We have had several players leave, and it is no doubt my fault for taking so long with this and the last turn. However, I am (hopefully) not going to be moving again for a while, and have gotten a much better handle on the stats program after this run. So I will guarantee that the next turn will be done in 4-6 weeks or there will be no charge.
Turn 3 will be the last turn for Autorule, so keep that in mind. Remember, this means that for the next turn, you do not need to issue rule or administer orders they will be undertaken automatically even if your leader is off doing something else. You can override this for a given leader if you wish, just make a note of it in your orders.
Leader magic ratings cover the full range (1 - B) just like other ratings. However, the distribution of these is weighted very heavily towards the lower end of the spectrum. For now, the average is about 3.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7, w6, s6, c7 Troops: 12i, 2xi, 6c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Shinto Civilized Open Empire)
Open For
Player
Michinaga
Diplomacy: Akita(aw)
After returning his load of slaves to Hei-An, Michinaga put them to work in the province. He then set forth with his army once again. This time Akita was to provide the slaves, after moving through Nigata. As before Takeda followed with close to 4,000 footmen under his command. The initial campaign to retake the region went relatively smoothly with some 350 horsemen lost and just over 200 foot soldiers while wiping out all 3000 defender. Michinaga himself was wounded in the fighting.
Being wounded enraged Michinaga, and though counseled to retreat and rest, he fought on, albeit with more help from Takeda than originally planned. As was to be expected the locals didn't much care for being taken as slaves, and they resisted with everything they had. Some 6000 defenders, most lightly armed turned out to resist the enslavement, and the battle was fierce. As the two armies came together, the first day saw terrible carnage. 600 cavalrymen under Michinaga perished, as well as nearly a thousand infantry under Takeda. At the same time, the defenders suffered horribly, two out of three defenders lay dead or wounded on the field after the initial clash. Yet still they held on. Takeda launched his infantry against the lines yet again, and Michinaga, wounded though he was, managed to personally lead the charge on the flanks of the defenders, crushing them to a man. Close to a thousand more soldiers died in this effort. Michinaga and Takeda made there way home back through Nigata with little more than minor harassment with a fresh batch of labor for the growing nation. Upon returning to the capitol, he expanded his army, adding 1000 each infantrymen and cavalrymen.
Ishida was left behind in Hei-An once again to oversee the running of the
realm. And hopefully to produce an heir. He succeeded in improving the nations
tax system, and his wife became pregnant. However, Ishida was not to live to see
his new child, as he died in 1007. His wife bore a son, and everybody remarked
how he greatly resembled his father, and so the son was named Ishida to remember
him.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, w7, s5, c4 Troops: 10i, 1xi, 10w, 10t Leaders: None |
(Hinduism Seafaring Open Empire)
Open For a Player
Brunei
King
Diplomacy:
(Oceanic Pagan Seafaring Open Empire)
Open For a Player
Moluccas
King
Diplomacy:
Sensing the need for further expansion, the King of Moluccas sent his son to explore to the ocean currents surrounding their homeland. This exploration was fraught with danger however, and after the sixth ship was lost, the son returned home having failed.
Minor improvements were also made to Moluccas, and attempts to improve the
government were unsuccessful, though they provided a starting point for further
improvements.
(Hinduism Seafaring Open Empire)
Chulamanivarnam
Diplomacy:
Pajajaran(ea)
Though Chulamanivarnam was the ruler of a nation made rich by trade, it was not enough, new trade routes were opened to Moluccas, Annam, Champa, and even as far away as Maghada. Though the traders sent to Chola found no new markets waiting for them.
As a further economic measure, many improvements were undertaken in the province of Palembang, the labor for these improvements came largely from the 4000 infantry, and the crews of some 60 warships that were set to work. Diplomacy was also important to the Emperor's plans, and he sent Airlagga to Bali where his skills as a diplomat were sorely tested, and the results were rather disappointing. Knowing his habit of speaking without giving it much thought, some were happy that he simply did not make matters worse. Sailendras was also sent on a diplomatic mission, this one to Pajajeran. This one was much more successful. The region agreed to firmly unite their economy to that of the Empire. This concession was not without cost though, the King of Pajajeran would not agree unless his daughter was to be married into the royal family. Sailendras promptly agreed, knowing that Airlagga was unlikely to be able to arrange his own diplomatic marriage without causing an incident.
Chulamanivarnam himself spent a luxurious five years in the estates just
outside of Sirivijaya, conducting research and attempting to father yet more
children. In both cases he met with little success, though he did make some
small progress in his studies.
(Hinduism Seafaring Open Empire)
Non Player
Nation
Governor-General
Diplomacy:
The refusal of the People of Timur to see the reason behind the
Governor-Generals request that they join his realm infuriated him. He sent his
son and heir, the Lieutenant-Governor to teach them the error of their ways. And
he sent along most of the existing army plus almost a thousand newly raised
troops. And with the inspired leadership of the Makakan army the defenders were
wiped out with losses of less than a thousand men. The Lieutenant-General stayed
in the region with his troops to garrison the region as well as to provide an initial
line of defense for the city itself.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7, w5, s5, c6 Troops: 12i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Open For a Player
Jayavarman
V
Diplomacy: Siam(t)
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Annam
King
Diplomacy:
The King of Annam was infuriated at the attacks on his realm, but realized the folly of attacking into the Sung realms without support form others and so
instead built up his defenses, mainly in the form of mobile units, but some
forts were built as well. After building the army, all that was left to do was
dig in and wait.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Jayavarman
Diplomacy: Monywa(f) (city in Burma)
Jayavarman decided that it was high time he had a city to rule from, and
so the city of Monya was constructed in Burma. Not a large city yet, he had no
doubt that it would eventually be a great asset to his kingdom. Indravarman was sent to Pegu to bring that rich realm fully into the kingdom, and after five
years of hard negotiating, things remained little changed.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Non Player Nation Champa
King
Diplomacy: Da Nang (f) (Port in Mison)
Construction of the port city of Da Nang was completed in 1008, but the King
did not live to see it. And city was a bit of an overstatement, more like an
overgrown fishing village, but everything must start somewhere. He had a
disagreement with a tiger while out hunting and lost. His son took over and did
an admirable job overseeing the completion of the city as well as attempting to
improve the government.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, w4, s4, c6 Troops: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Cheng-tsung
Diplomacy:
With the massive armies at his disposal, Cheng-tsung had no fears for his
nations safety. But as events to the south had shown, a more skilled force would
be needed to use as an expeditionary force. With that in mind his armies dug in
in preparations for attacks that never came.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player Nanchao
King
Diplomacy:
The efforts of Nan Chao were focused on fully incorporating Laos into the kingdom, but the people remembered the war just fought and no actual progress was made.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Ch'eng-t'ien
Diplomacy:
More improvements mandated by Ch'eng-t'ien's inferiority complex. And studies
went well. Perhaps one day the Sung would recognize that civilization isn't one
and the same as living in large cities with huge bureaucracies.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7, w6, s6, c7 Troops: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Mokchong
Diplomacy:
Mokchong wished to continue his conquest of his neighbors, but he realized
that his government simply wasn't up to the task of ruling a larger realm with
him in the field continuing the conquest. So he remained at home, building up
the government, and improving Koguryo.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7, s6, c7 Troops: 10i, 10xc, 10c Leaders: None |
(Asiatic Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Non-Player Nation
Jungaria
Khan
Diplomacy:
Research was the focus of Jungaria, both mundane and arcane. The Khan himself
led the magical research uncovering many wonders of the mystical world, and
attempts were made to shore up the minimalist government as well.
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Nation No Longer Exists
No
longer exists
Diplomacy:
The death of the king in 1006 was a catastrophe. His only heir was a mere
five year old boy, and it was not long before the boy was killed by a claimant
to the throne. This signaled the end of any pretense of a nation, and the rival
factions dissolved into little more than bandits ruling no more than they could
reach with their fragmented armies.
(Sunni Islam Barbarian Open Empire)
Armenian
King
Diplomacy:
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Kashmir
King
Diplomacy: Uzebek (nt)
Will the failure to bring Kuch into the Kingdom, Uzebek was the next piece of
land that the King set his sights on. He traveled to the region in person, and
this led to the realm agreeing to pay tribute, though the tribute was symbolic,
not actually a substantial portion of the income.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Li
Te-ming
Diplomacy: Tuhnwhang (un), Ka-yu-kuan (un)
Investments in government to better control the realm were the primary focus
of Li Te-Ming. Punishing the Sung would have to wait. But the improvements
lagged behind the requirements, Tuhnwhang and its city of Ka-yu-kuan both broke
free of the Kingdom, saying that if the government was too far away to help
them, they wanted no part of it.
(Buddhist Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Dhalai
Lama
Diplomacy:
Even with the recently undertaken census, the government of Tibet was overwhelmed by its responsibilities. Much gold and effort was put forth to remedy this situation, but after five years of trying there was still little progress.
(Sunni Islam Nomadic Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Arsen
Diplomacy: Ferghana(p)
The time had come to ride forth, and Arsen recognized this. Looking about for
new lands to descend upon, Ferghana seemed the obvious choice. And so his mass
of men on hors,. more than men could count rode forth and conquered the region,
and taking it for their own. And thus they were satisfied for a while.
(Asiatic Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Non-Player Nation
Bolgar
Khan
Diplomacy:
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, w5, s6, c7 Troops: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Rajaraja I
Diplomacy:
Pandya was the beneficiary of a massive construction project, making that region quite prosperous. And many more ships were sent on the trade routes to Maghada. Investments were made in many fields, and Rajandra, the Heir to the throne assisted Prashant in conducting magical research. And while much theory was mastered, it did not lead to a practical application at this point. Rajandras training seemed to be going well, and he was of great assistance to Prashant, but in the end his skills were little more than when they had started. But he had hope that he could increase them if given sufficient time.
Rajandra also celebrated the birth of a daughter in 1007 and was greatly pleased by this blessing. Rajaraja I was not as lucky however, his wife grew ill while carrying their child, and passed away before the child was born.
An organization for performing magical feats for the realm was formed, now
all that remained was to learn some of the rumored operations known to other
realms, or to develop their own.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Anhivarta
King
Diplomacy:
Ahnivarta was a quiet Rajputate, with some minor construction and investments
in efficiency. Some modest increases to shipping were also made.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Dahala
King
Diplomacy:
The bureaucracy of Dahala was increased allowing for better control of the
nation. Other investments were not so lucky however, and little building got
done due to the large sums invested into the government.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Galandi
Diplomacy:
Galandi, bowing to the complaints of his scribes, renamed the city Nadivaria. Its new name shall be Turo. This eased their confusion, and they were much happier. while his son and heir traveled in person to both Palas and Srivijaya to initiate trade. Trade was also opened to Rangoon, Burma's new port.
In addition to renaming the new city in Nadivaria, another city was constructed in Chandela named Muhadari.
Galandi's wife died in childbirth while bearing him a daughter. To compound
the misery, the daughter died within her first year. Their was much mourning in
the realm, and the sorrow cast a pall over all activities.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Palas
King
Diplomacy:
Much arcane research was conducted in Palas, as well as some minor attempts
to increase the size of the government. The region of Palas was also improved.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Punjab
King
Diplomacy:
Research in Punjab led to the learning of the secrets of Bountiful Harvest. This
would no doubt go far in leading them to the forefront of power in India.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Tarain
King
Diplomacy:
A great University was started in Delhi. Well, so maybe it was a small
school, but there was the hope that the seed thus planted would continue to grow
and flourish.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Pradesh
King
Diplomacy:
The queen gave birth a boy, and so the line of the King may yet survive.
Other than that, building and investments.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Ranjit
Diplomacy:
Madaranj wished to have a bigger family. In the attempt he died, but at least he went happy. After several tense months, Ranjit solidified his claim to the throne. Ranjit was a forward thinking ruler, and he started a school so that the people of Benares would not fall behind their neighbors. He also made great improvements in Rajput, and because he was no fool, built a series of forts to protect his new constructions.
Sundaram wondered why his abilities were going to waste, but he was a loyal
man, and so did little but grumble quietly.
(Hinduism Civilized Open Empire)
Gujerati
King
Diplomacy:
There was more than one way to get rich, the King of Gujerat knew, and some
ways were easier than others. He knew that others knew this as well, and so
began to build an army to protect his wealth. He raised new cavalry, infantry,
and even specialized engineers, totaling some 2500 new men under his banner.
While not overseeing the building of the army, he spent time with his wife, and
a daughter was born to the happy couple.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i5, w5, s5, c7 Troops: 10i, 5c, 10xc, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Shi'a Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Baha
al-Dowlah
Diplomacy:Antioch (nt)
Baha al-Dowlah sent more gold to Byzantium as part of the treaty they had
signed. This allowed him to begin bringing Antioch into the Caliphate. After
five years of negotiations with the people, Hassan, a trusted friend of the
caliph convinced the city to pay tribute. Though the tribute was but a fraction
of the real worth of the city. The Caliph also undertook improvements to the
religious capabilities of his realm, how else could he lead the people of Islam
and protect them from the rapidly increasing demonic influences that had been unleashed
upon the world.
(Shi'a Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Mahmud
Diplomacy: Kurdistan(un), Media (un), Hamadan(un),
Zagros(un), Yezd(un), Elburz(un), Shir Kuh(un), Kuh'Lalaeh'Zar(un)
The Empire lost the easternmost provinces to rebellion. No doubt the fools
had forgotten why they paid tribute in the first place. Mahmud figured that it
would soon be time to remind them.
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Sheba
Emir
Diplomacy:
The Emir and his trusted lieutenant both immersed themselves in the study of
the arcane. This study was more than worth it as they found ways to increase the
productivity of their wilderness regions. This knowledge may even lead to
expansion into the deserts surrounding the Emirate.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i76, w5, s5, c6 Troops: 10i, 10c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Shi'a Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Awaiting Replacement
Player
al-Hakim
Diplomacy: Levant (ea)
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7, w5, s5, c5 Troops: 10i, 10c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
al'Amas
Diplomacy: Asmara(f) [New port city, Red Sea/
Bab-al-Mandab]
In order to bring even more trade to the bazaars in his realm, a new port was
built in Danakil. This of course consumed most of the realms income and so
little else was done. Though the possibilities for trade will no doubt cause
that to be regained before too long.
(Coptic Christian Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Mera
Diplomacy: Axum(f) [this was actually last turn, but it
didn't end up on the map, so I'm noting it again to avoid confusion]
The magical workings in Funj continued uninterrupted, and the bounty fed many
more people that would otherwise be possible.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, w6, s4 Troops: 10i, 10xi, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Ibriham
Diplomacy:
Ibriham expanded his government to help control his far-flung regions, and
just in time too. As soon as Karanga started to get restless, his new
administrators arrived and brought the province back in line. Attempts were also
made to increase the religious aspects of his realm so that the pagans to the
south may be brought into the arms of Islam. Further improvements were made on
the island of Zanzibar.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Buruni
Diplomacy:
Improvements to Rozwi were made, and efforts were undertaken to speed along
the cultivation of the region.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, w5, s5, c5 Troops: 10i, 5c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Benin
King
Diplomacy: Kam(p)
The king set out to increase his lands, but wasn't yet greedy enough to set
his sights on the rich lands of the Ife, instead, the region of Kam was to be
the lucky new addition to the Kingdom. After all it was a much easier target,
though of admittedly lesser value. Perhaps richer lands would be sought after in
later years... And so it was that the army of Benin some several thousand strong
marched to Kam, and there met with the rabble that was what passed for an army
in Kam, it was a slaughter, but the losses were higher than expected, with a
full 2000 Benin warriors dead on the field, and a like number of defenders. A
garrison was left behind, and the king returned to Benin to look to expanding
the government to control the larger area.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Mande
Diplomacy: Boure(nt)
Kwame felt that the gold in Boure was critical to the fortunes of his
Kingdom, so he set out in person to further sway their leaders. He was to spend
a full five years on this journey of diplomacy, but fate, as it so often does, was to intervene. Kwame died three years into the journey due to condition that
may have been illness or may have been a poisoning. Accusations were flung this
way and that, with the two most likely perpetrators (if any) were various
leaders in Boure, and Mande, the kings lieutenant. Eventually Mande took over
the reins of government as there was no clear heir to the throne, and he was
already familiar with the workings of the government, but the mistrust
continued, and Boure stopped sending most of the tribute they had earlier agreed
to send.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Kumbayal
Diplomacy:
Garou(ea)
Growth was the key to the kingdom for now. Many different paths were taken in researching, and the arcane arts were not forgotten. Research into magic was quite diverse, and led to mixed results. The ability to bring forth more food from a region was gained, but as of yet, the kingdom does not have the structure in place to undertake such an operation. It is of course only a matter of time. Kumbayal knew that what he lacked in magical knowledge could be offset by enough persistence though, and so he did not regret the efforts spent by his researchers.
While his researchers were off looking for new ways to apply old lessons in the ways of magic, Kumbayal undertook a program to train his bodyguard of horsemen up to elite status as befitting their role in protecting both him and the kingdom. This training went very well, and over a thousand newly retrained cavalrymen were ready to serve after the one year of new training. Almost an equal number washed out of the ranks, though this was to be expected in such an undertaking. When not overseeing the training, he spent much time with his wife, but no new children were to be fated for them yet.
Mawulawde, cousin to the king, continued his diplomatic efforts, and Garou's
economy was firmly linked to that of Songhai. And Bilma, who patrolled the land
for attackers found little to do, other than show off.
(African Pagan Barbarian Open Empire)
Non-Player Nation
Ife
King
Diplomacy:
Improvements and investments were about all that occurred in this West
African kingdom. When not working on these improvements, the people hid in their
homes. No one's story was the same, but they were afraid nevertheless.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Nyambe
Diplomacy:
Nyambe knew that his realm needed a city, preferably one on the Niger, but
that was expensive. Perhaps in a few years. In the meantime, the region of Hausa
was greatly improved to increase the income to fund the city, and attempts were
made to increase the bureaucracy of the States.
(Destroyed)
Akan King
Diplomacy: Nation eliminated
The slaves of Akan revolted, and the 2000 infantry the King kept were not
enough to quell rebellion in all three regions, and in the attempt to do so,
they were eliminated. Chaos and destruction ensued, and in the end little was recognizable
as the area broke down into intertribal warfare and banditry.
(African Pagan Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Lammne
Diplomacy: Daza(t)
Lammne traveled in person to see the chiefs of Dazu, and many of them agreed
that paying tribute to him was indeed a wise course of action. With this, Lammne
traveled back home having spent a full five years away from his lovely wives.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i6, w5, s6, c7 Troops: 10i, 5hi, 10c, 5s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Eastern Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a Player
Bulgarian
King
Diplomacy: Serbia (un), Wallachia (p)
It was an interesting time for Bulgaria, much was gained, but loss played its part a well. The armies of Bulgaria under the command of both the King and heir, set off to the north to Walachia, and there were successful in defeating what served as a defending army, losing a scare one in ten of their 2000 cavalry and more infantry. A garrison was left behind under the command of the Heir, and the King marched home with just over half the remaining troops.
The leaders of Ludgorie seeing the armies so successful, decided it was high time to convert to the Eastern Orthodox church, as it was obvious that the God of Bulgaria was in fact powerful indeed.
While the king was away however, not all was contentment in his lands, the
Serbs felt that the king was too occupied to contest their retracting all vows
of tribute and felt confident in their mountain fastness that they could repel
any punitive measures. Time will tell if they were right.
(European Pagan Barbarian Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Svatapolk
Diplomacy: Suzdal (un), Mordva (un), Seversk (un),
Taman (un)
It was a bloody time for the Rus. Vladimir died, but not before setting
in motion events that would rock his empire like no enemy could.
"We have become too soft, look at us, hiding in our cities, our army comes
limping home nursing its
wounds from what should have been an easy victory.
This must change! This will change!
No more the ways of so called
civilization, this is the way of weakness. Our ancestors were strong.
We too
shall again be strong! Our living like cowards is over!"
And with that he set in motion destroying the "weakening" elements in his realm. Places of learning were put to the torch. Violence was rampant. And while the actual destruction caused wasn't as extreme as he may have liked, it did have the result of driving people from the cities and into the wilderness where they would learn to be strong, or they would die.
The chaos that ensued meant a partial breakup of the realm and Suzdal,
Mordva, Seversk, and Taman all became free more or less. Not due to any actions
on their part, but rather with the chaos in and around the capital, they were
just forgotten about. Who knew how long that would last.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Boleslaw
Diplomacy: None
The Poles sat and waited, sure that they could not attack the Rus and
succeed, but equally sure that with a prepared defense, they would be a much
tougher nut to crack this time around. As it turned out, the Russians did not
come. In fact the Poles watched with much amusement as the edicts of Vladimir
set that realm upon itself, and wondered if it was a sign for them to do
something more. A golden opportunity lie in front of Poland, there just remained
the question of whether Boleslaw would have the courage to accept the challenge.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Non-Player
Nation
Stephan
Diplomacy: Bakony(f)
Stephan, leader of the Magyars was surrounded by blessings these five years. First, and most joyously, Andrew, his son and heir, who was thought to be dead after the earthquake in Pecs was found. Though why it took a full three years for him to turn up after the destruction of his palace remains quite a mystery. All he would say is that it was a dark time, and he would say no more. At least not publicly. Perhaps more was spoken of in private.
After resurfacing, Andrew returned to the Ruins of Pecs to begin overseeing
the rebuilding efforts. While there, he worked to sway the leaders of Bakony to
fully join the realm. This they did cheerfully, for they had seen the amount of
assistance that they and the city of Pecs were being given. Even so, it would
still be many more years before Pecs was rebuilt enough to recover from the
earthquake.
(Eastern Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Basil
II
Diplomacy:
As befitting a nation as grand as the Byzantines, there was a great deal occurring in the Empire. With the money pouring in, great sums were invested in trade and the government and no small amount of effort was spent researching the arcane. Many new merchant vessels were built mainly for the purposes of keeping trade within the empire flowing, but trade with other empires was expanded as well. The region of Bithnia was also the sight of much construction and the Emperor knew that it would be a wise investment in the future.
Basil continued implementing the agreement with the Buhwayid and ceded the city of Antioch to them. And the Buhwayid gold kept coming in.
Much shuffling of the military was in order. For it was indeed a large and unwieldy instrument. Close to a hundred transports were released from military service as part of the increase in trade. These came directly from the fleet under the command of Basil himself. On top of that, he undertook a massive program of training in his cavalry wing. Reducing its numbers from over 40,000 to just over half its original state. Those that remained however, were the better soldiers, and so little effectiveness was lost, and there were fewer mouths to feed. Furthermore, his personal fleet was expanded after Leo toured the Empire and pulled ships from many of the port garrisons.
In addition to the already mentioned journey throughout the realm by ship, Leo set about expanding upon the foundations of Arcane knowledge that would lead the empire forward. While Bardas led more specific research into ways of improving the economy. Byzantium was truly an economic force to be reckoned with.
(Eastern Orthodox Civilized Religious Primacy)
Sergius
II
Diplomacy:
Sergius traveled to Bulgaria in person to ensure the tithes were coming in. This personal attention helped greatly, and the Bulgarians were much impressed. After this journey, the Patriarch lent his aid to Missionary work in Kiev, as did his assistants Theon and Leo. The missionaries were sent both to Kiev and to the neighboring region of Polotsk. To sweeten the deal, a many gifts were sent to Vladimir, but the wagons carrying them became concerned by the chaos in the region due to the late Vladimir's reforms and turned back so as not to lose the cargo to brigands and the like.
Even without the additional financial support, many in Kiev were swayed to the Eastern Orthodox church. There were not enough that they were yet in control of the city, but their numbers were growing rapidly. The missionaries to the north were less successful, perhaps the people were too busy trying to find new homes to be bothered with the thoughts of changing their religion. Though with a little time to settle down, the upheaval caused may very well make conversions easier in the future.
The church also continued its explorations into the arcane now that it had
been determined that magic was not necessarily evil, the research could include
a wider array of theory. Many strides were made, but nothing of immediate use.
Though the libraries in Constantinople were rapidly adding information that
would no doubt prove useful someday.
(Asiatic Pagan Nomadic Open Empire)
Non-Player Nation Khazar
Khan
Diplomacy:
The Khan began to call up his allies in preparation for moving somewhere, for such was the nature of life. Where was not the issue. To be free, that was the goal. Of course moving often meant moving across land that the so called "civilized" nations claimed to own. As if anyone could lay permanent claim to the lands.
His attentions were instead captured by a slave revolt in Sarai, and so instead he marched the full weight of his troops to the city. Proof once again that city-dwellers were weak, they couldn't even control their own slaves. He moved on the city, which had been fully taken over by slaves with well over 20,000 cavalry. Not the most appropriate for city fighting, but sometimes there was no choice. Being an impatient man, a siege was of course out of the question, and so he threw the cavalry into the city. The 3000 slaves that were armed and organized enough to be considered an army fought bravely, and they were able to slip into and out of places in the city, but in the end, they were broken, and the city began paying tribute once again. All told the cost was some 8000 cavalrymen, many of them belonging to allies and not his own troops, for he was the superior military mind. That's why they followed him, and not the other way around.
Thus distracted, he didn't move the Khazars to wherever it was they were
going. Perhaps soon though.
| Mercenaries: AQRs: i7, w6, s6, c6 Troops: 10i, 10c, 10s, 5w, 5t Leaders: None |
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Al'Mansur
Diplomacy:
Valencia(city) (f)
Huge investments were made into governing as befits a nation controlling such a large expanse of land. This was only part of the serious changes set in motion by Al'Mansur, the Caliph. The nation was slowly beginning to shy away from slaves and hoping to stimulate more growth and innovation by doing so. It is, of course, a long and difficult process though, and it has only just begun. As part of this initiative, close to 10,000 soldiers were given lands in Murcia for their service, thus creating the beginnings of the non-slave labor that would be required to feed the nation.
Al'Mansur also traveled to Valencia, and their sought a new bride to replace his deceased wife. He also spent the entire five years there with help from Abbas (who had taken the fleet from Grenada and met up with the Caliph in Valencia) and Qutluq also assisted in the diplomatic efforts. With all of these people spending time there being nice to the various ruling families it was only a matter of time before they gave in and joined the realm. I'm sure the massive cavalry army that accompanied the Caliph made an impression as well.
Strange ships were sighted to the West, but they never came close enough to
shore for anyone to identify them. Locals in the fishing villages claimed they
are filled with ghosts, but those by the sea are always seeing ghosts and the
like so who knows.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Henry
Diplomacy: Navarre(f)
Henry traveled to Salamanca along with Enrique, and together they managed to
preach so fervently that many of the ruling families were converted to
Catholicism. Enough in fact, that Catholicism became the dominant religion. [The
region was incorrectly labeled as already Catholic on the maps, this was my
fault, not the map person] The majority was a slim one however, and so time will
tell if it remains Catholic. The efforts of Cordoba may have something to do
with that as well. In the meantime, Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Catalonia,
went to Navarre, and that region became fully part of the realm.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Open for a
Player
Robert
Diplomacy: Rouen(f)
Richard, one of Roberts more trusted lieutenants negotiated with the allies in Rouen, and brought them fully into the Duchy. This gave the Normans full access to the port, and therefore to the sea.
While traveling the region of Normandy, ensuring that all was going well,
Robert made a startling discovery. The remains of a city, and a quite old one at
that, were found mostly buried beneath the earth. No histories known by any of
the Dukes advisors had anything to say about such a city, and much exploration
took place. Little was discovered, but it was hoped that Robert could accomplish
more after his mission to Rouen was complete. For while he didn't have the head
of a general, that did not mean that he was a fool, quite the opposite. Only
time will tell what treasures await.
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Pietro Orseolo II, Doge of
Venice and Naples, Margrave of Verona and Aquileia
Diplomacy: Malta(ea),
Campania(ea), Spoleto(nt)
May 9th, 1005 AD.
On Ascension day, Orseolo woke up very early. He wanted to be sure that everything was ready for the great procession. After having visited almost every island in the City, he went on board of his new ceremonial barge, covered with elaborated decorations. The Venetians had already begun to call it the Bucintoro; when its sailors weighed anchor, it looked like an aristocratic palace, slowly sliding away from its foundations.
When the Bucintoro entered St. Mark's Channel, even the Doge was impressed by the huge number of boats and ships that had gathered in front of the Basilica. Many thousands of gondole, gondolini, puparini, caorline, scaule, marziliane, mascarete, occupied entirely the broad sound between St. Mark's Basilica and St. George's island. From the boats, aristocrats, merchants, shipyard workers, marines, fishermen, elders, wives and children, an impressive mob of two hundred thousand people, cheered enthusiastically at the sight of the Bucintoro. Orseolo's heart was pleased at the cheers that were filling the air, and he gave order to his sailors to push their way through the floating crowd, so to reach the center of the Channel.
"People of Venice!", the Doge said, from the forecastle of the Bucintoro. "St. Mark's Gonfalon waves now on the Adriatic coast, from the Adige's mouth to Nicopolis; in the inland, from the Alps to the Danube; in the islands, from Malta to Corsica. Even the proud Neapolitans and the other people of Campania have recognized the rule of the Serenissima!" At this announcement, the cheers reached the highness of the sky. Adalgisa of Verona, who had never seen the sea before marrying Orseolo, was so perturbed at the sight of fifty thousand boats swinging dreadfully in the middle of a city, that she had to retire to the Bucintoro's underdeck.
"People of Venice!" Silence came back to the Lagoon, and the Doge went on. "In this holy day, at your presence and God's, I, Pietro Orseolo II, assume the titles of Doge of Venice and Naples, Margrave of Verona and Aquileia. May our Serene homeland be blessed, to the end of time!"
The Ducal sailors had a hard time to come out of the muddle that followed. Nearly every Venetian pushed his boat to reach the Bucintoro, to hug the Doge, to show his esteem and his admiration to this noble and holy man, who was leading the City to such a bright future. When Orseolo was finally told that his personal safety was out of danger, he came out of the underdeck and ordered to head for St. Nicholaus' mouth, at the Lido. A parade of fifty thousand boats, fortunately more composed than before, followed the Bucintoro on its route. The dreamscape of this procession was something that the sea had never seen before.
When the unusual procession reached St. Nicholaus', Vitale Monegario, Bishop of Olivolo, asked his sailors to bring his ship near to the Bucintoro. Then, the Episcopal and the Ducal ships cast anchors, soon followed by other fifty thousand anchors. Vitale, a charming man of wise counsel, beloved by all the Venetians, and respected even by the Jews who inhabited Gheto island, stood up at the prow of his ship, while his secretaries, in loud voices, asked for silence. Two hundred thousand people looked at the Bishop, like hypnotized.
Then, Vitale spoke, making the sign of the Cross over the waters. "We wed you, o Sea, in sign of true and perpetual domination", he said; and the Doge, from the Bucintoro, tossed a tiny, glittering object into the air.
In that unreal silence, each and every Venetian was able to hear the sound of the gold ring splashing in the sea.
That was not all though, the Doge wanted more. After all, why stop now when he was so obviously destined for such greatness. But first his current holdings were a mess, and so he set about ensuring that his government had a better idea of exactly what he controlled where, and more importantly, how much gold they should be sending to his coffers. But the mass of paperwork was too much for him, and he gave up after almost two years of headaches. A great empire needs a great family to rule it, and while at home working on the census, and even after he had given up, much time was spent with his new bride. A single child was born in 1009, but all celebrations were cut short when the girl died only months after birth.
In order to further expand his realm, his diplomatic corps, still led by Giovanni Orseolo, was sent to Malta, Campania, and Spoleto, where they met varying degrees of success. Spoleto, though much time was spent there refused to have more than a passing relationship with the Venetians, sending but one single piece of gold every year as a symbolic tribute. Campania, and Malta both saw the riches that Venice was bringing in and linked their trade to that of the great city.
The military also saw great reorganization as well, with much training and
weeding out of the weak, this was undertaken by Mons. Monegario recently arrived
from Rome. The military of Venice came out much more efficient. And a nation of
merchants values such concerns highly. More ships were also set on various trade
routes, including opening trade with Rome. Investigation of some mysterious
happenings in Verona turned out to be nothing more than the Church not keeping
close enough tabs on the good works its clergy were performing, and not some
subversion as was originally feared.
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Svien
Forkbeard
Diplomacy:
Denmark was peaceful though on guard after the raids into the Empire, could they be next. So Svien led his people into teaching and building public works so that they could compete with the other more civilized nations on the continent, as opposed to their more backwards brothers in Norway and Sweden.
(European Pagan Seafaring Open Empire)
Olaf
Tryggvason
Diplomacy: New city Thorshavn in Faeros (f), New city Kirkwall
in Orkneys, Shetlands (nt)
Olaf ships needed more ports to call home if he was to spread his influence farther, but he lacked the manpower to easily accomplish this. This solution of course was to demobilize some of the army, his fleets should be able to keep his Jarldom secure, especially in light of the English fleet disbanding. Though raiding of course was rampant in the area in the past, the fleets of Norway would soon be better positioned to protect the realm by stationing themselves in the new ports. Conveniently, they would also be in a better position for other activities as well.
With that, some 8,000 fighting men, and all their support were released from service and set about building two new port cities, one in the Faeros called Thorshavn, and Kirkwall in the Orkneys. As the army was now smaller, fewer transported were needed, and so quite a few were set to fishing the northern waters.
The islanders of the Shetlands agreed to pay tribute to Olaf, but only in symbolic quantity, not enough to have an actual effect on the economy, this was due to both Buri Haroldson and Sven Barrellchest spending the better part of five years in the islands. Olaf felt it would do Buri some good to gain experience in diplomacy by assisting Sven. And everyone has to respect a diplomat with a surname like Barrellchest.
While staying at home in Trondheim while his orders were carried out, Olaf
celebrated the birth of a daughter in the year 1007.
(European Pagan Seafaring Open Empire)
Olaf II
(Regent)
Diplomacy: Uppsals (city) gone, New Port City
Sweden was quite busy, under the leadership of Anund, who in addition to commanding the defensive armies and fleets of the Jarldom, also oversaw a massive migration of People from the City of Uppsala across the bay. No one thought it could be done, but he managed to coordinate the move such that the fleets were constantly busy (except during winters) shipping people and goods to the new site, where Birka was being built.
A massive Sweden as well, sailing to the North Sea and the surrounding areas. This put great fear into the hearts of the residents, and the workers constructing New York were terrified when they saw the Viking fleet cross the horizon headed straight for them. But the observers were surprised when the ships, instead of burning the new city, calmly sailed up to the docks (which had been completed early on) and began to take on massive quantities of food supplies. They even met with what amounted to the commander of the local garrison (though the city itself was not yet even finished) and discussed the means of summoning their fleet back should it be needed to defend the coast.
Much of the fleet immediately sailed away from the area, patrolling off
somewhere most likely. Only later did people discover that Olaf himself led that
fleet. Surely the Swedes were taking their newfound role of the sea's protector
seriously. This portion of the fleet returned to Sweden early in 1007 bearing
the body of Olaf I, and putting the nation into mourning. His son, had not yet
come of age, and so Anund took over the throne as regent to Olaf II. With the
return of the fleet, many of the ships were put to use assisting the moving of
the capitol.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Ethelred
Diplomacy: York
Rebuilt as New York(f), Anglia(hs)
Determined that the sacking of York would not happen again, but concerned that the navy in its now reduced state may not be enough to ensure the safety of his shores, Ethelred bought the protection he needed. Viking ships under the command of Raymond the Swede spent the better part of five years patrolling the North Sea, leaving their posts only to transport the payment of large quantities of food to Birka, the new capitol of Sweden. This strategy seemed to work well. While there were Viking raids that in all probability traveled through the North Sea, they did not stop to raid anything with the large fleet patrolling the waters.
Ethelred set about rebuilding York, now dubbed New York, in the ruins of York. This was to be his last act as King however, as he passed away in 1006 at the ripe age of 37. This left Edmund in charge of the defense of the kingdom. A task for which some claimed he was ill suited. But none of his regular court dared move against him. The Prince of Anglia however saw this as his chance. He was outnumbered, but skilled, and he knew that if he stuck quickly enough he may very well be able to wrest power from Edmund, who he considered weak.
Turns out Edmund wasn't such a bad general after all, and while he did lose a good thousand men, he soundly defeated the Anglians as they moved on London. The Prince of Anglia was killed, and the alliance broken. After the war (if it could even be called such, Edmund went back to his studies in London where he unsuccessfully tried to pick up where his father left off.
Aelfric tried once again to conduct a census of the kingdom, and was more
successful this time, though it still seemed more difficult than one would
think. Next he traveled to Northunbria where he was to convince the people of
the added safety of fully joining the kingdom. This mission was not a success,
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open
Empire)
Robert/Pious
Diplomacy:Nivernaise(ea), Maine(t),
Narbonne(t)
Roberts kingdom was large, but not all that loyal to him. Previous diplomatic
efforts hadn't gone very well, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He personally
spent several years in Nivernaise and later Maine and those two
regions had their ties to the throne strengthened, Nivernaise more so that Maine.
Fulk was working diplomatic matters in the south, and had brought the port of
Narbonne closer to the Throne as well, but a diplomatic faux pas just before
leaving for Aquitane led them away again. Though it was not all for naught, the
tribute coming from the port had increased greatly.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Regency for
Henry
Diplomacy:
Otto III, the Holy Roman Emperor died enroute from Holland to Lorraine. He had left some troops behind to defend against further raids, and was looking forward to spending time in Lorraine conducting diplomacy before heading home to his wife, but fate decreed otherwise. A nephew took over the throne as regent to rule until Henry comes of age in 1015. And the transfer of power was peaceful thus far. It remains to be seen how peaceful it will be in ten years when Henry is old enough to claim the throne himself.
As the diplomacy in Lorraine was called short, not much was accomplished there, however the Emperor wasn't the only one on a mission of diplomacy. Conrad was sent to Franconia, and Mathias to Utrecht in Holland. The Franconians seemed pleased by the attention, but nothing of consequence was agreed upon, neither was anything settled in Utrecht.
To the north, trade was opened up with Sweden, though it was a mere trickle,
and not actually profitable yet. Karl was sent to take command of the troops
left behind in Holland to make for a more effective deterrent to raiding.
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Non Player Nation
Malcolm
II
Diplomacy:
(Roman Catholic Civilized Religious Primacy)
Sylvester
II
Diplomacy:
The Pope Sylvester continued putting the affairs of the church in better order, reasoning that if the church couldn't control itself, how could they hope to lead the rest of Europe to salvation.