Islands.
Central
Asia and Persia
Mercenaries: 15i, 15c, 5s
The
Ghaznavid Sultanat
Yamin al Dala, Lord
of the Punjab
Diplomacy Balk (at war!), Badakshan (hostile), Ghazni (hostile).
Sultan Yamin, leading 8,000 ghazis swept south into Sukkur and conquered the province. Unfortunately, when he attempted to enslave the local Hindoos, they rose up in violent revolt and he was forced to abandon the campaign and the province. “I need more troops,” he muttered, watching his defeated army tramp back north into Punjab. “And war elephants! That’s the ticket…”
The
Saffarids of Baluchistan
Rasan ibn Leys, Shah
of Baluchistan, Governor of Khorasania
Diplomacy Siahan(degrades to fa)
Aside from some ineffectual diplomacy, and in the case of Siahan, deleteriously so, Rasan issued the following statement:
In the Name of Al’lah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. With the blessing of his holiness, the Caliph of Baghdad, we, the Shah of all the Saffarids, decree the following: People of the Book who are willing to live by the terms laid out in the Holy Qu’ran and work peacefully at tradecraft are welcome in the cities of our realm. While our brother monarchs are understandably troubled by infidel kingdoms on their borders, and cannot tolerate subversive activity, we are far from Christian and Jewish lands, and have not this fear. We pledge to use the wealth generated by these communities to further our mutual goal of a peaceful, prosperous, orderly and growing Community of the Faithful. ~ Rasan Ibn Leys, Shah of the Saffarids.
The Karakhanate of Ilig
Jasmine, Bughra-Khan,
Queen of the Ilig
Diplomacy Bokhara(a), Otrarsh(a)
The Queen of the North, still a little ticked off with Takash of the Khwarzim, plied her wiles on the Bokharans and the Otarsh, finding new vassals. Slowly, bit by bit, her grandfather’s realm was being restored…
Shahdom of Khwarzim
Takash, Khazarim-shah
Diplomacy Khazakh(nt)
While Takash paid homage to Queen Jasmine in Iskander, he was not an idle man, or given to sloth. To this end, with the immediate threat of war having receded, he marched his army west into Khazakh to bend the tribesmen of that desolation to his will. At the same time, his surveyors began marking out the path for a highway to run from Khiva to Ahmad on the coast of the Caspian Sea. Back in the capital, his scribes were furiously busy in compiling a great list of every farm, lot, town, city and person in the realm.
The Turki
Jamuqua, Great Khan
of the Turki and the Polovotsy, Lord of the Steppe
Diplomacy Ob (ea), Otrar (ea)
Sadly, the Turki minded their own business. Jamuqua ordered a muster of all the tribes, so that every nose, head and sword could be counted – but his fierce riders did not sweep across the steppe, driving their enemies before them, burning their cities or gaining great glory of the Khan and the tribes.
The
Yasi
Tzelgu Khan,
Destroyer of the Khazars, Stormblade
Diplomacy Sarigh-Shin(ea), Kuban(t)
Tzelgu, having listened to various interminable speeches by various embassies from Byzantium, finally agreed to abandon his occupation of the province of Taman, and to lift the siege of Bosphoros. The lord An’lu’shan was, therefore, released to march south with 13,000 cavalry into Georgia. There the lord found the Rawwadid brigands had occupied the province en route to Abasigia. The Yasi quickly liberated the region and ambushed the 8,500 invaders as they returned from the sack of Colchis.
The Rawwadid force was smacked about and sent packing. An’lu’shan then marched into Abasigia and liberated that region as well from Rawwadid oppression. Trade with Bulgaria and the Rum Khanate was cut short by the sack of Colchis, though the Yasi managed to recover the loot.
Ar Rawwadid Emirat at Tabriz
Mikai’l Alueddin,
yabghu of the Rawadid
Diplomacy Tabar(in Tabaristan) (Hostile!)
A diplomatic junket by General Ibriham was cut short by his death after offending the Tabar city fathers. Yabghu Isra’il’s expedition into the Caucasus started well with the conquest of both Georgia and Abasigia. The port of Colchis was destroyed and the Yasi fort in Abasigia was surrounded. Unfortunately, An’lu’shan and his host arrived and soundly defeated Isra’il’s smaller army. Though he escaped the debacle, Isra’il died shortly after returning to Tabriz.
Middle
East
Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 10xc, 5w, 5t
The ‘Abasi Kalifate
Mustarshid, Judge of
Judges, the True Kalif
Diplomacy Mesopotamia(ca), Al’Qariah(mn), Alexandria(ch), Basra(ch), Damascus(ch), Diyala(ab)
The Kalif, rather than issue various polemics, resolved to strengthen the faith (and the role of the Kalifate) by more subtle means. To this end, many imams and judges were sent throughout the land, to ensure that local practice conformed to that of Baghdad.
The Buwayid Emirates
Jord’na ibn Buyid,
Emir of Baghdad
Diplomacy None
Still smarting from his failure to capture the Hatamid capital, Jord’na mewed himself up in Baghad, counted his money and grumbled about the unfairness of the world.
The Hatamid Emirat
Rukh al-Din, Sultan
of Damascus
Diplomacy Edessa(f)
Much like their enemies to the east, the Hatamids remained home, though the defenses of Syria were bolstered and Rukh rewarded his loyal generals for their victory.
Hayrenik’un Armeniam
Hayrenik Mecatun
Mezizos, Lord of the First Men
Diplomacy None
The Armenians puttered about, and Mezizos saw that his governors were reinforced with local garrisons. Some merchants in the area around Lake Van urged the Hayrenrik to build a city, so they could sell wares from the market stalls. Their goods were being ruined if it rained, sitting – as they were – in an empty field to do business.
The Rum Khanate of Turkiye
Alp Arslan, Khan of
the Seljuq Turks
Diplomacy None
Old Alp (wasn’t he going to die soon?) continued to rule wisely over a peaceful kingdom, where the lamb laid down with the lion and… oh, forget it! Even the peasants are expiring of boredom!
Oriental Roman Empire
Basil III
Bolgarophilos, Avtokrator of the Romans
Diplomacy No effect
Basil was quite pleased to resolve his dispute with the unwashed Yasi via dispatch of a stern note or two, and his army in Taman restored Byzantine rule (and tax collection) to the province. A few Catholic priests returned to the Crimea, where they managed to avoid getting their heads chopped off.
Al
Fatimid Caliphat al Qaira
Badr al’Jamali, “The
Spider”, Sultan of Egypt, Calif of the West
Diplomacy Ad’ Diffah( )
The Spider, eager to emulate the Romans, dispatched more than one stiff, even vigorous, note to the Dongolans. By these means (as well as threatening to crush the Coptic kingdom like a dung beetle), the Fatamids recovered the Danakil coast. Their imams were also busy, converting the island of Cyprus to Sunni. Without a vigorous war or plague to trim the fat from the land, the cities of Memphis and Mount Sinai expanded.
The
Horn of Africa
Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t
The Yemeni Rassid Imamat
Yarik ur’Adal, Emir
of Yemen
Diplomacy Failed
Yarik remained in his tents in the highlands of Yemen, pondering the particularly poor nature of his realm. What to do? He decided to scrimp and save his gold, hoping to build something magnificent later.
Ar Rassid Imamat as Sa'na
Abu Jahal, “the
Jackal”, Imam of the Beni Makhzum
Diplomacy No effect
“What do you mean, there are no boats?” The Jackal stood on the Yemenite shore, staring at the captain of his guard. The poor fellow was quivering in his boots. Thousands of men loitered on the shore, sharpening their scimitars.
“They… they’re not here, my lord!” The soldier was getting paler and paler, as the Jackals face got longer and longer.
However, even the Imam could not dispute the fact that there were no ships on the shore to take his army to sea. So he was forced to go home and read reports from the Adal about the cultivation of new farms.
The Adal Emirat of Ifat
Achmed ibn Uba'id,
Emir of Emporyion Ifat
Diplomacy None
Achmed, mindful of his new master’s wishes, refrained from sending horsemen to seize the province of Djibuti from the Rassids – though he was sorely tempted. Instead, his men remained home and dug more wells and cultivated more fields.
The Makuria Kingdom of Dongola
Raphael III,
Negusa-Negast of the Makuria
Diplomacy Kassala (fa)
Cowering before the might of the Fatamids, the Makurians slunk away from Danakil with their garrison. The briefly conquered province was returned to Egyptian administration. Elsewhere, the Royal heir, Eonus, attempted to lead a raid into the lands of the Ennedi and Kordofan tribes. The horse-riding tribesmen fell upon the heir’s hapless force of 1,800 infantry and hacked them to bits. The locals spared Eonus, finding him amusing, a returned him to Makurian lands. But not before dressing him up in a funny outfit.
Figure 1. Prince Eonus, after his big adventure
Eastern
Europe
Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 10xc, 5w, 5t
The
Western Roman Empire
Christophoros
Augustus, Rex Bulgaris, Duke of Illyricum, Emperor of the Romans
Diplomacy None
Having accomplished his most holy deed, the Western Emperor Euthemius died and was replaced by his scholarly son Christophoros. Efforts to convert the Thessalians to the Catholic rite continued – without riots for a change, but no one expected the peace to last.
The
Varangian Rus of Kiev
Alexsandr II, Prince
of Kiev, Lord of the Rus and the Varig
Diplomacy None
Aleksandr continued to watch the northern border, expecting the Estonians to come rampaging south again, all filled with starch and bile. The woods-runners, however, did not do so. The prince, therefore, spent his time chasing his lazy sons out of the house and making them work!
The Ests
Valthan Christoslayer,
King of the Estonians and Sons of Rurik
Diplomacy Daugavia(f)
Disabusing their neighbors of the conceit they were only wretched barbarians, barely able to keep themselves clean or eat cooked food, the Estonians expanded the town of Reval. Also, prince Molthar contracted some civilized, southern disease and expired.
The
Kingdom of Lithuania
Jiagello Pialowik,
King of the Lithuanians and the Poles, Defensor Christianum
Diplomacy Volhynia(a)
Having determined that the winters were just too cold, and the forest just too dark in Lithuania, Jiagello ordered the center of his government moved to the province of Poland, on the banks of the Vistula. There, he was sure, the winters would be mild, the forests open and light, and the barbarian Ests less likely to camp in his garden.
Scandia
and the Out Isles
Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t
Kingdom of Svear
Erik Lughassen,
Christian King of Scandia
Diplomacy Norway (Influenced)
The king’s court was disturbed by the arrival of a brace of foul-smelling Norwegians – loudly swearing by the All-Father and Tyr and making messy sacrifice on the royal grounds. The embassy sought a wife for king Bjarne, preferably a big-hipped princess of Erik’s house. The king considered this carefully… if the Norge could be introduced to the house of God, it would be a great boon for his realm.
The holy fathers completed the good work in Halland, making that province Catholic. A large fleet was dispatched to the south, in the company of the Norge, to savage the Mohammadeans. The fleet did return, though the pickings had been slimmer than expected.
The Norwegians
Bjarne Hejarsson, “The
Red”, King of the Norwegians
Diplomacy None
Still disgruntled that the Orkneymen were getting rich from the gold mines in Trondheim, Bjarne sat in his great hall at Hordavil, counting the numbers of longships drawn up on the beach, considering the numbers of his fyrdmen… wishing he had a wife. To this end, he sent messengers to the Iceland and to his liege, Erik of the Svear, seeking a suitable bride.
Jarldom of Orkeneyjar
Haragar the Pious,
vikingrik na orkneyjar
Diplomacy None
Jarl Haragar continued to travel among the isolated and remote communities of Trondheim, making steady, slow and sure progress to bringing the heathens to the Church. Young Torvlad, whom everyone had expected to become the next jarl, drowned in off Skye while fishing. His brother Bjorn tok over his duties.
Like their northern and eastern cousins, the Orkneymen sent a fleet south to raid the coast of Africa and Spain, but the loot carried home was not so rich as it had been before.
The
Commonwealth of Iceland
Olaf Longnose, Jarl
of the New Islands
Diplomacy Thomond (Influenced)
The Longnose made landfall in Munster on his way back from raiding the infidels (and getting treated harshly by the southerners). Under flag of truce, he proposed a union between Iceland and the kingdom of Thomond. A papal emissary was also present, doing his best to facilitate matters. In return for friendship with the Irish kings, Olaf agreed to take an Irish bride and to convert to Catholicism.
Back home, Ragnarsson continued to make voyages into the west, seeking the semi-legendary “Green Land.”
The Tuath Kingdom of Thomond
Dermond ard-Brien,
High King of Eire
Diplomacy Connaught(nt), Armagh in Ulster(t)
While still trying to keep a low profile, the Ard Righ managed to expand his domain incrementally, and saw that many improvements were made in Clonfert. For example, a public privy was built, so that visitors from the countryside did not shit in the streets, as they had done before. Later, a gang of well-spoken Icelanders showed up and were shown a royal Irish time! A great deal of beer was drunk and many fine songs sung.
Saxon Kingdom of England
Robert Godwin, King
of the Britons
Diplomacy None
Despite various letters and pleading visits from Church officials, the Saxons remained home, did not invade anyone and instead watched their shores for Viking raids. They were pretty happy that the Norsemen went south, rather than visiting gloomy, damp England.
Western
Europe
Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t
Das Deutches Konigsreich
Alexander the Grumpy,
King of the Germans, Emperor of the West
Diplomacy None
Paralyzed by the troubles of recent years, Alexander remained home, desperately trying to keep any more provinces from seceding from the Empire. This time, none did.
Duchy
of Bohemia
Sviatoplus, Duke of
Bohemia, Prince of Prague
Diplomacy None
Wisely avoiding getting involved in either Italy, Spain or France, the Bohemians turned their hand to clearing pasture and farmland in Bohemia.
Le Royaume de Bourgogne
Hugh the Second, Duke
of Burgundy
Diplomacy Auvergne (fa)
Two Norman knights attempted to pass in disguise through the lands of Limousin and thereby into Auvergne. A Burgundian patrol encountered them near the border, whereupon they fled. Chase was given and both men killed in a sharp melee beside the Treville ravine. Papers on the men revealed them to be agents of Duke William, carrying an offer of alliance to the duc du Auvergne. Then, if that were not distressing enough, the Normans invaded.
Le
Duche de Normandie
Fulk, Regent for
Henry, Duke of Normandy, King of the Western Franks
Diplomacy Poitou(Tributary)
To set the stage for a vigorous turn, Duke William died near the beginning of 1116 and his still-in-swaddling-clothes son Henry was entrusted to Baron Fulk’s regency. Despite the Duke’s death, however, various warlike plans went forward without delay: Guy Berenger led over 14,000 troops into the Burgundian province of Nivernais, and thence to Burgundy itself. The cities of Nerdone and Bergone resisted briefly, but – poorly defended – were swiftly captured by the Normans. Both Duke Hugh and his son, Phillipe were captured in the surrender of Bergone. With the Duke a captive and the realm split in two, the provinces of Aquitaine, Languedoc (not Marseilles), Orleans and Champagne (with the city of Metz) went independent, determined to protect themselves from the rapacious Normans.
Le Comte de Poitou
Robert de Giscard,
Count of Gascony
Diplomacy Gascony(f), Tributary to Normandy.
Under Robert’s enlightened rule, more improvements were made in La Rochelle while the Count journeyed south to discuss matters in Spain with his brother-in-law, the count of Gascony. At home, his very young wife Yvaine suffered through a troubled pregnancy before yielding up the sickly Guillame in ’18 and dying immediately thereafter. Count Robert took little notice of the event, though he did sent a letter expressing his wishes for the long life of his son.
Lombard
Kingdom of Italy
Geowolf of Vinicenza,
King of the Lombards
Diplomacy None
Faced with a seemingly unstoppable Norman invasion from the south, the Lombards gathered their few remaining troops together and sent an army of 6,000 men into southern France. The Burgundian provinces of Provence and Lyonnais were overrun and the cities of Lyons and Cannes captured. An attempt to take Marseilles failed (the city militia repelled their tentative assault) and the Lombards retreated back into Provence itself.
The Papal States
Urban II, bishop of
Rome, vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of the prince of the apostles, supreme
pontiff of the universal Church, primate of Italy, archbishop and metropolitan
of the Roman province, sovereign of the Papal States, servant of the servants
of God
Diplomacy None
Urban, unrestrained by anything but his own desires, meddled far and wide across the continent, his fat fingers in every pie, his agents and minions active in every court. Indeed, so ferocious was his appetite for worldly power (aside from the steady increase of the troops and ships under his command in the port of Rome) that the general, day-to-day business of the Church suffered. Still, the Papacy was rich and powerful beyond the dreams of most men, and that – in itself – was something of heaven on earth.
Some few monks, however, particularly in southern France and Germany, began to mutter and complain about the excesses of the Papacy. Perhaps, they thought, we should reform and adopt a rule of order to govern our lives, separate and distinct from the edicts, bulls and writs that issue forth from Mother Rome.
Norman Principality of Salerno
Josepi di Ventura,
Duke of Naples, King of the Italians
Diplomacy None
Duke Vitturio died at last – and thankfully predeceased by his foul offspring – but not before naming general Josepi his heir and successor. By these means, the Duchy did not disintegrate upon his death as many had suspected. (Or wished, in the case of the Lombards.) The province of Savoy did revolt from Norman rule, however, and reverted to Lombard control. The new Duke – still in the north – led over 9,000 troops into Liguria in order to finish off the Lombards…only to find that Geowulf and his family had left for the Riviera. Undeterred, Josepi quickly brought Liguria (and the city of Genoa) and Tuscany (with the port of Leghorn) under Ducal control.
El Reino de Leon y Navarre
Sancho
III, King of Leon, King of Navarra
Diplomacy None
Embattled, Sancho moved his capital to Santiago. He expected aid from many quarters – from Normandy, from the Pope, from the Northmen. He didn’t get it. Instead, he got a lot of Valencian Normans squatting in Navarre, Old Castille and Leon. Despite repeated letters and embassies, the Valencians refused to leave (much like Normans everywhere…)
Norman
Spain
Tancred, Baron of Castellon
Diplomacy Little if any effect.
The Valencians, refitted with arms and armor in the Burgundian port of Marseilles, raised the Holy Cross banner of crusade and, with Papal support, launched a counter-invasion of Spain. Tancred was determined to restore himself in Valencia and to drive the Moslems before him like the dogs they were.
He entered Navarre at the head of 4,200 knights and almost immediately clashed with an Ummayad army of 9,200 men. On the open field of battle, the Norman knights proved more than a match for the lightly armed and armored Moslems, soundly defeating them. The Umayyads fled south. Tancred then marched into Old Castille, slaughtering an Akramid garrison there, and then liberating Leon as well.
The Akramid Sultanat
Achmed, Sultan of
Granada
Diplomacy No effect
In addition to the reverses suffered in the north, the Vikings returned to ravage Andalusian lands! This time, however, the locals were ready. Encountering a hornets’ nest of local militias and forts, the northmen harried the southern coasts, but were unable to score any successes against the well-prepared Moslems.
The Sultan urged the Catholic clergy to tolerance for his rule, but given how blood-thirsty the Christians are its not likely that they listened.
North
Africa
Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 10xc, 5w, 5t
Ummayad Sultanat al Oran
Muawiya, Sultan of
the West, Emir of Oran and Mahidia
Diplomacy Cheliff(nt)
The Sultan was not pleased. The Normans roughly handled his army in Northern Spain, and the province of Cheliff barely acknowledged his rule following the death of the allied leader. At sea, off Gibraltar, 30 odd Ummayad and mercenary ships under the command of al-Abbas engaged three times their number in Viking ships and were reduced to so much kindling. At least, when the Norse attempted to raid into Merrakesh and Morroco, the Prince of Al’Hauts drove them off with his lancers before they could do any appreciable damage. That was something.
The Almohad Caliphate
Mohammed ibn Tumart,
Imam of Imams, The Revealed
Diplomacy N’jimi(f), Haraze(f), and Kerkoure(f)
The Almohads drifted further east, meeting up with caravans from the north carrying gifts, food, weapons and gold. With the merchants came some disreputable types, who made a game attempt to murder Mohammed – but failed. “He has the eyes of an eagle,” his bodyguards said, after the Imam slew three attackers by himself, foiling the attempt.
West
Africa
Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t
The
Soninke Kingdom of Koumbi
Soninke Wagodou, ghāna
of Koumbi, Chief of the Mandé
Diplomacy Segu(f), Boure City(t)
The Soninke minded their own business and were very glad that the Almohads had continued east, rather than sweeping down upon their small principality and destroying them.
The Dia Kingdom of Songhay
Kossoi, dia Songhay
Diplomacy Failed miserably, and Pakezu barely escaped with his life!
Woken from his pleasant life by the Almohad raids, Kossoi was forced to rebuild the ruined city of Gorouol, and to raise a strong force of cavalry to patrol the northern fringe of his nation. Considerable investments were made in new farms throughout Songhay as well. Troops ate like starving pigs, and needed pay, and arms and armor as well. Too, the dia was concerned by the rising power of the Soninke in the west.
Somewhere far to the east, Son Baru (the captive prince of Gao) continued to languish amongst the Moslem nomads… would he ever see his homeland again, or his fair city?
The Yoruban Onium of Ibo
Abwanze, High King of
the Yoruba
Diplomacy Akan(a), Nupe(f)
The Ibo continued to rule wisely from their hot, damp country on the banks of the greasy green Niger. A plague of crocodiles was cleaned up by the King’s Men.
The Bini Kingdom of Usama
M’blane, chief of
the Bini, prince of Usama
Diplomacy Failed miserably
What was the life of man? The brief flicker of a glowfly – that was the life of a man. Old M’blane, who had ruled the Bini for a very long time, realized that he had neglected to sire any sons upon his many wives… sloth was no reward! So, seeking an heir, he dispatched the lords Oto and Moto to seek out a new, young, fertile wife for him and perhaps by her an heir to his rich throne would be secured…
At the same time, the old prince ordered massive improvements in the cities of Bini, Njabouda and Mbouda – all of which expanded, and many temples and granaries were built therein. Indeed, life improved markedly in the south. Unfortunately, Oto and Moto returned empty handed from the north, where no one had listened to them.
South
Africa
Mercenaries: 10i
The Bakongo Kingdom
Chikuma Oweyho, King
of the Kongo, Lord of Great Kongo
Diplomacy Matadi(t), Mbundu(nt)
While lord Nomutu continued to press south along the coast, finding that the Mbundu weren’t cannibals either and might be willing to acknowledge Chikuma as lord of the forest coast, the king himself was visiting Matadi with his new wife, Ika. Unfortunately, the girl died in childbirth and Chikuma slunk away from her in-laws, ashamed. Now he would have to get a new wife again!
The Luba Empire of Malawi
The Big Man, King of
Luba, Lord of the Bone Chair, Master of all that he can see (as long as
he doesn't stand on too high a hill)
Diplomacy Kilwa(f), Nyasa(a)
Undaunted by his poor prospects in building a world-girdling empire from the jungles of southern Africa, the Big Man browbeat the Kilwans into coughing up one of their daughters, and then their independence to his will.
The
Mwene-Mutapa Empire
Chakama, Lord of
Great Mutapa
Diplomacy Transkei(a), Vaal(ea), Rozwi(t)
When it appeared that the plague, which had stricken down Manekweni, would not return, Chakama gave orders for many fields to be cleared in Mapungubwe and for new crops to be planted. At the same time, he ordered that every amakhanda and village be counted, and that all men and women should present themselves to local chieftains or the king’s emissaries.
North
and Central America
TzinTzunTzan
Opochtli, Huey
Tlaotani
Diplomacy Tarascan(fa)
A great famine plagued the people of Cuyutec, and all the prayers of the priests could not convince the sky-mountain-god to send rain down from his halls on the peak. So, Opochti ordered that many terraces be cleared, and canals dug, and reservoirs made in the mountain streams to trap what rain did fall. By these means, and by alliance with the people of Tarascan, he hoped to avoid further suffering and lamentation among his people.
Zapotec Kingdom of Mitla
Ahuazhantzin,
Sky-Wheel-Speaker
Diplomacy Tarascan(t)
While the Speaker remained home, playing with his infant children – there were so many! – his son Huehueotzlin journeyed across the mountains into Tarascan, where he impressed the local chiefs with his might, convincing them to pay the Zapotecs tribute. Some beggars from Tzun were also there, but Huehue ignored them.
Tiacopan
Tzompan, King of the
Tiacopan
Diplomacy Huexotla(a), Texcoco in Huexotla(nt), Tlapocoya(a)
The priests of the city watched the sky and saw that a star, recently growing brighter in the late evening, had vanished. From this omen they grew great heart, for one of the enemies of the Sun had failed, falling in battle against the mighty warrior that sustained all life. Tzompan, who had been in a funk following the earthquake, rallied his spirit and set out to tour the lands around the lake with his son, Acamapichtli.
Chichen
Itze
Quachotl
ThunderShielded, Priest King of the Maya
Diplomacy Quiche(a)
Old Thundershield made his way south into Quiche with an honor guard in tow. He sought a wife for his brother, and heir, Chumatzl, and found a likely lass among the lowland Maya there. He also observed that the lords of the city of Tikal seemed rich and their mantles were ornamented with bright shells and pearl.
The
Inca Coast
The Kingdom of Quito
Pocomoc II, Sun-King
of Valdivia
Diplomacy None
The Quitans also struggled against famine, for the poor soils of their jungle valleys and plains were rapidly depleting. Despite this, the Sun King ordered new farms cleared and granaries established, so that what little plenty favored the land could be saved. There seemed little chance of avoiding the slow death, however. Not without expansion into the south.
The Chimu Kingdom of Chanchan
Viracocha, The Young
Sun
Diplomacy Chavin/Maranga(f)
The new King stayed home, ruling wisely, and begetting a daughter. His minions scurried about, seeking to expand central control of the Chimu domains … with excellent success! Attendance rose markedly at the local temples.
Tiwanaku
Cuparnu Amac, Lord of
the City of Seven Walls
Diplomacy Uru(a)
Cuparnu Amac, the Golden, Son of the Sun, noting his advancing years, felt a need for grandchildren. He summoned that onker Dehol, the Son of the Son of the Sun, to him, saying these things: “I have sent you once with your brother, Xhojin, to the land of Uru to obtain you a wife, with results that were not pleasing to me. Tiahuanaco needs an Heir's Heir, and you cannot provide that alone. I now send you again to the Uru, with your brother. I instruct you now, as I have instructed him, as to how I wish you to accomplish the result I require of you both. Each of you will use those skills you are best at, and refrain from the use of those you know little of. To your brother, Xhojin, I have entrusted the duty of exercising his skills in speech and persuasion. You, my Heir, will not interfere with him in this. You will remain silent, while exercising your particular talent, which is to impress the nobles with the warmth of personality the Sun has given you, and what a fine figure of a man you are for those nobles to give a daughter to.”
The Golden ones tone was...somewhat forceful...so much so that the normally talkative Heir confined himself to nods (and an occasional gulp). As the Heir was leaving after being dismissed, the Son of the Sun called out one final command... “One more thing, you who may follow me... stay away from the moon-fruit!”
And lo, in the fullness of time, as the sun rises and sets, even as the moon waxes and wanes, prince Dehol brought home a wife, the … ah… well, princess Starfish and she, in turn, bore him a son, Amehu.