July 21, 2001

Turns will be due August 10, 2001.

GM notes:

1) Any leaders who do not have orders written explicitely mentioning each region or seazone and the AP used to get there will not be processed. This may cause great problems for those that have not gotten the hang of doing this. Turn 10 will see several leaders mulling around in confusion. This is still the biggest delay in processing turns (although the Middle East combats slow things down a bit, as well <g>).

2) Unplayed positions will not be entirely inactive. They will allocate funds based on a matrix known only to the GM. They may
respond to attacks, and may expand their borders. They will not launch attacks on other nations (unless required by Holy War,
etc.)

3) There is a mailing group for LOTE 34 (LORDS34@yahoogroup.com).

4) New seafaring rules are in effect. Players have until turn 11 to meet the criteria or face revolts. Seafaring nations that
currently meet criteria may use conduits. This will be indicated under your player notes section.

5) NFP can be saved. If you save greater than your nfp replacement value, there is a chance for a recession (too many
unemployed people milling around). If you have a second recession while still suffering from recession, you will go into a
depression (very, very bad).

6) Need for exploration: A nation will automatically know all the regular sea zone that they could reach with trade. If you wish to go further, you must explore. All inter island arrow, hostile sea zones and open open arrows must be explored.
For tracing CCR and entering and exiting island regions, there is no cost to enter the island if you are passing from a sea zone to a sea zone. If you are actually going to land on the island, you must pay the costs. This is important for islands that link two sea zones. Note that cultivated regions that are islands do not count, as they are not island terrain.

7) Leaders given conditional order while they are ruling/administrating. If a leader is in a region that is owned by the nation, and it is attacked, the leader will stop what he is doing and take part in the defense of the region. This is different than being on react, or defending a region. The former takes at least 2 ap, and allows the army led by that leader to travel to different regions as soon as an attack occurs, while the latter stays in the current region, and gets bonuses if attacked. Both would require the leader to spend the time preparing its army for the reaction/defend action. So it is not feasible to have your King rule the nation and have conditional orders to be reacting to attacks. OTOH, it is not feasible for a King to remain in the capital pushing papers while the nation falls around him.

So, if a player states that the King will rule, but respond to any attacks on the nation, I will have him continue to rule, until there is an attack. Instead of immediately heading out to aid the defenders (as in a react order), he will have to wait for word to reach him, then he will head out. It is possible that this will interrupt his rule and will definitely interrupt any administering action that had been planned.

8) Primacies may build PWBs and MCs in a region without a King's permission. But if the King refuses to pay the costs of maintenance for the new road system the following turn, it will be lost. Cities can be built with both gp and nfp from primacies, but only in regions that have some primacy building (unless the primacy sends a leader with the funds). This must be done with the nation's stated approval (as it may involve dropping wall points.) Again, it will fall to the nation to feed the additional city level. Troops built by a primacy will be halved when given to nations.

9) Summary of new rules.
a) maxtax will be set at 2.5.
b) hands off trade will go into effect next turn. Those with ships on MSP duty will have the opportunity to spend the gp/nfp on anything other than mobile combat troops. Any of the gp/nfp not spent in the next turn will be lost. Each nation will have the amount they can spend indicated in the player notes section.
c) PRAs and ROs will have their tax statuses adjusted beginning next turn.
d) each 20nfp saved will consume 1 agro.
e) cavalry units will consume 1.5 times more agro.
f) before being transfered between positions, agro must be "saved" (ie 1gp per agro, not finding God).

LET THE GAMES BEGIN...

                    Infantry (200 men = 1 point)
                    Cavalry (200 men and 200 mounts = 1 point)
                    Siege Engineers (200 men = 1 point)
                    Warships (1 ship = 1 point)
                    Transports (1 ship = 1 point)
                    Field forts (1 fort = 1 point)
                    Walls (10 feet = 1 point)

THE EMPIRE OF THE SUN - Asiatic Pagan

Empress Ariko

Diplomacy: Kagoshima (ea), Shikoku (ne)

The Empress departed for the far Western reaches of her Kingdom, leaving her husband and heir, Iochida, to rule the Empire. She travelled to Kagoshima, where she was able to secure strong economic ties to the region. While there, she heard of the problems at home.

For the Empress had left Iochida with a full plate. The heir continued the nation's conversion towards a free economy. He had been ordered to oversee the construction of a capital city in Kwanto called Edo. The new city was to be a port on the Ise Wan. Ariko also ordered the construction of the port of Gotsu in Yamagushi on the Tsushima Strait. While touring the building of Edo, Iochida slipped and fell from a great height. He died upon striking the ground. This tragic event occured in October of year 41.

Daimyo Takeda had been sent on a round of diplomatic discussions. His first stop, Shikoku, would prove to be his last. While sampling a number of local delicacies, he ate something that did not agree with him. But when the vomiting turned from bile to blood, his aides feared the worst. He died most unpleasantly in year 42. While his efforts in Shikoku were valiant, the local Shogun could not remove the image of poor Daimyo bringing his life's blood up in his guest chambers.

But not all the news was bad for the Empire. Two sides of the greatness of the nation revealed itself. One, the artistic, was led by the Shogun from Saga, who penned the following three Haiku (taking after his father, the reknown poet):

Time will past,
Time will fly,
Time will never be on my side.

Summer Grass
of stalwart heroes
the fallen dreams.

The sea at springtime.
All day it rises and falls,
yes, rises and falls.

The second event was the daring adventures of Daimyo Hoja. With a charter from the Empress, the brave sailor set forth to the South, following in the path of Daimyo Tayoshi, whom you will recall was presumed lost at sea many years ago. But Hoja took 2 of the fastest, most experienced ships with him. And after travelling for many months across the seas to the South, the lookouts noted an island. The serene vista of Okinawa lay before Hoja. But not satisfied with this, he again set out South to discover new lands. And again, after months of sailing and carefully navigating by the stars, he found passage to the Bashi Channel. He returned to a hero's welcome.

But things were not at ease in the new capital of Edo. For without Iochida to run the nation, there was rumblings of dissent from the West. But for now these remained just words spoken under the breath. No revolts occured, and the Empire of the Sun continued to radiate a sense of unity to the outside world.
 

THE ANIMAL CLANS OF BO-HAI - Asiatic Pagan

Golden Eyes Tiger of the Tiger Clan

Diplomacy: Yen (ne), Bandao (nt), Lu'An (ea), Liao-Tung (a)

Grandfather Tiger, ruler of the Animal Clans, looked out over the inlet of Bo-Mai and smiled. For his plans to unite the entire North side of the bay were proceeding nicely. Despite some setbacks in Bandao, almost all the regions had some ties to the Animal Clans. It was his own fault. The idea that New Moon Snake could ever understand the Bear Clans in Bandao was ridiculous. So he sent New Moon Snake to Lu'An to talk with the leader of the Crane clan. Here New Moon was much more successful. So too was Whispering Tiger, who travelled to Liao-Tung and then Bandao. The King of Bo-Hai watched as work continued in the port city bordering both the Bo-Hai and Korea-Hai.

But Grandfather would not live to see the fruition of all his dreams. In year 42, shorthe succumbed to fever. Prince Golden Eyes Tiger, interupted his diplomatic efforts in Yen to claim the crown. There was no disputing him as successor to Grandfather Tiger. He ruled in his father's place for another year, before returning to Yen. In that time, he saw the completion of the port, Tiger, he began the construction of a port area in the city, and his wife gave birth to a son in year 43. But despite returning to Yen, birthplace of his wife, he was unable to convince the Yen people that the Animal Clans would be stronger under his leadership.

Grandmother returned to her people, the Goat clan, with her daughter, Wild Flower.
 

THE JADE DRAGON - Oceanic Pagan

Emperor Shen Tso

Diplomacy: Kiangsu (t), Chiennan (fa), Hwai (p)

Emperor Shen Tzu met with his general, Wu Tan. It was a private meeting, even the servants were ordered to leave. But when he left, General Wu Tan looked a shade paler than white, and left the capital of Tzu Lang in much haste. For Shen Tzu had not been pleased with the general's performance in the Southern region of Hwai. The plan to make an example of the region had backfired, and the Hwai people further snubbed their noses at the Jade Dragon by declaring war. Wu Tan was given orders to take the region at all costs.

Wu Tan quickly arranged to hire Szu Shen-Do, the notorious Jinn mercenary, and his band of cutthroats. For Wu Tan remembered how those men had saved the Jinn army on many occasions in the past battle. He also ordered the Jade allies of Chekiang and Hunan to raise their war banners. Wu Tan desperately tried to think of a way to defeat the army that had so severely punished him in the past. In the end, he was able to muster almost 4500 national troops, over 1500 allied men and around 1500 hired swords. But while Wu Tan knew that he was one of the most able generals in the area, and that the mercenary troops had demonstrated their ability in the past, the national army was poorly trained and poorly outfitted. He knew that to go, once again, into Hwai province was to stand knee deep in blood and death. But given the alternatives spelled out by the Emperor, Wu Tan set off to meet his destiny.

The Jade forces outnumbered the Hwai army by more than 2:1, yet Wu Tan knew that there were fortifications that had proved difficult previously. But the Hwai army was much better trained. Wu Tan led his forces South then North into Hwai from the region of Jiangxi in April of year 42. The Hwai army had massed in the North, expecting an attack from that front. This allowed the Jade forces to push up into the region overwhelming the meager Southern guard. Capitalizing on his success, Wu Tan pressed forward. In two weeks he had managed to press the defenders up against the Western mountains. In a seemingly minor skirmish, Wu Tan and Szu Shen-Do led a raid on a village thought to house some of the Hwai army officers. To their surprise, they found the village better defended than expected. But they were still able to overwhelm the Hwai troops, and kill a number of the Hwai officer corps. When Wu Tan inspected the dead, he was shocked to find that this cadre of officers was actually the command staff of the Hwai army. Among the dead was the very man who had led Hwai in revolt, and who had commanded their army several years ago.

With the death of their command structure, it took merely a week's more fighting to fully pacify the region. While the losses to both sides were minimal (400 infantry for the Jade Dragon, and 2000 men total for Hwai), the Jade Dragon had finally sent a message to the entire world. Stand against the Jade Dragon at your own peril. Wu Tan remained in the region maintaining the peace until his death in year 44. The mercenary Szu Shen-Do also passed away in the same year.

During this time, the rest of the nation continued to go about its business. Emperor Shen Tzu ruled in Tzu Lang as the city became more and more crowded. The Emperor expanded the city to accomadate the increasing population. He sent his heir, Shen Tso, and Prince Shen Kwan to Chiennan where they got a military commitment from the local warlord. Li Xan was able to gain tribute from Kiangsu (many believe that when word of the conflict in Hwai reached the coast, that the negotiations took a turn in the Jade Dragon's favor). Shen Tzu's wife had a miscarriage in year 42, a daughter in year 43, and another miscarriage in year 44. But in year 45, the Empire was rocked when Shen Tzu took ill and passed away. Shen Tso immediately returned from Chiennan, and took the throne. Given the success of the Jade army in the South, no province dared resist his rule. The Empress and her three daughters retired from public life.
 

THE JINN DYNASTY  - Asiatic Pagan

Emperor Wang Xu-Jinn, Fourth Emperor of the Jinn Dynasty, Guardian of the Forbidden City and Keeper of the Coral Throne

Diplomacy: none

Beijing, arguably the largest city in the world, was bedecked with flowers and banners in October of year 42, as Wang Xu-Jinn, son of Sung Lei, assumed the mantle of the Fourth Emperor of the Jinn Dynasty. In the years preceeding the coronation, the city swelled in size again, as masses of people moved to the urban center to witness the event. Wang Xu's mother, Mai Ling-Jinn, formally stepped down as regent, allowing her son to rule in her place.

Szu Shen-Do (not to be confused with the mercenary of the same name), attempted to aid the young Emperor, but was simply not fit for the task. He created infinately more work for Wang Xu-Jinn. But the young man was more than able to take up the slack. This was in addition to taking control of the national army from his mother. Indeed, she had kept a strong arm on the nation to be passed on to her son. It was not soon after the ceremony that talk began about who would be considered for a possible marriage to the young Emperor in Beijing.
 

THE SUBLIME KINGDOM OF WU - Oceanic Pagan

King Yiu

Diplomacy: Lingnan (ea), Nanling (f)

There was great celebration when the Queen announced that she was pregnant in year 42. But due to complications at the delivery, both she and her newborn son died. King Yiu mourned for the appropriate amount of time, then remarried (for the good of the Kingdom, of course). The King's new wife, many years his junior, bore him a daughter in year 44. The King maintained the day to day running of the nation during this time.

He also sent out his people to strengthen ties with surrounding provinces. The heir, Prince Sui-Juen, and General Man went to Nanling, where the region was fully brought into the Sublime Kingdom. In Lingnan, major economic concessions were gained by Prince Wei.
 

THE LAND OF THE GOLDEN LOTUS  - Oceanic Pagan

King Siduna, God-King of Chola, Lord of the Golden Mask and the Emerald Throne

Diplomacy: Seylan (fa), Sri Lanka (ne), Malabar (c)

King Siduna, after years of remaining idle, began a tremendous project, linking the cities of Travindaram and Kosala by a Royal Road. This highway system would surely improve travel and commerce throughout the Kingdom. In fact, both cities had significant increases in population due to the increased traffic. Vishnayagara's populationa also soared, as urban life in The Land of the Golden Lotus became more and more lucrative.

The King sent his General to the Island off the coast of the Kingdom to open diplomatic ties. In Seylan, he was able to convince the local leader to bow on bended knee to King Siduna, but he was unsuccessful in Sri Lanka.

The King was married to a woman from Malabar. Siduna spent a number of years making sure that the Kingdom was running smoothly. This was actually made more difficult by the administration skills of Prince Saj. During that time, the King's new wife gave him a son in year 41, and another in 42. But the last pregnancy was too much for her, and she did not survive the ordeal. When the King then travelled to his dead wife's home of Malabar, he was received well (for the blood of Malabar now flowed in the Royal line). But his brief visit only yielded a claim on the region.

The Kingdom was to suffer another loss, when one of the young princes of the realm died at age 22.
 

THE  KINGDOM OF KHEMER - Oceanic Pagan

King Besar Alamehli

Diplomacy: Cochin (A)

King Besar ruled over the tip of the Southeastern peninsula. The trade coming from Java was good. His nation lived in relative peace and prosperity, yet the people still had few luxuries. So, Besar ordered massive amounts of construction in the Khemer region. He had vast aqueducts put in place to make the land more arable, organized villages to use the downstream portion of rivers for waste, and to take water from the upstream side, etc. He ordered large numbers of the national army to lend a hand.

While the King ruled the nation, he also sent Prince Afhala Alhamehli, his heir, and Jindu Pol Pot to Cochin to improve relations with the region. The combined effort was exceedingly successful, and a firm alliance was established.

The only event that caused great sorrow among the royal court of Khemer was the death of Prince Tan at age 37. After the traditional mourning period, one of the young princes in the palace was ordered to assume Tan's responsibilities.
 

THE CONCLAVE OF THE GANGES - Oceanic Pagan

King Rana, Rightful King of the Conclave of the Ganges

Diplomacy: Gujerat (fa), Vatsa (t)

For many years, there was distrust between the Conclave and their Eastern neighbors. But time had tempered that distrust (although the Tiny Fingers aggressive military and unstable government had given the Conclave some concern). But now a new and distant threat came from the West. In far off lands, word of marauding bands of barbarians reached the Ganges. King Rana took these threats seriously, and began constructing massive defensives. Fortresses were built in both Jaunpur and Uttar Pradesh. In fact so many messages were sent back and forth, that the King build a postal road extending from Rajput to Chitor.

But not all the news was so dire. There were great celebrations in the capital, as Prince Saj was named heir. The King also married a local noblewoman. While the King coordinated the defense of the homeland, he also named Prince Apu to a position in court. In year 44, one of the Royal sons died. The King had hoped to open trade with people to the South, but his merchants complained that it would be unsafe to try to go that far away from friendly shores.

The heir, Prince Saj, took a wife in Gujerat. He spent significant time in the region, and was able to gain a feudal commitment from the local Pasha. Meanwhile, Tinuri and Guta were busy in Vatsa. With due application of Conclave gold, they were able to gain tribute from the region.
 

THE LAND OF THE TINY FINGERS - Oceanic Pagan

King Sajvala

Diplomacy: Palas (nt), Gtsang (revolts)

King Sajvala spent most of year 41 with his wife, although they did not have any children. During that time, General Chuck spent time training several thousand light infantry into an elite force of footmen. Both leaders then travelled to the South to Palas. There, they were able to make some progress in returning Palas to the Kingdom.

Sajvala also had the postal road from Gaur to Assam completed. Sajvala's sister was given responsibilities in Merdic.

But as the King was in the South, there was no central figure running the government. This resulted in the distant region of Gtsang revolting from the Land of the Tiny Fingers. There were similar rumblings across the river in Nadavaria, but no more than talk... for now.
 

THE KINGDOM OF MANDALAY- Oceanic Pagan

DISSOLVED

King Haumsan Za died in year 41. The nation had no heir, and all the possible successors were underage. The Queen tried to keep the nation together, but when Ava rebelled, the Kingdom of Mandalay fell back into numerous small chiefdoms without a central authority.
 

THE ISLAND KINGDOM OF JAVA - Oceanic Pagan

King Toru Moru

Diplomacy: Perak (f)

To further her influence among the islands, Queen Nam Outang sent a coalition of diplomats to Perak to the West. Captain Xuja let the effort, supported by Prince Toru Moru. But during the many weeks of travel to Perak, the two leaders realized a deep seated hatred for each other. It began when the Prince suggested that perhaps a more Southern tack would shave some time off the trip. Captain Xuja, in charge of the naval vessels, promptly told the Prince what he could do with his suggestion. A bitter argument began, ending only when the first mate physically separated the two men.

Upon arrival to Perak, the two men seemed to put aside their differences and eagerly entered into negotiations with the local leadership. The first issue was easily dealt with. The Queen had instructed them to find a consort for her on Perak. This obviously pleased the Perak people to know that the future heir of the Island Kingdom would have such close ties to the region. But then the negotiations took a different tone. While both Xuja and Toru Moru met with the Perak nobles together, their private feud began to reassert itself. This mostly took place in their private chambers, and the servants often spoke of fearing for their safety during those meetings. But despite the conflict between the two men, together they were able to convince the region to fully join Java. It was taken as fact that it would take little to bring these two to blows, perhaps with fatal consequences.

Meanwhile, back in Sunda, Queen Nam Outang ruled the nation. Her new consort was a loving man, and she had two daughters. She also ordered a port built in Palembang, on the Riouw Sea and the Selat Straight. She named the city Siriwuaya. But in year 44, the Kingdom suffered a terrible blow. The Queen awoke complaining of a stiff neck. Within hours, she became confused and feverish. By noon, she was prostrate in bed, and developed purple-gray splotches on her arms and legs. Two hours after noon, she died. The Queen's consort packed up his two daughters and returned to Perak with the news.

When the consort told the Javan representatives of the Queen's death, Prince Toru Moru pointedly looked Captain Xuja in the eye and commanded him to ready the ships to return to Sunda. For with the Queen having not named an heir, the Prince felt it was he would sit on the throne of Java. It was widely reported that the Captain's response was, "I shall return your rotting corpse to be left on the highest point of Pajarajan." As it was the Javan custom to bury their dead at sea, this was a tremendous insult. The Captain rushed to the waiting ships to secure them for his planned return to the capital. He then met with his contacts in Perak, to seek their support. But by going to the ships first, he missed his opportunity. Toru Moru was able to convince the locals to support his bid for the throne, relying on his blood ties. When Xuja returned, again their were harsh words. This time swords were drawn. In an ugly fight, the Captain was wounded in the arm and face. Two sailor pulled him out of the fray and returned him to the ships.

Despite the contention for the Javan crown, the rest of the nation had not strayed, willing to maintain their ties to Sunda regardless of who ruled. In the ensuing confusion over the succession, the tax collectors were unable to maintain the census for the nation. But now the race was on. Both Toru Moru and Xuja put as much sail as possible to return to the capital. Merely by virtue of catching a better following wind, Prince Toru Moru reached Sunda half a day ahead of Xuja. When the Captain put into port, the Prince had him arrested and hanged. In the end, Toru Moru took the throne, gave one of his young relatives a position in court, and it was Xuja's body that was placed at the highest point in the homeland, as far from the sea as possible.
 

THE KINGDOM OF INDUS - Oceanic Pagan

King Nahen, King of the Scythians

Diplomacy: Surashtra (a), Sukkur (t)

King Nahen inherited a kingdom in difficult times. Over the past half decade, with no firm leadership, the tax revenue for Indus had been severely curtailed. The King personally took charge of running the government to ensure adequate collections and to keep the more distant regions in line. In the year 42, his wife became pregnant. The delivery was difficult, and despite a healthy girl being born, the Queen bled extensively, and passed away the next day. The King's young brother died at age 9 the same year. The Kingdom mourned for both of them.

The King oversaw the expansion of Indus, and sent diplomats out yet again. Prince Amiran travelled to Surashtra, where he was able to gain a firm alliance with the coastal region. Lord Farinallan moved North to Sukkur and soon tribute was coming back to Indus from the region.
 

THE KARA-KHATAI KINGDOM - Asiatic Pagan

King Orion

Diplomacy: Transoxania (ea), Singanakh (ea), Bactria (f), Tadzik (t)

King Orion,  in keeping with his predecessor's policy of continued expansion, sent diplomats to the far reaches of the Kingdom. To seal an agreement with his Bactrian ally, the King agreed to marry the man's daughter. This plus the gentle urging of Lord Arslan convinced the Bactrian leader to step down and cede all control of the region to Kara-Khatai. Prince Zoltan went to the North, and was able to improve relations with Singanakh, securing an economic commitment to the Kingdom. Similar gains were made by Lord Riff in Transoxania. And after some aggressive negotiations by Lord Quon, tribute began arriving from the fertile region of Tadzik.

King Orion settled down to rule his nation. His new wife gave birth to two girls in the year 41 and 45. All was well in the Kingdom.
 

THE KINGDOM OF PERSIA - Asiatic Pagan

King Mithras

Diplomacy: Zagros (ne), Khurasan (f)

King Mithras heard of the distant gatherings of the nomadic peoples to the West, and he decided that to better protect his nation, he would have to build a grand fortress. So in the region of Persia, near the capital, a fortress was constructed. The King did not neglect less military endeavors, committing further resources to changing the wilderness of Tabaristan into farmlands.

Mithras left the capital in the hands of Prince Ardavan, the heir, to go to Khurasan. There he wed a local woman, and aided Prince Farzeen in negotiations with the regional leadership. In the end, the region was assimilated into the Kingdom of Persia, and the King returned home to Persepolis. Farzeen remained behind in Khurasan.

Prince Ardavan's wife had a daughter in year 41, but succumbed to fever shortly after the birth. The prince remarried, but after a miscarriage in 42, his second wife died during labor in 43. Again the prince sought out female companionship. This time, his wife was able to give him another daughter in year 45, and survive the ordeal.

Kaspon was sent over the mountains into Zagros, where he despite intensive effort (and due to REALLY bad luck), he was unable to secure any committment to the Kingdom.

Two additional events occured in Persia. First was the death of Mithras' 10 year old son, Thesar. Second was the signing of the Silk Road Treaty with the Jews in Mesopotamia. The treaty read as follows:

THE SILK ROAD ACCORDS

Articles of the treaty:

1. The Silk Road Accord is binding upon the Kingdom of Persia and the Kingdom of Mesopotamia.

2. The term "member" refers to either of the above nations.

3. The border of the members is to be considered sacrosanct. Any border crossing by diplomats or military forces is to be considered an act of aggression under article 4.

3.a. The western border of the Kingdom of Persia shall be form by the regions of Abasigia, Georgia, Azerbajain, Kurdistan, Media, Zagros and Fars, inclusive of all regions to the east.

3.b. The eastern border of the Kingdom of Mesopotamia shall be form by the regions of Urmia, Arbiliq, Diyala, Ahvaz, Abadan, Kuwait, Dharan, Qatar, Dubai and Oman, inclusive of all regions to the west.

4. All members of the Silk Road Accord agree to not commit any act of aggression against another member. If any member does so and threatens to continue such action, the remaining member(s) will come to the military and economic aid of the attacked member (i.e. with troops, gold, intel and assassin capacity, religious capacity, leader actions and public support within the game as necessary) of the attacked member.

4.a. If the member committing the act of aggression submits himself to the mercy of the Silk Road Accord and accepts whatever punishment will be given. The remaining member(s) will confer upon a suitable punishment of the Silk Road Accord by a majority vote of those votes received after no less than 2 days and no more than 5 days of discussion and voting. The aggressor may not vote. A nation may change their vote at any time, but once a majority of the total remaining member(s) voting for or against an action is reached then voting is closed and the result is final and binding upon all members of the Silk Road Accord.

4.a.1. Such punishment must include a repayment in kind for what was damaged. Since nfp and troops cannot be easily transferred between nations, gold should be substituted at a rate of 2 gold for each 1 nfp. The punishment may not involve the dissolution of the offending member, nor the loss of any lands held by the member before the act of aggression (unless the aggressor agrees to such or the act of aggression resulted in lands being lost that cannot be recovered). If no damage was done by the act of aggression, then punishment should include at least 25 gold and a public (on the Lords 34 mailing list) apology.

5. If a dissenting member in any voting situation feels strongly enough about the issue, he may call for a Vote of Confidence. Any member who feels there is sufficient cause to do so may call for a Vote of Confidence. A Vote of Confidence will be to determine whether or not the Silk Road Accord will continue to exist. This vote passes if all member(s) vote for the Silk Road Accord except for the dissenting member. It fails if two or more member(s) vote against the Silk Road Accord. The vote shall automatically fail if half of the members call for a Vote of Confidence.

5.a. It is hoped that if someone feels this strongly about the issue that the Silk Road Accord membership will take every step possible to compromise and find a solution that all members can agree with.

5.b. If the Silk Road Accord is dissolved, all former members agree to not commit or attempt to commit any act of aggression towards any other former member for a period of no less than 10 years (2 turns).

6. No member can withdraw from the Silk Road Accord. Any member attempting to do so will be considered to have committed any act of aggression against the remaining member(s) of the Silk Road Accord.

7. The Silk Road Accord may only be dissolved by a Vote of Confidence, but will remain in effect until after the next turn's newsfax is released. No one may withdraw from the Silk Road Accord under any circumstances that would allow them to submit orders attacking another member(s) after the accord had been dissolved without the other member(s) of the accord being able to resubmit orders for that turn.

8. If a member commits an act of aggression against a nation or game entity that has a joint defense alliance with another member of the Silk Road Accord, the second member may come to the aid of his ally. The second member may commit acts of aggression against the first member without violating the Silk Road Accord.

8.b. In this case, all acts of aggression by either of these members against the other must take place in the allied non-member nation's territory or in territory not owned by any member of the Silk Road Accord. Any acts of aggression taking place in territory owned by a member of the Silk Road Accord, inclusive of the conflicting members, shall be considered an act of aggression under the Silk Road Accord per article 4.

9. National schisms are not considered to have committed an act of aggression against the Silk Road Accord. Any member who attacks another member at the request of another religious entity (primacy or religious order) or for a religious reason is still considered to have committed an act of aggression per article 4.

9.a. If such a situation or possibility of such a situation arises, then an automatic Vote of Confidence is required.

9.b. If members become involved in such a situation due to other treaties, agreements or responsibilities within the game, then Article 8 shall be considered binding upon any acts of aggression committed by any member.

10. Any new article may be proposed and must receive an affirmative vote by all members within one week's time to be added to the Silk Road Accord. Any proposed article that is in conflict with any current article is automatically disqualified from being voted on unless it is also directly modifying said article to prevent the conflict.

11. Members are the players of the nations and game entities mentioned in article 1.

11.a. If a member experiences a DF or civil war, only the faction being played by the original player is considered a member of the Silk Road Accord. The other factions are automatically considered to have committed an act of aggression against the entire Silk Road Accord and to have attacked the original player for the purposes of this accord.

12. Any region of a member that revolts or is lost to some other event may not be contacted diplomatically, conquered or influenced without the original owner's permission for ten years (2 turns) after the loss of the region. Then only if the original owner has taken no action to reclaim the region. Notification to the other member(s) of the accord is sufficient action. However, after ten years from the turn the region was loss this notification must have a definite time at which point the region will be re-integrated to the original position which may not exceed 25 years (5 turns) from the turn the region was lost.

13. If the player of a member state is replaced with a new player because the old player quits, an automatic Vote of Confidence is taken. If the new player does not vote for upholding the Silk Road Accord, they are in violation of the accord and are considered to have made an act of aggression against the entire accord.

Signed this day, the Nineteenth of June, 41, by:

The Kingdom of Persia, Mithras King of Persia
The Kingdom of Mesopotamia, Raziel, King of Mesopotamia
 

THE KINGDOM OF MESOPOTAMIA - Judaism

Queen Sanam, Regent

Diplomacy: Carhae (t); Ahvaz (revolts), Abadan (revolts), Kuwait (revolts)

Lord Kameel, who had popped up in Carhae in year 42, began negotiations with the local rulers. But religious differences limited the regions willingness to any more than providing tribute.

Back at home, King Raziel signed the Silk Road Accords (SEE PERSIA) andordered a massive military buildup, in case the Kingdom of Carchemish wished to make good on its previous threats of war. But no attack from that front came. After a brief stay with his wife (but alas, no children), the King and his aide, Kazeem, moved the army to Carhae on high alert for any incursions into the Kingdom. They were surprised to learn that a large army was entering Mesopotamia from the steppes of Circis. They immediately began the quick march back to the homeland. As they knew the local roads, they were able to arrive shortly after the attackers had engaged the small defending force of some infantry and field forts. King Raziel looked upon the huge army, bearing the pennants of both The Kingdoms of Rhodes and Punt. Kazeem noted that while both Kingdom's had representation, the majority of the force appeared to be mercenary. They talked no more and entered the battle in earnest.

The Mesopotamian army numbered well over 4000 infantry, and closer to 6000 cavalry, including the elite mounts of the King's own guard. This was in addition to significant fortifications placed in the region, with just under 1000 men within. The combined armies had almost three times the infantry and only slightly more cavalry, as well as around 1000 engineers. King Raziel readied himself for a difficult fight. The battle began in in April of year 44. The fighting was fierce. While the attackers outnumbered the defenders, the Mesopotamians were fighting for their homes. Towards the end of April, King Raziel was struck in the chest with an arrow. He was rescued from the field by his elite horse guard, though they suffered great casualties in retrieving him.

As the weeks dragged on, Kazeem, who had taken over the Mesopotamian forces, was forced to give ground. His infantry had been severely chewed up by the attacking cavalry, and his horsemen were exhausted. It seemed that the mercenaries were better trained than the defenders. And as May rolled on, more losses were taken. On May 17th, word arrived that the King had died of his wounds. As Kazeem wiped blood and tears from his eyes, a messenger brought word that the coast was being raided by Punt warships. Abadan had been struck. Kazeem contemplated his options. For he knew his men would not be able to fight much more. Many of his losses were not truly casualties, but merely men who had broken or were separated. If he could only rally them. The remaining army was on the verge of a rout. He ordered a withdrawal into the capital, but when word of the King's death and the raids was passed through the troops, it became a disorganized retreat. It was all Kazeem could do to prevent an all out rout.

In Jakal, it took him three months to successfully rally the remaining Mesopotamian army. In that time, he received more news from the homeland. It seems that the attackers were looting the region. A brief local uprising was squelched, and the region of Mesopotamia was decimated. Further messages arrived that Kuwait had also been raided by the maurauding Punt ships, but had successfully held them off. He later learned that they returned and took slaves from the region. There was nothing he could do as he was hemmed in by the invaders.

In August of year 44, the city of Jakal was surrounded. As there were no walls surrounding it, Kazeem knew it would be another difficult hand to hand fight. But this would spell the end for the mobile Mesopotamian army. For they and Kazeem were exterminated to the last man. The city was sacked by the invaders. They moved on to Hahmar. As they left, the Punt forces put the city to the torch, burning it to the ground. The region of Hahmar was taken as well, as the meager defenses were not able to hold them. The region was looted, as well.

Since the death of King Raziel, the surrounding regions of the nation had been reeling under the series of shocks dealt to it. For not only had their nation been invaded and their King murdered, but there was no heir to the throne. Raziel's only child was a young girl, only 11 at the time of his death. But Queen Sanam was resourceful. She had slipped out of Jakal with her daughter  while the battle raged, and had travelled North to Mosul. There she set up the Mesopotamian court and acted as regent for her daughter. There was great distress over this, for not only was the nation in shambles, but the nation now depended on the whims of a young girl for their future. But it was the iron will of Queen Sanam that kept the nation together during these tough times. She was kept abreast of the sacking and burning of Jakal. With the loss of much of the government structure, she knew that even she could not hold the Kingdom together. With the loss of the government beaurocracy, the Eastern regions revolted. The university had been burned in Jakal, as well.

The forces of Punt and Rhodes continued by taking, sacking and burning the city of Hafar, then moved on to take the now independent region of Abadan. The Queen Regent heard that in June of year 45, Punt forces had slipped into the undefended port of Basra and taken it, cutting off trade with the Kingdom of Indus. Messengers reported that they could see the smoke arising from the city from miles away. Basra was no more.

In the aftermath of the invasion, the regions of Hahmar and Mesopotamia threw off the yoke of the puppet governments set up by Punt and returned to the Kingdom's control. The university was destroyed when Jakal was torched. The future looked bleak for the Kingdom of Mesopotamia and her young Queen.
 

THE MONARCHY OF PATZINAK - Asiatic Pagan

King Alexander Onishchanko

Diplomacy: Torki (ea), Polovotsky (nt), Crimea (t); Suzdal (hs), Muscovy (hs), Tver (hs), Kalinin (hs), Kostrama (hs), Murom (hs).

King Alexander was gravely concerned over the state of his nation. While the local shamans had had some success in Taman, the European Pagan majority continued to resist his efforts to gain control of the region. The King again ordered the Patzinak priests to put every effort into converting the Taman people. And this they did. Their success was so great, that a large majority now followed the Asiatic customs.

Perhaps if King Alexander had known how how often he would barely miss coming in contact with the Warrior Clans of Cuman he would have done things differently. But luckily for him, the two armies never met. For financially, the Kingdom needed more gold and slaves. More even than Taman could provide. So the King and one of his generals gathered his cavalry, almost 6000 men, about 2/3 light troops, and set off to the North.

They first travelled through Morum, where there were some tense moments, but when the local army realized that the Patzinak troops were passing through, they left them alone. But in Suzdel, the army began a series of raids on local villages. Perhaps the Morum people had given them away, perhaps not. But for whatever reason, Alexander found little to grab. In fact, in a small pitched battle, he lost about 400 of his men. He proceeded on to Muscovy, and here he was much more successful, as a surprising amount of gold was gathered. So much so that many of the Muscovites left for surrounding regions to avoid the wrath of Patzinak in the future. Alexander missed the arrival of the Cuman Horde by about a year or so. On to Tver, where the people were much poorer, and the raids yielded much less. Moving further North, the Patzinak army again gained significant amounts in raiding the Druidic region of Kalinin. But word of the Patzinak raiders preceeded them into Kostrama. For here a large local force surprised the King and his army, while riding through a dense wood. The attackers ran amongst the horses, slashing at humans and equines indiscriminantly. In the end, the King was able to fend them off, but not before losing around 1000 of his cavalry. Alexander quickly exited the region.

Now the King turned his attention to slaves. Returning to Suzdal, the King now gathered all the available local he could. Next he moved into Murom, where again slaves were taken. Finally, he returned to Patzinak. All told, he had gained several thousand slaves, large amounts of gold, but had lost 1000 light cavalry and 400 cavalry.

During this time, the King had also sent Prince Nicholas to Torki negotiate with the locals. In this endeavor, he was significantly successful, gaining economic concessions from the region. Another diplomat was sent to Polovotsky and Crimea. There, the Patzinak representative learned that the nomadic tribes that roamed the grasslands were currently in Levedia fighting with the Cuman Horde. The more settled rulers of the regions were happy to grant some level of control over their regions to Alexander Onishchenko. Upon returning to their usual stomping grounds, the nomadic tribes realized that Patzinak would now control the open plains. They dispersed to surrounding regions.
 

THE KINGDOM OF CARCHEMISH - African Pagan

King Mathison

Diplomacy: none

With tensions high between Carchemish and Mesopotamia, King Mathison focused on defense. Unfortunately, the city of Kadesh was still vulnerable as it was still in the process of being expanded. Lord Goliath maintained an active vigil in Aleppo for any invading forces. The heir, Prince Matrik, was also in Aleppo overseeing the construction of the defenses. Thankfully, these efforts were not needed, as all the fighting seemed to take place in the South and East of Carchemish.

King Mathison ruled over the nation, and witnessed a population boom in the palace. For his wife had a girl in year 41, another in year 43, a son in year 44 and twin girls in year 45. The Queen could not be reached for comment, but was rumored to good naturedly suggest that King Mathison journey to Cyprus for a few years (with the children!).
 

THE ISLAND KINGDOM OF RHODES - Oracle of Delphi

King Agis

Diplomacy: none; Thinis (aw)

Queen Calis knew her son, Agis would assume the throne in year 42, but there was still so much to do. For one thing, the Kingdom of Mesopotamia had to be dealt with. A plan was conceived with the Kingdom of Punt where both a land and a sea attack would be engaged. Once again, Rhodes held out large amounts of gold to encourage the dregs of society to journey to Atlantis to seek hire under the Rhodian banner. But when news reached the Atlantis court that Prince Garallen of the Indus Royal Family was available, the Queen penned a letter of invitation:

Fair Prince Garallen,

We have heard in Far Off Atlantis of the cruel usurper Nahen. We know now that you have been unjustly exiled, and what is a Prince without a principality. In this we have a common cause. Our neighbor, The Kingdom of Mesopotamia, has been expanding on out Eastern borders and is threatening the coastal cities of our trading partners. And once before, a Mesopotamian army penetrated into our lands before we drove it off. And yet they also expand with cruel tyranny in the East, where the people who follow the same Gods as you are under their control. We believe we can defeat their armies, but do not wish an unfriendly void where they once were. So we ask you to join our mighty army and that of our ally, Punt, and to aid us in first defeating these montheists and then taking the lands around the head of the Persian Gulf as your own Kingdom.

The letter was delivered to Garallen, who had been in Kadesh at the time. He immediately travelled to Atlantis, where after a brief negotiation was hired along with over 6000 infanty, less than 1000 of which were light, and over 4500 cavalry, half light, plus a few transports. Then the massive sealift began under the command of Prince Phillipedees, the Seer of Delphi who is at the Atlantis court at the command of the Oracle, and Garallen. Prince Phillipedees was overheard commenting to the Seer, "It seems that I am forever hiring mercenaries and organising their transfer across the sea."

They made landfall in Levant in July of year 41. After unloading, Garallen, the Seer and about 4000 of the mercenary infantry and over 1500 of the mercenary cavalry, Phillipedees returned to Atlantis for the remaining mercs and the 600 national infantry and 400 national siege engineer that would participate in the invasion. While he was returning to Atlantis, Garallen grew concerned about the locals. For the combined army simply landed and held a portion of the beach. There were often loud and angry displays by the local villagers of Levant, but no armed conflict erupted.

In June of year 42, the full Rhodian army was assembled in Levant, and the Seer took the ships to journey South to attack Thinis (see below). But the people of Levant felt that such a large force on their beaches could only mean one thing. Invasion. So the Levant militia rallied almost 1500 men and fell upon the Rhodian force. As might be expected, it was over quite quickly. All 1500 Levant fighters were killed, while only 200 mercenary infantry were lost. Unfortunately, half the siege engineers were killed, as well. But the army was able to finally move into the abandoned region of Jordan in August of year 42.

The Punt army was waiting for them. Prince Phillipedees was put in charge of the combined forces and led the army into the desert of Bostra. For 3 months the Pirates of Rhodes walked across the burning sands. Often they would see mounted men on the horizon, but never did they directly encounter them. The men did not complain less as the sands of the deserts turned to the vast plains of the steppes of Circis. After another 3 months, Phillipedees was able to lead the combined Punt/Rhodes army into Mesopotamia.

Initially, the region appeared to be almost undefended. There were a scattering of fortifications, and only a token army. But then the entire host of the Mesopotamian army came from the Northwest. And the battle was joined (SEE MESOPOTAMIA). But as the weeks rolled on, the toll on the Rhodian army grew. Prince Phillipedees grew concerned at the Rhodian losses.

"But your Highness," argued Prince Garallen, "the losses to the enemy are far greater. Surely we will win if we push forward."

Realizing that Garallen was a hired killer and had no King to answer to, while Phillipedees would have to explain everything to young King Agis if his men broke and ran, he replied, "We will stay in the field a bit longer, but when we are reduced to less than half of our fighting strength, we will withdraw."

As the number of dead and injured Rhodians increased, the Prince realized that he would not be able to continue, even if Garallen's words were true.  He ordered the Rhodian forces to pull back and disengaged the enemy. But within hours of this order, word arrived that the Mesopotamian forces were in full retreat to the city of Jakal, and the region was theirs. It took a month to rally the Rhodian forces. In the end, 200 national infantry had been lost, while the mercs had lost about 1/4 of their number.

There was some initial discussion of what to do with the region of Mesopotamia. Phillipedees wished to make it a pacified tributary, and eventually give it to the mercenaries, while Punt wished to make it pacified, using mercenaries to garrison it. When Phillipedees noted that the mercs would certainly not hold the region for Punt, it was settled that it would become pacified tributary for Punt. Both generals agreed that the next step would be to loot the region. But while the national Mesopotamian army was trying to pull itself together in the city, every man, woman and child resisted the allied efforts to loot their homes. A battle ensued, but the attacker had over 15,000 hardened fighting men, while the defenders rallied a mere 3400. It was over quickly, with no survivors. Phillipedees will always be haunted by the sight of mercenary soldiers in the employ of Rhodes slashing with their swords at young children brandishing farm implements. Rhodes lost a mere 200 merc infantry, although the last of the Rhodian engineers were lost as well.

The battle for Jakal was less awe inspiring. It was butchery. The defenders, including their general were wiped out. The city was sacked and burned. Many of the scribes and minor officials of the Kingdom died during the attack and subsequent destruction of the city. Innumerable books and scrolls were lost as the national university was set alight.

When the attackers marched into Hahmar, the resistence was only minimal. The region was taken with only several hundred mercenary casualties. No hand was raised against the invaders as the country side was looted. Hafar was undefended and fell easily, again being sacked and burned to the ground. When the region of Abadan was taken, there were a scattering of mercenary casualties. At the end of the campaign, an offer to take control of the conquered lands was made to Prince Garallen, but looking at the smoking ruins of Jakal and Basra, and the damage done to Mesopotamia and Hahmar, he decided against becoming King of Nothing, and kept on with his mercenary life. In fact, being so far from home, Prince Philipedees considered the mercenary life himself. Yet his ties to Rhodes were too strong (barely). Arcan, on the otherhand, left the King's service and moved to Indus.

Meanwhile, back in Atlantis, the new King had been married and in year 42, the first year of his marriage and of his reign, he had a son. He named his brother, Agamemnon, as heir. The Seer had also taken the warships involved in transporting the Rhodian forces to Levant and attacked the region of Thinis.

The Seer was not the most accomplished Captain, and things went badly early in the campaign. Due to errors on his part, one of the Rhodian heavy warships became stuck on a sandbar and was sunk early in the course of the fighting, when Thinis militia boarded it and set it afire. Two other ships were put out of commission for the remainder of the battle due to archers from the land firing flaming arrows into the sails. While the Seer made an attempt to engage the enemy on the shore, his first foray succeeded in driving back some light cavalry, but after pressing the defenses, he lost his nerve, and retired his forces back to Atlantis. It was lucky for him that the news from Mesopotamia was good, as he escaped the wrath of the young King.
 

THE KINGDOM OF TROY - Oracle of Delphi

King Hector

Diplomacy: Zealand (nt, then revolts)

King Hector swore with false anger. For to travel across the city of Troy required a horse or a carriage. The city had certainly continued to grow with the increasd trade revenue coming in. The King ruled his nation from the capital. He assigned Prince Prometheus to help him run the nation, but Hector quickly realized that he was not very strong with numbers. The King, a patient man, had to dedicate more man hours making sure that Prometheus did not make errors than the added assistance gained him. But the King was able to father a daughter and a son in years 44 and 45, respectively.

Prince Ajax was sent to the frozen North to continue negotiations with the Zealanders. The King had worked out a relationship with the Albans to share control of the Island region. Ajax was able to secure a non-paying tributary relationship. But as had happened before, the local people felt that Troy was just too far away to have the best interests of the island at heart. They again threw off the yoke of Trojan control. Only this time, Prince Ajax was caught up in the moment, and renounced his allegiance to Troy, as well. It is rumored that the once Royal Prince now sells his sword and his small fleet of light warships to the highest bidder in the distant North.
 

THE KINGDOM OF GREECE - Oracle of Delphi

Queen Delphinia Zecharias

Diplomacy: Bulgaria (ea)

With the death of her husband, Delphinia has devoted herself to ruling the nation and preparing for what she believes to be a darkening future. She is often seen in the Church of the Oracle in Athens, praying for guidance and the safe return of her brother, Prince Robert. When he finally does return safely from Dobruja, she decides that since she has no children and no husband, Robert will be made heir to the throne. Prince Sampson, while only 15, has also taken an interest in the welfare of the nation and has started to be seen regularly with Delphinia, learning the intricacies of the Greek court.

Upon his return, Robert had a brief reunion with his wife. While she became pregnant, she suffered a miscarriage in the second half of year 42. The Queen, meanwhile, oversaw the completion of a port city in Thessaly, Thessolinka, on the Aegean Sea. She also sent Lord Odius to Bulgaria with explicit instructions to "Stay away from the local nobles wives and for Oracle's sake don't start another war like my beloved but foolish Uncle Peter." He was successful at negotiating an economic alliance from Bulgaria. But on his way home, he was caught in a landslide in the mountains of Macedonia, and presumed dead.

Lord Nathanial patrolled the Ionian Sea, looking for pirates. None were found and Greek goods continued to make their way to distant ports. The one exception was to the Roman Catholic Church, where Greek advances fell on deaf ears at the vatican.
 

THE ORACLES OF DELPHI - Oracle of Delphi

Oracle Atlante of Rhodes

Diplomacy: Bithnia (ca)

The headache was back again. Pouring over the passages and scrolls for this long always gave her a headache.

"WHERE IS IT? WHAT IS THE ANSWER?," Atlante swept the scrolls to the floor in anger.

A knocking came to the door.  "Oracle, you have a visitor. Shall I send them away?"

"Who is it?," she asked in disgust.

"It is a courier from the Druids with a message that he says is important," the servant answered through the door.

"Send him in. Don't let him wait all day," said the Oracle.

The messenger was ushered into the Oracle's presence. "Oracle, I bring you an important message from the Reverend Mother. She says that you must see it immediately."

"Really?," Atlante was surprised. She had never known the Druids to be in a rush. Like a tree, their plans grew slow but strong. But as she opened and read the scroll, for the first time in weeks a smile broke across her face. Almost absentmindedly she picked up one piece of parchment that she had just thrown to the floor. "And with the power of nature, the people shall stem the tide of darkness." This had to be it.

For the horde from Cuman is what had occupied the Oracle's thoughts for so many days and nights. And now it seems that a solution would be reached. She sighed with relief and ordered her bags packed. She was making the trip across the Aegean Sea to Bithnia where she spent a number of years ensuring that a cathedral was raised.

Atlante sent gold to Rhodes. She also received news that the network of missionaries that she had sent to Constantinople had tremendous success. The region was now mostly OD.

Seer Xander Pollus was left with the dubious honor of defending the region of Thrace with the OD army. Thankfully, there was no attack on his position. Seer Hilde (who always seemed to be sent to far and distant lands) went South to Egypt, where she tried to sway the locals from the evil ways of Amen-Ra. Despite spending years preaching the words of the Oracle, she was unsuccessful.
 

THE KINGDOM OF UNITED LITHUANIA-UKRAINE (KULU) - Druids of the Olde Gods

King Nicholas II

Diplomacy: Rhzev (c), Novgorod (ne), Veposkava (fa)

King Nicholas II was seen little around the palace for most of year 41. But he was very visible subsequently as he ruled the realm. He and his wife had a daughter in year 44. He ordered Prince Geoffrey to remain in Novgorod and negotiate with the locals. Geoffrey was unsuccessful at getting further concessions from the region. Prince Boris went to Rhzev, where he was able to lay claim to the region in the name of KULU. Dominic managed to get Veposkava to agree to a feudal commitment to the Kingdom.

The Kingdom was otherwise peaceful. There was some concern over the movement of the Cuman Horde, but the entire nation breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Tribes converted to DOG. Of course Druidic or Pagan, they were still a horde, but at least now they could be reasoned with... perhaps.
 

THE UNITED TRIBES OF THE FOREST KINGDOM (UTFK) - Druids of the Olde Gods

King Nikoli, Bearsticker

Diplomacy: Latvia (t)

King Nikoli, Bearsticker, had had his fill of war. A new joining of peoples and a spirit of cooperation has filled his vision. News has come that the restless tribes in the South will be joining the Druids. Surely the world will be a better place with such cooperation.

King Nikoli was a devout Druidic follower. He began an aggressive campaign to bring the Druidic religion to the periphery of his nation. He, Prince Kamal and the Druid Priest, Gimli travelled to Prussia, Meissen and Latvia, respectively to spread the word. In each region, they bring a small quantity of dirt from the Holy Grove in Himmelskstad to be mixed with the Earth of the region, showing that "from this earth does the Earth Mother give us life, and it is her life we share with you." In Prussia, well over 90% of the population were now Druidic. More than 50% of the Meissen population and the entire Latvian population (with the help of the Druids from Himmelskstad) now were DOG.

Prior to his trip to Prussia, the King ruled the nation. He ordered Trojan ships to unload in Himmelskstad instead of Lorian to shorten their route. In addition, the Queen gave birth to two children, a daughters in year 41 and a son in year 42. Agro was sent to the Druids in Himmelskstad.

But of all things that occurred, the most significant was the groundbreaking on a daring venture, the Great Library of the Druids (GLOD). The GLOD was commissioned in the city of Himmelskstad. The city was expanded to allow for the new library. Plans call for it to be open to all Druids and their allies. The hope is that it will serve as a center of learning like none other on Earth to help benefit all the peoples under sway of the true Gods. The building will not only house the collected works and scriptures of Holy origin, but also farming techniques, census records and weapon smithing. It shall aim to hold all knowledge for all time. (GM note: Library cards will be issued out of Lorian). The foundation for the building was situated high above the flood levels of the Dvina, and it will be made entirely of stone.
 

DRUIDS OF THE OLDE GODS  - Druids of the Olde Gods

Lilith, Gothrithar of the Druids, beloved of the Gods

Diplomacy: Livonia (ne)

The Primate of the DOG was often called Gothrithar, which means beloved of the Gods. This was to become the name to which all future heads of the religion would be called. Lilith had a very aggressive schedule. She began by spending a few months in Livonia trying to establish a monastery. But unfortunately, she was unable to gather the local druids to complete the task before other pressing issues took over her time. For she felt a dire need to travel to the war torn region of Denmark and sooth the souls of the local people.

Lilith had been horrified to hear of the destruction that took place in Denmark. She felt it was time to repair some of the damage. Now that hte rebellious rulers were all dead, she formally lifted the excommunication over them. She spoke to the people and the new nobles. She reminded them that it was because they turned from the Olde Gods that the armies of UTFK and Alba descended upon the lands of Denmark. And why Alban soldiers now patrol the region. She made promises of a great Danish city to be built and a canal that would bring trade to the region and of reparations to the people of Denmark. But while she spent significant time among the people, and eventually was able to convert a small proportion of them to DOG, many wished to see more than empty promises. The withdrawel of the Danish troops did much for Lilith's cause.

But if Lilith was busy, it is nothing compared to the Druid, Jora. She spent years travelling around the Med spreading the word of the Olde Gods. She travelled to Sardinia, where she gained some converts and to Languedoc, where again she had limited success. A young woman was sent by Avalon to study with the Druids, as well.

Aelfgifu of Durham had, without a doubt, the most success in gaining converts to DOG. For she was sent to France after the King of that nation sent encouraging messeges to Himmelskstad. The King of France converted to DOG, and the official national religion was also changed. Aelfgifu then travelled to the homeland of the Green Tribe and began conversion efforts there. She failed to make any significant headway, and then headed back across the Baltic Sea to the region of Tver. Again she was unsuccessful, but upon learning that the Cuman Horde was just South of her, in Muscovy, she bravely went among them to convert them to DOG. This was easier than expected, as a goodly proportion of the nomadic people were already DOG worshipers.

A number of learned men from UTFK and Alba travelled to Himmelskstad to see the new library being built by the UTFK. Many of these wise men passed on knowledge to the Druids. While Alba sent people as well, they did not really add anything of substance to the Druidic knowledge base.
 

THE WARRIOR CLANS OF CUMAN - Druids of the Olde Gods

Clan Chief Agram

Diplomacy: Levidia Horde Block (ne), Moscovy Horde Block (a)

The Warrior Clans were on the march! First heading South, Agram thought to increase his numbers by demonstrating his might against the steppe people (he also hoped to gain some cavalry to round out his own forces). While the people of Levidia were DOG followers, they still traded with and fought beside their old allies in Polovotsy and Crimea. When the Warrior Clans were spread out before the plains of Levidia, Agram saw the combined might of the opposing side. He grew concerned. For while his warriors numbered around 15,000, and could count less than 12,000 on the other side, his people were afoot, while they were mounted. He warily approached the other chieftain. Things did not go well in the initial parlay. For the Levidian Chief wished Agram to join his people and follow his lead. The Chief was extremely popular among his people, and when the initial ritual negotiations failed to come to a resolution, both Chieftains returned to their people.

"What will happen now, father?", asked Agram II, heir of the Warrior Clans.

"They will likely try to convince us tonight to join them", was the response.

"How will they do that?", asked the son.

"They will attack," replied Agram.

When the sun had finally set, the Levidians did indeed attack, as Agram predicted. In the dark, in the steppes, his men were severely handicapped. The battle raged for weeks, with battles being fought at all hours of the day or night. It was all that Agram could do to keep his men alive to fight another day. It seemed that while his bravest warriors were slaughtered, the Levidians (and those riders from Polovotsky and Crimea) remained unscathed. When the two Chiefs met again, there was grudging respect in the Levidian Chief's eyes. Agram's men had taken great losses, but had never broken. His light infantry, even his elite troops were cut by more than half. His regular infantry by two thirds. He could scarcely believe the devastation. When the Levidian Chief offered to allow Agram and the Warrior Clans to leave without further fighting, Agram grudgingly accepted.

Disheartened, Agram led his people to the North, to the region of Muscovy. Here there was a smaller horde made up only of the tribes of Muscovy. Realizing that the remains of the Clans still outnumbered the Muscovy tribes, he entered into negotiations. This time, he was more successful, and the Muscovy chief agreed to ally with the Cuman horde. It seems that the Muscovites had been heavily raided several years prior by horsemen from the South, and the people saw the Cuman horde as their saviors.

In the end, the Cuman horde was significantly smaller, yet the fight in Levidia gave significant experience to a number of the younger men. It was a harsh lesson, indeed.

In the quiet times by the campfire in the year 45, Agram spent many hours talking with the Muscovy Chief. They discussed the truly significant issues of the day, the meaning of the stars, why in the winter, hares were white, while in summer they were brown, etc. Over time, Agram learned a great deal about the Druids of the Olde Gods. For not only were the people of Muscovy DOG worshippers, but almost a third of Agram's own people followed the Druids. At the Muscovy Chief's urging, messages were sent to Himmelskstad, and a representative of the Druids met the Cumen horde in Muscovy. Agram converted to the DOG religion. With the Druidic faith so firmly entrenched in the horde, it was an easy transition for the rest of Agram's people. There was great celebration in year 44 when Agram II had a daughter.
 

THE KINGDOM OF THE SVEAR - Oracle of Delphi

Queen Runa of Giantstock

Diplomacy: Constantinople (f)

Despite the majority of the population of the Svear being in the North, there was significant attention paid to the Southern holdings of the nation. First, aggressive attempts at converting the region of Constantinople were highly successful, as OD became the predominant religion in the region. Second, Prince Halfdan and Olaf were finally able to convince the region to become friendly to the Svear. And third, Sven Longbeard sailed down with a number of the Svear people and organized them into a moderate sized trading village. This village, called Rognvald (after the heir of the Svear), soon became a thriving small city, as it was strategically located on both the Aegean Sea and the Mare Negri. The nation was dealt a major blow when both Halfdan and Olaf were killed in a boating accident off the coast of Constantinople in year 43.

At home, Queen Runa ruled the nation. Prince Rognvald was married to a local woman, and in year 43 she gave birth to a daughter. Unfortunately the heir's wife passed away during the delivery. The daughter survived.

Svear goods started being shipped to Avalon. Local OD priests have begun emphasizing the Nomad as the great evil, with a noted lack of emphasis on the Barbarian.
 

THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE - Druids of the Olde Gods

King Chlodocech

Diplomacy: Orleans (revolts, then p)

Much activity occurred in the Kingdom of France. The King wed a local woman of Paris. She gave birth to a daughter in year 41, but passed away from complications related to the delivery. While this would normally have been the subject of conversation among the nobles and commoners alike, a more noteworthy series of events took place that will surely affect the future of France. For King Chlodocech had been courted by Rome for a number of years. He had delayed making any commitment to the Catholics, but had finally relented in accepting council with one of Rome's cardinals. But soon after making these arrangements, Druidic envoys began arriving. Chlodocech learned much about the Druidic religion. Cardinal Richelue arrived at the end of May, Year 41. But on a midnight in June of year 41, the King secretly converted to the Druidic religion. He gave orders that not only did he plan not to meet with the Roman cardinal, but that the cardinal was to be escorted out of the nation. Word leaked out, and the cardinal took flight from Paris.

Soon after, Chlodocech annouced the news of his conversion, and his plans the make Druidism the national religion. There was an intense national reaction. There were massive conversions among the French people to the new religion. People flocked to the French cities, as both Gent and Paris grew. Of course in Brittany where the the majority of population already were Druidic, a holiday was declared. Most of Northern Gaul now followed DOG. There was one standout, the region of Orleans. For these people had a deep seated pagan streak in them, and they refused to bow to Chlodocech's whims. The region threw off the yoke of French tyranny. But the King felt that a French yoke fit the Oreans people just fine, so he ordered his general to take almost 2500 troops and pacify the region. Even with most of the French troops being cavalry, they simply wiped out the Orlean militia. It was truly over before it began, with every one of the outnumbered rebels who raised a sword or pitchfork laying dead on the battlefield. The French general died in year 44, but the presence of the French troops kept the region in line.

Another prince came of age in the Kingdom and took a position in the Parisian court. In what has become Druidic fashion, large amounts were spent on the national university.
 

THE KINGDOM OF LORRAINE - European Pagan

King Harold

Diplomacy: Champagne (nt), Hainaut (t)

It was a time of both great joy and sadness in the Kingdom of Lorraine. For while the Queen gave birth to a son in year 42 and twins, a boy and a girl, in year 43 and another daughter in year 44, Harold's 15 year old son died in year 42. The King ruled his nation, often seen in the company of Lord Rolf. Harold ordered a royal road to be built between the capital of Drusenh and the port city of Graanderen to facilitate commerce between the two. Drusenh had a population surge with the greater access the road provided.

Diplomats were sent out to Hainaut and Champagne. Lord William was able to arrange for Hainaut to send tribute to Drusehn, while Prince Alfred made strides in Champagne. There was growing concern that Lorraine remained one of the only (actually the only) nation in mainland Europe that held to the pagan beliefs, all others following RC or DOG. King Harold suspected that pressure would be put on him to forego his beliefs in favor of one of these other faiths. But for now Lorraine remained a holdout.
 

THE KINGDOM OF BAVARIA  - Roman Catholic

King Franz

Diplomacy: Carinthia (t)

There was a population surge in Munich, the capital of Bavaria. And in the royal palace, King Franz ruled over his nation. The Queen had a miscarriage in year 41, but gave birth to a daughter in year 42. She became pregnant the following year, but began having apoplexy and died during a seizure. The King remarried, and his new wife gave him a son in year 44.

Franz ordered the local Catholic priests to put intensive efforts into bringing the word of God to the Moravian pagans. They were extremely successful, as only a handful of the people of Moravia now follow the old ways, the rest having taken the sacrement. Franz had expected some aid from Rome, but Bavaria being so isolated from the center of Catholicism did not receive anything.

Both Prince Freidrich and Lord Klaus were sent to Carinthia, where they arranged a tribute to be sent to Munich. Freidrich died of fever in year 44. Franz named Gustav II as heir to the throne. Gustav and his brother took positions in court. Despite this help, Franz was forced to hire many more beauracrates to help run the nation.
 

KINGDOM OF ALBA - Druids of the Olde Gods

King Malcolm

Diplomacy: Denmark (changed to pt), Zealand (un), Shetlands (nt), Highlands (t)

King Malcolm

With the Danish rebellion settled, King Malcolm wished to get things back to normal in the Kingdom of Alba. But rarely is normalcy an adjective that is applied to the running of a nation. For while King Malcolm ruled from Scone, he received word that the Northern reaches of the Kingdom were lossing their harvests to swarms of locusts. Almost 1/4 of the crop was destroyed. Luckily, the nation had extra to spare. The King was also crestfallen when his wife had a miscarriage in year 42. But the King named his son as heir upon his 15th birthday, and there was much celebration throughout the Kingdom. The King received a number of visitors from the court of King Nikoli of UTFK. These men shared some of the UTFK farming techniques with the Albans.

In an act perceived to bring an end to the conflict with Denmark, Malcolm removed the Alban troops from the region of Denmark and gave them some autonomy. Of course, when the troops pulled out, he left men completely faithful to Scone in charge. Lilith the Reverend Mother of the Druids converted some of the Danes to DOG. Prince Kyle had been sent to the Shetlands and the Highlands for diplomatic talks. The agreed to reestablish ties to the nation, and the Highland began sending tribute. But in Zealand, there was trouble. The Zealanders were listened to Angus for about a year, then promptly disavowed any ties with Alba. Malcolm later learned that they had thrown off the Trojan's claims to the island as well. After his time in Zealand, Angus went to meet with Kyle in the Highlands, but he was washed overboard in the Viking Bank.
 

THE KINGDOM OF AVALON - Druids of the Olde Gods

King Mordred

Diplomacy: Gwynned (given as p by Durham, then revolts, then nt), Lyon (c, then revolts)

Bells rang out in every town and village in Avalon. For Prince Lancelot of Avalon was wed to Queen Fiona of Durham (not to be confused with Queen Fiona of Avalon), marking the second marriage between the two nations. As part of the ceremony, King Mordred offered a chest of gold as a bride price. In exchange, he recieved the region of Gwynned as a dowry. But soon after Lancelot left for Lindisfarne, the King received word that the Western region did not accept the transfer of power. As the King had not thought to position troops there, he realized that he had two options. Either send Prince Broon with the army in to suppress the rebellion, or to use a more diplomatic approach. He decided to do the later, and ordered Prince Hargus and Lord Brinn to the region after Hargus returned from the South.

The King, meanwhile, ruled over his nation. Queen Fiona (of Avalon) gave birth to a second set of twins in year 41, and promptly told the King that at age 42 there would be no more of that. Both girls did very well. But in year 42, Queen Fiona took ill. She died in August of that year. The King remarried a much younger woman (for reasons of state, of course), and proceeded to sire two more daughters in years 44 and 45. During this busy time, the King received word that the coastal area of Portugal was becoming extremely populated. In fact, a village by the name of Lisbon had grown into a sizable port, rivaling Oakham. The King promptly sent a tax collector to assess the possibilities. While the King considered opening trade with the Svear, his merchants reported that they did not feel comfortable making that journey, although Svear ships began arriving in Oakham.

In Iberia, there was much occurring. Lord Kord had been sent to the region of Leon. But after two years of trying to convert the people to the Druidic religion, he passed away. He had made no headway. On his heels came Prince Hargus to negotiate a possible treaty with Avalon. While there was initially some interest, after Hargus had left, several of the local leaders realized that they had no idea where Avalon was. It seems that King Mordred's reach did not extend over the mountains into Leon.

Returning to the big island, Hargus met up with Lord Brinn, and the two made their way to Gwynned. There they discovered that the people of the region had felt a strong connection with the Kingdom of Durham, and felt betrayed by their King's willingness to give away the land that they called home. After long discussions, the two Avalon leaders were able to win their trust and the region willingly became a non-paying tributary of Avalon. Upon the conclusion of the talks, Hargus became ill. His eventual death in December of 45 was mourned in both Avalon and Durham (and his wife, Princess Flora of Durham moved to Lisbon to avoid the court scene). Prince Rupert was given responsibilities in court and Princess Cruela was sent to study with the Druids.
 

THE KINGDOM OF DURHAM  - Druids of the Olde Gods

Queen Fiona

Diplomacy: Gwynned (given as p to Avalon), Lindisfarne (revolts)

While the marriage of Princess Flora of Durham to Prince Hargus of Avalon was a celebrated event, the nuptuals of Queen Fiona and Prince Lancelot of Avalon were beyond compare. The Avalonian prince was warmly received as consort to the Queen. But there was a core group within the capital of Lindisfarne who did not support the increasingly close relationship between Durham and Avalon. These were mainly local merchants that plied their trade out of the capital. But this did not become obvious until a later date.

While the marriage of the Queen was quite joyous, two events marred an otherwise beautiful union. The first was the ceding of Gwynned to Avalon. For the Kingdom of Durham had gone to great pains in the past to fully incorporate the region into the Kingdom, and by giving the region away, many felt that the crown had gone back on its word. So strong were these feelings, that populace of Gywnned rose up and declared independence from either nation. Prince Ceorl, who had been in charge of the smooth transfer of the region to Avalon, took his own life in year 45 at the age of 20, feeling that he failed the crown. The second event that took place was the untimely death of Prince Walther several months after the wedding in a boating accident. The young prince was merely 14 years old.

But none of these problems kept the Royal Couple from their happiness. While Queen Fiona attended to affairs of state in Lindisfarne, she became pregnant in years 42 and 44, giving birth to healthy boys both times. In addition, she oversaw the city of Lindisfarne double in size, although the walls that surrounded the city previously were not maintained. Several opinions later expressed the feeling that the rapid rise of Lindisfarne brought in so much gold to the merchants that they felt emboldened to act, but more on this later.

Queen Fiona felt obligated to spread the word of the Druids. She began in the ever present thorn in the Kingdom's side, Lothian. She ordered Earl Theobalt Harland to continue his efforts to convert the locals. He was extremely successful, as almost 1/3 of the population now were Druidic. Earl Robert Guilford was unable to have any effect in Trondheim, where he too preached the Druidic DOGma.

But in year 45, things came to a head in the capital city of Lindisfarne. As previously mentioned a large portion of the merchant class did not approve of the mixing of the Royal Families of Lindisfarne and London. These merchants were those who tended to do the most business in international trade with France. For there was fierce competition between Avalon and Durham for French goods and exports to that nation, and Durham traders felt that such close connection between the Royals would lead to significant concessions to Avalon in matters of French trade. One such merchant was particularly vocal in his opposition. His name was Berwyn, who coincidently happened to come from Gwynned. He had become quite wealthy and influential in the city. In time, his verbal protests led to action. There were violent uprisings in the streets of Lindisfarne. The national army was mainly housed outside of the city, and in a well planned coup, Berwyn was able to seize control of the city, isolating the city from the rest of Durham. The Queen and her family were able to slip out in the confusion, but Earl Robert, returning from Scandinavia, barely managed to get his ships to the safe harbor of Oakham without having them confiscated. At the current time, Lindisfarne is an independent city and all sea trade routes to Durham are cut off.
 

THE GREEN TRIBE - European Pagan

King Shaunassey

Diplomacy: none

The Green Tribe did very little, in fact, nothing.
 

THE KINGDOM OF CATALONIA - Roman Catholic

King Dropan

Diplomacy: none

King Dropan sent for Thomas, his general. He ordered Thomas to lead a contingent of Catalonian troops across into Granada in an attempt to gain control of the capital city of Ipo. Thomas quickly marshalled almost 1000 cavalry, half light and over 2000 infantry. He took along 800 engineers as well, and marched through Valencia. But upon entering into Granada, he was shocked to see a huge army marching his way. Realizing that he was vastly outnumbered, he began to pull back, but the Granadan cavalry quickly cut off his escape. There was nothing to do but turn and fight. Thomas, generally considered an excellent tactician quickly planned his strategy (SEE GRANADA).

Dropan was not pleased when he heard that Thomas limped back to Valencia having lost almost half his force. But there was nothing to be done about it. He had hardly expected the Granadans to be out in force. Now only time would tell if a counter attack would be forthcoming. As months went past, and there were no reprisals, tensions eased in Barce-Lona. The King's wife had a miscarriage in year 42, and died during a pregnancy in year 43. The King ruled the nation through his mourning. Trade was opened with Lombardy.

Prince Dropie, the heir, had been sent to Aragon to preach the Gospel. He was somewhat successful prior to his death in year 43. Dropie's daughter left to live with family after her father's passing. Meanwhile Prince Alphonse had taken a huge navy and blockaded the port of Ipo. While he waited for the assault that never came, he effectively interupted all trade out of the city.
 

THE KINGDOM OF GRANADA - Druids of the Olde Gods

King Phillip

Diplomacy: Old Castile (p), Asturias (p), Sardinia (hs)

King Phillip was an angry King. Moreover, he was an angry King with a large army at his disposal. How dare those petty Northern Iberian regions spurn Granadan diplomatic advances?!? Well, they will not be able to say no to cold, hard steel. He sent messages to Prince Alasayo, naming him heir and recalling him home to Ipo to run the government. Meanwhile, after a few months of leasure with the Queen (who later in year 41 had a son), he gathered together the Granadan army and began moving North. Almost 4000 cavalry with just under 2000 infantry and 1000 engineers were on the move, under the banner of the Granadan King. He had turned his army to the East to gain access to the mountain passes that led to Murcia, when scouts reported several thousand armed troops entering Granada from the East. They flew the banners of Catalonia. Phillip quickly sent a contingent of cavalry to cut off their escape, and when he had forced them to turn, he unleashed his fury on the Catalonian forces. The Granadans not only outnumbered the Catalonians, but while their infantry were not as well trained, the Granadan horse were a true force to be reckoned with. And as most of the Granadan army was mounted, it did not go well for the Catalonians. They were forced to retreat back to Valencia, and Phillip was please to have lost only 400 light infantry in the skirmish, while doing untold damage to the enemy.

But Phillip's bloodlust was not yet satisfied. Picking up more troops as he passed through Murcia and New Castile, the army entered Old Castile by going through the mountains. Here the Granadans had a froce of over 5000 cavalry, over 2000 infantry and their engineers. The Old Castilians had 2000 men, half mounted with a few fortifications. The defenders were crushed, with Granada losing a mere 200 light infantry. Phillip left a garrison in the region and moved on to the North over the mountains. Upon entering Asturias, he again found similar resistance. And again the result was the same. Granadans had minimal losses and the region was subjugated. Phillip turned for home.

Back at home, things were not going so smoothly for Prince Alasayo. Upon arriving home, he found Ipo in quite an uproar. For not only had word of the invading army gotten to the city, but a huge Catalonian fleet sat outside the Ipo harbor cutting off all trade and access to the city from the water. But as they made no effort to enter the city, Alasayo did not take any action against them. Trade from the city was interupted, but life went on. The prince ruled in the city, and it was only his incredible skill that allowed the Kingdom to maintain its hold on the Northern conquests.

Meanwhile, Empron having made good on his escape from Asturias, travelled to Sardinia. There he tried to convert the locals to DOG. In this endeavor, he was completely unsuccessful. He then tried to convince them to join the Kingdom. After his less than subtle attempts at forcing the Druidic religion down their throats, the Sardinians took Empron and hanged him from the nearest tree.
 

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH - Roman Catholic

Pope J. Scipio

Diplomacy: Calabria (ab)

Pope J. Scipio spent significant time arranging to have the local priests of Catalonia send tithe to Rome. He was happy to see Catalonian gold filling the Vatican coffers. He was less pleased to hear of Cardinal Richelue's experiences in France.

The Cardinal travelled to Paris to meet with the King of France. He was shocked to learn that not only had the King decided to convert to the Northern Druidic religion, but that Richelue was to be escorted from the Kingdom. The Cardinal was able to adeptly avoid his captors... er, escorts, and flee the city. As a representative of the true faith of God, he refused to be removed from France under guard, and he proceeded to seek shelter with any who would provide it as he moved from town to town through Orleans and Lyonnais. It was only upon gaining the relative safety of Provence and the Kingdom of Lombardy that he could travel openly. He returned to Rome to learn of the fighting in Iberia. There seemed to be growing conflict between the Catholics and the Druids.

Cardinal K. Scipio certainly had less excitement, but was no less busy. After initially travelling to Liguria to convert the last vestiges of African Paganism to RC, he journeyed to Calabria and dedicated an abbey to the Savior. Exhausted, but thoroughly successful, he returned to Rome.

Back in Rome, there were tremendous numbers of people dedicated to serving the Church that were left idle. The Pope realized that these unemployed masses could eventually threaten the Churches income if they continued to depend on the charity of the Vatican for their sustanance. The Pope also sent funds to Morocco with the following note attached:

Sorry, the Holy See's accountant was recently sacked. He over estimated what would be available to you if you needed the funds. We apologize...

Pope J. Scipio, Cardinal of Rome

Further, the Pope had hoped to send other resources to the distant Kingdom of Bavaria, but, in truth, the Holy See had almost no contact with the Kingdom. In fact, the Pope often wondered if they still gave mass in Latin in Bavaria...
 

THE DUCHY OF LOMBARDY - Roman Catholic

King Otto

Diplomacy: Verona (ne), Liguria (ea)

King Otto spent considerable time with the Queen, but no children were to be had. Perhaps it was due to Otto's attention being focussed elsewhere. He was concerned about reports of locusts affecting the local crops. But in the end the effect was minimal and a great surplus was still obtained. The King ruled over his nation.

He had Prince Gunther remain in Liguria and secure economic ties with the region. He also had Prince Erik spread the Gospel in Verona while Ademar talked with the locals. Erik was able to get a number of converts, but Ademar could not convince the Verona nobility to increase their support of Lombardy.
 

 THE SULTANATE OF MORROCO - Roman Catholic

Sultan Ghalib

Diplomacy: Bir-El-Kazaim (neutral)

Bashaar sent gold for the liberation of his trusted servant, Abdullah. In addition to the gold, he sent a shipment of grain.

"Why the grain? The gold would certainly be enough to gain Abdullah's release," asked Prince Ghalib.

"For us, grain is nothing. Our farmers produce more than we need. But for the people of the desert, this will be seen as a gift of riches beyond imagining. For it does us no good to have enemies within the desert. We wish to maintain our trade routes through the Sahara," answered the Sultan.

Ghalib nodded in understanding. It would be a lesson that he would remember when he ultimately became Sultan. And that story is the next to be told. For the gold and grain were sent to Bir-El-Kazaim, where Abdullah was being held prisoner, with the message, "Thank you for your hospitable safekeeping of my noble servant.". Abdullah was released and returned to his people, with the message of thanks to Sultan Bashaar and an end to hostilities between the desert people and Morroco.

But as Abdullah travelled back through Idjil, he saw many empty villages. Several had a black crosses painted across doorways. When finally he found someone to ask what had happened, the only response he received was... plague. He continued to the capital city of Tingis as fast as he could. But when he reached the capital, he could barely recognize the city. For vast portions of the city were bereft of life. Black crosses were painted across homes and businesses too numerous to count. When he arrived at the palace, he was escorted by a nervous page to into the presence of the Sultan. But Abdullah was surprised to see Ghalib, not Bashaar, in the rainmants of power.

"Your Highness... I mean, Your Majesty," spoke Abdullah bowing before Ghalib, "a million thanks for securing my release from the infernal desert. But what has happened here?"

"Rise, trusted friend," said the new Sultan, weary from many too many nights spent in anguish over his nations bad fortune, "Morroco has been struck by the hand of Death. It began when a local merchant ship arrived from Idjil bringing word of plague. Thousands upon thousands in the steppe had already succumbed by the time word arrived. Then we began having people fall ill in Tingis and Merrakesh. The city has lost about half its people. And then it spread amongst the country people of Morroco. Finally over the mountains into Zirid. So many lost souls. Even Cheliff was affected. Only Algeria was spared."

"Thank God for the people in Algiers," said Abdullah.

Ghalib looked at him sadly, "I thought perhaps you had known. But I suppose you could not. While the region was spared, the city was not. And God struck out at the people of Algiers with a terrible vengeance. What few survived took what belongings they could carry and left. The city is in ruins."

"My God...," said Abdullah, "the Sultan?"

"He succumbed two weeks ago, as did Prince Hamza and Prince Zaahir. I am all that is left of the Royal Family."

Tears rolled down Abdullah's face as he knealt before Sultan Ghalib, last of his line, and swore fealty. The Sultan picked him up, embraced him and smiled, "now we must rebuilt what has been lost. For God will surely give us aid."

Such aid arrived from Rome in the form of gold. No further signs of illness were seen in the nation.
 

THE ISLAND KINGDOM OF SICILY - Roman Catholic

King Axeres

Diplomacy: Apulia (f)

King Axeres watched wtih grave concern as word spread of plague moving across North Africa. Thankfully, no reports of disease were reported in Kabilya. Under Axeres watchful rule, the navy was expanded. The Queen gave birth to a son in year 43 after a miscarriage the prior year. She had another miscarriage in year 44. The King also arranged for trade to be established with Lombardy.

Bishop Gregory was sent to Apulia where he was able to convince the region to fully join Sicily. The Sicilians were shocked to hear of the treatment afforded to Cardinal Richelue in France, and wary of the fighting in Iberia. The navy was put on alert.
 

THE KINGDOM OF PUNT - Oracle of Delphi

King Lashik

Diplomacy: Petra (ne), Adulis (ne); Mesopotamia (pt, then revolts), Hahmar (pt, then revolts), Abadan (pt)

With old age beginning to take its toll, and his beloved wife dead, Lashik begins to prepare for an end to his time in this body.  Under his guidance, his beloved Punt has expanded and prospered, bringing to fruit the seed planted by the mighty Ischmik.  But there reamins one more task to complete.  One more threat to extinguish before the future of Punt is assured:  Mesopotamia.

He decides that the Daughters old ally, Mesopotamia, must be eliminated.  Their power-mad king obviously has no concept of peace or fair border, ignoring all diplomatic treatise offered by the oracle coalition, and refusing all further discourse.  It becomes increasingly clear that only the conquest of the entire middle-east will satisfy Raziel, and that cannot be allowed to happen.  Punt will not become another Jordan, waiting like a lamb for the Mesopotamian butchers to come again.

In fact, thoughts of Mesopotamia begin to invade Lashik's dreams. Not replacing the Ever Watching Eye, but merely in addition. The King's erratic behavior continues. He now orders the Punt forces to travel to the distant land of Mesopotamia to fight. The call goes out across Africa for all hired swords to come to the East. For mercenaries care not if the King is mad, but only if the gold is pure and the steel is sharp. And in this endeavor, both are.

From Chethosk, Prince Nashish is able to hire almost 2000 merc infantry and close to 1500 merc cavalry, as well as 200 engineers. These troops and his own 400 Punt infantry move East through Sinai. The army is watched closely by the desert people. They never come too close, but are always there. Nashish was quite relieved to cross into the region of Petra. Here they were met more warmly, as King Lashik had sent word that he was personally going to come to open talks with the regional leaders. As a gesture of good faith, he had sent his daughter, Malae, as a bride for the local Sheik. Malae warmly greeted Nashish, her brother, and the army was allowed passage to Jordan. They were joined by almost 3000 additional mercenaries hired in Sabae by King Lashik, and transported by Prince Mishamamish. They all arrived in Jordan in April of year 42 and awaited their Rhodian allies. In October of year 42, the combined armies entered Bostra desert. It took several months to pass through, and while they feared attack at any time, none came. Next the combined army moved through the steppes of Circis. Again their course was tracked by mounted men, but never were they attacked. It seems that the size of the army was too great. But again it took another 3 months to traverse the steppes. The Rhodian and Punt soldiers, used to a life at sea, complained bitterly crossing the desert, and only less so in the steppe. But finally they began their descent into the Kingdom of Mesopotamia (SEE MESOPOTAMIA).

It looked too easy. There were only minimal defenses. Then from the Northwest came the amassed Mesopotamian army. For weeks on end the battle raged, but in the end despite the weakness of the Rhodian general, Punt won the day. For the Mesopotamians were pushed back into their capital, and the region was theirs. All 400 national infantry survived, but the mercenary force lost 1/4 of their strength. When they began looting the region, a small group of locals took up arms, but they were easily crushed, although 200 mercenary infantry and 200 mercenary siege troops died in the uprising.

Per Lashik's orders, the region was to be maintained as pacified to Punt. When Prince Phillipedees of Rhodes pointed out that there were simply not enough Punt troops to do the job, Nashish thought of using the mercenaries. Phillipedees mentioned that they did not have any ties to Punt and could certainly not be trusted to hold the region for King Lashik. In the end, the region was made pacified tributary to Punt and looted.

With the looting complete, the city was next to fall. The last of the Mesopotamian army was destroyed. The city was sacked, and Prince Nashish was the first to set a torch to thatch to burn the city to the ground. The army then marched into Hahmar and easily took the region, followed by the city of Hafar. It was put to the torch and destroyed. Finally, the combined army descended on Abadan. The region had already declared independence from Mesopotamia, but that independence was short-lived. In the end, Punt did not have the reach to maintain the control over Mesopotamia and Hahmar, and these region returned to Mesopotamian control, although the damage had been done.

In other national news, the King did travel to Petra, but despite the marriage to his daughter, his erratic behavior did not yield any ties with the region. Lord Davish had similar results in Adulis.

Prince Mishamamish, who had dropped mercs off at Petra for the land assault, then travelled around Arabia and began a campaign of looting and slave raiding along the coast of the Persian Gulf. He took almost everything of value from the region of Abadan, and many of the locals packed up and left their homes to avoid future attacks. He was mainly successful, but did lose a few ships in Kuwait. He returned home and loaded up ships with heavy infantry. Then he returned and sailed into the harbor at Basra. Surprisingly, he met no resistance. The city was undefended. He quickly sacked and burned the city and returned home. On the return trip, he suffered fever, and in year 45 he passed away. After the funeral, King Lashik was overheard muttering,  "They got Misha; the Eye got Misha." He was led out of public view.
 

THE KINGDOM OF IFE - African Pagan

King Mubasu, Lord of the Niger

Diplomacy: none

King Mubasu yearned for trade with the rumored lucrative nations of the Med. To this end, he ordered his trusted advisor, Malagar, to load up some troops, a number of willing Ife colonists and strike out to the Northern reaches of the known waters. Malagar did as commanded, and with a number of armed men and many commoners left the Kingdom proper. They sailed up the coast of West Africa until they came to an uninhabited series of islands, The Canaries. Once arriving, Malagar began organizing the colonists into a small township. Before long, local Ife merchants were regularly supplying the new port city, now known as Outreach. And it opened the door to innumerable trading possibilities. For now, Ife could reach as far as Athens to the East. It was even rumored that more rich nations existed North of the Bay of Biscay.

Back at home, King Mubasu ruled over his nation. He began penning letters of introduction to be sent to potential new trading partners. His wife had a miscarriage in year 42, but otherwise, time passed relatively uneventfully in the Kingdom. That was until year 45. For in that year, two things happened. First was that the Queen gave birth to another set of twins. This time a boy and a girl. The other event was less fortunate. For reports began filtering in that the Oyo harvest had been wiped out by locusts. Over the next few weeks, the entire Ife region, as well as Yorobu and Togo were plagued by locusts. Luckily, the nation had significant excess grain production, and Mubasu was able to enjoy his new children.
 

THE MADREGAIST CHURCH - Madregaist

Primate Tuhara

Diplomacy: Patgao (ch), Shawngara (ch), Garouol (ch), Dogamba (ch), Segu (ch)

Tuhara went among the people of Timbuktu. As he moved through his flock, he began to understand their lives as he never had as a Minister of the Kingdom of Timbuktu. He prayed with the rich and the poor alike. He listened to their stories and heard of their joys and woes. And by doing so, the people of Timbuktu came to see Tuhara more as the heart of the religion of Madregaism. When King Lasaka died while travelling in Segu, it was Tuhara, himself, that performed the burial rights, and spoke vehemently in support of the new Regent and the young King-to-be. It was actions such as these that helped win the hearts of the people of Timbuktu.

Tuhara then travelled throughout the Kingdom building churches left and right. His marked success can only be attributed to his manner of dealing with people. It is often said that to spend an hour with Tuhara was more restful than a full night's sleep, more filling than a King's feast and more satisfying than a draught of the coldest beer in Patgao. Such was the ability of the Primate of the Madregaist Church.
 

THE KINGDOM OF TIMBUKTU (previously Kingdom of Mali-Wagadu) - Madregaist

Tendrah, Regent of the Kingdom of Timbuktu

Diplomacy: Segu (improved to neutral), Garou (fa)

A peasant woman obviously following her family's cart entered the city of Cambuctu carrying a large pack on her back. The city had almost doubled in size recently, and the walls had not been rebuilt. It was not uncommon for common folk to make up the majority of those travelling in and out of the city. Some came to sell goods, some to stay. But this woman planned to do neither. Once getting past the unsuspecting guards, she distanced herself from the crude yokels winding their way to the city's market, now looking more like a lone city denizen going about her business. After taking many turns and twists along the familiar thoroughfares of Cambuctu, she came to the docks. She now no longer resembled a peasant, but rather a commoner, as one would typically see in the capital city of Timbuktu. Although this commoner wore a sword and had the appearance of one who knew its use. In one of the less reputable sections of town, she entered her destination, the Inn of the Wounded Lion. She took a seat in a dark corner with her back to the wall, ordered a drink of ale and waited.

Two hours later (exactly on time the woman noted), a pair of men entered the Inn. Obviously out of place, the two squinted as their eyes adjusted to the dim light. Seeing the woman, they made their way to the table. She motioned for them to sit.

"It is dangerous for me to be in the city," she said.

"Of course. We hope that this will make it worth your while, Your Ma...," began the taller man.

"Shhh! No names. No titles. Slide the gold over," the woman counted the gold, and satisfied with the sum asked, "So what does my husband, King Lasaka, want of me?"

"But we do not represent...," stammered the short man.

"Oh please, you both reek of the palace, and you forget, Tendrah, I am aware of the disguises used by Lasaka's Chief Spy," she said addressing the first man.

"Fine, we wish for you to perform a small job for us...," the men began explaining an absurd plan involving a tribal leader from the Agades Oasis.

"Enough! This is foolhearty. If the King thinks that even this paltry sum would be enough for me to trust him, then he is crazier than I recall. Tell Lasaka that I would sooner die than serve him or the Kingdom again," said the woman, rising from the table, "and I'll keep the gold to cover my risks in even coming to this accursed city."

As she left the two men behind, the Spy Master of Timbuktu said to his stouter companion, "She would rather die than serve the King. It seems that she will get her wish." The other man slipped out of the Inn, following the mercenary queen.

As she walked quickly to the edge of the city, she became somewhat suspicious. Mali-Wagadu had little contact with the Tribesmen of the Sahara for more than a decade when she herself had walked among them. "This "plan" was obviously a ruse," she thought, "But to what end? To lure her to the city!"

She increased her pace, slowing only to buy a meat pie in the open market. Unseen by the man following her, she drastically overpaid the man, who was one of her agents in the city. As she left the merchant's stall, she whispered, "See that this gold is sent to the men in the usual fashion." Then she was off.

As she rounded a corner, she collided with two drunks reeling in the street. Immediately, her arms were grabbed, she received a blow to the head and she was shoved into an alleyway. As she lost her balance, she felt the bag of gold on her belt being cut from her tunic. She leapt to her feet, but the two drunks, obviously faking had disappeared into the crowd. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs. It was then that she noticed a shadow in the alley. As it came closer, she recognized who it was.

"You? I am surprised. I would have thought...," began the mercenary woman. But she got no farther, as the man in the shadows plunged a dagger into her abdomen, a painful but mortal blow. Kalimansa was left to die in the streets of the city over which she was once Queen.

The shadowed man addressed the short man from the inn who had just entered the alley, "Make sure no one disturbs her." And life went on in the Cambuctu (except for the mercenary woman).

Meanwhile, at the Royal Palace, things were quite active. The King was informed that the body of his estranged wife was found dumped into river. He nodded when he heard the news then promptly left for Segu. The King was daring to go back to the region. For it was not yet forgotten in Segu that the last time Timbuktu visited, it was with an army at their back. But the King went with good intentions, and they agreed to listen to his offer. But in year 43, the King became ill during negotiations. At one point, he developed such abdominal pain that he had to leave the talks briefly. Over the course of a week, he progressively worsened. He died in November. The region sent word to Cambuktu that the King's body would be returned to the capital, and the declared war between Segu and Timbuktu was at an end. They indicated that they would be receptive to future visits, as well.

The death of the King presented a grave danger to the small nation. For Lasaka had not named an heir. In fact, his son was only 11 at the time of his death. There were rumors that Hakeem Olajuwon, the King's advisor who was across the river in Garou negotiating with the locals would attempt to seize the throne. But he remained loyal to the Haru family. For several days, there was panic in the capital, as there did not appear to be anyone running the nation. But as time passed, it became clear that orders were being given and carried out. The Palace Guard was seen riding through the city streets and obvious military presence was been felt in all the cities of the nation. This kept the nation intact. After a week since word of King Lasaka Haru's death reached Cambuktu, it was announced that a man who had often been seen in the presence of the King and was noted to be a "close advisor" would act as regent until the King's son could accept the crown. The man's name was Tendrah. As the military appeared to follow this man's orders, and the young King-to-be was obviously being groomed to take over, things settled down in the Kingdom.

Hakeem Olajuwon sent word that the region of Garou would kneel before the Haru family and swear fealty. His task was made significantly easier by the plethora of missionaries that were sent into the region. In fact, by the time they were done, the entire populace followed Madregaism.