Lords of the Earth

Campaign Twenty

Turn 31
Anno Domini 1051 – 1055

Turn 31 Published on 5/21/2000.

Turn 32 Orders Due By:  Wednesday, June 14th, 2000

Announcements

Troop Conversions

Lords Twenty Web Resources!

Contacting the GM

PeterMorzi@aol.com

Phone: 419-693-7096   no later than 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time; on weekdays I prefer after 9:30 p.m.

Various Fees and Levies
Turns $3.00 per turn.
Maps Entire World $10.00 (Mailed).

Rulebooks available only from Thomas Harlan,  4858 East Second St.,  Tucson  AZ  85711-1207
v5.6 Rulebook $15.00 (printed , bound, and priority mailed), $5.00 (emailed PDF file).

60 Second Summary

The Orient
Mercenary Troops 15mc, 25mi, 20ms, 10mw
Mercenary QR’s c03, s02, i03, w04
Mercenary Leaders           Yuang Xi (M???)

United States of Asia (Yamato)      Tojaro, First Minister of the Diet

Effects:  Okinawa (ne), Kazan Retto (c), Marianas (c), Koguryo (ea)

First Minister Tojaro was reelected in a hard-fought campaing, despite his mediocre administrative skills.  Luckily, the new bureaucrats in Heian helped him extend his reach and communicate better, even far to the north in mountainous Amgu.

General Kanjuri gathered up a few leaders for another big diplomacy expedition.  The allies from Cheju Do and Koguryo joined him.  They waited a couple days for the Lord of Toyama to arrive.  Then someone told Kanjuri that Toyama went friendly a while ago, and there's no leader from there anymore.  The Cheju Do lord died of old age before the group could set sail.

So Kanjuri and the Koguryo lord headed out to Okinawa, only to be told that Okinawa's religion is incompatible with increased ties to a Shinto nation.  Next on the list: Kazan Retto and Marianas.  The very brief talks in the two regions resulted in only claims on both.  Finally, our two intrepid diplomats sailed north toward the Kurils, the last stop on their list.  But they both died food poisoning as they sailed past Edo.  Koguryo degraded to economic allied.

Admiral Jumanji took a couple dozen warships and sailed northeast past the Kurils to explore.  Late in 1055, he returned, short a few ships, to report his failure.

The famous explorer Admiral Akira took several warships south past the Marianas to look for Truk.  He found it easily, returning in 1054 with the rudders.

First Minister Tojaro directed the construction of a new city, Hagugori, on the western coast of Nigata.  Several cities expanded: Besuboru, Jenna, Edo, Kobi, Ise, and Heian.

The Mongol Horde (f.k.a. The Kingdom of Mongolia)      Lupo, Kucha Khan

Effects:  Mongol, Tatar, Buryat, and Angaraland (un), Gobi, Kerait, Uigur, Ayaguz, Shan, Tuhnwhang, Turfan, Suachu, Kucha, Charchan, and Taklamaklan (nt), Shan Horde (fa), Turfan Horde (fa)

Lupo was unhappy.  His income sucked.  Troop support was too high.  He is a poor administrator.  He remembered his father telling him of the lands of his childhood further south.  So he declared a great migration.  The city and fortress of Karakorum were dismantled, along with all of the Mongol region's public works.  The residents of Mongol, Tatar, and Buryat all packed up and joined the gathering horde.  The original peasant inhabitants of the area were happy to see their overlords depart.  Especially those in Mongol, who received a cultivated region.

Lupo and his forty thousand warriors headed south through the forests and into Kerait.  Talks with the Kerait khan went poorly, and the two forces clashed.  After a few difficult battles, Kerait, Gobi, and Uigur promised non-paying tribute.

So the host proceeded west to Ayaguz.  The Shan khan was not impressed by Lupo's blustering.  Again the Mongol Horde battled for dominance.  After a getting their their noses bloodied, the Shan Horde agreed to an alliance.  Now bolstered to nearly forty-five thousand, the Mongol Horde slipped through Beshbalik and into Turfan.  Once again the local khan refused to back down.  Once again the Mongols deployed for war.  Once again Lupo prevailed, more from sheer numbers than any talent on his part.  The small Turfan Horde joined the Mongols.

Lupo grew happier as head lead his horsemen west.  Not far now to his homeland.  Hopefully the Kuchans would accept his presence.  Lupo's heart leapt for joy when he recognized the stream he had always drawn water from in his youth.  With slight trepidation his approached the Kucha khan to ask his alliegance.  The Kucha khan refused him, but did grant free passage to Lupo and his horde.  Lupo rested them in Kucha.

The Lu'an Chinese Kingdom      H.U. Lee, Supreme Monarch of Lu'an

Effects:  Hsuing'nu (ne), Tumet and Kin (released to un), Houma (p), Shensi (p)

Mao Chaing II of Lu'an and Che Teh of Ch'in both hungrily eyed the nation of Shensi nestled in northwestern China.  Clearly, this waste of perfectly good resources had to end.  Mao Chaing II and Che Teh gathered their forces and prepared to do what must be done.

Mao Chaing II quintupled the size of his sapper corps, and raised a new unit of several thousand inexperienced infantry.  These he gave to General Chang, and added a mixed force of nearly thirty thousand cavalry and infantry to round out the force.  But before Mao Chaing II could see them off, he fell down the palace stairs and died.  The youthful heir H.U. Lee smoothly took the reigns of power. 

General Chang led the army to Hopei, then waited.  His men grumbled, as all troops do when they are bored.  But Chang had specific instructions to wait until 1053.

Somehow, Chang got it in his head that he could act eight months in every year, but his actual pace was more like five per year, since he commanded troops, and some of them were inexperienced.  In May of 1053, the Lu'an army arrived in Houma.  Chang and his forty thousand troops had no trouble pacifying the region.  This took until August of 1053.  So General Chang spent the winter of '53-'54 in Houma.  By May of 1054, he reached Shensi itself.

The defenses of Shensi had been recently improved, though still not much to look at.  Thirty field forts and about fifteen thousand mixed cavalry and infantry guarded the Shensi homeland.  The Lu'an numbers were pretty good, but the Shensi were defending their homeland.  Good thing Shensi couldn't come up with a decent leader.  In the first few months of battle, General Chang lost several thousand men, but cut the Shensi force almost in half.  This brought the winter of '54-'55.  Next year the armies clashed again.  This time Chang almost wiped out the defenders, but was wounded when a horse ran him over.  The battered Shensi force withdrew to Chang'an's high walls, and General Chang spent the last few months of 1055 securing the region of Shensi.

In Hsuing'nu, General C.Y. Sen found the region's inhabitants to be quite unreceptive to his advances.  They told him to come back when Hsuing'nu is cultivated.

Pienching, Kaifeng, and Yen-ching grew larger.

The Shensi Chinese Kingdom      Qin Guan, King of China

Effects:  Shentung (oc)

The first bad sign was when two different groups of assasins made attempts on the heir's life.  First, a Ch'in assasin fell from a wall and knocked himself out landing on the palace courtyard.  Then an unidentified assailant nearly took Weizheng Ranhe's  life, but alert bodyguards cut down the would-be assasin.  However, Weizheng Ranhe ended up dying of a mysterious illness anyway.

The Ch'in invasion in 1052 quickly overran Shentung.  Things were looking very bad until Che Teh's death and the turmoil that accompanied it.  Qin Guan was even thinking about liberating Shentung, but then the Lu'an general Y.A. Chang and a large army attacked Houma.  See Lu'an.

The Ch’in Kingdom      Che Wei, Divine Overlord of the Middle-Kingdom, Lord of the River

Effects:  Kiang'si (t, revolted), Fukien (nt), Tangchou (un)

Che Teh and Mao Chaing II thought alike when it came to waste and laziness.  Shensi China looked like a juicy pear ripe for plucking.  Che Teh did not see fit to augment his huge army with new troops.  Instead he spent the nation's efforts on huge highways.

In 1051, the Fukien ally died, and the region of Fukien opted for non-paying tribute.

Foo Wong sail his warships home, switched hats from an admiral to a general and took the army through Tangchou into Shentung.  It was late spring of 1052 when Foo Wong and his nearly one hundred thousand soldiers, mostly infantry, arrived in Shentung.  There was nothing Qin Guan could do but hope they wouldn't come west.  The Ch'in army seized the region, then settled down for the winter.

By this time, Admiral Lin Piao was just nearing the north end of the Grand Canal.  He had forgotten that heavy warships and mediocre leaders slow things down, and that it take an extra month to sail along a river.

In November of 1052, it finally happened.  Venerable Che Teh, Divine Overlord of the Middle Kingdom, died in his sleep.  His memory was honored in a beautiful funeral.

But after that, the heir Che Wei was surprised to see how quickly things went to hell.  Che Teh's body was barely in the ground when both Foo Wong (in Shentung with the army) and Mi Fa (doing diplomacy in Kiang'si) declared Che Wei an unfit successor.  But Kiang'si itself revolted from the empire, leaving Mi Fa high and dry.  Admiral Lin Piao in the Grand Canal remained loyal to Che Wei.

So Foo Wong was the only rebel holding any power.  And what power it was.  With three-quarters of the army behind him, he wanted it all.  But he was in the wrong place.  From his excellent strategic location in Nanking, Che Wei maintained control over all of the Ch'in empire except for Tangchou and Shentung.  See Tangchou China below.

Despite all this, some massive construction got done.  Royal roads now stretch:  from Amoy in Fukien to Canton in Ganzhou, and from Wuhan in Hunan to Kienchou.

Tangchou China      Foo Wong, Divine Overlord of the Middle-Kingdom

Effects:  Tangchou (hm), Shentung (p)

Foo Wong rallied his troops in Tangchou, and promised to restore a worthy leader (himself) to the Jade Throne.  He has one small problem, however.  Actually, an imminent disaster.  He is only going to be able to pay a tiny fraction of his troop support.

Bacphan Zhuangzu      Fei-Tzu Yensung, Overlord of South China

Effects:  None

K000 came of age and became Fei-Tzu Yensung.  He directed agricultural improvements around the kingdom.  In his spare time he went down to laugh at Che Ho in the palace dungeon.  Fei-Tzu took special pleasure in stomping on Che Ho's monthly piece of fruit before giving it to the hapless prisoner.

In Gouangxi, the rains of 1055 were unusually heavy.  Some of the region's better dikes and roads were washed away.

The Celestial Kingdom of the Jade Buddha      Po Yin "the Generous", 5th Incarnation of the Blessed Jade Buddha, Light on the Path to Nirvana, Illuminator of the Human Soul, Thinker of Deep Thoughts, Mayor Shangri-La

Effects:  Shentung (ne), Siam (ch), Dai Viet (ne), Lingsi (ch), Lingtung (ch), Hunan (ch)

Po Yin sent several chests of silver to Ch'in and Ava for their universities.

In Tibet, a new network of fortifications guards the approaches to Lhasa.  And new citizens moved into the Enlightened City.  Tibet's terrain changed to cultivated.

The Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia
Mercenary Troops 10mc, 15mi, 10ms, 20mw
Mercenary QR’s c03,s04,i03,w03
Mercenary Leaders           Harona (M???)

The Katoomba Riders      K863, Chief He’e Nalu-sen

Effects:  None

K863 played on the beach and had a few kids.  Allul expanded.

The Molucca Seahold      Te Rangi, Arikara of the Molucca Te Anu

Effects:  Mindanao (nt), Truk (f), Marshalls (nt)

Te Rangi ordered a little diplomatic expansion.  Everyon was happy to see the ally in Truk turn his islands over to the kingom.

The Javan Federation      Nobogoro, President Sirivjavan

Effects:  Perak (f), Utara (nt)

Nobogoro's reelection came as no surprise, considering the booming economy.  In Perak, General Jarakoni had great success now that the region is Buddhist.  The new bridges and canals didn't hurt, either.

Kediri benefitted greatly from the good times.  The region received many new irrigation canals, and hundred of miles of local roads were cleared to improve commerce.  Sunda became a thriving metropolis, and Singhasari is close behind.  The beautiful seaside town of Buna now graces Jambi's Mallaca coast.

The United Monarchy of the Avans      The Celestial, Virtuous, and Benignant King Tran Vinh, Monarch of all Burmese People, Munificent Potentate of Pegu, Dispenser of all Avan Goodness and Benevolence

Effects:  Arakan (ne), Sagaing (t), Nam Pung (un), Surin (un)

The extra gold from Lhasa was a pleasant surprise.

In 1051, some of Ava's Hindu intelligence agents were discovered spying for an Indian nation.  In a massive purge, most of the Hindus in the Security Agency were imprisoned and/or shot.

King Phunim gave General Tran Vinh over ten thousand troops and sent him east to gather some slaves from the hinterlands.  But Tran Vinh soon turned around and demonstrated his disloyalty.  He quickly attacked King Phunim and overwhelmed the few loyalists.  Tran Vinh happily sentenced Phunim to death for treason.  The regions of Nam Pung and Surin were appalled and withdrew from the nation.

In Sagaing, Phunim's son Ram Vu made a little progress before he found out.  Ram Vu disappeared when he heard about the warrant for his arrest.

Bangkok, Honan Phen, and Narathu got larger.

India
Mercenary Troops 18mc, 22mi, 15ms, 18mw
Mercenary QR’s c04, s04, i04, w02
Mercenary Leaders           None

The Palankala - Chola War 1046 - ?
1/1051 In Pandya, Emperor Kalimbo of Palankala was confident of his victory.  He ordered the construction of a few dozen new warships back in the homeland.

Meanwhile, in Seylan, King Mujahid of Chola scraped and scrimped.  He called a massive conscription of boys and old men to raise a corps of 10,000 light infantry.  Then he hired the famous mercenary general Saees and his 10,000 mixed cavaly, infantry, and sappers, and the small fleet of warships.  Most of this mercenary force arrived in Banavasi.  Finally, he pulled most of his transports away from their trade routes to provide the necessary lift to the mainland.
2/1051 Palan assassins found their way into King Mujahid's quarters in Seylan and murdered him as he was going to breakfast.  His younger brother Kumarish took his place.
3/1051 King Kalimbo and General Darmal left a decent-sized garrison in Pandya and headed up the western coast of India.  Saees moved his army to Gangas, avoiding the large Palan army and preparing to liberate Chera and Malabar if the Palans captured those two western regions.
4/1051 Admiral Apu from Palas set out south, searching for Cholan transports to capture.
5/1051 Admiral Apu was surprised to enter the Palk Strait and discover 25 mercenary warships and 60 fully loaded Cholan transports making their way north.  Admiral Apu deployed his 60 warships for battle, well aware of the damage the Cholans could do if they succeeded in bypassing the Palan main army.  King Kumarish ordered his outnumbered warships to guard his transports as the light infantry showered arrows upon their attackers.  The battle was a draw, but an unexpected ramming sent Kumarish tumbling into the water, where he drowned.

This left General Mehta to claim the Cholan throne as a friend of the family.  Mehta's coronation would have to wait, as he was engaging in special operations on the mainland.  The unled Cholans fell back to Polonarva in disarray, and Admiral Apu sank several more of their ships as they fled.

Having seen the size of the force that took refuge in Polonarva, Admiral Apu decided not to try to capture the docks.  He pirated all the trade coming from the city and blockaded it, heading back to Palas a few years later.
6/1051 The Cholan ally from Kakatiya arrived in Kalinga, looking to link up with King Mujahid and the main army.  He found himself all alone.  Good thing Kalinga was undefended.  He forced tribute from Kalinga, then slave raided it.  He wanted to fill in all the irrigation canals and let the region revert to wilderness, but he lack the manpower.  So he contented himself with sacking and burning Bomphan.  All of this took until June of 1053.
4/1052 King Kalimbo and General Darmal completed the looting and slave raiding of Chera, and continued north toward Malabar.
5/1052 The mercenary commander Saees died of illness, and his leaderless troop drifted away.
6/1053 The Cholan king Mehta died in the hot, humid forests.  The Ally from Kakatiya was the only Cholan leader left standing.  He asserted his right to the throne, but there was some disapproval.  The regions of Gangas and Sri Lanka left the kingdom, Gangas destroying the Cholan garrison there.  Things seemed to settle down after that.  King Kakatiya left Kalinga to move to a safer location.
8/1053 In Malabar, the Palans not only looted and slave raided the region, but they sacked Banavasi as well.  Just as the last building were being torn apart, King Kalimbo died of old age.  But the heir Daldrum took over back in the capital, and General Darmal did not try a grab for power.
8/1054 General Darmal lead the Palan army back through Chera and Pandya and into Chola.  In Chola he succumbed to a mysterious sickness.  This left the 20,000 strong Palan army stranded leaderless in the region of Chola.
1055 Both nations gasped for air.  No fewer than 6 of the 8 leaders involved since 1051 have perished.  The Cholan economy has taken a heavy blow.

Palankala      Daldrum, Guardian of the Ganges, Divine Wrath of Kali

Effects:  Kalinga (oc)

See Palankala - Chola War.  Emperor Kalimbo ordered economic improvements in his realm.

New citizens moved to Tamralipti, Bihar, and Maghadara.

The Chola Mandalam      Kakatiya, Mandala Chola

Effects:  Kalinga (pt)

See Palankala - Chola War.  Chola threw all its efforts into trying to parry and counter the stab administered by Palas in 1046.

Xanthi Empire of Xanadu      Palpatyn VI, Grand Poobah of the Xanthi Zieterund, Rajah of the Rajputs

Effects:  None

Palpatyn VI came of age and even fathered a cute little baby boy.

Again, most Xanadu cities upsized.  New citizens moved to Kyoko, Amchan, Madoka, Reichan, Limu, Beth, Lyssa, Jenni, and Kayal.  The postal road from Beth to Tripuri was improved to a royal road.

Sultanate of Sind      Nasser, Mansurashah, Protector of the Indus, Barrier of Allah

Effects:  None

Shah Nasser took the army back from General Khayyatt and sent Naheef and Khayyatt to Sahis to convert the locals to the One True Faith.  Both men died barely a year after their arrival, so progress was poor.  But Nasser did celebrate the birth of a couple of kids.

General Naheef's funeral was better attended than Khayyatt's.  Naheef had spent many years bearing witness to Allah in Sahis.  People from all over the coutryside, Muslim and Hindu alike, came to honor a man widely respected as an icon of peace, spreading Islam with deed and utterance and not with the sword.

The Middle East
Mercenary Troops 30mc, 20mi, 10ms, 15mw
Mercenary QR’s c02, s03, i04, w04
Mercenary Leaders           None

The Kutai Horde      Zoltan, Kutai Khan

Effects:  None

Zoltan roused his men from their tents and headed west.  Feeling the need for cash, they looted their way through Suachu, Kucha, and Sinkiang.  In Kashgar, Zoltan decided he needed some extra laborers.  A LOT of extra laborers.  So after the standard looting, his mighty host fanned out across the coutryside, and rounded up every last man, woman, and child, enslaving the entire region.  These slaves will be a fine labor force someday, but they sure did slow down the army.  So did the laborious task of finding a way over the nearly-impenetrable western branch of the Tien Shan and into Kuldja.

From there, the horde moved into Dzungaria and Chuguchak.  Zoltan's reputation preceeded him, and the Chuguchak horde attacked without hesitation.  Fortunately for Zoltan, numbers were very much on his side.  His losses amounted to less than ten thousand.  Just as in Kashger, the Kutai enslaved everyone in the region.  Zoltan didn't have time to leave Chuguchak before the winter of 1055.

The Shahdom of Merv      Uthman al’Saidar, Shah of Bactria

Effects:  Otrar (ne)

Shah Uthman got personally involved in the low manpower problem.  He grabbed the main army and headed out east to do some slaving.  His army of over 10,000 mixed cavalry and infantry had little problem stealing hundreds of able-bodied men from Kuldja and Frunze.  Luckily for Uthman, he was long gone by the time the Kutai horde passed through Kuldja.

Prince Aden didn't spend enough time in Otrar to sway the local ruler.  

The Abbasid Caliphate      Mu'hammid Al'rahi, Kaliphat Rasul Allah

Effects:  None

Mu'hammid Al'rahi, leader of the richest empire in the world, extended his vacation to ten years.  In an important development, he decided that he likes his grapes peeled with a knife, rather than by hand.

Imam Al Muslim      Habar, Siadat Kuran, "The Sustainer"

Effects:  Raja (mn), Basra (ca), Hamadan (ca), Media (mn), Murcia (ca), Faiyum (mn)       Downgrades: New Castille (ch), Andalusia (mn), Seville (ch), Algeria (mn), Egypt (mn), Al'Maraghah (ch), Sinai (ch), Persia (ch), Hahmar (mn), Dimashq (mn)

Noticing that the church infrastructure was not keeping up with its explosive growth, Abrahm concentrated his efforts on a few important locations.  But it was too late.  When Abrahm died in 1054, many local clerics felt it was time to assert their freedoms.  Lots of sites loosened their ties to Mecca.

Missionary work in Alwa is proceeding very nicely.

The Fatimid Empire of Egypt      Kodo'Fah, Guardian of the Holy Places, Emperor of Egypt.

Effects:  Alwa (t)

Harun el Hadad joined the race for more ITV, upsizing cities, and adding dozens of transports to internal trade.  In November of 1051 he passed away.

His young son Kodo'Fah took up where he left off.  The empire invested heavily in education.  Progress would be the key to the future of his mighty empire.  Yet Kodo'Fah is rumored to often be in meetings with unknown characters behind tightly sealed doors.  Could something be afoot?  Rumors swirl about the empires plans to destroy its enemies.  Not that it has any, right?

Karain had a bit more success bringing Alwa into the fold, but now he'll have to wait until the region becomes Islamic.

Fatimid missionaries in Alwa failed yet again, but the Imam's representatives had great success, converting half the population to Islam.

Cities increased:  Al'Iskandariyah, Al-Maraghah, Tobruq, Al Qahira, and Al'Aqabah. 

Eastern Europe
Mercenary Troops 35mc, 30mi, 15ms, 17mw
Mercenary QR’s i03, c03, s03, w03
Mercenary Leaders           None

The Rus Empire of Anatolia      Boyar Izjaslav, The First Czar of Rus Anatolia

Effects:  Polovotsy (ne), Lazica (un)

King Boyar ruled over his fledgling but promising nation.  The Khan of Polovotsy rebuffed Igor's diplomatic overtures, showing him Table 2-22.  Lazica rebelled soon after General Derzinski rode west with the army.  It's probably for the best.  Lazica is nearly worthless, and a big drain on governmental resources.

The Eastern Roman Empire      Emperor Stavros, Augustus of the Romans, Basileus of the Hellens, Supreme Among the Princes of Christendom, Equal of the Apostles, God's Own Anointed Vice-Gerent on Earth

Effects:  Rhodes (un)

With only Rhodes to feed the hungry city and army, the famine got much, much worse.  Stavros could not pay even one-third of his army.  Cavalry, infantry, and warships deserted in droves, many of them becoming mercenaries.  This left too few troops to keep supply routes open.  The Byzantine invaders and their Lombard allies tightened their siege on Constantinople.

The situation in Constantinople was dire.  Even before the city was sealed of, many citizens were on a starvation diet.  But people began starving by the dozens every month.  In April of 1054, Stavros could no longer bear to watch the mass starvation in his capital, and opened the gates.  The Byzantines took the government, and the Lombards took the Eastern Roman trade fleets.

The Eastern Roman Empire collapsed.  Rhodes is now uncontrolled.

The Patriachate of Constantinople      Levillus, Ecumenical Patriarch of The Holy Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Eastern Church

Effects:  Heraclea (ch), Troy (ch), Athinai (ch), Sparta (ch)

Levillus and his bishops established a few new churches.  Levillus wept over the loss of life in the Holy City.

The Byzantine Empire      King Phillip, Imperator Romanus Orientalis

Effects:  Constantinople (p)

King Phillip continued the siege on Constantinople despite the massive drain on gold to pay troop support.  His patience was rewarded.  He captured some Eastern Roman government and the university.  Plus, the city will provide some much-needed income.  Too bad they eat so much.

Kingdom of Russia      Ivan II, the Wanderer, King of Russia

Effects:  None

Ivan invested in government and worked on economic improvements to his small kingdom.

The Polish Kingdom      Bram II Brodzinski, King of Poland

Effects:  Bavaria (f), Pomern (f), Bohemia (f)

Bram sent Lord Edgar slaving along the Baltic coast.  Edgar met little resistance.  

In Galich, Lord Stiffen had absolutely no luck converting the locals to Roman Catholicism.

The cities of Stuttgart, Warzau, Praha, Lodz, and Gdansk got bigger.

Western Europe
Mercenary Troops 20mc, 10mi, 8ms, 15mw
Mercenary QR’s c03, s03, i05, w04
Mercenary Leaders           Gunther Schultz  (M???)

Denmark      Altan, Imperator Danmark

Effects:  None

Altan gave General Thor and Prince Aginor plenty of ships to help them on their great westward exploration.  A few years later, they returned in triumph.  They mapped the route to Iceland.

In Orkney, the new city La'ag'nah graces the Minch coast.

Grand Duchy of Slovenia (f.k.a. Verona)      Leonardo Maquina, Grand Duke of Verona, Defender of Italy, Chosen of Christ, Shepherd of the Faithful

Effects:  Spoleto (c)

Leonardo worked on an internal matter.  Lombard diplomacy caused Spoleto to turn away from Leonardo.

The Lombard Kingdom of Italy      Ludovico Orsini, Rex Sognari

Effects:  Spoleto (c to Slovenia), Romagna (nt), Verona (f)

Quietly, Maximo Galliando crept through Provence and Languedoc into Catalonia.  The Cordovan general allowed him to take his 6000 cavalry and skeedaddle.  He moved quickly back through Turqish territory and home to Lombardy without getting confronted by Turquish forces.

In the east, Prince Berenger besieged Constantinople, with the aid of 20 new warships and the large Byzantine army.  The Eastern Roman capital finally fell, and Berenger captured a couple dozen transports.

In early fall of 1053, an old Sardinian fisherman plied the waters of the Tyrhennian Sea.  Paolo had been fishing these waters for forty years.  He knew them well, and he knew his boat.  So when his boat suddenly dropped by two feet, along with all the surrounding water as far as he could see, Paolo knew something was amiss.  But nothing else happened.

Not near Sardinia anyway.  But a few hours later, all along the coast of Latium, Campania, Calabria, and Sicily, the water level dropped quickly.  Then a forty-foot wall of water rose from the sea to tower over the beaches.  It crashed upon the shore and rushed almost a mile inland.  The tsunami erased portions of Rome, Naples, and Palermo.

The ally from Verona married Ludovico's daughter, bringing the region fully into the empire.

The Roman Catholic Papacy      Innocent V, Il Papa, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ

Effects:  Liguria (ca), Bavaria (ch), Provence (mn), Genoa (ca), Franconia (ne), Lombardy (mn)

Innocent worked on his control web, hoping to increase his income at the same time.

Kingdom of Turquis      Ottoman II, King of Turquis, Champion of the True Faith, Lord of the Franks

Effects:  Provence (un)

Once again a small Lombard army trod Turqish soil.  They passed unmolested through Languedoc and Provence.  But when the Count of Provence passed away in 1055, his son took Provence away form Turquis altogether.  Luckily the new city in Languedoc was available to support southern trade routes.

King Soloman II decided to form a government based on a codified set of Laws, and recognizing the inalienable rights of Man, bestowed on him by his Creator, which no government may repress.  In due time, these changes will secure his title as king, and it's hereditary nature for his son.  Soloman also hopes for future prosperity and peace for the Franks.

Soloman II directed the construction of a city named after himself.  It was almost complete when he died in 1054.  Ottoman II took his place on the throne.

Solomanville is a port city in Languedoc.  Laborers extended the royal road from Nivernais to Burgundy.

The Island Khanate of Khitan      K669, Thunder Lord, Khagan of the Khitan

Effects: None

K669 called for massive investments into government.

He also built two new port cities: Huntington in Anglia on the English Channel, and York in Northumbria on the North Sea.

Ummayad Caliphat Al Cordoba      Mustapha, Caliph al Cordoba, Infidel’s Bane

Effects:  New Castille (a)

Mustapha realized that he could get more tax income if he knew exactly how many subjects he had.  So Ali got stuck with the tiresome task of conducting a census.  While Ali was spending his time doing paperwork, Mustapha ruled his nation, and got busy with his wife.  She bore him three sons.

The heir Tarique had good success getting an alliance with New Castille.

A pirate fleet showed up in the sea zone of Gades, and stole trade goods from the merchant ships.  The pirates were disappointed to discover that very little trade passes through that sea zone.

Afriqa
Mercenary Troops 8mc, 12mi, 4ms, 10mw
Mercenary QR’s c02, s03, i04, w03
Mercenary Leaders           T'Nola (M???)

The Algerian Caliphate      His Royal Majesty, Al-jazair, "Zaban Nogreh", Lord of the Rif, Lion of Morocco, Sword of the Prophet

Effects:  Jamaa (t)

Al-jazair ruled over his developing nation.

Lord Gefarra couldn't talk the region of Gefara (no relation) into closer ties because of its incompatible terrain.  But Gefara's city Jamaa signed up to send tribute.  They refused the royal marriage, saying that the king or heir must make that offer in person.

The cities of Al-jazair, Fez, and Kabel expanded.

The Songhai Herdsmen      Shaka, Chieftain of the Herds

Effects:  Terhazza (nt), Arauane (nt), Adawara (un), Adwaghost (un), Kurfei (un)

Shaka brought the desert tribes in Terhazza into a slightly closer relationship to the empire.  And General Boru reached a similar free-passage agreement in Arauane.

The unproductive regions of Adawara, Adwaghost, and Kurfei got kicked out of the Songhai empire.  And just in case they didn't want to leave, General Chibuzar and Prince Onwardi slaved raided Adwaghost and Adawara.  Prince Onwardi's spearmen got roughed up a bit when things went poorly in Adawara.

Some fortifications and city walls were increased to defend the nation.  The royal road was extended from Timbuctu to Gao.

The Kingdom of Tchad      Bob, King of the Dead, Omar Kanembu

Effects:  None

Bob had the university moved to Mao to spiffy up that dull city.  The heir S'bala dutifully counted heads, to improve tax collection efforts.

King Bob sent new citizens to Ngazargumu and Tillaberi.  Hausa got a lot of canals to improve the harvest.

Kingdom of Nigeria      

Korfan, King of Benin, Darkknife

Effects:  Kwararafa (pt), Kafin (pt), Kongo (un), Vili (un), Teke (un), Douala (un)

Korfan released Kongo, Vili, Teke, and Douala from the kingdom to lessen the strain on government.  Then he and his two generals went slaving.  In Kwararafa, Kafin, Togo, and Akan, they gathered thousands of slaves.  Korfan even built some fortifications to assist in the slave raids and keep control of the target regions.

New citizens moved into K'Kau, Onitsha, and Lagos.  And the port city of Kaffa was raised in Oyo.

Kingdom of Angola      K645, Wise Leader and All-Around Nice Guy

Effects:  Mbundu (hm), Chokwe (nt), Cameia (f)

The Kingdom of Angola rose up in Mbundu.  K645 expended most of his resources cultivating and colonizing Cameia.

There is a port city, Lobito, in Mbundu bordering both sea zones.  Cameia is now (2/3) cultivated.

Great Zimbabwe      Lorkaunk, Shaka Zulu

Effects:  None

Lorkaunk took a few years off.

The Divine Cape Kingdom     The All-Knowing, All-Seeing K517, God-King of the Cape

Effects:  Cape (hm), Herero (f), Namaqua (nt)

The region of Cape woke up and took notice of the world around it.  K517 ordered the cultivation and colonization of Herero.

Capetown (in Cape) borders both sea zones.  Herero is now a (2/6) cultivated region.

The Americas
Mercenary Troops 22mi, 12ms, 10mw
Mercenary QR’s s04, i05, w03
Mercenary Leaders           Strong Spear (M???)

The Sonoma Kingdom      Winter Eagle, King of Sonoma

Effects:  None

Once again, all of the empire's agro surplus was given away to the peasants..

Winter Eagle saw the need for additional defenses.  The port fortress of Watchtower is in Pomo, and there is a new port fortress in Salinan called Bayside Hold.

Anasazi Republic      Mome Rath, Chief Executive of the High Desert

Effects:  Caddo (un)

Mome Rath defeated Slithey Tove in the election, mostly because of Mome's promises to get everyone a job building postal roads towards the southern and eastern reaches of the republic.  Despite these assurances, Caddo felt no kinship with the distant capital, and rebelled.

Naghazi became a larger city.

The Iroquois Nation      Red Stone, Prime Chief of the Council

Effects:  Gronland (ne)

Red Stone was disappointed to find that Gronland was already maxed out diplomatically (Table 2-21).  The jarl of Gronland dutifully set out east to explore the uncharted waters.  Red Stone was sure that there was a great big island out the somewhere.  But like all the expeditions before him, he failed.  The jarl returned to Gronland, short several warships.

Cahokia expanded yet again, and in Gronland the port city Nanortarlik was constructed.

The Aztec Empire      Ometepec, God-Emperor, Divine Ruler of Mexico

Effects:  Otomi (a)

Diplomacy was the word.  Delxa tried to smooth over bad relations in Popoluca.  The Cuyutec chief got Otomi to agree to an alliance.

In a tragic accident, Rising Sun fell off a high stage during a ceremony elevating him to prince of the empire.  He hit headfirst and died.

Tlalixcoyan and Chichen Itza received new citizens.

The Andean Incan Empire      Pachamac, Emperor of the Heavens

Effects:  None

Pachamac was disappointed in his bad harvest.  His empire only produced about three times as much maize as his cities consumed.  To correct the problem, Pachamac ordered the construction of massive new agricultural terraces in Chavin and Moache.

The imperial Heir Kasqui died of yellow fever.  Pachamac was greatly troubled.  The river of gold flowing through Cuzco was no consolation.

Cuzco grew larger.

Quiro Mapuche      Marok, the Chosen

Effects:  None

Marok ruled over his growing nation.  The heir Matarok and his wife got along swimmingly.  They had one child per year for five years straight!  General Aldur guarded the kingdom.

New citizens moved into Bariloc.

ISI Rankings for Turn 31: Anno Domini 1051 - 1055 
#  Nation Name          MSI    ESI Player Name        Phone Number     TV    EMail Address
1  Abbasid Caliphate    157.7  2   (Marcus McKinley)  None             41.8  mckinlem@bulldog.georgetown.edu
2  The Ch'in Empire     156.0  3   Bob Nardone        None             34.6  bnardone@mail.del.net
3  Xanthi Zeiterund     156.1  11  (Charles Hurst)    None             23.0  charlesh@teleport.com
4  Andean Incan Empire  154.0  4   Ron Meinung        01-707-822-2597  22.8  rsm4@northcoast.com
5  United States o Asia 153.6  1   Lee Forester       01-616-393-9533  54.3  forester@webmail.hope.edu
6  Fatimid Empire       146.8  7   J. Russell Reid    None             37.1  Doriangray@aol.com
7  Lombard Kingdo Italy 141.0  5   Mark Bailey        None             24.0  elinmrk@redshift.com
8  Kingdom of Sonoma    124.7  14  John Schmid        None             32.0  magus@netcom.com
9  Lu'an Chinese Kingdo 120.7  6   David Nardone      01-302-838-0580  14.7  dnardone@conectiv.net
10 Palankala            114.1  9   Chris vonAlbrecht  None             22.9  SDobbyns@aol.com
11 Imam al Muslim       106.4  13  (Darin Byrne)      None              3.0  dbyrne@woudenberg.com
12 Bacphan Zhuangzu     96.2   8   (Therence DeCorse) None             23.7  cdecorse@aol.com
13 The Aztec Empire     92.7   18  James Marshall     None             19.4  james.f.marshall@gte.net
14 Shahdom of Merv      90.7   37  Michael Blocker    None              4.2  Michael_Blocker@med.unc.edu
15 The Polish Kingdom   91.4   24  Mark Newman        None             12.7  MNewman565@aol.com
16 Songhai Herdsmen     86.5   31  Jeff Melcher       None              9.4  jeffmelcher@hotmail.com
17 Iroquois Nation      83.1   16  David Nardone      01-302-838-0580  25.5  dnardone@conectiv.net
18 Denmark              79.7   27  Steve Hogie        None             15.1  SHogie@deltanet.com
19 Rus Emp of Anatolia  79.1   38  Robert Ostrom      None              6.5  bertman@usol.com
20 Javan Federation     78.9   15  David Salter       None             18.5  salterdj@aol.com
21 United Mon o/t Avans 77.5   22  (Jeff Morrison)    None             15.7  rebel@blclinks.net
22 Kingdom of Turquis   75.7   30  John Neibich       None              3.7  jonanger@netgenie.com
23 Byzantine Empire     71.6   34  Tim Finton         None              7.9  khan_tim@yahoo.com
24 Caliphate Al Cordoba 71.0   28  Jeffrey Smith      01-505-525-8271   9.3  kaladan@zianet.com
25 The Dalai Lama       68.2   10  James Gemmill      None              2.3  jamesgem@vpl.vancouver.bc.ca
26 Quiro Mapuche        66.9   26  Steven Olson       None             10.8  solsonesq@aol.com
27 Great Zimbabwe       65.6   21  Jason Sostre       None             12.1  exotiko@yahoo.com
28 Kingdom of Tchad     63.7   25  Alex Bierwag       None             14.2  bierwag@mail.utexas.edu
29 Anasazi              63.1   29  Chris Wayne        None              6.9  cwayne@nmia.com
30 Roman Catholic Papac 62.2   19  OPEN FOR A PLAYER                    2.5  None
31 Shensi Chinese Kingd 60.7   23  OPEN FOR A PLAYER                    9.2  None
32 Island Khanat Khitan 60.4   32  Lee Hensley        01-918-540-2241   9.4	
33 Katoomba Sea-Riders  50.7   39  OPEN FOR A PLAYER                    3.0  None
34 Kingdom of Nigeria   48.7   33  (Jon Sharp)        None             11.3  vermyn@hotmail.com
35 Algerian Caliphate   47.5   17  James Walker       01-505-542-9882  15.2  jhwalkerjr@hotmail.com
36 Sultanate of Sind    47.9   20  (Greg Aldous)      None             10.4  gwa3827@garnet.acns.fsu.edu
37 The Molucca Seahold  46.5   36  OPEN FOR A PLAYER                    5.6  None
38 The Kutai Horde      41.6   46  David Inglis       None              0.3  pugslote@yahoo.com.au
39 Chola Mandala        36.2   35  Robert Miles       None              8.7  rmiles@dellnet.com
40 Tangchou China       29.1   12  OPEN FOR A PLAYER                    0.7  None
41 Kingdom of Russia    29.4   41  Jesse McFarland    None              1.0  sanguine_dark@hotmail.com
42 The Mongol Horde     28.1   45  Alex Inglis        None              0.3  alex_i@optusnet.com.au
43 Kingdom of Angola    20.9   42  OPEN FOR A PLAYER                    0.8  None
44 The Cape Kingdom     19.9   43  OPEN FOR A PLAYER                    0.7  None
45 Patriarch Constantin 15.9   40  Ron Meinung        01-707-822-2597   0.3  rsm4@northcoast.com
46 Duchy of Slovenia    10.4   44  OPEN FOR A PLAYER                    1.0  None

Notes: