Lords of the Earth

The Rise of the Classical World

255-251 B.C.                                                                                             Turn 2

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Turn Cost- $5.00

        If you reach a point of owing $10 without speaking to me about arranging a payment I will be holding your turn until you speak to me about it and arrange payment.  This will not matter until next turn, but I do not want to be a bad guy so please at least speak to me. Thanks.

Rule Book:

        We will be using 5.10.0 for the base rules of the game.

Heirs:

        Although it was not common there were some female leaders of nations. But this was very rare as most men of the time would have trouble following the directions of a woman no matter how strong or talented.  So I will not disallow the use of women as heirs, BUT know that there is a chance your nation will not take kindly to one of the gentler sex leading a nation.

AUTO-RULE:

        Auto-rule is on for now. I am not sure how long I will keep it on. It will be removed on Turn 10.

Megalithic Constructions:

        To build any Megalithic Construct you must have a Tech level that is at least 2 levels higher then what you are trying to do.

        Example: The Kiel Canal from Skaggerack to the North Sea is a level 1 Megalithic Construction. So Denmark, who just reached Tech 3, can now build it. This is only the base cost. Any multipliers for region or something else are not counted in the Tech level requirement.

        *Note: The Grand Canal of China is not really there. I will be removing it from the map. When the nations in China reach Tech 5 they can replace it.

Cultivation:

        For any region to be made cultivated you must be at least Tech 4. For those regions that are capable of being C2 you must have a Tech level of 6+. Cultivation is a level 1 Megalithic Construction which is modified by the regional cost.

        Example:  Macedonia, a Tech 4 nation, decides to cultivate their lands. Since Macedonia is a Wilderness region and they are Civilized they have to do a level 1 construction with a multiplier of 1.5 for a civilized nation operating in a wilderness area. This costs 38 NFP (25 * 1.5 = 37.5 and you Round up to 38) and 75 GP (50 * 1.5 = 75).

Feudal Leaders and Allied Leaders:

        Feudal leaders only receive a Combat stat. You may call them up to defend your nation or fight for you, but they are not willing to do anything other then assure the mutual defense and well-fare of your combined areas. Allied leaders receive all the stats and can do pretty much any action. If you assign them to Diplomacy the action will be for your nation but they will not be able to get the region about Allied level.

Troop Conversions

                Infantry (500 men = 1 point), Cavalry (500 men = 1 point), Siege Engineers (500 men = 1 point), Warships (2                ships = 1 point), Transports (2 ships = 1 point).

North Asia Mercs:  Merc Leader:

Qin Empire

 ZIchu, Prince of the Qin

Diplomacy:

        The Qin continued to invade the Chu. They were most displeased when the Qi and Yan chose to intervene, but overall they were happy with their success in the wars.

Wei Empire (Needs a Player)

Tien Wang, King of the Wei

Diplomacy: None

        The Wei looked at the war that seemed to range the breadth and width of China and shook their heads sadly. They built defensive forces and declared that they were neutral in the affair. Wang ordered a reactionary defense to beat back any who would invade his lands and gave 7,000 heavy cavalry and 10,000 regular cavalry to his son to do that while he stayed in the capital with his infantry and engineers to guard his home.

The Kingdom of Yan

Phan Wei, Lord of the Yan

Diplomacy:

        Wei stayed home and ruled his nation. While he was doing that he spent a lot of time with his wife which led to a son being born in 255 BC, a daughter in both 254 and 253 BC and a son in 251 BC. Unfortunately the mother did not live through the last bout of pregnancy and although the child survived, the mother did not.

Qi Empire

Nguyen Nam, Qi Emperor

Diplomacy:

        Nam remained home and ruled his nation as his armies went off to war. Inside his realm all was fairly peaceful, but rumors from outside were most troubling.

The War of Unification

255 BC:

        This year was mostly spent in preparations. Various shady deals went on throughout China. The Wei declared their neutrality and set up field forts through out their lands. The rest of their army went on a reactionary defense based out of Shansi in order to hold onto what they had. The Qin king began diplomatic talks with the people of Anhui that ran through all of 255 BC and into 254 BC while one of the nobles brought troops from the Qin lands so that the king would have an army. Forces from Yan began marching south to meet up with the armies of Qi. Unfortunately, they forgot how slow the siege engineers were, and even with Phan Duc chastising them and pushing them, the Yan forces moved more slowly then they had hoped to move.

        In June of 255 BC, 4,000 light cavalry from the Qi invaded the Wei held region of Shentung. There they found an extensive fort network. Han Phan, the Qi leader, was more then a little surprised by this turn of events. He had given up his heavy infantry and received the light infantry and had been led to believe that the Wei would not be anywhere near here. But he was loyal to the Qi Empire and began to launch his assault against the obviously overwhelming forces. Luckily for the Qi, no leader was actually in the region at the time and a local magistrate took up the defenses of the realm, but he was in no way equal to Phan in military matters. But then again Phan was trying to use light cavalry to take forts which was not ideal for him either.  Phan immediately set about taking the first of the forts. He launched a sneak assault in the night and used flame to try and burn the fort out. And though his tactics were near perfect and the battle was well fought by the Qi they soon realized that even such a perfect victory was not able to do more then damage one of the forts.  In July of 255 BC it became obvious that he could not take the region with the few light infantry that he had. In the brief fight the magistrate had died, but the forts still held firm and he had lost men that he ha lost a large portion of his forces. So he crossed the border back to Qi lands. The Wei forces in Shansi were still mobilizing by the time he had reached the safety of Honan.  In total he had lost over half of his cavalry on the attack destroyed only one of the forts, and that was with a very impressive showing on the part of the Qi.

        In Tangchou the forces under Prime Minister Lu Buwei moved quickly into Anhui leaving light infantry to garrison the regions and the city that they had taken in place of the siege engineers which had held it before. Then turning he marched into Hupei once more arriving just at the beginning of 254 BC.

254 BC:    

In Hupei-

        In May of 254 BC the last of the forces under Prime Minister Lu Buwei reentered the province of Hupei from Anhui. Emperor Chun was surprised to note that the forces of the Qin seemed to be the same that had been soundly defeated two years before. With the exception of some new siege units it appeared that the Qin had not bothered to strengthen their forces.  Chun once more placed the armies of the Chu Empire under the command of his trusted advisor Lord Lu Kang who had also be given many troops of his own already. Lord Kang took his troops and marched to the front to once more confront the armies of the Qin. Beside him rode the Emperor, since he fully intended to aid in running the battle. Kang immediately began by sending his personal units to reinforce many of the most strategic forts that ensured that the Chu would hold the region. The Qin began by striking at several of these forts at the same time. It was then that Emperor Chun first found out of the treachery of Lord Kang. As the battle met Kang and his personal troops turned against their brethren. This was especially dangerous as all of the troops were under his command at the time. Emperor Chun immediately began working to insert his command over the armies of the Chu. In the end almost a forth of the Grand Army of the Chu turned against the Empire and joined the Qin forces. This meant that although the loss of the traitor, Kang, was a painful blow to the Chu, they were not out of the fight yet.

        In April, when both sides had sorted themselves out the Qin had 3,500 heavy cavalry, 10,000 regular cavalry, 3,500 light cavalry, 7,000 heavy infantry, 6,000 regular infantry and 3,000 light infantry under Prime Minster Lu Buwei. He was joined by Lord Kang who had 2,000 heavy cavalry, 4,000 regular cavalry, 500 light cavalry, 4,500 heavy infantry, and 8,000 regular infantry. Kang also managed to take 5 of the field forts before his treasons intent was noted. Opposing them was 6,000 heavy cavalry, 8,500 regular cavalry, 1,500 light cavalry, 5,500 heavy infantry, 7,000 regular infantry and 1500 engineers. The Chu retained control of their fortress and 20 forts spread through the region.

        The Qin held two of the best generals in all of China and were more advanced in the arts of war then their Chu enemies, plus the Chu were still reeling from Kang’s treason. But the Chu had a strong defensive line and troops that had faced the fields before and were ready to hold back their treasonous brethren and the vile Qin at all costs. Between April and June several small battles occurred before the Qin launched a full assault at a group of the forts. Although the Chu did their best to defend, they were forced back taking very heavy losses. The Qin regrouped and in July renewed the attack. At first it appeared to be a stalemate as both sides ground away at each others for the rest of the year before winter closed in and the Qin were forced to pull back from the assault. The Chu breathed a sigh of relief as their forces had been spread very thin over the intervening months.

 

In Kiangsu-

        In April of 254 BC, Zhiaoxiangwang, King of the Qin took his troops which were now comprised of 6,000 heavy elite infantry, 2,500 heavy elite cavalry, 5,000 light cavalry, 5,000 infantry, and 11,000 light inexperienced infantry. They marched into the region and quickly set about pacifying it.  By June he had finished putting down the sparse resistance and garrisoned the region with his light inexperienced infantry.  In August he turned the rest of his forces and began to march east towards Taiping. He arrived there in August as the winter struck and he was forced to stop his conquest.

In Qi Lands-

        The forces of the Yan arrived and joined with the Qi and began to march south towards Anhui.  Although the navies of both the Yan and Qi planned to join up they failed to do so. The Qi fleet stayed in the Huang Ho to block trade from the Qi capital and to sink any Qi ships they might find, not that they did but hey it was a good plan. The Yan fleet moved further south the to Yangtze to blockade Souchin but it had little effect since there were no Qin ships in the Yangtze to fight and the city could just get food and supplies by land. The land forces finished the year after just crossing the Huang Ho into Honan. They would reach Anhui late in July and begin the conquest of the region.

253 BC:

In Hupei- In April both sides once again launched their attacks. The Qin finally managed a small break through in the western portion of the region.  One of the allied leaders, Wein Tsun, managed to close the gap but lost his life in the process. This attack helped close the western reaches of the region as the Chu withdrew towards there fortress. In July a new break came in the east. This one was a larger break. Almost half of the forts that the Chu had counted on were destroyed as were many of their more experienced units, but the forces were still fairly evenly arrayed in force.  The Qin edge in tactics was beginning to show.  As the summer months rolled around once more the Chu’s defensive position continued to be whittled away by the Qin.

In Taiping-

        Zhiaoxiangwang immediately pacified Taiping and garrisoned it. By July he had completed and was marching towards Hupei. He arrived late in the season and moved into position to aid Prime Minister Lu Buwei finish of the last of the Chu Forts. He did not arrive in time to participate in the battle.

In Anhui-

        The Qi and Yan land forces moved into the region of Anhui by June. In July they began to pacify the region. They found that the Qin had built a line of field forts to garrison the region and that the city was walled with defenders. They spent the next few months burning out the field forts at some cost. By the time winter came they had settled the region and returned it to Chu control, but had not managed to start a siege of the city. 

252 BC:

In Hupei-

        In April of 252 BC the forces of King Zhiaoxiangwang were in position and helped lead the assault against the Chu. The extra force plus yet another amazing general was a sad blow to the Chu forces. By late May their center was crumbling and they were forced to give up more of the forts and withdraw deeper into the heart of the region. The Chu managed to hold the last ring of forts before they were pushed back into their Fortress until August when the vile Kang led a charge against the last of the important forts. His knowledge of it let him strike in the right place and the fort fell. The Chu fled back to their Fortress, pursued by the hated Qin cavalry. The year ended with everything outside of the Fortress in Hupei being held by the Qin.

In Anhui-

        The combined armies of the Qi and the Yan assaulted the city while the navy of the Yan blockaded it to stop anyone from escaping. The small number of Qin infantry who remained in the city were lightly armed and had never seen battle. For that matter they had never even really seen training. Though the city of Souchin still retained some of it’s walls, it quickly fell to the forces that assaulted it. So greatly did the combined armies overwhelm the city that they took it in only two days. They turned over both the region and city to the Chu, or what was left of them and then turned to march to Tangchou. Though refugees came flooding from the war torn lands of Hupei, the allied nations did not wish to go actually fight the Qin forces and so moved to Tangcho. They arrived in June and began to liberate the region from the Qin. This they succeeded in doing by the end of August at which time they were forced to camp for the winter.

        The Yan fleet moved after the fall of Souchin and sailed back to the Huang Ho to meet up with the Qi ships there.

       

251 BC:

In Hupei-

        The Chu forces braced for a final assault as the Qin lined up to assault the fortress. With the knowledge of Kang and the three brilliant generals against the badly battered and beaten Chu forces it was but a matter of time. The Chu held the Fortress through April, but in May the Qin managed to break through the main gate. Some of the Chu forces managed to flee across the river. The king and his advisors managed to escape, but the allied leader Yun Tseng was at the gate when it fell and died trying vainly to hold back the tide. Though it had been costly to the Qin they had driven the Chu out.  The Qin spent the next two months clearing out the last of the Chu and regrouping from the massive assault. What Chu forces existed had fled to Hwai.  The Fortress, although greatly weakened, was occupied by Qin forces.

In Tangchou-

        The Yan and Qi forces moved into the region of Funiu and set about pacifying it. By August the region was under Qi control who garrisoned it with some heavy infantry, although many muttered that if more were not added before the main armies moved on the region would likely revolt and killed the small number of men left to watch them. Both the Qi and Yan generals were surprised to note that no Qin forces came to stop them from taking their land. But hey, why look a gift horse in the mouth?

       

In Shensi-

        The Yan fleet which had sailed to Huang Ho contined along it till it reached Shensi. When they got there they proceeded to raid. The Qin leader, Meng Ao, was defending the region and when they arrived he moved to prevent the raid. He was successful in this and even managed to capture one of the Yan ships before the rest escaped his clever trap. Word arrived of invaders in Funio, but Ao decided to stay and continue defending the capital in case any others decided to attack or raid from the sea.

Tartars

Hwang

Diplomacy:

        Hwang ordered his lieutenant, Yuanti, to go and take more spoils for the glory of the Tartars. He even gave him some of his personal guard to see that it was done. He then returned to the tents to visit with the new concubines that Yuanti had brought him. Sadly, it seemed that although they were beautiful, they did not have the strength of the Tartar women. Between 255-254 BC, four different concubines died and no one was able to give him a child. In disgust he had the last of the foreign concubines removed forever from his sight and brought back the good old Tartar concubines. In 253 BC he managed to whelp three sons. In 252 BC he gained a son and another daughter. In 251 BC the Tartar women disappointed him by only providing a single daughter. But then again at least they lived through the experience.

        While Hwang went to the pleasure tents, Yuanti was left with the smelly men. Somehow, he saw this as exceedingly unfair, but in 255 BC he took his men out as soon as the paths were clear enough to allow him passage to Buryat.  He entered the region with 10,500 regular cavalry and 7,500 light cavalry. He was met by 6,500 cavalry of various types. In one of the greatest routes seen since the time of Alexander, Hwang swept the Buryat forces from the field and gave chase. The meager remnants of the forces so disappointed the Tartars in how poor a showing they did that they continued to chase them down until all were slain. That night the Tartar forces celebrated their surprisingly easy victory late into the night with many songs of the cowardice shown by the Buryat.

        A few months later, once the region of Buryat was safely garrisoned, Yuanti moved on towards the land of the Mongols. He had 10,500 regular cavalry still and 4,500 light cavalry. He was met by 11,500 cavalry of various strengths. For the first time the Tartars faced a number that was nearly equal theirs and whose might was known through out the region. Yuanti was confident when he saw the somewhat less ordered lines of the Mongol cavalry that he could prove victorious, and he had some reason to believe that as he was a better leader then the chieftain who led the Mongol forces, but the Mongols were famed warriors who knew the land around them as well as their right hand or trusty sword. And for once Yuanti’s confidence, however well deserved, got the better of him. With a simple flanking maneuver the Mongols turned his right side, comprised of half his light cavalry. Before he could react the Mongols had routed his forces and in a wild ride out of the Mongolian steppes a large number of the once undefeated Tartar cavalry was destroyed.  Yuanti camped his men in Buryat and tried to regroup as much of his forces as he could while waiting for word from Hwang on what he should do.

Kwanto Japan

Kwanto Dashai, Daimyo of the Kwanto

Diplomacy: Nigata (T)

        Dashai stayed for two years in Kwanto as the defenses of the realm continued to increase before journeying with his ally from Nigata back to his realm where he worked to get the region to more strongly ally with them. The region agreed that instead of just providing troops they would send tribute to the Daimyo and he would handle all of the protection.

        Kwanto Reju was left to handle the defenses of the realm once his Daimyo moved to speak to the people of Nagita. He then turned to Akita Morishi and ordered him to take the ships and sail to the southern regions of the Yamato provinces and raid them. Morishi first struck at the region of Kagoshima. The region’s Daimyo had already left to return and aid the Yamoto Yoshi in guarding the realm, so it looked liked Morishi would have an easy raid. But the peasants in the region were used to raiding bands and a local ronin gathered then and counter attacked the band at the fishing villiage of Mitsuaryu. The ronin had them sneak behind the raiders and attack the ships. When the raiders rushed back to save their boats they fell into a trap set by peasant archers. The resulting battle was fast as the raiders rushed to board their ships and escape the deadly trap. Morishi was upset at his loss in Kagoshima, and decided he must continue on and make up for his terrible loss of honor by loosing to a ronin and some peasants.  So he moved to Saga. This time although the regions Daimyo had left, there was still a garrison of samurai to watch over the lands. Morishi decided to try a early morning raid and strike just as the sun rose to bless his move. But once more his men were beat back. Apparently some local fishermen had seen their ships and the samurai in the region were ready for him. This loss meant that the last of his ships were destroyed. Morishi with a handful of his troops then had to take a small fishing boat from a village and quickly sail back north to safety. When he arrived in Kwanto he fell to his knees in front of Reju and begged that he be allowed to commit Seppuku for his horrible losses.

Yamato Japan

Yamato Yoshi, Daimyo of the Yamato

Diplomacy: Toyama (T), Shimane (A), Yamaguchi (T)

        Yoshi began the year of 255 BC by spending some time with his wife will his allies came to prepare for an invasion. Sadly, no child came from his time with his wife. Yoshi and several of his allies watched the boarder for invasion when word came from the south of two lightning raids in Kagoshima and Saga. The Kagoshima ally, who had been called to the north to defend against invasion, was angered that his region had been targeted and was only slightly mollified when he heard that his people had destroyed several of the invaders ships before they could escape and that they managed to take nothing of great value. When word came of a second attack in Saga which had also been beaten off Yoshi began to grow frustrated. The fact that the missive said that the entire enemy force had been destroyed did little to make him happier.  But since the raids ended after that and peace seemed to exist in the boarder area he was content.

        While Yoshi defended the north his trusted advisor, Yuchiro Bodi, went to Toyama and suggested that instead of having the men of the region constantly have to leave and risk themselves for the Yamato that they could just send support in the form of tribute. At first this seemed a little odd, but soon the people agreed (it was said the Daimyo’s wife had much to say over that happening). Two of the allied Daimyos also traveled to Shimane and Yamaguchi. Both regions saw the troubles that were happening on the island and knew that they needed help if they did not wish to be wiped out in the coming times and since the Kwanto had done so poorly in their attacks they decided to go with the Yamato. Shimane fully allied them with the Yamato and the Yamaguchi agreed to send tribute in order for protection without the constant calls to come fight.

South Asia Mercs:  Merc Leader:

Chu Empire

Chun Shenjun, Emperor of the South

Diplomacy:

        The Chu tried as hard as they could to hold out against the Qin. Allies did arrive to help, but did not come to actually save the Chu position from being overrun. Overall things looked dark for the Chu Empire.

Nan-Yue

Nguyen Tein, King of Nan-Yue

Diplomacy: Kwangsi (F)

        Tien continued to push for the growth of fishing ports in his nation. A small port in Lingnan was expanded to allow for the larger trade and fishing ships to come and go from other cities and the deep sea. Tien’s trusted advisor, Lay, was sent to the region of Kwangsi to speak to the lords there and see if they would be willing to pay tribute to the growing might of the Nan-Yue. This confused Lay some as the region was already fully allied with Nan-Yue, but he went and began talks with them in order to gain more fully the fruits of the region and with limited trouble he managed to get the region to fully ally with Nan-Yue. It seemed many of the people had heard of the vast wars going on to the north and feared that they would spill south to them so any added protection they could get was worth it to them.

Khemer

Tak Lai

Diplomacy: Cochin (FA), Phan Rang (EA)

        Lai began the year 255 BC by entering his new capital and ordering a count of all of his people. He took this responsibility onto himself and he took it very seriously. He spent the next few years carefully counting his people and double checking his math. When he was finished he had a very accurate account of all of his people, their ages, homes and other such useful information. Or at least he thought it was useful when it came time to collect the taxes.

        While Lai was at home doing that, his son Tak Tzung traveled to the region of Phan Rang and began talks with their local ally there. While he was there he saw the sister of his ally, a beautiful young woman named Linh-Mai. Tzung had been granted permission by Lai to marry should it aid in bringing the region more strongly into the nation so Tzung offered a marriage to Linh-Mai and in return many economic concessions were given Khemer. When he was done in Phan Rang, Tzung and his new wife returned to Angkor Wat and began to enjoy the married life.  This led to a son being born in 251 BC.

        Kosal, a young noble of Khemer that had come to impress Tak Lai, was sent to the region of Cochin. There he began talks with the people of the region. Although Khemer had gained some small claim to the region in the past, the people had seemed very hesitant to join with them. But with tidings of huge wars somewhere to the north the people seemed much more interested in what Kosal had to say. By the time he returned to Khemer he had gained promises of military aid should the lands in the area come under attack.

India & Central Asia Mercs:  Merc Leader:

Maurya

Ashoka, Emporer of Maurya

Diplomacy: Tarain (F), Sahis (NE),  Sukkur (EA),

        Ashoka and several of his advisors continued to travel through his realm. In Tarain he ensured that the resources were spent to cultivate the region. He also ordered the region of Erdosia cultivated so that the city could expand freely and allow trade from the west into his lands. In Tarain he also took a bride which helped bring the region more strongly under his control. In Sahis, a region that was not yet under his control, he failed to get them to accept the peaceful invitation into the Mauryan Empire. Although no one said it, Ashoka got the impression that the people of Sahis did not believe in his conversion from a warlord into a man of peace. So without gaining anything Ashoka left the region and moved onto the region of Sukkur where he arranged for new and more profitable exchanges with the region and its people. Back in Maghada, Bahagada who was heir to the Empire was working at having children and practicing at commanding the troops he would one day wield in order to protect the Empire. He was wildly successful at having children, although since there was no wars or raids going on no one knew if he was doing so well with the troops. In 255 BC his wife gave birth to a daughter. In 254 BC her belly swelled even larger and in November of that year she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. In the following two years she had a girl and then a boy. 

The Indian Alliance

Torugah, Lord of Pandya

Diplomacy: Vanchi (F), Uraiyor (F)

        Torugah went north to the city of Uraivor and began to try and gain the full favor of the city for the Alliance. To do this he married a local woman who was related to many of the wealthy leaders of the city. In sort order the city was entirely behind Torugah. Meanwhile, Torugah’s two most trusted advisors went to the city of Vanchi and worked to get the city to fully join with Pandya. This turned out to be a vast success as well and by 251 BC the entire nation was behind Pandya in their goals for the future. When this was done Torugah sent word to his advisors to travel to the island off the coast of Pandya. They arrived late in 251 BC and rested since they would not be able to do anything until the next year.

        Across the Indian Alliance people prospered. The regions of Chola and Chera both began to be cultivated for larger farms and many new farms were built in Pandya to help feed the nation.  With relations between the Alliance and Maurya seeming to be peaceful, many people were able to focus themselves on tasks other then defending themselves from outside menaces.

The Middle East Mercs:  Merc Leader:

Bactria

Sophacles

Diplomacy: None

        The lands of Bactria continued to amble slowly along. The king seemed strangely distant and because of that nothing much happened. Maybe he was afraid that if he actually did anything the Seleucid or the Mauryan Empire would crash into him as a reprisal? Oh well…another few years and peace reigned.  (No Turn)

Seleucid Kingdom

Antiochos II Theos

Diplomacy: None

        Antiochos once more took an active hand in ruling his Kingdom. He sent his advisor, Antigoni, to the city of Antioch to meet the Spears who had been sent to them and in order to colonize the city with more good Greeks in order to make it fully part of the nation. The colonization with smoothly and soon the Spear forces were given guides and sent further east to the distant lands of Persia. Luckily, the Spear forces were happy with the amount of gold that they received and so they did not complain to loudly about being sent halfway across the world. The rest of the Seleucid forces just kind of sat around and watched different portions of the Kingdom to ensure that no one came to raid or invade them. The region of Media was cultivated and the cities of Alexandrettos and Ctesphon both grew. Ctesphon rivaled mighty Carthage in size and prestige.

        While Antiochos stayed home guiding the nation he decided to involve himself with his family. This led to a son being born in 255 BC, a daughter in 254 BC, twin boys in 252 BC and a daughter in 251 BC. Sadly the last child was very hard on the mother and she died shortly after the child was born. The entire kingdom mourned her passing for a week as sacrifices were given to Hades to guide her safely into the afterlife. Antiochos was said to have gone from raging fury to tears and back again at the drop of the hat.

        Antiochos also planned to put money into the state churches, but at this there was a sudden wave of anti-clericalism throughout the Kingdom. Money that was supposed to go to the churches disappeared and all work in that direction was halted. Antiochos raged but could not find the money or a culprit. All work towards the church and religion ground to a halt other then what Antiochos directly oversaw and that was mainly just the sacrifices to Hades for his dearly departed wife.

Africa Mercs:  Merc Leader:  South African

Ptolemaic Kingdom

Ptolemy II

Diplomacy: Levant (NE)

        Ptolemy II continued to rule his nation. While doing that he decided it was time to remarry and he chose a young Hellenic noblewoman in Egypt to marry. Shortly after she grew pregnant in the year 254 BC, but she slipped while going to the baths and fail. In the resulting complications she and the child both died. After a suitable time morning Ptolemy married again and started to once more try and have a new kid. This time when his new wife became pregnant in 251 BC he had her watched carefully to see that she did not die. But it seemed like the very gods were against him. While giving birth to the young boy there were complications. The child tried to come out of the womb backwards. When they tried to turn him around in the womb, they badly hurt the mother. This caused her death and sadly the child died in the process as well.

        Ptolemy III was sent along the coast to the region of Levant to convince the Jews to be more closely aligned with the Ptolemaic Empire.  But the Jews in Levant seemed unwilling to listen to him and some even seemed like they might have become violent if Ptolemy had not been careful and adept at spreading words of peace and prosperity. In the end there was no change in the relationship between Levant and the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt.

        Crestus gathered up the Ptolemaic armies and the armies of their allies and marched towards the desert region of Hijaz. Ptolemy wanted the region and if they would not come through honeyed words he would bring them in with steel. Crestus led 15,000 infantry, 2,000 light infantry, 5,000 regular cavalry and 3,000 heavy cavalry to meet the 6,500 cavalry that met them at a small oasis.  In the first battle Crestus used the same tactic that Alexander had so often employed. He drew the enemy Cavalry out with the use of his infantry and then crushed them between the infantry wall and his larger number of cavalry. Within a few hours the enemy army had been scattered and what little survived the attack suffered heavily from the pursuing Ptolemaic Cavalry. With the region well in hand Crestus sent back word of his easy success and waited for further instructions from Ptolemy.

Meroe

Amunhotep, Pharaoh of Meroe

Diplomacy: Luxor (NE), Thebes (F)

        Amunhotep visited the people of the newly renamed region of Luxor. They listened politely as he spoke to them but for the most part seemed to not care to deeply about his words. As the years past the nobles of Luxor were unwilling to do more then politely nod and remain allies to Meroe. Imhotep, who traveled north from Alwa to reach Thebes, found the city much more willing to listen to his words. Thebes had grown greatly under the rule of Meroe. Plus the city was one of the best defended in the world and so the people felt secure. So when Imhotep offered them full citizenship of Meroe they jumped at it and fully backed Meroe in all things. Other then Thebes growing once more things were pretty quiet. Soba did see a lot of refurbishing to make it more suitable as the home of Pharaohs.

Carthage

Hamilcar Barca

Diplomacy: Sicily (A), Syracuse (NE), Baelerics (A), Malta (A),  Valencia (NE), Granada (A), Novo Carthage (A)

        Hamilcar ordered Hannibal to take care of the daily running of the state. Hannibal, although talented in the administering of the state, was a man of action and in the time away from running things he took a new bride. With his new wife he quickly began having kids. In 255 he had a daughter and by early in 254 a second daughter was born. Late in 254 his wife gave birth to a son a week short of the winter solstice. In 253 she gave birth to yet another daughter and in 252 she had her fourth daughter with Hannibal. Amazingly, no child came to them in 251 BC. Under Hannibal’s rule the city of Carthage grew once more. This led many who came to see it to call it the largest city in the world.

        While Hannibal was busy at home, Hamilcar married a young noble woman of Sicily which led to the region becoming more strongly allied with Carthage. He then tried to get the city of Syracuse to also agree to a strong alliance, but did not succeed in doing so. Through out the rest of the empire, Hamilcar’s trusted lieutenants traveled and met with a good deal of success. Where once the empire was comprised of various factions who joined together only for economic gain, Carthage was quickly gaining a stronger tie between it and it’s allies. 

Free Men of Tunis (Needs A Player)

Marcilar the Bold

Diplomacy:

        The Free Men began building troops and looking elsewhere for work. Since Carthage was at peace, it did not need their services and had not shown too much interest in getting them. Perhaps it was time to look for other means of employment.

West Africa Mercs: Merc Leader Cav Count: No Horses Yet

The Desert Raiders of Kanem Bornu (Needs a Player)

Yukunah, Lord of the Lake and Guardian of the Shifting Sands

Diplomacy:

        Yukunah built up his raiders. For too long the power of Kanem Bornu had been hidden away. Taking his troops he attacked the region of Daza so that he could control the path that led north through the great sands and then swung back around and rode eastward to Soro, which boardered  Lake Tchad with Kanem Bornu and conquered them. He declared himself the Lord of the Lake and Guardian of the Shifting Sands.

The Kingdom of Ife

Iyena, Chief of the Ife

Diplomacy:

        Iyena saw two new cities built in his realm. Two small villages grew to form the cities of Al-Karas in Ife and Al-Kaman in Yoruba. He was slightly vexed though at how much it cost him to make the small collection of huts into thriving cities though and so he decided that it was a good time to go raiding the neighbors and get some funds. Iyena had never really gone raiding before but he figured “Heck, how hard can it be?” So he took 5,000 armed men and ran across the border of Benin and had his men grab all the pigs, jewelry, and pots they could find before running quickly over the border while the men of Benin screamed in fury at their backs. Iyena, who had a great time on this expedition, immediately turned his men and ran into the lands of the Kwararafa tribe, there they once more began to loot wildly and run before anyone could stop them. This time they took slightly less, but Iyena was amazed at how much gold you could get so easily. Heck…who needed to farm and work all day when you could just grab it from your neighbors? So again they turned and charged into a new region. This time they launched a raid again the Kafin tribe. But Iyena had gotten more then a little arrogant in his past raids and so ordered his men even further into the region to gain as much wealth as they could. He was shocked then to find that the Karin tribe had heard of his new greedy ways and they were ready for him. An ambush was laid at the village of Kyuthati and in the resulting conflict Iyena lost half of his forces and was forced to flee the region without gaining any new goodies. Iyena was very upset at the people of Kafin for spoiling his fun, but he refused to stop yet. So he launched a new raid targeting the Oyo tribe and was overjoyed when they finished and he found that it was the most profitable raid yet. This calmed him over the disaster of the Kafin raid and he decided to try and go further north to raid new regions. So taking his troops he began to march back into Oyo to head further north when he saw that the people of Oyo were armed and ready to kill him and his men on sight. He also made a very quick count, it wasn’t really that hard to tell, and realized that he was pretty badly outnumbered by the people of Oyo so he rushed back and managed to avoid conflict. Once back in Ife he sighed over his raiding being put on hold, but had a lot of fun counting his new wealth.

Eastern Europe Mercs: Merc Leader:

Suzdal (Needs a Player)

Yagar son of Molugar

Diplomacy:

        Yagar took his troops and his son and marched back across his lands and glared at all the peoples he had conquered. He then marched up to Kirivich and went about capturing the populace. The region was ripe for the plucking, and although he suffered some losses in the taking of the region, he considered it no great loss compared to the continued growth of the empire of Suzdal. He contemplated calling himself an emperor but when he mentioned it his men laughed. Although they were quickly growing in power, the people of Suzdal were still barbarians at heart and the idea of an empire for more then just loot was silly to them. So they returned home with promises of more tribute to be sent.  At home Yagar began to hear tales of men to the south who knew how to make strange symbols which could tell other men far away what they wanted. Although this seemed rather useless to many of the men of Suzdal, Yagar was not an average man. He ordered some of the money that he had received in tribute put into learning about these symbols and other such odd things.

Parthia

Arsaces I

Diplomacy: Kauyavia (NE)

        Arsaces began 255 BC by trying to reason with the people of Kauyavaia. This turned out to be a very bad idea due to the large number of people in the region that had died the year before when the Parthians first invaded. Undaunted by the people’s unreasonable feelings over being conquered, Arsaces took to the tents with his wife who soon after became pregnant and in 254 BC gave birth to a daughter. Arsaces, although mildly put off at not getting an heir, swore to conquer more land in honor of his child’s birth. So gathering many new cavalry units from Poland, he turned and rode through Kauyavia on his way to Lausatia. He had 20,000 regular cavalry, and 5,000 light cavalry to screen his advance as he entered the region. He was met by some 5,500 of the local Germanic tribesmen all of which fought on foot as infantry.  Although the local leader was a fierce and experienced warrior who had traveled far and sold his services in his youth, he was not ready for the fleet cavalry which struck at him and his people. Arsaces used his light cavalry to watch and harass the slow lumbering infantry as his larger cavalry force moved into a traditional flanking strike. When he was ready he had his light cavalry confront the infantry on a series of hilly plains. The men of Lausatia were so hungry to get their hands on the annoying horsemen that they charged forward immediately, ignoring their leader’s attempts at coordination in their fury. It was at this moment that the rest of Arsaces cavalry showed itself riding over the hills all around the strung out line of infantry. In the brief encounter that followed the Parthians killed every man on the field. In total they lost only a few hundred of their light cavalry which had faced the brunt of the infantry assault before their brethren could arrive.

        After his success against the Lausatian’s, Arsaces turned and marched south to the region of Meissen. There he once again sent his light cavalry ahead to search the region for defenders and to try and harass them into the open. Unfortunately for Arsaces, refugees from Lausatia had arrived and warned the men of Meissen about what had happened in Lausatia. The local leader was a man named Thorin, son of Hadlerbradt. He led his troops, some 5000 or so infantry, into the wooded mountains in the area. The woods were not that thick, but it hampered Arsaces cavalry. Once he was there he prepared defenses and forced Arsaces to come to him. Deciding that he had easily enough men to defeat the Meissens, Arsaces led his troops in. The resulting fight was tough, but the trees restricted the Meissens as well as the Parthians. In the end Arsaces was able to break the Meissen line and drive them out where his cavalry could destroy them at their leisure.  After he had completed taking control of the region he continued south into the region of Bohemia where he was somewhat upset to find it totally uninhabited. The Bohemians had taken everything which meant that there was no loot for the Parthians. Arsaces was not one to let such a little detail slow him down though and so he used the uninhabited area as a base camp to strike out at the regions of Moravia and Austria. With his army comprised entirely of cavalry these raids were very successful and he gained a great deal of gold in order to further improve his new lands or fund new troops.

        Back in Poland, the Parthians built a new city which they named Arsacia after their wildly successful leader who took them from the dangers near the Seleucid Kingdom and led them to these fruitful and weak lands which their mighty cavalry easily managed to conquer.

Pontus

Ariobarzanes

Diplomacy: None

        Ariobarzanes relaxed in his new capital and smiled at the trade that started to trickle into the rebuilt city of Troy. Life was good along the Black Sea and so he relaxed and drank his wine while his nation ambled on. (No Turn)

Antigonid Kingdom of Macedonia

Antigonus II Gonatas

Diplomacy: Bulgaria (NE), Ludgorie (NE)

        Antigonus traveled back to the region of Bulgaria with his troops. His lieutenants were sent on to the region of Ludgorie. He felt that by working separately they would be able to cover more ground so he began touring the lands and meeting with the people. Shortly after he started he began to tire of the responsibility of ruling the Macedonians and spreading the Hellenic Culture. Was not Alexander of Macedonia? And now all of the other Hellenic Nations called out about the glory of Greek Culture and seemed to strangely forget that the Glory came from Macedonia. This thought so upset Antigonus that he dropped his diplomacy without meeting with a third of the people he had set out to speak to and began living the good life. He quickly found himself with something of a problem since he had ordered his entire treasury spent to do a few small projects and the rather large one of building a port city in Ludgorie. Since the boat he had ordered was already finished and Antigonus could not simply give up his lavish new lifestyle, he ordered money taken from what was supposed to go to the city to pay for his new desires. Luckily, he was in a land of barbarians and even fine things were cheap for him so not to much was taken out of the city project, but it did slow it up enough that by 251 BC the city was still not finished.

        While Antigonus continued to live the good life, well as good as you can in the middle of no where; his two trusted advisors continued working to make Ludgorie one with Macedonia. But Phillip and Thudorian were rather badly reminded of why the people in these lands were called barbarians. Their speech seemed to comprise of little more then babbling and their religious rites were of poor quality compared to the worship of the might Greek Pantheon. So they found that little could be done to get the people to join with them. Several times over the years they were both quite happy for the garrison which watched the local population as they feared rebellion would come at any time.

The Hellenic Alliance

Ariatis of Athens

Diplomacy: Rhodes (NE), Morea (NE), Thessaly (NE), Lydia (+10 YFC)

        Ariatis continued to guide the alliance from his city in Athens. He spent great amounts of time speaking to the clerks and scholars and in the marketplace. Such a central location was crucial to a politician since everyone could come and speak to him. Well, all true Hellenes at any rate.  Three years after the death of his first beloved wife, Ariatis remarried a young noble Athenian named Sophia whose father was a wealthy merchant and much respected in the city. Within a year Sophia gave birth to a daughter and in the following year, 252 BC, she gave Ariatis a son. Ariatis ordered a city built upon Rhodes, but the building of it went slow as he had to argue constantly for it and the resources were not as readily available as he wished for.

        While Ariatis cared for the daily running of the alliance, Diaphonous traveled to the city of Rhodes to inspect the city being built and to try and speak to the people of the area. He was most unhappy when he arrived and found that the people would not speak to him without their leader present. Since Demicles had been sent to speak to the Lydians this meant that Diaphonous was unable to even try and bring Rhodes more tightly into the Alliance. In Lydia, Demicles worked hard to try and get the people to actually join the alliance, but since they were a newly conquered people this was not an easy task. To many either remembered the death of a loved one or were one of those who had been injured in the fighting. But Demicles was a talented statesman and did as much as possible to start easing the tensions caused by conquest. Sadly for the Alliance, Lydia was the only place that saw success in their diplomatic actions as the leaders of the regions were scattered and although they did their best each region refused to consider becoming more strongly tied to Athens without having their leader present to ensure that there was no foul play by the envoys sent to them.

        Ariatis also paid a sum to the Spears of the Isles to march on Serbia and pay the barbarians back for the loss of good Hellenes, even if it was Ariatis’s arrogance that sent them to their deaths.

The Spears of the Isle

Tiberius, Lord of the Spears

Diplomacy: None

        Tiberius decided that the Spears needed a second in command should he fall in battle. This caused a new bout of elections in which Hedonis easily won because he was a far more popular and charismatic man then his opponent. He also showed more promise in the field then his fellow leader in the Spears. Once this was handled the Spears boarded their vessels and set sail to go and earn some money the good old fashioned way.  Lycathius and his troops were dropped off in Antioch to aid the Seleucid Kingdom, which dropped a good amount of money in order to receive the aid. Then Tiberius and Hedonis continued on to the city of Athens where they left their ships and marched north into Serbia after receiving more funds from the Hellenic Alliance in order to destroy the barbarians who had only years before badly defeated the Greek City states.

        Tiberius quickly moved north through the Hellenic states on his way to Serbia. He marched with 10,000 regular infantry and 1,000 light infantry which he planned to use to screen his advance and launch some fast strikes at his opponents if the opportunity came. He had ordered his men to look ahead and find out what they could of the lands which the battle would most likely take place, but his men were frustrated in their attempts to gain information that would help in the battle because of the barbarians differences in speech and culture frustrated their attempts to hide themselves among them long enough to get anything useful. Undaunted by this minor setback, Tiberius continued north and reached the mountainous kingdom of Siberia. Once there he began moving slowly forward to meet the enemy. His light infantry were matched by a like number of barbarian warriors who were also lightly armed and armored. This made it hard for him to hide his movements or to gain as much information about his enemies’ movements as he had originally planed. In 253 BC he entered the region and began trying to subjugate the people. In April of that year his army came upon the major force of the barbarians which had formed to defend their lands from the Greek expansion.  Tiberius was faced by about 7,000 Serbian warriors. Although the Spears were much more disciplined and trained, the barbarians knew the lands for miles around like the back of their hands, and where the Spears fought only for money the Serbians fought to preserve their lands. The battle took place outside of one of the larger villages in the area along a small ravine. The first day of the battle was indecisive as the Greeks were unable to force the Barbarians out of the ravine.  But a lucky spear shot at the end of the day took the leader of the barbarians in the throat and although he was quickly pulled back to safety, he was unable to live through the night. His brother led the barbarian troops to the field the next day. In the second day of battle the Greeks fielded 7,000 men who were fully able to fight and another 2,000 held in reserve that could fight if absolutely necessary. The Serbians fielded a force of some 4,000 with another 1000 or so who could possibly strike out if needed.

        Though the Serbians continued to hold the ravine through the morning, it quickly became obvious to any who knew of these matters that he was not nearly as good at leading the forces of the Serbians as his brother had been.  Before the sun had reached it’s zenith the Serbian lines were broken and their forces scattered. The leader of the forces of the Serbians escaped the area and swore his vengeance against the Greeks, but his troops were scattered or killed and he was forced to flee the region to keep his life. After that the Spears quickly finished pacifying the region and left a small garrison to watch the region before heading south to where their fleet rested in Athens. Once in Athens they reported their success and boarded their ships to return to Isle Fort.

Western Europe Mercs: Merc Leader:

Rome

Cornelius Scipio

Diplomacy: Calabria (NE), Spoleto (F)

        Scipio continued to personally guide the fate of Rome. Staying within the city he ordered work done on the regions of Apulia and Spoleto.  Though both were still mostly wilderness, the regions were quickly becoming more hospitable for the small farms which Rome held dear to its heart. In the region of Calabria many new farms were being added to the region now that the Romans had made it ready for agriculture. Through out the state there was a general sense of calmness as the Carthaginians to the south and the Hellenic nations to the east seemed content to let Rome move along without interference.  But this did not stop the readiness of the Roman legions which were watchful for invasion from any corner. Since Scipio stayed within Rome he had plenty of time to spend with his lovely wife. In 255 BC she gave birth to a son. Shortly after that she was pregnant again and in June of 254 BC she gave birth to a third son. This was a somewhat difficult birth and the best midwives in the land were uncertain if she would ever again be able to give birth. Scipio’s wife, Iona, could not bare this and went to the temples of Vesta to offer sacrifices to the Goddess of Hearth and Home. It seemed the Goddess answered her prayers when early in 253 BC she once again became pregnant, but her body had never truly recovered from giving birth to her first child. In November of 253 BC Iona gave birth to her third son, but the birth took to much out of her and by December of that year she passed away leaving Scipio and her three sons to bare the grief of her passing.

        While Scipio was busy at home several other premier senators were sent out to speak to the outlying lands of the Republic. They sought to make the Republic stronger by bringing these outlying regions into their nation. In the region of Calabria there was some interest in fully joining with the Romans, but many grumbled that they were already strongly allied with the Romans and if they grew any closer they might as well be Romans themselves. This faction thwarted the senator’s efforts to bring Calabria fully into the Empire. In Spoleto, two senators went to speak with the people there. For some time now Rome and Spoleto had a relationship based on the economic needs of both, but as time passed and less seemed certain the people of the region realized that it was in their best interests to embrace Rome and become one with them. This led to the region fully uniting itself with Rome.

Massalia

Eclesties

Diplomacy: Lyonnais ( C ), Aquitaine (FA)

        Eclesties had more troops built to defend his realm and then turn the defense of the realm over to his trusted advisor, Theodesus, before turned and traveling to Aquitaine. In Aquitaine he began to speak to many of the lords about the benefits of being more strongly tied to the nation of Massalia. While at one banquet he noticed a beautiful young woman who was a daughter of one of the prominent lords of the area. In the following months, Eclesties offered to marry the young woman which greatly aided him in getting promises of military support should Massalia be threatened. The marriage between the two was a celebrated event and was heralded throughout the lands of Massalia.

        While Eclesties was busy in Aquitaine, Ulysi traveled north into the lands of the barbarians and met with several chiefs who lived in the area commonly known as Lyonnais. Although he was a fairly skilled diplomat, trying to get anything from the lords of Lyonnais was most difficult. They did not seem to appreciate the finer Hellenic Culture and with the translators that were available it was difficult to converse. In the end all he was able to get was a promise for future meetings and the rights of passage.

Bohemian Empire of Westphalia

Ulgar, son of Hulgard

Diplomacy: Lorraine (NE), Friesland (T)

        Ulgar began the year 255 BC by counting all of his people. With the move to more northern lands he wanted to make sure that everyone had arrived and that he was curious about the number of the Westphalians and the Lorrainians who now looked to him for leadership.  And in 254 BC he looked at the numbers and decided that was not nearly enough people for him to rule. So he ordered his closest advisor, Garthor, to travel to the land of the Frieslanders and see about getting some more people to accept his glorious rule. Meanwhile he decided to take his wife back to see her people and get them to more strongly accept his leadership. So leaving some men to watch his new homeland he turned and marched mach to Lorraine.   Unfortunately for Ulgar, the Lorrainians had seen all they wanted of him and his wife. Although he managed to avoid the loss of any of their promised aid, he was unable to get even the hint of additional support for him and so in 251 BC he returned home.

        Meanwhile, Garthor had traveled to Friesland. He had gained some fame within Bohemia during their migration to Westphalia and hoped to better his position with Ulgar by making a good deal with the men of Friesland.  When he got there he immediately began meeting with the men of Friesland. He was a little disgruntled to discover that they spoke a different language then the men of Bohemia, but did not let that hinder him for long. Soon he had a very clever translator who went with him throughout Friesland. After he arrived the Danes made a raid on the region. It was politely suggested that the Frieslanders would appreciate any aid the Bohemians offered, so Garthor went and helped drive the Danes off. Due to this aid the Frieslanders agreed to pay tribute to the Bohemians if they would continue to aid and protect Friesland.

        In 251 BC when both Garthor and Ulgar had returned to Westphalia there was a Name Day celebration. Garthor’s oldest son and heir was given the name of Jaro. The warriors of Westphalia celebrated for many days upon the tribute sent to them and many songs of Jaro’s future valor were sung.

Franconia

Mylguard, son of Rythorn

Diplomacy: Thuringia (HS)

        Mylguard took his wife and traveled to the lands in the north. When he got there he found his welcome by the Germans to be most unbearable. They spoke a different language and their manners were most definitely lacking. He spent almost 5 years among them and sorely regretted leaving his troops behind. He also strongly suspected that the translator provided to him by the first lord he met constantly made fun of him instead of sharing his words of peace to the people he spoke to. In the end he was forced to leave the region before he had planned to in order to evade a mob of one particularly nasty lord who he went to see. To make matters worse, Mylguard had hoped to spend some quality time with his lovely wife, but found little time to do such in the lands of the Germanic tribes.

        When he finally returned home he was pleased to hear that his plans to enlarge the port village of Saarbrucken in Alsace went well and that it could now take the goods of the Franconians far and wide and bring back the wealth of distant lands. 

Parisii Gauls

Veroclot, Chief of the Parisii Gauls

Diplomacy: Vermandos (EA), Nivernais (EA), Champagne (A), Orleans (T),

        Veroclat began the new year by ordering some new farms built in Ile De France and improvements to the city of Paris. He also commissioned boats to begin trade with the Danes and Breton.  Then he once more traveled to see the nobles in the surrounding regions. He managed to get economic concessions in both Vermandos and Nivernais and Champagne fully aligned itself with him realizing that he was the growing power in the area. Before he left on his trip, Veroclot went on a trip with his wife to his hunting castle. There she became pregnant. Deciding he could not part from his beloved wife Veroclot decided to bring her along even though she was already several months pregnant. Luckily the trip was easy and no bandits were around even though they traveled with little in the way of protection. In 255 BC Veroclot had a son born to him. In 251 BC, once he had finished his diplomatic tour he once more took off on a short trip with his wife. This led to a second son being born.

        While Veroclot was off doing his best to peaceably expand his realm, his aid Casitalo traveled to Orleans. There he met with decent success and convinced the locals to send tribute to the rising power. Since the armies of the Gauls marched with him the people of Orleans decided that maybe it was best to listen to his words instead of facing their blades. Once tribute was arranged, Casitalo returned to Ile De France with his troops and began weeding them out. He was a strict commander and wanted only the best troops in the land. By the end of 251 BC the army of the Gaul’s was a fierce force.    

Breton

Thrane, Son of Rhyum

Diplomacy: Mercia ( C )

        Thrane turned to the task of ruling his nation. He started by ordering his son to have children. He then went up to his tower and began to look into the new trade records and the records of the tributes sent to him by his neighbors. Thrane would not allow any graft to interfere with his growing nation and so a close eye was kept on the growing number of clerks who handled the day to day affairs of his lands. Mean while, his son Graynor worked diligently to have a new son to carry on his rule. In 254 BC, his wife grew large and a few months later brought a healthy girl into the world. Graynor was a little put off that his first child was a girl when he had been bragging to all of his fellow lords about what a mighty son he would have, so he immediately went to work to try and have a heir to continue the line. It wasn’t until 252 BC that his wife once more grew heavy with a child and this time she even managed to bare him a son. Graynor was immensely happy that he now had a son of his own and celebrated it with many of his friends. Although he was a little worried that now his father would actually make him do work since he had produced a male to carry on the family name.

        While all of this was going on in Lundyn, Arias was sent towards the heart of the isle to convince the Mercians that they would be better of joined with Sussex and their other allies. The lords of Mercia were less then trusting of their eastern neighbors, but saw some wisdom in what Arias spoke of. In the end some small concessions were agreed upon which allowed Sussex to move through the lands of Mercia should they need to without forcing the Mercia to send any troops or aid to their neighbors. The control of Mercia, slight though it was, did begin to show upon the daily life of the Breton’s who had before looked to the sea and now looked more towards the isle itself.

The Ilyrian League

Torgus

Diplomacy: Slovenia (T)

        Torgus continued to stay home and rule the small nation of Ilyria. He found a promising new advisor which he sent to Slovenia to take over the diplomatic actions in the area. His heir was once again slightly perturbed that he had been replaced as head of the delegation, but since Archimadus, the new advisor, was making progress he chose to simply help. He was somewhat mollified to hear that Torgus was not spending all of his free time with women since that meant his way to the throne was more secure. In the end the region of Slovenia agreed to annual tribute but required some small liberties. Archimadus assured Phylocles that soon the region would belong entirely to the Ilyrian League.

        Back in Ilyria Torgus ordered the small fishing town of Epidamnus to be the new center of Ilyrian life. This brought in a lot of money and workers and soon the small port was bustling with activity as it was made big enough to allow ships from through out the Mediterranean to come and go with trade.

Leon

Gurandor, Chief of Leon

Diplomacy: Old Castille ( C ), Asturias (T)

        Gurandor began the year 255 BC by counting the people in the tribes which had joined with him to hold Iberia against the outsiders who seemed insistent upon invading their lands. He then took his wife and began traveling over the mountains to the region of Old Castille where he tried to get the tribes in the area to join with him, but they thought he was all talk and did little more then promise passage. They pointed out that the outsiders had stayed to the coast and had not spread in a few years and so Gurandor was unable to gain the aid he had hoped for. While there his wife had a child in 253 BC. A beautiful daughter was born. After that Gurandor once again moved over the mountains into the region of Asturias. There he met with more luck. The tribes who lived near the great water feared that the ships of the Outsiders would soon come and offered to send tribute to Leon in order to gain the protection of their neighboring tribes should trouble happen. During the talks, Gurandor’s wife once more grew pregnant and this time gave birth to a son just as the year 251 BC came to a close. 

Northern Europe Mercs: Merc Leader:

Estonia

Viktor Eestigard

Diplomacy: Novgorod (T)

        Viktor took on the name of Eestigard which meant “Guardian of Estonia” for his family. He then moved east to the region of Novgorod after ordering improvements done to his capital. In Novgorod he gave gifts to the leaders and married the most beautiful of the young noble women in the region. He was most happy with what his advisors had found for him. Over the next few years he remained in Novgorod and spoke to the leaders there suggesting that their peoples work together to better their lot in the world. Over that time his wife grew pregnant twice and in 253 BC she gave birth to a daughter which was followed in 251 BC by a son. After the son was born Viktor decided it was time to return to Estoinia and show off his new heir to his nobles there so that they would know who would follow after him for the lordship of Estonia. When they returned to Estonia there was a great feast with the fish that had become popular in the region over the last few years.

The Danes

Hfalgard, son of Beorgard

Diplomacy: Skane (T)

        Hfalgard ordered a new city constructed in Skane and sent his son to oversee it and try and get the region to pay tribute to the Danes. He hoped the city would be able to provide more funds by putting them closer to the Estonians and so switched the trade with the Estonians over to handle that. He wanted to start trade with the peoples to the south, but did not have any ships to sail south and begin the routes. He then took his warships and began to raid along the Halland coast, which turned out to be very profitable. He then turned south and went to raid the Freislanders. He was surprised to see a small force led by a competent general step up to oppose him. They dressed differently then the Freislanders did and this through Hfalgard off. After a few minutes of fighting, he and his men left. He was upset that they did not get any loot out of it, but at least all of his men were ok.

        He then went to Holstein and began to conquer the region. Unlike the raids this was more costly because his sailors all had to go out and fight on land and could not just return to the ship when endangered. He did manage to conquer the region without to much loss though. He then returned to Havn to guard his lands from actions similar to what he had been doing.

North America

Anasazi

Lonalitia, Chief of the Anasazi

Diplomacy: Hohokam (NT)

        Strange lights were seen above the skies of the city of Chaco in 255 BC. This was considered a most evil portent coming at the time of deep winter when the corn did not grow and only squash was left to the people. Some of the people pointed to the Chief who lived in his palatial two room adobe building and muttered that such wealth was not meant to be accumulated. But for most of the people thought that this was silly and Lonalitia was able to breathe a sigh of relief as the strange portents did not force his fledgling lands into a war.

        Lonalitia then sat down to count his people. Which turned out to be much more boring and tedious then he had originally thought possible. Lonalitia was a man of action and words not a man of paperwork, but since the city of Chaco was being expanded greatly and all of his favorite drinking spots were blocked off he found himself doing it and by 254 BC he had counted everyone in his small realm. Looking around and realizing that it would take a while longer for his city to finish being turned upside down he turned and marched with his troops to visit the Hohokam tribe to the south. Once there he proposed a marriage with one of the local women and spoke to the people of uniting with his tribe. Although Lonalitia was a diplomatic sort, the word of the portents in his lands had spread to the Hohokam and they were worried that he would bring some evil from the spirits upon them. Several times in the talks it appeared that he would have trouble with them. But in the end through use of the royal marriage and his time there he managed to get them to agree to some small concessions between the Anasazi and the Hohokam.

Moundbuilders

Hotaphali, Lord of the Mounds

Diplomacy: Michigamea (EA), Scioto (FA), Miami (EA), Shawnee (NE)

        Hotaphali looked over his realm and blinked in surprise. It seemed only yesterday that he could take a day’s walk from one side of it to the other and now his people were spread far and wide. Why all of the Priests assured him that his nation was by far the mightiest and widespread that existed in the entire world, of course he was in the middle of building them a great temple.       They assured him that such a temple was needed to ensure that the Moundbuilders continued to expand and grow in might. And since it was really just a big mound Hotaphali agreed to continue funding it.  But since this was obviously the biggest nation that had ever existed Hotaphali ordered his people counted and took over the project himself. He insisted on taking an active hand in the ruling of his nation, which was a good idea because at the rate the nation was growing the Priest-Scribes would soon no longer be able to accurately run his mighty nation.  Hotaphali also took time out to spend with his beloved wife. This led to a daughter being born in 254 BC and twin sons in 252 BC.  He was very happy to see his family continue to grow like this.

        While Hotaphali ruled his nation and counted his people, Lord Nashalati traveled to the regions of Michigamea, Scioto, and Miami to offer words of friendship to the people who were nominally part of the Moundbuilders.  He was wildly successful in this considering how little time he was able to dedicate to any one region. When he was done he sent word back to Hotaphali on his progress.

        In the northern reaches of the nation, Chief Hyutha was sent off to explore.  He explored Lake Erie until he reached the uninhabited region of Cayuga which he promptly claimed for the Moundbuilders, although under his personal control of course. Not that this claim meant much since no one else lived here and so it was only his word and that of his troops that the place even existed. In looking over the region he noticed a large river on the other side. His men gathered their stuff and traveled up the river which was dangerous as the water seemed frigid. A few men died in this exploration due to the frigid temperatures, but in the end Hyutha was able to successfully navigate the river and ended up at the mouth of what appeared to be a large and dark lake without end. He claimed an island which he named Anticosti at the base of the river. He then returned home and traveled to speak to the Shawnee. He was hoping to gain even more fame by getting the Shawnee to join the nation. But the Shawnee were odd people and didn’t seem to interested in joining so Chief Hyutha returned and reported everything that had happened to Hotaphali before going home to the Fort on Lake Erie.

        In 254 BC a new sport was invented in the region of Wenro which spread like wildfire through the lands of the Moundbuilders and many of their neighboring tribes. This sport called Lacross was wildly popular with pretty much everyone in the nation and even Chief Hotaphali took time out of his work on the nation to play it. By 251 BC it was declared the national sport and an annual tournament was declared in Chillicothe where the different tribes along the Great Rivers and Lakes could send their people to compete for title of Champion of Chillicothe. In the first year eight different tribes from across the waterways chose to send a team to compete. The tribe of Erie won. This greatly pleased the people of Chillicothe, but some of the other tribes seemed slightly suspicious of the win. Luckily, Chief Hotaphali was quick to stop any scandal from coming and promised that future tournaments would be held in different lands so that it would be easy for others to attend.

Central & South America

Maya

Tiahuacan

Diplomacy: Yucatec (T)

        Tiahuacan spent his years in the comforts of his capital guiding his small nation.  But he feared outsiders coming and interfering with his lands so he had more troops built and watched carefully for anyone who might come and attack his fledgling nation. His advisors thought that this was strange behavior, but who were they to question the Lord of the Mayan state on such matters? Perhaps a butterfly messenger came and warned him of some strange impending doom for the Mayans? So the troops were built and were watchful for enemies, none of which arrived. But who can say what tomorrow will bring?

        Meanwhile, Tiahuacan’s childhood friend and trusted advisor continued to try and persuade the Yucatec people to join the Mayans. The people of Yucatec were some of the most stubborn people in the whole of Central America, but word of the growing armies of the Mayans came and they decided that perhaps paying some small tribute would save them trouble with their neighbors later on. Tiahuacan was most pleased to hear that he would now receive tribute from the people of the Yucatec jungle.

Chavin

Mapoea

Diplomacy: Inca ( C ), Nazca ( C )

                Mapoea decided that he needed to expand his realm. So he sent his trusted friend to the land of the Incas while he went south to visit the Nazca tribe. He was somewhat disappointed because the tribe was not as friendly as he had hoped they would be. In the end both tribes only agreed to allow him passage in their lands. They did not see the need for unity when the only enemies around were those who were offering friendship and as neither Mapoea or his friend were numbered amongst the greatest diplomats in the world, they were unable to give a reason why it would be so beneficial for the regions to band together in a stronger way. Other then the continued works to spread the influence of Chavin things were very quiet.