Lords of the Earth

Lords of the Earth

The Rise of the Classical World

230-226 B.C. Turn 7

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).

National Transformations
In time period we are in there are many ideas which do not exist. Things such as Free societies or even Guilds were unknown and more often then not unwanted. To show this the game has placed tech level advancements on when you can reach things such as Free societies. These are in place in the system and not determined by me. I have been and will continue to use these as a guide for when you can reach a National Transformation. I know there are examples through history that may seem to contradict this rule, but please remember that these examples through history of free societies are more often the exception and not the rule. Because of this most National Transformations are at this time not allowed.

Mass Conscription

Mass Conscription is no longer allowed in the game. It makes very little sense for the time frame. It means you give every able bodied man in the nation a weapon and in a time of slavery, fuedalism and caste systems that would not happen.

North Asia

Mercs: 10 C, 10 I, 5 S

Merc Leader: None

Qin Empire

Xiaowen, Emperor of the Qin

Diplomacy: Hupei (+24 YfC), Yun (A), Jinyang (A), Shentung (F)

Once more the armies of the Qin marched under the mighty Prime Minister Lu Buwei. But before them went the spies and whispers of power which had destroyed several nations already. And again these soft whispers struck hard. Before the unstoppable army of the Qin even arrived in Yun the forces of Yun were in an uproar. The king lay dead and the heir struggled to hold as much of the army together as possible. When Lu Buwei arrived in Yun with his Yan allies Phan Huan, now king of the Wei bowed before him and pledged the last of the Wei kingdom to the Qin dynasty. The region of Ordos refused to follow, but that was of little concern to the might Prime Minister who turned and marched his army back to the capital to prevent any further attacks by the barbaric nomads who had come in recent years.

In Chang'an, the son of Zhaoxiangwang came of age in 228 BC. Xiaowen was proclaimed heir to the empire and a bride was found in Hupei and sent to him by his father. In 227 BC Than Tam died. His men, who had only fought for the Qin because of their leaders change in alliance looked like they would disperse when Xiaowen and his small bodyguard moved to them. He gave a speech about the valuable aid the men had shown to the Qin and offered them a permenant place within the Empire. Although not usually considered the most charismatic person in court his speech was impassioned and it stirred the hearts of the battle hardened warriors who declared allegiance to him rather then scatter to the four winds. His father, who was buisly making amends with the battle ravaged region of Hupei, was proud to hear of his sons accomplisments in this. Zhaoxiangwang also arranged for his daughter to marry his ally from Shentung in order to bring the region fully into the Qin Empire.

In August of 226 BC, Zhaoxiangwang finally passed on with the knowledge that his son was already showing himself as a true leader. Some people were not as sure of that though, until Lu Buwei stepped forward. The old and heavily respected general bowed and swore that he and all the troops that looked to him would forever support Xiaowen and his descendants. The few scattered rebellious people heard of this and chose not to try their hand at rebellion while the vast armies of the Qin were so strongly supporting Xiaowen.

The first signs of the new religion which seems to be quickly drifting east reached the mighty Qin Empire. The regions of Miao LAng and Hunan both converted to the new faith as the Qin chose to ignore its advance.

~~Wei Empire~~

Phan Duc, King of the Wei

Diplomacy:

Phan Duc worked to hold his small nation together. In July of 230 BC rumors ran rampant through his troops that he no longer had the funds to pay them for their service and that the great Qin army backed by the Yan forces would soon arrive. The army began to grow rebellious and Phan Duc went out to try and calm them. Although he was a skilled general who held the respect of his men, he was not nearly charismatic enough to hold the army together under the barrage of rumors which flooded the encampment. In the resulting chaos Duc was attacked by several men in the uniforms of Wei troops. Heavily wounded he managed to escape but he died of his wounds before he could reach safety. Meanwhile his son, Phan Huan moved to the army encampment and began to restore order. He was far more charismatic and promised the soldiers their money and peace with the Qin. The army lost some men to desertion but many chose to stay and follow Huan who would later turn the nation over to the Qin forces. Although the region of Yun would fall to the Qin, Ordos refused to bow and rebelled becoming an independant nation once more.

The Kingdom of Yan

Phan Chen, Lord of the Yan

Diplomacy:

Colonists were sent across to Chejudo to make the island profitable. Tribute was also sent to the Qin Empire. Ho Long Chul, general of the forces of Yan, was sent to aid the Qin in defeating the Yun. He was disappointed when the Wei king was already dead and the forces of the Wei turned themselves over to the Qin. He and his men remained in Jinyang just in case something came up, but for the most part he just spent time waiting for new orders. He had planned a very long an drawn out war and with the immediate surrender and the Qin taking the region he was not sure what to do.

Phan Chen remained in his capital and watched over his nation. He spent time with his wife and had a daughter in 228 BC and a son in 227 BC. Rumors of the Buddhist religion which was spreading in the south reached Chen and he wished to speak to some of these new Buddhists, but they were still far away and so he did not get to speak to any of them yet.

Tartars

Hwang

Diplomacy:

The Tartars licked the wounds and considered their next move. (Needs a Player)

Kwanto Japan

Kwanto Ran, Daimyo of the Kwanto

Diplomacy: Akita (NT)

Kwanto Ran called Akita Morishi to return once more to Kwant. Morishi was growing older, but the call to battle warmed his blood enough that he marched south once more. When he arrived in the battle tent he was greatly angered by what he was told. No longer would he lead his troops to battle, no longer would they chant his families name as a great war cry. Instead he was stripped of all his troops and told to wait until Ran had finished with them. For some time Morishi had tired of the attitude that had been shown to him, but this challenge of his honor was to much. He left and returned home. His troops had changed so much over the years that they were no longer truly the samurai of Akita, but still it was a sore blow to the region and their place in the kingdom. Morishi would die in 227 BC, but before he did he pulled his people back from their former place in the kingdom. Ran was far more concerned with the thought of an attack by Yamato though and spent his time preparing for the defense of his nation. (See Yamato Japan)

Kwanto Ran heard of the raids into the other lands under his control. He was sure this was but a distraction to cause him to move away from his capital. A few ships flying the flag of the Yamato came within sight of the port and then fled rapidly. Surely they were but spies meant to see when he left to go after the small band of raiders. With his defenses prepared for an invasion on Kwanto he did not wish to leave them and so he waited for an attack that never came. This further angered the Akita who saw him as deserting them and pulled away from their former allegiance.

An attack was made on Ran's aides, but the attack was stopped saving the government of Kwanto.

Yamato Japan

Yamato Ayame, Daimyo of the Yamato

Diplomacy: Shimane (F)

Yoshi was not ready for peace, though his bones ached with age to many years of bitter war made him insist upon once again taking the battle to the Kwanto instead of waiting and building. His past losses in Kwanto had to be avenged. So he gathered his forces and Yamato Akina and headed through Toyama into Nigata. He had hoped to incite a rebellion and his agents had gone forth to stir up trouble, but Nigata, who had for the entire war bordered Yamato lands, were far to supportive of Kwanto to fall to such low tricks. Realizing that the Kwanto forces would arrive soon as word of his arrival in Nigata came, he did a lightening raid against the region. Unfortunately, the Kwanto had suspected that the Yamato might strike there and forts had been put up years earlier. Although this did not stop the Yamato acitives, it did hamper them and they were forced to limit their raids to outlying areas as Yoshi wished to avoid direct conflict at all costs. Word of their arrival was just reaching the Kwanto as Yoshi led a raid north into Akita striking the deep lands of the Kwanto. Here Yoshi found there were no forts and so he raided the region heavily. It would take years for the peasants to regain what they had lost. Yoshi, flushed with his small victory, rushed back across the border to where his own forts offered protection.

Yamato Ayame stayed in the capital and ran the nation. He sent his aide, Yamato Horitoshi traveled to Shimane and spent the few years speaking to the local lord while they waited to see if any would attack. By 226 BC, Shimane Utoshi had agreed to fully support the Yamato Daimyo in all things and thus the two were formally joined. Shikok Hitmoi was sent out to sea once again to plague any Kwanto ships and to see if he could destroy their navy either at sea or at port. The Kwanto did not send any ships out to sea though so he went and checked their port. There he saw enough troops that he knew his smaller force would be crushed and so he turned and fled. His ships were lighter and easily escaped. After that he sailed around waiting for a smaller fish to fry.

In 226 BC Yamato Yoshi died while patroling the borders. His troops were taken over by Yamato Akina, but all mourned the loss of the great Daimyo that had led the small empire through many hard years. Yamato Ayame, who had been ruling in his fathers name for sometime, easily took power as all the lords came and bowed before him.

South Asia

Mercs: 10 C, 20 I

Merc Leader: None

Nan-Yue

Nguyen Han, King of Nan-Yue

Diplomacy: Taiwan (T), Kwangtung (T), Ganzhao (T), Nanling (NT)

Han continued to stay in his capital and rule his nation while his son was in Taiwan. He was most happy to hear that his son married a young woman of Taiwan which helped make great bonds between the two people. The leaders of Taiwan offered Nguyen Vien many good economic deals which would benefit both lands, but Han had sent orders which said that he should limit how much they tie themselves to other lands and so he only accepted a small tribute in exchange for protection and other small benefits. In Kwangtung, Trinh Dao was sent to speak to the lords. His orders to keep the connection between the two lands were not as problematic as they were for the heir. Kwangtung wanted much less to do with Nan-Yue, but offered some small tribute in order to keep the larger neighbor happy. Quac Tran spent time in both Ganzhao and Nanling. He also had little trouble in following his lords wishes to limit the ties that the nation built as Ganzhao seemed most reluctant to send even the small tribute that was agreed upon and Nanling refused even that much.

The first region of Nan Yue followed the teachings of Buddha. The region of Dai Viet converted under the Nan-Yue's policy of accepting this new religion.

Khemer

Tak Phan

Diplomacy:

Tak Tzung prepared to once more travel out to the distant lands to bring some more of his neighbors into his growing empire, but before he was even able to set out he had a terrible seizure. Before the passes opened in 230 BC he had passed onto the next life. Tak Phan became king with little commotion as he had already been ruling in all but name for years. Phan continued to work on the nation and spend time with his family. This was made easier since he had his brother and one of his aides helping him in running the nation. This led to a daughter in 230 BC, a son in 229 BC and another daughter in 227 BC. Under his careful rule more farms were made in Khemer to feed the growing populace and the city of Angkor Wat had to tear down their walls and extend them further out so that the small city could continue to grow. Phan chose to take an easy approach to the new religion and allow his people to believe whatever they wished. The region Nakhon converted to the new religion but the region of Siam had already begun to convert to Hinduism and so the region ignored the Buddhist missionaries that came their way. This slowed the growth south of Siam and Nakhon, but to the east several regions converted.

Kosal returned to Siam where he again began to preach, although he kept a wary eye in case someone chose to invade Khemer. Who knew what these new Buddhists would do? He had great success in the conversion and over half the regions nobility were now Hindu.

Pacific Islands

Mercs: None

Merc Leader: None

Moluccas

Huyana, Lord of the Great Blue Seas

Diplomacy: Truk (F), Marianas (A)

Huyana contined to stay at home in Dula where his second son was born in 229 BC. He took a direct hand in ruling his nation and seeing that new rice paddies were started on some of the distant islands which had fallen under his sway. While he was working to run his nation his allies continued their talks on the distant islands. In Truk, Yuthaja worked diligently to bring the people more strongly under Huyana's banner. He was successful in this and soon the region was fully supporting Huyana and the Moluccas tribe. In the Marianas things went smoothly, although the region was still not fully supportive of Huyana. The local ally who had pledged troops took a stronger role in what occured between his island and Molucas. He made arrangements with Huyana's diplomat, Nahamiya, which greatly tied the two islands together.

Hawaii

Yiridala, Defender of Samoa and Hawaii

Diplomacy:

Money was set aside to worship the gods of the ocean by the lords of Hawaii, but the people who had been forced to flee over such a distance did not see what the gods could offer them. If they were going to protect them surely they could have done it before the Hawaiians had to flee. The monuments to the gods built to try and influence the people were destroyed and the work done towards this was removed.

Toduha decided that his people had ran to far and that they must return, at least somewhat, to the world they knew if they were going to survive. So Torduha left Yiridala in Hawaii and packed the leaders of the new nation into ships and sailed them to Pago Pago which he declared as the new capital. He then settled down to set up the new government. In 230 BC he had a daughter which was followed by two sons in 228 and 227 BC. Late in 227 BC he was swimming in the ocean when a shark attacked him. Although his followers managed to get him away from the shark, but he died shortly after. Yiridala, who had been known for his loyalty, heard of the death and quickly sailed to Pago Pago. when he got there he took command of the navy and then secluded himself for a time. When he returned he ordered Toduha's family arrested. Although some in Pago Pago seemed upset by this, they could do little as Yiridala had taken control of the sailors which were already in their city. The rest of the people took what he was doing as simply part of life. He had proven himself as very capable in battle before the flight to Hawaii so many thought him a good choice of leader when Toduha's sons were far to young. Yiridala declared himself the defender of Hawaii and killed the sons of Toduha to stop any future rebellion from occuring.

India & Central Asia

Mercs: None

Merc Leader: None

Maurya

Bahagada, Emporer of Maurya

Diplomacy: Palas (F). Tamaralpiti (F)

Bahagada started a time of great building in Maurya. Many new farms and started in Uttar Pradesh and Jaunpur. But an even more stunning work was the Great Temple of Kaunaj which was built to stir up the vigor of the Hindu worshipers in Maurya. With word of Meroe turning to the Hindu Faith made many followers quite happy. Chandragupta, who was preaching the faith in Meroe, was called home to see the great new Temple. He stopped to give a small speech in Soba which aided the local lord in convicing people to change their faith, but as the local lord had called for it the change was inevitable and all he really did was charm the people with stories of their new faith. He was greatly cheered when he returned to view the new temple in 226 BC as a great preacher of the Hindu tradition.

Meanwhile, Torgada led a diplomatic party to Palas where they worked to convince the region that they were better off by fully uniting with Maurya. He also brought with him a royal daughter named Sita which helped bring the region fully into the Mauryan nation. He then traveled into the city of Tamarlpiti where he again worked with his diplomatic group to find a suitable husband for another young royal woman, Apurna. This led the city to follow the region and fully join with Maurya.

Bahagada spent much of his time working with his son, Rama, and training him how to rule the nation. As Rama was mostly still helping Bahagada in the process of ruling the nation he was given a great deal of free time to spend with his wife. This led only to the birth of a son in late 226 BC. For a time it was wondered if Rama's wife had gone barren, but the son was strong and so the whispers were silenced. In 228 BC, Bahagada's own wife died. She grew sick with a powerful cough which quickly weakened her.

The Indian Alliance

Torugah II, Lord of Pandya

Diplomacy: Sri Lanka (F)

Torugah remained in the capital of Maduri to watch over the lands which his family had worked to gain control over. He oversaw many new farms opening in the region of Chola and he ordered many ships to take men and money to the islands to cultivate the region of Sri Lanka for his people there. He raised his brother, Rana, up to be a Prince of the Realm. But as with many kings, so many hours of working way to see that your kingdom was strong meant that a great deal of time was needed to relax. So Torugah spent a gerat deal of time with his wife. This led to the birth of a son in 230 BC, and then a daughter little more then a year later. His wife did not handle having the second child as well as could be hoped but she survived the childbirthing. For a while it was thought that she would not be strong enough to have another child, but in 227 BC she grew pregnant once more. A second daughter was born but this time it took to much out of the young mother and she died shortly after the child was born.

In 230 BC, Yahamata gathered several new crafts and loaded them with men and cargo and sailed to the far side of the island to cultivate Sri Lanka. There he delivered the supplies to Sanga who was busily making treaties and gaining the full support of the people in the area. After the supplies were delivered he returned to Vanchi in order to rest. On June 23rd of 227 BC he was found dead. The maid came to wake him and he was not breathing. He was given a courtly burial at sea. Although the land had seen some tragedy over the years, Sri Lanka fully joined the empire and the new heir was alive and well.

The Middle East

Mercs: None

Merc Leader: None

Bactria

Aeneus

Diplomacy:

Sophacles and many of his allies worked to hold the nation together. His oldest son came of age in 229 BC, but died falling from his horse two years after he was declared heir to the nation. His younger brother, Aeneus, had just come of age. Some whispered that Aeneus had his brother killed but Sophacles stomped on any such rumor. He felt old age upon him and knew his time was short and he worked to ensure that when he died Aeneus would take the throne as his only son of age. He also made him swear to care for his other children, who were both still very young. In 226, shortly after the passes reopened for trade Sophacles died and his son took his place.

Sophacles sent Arandreus to the region of Otarsh to try and convince the locals to follow the Greek gods. They were left over pagans who Alexander had not taught the true glory of Greco-culture and Sophacles wanted them to convert. Arandreus had some success as a few of the lords chose to start following the gods of those who ruled them. Although many whispered this was mroe to appease them then any desire to worship new gods.

Seleucid Kingdom

Antiochos III

Diplomacy:

Things in the Seleucid kingdom were moving along fairly well. Antiochos III spent his time ruling his nation and trying to produce more children, because can you ever have enough of those? He succeded in having a daughter in 228 BC but no other children came along. Many new farms started up in the regions which had been cultivated in previous years. There was a slight problem in Mosul with Antiochos ordering more farms to be made then the kingdom had resourses to make them with. Other then that small bump in the Seleucid's plans, the years passed quietly and the people prospered.

Africa

Mercs: 15 HI, 15 I, 15 S, 5 W

Merc Leader: None

South African Cav Count: No Horses Yet

Ptolemaic Kingdom

Ptolemy III

Diplomacy:

Ptolemy III continued to rule his nation while his armies marched on to conquer new places. Workers were sent to finish off the last of the work on cultivating Lebanon and to begin cultivating Petra. Missionaries were sent to the Hellenic Alliance in the hopes of making them become more pious towards the gods. But the men of the Ptolemaic Kingdom were not the most pious of men so this hampered their efforts.

Marius took over the armies and marched his troops into the deserts of Nadramurt. There he and his troops faced some 6,500 men. Marius was by far a superior commander and he had the aid of Crestus and Philip who had both fought long and hard against the desert nomads. He had also recieved good intelligence on what to expect. His troops were more then twice those that he faced and he quickly moved to attack the unprepared nomads. In short order they were trying to flee. Marius sent his cavalry to block the nomads while his infantry moved in for the kill. Although the Nomads fought bravely they were outmatched and soon they scattered and fled. The Ptolemaic troops had seen years of harsh battles, and many friends perish. But Marius ordered the region secured and then prepared to march into Zufar. In Zufar they found a mere 5000 nomadic cavalry of various weights. Marius' cavalry outnumber all of the nomads so he quickly used them to pull the nomads into a trap set by the stawart infantry of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. His plan worked beautifully and he soon had them cornered. The battle was brief, but the beloved general Crestus died when a stray arrow struck him. He was carried from the field and tended to, but the wound was quickly infected and there was little they could do but try and ease his pain. He died two weeks later.

Meroe

Amunhotep, Chief of Meroe

Diplomacy: Kassala (A)

Amunhotep traveled back to Funj where he set about to rule his nation. His wife gave birth in 229 BC, but grew ill shortly after. Although she lived through the sickness, she was unable to give Amunhotep another son by the end of 226 BC. Amunhotep's oldest son was made his heir when he came of age. Arjuna was sent north to the region of Kassala to speak to the locals about strengthening their ties with Meroe. This went fairly well as Arjuna was able to find a very strong supporter from among the Kassalan leaders to act as a link between the two regions.

Raman, the heir of Meroe, announced after a trip to Thebes that he was now Hindu. This made Hinduism a very popular thing which seemed to spread through wildfire through almost all of Meroe. Only the region of Kordofan stood against the new religion which Amunhotep declared as the state religion of Meroe. Kordofan did not revolt, but they were unhappy with the changes. Not that the sudden shift in religion meant much to Meroe which was a nation that was very laid back when it came to religion. But with the new religion spreading throughout the nation there was some increase in the fervor of the believers, but it was not much. The religion reached the borders with the aid of Meroe backing the new religion, but it did not pass outside of Meroe.

Carthage

Hannibal

Diplomacy:

Like the men of Kanem Bornu to the south, Carthage found itself suddenly having a massive growth in population. Both Carthage and Syracuse grew as people flocked to the cities. Cannibal was raised to the status of heir when he came of age. Other then that things were quiet in Carthage. (No Turn)

West Africa

Mercs: None

Merc Leader: None

The Desert Raiders of Kanem Bornu

Yukunah

Diplomacy: Soro (+10 YfC)

The men of Kanem-Bornu found their tribe rapidly expanding as more people came to the city of Orugata. It grew to hold of the varied people who were coming to live there. Yukunah's son came of age and was made the heir. Mean while, Medhat traveled with the oldest daughter of Yukunah and offered her in marriage to Soro. He also spent much time talking to the lords of Soro trying to lessen the anger they felt over the regions conquest some years before. Yukunah watched over his land with his troops, but no one seemed interested in them and so they lived quietly.

The Kingdom of Ife

Ulani, Chief of the Ife

Diplomacy: Oyo (EA)

Ulani took up the armies of Ife and marched north to Oyo. At first the people of Oyo feared that he would attack and raid as his father had, but instead he sat and spoke words of peace and unity. This started the Oyo tribesmen but made them very happy. As the years passed they spoke at great length and agreed to many new treaties which would benefit both nations. In Ife, Afermafi was busily working to keep the small nation running smoothly as the King was away. He did this well and soon the regions of Ife were beginning to look more towards Ife for leadership then they did to their local chiefs.

Eastern Europe

Mercs: 5 I

Merc Leader: None

Suzdal

Grodur, son of Yagar

Diplomacy: Kirivich (+6 YfC), Moscovy (+4 YfC)

Grodur and Damar traveled together to the regions of Moscovy and Kirivitch to try and patch over some of the hard feelings. Although they had some success in this, there were still many hard feelings that the people of the regions had since Grodur's father had conquerered them. But what could you do about that right?. The city of Smolesk on the Dnepr finally grew large enough to start trading from. Soon the Suzdal would be able to trade with many new nations through the rivers.

Parthia

Arsaces I

Diplomacy: Kauyavia (A)

Arsaces I was most unhappy when he returned from the failed raid on Franconia. So he decided he needed a bigger army. He began calling for troops from all throughout his nation so that he could build a force of some 100,000 cavalry to face down his neighbors if the need arose. He expected some attack on his land by the Franconians or his other neigbhors but no such attack occured.With the loss of his aide he called upon a talented young man known as Musa to go to Kauyavia and speak to the tribesmen there over the need of loyalty. This he did successfully and the region was soon strongly allied with the Parthians. Urud, Arsaces I's son, came of age and was made heir to the empire.

Pontus

Theseus, Regent to the Heir of Pontus

Diplomacy: Torki (UN), Polovotsky (NT)

In the far corner of the lands of Pontus a man came to light. He spoke softly and yet his words carried a weight beyond anything those in the area had ever imagined. He started his teaching in the lands of Levedia where many flocked to hear his words, he then traveled to Patzinick where they were much less interested in his words then in the work that was needed at the time. Traveling on he moved into Taman. There many again flocked and listened to his words. After he had swayed the masses in Taman he traveled to Crimea and began his work there, but lacked the time to sway the masses, but who could say what the future would bring. For he spoke not of a new religion, but of a grand conversion. He said that man demeaned the gods by their petty demands against them. The gods were beyond man and yet they were men themselves and thus they had their own works to accomplish. Who were men to constantly call on them and sway back and forth. How could you expect a god to honor your wishes when you would turn and go to a different god with requests if the ones you placed were not immediately fullfilled. Such were the ways of the petty and surely if the attitude continued then the gods would grow angry at the people and many horrible things would occur.

Heracus, the great diplomat of Pontus, traveled to Polovotsky to attempt to strengthen Pontus' hold on the sea. There he started off with good relations with the locals, but by June of 229 BC he grew ill and soon died. He had managed to game some small control over the region but it was not enough to supply even a tribute to Pontus. Ariobarzanes remained with Theseus in Trebizond. There he spent time with his wife and had a son in 229 BC shortly after word of Heracus' death reached him. In the winter between 228 and 229 BC he grew ill and died before the waters warmed in 228 BC. His heirs were both to young to take the throne and with the death of Heracus only Theseus was in a position to decide what would occur. He immediately moved to take control of the army and then called all of the leaders of the land for a meeting. There he declared that in such troubled times, what with the new prophet and all in the north, he would act as regent until the son of Ariobarzanes came of age to take the throne. Some were surprised at this as Theseus had not always seemed to be the most loyal of Ariobarzanes followers, but as he controled the army few wished to disagree with his strange choice. Perhaps he knew something of the strange man to the north? Pontus continued to prosper and both Trebizond and Troy grew as more people moved to the cities.

Antigonid Kingdom of Macedonia

Cascius, Regent of Macedonia

Diplomacy: Bosnia (+2 YfC), Bulgaria (+3YfC), Ludgorie (+3 YfC)

Antigonus continued his work in Bosnia and managed to slowly made process in easing the anger that the people felt for the Maceonians. His aides worked in Blugaria and Ludgorie working on the same tasks and having slightly more success then Bosnia which was more newly conquered. In 226 BC Antigonus was killed when he was attacked by brigands while traveling through the region. His men slew the brigands but not before an arrow took the old king in the back. Word spread quickly and Cascius, who was closer to Macedonia and fiercely loyal raced home to ensure that the child of Antigonus would rise to take the throne. Thydorian was forced to stay in Bulgaria as the weather closed in and it looked like the locals were ready to expel his men from there area. He had claimed the garrison and he knew if he left with the garrison that the region would quickly revolt. He was thankful that Antigonus had ordered more troops built for him with the chaos that seemed to spawn with Antigonus' death.

The Hellenic Alliance

Ariatis of Athens

Diplomacy: Lydia (+19 YfC)

Ariatis called for Leonides, Pheidippidies, and Preclides all to Lydia where he hoped to finally make the Lydians come to terms with their conquest. In a mass of diplomacy where several gifts were given out to make the Lydians happy Ariatis saw great progress. Saddly, it was not quite enough to make the Lydians except their place in the Alliance, but it was close and soon his dreams of Lydia being united with the rest of the Hellenic states would come to pass. Walls were built on several tons. Amphion, who was supposed to be guarding the waters was called on to take some material to Rhodes to help the people there. It was not in his orders, but since there was no other way to do it he grumbled and took the materials to where they needed to be.

Work in Thessaly led to the region being cultivated to allow for more people to live there comfortably. Missionaries were sent to Pontus and Seleucid. The Seleucids for the most part ignored what the Hellenic missionaries said, but with the new messiah in Pontus the Hellenic missionaries were able to raise the level of fervor that people felt for the gods. The Macedonians sent a few missionaries to the Alliance to make them grow stronger in the faith as well. The Ptolemaic Kingdom tried to do this as well, but they suffered from a lack of faith which made it hard to strengthen other nations faith.

The Spears of the Isle

Idonus, Lord of the Spears

Diplomacy: Polotosk (FA)

Idonus traveled to Polotosk for a few years to arrange for a stronger agreement in order to gain allies who would come and fight when the Spears had reason to battle. He was successful in this and soon he was sailing back to Isle Port with another leader to call on if war came and the money flowed . Also in the west, Calisto traveled to Epidamnus where he tried to gather some ships to sail for the Spears. But the Ilyrians were no longer raiders and had lived more peacefully then almost any of the other nations in the Pan-Hellenic League and so there was a limit to how many men were interested in warcraft. He did find one group that would sail for him. In the Seleucid Kindgon, Isodore and Hedonis had much better luck coming up with several thousand more troops for sale if any needed their service.

While most of the leaders of the Spears sought to increase their numbers, Ophion and Acestes desired a little more physical fun. They gathered their warships and transports and set sail from the Mediterranean through the new canal off of the Nile River and into the Red Sea on their way to Alexandrettos in the Persian Sea. They began raids all along the unclaimed coasts. They had planned to raid the regions of Nadramurt and Zufar, but when they got there the Ptolemaic troops already controlled the region and they opted to move on. The only disaster came in Oman where the quick desert raiders managed to strike back at their ships before they could finish and so they were forced to leave quickly. One ship was not fast enough and was burned by the Oman raiders. The rest of the raids produced many valuable trinkets and food stuffs to feed the troops and buy new weaponry. In 226 Isidore and Ophion both died. Isidore was in a small brawl with his troops and someone stabbed him from behind. Ophion caught a cold on the trip to Alexandrettos which would later kill him.

Western Europe

Mercs: 5 HI, 10 I, 5 S

Merc Leader: None

Rome

Julius Magnus Scipio

Diplomacy: Tyrol (NT)

Marcellius Vespus took charge of the colonization and cultivation of Savoy. Some slaves were allowed to return to farm their ancestral lands alongside the new Roman colonists. Many of the others were given to the bone breaking labor of cultivating the region of Savoy. A road was started from Latium to spread into Romagna and thus unite the two sides of the pennisula under Roman rule. And in the region of Liguria more men were sent to finish cultivating it for the Roman farmers to use.

In Tyrol, Titus Quinticus Flaminus continued his diplomatic efforts. But he was not used to the cold winters that the tribe of Tyrol faced each year and in 229 BC he grew sick and died. Although he had gaine a small response from the people of Tyrol it was not enough to make them send tribute south yet. In Switzerland, Tiberius Flavius Scipio moved from being diplomatic to trying to preach to the leaders of the tribe. This was fairly succesfull and almost a third of the tribes leadership began to worship the mighty Roman Gods.

Julius spent his time ruling over Rome and ensuring that the great works of his nation would continue. He also took a few trips to view the new road with his consorts. This led to a son in 228 BC and a second son in 226 BC.

Massalia

Andreas

Diplomacy: Gascony (F), Limousin (EA), Auvergne (EA)

Eclesties continued to watch over his nation as his son and his aides traveled the lands to try and strengthen the ties that bound the nation together. He was most happy to hear that his son had found a suitable bride in Gascony and that the diplomatic effects on the area were coming along nicely. Sadly, he died before his son was able to marry the young woman and so he never met her. Andreas assumed control of the nation with no problem and thus was able to continue his diplomatic efforts which soon led to Gascony being totally united with Massalia. In Limousin and Auvergne the aides to the king were busily working to bring about new economic treaties with both regions which would greatly benefit all involved.

In Provence the port city of Massalia was founded. With the region now turned to the uses of man the city was a boon which would aid it greatly.

Bohemian Empire of Westphalia

Jaro, Son ofUlgar

Diplomacy: Holland (NT)

Ulgar gathered up his troops and left his son to run the nation as he turned and marched into Saxony to fortify it and hold it against invasion. No invasion came so he spent his days hunting in the forest. In 227 BC he was hunting a massive boar. He caught it on his boar spear, but the spear broke against the beast and it was able to get to him and seriously injure him before his retainers could save him. He died shortly after.

Jaro, who was busy ruling the nation in Westphalia, grieved when he heard his father had died. He spent a great deal of time with his wife and she gave birth to a daughter in 227 BC shortly after word of Ulgar's death reached them. She had a difficult child birth and although she lived for some short time after she did die before 226 BC arrived. The daughter survived the birthing though which was one small bright point among the deaths. In Holland, Garthor managed to get a few words of consent on a treaty between the two peoples, but they refused to do more then that. No tribute or troops were offered to aid the Bohemians.

Franconia

Sebastian, son of Mylguard

Diplomacy: Bavaria (FA), Austria (T)

The king and the heir both started the years by spending time with their wives, but this did not lead to any new children in the nation. Then King Sabastian moved to the region of Bavaria where he met with the local lords. He found one that was impressive in his strength and who grew to respect Sebastians ability to use words. He soon had agreed to send troops to aid Franconia if the need arose. With word of the constant raids from the Parthians to the north the Bavarians were happy to find help in fighting off such a threat. In Austria, Prince Hans managed to gain some small tribute from the region. He had seen some of the destruction caused by the Parthians in Thuringia but it was nothing compared to what was done to the Austrians whose farms had all been torched and plundered for so long that the region was one of the poorest in all of central Europe. But in order to gain some protection the Austrians sent what little they had to the more powerful Franconians.

Parisii Gauls

Albriorix, Chief of the Parisii Gauls

Diplomacy: Flanders (T), Champagne (F)

Veroclot stayed in Flanders and continued his diplomatic efforts. His son Albiorix moved through and took many of his troops while continuing on to other places to gather more troops. Veroclot spent the next several years in Flanders and managed to gain a tribute from the region, but before he could accomplish more he died 228 BC. His death made Albiorix the next king and as he controlled most of the armies of the Guals at this time no one rose to oppose his right to rule in his father's place. Albiorix finished gather troops and training those that did not meet his standard before arriving at Burgundy where his wife gave birth to his first son. A new city went up in Flanders named Veraclia.

In the region of Champagne Pieriette and Castialo were busy speaking to the leader, Beagen, about Champagne's place in the realm. The whole region almost revolted when Albiorix arrived and said that he was taking the troops of Champagne, but Pieriette and Castialo were able to calm Beagen down and he allowed his troops to be passed on. Their words were so persuasive that Beagen even agreed to fully support Albiorix even after the slight of taking the troops before Beagen had promised them to Albiorix's service. Castialo died in 226 BC.

Breton

Conan, King of the Bretons and Pendragon of the Isles

Diplomacy: Anglia (F), Northumbria (F)

In 230 BC before the winter left the lands, Graynor died and Conan was proclaimed king. When the roads cleared Conan and his brother Diocain traveled north. Conan went to Northumbria and worked to bring the region more closely aligned to Breton. He spoke of the raids that he had gone on with his allies in the region and they decided that he was a good and worthy leader and joined with him. Diocain spent his time in Anglia. There he worked to talk the people into a stronger union which he was also successful at. Much money was placed into the government to hold the lands together. (Needs a Player)

The Ilyrian League

Phylocles

Diplomacy: Bakony (A)

Phylocles continued to stay and rule in Epidamus while Protesilaus and Attalius worked together to try and bring the tribe of Bakony into the region. This was handled with moderate success and the region became a strong ally for the Ilyrian people. Work in Slovenia continued as workeres were sent to help cultivate the region, and the city of Epidamus was cleaned up some and made to be more livable for the king and his heirs.

Leon

Aureliano, Chief of Leon

Diplomacy: New Castille (FA)

Aureliano moved to gather up some of his troops in different areas and then returned to ruling his nation. He had two daughters born to him over the years. One was born in 229 BC shortly after he returned from his travels. The second was born late in 226 BC. Meanwhile, Baltazar was traveling to New Castille to speak with them about further uniting with Leon. Once he was there he began talks but grew steadily weaker over the year he was there. In 228 BC he died in New Castille, but he had managed to arrange for troops to be sent to aid Leon should the need ever arise. With Aureliano staying in Burgos, the city continued to grow. As Leon grew more powerful the neighboring tribes sent more and more delegates to see him and the city grew accordingly. The seas around Leon grew red and the fishing became very poor for some time after the event. Many whispered that this was a bad portent for Leon, but as they did not depend upon the sea to feed themselves it had very little affect on the nation. Still, people whispered though.

Northern Europe

Mercs: None

Merc Leader: None

Virumaa

Valdek Eestigard

Diplomacy: Latvia (F), Livonia (UN)

Valdek decided to take the steps his father had some time ago when he had taken the name of Eestigard. But instead of just changing his families name he changed the name of the nation and his homeland to Virumaa to show his heritage and renamed the city of Valdek, which had been named after him, to Reval. These changes upset the lords of Livonia who had a different heritage then the rest of the tribes under Valdek. Soon harsh words broke out between Valdek and Livonia. When the dust cleared Livonia and Valdek had parted ways. Valdek then turned and went to Latvia which shared more of the same heritage as the Virumaans. There he found strong allies which supported his people in all things. He then returned home and wished to conduct a census of his people, but as winter of 226 BC was already coming he did not have time to do it himself and no one else had been assigned the task in his absense.

The Danes

Thoradin II, Son of Thoradin

Diplomacy: Norway (NE), Adger (T)

In 228 BC a great war between the God Thor and a Giant occurred on a small island in the Skaggerak. The great titans fought until Thor managed to gain the upper hand and slammed the great Giant with a mighty blow that made him fly through the air and then strike the ground with a might roar which shook the very earth. The resulting tremors created a massive wave to appear and race towards the lands in all directions. Luckily, the major ports were out of the way of the firece wave, but it did damage some of the ships that were sailing at the time.

Thoradin turned over all the troops to his son, Thoradin II, and then turned to ruling his nation and spending time with his wife. This led to the birth of only one son in 229 BC. Cort was ordered to return to Denmark and aid Thoradin in administering to the state. Cort was relieved to return from getting poked at with sharp objects. Who would have thought being a diplomat was so hard? Of course, Thoradin was an old man and rather crochety at times, but such was life. Thoradin died late in 226 from a cold that came on him suddenly when the weather shifted once more to the freezing winter winds.

Meanwhile, Prince Thorin was traveling through the nation trying to secure the tribes more strongly with the Danes. In Norway he found the people still recovering from the tsunami which had ravished much of their coastal regions. The people were unimpressed with his words after such a travesty and so he did not get anywhere with them. In Adger, which had been spared the results of the conflict between the two great beings, he managed to arrange for a tribute to be sent to the Lord of the Danes.

North America

Anasazi

Lonalitia, Chief of the Anasazi

Diplomacy: Navajo (A)

Lonalitia and his son both traveled to the lands of the Navajo to try and bring the last of the local tribes into their nation. Lonalitia and his son both speak with a silvered tongue and the region was soon wooed by their words. Although the Navajo were not fully into the nation yet, they were very supportive of the Anasazi and their actions. Chaco grew larger as the empire did. (Needs a Player)

Atakapa

Athypata, Chief of Atakapa

Diplomacy: Chitimacha (T), Choctaw (NT)

Athypata traveled to the lands of Chitimach and Choctaw to discuss a union of the tribes. In Chitimacha he managed to gain some small tribute to support the idea. In Choctaw he gained some time and consideration by the Chiefs, but they were not to supportive of the idea yet. (Needs a Player)

Moundbuilders

Ailapatoh, Lord of the Mounds

Diplomacy: None

Ailapatoh returned to Chilicothe to rule over his nation and see that things ran smoothly. Be began to train both of the twins, Hota and Tapha were made Princes, but Tapha grew ill and died shortly after. Hota also grew sick but survived although he was weak from then on. Ailapatoh spent much time with his family and especially with his wife. At the very end of 226 BC this led to the birth of a healthy new son to carry on the family line. Ailapatoh had one of the lesser chiefs named Yuchi aid him in running his nation. With Yuchi's aid Ailapatoh becan working to join together some of the smaller clans in his empire and unite them under more powerful lords who would care for their welfare. This would allow him to speak to chieftains who could control lesser chiefs and so on in order to make a better chain of command then the present small grouping of clans which existed in the lands of the Moundbuilders.

The great Lacrosse games were held once more. Although the Moundbuilders sent some missives hoping a group of the Mayans would come and play in their games this did not occur. The religions of the two people were much different and the Mayans seemed someone uncaring over the matter. But the Moundbuilders sent missives through all of the rivers great and small that they sought more people to peaceably come and reside near them and join i the worship of the gods. Although several more regions grew to be populated along the rivers, these tended to be more to the south then around the lands of the Moundbuilders. In a surprise turn of events the wandering tribe which settled along the river in Taposa sent a skilled group to compete in the Lacrosse games and won. Their warriors had traveled over great distances and had a great deal of stamina which aided them in the holy competiton.

Central & South America

Maya

Yuthuhaia

Diplomacy: None

Yuthuhaia first decided that since his lands had expanded so greatly in recent times that he must count his people. This was done quickly and to great effect as his lands had grown considerably and it allowed for better count of people who should be taxed each year. He then set about ruling his nation with his aide Yajahatapa. As the years passed he had a son in 227 BC and a daughter in 226 BC. His heir apparent meanwhile was busy sneaking around and ensuring that no one had any funny ideas about leaving the growing nation. It would be a shame if all of his fathers work counting was for nothing because the people refused to continue their alliance with the Mayans.

United Tribes of Peru

Mapoea, Lord of Chavin, King of the United Tribes of Peru

Diplomacy: Chimu (F)

Mapoea called his son back to Chavin to aid him in moving the paperwork. He was among the oldest men for many many miles and so it was growing harder to read the papers placed before him or to stay awake during the long meetings needed to rule the powerful union of tribes. So Prince Macario returned to Chavin and ruled along side his father. A rising Shaman called Haldo was called upon to board his small raft and sail across the great expanse of water that bordered the land of the tribes. He bravely boarded his craft piled with food and sailed off. Many were sure that he would discover the ends of the world and return to teach them of what lay beyond the blue, but when a massive storm struck the coast the next day many feared that he had also been hit by the storm. No one will ever know for sure though as he never returned to tell his tale. A new village of his followers was formed in Moche to await his return. A watcher was constantly assigned to a nearby peak to await his return. Sadly, no calls of sighting him were heard.

Better news came from Chimu where Prince Itzel was aiding Shaman Manco in talks with the local tribesmen. It was soon discovered that the aides sent by the king to help them were incompentant but the two managed to convince the leaders of the region that it was worth fully uniting with the other tribes dispite these small set backs.