OOC: Welcome to my newest Story. Feel free to post comments, Critique, whatever.

It was a peaceful time. The quiet, prosperous land of the Empire extended from the Great Ocean
in the east to the Rainy Ocean in the west, a distance of over two thousand miles. This whole
land, from Portland to Trae, was a safe, easy travel, with a transcontinental road well under
construction. The Empire’s economy was booming. And peace reigned between it and its
neighbors, the Aztecs. They were the only nations known to man, unless you counted the
troublesome Huron in the Northern Forest, who occasionally raided and burned the Empire’s
villages.

However, their raids were useless gestures... After all, the Empire had iron swords. The
barbarians...

http://forums.civfanatics.com/images/avatars/civ3_warrior.gif
Depiction of a Northern Barbarian

The barbarians had little more than stone axes, and though some of the empire’s troops were
armed little better, most of the troops defending their cities had at least bronze, if not iron
weapons.

Hence, there was little threat to the Empire, for it had nothing to fear from the barbarians or the
Aztecs, whom seemed only to have a small peninsula to the south. Plus, the Empire had laid out
simple claims for its territories. They would only build up to the Mississippi and the Arkansas
Rivers, and in the west, to the Utah and the Sacred Rivers. This was perfectly reasonable, and at
first the Aztecs seemed perfectly willing to go along with this. However, storm clouds were
gathering on the horizon, clouds that bore an ominous omen for the region as a whole...



Below, a map of the Empire's western Frontier c. 1500 BCE

OOC: Yes, there is a reason the Empire was given that name... :D

Because they have evil space ships?

I was referring more to the egotistical name the Empire has... You can see it on the map. ;)

Robertian? as in, Robert?

I see....

Looks promising...yes, very.

Chapter 1: Manifest Destiny

Samuel trudged on trough the endless grasses of the Mississippi Banks. These hills seemed to
hold no end. The army was here on the mission of taking New Orleans from the Aztecs, or as
they might call it– Calixhuantec? Cahuanaxtec? Something with a C and a tech, anyway. Samuel
was from Michigamme, the northern Lake land. This was a change– a big change. This weather,
despite it being early autumn, was hot and muggy.

His uniform (he had long taken off his armor so as not to roast), was sticking to his back with his
sweat. His feet felt like lead weights. They sure enough fell to the ground easily; it was picking
them back up that was the problem. Why was he in this place? The immediate answer was that
he was on campaign, of course. But what was the reason for the campaign?

The ruler of the land, Emperor Robert (like he could forget that, when the Empire was named
after him), had proclaimed through his embassy that the Empire laid claim to the continent down
to the Mississippi, Arkansas, Utah, and the Sacred Rivers. This was all. The Aztecs, however,
had ignored these claims, and settled at the mouth of the Mississippi on their own, anyway, at the
place that would have been New Orleans, but was instead an unpronounceably Aztec name.

He could recall the Emperor’s oration like it was yesterday. He had, in fact, been there, one of the
many thousands in Robertia (the Emperor had an egotistical streak, that was for sure), when the
Emperor stood up to a great gilded podium, delivering his speech.

“Honorable People of the Empire. We laid out our claims over a hundred years ago. The Aztecs
have dared to rebuff us, building a city at the mouth of the Great Water, the Mississippi. They
have built upon our Sacred Land. Why? I shall tell you why. They intend to erect an Iron Curtain,
a great buffer to stop our nation from expanding where it ought to. Why? They are obviously
jealous. The Aztecs rule a small realm, no further than a thousand miles from end to end. They
envy our land of two thousand miles. They envy the diversity of our great land, from its deserts to
its rainiest forests. They believe they have a right to. They do, indeed have reason to envy us.

But this is too far. They have transmitted envy into threats, and this, my countrymen, is
unacceptable. Our Destiny, Our certain Destiny, Our Manifest Destiny, is that of the greatest
power in the land, and we shall fulfill that destiny. I call for young men to flock to arms, to
achieve this destiny!

To arms, to arms! Our Manifest Destiny shall prevail! The Empire shall rule the continent, and
everywhere, it shall be recognized that we always keep our promises. We always will honor
them, wether in blood or in peace. Our shroud is that of honesty and justice. Purple is the noblest
shroud.”

Yes, he thought, this is the reason I am here. I am here for the Empire, the Empire that shall rule
on. Emboldened, he hastened his march towards New Orleans. Towards Battle.

http://pws.chartermi.net/~Suits/March.JPG

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