Lords of the Earth 

CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR – THE WEST

Turn 84

1406 ~ 1409 Anno Domini

809 ~ 812 in the year of the Hegira

4043 (Fire Dog) - 4046 (Earth Ox)

                                                                

New for T73

Noble House rules have been added – please take a look at these here.

 

New Spreadsheet for the Renaissance has been created – this can be found here and must be used from now on.

 

Some tinkering with the Religious Order rules.

 

I’m going back to standard movement rules – sigh – as it is just taking too much time to rewrite these. Please continue to give your orders in year chunks though – The newly created spreadsheet should help with this

New for T59

Paths to victory: There are several options open to a player when an NPN has been defeated

 

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

 

  1. Threaten them. Hordes respond to a show of strength and may leave you alone if confronted with enough force.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 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

 

 

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.

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 stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk .

LORDS 24 WEB RESOURCES

The Lords Twenty-Four homepage is at: 
http://lords.throneworld.com/lote24/index.html

All of the on-line resources, including order forms, mailing lists and web-sites for Lords of the Earth are summarized on this page: 
http://lords.throneworld.com/?page_id=2

You can subscribe to the Lords 24 mailing list by pointing your web-browser at: 
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/lote24

…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

 

Africa and Moslem Spain


The Akramid Caliphate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Tiroman IV, Caliph of the Akramids

akramid

Tiroman V ruled from Andalusia and oversaw vast improvements to the Caliphate’s fortresses and city walls after further gains were made in the art of siege warfare. His missionaries to Liguria and Tuscany were met with continued resistance from Catholic priests sent by the Pope to restore those lands to Christendom.  Tomas was joined in Salamanca by Hisham and managed to finally persuade the province to fully integrate back into the Caliphate. Meanwhile,  Marinon was able to gain an alliance from Zirid with the assistance of Tarkhan. Abdul was to die from a fever in 1408 and the command of the fleet was temporarily handed over to his second in command.

 

The Egyptian Empire

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Ahmad Al-Amaan, Emperor of the Egypts

zswtj9

Ahmad Al-Amaan ruled from Egypt whilst his envoy Uwaiz secured the fealty of the city of Adulis with a marriage proposal to the House of Kurman. What little resources could be harvested from the deserts of Aswan and Ghebel-Garib were exploited but it was in Faiyum that saw most of Ahmad’s largesse. The Copts managed to convert the wilds of Ain’Farah but had little success in Alwa.

 

Usama-Yoruba Onium of Ibo    

(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Bamadi,  Oni of Ibo

Yoruba

Bamadi was saddened by the loss of his young wife, the Princess Bipi, in 1408 and concerned that the succession would now be contested as he was still without an heir. Although the net was cast wide, no more information was forthcoming about the Ogboni and their lair. Angered at not being able to find his elusive enemy, Bamadi hit out at the peasants that had been sheltering them; his agents were seen throughout the Onium spreading fear amongst the populace.  Despite his heavy handiness,  Bamadi’s realm still prospered and several cities were to grow in size and wealth.  Prince Bunta was sent to Akwanga to assist Kin’Wala in securing a marriage for the Prince N’Wama. Bunta was able to secure an alliance with the city and gain valuable influence with the House of Oyo. Bamadi was once again happy to leave the defence of the realm in the capable hands of General K’Tunta in Sudan.  As in previous years, the king was assisted at court by Kwame and Kunza.

 

 

 


 

Arabia and the Middle East


The Buwayid Sultanate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Naj Muhammad, Sultan of the Buwayids

baghdad

The cites of the Sultanate once again grew in size and to ensure  that the western territories added after the Syrian campaign would be closer linked with Baghdad, Naj Muhammad ordered that a paved road be constructed from Antioch to Faras. The commander of the Persian forces, Saied Al’Jafar was to die in early 1406 whilst later in 1408, the general of the Syrian forces was also to perish.  These were the two main defenders of the Sultanate but luckily for the sultan no attacks were made on his lands during these years. Continued diplomatic efforts in Raqqa and Cilicia saw little or limited success. The House of Zaid, until recently the rulers of Syria sent envoys to Baghdad to secure favourable terms. Realising that they could not defeat the Buwayids, they wanted to relinquish their claims to Syria and be recognised as one of the Houses of the Sultanate.

 

The Glorious Khwarzim

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Quteb, Khan of Khwarzim

Ruling from his palaces in Khwarzim, Quteb was to father a daughter by his Khwarzimi wife. He instructed his general Abdula to move the army west into Khazar along with Sararo’s cavalry and Sadu’s six thousand foot. Abdul was attached to the command to lend support in the upcoming campaign. Quteb had little military experience, preferring the idle life of court to the exertions of the campaign trail; indeed, he had little idea of even where his western province of Khazar was located. So it was late in 1407 rather than 1406 that Abdula crossed into the Ademid territory of Patzinak with the now combined Khwarzimi army of nearly thirty thousand men. Patzinak was an integral part of Khanate and so would not easily be quelled, especially as Adem VII could field a force of seven thousand men in its defence. Moving quickly to intercept the invaders, Adem found that Abdula had already prepared his forces for battle, drawing up against a long line of hills. Forced to attack head on the defenders rushed at the Khwarzimi battle lines with desperation born out of defence of their homeland. The result was inevitable with the Ademids crushed by Abdula’s forces. Patzinak was easily quelled after the defeat of Adem’s forces and Abdula turned his gaze on the Cossack territory of Torki. With over seventy thousand fierce Cossacks arrayed against him many thought Abdula’s success against the Ademids had made him over-confident but once again he proved them wrong as his scouts had located the enemy camp and allowed Abdula to lead an advance force that swept through the Cossacks commands, capturing their Starosta and routing the defenders back to Cuman.  Abdula wanted to keep the momentum against the tribesman and pushed on into Cuman itself, despite losing nearly twelve thousand of his own men. His scouts had reported that the Hetman was old and weak and had little respect from his warriors so Abdula hoped that his recent victories would force the Cossacks to surrender. Abdula was to prove right, the Cossacks, although vastly outnumbering the invading Khwarzimi fled north to Murum as he advanced. Their sheer numbers took a toll though as a further three thousand men were lost to their horsemen. The Cossack homeland now captured, Abdula allowed his remaining forces to camp within the old Cossack camps.

 


Western Europe

crusader


Norman Kingdom of France

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Philippe, King of France

image028

Philippe took control of the French throne from his regent Louis in the spring of 1406. He dispatched Thibault to Burgundy to arrange a marriage to the princess Eleanor of the House of Burgundy and to secure the alliance with the influential province. The king was quickly married to Eleanor on her arrival in Paris and fathered two daughters during these years. Louis was to remain at court and assist the young king in his transition to power along with the venerable Bernard. The king also oversaw the rebuilding of La Rochelle and the clearing out of the vagrants from the ruins of the old city. French missionaries were to once again struggle to convert any of the Moslems of Liguria despite their best efforts.  The south of the kingdom was once again protected by Enguerrand as he patrolled from Aquitaine with the French army.

The Principality of Salerno

(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Duke Carlo II Martello of House Durazzo, Prince of Salerno

Hector of Liguria leads his force of over sixteen thousand men and seizes Tuscany from the Count of Tuscany, forcing the Tuscans to flee to their holdings in Corsica. He then moved north and conquered the County of Savoy, accepting allegiance from its Savoyards.  His control of Leghorn did not last long as the Sicilians landed a force into the city’s unprotected harbour and slaughtered the small garrison there. The Sicilians then advanced through Tuscany, pushing the Ligurians back from the province.

 

.

The Kingdom of Germany

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Sigismund, King of the Germans

images

The city of Albrecht was founded in Meissen during these years that also saw the city of Kiel outgrow its old walls. To consolidate his kingdom, Sigismund started to upgrade the old postal road from Bavaria to the Tyrol; work that was almost complete by 1409. The king himself ruled from Saxony with Queen Marguerite and was blessed with a further two children. Count Frederick managed to upset the burghers of Holstein and prompted them to reject any claim that Saxony had over the state.  In Cannes, Count Heinrich could not improve on the alliance with the valuable Provencal city but at least Albert was able to get the Viennese to acknowledge Sigismund’s claim to their city.

 

 


 

Scandia and the Out Isles


Kingdom of Orkeneyjar

(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Linnea I, Queen of Orkney and the Isles

Queen Linnea emptied her treasury on gifts to Kiev, Le Marteau and for the Noble House of Byzantium. The latter was not to receive the gift due to the Norsemen’s lack of knowledge of the southern seas. She could not resist the temptation to address the nation’s merchants and ensure that trade was profitable.  Her reign continued to prosper as she ruled from Kirkval with Ewan at her side and was blessed with a new daughter during these years. Calder moved to the Faroes countryside with Wotan and gained their full support before retiring to their accommodations in Thorshavn. Vif was to join Skagga in Norway to aid in its defence against any Svear aggression but fell ill in 1408 and died shortly after. In the Americas, Innu Spirit Speak continued to spread the gospel and was to convert the Mohawk to Christianity, along with Brother Tirancourt. To further aid the Order, the Queen provided the funds and resources to build a Preceptory in Holland. Attempts to convert the infidels of Musa were met with resistance by the Jumali priests and little headway was made.

 

 

La Marteau de Dieu

(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious Order)
Constantin, Hammer of God

images (3)

Grandmaster Geoffroi was to pass away in his sleep in 1408 and his endorsement of Brother Constantin to succeed him as head of the Order was merely a formality given the ascerbic nature of the other Brothers.  Although missionaries were again unsuccessful in Kymia, an Order Preceptory was constructed in Lothian. The Order sent emissaries to the Svear court to start discourse with King Eric after the death of the hated traitor Queen Sanfrida. The new Grandmaster, Constantin, continued to scour Kirkval for mercenaries to augment the Order’s fighting men. He was able to recruit a considerable force of two thousand men for his army. Gold had been dispatched under heavy guard from Queen Linnea of the Orkneys to Brother Henri and Brother Brian. Henri was dispatched to the port to make ready the transports while Brian discussed the security aspects of moving so much gold with the martial Fergus of Caithness.  Unfortunately, neither the Order nor Fergus could find sea captains with knowledge of routes south of the Bay of Biscay and so the gold remained deposited in the Order’s Fortress.

 

 


 

Eastern Europe


The Varangian Rus of Kiev

(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Fedor, King of the Rus

kiev

King Fedor continued to rule his kingdom from Kiev, blessed with six children by Queen Aelia the king was happy to see his kingdom prosper and his young son Peter come of age. The remaining steppe of Atelzuko was put to the plough and even the forgotten lands of Kirivitch were to prosper during these years. Fedor was to augment the river fleet out of Chernigov to improve trade along the Dnepr. He was also keen to establish trade with the small kingdom of Rum from their port in Ancyra. Almost as an afterthought, Fedor agreed to send the Order of St Vladimir regular funds from the Varangian treasury to support their work in the west. Whilst Stephen ensured the defence of the kingdom, Peter and Osberic completed their work in Perograd; finally reinstating Varangian control over the city. Worryingly, it seemed that bandits were preying on merchants travelling along the Dnepr.

 

 

The Oriental Roman Empire

(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Michael, Emperor of East Rome

images (1)

The threat from the Al’Bahri was taken seriously and the Emperor decided that he would not lightly turn from the Christian faith. In defiance against the might of the Pirates, the Emperor commissioned a large number of carracks from Constantinople’s dockyards augmented by several caravels. Furthermore, missionaries were sent to Rhodes and Colchis in Abasigia to counter the threat from Islam. The Emperor had returned to Constantinople from Malta in 1406 and as to rule from his palaces until his death in 1409. Prince Michael had travelled in the opposite direction to continue the late Emperor’s work in Valletta in order to gain more influence with the Knights of Malta. He remained in the city when news of the Emperor’s death reached him, making him the new heir to the Roman Empire. With the newly built ships also under his command, Duke Alexios ensured the security of the Empire from Constantinople.  Duke Demetrious journeyed to Attica where he was able to exact tribute from the province. Roman agents were once again able to root out Buwayid attempts to infiltrate the university at Constantinople as the Sultanate attempted to catch up with the West’s technology.

Anastasius Makrembolites was to finally acquire enough gold to declare Constantinople as the premier Cartel city of the House of Byzantium and subsequently for the city to become the Home Office for his merchants.  With gold promised from his benefactors, the fortune of  Makrembolites was set to increase dramatically.

 

 

The Order of St Vladimir

(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious Order)
Eric, Grandmaster of the Order of St Vladimir

Trade was established with the Romans and the old Rum Khanate in Turki. Dmitry spent a few years ensuring that the Preceptory in Vidin was completed before traveling back to Kiev to confirm his ascension to the Grandmaster of the Order. Harold suspected that his services were undervalued as he was given command of some poorly constructed merchant vessels and sent west to complete exploration of the Mediterranean and beyond. Surprisingly, the Brother was to return to Pechnograd with rutters for most of the sea mapped righto the Gates of Hercules themselves. Ragnar and Sigurd were dispatched to Constanta where they established a House for the Order in the city.