Lords of the Earth
CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR
Turn 68
1336
~ 1340 Anno Domini
698 ~ 702 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
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)
Leopold, Holy Roman Emperor-Elect
|
The
Empire’s turbulent relationship with the Papacy continued as the Pope
declared that only he could confirm the coronation of the Emperor. Until such
time, rulers of the Kingdom of Germany, Italy,
and the Two Sicilies would be unable to use the title Holy
Roman Empire. The Pope had originally wanted a return to the
Elector system where the Emperor was chosen from amongst the Princes of the
Empire but after much correspondence with Hubbert decided that he would
accept the selected Emperor if he travelled to Rome to be crowned and he was
acceptable in the eyes of the Pope. Hubbert’s case was greatly assisted by
the vast sums of gold sent with the correspondence. Gold was also sent to the
east, to Poland, Kiev and Estonia,
to provide tribute for the Cumans. Hubbert was succeeded in 1336 by his son
Leopold, who became the Emperor-Elect until such time as his coronation in Rome. Prince Konrad
travelled to Paris
to join the Order of St Denis but catches a fever and dies in 1337. In the
same year, Prince Niklaus was to die as he entered the Pope’s service in Rome. To protect the
Empire’s eastern border, over twenty thousand cavalry were raised for
Leopold’s army commanded by Prince Jarung and the majority of his generals..
|
Norman Kingdom
of France
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Louis, King of France
|
King Louis
continued to rule from Paris
and was blessed with a young daughter. The old Papal Legate, Bernard, died in
1336 and his staff returned to Rome.
Louis was also generous in improving the lands and cities of his realm as new
works were built throughout Maine, Orleans and Vermandois.
Prince Philippe was to command the French army from Aquitaine and was tasked with ensuring the
safety of the nation. Martin was given Gascony
as his fief and following the Ligurian defeat of the Olbian Kingdom
the province had finally severed ties with the old Aragonese nobility. Louis
was still concerned by the presence of any Shadow King supporters in his
kingdom and sent his agents throughout Nivernais
and Nerdone in search of any sign; none was found.
|
The Principality of Salerno
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Ricardo V Durazzo, Prince of Salerno
|
Duke
Carlo Martello made sure that the Rus and the Romans received gold from the Napoli treasury. Some was for arrangements made after
the royal marriages and some to help with improving the quality of the Roman
navy. He relocated the royal family to their new estates in Naples and once there requested an audience
with the Archbishop of Naples. The Duke’s request for assistance from the
Church came to nothing as the Durazzo family had gathered little influence
with the Papacy. After the disastrous defeat of the Hungarians and Polish at
the hands of the Bulgari, Carlo attempted to gather more recruits for the Il
Reggimento Nero but found that he had swept up virtually all of the landless
soldiers from throughout Italy
and her neighbours. Finally, the Duke clarifies House Durazzo's line of
succession by recognizing his younger daughter Maria as Crown Princess, ahead
of her older half-brother, the bastard Charles. Maria is loved by all who know her, and
more commonly called "Fiammetta" as much for her spirit as for her
long red hair. The Duke formally adopts Charles, but leaves him outside the
line of succession. Luca Guiscardi, the Prince of Taranto, continued to meet
with the burghers of Carinthia and but was
met with some hostility towards his proposals. However, after upsetting the Lombards, Prince Roberto gained some support from the
citizens of Vincencia. From the Tuscan capital, Giocanni di Lara was
instructed to continue his work with the nobility of both the province and Leghorn itself. Shocked
by the news of Hector’s attack, the Compte tried to gather a hasty defence
against the Ligurians. Prince Hector’s force numbered nearly five thousand
men against which di Lara could muster four thousand from Tuscany’s garrison. The province was also
heavily fortified. However, the Compte’s skills did not lie on the
battlefield. He was at best an incompetent leader and at worst a danger to
his men. Hector’s forces time and time again cut into the defenders until di
Lara could do nothing but flee to Leghorn.
Hector quickly followed up with an assault on the city and overran di Lara’s
forces as they tried to repel his attack. The Compte’s body was found later
by Hector’s men as they consolidated their hold on the city; he had been cut
down as he tried to flee with his men to Romagna.
Pietro Orsini was not to survive 1336 after contracting a nasty infection
from the Calania docks. In Naples, Giovanni
Boccaccio, a noted Master of Letters, continued to gather the support of the Napoli elite. Carlo’s woes continued as the Marchese di
Monferrato was to fall foul of the Lombards
in 1338 during Prince Roberto disastrous diplomatic mission to the province.
|
.
The Grand Order of St Denis
(Roman Catholic Civilized Religious
Order)
Lothaire, Grandmaster of the Grand Order of St Denis
|
The
old Aragonese lands were fortified against a possible Moslem attack as
Lothaire continued to improve the orders control over those lands. The English
brothers William and Langston were provided senior roles within the Order but
the news of the succession crisis for the English Crown saw Lothaire allow
William to leave the Order and return to London. Finally, the Ebro was dredged from Navarre to the Mediterranean
and allowed English shipping to sail from their port in Giovanna. Lothaire
could not be dissuaded from his course of action as he sacked the Christian
city of Saragossa before moving onto Santa Maria. As soon as
news reached the Papacy envoys were dispatched to the Order demanding to know
why they had attacked good Christians while the Moslems to their south
remained untouched. Lothaire was commanded to travel to Rome to explain his actions to the Pope
himself. To make matters worse in the eyes of the Papacy, Lothaire had also
instructed Garreth to sack the city of Burgos
in Old Castille. Gascon could only remain in his lodgings in Olbia as the
Ligurians stormed south from Corsica to take Sardinia
and the city.
|
The Knights of Malta
(Roman Catholic Civilized Religious Order
Stephan, Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta
|
Attempts to
provide an Oratory in Venice
failed abysmally when a fire broke out in the Knights quarters and destroyed most
of the buildings. The Knights were also unsuccessful in providing a
Preceptory in Verona.
Despite repeated attempts to conceal the work, the building of twenty
warships in Valetta harbour did not escape the notice of Arab traders to the
island. Grand Master Stephan spent these years patrolling the waters off Cyprus
with the Maltese fleet and Captain Hans of Alessia. He could do little to
stop the Al’Bahri moving men into Carsk harbour as they initially posed no
threat to the Cypriots. However, the Maltese new something was amiss when the
Al’Bahri continued to ship troops from Egypt to Carsk. In late 1339 the
Sea Lords poured out of their city to attempt the recapture of Cyprus from
the Knights. Captain Ludovique had not been slow to see this eventuality and
had been improving the defences surrounding the city as well as the islands
coastal defences. Yet despite this and
the death of Prince Umar, Grand Sea Lord of the Al’Bahri, Ludoviques forces
were overwhelmed and mostly destroyed as the Al’Bahri had amassed a force of
twenty five thousand men in Carsk before their attack. Cyprus was still in the hands of
the Knights, but for how long was undecided.
|
The Magyar Nation
The Magyars raid and then settle Slovakia when they find little
resistance. They also push on a settle in Slovenia.
The Duchy of Liguria
Prince Hector of Liguria rallies many men
to his flag and attacks across the straits to Sardinia.
The battered remnants of the Olbian
Kingdom are easily
overrun by Hector’s forces. In the previous year, Prince Hector has wrested
control of Tuscany
back from the southerners when he caught Prince Carlo unawares. After taking
Sardinia, Prince Hector attempted to land his forces on the island of Sicily
but was badly defeated by Prince Stefan’s men.
Western and South Africa
The Mwene-Mutapa
Empire
(African Unkulkulun Civilised Open
Empire)
Ikko Addi, Emperor of Mapungubwe
|
To
the glory of the great Sky Father and Creator of all mankind, Unkulukulu, a
massive temple called the Great Sky House was built in Mapungubwe. More
settlers flooded into Zimbabwe
as a great highway was carved through the wilderness. Ikko Addi, ruled from
his estates in Mwene-Mutapa and organised new fishing vessels for the nation.
Despite his vast bulk, the King managed to sire two young children on his
long suffering wife. Boswelo concentrated on swaying the Gorongoans to give
up their ties with the Betis and their old Hindu Gods. At all times he was
shadowed by the charming Gabbo as he met with local dignitaries and
notables. However, Gabbo was occupied
on a hunt with some Gorongo nobles when Boswelo was attacked in the street by
a naked screaming Swami and killed in front of his horrified entourage. The
rogue priest was quickly cut down but not after Boswelo suffered the mortal
wounds.
|
Usama-Yoruba Onium of Ibo
(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Ildayi, Emperor of the Ibo
|
Forts were built
throughout the Onium to protect the Ibo heartlands as Ijdayi ordered his
generals to expand his borders. Both Ibo and Akwange grew in size during these
years and the jungles of Asente we cut back to provide more maize for the
endless peasants of the Onium. Whilst he ruled from Ibo, Ijdayi was content
to send his generals to conquer new lands and peoples. Duggi was sent north
to defeat the Air Emirate in Kurfei with a massive force of over sixteen
thousand cavalry. The Emir could do little to stop the Iboan advance and even
though his force numbered twenty-five thousand men they were easily overcome
by Duggi. After Kurfei, Kanuri also fell to the southern invaders. Yabungo
had relinquished control of his cavalry to Duggi before marching his ten
thousand warriors deep into the Susu jungles. The natives found there could
do little to stop the overwhelming force under his command and soon Marampa
and Bomi were to join Susu as Ijdayi’s dominions. To complete his conquests,
Idjayi had sent Wewagi and Zurii east to the lands of the Kanem-Bornu. Over
thirty thousand warriors were under Zurri’s command as he struck out from
Hausa at the Kanem forces. After a short but decisive battle, Zurii had
secured the surrender of the Kanem and a promise of tribute for his king.
With such rapid expansion, the very fabric of the Onium was becoming
stretched as Idjayi’s clerks sought to ensure the tax required by their king.
|
North Africa and Moslem Spain
The Empire of Egypt
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Badr al-Mahmud, Sultan of Egypt
|
A new dynasty
rises on the Nile.
|
The Akramid Caliphate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Ummi, Caliph of the Akramids
|
The
death of Tiroman III in 1336 at such an young age caused uproar and unrest
throughout the Caliphate. His chosen successor, Prince Tano was not a popular
choice and the Princes Oni and Onika believed that they had better claims on
the throne. The brothers met on amicable terms but soon came to blows when
Tano would not accept Oni as his Caliph. Onika threw in with Oni and the pair
cut down Tano as he fled for safety. However, the son of Tiroman, Prince
Szohmbe claimed that he was the rightful Caliph and declared the Princes Oni
and Onika traitors. Such was the size of the royal family that feuds that had
festered for many years finally burst out. Prince fell on Prince in such a
blood letting that few survived the night. The young prince Szohmbe was
killed along Prince Oni. However, it was Prince Ummi that managed to gather
the support of the surviving Princes and finally declared himself Caliph.
Rastaman and Mehmod had fallen during the fighting, supporters of Prince
Szohmbe. However, Bohtsar and striker remained distant during the unrest and
declared themselves supporters of the crown. Striker saw that the defence of
the Caliphate was of greater importance than the struggles of the Princes.
Most of the Caliphate were unconcerned about the events in Andalusia
but the provinces of Kabilya, Talavera and Zirid were to declare their
independence from Ummi. Some of Tiroman’s legacy was the completion of the
road to Salamanca from Portugal. Calipate missionaries
saw great success in converting the Catholics of Sardinia and Olbia, much to
the Pope’s dismay.
.
|
The Aswan Tribes
The Aswani sacked and looted Shallal in Nubia, leaving the city in flames.
Al’Bahri
Umar ships his army from Egypt
to Carsk in Cyprus
in an attempt to regain the island. Despite overwhelming the Maltese Knights,
his death forces Umar’s men back to Carsk.
Arabia and the Middle East
The Buwayid Sultanate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Najib, Sultan of the Buwayids
|
The
power in the East grew relentlessly as the Sultanate’s cities expanded. Grain
was sent to the starving Karakhanate on the Sultanate’s far eastern border.
Several of the cities were situated on the newly dredged Tigris and Euphrates and as they grew new harbours were built to
gain access to the Gulf. The old Turki lands of Bithnia and the city of Bursa were colonised
with Arab settlers to ensure their total support. Najib was also keen to
expand his trade revenues and invested huge sums in new merchant vessels to
ply their trade throughout the Sultanate. He made no secret of his desire to
learn from the western nations and sent his agents throughout the Mediterranean in search of any useful knowledge. Najib
was blessed with three children during these years but sadly a young son died
aged only three from a fever. Prince Khalim Abu Jafar moved the Sultanate’s
force of twelve thousand cavalry east from Edessa
to Persia
were he was instructed to watch for any incursions. It was left to Raheel
Rabbani to watch the west from Isauria until his death from consumption in
1340. In Bandar, Ahmed Jaffari along with Yafi Shamsad and Ahmed Saber
attempted to smooth over relations with the Badari. Saber managed to complete
the task but only after Jaffari and Shamsad were lost whilst hunting in the
wilderness. They were attacked and killed by bandits in 1337 and their
mutilated bodies not found for weeks.
.
|
The Rashidun
The Kalifs continue to convert Anatolia
from their Holy City of Baghdad.
The Cuman Cossacks
The Cossacks still demanded their tribute from the Rus and threatened
retaliation if none was forthcoming. They raid deep into Saksiny but find the
province relatively unguarded. After several years of raids, the province was
finally settled by the Cossacks and the old Khwarzimi farms left to ruin.
The Ademids
Adem took control of Khazar from the Khwarzim after Shar Al’Asher was forced
to flee the province. Abasigia and Colchis
also fell to Adem as he pushed his forces south across the mountains.
Aden
Aden took
control of Hadramuht and demanded tribute from their Yemeni cousins.
The Chalbi Emirate
The Emir took Danakil from his heartland of
Zeila. Little resistance was given by the Syrian Sultan.
The Ogaden Tribes
The tribes raid into Djibuti, Loriu and Sidamo
Scandia and the Out Isles
Jarldom of Orkeneyjar
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Aegir Nicholson, Jarl of Orkney
|
In far Iceland,
a mighty citadel was built in Thingvellir. The city prospered from the sea
trade and soon the citadel was swallowed up by new houses as it grew in size.
Despite their distance from the Cuman threat, the Orkneymen send chests of
gold to the Rus to support them in their tribute to the horsemen. During the
winter of 1337, fierce storms battered the north, especially around the Minch. Such was the ensuing flooding that much of the
coastal towns were devastated. Dunaldor Erikson considered the efficiency of
the Jarldom’s merchant fleet before travelling to Hordavil to collect the
army from Njord. He later returned to Kirval with the new garrison to the
devastating news that Prince Edvard had died from a fever. Prince Bragi was
tasked with overseeing the Svear as they became an integral part of the
Scandinavian alliance. His death from
food poisoning in 1337 came as somewhat of a shock to Dunaldor. Prince Frey
escorted the young Princess Karina Aegirsdatter to King Olaf Arnoldson of the
Svear. They were to be married as soon as the young bride came of age.
Although Ingrid and Torsten were to spend the majority of their time with Le
Marteau brothers, they were unable to increase the Jarldom’s influence with
the Order. However, Orkney priests were active in building a Preceptory for
the Order in Hordavil. The marriage of Princess Karina to King Olaf saw the
exchange of Halland for the city of Perth.
Shortly after the Svear relinquished control of Halland, Leif was made a
vassal of Dunaldor and given the province as his fief. Njord spent these
years in Fjordane after giving command of his army to Dunaldor. It seemed to
Dunaldor that the free folk of the islands were too content with their lot
and assumed that there could be no greater civilisation than their own. A condition
fostered no doubt by their relative isolation.
|
Saxon Kingdom
of England
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
William, King of England
|
The Welsh Marches
of Dyffed were greatly improved with new farms springing up along the lowlands
and valleys. However, it was King Ian’s untimely death in 1338 that caused
the greatest consternation amongst the English nobility. Ian passed away without an heir and both
his brothers were serving with the Order of St Denis. To avoid any repeat of
the civil unrest of previous generations when the English lost their foothold
in Ireland, Lord Stross
dispatched a fast courier to William in France. William was shocked to
hear the death of his beloved brother and sought advice from the Order’s
Chaplain. William was advised that he could follow his own path and that the
calling of the Crown of England was a worthy reason to leave the Order. After
making his peace with God, William raced back to London to claim the Crown before unrest
descended on the quiet Shires of his homeland. It was Ian’s desire to build a
new city on the banks of the Ebro, now open
the merchant vessels all the way from Navarre
to the Mediterranean, but the chaos caused by the sacking of Saragossa by the Order of St Denis meant
that his plans would be thwarted.
|
The Svear
King
Olaf was visibly ailing when he met his young bride from the Orkneys. However,
the old king outlived Prince Bragi and managed to sire two young son on Princess
Karina before his death. It was the new Queen’s obvious beauty and charm,
coupled with being the mother of the great Olaf’s children that held the
kingdom together and its alliance with the Orkneymen secure. Only Jamtland and
Skanet believed that the new ruler should come from the Svear lands and went
their own way.
Eastern Europe
The Varangian Rus of Kiev
(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Anastasia, Queen of the Rus
|
Queen
Anastasia ruled her kingdom from Kiev
and sent out communications to her neighbours concerning the Cossacks threats
and the demand for tribute. Much gold was collected but remained in the
Kievan treasury, much to the anger of the Cossack Khan. Young Prince Peter
married the young Princess Elizabeth from Constantinople
and was blessed with a son to ensure his dynasty. The marriage was sealed
with an understanding that both nations would support each other against the
Cossack threat. Before his death from in 1339, Prince Nicholas gathered some
vital information about the Cossack Khan fro his estates in Pereaslavl. He
was riding the border with Cuman with Andreyev and Karl when they were attack
by Cuman scouts. Karl took an arrow and died instantly as they spurred their
horses away from the Cossacks. It was not until they returned to Pereaslavl
that Andreyev saw that Nicholas too was nursing a wound. A wound that later
turned foul and septic, killing the Prince in slow agony. These years also
saw the completion of the great road to Chernigov
from Varangia.
|
The Grand Duchy of Poland
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Boleslaw Poznan, Grand Duke of Poland
|
.Tomasz Cichoki
was to pass away in 1336
|
The Kingdom of Hungary
(Eastern Orthodox Civilised Open Empire)
Ladislaus Hunyadi, King of Hungary
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Hungary did little to stem
the Magyar attacks on Slovakia.
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The Kingdom of Estonia
(Jumali Skyfather Civilised Open Empire)
Konrad II, King of the Ests
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Three thousand
mounted warriors were raised for Victor in Estonia and augmented his growing
force. He commanded Prince Victor to take tribute for the Cossacks south to Kiev with a substantial
escort force. With one eye to the growing threat from the fanatical Hammer of
God, he sent his son Gustaf to the Jumali to become a priest of the
Skyfather. Churches to the Skyfather were built in the cities of Libau ad
Dorpat at the request of Bishop Tooni The efforts of Hendrick, Sakala and
Jergun saw Musa ally themselves with the Ests.
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The Oriental Roman
Empire
(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Andronicus II, Emperor of East Rome
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Although
Andronicus set plenty of gold in tribute to the Cossacks, it was the Ademids
that attacked his frontier province
of Abisigia, overwhelming the
garrison there and walking into Colchis
without much resistance. The Knights of Malta had graciously accepted to
transfer control of the conquered Uighurs lands to Andronicus’s control and
in preparation the Emperor moved men into Corfu,
Thrace, Heraclea and Macedon under the command of
Theodore. It was Theodore’s intention to control the western state from Heraclea but found
himself confronted by angry Uighurs in the city whilst inspecting the new
garrison. Despite his escort, the Roman was cut down by the Uighurs who then
fled into the slums. Prince Constantine was to escort new colonists to
Nikopolis to help rebuild the valuable port and its walls. Once the colonists
had arrived, the Prince took the fleet back to Constantinople to patrol the Aegean. To help support his northern neighbours against
the threat from hordes and their lackeys, Andronicus sent his daughter
Elizabeth to Kiev
to cement an alliance with their young Prince Peter.
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Central Asia
Ilig
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sulam, Khan of the Ilig
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Despite the
shortage of grain throughput the Khanate, Sulam Beshwa was confident his
nation could eventually provide enough to feed the great Ilig multitudes.
Early in 1336, Al-Muit, sometimes called the Lynx, passed away from old age
in whilst ensuring the peace in Shadad. Sulam had underestimated the
difficulty of building a city in the desert and had not provided enough
resources to increase the size of Khvor. His declaration that his brother,
Prince Alabar, become his heir was met with understanding as the Khan had no
children of his own. Settlers were also sent to the Kush
to reclaim those lands for the Khanate. Prince Haran al-Haran led a
delegation to the Scythians in Avar where he was to gain some support from
the nomads of those lands. They denied all responsibility for the raids on
Singanakh and Otrarsh during these years. Swearing that they were the work of
a desert brotherhood. Prince Bughra and Ali the Great were able to regain the
lost provinces of Kophat Dagh, Khurasan, Dast’Kavir and Firoz Kohi through
their efforts although Sulam was not able to hold onto Balkh, Shir Kur and Sistan in these
troubled times. The Tzin were able to raid Kuldja without much resistance as
the Khantate’s army had been pulled back to prevent further incursions to the
west. Disturbing news of that criminal gangs calling themselves the Thalatha
had been pressurising merchants in Kara-Khitai.
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India
Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Guram, Raja of Kaunaj
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The cities of the Rajput Kingdom again grew in size as peace
and prosperity endured throughout the Indian sub-continent. Guram continued
his quest to gain influence with the mighty Samaaj by building Order Houses
in Tarain, Uttar Pradesh, Thanesar,
Setikami and Mandvi, although attempts in Rewa failed. He spent these
years ruling his domain from Kaunaj with his son Anesh at his side. The heir,
Prince Rajeesh, was tasked with overseeing the Bengal
state as once again the easterners were called on to support the kingdom.
Rajputi missionaries were active in Saffarid Iran and the conversion of
Edrosia to Hinduism saw that nation join the growing Hindu confederation.
However, several of the Saffarid provinces took affront to their leaders
conversion and declared their independence. Although the merchants of Qatar had
signed a trade agreement with the new Raja of Iran. Luresh was sent to the Und Keraja to
improve relations with the buffer state but his acerbic character caused
insult to Und’s rulers and provoked a severing of ties with Kaunaj. Elsewhere
the Maduri pledge allegiance to the Tripuri kings and Nasik is swallowed up by the Dhara.
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Samaaj Kekataar
The Order’s forces
enter Ghazni from the Punjab and convert the
Muslims there to Hinduism by the sword.
The Palas of Bengal
The death of Rajesh
in 1337 saw Prince Gurdip take control of the Bengali Kingdom.
He pledged his ongoing support to the Rajputi kings in Kaunaj. Prince Gurdip
had gained the support of the nobility in 1336 when Rajesh had named him his
heir. Although several Order Houses for the Samaaj Kekataar were built
throughout the Bengali lands by Dharam, attempts to improve the kingdom’s
status in Bhutan
were not helped by the death of Chassam in 1339. Rajesh’s hatred of the
Buddhist faith saw him order an assault on the Abbot’s palace in Tai’li but the
priests had learnt hard lessons from the fall of Lhasa and prevented the Bengali agents from
entering the great halls. Bengali missionaries were successful in converting
large numbers of Buddhists in Tibet
and even some in Om’Chu.
South East Asia and the Islands
The Kambujadesa
Empire
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Thao Pen-Pen, Emperor of the Khmer
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Quiet times in the
empire.
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The Dai Kingdom
of Annam
(Buddhist Seafaring Open Empire)
Bhadramonte, King of Annam
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Great citadels
were built in the lands of the Dai Viet and Nampung and the walls of Lu-Shan
were rebuilt as the city grew in size. In Lingtung, the city of Ling-Yang was founded by
King Bhadramonte and a new road was built from the city to Kwangchou . The
king himself ruled from Annam
and busied himself with the affairs of the nation’s merchants. Although
Prince Tarnacanastacala had plenty of time on his hands as he spent these
years assisting his father, his wife did not manage to provide him with any
children that survived past a few days. Dinh Bo was to earn the title “the
Holy” as he persuaded the Abbot of Tai’li to grant Annam with greater favour.
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The Kingdom of Thaton
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Sajja, King of Thaton
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Sajja was to name
his son Prince Sinn as his heir and the young man was presented at court
along with his brother Prince Vidura. As work on the great Aqueduct of Moulmein
continued, Sajja ordered that another be commissioned for the city of Thon Buri. Gold was sent
to the Nanchao from Sajja’s treasury and its spending overseen by Prince Kaeo
in Tai’Li.
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The Kingdom of Nanchao
Pa
Long was in the process of rebuilding his kingdom after accepting Thaton as his
overlord. During these years he was blessed with a young son as he ruled from
Nanchao under the guidance of the Thatonese Prince Kaeo.
Manchu’ko and Nihon
The Minamoto
Shogunate
(Shinto Civilised Open Empire)
Kojiro Yasumori, Shogun of the East
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Shinto priests saw
some gains in Aomori
as the Buddhists were converted to the true faith. Although little gains were
made in Saga and Kagoshima.
The Shogun Kojiro commissioned large numbers of merchant vessels from the Edo and Harima dockyards as he ruled from Heian. Prince
Haruo was allowed to spend these years with his family and was blessed with
three young children. The death of his uncle Prince Katsu in 1336 came as a
blow to the young prince. Tuka of the Kazan Retto was also to die in 1336 of
a fever. His son was happy to become a vassal of the Shogun and passed
control of his island over to him. Old Haru was in Nan Patol when he was
attacked by a shark while swimming of the island and later died of his
injuries.
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The Goryeo Kingdom
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Wang Yong, King of Goryeo
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Wang Yong gathered
his forces in Kai Ching to reclaim the lands lost to the northern rebels.
Wang Eun was raised to be the heir to the kingdom and Wang Yong was eager for
him to assist him in his efforts against the rebels. One thousand new lancers
were raised in Kai Ching and loaded aboard the king’s fleet along with seven
thousand elite warriors. The fleet
then set sail for Laio-Tung to establish a beachhead. The fleet was not Wang
Yong’s only weapon as his agents had sown discord amongst the rebels in
Laio-Tung. So successful were Wang’s men that nearly all of the army in the
region deserted, killing their general as they scattered from their barracks.
Barely two thousand remained loyal and gathered under Wen Jiabao’s banner.
Wang’s assassins had nearly killed Yi Geon but the general managed to escape
with serious but not mortal wounds. All the fates seemed to be on Wang’s side
as his force reached the coast of Laio-Tung
but they proved fickle indeed as Wen Jiabao had managed to rally the massive
northern army of over thirty thousand men. Wang’s men were cut down as they
tried to make landfall and the king was lucky to escape back to Kai Ching
with his life. In late 1337, Shin Hyun-Joon and Lee Ho-Yeon moved north
through Bandao with their force of eleven thousand cavalry. Wen Jiabao had
taken wounds during Wang’s attempted invasion and was slow in reacting to the
southerners attack. He still had most of his twenty thousand men and
stiffened their resolve with support from Bandao’s fortifications. Yet
despite losing nearly half their force, Shin Hyun-Joon and Lee Ho-Yeon pushed the rebels back to
Laio-Tung. The losses amongst Wen Jiabao’s forces was even greater; over ten
thousand were dead or missing after the armies had met. They pushed onto
Laio-Tung but this time Wen Jiabao managed to repulse them back to Bandao;
the province declaring for Wang after the generals returned. In 1339, Wen
Jiabao attempted to move south through Bandao but was met by Shin Hyun-Joon
and Ho-Yeon. This time the defenders
had the support of Bandao’s forts and pushed Wen Jiabao back north. Loses
were light but both sides had lost the taste for battle.
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The Land under Heaven
The Kingdom of Koueichou
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Kai Shang, King of Koueichou
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As Kai Sung
consolidated his gains from lost Cha’Ang’Sha he moved back to Szechwan to the adulation of the masses. Prince Lo sung
was so busy persuading the defeated Hunan
to forget their differences with Koueichou that his wife was all but ignored.
He seemed to prefer the company of Koueichou’s nobility that had gathered in
the valuable conquest. Kai Sung had also ordered that a road be built over
the mountains from Szechwan to Ghang’De and that new trade routes be opened
up with the nations of Annam
and Chengshi.
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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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Zhi Xu knew that
his position as the ruler of the Sung empire was tenuous as long as he had no
heir. His health had never been good and failed him completely in 1336; his wish
for a son unfulfilled. Prince Zhi Kuo gasped at his chance for the throne and
quickly silenced all dissenters. Whatever resistance there was was removed
when the old generals Yu Wei and Tsao Lu dies of a fever during 1338. Sung
missionaries were active in the Tuhnwhang but failed to gain any converts
amongst the fierce nomads of those lands.
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The Kingdom of Chengshi
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Xiang Sung, King of Chengshi
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The city of Suzhou was found in Fujian and was seen as Xiang Lo’s last
great achievement as the king died early in 1336. Despite his age, young
Xiang Sung was able to claim his father’s throne as he declared himself heir
to the rising kingdom. Challenge to his rule could have come from the princes
Chai Shao or He Long as Xiang Lo had not formally declared Xiang Sung as his
heir but they were happy to sheppard the young prince through his early years
on the throne. Both princes were to die after eating bad shellfish in late
1337 at a party hosted by Xiang Sung’s mother. No suspicion fell on the young
prince but rumours of Queen Chai’s involvement were abundant. Prince Chai
Shao had been supporting Shong’s diplomacy in Taiwan and before Shong’s death
in 1339 and his in 1337, had provided valuable assistance in gaining the full
support of the island’s nobility. The road was extended south to Quwo from
Chengshi during these years.
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The Kingdom of Chiang’Ning
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Song Wei, King of Chiang’Ning
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Song Wei ruled
from Anhui
and was blessed with a young on during these years after another son sadly
died during childbirth. He moved to finally eliminate Mongol control of
Tai-Pei by replacing the city’s nobility with his own supporters. Other
cities grew in size, namely Tang-Chou, Zhengzhou
and Jinan while the imperial road was
stretched to Shang-Ching from Nanjing.
To smooth over relations with the defeated Yen Song Wei offered the hand of
Song Fei in marriage to a princess from those lands as well as a huge dowry
of gold. The Yen had recently returned from a disastrous attack on the Khitan
lands of Lu’An; thwarted by the Khitan’s superior force of cavalry.
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North America
The Huron Confederacy
(Open Empire)
Dooyentate, Chief of the Huron
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Dooyentate ruled from
Ossossane with his young son Tunka at his side. Thodatowon was dispatched to
gain gold from the Moundbuilders using the mighty Huron fleet. Despite the
valiant warrior’s efforts, the Moundbuilders defences proved too great and he
was forced to flee back across the lake. Thodatowon was mortally wounded in
the raid and died of his wounds in 1340.
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The Iroquois
(Open Empire)
Black Wolf, Chief of the Iroquois
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More warriors
flocked to Grey Hawk’s banner as the old Chief ruled from Iroquois. Death stalked
the Chief throughout these years after a fever almost killed him in 1336. His
wife, Little White Dove had succumbed to the same fever in that year and it
when it returned in 1339 the Chief had no strength to fight it. His son,
Black Wolf, took control of the tribes quickly on his father’s death.
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The Anasazi
(Open Empire)
Ohkay, Chief of the Anasazi
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Ohkay ruled from
Anasazi and introduced his son Kewa to the trials of Chiefdom. Wauneka was sent
to the Hohokam to gain support from the Anasazi neighbours but barely managed
to escape with his life after he insulted their Chief’s eldest daughter.
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Elsewhere….
The Apache and Paiute
tribes all began to settle their ancestral lands and were joined by the Ute and
the Pawnee.
South America
The Chimu Kingdom
of Chanchan
(Open Empire)
Acahuana, King of the Chimu
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The Chimu Kingdom enjoyed a period of great wealth
and prosperity as the lives of the peasants benefitted from Acahuana’s gold.
Acuhuana himself was pleased to gain the support of his son and heir Acahuano
and the young Prince Illuancho. The efforts of Thonapa in the Pucara saw the
province align itself with the kingdom.
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The Mapuche
(Open Empire)
Raiel, Chief of the
Mapuche
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Work continued on
the great monument in far Pichunche. Chief Raiel oversaw the movement of some
of his people south to continue the colonisation of the Huilliche lands. He
was blessed with a young daughter, born during the auspicious time of the
race to the monument to the Elders.
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Chichen Itze
(Open Empire)
Hunac Ceel, Chief of the Chichen Itze
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Hunac Ceel
declared that his son Hunac Teel be made heir to the Chichen people. He
dispatched Hunac Ral and Ronal Huc to continue the long process of repairing
relations with the Yucatec. Hunac Ral was cut down by bandits in 1338 as he travelled
to his estates. Ronac Huc was left to continue the work in Yucatec alone.
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Zapotec Mitla
(Open Empire)
Tepuz, Chief of the
Zapotecs
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Tepuz waited until
his queen returned from Acatla and ruled his kingdom from Mitla. The Queen Alcatletec
had provided the necessary gravitas to sway the Acatlans to Mitla’s cause by
lending her charms to Cuyut’s diplomacy. Sadly, Cuyut was to die of a fever
in 1340 shortly after his work was completed.
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The Carib
(Open Empire)
Motega, Chief of the
Carib, Son of Konae
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While Motega, son
of Konae and Cacique of the Carib peoples, ruled from the vast city of Sao-Cha. His son, Prince
Hadali was sent to pillage the lands of the Taino and Colon. With is fleet and eight hundred trusted
warriors, the young prince proved his worth as he brought home gold to his
father; almost enough to fill a cooking pot and vast wealth indeed. Sadly his
young wife died of a fever in 1340 as the prince returned to Sao-Cha.
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