Lords of the Earth
CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR
Turn 63
1311
~ 1315 Anno Domini
673 ~ 677 in the year of the Hegira
New for T59
Paths to victory:
There are several options open to a player when an NPN has been defeated
- Take
the victory conditions (see NPN rules) available for NPNs and allow the
NPN to go its own way. This is a useful option if you do not want to
increase your imperial size or bother with the NPNs internal affairs.
- Keep
it as either Pacified or Pacified Tributary. You will not get victory
conditions but will get income from the NPNs Homeland/Friendly regions and
cities. Also, as the years from conquest marker goes up it may turn
Friendly or Tributary. Using this option treats the NPN as a super-region.
- Old
school, you will have to take the regions you want and conquer each in
turn. If the capital is taken then some of the NPNs ratings will be added
to yours if higher. The NPN will cease to exist.
Dealing with hordes:
Hordes can be dealt with a number of ways rather than just an outright battle.
These are
- Threaten
them. Hordes respond to a show of strength and may leave you alone if
confronted with enough force.
- Bribe
them. They are looking for gold and lands to settle or pillage so if you
offer them it on a plate they may well go away. They may also just take it
and attack anyway.
- Use
diplomacy. It does work and I suggest chucking in a royal princess or two.
You can also use a combination of the above. If the horde
becomes a FA or A, you can direct its attacks or its path of migration.
New for T57
Non-player rules update: I’ve updated the NPN rules to fit
better with the Lord’s system. Please check them out.
New for T56
New movement and action rules: I know that they didn’t meet with
overall approval last time around but I will be implementing the proposed
movement/action rules for T57 (see here). Any current player that
takes them up will be given a 2 turn bonus to their credits but they can
continue to use the current method for the time being. All new players will
have to use them. I’d rather stick to the standard rules but there is no way
Lords is sustainable as a long-term game (and I want 24 to be long-term) unless
there is some simplification for the GM.
The areas that cause me
the most processing grief are movement, AP calculation and garrison changes.
New for T53
Restrictions on Royal Marriages: Due to the complications arising
from these rules only K, H or P leaders can benefit from a Royal Marriage.
Members of the Royal Family that have not come into play are not considered
eligible. Also, Primate, Order and Secret Empire positions are not eligible for
marriage bonuses. These are meant to be diplomatic arrangements between
sovereign states.
New for T52
East – West Split: I’m going to try to split the
East and the West parts of the game so that I can process the orders quicker –
don’t know if or how it will work yet but lets see if it’ll happen
New for T51
No Orders: If I don’t get any orders in for a position and the
player doesn’t answer my emails then I’ll put the position back to a NPN and
put aside the players cash (if any) until they pick it or another nation up
again.
New for T50
Request Royal Marriage: Used to ask a NPN nation for a bride for one of
your Princes or a suitor for one of your little Princesses. Cost is 6AP,
Charisma based. The leader doesn’t have to be in the NPNs capital but if he
isn’t then he needs to be in your homeland/capital.
New for T49
Naval Reaction and Blockade: Naval Reactions can only occur
when there is action in a Sea Zone that the fleet is based at. The fleet has to
be based from a port and not the Sea Zone. Also, the Reaction can only occur
when your own lands or those of an ally benefiting from a Defensive Pact
marriage bonus are attacked. It also applies to any merchant fleets you operate
through the Sea Zone in the case of piracy.
Naval Blockade’s only work if your fleet is based in the same Sea Zone
as the target port and you spend all (every single one) of your APs in the
blockade. The fleet must be based from a port and not a Sea Zone.
New for T48
The use of fleets for Reaction and mitigating the effects
of Pirates: My understanding
has now changed since we GMs have had some discussion on the list. The use of
Reaction has been explained on the Wiki and Patrol is no longer used in the
Base Rules.
Reaction
Trade Route Escorts
- This
is specific to Lords 24. Units can be assigned to a trade route to act as
static convoy escort using the G type leader. Note this is not as good as
patrol as the warships assigned will only reduce the effects of piracy,
not capture or destroy the pirates themselves.
Updated NPN and Primacy rules:
Yep, been tinkering again but I feel a almost serene sense of satisfaction with
my latest offering. See what you think.
Added the ability to hire
mercenary captain when there is no mercenary company available: See the mercenary tables
New for T47
Improved cultivation at TL5: If a nation has reached the
dizzy heights of TL5 than it can benefit from improved cultivation. You can
Improve a cultivated homeland region from 2GPv to 3GPv, or any other controlled
cultivated region from 1GPv to 2GPv. This is a level one megalithic
construction.
New for T46
NPNS: I’ve tweaked the NPN and Primacy/Order rules a little to make them
fit better with the 24 game. I’ve also reduced their overall RRV to make
diplomacy easier.
Second Positions in the East: As I’ve not got a lot of players
in the East, I would be willing to allow a second position from existing
players. Let me know if you’re interested.
New for T45
New Rivers: I’ve added in some new possible rivers onto the map.
These are rivers that were once passable by light traffic (remember Cogs cannot
travel on rivers) and have now become silted up. You can dredge a stretch of
the river (along one region border edge) as a 0.5 level project.
Gripes:
Agro as conversion –
this has restrictions (see 2.11.5.3) which I will be enforcing from now on.
Rivers can only support
light ships – as far as I know Cogs cannot travel on rivers. This also includes
Cogs built for trade.
New Primates: We have two new Primate positions this turn. Jumal
Skyfather, which is an Estonian god and the Coptic Church based out of Axum.
New for T44
Minor islands and City States: I’ll be allowing minor islands (Corfu, Jerba, Wight etc) and city states to be used as
locations from T44. Just let me know the rationale behind why you want it
separate and if reasonable I’ll add it in. Once they are created as locations,
they obey all the rules of islands etc. However, their Gpv cannot go above 0.
Flooding: The last few turns have seen a massive increase in the
amount of flooding that has occurred. It appears that the years are getting
warmer and wetter. As a result of this some of the minor rivers on the map are
once again becoming passable to river traffic.
Denmark:
Following on from the Minor Islands stuff, you can see that Denmark is now separated out to Jutland and
Syaland (Zeeland).
Announcements and
items of note
General Stuff: Please use my Paypal account (stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk) for all
Lords’ 24 payments. If you cannot use this facility then please let me know and
I will see what I can do about filtering US funds to my account. I may also
stop using the throneworld email address due to the mass of spam I’m getting!
Order Form: Please use the standard excel order
form from now on. I’ll update the site with a link to it next week when I get
some time. This is important as it helps me process the turn more quickly. THIS
IS NOW MANDATORY.
Non-Payment: some of you still owe me some
cash. Although it may come as surprise that this is not my main source of
income, I see it only polite that you pay for the occasionally night out. So,
if you’re under zero next turn I’ll not process you orders.
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. 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
How to make your GM
happy (PLEASE READ! REALLY!):
Please send any and all Lords24
correspondence to lords24gm@ymail.com
or stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk .
LORDS 24 WEB RESOURCES
The Lords Twenty-Four homepage is
at:
http://lords.throneworld.com/lote24/index.html
All of the on-line resources, including
order forms, mailing lists and web-sites for Lords of the Earth are summarized
on this page:
http://lords.throneworld.com/?page_id=2
You can subscribe to the Lords 24 mailing
list by pointing your web-browser at:
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…and following the instructions on that
page.
VARIOUS FEES AND LEVIES
At the moment the turns cost $5 – please
pay up of you owe
We are using the latest v6.3.5 of the
basic rule book that can be found here
http://lords.throneworld.com/players/loterule/rules.html
Western Europe
Heiliges Romisches Reich
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Hubbert, Holy Roman Emperor.
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Germany looks to itself after
years of growth.
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Norman Kingdom
of France
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Jean, King of France
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Clearance
of the Gascon wilderness began in earnest after the neglect of the province
by its previous rulers. England
was to benefit from French grain as some of the surplus was sent to the
island. King Charles spent most of these years ruling from Paris but a brief visit to Hainault in 1311
saw the region declare for the King. Prince Simon collected the French army
from Navarre and settled
back to his estates in Aquitaine
before his death in 1313. It was left to Guillaume to patrol France’s
southern border. Gerard was alarmed to find that the Gascons had allowed the
old Aragonese nobility to occupy a remote fortress near the town of Mont-de-Marsan. The
Aragonese had threatened the peasants with death under the name of the Shadow
King. Both Bishop Bernard and the ailing Bertrand were put to use ensuring
Charles’s rule.
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The Papal
States
(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious
Order)
Pope Alexander II, God’s Voice on Earth
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The overstretched
French infrastructure was augmented by further Papal aid as many clerics were
sent to Paris.
These years saw unprecedented growth in the Church as Marseilles,
Cherbourg, Antwerp,
Warsaw and Limoges saw new edifices to Christ. Some
work was done overturning the Moslem gains in Sicily as the island stood at a crossroads
between Islam and Christ. Pope Alexander concentrated on creating an Abbey in
Pescara while Cardinal Nardini was dispatched
to Venice to
aid Cardinal Bourchier in building a Monastery there. The Cardinals Straus
and Pole were able to raise a Monastery in Ulm through there efforts in these years.
The death of the martial Cardinal de Languissel in 1312 saw Latium
briefly undefended but luckily no assault came. The Knights of Malta
continued to consolidate their gains in Greece and began, although
unsuccessful for now, the long process of conversion of the Moslems in those
lands.
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The Order of St Denis
(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious
Order)
Lyonic, Grandmaster of the Order of St Denis, Scourge of Islam
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Five thousand
cavalry were raised from the laity of the Ile de France and put under the
command of Aric the Bold. These were later transferred to Louis in 1313 to
act as part of the Catalonian garrison. Aric was then to remain in the Ile de
France until his death in later 1315. There was only one winner in the
leadership contest as Lyonic was by far the most popular candidate amongst
the Brothers. The seas bordering Santa
Maria were patrolled by the massive fleet commanded
by the charismatic and able Lyonic before his elevation to Grandmaster. It
was left to Balthazar to secure Old Castile
from the French. Burgos
quickly fell to order forces as Balthazar began a siege of the city.
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The Kingdom of Olbia
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Hector , King of Olbia and lost Aragon
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Sardinia
was fortified against further German aggression as a great fortress was built
in Ardara. Nearly fifteen hundred
guardsmen rallied to Hector’s flag and were put under the command of the
Count of Sardinia. Old Ramon was not forgotten and with the aid of supporters
of the old regime, managed to make his escape from capture and flee to Olbia.
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The Principality of Salerno
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Ricardo V Durazzo, Prince of Salerno
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The army in Naples was augmented
with over two thousand men, a great majority of which were veterans of the
wars in the east used to create Ricardo’s household guard, the Irpini. To
protect Venice,
two thousand mixed cavalry and infantry were raised for the garrison. Also in
Naples, the
fleet was expanded to include twelve large Galleasses. New trade routes were
created to Marseilles and Cannes
and on the instructions of the Duke, the oriental trade to Egypt and Constantinople
was diverted to the Adriatic ports. Prince Luca travelled to Verona
from Petropolis
where he continued diplomatic efforts with the city’s merchant elite. Filippo
di Crimini took command of the Salernese fleet and attempted to gain some
more support from the Knights of Malta. Yet despite vast sums of gold used to
swell the Maltese treasury, no influence was gained. In Naples, Giordano was tasked with the
raising of a mercenary company under the command of their own captain; the
new company was to be named “Il Reggimento Nero”. Giordano achieved some
success in Naples
before his death in 1314 from a fever. Ricardo was determined to recover the
lands lost to Liguraia and tasked the Marquis de Ferrera to assist the
martial Bishop, Ugo di Suilli in the conquest of Tuscany. The household and garrison troops
of southern Italy were
gathered by d’Este before he established himself in Romagna.
With Bishop di Suilli in the van, the combined Salernese force of ten thousand
men crossed the Apennines into Tuscany.
The Ligurian region was well protected by nine thousand men and several forts
but was led by the Hector who was more inclined to affairs of state than war!
Yet despite this, d’Este panicked when he saw the Ligurian forces arrayed
before him and fled from the field. If it was not for the cool head of Bishop
di Suilli the Salernese would have routed. The Bishop managed to keep the
line and against the run of battle, began to turn the Ligurians. Hector
thought the battle lost and fled from the Salernese, causing a rout amongst
his men who fled north from the invaders leaving Tuscany to the invaders.
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Western and South Africa
The Mwene-Mutapa
Empire
(African Unkulkulun Civilised Open
Empire)
Nyambo II, Emperor of Mapungubwe
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A great road was
started between the Cape and the lands of
the feared Herero. To ensure that his people would not go hungry, Nyambo
personally supervised the construction of fishing fleets in Ithembala,
Mayumba and Nguni Da-Mutoto. Some gains were made amongst the Hindus of
Sofala as the priests of Unkulukulu actively preached in the city. Nyambo
spent the remainder of these years ruling his growing kingdom. The lands of
the Herero were fully integrated into the kingdom through the efforts of
Nyambo III. In Gorongo, Albare continued on the long road to reconciliation,
hoping to convince them to strengthen their bonds with the palace. Gabbo, a
man touched by the power of Unkulukulu, journeyed to Sofala to assist the
priests in their holy work there. He was successful in turning some of the
city’s elite towards the light.
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North Africa and Moslem Spain
The Empire of Egypt
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Zaid, Sultan of Egypt
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The walls of Memphis were built strong and high when news of the
Chalbi reached Alexandria.
In the far south, Danakil was protected by a series of forts and in the city
of Al’Qadi
large number of siege engineers were recruited. To aid the Sultan, the
Princes Nasir, Badr and Aybak were ordered to give up their indolent
lifestyles and meet with Zaid in Alexandria.
The Sultan spent the first year discussing the affairs of trade with his
merchants before moving to the Ghebel Gharib where he managed to gain some
support from the desert tribes there. Missionaries
were active throughout the Egyptian lands and saw the conversion of Suakin
from Coptic to the true faith of Islam. Jel Laddin hurried back from far New
Memphis to take command of the newly raised garrison in Al’Qadi. The garrison
was augmented by nearly six thousand infantry already in the city. After
leaving Egypt with a huge
host of cavalry and the prize regiments of armoured elephants, Abd Al-Halim,
gave command of the army to the Imam Assam in Faiyam before accompanying the
Imam to Danakil. The very presence of such a
massive force of over 60000 men meant that the Chalbi baulked at the idea of
invading and started to move further west. In Syria, Kamal el Dine was
unsuccessful in gaining closer ties with the Syrians but the old alliance
remained strong. In the same year it became increasing apparent that Prince
Nasir had designs on the throne. He quickly managed to capture and imprison
Prince Badr but was to underestimate the young Aybak. At only fifteen, the
Prince had secured the loyalty of many of the palace guard and personally led
his men against the usurper. Nasir was unprepared for the attack and could do
little to defend himself before Prince Aybak and his men cut him down,
restoring the throne to Zaid in his absence. Rutters were gained to the
Canaries by the al-Salih Ben Hassan operating out of Alexandira
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The Akramid Caliphate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sameer, Caliph of the Akramids
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While the Akramid fleet base din Madeira
was augmented by ten new dhows, four thousand elite cavalry were raised in
Elvas. Tiroman III was declared as the heir to the Caliph Sameer Tiroman II.
A new road was built over the Quadal bridge from Seville
to Cordoba. The
efforts of Akramid missionaries in Sicily
saw the majority of the islanders return to Islam. Sameer was content to rule
his Caliphate from Andalusia after spending
much of 1311 inspecting the nations merchant fleets. His wife Jillian sadly
died in childbirth but he was still to father many children on his other
wives. Prince Masud took control of the newly raised cavalry and after
returning to Andalusia presented the new
troops to Sameer. Grain was sent to
the English to prevent famine on the island but this was not a completely
altruistic act as a good price was exacted. Pihm tried to explore the hostile
seas north of the Faeroes but perished from the cold in his first attempt.
Miseri was more successful for a time. He managed to explore all the way
south to the Kongo Sea before dying of a fever while attempting to
explore Cape Fria.
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Arabia and the Middle East
The Buwayid Sultanate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Najib, Sultan of the Buwayids
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The ports of Bursa and Chrysopolis were rebuilt and the great city of
Baghdad
allowed to grow in size after its mighty walls were pulled down to make way
for the new buildings. In Antioch,
vast sums were spent in improving the cities gardens and parks. Edessa and Paphlagonia
were cleared of the remaining wilderness and new farms established. Najib
concentrated on the affairs of state and was delighted with the birth of two
sons by his Edessan wife. He had persuaded Prince Aalam Quadir to join him at
court and take command of patrolling the lands from Baghdad.
Zubair Raheesh failed in his attempt to secure the full allegiance
from the city of Qom,
although the old alliance remained strong. Yafi Sahmsad gained further
support from Ahvaz
as the region pledged more tribute to the Sultanate. Before his death in 1315,
the Imam Addul Haq had secured a wife for Najib from Edessa. His continued efforts saw the
region pledge its full support to Baghdad.
Raheel Rabbani re-asserted Buwayid control of Selucia, Fars
and Bandar in a series of small skirmishes with the local forces in those
regions. His army of twenty thousand men easily overwhelming any opposition.
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Ar Rassid Imamat as
Sa'Na
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sheik Saddam
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While
the Adenese were content to enjoy the rewards of their trade, the Chalbi set
off west to the promised riches of the Iboium after being deterred by the
might of Egypt,. First they had to cross the Bale mountains to Sennar and
then onto the Sahel
Sea. Yohannes of Sennar
had prepared for years for an Egyptian invasion but his force of five
thousand spears seemed too small against the 32000 Chalbi warriors. However, the walls of Soba were built high
and strong and protected by the Bale, Yohannes managed to inspire his men to
turn the invaders back towards the Horn of Africa and away from his lands.
The Chalbi were trapped between Egypt,
Sennar and the Tsetse so their only option was to settle the lands of Zeila
and Djibouti.
Both provinces were well garrisoned by the Adenese and Yemeni rulers but
could do little to prevent the Chalbi from overwhelming them. The Emir of the
Chalbi declared that from henceforth his lands would be known as the Chalbi
Emirate of Adal.
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Scandia and the Out Isles
Jarldom of Orkeneyjar
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Aegir Nicholson, Jarl of Orkney
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The
great fleet of the Orkneys again grew in size when one hundred warships were commissioned
in the vast Kirkval shipyards. To aid their Russian allies during their
economic hardship, the Orkneymen sent gold to Kiev. The lands of Agder were cultivated
and the wolfswood cut back to make way for new farms. Queen Frigga was never
popular amongst the Okneyjar nobility and her sudden and unexplained death in
1312 caused major disruption amongst the kingdom. Her declared heir Bragi
Jotunson was popular but many of the nobility sought favour amongst the other
princes who also had valid claims to the throne. In fact, the Queen had
become betrothed to the recently defeated Jarl of the Svear but luckily the
Svear decided to take no part in contesting the throne. The cousins Dunaldur,
Edvard and Frey were at Kirkval when the Queen died and soon arguments came
to blows. It was the unlikely Frey that bested his brother and cousin before
making his way along the docks to the claim his birthright from Bragi.
Heimdall had returned from Santander
with Bragi and was drumming up support for his own tenuous claim when he was
accosted by the belligerent Frey. Frey demanded Heimdall’s loyalty but the
warrior was to answer by throwing his axe a Frey’s un-armoured face. The
Fates had already decided the manner of Frey’s death and it was not to be at
the hand of Heimdall. The axe sheared off Frey’s right ear before burying
itself in the side of a moored English merchant ship. Frey fought back
quickly despite his injury and hammered his own axe into Heimdalls’ skull;
killing his attacker. Leaving Heimdall’s body, Frey and his now growing body
of supporters headed onwards to confront Bragi. Bragi had taken control of
the throne room and already most of the courtiers had gone over to his camp.
However Frey was to have none of it and it was only after he was arrested by
Bragi’s guardsmen that he reluctantly gave up his claim. Bragi had succoured
the capital for now. Prince Balder Erikson was in talks with the Norwegians
when the news of the Queen’s death reached him. He had already been passed
over for the throne and saw this as his chance to regain his birthright.
Leaving Brother Pierre and the Bishop DeBole to continue negotiations with
the Norwegians, Balder returned to Kirval to challenge Bragi. The Prince was
again unfortunate as Bragi had the docks watched and Balder was kiiled while
trying to escape arrest. Prince Aegir was in Skane negotiating the marriage
of Queen Frigga to the Jarl of the Svear when news of Bragi’s murder of
Balder reached his ears. Fearing for his safety Aegir decided to return to
Kirkval by landing on the island rather than heading straight for the port
itself. He commanded Alfred to accompany him but the general remained loyal
to Prince Bragi and tried to stop Aegir. Aegir was not to be stopped and
leaving a bleeding Alfred in Oslo
rushed back to the Orkneys. He tried to gain the support of the old warrior
Feric but after being given the fief of Halland as his own, Feric decided to
remain neutral. His death shortly after Aegir’s departure saw the region
become independent. Prince Aegir’s return to Kirkval caught Bragi by surprise
as he had only commanded the docks and the main gates be watched. Aegir had
many supporters in the city and gained access through the Bailgate after
leaving his ship outside of the city’s harbour. On his arrival at the throne
room a scuffle started between the supporters of Prince Bragi and those of
Prince Aegir. Many of those that had previously declared for Bragi went over
to Aegir turned on Bragi’s men. Aegir had defeated his cousin and taken the
crown for himself. Finally, poor Agnetha returned after visiting Uppsala only to be
killed by the remnants of Bragi’s supporters. Bragi himself decided to follow
the example of Prince Frey and declare his support for Aegir. The regions of
Connaught, Fjordane, Lienster, Shetland, Trondheim all declared their independence
from Orkney control. The alliance with the Hammer of God continued as Order
Houses were raised in Agder, Halland and Uppsala. Agnetha and Brother Louis were not
so successful in their efforts.
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Saxon Kingdom
of England
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Harry I, King of England
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Gold flowed from London for grain from
the Akramids and the French. The route to the Akramids was re-established
from Land’s end to Santiago.
Dredging began on the great river Severn to bring land-locked Mercia
to the sea. While King Harry ruled from London Prince Ian was dispatched to
gain further support from the Welsh in Gwynedd. Lord Barney was dispatched to
Spain
where the English had gained the old Aragonese possessions from the Orkneymen
and the French. Luckily he was accompanied by Lord Rasin as he was killed in
a pub brawl in London’s’
docks. Rasin took control of Santander and Asturias before moving to Navarre.
He also managed to gain the support of Saragossa
towards the end of these years. Brother Eric was to spend these years
attempting to find better ways to feed the growing population of England. He
was seen as the founder of the Royal Society of England for the Sciences.
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Eastern Europe
The Varangian Rus of Kiev
(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Peter III, King of the Rus
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The Rus were
struggling with a severe downturn in their economy and to add to their woes the
death of Peter II saw his son struggle to regain control of the kingdom. The
Rus government was hit the hardest with many scribes and courtiers leaving Kiev but finally Peter
III managed to stem the flow. Only the Bulgri, Rzhev and Tver decided to revolt
with the main Rus provinces remaining loyal. One of Peter IIs last commands
was to send his daughter Anya to the far Orkneys to marry the heir to that
kingdom, Bragi Jotunson. The young bride was still to wed Bragi but he was no
longer the heir as Aegir had wrested control of the throne. Peter III was
also married to the Princess Heleri of Estonia, sealing a trade pact
between their nations. Rus missionaries saw a few converts in Moldavia and the efforts of Karl and Nicholas
saw Suzdal become friendly to Kiev.
Old Vlad was given Pechneg as his fief and remained a loyal supporter of the
new king.
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The Grand Duchy of Poland
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Mieszko Poznan, Grand Duke of Poland
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The road from Poland to Danzig
was upgraded to link the far west of the Duchy with the lands to the east.
Prince Plast was left to gain the support of Danzig
but died of a fever in 1313. It was the same fever that took both Herbert
Pozerski and Jasinski Wojciech in 1312 as they tried to make sense of Polish
affairs of state. Their deaths saw Duke Miesko struggle to keep the Duchy
together as Little Poland declared its independence.
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The Kingdom of Hungary
(Eastern Orthodox Civilised Open Empire)
Károly Hunyadi, King of Hungary
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The death of Vajk
saw young prince Károly take the throne.
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The Kingdom of Estonia
(Jumali Skyfather Civilised Open Empire)
Konrad II, King of the Ests
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To aid in the
defence of Estonia, two thousand
heavy cavalry were raised for the king and several forts were built
throughout Estonia,
Veposkava and Novgorod.
Nearly five thousand men were released from service in Daugava and given
farmland in the province as payment for their service. The small matter of
having to clear the land was omitted from the grand announcement. The priests
of Jumali Skyfather had spent many years convincing the king to convert to
their religion and finally got their wish in 1311. Great celebrations were
ordered throughout Estonia
as Konrad embraced the Jumali way and ordered his subjects to do likewise.
There were some revolts amongst the outlying regions as the old ways were
hard to overcome but the majority of Konrad’s people were happy to convert.
To aid the priests in their mission, Konrad bequeathed vast quantities of
gold and ordered that many of his scribes assist the Jumali priests. A church
to the Skyfather was raised in Estonia and became the centre of
Jumali operations. The young princess Heleri was sent to the Russian King to
become his bride, securing a valuable trade pact with Konrad’s southern
neighbours. Besides the cultivation of Daugava, the road from Latvia was extended to Livonia.
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Central Asia
The Karakhanate of
Ilig
(Sunni Islam Civilised Open Empire)
Sahir, Khan of Ilig
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No longer would
the Avar raid Singanakh with impunity! A mighty fortress called Ar-Rabaadh
was built in these lands to protect the famers and towns from the feared
raiders. Several smaller forts were scattered throughout the region and that
of Otrarsh. Money as spent improving the lands of the Kuldja and Uzebek and
extending the roads out from Ferghana to Kuldja and Tadzik to Uzebek. The
road was also completed from Khvor to Zagros and far Dasht’Kavir despite the
hardships of the desert. Imams from the Karakhanate managed to turn the Kashi
tribes to the true light of Allah through theological argument and many
gifts. The Great Khan Sahir continued to rule over the Ilig dynasty and took
great heart in the fertility of his wife which more than compensated for her
plainness. In case of further attacks from the Avar, Prince Nazir Al-Mushara
travelled to far Singanakh to watch the border for any incursion into Ilig
lands. Prince Gaddad moved to the Transoxania to work at improving relations
with the region; more than just tribute would be required from the tribes
there. Al Muti had no luck with the Kyzl-Kum, despite his years of persuasion
and the vast quantities of gold given to the tribal elders. Also, despite his
moniker of the Honeytongued, Imis was unable to gain more support from the
Kashgar tribes. Sharratt was called the “Collector” by Sahir as his task was
to “collect” the various dispersed garrisons from throughout the Karakhanate
into a credible force and station them at Kuldja in case of attack from the
Steppe.
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Glorious Khwarzim
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Abu I-Ghazi Bahadur, Khan of the Khwarzim
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No news from the
Khwarzim as the retreat back to their accustomed isolation.
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The Steppe
The
Tzin pushed their slaves ahead of them as the moved north to the lands of Suzhou. The Bulgari were
to gain an alliance with the Cossacks before moving to the lands of the
Buryats. The White Cossacks gained the support of the Scythians , the Saka-Sungari
and the great Mongol Horde.
India
Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Guram, Raja of Kaunaj
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With the regions
of Tarain and Uttar Pradesh left desolate following the Tzin horde attacks,
thousands of settlers flocked north to these lands with the chance of new
lands. The cities of Thanesar and Setikami were rebuilt and forts raised to
protect these lands in case of further attacks form the Tzin. The walls of Benares were built high and strong, the citizens of the
great city feeling blessed by Vishnu that the Tzin were turned back by the
Dagger forces there. The road from Kalinga to Chela was completed during
these years and missionaries from Kaunaj saw some gains in Edrosia and Sind. At the behest of Mohandas, the Kaunaj priests
were also to gain a large increase in the kingdom’s influence over the
Dagger. Mohandas was at court in Kaunaj with his son Guram when he suffered
from heart failure and died. He had named his nephew Janda as his heir and the
prince rushed from his duties as the Governor of Bengal to claim his throne.
Although Janda was happy to allow Prince Guram to live, the young Prince was
not happy to give up his birthright. As Janda arrived at the palace he found
that Guram had already gained the support of the nobility. His only choice
became exile or death and being a pragmatic man decided to retire to his
estates. While the intrigue was being acted out in Kainaj, Gurdip continued
in talks with the Tripuri. The hand of the Princess Benazir was offered to
the Raja of Tripuri by Prince Ram. Prince Gyan took a force of two thousand
light horse and moved north to the Dhera-Dun wilderness. His outriders
scouted the lands for any sign of the Tzin. A small group of his men managed
to make the Tzin camp and almost killed the Khan and his small son before his
guards killed the attackers. Although severely wounded, the Tzin Khan managed
to survive the attack
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The Western
Dhara
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Pajama IV, King of the Dhara
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The great city of Vijayanagar in Satava grew in size during these years
and in Avanti the city of Ujjayani
was founded. Pajama had started to augment his army with eight thousand foot
and around a quarter of that in cavalry when his sudden death in 1311 caused
much dissent throughout the kingdom. Ceylon took advantage of the lack
of garrison to rebel from Dharan control and declare its independence but the
main dissent was in the capital as Pajama had not declared his son as his
heir but his brother Karali instead. The young Prince Pajama IV was gathering
support when Karali attempted to murder him in his quarters; sending in some
of his thugs to complete the deed. Pajama managed to fight off and kill the
attackers and with his supporters around him rushed to the throne room.
Despite holding the city watch, Karali and his ally Egie were bested by the
young prince whose supporters included the veteran Paga and Wapali. The
fighting was not without casualties as Wapali took a guardsman’s spear to the
stomach and died in agony. Egie was wounded by Paga but leapt from an open
window and escaped into the city; no sign of him was found after Pajama sent
men to search for the traitor. With his uncle in chains, Pajama took to the
throne and send edicts to all the nation’s provinces that from that point
onwards he would be king. Despite this some of the nation’s provinces and
cities held only nominal support for the Dharan dynasty and decided to
declare their independence. Karali’s head was taken in the winter of 1314 and
left to rot on the walls of Vijayanagar.
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The Palas of Bengal
(Hindu Civilised NPN Empire, Friendly to
Kaunaj)
Hardeep, Palas of Bengal
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Tamralipti crew in
size during these years and the frontier lands of Gtsang and Bhutan
were to see the benefit of Hardeep’s
rule. Four thousand light horse and the same in skirmishers were
raised in Maghada for Gundip. Bengali engineers pushed through a road from
Dibrughar to Shillong in Assam.
Other roads were started in the northern regions of Gtsang,
Bhutan and Sikkim..
Hardeep appointed Prince Rajesh, the son of Sanjay, as his heir and also
welcomed Prince Rajeev to the Bengali court. He spent the rest of these years
ruling from Gaur. Dharam gained a new bride for Prince Rajeev from amongst
the beauties of Bhutan
and the marriage ceremony was carried out by the venerable Brahmin Deeth. No
longer would Hardeep tolerate the presence of the hated Dali Lama on his
borders. Despite the failure of Bengali assassins to find and kill the
Buddhist Primate, Chassam commanded his fourteen thousand men to assault the
very walls of Lhasa
itself. The city was walled but filled with monks and nuns and so offered
little protection from the Hindus. The Buddhists were cut down in the streets
and many Lama killed in the fighting. Once the city was secured, Chassam was
joined by Gundip before the general let loose his men. Sacked and burning,
the once great Buddhist Holy City
was no longer any use for the Bengalis and they moved to clear the lands of Tibet
of any remaining supporters of the Dali Lama. The Primate himself was
captured and tortured over a fire as one would roast a pig. What few Lamas
escaped fled to Nanchao and setup in the temple in Tai’Li. Hardeep declared
that the long process of freeing the peasants started by his predecessors was
complete. No longer were the poor tied to the land they were born to.
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South East Asia and the Islands
The Kambujadesa
Empire
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Thao Pen-Pen, Emperor of the Khmer
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Fortifications
were raised throughout the Khmer lands to protect against future threats. The
road from Tengah to Selatan was completed as the jungle in the province was
cut back to make way for rice paddies. These prosperous years also saw the
population of Selatan grow as more colonists from the mainland arrived. Great
fishing fleets were built and began to harvest out of Bakheng and Banjarmasin as well as
Angor. Thao Pen-Pen ruled from Angor after the death of his father. He began
the arduous task of creating a dynasty with his young wife. Heomkong was assigned the duties of
Guardian of the New
Island and after
collecting the troops garrisoned in Bakheng and Selatan made sure the island
was secure in case of invasion. Pich Pho continued to patrol the seas off
Feranga with the Khmer fleet. The priests of Khmer had no luck converting the
Buddhists of Siam but Cho Taw had some success amongst the ruling elite of
the province, converting the last few doubters to the One True Way.
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The Kingdom of Thaton
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Achara, King of the Thaton
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A new city was built in
Wulaing called Kuala and in Thaton a mighty host of seven thousand cavalry
was raised. The wilderness of Sagaing was cut back and crops planted
throughout the region. In between the affairs of state, Achara was able to
make sense of the merchants scattered throughout the realm and assign them to
hopefully more profitable tasks. While patrolling the seas off Moulmein, Prince Kasem
fell foul of a sickness and died in 1313. Burat Prem was tasked with bring
Korat into the kingdom and laden with vast quantities of gold was able to
gain tribute from their rulers. With Nanchao now a protectorate of the
kingdom, Alak Prinya and Chao Khun Sa were commanded to ensure that the city
of Tai Li did
not rebel.
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The Dai Kingdom
of Annam
(Buddhist Seafaring Open Empire)
Bhadravarman II, King of Annam
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The Annamese were
content with their wealth.
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The God Empire of Sri
Vijaya
(Buddhist Seafaring Open Empire)
Singhassari, The God
Emperor
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The city of Sirivijaya grew in size
and great walls were raised around the port. Young Prince Singhassari was presented at court to aid Samaratungga in
the affairs of state. Some success was made in converting the lands of Flores by priests from the God-Empire. The God Emperor
himself moved to Kederi where he attempted to persuade the region to ally
themselves closer with his lands. His death in 1311 from brain fever was
unfortunate but the young Singhassari was quick to gain control and the
support of the nobles. Kalinga searched the lands of Palembang for any sign of foreign
infiltration. He was to find nothing but an old abandoned temple from before the
time of Buddha.
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Manchu’ko and Nihon
The Minamoto
Shogunate
(Shinto Civilised Open Empire)
Kojiro Yasumori, Shogun of the East
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A port was built
on the west coast of Hokkaido called Shari through the efforts of Reiji. In far Takama the port of Toba was also built after the
colonists were escorted there by Haru. The great city of Heian benefitted from new high walls to
repel any Tairan threat. Some success was made in converting the Buddhists of
Aomori but the Shinto priests failed to make any converts in Shikoku or Hokkaido. The Shogun
took a new wife from amongst the Japanese nobility and ruled from Heian. It
was left to Prince Katsu to commission a large fishing fleet and also some
merchant traders for the Shogunate’s ports. Toru successfully gained rutters
to the Cape of Ice and Zaliv Shelikhova before ending
these years in Toba. Masa was dispatched to find a route to Beringa but
failed to make find a passage through the ice flows. While exploring south
out of Kazan Retto, Lord Usal of the island was lost at sea. His son pledged
support for the Shogunate after his father’s demise.
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The Goryeo Kingdom
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Wang Yong, King of Goryeo
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In Kaiching, four thousand heavily armoured knights were raised along with
a further two thousand horse. Men were also sent to the allies in Hsuing’Nu
and Manchou to augment their forces. Wang Gyeong Eop was declared the heir to
the kingdom by Wang Yong should his young son not survive to maturity. Ho
Ui-Bang mustered the garrisons of Sikhote before spending the remainder of
his years in council with the nobles of that province. He was to die in 1313
from the shaking disease. The land of the Ch’In were cultivated and a road
pushed through to Parhae from Manchou. With the aid of O Min, the Goryeon
priests converted Kutai to the light of Buddha. The Warlord of Koguryo was to
move to Kin to aid the priests their but his death in 1312 saw the province
reduce its allegiance to Kaiching . The death of the Warlord of Manchou in
1314 saw the new leader remove his men from Wang Yong’s command.
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Nihon-no-Tenno
(Shinto Civilised Religious Primate)
Fushimi-tennō, Emperor of the Chrysanthemum Throne
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The Emperor Fushimi moved to the fortress city of Heian and took his place on the
Chrysanthemum Throne. As he looked out over the court he gave instructions to
his Daijin to expand his rule across all Japan. The remainder of these
years saw Fushimi-tennō concentrating on securing the future of the
Enkyō dynasty. Muso Soseki, the Daijo-Daijin at the outset of the
Enkyō era of the reign of Emperor Fushimi, travelled to the Fortress of
Clan Kiyowara in Heian to proclaim that Fushimi-tennō had risen to the
Chrysanthemum Throne. Although his
untimely death in 1311 saw little progress with the Shinto warriors. The
Emperor's personal advisor, Konoe Iemoto, travelled with the Sadaijin, Nitta
Yoshisada to Edo in the province
of Kwanto. There they praised the efforts of local
nobles and priests, and raised the local shrine to the status of Abbey. They then crossed the mountains and
established themselves in Toyama
province. There they raised a Shinto
temple for the first time in all the Chrysanthemum Throne.
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The Land under Heaven
The Kingdom of Koueichou
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Dai Shang, King of Koueichou
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Tai’de grew in
size and its alls replaced to encompass the growing population. Some
influence was gained by Dai Shang’s priests and supporters in the Greater
Wheel despite the Dali Lama’s demise at the hands of the Bengalis. Koueichou
became the hub of the Wheel activity after Lhasa was destroyed and the Buddhists moved
further East. Kai Sung married from the Szechwan
nobility but otherwise assisted his mother in the affairs of state.
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The Empire of the
Western Song
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Zhi Kuo, Emperor of the Western Song
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Over thirty
thousand horse were raised in Chang’An to counter any possible attack from
the Bulgari, their allies or any of the other nomad threats that roamed the
Steppe. The walls of Lanzhou
were raised high as the city has stood unprotected. More of the nomads turned
towards Buddha as the lands of the Hsia-Hsia were converted by Song priests. Zhi
Kuo ruled from Chang’An and after the death of his wife in 1311 was quick to
remarry to continue his dynasty. While Prince Zhi Wei assisted the emperor in
the affairs of state, Prince Zhi Cao hunted down any Bulgari scouts that
dared cross the borders in Song lands. Despite being given the orders to
protect the empire, Yu Jing died shortly after taking command of the newly
raised cavalry at Chang’An. It was left to his subordinate Tsao Lu to command
the army.
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The Wudan Masters
(Buddhist Civilised Religious Order)
Song Hai, Wudan Grandmaster
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The Order
continued in their studies.
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The Kingdom of Chengshi
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Tsing Tao, King of Chengshi
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Tsing Tao ordered
that the region of Kiang’Si benefitted from improved trade by constructing a
road out of Chengshi. He also made sure that Chengshi’s fishing fleet was
expanded to avoid the chance of famine. Some ships were also commissioned in
Chengshi to trade along the South China Sea
coast. His son and heir, Fu Zoly travelled to Fujian where the hand of his sister Lui
Zin was offered in marriage. He was supported by his brother Xiang Lo, and
the Generals Shong and Tian. After gaining tribute from Fujian
the entourage returned to Chekiang in 1315.
Admiral Hong took command of the Chengshi fleet and after escorting the
Princess Li Min to Fukien for her marriage to Ye Ting, patrolled the seas out
of Chekiang.
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