Congratulations on all of the magical research, some of the ideas I received were quite good, and I look forward to incorporating many of them into the game.
There will be pictures included in the next fax, but I really wanted to
get this one out the door after all of the problems it has caused.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7, w6, s6, c7 Troops: 10i, 1xi, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Shinto Civilized Open Empire)
Michinaga
Diplomacy: Toyama (aw), Nigata (hs), Akita (hs)
Michinaga, being an enlightened ruler realized that his troops were far
in excess of his needs. So he sent many thousands of them to Yamoto, giving
them lands there and thus enriched the province a great deal. His footsoldiers
thus reduced, he gave control of all of the remaining infantry to Takeda still
numbering several thousand, keeping control of the cavalry for himself.
Japan grew in other ways as well, the city of Kagoshima was founded in the province of the same name, providing Japanese merchants with more access to both the Tsushima Strait and the Inland Sea and surrounding waters. A small trading fleet was built to begin the spread of Japanese goods throughout Asia, while bringing in exotic products in exchange.
In order to fully take advantage of these new sources of wealth as well as the already existing ones, Ishida was tasked with a great census to include all Japanese lands. In addition to all of this bookkeeping, Ishida also oversaw great investments in the government itself. Since most of this work occurred in and around the Capital, Ishida found time to get married. They shortly had a girl, who was quite healthy. However the newlywed's joy was short-lived, as less that a year later, his young wife died to a sudden illness. Ishida was heartbroken and spent many months in mourning. But looking at his daughter, he knew that he had to ensure the succession of his line to keep her safe, and so he began once again to search for a wife.
All of this growth requires much labor of course, and so Mighinaga decided that the recently conquered province of Toyama looked like the logical choice. Fielding close to 5000 cavalry, and supported by Takeda and his 4000 infantry Michinaga set forth to acquire as many new workers as possible for the realm.
Needless to say, the people of Toyama, didn't agree with Michinaga's (quite generous in his eyes) suggestion that they all pack up and go serve Michinaga and his people. An impromptu army of nearly 5000 people, almost all farmers and other peasants with improvised weapons proceeded to play a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout the countryside. Whenever Michinaga and his troops approached a village, they would find it deserted. They suffered from constant attacks from the populace at the most unexpected times. In the end however, Michinaga was able to subdue the revolt, and brought many slaves home to Yamoto, though at a cost of just over a thousand men of his own killed in the fighting. So violent was the resistance, and so many participated, that Michinaga took home fewer slaves than he had intended because so many of the people he wished as slaves died fighting valiantly against futile odds.
In response to this brutal campaign, the northern regions of Nigata and Akita also rebelled, fearing a similar fate would be in store for them.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, w7, s5, c4 Troops: 10i, 10w, 10t Leaders: None |
(Hinduism Seafaring Open Empire)
NPN
Makakan Governor-General
Diplomacy: Timur(failed)
The Governor-General of Makakan sought to gain support from the tribes
of Timur, by offering them protection from being enslaved by their neighbors.
The people however, did not see enough difference between serving the Srivijayans
or the people of Brunei as slaves and serving the city of Makakann as "citizens".
This baffled the governor and he returned to Makakan wondering what was to
become of the tribesmen he looked so kindly upon.
(Hinduism Seafaring Open Empire)
NPN
Brunei King
Diplomacy: None
The King of Brunei satisfied himself by building several structures to
increase his nations economic strength.
Though he did watch the decreasing Srivijayan influence on his home island
with more than a little interest..
(Oceanic Pagan Seafaring Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Moluccas King
Diplomacy:
The King of Moluccas, after seeing to the trade of his nation, proceeded to order a great deal of improvements be made to the infrastructure of his nation. Scatterred about as it is, it is difficult to keep in touch with everyone, and so he set about remedying this. A daughter was born to him, very healthy and he was very pleased.
(Hinduism Seafaring Open Empire)
Chulamanivarnam, Lord of the Golden Lands
Diplomacy: Barat(fa), Selatan(un) Tengah(nt), Perak(t)
Chulamanivarnam, Lord of the Golden Lands, looked out upon his realm with
much pleasure. His traders were bringing in goods from many distant ports,
he knew this because he had personally just went over the shipping records
himself. It never hurt to check up on underlings from time to time, keeps
them on their toes. Several thousand troops were disbanded and set to work
making improvements in the empire.
This put him in such a good mood, that he decreed that Tengah need no longer pay the annual tributes previously demanded as long as they continued to recognize the rule of Chulamanivarnam. Barat and Selatan were also given their autonomy in return for a promise of military aid should it become necessary. These regions were wild jungles and produced little regardless. This did not mean that he left the entire Eastern portion of his realm go, Santabong remained fully integrated into the realm providing full access to the Brunei Sea. He also sent his trusted friend Sailendras on a mission of diplomacy to Perak, where he spent many years. These years were well spent, leading to Perak agreeing to pay tribute to the empire.
His realm thus arranged, Chulamanivarnam began pondering some of the questions troubling his scholars. After all if one is the Lord of the Golden Lands, one should know these things. Unfortunately, the workings of magic were for the most part beyond Chulamanivarnam's comprehension this time.
This failure led him into a great depression. However, this depression was soon lifted by the birth of a son, the empire rejoiced with the emperor. Another son soon followed, but alas, his poor wife did not survive the birth.
Chulamanivarnum gave a modest fleet to Airlagga along with orders to explore the Banda Sea, which he did wonderfully, not losing a single ship.
The new rulers in Selatan, reveling in their newfound freedom, decided
that in order to truly be free, they could not be ruled by any nation no matter
how benevolent, and they thus declared their total independence.
| Mercenaries: AQR's: i7, w5, s5, c6 Troops: 13i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Jayavarman V
Diplomacy: None
Jayavarman V undertook programs of improvement in the government, while
his son, was sent to Phan Rang to oversee the building of Ca Mau, a port
giving the empire access to the Mekong Sea as well as Penunjunk Wan. The
Khemer watched with interest as the Sung invaded their neighbor of Annam,
but felt that the mountains would help protect them from a similar fate.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Annam King
Diplomacy: Cochin (c)
The King sent his heir off to bring Cochin into the realm, but after five
years of intense diplomacy very little was actually accomplished. However,
while the heir was off being a diplomat, a much more serious event occurred.
The Sung stormed across the border with close to fifty thousand soldiers.
(See the Sung entry for details)
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Jayavarman
Diplomacy: None
Burma was also quiet for these five years, electing like so many others
in the region to take a piece of the trade flowing between India and the rest
of the Far East. This new city was built in Pegu, on the Andaman Sea.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
NPN
Champa King
Diplomacy: None
In Champa, there was great deal of building. Construction of a new Port was begun in Mison, while many smaller projects were built to take more fully utilize the lands around Vijaya. Events in the North, however caused much discontentment, and so defensive projects were undertaken throughout the kingdom.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, w4, s2, c4 Troops: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Cheng-tsung
Diplomacy: Hupei(a), Hunan(failed)
With an empire so large it was hard to keep track of, Cheng-tsung set about counting everyone. And everyone is a whole lot of people, so he sent his trusted advisor Dung to undertake the census, while he himself oversaw much work on the government itself. During this time he saw to populating the royal court, celebrating the birth of a son. Dung, realizing that a large army was superfluous in conducting a census left his entire army behind to garrison Shensi and protect the capital. After this he set about conducting the massive census, and completed this great project in a mere five years. Everyone was awed, but all he would say about accomplishing it was that he never wanted to do it again.
Tung, another one of the Emperor's advisors, set out to bring Hunan and Hupei further into the fold of the Sung Empire. Tung, also realized that a large army wasn't really needed to conduct the type of diplomacy he was aiming for, and so turned over control of his entire army, some 23000 troops to Master Hung, the newly appointed general of the empire. Then he set out for Hupei, and spent the better part of two years there praising the benefits of joining the empire. This brought Hupei in as a full ally of the Sung. All were amazed at the skill with the arcane that their newfound ally exhibited.
After this it was on to Hunan. Here however things went less than well. Though at least they remained loyal to their oath of fealty, and so were still willing to assist the Sung, they were not brought any deeper into empire politics.
This was not the only way the Sung planned to expand however, Master Hung, newly appointed General of the Empire, mobilized his entire army, as well as taking the army from Master Tung. This left him with a massive force of over 45000 troops to which he added some 2000 newly raised heavy cavalry. This seemed an unstoppable force. Especially when pointed at Annam, their small neighbor to the south. Master Hung waited for a while first to ensure no attacks were imminent upon the nation. Then he set out. Not long after setting out on this great mission of conquest a massive force of barbarians was reported attacking into the Empire. Before Hung could be recalled from his invasion to the south, word reached him that the invading army mysteriously left before doing any substantial damage. How odd, maybe it was just rumors reaching this far south.
However, the people of Annam were not surprised as the General had hoped, in fact the spies and scouts sent out had been captured and so their was quite a welcome in store. Not having time to raise more of an army, the small force that made up the entire army set out to stop the invading Sung after they came through the mountain passes, but before they could get organized and begin to move throughout the countryside. This was made easier by the difficulties Hung was having coordinating such a large and unwieldy force.
Right from the start the brave soldiers of Annam were in trouble, for they were outnumbered eight to one. Refusing to lose his kingdom, the King of Annam attacked fiercely driving his small squadron of cavalry straight through the unprepared cavalry screen set up by the Sung and into the masses of conscripts that made up the bulk of the army. The carnage was incredible, thousands upon thousands of Sung footsoldiers died, while only several hundred cavalrymen were lost by the Annamese.
General Hung, sensing disaster finally managed to get the newly raised heavy cavalry into action, killing almost two thousand of the defenders while losing only a handful of mounted men. This vicious attack on the Annamese forced them to retreat from the field, though they were not yet beaten, only the first day of battle had been fought.
The campaign progressed for several weeks longer, but after that first day, the men of Annam were very difficult to find, and the conscripts suffered the brunt of many ambushes, leading to much desertion among the ranks. The morale of the Sung weakened by the day, far from home, and then Hung found his chance. He began to march straight for Tonkin, virtually ignoring casualties, but forcing the valiant defenders to come out and fight. And it worked. Come out and fight they did.
This led to the Battle of Tonkin, (though it actually was fought miles
away). And miraculously, the Annam cavalry, with their king at the head of
the army, banner flying, repeated the massacre of the poor Sung footsoldiers
again. This was too much for the Sung, and they began the long retreat back
to Lingsi, having lost one in four of their number, and all of their spirit.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Nanchao King
Diplomacy: Laos (p)
Being bordered by the Sung seems to have caused an inferiority complex amongst the Nan Chao. Looking for a likely victim the King set his sights on Laos. So he musterred the troops and set off with over 6000 men on foot. The army found the combat in Laos ridiculously easy, losing less than half a thousand men and destroying the entire army of close to four thousand. A garrison was left and the king returned home to a great victory celebration.
The Kings son, a rather sickly man, was not involved in the battle, as his frail constitution wouldn't allow it. However, he did spend much time in a monastery pondering many mystical thoughts, and received much magical enlightenment as a result.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Ch'eng-t'ien
Diplomacy: Hsuing'Nu(c)
Ch'eng-t'ien felt jealous of the culture of the weak Sung to the South, and she had a plan. Her ultimate goal was to eclipse the Sung culturally without losing the martial edge of her people. In order to do this mass quantities of gold and many hundred of thousands of hours of labor went into beginning the slow process of improving the education of her people. She knew they were just as smart as their southern weakling neighbors, but they just needed the opportunity to fully develop the more esoteric skills that didn't involve riding and fighting. Not that those were not important skills, but perhaps there was more to life. She also sent a small portion of her cavalry to her heir Sheng-tsung as an escort. As part of the education of the people, Ch'eng-t'ien set about researching many arcane questions hoping that perhaps in this also they could eclipse the Sung.
With this escort Sheng-tsung set out on a diplomatic mission to Hsuing'Nu. This was an unmitigated disaster. The people of Hsuing'Nu not only refused to become more active members of the kingdom, but they renounced almost all ties with the Liao. Leaving the Liao people with only a tenuous claim on the region.
Lin Hua, loyal advisor to the Queen set about taking the census. This was successful, and so more gold began flowing into the coffers. No one had realized there were so many people in the kingdom, this was a wonderful revelation.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7, w6, s6, c7 Troops: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: |
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Mokchong
Diplomacy: Mantap(p)
Mokchong knew it was time to expand his empire. So he looked about and decided obviously that attacking either the Sung of the Liao Kingdom was not conducive to long life, so he set his sights upon Mantap. Taking his Son with him as second in command to teach him the art of war, he set out to the north.
It wasn't a large force some 6000 on foot and another 2000 mounted, but it wasn't exactly small either, and Mokchong was confident in his command abilities. This force was more than enough to sweep away the just over 2000 footsoldiers that turned out to resist the invasion. Mokchong's Heir was captured during the battle in the one shining moment for the rag-tag defenders. This was short-lived, and he was recovered as the entire defending army was destroyed.
All in all the Koreans lost only a handful of men, both mounted and not.
A garrison was left behind and the army marched home.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i5, s5, c7 Troops: 10i, 5xc, 10c Leaders: None |
(Asiatic Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
NON PLAYER NATION
Jungaria Khan
Diplomacy: None
The Khan set about improving the lands of Jungaria, and that was about it.
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
NON PLAYER NATION
Kashgar King
Diplomacy: Kush(p)
The king of Kashgar decreed that he needed more land to raise crops on in order to give the economy a boost. Plus, he was just plain bored of sitting around. So he gathered his troops, a touch under ten thousand, and set out across the mountains to the west. There he met and defeated in battle the Kush's entire army suffering only the mildest of casualties. Satisfied, he left a garrison behind and marched home.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR PLAYER
Li Te-ming
Diplomacy: Lang Shan(a)
While small improvements were made in Wu Hai, and a token attempt at improving her nations education was made, Li Chi-ch'ien's heart wasn't in it. She belonged on horseback, commanding her people in person. And so she set off, but not towards the Sung as everybody seemed to expect, but rather southwards into Tibet. But she didn't stay there for long, quickly moving from the lands of Tibet and into Cheinnan, attacking the Sung from an unexpected direction, destroying much, looting, pillaging and burning her way through the outlying province of the Sung with here vast army. Or at least that was the plan. How it turned out was much different.
Things started to go wrong when the diplomats carrying tribute to Hsi-Hsia from the Sung couldn't find the Li Chi-chien to properly pay the tribute. They also noticed the fact that not only was she missing, but much of her army was missing to. This was dire news indeed, and they set out to return home with these tidings, taking their tribute with them. Oh well, what is a little tribute when compared with the riches Chi-chien was sure to gain with her invasion.
The foray through Tibet was brief enough that no resistance was encountered, and then on to Chiennan. The cavalry were much pleased to ride out into the cultivated lands of the Sung, after journeying though mountains and deserts in order to make this surprise attack. Li Chi-chien set up camp while waiting for her army to arrive. It takes some time for well in excess of fifty thousand fighting men and horses to get through such rugged terrain, not to mention the never-ending train of camp followers and the like. She woke up just in time to see the knife that killed her. Thinking to herself thoughts about the damned Sung and their cowardly ways, she died. Leaving chaos and disorder in the ranks.
Eventually one of her captains broke free from the squabbling that erupted and took control. His first act was to have every member of Chi-ch'en's honor guard put in chains to be dragged all the way home, dead or alive, for their failure. Then fearing a Sung assault on his army, knowing that he didn’t have enough loyalty from the different factions to effectively wage actual battles, he began the long march home. This march did not lead through Tibet, as that could have been potential disaster, no telling who would be waiting for them there. Instead, he moved through Lanchou, and Qinghai on the way back to Yanzhi. None of the chained guards survived this trip, though their bodies were dragged the rest of the way.
Minor battles with locals in Lanchou, and several ambushes in the mountain passes of Qinghai led to some losses, and nearly twice as many men were lost to simple desertion. But in the end, nearly the entire force made it home. This captain then fled taking the body of the queen with him, and all wondered where he went, and who he was, for few could remember his name, let alone his face.
Of course the rest of the Kingdom, had no idea that these events had transpired, and so for most of the five years, they went about the tasks set for them by their queen. Li Te-ming, keeping the infantry from his queen's army, stayed behind in Wu Hai, overseeing the projects being built and defending the realm in general. Little realizing that his time spent running the country would be a harbinger of being the actual ruler, and now he had a wife, Na-young, thanks to the efforts of Lin Ho in Lang Shan.
Lin Ho, trusted diplomat in a land where diplomacy was not a great art, succeeded in forming an alliance with the people of Lang Shan. All it cost was Li Te-ming's hand in marriage. This was of course a greater prize than any knew, since it was not the hand of an heir, but the hand of the king himself. While this was going on however, the province of Tuhnwhang and the city Ka-Yu-Kuan contained therein, declared their independence form the rule of Hsi-Hsia, probably due to issues with the new ruler.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
NON PLAYER NATION
Kashmir King
Diplomacy: None
Diplomatic attempts to bring Kush into the realm were cancelled when Kashgar Khan came across the mountains to take the region for himself.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Dhalai Lama
Diplomacy: Bhutan(ea)
The Dhalai Lhama himself set about solidifying the influence of the kingdom
on some of the tributary regions closest to home. Resulting in Bhutan fully
tying their economy into that of Tibet, and no changes anywhere else. Some
other improvements were undertaken, and there was an attempt to make the government
more efficient, with a census which was successful.
(Sunni Islam Nomadic Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Arsen
Diplomacy: None
The Seljuks wandered about preparing for the time to ride out. But no call came this time, perhaps soon though...
(Asiatic Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
NON PLAYER NATION
Bolgar Khan
Diplomacy: None
Bolgar Khan started a project of minor improvements, but was derailed by an outbreak of the plague, killing many citizens, and making merchants fear to trade with his people.
| Mecenaries: AQRs: i6, w5, s6, c7 Troops: 11i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: Manava M915 |
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Anhivarta King
Diplomacy: None
The Realm of Anhivarta was a quiet one, with only the sound of building
to disturb the peace. The King sighed with contentment as the traders began
to flow in and out of his nation, bringing in much wealth.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Madanraj
Diplomacy: None
Madanraj, finding a wife amongst the noble families of his court, set about
the difficult task of ensuring a succession of his line. Four years and then
some later, still no luck. Since he was to be occupied for the time being,
he transferred control of the army to his heir, Ranjit
Ranjit, being practical, spent the entire time defending the realm. After
all it is not a large realm, and so one must never let their vigilance slacken.
It would not take long for the nation to fall if it came to that. But Ranjit
knew that he was enough to defend the area if it became necessary. Luckily,
it didn't.
While all this was going on, a great census was undertaken, resulting in
more goods flowing to the taxes as it was now much more difficult to shirk
ones duty and not pay taxes.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Rajaraja I
Diplomacy: Belur(un), Gangas(un), Karnate(un), Seylon(un), Kalinga (c)
Rajaraja I demobilized a not insubstantial portion of the military to pave the way for drastic reforms across the entire nation. He personally saw to it that the traders were all trading on profitable routes, and did much for the public welfare, especially in and around Chola and Pandya. In order to further increase the efficiency of the government, many of the outlying regions were given their independence. These were Belur, Gangas, and Karnata. The garrison was removed from Seylon as well, and it was allowed to become independent again as well. Rajaraja himself appeared in Seylon to lead the garrison in person with no more than his personal guard to escort him there, having left his army behind to defend the homeland, as a show of good faith.
On top of all of these actions, his heir Rajandra set about counting all of the people in the now slimmed down nation. This was successful, and the already rich nation became that much richer.
Unfortunately all did not go as well as planned, the reductions in the size of the nation were to be partially countered by bringing Kalinga into the fold, but Prashant, the trusted friend and diplomat, failed in this despite spending much time in the region. All that resulted was Chola was able to claim the region as theirs, but the people of the region made no formal recognition of this claim. Despite the setback, it was definitely the dawning of a new day for the Kingdom.
It was only after Karnata was given it's independence that gold was discovered in the area, and Rajaraja was mightily displeased that he had just set that very same region free from his realm.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Dahala King
Diplomacy: Kosala (c)
The only activity in Dahala was the attempt to lure Kosala into joining. It didn't go very well, and so while Dahala claims to have some control over the region, that is a one-sided perspective, and the Kosalans don't really seem to agree. Minor improvement projects were also undertaken throughout the realm.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Gujerati King
Diplomacy: Avanti (p)
In an effort to acquire slaves to work the fields and build great works,
the army of Gujerat marched on Avanti.
While the battle to conquer the region went tolerably well, the losses
incurred were enough to dissuade the invaders from taking slaves, at least
for now. Maybe once reinforcements can be sent it would become feasible again.
But having lost close to 3000 soldiers or so taking the region, the move
to enslave the region was deemed too dangerous, especially since the leader
of the defenders, Manava, survived and escaped and would no doubt lead the
populace in revolt.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Galandi
Diplomacy: Built Nadivaria (port city in Nadavaria)
Galandi delegated much authority to his underlings and then dedicated himself to study. In the meantime his son, Galandi II oversaw a great magical project in Maghada, which resulted in much greater production for the region. After accomplishing this, he returned home to assist his father in his research. They discovered many new facets of the mystical world, but none of them were of immediate use. Such is pure research.
Realizing that his nation would be relying on trade due to its location, Galandi sent Trovar to build a new port in Nadivaria, called originally enough, Nadivaria. While this was going on, a large trading fleet was being built in Bihar, no doubt some of it was destined to be used in the new port once it was completed.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Palas King
Diplomacy: Pamartli (f)
The King ordered many works built to increase the productivity of his realm
as well as the city Pamartli, giving access to the Andaman Sea from Samatata
to allow more trade to flow into the nation.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Punjab King
Diplomacy: None
Punjab was quiet, only the sound of building disturbed the peace.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Tarain King
Diplomacy: Jaipur (f)
The port of Jaipur was built on the Upper Ganges in Chitor, and that's about it for Tarain.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Pradesh King
Diplomacy: None
Uttar Pradesh was peaceful, with nothing but building projects occurring
for a while. But that peace was disturbed in the city of Kalanjara, where
numerous miraculous acts occurred, leading to mass pilgrimages of Hindus from
all as far away as Brunei travelling to the city. (Kalanjara is now a Holy
City for Hinduism)
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i5, s5, c7, w5 Pool: 5c, 10xc, 10i, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Shi'a Islam Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Baha al-Dowlah
Diplomacy: Aleppo (nt), Khomeyni (f)
Baha al-Dowlah, Caliph of the Buhwayids, set about many great tasks to ensure the prosperity of his realm. He disbanded many of his footsoldiers, but still retained a very large army. Many of the soldiers were sent to Fars, where they settled and constructed a new port, Khomeyni. Many more of the soldiers settled in Mesopotamia, or manned the newly created fortifications in that region.
As per the treaty between The Buhwayid and the Byzantines, chests of gold were shipped to the west in exchange for the rights to try to sway the people of Aleppo into the fold. Hasan was sent to perform the diplomacy. As per the treaty, Hassan brought no troops with him, though there was a large contingent of bodyguards protecting him at all times. This mission was a more or less a success, the region acknowledged the rule of Baghdad, but no taxes were forthcoming.
In 1004, a terrible fire broke out in Baghdad, killing thousands, but the fire was luckily contained to only one region of the city, and most of the city was spared. Rumors about the cause of the fire were rampant. Everything from Satan spawned demons, to Byzantine or Sunni sabotage, and much more were all posed as possible causes. But it was more than likely just a cooking fire gone out of control or one of the many other mundane causes of fires.
The governmental aspects of running the Emirate were not forgotten either. A Royal Road was built connecting Mosul to Baghdad, and Daud set about conducting a census of the entire realm, succeeding easily, though it did take a long time. Investments into improving the infrastructure also paid off.
Many new trade routes were set up though there were few traders plying the routes. The new port should cause this to change in the future though.
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
NON_PLAYER NATION
Sheba Emir
Diplomacy: Yemen (f), Ad Dahi (f)
In order to take advantage of Sheba's place on the Red Sea, the fishing
village of Ad Dahi was expanded to enable it to handle the new trade fleets
envisioned by the emir. He also personally traveled to Yemen in order to fully
bring the area under the sway of the Emirate. The government's bureaucracy
also expanded to allow better control of the new region and city.
(Shi'a Islam Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Mahmud
Diplomacy: None
Mahmud traveled the realm ensuring his rule was secured, and began to carefully
examine the territory surrounding the Empire to see where it might best expand.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6,c6,s5,w5 Troops: 10i, 10c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Shi'a Islam Civilized Open Empire)
al-Hakim
Diplomacy: Levant(t),
The Fatamid Calipahte underwent a series of modernizations to allow al-Hakim to fully rule his wide domain. These changes included massive investments into governmental offices as well as the first attempt to fully appreciate just how many people were in the realm, not to mention just how much they could be taxed.
Mahmud, one of the Caliphs many advisors set about undertaking the census. He succeeded, though it took a full five years, and during his journeys Mahmud became quite ill. He survived the illness, and finished his duties however. Al-Hakim was very pleased with this and Mahmud stature amongst the other advisors was greatly increased.
Abdullah, al-Hakims most trusted friend, was sent to Levant to bring that realm fully under the control of the Caliphate. To sweeten the pot, a bride was found, but even that was not enough to sway the Sunni leaders to accept more control from the Fatamids. On top of that, Jerualems predominantly Sunni leaders decided to follow the lead of their neighbors and broke many of their ties to the Caliphate, though they still acknowledged the rule of al-Hakim.
All was not lost however, many believe that the marriage will heal some
of the wounds between the Sunni and Shi'a people in the region, and will perhaps
lead to more cooperation in the future, as the effects of the marriage have
more time to spread.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7 c5 s5 w5 Troops: 10i, 10c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
al'Amas
Diplomacy:
Al'Amas realizing that his nation could prove quite rich indeed, set about building up the nations economy. But also realizing that a rich target is a tempting target, he did not neglect his military.
(Coptic Christian Civilized Open Empire)
Mera
Diplomacy: Axum(f)
Mera and his subjects were quite busy. With major funding going into government
and education, it would seem that the Coptics were looking to be a shining
beacon of civilization in the eastern part of Africa. This growth was magical
as well as mundane, Mera himself spent over almost 2 years in quiet study
to learn how he could further use magic to take care of the earth so that
it would take care of his people.
The kingdom’s magicians already knew some of what could be coaxed out of
the earth, and as such they were able to greatly increase the food produced
in Funj. This effort was also led by Mera, who used the knowledge gained in
performing the rituals to further influence his research. Many priests and
others were left behind to continue this work for as long as it was deemed
necessary by Mera.
Dil, a lieutenant of the nation, was sent to Axum to convince that small
realm that it was in everybody’s best interests to join together. And he spent
most of the five years doing just that. He used every argument he could think
of, pointing to the riches of Zagwe, the dangers surrounding both realms on
all sides, heretics and pagans, and anything else he could think of. In the
end, it was the economic concerns, and the offer of marriage to the daughter
of the most influential of Axums leaders that sealed the deal. On top of that,
the ruler of Axum was made a prince of Zagwe, so it was truly a joining of
nations.
Lalabela, heir to the throne traveled to Funj to assist in the rituals
being performed there and then continued on to Atbara where he was married
in late 1004 according to the agreements set up by Dil. The marriage went
well, and the entire nation is anxiously awaiting the birth of their first
child in the spring of 1006.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6,s4,w6 Troops: 10i, 10xi, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Ibriham
Diplomacy: None
Ibrihim had his eyes set upon the gold to the West, and the trade that it would bring to his nation. However, being no fool, he realized that it was too far inland to control effectively, and the gold would be difficult to carry through the mountains, so he began the building of a road to connect the coast of Kilwas with the Gold laden region of Kimbu. It would be some time before the labors were finished, but that which is never started is never finished.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Buruni
Diplomacy: None
Buruni spent the time ensuring that his rule was followed in the lands surrounding Great Zimbabwe, however, his attentions were not directed to the outlying regions, and Luanaga decided to reassert independence. As no income was actually generated from the region, Merwi cautioned Buruni that the time would come to reclaim the region, but that the time was not now.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, c5, s5, w5 Troops: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None Cavalry may only be hired north of Tse-Tse zone |
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Kwame
Diplomacy: None
Much building and investing took place, but no earth shaking, or even region shaking events here. Just business as usual. And then it happened. Gold! Gold was discovered in Sankarani, this led to an influx of people, and the population of Kumbi-Saleh boomed. And of course Kwame began making preparations to bring the region under his sway.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Kumbayal
Diplomacy: Ife (failed)
Kumbayal led his people to many efforts to increase the abilities of his nation. Many projects were started to enable his rule to reach farther and to ensure that nothing was wasted. In fact a substantial portion of the army was given their leave in return for assisting with several road building and irrigation projects. These were mainly to ensure that most food could be transported to the Niger River in a timely fashion to reduce losses due to spoilage. While this increased efficiency was not necessary yet, a time could be seen in the not too distant future when it could be critical.
So important were these projects that Kumbayal himself conducted the census, which was quite successful. Not only did it provide a valuable count of the people and goods throughout his nation, but he personally traveled to many regions, and the sight of their king led to spontaneous celebrations throughout the land, for the people loved him dearly.
A portion of the army over a thousand strong was also given to Bilma. All were on horseback, and he took those riders and mercilessly trained them into a very efficient fighting force, though they were not high in numbers.
Mawulawde was sent to find a bride in Ife, and it was an interesting journey.
Trade was another key to the nation’s expansion, and caravans were sent through the Sahara to initiate trade with many far flung empires. The routes were difficult, and so not all that lucrative, but it was a start. Much research into the arcane was also conducted, both general and specific, and some interesting results were obtained.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Nyambe
Diplomacy: None
Nothing exciting here. Just life going on.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Akan King
Diplomacy: None
Trade was established with the Kingdom of Ife, and preparations were begun to build a port city, but these preparations were cut short by a terrible explosion. The sky was filled with ash and debris, as an entirely new volcano erupted in Akan. However, all was not lost as it proved very spiritually active, and many traveled to the site to commune with the spirits of earth and fire that resided in the new fiery mountain.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
Lammne
Diplomacy: None
Lammne set about continuing the buildup of his nation, concentrating mainly
on the city of Zaria.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER
King Ife
Diplomacy: None
Ife's king was most honored by the offers brought to him by Mawulade, but
in the end having no daughter, a marriage was not possible. He sent the heir
to the throne of Songhai home with promises of better relations in the future,
and a promise to redouble his efforts to have more children so that a marriage
of some type might be in the works in the long term. Perhaps other cooperation
was possible in the short term, as there were many projects which he wished
to undertake which were beyond his means.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, c7, s6, w5 Troops: 10i, 5hi, 10c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: General Arkov MA42 |
(European Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Vladimir
Suzdal (nt), Rhzev (nt) Diplomacy: Yaroslav (un), Tver (un), Turov (un),
Pinsk (un), Kostroma (un), Atelzuko (un), Kalinin (un), Veposkava (un), Murom
(un), Kur (un), Cuman (hostile), Volhynia (hostile), Galich (hostile), Pereyaslavl
(hostile), Polotsk (f)
The great empire of the Kievan Rus underwent a drastic transformation over the past five years. All claims to huge portions of the realm were renounced to let the unprofitable regions fend for themselves. The list was quite long, it included Yaroslav, Tver, Turov, Pinsk, Kostroma, Atelzuko, Kalinin, Veposkava, Murom, Kur, Cuman, Volhynia, Galich and Pereyaslavl. In addition to renouncing claims to lands outright, Suzdal and Rhzev wre given much more autonomy in ruling themselves, though they still paid a nominal tribute to the Rus.
"A lean realm is a strong realm," Vladimir was heard to say on several occasions, and indeed he intended to strengthen it further. He set about ordering the government and ensuring that it was running efficiently now that the land being monitored was much smaller. However, control of Polotsk (the region) was greatly expanded and it was brought fully under the control of Vladimir. In addition, the cities of Kiev and Novgorod were expanded. "We must maintain our contact with the Magyars even though we no longer share a border. Let us send fleets to them and others. In fact, we shall demobilize many warships and set them to trading so that we may prosper." And with that it was done, traders were sent to Hungary, Sweden, the Byzantine Empire, and even the Eastern Orthodox Church. The church was not very interested in trading, but many new ideas flowed through this trade, and in 1004 Valdimir converted to the Eastern Orthodox religion. It remains to be seen what effect this will have on his citizenry.
Not having personal need of a large army he sent over 1500 cavalry and more that 3000 infantrymen each to both his heir Svotpolk and to general Ivan, telling them "We are strong now, and we must remain strong. Those who are weak will provide for us." And with that he sent them out into the world.
Looking about for a weak realm to prey upon, Svotpolk chose the Poles, and with that his army descended upon Volhynia from Goryn. Unfortunately for the Poles, much of the army of Volhynia was serving under Prince Wladisaw in his western campaign, as their feudal oaths required. This left less than a thousand troops to defend against the incursion many woefully underequipped, and under poor leadership. These poor troops were wiped aside with insignificant casualties for Svotpolk. Now if he could only finish the job before the army of the Poles could respond.
The time had come to take what he had traveled to this land for. Slaves. As expected the people rebelled when his soldiers began enslaving the populace. In fact they rebelled rather successfully, perhaps these people were not as weak as he had been led to believe. Nevertheless, the rebellion was crushed, but this time it cost him the lives of eight hundred of his own soldiers, including two hundred on horseback. The enslavement was a success though, and some two thousand slaves were taken. But Svotpolk was not finished yet. There was still much of value to be taken from the region, and he intended to take it. Still more damned rebels resisted the attempts to take anything that wasn't nailed down, though their numbers were far fewer and even less organized than in the past, they did manage to ambush some of his infantry killing 150 of his footmen before themselves being wiped out. The looting wasn’t near as successful as he had hoped however, and his army left practically empty handed, the amount was so pitiful, that he allowed the troops to keep it all to help boost morale.
Svotpolk wasn't done yet however, though he was done with what remained of Volhynia. He left that region just as the force under King Boleslaw came to drive him out. Svotpolk marched on to Galich. The very region which was so few years ago under his fathers rule. "If they cannot work hard enough to pay taxes, they will work hard enough as slaves," thought Svotpolk. His army advanced into the region, where he met quite a surprise. There on the field of battle was General Arkov, a man he had himself learned much from in his earlier years. Arkov had retired years ago, but now they met as enemies. In the end it was a forgone conclusion anyhow, but Arkov led his men well, and inflicted heavy casualties on the Russian army, six hundred men died taking the region back that had so recently been released. Worse than that, Arkov escaped. Well, the people of Galich would pay for the insult, and so the enslavement began. The people of course revolted upon the attempted enslavement and Arkov organized the resistance and led the army onto the field once more. The anger stirred up by the enslavement meant this would be a much more even fight. In fact, by sheer numbers Arkov's was the larger army. But of course many of his soldiers were untrained peasants and other such rabble. In the end, Arkov managed to field over 2500 infantry men, 1200 of which were reasonably trained, and half of those were even heavily armed and armored. On top of that, he brought a thousand men on horseback to the battle, though over half of these were merely skirmishers. Facing this was Svotpolks remaining army of 2000 infantrymen and 1200 cavalry. But these were all trained soldiers, hardened from the campaign they had been conducting, so the balance was still distinctly in Svotpolks favor.
The battle commenced, and it was indeed a bloody affair. Svotpolk won the day, but at a terrible cost. He lost another 1000 infantry and 200 cavalry, while Arkov retreated from the field in good order with almost six hundred soldiers still under his command. These soldiers and their commander quickly melted into the wilderness, no doubt to bring about some terrible revenge at a later date. Svotpol did take another 2000 slaves successfully however, so all was not a loss. Svotpolk's anger was immense, these people would be made to pay dearly, but not at this time, as his army had been whittled down dangerously low. He returned to Kiev with 4000 slaves in tow, but not much in the way of loot.
General Ivan was sent out on a mission similar to Svotpolk's, but he traveled to the East. His campaign led him first to Chernigov and then to Severesk where he marshaled his forces and then launched into Cuman, another recently abandoned province. The province was pacified at a cost of 400 men, half of them riders. The battles that cropped up when the enslavement began were quite costly for both sides, the rebels lost thousands upon thousands of troops in one small engagement after another, and when finally forced to fight a set battle, were wiped out completely. The last thousand or so were run down while fleeing the field. However, these engagements cost Ivan some 1200 further losses. But as with Svotpolk, he did have the slaves to show for his efforts.
Determined to take the province for everything it was worth, he began to loot is as well, and loot it he did. But he lost another 600 troops. As they were dispersed about in small groups, they were subject to small-scale ambushes. And the losses mounted. Ivan was determined to take as much for Vladimir as he could, so leaving Cuman, he then marched his troops, and lines of slaves into Perayaslavl. As had happened before, one of the regions which was so recently part of the empire, was now its victim. The troops marched in and took the region losing yet another 600 troops.
With his remaining army of 600 cavalry and 1400 infantry, Ivan set about enslaving the population. The locals rose up to defend their families, and did so quite successfully, almost all of Ivan's remaining army was destroyed, and he limped off the field with only 400 men. The slaves that had been taken previously were captured and released, and Ivan barely made it home to Kiev with his life. Many of the slaves managed to return to Cuman where they attempted to put their lives back in order.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER!
Boleslaw
Diplomacy: Kauyavia (p)
Boleslaw and his cousin Wladislaw set out on a great journey of conquest, the target being Kauyavia. With them were many thousands of soldiers, including infantry sent by the region of Volhynia as per their oaths of fealty. The campaign was on schedule and according to plan when disaster struck. Word of the Russian invasion reached the ears of the commanders, and the feudal levies from the invaded territory threatened to leave. After all protection is part of the feudal oaths. Boleslaw seeing no other alternative, not only let them go, but packed up a portion of his personal troops and set off to aid them. After all, what better way to show his support than to respond in person? This left Wladislaw commanding a much-depleted force inside enemy territory.
In a series of brilliant maneuvers he not only was able to preserve most of his troops, but was able to bring Kauyavia under the rule of Poland. He then left a garrison behind and attempted to catch up with the King. Upon arriving in Volhynia, he found the king helping them to rebuild, and without having sufficient force to pursue straight towards Kiev, left for Poland to begin recruiting another army.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Stephan
Diplomacy: Pecs(f) (temporarily)
Things were looking good for the Magyars as the years passed the 1000 mark. Andrew, heir to the throne was sent to the city Pecs to sway them to the Magyar cause. And was remarkably successful, in fact, he enjoyed the city so much that he chose to take up permanent resident there, calling himself the Prince of Pecs, while still maintaining his claim to the throne of his father.
Unfortunately, Pecs turned out to be a dangerous place to live as in 1003 a terrible earthquake struck, leaving few buildings standing. For all intents and purposes the city ceased to exist. As did Andrew's palace. Andrew's body was never found, but with the mass destruction, it is assumed that he perished in the disaster.
(Eastern Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
NON PLAYER NATION
Bulgar King
Diplomacy: None
The Lands of the Bulgar were quiet for now...
(Eastern Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Basil II
Diplomacy:
Basil looked about Constantinople, and while it was surely the greatest city every to bless the world, there was so much more to be done. In fact he dedicated the tremendous resources of his realm almost solely to improving the city. Many thousands of soldiers, some rumored the number to upwards of 30,000, were put to work improving the city instead. The shipping registry was double-checked to ensure that the proper taxes and tariffs were being paid, and the city prospered.
An emissary from the Buhwayid was allowed into Alleppo, and successfully swayed them away from the Byzantine, but he also brought chests of gold to compensate the Empire.
Constantinople was the center of all learning in the world, and would
remain that way. Many of the nobles, including Bardas and Leo dedicated much
of their time to studying the arcane. In Leo's case it was after much sailing
about checking on the Empire's fleets.
(Eastern Orthodox Civilized Religious Primacy)
His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Sergius II, Archbishop of Constantinople
and New Roma, Successor of St. Andrew the Apostle
Diplomacy: Kiev(ch)
Sergius set his bishops about ensuring that all was in order. Primarily that the tithes from the Eastern Roman Empire were coming in as that was indeed a rich realm. Less success was gained in expanding the church’s influence, as attempts to expand into abbeys in several locations failed.
Leo consecrated a new church in Kiev however. This was done while Leo was delivering aid to the Kievan Rus (and not a little convincing for Vladimir). Cosmos attempt to perform a similar feat with the Khan of the Khazars was much less successful. He never returned. And the Khazars show no signs of converting.
Much research was conducted into the nature of Magic. Was this force the same force that provided for the miracles of the past? Was it sent by Satan himself to turn humanity from the true path? These were questions that needed answering. Perhaps the answer was both. Some supernatural feats definitely seemed to have a divine origin, while the opposite was true of others. But many more seemed to be much more neutral. Much like a sword, or a pen, the powers behind magic seemed to be amoral. Or was it just a great deception? Much more research was probably required, but it would seem that at least some of the so-called supernatural events had a divine origin.
(Asiatic Pagan Nomadic Open Empire)
Khazar Khan
Diplomacy: Patzinak(p)
The Khazars came boiling out of the steppes and into the Patzinak area bent on conquest. What they found instead was more nomads much like themselves who willingly joined the band with little more than ceremonial resistance.
And what of Bishop Cosmos? Who knows what fate befell him on the harsh steppes?
(Eastern Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
NON PLAYER NATION
Armenian King
Diplomacy: None
The Armenians greeted many traders and travelers with open arms. Enriching
themselves on the goods passing through, while having little other contact
with outsiders.
| Mercenaries: AQR's: i7, c6, w6, s6 Troops: 10i, 10c, 10s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Al'Mansur
Diplomacy: Baelrics (nt), Esremadurea(nt), Talevera (nt), Geb-al-Tarik
(pt),
Al'Mansur was a very clever man, and he intended to use the full extent of that cleverness to control his Caliphate. First he granted Granada to Abbas, his lieutenant, as a personal fief [making it FA]. Then he offered marriage to his son and heir to the new nobility of Granada as part of a deal to include it under his rule, bringing it fully into the realm with Abbas now the Prince of Granada. Qutluq assisted in this diplomacy.
Some reegions just weren't economical to keep a full system of tributes in place, and many were granted a greater deal of autonomy, including the Geb-al-tarik becoming a satrapy.
Al'Amir, heir to the Calipahte was sent to learn as much as he could about the regions he would someday rule over. And so after finishing his studies in the arcane arts, he set about conducting the royal census.
Many soldiers were dismissed, and the region of Murcia had never been so
profitable, the caliphate was well on the way to becoming an economic power.
The funding of the vast caliphate was looked after by ensuring that traders
reached many far off lands, but the troubles of far off lands reached his
own shores, as even Portugal was attacked. (See Viking Raids)
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Henry
Diplomacy: None
Catalonia and Barcelona benefited from new construction programs, while a small university was funded as well. Some trade was initiated, and luckily the coastline escaped the raids undamaged.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
OPEN FOR A PLAYER!
Robert
Diplomacy:
Robert looked about with much interest, his nation was pitifully small, but he knew they were strong.
There was precious little land that was not claimed by someone however, though with a ship, some could be reached. Where to go? That was the question. The traders of Normandy were strangely unaffected by the raids in the Channel.
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Orseolo
Diplomacy: Verona(f), Illyria(ea), Dalmatia (fa), Croatia(nt), Campania(t),
Naples(f), Corsica(nt), Malta(nt)
As befitting a nation based on trade, the Duke set about to ensure that all trade routes were functioning as expected sending traders both overland and throughout the Mediterranean. Treaties were negotiated with the Byzantine Empire, which resulted in Venice no longer having to share control of Illyria or Dalmatia, and gaining control of Croatia.
A whirlwind of diplomacy also took place, with Orseolo marrying the Veronese nobildonna Adalgisa bringing Verona fully into the Duchy. While Giovanni his heir married Irene, a noblidonna from Naples, thus bringing that city fully into the Venetian fold, while the surrounding region of Campania was only slightly impressed by the diplomatic efforts. No doubt jealous of the marriages going around that they got no part of. Giovanni must have been preoccupied with thoughts of marriage, as his attempt to take the census failed miserably.
The islands were next, with Corsica and Malta next falling to the onslaught of diplomats. Venice had literally exploded into controlling large chunks of the Mediterranean in less than five years.
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Svien Forkbeard
Diplomacy: None
The Danes were rather quiet, some wondered if that was in some way supporting their Scandinavian brothers in their depredations. But few believed these rumors. Svien Forkbeard, was looking for peace. So much so that he scrapped over half of his warfleets, and set the sailors to work as laborers in Denmark.
Svien Forkbeard took what remained of his fleet and sailed off to protect the Skaggerak, while Harald stayed behind, led the defenses and spent quality time with his wife, who subsequently died due to complications in childbirth, as did his son.
(European Pagan Seafaring Open Empire)
Olaf Tryggvason
Diplomacy: None
Olaf set sail to parts unknown. Was he to blame for the attacks on the European coastline?
(European Pagan Seafaring Open Empire)
Olaf Skotkonung
Diplomacy: Smaland (nt)
Olaf left Anund in charge of talking to the locals, and set off to find adventure. Was he to blame instead? Before leaving though, he first decided to take care of the small issue of the Catholic Church in his beloved Uppsala. So he destroyed it.
Meanwhile, Anunds attempts to convince Smaland to further tie their destiny to that of Sweden didn't work out as planned. In fact they renounced their ties of fealty, though they still considered themselves nominally linked to the Swedes under Olaf.
Though the Kingdom did not grow by dipomacy, there was a surge in population in Uppsala(city).
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Ethelred
Diplomacy: Anglia (a)
Ethelred decided it was high time Edmund, his son, was married. But Edmund
stubbornly refused to go searching for a bride. This was just what Ethelred
had been hoping for however, and he sent his lieutenant Aelfric to find his
son a bride in Anglia. If the boy wouldn't choose, the choice would be made
for him, and that choice would benefit the kingdom. The marriage of Edmund
to the Anglian countess was not at all to Edmund's liking. "She's twice my
age!" he protested. "And as ugly as a horse!" he added. But his fathers reply
was that in that case, he should have found his own bride. Unfortunately,
Aelfric had another job to do and that was to conduct a census of the realm.
In that he failed, probably due to being preoccupied with the wedding arrangements.
Ethelred spent much time in study, working in his laboratory, this study
led to a breakthrough letting him send messages directly into other peoples
minds. He quickly taught this to several courtiers and these silent communications
allowed him to exert much more control over court intrigues. In his breaks
between studies, he found the time to issue proclamations reducing the seagoing
warship fleet, and converting it into merchants so that his island would prosper.
These merchants were sent to many different realms on the continent, and
began bringing in great treasures. Merchants also set about trading internally
to the kingdom, moving goods more rapidly by sea than the trade routes on
land would allow.
Not all was roses on the trading front though. Merchants sent to France returned empty handed, and then there was the issue of Vikings. There was a great deal of piracy in the English channel. The merchants complained that this was because of the decommissioning of so many warships, and began to grumble. Then the real terror began. (See Viking Raids)
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Robert/Pious
Diplomacy: Maine (t), Tours(fa)
France controlled a large area, but the control was tenuous at best in many regions. Robert the Pious' first goal was to solidify his hold on existing regions, travelling personally to Maine, Bordeaux and Nivernais. In Maine, the tributary agreement was expanded so that a larger portion of the income was sent to France, while not much useful was accomplished in the city of Bordeaux. Likewise little useful was accomplished in Nivernais.
Meanwhile, Fulk, one of Roberts most trusted lieutenants, set about conducting the census of the lands of France and following that great work, attempted to bring both Tours and Narbonne further into the fold. Tours agreed to send military aid to the King should it be required, in return for more protection for the city. But the leaders of Narbonne were not much impressed by the nobleman.
New trade routes were undertaken with the Christian Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and Normandy. As well, England and Venice were destinations for the newly built trading fleets, bringing the fleets on those routes up to modern standards.
Nobody was able to react quickly enough to the Viking raiders however.
(See Viking Raids)
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Otto III
Diplomacy: Loarraine(ea), Thuringia(fa)
The Empire wasn't very cohesive, but Otto decided he was just the man to do something about that, he sent diplomats off the Thuringia, Bavaria, and Franconia while he went in person to Lorraine to find a wife, and strengthen ties.
So off he marched with his army in and after the people realized that he was not invading even though he was in command of a large number of troops, they welcomed him with open arms. He found a beautiful wife, but the wedding preparations were halted when he packed up his army and marched off to the coast (See Viking Raids). No one knew if she would still be waiting when he returned.
Conrad was the diplomat sent to Franconia, where he did little good, but also luckily, little harm. While Mathisa went to Thruingia and definitely did more harm than good. They stopped paying tribute, though they still would send military aid if requested. Karl was unable to budge the stubborn Bavarians either.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Malcolm II
Diplomacy: Edinbugh (f)
Malcolm realized he had too big an army to feed, and so almost two thousand
men were sent back home to their families to tend their flocks. Some small
improvements were made to the roads of the countryside, but the terrain was
prohibitive, so much remained undone. Edinburgh also was the recipient of
some minor improvements, but not much. Scotland was a fierce kingdom, but
not an overly rich one. These improvements helped bring Edinburgh to cooperate
more closely with the highland clans.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Religious Primacy)
Sylvester II
Diplomacy: Uppsala(un)
Sylvester spent some of his time conducting a census, but most of it overseeing
everybody else. The census work went well, ensuring that Latium produced enough
to support the great city of Rome should it become necessary.
Missionaries were sent out to both far off Strathclyde, where they made
some progress, and to Smalland. But those missionaries were caught in the
church in Uppsala on the way to their calling, and so the people of Smalland
never received the missionaries.
Attempts to found an abbey by Bishop Bruno in Venice did not go according
to plan. Many blamed it on all of the other work he was doing, as it was his
job to attempt to establish tithes for several Catholic nations. Back in
Rome Roshetti was engaged in discovering methods for defending against magical
phenomena.
Oh those fun loving Vikings. In all cases, the raiders were identified
as Scandinavian in origin, but after that it gets confusing. Were they Danes,
Norwegians, or Swedes, that was the question that left everybody baffled.
Piracy in the Channel 1001ad
Shipping was virtually wiped out during the year of 1001. Viking longships
sailed the channel using their vast speed advantage to overhaul every merchant
they could find. In the end, no one was foolish enough to keep trading across
the channel. Some estimates had the pirate fleet at in excess of 100 ships,
but surely those rumors must have been exaggerated.
Gascony 1002ad
Gascony too suffered from Viking raids, and the French could not move quickly
enough to stop the lightning attacks on their coast, but it was a near escape
for the Vikings.
York: 1003ad
Viking longboats pulled right up to the walls of York in huge numbers.
Over 4000 heavily armed and armored men poured out of the boats and assaulted
the walls of York. The walls held for almost a month, but after that it was
all over. The city was reduced to a mere pile of rubble, thousands upon thousands
died, and disease ran rampant.
Portugal 1003 ad
Portugal was raided as well, and while for a short while it appeared that
Lisbon would be next, news of an approaching army caused the villains to flee.
Holland 1004ad
Vikings also fell upon the region of Holland in 1004, taking much, and
escaping before the wrath of the Empire could be brought to bear.
DORMANT UNTIL OLD WORLD FULL ENOUGH
DORMANT UNTI OLD WORLD FULL ENOUGH
DORMANT UNTIL OLD WORLD FULL ENOUGH
DORMANT UNTIL OLD WORLD FULL ENOUGH