Lords of the Earth
CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR
Turn 66
1326
~ 1330 Anno Domini
688 ~ 692 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
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…and following the instructions on that
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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.
|
The Holy Roman Empire returned to its lethargic wys..
|
Norman Kingdom
of France
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Louis, King of France
|
King Charles was
to die early in 1326 of a high fever brought on during one of his night
excursions. He had not named an heir and for a while there were murmurs of
discontent amongst the French. However, the French were quick to realise
their prosperity under Charles and decided that with Louis as king this would
continue. Indeed, Languedoc
saw a huge leap forward in their prosperity during these years as more land
was cleared for farms and vineyards. Feeble Bertrand finally succumbed to ill
heath in 1326 whilst writing a paper on the art and benefits of bee keeping.
It was left to Guillaume to batter the Gascons into submission once again.
His force easily overwhelmed any slight resistance the Gascons had raised in
the name of Olbia.
|
The Principality of Salerno
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Ricardo V Durazzo, Prince of Salerno
|
Pescara
grew in size during these years as Ricardo saw to the future of his dynasty. With
the coming of age of Princes Carlo Martello and Roberto and the Princess
Giovanna, Ricardo and the Duchess Alessia reached an agreement with King Harold
I of England
to betroth Princess Giovanna to Prince Ian.
Arrangements were also made for the marriage of Ricardo’s eldest son
to Princess Theodora of the Royal House of Varangia in Kiev, Queen Anastasia's twenty year-old
aunt, and of his second son, Roberto, to Princess Katrina, Queen Anastasia's
younger sister. Suitable agreements
are concluded between the houses, and the Duke request for the ageing Pope
Alexander II to preside over the marriage of the Princes Carlo Martello and
Roberto in Naples was accepted by his holiness but a Cardinal was sent to
Paris for the marriage of Princess Giovanna; the Pope claiming ill health as
his reason not to travel. Much to the joy of the entire realm, Princess
Giovanna and Prince Ian wed in Paris in 1328
A.D., and the princes Carlo Martello and Roberto married their Varangian
brides in Napoli two years later. Ships in the harbour are festooned with
banners and wine flows in village squares across Italy. Prince Carlo Martello
Durazzo, was Ricardo’s heir and given the title Principe di Napoli in
recognition of the city’s stature within the Principality. Duke Ricardo was
impressed with the efforts of the young Florentine, Giovanni di Lara, to sway
the loyalty of the merchant guilds toward the Crown. He therefore sent his second son, Prince
Roberto, to study under the young Conte.
With his young protégé, di Lara works even more eloquently to gain the
support of the Neapolitans but his sweet words could not sway the cynical
guildsmen. Ricardo’s young sons, the twins Luigi and Tommaso were sent to
join allied factions. Prince Luigi joins the church and Prince Tommaso joins
The Knights of Malta.
Teodoro Palaiologos, the young Marchese di Monferrato,
departed Tuscany early in 1326 with the
condotierri he'd earlier secured in Naples,
and marched to Verona,
where he arrived in early 1327. There,
he joined forces with the very capable Don Juan Ramon de Cardona, the Captain
of Il Reggimento Nero. The two of them
marched into Carinthia, claiming the land in
the name of Ricardo V di Salerno. The
town of Klagenfurt
was invested, and taken quickly by the Marchese's engineers. With the
mounting of the Carinthian campaign, Prince Luca was recalled to
Legorno. There, he relieved Lord
d'Este of his diplomatic responsibilities. Obizzo d'Este, the young Marchese
di Ferrara, handed over the regional capital of Legorno to Prince Luca and
moved to join Pietro Orsini in the countryside near Florence.
He then took began work to improve the Duke's stature in the region.
Shortly after the newly weds returned to the Durazzo estates, news came of
Ricardo’s death in Pescara
while overseeing some essential shipping negotiations. The young prince was
quickly invested and took control of the Principality.
|
.
The Knights of Malta
The
Knights attempts to convert the Moslems of Macedon and Thrace by
peaceful means failed prompting them to move into the Uighurs lands and force
them to submit to Christ by the sword. After some futile resistance, the
Uighurs submitted to the Knights will and swore their allegiance on the cross.
The Knights sent an expeditionary force to Cyprus, wresting control of the
island from the Al’Bahri and destroying that orders estates there. An Order
House was built in Constantinople now that the
Emperor has stirred the ancient kingdom from its slumber.
Western and South Africa
The Mwene-Mutapa
Empire
(African Unkulkulun Civilised Open
Empire)
Ikko Addi, Emperor of Mapungubwe
|
Africa
was quiet and peaceful.
|
North Africa and Moslem Spain
The Empire of Egypt
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Badr al-Mahmud, Sultan of Egypt
|
The civil war had
hit the Empire hard and Badr struggled to maintain order.
|
The Akramid Caliphate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sameer, Caliph of the Akramids
|
These were times of plenty in the Caliphate as the rich
lands continued to allow Sameer to rule from Andalusia.
To protect his lands, he ordered that two thousand marines and a fleet of
twenty Dhows be raised in Madiera. Seville
also saw an increase of five thousand elite guard to protect the valuable
city.. Sameer’s joy at expanding his dynasty yet further was tempered by the
loss of his first wife Minka during childbirth in 1329. This followed a few
years after the death of Prince Ameer in 1326 from a fever. The death of
Prosper in 1328 saw Mehmed finish the discussions with the Leonese, with the
region pledging its full support to Sameer. The Adjou Aba’s Emir had also
died in 1326 and although many of the tribes were for severing ties with
Sameer, he stood by the pledges of his forefathers. The tribes spread out
through the Oases that surrounded their camps in Lybia and into the deserts
of Siwa.
|
Arabia and the Middle East
The Buwayid Sultanate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Najib, Sultan of the Buwayids
|
Before his death
in 1328, Najib declared that his son, also called Najib, should be his heir.
Prince Khalim was to join the young Najib at court. A great number of the
slums that inflicted the cities of Kufa and Antalya were cleared as their affluence
grew. After the grasslands of Selucia were put to the plough, more framers
and settlers began to arrive in the province. Najib made little secret of his
attempts acquire knowledge held by the Christians. Buwayid intellectuals were
sent to Byzantium and Palermo to gain whatever knowledge they
could. The lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates were dredged as Najib
tried to improve access to the Red Sea from
the Buwayidim heartlands. Settlers were also sent to Isauria and Antalya to secure the
province for the Sultan under the watchful eye of Prince Aalam Quadir. Ahmed
Jarrafi was tasked with improving relations with the Selucians while the same
task befell to Yafi Shamsad in the eastern province of Bandar.
|
The Rashidun Kaliphs
The Kaliphs spread their reach to Persia
and Qom and south to Kuwait. Missionaries were sent to Armenia, Lalibela, Adowa, Adal, Harar,
Somalia and the island of Sicily.
Scandia and the Out Isles
Jarldom of Orkeneyjar
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Aegir Nicholson, Jarl of Orkney
|
The lands of
Iclenad, Hordaland, Agder and Norway
were fortified with several small castles. In Connaught,
the Irish were no longer forgotten as the walls of Gaillimhe were raised
high. Gold was also spent on improving the sanitation of the western city.
King Aegir was to die of a fever in 1326. Despite his early death and the
convoluted Orkney line of succession, Donaldur Erikson was able to take the
throne without issue. One of Aegir’s last wishes was to repair the Orkneyjar
relations with the Svear. Envoys were sent to Sundsvall in Jamtland to declare that most
of the old Svear lands would be returned for their support and an end to the
war. They were to relinquish their claims on Trondheim and Fjordane but the compensation
would see their kingdom restored. Prince Edvard was to offer his hand in
marriage to a princess of the Svear royal line. The offer met with the
Svear’s approval and after a period of mourning for King Aegir, Edvard was
wed in 1329. DeBole was also to be taken by the same fever that inflicted his
king. In the Highlands a Preceptory to the Hammer was raised as well as one
in Uppsala by
Ingrid. Despite the harsh climate, the lands of Iceland were greatly improved as
gold and men were shipped from Orkneys.
|
Saxon Kingdom
of England
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Ian, King of England
|
The Scottish
border lands of Lothian benefitted from King Harold’s purse as more land was
put to the plough. However, Asturias
was no longer controlled by the English and resisted attempts by the English
to settle the coastlands. England
would forever be at the forefront of knowledge as three great libraries were
built in London and the small towns of Oxford in Wessex
and Cambridge in Anglia.
The great fortress of Navarre,
named after Prince Ian’s new bride Giovanna, was built along the mountainous
border with Catalonia.
Prince Ian travelled to Paris for his wedding
with the Princess Giovanna of Salerno.
His route took him by way of Cherbourg
where some influence was gained in the Order of St Denis. The Prince Stephen
was to spend his last days with the Order, as would Ian’s brothers Prince
William and Prince Langston. It was in Cherbourg
that Prince Ian header news of his father’s death from the bleeding sickness.
Word came quickly that his throne was secure and London was behind the new king. After his
marriage to Giovanna, the new king spent the remainder of these years in the
fortress that bore his Queen’s name. Lord Benjamin had a fruitless time with
the Asturians as they weighed up their support for Olbia. In the end it was
their distance from the island kingdom that decided their decision to remain
independent rather than Benjamin’s oratory.
Lord Thomas has some success in smoothing over relations with Santander, hoping the
port would one day become part of the English kingdom.
|
Eastern Europe
The Varangian Rus of Kiev
(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Anastasia, Queen of the Rus
|
As with most of
the nation’s threatened by the White Cossacks, Queen Anastasia reaction was
one of defiance. Six thousand horse were raised in Pechneg for the able
Gregori to batter these barbarians into submission. The Queen has dispatched
her aunt and her sister to marry Italian princes in Naples before requesting that the Order of
St Vladimir present a new Brother to aid in her war against the Cossacks. The
Varangian army was commanded by Prince Piotr who had joined up with Gregori
from Moldavia.
The Cossack heartland was in Cuman and the prince was had a respectable
garrison of over eight thousand warriors. However, the Varangians had three
times that number and led by the men of the stature of Piotr and Gregori they
easily overwhelmed the defenders. What Cossacks survived Piotr’s initial
assault from Pereaslavl were cut down as they fled to Torki. While Piotr kept
alert for any Cossack retaliation, Ilyoitch of Torov was tasked with burning
out any Cossacks that had escaped the Varangian cavalry. Such was the Cossack
resistance to Ilyoitch’s brutal methods that the Valdimiran failed to quash
them. His forces were ambushed upon returning from burning another Cossack
village and all but destroyed.
|
The Grand Duchy of Poland
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Boleslaw Poznan, Grand Duke of Poland
|
The cities of
Polotsk and Danzig grew in size and to mark
this occasion Boleslaw declared that they should hence forth be known as
Gdank and Polock. He also declared that a great number of the Polish
provinces would be free to see to their own affairs with Warsaw holding the smallest of claims over
their sovereignty. To that end, the provinces of Prussia,
Courland, Masuria, Pomerania, Silesia and Kauyavia were no longer ruled directly from
Warsaw.
|
The Kingdom of Hungary
(Eastern Orthodox Civilised Open Empire)
Ladislaus Hunyadi, King of Hungary
|
The great
Ladislaus Hunyadi continued to see to the affairs of the Hungarian people
from his estates in Alfold. The Croatian
city of Novi Sad
saw some improvement as some of the streets were re-laid with channels for
the sewerage that ran through them.
|
The Kingdom of Estonia
(Jumali Skyfather Civilised Open Empire)
Konrad II, King of the Ests
|
Konrad leaves the
slower foot soldiers of his army in Estonia before meeting up with
Sakala. The general had spent most of 1326 retraining six thousand
infantrymen to ride and fight from horseback. His work complete, he
transferred half his force to Konrad before accompanying his King to Kotlas.
From Kotlas, Konrad ordered that the Bolgar lands of Kirov be cleansed of all opposition. The
Cossacks had dared to threaten his lands and now their allies would pay the
price. With little defence, the Bolgars were pushed out of the province, many
fleeing south away from the fierce Ests. The lands of Kirov became an uninhabited wilderness,
desolate and abandoned by the Bolgar. Konrad returned to his estates in Estonia
after the battles to allow his men time with their families. Tooni, Priest of
the Skyfather, found that even he could not get the Kalinin to become part of Konrad’s kingdom.
|
The Oriental Roman
Empire
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Andronicus II, Emperor of East Rome
|
After years of
decline, the Oriental Roman Empire sees a new resurgence under the guidance
of Andronicus II. Some work is done clearing the encroaching wilderness of
Rhodes and Crete and new trade is
established with the Hungarians out of Constata and throughout the empire. John,
the second son of Emperor Andronicus is sent to the Knights of Malta,
travelling there with Alexios and the Imperial Fleet. Yet despite the efforts
of Andronicus’s priests and the able Theodore, the Knights are too occupied
elsewhere to hear the Empire’s requests. To the east, the Empire’s priests
were also unsuccessful in converting the Moslems of Abasigia; their failure
in part due to the religious tolerance of the Empire. Michael was however
successful in gaining the support of the king of Pontus. The Emperor decided that
his son Constantine was now of age to become his heir and was named despotes
in 1326.
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The Cuman Cossacks
In
1328 the khan moved to Murom
where again the lands of the Varangians were raided. This time they were turned
back by the great Varangian general Piotr in Suzdal and Seversk. As the
Cossacks crossed into Mordva they were met by Piotr’s army of twenty thousand
men. Huge losses were inflicted by Piotr’s valiant men but in the end the sheer
size of the horde forced him back. Staying to the last to ensure that his men
did not rout, Piotr was caught by the Cossack khan himself and slain by his war
party. Piotr died fighting but not before inflicting grievous wounds on the
Cossack khan. His men managed to escape with over half of his force still
intact. Gregori had led the survivors to Cuman but after taking control of the
horde from his father, the new khan pledged vengeance and pursued them to those
lands. Gregori was an able general but his forces had lost too many men to
resist the Cossacks for long. Piotr had mauled them badly but they still
numbered over three hundred thousand and Gregori could do little to stop them
cutting down his valiant men. What was left of his force fled to Pereaslavl where
they attempted to regroup against any further Cossack aggression.
The Bulgari Bogdan
The
Bulgari Bogdan sprang up from their winter camps in Moldavia
and raided the Hungarian province
of Dobruja. After sending
raiding parties into their lost lands of Pechneg, the Bulgari were determined
to regain them from the Varangian farmers. The small Varangian garrison was
quickly overwhelmed by the khan’s three thousand men. After being pushed back
from Goryn by the Vladimirans, the khan was able to gain valuable support from
the twenty thousand Romanii. Pushing north to Galich, the Bugari gained support
from the Magyars before raiding into Volhynia and Goryn. Before returning to Moldavia with their spoils, the Bulgari raided
into Walachia and Ludgorie.
Central Asia
Glorious Khwarzim
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Abu I-Ghazi Bahadur, Khan of the Khwarzim
|
As
the Khan dithered in his palace, the Cuman or Cossacks as they were sometimes
called ravaged his northern frontier.
.
|
Ilig
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sulam, Khan of the Ilig
|
It
was the Great Khan’s desire to declare his cousin, Nazir Al-Mushara as his
heir over his son Sulam Beshwa but the old general was ailing with a foul plague
brought from eastern traders and died in the summer of 1326. The roads out
from Ashbat in Dasht’Kavir were completed and linked to the Buwayids
Sultanate in Persia.
The road also extended south to Khvor-Khvorah at the far south of the
Karakhanate. No expense was spared on the great road and Sahir ordered that a
great many of its facing stones be inscribed with the writings of the Koran.
Such was the piousness of Sahir that he ordered strict adherence to the
teachings of the Koran throughout the Karakhanate; an act that saw him
anointed as “Sahir the Holy” by the Kaliph in Baghdad. Sahir’s last days on earth were
spent in quiet contemplation in the great mosque at Kara-Khitai. Despite his
wishes, it was his son Sulam that took control of the Karakhanate after his
death in 1329. After the death of Nazir Al-Mushara, it fell to Prince Gaddad
to gather the great army of the Karakhanate under his banner. Fifteen
thousand men were mustered at Singanakh and another ten thousand from the
fortress at Otrarsh. Content that Allah would watch over his dynasty, Sahir
had declared that the greater art of the royal bodyguard be assigned to
Gaddad. This force consisted of fifty thousand men, both horse and infantry
in equal parts. Gaddad was no general and that was why Sahir had favoured the
late Nazir. However, Al-Muti, also called the Lynx, was an experienced
tactician and it was his advice that the Prince was to follow. Al-Muti also
transferred his force of fifteen thousand to the Prince. While the great host
was gathering in Kara-Khitai, Iman Ashahi travelled to Trans-Oxania with
Sharatt to persuade the Khan of those lands to combine his might with Ilig.
Imis has no luck with the tribes of the Kashi as they had joined with the
Hill Tribes of Memar. Prince Gaddad led his overwhelming force over the
mountains to Kush. For sport, the people of
those lands were driven off when their farms and towns burnt by the invaders.
Over the passing years the fertile valleys were soon overcome with forest and
scrub.
.
|
The Cuman Cossacks
The
great horde of the Cuman Cossacks had demanded tribute from the Ademids, Kiev, Estonia
and Khwarzim. Only Ademid responded, knowing they were too small to defeat the
horde. First the Cossacks stretched out their domains by settling the barran
wastes of Pelym and Tavda. Tavda being settled by their allies the Kazan. The Ghuzz were depleted and scattered and
what tribesmen remained aligned themselves with the Cossacks. In 1327 the
Cossacks moved to Urkel and settled the Nogai lands. It was in Urkel that they
took tribute from the Ademid Khanate. With no tribute forthcoming from the
Varangians or Khwarzim, the Cossacks punished their defiance with raids on
Mordva, Saksiny and Khazar. Their
numbers now swelled to nearly four hundred thousand, the Cossacks moved to
Suvar and settled the lands of Murom.
The Chuchucha
The
Chuchucha tribes had settled Biyisk, Wusu, Karlak and Zaysan before gaining the
support of the Khirgizi. All the tribes respected strength and so it was no
surprise that the Altai switched their allegiance to the Chuchucha. As the
horde travelled throughout these lands the tribes of the Seljuks and Western Jungaria were to join their cause.
The Shadad Kings
The
Shadad Kings came restless again. Sistan fell to them but not without severe
loss to the Shadad, one-third of their number destroyed. Kash and Shir Kuh also
fell to the Kings. After raiding the Saffarids and the Ghaznavids, the Shadad
raid on Zagros came to nothing as the Ilig province was too well defended. Some
gold was taken from Khvor and Dasht’Kavir though. In late 1330 the lands of Balkh and Neyriz fell to
the Shadad.
Tsaidam Khanate
Converts to Shi’a Islam and then defeats the Kushites for
minimal loss as well as the hill tribes of Badakshan.
India
Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Guram, Raja of Kaunaj
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After the was with
the Dhara, the Rajputi kingdom saw a great period of expansion as the cities
of Kaunaj, Kalanjara, Setkami, Ranchi, Thanesar, Calcutta and Orissa grew in size;
their walls built high and wide to
stave off any possible attack by northern hordes. Rajputi missionaries were
active in the west, converting more of the Muslims of Sahis and Surashtra to
Hinduism. Guram continued to rule from Kaunaj and spent considerable time
with his son Rajeesh; a pleasant child who had inherited his father’s
physique and looks. Guram was determined to consolidate all of India
under his rule, directly or indirectly. To that end, Gurdip was dispatched to
Orissa from where he was to undertake negotiations with the Ceylonese. The
beautiful Indira, daughter of the late Mohandas, was offered in marriage as
well as a small dowry. In this Gurdip was accompanied by Rajiv who travelled
down from Rajput for the marriage ceremony. Things did not go well during the
marriage, Rajiv had supposedly insulted a senior member of the Ceylonese
nobility and was drawn into a duel with the fatal consequences. Ageing Gurdip
hurried to his assistance but either his age or the effects of the strong
wine caused him to fall from the temple’s stairs and dash his head. Unable to
recover, Gurdip dies a few days later. The Raja of Nadavaria returned to his
lands where his son took command of their army. Teemu was tasked with aiding
Guram in the administration of the kingdom but increasing was distracted from
his task by his weakness for strong wine. His death in 1330 came as little
surprise but it highlighted that he had had little time for the kingdom’s
affairs. Shivaji controlled the Rajput army, too numerous to count, and
pushed on through the old Dharan territories of Chitor, Avanti, Gujerat and
Surashtra. They fell easily to Shivaji’s might as did the cities within those
regions.
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Samaaj
Converts the captured Buddhist provinces north of Nepal to Hindu by force. An Order
House was built in the Punjab and also in Und
as the Dagger started to look northwards to expand Hindu dominion.
The Memar Tribes
The
Memar Tries had little success with the Adakh before gaining the support of the
Kashi and Tsaidam. Dungbure, Amdo’Tsho and Dangtse Sho were settled and homage
paid to the revered Buddhist sites in those lands. Their attempts to raid
Samaaj Nepal
were thwarted by the Dagger’s might.
Ceylon and Tripuri
In India,
the Ceylonese regain lost Chola through diplomacy and Tripuri makes headway
into Vengi.
South East Asia and the Islands
The Kambujadesa
Empire
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Thao Pen-Pen, Emperor of the Khmer
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Thao continued to increase
the size of the Pen-Pen dynasty as he begat two sons from his wife Veata. She
was alarmed when he confided that his intention was to reach at least ten
offspring, although fifteen would be desirable. Veata blessed her fertility
and her ability to satisfy Thao’s royal wishes. Haomkong continued his duties
as the guardian of the islands, protecting the Empire’s provinces of Tengah
and Selatan from possible attack. Khemer’s missionaries made some progress
converting the intransigent Buddhists of Surin to the glory of Vishnu.
Although popular with the townsfolk due to his generosity, Sarpur Gotan was a
thin, gaunt and frail man who had little taste for active endeavours beyond
Champa. He was often found behind a stack of papers at the great palace, assisting
Thao in the affairs of state. Cho Tae claimed to have caught word of deviants
who, posing under the employ of Khemer, committed nefarious acts in the
north. As such. he readied the forces under his command in Champa in case of
possible attack.
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The Dai Kingdom
of Annam
(Buddhist Seafaring Open Empire)
Bhadramonte, King of Annam
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After leaving a
garrison in of two thousand men in Nanling, Lieng Maio spent the remainder of
his days patrolling the border from Dai Viet. The general’s death in 1328
came as a surprise to Bhadramonte as he appeared to be in rude health. Lieng
Maio’s second in command, Nguyen, took command of the western army before he
too died. Nguyen was caught by a spear while chasing down some brigands on
the border. Bhadramonte had declared that his brother Tarnacanastacala should
be his heir as he was without a son. He encouraged the prince to marry and
continue the dynasty’s bloodline. Without many obvious qualities, Dinh Bo was
put to work assisting Bhadramonte in the affairs of state. Marno of Laos was
to die childless in 1329 and bequeathed his lands to Bhadramonte. Mnomo of
Nam Pung was to die only six months later but his son was ready to continue
the alliance with Annam.
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The Kingdom of Thaton
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Sajja, King of Thaton
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After the
hostility of previous years, Sajja desired a return to peace and so in an act
of goodwill withdrew his forces from Assam and Shillong to Samatata.
Aware of possible treachery by the Samaaj, Chaiyo and Chao Khun Sa were
commanded to patrol the western frontier with the mighty Thatonese army. With
all of the nation’s forces concentrated in Samatata, Sajja was concerned that
the rest of his lands lay unprotected to enemy incursions. To address this he
ordered that fifteen thousand horse be levied in Thaton and put under the
command of Somchai. He was then content to rule from Thaton and increase the
size of the royal family. These years also saw the Thatonese roads network
expanded in the east and down to the Lampang birder with Annam.
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The God Empire of Sri
Vijaya
(Buddhist Seafaring Open Empire)
Singhassari, The God
Emperor
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Quiet times for
the islands.
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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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The Shogun was
diverted elsewhere when the Tairan attacked. Luckily his garrison in
Yamaguchi was able to fight them off..
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The Goryeo Kingdom
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Wang Yong, King of Goryeo
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As the reach of
Goryeo spreads ever eastwards, the lands of the Suifenhe are cultivated and
the wilderness pushed back. The Turkish underclass in the region are converted
from their pagan ways to that of the true faith. Wang Yong continued to treat
with the Khitan. Caravans of gold were sent to the Khanate as well as
assistance from Nam Ye Yu and Yi Geon. Nam Ye Yu had first collected the two
thousand engineers at Ta’Ting before moving to Lu’An. Wang Yong had some
success in showing his son Wang Eun, a huge bear of a man even at nineteen,
the niceties of diplomacy. Despite the gold and the diplomatic efforts of
Wang Yong, the Khanate still refused to give any more than just token support
to the kingdom. Wang Gyeong Eop had some success with the Manchou after
lavishing the tribesmen with gifts from Koguryo. Nam Eun contracted a fever
while attempting to convert the Dalai Nor and died late in 1328.
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Nihon-no-Tenno
(Shinto Civilised Religious Primate)
Fushimi-tennō, Emperor of the Chrysanthemum Throne
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A time of peace
and solitude.
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The
Taira Shogunate
As their diplomats gain the support of Hainan,
Taira army moved to regain lost Yamaguchi.
Their force of ten thousand men cross the Inland
Sea to Yamaguchi where they were faced with the Minamoto garrison
of two thousand men and several forts. Victory should have been easy for the
Tairans but although they outnumbered the defenders, they were poorly led.
Nearly two thousand of the attackers died in vain trying to regain the lost
lands but the defenders were to suffer similar losses.
The Land under Heaven
The Kingdom of Koueichou
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Kai Shang, King of Koueichou
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The remnants of
the Cha’ang’sha army were holed up in the city and refused entry to Kai Sung on the grounds
that the Koueichou king intended to put foreign troops into the city to
garrison it. They also looked on in dismay as the westerners invested Hunan
by building a large number of field forts in the province, Kai Sung had also
left a small garrison of one thousand men in Hunan
before returning to Szechwan to rule his
growing kingdom. During this time he was blessed with a young daughter and
declared that his son, Lo Sung would be his heir. The city of Tai’De grew in size again and dominated the western
shore of Lake Dongting. Prince Rai Sung was given
command of a newly raised force of six thousand men in Szechwan before moving
onto Hunan to
join up with General Rao Ling. The General had taken command of a sizeable
force from Kai Sung in early 1326 and was awaiting Prince Rai before pushing
on into Jiangxi.
Rao Ling was assisted by Wo Sung and Cho Mai as well as Prince Rai in the
attack on Cha’ang’sha’s second province. However, there was no resistance to
his forces as they moved into Jiangxi
and the province fell quickly. The Chang had waited until Rao Ling left for Jiangxi before
deciding that Kai Sung would not abide by their surrender. Pouring out of the
city with their force of seven thousand men they overwhelmed and then
destroyed the isolated Koueichou forts in the province; driving the garrison
out to Ghangde. Rao Ling was left isolated in Jiangxi
as the Chang had cut off his supply from Ghangde and Nanchang remained in Chang hands. Rao Ling
was left with little choice but to besiege the walled city of Nanchang. Luckily for
the general, the walls were low and there was no garrison in the city so he
was able to breach it easily.
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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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Song
missionaries were again active in the Mongol lands of Hsia-Hsia. The great
Khan saw the light of Buddha in a dream and became an ardent follower. Zhi
Kuo was content to rule again from Chang’An but his death in 1328 came
unexpectantly. He had not named an heir as his unmarried eldest son was not
well liked amongst the peasants but despite murmurs of discontent it was
concluded that he did have the right to the throne. Prince Zhi Wei passed
away peacefully in 1330 while handling affairs of state in Chang’An. At
almost the same time Tsao Lu, commander of the Song forces in Kansu dies. The army command is handed over to Yu Ma, a
steady general and no threat to the Zhi dynasty..
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The Kingdom of Chengshi
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Xiang Lo, King of Chengshi
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After assigned the
command of the Chengshi fleet to He Long, Xiang Lo awaited the arrival of his
Taiwanese bride. From her painted likeness sent to him from the island she
was a beauty but Xiang new of the favourable light some royal artists painted
their subjects in; fearful of their fee or even their life. However, when the
princess arrived she quickly captured Xiang’s heart with her radiance and he
was eager to start a family with her. Their union was blessed with twin boys
in the early part of 1327. The cultivation of Fujian was begun and a city, to be called
Quwo, was raised on the Fukian coast. While Xiang was occupied with the
affairs of state and dynasty in Chekiang, Chai Shao led the diplomatic
mission to Taiwan
with Shong and Hong. The offer of marriage to Xiang was graciously accepted
by the Taiwanese and the islanders promised to send tribute to Chekiang in exchange for Xiang’s protection. Panfu
travelled to Hainan to discuss possible
trade with the province and the Chengshi kingdom.
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The Kingdom of Chiang’Ning
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Song Tao, King of Chiang’Ning
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The
cities of Tai-Pei and Zhengzhou grew in size
during these years with the walls of Zhengzhou
being build high and wide. In Tangchou a provincial capital was founded to
provide Song Tao with improved revenues. Song Tao also raised a further four
thousand elite horse to his banner as well as over six thousand infantry.
Song Tao had sent Prince Song Fei to Tsainan earlier in the year to scout out
possible places where the Chiang’Ning forces could attack at an advantage.
When Prince Fei’s men returned, Song moved his army north from Kiangsu to the Yen-Ching lands of Tsainan. The
Yen-Ching forces numbered over thirty thousand and valiantly held off Song
Tao’s attack until the sheer size of the Chiang’Ning army, nearly double that
of the defenders, and Song Fei’s expert advice to his king saw them crumble
and flee north in disorder. In the flight north the Yen-Ching were to lose
over half their men to the pursuing Chinag’Ning forces before they reached
the relative safety of Hopei. Song was not with his loses but the six
thousand was nothing compared to that of the defenders. Song Tao pushed north
to Hopei, intent on crushing the Yen-Ching
resistance completely. This time the tide was turned. Despite being
outnumbered four to one, the Yen-Ching were able to draw up behind their
extensive fortifications in the region. Without the benefit of Song Fei’s
scouts the invaders where caught unaware and crossed the great Huang Ho into
fierce resistance. The Yen-Ching forced back the Chiang’Ning centre until the
great army was split into two. Despair surged throughout Song Tao’s forces
and they started to turn back from the defenders. The retreat became a rout
and it was the Yen-Ching’s turn to cut down the fleeing forces of Song Tao.
Ten thousand of Song’s men died in the retreat with the defenders only losing
two thousand.
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The Great Mongol
Khanate
The
Great Mongol Khanate spread its control over the Northern Tartars, Khrebet,
Kajar, Chitin and Hovsgol. In Hsia-Hsia they came to face the might of the
Buryats. The Mongols numbered nearly thirty thousand men to the Buryats seventy
thousand but the Mongols had long awaited this time. The Buryats were savagely
ambushed as they attempted to retake Hsia-Hsia from the Mongol Khan. Cut down
in the droves, the Buryats time and time again attempted to overwhelm the
Mongols but to no avail. Eventually they could stand no more and broke; fleeing
for their yurts the Buryats horde was scattered to the winds, their Khan
pledging fealty to the Mongols.
North America
The Huron Confederacy
(Open Empire)
Dooyentate, Chief of the Huron
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In the great
northern wilderness any attempt to tame the forest was long and back-braking
work. Yet the Huron continued to gradually clear the lands back from the
great lakes to make way for farms. Dooyentate concentrated on the affairs of
his tribe along with Thodatowon. His official duties in Ossossane allowed him
to spend more time with Andiora and as a result he was blessed with three new
sons to add to his growing family.
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The Iroquois
(Open Empire)
Grey Hawk, Chief of the Iroquois
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Grey Hawk was
content to rule from Buffalo
and worked with Running Bear in increasing the traders working with the Huron
to the north
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The Anasazi
(Open Empire)
Ohkay, Chief of the Anasazi
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Ohkay, Chief of
the Anasazi spent these years touring his people and taking a detailed reckoning
of their wealth and numbers. His rule from Anasazi was benign and in a great
show of his peaceful intent, Ohkay summoned half the great Anasazi host to
his court where they were awarded lands and farms throughout Anasazi and
Hohokam. To add to his joy, Ohkay was blessed with two young sons and a
beautiful daughter by his wife Welai
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South America
The Chimu Kingdom
of Chanchan
(Open Empire)
Acahuana, King of the Chimu
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Acahuana ruled the
ChanChan from the lands of Moche and was blessed with a young daughter. He
oversaw the establishment of trade with the Moon Kingdom
and the Empire of Salcamayhua to the south. Some souring of relations with
the southern empire occurred when Chanchan merchants were caught trying to
gain access to their barracks at Nazca. Thonapa and Urco continued their long
work in Pucara and gained valuable tribute from those lands.
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The Mapuche
(Open Empire)
Raiel, Chief of the
Mapuche
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Raiel, mighty Chief
of the Mapuche was inspired by the elders and their visions to start a great
monument, dedicated to the Sun and Moon, in far Pichunche. In time, a
tradition sprung up were the bravest of Mapuche’s warriors would race along
the coast on foot or canoe from the city of Raiel to the new monument and back. The
victor being awarded a cloak of eagle feather’s to be worn until the next
games. Raiel was thankful that eagles were plentiful in the mountains east of
the city. His efforts to persuade the Pichunche to align themselves closer
with Raiel came to nothing. Despite his greatness, Raiel was prone to
bluntness and proved a less than able diplomat
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Chichen Itze
(Open Empire)
Hunac Ceel, Chief of the Chichen Itze
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Hunac Ceel ruled the
Mayan kingdom from Chichen Itze and was blessed with two young sons during
these years. He dispatched Hunac Ral and Ronal Huc to the jungles of Lenca
where they managed to gain the support of the fierce tribes of those lands
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Zapotec Mitla
(Open Empire)
Tepuz, Chief of the
Zapotecs
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Over one thousand
men were given grants of land in Zapotec to build farms and increase the
prosperity of Tepuc’s homeland. Tepuc declared his wife Alcatlatec his heir and
she ruled alongside him during these years from their city of Mitla. Alcatlatec gave
Tepuc three healthy children, two of which were sons. Toton and Cuyut
continued their work in Acatla and although progress was slow, they did
manage to gain an alliance from the city’s chief. Nahuatl was proving too
costly to rule directly from Mitla due to its harsh terrain. Tepuc decided to
let the Nahuatl govern themselves until the wilderness was cleared as long as
they continued to send him tribute
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The Carib
(Open Empire)
Motega, Chief of the
Carib, Son of Konae
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Motega, the Son of
Konae, worked diligently to strengthen his rule as the leader of the Carib
tribes. He travelled to Ciguayo and then
to Ciboney and consulted at great length with the leaders of those two
tribes. Much work was done, many
armadillo and iguana were feasted upon, and much fermented cocoanut milk was
spilt. Hadali, Chieftain's son and heir, married Tooan, the Daughter of
Titimi, a princess slave taken in a raid on the Akawaio lands. Hadali spent his days starting a family and
preparing for a wondrous voyage of trade and exploration. He supervised the construction of the large
ocean-going trade canoes, and the sale of the season's harvest to pay for the
expensive vessels. Tooan proved to be a fertile bride as Hadali was blessed
with two sons and two daughters.
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