Lords of the Earth
CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR
Byzantium Falls
Turn 43
1211
~ 1215 Anno Domini
573 ~ 578 in the year of the Hegira
Announcements and
items of note
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Version 6: Lords 24 uses version 6 of the
basic rules
The Map: The map now includes India as well as Europe, Central Asia and Africa. However, Indian nations are not yet available for
play. I’ve greyed out repeated areas on the maps to make my life easier.
However, this means some player nations are split across more than one map. I
may increase the size of the main map but I’ll have to think on this.
Tithes and Tribute: I think these are automatically
updated by the stats program, so no need to declare them in your orders.
Control
of the Papacy and Religious Orders: In Lords 24 we will not always have a player Pope (or
Caliph etc for that matter) and the following rules are used to determine which
player faction controls the Pope’s actions, Papacy
Rules. I’ve also added some stuff about gaining support from their armies
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VARIOUS FEES AND LEVIES
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We are using the latest v6.3.5 of the
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Turn 44 Orders due by: October 22nd 2008
Without further ado, the news for these
years in Lords 24 history...
EASTERN EUROPE
Mercenaries
|
Leaders:
|
Mustafa of Rum M996
|
Troops:
|
46c,34xc,44i,5xt,5xw
|
AQRs:
|
i5, c6, s5, w3
|
The Varangian Rus of Kiev
(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Izyaslav, King of the Rus
The
walls of Kiev
were greatly increased to provide protection for the capital. Smolensk was improved slightly by order of
the great Rus himself. Kievan
missionaries were active in Pechneg and Goryn and those regions were converted to Christianity.
Trade links were opened to Poland
and a new postal road started between Kiev and Chernigov. The province of Seversk became
cultivated from years of hard work clearing the wilderness. The Rus advisors were again active in Orkneyjar;
showing the island Jarldom the art of warfare on foot. In exchange, seasoned
veterans from Kirkval were seen in the docks of Kiev instructing the Kievan
sailors in the art of war at sea. The Rus himself was
content to rule the Kingdom from Kiev
and was blessed with two young sons during these years. He was supported by
Gustav and Peter. Wladislaw was successful in gaining
an alliance from the newly founded city of Novogorod-Seversk.
The Western Roman
Empire
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Basil of Ochrid, Emperor of the West Romans
Basil
was aided by the French leader Alain in liberating Thessaly
from the Uighurs. His dire finances led to defaults on loans with the Jews and
promises to pay them off soon. Michael was killed in the battle for Thessaly along with four hundred of the small Roman army.
Roman assassins failed to locate the Uighur leader and he escaped their deadly
intent.
The Western Uighur Khanate
(Sunni Islam Civilised Open Empire)
Khagan Selim
The
walls of Heraclea
were improved in an attempt to stave off the Byzantine attack. Thirty light
warships were commissioned in the port and two thousand infantry and engineers raised to defend the walls. The Uighurs missionaries were
active in Thessaly but had no success in the
war torn province. Khagen Selim
moved his four thousand cavalry and twelve hundred infantry into Thrace
to liberate the province. Isaac of the East Romans was besieging Heraclea with his army of
six thousand guardsmen and a small number of sappers. Aided by spies within the
Roman camp, Selim defeated the Romans. Isaac fled
back to Constantinople but the entire Roman
army was destroyed. The Uighur losses were slight, less than one thousand light
infantry. Selim quickly moved to Heraclea and gathered the newly raised
garrison there. The Uighurs then marched again into Constantinople
and laid siege to the city. The defiant city soon fell as the Uighurs stormed
through the gates. Embittered by years of Roman resistance the Uighurs fell
upon the city, pillaging and burning as they went. The once great walls were
pulled down and the city put to the torch. Isaac fled again Paphlagonia
with the few survivors of his once great army. Belim
managed to avoid the besieging Romans and sneaked into Heraclea. He gathered the fleet there and set
out to defeat Alexandria's
blockade. Battered by the Roman princess he fled back to Heraclea, his fleet in tatters.
The Oriental Roman
Empire
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Alexandria, Emperess
of East Rome
While
Isaac laid siege to the Uighur capital, Alexandria
set out with mighty Byzantine fleet of ninety ships. Her intention was the
blockade of Heraclea
to aid Isaac's attack. Three thousand infantry were raised in Constantinople
to defend the city. Moagaritos was in Abasigia when Rashi assassins
snatched him from his bed. At almost the same time Romanos
was captured by the Rashi. The ageing Moagartis could not stand the ordeal and died in captivity.
Alexandria met and defeated the Uighur fleet as
they left Heraclea
harbour. This was despite nearly half her fleet mutinying when they incorrectly
thought Isaac had been killed. The mutineers may have deserted due to the lies
about Isaac's death but following his flight to Paphlagonia
the Emperor was indeed killed by disaffected soldiers. Alexandria withdrew back to Nikopolis to survey the damage caused by an earthquake
there - surely god has deserted her!.
The Ests
(European Pagan Barbarian Open Empire)
Cimir, Kings of the Ests
A few first were
built in Kymia and Livonia and the walls of Reval
improved. The province
of Novgorod was improved
and cultivation of Veposkava started. Latvia
was finally cultivated and the region started to produce valuable grain for the
northern nation. Cimir took control of the army and
patrolled his borders during these years from Novgorod, assisted at all times by Jaak. His son, Andrus, was left to rule the Kingdom from Estonia
and was blessed by the gods with two healthy children. Jaagup
laid claim to the islands of Gotland for the Ests.
Elsewhere in Eastern
Europe
The Duchy of Poland
increases it status in Bialoweza and Silesia. The Great Bolgar Khanate incorporates the Nogai.
Turkiye expands into Cappadocia.
Bishop Asculias dies and no replacement comes from Rome.
THE MIDDLE EAST
Mercenaries
|
Leaders:
|
None
|
Troops:
|
9c,9xc,22i,5xt,5xw
|
AQRs:
|
i5, c6, s5, w3
|
Heyrenik'un Armeniam
(Roman Catholic Barbarian Open Empire)
Anisha Amirspalar
A
quiet time for the Armenians.
The Buwayid Sultanate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Nadir, Regent for the young Sultan
Two thousand elite horse were raised in Baghdad
along with some elephants from India.
Nadir ordered that another three thousand cavalry be raised for his ally in Lydia.
Nadir ruled the Sultanate from Mesopotamia,
keeping a close eye on the Buwayid army. Sadly Qumri
of Edessa died in 1211. Bashar of Ahvaz also died
during these years and the province reduced its alliance to a feudal
obligation. Mustafa of Rum was hired along with the large number of mercenaries
in Eastern Europe at the city of Hastor. Along with Khair al Din and Kurat of Lydia,
Mustafa moved from Lydia
and Bithnia to attack Paphlagonia.
Overwhelmed, the Paphlogonians easily succumbed Mustafa's
force. Chrysopolis was sacked and left a ruin on the Black Sea coast before Paphlogonia
looted and enslaved. Sated with gold and loot, the mercenaries dispersed
throughout the fleshpots of Eastern Europe.
The slaves were left to Kurat when Khair fell to a fever. Kurat
could not stop a revolt amongst the enslaved Paphlagonians
and was killed in a riot. Lydia
itself reduced its alliance to mere economic support, the slaves fled back to
their homes. Abdul-Hafiz moved to Fars and gained support of the Emir there
before moving back to Mesopotamia. A massive
fire in Qom
caused untold misery and reduced the city to a near ruin. Buwayid missionaries
were unsuccessful in Rhodes.
Ar Rassid Imamat as Sa'Na
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sheik Farouk of Sa’Na
Over one thousand
infantry were raised in Sana
and a couple of light warships commissioned at the city’s dockyards. Sheik
Farouk ruled the Arabian Kingdom from Sana
aided by Rakman. Sinbad moved with the Adenese fleet to Zanzibar
where he dropped of Imam Tareq and fourteen hundred infantry
into the garrison there.
Al-Khulafa'ur Rashidun
(Sunni Islam Civilized Primacy
Kedar Safawan,
the Righteous Caliph
Denied income from
regular sea trade, the Rashidun commissioned one
hundred and fifty cogs from the shipyards of Antioch. These were to be used on internal
trade routes and fishing fleets throughout the Kaliphate.
Rashidun agents were successful in causing a mutiny
amongst Alexandria’s fleet out Heraclea and in kidnapping the Roman leaders Moagaritos and Romanos. Rashidun missionaries were at work in Abisigia,
Taman, Kuban and Polovtsy.
Abisgia and Kuban
were converted to Islam during these years. Kedar Safawan was accompanied by all his most senior Imams and
the Emirs of Al’Qamishli and Al’Cotra
to the Farubid city of Faras. There he
spent many years improving Rashidun influence amongst
the Farubids. Shiraj of the
Buwayids married Jalila and was blessed with three
children. Much gold was sent to the Akramids and the
Uighurs. The Uighurs also benefited from Rashidun
grain.
Elsewhere in the Middle
East
The Yemeni move their army of two thousand infantry and nine thousand light
cavalry into Djibuti and reclaim it from the Ogaden..
NORTH AFRICA
Mercenaries
|
Leaders:
|
Abu Benadin al’Gefara M544
|
Troops:
|
5c,10xc,10i,5xt,5xw
|
AQRs:
|
i5, c6, s5, w3
|
The Ayyubid Sultanate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Saladin, Sultan of the Ayyubids
Saladin
recruited the mercenaries of Western Europe as well as raising ten thousand
infantry in Alexandria.
The infantry were augmented with two thousand guards. Saladin himself ruled the
Sultanate while Jabril moved across the North African
coast to Palermo
with five thousand of the newly raised infantry. With mercenaries, Jabril moved into Sicily
to defend against Salernese attacks. He was aided by Maqtir who acted as second in command. Prince Harun took command of the Egyptian fleet of seventy biremes
and triremes out of Palermo and patrolled the
seas around the Bay
of Tunis. Prince Osman was active in bringing Ad'Diffah
closer to the Sultanate while Pharnazes was wooing
the Dongolans and Alwans in
southern Egypt.
Further diplomatic effort was carried out by Moseini
in Mount Sinai where he was successful in
gaining an alliance from the cities Emir. Old Mashara
died a prisoner in Naples.
Ayyubid missionaries were active in Palermo
and Suakin. The small catholic minority was wiped out in the city.
Amir al-Bahri
(Sunni Islam Seafaring Religious Order)
Abd Al-Aziz,
Grand Commander
Little of note occurred
(will return to NPN status next turn)
Ummayad Sultanat
al Oran
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Abbas al Basha
,Sultan of the Ummayad
Much
benefit was gained in Algeria
and Kabilya as Abbas
dispensed much gold on improving these provinces. He named Farid
al Basha as his heir. It was a trying time for the
nobility during these years as first Ishtar died and then in succession over
the following years he was followed by Qadir and Yoonus. None of the deaths appeared linked but an air of
gloom permeated Oran.
WESTERN EUROPE
Mercenaries
|
Leaders:
|
None
|
Troops:
|
22c,12i,6s,6xt,7xw
|
AQRs:
|
i5, c5, s4, w4
|
Heiliges Romisches Reich
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Brandork, Holy Roman Emperor
The port of Cannes grew in size and six new cogs
were commissioned there. The Emperor Brandork
attempts to raise the Church in Saxony to an
Abbey met with no success. Indeed, his attempts caused the site to degrade. Frustrated with the turn of events. Brandork
settled back to affairs of state, being blessed with a daughter during these
years. Prince Laresial accompanied his father at
court, immersed in the affairs of state. Prince Edues
of Burgundy idled his time away in Provence with the able
Hans von Matrunco left in command of the southern
army. Alfons von Lausatia
was successful in securing an alliance from the Swiss. Bishop Joseph von Ratz was not known for his oratory skills, being more at
home on the battle field or quiet diplomacy and his efforts to improve the
Churches of Hanover, Alsace and Westphalia
were unsuccessful. The Churches in Hanover and
Westphalia were ransacked by local priests,
wary of Brandorks' intentions. Only in Swabia did the Bishop find success when a new church was
founded there. Although the traitor Marwin was last
known to be in Valencia,
the Empire's assassins could not find the elusive thief.
Jarldom of Orkeneyjar
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Wulgar Bjornson, Jarl of Orkney
The
walls of Kirval were pulled down as the great city
grew in size around the newly built fortress. Only Naples now rivalled the island port. To
ensure the security of his valuable city, Wulfgar
ordered that the walls be replaced to their former size and strength. Thirty
cogs were commissioned at Kirkval’s docks; these were
destined to improve the trade returns for the Jarldom. The Orkney army was
increased slightly by the addition of some light warships, transports and
marines. Missionaries from the Orkneys finally converted Fjordane
to Catholicism. Veterans from Rus were seen training
the Orkney infantry in an effort to improve their quality. Wulfgar
himself defended the Jarldom from attack during the growth of Kirkval. His son,
Lars Wulfson, spent these years ruling the Jarldom
and overseeing much improvement of the nation’s trade. The beautiful Hekla Wulfdatter was unsuccessful in her efforts to increase the
piety of the islands but her less favoured sister was aided by Lief in bringing Hildegard’s Connaught
fully into the Jarldom. Hildegard passed away shortly after willing her lands
to Wulfgar. Houses for the Le Marteau
de Dieu were founded by Orkney stalwarts in Caithness
and Perth.
Bjorn managed to found a Preceptory in Kirkval on the site of the old order
House there. The order itself was active throughout Ireland
and founded Houses in Ulster,
Lienster and Armagh.
Kingdom
of Svear
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Erik Gustafson, King of the Svear
Ten
light warships were commissioned in Uppsala.
Svear missionaries were active in Oopland and converted the mountain province
to Christianity. Erik’s great push was to gain closer ties to his Norse ally,
the Norwegians. A marriage was arranged between Arnold and a Norwegian princess
and much gold was transferred to Hordaland. Arnold
stayed in Uppsala
while his father negotiated the alliance and ruled the Kingdom. Erik was
accompanied to Hordavil by the able Jan. A grater
alliance was formed with the Norwegians but sadly Erik died of a heart attack
while en-route to Uppsala.
Karl patrolled the waters of Saarema with the Svear fleet while Olaf was
stationed in far Turku.
Norman Kingdom
of France
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Louis VII, King of France
The
city of Le Mans
was greatly improved by Louis's largesse. Ponthieu
and Cherbourg
were also improved. Sixty light warships and a large number of cogs were
commissioned in Cherbourg.
Two thousand light horse were raised in Ile de France.
Louis considered himself and France at war with the Uighurs and dispatched Fulques from Cherbourg
with the fleet and the newly raised cavalry. He travelled down to Marseilles and collected
Alain from the docks there. Accompanying Alain were a further ten thousand
infantry. The fleet landed at Petropolis and
returned to Marseilles
after dropping off the French army. Guilaume
travelled down to Aquitaine and Limousin were the offer of Adelaide's hand in marriage cemented further good
relations with the Limousin nobility. Henri married
into the Aquitaine
nobility but no further ties were forged to the Kingdom. Alain moved through
Illyria, Dalmatia to Serbia.
In Serbia
he was met by the West Roman leader Basil of Ohrid
and Michael the Loyal. The Roman's were only able to add eight hundred men to
the army. The French then attacked Thessaly from Serbia. Many months of hard
fighting ensued with minor skirmishes throughout the mountainous border.
Eventually the Uighur commander was captured and the Uighur destroyed. Sadly
although the French losses were slight, Michael was killed in the fighting but Thessaly was liberated. Louis himself ruled his Kingdom
from Paris and
was blessed with a young daughter. The old sea route to Aragon was better served through the Pyrenees and was abandoned.
Principality of Salerno
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Ricardo II, Prince of Salerno
Ricardo
was again outbid for the services of the mercenaries of Europe.
This time Mustafa of Rum was also hired by the Buwayids. At least the
Principality's agents were successful in diverting some of the funds meant for
the Ayyubid’s mercenaries. France
was given permission to cross to the Balkans from the newly gained port of Petropolis
in Illyria. Naples
itself grew in size and three thousand infantry were commissioned in Campania. The
fortifications of Campania and Calabria were improved.
Ricardo commissioned forty cogs to work the internal trade routes throughout
the Principality. Merchants from the route down to Egypt
moved their base from Naples
to Calania. The Duke of Tuscany
travelled to Savoy
but died in 1212 before any improvement in relations could be achieved. Antonia
Soliesti was more successful in Apulia
where he gained an alliance from the Duchy. Enrico Porro was frustrated at the lack of support and was forced
to abandon any plans to invade Sicily
when the mercenaries did not appear. Salvatore Sanzo
was successful in gaining support from Cavalleri and
the Duke of Romagna added Lombardy and Vincencia to Ricardo's domain; aided by the Bishop Benigni and the Count of Petropolis.
.
Saxon Kingdom
of England
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Domnall I, King of England
Richard
ordered roads to be built up from Diva to Lothian and down from the Lancashire
city to Wymeswold in Mercia. The cities of Land's End, Caer Myrddin, Diva and Berwick all benefited from his largesse.
From his Tower in London Richard could survey his Kingdom and thought that all
was well. Disaster struck, as it always does when things seem to be going well,
and the plague sprung up in Diva again. It was carried down the country to London where it also
struck with deadly voracity. Richard was amongst the first to die and his death
heralded a fight for the crown. William was still too young for the throne but
Lord Ayken and Dyffed
remained loyal. It was in Diva that the real contest for the throne began.
O'Neil claimed it as his through some distant ancestor that had lands granted
in Munster
and struck out at the loyal Esmund when news of
Richard's death reached the north. Leaving the plague victims behind, he sped
down to London
with his guard. Ayken was slow to gain the support of
the army from far Munster,
who had their own woes dealing with the plague victims in their ranks, and was
unprepared for O'Neils treachery. O'Neil was more
able than the tongue-tied Ayken and quickly cemented
the support of the army. Ayken was forced to accept
Richard's fleeing family to Munster.
Esmund was slower to reach London
and was arrested on his arrival by the new King - Domnall
I of England!
As the news of Domnall's claim reach the provinces
the nobility started to take sides. Lancashire
joined Domnall while Diva declared its independence. Murcia and Sussex
were quick to throw in their lot with Domnall as was Anglia. By the far the majority of the Celtic provinces
remained loyal, with Munster, Lothian, Gwynned, Dyffed and Cornwall all declaring for
Ayken and William. Wessex and Caer
Myrddin declared independence. Soon the irony of an
Irish king on a Saxon throne opposed by a Saxon king with Irish and Celtic
subjects was not lost on the poets of the nation.
Reino de Aragon
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Pedro II, El Catolico, King of Aragon
Very little of note happened during these years..
The Akramid
Caliphate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Mohamed, Caliph of the Akramids
The
walls of Talavera's fortress were expanded and the
region much improved. Mohamed commissioned fifty light warships in Madiera and a number of cogs to be assigned to trade
amongst the Caliphate. New Castille also benefited
during these years. Prince Morab spent his last years
training four thousand elite guardsmen and the same number of light infantry to
use a horse. He died of a fever in 1213. Mohamed himself ruled the Caliphate
and was blessed with three children. Tiroman spent
this time at court and sired a young son. Wafid was
active in Leon
in trying to bring the region closer to the Caliphate after the conquests of
years before. Missionaries of the Caliphate were active again in Galacia and the region was gradually turning towards Islam.
Elsewhere in Western
Europe
|
The Norwegians gain an alliance from the Duke of Pomern. The Pope dies and his successor promises a more
active role.
|
AFRICA
Mercenaries
|
Leaders:
|
none
|
Troops:
|
10c,4xc,22i,5xt,5xw
|
AQRs:
|
i5, c4, s3, w1
|
Usama-Yoruba Onium
of Ibo
(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Bhatamai, King of the Ibo
Bhatamai raised a massive army of thirteen thousand elite horse in the province
of Gorouol.
The great Iboan then returned to Ife to rule his mighty empire. He was blessed
with a young daughter but still no heir. His 25-year old brother, Palamba, was ordered to forget his waywardness and assist
the Emperor at court. The much glorified general Itogo
moved from his defeat of the Air Emirate down to Gorouol
where he collected the newly raised cavalry. The troops were added to twenty
thousand cavalry and ten thousand elite spearmen already in the Iboan army. Otogo pulled out of Gorouol and headed down through Sudan
to Songhai. Despite stiff resistance from the
Songhai, the Iboans swept them aside and pushed
easily into Galem, Takrur, Gambia,
Senegal
and Khalem. The city of Takrur opened their
gates to the Iboans without the slightest resistance.
Tyano ceded Kurfei and Kanuri to the Kanem but any hope
of an improvement of relations between the two nations came to nothing.
The Mwene-Mutapa Empire
(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Jafar Bikoi,
Emperor of Mapungubwe
The
great emperor Jafar Biko
build a new city called Arkur
in Vaal. The province itself was greatly
improved. One thousand spears were raised in Rozwi. Jafar also ordered that the cultivation of Nguni be started while he ruled the empire from Mapungubwe. Amechi Abate moved to Rozwi and
took command of the
newly raised troops there to defend the border against attack. Binta Chango visited the province of Kafue in an attempt to forge a closer
relationship with the chief
Elsewhere in Africa
The Wadai of Funj
move against the Sahil Sharifs
at Ennedi. Twenty thousand light horse against
the Sahils thirty. Struck down by Sahil
arrows, the leaders of the Wadai are killed and their
men routed. None live to return to Funj. With the King
dead and the army destroyed the Adulis and Sennar revolted, taking neighbouring provinces with them. Adowa went its own way. The Sahils
then moved on into Darfur, Kordofan
and Ain’Farah. Truning west
they attacked the Kanem-Bornu province of Soro. Facing the Sahils was the Kanem army of
sixteen hundred elite guards, one thousand light spearmen and a large number of
forts. Surprisingly, the Sahils were defeated and
fled back to N’Jini; their Emir killed by the Kanems. New trade routes were opened across the Sahara to Oran and Egypt.
The Malawi
start to trade with Betis. While Malay Betis pours more of its
meagre resources into cultivating Gorongo.
Central Asia
Mercenaries
|
Troops:
|
5c,10xc,10i,5xt,5xw
|
AQRs:
|
i5, c4, s3, w1
|
Elsewhere in Asia
|
The
flooding of the Oxus destroyed part of the
road in Khwarzim.
Georgia
becomes a tributary of the Khwarzim. Kashmir becomes friendly to the Ghazz.
Tadzik promises to send more gold to the Ilig.
|
India
Mercenaries
|
Troops:
|
6c,6xc,20i,5s,5xt,5xw
|
AQRs:
|
i5, c4, s3, w1
|
Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Ramapala, Raja of Kaunaj
Jodhpur was increased and
a harbour built to enable trade to reach the Kingdom from the West. Four
thousand light cavalry were raised in Rajput. Great
amounts of gold were transferred to Bengal to
aid in their battle against the Mongols. In a sign of gratitude to the Rajputis, the Bengalis offered support the northern
neighbour in the future. Raja Ramapala gave the Rajputi army to his son and took a new wife from the
nobility of Benares. His diplomatic activities
brought the city closer to Kaunaj. Kumarapala had control of the army until his father
regained it on his way back to Kaunaj. He rules the
Kingdom from Rajput and was blessed with a young son.
Timgyadeva was assisted by Vaiyadeva
in gaining slightly closer ties with the Nadavarians.
However, Ananda was unsuccessful in Uttar Pradesh.
The Order of the
Dagger
(Hindu Civilised Religious Order)
Angada, Lord of the Order of the Dagger
Thirty
light warships were commissioned in Tamralipti and four
thousand cavalry along with thirty elephant archer squadrons in Rajput. Large numbers of transports were assigned to the
valuable Ganges trade out of Patna and Benares. Dagger spies had successfully identified the
whereabouts of the Mongol Khan but failed to kill or capture the invader. Angada's network was expanded with new Houses in Guar (the
city) and Dhara, despite the death of Balavan in 1214. Preceptories were built in Tamralipti and Bihar and a new Oratory in Benares.
Isha was able to complete his work in Benares when Gaman fell foul of
an infection in the city. Brought together by the invading Mongols, the Daggers
sent scribes to the Bengalis and the Rajputis.
Meanwhile, Angada himself travelled with the Dagger
host of ten thousand elite horse, fifty elephant archer squadrons and over four
thousand cavalry to Maghada. One thousand elite
guards were left in Rajput in case of any eventuality
there.
The Mongols
The
Mongols made good their threat and came down through the Himalayas
to attack Maghada. Nepal
and Sikkim
were looted and the temples of the Wheel razed and destroyed. The Mongol horde
numbered over two hundred thousand men and they swarmed over the mountains
assured of easy victory against the weak Indians. However, the Bengalis had
been joined by forces of the Dagger and had the benefit of Rajputi
agents amongst the horde. These agents allowed the Indians to force the Mongols
to attack them at a disadvantage. The Bengali numbered eighteen thousand
infantry and some six thousand cavalry. The Dagger forces under Angada were made up of ten thousand elite horse and over
two thousand elite guards backed up by four thousand light cavalry. They were
back up by twenty squadrons of elephant archers. Dagger agents had identified
the Mongol Khan but were unsuccessful in killing the invader. However in the
ensuing battle the Mongols were forces to withdraw when the Khan was captured.
The Khan of the Seljuks was killed and his men left
the battlefield. Ten thousand invaders were killed but the Bengalis lost
thirteen thousand infantry. The Daggers elephants were killed as well their
four thousand light cavalry. A brief respite was all that the Indians had
before the Mongols attacked again in an attempt to free their Khan. Fortunately
for the Indians the Khans brother was completely useless when it came to
warfare. The Mongols fled in disorder back over the mountains cursing the stout
Indian defence. The Khans of the Chugachak and the Kashi were killed battle along with seven thousand of the
Mongol cavalry. The Daggers lost fourteen hundred of their elite guards while
the Bengali lost double that number. However, The Pala of Bengal was captured
and taken back with the horde. The Mongols offered terms to the Bengalis –
exchange of their Khan for the Bengali ruler. This was agreed and the exchange
took part at the foot of the Himalayas. The
Mongols promised to return…
Elsewhere in India
Ceylon
makes diplomatic gains in Malabar. The Westenr Dhara gain an alliance with the Gujerati.