Yay! Prize!

2,000 Post!
Here's a prize!
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/5412/n3siiianimated.gif

It deserves to be on the top of the page! Brilliant! Could you slow it down a tad though?

IIRC, he lives on the upper Michigan Peninsula, so central? Though it doesn't mean that he is necessarily residing there currently.

Edit: Orders be a sent!

NK uses EST, both at home and at school. :p

Nope!

NK uses EST, both at home and at school. :p

Not like I had a map of the US timezones in front of me.:p

Abaddon, its currently at 1.5 seconds, what would perfer?:)

I dunno, something like 5 seconds please? :D Big changes too fast for me to take it in!

Sure we can trade

To: Luskan
From: Ateuma

Wonderful! May we both prosper.

To: Krato
From: The Empire of the Dulama

For the nonce, perhaps, we shall halt our expansion down this river. But your land must swear loyalty to the Empire.

And we will certainly not allow some silly superstition to be preached in our land! Do not mention the idea again.

OOC: A tiny NPC state by the name of Putra. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

The Council of Chiefs bows to no other, and while we wish for peace and prosperity between our peoples, we cannot submit to those who do not accept the True Faith into their hearts. Is there any way we could have peace without submitting to you?

...And so fell the last of the greats.

:p

Here is a 5 seconds animated map Abaddon that requested.
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/5264/n3siiianimatedslower.gif

Cheers Bro :D

The Council of Chiefs bows to no other, and while we wish for peace and prosperity between our peoples, we cannot submit to those who do not accept the True Faith into their hearts. Is there any way we could have peace without submitting to you?

Bowing is not so hard. You will learn how... But for now, there shall be peace, on two conditions: 1) You cede your lands currently controlled by the Algoli; 2) You send us a gift of, shall we say... 2000 gold? That seems sufficient.

Krush Heem!

Bowing is not so hard. You will learn how... But for now, there shall be peace, on two conditions: 1) You cede your lands currently controlled by the Algoli; 2) You send us a gift of, shall we say... 2000 gold? That seems sufficient.

OOC: What do you mean by that first part? I can't cede lands that the Algoli have. :p

OOC: What do you mean by that first part? I can't cede lands that the Algoli have. :p

They mean that eventually you will have to submit to someone or other. Or at least, that's the best-case scenario that you got out of your translators.

The ceding refers to lands which the Algoli control that are theoretically in your territory.

You know NinjaDude, you better be careful what you say, I'm not sure if they would "let" the church survive an invasion...:/

IC:

The Duchy of Liang stands opposed to any foreign invasion of ancestral Ming territory. The might of the Duke and the Noble Ichenga stand in defiance. Heaven as our witness, we shall purge the homelands of our invaders with fire and metal.

You know NinjaDude, you better be careful what you say, I'm not sure if they would "let" the church survive an invasion...:/

Psh, I wouldn't dare let them destroy the Church. I've got tons of plans for keeping important people/stuff alive. ;)


To: The Empire of Dulama, Algoli Exatai
From: The Council of Chiefs of Krato

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/3586/surrenderingtothosedamn.png

We will give the Algoli the lands that they have claimed in the past as shown on the map, thus honoring the first part of our agreement. Second, we shall give this gift gladly, for the hands of the Uggor are the hands of the generous. You may expect 2,000 Ka to arrive at your capital city soon.

...And so fell the last of the greats.

:p

I'll bring you down with me.

To: The Empire of Dulama, Algoli Exatai
From: The Council of Chiefs of Krato

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/3586/surrenderingtothosedamn.png

We will give the Algoli the lands that they have claimed in the past as shown on the map, thus honoring the first part of our agreement. Second, we shall give this gift gladly, for the hands of the Uggor are the hands of the generous. You may expect 2,000 Ka to arrive at your capital city soon.

Then all will be well.

I'll bring you down with me.

I think he was talking about me you crazy merchant. :p But he's right anyway. All of the old great empires have been humbled or destroyed. :/

I'll bring you down with me.

yes I was talking about ninja dude. You're down already :p

Its nice to see the cradle refreshed in a logical manner.

NK, congrats for not letting the cradle go stale. TBH we don't even need that massive new nation yet.. thats how amazing this is.. shame you want to go into BT mode...

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I may nix that BT idea. ;)

Fantastiche :D

Dare I trouble you with an orders in/out list?

My orders have been sent in. It's weird being the only thing standing in between the cradle and the massive monster known as the Dulama. :/

Meh, at least you survive a turn or two.. I got stomped by the Satar within a turn!

I'm glad there's also rather large body of water between me and Dulama ;)

I'm glad there's also rather large body of water between me and Dulama ;)

Who knows all of the stuff in the shroud around the cradle. For all you know there could be a massive sea faring empire just waiting to pounce when you least expect it. :p

Seriously guys, we're all just Caribs. I'm pretty sure I'm not the first moderator to throw advanced forces from off the map at his enemies. :p

Seriously guys, we're all just Caribs. I'm pretty sure I'm not the first moderator to throw advanced forces from off the map at his enemies. :p

Don't you mean players? ;)

Don't you mean players? ;)

That's the conspiracy.

Bwa-Hah (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/6/22/)-Hah-Hah (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/3/4/)!!!

Bwa-Hah (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/6/22/)-Hah-Hah (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/3/4/)!!!

Fair comment :thumbsup:

For the past 5 years, Vol Jului has worked with his father, the governor, suppressing rebellions and defections in the province of Jania. Vol Jului's mother was killed in the Siran invasion of Ropoa Boa, and Vol Jului himself a refugee. Vol Jului's father had died of old age a year ago, leaving Vol Jului Governor of the Jania province, Prince of Kargan.

A messenger had arrived into Kargan from the now flagging imperial capital of Trovin.

“The ruling council wishes to speak to you regarding your ascension to the throne, travel to Trovin immediately and bring your family, you will not be returning to Kargan, at least not yet.”

Vol Jului sailed out of the harbor past the old bronze statue that guarded the straits on the Rock of Jarui (the first governor of Jania), normally a sword in one hand, a grain of wheat in the other. The bronze statue, marking the westward domain of the empire was a symbol for the economic and military power of the Trilui. However, the statue had been damaged in a lightening storm a decade ago, its arm that grasped the wheat had been struck off and fallen into the sea; the sword in the other arm was scorched black as a result.

Vol Jului sailed on, past Dema, the traitors of the Trilui and Faron into the harbor at Trovin. He was astonished at what he saw, 2 decades after the destruction, the city was still in much ruin. The grand temple to Hulos a shadow of itself, the markets empty, massive debris still littered the harbor. Vol Jului was taken up the old avenue of the greats, the gold encrested statues of past glory gone, looted during the sack. He passed the burial chamber of the last emperor, murdered during the siege, unknown to him as his uncle.

“Vol Jului”, the man in the crimson cloak announced, “Come in, take a seat. You have never met us, we are the ruling council of Trilui and have ruled since your uncle was murdered by the Satar. After the siege, the remnants of the emperor's family, the house of Vol was dispersed across the Lovi Sea, into hiding. You are the only survivor, the rest, including your sister are dead. I know this is much for you, but we believe it is time for you to ascend the throne of Trilui and save this empire.”

Vol Jului was a gasp, it was not what he expected on his order to Trovin. “But I am but not a young man, the responsibilities of the empire, mine?”

“Yes Jului, we understand, but you are the only hope, Trilui needs a strong leader, someone to defend ourself. You had proved yourself in the attempted coup in Kargan 5 years ago, fighting off the rebels at the gates on the governor's palace. We need you to fight for Trilui, its enemies are many, savoring at a chance of a piece of the empire. We need you to lay down revenge on the ones that have betrayed the empire.”

Vol Jului, stared the man in the face, “I will defend this empire, I will defend these people, I avenge my uncle and the city of Trovin. Trilui will be reborn, arise from the ashes stronger than ever.”

“Very well, you must take the oath, raise your right hand”

Jului repeated

“I will defend the empire, from its enemies home and abroad, preserve the way of life of the Trilui and serve under Hulos, or die in my effort.”

“Very well Jului, you are now emperor, all rise for ...”

“Wait”, Jului cut the man off. “I would like to add another oath to that.”

Hesitating, the man agreed.

“The Maeriouhau and the other traitors will be punished.”

Ninja: clarification: not that I'm not glad for the peaceful resolution, but demanding a large tribute and obeisance without defeating you first and without offering reciprocal gifts qualifies as "insulting" in the terms of my PM and so justifies measures outlined there, on both our parts. Just saying.

And I will be happy if we avoid the BT.

Ninja: clarification: not that I'm not glad for the peaceful resolution, but demanding a large tribute and obeisance without defeating you first and without offering reciprocal gifts qualifies as "insulting" in the terms of my PM and so justifies measures outlined there, on both our parts. Just saying.

And I will be happy if we avoid the BT.

I've realised that the Council would probably bite their tounges and tolerate sending tribute and all of that in exchange for not getting their teeth kicked in. :p

That's it! What does TBH and BT mean?

That's it! What does TBH and BT mean?

TBH - To be honest.

BT - Boring Time, or a long period of mostly peaceful development crammed into one update. Opposite to an IT or Interesting Time.

Question - did I send orders for this or not?

NK I just realized this question sounded extremely stupid, since I was presenting it the wrongest way possible, which was one of the reasons it might have produced an empty response by you (aka no reply whatsoever), so let's try again -

- The last orders I sent, did they take into action at the last update you posted or are they used for the next update?

I think he was talking about me you crazy merchant. :p But he's right anyway. All of the old great empires have been humbled or destroyed. :/

Hiuttu is still the world's most ancient and beautiful city.

Also, @conehead234 and @Lord_Iggy; I've always liked your stories, but one thing has saddened me throughout. You always seem to mention other empires at random (Specifically each other), but I feel a tendency of ignorance against the previously quite yellow block near you, and that is also taken into account from the time of Hu'ut's heyday. Like back when Iggy posted the story called "Troubled Times" or something, which was during the Faron-Hu'ut war, and spoke of all the threats threatening Helsia - the Satar that had begun to appear on the fronts that is - while not even mentioning the Hu'ut that they were fighting at the very same time. And yes, I might be remembering wrongly.

Yes, I like hearing people chat about me.

Don't we all?

Hiuttu is still the world's most ancient and beautiful city.

Also, @conehead234 and @Lord_Iggy; I've always liked your stories, but one thing has saddened me throughout. You always seem to mention other empires at random (Specifically each other), but I feel a tendency of ignorance against the previously quite yellow block near you, and that is also taken into account from the time of Hu'ut's heyday. Like back when Iggy posted the story called "Troubled Times" or something, which was during the Faron-Hu'ut war, and spoke of all the threats threatening Helsia - the Satar that had begun to appear on the fronts that is - while not even mentioning the Hu'ut that they were fighting at the very same time. And yes, I might be remembering wrongly.

Yes, I like hearing people chat about me.If it makes you feel better, a huge amount of my discussions in MSN involve the Hu'ut in some way or form.

Also, Faron and Hu'ut- previously, we were something of a unique, hostile partnership. The idea of the Hu'ut is so deeply engrained in the collective Faronun consciousness that it basically goes without saying that they are under consideration.

Also, when you're at war, writing stories that say 'we are at war' isn't quite as intriguing as writing stories about 'okay, what next?'.

Okay, can't get this done tonight. I hope by the time I get back Azale has sent in orders... and that our wayward players who have yet to report back in have done so. :)

If it makes you feel better, a huge amount of my discussions in MSN involve the Hu'ut in some way or form.

Also, Faron and Hu'ut- previously, we were something of a unique, hostile partnership. The idea of the Hu'ut is so deeply engrained in the collective Faronun consciousness that it basically goes without saying that they are under consideration.

Also, when you're at war, writing stories that say 'we are at war' isn't quite as intriguing as writing stories about 'okay, what next?'.

You actually made me happy there. :) Also with the above better/worse apology. ;)

Okay, can't get this done tonight. I hope by the time I get back Azale has sent in orders... and that our wayward players who have yet to report back in have done so. :)

I guess this means my orders counted for the future turn. Very well then.

Yay! I look forward to your update.

Do I get any bonuses for those stories I wrote? Do they appear this or last update?

Yes you do. They will appear this update. :)

Does this mean NK's gone fishing for a week?

I am sorry to ask but when are the orders due?

I am sorry to ask but when are the orders due?

yesterday. Though NK won't be able to update for a week or so.

Im happy to come back to this NES it is so much fun :)

Orders have been sent.

Sorry for not getting my orders in, I should have started them earlier. I didn't want to rush because these are not just *my* plans, but I should have started Saturday instead of Sunday :cringe:

The birth of a nation.. The creation of The Empire of Gothia.


Mostly unknown to the world a small people from the far north was arising, for centauries a little band of tribes ,untouched by the known world, lived a life of anarchy with internal was raged through the tribes all struggling for control of the Moorlands. But fifty years ago, an ambitious warlord know to all as Taurus Attinum. The man Taurus was but an unknown figure from lands far beyond the Moor woodlands. But this character was to alter the history of Gothia, beyond any ones expectation. Taurus came from lands not known to the people of the Moor woodlands. A place called Gallat, he had fled during the wars raging in the region fearing for his life as he was from a noble decent. With him he brought not only riches, but also knowledge that was unknown to the people of Gothia. It was he that taught the men of the Göth’t, the skills of mining and forging. He made the tribe of the Göth’t so much more superior than any of the rival tribes. With steel and riches from the earth he lead a campaign of diplomacy with all the surrounding tribes, quickly tribes from the region realised that this man had a lot of potential benefit to them. Quickly several of tribes joined the cause, to create the nation of Gothia. Those who did not wish to join willingly suffered a fate of blood and iron. With his knowledge and his power, not to speak of the armies he had at his disposal, he set out to expand his new found land. To the delights of the people of Gothia, riches and prosperity soon followed this conquest. The foreigner that had come to these lands was now a famed warlord, but his fate was not to lead, great as he was he was selfish and barbaric even to the Gothians standards. The Council that had been formed, a band of fellow warlords leading the campaign together with Taurus Attinum had their concerns that this type of leadership was bound to fail, when there was nothing more to burn or pillage. It was decided that he was not the future of Gothia nor was he safe to leave alive.
In the new founded capital of Attinum it was done, the once great warlord had been assassinated by the same people that he had brought out of the dark ages. This was truly a new beginning for a new people. What they needed in a leader was a national that knew the values of the people and their customs.
It was decided in the grand council that, the leader of Gothia was to be Wellofrich Anderheim, the former cheiftan of Göth’t. As he was already a respected leader and a local he was quickly accepted by all.
And this is here the story of Wollofrich the Great begins…

I will send orders tomorrow or Friday as school ends on Friday. I should have done them earlier but school dumped large amounts of Geography coursework, with a side portion of History, and English dessert so I have been busy this past week but soon it will all be over. Woohoo!

I realize that orders are probably past due/due now/soon. Is it possible to get a small extension for she who just got back from Seattle late tonight and didn't see the (new) update until an hour ago? I know, I know, I should have been planning in advance, and the orders will be pretty simplistic anyway. I will be able to get something passable in by tomorrow afternoon, although a lot of the coordination I had hoped for this turn won't take place (and there will be no stories).

Eh' I think that North King fellow is on holiday in some god awful third world country place where they don't have internet.

I realize that orders are probably past due/due now/soon. Is it possible to get a small extension for she who just got back from Seattle late tonight and didn't see the (new) update until an hour ago? I know, I know, I should have been planning in advance, and the orders will be pretty simplistic anyway. I will be able to get something passable in by tomorrow afternoon, although a lot of the coordination I had hoped for this turn won't take place (and there will be no stories).

If you do orders over the next few days, Cuiv, NK will almost certainly incorporate them in the update when he returns.

If you do orders over the next few days, Cuiv, NK will almost certainly incorporate them in the update when he returns.

Good thing he's not back today, too, because I totally forgot, haha. Thanks guys :)

Boys and girls are playing in the courtyard around a dry fountain, which presently is serving as a makeshift rampart in an imaginary war. Tiny heads appear over the fountain-pulpit as they surreptitiously scan the other side, aha’ a target: another head. Dirt clods, fly. The whiplash action of arms releasing their less-than-deadly cargoes hangs only for a moment in the shimmering heat before the head and the arms retreat back to cover. The first casualty lies in no-mans land, some distance from the fountain, surrounded by errant clods, which now by virtue of their position lie just out of reach of the warring parties.

Her face is young and delicate, mulberry eyes framed by dense grey streaked curls, otherworldliness dragged back to earth with a conventional, if somewhat aquiline nose. She isn’t paying attention. A long elegant finger traces delicate mathematical forms, newly learnt, in the sand strewn over worn white pavers, cracked corners and the gap between the grout, proof of poor workmanship. She is oblivious to this. Her tongue sticks out just a smidgeon past peach pale lip, now beginning to crack. She’s been lying there for some time, you can tell, when she turns on her side to rub out a distant part of her calculation, the sand has imprinted upon it an impression of her diminutive form smaller than her playmates.

Her lying there makes the children uneasy. Eyes roll. They know she strayed from the safety of the fountain deliberately. She wanted to be hit. Nobody would walk that far away and expect anything else. The archaic forms now being traced in the sand only confirm that suspicion. They don’t care. They’re doing it for themselves and not for the strange girl dressed in robes of a long dead order, now lost in calculations a thousand-years-older than this courtyard and a thousand-and-five-hundred-years older than any of the children present. They are not of course aware of any of these details and they could forgive them, like they had for some of other exiles but she was stranger than strange and they knew it.

She didn’t care. She didn’t care to answer their questions. She didn’t think they could understand, even if she had wanted to explain. The parents in the balcony some meters above, sitting in shade created by reams of cloth weaved haphazardly between timber colonnades, once painted gaily red in the now fading guts of some Opulensi snail: wouldn’t have understood either. That didn’t bother her, she was used to not being understood. The occasional near-miss or hit only caused her nose to crinkle ever so slightly and a quick brush of her hair escaping over her shoulders was enough to restore her poise and concentration.

She was waiting for her mother who was presently ensconced somewhere in the balcony above, discussing something she wasn’t allowed to hear. She rather hoped it wasn’t anything to do with marriage, she wasn’t ready for it and at age eleven didn’t really want it, yet. But, if it was, she was resigned to the fact that she would have to kill herself. She wouldn’t do it in the local manner that was unnecessarily bloody and did not recommend itself to a lady. She would instead request an early lunch from the kitchen, fresh bread, not the end cuts, dried salted herring, heads removed, a measure of strawberry preserve, without the seeds, and two sun-dried tomatoes, flesh only. She would then take the strawberry preserve and generously lather it onto the bread, add the herring on-top of that, before finely dicing the sun-dried tomatoes which would go on-top of the herring, of course. This she would then eat as she drew a warm bath for herself. Taking care to sharpen the knife that she used to cut the tomatoes, cook always provided a sharp one for those but one could never be sure, she would then open her wrists running the blade across the point at which the veins were most visible. She wasn’t sure how long it would take but estimated that she would probably pass out long before she could observe the result.

That would be fitting if not timely, she was still yet to finish the Book of Common Prayer and it had nearly reached the foundation of the First Republic (and most importantly her Father!) That would have to wait unfortunately. She was quite sure her ancestors wouldn’t begrudge her finishing their histories and she could even ask them about it afterwards. But that was merely idle conjecture on her part. She still didn’t know what her mother was up to.

The third world country known as Isle Royale National Park. Back now, though I may be too tired to actually write it today. It should be done by tomorrow, assuming my RL friends don't borrow me too much.

The third world country known as Isle Royale National Park. Back now, though I may be too tired to actually write it today. It should be done by tomorrow, assuming my RL friends don't borrow me too much.

NES friends >>> RL friends

NES friends >>> RL friends

Why so hasty to read of your own destruction? :p

NES friends >>> RL friends

How about the following: RL friends + their own internet + forced conversion to NESing = more NES friends + more NES time

I'd like to play Jipha.

:bump:I warned I would.:p

Nothing this great should be left to drop to the third page!

I'd like to play Jipha.

Eh, might want to wait until after the update, whenever that will be.

that's what NK said, such a long, long time ago.

NK said he plans to do the update...someday. He said he's got college work, which takes priority. Stupid education. That's what keeps me from running a NES.

I hate you all. I see this at the top, I gasp in wonder-filled joy, I click and wait with baited breath, only to find wasteful bumps. I feel so sad now.... *Sigh*

Please don't bump threads. If you have any kind of sense, allow the mod the discretion to post when he's ready.

I agree with ~Darkening~, yet I lol at his comment. :p

Can I join this? It looks impressive...

It does, but it's with most probabilities still on a lull for some time, disallowing us in properly participating. But do shop around in the NES forum, there may be several other NESes that are more active that you like. :)

PS your account name is awesome, and I hate that I can't type it.,

You can't write -star-?

:p?

Yeah, yeah, not as cool but functional.

An eternaty of Ctrl+Pste for y'all ;)

Something to pass the time.

The Song of Hashaskor

Two:

You name yourself Kapali?

"Aye, lud."

You are strong, Kapali. Perhaps the strongest of the slaves we have taken from these river-lands.

"Aye, lud."

We have melted the metal of the slave-masks to forge iron weapons. We have no longer our rich Bahran mines, Kapali. So we brand our slaves in these harsh times, Kapali. Do you wish to be branded, Kapali?

"Nay, lud."

I thought not. Who are we, Kapali?

"Ye Satar, lud."

There are perhaps two thousand blooded Satar men among these ranks. Another thousand, Bahrans and middle-Sesh dwellers taken to our ways. Another two thousand, slave conscripts from Ayase, and raiders from the northern deserts. We are a bastard army, Kapali. We are a bastard army of lost sons.

He chuckled.

Kapali...we are homeless bastards like yourself.

"Aye, lud."

I will give you this hammer, Kapali, and I will give you a bronze mask. But first, Kapali, answer me this. Do you know Exatas?

Kapali grinned.

"Aye, lud. Kapali knows Exatas."

What is Exatas, Kapali?

"Scythe, m'lud. Scythe through grain."

And a fire in the grasslands, Kapali, driven by wind.

---

There is little joy in the desert. The Satar chose the Sapphire City because it sweltered. In high summer, the heat channeled through the streets in rolling waves, driving the locals indoors, clearing the streets until the roaring, clattering night markets engulfed the city with strings of colored lanterns and the hawkers plying their trade in a dozen languages. It was a ruthless, predatory dance. The day belonged to the columns of soldiers, marching to campaign. To the masks. The night to their servants. If you could kill to better yourself, you did. If you could not, you learned, or you died.

There is little joy in the desert.

From desert to desert, my life. Atraxes himself chose my exile. He saw the rise of Xetares, the reign of silver giving way to gold. Do not contest it, he told Xephaion. Do not support my son. Die in peace, friend. And so he did. It was a mercy, in a way.

Atraxes knew that the Exatai was unsustainable. The clans ran their own dominions, living in a world of mutual assassinations. It was the old Satrapy of legend slowly coming into birth again. What did Atraxes want? Did he truly love the Exatai that he built? He and his father, the ruthless killers, an epoch of slaughter and subjugation. Perhaps the Exatai was sustainable, through beautiful concentric circles of expanding destruction, expanding throughout the world.

I think Atraxes wanted it to die. He wanted it to end.

Six princes of the Satar contested the throne at the Den of Wolves, the great hexagonal pit of sandstone where politics and bloodsport were openly unified. At least the Satar are honest about their succession. Other nations pretend that successions can pass without blood, with order and law. The Satar reply, blood is order. Blood is law. I refused. If I were not the son of the Silver Fist, with the blood of the Holy Redeemer running through my veins, they would have carved me slowly, and left me to bleed out my entrails under the chill winds of Tephas.

Instead, they gave me a minor garrison posting, an adjunct role in the domination of the civilized world.

And then they failed. And then they died. Every single one of them. It was left to me, blooded Prince of the Star, to grovel to a subject people, these strange Faronun hill-dwellers who we slaughtered by the thousands. And even then they refused my blood. Not even my enemies would take from me my legacy.

The burden of Exatas came to me, unbidden.

And I found a brutal truth from which I had fled all my life.

I wanted it.

I loved it.

To be greater than a man, to be a mask. A figure of fear, of terror, and of awe. Arastephas was unquenchable once the golden mask had been placed on his face. He was inhabited by the Lord of Thunder, the First Spear, Taleldil Kaphaixetas.

But I know the fear my father felt, and it tempers me. He did not want the Exatai to die. He wanted the Exatai to become something greater than the meaningless, mindless slaughter of the Redeemers.

But I do not know what he wished to replace it with.

My father never told me. Perhaps he never knew.

There is little joy in the desert. It is an empty sorrow. It is a promise of wind and fire. A promise of a scythe through grain.

Thlayli, I hate you.

:)

Thlayli, I hate you.

:)

Jealousy at my manifestly awesome story skillz is understandable. :mischief:

Jealousy at my manifestly awesome story skillz is understandable. :mischief:

I think he means resurrecting the NES and making us think that it was back to life.

If this is still alive
any western-like culture that has a naval capacity and the attitude for a trade empire to be built?

If this is still alive
any western-like culture that has a naval capacity and the attitude for a trade empire to be built?

The closest you've got is the Triluii, but they really aren't a "Western" culture, if I get what you're saying. Plus they've already been taken.

All those small city states all around the map? I could try to do a Rome with one

All those small city states all around the map? I could try to do a Rome with one

I wouldn't get too excited until NK decides he's going to update.

I wouldn't get too excited until NK decides he's going to update.
Obviously...

NK has indicated his willingness to update Sometime Soon (tm). I would say, expect one or two updates sometime this winter.

Either way, NK wants cultures in this world to be richly detailed and not resemble any OTL counterparts too much, so take that as you will. :p

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm198/Masada69er/UnionofAyasecopy.jpg

The Red Lady commeth and was it not said that her arrival would herald: 'the end of the falsities of the enemy and beginning of the Our great truth?' And did she not go on to say that: 'the blood of our enemies shall come our repentance and salvation?' To that, I say: forward children of the revenge and let us reap a harvest measured in blood and apportioned in heads; for from this shall grow the fruit of paradise; for are not the bowers of paradise built upon the blood of the tyrants!?

Alie's' Lord of the Revenge

Oy vey. Just let it GO already. :p

All participants in the blind revokation attempt of this NES must perish in eternal flames, since they gave me pain for each attempt of failure.

I have been away a very long time. What has changed?

Empires have risen and fallen. Cities have been built and the same ones destroyed. Men make war with a thousand new devices, each more frightening than the last. And the world has burned.

What of the stars and mountains?

There is no change.

Then let the story begin again.

End of Empires - Update Eleven
New Dawn
c. Fifty years.
230 - 280 SR by the Seshweay Calendar
129 - 179 RM by the Satar Calendar

http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/296/year8physicalpx1.th.png (http://img354.imageshack.us/my.php?image=year8physicalpx1.png)

“and Our Lady replied, ‘you would deprive us of a home, for that thou shall not have a home’, to which not a single word sufficed but warning, ‘ware! thou art never safe, for our kin lie eternal, waiting’” ~ Words, I,V

I sing three songs of death today. One song low, for the full moon waning. Empires die, and so I mourn – empires of song, empires of trade, empires of war. That song, sung for the lowland tribe, betrayed by friend and friend alike.

I sing three songs of death today. One song high, for the last sun setting. Empires die, as perhaps they should. The lord of the sea, slain in battle. Shall his people build a nation anew, or will they succumb to new worlds of fear?

I sing three songs of death today. One last song, notes cold and cruel, for an empire we had long known dead. Burned on a pyre of its shattered foes, ruining the world, yet ruined in turn. Hear me sing of its final, slow song.

These three songs of death I sing. I bid you listen, for the world turns on the final chord.

* * * * * * * * *

The south of the cradle has long been less bloody than the north, though not for lack of effort. Krato, the strongest power since its toppling of Thearak in that long bygone era, has kept the peace only by sheer strength – no one can stand against them, and so there are no prolonged conflicts.

But the world is changed.

The great raid of the Silver Prince brought much ruin to the south. Krato’s reply was to raise the largest army men had seen since the ancient days, and to bring the Satar to their knees. Victory had come after a long, long fight, but at what cost?...

It was a shame, really, mused Tikaf of the Eso Sogo Uggor, that the storied lands and people of the Duroc had to end up like this. A thousand years ago, they had been the loyal allies of the Uggor, and they had fought side by side for generations. Everyone knew the stories of those ancient battles, though no one took the old rivalries seriously anymore. Only a decade ago, the Liealb, Uggor, and Duroc had all fought side by side against the Satar menace, and they had triumphed together on the fields of battle. One would think that would have been enough...

But now, after the Duroc had been hardest hit by the Satar raids of half a century ago, their lands were by far the worst-off of Krato. And Krato as a whole had been sliding into what seemed like an inexorable decline, sloughing off territories in the north and west like so much dead skin. It was perhaps no surprise that the Duroc had finally come to this point, to try and throw off the yoke, however light it had been, of Krato. He could not help but feel pity for them, walking through these devastated fields, from burned town to burned town.

Thus, he could not help but offer them peaceful solutions as Yeridur, his rival, barged headlong into their other flank. But he also quickly realized he was losing the initiative, and that there was the position of War-Chief at stake here. Thus had the Council decreed. Patience failed him, and he, too, plunged into battle.

Competition among the Uggor generals was counterproductive. Each one felt reluctant to support the other – at worst, they came close to actually sabotaging each other’s plans. But they had masses of men at their disposal, and the Duroc rebellion had never been terribly organized. The Order of the One were like shadows, and shadows cannot lead. To be fair, Krato only ever caught and killed a few of the Order itself, but the rest of the populace could be dealt with easily enough. Kill a few, march on, kill more. Eventually it got to the point where they were killing a whole slew of Iralliam followers to kill just one Oneist. But it sufficed for the task at hand.

In the end, though, Tikaf’s patience, however short-lived, ended up losing him the competition: he had killed fewer rebels than Yeridur. And so the man of the Swenit Jiressa Uggor became War-Chief, and Tikaf became his servant, washing his elephant.

And thus, Tikaf watched largely from the sidelines as Yeridur planned a great southern campaign. For the Great Council had decided that rather than be raided, they would raid others, and use the treasure and lands gained to prop up the struggling Kratoan government. Jipha had long been a somewhat annoying enclave in the middle of the Uggor territories. It was the perfect target. So the troops boarded their ships, and set sail for the peninsula.

Landing mostly unopposed, it quickly became apparent that they had taken the enemy by surprise. The ancient Liealb city of Piatrata was quickly taken and burnt to the ground, but by the time they moved on to besiege the fairly new city of Kea, considerable resistance had begun to flare up. The first Kratoan assault on that city was unable to take it despite heavy casualties, with the heroic efforts of the citizens there being praised in numerous songs that would later disseminate through the whole cradle.

By this time, the Jiphan War had drawn the attention of nearby nations. The news that Krato had focused their attentions on yet another of its tiny neighbors drew no small amount of concern from King Kuriguzulan of the Zyeshu. Many of his advisors clamored for war, pointing out that after Kardil, Burshan, and Jipha, Zyeshu would be inevitably next. Powerful arguments indeed, but Kuriguzulan knew that he could not contend alone against the mighty Empire of Krato.

And so the king sent a herald to his ally in Hanakahi, whom he had but recently assisted in war against the Trilui themselves. Could not the allies unite again in war, to bring down the mighty and far too aggressive nation? As descendants of Hamakua, could they really sit back and watch their brethren in exile torn to pieces? The King of Hanakahi considered these arguments, and in the end, agreed. So it was set; the fleets and armies of the nations advanced in concert against the Uggor.

By the time they arrived, their fleet over one hundred ships strong, and their armies almost three thousand, it was not a moment too soon. Kea, despite its heroic resistance, had finally fallen to the enemy and burnt to the ground; the tales of that siege would come entirely from those who had never been there. In the process, an untold cultural treasure was lost: Kea had been one of the largest and greatest of the refuges for the Hamakuans; the library there had been filled with manuscripts of ten thousand poems and songs. Now the Uggor marched on Leuce, capital of Jipha itself – if they were to take that, an entire chapter of civilization itself might be demolished.

But when the Uggor armies drew themselves up into battle formation at the word of a small force of enemies marching straight towards them, they were unpleasantly surprised to find an army three times stronger than they had expected. They still outnumbered the enemy force considerably, but not by nearly as much as they had wanted to. Tikaf could sense that this would be a difficult battle for the Uggor, but he could do nothing. He prepared Yeridur’s elephant battle, and Yeridur rode out confidently to smash the enemy.

And truthfully, it was an utter rout. Of a sort.

The allied forces, might have been fractious, but the brave leadership of King Kuriguzulan united them, and the Jiphans were fighting in their homeland. They lured the Uggor onto a patch of uneven ground, and as the levies’ formations broke up, the allies charged headlong into the mass and set the Uggor to flight. Though some of the professionals and elephants tried to resist still, they were terribly outnumbered and in the end had to retreat as well. Even as he tried to regroup his armies, Yeridur found a knife in his chest, an unwelcome last gift from the Oneists he had fought so hard to ruin.

Tikaf took charge in his place, the last man in the camp with any authority left, but while he inflicted a minor defeat on the allies around Piatrata and prevented them from capturing Thearak or the holy city of Opios, he could not stop many of his men from returning home. For the clans needed as many soldiers as they could get...

Krato’s armed forces were not quite crippled by the defeat at Leuce, but the shockwaves reverberated through the entire empire. Disputes, especially in the Great Council, had reached a fever pitch; a few clans openly began to raid one another’s territory.

More rapidly than anyone could have suspected, chaos reigned supreme. Krato had been on tenterhooks for a long time now, with internal dissent and economic problems evident since the Satar invasion a century prior. Repeated defeats, humiliating peace treaties, rebellion and assassination all conspired to destroy whatever order remained. The Chief of Chiefs in Moti tried to intervene to some degree, but it was difficult; all the clans claimed the legitimacy of the old empire.

Within a year or so, the entire empire was split by the five most powerful remaining clans: The Yensai Brosli, which consolidated around Cartugog, the Buci Sogo, which took hold of Asandar, the Cartu Coton of Goso, the Eso Sogo around Firidi and with a few men under Tikaf near Thearak, and the Swenit Jiressa north of the capital. It was enough to confuse any of the foreign ambassadors who might try to treat with the nation. The last holdout of the established order was in the city of Krato itself, but this besieged outcrop of the old order could not possibly be expected to try and bring government to the surrounding peoples.

And so the clan wars of the Krato plowed onwards. Famine set in, many peoples fled in terror for the safety of Moti or even the Dulama, and most concluded that these were the dying gasps of a empire whose time had finally come.

There were a few beneficiaries of the decay of Krato, of course, much as any corpse will benefit the vultures of the world. Jipha and Zyesh conquered some small territories, a move one part vengeance and one part greed. Isara, a land of monasteries and reclusive warriors that had been brutally annexed ages prior regained its independence. The city of Opios declared itself to be the secular power on earth that would defend the Church of Iralliam against all foes.

And as to the city of Triad... it fell to a completely new power, the grandchild of an ancient foe of the Uggor.

The burning of the Satar princes has yet to be sung of, but for the moment let it suffice to say that the Exatai was at its end. The mask of their lord was taken up by the Accan emperor... again, a song yet to come... The Satar princes knew that they had failed their god, and burned themselves. Only one survived, and he only because he was so very far from his comrades.

Hashaskor, prince of the Star, son of Atraxes, loyal to a fault even though many had tried to put him on the throne of the Exatai in place of Xetares. Would that he had succeeded, for he was not the type to burn the world; perhaps the Exatai would have survived. No matter.

His was a lonely exile, far from his people, receiving word of events many months after they happened. He learned Xetares had died long long after the blood washed into the Nakalani; he learned Magha fell long after the silver chains were taken down from the seven sided temple and melted to boost the Moti treasury. His fate was sealed long before he knew it.

Abandoned by the death of his people, far from home, Hashaskor could not hold Subal against many foes; he retired to the heart of the Kothai and burned as he went. He and his men became glorified scavengers, living off the detritus of civilization, pillaging the outlying Hu’ut and Kratoan lands. Hu’ut had not the money or the power to drive him away, and Krato, as we have seen, had other concerns.

The Kothari Exatai, as it came to be known, had carved out a niche for itself – literally, as their fortresses were cut into the rocks of the ancient mountains themselves – took Triad, and became the last holdout of the true Satar line. Its depredations were to continue, perhaps, until a greater power grew annoyed enough with it...

The pace of change is ever quickening. Maybe the call of battle is audible already. For in Palmyra, ever peaceful Palmyra, where time seems to stop at the borders, at last the great armies are marshaled into their ranks; at last they go to war.

Their target is a small and even more peaceful nation, nestled in the mountains. This latter land calls itself Doral, and they have never fought a war; only repelled small raids by merciless bandits from their mountain homes. No matter. The machinations of a king care not for the nature of the peasantry.

Inexperienced as they might have been, the armies of Doral fought gallantly to defend their homeland. The invading army, thrice their numbers and far better trained, had but one fatal weakness – they had no idea of the lay of the land, and could easily be lured into traps and ambushes. This happened twice in the campaign, the second time with the loss of nearly a third of the Palmyran armies.

But of course, any resistance was to be short-lived. Doral could not possibly stand up to its foes, numerous as they were, and potential allies in the south and north were occupied with their own troubles. The tiny mountain nation was conquered, though its people would remember their freedom for many years, with possibly disastrous consequences down the road...

Of the nations of Zyesh and Hanakahi, beyond their military exploits there would seem to be little to say. Yet small, subtle changes were evident. First and most dangerous was one which every nation in the world was noticing: the collapse of the maritime trade routes was sending revenues spiraling downwards, and whole nations seemed on the brink of collapse. But there were other changes, too – with the death of cultural centers to the north, many artists of all types were fleeing to the south, back to the original homeland of these traditions: Hanakahi. The Zyeshu also received some of this exodus, though not to the same extent.

The regenerated nation of Hu’ut had been nearly destroyed by the Satar invasion. Had Xetares not left, or had he won the day on the River Sesh, Hu’ut would likely be a mere Satrapy, a princedom, and not the most important one, at that.

But it had survived, somehow, and rebuilt as best it could. With the turmoil in the north, they were even able to grow under the successors of Shafay Fetosa, securing the city of Subal after Hashaskor left it be. There was still much to be done, of course – not even a tenth of the economic damage had been repaired, and raids from the Kothari to the south were proving a nuisance. But more important than either of those was the continuing decline in the economy as the fields fell fallow and trade revenues plummeted.

The new world order has brought many opportunities for Hu’ut, but no one knows what the end result will be...

* * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, far, far to the east, Leun entered a new period of prosperity even as the west seemed to enter into inexorable decline. Trade increased still more as products from the north became more viable than that from their counterparts in the far west. Timber for the Leunan ships was almost entirely bought from the north now. Grain, too, started to be imported from the north. At the same time, salt, precious, and cotton were shipped in the other direction.

More importantly, concerned about their dependence on trade, the rulers of Leun began to build an economy of their own, encouraging the growth of cotton and other cash crops. The soil inland was discovered to be more favorable than expected, and local production of food soared – fortunately, as sources to the west, as we will see, dried up.

Perhaps most importantly of all, a royal marriage was concluded with the ruling family of a leading Acayan city-state. Here, perhaps, it is necessary to mention the discovery of the Acayans, which became known to the western powers around this time (at least, to those who were paying attention). The Acayans are a highly urbanized civilization on the edge of the great eastern continent, rather free, with a strong legal and political tradition of republicanism Of course, a few of the cities are still monarchies, as otherwise we could not talk of the royal marriage – importantly, the nearest one to Leun, Ischya, was ruled by a long line of kings.

In any case, the Acaya come from a civilizing tradition that is completely independent of the long line that was started in the Had and Sesh valleys. Maps of their lands have been jealously guarded by the Leunan kings, who refuse absolutely to allow any western ships to travel past the port of Leun itself, seizing any who attempt to make the journey.

* * * * * * * * *

A forest grew in what had been the world’s greatest city. Men had returned to Trovin after the sack and the earthquakes, and a few of the city’s quarters had been repopulated – mostly those on the north shore of the harbor. But in the south, trees grew, though the cobbles of the streets, poking through half-fallen roofs, reaching over the walls, bringing the land back to the wilderness it had once been claimed from.

It unsettled the emperor. To see this forest growing over what his future great capital seemed like a sort of final defeat, the death knell of his empire. In time, perhaps when he returned, Vol Jului would order the buildings pulled down, and the walls rebuilt in a smaller perimeter around the city. Even if the city had to be smaller, then it should be grand nonetheless, not lurking in what looked like half-ruin.

But there would be time for that later.

“We are the last of an ancient line. We are the last true men of the Trilui Empire.” Before him stood the assembled ranks of his last great army, twelve thousand strong. Then again, however great it was, it amounted to a greater risk. He pushed the thought aside.

“We have been betrayed by friend and foe, left to die as the last, struggling fragment of a once glorious empire. What the Satar did you all know well, far too well. We will not glorify their name by repeating the tale of their wretched deeds.

“The scum of the steppe have died – even we, stabbed in the back and given no hope, have outlived them – but their servants and allies live still.

“Yes, there remain friends of the Satar! For the horde went unopposed on their ride to Trovin. The ancient covenant, by which we rule the waves and the Faron rule the land, by which the one shields the other for all eternity, has been broken. We were betrayed by the Maeriouhau, may Hulos curse their name, who all but pointed the Satar on to the unwary homes of their erstwhile friends.

“And we remember this. We see that deed’s consequences all about us. The trees and ash and ruined homes that stand behind me – they would be a bustling city still if it were not for the Maeriouhau. They tried to destroy our empire, and now they think themselves secure.

“But they are not. For the empire is returning. The Trilui are returning! And Helsia shall know your name, and the world shall know your name. And they shall know we are not weak.

“Soldiers! You know my name, you know my lineage, you know your heritage! Fail or falter, and you betray all three! But fight for me, purge these traitors from the world, and your reward shall be limitless. The empire shall be renewed, and you shall be at its fore! Onward to victory!”

And there rose a great shout, and the army of the Trilui issued forth from the gates of Trovin. And the host rode north and then west, destroying the little armies that lay in its path, crushing the companies that dared to oppose it. The Maeriouhau were caught utterly by surprise; the thought that the great Empire of the Sea might attack them by land, and them exclusively, was shocking.

They sent a great army from Dremai to do battle at a town called Surai, but it was an army outnumbered more than three to one. The Maeriouhau looked at their foes and fled to the superior fortifications of their new capital. But the Trilui had new siege engines, and as soon as they began their assault on the city, it surrendered. Thus the greatest dynasty of Faron had ended without so much as a whimper, and the Trilui’s quest for vengeance was ostensibly over.

But it was not done.

Rapidly, it became clear the Vol Jului did not intend merely to punish the people who had let the Satar through to destroy his family, but instead to build the base for an entirely new empire. His army returned to Trovin, refitted and resupplied, and then marched on the reforged Faron state in the south and the Surubaida o Aramaia.

Again, the Faron armies were in no state to stand up to him – their allies in Hu’ut seemed rather indifferent to their struggles, and they had not yet rebuilt from the Satar menace, having been too concerned with internal troubles. Again, the Trilui army slammed through all opposition, reducing what minimal fortifications there were in the coastal plain.

The Faerouhaiaouan Highlanders had heretofore remained clear of the mess, not engaging with the Maeriouhau, but paying lip service to the Surubaidans. Their deal with the Surubaidans had given them the grain that they could not produce themselves, but as the latter were replaced by the Trilui, there was sudden panic and famine. Von Jului was demanding their utter submission, and that they give up their ancient autonomy.

They fell back on what, a century previously, would have been the most unlikely of sources: Hu’ut. The fall of the Trilui’s trade empire had hit the farms along the Had hard, and the new market for grain was welcome. Conveniently, Hu’ut had seized Subal as Faron had fallen, and now a narrow thread of land connected the highlands to the river state. The Highlanders resisted every attempt to subjugate them, and so the last holdout of Faron remained free.

But Faron had been utterly ravaged by the attacks of Satar and now Trilui over the past half a century. They had been bled dry by repeated wars. The Highlands were free, yes, but it was a tired kind of freedom, an insular retreat from the world into mountain fastnesses.

The Beautiful Turns represented a culmination of centuries of advancements in geometrical and mathematical knowledge, but it was not the start of a new golden age. The Faerouhaiaouans were no longer the cultural capital of the world; they were a backwater.

As for the Trilui, triumphs on land were thoroughly overshadowed by losses at sea.

Everyone expected the decline of the Trilui would draw out the many opponents who they had acquired through the years. Even as the Trilui armies crashed into the Maeriouhau lands, the Nahari fought a quick war against Caon, and signed a secret treaty with the Opulensi. Within five years, they were ready.

The first blow came against Treha, as the Nahari advanced into the old lands of Stad Men. Drawing away much of the Trehan army and fleet, the Nahari Empire’s ploy set the trap that was sprung as the Opulensi sailed in and attacked their mutual foes from behind. While it was difficult at best to coordinate forces over such distances, the two fronts divided the meager Trehan land forces, and the allied navies combined to utterly destroy Treha’s.

Treha, for its part, seemed paralyzed by a serious lack of leadership at all levels, and the Opulensi quickly secured a foothold on the island itself and reduced the city from the landward side, bypassing the famed harbor defenses entirely.

With a year, the Opulensi were thus set to launch a campaign against the Hulinlui Peninsula and the cities guarding the entrances to the Lovi Sea. Trilui ships began to oppose them here, but they were still outnumbered by the six hundred strong Opulensi fleet, which was augmented even further by captured Trehan vessels and fleeing Faron ships who did not wish to swear allegiance to their betrayers.

The land campaigns went easily enough. The Trilui tried to issue a mass levy and fight off the enemy advance, bu the levies were unmotivated and horrendously underequipped. They could not hope to face the Opulensi in battle and were a liability in siege warfare as well. Within a month, the entirety of the eastern Trilui empire fell, with most of the regular troops away destroying Faron.

As for the fleet, the Trilui tried to stand fast in the straits and give battle to the Opulensi in treacherous waters. However, these waters had been the world’s greatest trade conduit for a millennium, and expecting there would be no former merchants in the Opulensi fleet who would know them was foolish. The Opulensi instead outwitted the Trilui fleet, drew it into open combat, and defeated it in a string of engagements. Though the Opulensi lost quite a few ships as well, they still easily had the upper hand.

The allied fleets were shattered. The Opulensi had complete control of the waves, and used it to great effect, taking Soui, Linlui, and Vinui in quick succession. They declined to invade the Helsian heartland, letting the Trilui proclaim their new empire there, and allowed Hanno and Kargan to declare themselves tiny independent states. Minor losses in light of the great new truth: the Opulensi were queen of the seas.

Thus did the Helsian empires fall. An empire of philosophy, drama, and music, an empire of trade and ships; either one finally wore to nothing under the sands of time. Only two pale images remained, reflections of an ancient glory, like the moon off the still, still waters of the blood-drenched seas.

It was the beginning.

* * * * * * * * *

The southern standard bearer of Maninism, Sira concluded a new set of treaties with the dying Trilui. It scarcely mattered, for as we have seen, the Trilui were fast in retreat, but it gave them uncontested claim to the northern coast of the Lovi Sea. They intended to press on across the waves to attack the isle of Hanno, but their ships were found to be nearly unseaworthy, attributed to poor engineering by their Seshweay designers (though of course it’s quite plausible that the Sirans were simply incompetent sailors). Similarly, the irrigation in the Peko valley proved to be much less of a boon than they were expecting.

However, the remaining Astrii city-states converted to Maninism after the Nahari conquest of Caon frightened them into accepting Siran protection. Under the guidance of their new overlord, Nali and Tadon united into a single state, Astria. At the same time, however, the new religion of Aitahism is starting to spread through the south, and only time will tell which of the great religions reigns supreme here.

Meanwhile, the political situation in the Lovi Sea grew considerably more complicated with the fall of the Trilui. Kargan declared its independence after a brief and surprising rule by the Accans, apparently feeling few bonds of friendship to an Emperor who was a native of their city. Hanno, too, managed to secure its freedom from any of the larger nations. However, whether they will be able to check the rampant piracy that this region has become known for is another question...

* * * * * * * * *

The death of Xetares led to a critically chaotic situation in the valley of the Sesh. This was not entirely unusual; the Sesh, as any historian will tell you, has always been chaotic. But the death of the third Redeemer did more than that. It led to a new order.

Magha, one of the great cities of the world, remained under siege by a force from Moti. The possibility of continuing rule by Ishalia quickly vanished with her assassination, however, and the Moti seemed amiable enough towards their former foes. The city surrendered, with its great citadel intact, though Third-Gaci was unable to prevent his soldiers from looting the great silver chains of the seven-sided temple (nor was he particularly concerned with a heathen city’s temples).

However, even with most of the former Satar bureaucracy intact, serious problems still remained. The Sesh Delta was in the hands of the Satar, and there were still signs that they might fight any attempt to establish Moti hegemony over the region. Third-Gaci agreed to an alliance with representatives of the Empress Aitah, a Seshweay who rebelled against the Satar rule early in the period. Her control gradually grew, and it seemed like the region might peacefully coalesce into a vassal of the great world-empire ruled from Gaci.

Then, everything changed.

The highest Censoratta of the Accan Empire, Macrinus, forged a golden mask and claimed the mantle of the Exatai of the Satar. It was a move that caught nearly everyone by complete surprise, but he played the part well. Macrinus rode at the head of the bulk of the Accan armed forces south, deep into the heart of the steppe, calling for warriors.

And they came.

The new horde was too slow to stop Aitah’s rebellion from getting off the ground, but the latter wasn’t too well established by the time the forces of the rebranded Accan Exatai arrived. Third-Gaci quickly sent some assistance as he could, but his Kratoan allies were more concerned with events in the south. Suddenly it seemed like the Satar threat had completely revived, only this time without any alliances against them.

Two thousand men crossed the Delta and marched through Jania, which had only recently been ceded by the Trilui to the new Seshite rebellion, burning and pillaging, and finally arriving at the great city of Kargan. Largely abandoned by its owners, the Trilui, it fell easily to the horde, and was rapidly stripped of any valuables. Supplies proved too tight to actually attempt a long-term occupation of the city, however, and the Accans abandoned it to its fate (which was, eventually, independence).

Another six thousand continued the struggle against the Aitahist rebellion, by which point the Moti finally began to realize the threat was serious, and sent forth a force of two thousand to do battle. It was, however, rather outnumbered, and unsurprisingly, lost a couple of battles before retiring southwards.

Yet if there was one thing that the Accans had underestimated, it was the tenacity of the Seshite population. Having lived through one rather odious occupation by Satar hordes, they were not very eager to live through another, and exiles from around the world came back to attempt to free their homeland.

Ultimately, it was not enough. Aitah escaped, as might have been expected, and her new religion grew with staggering speed. Aitahism combined the best (well, the most liked) qualities of nearly every religion in the region with rabid evangelicalism. It was wildly popular. News of new flocks came from every corner: from far-off Oscadia, from the Exiled cities, from deep south in the Sesh valley, from Kargan, from the isles of the Lovi to Helsia. Seis was taken as Macrinus’ de facto capital, so the prophet sought refuge in Mahid and Hanno, but she was perfectly able to preach from there.

As for the nascent Seshite state, it still managed to establish itself in the Parda Hills and in Mahid, but it had lost its homeland – again. It was more than a minor psychological blow.

Macrinus pushed southwards. The sheer size of his advance caught the Moti off-guard. They had been fairly convinced that any kind of assault would have been small in scale, but there were still a good seven thousand Accans under arms. Moreover, their Kratoan allies were even more embroiled in the south, and it looked rather likely that they would collapse entirely as time went on. Help from any sector seemed unlikely.

The simple fact of the matter was that Moti was utterly unprepared for any revival in Satar fortunes, whatever the form. Outnumbered at every turn, they lost the battle of Tisatar, the battle of Magha, and were unable to prevent an internal rising under High Oracle Tephas Ta-Shaim from expelling the garrison and returning the city to the forces of Exatas. By the end of the campaign, the whole of Bahra had been secured once again for the Exatai.

At this point, it is fair to say that all of the sides involved were completely exhausted. More importantly, Third-Gaci was rather focused on the reformation of Iralliam, rebuilding of Bisria, and making sense of the Kratoan situation, and also finding solutions to his problem of an utter lack of soldiers, while Macrinus and his successors had to consolidate their new-found conquests – they were determined not to repeat Xetares’ mistakes. Also, declining government revenues and the continuing Seshite resistance sapped the ability of either party to make war, though cross border raids were a constant reality.

As for Third-Gaci, he managed to, somewhere in the above mess, achieve his long awaited dream of reforming Iralliam in a massive ecumenical council at Moti-city. This was largely overshadowed by political events, but was quite important in ensuring the religion would have any chance against the rising faiths of Aitahism and Maninism, and the ever popular Indagahor. It solidified the religion’s hold on Bisria and Moti, reconciling it quite nicely with the local pantheon; they were accepted as legitimate tales of the saints, angels and demons of Iralliam. After his death, the brief conquest of Bahra was overshadowed by these other events, with effects ranging far into the future...

* * * * * * * * *

Gallat saw a fairly uneventful period. Missionary activity to the north was quite successful, converting Seadol, much of Ederru, and even some of the Stetin tribes. At the same time, support for the Tarasat war allowed the latter to make considerable military gains against their longtime barbarian foes.

There was concern that Evyn might break the peace treaty, and the coasts were guarded extremely carefully. It turned out that Evyn was doing the exact same thing; neither nation had anything to fear. Resettlement of northern Ferman also continued apace, while the southern was left to be reclaimed slowly by the sands of the desert.

Late in the period, word reached Gallat of a new nation to the east of Abirae, though whether they would be able to contact them in any meaningful way, or whether they would even want to, was an open question.

Newly raised levies proved decisive in the war for Ederrot, which managed to hold out against still more Stetin warriors coming ashore. They were unable to dislodge the foothold that their foes had made, but they were able to restrict its growth. There is some word of peace overtures being made; it would seem that the Stetin, too, are tiring of the endless war. Meanwhile, missionaries from the south have been spreading the Maninist faith in this far northern land; it has been steadily eroding the traditional Ederru religion.

Luskan managed to conquer their neighbors in Darrowmire, and also launched several raids southwards. It was not a particularly active period, though they managed to make quite a bit of money selling goods to both sides of the various wars that were raging. At the same time, the king of Luskan made the unusual move of patronizing court artists, and while he got no one of the caliber of the great courts of the south, it did bring quite a bit of grandeur to his northern golden hall.

Ateuma saw considerable expansion, though they also got off to a bad start in regional diplomacy when they alienated what appears to be the preeminent regional power, Evyn. Whether they will attempt to either patch up whatever strained relations in the first place, or simply continue antagonizing them and rely on their small size and relatively worthless lands to avoid getting attack for it is entirely up to their leaders.

The far-off Goths did little of note, attacking a few of the tribes around them and expanding slightly as a result. Trade was starting to run through their little valley to both the east and west, though as to what lay on the other end of the routes, few believed the merchants’ tales of men riding moose, or of a war over a vast, floating golden island...

* * * * * * * * *

Snow fell thin on the frost-hardened ground. It moved with the slightest breeze or the smallest step, a column of white swirling and outlining the wind’s every subtle grace. It had been a hard winter, but grain had been stockpiled many years in advance for this moment. The army moved without fear of starvation.

Áyrise had died years before, the beloved mother of the king of the Thorsdryn drowned in a stream as he looked on, cold. Adayn had risen that year, greatest advisor of the Thorsdryn, cunning and ambitious, and determined to eradicate the enemies of the faith. For him, there was one, great, obvious thorn in the side of the Evyni, and it needed to be removed. And so he had told the Thorsdryn, and so the armies marched.

The winter was cruelly cold, with a strange wind blowing off the northern sea. It froze the rivers solid, and it was then that the Evyni made their crossing, pouring across the rivers like wolves of the wild, a shivering white fury that plowed into the allied armies of the Ming.

Shu had seen the attack coming, had rallied the Ming armies together, but it was Cho that saw the brunt of the fighting at first, and Cho that fell first. Even the combined Ming were only equal to the Evyni, whose superior organization and equipment told even against the numbers and ferocity of the Ming. Worse still, the Cotisi had joined their brethren, attacking deep into Liang itself and necessitating the recall of some of the Duchy’s troops.

With this subtle weakening of the Ming armies, fortunes began to fade, fast. The heartland of Shu fell to the onrushing armies of the massed Evyni, and soon only the northernmost was still standing. Evyn, for its part, pressed the attack into Liang itself, but with the oncoming cold of winter, had to pause for a moment to catch their breath.

In a single campaign, much of the north had fallen under the sway of the still rising empire, and it looked as though at least two of the Ming states were meeting their end here...

Maps:

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4686/year12political.th.png (http://img97.imageshack.us/i/year12political.png/)
Political
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/4941/year12religious.th.png (http://img189.imageshack.us/i/year12religious.png/)
Religious

OOC:

Stories by the last count:

Faron 5* - well, they weren’t completely ruined. It’s hard to find a way to reward a dying empire; I think the stats of the successor state will be boosted a little.
Satar 3 - Kothari survived and the Accan Exatai went off rather smoothly.
Uggor 1 - Consider that the first draft of the update had removed Krato from the face of the planet.
Ateuma 2 - doing fairly well for a new nation who pissed off the preeminent regional power. There’ll be some bonuses, probably.
Palmyra 1 - Invasion of Doral didn’t crash and burn like I thought it would.
Leun 1* - Stat boost to be determined when stat format is determined.
Evyni 1 - I’d say they’re doing swimmingly.
Hu’ut 1* - Them as well.
Trilui 1 - Not so much them, but they did win the wars they focused on...
Seshweay 1 - Oh look at that, they’re back. Bonus enough.

I’m eliminating story bonuses after this update, but the “mod bias” in favor of nations who generally write stories will still be very up front. You are warned.

Things that need names:

Other branches of the Weinan/Rhon (looking at Theige, alex, or Dark)
River near Oscadia (Azale!)
Straits between Sinsar and Yadyevu (Cuivienen?)
Northern Ocean (tuxedohamm, emu, Circuit, etc.)
Islands of Sarrukh (emu)
Sea near Zyeshu (foolish icarus?)
Home Island of Opulensi (anyone on or near it)
Other large Island in Kbrilma Sea (Abaddon/star)
Landmass south of Leunan Sea (Matt)
Cape south of Acaya (Matt)
Desert in Katdhi lands (Thlayli)

Farean cities (Iggy)
Outpost near Katdhi (das)

I need word from everyone who is still playing. That you’re playing. Duh.

I am also going to be changing the rules and stats. This is to facilitate faster updates, and to remove unnecessary fluff that hasn’t really served its purpose and mostly just confused people all game long (like manpower). I would like some feedback on what does and doesn’t work from people, as well as any and all suggestions.


I apologize, obviously, for the length of time it took to resuscitate this; I’m hoping to get it on a much faster and much more regular schedule for 2010. In fact, that is my only New Years’ Resolution.

Also sorry for the quality near the end. :(




If you have any questions or would like to join, let me know.

Excellent update. My work here is officially done. Azale, you're welcome.

If anyone wants to take the Kothari Exatai, PM me and I'll think about it.

Yeah, so definitely worth the wait. And, for me, at least, the quality was superb :).

The Law-Giver of the Evyn, in his mercy, offers the Duke of Liang the following submission: accept him as your better, and renounce all claims to any territory under his domain. Accept his authority over the Ming, and accept your place as his vassal. Submit troops to his calls, pay your share of his taxes, and obey his laws. In return, he will accept your continued rule in his name, and will allow your heresy to continue in peace. Your unwillingness to accept his generous offer will result in the continued destruction of your peoples.

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn demands the surrender of the Duke of Shu. His refusal will see the destruction of his people and their end in their homes.

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn sends word to the the fools of Ateuma: echoes of the cries of your people have reached the ears of our great Law-Giver, particularly those that insult the nature of our state. Your people have called us enemies; we take this almost as a declaration of war. As an offering of peace, the Thorsrdyn offers you the chance to submit to Evyn: accept your place as his vassal, contribute men to his armies, and pay your share of his taxes. In return, he will accept your continued rule in his name, and will allow your heresy to continue in peace. Failure to accept his mercy will not necessarily place our states at war, but will do nothing to ease his anger with your state.

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn sends word to the leaders of Gallat: we have clashed in the past, in the arenas of thought and war. However, the Law-Giver does not wish for this to continue. He seeks friendship with those worthy, and offers your people a most generous offer. The island of Rito will be opened to your merchants once more, and there they may trade freely. He will turn a blind eye to the island's population, and will allow them to worship your idols, if they must. That right will be extended to the northern territories (Taudo), in exchange for a tax levied upon those believers. In return, all he asks is that your people be respectful of our traditions, do not interfere in our politics, and do not seek to spread your heresy within our core territories. Most generous, no?

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn sends word to the Accans: we have seen how the winds blown in your favor, and we have taken notice. Your people are mighty descendants from those that contribute to our armies, and as such we sense a common bond. The Thorsrdyn has taken your people to be of great stock, and as such considers them worthy of his friendship. He offers your traders rights in Rito, and the right to preach your faith amongst those people. In return, all he asks is that your traders be respectful of our traditions. Do not attempt to preach among the mainland, and do not interfere in our politics. Generous, no?

Beautiful update! The fall of Helsia from its grace... a tragic poem of two brothers, destroyed side by side and turning upon one another, the great light of their lands bein extinguished...

OOC: I'm still in.

IC: Death is only the beginning.

fu*k yeah! Success!

This turn:http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4686/year12political.png
Last turn:http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6608/year11political.png

Two things before I go to sleep:

One, the front page desperately needs a religion summary. I'll volunteer one for Ardavan.

Second, it's successor states: Farea still survives...

Well I got what I wanted :D This whole Satar revival is a little troubling though >_>

Lovely to follow. :)

Very nice update

Simply holding our gains is more than I expected. Wunderbar.

Bravo NK! The quality throughout the update was top-notch.:goodjob:

And with four paragraphs of mention, depending on the stats, maybe I should upgrade to, the Leunan Empire.:D

awesume update. Bravo!

Wow! This is awsome! Cool Update!

To: Doral
From: Palmyra

If you don't resist we will give you autonomy over your local affairs. In addition we we allow your royal family to live and order our troops not to harm them assuming you don't resist. But if you do your resistance shall be punished brutally.

To: Faron Remnants on Helsia
from: The Empire of the Helsia

The enemies of Helsia seek to destroy our lands, we must unit in face of these enemies, least our great peninsula is throw into darkness by the barbarians of the west, north, east and south. We are not Faron or Trilui, we are Helsian.

to: Hanno and Kargan
from: The Empire of Helsia

The empire we were all a part of that brought us all great prosperity has fractured, however we believe we should still remain connected. We propose an economic pact between our states, the Lovi Sea pact to promote economic regrowth between our nations.

to: The Opulensi Empire
from: The Empire of Helsia

You have won, we are defeated, we ask that you leave us alone on Helsia.

To: Empire of Helsia
From: Opulensi Empire

So long you leave the sea to us and purge your shores from any and all pirates, we will have lasting peace.

to: Opulensi Empire
from: Helsian Empire

You should know well enough that the pirates are with the desert folks in the north, you should inquire with them. But we will see what we can do.

From Sira
To the Helsian and Opulensi Empires

Believe us, we wish we could sail as good as the pirates.

They intended to press on across the waves to attack the isle of Hanno, but their ships were found to be nearly unseaworthy, attributed to poor engineering by their Seshweay designers (though of course it’s quite plausible that the Sirans were simply incompetent sailors).

From: The Kothari Exatai
To: Chief of Chiefs, High Prince of Moti

I am High Prince Vetaxaras, son of Hashaskor, son of Atraxes, son of Arastephas. I rule as Fourth Redeemer of the Kothari Satar. My brother princes are dead, and only the Star remains.

The arrogance of Xetares will not be repeated. We seek only peace with the Moti, and give a tribute of fifty mountain-bred stallions to show our intent. Unlike our Satar brethren in the Sesh, we have not sworn blood-debt against all Uggor until the clouds themselves are stained by the mists of blood.

Please accept this peace offering, and let the Chief of Chiefs and the High Prince know only the bonds of friendship.

Sorry, I had 15 people offer me alliances, so I sent no orders. :(

a new nation to build. :sigh:

Epilogue to Exatai: Part One - The Talani Fragments

Talan the Elder was born in the Kothari Exatai. According to apocryphal tradition, he was half Hu'uti. Even so, he identified as a Satar and followed most of their cultural customs. A court Oracle to the Fourth Redeemer in the fortress-capital of Athas, he is considered to be one of the only true Satar 'philosophers' of note, barring the oral tradition of the First and Second Redeemers. The flowering of philosophy in the Sesh to come in the next century would be the product of more settled, post-Satar cultures. (See: Sesh Satar Philosophy, Kothari Satar Philosophy)

Talan lived during a time when the unified Satar culture group was diverging under Ailuttorutto and Seshite influence in the north, and Uggor and Hu'uti influence in the south. The Talani Fragments have often been challenged in their authenticity, because of their reflective, sympathetic tone. Despite this, the cultural schizophrenia of the late Satar may justify the changing tone, as the Satar were, despite all their ferocity, forced to confront the world as it was in the wake of the Pyre of the Six.

---

How many pantheons have we joined as villains, the horse-demons with faceless masks, defeated by the glorious hero in an epic cycle? But that is the nature of the battle-challenge. Arastephas seemed to say, we are your demons, leaping from ancient tales into flesh and blood and fear. Come challenge us, come bring your heroes. But there were no heroes or champions among the Bahrans, among the Katdhi, among the Sesh, among the Had, among the Faronun, among the Trilui. They did not understand the battle-challenge, and so they died. The Moti defeated the Satar, alone among the nations, because they did not value art or gold or music or ships or spears or gods. They valued heroes. They had champions.

...

The tragedy of the true Redeemer is that he never seeks to win. He seeks apocalypse in battle. His failing is that his enemies are never truly great enough to deliver apocalypse. For refusing us absolution, we seemed to say, your punishment is our reward. Oblivion.

...

Which of the three Redeemers was most victorious? Arastephas, some say, for the bounty of plunder and the depth of his rage. Atraxes, some say, for the height of his compassion and the depth of his wisdom. But I say Xetares. Xetares was most victorious, because he brought ruin, anguish, suffering, and utter pain upon more than a million souls. Victory in war is only this. Warriors are a curse upon the world. I say to you warriors: Beat your spears into sickles, and kill no more.

...

We feel home here, alone among the snows and the mists, because civilization is so distant. I cannot imagine life among the cities. There are Satar who do this, who live in great cities like Magha and Tisatar. I say to you this. No barbarian who enters a city ever leaves in his lifetime. As far as he ranges, as far as he travels, the city has consumed his heart.

...

There shall be other Exatai. They will not be Satar, but the lure and the promise of the golden mask shall pull a thousand tyrants, each one a small child compared to the one which came before. There shall be other Exatai, and I tell them only this: Conquer, my Prince, with compassion. Arastephas led a howling mass of unstoppable warriors, forged with a child's cruel joy joined to an adult's strength of arms. If Arastephas had been immortal, the world would have burned to death. If Atraxes had been immortal, so too would be the world-Exatai.

...

The Aspects teach not that Taleldil was an unquenchable god of battle. They teach that battle had its' place in the balance of virtue. The Satar mastered one Aspect at the expense of all others. That is why the Ardai failed to protect the Third on that day when he was struck down.

...

If you seek Exatai, the Silver Path is yours. Justice, compassion, tolerance, tempered strength. If you seek apocalypse, the Gold Path is yours. Arrogance, righteous anger, unbridled aggression. You shall destroy everything and build nothing.

OOC: This is the first NES I ever joined. In fact, this was the NES that got me into NESing in the first place. I've joined many others since I came here, and had many more experiences, even coming to lead the SUSA in EQ's ABNW (a great achievement in my book). This NES reemerges, requiring my attention. I come back, look at what I did, and say, "Gee, that was stupid."

IC:
To: The Honorable Evyni Empire
From: The Humble Ateuman Federal Democracy

Our predecessors were foolish in thinking that they could threaten such a massive empire such as your own. We apologize for the Evynihate Day, and promise that it shall no longer be a holiday for the Ateumans. As for your calls for vassalage, we wish to propose the following agreement:

Evyni shall protect the Ateumans from foreign aggressors, and the Ateuman militias will fight alongside the Evyni. The Empire's enemies will be the Ateumans' enemies, and the Empire's allies shall be the Ateumans' allies. However, the Ateumans will be responsible for raising their own armies; the Evyni cannot draft Ateumans. But realize that we are impressed by the conquests of the Evyni, and want our military leaders to learn from them. So we, therefore, consider it within our interests to support the Evyni military endeavors.

The Empire cannot directly tax the Ateumans. Rather, the central government will pay a tribute to the Empire in return for her protection. Also, we would appreciate Evyni investment in the Ateuman economy, which is woefully underdeveloped.

The Evyni will allow the Ateumans to peacefully expand into the surrounding lands. Our land is useless, and we desire to settle more valuable territory.

Would this be acceptable to the leadership of the Evyni?

Two things before I go to sleep:

One, the front page desperately needs a religion summary. I'll volunteer one for Ardavan.

Second, it's successor states: Farea still survives...

I would like religion summaries, if people would be so kind... Would also help the wiki.

Farea is not quite a successor state so much as the world's first true colony.

Wow! This is awsome! Cool Update!

To: Doral
From: Palmyra

If you don't resist we will give you autonomy over your local affairs. In addition we we allow your royal family to live and order our troops not to harm them assuming you don't resist. But if you do your resistance shall be punished brutally.

We submit.

to: Hanno and Kargan
from: The Empire of Helsia

The empire we were all a part of that brought us all great prosperity has fractured, however we believe we should still remain connected. We propose an economic pact between our states, the Lovi Sea pact to promote economic regrowth between our nations.

From: Hanno

What? This seems like a silly idea, prone to not accomplish anything beyond your strength growing and ours waning.

From: Kargan

Perhaps we could cooperate on regulations and patrolling against piracy.

OOC: This is the first NES I ever joined. In fact, this was the NES that got me into NESing in the first place. I've joined many others since I came here, and had many more experiences, even coming to lead the SUSA in EQ's ABNW (a great achievement in my book). This NES reemerges, requiring my attention. I come back, look at what I did, and say, "Gee, that was stupid."

Don't worry, that happens to all of us. :)

Don't worry, that happens to all of us. :)

not me :)

excellent update, NK! i would still like to join as Jipha!

diplomacy forthcoming.

Am still in; update acknowledged (mocking of update schedule withheld, for once); will read in more detail a bit later; replies to any diplomacy probably pending on PMs from my allies (you know who you are, both of you) as to just what are they up to and what do they think about what's going on.

As to the outpost, I guess I'm going to have to dig out the old Uggor dictionary again. ;)

P.S.:
making sense of the Kratoan situation

This task is still in progress. Has it collapsed into several proper (be-stat-ed, diplomacy-capable and playable) "states" (clans) in war with each other? Is Ninja Dude still in there somewhere? Is he the holdouts in the capital or someone else?

This task is still in progress. Has it collapsed into several proper (be-stat-ed, diplomacy-capable and playable) "states" (clans) in war with each other? Is Ninja Dude still in there somewhere? Is he the holdouts in the capital or someone else?

Ninja gets to pick whichever faction he wants. As for the individual clans... I'm not sure, I may make stats or some kind of sub-stats for them. They are certainly playable and diplomacy-capable. The council itself is still theoretically in existence, ruling over the river delta, but nothing else.

The desert in which the Katdhi tribes live(d) is called Tashal.

NK, The Opulensi home island can be often referred to simply as Spice island, but for more official use, The (Grand) Island of Epistos, referring to the old name of epichrisi.

From the Nahari Empire
To Astria

See our conquest of Caon. Submit to us and you will maintain a degree of autonomy. You will remain free. Resist and we will be forced to turn our might against you. Will you cede?

The desert in which the Katdhi tribes live is called Tashali.

NK picked you, but those tribes were my people, can't I name the area? :/

From Sira, Protector of Astria
To the Nahari Empire

Rethink your words. Caon fell because it was not of the Faith. But Astria is, and so is Sira, and we will march to protect them.

From the Nahari Empire
To Astria

See our conquest of Caon. Submit to us and you will maintain a degree of autonomy. You will remain free. Resist and we will be forced to turn our might against you. Will you cede?

See Sira's response.

NK picked you, but those tribes were my people, can't I name the area? :/

The Katdhi have been dead a long while. :p

Double, b-awwwwww :(

I'm going to take control of the Eso Soggo Clan. Let's hope I can get Krato up to snuff quickly before something bad happens :p I'm the blue clan then, right? If so, then I have control of the Kratoan colonies to the south?

The Law-Giver of the Evyn, in his mercy, offers the Duke of Liang the following submission: accept him as your better, and renounce all claims to any territory under his domain. Accept his authority over the Ming, and accept your place as his vassal. Submit troops to his calls, pay your share of his taxes, and obey his laws. In return, he will accept your continued rule in his name, and will allow your heresy to continue in peace. Your unwillingness to accept his generous offer will result in the continued destruction of your peoples.

To: The Evyni
From: The Zairinate of Liang

Never! Never in the coming of a thousand suns shall we submit to you. We would rather see the destruction of the God-Empire ten thousand more times than become your vassals.

I'm going to take control of the Eso Soggo Clan. Let's hope I can get Krato up to snuff quickly before something bad happens :p I'm the blue clan then, right? If so, then I have control of the Kratoan colonies to the south?

No, the southern colonies have been taken by a heretofore unknown power.

No, the southern colonies have been taken by a heretofore unknown power.

Oh phooey. Anyways, I was wondering NK, are the Duroc and Liealb (I can never spell their name :p ) peoples within the Krato region assimilating and becoming "more Uggorish" at all?

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn decries the greed of the Duke of Liang. Your refusal has ensured the misery of those in your lands, and their cries will be carried solely upon your shoulders. As he is honor-bound to carry his word, the Thorsrdyn of Evyn will offer no further chance for submission. With your greed, the last of the Duchies will fall.

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn is insulted by the mere notion that the minnow of Ateuma considers itself worthy of negotiation with the Empire. After much thought, and discourse amongst his advisors, has agreed upon a lesser degree of vassalage- in recognition of the admittance of your folly. The Empire will offer what protection may be needed, and may allow a few Ateumans entrance into our Oirnaoss, should they wish so. Should the Thorsrdyn call for men from Ateuma, however, the Ateumans will be required to serve under our generals. They will be organized into regiments of their own, and under an appointed leader from your lands, but they will still be subjugated to the command of Anyais. An order given by the Evyni command will not be disrespected, and should any commander from your lands dare such, it will be considered traitorous.

As for the issue of taxes and tribute, the Thorsrdyn has considered that a matter of mistranslation has occurred. The tax he demands in not set in gold nor monetary value, but instead in the work and labor of men. The codices of these taxes are archaic, but they are tradition and are held to the entire empire. The main tax that the Thorsrdyn seeks to collect is the work tax, which involves males donating a year to the state upon their seventeenth year. In recognition of the distances involved with the Empire, the Thorsrdyn will accept the work tax performed within the Ateuman lands, done in his name. The Empire does not need seek monetary payment.

Ateuma, should it find good graces with the Thorsrdyn, may grow- so long as they do not seek to deny the Empire its lands, specifically those of the decaying Shu. The Rhon, and its tributaries, are property of the Empire.

(An Oirnaoss is a centered place of learning; while mostly dedicated to the faith Ytauizi, there is one or two dedicated to military matters. Anyais is the capital of Evyn, the old Arille.)

I believe the Duroc were fairly Uggorish but are now becoming more Duroc again with a little help from me. A summary and also an essay on Oneism and Duroc culture will be posted as soon as I have time.

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn sends word to the leaders of Gallat: we have clashed in the past, in the arenas of thought and war. However, the Law-Giver does not wish for this to continue. He seeks friendship with those worthy, and offers your people a most generous offer. The island of Rito will be opened to your merchants once more, and there they may trade freely. He will turn a blind eye to the island's population, and will allow them to worship your idols, if they must. That right will be extended to the northern territories (Taudo), in exchange for a tax levied upon those believers. In return, all he asks is that your people be respectful of our traditions, do not interfere in our politics, and do not seek to spread your heresy within our core territories. Most generous, no?

Yes, most generous. The people of Evyn have earned our respect. We will respect all which you request of us; we ask of you and expect the same in return. Strife is not of the Faith. May peace reign across the Sinsar.

OOC: Yes, that confirms that I will still be around as Gallat.

IC:

To: Ederru
From: Gallat

We have taken notice of the struggles of your civilized land in resisting the barbaric and destructive Stettin peoples. The light of the Faith can shine only through refinement and civilization. We offer the people of Ederru our armies and pledge of support against the Stettins if you would convert to the Faith and agree to enter into the greater alliance of Holy Nations.


To: Stettin tribes of the Faith
From: Gallat

In keeping with the holy precepts, we offer you entrance into the realm of civilization if you agree to the protection of Gallat and the way of the Faith forever more.


To: Barbarian Stettins (i.e., non-converts)
From: The Holy Order of the Northern Acolytes of the Faith*

Surrender and convert, or you will all die, and your peoples will be wiped from the memory of the world.

*Story forthcoming.


To: Abirae
From: Gallat

Our peoples have long been enemies, but now is the time to put aside past rivalries. We offer a more permanent peace and trade, including protection against barbarian enemies, provided the people of Abirae do not interfere in Gallatene politics.


The Inm-Anmar is the name of the strait between Gallat and Seadol (or the Sinsar and the Yadyevu). I'll work it into my stories about the Northern Order.

Will be looking into joining soon, NK. Brilliant update.

To: The Evyni Empire
From: Ateuma

The democratic capital of Aeropo City finds the Thorsrdyn to be a wise and reasonable leader. Our soldiers will serve under the banner of the Evyni Empire. And our youth would most certainly benefit from a labor tax and service in our lands. We accept this agreement.

I believe the Duroc were fairly Uggorish but are now becoming more Duroc again with a little help from me.

That's not how cultural evolution works.

Any idea on when stats are going to be up? I realise you are probably planning to revamp the rules first, and will be only happy to help, but it would be rather useful for planning. Alternatively, some sort of rough strength estimates for various Krato and Satar groups would do for now.

I'll do the warring parties' stats first. Current outline I'm looking at is something like this:

Nation - Player
Culture:
Government:
Religion:
Income: Domestic + Trade
Permanent Expenses:
-Infrastructure:
-Military Upkeep:
Available Spending:
Military (Upkeep):
Manpower (Used/Available):
Description:

Additions: split income so you can see where things come from, infrastructure as a visible expenditure (debating whether to put patronage in there), available spending because my spending rules inevitably confuse people (and having to do math while writing orders is silly). Manpower has been clarified (hopefully).

More important will be rebalancing the stats, mostly income and military. I might streamline the military to only a few units, because the current system is annoying the crap out of me...

Right, that is better. Permanent expenses are good too. I would've added court maintenance (you know, what lots of real history rulers have spent a huge part of their budget on and reducing which was the (failed) agenda of lots of real history reformers; could be extended to "personal prestige maintenance" in general, so as to include state ceremonies and similar, except I can't come up with a better name and ultimately am inclined to think that "the court" covers it well enough) and fortresses (unless the latter are under either military or infrastructure as it is).

Patronage probably isn't a permanent expense, though; it's a one-time investment into intangibles of prestige and culture, even if it is advisable to keep it up consistently.

Right, that is better. Permanent expenses are good too. I would've added court maintenance (you know, what lots of real history rulers have spent a huge part of their budget on and reducing which was the (failed) agenda of lots of real history reformers; could be extended to "personal prestige maintenance" in general, so as to include state ceremonies and similar, except I can't come up with a better name and ultimately am inclined to think that "the court" covers it well enough) and fortresses (unless the latter are under either military or infrastructure as it is).

Good points. I'll consider all of them.

Patronage probably isn't a permanent expense, though; it's a one-time investment into intangibles of prestige and culture, even if it is advisable to keep it up consistently.

Aye, it's not. By patronage, I was trying to sum up "personal prestige maintenance" in one word. :p

Whatever makes it easier for you, is fine by me. I can't really think of obvious suggestions.

Words I, V
Of man’s first disobedience, and the turning, little can be said, the Ancestors despairing of their children, who when given offerings, of damasked fruit, of honey, of grain, rejected in candor them, and unto us did they say, ‘thou hath forsaken us, and been forsaken in turn, thine own path is now open, ours is no longer the way’, and thus did the Lady plead, ‘Father, Mother, for what purpose am I?’ and to this, much aggrieved, for he loved her so, did The Lord reply, ‘for your path is now free of ours, and ours yours, and for ever after must it be so, but it is through you, and yours, that the people shall reach Salvation; let none say otherwise’, through the door, down the road, into Sies sitting whole on the horizon, great towers, and temples, ships in port, dancing of the once dead in streets, whole for all eternity;

and with this did he step forward, and after him came a host, masks of bronze, of silver, of gold, burnished bright, against crimson dusk and burning biers, black pall hanging, and the last of them, fine dress, fair of feature, said unto Thy Lady ‘and verily, did we pass, and Our Lord as well, for we were weak, pity did hold its place in our hearts, and that is our folly’, and Our Lady replied, ‘you would deprive us of a home, for that thou shall not have a home’, to which not a single word sufficed but warning, ‘ware! thou art never safe, for our kin lie eternal, waiting’, and through the door, down the road, into steppes which stretch for eternity, nothing to weaken, only vultures in the distance, always waiting, for those who stray, peace in violence, peace in solitude, peace through solitude;

and after them did come a Lord, bright as the sun, a crown of pearls adorning his head, and he spoke, ‘thou must remember that thine city burnt, and that mine to did burn, and for that, we are linked, one unto the other, eternity without end, and with this passing, did thou take over, and that I welcome, for I have like my kin been tired for so long’, and Our Lady, ‘Sleep kindly, for thou hath deserved it, thy people prosper yet, thy world while broken is not yet finished, and will in time be repaired’, and he said ‘Sooth, for thy children shall be as us, and we shall be thankful, for thy life will be not of ours, and thou will see us again’, and for that only a single tear sufficed, cruelty at knowing, something we all know, for it is our fate, and through the door, into another city rebuilt anew, sun sitting at noon, always;

host after host, departed in this manner, and each unto their own, imparted Our Lady with their wards, and these she accumulated, more than the burden held by an other, more than was her right, or indeed desire, but she accepted them, and Our every burden was imparted upon her shoulders, and this would our basis, our hope, our dreams, our eternity, end without end, world without beginning, shape without form, meaning without meaning, until…

Good points. I'll consider all of them.



Aye, it's not. By patronage, I was trying to sum up "personal prestige maintenance" in one word. :p

Okay, I sort of confused myself there too. To rephrase the thought: prestige is both maintained over time via the court, rituals and so on and can also be invested into in a one-off fashion (i.e. spending money on new palaces and obelisks, throwing money at arts and sciences, etc.).

Oh, and thanks (both to you and to Iggy, from what I understand) for throwing the Farun into chaos. I hate good and happiness, so having the one state that has been doing relatively well for a time (you know, Thlayli's shenanigans aside) collapse bloodily is appreciated. ;) A nice, dynamic update overall, even though you'd think the Satar would stop coming back from the dead eventually. I guess this is what the (RL) Ming emperors felt like for most of the 15th century.

Whatever makes it easier for you, is fine by me.

:agree:

Dividing up Income, Expenses, and Manpower like that is interesting. What do you mean by "used" manpower (dead guys?:lol:)?

He means men who are currently serving or manpower that has been 'used up' enlisting new divisions of a nation's army or navy.

Okay, I sort of confused myself there too. To rephrase the thought: prestige is both maintained over time via the court, rituals and so on and can also be invested into in a one-off fashion (i.e. spending money on new palaces and obelisks, throwing money at arts and sciences, etc.).

I think we're getting at the same thing: both some (small) permanent expenditure and (larger) turn-by-turn spur of the moment expenditures.

Yeah, that's what I meant. Just clarifying it because it wasn't too clear in my original post.

On a different note, my manpower had better increase properly this time. :p

I take it my Bisrian measures have been moving along reasonably well?

He means men who are currently serving or manpower that has been 'used up' enlisting new divisions of a nation's army or navy.

That'd be redundant though, wouldn't it? As you should know the manpower you just used for creating those new divisions.

Edit: Or NK doesn't believe we can do simple math.:p

Still playing, will address diplo and everything else soon.

It is not redundant Matt because your gross manpower does not drop when you create a new division. You still have the same number of men eligible for military service as you did before. Drops in gross manpower would only occur when soldiers are killed in combat or there is a drop in the population due to famine, drought, epidemics etc.

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn sends word to the Accans: we have seen how the winds blown in your favor, and we have taken notice. Your people are mighty descendants from those that contribute to our armies, and as such we sense a common bond. The Thorsrdyn has taken your people to be of great stock, and as such considers them worthy of his friendship. He offers your traders rights in Rito, and the right to preach your faith amongst those people. In return, all he asks is that your traders be respectful of our traditions. Do not attempt to preach among the mainland, and do not interfere in our politics. Generous, no?

With the blessing of the Exatai, Acca accepts the Evyni overtures.

Patronage should be factored in somewhere, but maybe not as a "permanent expense". I also spent more than a couple thousand in treasury income on patronage to the princely houses, which worked out fairly well, for a time.

@das: I don't forsee the Satar being steppe/desert warriors for much longer.

@Azale: We need to talk.

To: Faron Remnants on Helsia
from: The Empire of the Helsia

The enemies of Helsia seek to destroy our lands, we must unit in face of these enemies, least our great peninsula is throw into darkness by the barbarians of the west, north, east and south. We are not Faron or Trilui, we are Helsian.
From: Faeranae Saeliadaeora, Speaker on Behalf of the Sudahailia o Raefaera o Faerouhaiaou
To: Vol Jului
We would be content to maintain the status quo which we held with our erstwhile brothers of the Surubaida- we will recognize you as Emperor of Helsia in exchange for your non-intervention in the affairs of the Free Cities League of Faerouhaiaou.

It's actually interesting to me how Faron words are long and mumbling like the Hu'ut language, but is instead without the many vowels and is more floating. They are obviously not the same language family though, like everyone else aren't.

The Words II, III
Thou have been lied to by false representatives of gods long since departed, they offer you no salvation! They do this in full knowing, offering pittances of your platitudes and offerings to the gods (useless all the while, of course) and pocketing the substantial difference. Whilst thou starve, spiritually and temporally, they live the fine life, always present on your back, ready to steal thy pittance with which to gorge, wear or use all that thou hath produced!

Arise! Arise! O’ Children of Aitah! O’ Spiritual Children of Seshweay! Cast off thy shackles! Thou malcontent, long suppressed, be set free to strike those frauds down! Know that their failures are written in the blood of your children, fathers, mothers and all kin and countrymen! Long have the wars raged because they have not honoured God! Thou hath seen the plight of the non-believer, thou hath probably known it, with Her Word comes salvation!

Even those lost in their own misdeeds, must repent for with her comes Salvation, and she withholds that from no one, washed clean in the fires of collective Faith in Her Divine Countenance!

Lord Hut’ of Hu’ut, Seventy-Seventh of the Hundred

His Holiness is still here.

Masada, what's Fish-Speech for Emperor? You never know when you need to bastardise a foreign title.

You could always just use Redeemer. :p

A response to my diplo would be most appreciated.

To: Ederru
From: Gallat

We have taken notice of the struggles of your civilized land in resisting the barbaric and destructive Stettin peoples. The light of the Faith can shine only through refinement and civilization. We offer the people of Ederru our armies and pledge of support against the Stettins if you would convert to the Faith and agree to enter into the greater alliance of Holy Nations.


To: Gallat
From: Ederru

Some of our people have adopted your beliefs as their own. However, we are still quite unfamiliar with it and cannot just accept it blindly. We offer that you send someone to advise us in the ways of your beliefs so we can see if it is possible for us to accept it.

Would like to join, but finding which nation difficult...suggestions?

I believe the Duroc were fairly Uggorish but are now becoming more Duroc again with a little help from me. A summary and also an essay on Oneism and Duroc culture will be posted as soon as I have time.

As das said, that's not how it works. The Duroc are are not "recapturing the ways of the ancestors" or any such nonsense. Instead, they are mostly sticking to their established ways, which are essentially identical to the Uggor, and calling themselves "Duroc" because they don't want to be Uggor.

One has to remember that nationalism has not been invented in this NES and may well never be invented. People might define themselves as "Duroc" or "Uggor", but that would be second to many, many other identities. The most important ones would probably be the religious and socioeconomic, the latter of which is what prompted the rebellion (most of the Duroc are now Iralliam, regardless of the Order's attempts to convert people).

To: Stettin tribes of the Faith
From: Gallat

In keeping with the holy precepts, we offer you entrance into the realm of civilization if you agree to the protection of Gallat and the way of the Faith forever more.

Some do not agree, but many do.

To: Barbarian Stettins (i.e., non-converts)
From: The Holy Order of the Northern Acolytes of the Faith*

Surrender and convert, or you will all die, and your peoples will be wiped from the memory of the world.

The strength of your god has yet to be truly tested against our iron. We relish the idea of combat.

To: Abirae
From: Gallat

Our peoples have long been enemies, but now is the time to put aside past rivalries. We offer a more permanent peace and trade, including protection against barbarian enemies, provided the people of Abirae do not interfere in Gallatene politics.

We agree wholeheartedly.

Will be looking into joining soon, NK. Brilliant update.

Excellent, you're always welcome. :)

Would like to join, but finding which nation difficult...suggestions?

What kind of nation are you looking for?

I can adapt, but mainly something that isnt in danger of beaing gobbled up right away. I tend to enjoy building and trade more than warfare.

Double, b-awwwwww :(

From Sira
To the Nahari Empire

This is not a sufficient answer. You must recognize Astria's independence, and publicly forswear any intent to wage war upon any nation of the Faithful. If you do not do so, we will act on the assumption that you intend to carry out your ill-conceived threat.

Don't worry, Astira has managed to avoid our lustful gaze.

Masada, what's Fish-Speech for Emperor? You never know when you need to bastardise a foreign title.

Emperor is the closest English approximation I could manage without resorting to another language. Aside, from the obvious connotations i.e. above a King, and yet not a King, there are other slightly more sacral understandings inherent in its use.

First and foremost would be the understanding on the part of Aitah (and her eventual successors) that a person honored the Ancestors in an appropriate fashion, however non-standard that might be. A subset of that requirement would look at the Seshweay equivalent of the mana tangata (authority by blood) of the individual to the Ancestors, although that isn't as important as it once was.

This consideration for proximity to the Ancestors also extends into more metaphorical territory, which is the second consideration and far outweighs the utility of 'literal' blood-links now. It instead looks at how that person conforms to one of the Ratu Adil'(Just Ruler) arch-types of Seshweay society which more or less conform to the traditional Ancestors with the slightly more recent additions of Pa, Aya'se, the Matah and now most importantly Aitah herself.

Since the first real Emperor in the modern sense is seen to be Aya'se and because he marked with his death a thousand years later(?) the end of that particular era his name has now attracted all those connotations. Even though his relative importance in the divinity stakes has now been somewhat degraded by the huge importance now attached to his daughter Aitah he is still seen as the paragon of all non-God (in the singular sense) rulers.

I would suggest that some diplomatic misunderstands allowed this. Those would include:

(1) mistaking your ancestors for the Ancestors, since the latter tend to be pretty generic really;
(2) this led to some interesting shenanigans involving the recital of your ancestors which because of linguistic links in some age past tended to have names which bore slightly more than superficial resemblance to the Ancestors; and
(3) the whole religious reformer, fighting the good fight against the barbarians trope is seemingly a recurring theme in Seshweay history, the envoys happened to think that your Aya'se was more or less modeling himself (albeit somewhat badly) on the ancient incarnation of Aya'se.

Which more or less allowed them to inaccurately concluded that Iralliam is just a rather deviant form of Aitahism alongside just about every other relatively well known religion (and obviously only semi-known religions). So the short answer is Aya'se.

I can adapt, but mainly something that isnt in danger of beaing gobbled up right away. I tend to enjoy building and trade more than warfare.

I think Tars or Hanakahi. The latter is more powerful, but slightly more likely to go to war; they have a decently strong alliance with the Zyeshu, and recently have helped out Jipha in a war against Krato. They are also in an excellent position to trade, as you can probably guess by looking at a map. Tars, on the other hand, is very out of the way, on the edge of known civilization, with plenty of expansion opportunities into the shroud (presumably). It's in an alliance with Cynta, Ichan, Erlias, New Kalos, and Leheb to defend any one of the six against aggression by the larger, nearby powers.

A response to my diplo would be most appreciated.

Sorry, we were trying to develop a bureaucracy and really needed a test subject for our new procrastination techniques (also, my allies are dodging the issue).

One has to remember that nationalism has not been invented in this NES and may well never be invented.

Arguably the Uggor idea of the Great Family, in its more Uggor-centric interpretation, might count as proto-nationalism, even though a) it has other possible interpretations (i.e. universalism), b) those other interpretations are likely to prevail if all goes to plan and c) it's also the main idea enabling tribal particularism. Still, the very existence of a theoretically overarching "national" identity among the Families/clans seems like a step in that direction.

So the short answer is Aya'se.

Righto. So we will just be turning that into this universe's "Caesar", then.

A subset of that requirement would look at the Seshweay equivalent of the mana tangata (authority by blood) of the individual to the Ancestors, although that isn't as important as it once was.

Obviously that's rather more important to us (our entire society runs on mostly imaginary blood links and ethnocentric arrogance), though I doubt we will need to borrow any of your doctrines for that. We still might quote your writings to validate the universal and eternal correctness of our official social rules and ideology, ofcourse.

(1) mistaking your ancestors for the Ancestors, since the latter tend to be pretty generic really;

How does that sit with our ancestors being highly-distinct zoomorphic deities that receive highly public bloody animal sacrifices on a semi-regular basis?

Another potential "cross-cultural diplomacy" problem I could see is that your rulers seem to be a tad bit more divine, while ours are simply better than all their subordinates (and are the closest living descendant of the best god ever, but, ofcourse, most everyone and everything is descended from him and more directly from his many god-children).

@das: Patience is my middle name. :p

Ahah. I read your description of the old Accan power structure, Azale. I had no idea that the Censoratta were wearing masks long before the Satar came. Integrating the Accan and Satar power structures might work better than I thought.

I'm going to send you a long PM of stuff before I leave on Friday.

Righto. So we will just be turning that into this universe's "Caesar", then.

For non-adherents, sure. For the faithful, emphatically no, not at this stage.

Obviously that's rather more important to us (our entire society runs on mostly imaginary blood links and ethnocentric arrogance), though I doubt we will need to borrow any of your doctrines for that. We still might quote your writings to validate the universal and eternal correctness of our official social rules and ideology, ofcourse.

It isn't as important as it once was, considering that the majority of the faithful were and are probably not ethnically Seshweay. I would be surprised if Seshweay literati even deign to acknowledge that you have a literary tradition, they've only just accepted that Faron literature might have some sort of intrinsic value and I suspect that's only because so many of them spent time in Exile there straight after the conflagration that was the Third Republic.

How does that sit with our ancestors being highly-distinct zoomorphic deities that receive highly public bloody animal sacrifices on a semi-regular basis?

The whole Zeus as Apollo thing has been done for centuries. Somewhere along the line the Ancestors must have adsorbed animals. I'm fairly sure I hinted at that possibility early on anyway.

Another potential "cross-cultural diplomacy" problem I could see is that your rulers seem to be a tad bit more divine, while ours are simply better than all their subordinates (and are the closest living descendant of the best god ever, but, ofcourse, most everyone and everything is descended from him and more directly from his many god-children).

There's only be two divine rulers - Aya'se and Aitah. (The Matah was never a ruler and thus does not count). They're the exception not the rule. The Ancestors are not considered to have been divine in quite the same way and have effectively demoted courtesy of Aitah.

EDIT: I wouldn't rule out someone getting threatened with being hung drawn and quartered when they return. Suffice to say that taking it back is likely to cause confusion and problems.

Okay, I'll give Tars a shot.

Oh hello! I'm the local big power you are allied against :evil:

@das: Patience is my middle name. :p

Ahah. I read your description of the old Accan power structure, Azale. I had no idea that the Censoratta were wearing masks long before the Satar came. Integrating the Accan and Satar power structures might work better than I thought.

I'm going to send you a long PM of stuff before I leave on Friday.

Sorry my MSN cut out a few days ago, I was basically working on 30 minute internet intervals for the last 2 days.

I couldve sworn I told you about the mask thing though :p

Oh hello! I'm the local big power you are allied against :evil:

Thats almost enough to make me switch, but I won't. :rolleyes:

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn demands the surrender of the Duke of Shu. His refusal will see the destruction of his people and their end in their homes.


The Duke of Shu is willing to negotiate peace with The Thorsrdyn of Evyn. What are your conditions for peace? Will you allow the Duchy of Shu to remain independent as your vassal?

Nope!

Don't worry, Astira has managed to avoid our lustful gaze.

We need a formal statement, with Astria spelled correctly and Sira included.

Nope!

I've lost Cuiv's PM about Maninism, otherwise I'd volunteer something.

Aitahism - Syncretic, evangelist cult containing elements from lots of different popular religions. Seshweay-oriented.

Iralliam - Monotheistic religion generally worshiping Opporia, but also a wide pantheon of semi-divine saints, spirits, demons, etc. Krato/Moti-oriented.

Ardavan - Monotheistic religion generally worshiping Taleldil, emphasis on meditation and solitary enhancement. Satar-oriented.

Actually, it's Opporia. Sorry for giving you the wrong name :p

No problemo. Edited.

I've lost Cuiv's PM about Maninism, otherwise I'd volunteer something.

A short summary would look like this:

Maninism - Evangelist nontheist spiritualism in which the corruption of souls poses a threat to greater existence itself. Originally Gallatene, now spread to other cultures.

I could dig up the PM for a (much) longer description.

Also, some interesting new knowledge about the Dulama Empire. Apparently it's undergoing some instability/barbarian invasions and contains two different religions. And there is enough trade going on to its west that there is a major trading hub at the westernmost edge known.

Interesting indeed. Clearly the Dulama are not alone.

Those one-sentence descriptions should go on the front page. Also, we should get culture descriptions up there, and eventually a cultural map would be good.

Cult of Haiao - Decentralized and largely secular belief system centered in the belief in the Holy Sun, as well as a collection of Thaeraia (Earth Spirits) and Coraia (Water Spirits), with a focus on community ideals and personal responsibility. Faron-Oriented.

Posted by Theige
The Duke of Shu is willing to negotiate peace with The Thorsrdyn of Evyn. What are your conditions for peace? Will you allow the Duchy of Shu to remain independent as your vassal?


The Thorsrdyn of Evyn sends word to the Duke of Shu

Know it that the mercy of the Law-Giver is generous and immeasurable; both to those who earn his favor, and those that fall to his will. Your request, however, has put him into a difficult situation: should he grant you favor, what is to say that you would not aid his enemies in their fight against his rule? The Thorsrdyn has put this question to the highest of his advisors, and from them has gathered an appropriate answer. Let it be known that the Thorsrdyn will accept your current rule in name of his own in consideration of several conditions. First and foremost is that all peoples under your domain cease their objections to his highest stature, and their acceptance of his will as law. Second is the willingness of your people to serve amongst the Thorsrdyn's armies and for your people to pay its share of his rightful taxes. Third is the immediate presence of your armies in joint resistance against those that continue their fight against the Law-Giver: the Ming duchy of Liang.

The Thorsrdyn considers this to be a test of the oath of the Duke of Shu. Send your men to fight alongside the Empire's, and let them do battle with the ones they called brothers. Should these conditions be met, should your armies prove their worth and support for the Thorsrdyn against the Liang, you will receive his full mercy. Note, however, that should you fail his test, or attempt any betrayal of the Evyn armies, the word given will be to erase your state- and its very people- from the fabric of history. He will tolerate no offense from the Shu duchy, and if done, it will be set ablaze.

The Thorsrdyn's mercy is generous. If the Duke passes his standard, then he will be considered worthy of such vassalage. His reward will be the Thorsrdyn's favor, and his mighty protection against any that dare stand against him. In addition a portion of the Duke's lands will returned to him, the lands along the lower Rhon, beginning with its mouth and heading inland until its meeting with the Weinan. Above this point the land will remain property of the Empire, as punishment for the Duchy's stand against the will of the Law-Giver.

OOC: Ytauzi: a northern faith based around anti-deism, favoring a belief in a Tao-ish system referred to as the Alianti. Primarily Evyni.

Voilà, my culture description.

Arta Xorti Culture: The main identifiing factor of the Arta Xorti cultural group is their religion, Indagahor, a meditative religion whose followers seek enlightenment, called Iehor. The cultural homeland is the island of Dinyart, but from here the people have spread to surrounding lands across the sea. Another factor of the Arta Xorti is the distinct split between the Fishers and the Farmers. While the Farmers are hard working and immobile, the fishers are risk takers who have been the primary colonizers. These people are mostly small-time peaceful traders, however if pushed, the whole Arta Xorti group could unite as one and face off any attackers.

Opulensi/Arti Xorti oriented.:)

Epilogue to Exatai: Part Two - Aspect Master

This land!

A land built on cruelty is a land of brazen iron/Enchained and chaining, the chains awash with blood/The blood, a golden drink for thirsty lips/Thirst of a slaver king, his face a shadowed mien."

-Slave: 4:29

We must be clever.

-Arastephas the Redeemer

---

There is a nondescript plant with small grey flowers that grows, carefully tended, along the banks of the sacred lake of the Rath Satar, the lake Nasara. Imbibed in substantial amounts, the leaf-extract of this plant is said to produce a profound euphoric state, which then rapidly proceeds to death as the body catestrophically overheats and the heart explodes. However, if taken in small, precise quantities beginning in childhood, it allows a particular kind of reactiveness, heightened awareness and sensation, and the ability to recall past knowledge, both physical and sensory memory, with complete clarity. When the dose is heightened for an experienced user, a man can reconstruct the room in which he last saw his wife, and feel her touch on his cheek as if her hand had never left it.

The plant, and the condition it creates, is called Xatai. The Redeemers forbade the use of the drug in their armies, as soldiers were prone to abuse it for the skill-enhancing qualities it provided, and so meet a quick death from hyperthermia. But in the incense-filled shadows of the great monasteries of Magha, new applications for this drug were found, and jealously guarded.

It was exceedingly dangerous.

The drug, it was said, would alter a man's personality. It could make an open man brooding, a wise man foolish, a humble man proud. But it took an unshakable will to manage the substance. A grain more than necessary, and a man's very blood vessels could burst.

The ancient dream-walkers of the Rath Satar once took Xatai to aid in their spirit journeys. After decades of careful experimentation, the Oracles from which this ancient tradition descended learned to apply the use of this drug to their martial forms. Suddenly, every flaw in a battle-form was evident. Muscle tension relaxed, as the body embraced the fluid grace of the dance of death. Unenhanced warriors appeared as untrained children. The ones who embraced the drug, using it to enhance their potency in battle, mixed the already formidable forms of the Satar with super-human understanding to bring martial art to an unsurpassed, almost insane, level.

These enhanced warriors were the Aspect Warriors: The Argai. Men who had honed their bodies into weapons in the physical worship of Taleldil, their goal was to make death an art. Xetares was their god.

Their legacy: Trovin. Faron. The burning of the world.

To most, the Argai symbolized the arrogant supremacy of the Satar sword, an arrogance which went down to final defeat with the slaughter of the Aspect Warriors and their golden master. They knew little of the drug which had fueled their addiction to battle, an addiction which spread to Xetares himself. Who could say if Xetares himself took the drug, as did all his lieutenants? It is a question for history.

Within the temples, the mistake of unleashing Xatai for unrestrained aggression was noted. The Aspect Warriors were dead, and with them, the fatally flawed martial forms. Xatai, they pronounced, would never again be used in this way.

Most particularly, the Aspect Master that had trained the Aspect Warriors took note of his errors.

Sword, spear. A blur. Holes instantly appearing in thick sheet metal as if the finger of a god had invisibly punched through. Each strike puncturing forged iron plate as if it had been cloud, forming a pattern, a seven pointed star. A lashing limb to utterly decimate the target into shards of metal.

The Aspect Master paused, motionless. His body steamed. In years past he had found that the brief second after a martial form was complete was the best moment to contemplate all that he had just learned.

He sent his memory questing. The Aitahists, spreading like some breeding parasite, but what was the treatment? As hoped, the Accans, these black-masked Censorattas. Redeemer Macrinus, his entourage was now a mixture of Satar and Acca. Underneath the mask, who can tell what race one is? We can, of course. But can they? The mask is the future. Once we place masks on the Sesh, on the Acca, on the Satar, there will be no distinguishing. The Satar were overlords, but they could not rule. This new system of...administration that the Censoratta bring us is a gift.

We replace the rude division of princedoms and satrapies with magistrates and councils. All shall be made right. The Satar shall be the sword. The Acca will be the mailed fist that directs it. And in time, the two shall become one.

Allowing his daughter to die had been a mistake. Ishalia had been the perfect counterpoint to Aitah, who herself was a pale shadow of the Matah with whom the Seshweay were once obsessed. It became necessary to craft a new persona to lead the leaderless Oracles, this megalomaniac "Tephas ta-Shaim," distant relative of the dead Prince of the Sword, to reclaim the power that had always been his in all but name alone.

He missed Atraxes. Xetares had been an experiment, one that had not gone as planned. But he had learned that exatas could not be claimed by the Aspect of Battle alone.

The leaf-extract of the enigmatic, grey-flowered Xatai had another curious characteristic. It increased cell regeneration, retarding senescence. He had the body of an incredibly fit man in later middle age. Of course, the Aspect Master had lived more than two-hundred years, and expected the drug to stretch out another hundred before his organs finally failed. He would never allow any of his acolytes to preserve the dosage. No, the grey-eyed warrior fully intended to be the last of the immortals.

The Aspect Master sighed. 'Tephas' had to return to work. Always in quest of exatas, we foolish men.

.......Is it 'Xatai' or 'Xetai"?

Xatai. (I was still mulling over the spelling when I wrote the draft. Fixed.)

Iralliam - Monotheistic religion generally worshiping Opporia, but also a wide pantheon of semi-divine saints, spirits, demons, etc. Krato/Moti-oriented.

I get the impression that it's dualistic, a la Zoroastrianism. Also, was founded by a famous and highly revered prophet/sage.

Very much dualistic, although Opporia is the "good" guy :p

Nope!

Here's the PM I sent to Shadowbound, edited to remove the Nahsjad-specific stuff:


Maninism is a dualist religion without the dualism. In other words, there are no gods with any particular authority. The name of the religion comes from the “god”, Manin, who is occasionally interpreted as a sort of divine spirit but isn’t usually credited with any power. More modern thought in Gallat generally describes Manin as a force rather than a spirit, and the concept of Manin as a spirit was never really introduced elsewhere, so you don’t have to be too concerned over that distinction. (It is something of a point of contention between the clergy and the populace in Gallat, however, some of whom insist on worshipping Manin as a spirit.)

In any case, Manin is the Guide to the Faith. (Maninists call their belief the Faith, with no other term.) The Faith is all-important to humanity because, without the Faith, the world will fall into darkness, chaos and decay. The Faith is order, but more importantly the Faith is light, knowledge, and good works, great and small. The Maninist creation myth is important here.

The Maninists believe that, in the beginning, the world was perfect and unchanging. No one wanted for anything, and all humans lived in the utmost bliss. But something happened to that world (usually written in uppercase, Happened), although what exactly Happened is unclear and an oft-debated topic among religious scholars. In any case, the perfect world became destabilized. At first, no one noticed the change, but gradually the people’s hearts became darker. The first evil deeds were done: lies, theft, eventually murder. And the world itself began to darken and become more twisted. Nature reflected humanity’s decay, and the world was bathed alternately in great heat and great cold, and there was much suffering.

As this was all going on, the people began to search for something to save them. They knew something was wrong. But most of them found only false gods, conjured up by money-grubbing pretend priests. But a small few remained true to the great principles they had upheld in the time of perfection. They nursed it and nourished that virtue even in the darkest times. And, as they spread their virtue, from just a small group to an ever-expanding realm of followers, the world was saved from complete darkness.

But the world is only safe as long as humanity retains the true virtues and morals of the perfect world. (What exactly these are deemed to be has changed slightly over time and, to a lesser extent, by what region they are presented to.) The goal of the Faith must by necessity be to restore the Faith to the entire world, and thereby to return the world to the perfect state. Just as importantly, followers of the Faith must cultivate their own morality, for the fate of not only themselves but truly the entire world depends on the human ability to be moral.

There is a strong tendency to believe that some people around the world retain the beliefs of the perfect era without currently being a part of the Faith. This means the Faith is often syncretist in areas where it spreads. Taudo and Seadol was a good example of this, and some Maninist missionaries in the Mahid region had some success in combining the Triluin Cult of Hulos with Maninist ideals. Furthermore, worship of local deities is generally tolerated so long as they are not seen to encourage immoral behavior. What exactly qualifies as immoral behavior may depend a bit on the political climate, although some things such as large sacrifices, particularly human sacrifice, are never tolerated. Another example of intolerance would be against the Seshweay practice of ancestor worship, which met with scorn from Maninists for not seeking the truth internally but rather from external humans (in this case, dead humans, but still not likely to be more moral).

In terms of organization, the Faith is governed by the High Ward at its peak, although the position of High Ward is also the highest political authority in Gallat (having displaced the monarchy somewhat more than two centuries ago). Below the High Ward are numerous Wards, who have no formal hierarchy at the top level but tend to develop informal hierarchies within temples and missions. Below Wards are Acolytes, although most who enter the clergy will remain Acolytes their entire lives. The Acolytes are primarily responsible for missionary work.

I get the impression that it's dualistic, a la Zoroastrianism. Also, was founded by a famous and highly revered prophet/sage.

Right. I only chose the term 'monotheistic' because I didn't think that you worshiped your evil-figure, or accorded it equal status with Opporia, but I can change that if necessary.

Definitly equal status, thats the entire point.

Right, that's the nuance that marks the difference between straight-on monotheism and dualism. There are probably also some heterodox practitioners in the backwoods that would try and propitiate the Evil God.

EDIT: So anyway, Thlayli, since you're leaving: I'm going to accept the tribute, as long as the Kothari promise not to meddle in Uggor affairs. I'll come up with appropriate diplomatic form and a few more nuances later, but just so you know, I don't plan on destroying them unless they deliberately make a nuisance of themselves.

Nope!

Stats should be worked upon/up tomorrow. After that, the deadline for orders will be January the 19th, 12:00 noon EST. In keeping with my New Years' resolution, I hope to have an update up before I get back to college.

At the same time, I am probably eliminating the Description parts of the stats, and instead including a link to the nation's wiki page. Yes, for those of you who don't know, we have a wiki: http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Main_Page

The Hu'ut Empire's current entry is a good example of the kind of page I'm hoping to have for every nation, geographic feature, person, and even some things.

EDIT: And obviously, you can create your own nation's page, just be reasonable about it. Or other nations as well.

Ninja, do you still have that Uggor glossary on your computer? I can't seem to find mine, and now that there is a wiki I think that might come in handy for others too.

I'll take care of the Trilui stuff.

I have, if you haven't seen already, created a page for Leun. I just need to add info to it....:)

From: Moti Great Family Chief-of-Chiefs Fourth-Gaci
To: High Prince Zetaxaras, Star Family Chief

Your gift of horses is accepted[1] and considered a sign of your piety. Therefore I forgive the past transgressions of your lineage and confirm you in the possession of the lands you have taken now. In sign of reciprocity of the peaceful intent, I send to you reciprocal gifts - crimson elephants, slaves and crafted things of copper and bronze.

Know, however, that though you are forgiven, your brothers in the north are not, for as they have sworn a blood oath against us, so we have sworn a blood oath against them and for their enemies. Their lives and property are forfeit.

And another thing - hear that all the Uggor[2], whether of the Moti Great Family or of the Krato, are under my protection. That was so before, and it is more so now for I declare it thus anew. Any attack on any of them is an attack upon me; see to it that you and yours do not commit it, and I shall not need to fight you again.

And a third thing - your people are renowned horse-warriors, and a terror of the battlefield, so all have heard and we also have seen. It is known to me that a warrior must fight, but is often in want of worthy and unshameful opponents. I tell you not to fight any of the Uggor; and I also would not ask you to fight your brethren in the north, for I understand that it would still be kinstrife. Instead, if you or any of your warriors are even in want of wars and enemies, I would offer any of your warriors a chance to serve as retainers in my own army and to fight against all my enemies but the Uggor and the Satar, in exchange for payment and share of the plunder, and would offer you yourself with your retainers an alliance against any of my enemies but the Uggor and the Satar in exchange for a share of the plunder and assistance against any of your enemies that are not Uggor or Satar. Thus we shall reconcile past differences through shared combat and shared enemies, and shall destroy any that dare oppose us.

---

[1] This was a major faux pass on Zetaxaras' part and a clever underhanded political maneuver on the part of Fourth-Gaci, or rather his advisers. It resulted in a major falling out between the Horse Family (who thought, quite correctly, that they were the only ones who were supposed to receive horses as gifts, or at least had the right to receive them first and then pass most of them on to the Chief-of-Chiefs) and the Elephant Family (who thought, quite correctly, that the supreme ruler of all families had the right to take any goods that are sent to any of the families), though ultimately any immediate harm was avoided.

[2] Fun fact: rebels and outlaws are not Uggor as used in this message, unless forgiven and accepted back into an Uggor family. The Horse Family are Uggor now, but weren't before they worked out a new arrangement and became a family in their own right.

Ninja, do you still have that Uggor glossary on your computer? I can't seem to find mine, and now that there is a wiki I think that might come in handy for others too.

It's on the other computer, but I'll try to get it on this one sometime today.

Uggor- Family
Igog- A company of men. Usually reffering to groups of warriors.
Srupto- The World
Yensai- Mighty or powerful. Also the name of a river.
Coshunda- A large body of water. The Galas Sea is considered a Coshunda.
Gropohuna- Mountain. The Kotthorns are considered Gropohunas.
Jiti- Meal.
Brosli- Tree.
Brosligo- Treeless. Sometimes used to refer to the more flat areas of Krato, or possibly higher parts of the Kotthorns.
Fre- Life.
Frego- Lifeless or dead.
Gog-Man
Grig- Woman
Gor- People
Kotuu- Name for elephant.
Eso- Red/ Crimson
Gogi- Human
Sontog- Animal
Uyom- Evil
Cotun- Sheep
Yenrus Uggor- Great Family
Eso Kotuu- Crimson Elephant
Hno Un Hnos- Chief of Chiefs
Sogo- Goat
Afono- Cow

(This was a different set. Therefore, the translation is switched around for the first few.)
Horse: Durost
Ox: Afvanfo
Chicken: Pirtipel
Cat: Risfa
Lion: Jiressa
Tikhupata: Divine or mighty
Yenri- Good
Hnoyto-Council
Swen- One
Swenit-First
Kij- Two
Kijit- Second
Hwot- Three
Hwotit-Third
Buci- Four
Bucit- Fourth
Lon-Five
Lonit- Fifth
Lun- Six
Lunit- Sixth
Ver- Seven
Verit- Seventh
Bohu- Eight
Bohuit- Eighth
Katul- Nine
Katulit- Nineth
Cartu- Ten
Cartuit- Tenth
Empo- Blue
Ect- Green
Els- Yellow
Abu- Orange
Tivu- Purple
Nilhatsum- Gold
Musatsum- Tin
Bulatsum- Silver
Zyensum- Copper

I wrote this god knows how long ago, but here it is :p

OOC: Yes, I just ripped this from my article on the EoE wiki, but I do like it quite more than my other two stories(:vomit:).

Origins of Leun

It was said that Leun was started by a major Opunlensi expedition in the Leunan Sea, looking for, as always, trade. Presumably, they become shipwrecked at the capital of Leun, and founded the city right on the spot, roughly around 130 SR (Seshway calendar). Initially, a council, made of the various captains, together with a tiny bureaurcracy modeled after those of Opunlensi, if only for fimiliarity, held order as the city itself was established, and secured, and afterwards, dealt with managing the livelihood of the fledgling country as it slowly developed the previously untouched wilderness. Given what could barely be called more than a large outpost that contained only a few hundred, or maybe a few thousand people, depending on what sparse natives they could recruit for manpower, this was indeed, a very slow process.

A few years later, and much to the council's surprise, a small native kingdom to south was discovered, on the island now called Utene. Desparate for help of any kind, trade was soon established, and much needed foodstuffs was brought in to the capital, whose nearby lands, mostly sub-arid, weren't suitable for effective farming. Predictably, most of Leun quickly became fed by grain from Utene, and when a series of particularly deep droughts hit the region in general, grain shipments stopped being recieved from Utene, as they struggled to feed their own mouths, as did Leun, although to a far worse degree, its own farms quite failing to meet demand. With the entire region threatening to riot into anarchy, its was determined that largest force possible attack, occupy, and most importantly, secure the food sources of Utene. Of course, the largest force possible was a little under 300 men, armed with what the fixed supply of iron Leun could supply. However, using the merchant trick much like the Second Empire centuries ago, Utene was captured, and fairly bloodlessly at that, the people being surprisingly submissive to the men with "shiny spears" (Iron). Despite this triumph, many died during that hard time.

It was during this time however, or maybe a little after, that the king became the great ruler of Leun, possibly from the very captain who took Utene. Regardless, the transformation of the head of Leun into a monarchy marked the beginning of its yet unchecked ascent. The original council itself incorpating itself as the nobility of Leun, along with the few men already wealthy men of trade. Yes, by about 155 SR some say, solid contacts with the west were re-established, and trade, the lifeblood the world (at least from Leunan point of view), began flowing again. Coupled with successful crops leading to a population boom, Leun begin expanding in its own right, establishing a merchant outpost to aid trade with the west on the small island of Myroza to the west of Leun. The cape of Afra was also claimed, as well as the numerous islands between it's point and Utene, and several islands beyond it, one of which, Actas, turned out to be far larger than first thought, being even bigger than Utene after further exploration around the coastline and inland.

Speaking of exploration, the next major phase of Leunan history, if you would call it that, was led by exploration, as the unknown dark shroud which surrounded Leun from many angles was eagerly lifted by many young explorers of the new generations of Leun. Most importantly, this led to the discovery of the Acayan peoples and their city states to the north. A people with a strong passion for law and fairness, their republican nature was as quickly forgotten as their openness to trade was remembered. Instantly, hundreds of Leunan ships, if not all Leunan ships, could be seen at some point in their numerous journies, unloading and uploading their cargo at the many Acayan cities.

Leun however, was not the only state interested in Acayan products, and soon Western powers, namely the Opunlensi and Nahari, begun trade with Acaya, with Leun perfectly situated in between to reap the benefits. This truly marked Leun's enterance into the world as a viable power, and while it certainly couldn't match up against the likes of the Opunlensi, it could certainly control the only thing it could care about, the east-west trade route. In fact, much of Leunan expansion after the discovery of Acaya was dictated by way to further control the trade route. An outpost was established directly bordering the most southern Acayan city Isycha, while the trade town of Asardias was established just around point of Auona, and soon became the third largest city in Leun, after the capital itself and Utene (the city is named after the island). Additionally, because it seemed the only route to Acaya was around Utene to the north or south, complete Leunan control was established over the strait (of sorts), all islands being claimed for kingdom. Indeed, Leun so completely controlled the trade routes that even the mere existence of Acaya only became common knowledge to civilization of the west decades after they had acquired the products which were Acayan made.

By this point, over 100 years and 5 generations after the founding of Leun, for once, nothing notable happened in Leun. No new civilizations were discovered, nor particularly bad economic times befell the unfortunate, and maybe that was the best, for simple expansion, development, and trade certainly fit the ever growing ranks of Leun just fine.

Reason #1 of why you should join the EoEWiki: You get to see cool new info earlier then those who don't go to the wiki. Case in point: http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Dulama_Empire:)

I guess I'm gonna try work on the Krato section, and maybe even the Uggor section. I'm a bit of a wiki noob, so I'll try not to try anything drastic.

Going from big to small. These are the ones I have done so far; I'd suggest any comments aka complaints be posted very soon, so that I can apply them to other stats as well.

Note that nearly every nation has been rebalanced to some extent. I've only really kept militaries semi-constant, and not even those in some cases. Manpower has been drastically raised (2-10x) in almost all nations; income has similarly spiked, though this is mostly because the domestic spending stat became "visible" (and influence-able as well).

Note that domestic spending is high in nations where the costs of administration are high (duh), or which are just beginning to integrate large new chunks of territory -- hence why the Accan Exatai's is so high, or which are rebuilding -- note that Hu'ut's is slightly high as well.

Accan Exatai - Azale
Culture: Accan, Satar (codominant), Bosrttian (local), Seshweay (local)
Government: Exatai
Religion: Ardavan (all others persecuted), Aitahism, Ancestor Worship, Ailuttorutto Polytheism
Income: 30,000 + 10,000 Kash’im
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 27,000
-Military: 5,300
Available Spending: 7,700
Military (Upkeep): 10,000 levies, 250 professionals, 7,500 steppe cavalry, 1,000 noble cavalry, 100 chariots, 60 ships (Upkeep: 2,000 + 500 + 1,500 + 500 + 200 + 600 = 5,300)
Manpower (Used/Available): 18,950/140,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Acca)

Dulama Empire - Permanent NPC
Culture: Dulama (dominant), Tollanaugh (in the east)
Government: Monarchy with a High Council
Religion: Sacrificial Cult, Traditional Religion in the East
Income: 90,000 + 50,000
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 70,000
-Military: 55,500
Available Spending: 14,500
Military (Upkeep): 50,000 Levies, 20,000 professionals, 1,000 steppe cavalry mercenaries, 500 ships (Upkeep: 10,000 + 40,000 + 500 + 5,000 = 55,500)
Manpower (Used/Available): 71,000/400,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Dulama_Empire)

Evyni Empire - ~Darkening~
Culture: Evyni (dominant), Prokym, Ailuttorutto
Government: Monarchy
Religion: Ytauzi (all others persecuted), Ancestor Worship, Maninism
Income: 17,500 + 5,500
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 15,000
-Military: 5,110
Available Spending: 2,890
Military (Upkeep): 10,000 levies, 700 professionals, 600 cavalry, 51 ships (Upkeep: 2,000 + 1,400 + 1,200 + 510 = 5,110)
Manpower (Used/Available): 11,300/65,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Evyni_Empire)

Gallat - Cuivienen
Culture: Gallatene (dominant), Fermani
Government: Theocratic Monarchy
Religion: Maninism
Income: 14,000 + 7,000 anhua
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 13,000
-Military: 2,800
Available Spending: 5,200
Military (Upkeep): 4,500 levies, 200 professionals, 150 ships (Upkeep: 900 + 400 + 1,500 = 2,800 anhua)
Manpower (Used/Available): 4,700/60,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Gallat)

Hanakahi - NPC
Culture: Hamakua
Government: Monarchy
Religion: Indagahor, Hamakuan Polytheism
Income: 6,500 + 2,500
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 5,000
-Military: 3,500
Available Spending: 500
Military (Upkeep): 4,000 levies, 1,000 professionals, 70 ships (Upkeep: 600 + 2,000 + 700 = 3,500)
Manpower (Used/Available): 5,000/35,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Hanakahi)

Hu’ut - lord_joakim
Culture: Hu’ut (dominant), Farou
Government: Monarchy
Religion: Iralliam, Magia
Income: 18,000 + 5,000
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 16,000
-Military: 2,000
Available Spending: 5,000
Military (Upkeep): 10,000 levies (Upkeep: 2,000)
Manpower (Used/Available): 10,000/80,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Hu’ut)

Krato - Ninja_Dude (Civil War)
Culture: Uggor (dominant), Duroc (oppressed), Liealb
Government: Council of Chiefs
Religion: Iralliam, scattered pockets of Oneism
Income: 14,000 + 1,000 Ka
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 10,000
-Military: 4,950
Available Spending: Effectively, each clan has c. 500 Ka to spend
Military (Upkeep): 20,000 levies, 250 professionals, 50 elephants, 20 ships (Upkeep: 4,000 + 500 + 250 + 200 = 4,950 Ka)
Council of Chiefs: 500 levies, 10 ships
Buci Sogo: 3,500, 50 professionals, 30 ships
Cartu Coton: 3,000 levies, 150 professionals, 10 elephants
Eso Sogo: 10 ships, 3,000 levies and 10 elephants with Tikaf, 2,000 levies at Firidi
Swenit Jiressa: 3,500 levies, 50 professionals
Yensai Brosli: 4,500 levies
Manpower (Used/Available): 20,750/70,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Krato)

Moti - das
Culture: Uggor (dominant), Bisrian
Government: Monarchy with Council of Chiefs
Religion: Iralliam
Income: 16,000 + 4,000 Ka
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 13,000
-Military: 3,100
Available Spending: 3,900
Military (Upkeep): 8,000 levies, 500 professionals, 100 elephants (Upkeep: 1,600 + 1,000 + 500 = 3,100)
Manpower (Used/Available): 9,000/70,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Moti)

Nahari Empire - Abaddon
Culture: Arta Xorti, Trehan, Astrii
Government: Monarchy
Religion: Indagahor, Maninism
Income: 6,000 + 5,000
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 6,500
-Military: 2,800
Available Spending: 2,700
Military (Upkeep): 5,000 levies, 400 professionals, 100 ships (Upkeep: 1,000 + 800 + 1,000 = 2,800)
Manpower (Used/Available): 5,400/40,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Nahari Empire)

Opulensi Empire - Player
Culture: Opulensi (dominant), Trehan, Trilui Arta Xorti
Government: Monarchy
Religion: Indagahor, Cult of Hulos
Income: 12,000 + 9,000
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 12,000
-Military: 6,900
Available Spending: 2,100
Military (Upkeep): 7,000 levies, 500 Daharai (professionals), 450 ships (Upkeep: 1,400 + 1,000 + 4,500 = 6,900)
Manpower (Used/Available): 7,500/60,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Opulensi_Empire)

Palmyra - Slavic_Sioux
Culture: Palmyrian, Doral
Government: Monarchy
Religion: Palmyrian Shrewism
Income: 8,000 + 1,000
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 6,000
-Military: 2,150
Available Spending: 850
Military (Upkeep): 3,000 levies, 400 professionals, 75 ships (Upkeep: 600 + 800 + 750 = 2,150)
Manpower (Used/Available): 3,400/35,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Palmyra)

Sira - Shadowbound
Culture: Nahsjad
Government: Monarchy
Religion: Maninism
Income: 8,000 + 1,000
Permanent Expenses:
-Domestic: 4,500
-Military: 1,850
Available Spending: 2,650
Military (Upkeep): 2,500 levies, 500 professionals, 35 ships (Upkeep: 500 + 1,000 + 350 = 1,850)
Manpower (Used/Available): 3,000/40,000
Description (http://endofempires.wiki-site.com/index.php/Sira)

Opulensi Empire - Player
Forgot my name hmmh? ;) I thought I did express my intent to continue playing.

Otherwise, looking good.

:D My mistake, sorry.

The Thorsrdyn of Evyn sends word to the Duke of Shu

Know it that the mercy of the Law-Giver is generous and immeasurable; both to those who earn his favor, and those that fall to his will. Your request, however, has put him into a difficult situation: should he grant you favor, what is to say that you would not aid his enemies in their fight against his rule? The Thorsrdyn has put this question to the highest of his advisors, and from them has gathered an appropriate answer. Let it be known that the Thorsrdyn will accept your current rule in name of his own in consideration of several conditions. First and foremost is that all peoples under your domain cease their objections to his highest stature, and their acceptance of his will as law. Second is the willingness of your people to serve amongst the Thorsrdyn's armies and for your people to pay its share of his rightful taxes. Third is the immediate presence of your armies in joint resistance against those that continue their fight against the Law-Giver: the Ming duchy of Liang.

The Thorsrdyn considers this to be a test of the oath of the Duke of Shu. Send your men to fight alongside the Empire's, and let them do battle with the ones they called brothers. Should these conditions be met, should your armies prove their worth and support for the Thorsrdyn against the Liang, you will receive his full mercy. Note, however, that should you fail his test, or attempt any betrayal of the Evyn armies, the word given will be to erase your state- and its very people- from the fabric of history. He will tolerate no offense from the Shu duchy, and if done, it will be set ablaze.

The Thorsrdyn's mercy is generous. If the Duke passes his standard, then he will be considered worthy of such vassalage. His reward will be the Thorsrdyn's favor, and his mighty protection against any that dare stand against him. In addition a portion of the Duke's lands will returned to him, the lands along the lower Rhon, beginning with its mouth and heading inland until its meeting with the Weinan. Above this point the land will remain property of the Empire, as punishment for the Duchy's stand against the will of the Law-Giver.

OOC: Ytauzi: a northern faith based around anti-deism, favoring a belief in a Tao-ish system referred to as the Alianti. Primarily Evyni.

The Duke of Shu is humbled by the Thorsrdyn's tremendous mercy and generosity. Our armies have been thoroughly beaten, our men slaughtered by the thousands, and our land taken from us, yet you would allow the Duke to retain much of his former realm. For this we are eternally grateful; the Thorsrdyn's kindness, mercy, and generosity knows no bounds, and shall not be forgotten.

We agree to all of the conditions you have set forth. The Duke of Shu hereby swears his loyalty to the Thorsrdyn. Henceforth his word shall be accepted as supreme law throughout the Duchy of Shu. The Shu renounce all claims to the ancient lands of the ming empire, and all the lands inhabited by the ming people, save for the newly decreed borders of the Shu Duchy.

The host of Shu marches west, to join the Thorsrdyn's army and destroy the Duchy of Liang.

They look fine NK! And Azale has to like them too, going from 4,000 income to 40,000 income in one turn.:eek:

I feel... wow. I'm that big?

North King: what is the possibility of a Trehan Rebelion?

North King: what is the possibility of a Trehan Rebelion?

...Minimal in the first place... now that you mentioned it in the middle of a thread, very very low.

:rolleyes:

Yeah, but it will tye up their forces fearing of what I can or could possibly do. :evil:

No Trilui, err Empire of Helsia yet?

Yeah, but it will tye up their forces fearing of what I can or could possibly do. :evil:
:rolleyes:

Dissapointed with stats, ho hum. :/

Nope!

Posted by emu
Why are we all rolling eyes at charles now?

Totally the cool thing to do now? I mean, spamming about him is also good, but just so yesterday.

Sweet! Cool stats! When is the next deadline?

Sweet! Cool stats! When is the next deadline?

By the 19th if the stats are completely finished.:)

So, NK, how is the stat update process? I don't mean to hurry you, but since the orders are due on 20th...

Obviously the due date's gonna be moved back semi-proportionally. I've kind of been going back and forth on how much I should rebalance, so that's taking a while.

If you're particularly dissatisfied with low numbers of soldiers as a main reason for rebalancing everything upward, how much of an increase do you plan on NK? Double, triple? Assuming there's many various garrisons around that aren't listed, I don't think the current levels to be terribly low.:)

Also, just throwing out a thought, but would splitting the domestic income stat into base income (agriculture, aquaculture, mining etc.) and manufacturing income like AFSNES be useful at all? It provides more information, which seems to be the purpose of the splitting up the income stat in the first place.

I don't think economy needs to be expanded further. The goal of the N3S stat system is to give the player enough detail while avoiding heavy stats that strangulate everything. Also, micromanagement of the tax base to that level is really a matter left for the player's bureaucracy.

Professional/levy dynamic needs to be altered, though. Professional infantry soldiers should not be prohibitively expensive for large empires; the current pricing should more apply to elite soldiers like noble cavalry, etc.

Levies should have a minimal cost but cause drops in domestic income when they're called up en masse, imo.

Deeds II, III
She sings songs of long since passed, of nevermore, and somethings, and potentials, and impossibilities; still older than rocks, that were once boulders, and which have long since ceased being of mountains but which are still mountains in their minds; of cities, and men, women, and children, long since passed and forgotten save all but she. Memories tug, and pull, eddying out past understanding and passing into myth, legend and the mad fancies of all bar her for she knows and in the knowing comes certainty and in the certainty of knowing things which should never be known comes fear for that which is may come again or it may never, and that this is known to her and still more. All the world is her song, and all the mad fancies, and all the memories of people not her own but her own, for she is of all peoples and in her blood peculates the blood of Kings and Queens uncrowned, Gods and Goddesses undefied, and she is all and nothing, many and myriad, hundreds and thousands, the fire in the blood, the light of the world and of the world, and the worlds entire. She is God, and in her name all shall be known.

Wa.

Okay, so this will be restarting in summer. The next turn will be a BT in order to a) get things interesting again and b) smoothly transition into the new rules. It will be 100 years long. Just give me a general guide for how to run your nation in those years, you should know the drill... if this confuses you just ask for more details.

This is also the ideal time to start a new nation on the fringes of civilization.

Of course, you have a considerable amount of time. Deadline for reclaiming your nations is 11:59 PM on May 15th; after that they are open to anyone who might want them.

Deadline for the actual BT orders is 11:59 PM May 22nd.

Anyway, hope everyone's still interested and ready for an interesting ride this summer. :)

I need merely state one word to express my continuing interest.

EXATAI!

The Faerouhaiaouans continue to stand proud.

Church is here.

I'd like to join this if there is any spots open.

I can't really remember what was it exactly that I was doing the last time, but yeah, I'll probably rejoin seeing as I seem to have the time to read up on all that.

Leunan Empire, of course. I feel like building lots of ships.

i'll play jipha still.

Ready to annoy once more.

Opulensi empire present.

Still holding onto my secret territory Northy. Did anyone find me yet?

The Triluin/Helsian Empire is here.

I'll take a Kratoan clan. Didn't I take the Swenit Jiressa Clan? Or was it the Eso Sogo? Whatever, I think it was the Swenit Jiressa, so I'll go with them.

Is there any chance that you could do a rudimentary short-term update? There are a lot of situations that would need to be resolved within the next ten years or less. If not, then that's fine too, but it would make things a lot easier for many of us, I think.

I am still here.

....Yeah. I didn't really think about it, but how will the (northern) war be resolved before the BT?

This looks intriguing.

I'd like to join this if there is any spots open.

Certainly. Any of the nations currently listed as NPC or anything that's not reclaimed by the 15th is open. Past that, there's always room to start your own nation (in pretty much any imaginable climate situation, given how open the map is at this point).

Still holding onto my secret territory Northy. Did anyone find me yet?

No (in a sense...).

I'll take a Kratoan clan. Didn't I take the Swenit Jiressa Clan? Or was it the Eso Sogo? Whatever, I think it was the Swenit Jiressa, so I'll go with them.

Pretty sure it was the Swenit Jiressa.

Is there any chance that you could do a rudimentary short-term update? There are a lot of situations that would need to be resolved within the next ten years or less. If not, then that's fine too, but it would make things a lot easier for many of us, I think.

....Yeah. I didn't really think about it, but how will the (northern) war be resolved before the BT?

Point. The only issue is the ridiculous mess that stats have become, but I suppose I do have more than a month to work on it.

There could always be a miniature war update. What would be the preference?

This looks intriguing.

Poke around for a bit and see what you like. :) Or start your own culture if you feel like it, there's a lot of room.

Now, here I'm a little bit confused. Are we leading nations, or cultures, or a combination of both?

There could always be a miniature war update. What would be the preference?

A mini update would be fine by me, more time to build ships (which I really need to do) but I'd prefer a longer BT, say, up to 200 years.

Palmyra present!

Now, here I'm a little bit confused. Are we leading nations, or cultures, or a combination of both?

The general outline has been a player creates a culture and then takes one of the nations of that cultural heritage.

Posted by North King
There could always be a miniature war update. What would be the preference?


I'd go for the miniature update just for those at war, just to conclude and tidy up the room. With those cleared up, then a main 'general' BT update to begin progress.

Culture Name: Arelgon

Starting Location: East of Edemu, in the foothills and valleys of the mountains, next to the river basin therein.

Society: Arelgonian culture is familial/feudalistic. The different Arelgonian city-states are arranged into a proto-republic organization known as the Confederation of Arelgon, or simply the Confederation. Representatives from the city-states of Arelgon meet yearly or in time of emergency to operate as a unit. In recent years, however, the centralization of the Confederation has grown exponentially, with the city-state of Wessarin gaining power and influencing politics throughout the city-states. Many are calling this Wessaric revolution the beginning of a new era for Arelgon and the Confederation. Before the Confederation, much of the land that the Arelgonics lived in was agricultural, and the few centers of urban life there were had been built around the citadels and homes of the feudal lords that founded the city-states of Arelgon. As agricultural techniques improved, and farming became more efficient, more citizens of the city-states took up living within cities, and by the time of the War of Confederation, urban centers had become larger and more common. Increasing with the urbanization of Arelgonian life was the quality of living the average Arelgonic could expect to have, and now as the Confederation becomes more and more centralized, a middle-class of Arelgonic is burgeoning.

Lineage: The archives kept by the different nations of the Confederation are rarely rivaled, and the lineage of all the families of Arelgon is diligently documented. These archives, however, are having their funding stripped from them by their localized governments. Their usefulness has now decreased, with the Wessaric Revolution, and the centralization of the Confederation. In the times before the Confederation, one's worth in society was determined entirely by one's family's status and history, but as politics becomes more and more centered around the urban, and not the agricultural land-owner, worth is being determined by merit, as opposed to lineage.

Values: The Arelgonics value honor, fidelity, and courage above all other things. Honor in battle and in commerce, fidelity in marriage and policy, and courage in the face of adversity. Though Arelgonian society is anything but perfect, the values instilled to many generations of Arelgonics through tales of glory in battle and truth in word have served to advance Arelgonian society over the years.

Religion: Arelgonian religion is polytheistic, holding faith in the existence of a pantheon of eight gods and goddesses who they hold responsible for the universe. Many of these gods are various aspects of nature and life, but the "king", deity that the majority of Arelgonics worship and has a large hold over Arelgonian society is Naeroth. Naeroth, the God of Light, is also known as the Truth-Bringer. Naeroth, it is said, brought light and justice into the universe, but this light and the universe it illuminated was corrupted by Gorrulth, the "evil", deity of Arelgonian religion. Thus, ever since, it is believed that the universe is constantly in flux between the Light of Naeroth and the Dark of Gorrulth. This is seen as a metaphor for the fact that the universe is imperfect.

Language: Arelgoric, the language spoken by all the nations of the Confederation, is composed of a base writing system of thirty-eight symbols representing multiple sounds, and numerous punctuations. The Arelgoric language favors the sounds, "ae", "var", "ar", "der", "nel". The symbols that represent these sounds are some of the most used letters in the Arelgoric alphabet.


Mythos: It is thought by the Arelgonics that after the nature-gods shaped the universe that Naeroth illuminated and created for them, Naeroth and his chief lieutenant and would-be wife, Sarinne created a people to inhabit it. This people was the Arel. A just, righteous and pure society they did create and rule under the guidance of Naeroth and Sarinne before being corrupted by Gorrulth. Thus did Naeroth and Sarinne shun their people, until they yet again found the light, and the battle for good and evil manifested itself in the Arel, who ever afterward named themselves Arelgonians in shame for their corruption.

Economic Base: Arelgonian economics is based around the mining of the large mountains and cliffs that surround the Valley Durren in which the more prosperous city-states are located, and the fishing of the river that flows through this valley and its tributaries. Alongside the fishing and mining is of course agriculture, which the Arelgonics excel at, but is taking a back-seat to the centralization of the Confederation, and the growth of Arelgon.

Nation Names: Wessarin, Fordella, Carrintar, Bethell, Vorren.

Place Names: Valley Durren, Carrin Mountains, Beth Mountains, Wessaric Sea, Vorr Plains, Fordellan Hills.

Names of Famous Persons: Dorgannon, Lord of Wessarin - Living. Aeruq, Lord of Fordella - Living. Sarilinea, Lady of Vorren - Living. Mendarr, Lord of Carrintar - Living. Aenar, Lord of Bethell - Living.

Velar, Hero of the Confederation Wars - Deceased, Approx. 150 years prior. Nentaral, Lord of Wessarin - Deceased, Approx. 20 years prior. Getharin, Lord of Vorren - Deceased, Approx. 30 years prior. Lelquarie, Lady of Bethell - Deceased, Approx. 15 years prior. Atharril, Lord of Carrintar - Deceased, Approx. 45 years prior. Fathgoren, Lord of Fordella - Deceased, Approx. 50 years prior.

OOC: I'm going to take a stab at this, since it looks pretty interesting to me.

OOC: Shu, the last real Ming Duchy, remains ever vigilant.

I want to play, but I'm quite disenfranchised with Ateuma, so I don't know what to do.

I want to play, but I'm quite disenfranchised with Ateuma, so I don't know what to do.

Well, there's always the opportunity of taking a barbarian tribe and razing it to the ground, then restarting from the ground up. Or just having ME raze it to the ground and restart from the ground up somewhere else entirely.


Lord of Elves: glad to have you aboard, but can you pinpoint your location a bit more exactly? Do you mean among the chain of lakes near the Gotht?