Lords of the Earth: Campaign 25 - Turn 5
A.D. 1021-1025
Industrial Stage Zero
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
If you want
to submit a flag for the home page, or a picture of your leader for the
Newsfax, please email them to me.
New Rule!
(Ruling outside the capital) The following is an addendum to Section 7.2.4.30
of the Version 5.8.2 rulebook:
"In
order to attain the full effect of the King's RULE action, the King must be
located within either the capital or homeland.
If the King is not located in those areas, and still wishes to rule, the
effect will be halved (rounded down)."
Turn 5
Submitted: February 12, 2002
Turn 6 Due:
February 27, 2002
Troop
Conversions
1 infantry,
cavalry = 200 men
1 warship,
transport = 2 ships with 40 men as crew
1 siege =
200 men or 20 catapults
1 field fort
= 2 forts
Contacting
Me
The best way
to get my attention is through email, at mattinglyd2@uofs.edu. If you want to
try the telephone, my number is (570) 969-6393 (please call before midnight
Eastern). My address is:
Dave
Mattingly
926 Quincy
Ave
Scranton, PA
18510
Turn Fees:
$2.00 +
$1.00 per point of BL (maximum $5/turn).
Rulebook:
This
campaign uses the 5.8.2 rulebook, which you can download from the ThroneWorld
website.
North Asia
Mercenary
Pool: 6i, 3c, 3s, 3w, 3t
Mercenary
AQRs: i7, c7, s6, w6
THE KINGDOM
OF KOREA
Mokchong,
Great Warrior of the Koguryo
DIPLOMACY:
none
Mokchong had enough of conquest of
land. His kingdom had doubled in size
during his tenure as King. Still, there
were a few imperfections in his lands.
Namely, pagans who had not adopted the correct religious practices.
He rode to the pacified region of
Parhae, and forced the teachings of Buddha down the throats of the pagans. When he left, everybody was practicing
Buddhism ... or they discovered whether or not their gods existed.
MICHIGANA
JAPAN
Fujiwara
Ishida, Nairan of all Japan.
DIPLOMACY:
Akita (NT)
Ishida was sure he figured out the
intricacies of economics. More gold
meant more cities. More cities meant
more gold. More gold meant ... well, he
didn't figure it out that far yet, but give him time.
And thus, Kanazawa in Toyama, Nagano
in Nigita, and Sendai in Akita were all built.
To aid in the building of Sendai, the Nairan sent Tanako and Mahiro to
officially bind the region to the Empire again.
THE LIAO
EMPIRE
Sheng-Tsung,
Emperor of the Khitan.
DIPLOMACY:
none
Sheng-Tsung finally opened the
coffers that had laid untouched over the last ten years. Beneficiaries of this spending spree
included the city of Nanjing, who saw their city walls expand, and the national
university. The shipment of gold into
Nanjing made most of the scientists swoon.
Hopei, Houma, and Shen'si were
occupied, as the Sung gave them to the Liao in the hopes of fostering better
relations between the two empires.
A son was born to Sheng-Tsung late
in 1024, his first successful attempt at fathering an heir.
THE KINGDOM
OF HSI-HSIA
Li Te-ming,
King of the Tanguts
DIPLOMACY:
Lob Nor (ne)
Chouzhou attempted to speak with the
leaders of the Lob Nor, but harsh conditions, differing languages, and
contrasting religious practices made that task near impossible.
SUNG CHINA
T'ai-Tsung,
Emperor of the Middle Kingdom
DIPLOMACY:
Chen-Chiang in Kiangsu (F)
After moving out all of the
fortifications and troops guarding the regions of Hopei, Houma, and Shen'Si,
T'ai-Tsung ceded control over them to the Liao Kingdom as a gesture of
goodwill. T'ai kept busy after that, ruling
the country, and giving the title of Heir to his eldest son Cheng, and the
official title of Princess to both Cham Yee and Ai-Ling.
Cho Fat left Honan, and crossed the
newly built bridge over the Grand Canal into Tsianan and Kiangsu. From there, he entered the allied city of
Chen-Chiang. With the backing of the
city's lord, the residents agreed to become a full part of the massive empire.
In news around the empire: The Lord
of Kwangsi died heirless, his lieutenant taking over for him ... the Chiennan increased their control over
Kweichou ... Lord of Chekiang dies heirless, his lieutenant taking over the
area (sound familiar?) ... Lord of Nanling pledges alliance with Lord of Fujian
... Hunan attempts to improve relations with Ghang'De, but to no effect ... The
walls of Lung-Tsing in Jiangxi are torn down in a cost cutting measure.
South Asia
Mercenary
Pool: 8i, 4c, 4s, 9w, 2lw, 8t
Mercenary
AQRs: i7, c5, s5, w5
THE KINGDOM
OF NANCHAO
Byung-ho
DIPLOMACY:
Guizhou (F)
Tet continued his diplomatic
mission, completely winning over the people of Guizhou.
THE KINGDOM
OF ANNAM
Minh Tranh
DIPLOMACY:
none
More gold flowed in from the
generous Sung Empire. With this gold,
Minh Tranh purchased the best defenses money could buy. A new fortress - Tonkin Castle - was built
inside of Tonkin. The region of Annam
was set up with fortifications and traps, should any South Sea raiders attempt
to steal the worth of the country.
With the defenses in place, Minh
Tranh waited inside the castle, lest anybody attempt to attempt to breach
them. Nobody dared.
THE KINGDOM
OF CHAMPA
Chinh-Quang
DIPLOMACY:
none
The rebuilding process would be a
slow one. Kim-Quang was determined to
return Champa to the way it was before the Moluccans landed. He was determined, and maybe a bit too
determined. He passed away in 1022 by
way of exhaustion.
King Chinh-Quang was called on to
re-enlist some riders into their army.
All they could afford to pay was another 400.
THE KHEMER
EMPIRE
Jayaviravaman,
Emperor of the Khemers
DIPLOMACY:
Siam (F)
Jayaviravaman continued his
diplomacy efforts in Siam. The Siamese
felt that being a full part of the Khemer empire would do wonders for their
tourism agency, so they accepted the proposal.
Dawe and Long Xuyen, the Emperor's
favorite cities, received another government-backed expansion.
THE KINGDOM
OF BURMA
Murin,
Regent for
Jayavarman
II, Emperor of Burma
DIPLOMACY:
none
The survival rate of Burmese leaders
seems to be suspect. Myo died of a
heart attack in early 1024. New
lieutenant Murin stepped in, and hopes to live out his term as regent.
THE EMPIRE
OF SRIVIJAYA
Airlagga,
Emperor of Srivijaya
DIPLOMACY:
Polonaruwa in Sri Lanka (FA)
Suli sailed the long distance, and
eventually washed up in the tiny village of Polonaruwa. At first, the locals thought of the Javan to
be a god. After they realized what he
wanted of them, their attitude towards the diplomat cooled a little. A feudal alliance was hammered out anyway.
THE KINGDOM
OF THE SPICE ISLANDS
Raging Storm
DIPLOMACY:
none
Raging Storm rode out, and landed on
the island of Palau. Here, with the
spoils of the raid of Champa and a few men of his own, he founded the city of
Midja. With the slaves working to
beautify the city, Raging Storm stayed with the new city and actively patrolled
the waters around it.
Whispering Palm received the task of
ruling the kingdom, preparing him for the time when Raging Storm's time would
come. Unfortunately, Whispering Palm's
time came first, dying in 1022.
Singing Dolphin continued to sing
the praises of the gods in Taiwan. By
1024 the inhabitants had had enough of the pagan, and cast him into the water.
India and Central Asia
Mercenary
Pool: 6i, 4c, 3s, 3w, 3t
Mercenary
AQRs: i6, c7, s6, w4
THE CHOLAN
EMPIRE
Rajandra I,
King of Kings.
DIPLOMACY:
none
Slept.
THE KINGDOM
OF DAHALA
Gobind
DIPLOMACY:
none
After the marriage celebrations,
Gobind, Nalin, and Sharadindu returned to Dahala, and settled down to rule the
country and prepare defenses, keeping an eye on the Seljuks. The control level of Avanti was reduced to
help keep the upkeep of government envoys down.
THE KINGDOM
OF ANHIVARTA & GUJERAT
Svarg
DIPLOMACY:
none
Sukhajat died in 1022, without
leaving an heir. Svarg, always one to
notice details, read the alliance agreement signed a generation ago. The stipulation was that if one ruler would
die without an heir named, the other could step in and control the nation while
the true ruler was decided.
Due to poor handling, Sukhajat had
left his country in disarray. Spending
money out of his own nation's economy, Svarg revitalized the hearts and
pocketbooks of the commoners. When they
demonstrated in favor of Svarg becoming their ruler too, it was decided. The two nations merged into one.
THE KINGDOM
OF PALAS
Adhiyamaan
DIPLOMACY:
none
Slept.
THE
RAJPUTATE OF MAGHADA
Rajul
DIPLOMACY:
none
Thiyagu expanded the city of Bihar,
and built a new city, Dhanbad, on the banks of the Ganges. Unfortunately, he passed away before the new
city was completed. Son Rajul dedicated
the new city in a bittersweet ceremony.
THE
RAJPUTATE OF BENARES
Kahali,
Rajput of Rajput
DIPLOMACY:
none
Satatand died in 1022. Kahali ascended to the throne, promising the
people many more years of financial security.
THE
RAJPUTATE OF UTTAR PRADESH
Kamesh
DIPLOMACY:
none
Kamesh's two eldest sons, Prutar and
Sarran, become official envoys of the government. His father thought that that would keep the youths out of trouble.
THE
RAJPUTATE OF TARAIN
Lhudi,
acting Raj for
Chunjot, Raj
of Tarain
DIPLOMACY:
none
The Seljuks attacked Tarain in early
1021. Though Manjyot and Lhudi
performed exceedingly well, the fact that they were outnumbered almost 10-to-1
made the battle a futile gesture. Their
army was easily defeated. The Seljuks
captured Manjyot, and Lhudi made it safely out of the region before they moved
onto Delhi.
With Manjyot's capture and death in
early 1022, many concerns were raised throughout the Rajdom. When the Charismatic Lhudi spoke to the
fleeing government officials later that year, those concerns were
allieved. The trustworthy general would
take control of the government and the military during this troubled time, and
hand it to the son of Manjyot within five years.
THE KINGDOM
OF TIBET
Takla
DIPLOMACY:
none
Takla studied the teachings of
Buddha fervently.
THE KINGDOM
OF KASHMIR
Balagaru
DIPLOMACY:
Kush (A)
Maruthi decided that the paltry sum
of gold that his country was making just wasn't cutting it. So, he took his lieutenant north to
Ferghana, and attacked the region. 2400
of his men died during the attack, but the operation was eventually successful. With the region firmly in his grasp, he took
everything of worth from it, including the able-bodied men. He returned to Kush, singing the glories of
his conquest. With the operation a
success, he decided to take a year off, and enjoy himself. He enjoyed himself too much one night, and
the locals found their king dead along a roadside one morning.
Balagaru, a steadier man than his
father, was coming off a diplomatic marriage to the Lord of Kush's
daughter. This marriage helped find a
way for the Kush to accept a full alliance.
JUNGARIA
Atadara
DIPLOMACY:
Suachu (FA)
Atadara's foreign policy was the
total opposite of Cevat's. Atadara's
existed.
He sent his brother Chunag south,
over the mountains and into the steppes of the Suachu. They were surprised, having never heard of
the Jungarians before, but still allied with them.
THE SELJUK
HORDE
Kemal
DIPLOMACY:
You're new here, right?
The Seljuks were not satisfied with
the simple conquest of Punjab. No,
instead Arsen and Koprulu moved into Tarain, threatening Manjyot's hold over
his country. After squashing the
national army like so many bugs, Arsen took hold of the province, leaving a
garrison to collect the many spoils of the region. The city of Delhi fell in three short months, and Arsen put a
garrison in that city as well.
Chitor was next on Arsen's list,
where the locals barely put up a fight before letting their region be looted
and enslaved. After depositing the
slaves to work in their new crown jewel of Tarain, Arsen returned to Sahis,
where he died in 1023. His son Kemal
became the new khan.
THE
GHAZNAVID EMPIRE
Mahmud, The
Right Hand of Government, Scourge of India.
DIPLOMACY:
Firoz Kshi (F), Bijistan (ne), Media (A)
From his home in Persia, Mahmud
created a road, intertwined with the Silk Route, through Dasht'Kavir and into
Bijistan.
Ibrihim was to lead a great
diplomacy expedition. First, with the
help of Mahmud, the peoples of Firoz Kshi truly accepted the rule of the
Ghaznavids. During this time, Ibrihim
fell ill, and died.
With the leader of the expedition
dead, Kavir, envoy from Khurasan, picked up the mantle of the diplomat. The next stop in Bijistan came to no effect,
as the Bijistani would not accept their gifts of wine and control. The final stop, a rendezvous with Murcheh in
Media, was more fruitful. An alliance
was signed with the rich region.
Yezd led his 5600 cavalry to the
region of Georgia. There he did battle
with the local militia. Yezd's
brilliant maneuvers and the training of the Ghaznavid army were the difference
that led to the rout of the Georgian fighters.
With the uprisings suppressed, Yezd methodically ordered all gold and
men to be taken out of the region and made slaves of the Ghaznavid Empire.
Middle East
Mercenary
Pool: 11i, 32c, 11lc, 6w, 6t
Mercenary
AQR: i7, c7, s6, w6
THE BUHWAYID
SULTANATE
al-Basasiri,
Amir al-Umara, Shahanshah.
DIPLOMACY:
Dharan (NT), Qatar (NT)
Shah al-Basasiri gathered his
military allies, his lieutenants, and his sons. They set off across the deserts of Persia, and came to the last
known place of the Banu - Petra. Here,
they discovered that their job was already done for them - that the Banu had
ripped themselves apart. Relieved and,
yes, maybe a bit disappointed, the Buhwayids returned to their land.
At least now they could set
themselves upon more important matters.
Al-Adin was dispatched to Dharan, and Rukh to Qatar. Both bartered with the locals, and returned
pacts of non-aggression. Now a land
bridge was formed between the Buhwayid main lands and the holdings in the
southern Persian Gulf.
THE
SULTANATE OF SHEBA
Khaled
DIPLOMACY:
Hadramurt (ne)
Khaled and the Shebans breathed a
collective sigh of relief when the Banu tore itself apart. Being the weakest nation in the area, they
were afraid of being perceived as the prime target for slaves and gold.
THE FATAMID
CALIPHATE OF EGYPT
Al-Hakim,
Caliph of Egypt.
DIPLOMACY:
none
Caliph al-Hakim and Admiral Aibun
remained hunkered behind the wall, waiting for any sign of Banu
aggression. Years passed. Other than a few outraged hordesmen without
clear leadership, no battles were waged.
al-Hakim (who had thought ahead to bring his harem with him) added two
daughters to his family. Aibun died of
heatstroke in 1023. Finally, Egyptian
operatives brought word of the disintegration of the horde. The Caliph was overjoyed at seeing the
greatest threat to Egyptian existence to date was no longer.
Murfay left his position behind the
wall to organize the formation of the Tunisian Caliphate of Egypt. Tunisia, Algeria, Kabilya, and Sicily banded
together to form this satellite of Egyptian power.
THE
BANU HILAL & BALU SULAIM
DIPLOMACY:
Too late now...
The humiliating defeat in
Mansuria. The prior defeats in
Tihamat. The death of the khans of
Sulaim and Jabul Shammar. All claims to
power that Khan Hilal made were worthless.
The horde revolted from their weak leader in shame. Many returned to the deserts of the Middle
East, in search of a more virile leader.
Others went off, to become soldiers for hire. Others made attempts to breach the damnable wall. Hilal himself traveled to Mecca one last
time. Nobody has seen him since.
Africa
Mercenary
Pool: 7i, 3c (Above Tse-Tse line only), 3s, 3w, 3t
Mercenary
AQRs: i6, c6, s5, w3
THE COPTIC
KINGDOM OF ZAGWE
Lalabela
Kolka Haimanot, Founder of the Zagwe Dynasty.
DIPLOMACY:
Axum (FA)
Mera died in 1023. Lalabela assumed the throne with no large
problems. He did finish the census that
he started, however.
Irregardless of his king's death,
Akara continued with his given mission: the diplomacy of Axum. His decent diplomatic work formulated itself
in a feudal alliance drafted between Zagwe and Axum.
THE EMIRATE
OF ZANZIBAR
Raschid,
Emir of Mombassa
DIPLOMACY:
none
The timings were synchronized. Raschid would enter Shona with Lord Gorongo,
and would meet up with the delegation from Rozwi. From there, Sayid's amphibious landing would be complete. Then the region of Shona would know the
power that is the Southern African Alliance.
The 2200 troops from Rozwi and the
almost 4000-strong Zanzabari army met with the 2000 troops sent from the
villages of the Shona. While the
numbers may seem lopsided, Lord Shona proved himself to be a cunning fighter.
Shona laid a trap for the men of
Gorongo's army, forcing them to retire from the battle early. Shona also set up a couple of more dangerous
traps. Prince Rudo, unwilling backup to
Lt. Merwu, fell into one, injuring himself.
The battle lasted longer that it
should have, probably. Only 200
soldiers on the Shona side fell in the first few months, compared to the 600 or
so from the Alliance's side.
Seeing that the battle was not
proceeding as they had planed, Raschid and Merwu combined their intellect, and
came up with a devious plan. Well, it
wasn't too devious, as a few brave soldiers wore the clothes of Shona's army,
snuck into camp, and absconded with the leader. It worked, though, so I guess it was brilliant enough.
With their great leader missing, the
opposition quickly surrendered. Raschid
left a large garrison to contend with the region, and returned to Gorongo.
Ibrihim would not hear about the
glorious victory in Shona. He took ill
late in 1021, and lingered for a year before dying. Raschid took the title of Emir after the battle, and also
fathered a daughter in 1025.
THE KINGDOM
OF ROZWI
Luwesi, King
of the Rozwi.
DIPLOMACY:
Karanga (ne)
With his brother Nyagumbo
controlling the capital, Luwesi took a bodyguard of 200 soldiers into
Karanga. With the support of the Lord
of the region, Luwesi talked about the benefits of a full integration into the
Rozwi Kingdom. The locals saw it
differently, however, and politely declined the invitation.
Matope snuck into Vaal, and
negotiated with local grain merchants.
The Rozwi were running low on food, and Luwesi wanted a backup stock if
necessary. With the gold that he
brought, the merchants gave Matope a bounty of grain, sure to get the kingdom
through those cold winter months.
Merwu and Rudo sat waiting for the
order to enter Shona. (see Zanzibar
entry) After the attack, the duo
returned to Rozwi, where Merwu died in late 1024.
THE EMIRATE
OF ZEILA
Qadma
DIPLOMACY:
Berbera (F)
Qadma finally got around to
fathering an heir. A baby boy was born
in 1024.
Adel became the most-heralded diplomat
in Zeilan history when he convinced the Berberans to fully support Qadma and
the Emirate.
THE KINGDOM
OF KANEM-BORNU
Kenyatta
Mesewo, King of the Kanem and Bornu.
DIPLOMACY:
Nupe (NT), Jos (NT), Daza (ne)
Messeli continued upon his diplomatic
journey, stopping in Nupe to gain the hand of the leader's daughter in marriage
for his liege. A quick stop in Jos to
improve relations there, and the final stop in Daza. That was where Kenyatta was attempting to assuage the leaders of
the region to improve upon their paltry non-aggression pact. After handing off the new bride to Kenyatta,
Messeli picked up the diplomacy where Kenyatta had left off. He received the same results from the
obstinate Dazans.
THE KINGDOM
OF GHANA
Mombega
Esweyu, Emperor of Ghana.
DIPLOMACY:
Galam (fa)
During his spare time, Mombega
conducted a census of his people. When
he was finished in 1025, he found that he needed to add one more to his count -
his newborn daughter.
Guruma entered the wilderness of the
Galam, and struck a friendship with the locals. That friendship would soon manifest itself into a feudal
alliance.
THE KINGDOM
OF SONGHAI
Wulasa
Isano, King of the Songhai.
DIPLOMACY:
Bani (T)
Wulasa spent bushels of money on
improving the area of Songhai. Within
years, it became the most cultivated and beautiful province south of the
Sahara. The city of Timbuktu got a
facelift as well, as throngs of people came to trade and live within its
borders.
Having wooed the Garou completely,
Bilma continued his diplomatic missions, this time focusing on the region of
Bani. The tributarial alliance that was
reached will benefit both parties for years to come.
THE HAUSA
STATES
Ohini
Ceweho, True King of the Hausa.
DIPLOMACY:
Kurfei (T)
Ohini was blessed with the birth of
two sons. As he found out the hard way,
having a stable bloodline is a good thing.
Julawa went north to Kurfei and
convinced them to reclaim their status as a state of the Hausa.
Eastern Europe
Mercenary
Pool: 6i, 3c, 6lc, 3w, 3t
Mercenary
AQRs: i6, c7, s5, w5
THE
VARANGIAN EMPIRE OF KIEVIAN RUS
Yaroslav,
Kniaz of Kiev.
DIPLOMACY:
Smolensk in Smolensk (F)
Yaroslav financed an expanse in the
city of Smolensk. That, along with the
encouragement of Ivan, convinced the denizens of Smolensk to commit fully to
the Kievian Empire.
THE KINGDOM
OF VOLGA BOLGAR
Kanal
DIPLOMACY:
none
Time passed. Kanal noticed this, but did nothing.
THE KINGDOM
OF HUNGARY
Istvan I,
King of Hungary.
DIPLOMACY:
Istvan's brother Andi passed away in
1021. Son Vaclav was brought into his
position as heir, and younger son Bertrand moved into Vaclav's old office.
THE KINGDOM
OF POLAND
Mieskow,
King of the Poles.
DIPLOMACY:
Moravia (T)
The groundwork was lain for a massive
cultivation project in Poland. The
Moravians sent Otto home with a tributary alliance. Mieskow was officially crowned as King of the Poles in 1025.
KHANATE OF
KHAZARIA
Kharal II,
Khan of Khazar
DIPLOMACY:
none
Panar died in 1025. Kharal II became the khan in his place.
THE
PATRIARCHATE OF THE EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Boniface VI,
Patriarch of Constantinople
DIPLOMACY:
Thrace (CA), Lydia (AB)
To recognize the efforts made by the
Byzantine Empire to further Eastern Orthodoxy, Boniface sent scribes and
officials across the street to the Byzantine government.
Heliodorus and Acustus traveled into
Thrace, bulging with gold gathered from the faithful. Over the span of four years, a grand Cathedral was built.
Atinious went by his lonesome to
Lydia, and erected a smaller edifice to serve the needs of the community.
THE
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
Ioannes
Maniakes, Emperor of the Roman Empire, the Bulgar-Slayer
DIPLOMACY:
With his fifteenth birthday in 1025,
Ioannes Maniakes, son of Georgios Maniakes and Theodora, took the throne. In exchange for his loyal service to him and
the Empire, Eununch Symeon was allowed to keep his title of Regent, and was
placed as the heir to Ioannes.
The Empire thankfully took in the
loan of manpower from the Patriarch, and quickly used it to secure defenses
with the grand city of Constantinople.
Western Europe
Mercenary
Pool: 10i, 6c, 3s, 3w, 3t
Mercenary
AQRs: i7, c7, s6, w7
AL-ANDALUS:
THE CALIPHATE OF CORDOBA
Al'Marwan
bi-Allah, Victorious by the Grace of God, Vizier of the Caliph of Cordoba.
DIPLOMACY:
none
Slept. Qutluq died in 1023, following a brief illness. The city of Toledo was the site of a mass
hysteria in 1024, when an earthquake swallowed part of the city. Many people fled from the city, calling it
cursed.
CHRISTIAN
SPAIN
Juan, Holder
of the Throne.
Carlos, King
of Catalonia, Defender of the Faith.
DIPLOMACY:
Leon (F), Bilbao (FA)
After collecting the gift of 1000
infantry the inhabitants of Old Castille donated to the national army, Henry
returned home, confined himself in his bed, and died in late 1021. Juan returned home and strong-armed his way
with the bureaucracy. While Carlos, the
six-year-old son of Henry, would become the new king, Juan would be the ruler
of Catalonia for the time being.
Juan then returned to Bilbao, where
the residents of the city agreed to upgrade their alliance with the Spanish
just to get him to leave.
Pedro was sent to Leon. His intense diplomatic sessions, while
fruitful, meant that he did not hear about the shift of power until late 1028.
Salamanca and Galatia took this
change of power in Catalonia as the time to rebel from Spain.
SAXON
ENGLAND
Aelfric,
King of England.
DIPLOMACY:
Strathclyde (ne), Gwynned (C), Dyffed (ne)
Edmund died young, succumbing to
influenza at the age of 37. Aelfric
took over for the king, choosing not to have a grand coronation. He never did like formal events.
And besides, he was a busy man. He was set to travel the northern part of
the fair isle of England. With the
disintegration of the Scottish Empire, the north was ripe for the taking. The only people who agreed with Aelfric
were found in Gwynned, who only agreed to keep the channel of communication
open.
Edgard took a couple of ships out
north. He traversed the Baltic, and
succeeded in finding his way to Uppsala.
The leaders there thanked him for his time, but that an alliance with
the English would not be to their benefit.
THE ROMAN
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Victor II,
Bishop of Rome.
DIPLOMACY:
none
Early in 1023, Victor issued the
following statement:
"I declare that the visions
Boniface VII had might be definitely from God, so I uphold Paris as a holy city
of Roman Catholicism, along with Rome and Jerusalem. Boniface was incorrect in his interpretation that the papacy
should be moved to Paris, since God had clearly placed the leadership of the
church in Peter's hands and the bishopry of Peter had been transferred to Rome
with the destruction of Jerusalem, and Rome has yet to fall. Boniface might have had a vision of some
future terrible event that would destroy Rome and require the papacy move to
Paris, God forbid that such should happen.
The visions had obviously been overwhelming to poor Boniface, and so the
mother church has come to return him to Rome where he might rest and be healed
of his mental anguish."
And the mother church did come. Cardinal Bruno moved swiftly with the holy
army into Paris. Guided by King Robert,
he found that the holy palace of Boniface empty, save for ex-Cardinal
Anthony. All things of religious and
monetary worth had been taken. Bruno
secured the site, taking Anthony back to Rome, and putting him in solitary confinement,
where he may be able to meditate on his actions and pray for forgiveness.
Victor and his cadre of Cardinals,
Bishops, and advisors traveled to sites that were aligned with the Northern
Christians. After a bit of negotiation
and arrest, all sites returned to the Pope in some form or another. The heresy was declared over, and Roman
Catholicism reigned supreme over the Western Europeans once again.
THE
NORTHERN CATHOLIC CHURCH
When King Robert asked Boniface and
his brethren to stay and preach within the confines of Paris, Boniface knew
something wasn't right. He knew Pope
Victor's brash ways would mean that the very existence of the Northern Church
would be challenged quickly. He quickly
hatched a plan.
While Anthony distracted the armed
guards that Robert had placed "for their well-being", Boniface and
Christopher escaped Paris, taking all of the scrolls and money that they had
collected. With everything of worth secured, the duo slipped out of Paris under
the cover of night.
Sure enough, not one week later,
Cardinal Bruno marched into Paris.
While understandably upset that Boniface had escaped, he took Anthony
prisoner, and returned the site to the control of the Roman Catholics. Anthony would never disclose the whereabouts
of Boniface and Christopher.
THE JARLDOM
OF SWEDEN
Anund
Skotkonrung, Jarl of Sweden
DIPLOMACY:
none
Olaf passed away in 1022. His heir, eldest son Anund Skotkorung, had a
reputation as being, well, soft on the mainlanders. Definitely not in tune to the Swedish way. As a glaring example, when Edgard entered
Uppsala as an envoy of the English, Anund let him go peacefully. Many people thought that he should
disembowel the heathen, at the very least.
Instead he let him go his merry way.
Unhappy with Anund's reputation, the
regions of Jamtland, Kopparborg, Smaland, Turku, and Vasterbotten all gave up
on the Jarldom.
THE KINGDOM
OF FRANCE
Robert II,
King of France
DIPLOMACY:
Normandy (ne), Nivernais (F), Tours in Anjou (A)
Robert received word of Pope
Victor's advancement early in 1021. He
asked that Boniface and his faithful remain in the holy city. Just to be safe, he stationed several guards
outside the holy cathedral, keeping an eye out. When Bruno came to apprehend the heretic, he was gone. Robert was not happy, and promptly sent the
guards to do garden work for the royal palace.
While not bullying guards, Robert
was hard at work trying to fully bring Normandy into the Kingdom. He worked a bit too hard, collapsing under
the stress in 1023. The Normans were
thoughtful enough to send his body back to Paris, attached with a proclamation
that they would keep their alliance the way that it stands now.
The new King, Robert II, was hard at
work himself. Thankfully, his youthful
vigor helped him survive his diplomatic conquests in Nivernais. The local rulers were more than happy to
join fully with the French. In addition
to this success, his wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl in 1025.
Baron Fulk also spent his time in
diplomacy, continuing his work in Tours.
It's a slow process, but the Baron is cautiously optimistic.
THE HOLY
ROMAN EMPIRE
Otto III,
Holy Roman Emperor.
DIPLOMACY:
Lyonnais (A), Provence (A), Marseilles in Provence (EA)
Matthias, Ralf, and Sebastian
continued their diplomatic tour, traveling the southern regions of Lyonnais,
and Provence. Otto continued to be
impressed by the headway the threesome is making.
THE DUCHY OF
VENICE
Orseolo,
Duke of Venice
DIPLOMACY:
Verona (EA), Illyria (A)
A new city was built in Lombardy,
and was christened Breschia by Orseolo.
The region of Lombardy itself was given to General Leo, in honor of his
hard work. He would die a few years
later, but the effects of the honor on the region of Lombardy would live
on. Other cities, Trieste and Valetta,
also received improvements from the Duke.
After appropriating and overseeing
the various construction efforts, Orseolo returned to Verona. He fathered twin sons (finally, heirs!), and
worked to increase the control he had over the region.
Jordano was sent to the far reaches
of the duchy. He worked hard in
Illyria, and after a few years the locals finally started to believe some of
the things he said about The Venetians.
It was enough for them to pledge military support to the Duchy.
THE JARLDOM
OF NORWAY
Olaf
Tryggvason, Jarl of Norway
DIPLOMACY:
Lienster (ne)
With Seamus Finn now a loyal
supporter of the Norwegians, Olaf left Ireland and returned to Trondheim. On the way, he saw the region of Ulster, and
decided to raid it. You know, for old
times' sake. This raid produced much
gold.
Speaking of Seamus, he attempted to
get the entire region of Lienster to rally around the Norwegian cause. It didn't work.
THE JARLDOM
OF DENMARK
Harald
Forkbeard, Jarl of Denmark
DIPLOMACY:
Hamburg in Holstein (F)
The Jarldom had been losing money
due to governmental inefficiency.
Harald stayed in Denmark to do his best to fix that. After all, when you have a 6-foot-plus Dane
standing over you as you work, wouldn't you be more productive? Harald's technique, and an infusion of
workers from Rome, helped the Danes to fully tax their people.
With Harald occupied in the capital,
Sven and Cnute entered the city of Hamburg one last time. This time, after a grand ceremony tying
Cnute and the mayor's daughter in holy matrimony, Sven procured the full
cooperation. Cnute, on the other hand,
procured three sons.
North America
Mercenary
Pool: 19i, 3w, 3t
Mercenary
AQRs: i4, s4, w3
THE ANASAZI
Great Bear
DIPLOMACY:
none
Great Bear fathered another daughter
in 1025. In other child-related news,
Great Bear's son Little Bear became Great Bear's heir in 1024. Little Bear's brother Running Salmon also
became a part of his father's government when he came of age in 1025.
THE CADDO
Winassi
DIPLOMACY:
Tonkawa (ne)
Winassi sent Hulessi to Tonkawa,
hoping to increase the bounds of his reach.
Apparently the Tonkawa did not particularly care for Hulessi, conceding
no power to the Caddo.
THE
MICHIGAMEA
Atonwa
DIPLOMACY:
none
Slept. Atonwa's sister Mariddie died after giving birth to her son.
THE
AZTLAN
It was Tapko's chance to
strike. With the Michigamea tribes
scattered due to dynastic strife, he could go in and claim some of the bereft
areas.
With this in mind, he led his force
of 7200 braves over the Ohio into the Banks of the Shawnee. The locals realized that their force was not
going to make a dent into the opposed forces, so they surrendered, letting
Tapko set up a puppet leader.
On his way home in 1021, a Shawnee
strike force intercepted Tapko, and suddenly murdered him. Tapko's son Minko heard of the brutal act,
and immediately became King.
Unfortunately, he died in 1024, leaving the country bereft of ruler.
The Shawnee uprooted the garrison
that had been placed there, and snuck into the region of Erie. While people were making their own claims
for the headdress of the chief, the Shawnee looted and destroyed much of the
region. The Erie saw the wreckage, and
decided to become isolationists.
Tapko's greed had brought ruin to the places they held dear. That would
not happen again.
THE
APPALACHIANS
Minuwa
DIPLOMACY:
Chatot (A)
Migina was seen leaving the
homeland, heading south. He returned 4
years later, with the approval and usage of the Chieftain of the Chatot.
THE TOLTEC
EMPIRE
Nezahualpili
DIPLOMACY:
none
Ah, the women of the Toltec
Empire. Nezahualpili's older sister
Chalchiutinetetzin (the first, surprisingly) was proclaimed as a Princess of
the Empire in 1021. The royal family
had run out of eligible men.
Nezahualpili as well sired his
fourth straight daughter. Adding to the
irony, Xilotsin had his first child as well.
You guessed it, it was a daughter.
Must be something in the water.
THE HUARI
Hualpa
DIPLOMACY:
none
It's true that the terrain of that
the Huari controlled could be called a little ... elevated. This elevation meant that the decrees of
Hualpa were left unheard in some outlying regions. To stop this awful injustice to those afflicted regions, paths
were beat through the mountains from the city of Cajamarca, through Huari, and
into the region of Inca.
TIAHUANACO
Anihualpa
DIPLOMACY:
Leco (ne)
Anhihualpa's focus was on the region
of Caranga. It was the benefit of many
improvements, most notably the funding of the new city of Quirm.
Incun returned to the homeland with
a small force of 800 warriors, and began a job more suited to his tastes - a
combination of military preparations and bloodline insuring. While nothing caused him to move his force
from Uru, he did father a son in 1021, and a daughter in 1025.
Quetzel entered Leco, hoping to
repair the rift caused when Incun last traveled. The tribes of Leco refused to speak with Quetzel, despite many
attempts at diplomacy. On his journey
home, a landslide occurred, and he was later found crushed underneath a
boulder.