Lords of the Earth

Campaign Twenty-Four
Age of the Crusades

Turn 22

Anno Domini 1111 – 1115

Turn 23 Orders Due By Friday, 2000

Announcements

¨ My Mistake: As cogently pointed out by Charles Darden, Steve had already set Homeland taxes to x2! I had thought they were set to x1 and I was doing you such a favor… In any case, you should have gotten doubled taxation from your HM areas in turn #21. We have added this “missing” money to your Saved GP.

¨ The Mailing List: If you are playing, please join the Lords24 mailing list at www.egroups.com/lords24. This list will be the main method of communication between the GM’s team and yourselves. So don’t miss out!

¨ Build Charts: At the bottom of your stat sheet is a build chart – this is the correct, up-to-date chart for this campaign and replaces the Build Chart in the rulebook.

¨ The Great Wall: Has not been maintained. As a result, it has fallen into disrepair and will to be repaired before it will function as a Great Wall (as per BR 5.6.7 [5.8.6]). Repair will cost half of the original construction cost per section.

¨ Non-Played Nation Changes: We’re going to be keeping the NPN system, with two main changes: First, there will be four levels of control: Influenced (no tribute provided), Tributary (25% tribute provided), Allied (50% tribute) and Free State (75% tribute). Allied and Free State NPN’s under your control provide leaders and armies to do your bidding. Tributary ones do not. Second, when an NPN king dies, a roll will be made to see if the level of control degrades.

¨ King Auto Admin: Previously, Steve had the KingAutoAdmin setting turned On, which meant that your king (unless he was besieged somewhere, or a prisoner) was always supplying his Admin stat in Infrastructure points to your realm. In turn 22, we’ll keep this setting, but in turn 23 we’re going to turn it off. So be prepared!

¨ Flags and Royal Portraits: Any nation submitting a GIF or JPG picture of their national flag or banner (no more than 80 pixels wide) and their ruling monarch (100 pixels wide), will get a +1 bonus to all Leader efforts. The flags go on the web-site, the leader pictures in the newsfax.

¨ Leader Names: If you have an unnamed leader attempt an action, he gets an automatic –1 modifier. So name your leaders, eh?

¨ Tithes: Any GP that you receive from a tithe (either because you are a primate, or because you have a tributary ally), is automatically included in your Saved Gold each turn. So don’t be adding it in again…

¨ Order Formats: Please use one of the standard forms if at all possible. If plain text (or email) is used, please summarize all expenditures in the builds and investments sections.

¨ Intel Operations: Please specify the target clearly on intelligence operations: for example, CI can be used to defend vs. a specific area of your nation (Government, Intel, Religious, Army, etc.) Many operations failed this turn for lack of specific targets. If you place a “floating” CR operation to cover “any possible leader revolt”, there’s a moderate negative modifier for non-specific target, if he’s then outside your CCR, there’s more negative modifier.

¨ Operating Bases: Action range is traced in Action points from a “controlled region”. For open nation purposes, a “controlled region” has a status of pt, p, or t or higher. For Primacies, this is a region with an Abbey religious site or higher.

¨ Leader Experience: Leader stats are no longer static. Stats may fluctuate during the course of a leader’s lifetime, and can be affected by the success or failure of leader actions. Dramatic success on the battlefield or during diplomacy can increase the combat or diplomacy stat. This is far less common than Charisma changes. Even moderate success will improve a leader’s charisma stat, while any failure will reduce it.

¨ Holy Wars: In the recent update to the GM’s Handbook, we changed how religious troops (Crusaders) are generated. Basically, if a Holy War is successfully called, then a target number of Crusaders is calculated (based on your nations’ religious strength and city/regional GP production). The nation afflicted with supporting a Crusade then has to produce that number of national troop points to go on the crusade. If the nation does produce that number of troops, then some additional “religious” troops join them from the common population. If the nation does not send that number of troops to fight, then the religious army appears anyway, but its strength is ripped right out of national NFP production, which (frankly) will put it into negatives for 2-3 turns.

¨ MSP Basing: A big change this turn… I’ve finally updated the program to crosscheck MSP basing in ports. In addition the MSP Basing Formula has been changed a little:

MSP Capacity = City GPv × 20 × TaxMultiple

This is the big change. Please note that this means that T and PT cities only give you half of their capacity, and NT not at all. Please adjust your ports this turn as the program will do it for you at the end of Turn 22. Over-capacity cities will have MSP removed, and transformed into HT (which will go to Garrison), until they are under capacity.

¨ New Religious Primacy status: The new first status that a Primate gains in an area or city is a Church (ch), acquired through the Establish Church (ec) action.

Table 0‑1. Religious Authority Control Statuses

Control Status	Control Code	Taxation Multiple	Count Control?	NFP?
Church	ch	0.10	No	No
Abbey	ab	0.25	No	No
Monastery	mn	0.50	Yes	No
Cathedral	ca	0.75	Yes	Yes
Holy City	hc	1.00	Yes	Yes

¨ Merchant Shipping Conversions: When bringing MSP out of a route into ships, you must convert it in groups of 4 MSP, which become 1 HT, while paying 4 GP.

¨ Hiring Mercenaries: Note that mercenaries must be hired at a City within the Regional area that they form the mercenary pool of. If a group of mercenaries move out of their Regional area into another, they may be hired at the location they ended the previous turn.

¨ Warships as MSP: If you allocate Warship units to be MSP on a trade route (as opposed to their being anti-piracy patrols), they become MSP in number equal to the warships Cargo and can only be withdrawn from the route as Heavy Transports (see above).

¨ Opening Trade Routes: If you do not provide me with all of the trade route information (your base port, the other nation’s name and base port, the distance, the MSP assigned) I will not open the route.

¨ Official Map Changes: The region of Carmania (southern Iran) is Hostile Desert, not Wilderness. The southern edge of the Celtic Sea is moved up to the tip of Cornwall, making the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay adjacent. The Asiatic province of Kur, on the Amur river, is Kurshin instead. The Burmese-area province of Shan is now Wuliang, instead.

¨ Regional Mercenaries: Each region will have a maximum number of units that can be hired from each main type, all mercenaries are regular (no elite or inexperienced). Each region will have a QR for each main troop type. It will be possible to hire the Mercenaries from turn to turn. It is possible to counter-bid the Mercenaries to leave their employ and join another employer or even sit idle. The total number of regional mercenaries that can be hired are below each regional header.

Nomenclature

Turns are currently five (5) years long. Base tax rate is 100%

Infantry (200 men = 1 point), Cavalry (200 men = 1 point), Siege Engineers (200 men = 1 point), Warships (2 ships = 1 point), Transports (2 ships = 1 point).

Lords 24 Web Resources!

The Lords Twenty-Four homepage is at:

www.throneworld.com/lords/lote24/index.html

All of the on-line resources, including mailing lists and web-sites, for Lords of the Earth are summarized on this page:

www.throneworld.com/lords/players/resources.html

You can subscribe to the Lords 24 mailing list by pointing your web-browser at:

http://www.egroups.com/group/Lords24

…and following the instructions on that page.

Contacting the GM Team

Thomas Harlan

4858 East Second Street

Tucson AZ 85711-1207

lords24@throneworld.com

Various Fees and Levies

Turns	$3.00 per turn.
Maps	Available on-line at the Lords 24 website.
LOTE 5.7.2 Rulebook	Printed ~ $10.00 (Local) or $15.00 (Mailed in US), $18.00 (mailed overseas). Emailed as PDF ~ $5.00

Manchu’ko and the Steppe

Mercenaries: 20c, 20xc

The Ju-Chen Khanate

Wa-Yen A-kut-ta, Khan of the Ju-Chen, Favored of the Thunderbolt

Diplomacy Hsuing’nu(a), Harbin(fa), Manchou(t), Parhae(a), Shangtu(a)

The Khan continued to expand his sprawling domains… while A-ku-ta went west, crossing the mountains into Tumet and impressing the tribes of the Kin with his steadily growing army, his son (Wu-ki-mai) remained on the Manchurian plain that was now the heartland of the khanate. Vigorous Wu-ki took a wife from among the Hsuing’nu, for the girl knew Chinese and could read and write. Her name was Bai-ye “the summer flower.”

Despite a number of skirmishes, and some hard fighting at Lianyiang in Kin, A-ku-ta’s expedition beyond the mountains served only to rile up the tribes – and gained him no new lands. His son had done better with honey than the old man had done with the lance.

The Goryeo Kingdom

Go Yun Zun, King of the Chaosen

Diplomacy None

Go Yun, finding himself king of the Chaosen, attempted to muster up a massive army of mercenaries and national troops to defend the Willow Palisade in the north against the foul, unspeakable, loathsome, barbarian Ju-Chen. Well, he managed to gather an army, but there were no mercenary captains^[1] to be found, so they all marched north and then hunkered down behind some bushes and watched the Ju-Chen ride about.

The Land of the Rising Sun

Mercenaries: 14i, 9c, 5s, 5w, 5t

The Kingdom of Nigata^N

The Kiyowara continued to fight on from their embattled cities of Edo and Kanazawa. Lord Abe was dispatched to the north, seeking aid from the Akitans. They agreed, grudgingly, to help fight the southerners. Then – hearing the news from Yanagawa – they changed their minds.

Fujiwara Japan

Fujiwara Torashima, Shogun of the Isles, Protector of the Emperor

Diplomacy Failed

Torashima, meanwhile, spent lavishly – drawing on the enormous resources of the Shogunate – and expanded the cities of Heian (in Yamato) and Kumamoto (in Saga). He also employed a huge force of ronin and mustered many of his own samurai to fight in the north. The Fujiwara generals fighting in Kwanto and Toyama, meanwhile, had determined to muster their forces and crush the heart of Kiyowara resistance – the province of Nigata itself!

To this end, lord Kido abandoned the siege of Kanazawa and marched over the mountains into the Kwanto. Of course, as soon as he left Toyama province, Kiyowara Kirotaosu (who had been trapped with his small army in the city) sortied out and defeated the Fujiwara garrison, aided by the revolt of the provincial population.

Kirtaosu then rushed north, desperate to defend his homeland. The Fujiwara troops were already pouring over the mountains, fired up and ready to wreak vengeance upon the Nigatans! Despite being outnumbered almost three to one (7,000 Kiyowara against 19,000 Fujiwara), Kirotaosu refused to yield. A brawling melee broke out in the river valley above Yanagawa, the Kiyowara fighting desperately to keep the Fujiwara from breaking out into the plain around Sakata. Unfortunately for Kirotaosu, the brilliant Sankin, who smashed the Kiyowara decisively, slaughtering their army and driving the remnants before him, commanded the southern host.^[2]

The northern general was, in fact, captured. Sankin kept him close, chained and carried in an armored wagon. Now the way north lay open and Sankin wasted no time. Sakata town was assaulted within months of the defeat of the Kiyowara armies and captured. Sankin then turned south in the following year, reconquering Toyama (and taking Kanazawa after a bloody fight) and finally descending upon the Kwanto to suppress a violent uprising there, and besieging Edo in the closing months of 1114. By the end of 1115 general Sankin had smashed the Kiyowara and brought all of Honshu save Akita under the rule of the Fujiwara. He was also the most powerful man in all Japan.

The Land Under Heaven

Mercenaries: 15i, 5c

Northern Sung (Dragon)

Xing Yan, Regent in the name of the Emperor Song Bun Wei

Diplomacy None

Following his rebellion, and the failure of the siege of Pienching, Xing Yan controls the provinces (and cities) of Hopei (Kaifeng), Yen (Yen-Ching), Bao-ding (Zenzun), Yun (Ta-tung) and Houma.

Middle Sung (Imperial)

Song Zho Min, Celestial Emperor of the Middle Kingdom

Diplomacy Funiu(nt), Tangchou(nt)

While the addition of Shangtung to the Empire pleased Song Zho Min, the refusal of Funiu and Tangchou vexed him. How could his nephew have failed? Was the gold not to their liking? Li San had been tutored by the finest of scholars. His mastery of the spoken word was as impressive as his calligraphy. Perhaps he needed more time. So Zho Min had a letter sent to Li San allowing him a few more years to work with the leaders of Funiu and Tangchou.

The statements by the ungrateful vassals of the Bei Song angered Zho Min. Thus he ordered that the Armies of the Dragon be increased by half again. He recalled General Xio Yan and his aides from Jiangxi. He ordered General Xing Tzu to prepare for war. When all was in readiness, the Grand Army of the Dragon would consume Chang’An in flame and iron. The Northern Song would not tolerate such insolence! Sung is merciless!

Fate intervened on behalf of the Southern Song, before the Grand Army began its march; a letter arrived from Prince Bin Wei, who had been posted in the north.

Light of Heaven, I have received word from our … merchants … in the Goryeo Kingdom that the Ju-Chen clans are on the move. They have a new leader, A-ku-ta, Eldest of the Wa, who unifies them into an army. I have sent gold to the Goryeo, my Emperor, so that they may bolster their defenses, as through their lands lies access to ours. When you receive this letter, I shall already be in the city of Zen Zun organizing what defenses are available. ~ Bin Wei

Song Zho Min called Xing Tzu to his chamber and ordered him to begin his march, not to Shensi as had been planned but to Bao Ding to destroy this “A-ku-ta” and his horde. Xing Tzu informed his Emperor that not all of the troops had been sufficiently trained. Zho Min dismissed this information with a wave. “Leave them behind for Xio Yan”, Zho Min said, “he will finish their training en route to Bao Ding.” Xing Tzu saw the wisdom in keeping his head and left for Bao Ding with the Grand Army of the Dragon.

Zho Min laughed at the irony behind his next action. He called for his best messenger to take a letter to the Southern Sung. A letter, which no longer demanded surrender or tribute, but in turn suggested that the army being raised to defend Chang’An be put to a better use destroying the forces of the Ju-Chen.

So it was that the Sung – the most industrious of peoples – labored throughout the years, rebuilding the long Barbarian Wall in the north, in the provinces of Yun, Bao Ding and Lu’an. The cities of Chiangning (in Anhui) and Chang’ling (in Hupei) also expanded. Massive armies marched into the north, clogging the roads to bolster the defenses of Bao Ding and Lu’an. As it happened, the Ju-Chen (of whom so many terrible tales were told) did not attack.

The venerable general Xio Yan, however, did drown while crossing a river in Jiangxi province, which meant that his command in the north was taken over by his young rival, Xing Tzu. Normally, this would not be a problem, save that the reckless young man had recently lost the favor of Princess Wa to no less than the Emperor himself. Oh, bitterness rankled in his heart – how could the most lovely flower be taken from him? Particularly by the loathsome Emperor! Who already had a dozen wives?!

Xing Tzu’s bitterness fed thoughts of revenge, and this led to plotting – a dangerous business… Prince Wei arrived in Bao Ding, commanding the masses of Sung infantry, and Zing approached the older man, seeking guidance. “You thought the lovely petal Wa would stay with you?” Sneered Wei. “She’s too good for a man with dirt on his slippers!”^[3] Xing turned away, hiding his hatred, which had now sparked to full, raging life.

Wei was murdered two days later, ambushed by his grooms while he was hunting in the hills on the border of Yun. Xing immediately seized control of the army, declaring that the young Prince Bun Wei (recently declared the heir by Zho Min) was in danger. Xing rushed south with the whole of the northern Dragon army at his command.

In the capital, Zho Min received this news with horror. His two best generals were dead, and the third was lunging south with fire in his eye. Worse, the lamentable Dzou Fou was now the sole protector of the north, with only 6,000 militia cowering in Chengde!

Zho Min, who at least knew himself to be a poor general, cowered in Pienching, hiding behind the Yellow River. All of the boats were drawn to the southern bank, and the bridges destroyed. Thus, Xing charged into Kaifeng and found his way blocked by water. Resolute, the rebellious general ordered his men to quarter the countryside, confiscating anything that would float.

In spring of 1113, Xing launched a massive assault across the river, right into the teeth of Zho Min’s army at Chang’yuong. 38,000 Northern Dragon troops swarmed across the river in barges, skiffs, swimming, on pole-rafts… Zho Min tried not to cower in his elegant tent on the southern bank, but his 23,000 men seemed outnumbered!

Despite ferocious resistance, the Imperials were driven off the riverbank and once Xing’s cavalry got ashore, their mostly infantry force was hammered on the flanks. Zho Min fled into the fortifications of the capital, leaving the field strewn with his loyalists. The rebels then besieged the capital, still claiming to support the young prince Bun Wei.

Pienching was surrounded by triple walls set behind a deep moat. Thousands of siege engineers bolstered the defense of the city. The Emperor vowed never to surrender! Xing immediately began building a counter-wall and the siege was underway in earnest in 1114. Six months of sortie and assault followed, with the Imperials giving a good reckoning. Winter passed, gray and rainy, and in the spring Xing found himself no closer to the delightful Wa. Disheartened, he abandoned the siege and retired across the river to Kaifeng, which he declared his capital.

Now the Sung realms were three… Northern (or Dragon), Middle (Imperial) and Western (or Po Hai). Zho Min had never expected such a calamity to befall the empire in his lifetime! And still the Ju-Chen loitered in the north, waiting…

Western Sung (Po Hai)

Song Chou Lin, “The Grim”, Lord of the Middle Lands

Diplomacy None

Shockingly, the Western Sung (previously the Northern, but they are in the west, aren’t they?) did not invade and conquer the central lands. Song Chou did, however, laugh his ass off.

Kingdom of Tibet

Chandragumra, Lord of Lhasa, King of the Tibetians

Diplomacy None

Despite a near-overwhelming desire to launch a furious (and fruitless) invasion of India, the Tibetians were forced by circumstance to try and convert some of the tribesmen in Gtsang to follow the Buddha.

South East Asia and the Islands

Mercenaries: 10i, 10w, 10t

The Dai Kingdom of Annam

T'an Minh, Da-Wang ti Annam

Diplomacy Laos(t), Kwangsi in Kwangchou(nt), Lingnan(ea)

The Minh ruled vigorously, chasing his wives about the sprawling edifice of his new palace – Tonkin Castle – which loomed over the city like a cliff. Tonkin-city also expanded, fueled by the Da-Wang’s many projects. Many new rice paddies were constructed in Annam to feed the ever-growing capital.

The disgraced general Li Tzu was sent off to the south, watched over by Kai’sheng, to see if the Vijayans wanted to be “protected” from the Khmer. Old Li didn’t even make out of Mison province before feeling faint, sitting down beside the road and then toppling over, dead. Kai’sheng did visit the Vijayans, but they threw refuse and dead ducks at him, so he was forced to march back into Mison with his head held high, pretending he didn’t have a rotting duck foot stuck in his hair.

Finally – just another message delivered by an ashen-faced courier to the Minh’s court – the prince of Lingnan died while eating eels in Kwangchou^[4] and his province lapsed in their duty.

The Kambujadesa Empire

Suryavarman II, devarajah – god-king of the Khmer

Diplomacy None

The new god-king tended shop and tried to set his house in order, but it was so hot and sticky that everyone mostly stayed indoors and played mah-jong.

The God-Empire of Sirivijaya

Ginandjar, Blessed of the Bohdisattva, The Builder

Diplomacy Jambi(a)

The Builder puttered around his small, yet someday to be awesome realm. He finally chased down some of his wives and was blessed with a son. The lamentable Soemarsaid managed to get the Jambi to take pity on the Empire and become allies, then Soe showed great dedication to the realm and fell off a bridge and drowned. Finally, the Empress made her husband hire some guards for the palace, so that urchins (the street kind, not the spiny kind) wouldn’t steal all of her washing on Tuesdays.

The Kingdom of Thaton

Anawratha, Lord of the Mon

Diplomacy Samatata(very angry!)

An enormous amount of activity suddenly blossomed in Thaton lands – which had lain in an opium-induced stupor for so long! Gha Gi managed to declare his brother, Anawratha, to be his successor – just in time for the King to be brutally trampled by a spooked elephant. Anawratha disposed of the mice himself. Nasty little creatures!

Land clearing projects began in Burma, and the province of Pegu saw enormous efforts to repair the local canals, wells and paddies. Too, the port of Rangoon was bustling, both with trade (ships plying the sea lanes to Ceylan were much in evidence), and with another expansion of the royal fleet – now quite powerful. The city of Thaton (in Thaton), was renamed Moulmein.

The new king entertained emissaries from Annam, Ceylan and Pala Bengal – everyone expressed great filial love and happy peace feelings all around. Merchants visiting from the smaller principalities in the region felt a cold chill, seeing the various potentates poring over maps and lists of towns and cities.

Anawratha also cleaned house – so many lackwit brothers and sisters cluttering up the palace! Only prince Jayavar survived to become one of his brother’s ministers. Of course, Jayavar was immediately dispatched to Hindu Samatata with a caravan of priests – the embassy and religious mission ended badly, with everyone fleeing for their lives into Burma. The Samatatans take their religion seriously and the not-do-diplomatic Jayavar had only poured oil on the flames.

India

Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

The Pala of Bengal

Rubapala the Young, Second of that Name

Diplomacy None

Much like their Thatonese neighbors, the Pala were vigorously active. A new city, Shillong, was built in Assam. Massive canal and raised-field projects were undertaken in Gaur and Palas, as well as a public sewer system in Gaur city. Many colonists were also rounded up (by force if necessary!) for an effort to establish a presence in the Andaman Islands. Lord Bima was dispatched with several large galleys to investigate the proposed locale… much to his horror, he found the Andaman’s to be a malarial mangrove swamp, barely suitable for the degenerate tcho-tcho people who live there, in stilted huts and from canoes. He returned to Tamralipti to report that only the mad would want to live in such a terrible place.

Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj

Kavali, Emperor of the North

Diplomacy Gujerat(Free State)

The Pratihara invested all of their efforts on wooing the Paramara Gujari to their banner. They found success, though Bhoja was a bit of a punk. Still, Kavali was not complaining… he needed a port on the Gulf of Oman, and by Vishnu, he got it!

Kalachuri Kingdom of Tripuri

Ajayapala the Weak, King of Kings, Lord of Ramagiri

Diplomacy None

Ajayapala was very nervous, seeing that he was surrounded by mighty powers… and his realm was so pitiful and small!

Paramara Gujari

Samavasima, King of Dhara

Diplomacy FreeState of Pratihara Kaunaj

Bhjoa idled his days away, entertaining the embassies from the north, and counting the gifts and wealth flowing to him as a result. Of course, he gladly donned a golden leash… now he was Kavali’s lap dog! Then he suffered a heart attack and his son, Samavasima, had to bow and scrape before the Pratihara instead.

The Paramara Avanti

Munja the Young, King of the Dhara

Diplomacy None

Munja was jealous that the Dharan kings got all the attention. Wasn’t his realm equally small and weak?

Western Chalukya Kingdom

Mularaja, Lord of Anahillapura

Diplomacy Nasik(f)

The Chalykya considered invading someone, anyone… but who? Of course Avanti looked appetizing… and so did Tripuri.

Sad Drivida Kingdom of Ceylon

Vijayabahu, Lord of the Tamil and the Nadu

Diplomacy Pandya(f)

Tamil laborers were kept busy, expanding the city of Kollam in Pandya, then rebuilding its massive walls. In such a dangerous world, Vijayabahu did not intend to be taken by surprise. The citizens of Panyda itself were quite pleased – they loved the king!

The Lohara Kingdom of Kashmir^N

The Historian had intended to lick his wounds and maybe fortify the passes into Parapavura, but the news from Punjab forced his hand… heartsick, he led his army down into the plains of Und in a desperate bid to save his kinsmen.

Central Asia and Persia

Mercenaries: 15i, 15c, 5s

The Ghaznavid Sultanat

Yamin al Dala, Lord of the Punjab

Diplomacy Und(ea), Peshawar in Und(a), Hazarajat(f)

Blessed with many able lieutenants – and still smarting over the disgrace of their defeat by a scholar! – the Ghaznavids set about expanding their realm with laudable energy. Yamin was very pleased with the results – soon his vigorous little nation would be an empire!

To that end, Abdul the Pious stormed south out of Und and into Punjab with the entire Ghazi army, smacked around the local milita, then started burning down Vishnu temples and slaughtering the Brahmins. The entire province exploded into revolt and Abdul found himself up to his neck in insane Hindu spearmen. The Ghazis, however, were used to hacking Hindu peasants to bits, so a particularly ugly campaign followed.

While Punjab was aflame with revolt, Kalahan of Kashmir invaded Und with 3,000 kshatriya. The shah of Peshawar (so recently having signed up with the Ghazis) foolishly decided to stop him, and left the safety of his city with some 3,000 militia. The Historian, still learning this whole war business, slapped the shah silly at Murtezgh, and sent him packing.

Having brushed aside the first opponent, Kalhana marched into Punjab, where Abdul was mopping up the last centers of resistance. Kalhana attacked the Moslems at Punchuram, surprised them and drove Abdul from the field. Unfortunately, Kalhana now found himself far from home, facing an enemy with a strong cavalry arm, while he had none.

Abdul regrouped his army, and swung north, cutting Kalhana off from his line of retreat. The Hindu prince was forced to fight at Jhang, where Abdul crushed him by sheer force. The spindly-looking historian fell amid windrows of his enemies, and his army was destroyed. Abdul, battered, managed to secure both Punjab^[5] and Und by the end of 1115.

Bereft of their beloved prince and his doughty kshatriya, Lohara Kashmir collapsed as a realm.

The Saffarids of Baluchistan

Rasan ibn Leys, Shah of Baluchistan, Governor of Khorasania

Diplomacy Siahan(ea), Jats(nt)

Being the civilized sort, Rasan returned to his beautiful capital of Safahali, high in the mountains, there entertained his new young wife. A son was born of this union, and the Shah was greatly pleased. His fleet also patrolled vigorously in the Gulf, watching for pirates. Many merchants thronged the bustling ports of Quetta and Mansura, making the Shahdom rich. Rasan was also pleased to learn that his fumble-footed son Rasul had managed to negotiate the treacherous politics of Siahan and brought home a wife.

Several imams arrived from Baghdad, bringing the news that the ‘Abasi kalif sought to guide and assist the faithful within the Saffarid realm. Some local imams listened to the foreigners, but not very many.

Unfortunately an effort to bring the word of Allah to the petty Hindu chiefdoms of the Jats desert – despite being carried by the well-spoken Mahmoud al’Alawai – ran into nothing but trouble! Indeed, the chiefs nearly rose up in revolt. As it was, relations were quite strained.

The Karakhanate of Ilig

Jasmine, Bughra-Khan, Queen of the Ilig

Diplomacy Bokhara(c), Otarsh(fa), Khwarzim (influenced)

Undaunted by the reverses suffered in her war against the Khwarz, Jasmine girded her loins, regrouped her army, picked some flowers from beside the road and once more marched into Khwarzim province. This time, she sent ahead the well-spoken Ali-Bakash under a flag of truce, requesting a parley. She had a proposal for this Muhammad…

Back home, many new farms were established in Bactria. The wise Ahmad-Raman visited the princes of Bokhara and Otarsh, pleading with them to acknowledge Jasmine as their Queen. Reactions were mixed, but he didn’t get attacked.

Shahdom of Khwarzim

Takash, Khazarim-shah

Diplomacy Influenced by Ilig.

Jasmine’s armies swept into Khwarzim in bright array, particularly since the Queen did not intend to fight. She reached the location of the parley in fine humor, hoping that Ali-Bakash had succeeded in his mission. As it happened, she entered the parley tent to find her emissary in the company of an elderly man, a complete stranger, with a particularly Hunnic cast to his face. “Who is this?” Asked the Queen. “Where is Muhammad?”

Ali-Bakash smiled queasily. His mission had not gone well. “Ah… my Queen… this is Takash, the shah of Khwarizim. The lord Muhammad died during the winter, as did his brother Feyrukh. Apparently there was an outbreak of pneumonia…”

Jasmine glared at the ambassador. He stuttered to a halt. Then she turned her lambent eyes on the doughy-faced Takash. “You’d be married then,” she hissed.

“Oh yes,” Takash replied, smiling broadly. “Though you’d make a bonny junior wife!”

That got him an even fiercer glare. “Then there’s no alliance,” she bit out. Ali-Bakash swallowed, turning pale.

“Now, lass, that might not be true…” Takash grinned, steepling his fingers. His dark eyes glinted merrily. “Let’s talk.”^[6]

The Polovotsy^N

Morgu, determined to restore the glory of the Polovotsy, rounded up all the warriors he could – equipped them with the finest armor and bows – then stormed west into Nogai, intending to destroy the power of the pitiful Turki once and for all. Unfortunately, while skirmishing with the Nogai, the Polovotsy were ambushed by a huge force of Turki. In the resulting fray, Morgu’s son J’uzhen was killed, as was Zhenchi-wen, the khan of the Turki. Morgu himself was captured by Jamuqua, the new Turki khan. Faced with death, Morgu was forced to bend his neck to the youthful Jamuqua.

The Turki

Jamuqua, Great Khan of the Turki and the Polovotsy, Lord of the Steppe

Diplomacy Polovotsy(absorbed), Nogai(ea), Ghuzz(f), Ob(fa), Otrar(fa)

The year 1111 ended well for the Turki. Morgu had been humbled and his people were now the sworn allies of Jamuqua. The Nogai were now his brothers as well. Emboldened by this success, the Turki stormed into Khirgiz and points east. Though he was wary of the Yasi and their repellent lord, he was not afraid to crush the smaller tribes and bring them under his banner… As a result of his campaigns in ’12-’15, the Khirgiz were conquered, and the Ob and Otrar brought under his sway. Also, the Great Khan founded a capital city, Great Bulgar, in Bolgar province. Now Jamuqua lacks only a suitable bride…

The Yasi

Tzelgu Khan, Destroyer of the Khazars, Stormblade

Diplomacy Khazar(f), Patzinak(f), Sarigh-shin in Saksiny(t), Saksiny(f)

Ignoring the dogs and slaves to his northeast, Tzelgu set about expanding his already vast domain. Bow down, dirt-eaters! Of course, to this end the Khan was not shy about establishing a new city in Abasigia, called Colchis. Nor was he averse to descending upon the city of Sarig-shin in Saksiny and bartering for a wife for his son, Tzoemir.

While the khan was getting fat eating off his brother-in-law’s table, his general An’lu’shan was busy making mischief in the west. A huge number of Yasi riders swept into Taman and besieged the Byzantine city of Bosphorus. The prince of Taman, aside from sending a ship to Constantinople, screaming for help, could do nothing against the swarms of plains riders. An’lu – feeling cocky – attempted to besiege the city and got a very bloody nose for his trouble. Cursing the damned Greeks, he then satisfied himself with garrisoning the province.

An’lu wanted to try invading across the Kerch strait into Crimea, but then realized that if he did, the Greeks in the city would sneak out and whack his garrison on the head, so he settled down in Taman, apparently for good.

Ar Rawwadid Emirat at Tabriz

Isra’il Alueddin, yabghu of the Rawadid

Diplomacy Persia(t), Zagros(fa), Kurdistan(t), Arbiliq(c)

Having bestirred themselves, the Rawwadid bustled about their mountain home, shifting troops here and there, impressing the neighbors and, well, they had some harsh words to say about the Orthodox Christians in Urmia:

“Men, we must not allow the Christian to be free in our lands. It is an affront to Allah. Does it not say in the Holy Book ‘When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast their bonds.’? Does it not also say ‘Take not Jews and Christians as friends, they are the friends of each other. Who so of you makes them his friends is one of them. God guides not the people of the evildoers!’”

So it was that prince Mikai’l slaughtered a great number of the Urmians and enslaved the rest and marched them away into slavery in Azerbaijan. This was the reward of the infidel!

Middle East

Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 10xc, 5w, 5t

The Abasi Caliphate

Mustarshid, Judge of Judges, the True Kalif

Diplomacy Mosul(ca), Mesopotamia(mn), Diyala(ch), Antioch(ab), Tyria in Lebanon(ch),

When the envoy arrived from Sultan Hamar of the Fatamids, he was shown directly into the presence of Mustarshid Caliph. Knowing the reputation of the ‘Abbasi, the envoy did not relish his task.

“My master, Hamar, Sultan of Egypt, Caliph of the West, bids that I deliver this message to your excellency.” A hush fell over the court. To name Hamar Caliph in the presence of the true spiritual descendant of the Prophet was just this side of blasphemy in these environs.

“The great Caliph does not choose to send tithe or any other tribute to Baghdad. The spiritual needs of the people of the Fatamidi are well in hand.” The envoy flinched involuntarily and took a deep breath before continuing. “But his majesty is not indifferent to his cousin in the east. As you are hungry, perhaps this will whet your appetite.”

He gestured to the slave who had accompanied him to step forward. Head bowed, the slave approached the dais and left on its edge an elegant ebony box then retired. Mustarshid simply watched, his face an inscrutable mask.

Al’Kareem, the Grand Vizier gestured to a guard to retrieve the box from where it lay. The guard held the box before the Al’Kareem and opened its lid that the contents might be examined. At the sight of its contents, a sharp his escaped the vizier’s lips and his eyes shot to the unlucky envoy.

The court, which had been hushed, now became absolutely silent. The Caliph finally took his eyes from the man before him and looked toward the guard. On bent knee, he presented the offering to the Caliph. Mustarshid reached into the box and withdrew the contents: a single orange, exquisitely worked in gold.

The court erupted in indignation. Guards moved to take the envoy and his slave, but the Caliph raised a negating hand. Again silence fell. The gathered imams and nobles were stunned. Had this been Mustahzir, the recently deceased Caliph, the man’s head would have already been at the Imam’s feet. What was this? Mustarshid simply sat gazing at the Orange held in his hand for what seemed an eternity. Was he mad?

Finally, he began to laugh. A low soft laugh as if at a joke only he understood. The court was stunned. The envoy trembled. Replacing the orange in the box and placing it on his lap, he returned his attention to the man before him.

“Go back to Egypt and tell your master this from Mustarshid of the ‘Abbasi. Tell him that we are well and truly pleased by his gift. We and all our line will cherish it as a lesson well taught. We hope that he may also learn it’s lesson before his time overcomes him.” With that, he ordered that the envoy be rewarded for his efforts and dismissed him.

True to his word, Mustarshid did cherish the gift. He caused a pedestal be placed on the dais near his divan and had the orange displayed there for all to see. When questioned about the gift and his reaction he would simply laugh. When he left the palace, it was carried before him in its ebony box.

Soon when he had left Baghdad on his mission to the North, he was met on the road by another messenger from Egypt. This time it was not gift which was borne to him, but news. Hamar was dead. His younger brother, last of the line had died soon after. The house of Fatamid was no more. A usurper sat on the throne in Egypt.

The Caliph’s suite was stunned. Mustarshid simply gestured to the ebony box in the hands of a slave. “He did not learn. No man may put his will or pride before the will of Allah. He that does will be brought low as surely and the sun sets.”

Thus with an insult began a new age in the House of the ‘Abbasi.

Under Mustarshid’s guidance the small religious school in Baghdad expanded, and farmers in Mosul were aided in building new mills and granaries. Embassies were dispatched to the Fatamids (they did not take any oranges), Akramid Spain and the Saffarids in India.

The Buwayid Emirates

Jord’na ibn Buyid, Emir of Baghdad

Diplomacy None

Not only was the Emir disgusted with the failure of his generals to overthrow the Hatamid whelps, but he kept siring daughters! Would these plagues never end? Despite these travails, Jord’na continued to rule wisely in Baghdad, and dispatched another huge army to crush the western scum. This time his generals decided to cut across the Palmyrene desert and attack Damascus directly!

The Hatamid Emirat

Rukh al-Din, Sultan of Damascus

Diplomacy Carhae(f), Edessa(a), Palmyra(a – since the Buyids invaded them)

As it happened the Sultan was arguing with his advisors over this very matter… everyone urged Rukh to use the great wealth of the emirate to raise a huge army to defeat the easterners. However, the Sultan refused, saying that the needs of the people must be met before they would be strong enough to defeat the enemy. Tyria in Lebanon expanded, and many good works were done elsewhere.

Well, Rukh’s real intent was to kick the Buyids out of his lands with the forces he had at hand. So, in ’11 he advanced into Carhae and found, to his delight, that the Buyid armies had abandoned the province. The emir of Carhae was restored to his ancestral seat (and promptly died, willing his province to Rukh). The Sultan, victorious, then returned to Damascus, arriving home in the summer of ’12.

The Buyid generals had swept across the desert, brushing aside the Palmyrene tribes (now allied to the Hatamids) and into Syria province. They were immediately in trouble. The various Hatamid princelings on hand held the desert frontier against them with 6,000-odd cavalry and a bewildering array of forts, castles, fortified towns and watchposts. The 28,000 Buyids were tired and hot and at the end of a long camel-trail to the Euphrates. The fighting was fierce and protracted and the Buyid generals entirely failed to break through the fortified zone. General Slicka was killed, in fact. Disheartened, the easterners retreated in panic and disarray across the desert, harried by the Palmyrene tribesmen, who took great pleasure in slaughtering those who fell behind in a particularly gruesome fashion.

Rukh was pleased with his brothers, who had led the defense, and the fighting valor of the Hatamid!

Religious trouble raised its ugly head in Damascus, late in 1113. An ‘Abasi imam, Mustarshir, had entered the city, seeking to establish friendly relations with the local mosques and clergy. He found himself on the wrong side of a local clique, who denied the inheritance of the ‘Abasi to the caliphate. Though the Sultan’s vizier attempted to intervene and quell the volatile situation, Mustarshir was murdered, stabbed to death in an alley near the Silk Market. Similar trouble sparked up in Jerusalem the next year, when the priest Omar found himself beset by rascals on the Temple Mount itself. Luckily, Omar was a handy fellow with a sword and he hewed down nine of the secessionists before escaping the city.

Hayrenik’un Armeniam

Hayrenik Mecatun Mezizos, Lord of the First Men

Diplomacy Galatia(ea), Urmia(a)

As recorded in The Year of Our Lord Jesu Kristo 1115 by the High Council of Spasalars that Hayrenik Savasian having done little for the kingdom of Armenia, except to line his own coffers during his reign, is stripped of his regal mandate and was exiled to the isolated Monastary of St. Stepheon. Mecatun Theodotos was given mandate of the mountain kingdom. His brother, Mecatun Mizizios, was promoted to command of the royal guards. Hayrenik Theodotos's first edict was to repair the ancient Roman military roads in order to facilitate commerce. In addition, engineers and builders were hired to repair the aquaducts and marketplaces of the cities in eastern Anatolia. ~ Sosimus’ Historia Armeniam

Though he had been known as the “wise”, Theodotos’ reign lasted only nine years. In ’14, while hunting in the mountains of Armenia, the hayenrik was trapped in a defile by a wild aurochs and slain. His grooms, who had held back at the critical moment, were seized by Mezizos and put to the question. Under torture, they confessed that Savasian’s partisans had paid them off… a brutal bloodletting followed, with the exiled Savasian losing his eyes in retaliation. Mezizos then claimed the hayrenrik for himself.

The Rum Khanate of Turkiye

Alp Arslan, Khan of the Seljuq Turks

Diplomacy Bah! Who needs to speak to peasants!

Old Alp continued to hang around, though he was pushing eighty years of age! Must be all that darned yoghurt and kvass. In any case, while Malikshah busied himself with building a new city, Hastor, in Lydia, the khan rousted up some lancers for the army and watched them parade about. Very nice! The good cheer and fellow-feeling continued with the Romans, as the Turkiye returned the province of Paphlagonia to them. Of course, the Turks living there were not pleased!

A Roman bishop arrived in Bursa, with about six thousand servants, dancing girls, clerks, scribes, librarians and bottle-washers, to “help out with some minor details of government.”

Freed from city-building, Malikshah spent ’14-’15 in the east, leading a sizable Turk army against the province of Cilicia. At the same time, Taras Bulba was campaigning against the Pamphylans. The Turks had a good time, sticking it to the Orthodox… though the Roman knights made them pay a heavy price for both provinces.

Oriental Roman Empire

Basil III Bolgarophilos, Avtokrator of the Romans

Diplomacy None

The Romans continued to struggle along – though peace with the Turkiye was about the best news they had gotten in a hundred years or so… the recovery of Paphlagonia and Sinope was a little spoiled by the fact that the locals were now Turks and really, really unhappy with the new government. Too, the attacks of the Yasi on the north-shore colonies were troubling. Still, what was an Emperor to do?

Well, die for one thing… Constantine VIII died in ’14, and his son Basil at last ascended the throne of the east. He was the third of that name. The new avtokrator was blessed with another son, Theodore, in ’12, but his wife Eudocia died in childbirth in ’15 leaving him a widower. The fleet also carried relief supplies into Bosphoros and reinforced the garrison of that city against the Yasi.

Religious trouble stirred its ugly head in the City, as an Italian priest bothered the various logothetes and patriarchs, demanding a tithe be sent to Rome. None of the Greeks were having any of that, thanks!

Al Fatimid Caliphat al Qaira

Badr al’Jamali, “The Spider”, Sultan of Egypt, Calif of the West

Diplomacy Ad’Diffah(drops to c)

Though the Spider might have been a cruel and even evil man, he labored long and hard to improve the wealth and power of his realm… Alexandria in Egypt and Al’Qairah in Mansura expanded. The city of El’Aqabah in Petra was fortified (who knew when the war in the Levant would spill over?) and the entire army was vastly upgraded.

Though considerable bad blood existed between the previous regime and the kalif in Baghdad, the Spider had other plots afoot, so he ignored the arrival of a few clerics from the east. He did not expect them to remain long. Indeed, even though the doughty Omar led the delegation, the easterners found a cold welcome in Egypt and returned home with empty hands. The local imams were no friends of anyone from schismatic Baghdad!

In ’13, a massive earthquake rocked the delta, centered near the great city of Memphis, which suffered huge fires and tens of thousands dead. The Spider immediately sent troops into the province to quell rioting and looting and to aid the afflicted. Only weeks later, he learned that the Makuria had attacked Danakil in the far south. A troubled time for such a cold-hearted ruler!

The Muslim clerics in Alexandria were very busy – delegations were dispatched south (to get into trouble) and north, to Crete, where they preached vigorously and to no effect to the local Orthodox Christians. The young Al’Afdal (the Spider’s son) was also sent to Crete, but the flagship of his fleet was caught in a storm off the Libyan coast and lost with all hands. The rest of the squadron made landfall at El’Gitar.

The Horn of Africa

Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

Ar Rassid Imamat as Sa'na

Abu Jahal, “the Jackal”, Imam of the Beni Makhzum

Diplomacy Adal Emirat of Ifat(tributary)

Now, as it transpired, the Jackal had bigger plans than simply to make the Makhzum the lords of Sa’na. No, he dreamed large and he intended nothing less than to be lord of Arabia – as no man had done since the days of the Prophet himself! With this in mind, the Jackal took ship across the straits to rich, bustling Adal, where the Indian spice ships made landfall before riding the sea-road up to the Egyptian ports.

Among the Adal, the Jackal sought a wife for his son Azir, and an alliance, and – in the fullness of time – mastery… In all these things the Imam found success – the Adal were eager to join in alliance, his son found a pliant healthy wife, and he gained access to the facilities of Adal port itself.

The Yemeni Rassid Imamat

Yarik ur’Adal, Emir of Yemen

Diplomacy Mecca(f)

The Yemenite Emirs attended another funeral – old Al’Aamir died at the venerable age of eighty-one – and the not-so-young Yarik became Emir of Yemen and (soon after) Mecca as well, when the old prince of the city died. A desultory effort was made to spruce up the sacred districts… but mostly they were rather shabby.

The Adal Emirat of Ifat

Achmed ibn Uba'id, Emir of Emporyion Ifat

Diplomacy None

Achmed struck a pleasing bargain with Abu Jahal from across the strait. Some new farms and orchards were established in Zeila province.

The Makuria Kingdom of Dongola

Raphael III, Negusa-Negast of the Makuria

Diplomacy Sennar(a), Soba in Sennar(nt)

The Makuria (like many other nations) roused themselves from sloth and set about building a great empire. To this end, a fortress was built on the coast of Adulis, at the good harborage of old Ptolemais Theron. There is no city, yet, but the beginnings of one. The local Coptic church also scored a quiet victory by converting Nubia, Omdurman and Dongola to the Coptic faith. Almost without realizing it, Raphael found himself a Christian king, ruling a nation of Christians.

The city of Axum expanded. Raphael, at last, had a son – John – to (he hoped) carry on his great legacy. A passel of aunts that had been moldering around the palace were cleaned out. The matter of converting to Coptic played out well in Sennar, where the local (Coptic) prince was willing to ally with Raphael. Had the Makuria still been savage pagans, there would have been battle instead! Too, there was some trouble in Dongola itself, where Muslim clerics had attempted to sway the local tribesmen to follow Allah. This was not to be borne! The local Coptic priests drove the infidels out with spears and swords.

Of course, all was not peaceful and light at the source of the Nile… no! Raphael also hungered for trade and gold and all the trappings of power – to this end he sent his son Pakepe with a strong army to assail the Fatamid outpost of Danakil on the coast. As it happened the Moslems had built many forts to protect their city (though the city itself was without walls) and Pakepe fought a hard campaign in ’12 and ’13 before he was killed by a Fatamid archer, and his general Erezuma finished the job. However, by ’14 the city of Al’Qadi had fallen and the rich Danakilian gold trade was in Makurian hands.

Eastern Europe

Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 10xc, 5w, 5t

The Western Roman Empire

Euthemius Augusuts, Rex Bulgaris, Duke of Illyricum, Emperor of the Romans

Diplomacy Illyricum(incorporated)

Euthemius, despite his age, continued to rule the Bolgars, Greeks and Serbs with an iron hand. Too, he summoned Duke Sejanus of Illyria to Ochridia and spoke to that notable, as well as many other nobles:

“We have long considered the nature of Our reign, and those of Our predecessors. Ever since Samuel the Great chastised the Roman Emperor Basil and his Magyar allies a century ago, causing that Emperor to cease his agitation against the Christian Bulgars, We have striven to expand the glory of Bulgaria, but not at the expense of Romania, the Roman Empire. Indeed, the Romans under Our rule have profited, and look to Us as a father, as a true protector. In truth, We are of Roman stock ourselves, on both our father’s and grandmother’s side, and, the Roman tongue is ours and our households^[7]. We also stand firmly by the Roman Emperor of the East, long may God and His Saints preserve him!

Thus, We must declare what by now should be obvious to all. We are a Roman Emperor, a colleague of the Emperor who reigns in Byzantium. Forever We shall endeavour to aid Our colleague to the East. To Us, We will be contented to seek the advancement of the Christian faith in the West, in the heathen Balkans, and peace and fellowship with all fellow Christians.”

After a stunned silence, the assembled multitude proclaimed loudly in one voice: “Long live Euthemius Augustus, Tsar of the Greeks and Bulgars, Peace and Life Bringing Emperor of Romans!”

Censed by the Greek Catholic Patriarch of Sophia, the bishops of Ochrida and of Thessalonika, Euthemius placed the crown upon his head with his own hands, and dons the purple. Henceforth, Euthemius commanded, my realm is the Western Roman Empire.

By these acts, the tsar of the Bulgars claimed the Western Empire for his own, and incorporated the Duchy of Illyricum into his domain. Sejanus, widowed, married Princess Euthemia (still a sprightly twenty-nine) and became one of Euthemius’ sons-in-law.

The Varangian Rus of Kiev

Alexsandr II, Prince of Kiev, Lord of the Rus and the Varig

Diplomacy Seversk(Hostile locals! Run!)

Grumpy ole’ Aleksandr, aside from kicking his layabout sons out of the house, also continued to see about putting in stone streets in Smolensk and Chernigov. It promised to be a long project – the locals kept stealing the stones! For soup or something… the prince was not pleased. Orthodox priests continued their good works in Muscovy and Kirivitch – both provinces became Eastern Orthodox.

Unfortunately, all this religious business riled up the Seversk (when two Kievian princes came a’calling) and both lads barely escaped with their lives. Perhaps next time, they agreed (standing in the pouring rain, in a dark, cold forest) they should bring some friends, with axes and spears! Ja!

Later, in ’14, old Aleksandr got a workout bashing about the Balts, who had raided down into Kirivitch. Ah! That felt good!

The Ests

Valthan Christoslayer, King of the Estonians and Sons of Rurik

Diplomacy Daugava(ea)

Trouble was brewing in the north, where the Balts were getting restive… worse, the faintly moderate Hegrid died in the winter of ’10, choking to death on a pig bone. His uncle Valthan then narrowly missed being murdered by supporters of his sister, Svetlana, who had been kicked out of Svear (her husband dead, and his son not wanting a bossy mom in the house). Valthan – who was not a nice fellow – had Svetlana strangled and her body put on display, nailed to the Allthing tree outside of Reval.

Having dealt with this dynastic threat, Valthan then marched his army south – a huge horde of hide-wrapped pagans! – and attacked the Kievian settlement in Kirivitch. Burn the Churches! As it happened, the Kievians were not exactly helpless children either, and prince Alexsandr and the boyar of Muscovy quick-marched their guardsmen to the relief of Vitebisk. The southern Vikings soundly smacked the northerners around and Valthan fled back home, shield-split, and nursing a headache where old Aleksandr had smashed his helmet wide open.

The Kingdom of Lithuania

Jiagello Pialowik, King of the Lithuanians and the Poles, Defensor Christianum

Diplomacy Little Poland(f), Bialoweza(f), Warsaw(f)

Despite some big claims to being a defender of the faith, Jiagello looked the other way when the Balts got to rampaging around. The king was actually spending his time trying to get the hookup with some Polish babe. And indeed, among the Little Poles he found the curvaceous Anya and was happily married. His nephew Mikuil also managed to extract a wife from the Bialowezans, though that was more work.

Scandia and the Out Isles

Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

Kingdom of Svear

Erik Lughassen, Christian King of Scandia

Diplomacy: Estonians(angry! No longer influenced), Norway(tributary)

Jarl Erik dabbled in some politics in neighboring realms… aunt Svetlana was shipped off to make trouble in Raval, where she met a gruesome end. The pagans in Halland were treated to a visit from scads of Papal priests. Erik built an even larger fleet of drakenships. One of them, the Fimbulwinter was of particularly huge size.

Erik’s minions also scattered hither and yon – Torulf set to sea with a fleet of Vikings, eager for some fun. Bjorn and Thorvald set off for Hordavil in Norway, seeking a wife for the jarl. Torulf and his reavers returned home in ’15, laden with an enormous amount of loot, as well as many young Moorish girls as prizes of war.

It came to pass that Erik married Bjarn Hejarsson’s sister, Anika (princess of Norge), and the two royal houses grew closer together. A Catholic cardinal, Gian Mazini, conducted the holy ceremony and Erik was proclaimed “Christian King of Scandia.”

The Norwegians

Bjarn Hejarsson, “The Red”, King of the Norwegians

Diplomacy None

The Norwegians, when not entertaining Svearish princes, hunted and fished and cut lumber in the fjords.

Jarldom of Orkeneyjar

Haragar the Pious, vikingrik na orkneyjar

Diplomacy Strathclyde(nt)

Pious as he was, Haragar took a swift longship to the Trondheim coast, where the fjordmen were growing rich from gold lately found in the hills. The Vikingrik went among them, speaking of the Christ and the Allfather God of the southerners. He found, even among those hardy and isolated men, many converts. Indeed, the rik became a revered figure, praised by all men for his piety and devotion.

His son, stuck by in Kirkval with the ledgers, amused himself with expanding the icy, windswept city and building more longships. He kept his wife very, very busy with three more children – Osvald, Valdis and Lief.

The burly Olaf, sent down into Moray to speak with the chiefs there, found some receptive ears in Strathclyde, though not on the coast! The ambassador was ambushed on the road to Perth and murdered by McKinnons.

The Commonwealth of Iceland

Olaf Longnose, Jarl of the New Islands

Diplomacy None

Well, the Longnose wasted no time in gathering a fleet of swift ships, long and lean, as well as a doughty host of men well armed and armored. No later than spring of ’11, he set sail for the south, to go a ‘viking! There were rich cities in warm lands, filled with gold, with treasure, with white-limbed maidens!

While the Longnose was off, pillaging and plundering, serious trouble broke out in Thorsavn on the Faeroes. Some kind of spotted plague, brought with the English pigs, wiped out the entire city, man and child alike. Even on Iceland there was sickness, and Tyrvik Holmasson, the Jarl’s steadman, perished. In all, a cruel blow for the northerners.

Olaf returned to find a sad populace, and even the brightness of his treasure could not restore their lost sons and daughters.

The Tuath Kingdom of Thomond

Dermond ard-Brien, High King of Eire

Diplomacy None

The Eirish were very happy that the latest Viking scourge was not directed at them!

Saxon Kingdom of England

Robert Godwin, King of the Britons

Diplomacy None

The Saxon peace continued to prevail in the green hills – King Harold passed away in his sleep and the muster of the fyrd (in 1112) to stand for the accounting of the “Great Book” also acclaimed his son Robert (quite young, but under the tutelage of his uncle John “the Black”) as king of the isles. Now there was just the matter of getting the boy a wife…

Western Europe

Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

Das Deutches Konigsreich

Alexander the Grumpy, King of the Germans, Emperor of the West

Diplomacy Krakow in Bochnia(f – to Silesia)

A solemn, almost gray quiet settled over the Reich. Alexander, who was about as unpleasant a fellow as you might want to meet, stayed home in Hanover and pushed paper. A constant gloomy cloud remained over the city for five years. His dozens of sons moped about, or got into trouble with the local girls. Even the Duke of Silesia, sent off to see about the southern Poles, managed to acquire the city of Warsaw as his personal domain^[8] (in addition to Silesia itself). This angered Alexander, but he was busy so he didn’t do anything about it right now.

His surly mood did not improve when the Church withdrew its support of his regime. Without the learned clerks provided by the Holy See, things began to disintegrate… Pomern and Pomeriania abandoned any pretense of following German rule. Bremen in Friesland declared itself a “Free City”, and the province of Bochnia became (ea).

Duchy of Bohemia

Sviatoplus, Duke of Bohemia, Prince of Prague

Diplomacy None

The Duke, wisely, kept his head and did not become involved in any of the intrigue, war or chaos around Europe. Instead, he stayed home with his infant son, Lothair. A new city, Ulm, was built on the Rhine in Swabia.

The border guards in Tyrol (on skis, no less) chased down and killed – in a swordfight atop a crevasse – a Lombard agent snooping around.

Le Royaume de Bourgogne

Hugh the Second, Duke of Burgundy

Diplomacy Aquitaine(nt)

Like their Bavarian cousins, the Burgundians shied away from conflict and plotting, taking simple pleasures to heart – the king’s new son, new farms and vineyards in Burgundy itself, the beauty of the Alps in the setting sun.

In ’15, the port of Marseilles was overrun by hordes of Spanish refugees crammed aboard every kind of barque, ship, galley and fishing boat. The local mayor was quite alarmed.

Le Duche de Normandie

William, Duke of Normandy, King of the Western Franks

Diplomacy No effect

Duke William read about the Moslem raids on his eastern seaboard with mounting disgust. Would these infidels not be struck down by the wrath of God? If the heavens would not open to smite them, then – by the good lord – he would!

Le Comte de Poitou

Robert de Giscard, Count of Gascony

Diplomacy Gascony(f)

In spillover from the fracas in Spain, Akramid pirates raided the port of La Rochelle, burning many ships in harbor and setting several warehouses alight. The Musslemen also raided Brittany and Gascony, causing untold damage to the grape harvest. The Count vowed revenge!

Faced with these attacks from the sea, Robert saw to the construction of many strong castles covering the coastline of Poitou. He also married Yvaine of Gascony, sealing a permanent alliance with that domain.

Lombard Kingdom of Italy

Geowolf of Vinicenza, King of the Lombards

Diplomacy Slovenia(Rodrigo hung up by his toes until dead)

Now Duke Geowolf thought he lived in the same world as the Bavarians or the Burgundians… a world of peace and plenty… shielded by the Holy Mother Church. This was not so, and while he spent his money on merchantmen and canals, a too-close enemy was eyeing his realm with avarice!

With the Pope turning a blind eye, the Normans invaded.

The Papal States

Urban II, bishop of Rome, vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of the prince of the apostles, supreme pontiff of the universal Church, primate of Italy, archbishop and metropolitan of the Roman province, sovereign of the Papal States, servant of the servants of God

Diplomacy Lothian(ch), Denmark(ch)

Weighed down by the burdens of his holy office, old Paschal II croaked off in ’10, and was swiftly replaced by the Bishop of Naples (a previous appointee, and friend, of Duke Vitturio). The new pontiff, Urban II, dispatched aid to Leon and Navarre in their holy struggle against the infidel. He also recalled various bishops and cardinals that had been supporting the Emperor of the Germans. Relations with Salerno, oddly, improved. Considerable effort was spent on establishing a direct Papal presence in Scandinavia.

Norman Principality of Salerno

Vitturio, Duke of Naples, King of the Italians

Diplomacy Spoleto(t), Sicily(nt)

Enraged at the callow nature of the Lombards, Vitturio ordered that a huge army be raised – stripping the countryside of every last man and boy – and every mercenary in sight hired… all of these forces were placed under the able command of Josepi di Ventura and sent north in a massive attack on the peaceful (perhaps even naïve) Lombards. Some might say that the Duke had gotten a little out of hand…

A passel of Church clerics descended on Palermo on Sicily, where they continued to convert the local Moslems, and to excellent effect. They were soon joined by baron Dominic (who was helpful, having a pleasant speaking voice) and the entirely rude Princess Maria. Back home, Vitturio (chortling at the devastation about to be wreaked on the Lombards) took himself off to Spoleto to bother the local duke about taxes.

[ Now, sometimes the gods look down and just see trouble a’coming. This was one of those times… ]

First, Vitturio outraged the Spoletans, so that they paid less taxes than before. Second, Maria shocked and disgusted the Sicilians so that they paid no taxes. Then the truculent prince Marcelus (who had failed in such a signal manner in Lombardy last turn) slipped while trying to escape from a ladies boudoir in Naples and cracked his head open. Vitturio returned to Naples to find his son dead and his only remaining offspring Maria – whom he disliked intensely. Fearful that she (and her fat pig of a husband) might inherit, the old Duke connived their murder with the Sicilians. The southerners were more than happy to oblige.

Well – all that pleasantness aside – Josepi had marched north through Romagna, ignoring the Papal fortresses and customs, and swept into Lombardy itself. There the brave young general found both Geowulf and his son Lutfrid lolling about with the Lombard army. A pitched and surprisingly vicious battle ensued at Bononia as Josepi’s shockingly Roman-style army (18,000 men, nearly all heavy foot, with some light scouting elements and mercenary – Bulgarian – cavalry) slammed into the 8,000-odd neo-feudal Lombards. Sadly for the Lombards, not only were they outnumbered, but neither Geowulf nor Lutfrid were the general that the young Josepi was. The Lombards were decisively crushed. Lutfrid was wounded, and died later ’14.

Geowulf managed to flee to Genoa in Liguria, but in doing so he abandoned the valley of the Po to Josepi. The Norman general then reduced (in succession) Vinicenza, Caliveri and Venice. By the end of ’15, the Normans controlled all of Savoy, Lombardy and Verona.

El Reino de Leon y Navarre

Sancho III, King of Leon, King of Navarra

Diplomacy None

All too aware of the storm preparing to break over Spain (where it rains blood and swords on the plain…), Sancho ordered castles built here and there, and all good Christian men armed and readied for battle. Gold flowed into his coffers from fellow Christian nations and by the Lord, many prayers were said by little old ladies in Santa Maria and Cuiadad Leon.

The chivalry of Leon and Navarre then gathered in Navarre, in preparation for an invasion of Muslim Aragon. This occurred in late spring of ’11. The Aragonese (reinforced with Akramid gold) gave a good account of themselves – but their land was still under the Catholic heel by the end of the year.

Bigger trouble, however, was brewing further south…

Norman Valencia-in-Exile

Tancred, Baron of Castellon

Diplomacy None

Aside from young Prince Hugert getting thrown out of every bar in Santa Maria (hopelessly trying to hire mercenaries to protect his homeland), and losing all his money in the process. Things promised to be quiet in Castellon. The baron, at last, allowed some walls to be built and the city guard mustered. Just in time, too!

The Akramid Sultanat

Achmed, Sultan of Granada

Diplomacy None

Achmed – this was going to get familiar – was displeased to learn that the Normans in Salerno had snorked up all of the mercenaries, leaving none for him. However, since the Sultan knew war was coming, he had prepared… gold was sent to the Aragonese, to help them defend against the Christians. Many forts were built in Andalusia. New armies were raised. Such a national fire was raised, with the imams speaking vehemently against the infidels, that a strange thing happened in Madiera, in Granada.

A young girl, walking down an abandoned, dark street, encountered a man – a desert man, she said, clothed as the bedu are clothed, with a weathered and seamed face, a long white beard, and piercing eyes. This man asked the girl, “child, why do you cry?”

“Because, grandfather,” she said, “my father has gone away to war against the infidels. I fear I will never see him again.”

The old man smiled, saying “do not fear, for Allah has your father in the palm of his hand and the lord of the wasteland watches over him, and all Moslems.” The girl’s fear was gone. So too, was the old man. When the child related this to her mother, the wise woman realized that the Prophet himself had appeared in this troubled, dangerous time. Within days the word of the Appearance had ripped through Madiera, within weeks, throughout Moslem Spain.^[9]

The Sultan was very pleased to received an embassy from distant Baghdad – imams from the Kalifate – bearing gifts of gold and books and, best of all, learned men to help the Sultan rule wisely and well. In exchanged, Achmed forgot about that messy business of calling himself “kalif” and acknowledged Mustarshid as spiritual leader of all Muslims.

Amid all the other troubles and wars, a great force of Vikings pillaged the coast of Andalusia, even raiding up the rivers to burn mosques on the outskirts of Seville. Despite Achmed’s strenuous efforts (and many castles on the main avenues of attack) the northern barbarians still wreaked great destruction. This was Torulf’s great raid.

The Akramid army, under Mustapha (and joined by a small Umayyad army, which had ferried across at Tarik’s Crossing), marched north into Portugal, where they drove off a small Christian army, and then plowed into Leon itself. Mustapha intended to end this entire struggle in one massive blow at the heart of his enemy…

As it happened, the knights of Leon were off burning villages in Aragon and slaughtering peasants, so Mustapha flattened some decrepit castles and besieged Ciudad Leon itself. King Sancho was hiding inside, along with baron Jesus (who had been in Portugal and had retreated in the face of the Akramid advance). The Moslem assault was expertly developed and their (far) superior siege skills quickly carried the day. The city fell with shocking rapidity, the Christian knights within were slaughtered and very very angry Moslems swarmed in. Needless to say, the city was sacked and then burned to the ground. Thousands of captives were taken, as was a great deal of loot.

Sancho, by incredible luck, managed to escape in the confusion, though Jesus was killed. Much of the Leonese government was slain, and the rest marched away in chains. Now, while this was occurring, the Christian army was marching back from Aragon, so prince Placedo Domas (the victor of Aragon!) encountered Mustapha the next year, on the plains of Old Castille. Now Christian and Moslem met in open battle at Carrión in late fall 1112. Placedo commanded seven thousand Christians, Mustapha had over eleven thousand Moslems (both Akramid and Umayyad) under his banners. Placedo (who was an exceptional commander) attacked immediately, throwing his larger numbers of knights into the Akramid left, crumpling their massed infantry. The Moslems, rocked back by the strength of the Christian charge, were driven from the field.

Unfortunately, Placedo was wounded in the fray, as he and his bannermen attempted to break the core formation of Akramid heavy horse^[10]. They failed and Mustapha retired from the field in good order. Worse, with Placedo sidelined, the Christians fell to arguing amongst themselves. In spring of ’13, after regrouping his own forces, Mustapha attacked them in their camps at Burgos. This time the Moslems smashed the Christian forces, shattering their army and wreaking a terrible slaughter on the survivors as they fled. Placedo was killed (speared in his tent while he struggled to rise), and Baron Pedro (who had singularly failed to set a watch, or instill order among the fractious knights) was taken prisoner.

Mustapha besieged and captured Burgos town in ’14, sacked the city (and set it alight for good measure), then returned south in ’15, chortling at the victories won over the Christians. The Prophet would be pleased! In the wake of his campaign, New Castille (a Moslem province) revolted from Leonese control.

North Africa

Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 10xc, 5w, 5t

Ummayad Sultanat al Oran

Muawiya, Sultan of the West, Emir of Oran and Mahidia

Diplomacy None

The young Sultan (he had relinquished his title as kalif when he accepted the aid of the ‘Abasi in keeping his realm running) was eager to thrash some infidels, so he (supported by the rather powerful Umayyad fleet) crossed over into Spain in ’11, at the head of a very sizable army. While his fleet loitered on ferry duty (and let a whole passel of raggedy northmen sail past), the Sultan marched into Seville and took the sister of Achmed, sultan of the Akramids, as his wife. After a glorious wedding, Muawiya then sent the Cheliff tribesmen off north with the Akramids for their attack on Leon.^[11] He himself marched east, intending to quash the tiny Christian principate of Valencia.

In May of ’12, a great force of Vikings who stormed ashore and overwhelmed the Umayyad garrison on the Baelerics, seizing the wells and harbors at Ibiza. With the Umayyad fleet occupied supporting the Akramid attacks on Valencia and Leon, the Vikings were able to establish a base and then raid the coast of Granada, Morroco, Zirid, Cheliff, Algeria, Kabilya and Tunisia. In late ’14, their ships weighed down with loot, the Vikings sailed off north, leaving burning towns and farms behind. This was Olaf’s Great Raid.

Muawiya stormed into Valencia at the head of an army of 11,000 fired-up Moslems (they had stopped in Madiera on the way, and visited the Street of the Appearance, so they were pretty hopped up). Tancred had just finished putting up some walls around Castellón (with a tower, too!) when the horde of angry Mohammedeans swarmed over the ramparts, baying for Christian blood! The Normans put up a ferocious fight, but with only 400 fighting men in the city (and the Moslems having a huge siege train) it was a lost cause. Castellon fell to the Umayyad army after six weeks of fighting. Tancred managed to escape by sea with some refugees, later finding a safe harbor in Burgundian Marseilles.

Muawiya, exalted by his victory, marched into Catalonia next, capturing the undefended province with ease and seizing Santa Maria.

The Almohad Caliphate

Mohammed ibn Tumart, Imam of Imams, The Revealed

Diplomacy Kurfei(a), Kanuri(a), Faya(a), Borkou(a)

Tumart rose from his hard bed, on the stones of a room in dusty Adjoukt, and he looked out to the east, to the rising sun coming up huge over the endless desert. “Mecca…” he breathed, and knew that, at last, his haj would begin. Though he was the incarnated brother of the Prophet Mohammed, the imam of imams had never set foot in the holy city. But now, he would. Girding himself in arms and armor, with the holy Quran pressed against his heart, the Revealed One woke his captains and chiefs, sending out a blizzard of orders and edicts.

The Almohad would move, and they would be as the storm in the open desert, vast, unstoppable, reaching to the heavens…

As it transpired, the tribes of Idjil, Arguin, Adawara, Mauritania, Sijilmasa, Iguidir, Wadan, Walata, Adwaghost and Jenne joined the Imam in his vast enterprise. With camels, children, flocks, herds and belongings in tow, they moved east. Swinging out through the heart of the Sahara, they passed through many oases before swinging down into Kurfei, near the Upper Niger.

While the locals were negotiating and alliance with the migration that had descended upon their lands, the Revealed One’s fighters launched a series of raids into Songhay lands. Yusuf made a stylish sweep through Songhai itself, running circles around the Songhay prince Son Baru, burning out temples and villages. Then the raiders faded into the desert. The next year, Sudan was hit. This time Prince Son was waiting, and a dust-up near Gao resulted in the Songhay army being chopped to bits and Son Baru himself captured by the raiders. Gorouol followed, with the town being sacked. Then the Almohads faded away into the desert again.

West Africa

Mercenaries: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t

The Soninke Kingdom of Koumbi

Soninke Wagodou, ghāna of Koumbi, Chief of the Mandé

Diplomacy: Segu city(f)

The Ghana took a trip into neighboring Segu, pressed the flesh in their cattle-infested mud hut of a town, then returned in glory to great Koumbi. Unfortunately, lord Mukacho, who had been sent to treat with the Segu chiefs (in the country, rather than in town) fell sick of worms, and spent the turn puking up on each and every chief he met. As a result, he was lucky (if you want to look at it that way) to avoid inciting a revolt among them.

The Dia Kingdom of Songhay

Kossoi, dia Songhay

Diplomacy: Gorouol(region and city - ea)

The Songhay ignored any odd events to the northwest and concentrated on getting some more fields of yams under cultivation. Lord Pakezu managed to better relations with the Gorouolians. Then the Almohads charged in, looting and burning, and ruined everything!

The Yoruban Onium of Ibo

Abwanze, High King of the Yoruba

Diplomacy: Beni Usama(Tributary)

The fat life continued to rage along the lower Niger (despite the hideous parasites and worms afflicting everything that moved); the cities of Ijebu (in Yoruba) and Ibo (in Ife) expanded. Vast new plantations of bananas were planted in Yoruba province. All of that, however, was entirely incidental to the obsessive vision gripping Abwanze – the union of his nation with that of the Beni Usama by the marriage of his son with M’blane’s daughter. To this end the entire Ibo royal family, their cousins and nephews, all the generals and great lords, trooped down to Bini by river barge to put on a full effort…

The Bini Kingdom of Usama

M’blane, chief of the Bini, prince of Usama

Diplomacy: Tributary to Ibo

Now, it must be said that M’blane (who was getting on in years) was not entirely unwilling to consider a stronger, closer alliance with the Ibo. But why did they all have to descend like locusts upon his bustling, vigorous capital – all expecting to eat as much pig, yam and fried banana as they could stuff into their fat mouths?

Of course, the chief was then quite pleased to discover that Abwanze had brought a veritable mountain of gifts, presents, tokens, golden shields, ivory tusks, barrels of spices, slave girls, slave boys, ingots of iron, casks of salt… the list was long and impressive. The largess from the north allowed the chief to feed the steadily increasing populations of Njabuda (in Kafin) and Mbouda (in Kwararafa). By such means, Abwanze managed to secure his son’s marriage, and improved relations with Bini greatly.

South Africa

Mercenaries: 10i

The Bakongo Kingdom

Chikuma Oweyho, King of the Kongo, Lord of Great Kongo

Diplomacy Matadi(fa)

The king was a little disheartened… his realm was so small and poor! How could he rival the gods, without a thousand maidens at his beck and call? Without temples that rose to the sky? Well – he had to settle for expanding Great Kongo and seeing if the tribes in the forest would ally with him.

The Luba Empire of Malawi

The Big Man, King of Luba, Lord of the Bone Chair, Master of all that he can see (as long as he doesn't stand on too high a hill)

Diplomacy Kilwa(ea), Nyasa(t)

The King's newest advisor was basking in the glory of his first council of state, when he noticed the King's brow furrowed by the awesome glare he was radiating from his seat on the Bone Chair. Glory turned to horror when he realized that the King was glaring at him! Poor fellow, his new lionskin cape-of-office had been cut just a few inches too long... he was sitting on a corner of it, and of course, while others may wear a lionskin, only the King may sit on one! Mercifully, his horror only lasted an instant. The surviving councilors played it safe by having an inch or two more cut from their capes immediately after the meeting.

Washing blood from his hands, the Big Man then set out to propel his tiny nation into the ranks of the great powers! The huts and kraals of Luba city were cleaned up and drains installed. A clever device to store grain for “later” was also implemented. The Little Man was sent around the town (and later, throughout the countryside) to count cattle and people, finding more of the former.

The Mwene-Mutapa Empire

Chakama, Lord of Great Mutapa

Diplomacy Great Zimbabwe in Matopos(fa)

Unlike the Malawai, who were still simple savages, Chakama had modern concerns to deal with. For example, a funny looking dead dog washed up on a beach in Karanga. Some locals found it and carried it to Manekweni, where everyone poked it with a stick, then burned the body. Within days everyone in the city was shitting their guts out and the port was abandoned, occupied only by the dead with the month. Chakama was forced to seal off the province, his spearmen killing anyone trying to escape.

North and Central America

Zapotec Kingdom of Mitla

Ahuazhantzin, Sky-Wheel-Speaker

Diplomacy: Totonac(nt)

Pleading with the gods for the lives of men, the Speaker yielded up many sacrifices to the guardians of eternity. And lo! The sun continued to rise and the demons of the east remained defeated with each new day. The Zapotecs were also busy, building a new city, Xiahuatenejo, on the Náhuatl coast. The Speakers son, Heuhueotzlin, made an epic journey across the mountains in the east, down into barbarous Totonac, to seek jade and sacrifices. They agreed to give him some feathers.

Tiacopan

Tzompan, King of the Tiacopan

Diplomacy: None

Popocaceptl rumbled and shook, spewing dark clouds of ash across the land. The waters of lake Texcoco heaved and boiled, sending many fishing boats to a sudden, watery doom. In blessed Tiacopan, buildings shivered and fell down, crushing hundreds. Despite furious sacrifices, the gods that dwelt in the heart of the earth were not placated. Much of Tiacopan was destroyed. Old Tzompan wept, to see so many men sent down to the House of the Dead, among them – his son Itzquemitl. Where now would the seed of his loins spring to fruitful blossom?

TzinTzunTzan

Opochtli, Huey Tlaotani

Diplomacy: None

Though not afflicted by earthquakes, the Tzin did suffer through the death of their speaker-to-the-gods. His son, Opochtli, took the rainbow feather cloak for himself. Some of the elders began to mutter among themselves that the Toltecs in the south were becoming dangerous – did they not maintain Jaguar Knights with blades of sharp obsidian?

Chichen Itze

Quachotl ThunderShielded, Priest King of the Maya

Diplomacy: Quiche(nt), Chontal(nt), Popoluca(nt)

Quachotl felt eternity pressing upon him. Soon, he knew, his life would end and where would he be counted among the priest-kings? What monuments had he built? Where were his calendar wheels? Worse… he had no desire to study the stars, or to divine the secrets of the gods by meditation and fasting. He craved glory, and not the pure honor of the hunt.

So it was that Quachotl, called the ThunderShielded, raised an army of many jaguar and ocelot knights and set out with his great host (no less than five thousand men!) to conquer the lowland Maya princes, and bring all the People under one rule. In 1111, Quachotl (accompanied by his rather meek son) marched into Yucatec and demanded greater tribute from the prince of Uxmal. That prince, pious and benevolent, refused his rapacious demands and much blood was spilt. Unfortunately for the Yucatec, the knives of the Chicens were sharp, and their bows and spears deadly. The province and city both fell under the yoke of Quachotl. This was his first victory.

In 1112, the ThunderShielded marched against the Quiche tribes, forcing them to bow low before him. In 1113, the Chichen knights overawed the Chontal, and then the Popolucans in 1114. All this before returning home in triumph to Itze.

The Inca Coast

The Kingdom of Quito

Pocomoc II, Sun-King of Valdivia

Diplomacy: None

The Quito slept peacefully in the blessed sun.

The Chimu Kingdom of Chanchan

Viracocha, The Young Sun

Diplomacy Nazca(ea)

Keeping busy, the Chimu continued to expand the terraces and canals in Moche province. A moderate number of cane rafts were also built, to better serve the coastal trade in potatoes, plump little dogs and llama fur. The King was still displeased with the string counters, but the fullness of the Royal coffers alleviated his temper. A little. Unfortunately, Puyiwo fell ill in the following month, and by the end of winter in 1112, his body was lowered into the cold ground among the royal tombs.

His son, Viracocha, became king, but found his realm a troubled one… long standing efforts to break the power of the traditional clans had progressed to the point where either mores would change, or blood would be spilt. As it happened, the lord Akh-Ahica (who had been sent south to negotiate a new field-tilling arrangement with the Nazcans) refused to bow before this “barely weaned pup!” and declared himself the protector of the “old ways, which were best for our fathers and their fathers.”

Akh-Ahica intended to march on the capital and overthrow Viracocha! Unfortunately for him, the prince of Chavin, Pikko-Fouppa, happened to be accompanying him on the mission. The prince was loyal both to Puyiwo’s memory, and to his son.

Akh-Ahica did return to Moche, and to glorious Chanchan, to view the Young Sun’s ascendance, but he did so as only a head, pickled in salt. Pikko’s crowning-day gift to the young king.

Efforts to improve attendance at the sun temple rites failed miserably. Everyone was too busy working.

Tiwanaku

Cuparnu Amac, Lord of the City of Seven Walls

Diplomacy Uru(t)

Having finished the sun-gate, the Tiwanaku began digging some canals south from the lake, into the countryside, so that more maize and potatoes could be grown. While the Golden One remained in the city, his son Dehol and Xhojin journeyed north into Uru to negotiate with the natives there. Luckily, Xhojin kept Dehol from eating the sacred moon-fruit^[12], and friendship abounded on all sides.

ISI Listing for Lords of the Earth, Campaign 24, Turn 22

#	Nation Name	MSI	ESI	Player Name	Phone Number	TV	EMail Address
1	Northern Sung Empire	171.2	1	Ken Ditto	None	22.8	ken.ditto@indtech.net
2	Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj	118.8	2	Peter Morzinski		21.3	nagabhata@yahoo.com
3	The Empire of Japan	117.6	4	Ron Meinung	01-503-390-3129	10.4	rsm4@wvi.com
4	Al Fatimid Caliphat al Qaira	102.1	3	Steve Bochenski	None	16.5	sboche@mindspring.com
5	The Yoruban Onium of Ibo	93.7	7	Lorne Colmar		13.1	lorne@lcolmar.freeserve.co.uk
6	Das Deutches Konigsreich	94.4	19	Bryan Carter	01-317-243-8584	11.5	revmidni@home.com
7	The Hatamid Emirat	93.7	29	Ryan Powers	01-906-483-2232	5.3	rjpowers@mtu.edu
8	The Pala of Bengal	89.4	6	(Ed Ames)	None	3.8	ed-ames@texas.net
9	The Buwayid Emirates	88.7	11	Stephen Hogie		7.7	shogie@deltanet.com
10	The Varangian Rus of Kiev	79.8	27	Sara Felix	None	4.9	sfelix@austin.rr.com
11	Western Sung Empire	78.2	5	Jamus Thayn		8.4	noonie@blight.com
12	The Karakhanate of Ilig	77.4	9	Don Deutsch	01-507-645-2479	10.5	DDeutsch@rmgmpls.com
13	Le Duche de Normandie	76.8	30	Leslie Dodd	None	9.4	lesliesdodd@aol.com
14	The Kingdom of Thaton	74.1	10	Mark Saint Cyr	None	9.8	miklosalanna@aol.com
15	The Northern Sung (Dragon)	69.5	25	Open For A Player!	None	4.0	None
16	The Western Roman Empire	63.3	35	Sean Boomer		5.4	gnaeusatiuspertinax@yahoo.co.uk
17	Sad Drivida Kingdom of Ceylon	61.2	13	Don Van Tassel II	01-413-528-0117	8.5	Donv@bcn.net
18	The Rum Khanate of Turkiye	60.6	24	Allen Pitt		3.9	allenpitt@earthlink.net
19	The Kambujadesa Empire	58.7	14	(Paul Bruce)		5.6	khemer24@hotmail.com
20	The Dai Kingdom of Annam	57.5	21	John Kuo		7.2	jkuo@spss.com
21	Duchy of Bohemia	57.9	34	Paul Ayers		4.4	payers@clara.co.uk
22	Oriental Roman Empire	57.9	17	Rick Ludowese		8.7	RickLud@aol.com
23	Ummayad Sultanat al Oran	55.5	18	Dean Patterson		8.5	dpatterson@computertech.com
24	The Saffarids of Baluchistan	54.9	23	Hugh Thompson	None	6.3	kwatro@hotmail.com
25	The Akramid Caliphate	54.0	20	Bruce Anderson		6.5	cmlandr@juno.com
26	The Chimu Kingdom of Chanchan	52.8	32	Charles Arden		6.3	chadarden1@aol.com
27	The Makuria Kingdom of Dongola	53.3	36	Alessio Conversano	None	6.0	alessio_conversano@hotmail.com
28	The Shihwei	52.8	63	Open For A Player!	None	1.6	None
29	Saxon Kingdom of England	50.7	12	Dave Salter	01-703-912-6076	6.2	SalterDJ@aol.com
30	The Ghaznavid Sultanat	50.2	46	Steven Mathers	None	2.3	stevenmathers@yahoo.com
31	The Goryeo Kingdom	50.3	15	David Thirkettle		4.7	DavidThirkettle@mcmail.com
32	Kingdom of Svear	50.4	40	(Johan Adner)		2.5	rba@wineasy.se
33	The Papal States	48.7	22	Michael George		1.9	papacy@mjgeorge.freeserve.co.uk
34	Le Royaume de Bourgogne	47.8	26	Richard Winfield	None	5.9	rwinfield32@aol.com
35	Ar Rassid Imamat as Sa'na	47.2	53	Ian Harper	None	1.6	ianharper24@yahoo.com
36	Ar Rawwadid Emirat at Tabriz	47.3	49	Rob Smith	None	2.4	balshezar@yahoo.com
37	Heyrenik'un Armeniam	45.2	58	Geoff Hill	None	1.3	hillg@ibm.net
38	Khwarzim	43.9	28	Influenced		3.7	None
39	The Bini Kingdom of Usama	43.0	16	Tributary		6.4
40	The Almohad Caliphate	43.4	71	(Al Mohad)		0.2	amohad@throneworld.com
41	The Yasi	41.0	56	Open For A Player!	None	1.8	None
42	The Kingdom of Lithuania	39.9	44	(Groo the Wanderer)	None	1.7	groo_the_wanderer@hotmail.com
43	Kalachuri Kingdom of Tripuri	37.6	39	Allied		1.2	None
44	The Dia Kingdom of Songhay	37.9	42	Influenced		4.7	None
45	Western Chalukya Kingdom	37.0	45	Open For A Player!	None	0.6	None
46	El Reino de Leon y Navarre	36.1	54	Dave Vulcan		2.1	erekose@erinet.com
47	Principality of Salerno	36.3	8	Liam McGucken		13.4	lmcgucken@home.com
48	The Ests	33.8	50	Open For A Player!	None	1.8	None
49	The Abasi Caliphate	33.1	37	Stephen Trask	01-717-697-3224	1.3	strask1@paonline.com
50	The Adal Emirat of Ifat	31.9	57	Open For A Player!	None	0.6	None
51	Tiahuanaco	31.7	67	Robert Spencer	None	0.8	tatra@scattercreek.com
52	Le Comte de Poitou	31.4	60	Influenced		1.1	None
53	The Mwene-Mutapa Empire	29.9	52	Open For A Player!	None	2.6	None
54	The Turki	30.1	55	Open For A Player!	None	3.0	None
55	Zapotec	29.0	68	Hugh Thompson	None	1.6	kwatro@hotmail.com
56	Paramara Gujari	26.5	33	Allied		2.3	None
57	Jarldom of Orkeneyjar	27.0	31	Jeff Morrison		4.0	rebel@blclinks.net
58	Norman Valencia	27.1	73	Richard Lloyd	None	0.3	mirrorearths@compuserve.com
59	The Buddhist Kingdom of Tibet	26.2	38	(Briana Baran)		2.3	lengeft@ev1.net
60	The Norwegians	25.4	47	Tributary		3.1
61	Tiacopan	24.3	72	Open For A Player!	None	0.6	None
62	Lombard Kingdom of Italy	23.0	48	Ron Cash	01-505-293-9782	2.3	rcash@sppharma.com
63	The God-Empire of Sri Vijaya	22.1	41 None
65	The Yemeni Rassid Imamat	19.8	61	Open For A Player!	None	0.9	None
66	Ouagadou Kingdom of Koumbi	19.2	43	Eddie Efsic	None	2.0	eddief6@worldnet.att.net
67	TzinTzunTzan	18.0	70	Open For A Player!	None	1.9	None
68	The Paramara Avanti	17.1	69	Open For A Player!	None	1.4	None
69	Chichen Itze	16.6	51	Open For A Player!	None	1.6	None
70	The Luba Empire of Malawi	15.8	59	Robert Spencer	None	1.2	tatra@scattercreek.com
71	The Commonwealth of Iceland	14.5	62	(Jan Siggurdson)	None	1.3	siggurdson@yahoo.com
72	The Bakongo Kingdom	13.7	65	Open For A Player!	None	0.9	None
73	The Kingdom of Quito	12.5	66	Open For A Player!	None	1.1	None

(end)

---

^[1] A processing issue… Steve had previously let you hire a ‘randomly generated’ mercenary leader in each zone. The standard rules don’t let you do that.

^[2] See the battle sequence near the beginning of Princess Mononoke.

^[3] Xing Tzu had come up from a peasant family.

^[4] The traditional death of leaders doing DP in Kwangsi province.

^[5] Which is now Shi’a Moslem.

^[6] The Khwarzim bent their necks to the Ilig and got Turkmen (and Maracanda) back. Jasmine still didn’t have a husband, though.

^[7] Greek, that is.

^[8] If Allied leader do diplomacy, the DP results are for them, not for the nation.

^[9] Madiera is now a Holy City for Islam, and thronged by thousands of the faithful from all over the Moslem world.

^[10] The Akramids had taken a page from the Persian manual of arms, and had put a small but ferocious band of clibanarii into the field. Against these “oven-men”, the more lightly armored Christian knights had some tough sledding.

^[11] Ok. Here’s a note about Allied leaders. If you give National troops to an Allied leader, they become his troops. So rather than give the Cheliff chieftain the entire Umayyad army, Muawiya elected to hold onto it, and crush Valencia himself. The cavalry given to the Al’Hauts to defend Zirid, however, are now Al’Hauts property.

^[12] What a fambly that Dehol is! Any onker could see the moon-fruit were sacred!