Lords of the Earth 

CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR

Turn 66

1326 ~ 1330 Anno Domini
688 ~ 692 in the year of the Hegira

New for T59

Paths to victory: There are several options open to a player when an NPN has been defeated

 

  1. Take the victory conditions (see NPN rules) available for NPNs and allow the NPN to go its own way. This is a useful option if you do not want to increase your imperial size or bother with the NPNs internal affairs.
  2. Keep it as either Pacified or Pacified Tributary. You will not get victory conditions but will get income from the NPNs Homeland/Friendly regions and cities. Also, as the years from conquest marker goes up it may turn Friendly or Tributary. Using this option treats the NPN as a super-region.
  3. Old school, you will have to take the regions you want and conquer each in turn. If the capital is taken then some of the NPNs ratings will be added to yours if higher. The NPN will cease to exist.

 

Dealing with hordes: Hordes can be dealt with a number of ways rather than just an outright battle. These are

 

  1. Threaten them. Hordes respond to a show of strength and may leave you alone if confronted with enough force.
  2. Bribe them. They are looking for gold and lands to settle or pillage so if you offer them it on a plate they may well go away. They may also just take it and attack anyway.
  3. Use diplomacy. It does work and I suggest chucking in a royal princess or two.

 

You can also use a combination of the above. If the horde becomes a FA or A, you can direct its attacks or its path of migration.

New for T57

Non-player rules update: I’ve updated the NPN rules to fit better with the Lord’s system. Please check them out.

New for T56

New movement and action rules: I know that they didn’t meet with overall approval last time around but I will be implementing the proposed movement/action rules for T57 (see here). Any current player that takes them up will be given a 2 turn bonus to their credits but they can continue to use the current method for the time being. All new players will have to use them. I’d rather stick to the standard rules but there is no way Lords is sustainable as a long-term game (and I want 24 to be long-term) unless there is some simplification for the GM.

The areas that cause me the most processing grief are movement, AP calculation and garrison changes.

New for T53

Restrictions on Royal Marriages: Due to the complications arising from these rules only K, H or P leaders can benefit from a Royal Marriage. Members of the Royal Family that have not come into play are not considered eligible. Also, Primate, Order and Secret Empire positions are not eligible for marriage bonuses. These are meant to be diplomatic arrangements between sovereign states.

New for T52

East – West Split: I’m going to try to split the East and the West parts of the game so that I can process the orders quicker – don’t know if or how it will work yet but lets see if it’ll happen

New for T51

No Orders: If I don’t get any orders in for a position and the player doesn’t answer my emails then I’ll put the position back to a NPN and put aside the players cash (if any) until they pick it or another nation up again.

New for T50

Request Royal Marriage: Used to ask a NPN nation for a bride for one of your Princes or a suitor for one of your little Princesses. Cost is 6AP, Charisma based. The leader doesn’t have to be in the NPNs capital but if he isn’t then he needs to be in your homeland/capital.

New for T49

Naval Reaction and Blockade: Naval Reactions can only occur when there is action in a Sea Zone that the fleet is based at. The fleet has to be based from a port and not the Sea Zone. Also, the Reaction can only occur when your own lands or those of an ally benefiting from a Defensive Pact marriage bonus are attacked. It also applies to any merchant fleets you operate through the Sea Zone in the case of piracy.  Naval Blockade’s only work if your fleet is based in the same Sea Zone as the target port and you spend all (every single one) of your APs in the blockade. The fleet must be based from a port and not a Sea Zone.

New for T48

The use of fleets for Reaction and mitigating the effects of Pirates: My understanding has now changed since we GMs have had some discussion on the list. The use of Reaction has been explained on the Wiki and Patrol is no longer used in the Base Rules.

Reaction

 

Trade Route Escorts

 

  • This is specific to Lords 24. Units can be assigned to a trade route to act as static convoy escort using the G type leader. Note this is not as good as patrol as the warships assigned will only reduce the effects of piracy, not capture or destroy the pirates themselves.

 

Updated NPN and Primacy rules: Yep, been tinkering again but I feel a almost serene sense of satisfaction with my latest offering. See what you think.

 

Added the ability to hire mercenary captain when there is no mercenary company available: See the mercenary tables

New for T47

Improved cultivation at TL5: If a nation has reached the dizzy heights of TL5 than it can benefit from improved cultivation. You can Improve a cultivated homeland region from 2GPv to 3GPv, or any other controlled cultivated region from 1GPv to 2GPv. This is a level one megalithic construction.

New for T46

NPNS: I’ve tweaked the NPN and Primacy/Order rules a little to make them fit better with the 24 game. I’ve also reduced their overall RRV to make diplomacy easier.

Second Positions in the East: As I’ve not got a lot of players in the East, I would be willing to allow a second position from existing players. Let me know if you’re interested.

New for T45

New Rivers: I’ve added in some new possible rivers onto the map. These are rivers that were once passable by light traffic (remember Cogs cannot travel on rivers) and have now become silted up. You can dredge a stretch of the river (along one region border edge) as a 0.5 level project.

Gripes:

Agro as conversion – this has restrictions (see 2.11.5.3) which I will be enforcing from now on.

Rivers can only support light ships – as far as I know Cogs cannot travel on rivers. This also includes Cogs built for trade.

New Primates: We have two new Primate positions this turn. Jumal Skyfather, which is an Estonian god and the Coptic Church based out of Axum.

New for T44

Minor islands and City States: I’ll be allowing minor islands (Corfu, Jerba, Wight etc) and city states to be used as locations from T44. Just let me know the rationale behind why you want it separate and if reasonable I’ll add it in. Once they are created as locations, they obey all the rules of islands etc. However, their Gpv cannot go above 0.

Flooding: The last few turns have seen a massive increase in the amount of flooding that has occurred. It appears that the years are getting warmer and wetter. As a result of this some of the minor rivers on the map are once again becoming passable to river traffic.

Denmark: Following on from the Minor Islands stuff, you can see that Denmark is now separated out to Jutland and Syaland (Zeeland).

Announcements and items of note

General Stuff: Please use my Paypal account (stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk) for all Lords’ 24 payments. If you cannot use this facility then please let me know and I will see what I can do about filtering US funds to my account. I may also stop using the throneworld email address due to the mass of spam I’m getting!

 

Order Form: Please use the standard excel order form from now on. I’ll update the site with a link to it next week when I get some time. This is important as it helps me process the turn more quickly. THIS IS NOW MANDATORY.

 

Non-Payment: some of you still owe me some cash. Although it may come as surprise that this is not my main source of income, I see it only polite that you pay for the occasionally night out. So, if you’re under zero next turn I’ll not process you orders.

 

Version 6: Lords 24 uses version 6 of the basic rules

 

The Map: The map now includes India as well as Europe, Central Asia and Africa. I’ve greyed out repeated areas on the maps to make my life easier. However, this means some player nations are split across more than one map. I may increase the size of the main map but I’ll have to think on this.

 

Tithes and Tribute: I think these are automatically updated by the stats program, so no need to declare them in your orders.

Control of the Papacy and Religious Orders: In Lords 24 we will not always have a player Pope (or Caliph etc for that matter) and the following rules are used to determine which player faction controls the Pope’s actions, Papacy Rules. I’ve also added some stuff about gaining support from their armies

How to make your GM happy (PLEASE READ! REALLY!):

Please send any and all Lords24 correspondence to lords24gm@ymail.com or stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk .

LORDS 24 WEB RESOURCES 

The Lords Twenty-Four homepage is at: 
http://lords.throneworld.com/lote24/index.html

All of the on-line resources, including order forms, mailing lists and web-sites for Lords of the Earth are summarized on this page: 
http://lords.throneworld.com/?page_id=2

You can subscribe to the Lords 24 mailing list by pointing your web-browser at: 
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/lote24

…and following the instructions on that page.

VARIOUS FEES AND LEVIES 

At the moment the turns cost $5 – please pay up of you owe

We are using the latest v6.3.5 of the basic rule book that can be found here

http://lords.throneworld.com/players/loterule/rules.html

 

Western Europe

Heiliges Romisches Reich

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Hubbert, Holy Roman Emperor.

The Holy Roman Empire returned to its lethargic wys..

 

Norman Kingdom of France

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Louis, King of France

King Charles was to die early in 1326 of a high fever brought on during one of his night excursions. He had not named an heir and for a while there were murmurs of discontent amongst the French. However, the French were quick to realise their prosperity under Charles and decided that with Louis as king this would continue. Indeed, Languedoc saw a huge leap forward in their prosperity during these years as more land was cleared for farms and vineyards. Feeble Bertrand finally succumbed to ill heath in 1326 whilst writing a paper on the art and benefits of bee keeping. It was left to Guillaume to batter the Gascons into submission once again. His force easily overwhelmed any slight resistance the Gascons had raised in the name of Olbia.

 

The Principality of Salerno

(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Ricardo V Durazzo, Prince of Salerno

Pescara grew in size during these years as Ricardo saw to the future of his dynasty. With the coming of age of Princes Carlo Martello and Roberto and the Princess Giovanna, Ricardo and the Duchess Alessia reached an agreement with King Harold I of England to betroth Princess Giovanna to Prince Ian.  Arrangements were also made for the marriage of Ricardo’s eldest son to Princess Theodora of the Royal House of Varangia in Kiev, Queen Anastasia's twenty year-old aunt, and of his second son, Roberto, to Princess Katrina, Queen Anastasia's younger sister.  Suitable agreements are concluded between the houses, and the Duke request for the ageing Pope Alexander II to preside over the marriage of the Princes Carlo Martello and Roberto in Naples was accepted by his holiness but a Cardinal was sent to Paris for the marriage of Princess Giovanna; the Pope claiming ill health as his reason not to travel. Much to the joy of the entire realm, Princess Giovanna and Prince Ian wed in Paris in 1328 A.D., and the princes Carlo Martello and Roberto married their Varangian brides in Napoli two years later.  Ships in the harbour are festooned with banners and wine flows in village squares across Italy. Prince Carlo Martello Durazzo, was Ricardo’s heir and given the title Principe di Napoli in recognition of the city’s stature within the Principality. Duke Ricardo was impressed with the efforts of the young Florentine, Giovanni di Lara, to sway the loyalty of the merchant guilds toward the Crown.  He therefore sent his second son, Prince Roberto, to study under the young Conte.  With his young protégé, di Lara works even more eloquently to gain the support of the Neapolitans but his sweet words could not sway the cynical guildsmen. Ricardo’s young sons, the twins Luigi and Tommaso were sent to join allied factions. Prince Luigi joins the church and Prince Tommaso joins The Knights of Malta.

Teodoro Palaiologos, the young Marchese di Monferrato, departed Tuscany early in 1326 with the condotierri he'd earlier secured in Naples, and marched to Verona, where he arrived in early 1327.  There, he joined forces with the very capable Don Juan Ramon de Cardona, the Captain of Il Reggimento Nero.  The two of them marched into Carinthia, claiming the land in the name of Ricardo V di Salerno.  The town of Klagenfurt was invested, and taken quickly by the Marchese's engineers. With the mounting of the Carinthian campaign, Prince Luca was recalled to Legorno.  There, he relieved Lord d'Este of his diplomatic responsibilities. Obizzo d'Este, the young Marchese di Ferrara, handed over the regional capital of Legorno to Prince Luca and moved to join Pietro Orsini in the countryside near Florence.  He then took began work to improve the Duke's stature in the region. Shortly after the newly weds returned to the Durazzo estates, news came of Ricardo’s death in Pescara while overseeing some essential shipping negotiations. The young prince was quickly invested and took control of the Principality.

 

.

The Knights of Malta

The Knights attempts to convert the Moslems of Macedon and Thrace by peaceful means failed prompting them to move into the Uighurs lands and force them to submit to Christ by the sword. After some futile resistance, the Uighurs submitted to the Knights will and swore their allegiance on the cross. The Knights sent an expeditionary force to Cyprus, wresting control of the island from the Al’Bahri and destroying that orders estates there. An Order House was built in Constantinople now that the Emperor has stirred the ancient kingdom from its slumber.

 

 

Western and South Africa

The Mwene-Mutapa Empire

(African Unkulkulun Civilised Open Empire)
Ikko Addi, Emperor of Mapungubwe

Africa was quiet and peaceful.

 

 

 

North Africa and Moslem Spain

The Empire of Egypt

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Badr al-Mahmud, Sultan of Egypt

The civil war had hit the Empire hard and Badr struggled to maintain order.

 

The Akramid Caliphate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sameer, Caliph of the Akramids

These were times of plenty in the Caliphate as the rich lands continued to allow Sameer to rule from Andalusia. To protect his lands, he ordered that two thousand marines and a fleet of twenty Dhows be raised in Madiera. Seville also saw an increase of five thousand elite guard to protect the valuable city.. Sameer’s joy at expanding his dynasty yet further was tempered by the loss of his first wife Minka during childbirth in 1329. This followed a few years after the death of Prince Ameer in 1326 from a fever. The death of Prosper in 1328 saw Mehmed finish the discussions with the Leonese, with the region pledging its full support to Sameer. The Adjou Aba’s Emir had also died in 1326 and although many of the tribes were for severing ties with Sameer, he stood by the pledges of his forefathers. The tribes spread out through the Oases that surrounded their camps in Lybia and into the deserts of Siwa.

 

 

 

Arabia and the Middle East

The Buwayid Sultanate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Najib, Sultan of the Buwayids

Before his death in 1328, Najib declared that his son, also called Najib, should be his heir. Prince Khalim was to join the young Najib at court. A great number of the slums that inflicted the cities of Kufa and Antalya were cleared as their affluence grew. After the grasslands of Selucia were put to the plough, more framers and settlers began to arrive in the province. Najib made little secret of his attempts acquire knowledge held by the Christians. Buwayid intellectuals were sent to Byzantium and Palermo to gain whatever knowledge they could. The lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates were dredged as Najib tried to improve access to the Red Sea from the Buwayidim heartlands. Settlers were also sent to Isauria and Antalya to secure the province for the Sultan under the watchful eye of Prince Aalam Quadir. Ahmed Jarrafi was tasked with improving relations with the Selucians while the same task befell to Yafi Shamsad in the eastern province of Bandar.

 

 

The Rashidun Kaliphs

The Kaliphs spread their reach to Persia and Qom and south to Kuwait. Missionaries were sent to Armenia, Lalibela, Adowa, Adal, Harar, Somalia and the island of Sicily.

 

Scandia and the Out Isles

Jarldom of Orkeneyjar

(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Aegir Nicholson, Jarl of Orkney

The lands of Iclenad, Hordaland, Agder and Norway were fortified with several small castles. In Connaught, the Irish were no longer forgotten as the walls of Gaillimhe were raised high. Gold was also spent on improving the sanitation of the western city. King Aegir was to die of a fever in 1326. Despite his early death and the convoluted Orkney line of succession, Donaldur Erikson was able to take the throne without issue. One of Aegir’s last wishes was to repair the Orkneyjar relations with the Svear. Envoys were sent to Sundsvall in Jamtland to declare that most of the old Svear lands would be returned for their support and an end to the war. They were to relinquish their claims on Trondheim and Fjordane but the compensation would see their kingdom restored. Prince Edvard was to offer his hand in marriage to a princess of the Svear royal line. The offer met with the Svear’s approval and after a period of mourning for King Aegir, Edvard was wed in 1329. DeBole was also to be taken by the same fever that inflicted his king. In the Highlands a Preceptory to the Hammer was raised as well as one in Uppsala by Ingrid. Despite the harsh climate, the lands of Iceland were greatly improved as gold and men were shipped from Orkneys.

 

Saxon Kingdom of England

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Ian, King of England

The Scottish border lands of Lothian benefitted from King Harold’s purse as more land was put to the plough. However, Asturias was no longer controlled by the English and resisted attempts by the English to settle the coastlands. England would forever be at the forefront of knowledge as three great libraries were built in London and the small towns of Oxford in Wessex and Cambridge in Anglia. The great fortress of Navarre, named after Prince Ian’s new bride Giovanna, was built along the mountainous border with Catalonia. Prince Ian travelled to Paris for his wedding with the Princess Giovanna of Salerno. His route took him by way of Cherbourg where some influence was gained in the Order of St Denis. The Prince Stephen was to spend his last days with the Order, as would Ian’s brothers Prince William and Prince Langston. It was in Cherbourg that Prince Ian header news of his father’s death from the bleeding sickness. Word came quickly that his throne was secure and London was behind the new king. After his marriage to Giovanna, the new king spent the remainder of these years in the fortress that bore his Queen’s name. Lord Benjamin had a fruitless time with the Asturians as they weighed up their support for Olbia. In the end it was their distance from the island kingdom that decided their decision to remain independent rather than Benjamin’s oratory.  Lord Thomas has some success in smoothing over relations with Santander, hoping the port would one day become part of the English kingdom.

 

 

 

 

Eastern Europe

The Varangian Rus of Kiev

(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Anastasia, Queen of the Rus

As with most of the nation’s threatened by the White Cossacks, Queen Anastasia reaction was one of defiance. Six thousand horse were raised in Pechneg for the able Gregori to batter these barbarians into submission. The Queen has dispatched her aunt and her sister to marry Italian princes in Naples before requesting that the Order of St Vladimir present a new Brother to aid in her war against the Cossacks. The Varangian army was commanded by Prince Piotr who had joined up with Gregori from Moldavia. The Cossack heartland was in Cuman and the prince was had a respectable garrison of over eight thousand warriors. However, the Varangians had three times that number and led by the men of the stature of Piotr and Gregori they easily overwhelmed the defenders. What Cossacks survived Piotr’s initial assault from Pereaslavl were cut down as they fled to Torki. While Piotr kept alert for any Cossack retaliation, Ilyoitch of Torov was tasked with burning out any Cossacks that had escaped the Varangian cavalry. Such was the Cossack resistance to Ilyoitch’s brutal methods that the Valdimiran failed to quash them. His forces were ambushed upon returning from burning another Cossack village and all but destroyed.

 

The Grand Duchy of Poland

(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Boleslaw Poznan, Grand Duke of Poland

The cities of Polotsk and Danzig grew in size and to mark this occasion Boleslaw declared that they should hence forth be known as Gdank and Polock. He also declared that a great number of the Polish provinces would be free to see to their own affairs with Warsaw holding the smallest of claims over their sovereignty. To that end, the provinces of Prussia, Courland, Masuria, Pomerania, Silesia and Kauyavia were no longer ruled directly from Warsaw.

 

The Kingdom of Hungary

(Eastern Orthodox Civilised Open Empire)
Ladislaus Hunyadi, King of Hungary

The great Ladislaus Hunyadi continued to see to the affairs of the Hungarian people from his estates in Alfold. The Croatian city of Novi Sad saw some improvement as some of the streets were re-laid with channels for the sewerage that ran through them.

 

 

The Kingdom of Estonia

(Jumali Skyfather Civilised Open Empire)
Konrad II, King of the Ests

Konrad leaves the slower foot soldiers of his army in Estonia before meeting up with Sakala. The general had spent most of 1326 retraining six thousand infantrymen to ride and fight from horseback. His work complete, he transferred half his force to Konrad before accompanying his King to Kotlas. From Kotlas, Konrad ordered that the Bolgar lands of Kirov be cleansed of all opposition. The Cossacks had dared to threaten his lands and now their allies would pay the price. With little defence, the Bolgars were pushed out of the province, many fleeing south away from the fierce Ests. The lands of Kirov became an uninhabited wilderness, desolate and abandoned by the Bolgar. Konrad returned to his estates in Estonia after the battles to allow his men time with their families. Tooni, Priest of the Skyfather, found that even he could not get the Kalinin to become part of Konrad’s kingdom.

 

 

The Oriental Roman Empire

(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Andronicus II, Emperor of East Rome

After years of decline, the Oriental Roman Empire sees a new resurgence under the guidance of Andronicus II. Some work is done clearing the encroaching wilderness of Rhodes and Crete and new trade is established with the Hungarians out of Constata and throughout the empire. John, the second son of Emperor Andronicus is sent to the Knights of Malta, travelling there with Alexios and the Imperial Fleet. Yet despite the efforts of Andronicus’s priests and the able Theodore, the Knights are too occupied elsewhere to hear the Empire’s requests. To the east, the Empire’s priests were also unsuccessful in converting the Moslems of Abasigia; their failure in part due to the religious tolerance of the Empire. Michael was however successful in gaining the support of the king of Pontus. The Emperor decided that his son Constantine was now of age to become his heir and was named despotes in 1326.

 

 

The Cuman Cossacks

In 1328 the khan moved to Murom where again the lands of the Varangians were raided. This time they were turned back by the great Varangian general Piotr in Suzdal and Seversk. As the Cossacks crossed into Mordva they were met by Piotr’s army of twenty thousand men. Huge losses were inflicted by Piotr’s valiant men but in the end the sheer size of the horde forced him back. Staying to the last to ensure that his men did not rout, Piotr was caught by the Cossack khan himself and slain by his war party. Piotr died fighting but not before inflicting grievous wounds on the Cossack khan. His men managed to escape with over half of his force still intact. Gregori had led the survivors to Cuman but after taking control of the horde from his father, the new khan pledged vengeance and pursued them to those lands. Gregori was an able general but his forces had lost too many men to resist the Cossacks for long. Piotr had mauled them badly but they still numbered over three hundred thousand and Gregori could do little to stop them cutting down his valiant men. What was left of his force fled to Pereaslavl where they attempted to regroup against any further Cossack aggression.

 

The Bulgari Bogdan

The Bulgari Bogdan sprang up from their winter camps in Moldavia and raided the Hungarian province of Dobruja. After sending raiding parties into their lost lands of Pechneg, the Bulgari were determined to regain them from the Varangian farmers. The small Varangian garrison was quickly overwhelmed by the khan’s three thousand men. After being pushed back from Goryn by the Vladimirans, the khan was able to gain valuable support from the twenty thousand Romanii. Pushing north to Galich, the Bugari gained support from the Magyars before raiding into Volhynia and Goryn. Before returning to Moldavia with their spoils, the Bulgari raided into Walachia and Ludgorie.

 

 

 

Central Asia

Glorious Khwarzim

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Abu I-Ghazi Bahadur, Khan of the Khwarzim

As the Khan dithered in his palace, the Cuman or Cossacks as they were sometimes called ravaged his northern frontier.

.

 

Ilig

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sulam, Khan of the Ilig

 

It was the Great Khan’s desire to declare his cousin, Nazir Al-Mushara as his heir over his son Sulam Beshwa but the old general was ailing with a foul plague brought from eastern traders and died in the summer of 1326. The roads out from Ashbat in Dasht’Kavir were completed and linked to the Buwayids Sultanate in Persia. The road also extended south to Khvor-Khvorah at the far south of the Karakhanate. No expense was spared on the great road and Sahir ordered that a great many of its facing stones be inscribed with the writings of the Koran. Such was the piousness of Sahir that he ordered strict adherence to the teachings of the Koran throughout the Karakhanate; an act that saw him anointed as “Sahir the Holy” by the Kaliph in Baghdad. Sahir’s last days on earth were spent in quiet contemplation in the great mosque at Kara-Khitai. Despite his wishes, it was his son Sulam that took control of the Karakhanate after his death in 1329. After the death of Nazir Al-Mushara, it fell to Prince Gaddad to gather the great army of the Karakhanate under his banner. Fifteen thousand men were mustered at Singanakh and another ten thousand from the fortress at Otrarsh. Content that Allah would watch over his dynasty, Sahir had declared that the greater art of the royal bodyguard be assigned to Gaddad. This force consisted of fifty thousand men, both horse and infantry in equal parts. Gaddad was no general and that was why Sahir had favoured the late Nazir. However, Al-Muti, also called the Lynx, was an experienced tactician and it was his advice that the Prince was to follow. Al-Muti also transferred his force of fifteen thousand to the Prince. While the great host was gathering in Kara-Khitai, Iman Ashahi travelled to Trans-Oxania with Sharatt to persuade the Khan of those lands to combine his might with Ilig. Imis has no luck with the tribes of the Kashi as they had joined with the Hill Tribes of Memar. Prince Gaddad led his overwhelming force over the mountains to Kush. For sport, the people of those lands were driven off when their farms and towns burnt by the invaders. Over the passing years the fertile valleys were soon overcome with forest and scrub.

.

 

The Cuman Cossacks

The great horde of the Cuman Cossacks had demanded tribute from the Ademids, Kiev, Estonia and Khwarzim. Only Ademid responded, knowing they were too small to defeat the horde. First the Cossacks stretched out their domains by settling the barran wastes of Pelym and Tavda. Tavda being settled by their allies the Kazan.  The Ghuzz were depleted and scattered and what tribesmen remained aligned themselves with the Cossacks. In 1327 the Cossacks moved to Urkel and settled the Nogai lands. It was in Urkel that they took tribute from the Ademid Khanate. With no tribute forthcoming from the Varangians or Khwarzim, the Cossacks punished their defiance with raids on Mordva, Saksiny and Khazar.  Their numbers now swelled to nearly four hundred thousand, the Cossacks moved to Suvar and settled the lands of Murom.

 

The Chuchucha

The Chuchucha tribes had settled Biyisk, Wusu, Karlak and Zaysan before gaining the support of the Khirgizi. All the tribes respected strength and so it was no surprise that the Altai switched their allegiance to the Chuchucha. As the horde travelled throughout these lands the tribes of the Seljuks and Western Jungaria were to join their cause.

 

The Shadad Kings

The Shadad Kings came restless again. Sistan fell to them but not without severe loss to the Shadad, one-third of their number destroyed. Kash and Shir Kuh also fell to the Kings. After raiding the Saffarids and the Ghaznavids, the Shadad raid on Zagros came to nothing as the Ilig province was too well defended. Some gold was taken from Khvor and Dasht’Kavir though. In late 1330 the lands of Balkh and Neyriz fell to the Shadad.

 

Tsaidam Khanate

Converts to Shi’a Islam and then defeats the Kushites for minimal loss as well as the hill tribes of Badakshan.

 

 

 

India

Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Guram, Raja of Kaunaj

After the was with the Dhara, the Rajputi kingdom saw a great period of expansion as the cities of Kaunaj, Kalanjara, Setkami, Ranchi, Thanesar, Calcutta and Orissa grew in size; their walls built  high and wide to stave off any possible attack by northern hordes. Rajputi missionaries were active in the west, converting more of the Muslims of Sahis and Surashtra to Hinduism. Guram continued to rule from Kaunaj and spent considerable time with his son Rajeesh; a pleasant child who had inherited his father’s physique and looks. Guram was determined to consolidate all of India under his rule, directly or indirectly. To that end, Gurdip was dispatched to Orissa from where he was to undertake negotiations with the Ceylonese. The beautiful Indira, daughter of the late Mohandas, was offered in marriage as well as a small dowry. In this Gurdip was accompanied by Rajiv who travelled down from Rajput for the marriage ceremony. Things did not go well during the marriage, Rajiv had supposedly insulted a senior member of the Ceylonese nobility and was drawn into a duel with the fatal consequences. Ageing Gurdip hurried to his assistance but either his age or the effects of the strong wine caused him to fall from the temple’s stairs and dash his head. Unable to recover, Gurdip dies a few days later. The Raja of Nadavaria returned to his lands where his son took command of their army. Teemu was tasked with aiding Guram in the administration of the kingdom but increasing was distracted from his task by his weakness for strong wine. His death in 1330 came as little surprise but it highlighted that he had had little time for the kingdom’s affairs. Shivaji controlled the Rajput army, too numerous to count, and pushed on through the old Dharan territories of Chitor, Avanti, Gujerat and Surashtra. They fell easily to Shivaji’s might as did the cities within those regions.

 

Samaaj

Converts the captured Buddhist provinces north of Nepal to Hindu by force. An Order House was built in the Punjab and also in Und as the Dagger started to look northwards to expand Hindu dominion.

The Memar Tribes

The Memar Tries had little success with the Adakh before gaining the support of the Kashi and Tsaidam. Dungbure, Amdo’Tsho and Dangtse Sho were settled and homage paid to the revered Buddhist sites in those lands. Their attempts to raid Samaaj Nepal were thwarted by the Dagger’s might.

 

Ceylon and Tripuri

In India, the Ceylonese regain lost Chola through diplomacy and Tripuri makes headway into Vengi.

 

 

South East Asia and the Islands

The Kambujadesa Empire

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Thao Pen-Pen, Emperor of the Khmer

Thao continued to increase the size of the Pen-Pen dynasty as he begat two sons from his wife Veata. She was alarmed when he confided that his intention was to reach at least ten offspring, although fifteen would be desirable. Veata blessed her fertility and her ability to satisfy Thao’s royal wishes. Haomkong continued his duties as the guardian of the islands, protecting the Empire’s provinces of Tengah and Selatan from possible attack. Khemer’s missionaries made some progress converting the intransigent Buddhists of Surin to the glory of Vishnu. Although popular with the townsfolk due to his generosity, Sarpur Gotan was a thin, gaunt and frail man who had little taste for active endeavours beyond Champa. He was often found behind a stack of papers at the great palace, assisting Thao in the affairs of state. Cho Tae claimed to have caught word of deviants who, posing under the employ of Khemer, committed nefarious acts in the north. As such. he readied the forces under his command in Champa in case of possible attack.

 

The Dai Kingdom of Annam

(Buddhist Seafaring Open Empire)
Bhadramonte, King of Annam

After leaving a garrison in of two thousand men in Nanling, Lieng Maio spent the remainder of his days patrolling the border from Dai Viet. The general’s death in 1328 came as a surprise to Bhadramonte as he appeared to be in rude health. Lieng Maio’s second in command, Nguyen, took command of the western army before he too died. Nguyen was caught by a spear while chasing down some brigands on the border. Bhadramonte had declared that his brother Tarnacanastacala should be his heir as he was without a son. He encouraged the prince to marry and continue the dynasty’s bloodline. Without many obvious qualities, Dinh Bo was put to work assisting Bhadramonte in the affairs of state. Marno of Laos was to die childless in 1329 and bequeathed his lands to Bhadramonte. Mnomo of Nam Pung was to die only six months later but his son was ready to continue the alliance with Annam.

 

The Kingdom of Thaton

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Sajja, King of Thaton

 

After the hostility of previous years, Sajja desired a return to peace and so in an act of goodwill withdrew his forces from Assam and Shillong to Samatata. Aware of possible treachery by the Samaaj, Chaiyo and Chao Khun Sa were commanded to patrol the western frontier with the mighty Thatonese army. With all of the nation’s forces concentrated in Samatata, Sajja was concerned that the rest of his lands lay unprotected to enemy incursions. To address this he ordered that fifteen thousand horse be levied in Thaton and put under the command of Somchai. He was then content to rule from Thaton and increase the size of the royal family. These years also saw the Thatonese roads network expanded in the east and down to the Lampang birder with Annam.

 

 

The God Empire of Sri Vijaya

(Buddhist Seafaring Open Empire)
Singhassari, The God Emperor

Quiet times for the islands.

 

 

Manchu’ko and Nihon

The Minamoto Shogunate

(Shinto Civilised Open Empire)
Kojiro Yasumori, Shogun of the East

The Shogun was diverted elsewhere when the Tairan attacked. Luckily his garrison in Yamaguchi was able to fight them off..

 

The Goryeo Kingdom

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Wang Yong, King of Goryeo

As the reach of Goryeo spreads ever eastwards, the lands of the Suifenhe are cultivated and the wilderness pushed back. The Turkish underclass in the region are converted from their pagan ways to that of the true faith. Wang Yong continued to treat with the Khitan. Caravans of gold were sent to the Khanate as well as assistance from Nam Ye Yu and Yi Geon. Nam Ye Yu had first collected the two thousand engineers at Ta’Ting before moving to Lu’An. Wang Yong had some success in showing his son Wang Eun, a huge bear of a man even at nineteen, the niceties of diplomacy. Despite the gold and the diplomatic efforts of Wang Yong, the Khanate still refused to give any more than just token support to the kingdom. Wang Gyeong Eop had some success with the Manchou after lavishing the tribesmen with gifts from Koguryo. Nam Eun contracted a fever while attempting to convert the Dalai Nor and died late in 1328.

 

 

Nihon-no-Tenno

(Shinto Civilised Religious Primate)
Fushimi-tennō, Emperor of the Chrysanthemum Throne

A time of peace and solitude.

 

 

The Taira Shogunate

 

As their diplomats gain the support of Hainan, Taira army moved to regain lost Yamaguchi.

Their force of ten thousand men cross the Inland Sea to Yamaguchi where they were faced with the Minamoto garrison of two thousand men and several forts. Victory should have been easy for the Tairans but although they outnumbered the defenders, they were poorly led. Nearly two thousand of the attackers died in vain trying to regain the lost lands but the defenders were to suffer similar losses.

 

 

The Land under Heaven

The Kingdom of Koueichou

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Kai Shang, King of Koueichou

The remnants of the Cha’ang’sha army were holed up in the city and  refused entry to Kai Sung on the grounds that the Koueichou king intended to put foreign troops into the city to garrison it. They also looked on in dismay as the westerners  invested Hunan by building a large number of field forts in the province, Kai Sung had also left a small garrison of one thousand men in Hunan before returning to Szechwan to rule his growing kingdom. During this time he was blessed with a young daughter and declared that his son, Lo Sung would be his heir. The city of Tai’De grew in size again and dominated the western shore of Lake Dongting. Prince Rai Sung was given command of a newly raised force of six thousand men in Szechwan before moving onto Hunan to join up with General Rao Ling. The General had taken command of a sizeable force from Kai Sung in early 1326 and was awaiting Prince Rai before pushing on into Jiangxi. Rao Ling was assisted by Wo Sung and Cho Mai as well as Prince Rai in the attack on Cha’ang’sha’s second province. However, there was no resistance to his forces as they moved into Jiangxi and the province fell quickly. The Chang had waited until Rao Ling left for Jiangxi before deciding that Kai Sung would not abide by their surrender. Pouring out of the city with their force of seven thousand men they overwhelmed and then destroyed the isolated Koueichou forts in the province; driving the garrison out to Ghangde. Rao Ling was left isolated in Jiangxi as the Chang had cut off his supply from Ghangde and Nanchang remained in Chang hands. Rao Ling was left with little choice but to besiege the walled city of Nanchang. Luckily for the general, the walls were low and there was no garrison in the city so he was able to breach it easily.

 

The Empire of the Western Song

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Zhi Kuo, Emperor of the Western Song

Song missionaries were again active in the Mongol lands of Hsia-Hsia. The great Khan saw the light of Buddha in a dream and became an ardent follower. Zhi Kuo was content to rule again from Chang’An but his death in 1328 came unexpectantly. He had not named an heir as his unmarried eldest son was not well liked amongst the peasants but despite murmurs of discontent it was concluded that he did have the right to the throne. Prince Zhi Wei passed away peacefully in 1330 while handling affairs of state in Chang’An. At almost the same time Tsao Lu, commander of the Song forces in Kansu dies. The army command is handed over to Yu Ma, a steady general and no threat to the Zhi dynasty..

 

 

The Kingdom of Chengshi

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Xiang Lo, King of Chengshi

After assigned the command of the Chengshi fleet to He Long, Xiang Lo awaited the arrival of his Taiwanese bride. From her painted likeness sent to him from the island she was a beauty but Xiang new of the favourable light some royal artists painted their subjects in; fearful of their fee or even their life. However, when the princess arrived she quickly captured Xiang’s heart with her radiance and he was eager to start a family with her. Their union was blessed with twin boys in the early part of 1327. The cultivation of Fujian was begun and a city, to be called Quwo, was raised on the Fukian coast. While Xiang was occupied with the affairs of state and dynasty in Chekiang, Chai Shao led the diplomatic mission to Taiwan with Shong and Hong. The offer of marriage to Xiang was graciously accepted by the Taiwanese and the islanders promised to send tribute to Chekiang in exchange for Xiang’s protection. Panfu travelled to Hainan to discuss possible trade with the province and the Chengshi kingdom.

 

 

The Kingdom of Chiang’Ning

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Song Tao, King of Chiang’Ning

 

The cities of Tai-Pei and Zhengzhou grew in size during these years with the walls of Zhengzhou being build high and wide. In Tangchou a provincial capital was founded to provide Song Tao with improved revenues. Song Tao also raised a further four thousand elite horse to his banner as well as over six thousand infantry. Song Tao had sent Prince Song Fei to Tsainan earlier in the year to scout out possible places where the Chiang’Ning forces could attack at an advantage. When Prince Fei’s men returned, Song moved his army north from Kiangsu to the Yen-Ching lands of Tsainan. The Yen-Ching forces numbered over thirty thousand and valiantly held off Song Tao’s attack until the sheer size of the Chiang’Ning army, nearly double that of the defenders, and Song Fei’s expert advice to his king saw them crumble and flee north in disorder. In the flight north the Yen-Ching were to lose over half their men to the pursuing Chinag’Ning forces before they reached the relative safety of Hopei. Song was not with his loses but the six thousand was nothing compared to that of the defenders. Song Tao pushed north to Hopei, intent on crushing the Yen-Ching resistance completely. This time the tide was turned. Despite being outnumbered four to one, the Yen-Ching were able to draw up behind their extensive fortifications in the region. Without the benefit of Song Fei’s scouts the invaders where caught unaware and crossed the great Huang Ho into fierce resistance. The Yen-Ching forced back the Chiang’Ning centre until the great army was split into two. Despair surged throughout Song Tao’s forces and they started to turn back from the defenders. The retreat became a rout and it was the Yen-Ching’s turn to cut down the fleeing forces of Song Tao. Ten thousand of Song’s men died in the retreat with the defenders only losing two thousand.

 

 

The Great Mongol Khanate

The Great Mongol Khanate spread its control over the Northern Tartars, Khrebet, Kajar, Chitin and Hovsgol. In Hsia-Hsia they came to face the might of the Buryats. The Mongols numbered nearly thirty thousand men to the Buryats seventy thousand but the Mongols had long awaited this time. The Buryats were savagely ambushed as they attempted to retake Hsia-Hsia from the Mongol Khan. Cut down in the droves, the Buryats time and time again attempted to overwhelm the Mongols but to no avail. Eventually they could stand no more and broke; fleeing for their yurts the Buryats horde was scattered to the winds, their Khan pledging fealty to the Mongols.

 

 

North America

The Huron Confederacy

(Open Empire)
Dooyentate, Chief of the Huron

 

 

In the great northern wilderness any attempt to tame the forest was long and back-braking work. Yet the Huron continued to gradually clear the lands back from the great lakes to make way for farms. Dooyentate concentrated on the affairs of his tribe along with Thodatowon. His official duties in Ossossane allowed him to spend more time with Andiora and as a result he was blessed with three new sons to add to his growing family.

 

The Iroquois

(Open Empire)
Grey Hawk, Chief of the Iroquois

 

 

Grey Hawk was content to rule from Buffalo and worked with Running Bear in increasing the traders working with the Huron to the north

 

The Anasazi

(Open Empire)
Ohkay, Chief of the Anasazi

 

 

Ohkay, Chief of the Anasazi spent these years touring his people and taking a detailed reckoning of their wealth and numbers. His rule from Anasazi was benign and in a great show of his peaceful intent, Ohkay summoned half the great Anasazi host to his court where they were awarded lands and farms throughout Anasazi and Hohokam. To add to his joy, Ohkay was blessed with two young sons and a beautiful daughter by his wife Welai

South America

The Chimu Kingdom of Chanchan

(Open Empire)
Acahuana, King of the Chimu

 

 

Acahuana ruled the ChanChan from the lands of Moche and was blessed with a young daughter. He oversaw the establishment of trade with the Moon Kingdom and the Empire of Salcamayhua to the south. Some souring of relations with the southern empire occurred when Chanchan merchants were caught trying to gain access to their barracks at Nazca. Thonapa and Urco continued their long work in Pucara and gained valuable tribute from those lands.

 

The Mapuche

(Open Empire)

Raiel, Chief of the Mapuche

 

 

Raiel, mighty Chief of the Mapuche was inspired by the elders and their visions to start a great monument, dedicated to the Sun and Moon, in far Pichunche. In time, a tradition sprung up were the bravest of Mapuche’s warriors would race along the coast on foot or canoe from the city of Raiel to the new monument and back. The victor being awarded a cloak of eagle feather’s to be worn until the next games. Raiel was thankful that eagles were plentiful in the mountains east of the city. His efforts to persuade the Pichunche to align themselves closer with Raiel came to nothing. Despite his greatness, Raiel was prone to bluntness and proved a less than able diplomat

 

Chichen Itze

(Open Empire)
Hunac Ceel, Chief of the Chichen Itze

 

 

Hunac Ceel ruled the Mayan kingdom from Chichen Itze and was blessed with two young sons during these years. He dispatched Hunac Ral and Ronal Huc to the jungles of Lenca where they managed to gain the support of the fierce tribes of those lands

 

Zapotec Mitla

(Open Empire)

Tepuz, Chief of the Zapotecs

 

 

Over one thousand men were given grants of land in Zapotec to build farms and increase the prosperity of Tepuc’s homeland. Tepuc declared his wife Alcatlatec his heir and she ruled alongside him during these years from their city of Mitla. Alcatlatec gave Tepuc three healthy children, two of which were sons. Toton and Cuyut continued their work in Acatla and although progress was slow, they did manage to gain an alliance from the city’s chief. Nahuatl was proving too costly to rule directly from Mitla due to its harsh terrain. Tepuc decided to let the Nahuatl govern themselves until the wilderness was cleared as long as they continued to send him tribute

 

The Carib

(Open Empire)

Motega, Chief of the Carib, Son of Konae

 

 

Motega, the Son of Konae, worked diligently to strengthen his rule as the leader of the Carib tribes.  He travelled to Ciguayo and then to Ciboney and consulted at great length with the leaders of those two tribes.  Much work was done, many armadillo and iguana were feasted upon, and much fermented cocoanut milk was spilt. Hadali, Chieftain's son and heir, married Tooan, the Daughter of Titimi, a princess slave taken in a raid on the Akawaio lands.  Hadali spent his days starting a family and preparing for a wondrous voyage of trade and exploration.  He supervised the construction of the large ocean-going trade canoes, and the sale of the season's harvest to pay for the expensive vessels. Tooan proved to be a fertile bride as Hadali was blessed with two sons and two daughters.