The Celestial Bureaucracy

getting better and better
finally a better world map

Awesome update!

Australia hurts on the eyes a bit, what with Babylon and all the other 'dawn of time' civs on the map as well, but I think you've explained it really well, so props for that!

Love your new avatar, TD!

Comrade Hoovesif Stallion much?

Another good update, and in quick fashion as well! What will happen next I wonder.....

Nice look at the world map by the way. Are you going to conquer Australia next?

Civ'ed said:

Comrade Hoovesif Stallion much?

Click to expand...

Hoovesif Stallion...

That's great!

Angkor Wat under siege.

Aside from the shock Azuma experienced from apparently landing in Avalon, he was completely paralyzed at the sudden interaction with one of the natives.

“You speak English?” he asked, incredulously.
“Yes, what else would I speak? Spanish?” she laughed.
It was strange though, unlike Avalonian English, the girl’s speech had an unusual accent to it that Azuma had never heard before.
But she had just mentioned Spanish! They really did land in Europe!
“Did you come from the ocean?” she asked, staring intently.
“Uh…yes, no, I mean…” Azuma took a moment to catch his breath. “I did come from the ocean but I didn’t come from the ocean,” The poor linguist was quite flustered and could not adequately convey what he meant in such close presence to such a striking young woman.

“Is this place…Avalon?” the linguist asked.
She looked puzzled.
“A-va-lon?” she enunciated in such a way as the make Azuma look away to hide his blush. “That’s a pretty name but I don’t know what you’re talking about. Half Moon Bay, is part of the Unaligned Land. I’m from the First Nation, far to the East,” the young woman explained.
“First Nation? Not Avalon? So this isn’t Europe then?” Azuma was shocked.
This would take some time to soak in. Azuma realized by now that they had not discovered the Eastern Sea Route to Europe, but had wound up someplace else entirely.
“I almost forgot to introduce myself! My name is Vermillion Waters,” she beamed. “What’s your name?”
“Azuma Seimei,” he said to the best of his ability.
“Ah-zoo-mah, Ah-zoo-mah. Well that’s a strange name. It doesn’t even mean anything,” Vermillion frowned.
Before he could explain that his given name was Seimei and his surname was Azuma, which meant East, he noticed a tall Caucasian man dressed similarly to Vermillion approach him; with a pleased expression on his face. Like his contemporary, he wore little clothing himself and the great mass of brown hair that grew from the man’s chest was explicitly visible to the young linguist.

“Um…ah…uh, would you happen to be her husband, good sir?” Azuma asked.
“Husband? No, Vermillion Waters is my sister! My name is Walker in Sunfire,” the man smiled warmly.
“He says his name is Ahzoomah,” Vermillion said to her older brother.
“Awe-zu-muh,” Walker tried to pronounce to no success.
“Apologies,” he shrugged but something else had caught his interest as he put a hand on Azuma’s shoulder.
“More friends?” Walker asked as he pointed at the junk and the people on it.
“…Yes, more friends,” Azuma mouthed slowly, trying to get over how terribly impersonal these natives seemed to be.
At this the man broke out at full sprint to meet with the landing sailors.

The Lan Ye Hua was moored by the shore and after the fact, a good portion of the crew touched down onto the moist, dark sand to take in the awe of the majesty of the new land. Walker in Sunfire by this point came into close contact with the crew of the Lan Ye Hua and was almost immediately mobbed by the excited crew. The few Saxons who were on the voyage were dumbstruck to see another Caucasian and attempted to communicate in German to Walker in Sunfire to no avail. While the Saxons continued to try and converse with the native man, the Nao Caste researchers chattered excitedly to each other about the find. Captain Cao Ying kept a clear head and simply walked out to the front to shake Walker’s hand and make a few friendly gestures. While the crew was occupied with the new native man, Bai moved out from the crowd and walked towards Azuma in her sandals.

As Azuma watched from afar, he sorely wished that it had been her who left to greet the sailors.
Wait no, then she might end up being friendly with them instead of him.
Now he was overthinking it.
“Are those your friends?” she asked as she pointed at the crew of Imperial sailors who had disembarked onto the cold, frothing beach to their right.
“Friends? Well, they’re not really my-, yes, you could say they are my ‘friends’, if just travelling with them justifies that specific categorization of social contacts,”
She laughed at the meticulous way that he spoke.
“You’re really funny,” she giggled, making Azuma’s legs weak.
At that moment, his mentor arrived on the scene to relieve him from his awkward solitude with the native.
“Azuma!” Bai shouted as she closed the distance. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Lady Bai,” Azuma assured her. “I just swallowed some seawater, that’s all,”
“Who’s your new friend?” the elder astronomer asked in Mandarin as she looked at Vermillion Waters.
At the eye contact, the young brunette woman looked startled but only for a second.
“She’s-“ but Azuma was cut off.
Vermillion appeared to ask Azuma a question in English. He laughed.
“No, she’s not my mother; Lady Bai here is my esteemed mentor,” Azuma laughed lightly in English.
“She asked me if you were my mother,” he responded back in Mandarin.
Bai was amused by this but continued to listen as she raised one of her thinly waxed eyebrows.
“Ahem, this native here is called Vermillion Waters,” Azuma explained.

“So if you’re able to converse with her, does this mean we actually landed in Europe?” Bai asked.
Azuma shook his head. “No, apparently…we landed somewhere…else…it’s difficult to explain,”
Walker and the rest of the crew at this point were walking back towards the two Nao Caste researchers.
Vermillion began to tug on Azuma’s damp robes and said something in English to him.

“Bai, she says she wants to take us to meet her tribe,”


The aftermath of the Battle of Angkor Wat.

Great update. Finally smashed those Khmer!

I pronounce it "Eh-Zoo-ma"

No, Egg-Pou-ma.
Great update . I suppose you won circumnavigation?

@Mosher: Not yet, they're still hanging onto dear life on the Phillippines.

@strijder20: Not yet, but it will happen. Circumnavigation is crucial for this map,
and actually makes a big difference in shaving off several turns from a Domination/Conquest victory.

Also, new art is forthcoming soon.
I'll be uploading a preview sketch later in the Civ4 S&T Group within the Story Development Thread.

Another good update, and more art on the way. How do you manage it all TD?

Post-settlement Australia as a millenia old civilisation. How wonderfully incongruent
And jeeeez, how can Russia be doing that badly? Sure, it's got more civs to contend with than in other earth mods but it still starts in plenty of space...

Because of the immense amount of barbarians it has to deal with from Siberia.

the gulag takes revenge?

Subbed!

SamSniped said:

Subbed!

Click to expand...

Too slow!

and MoreEpicthanyou will eat you for that

This is a great story subscribed

Liberation of the Phillippines underway.

Meizhou

Walker In Sunfire guided the sailors to the site of the First Nation settlement, where curious & excited villagers raced out to see the strange new visitors to their home. To the surprise of the researchers who had entered the camp, there were not only more Caucasians, but individuals of clear African descent as well! A small portion of the tribal villagers also appeared to be of another ethnic group that had not been identified as well. Father Wolf, the local nomad chief extended warm welcomes to the sea-weary travelers and bade them to rest while the hunters were still prowling the forests. There was to be a feast later in the night, and the Imperials were invited to stay. The crew agreed in unison; as they were all completely sick of eating preserved foods & fish for the whole trip.

From the First Nation tribals, Captain Cao Ying’s expeditionary crew learned a wealth of invaluable knowledge that left the Nao Caste researchers positively glowing at the prospect of being credited for the find of the century. They learned of how the First Nation governed itself; Father Wolf was just a minor regional leader for a large and over-arching confederation of tribes that congregated once a year to address issues and discuss foreign affairs. They learned of neighboring nations and peoples on the continent, specifically Aztlán, Màayapáan & Capitol XIII. First Nation tribals referred to the landmass they occupied as “Merica”. But the sailors had already begun calling the continent “Meizhou” in honor of the majestic beauty of its landmarks & inhabitants. There was still so much to learn and so much to catalog for them!

Captain Cao Ying and the seafaring men however, had their fill of their share of the work on the voyage. Several sailors were already able to sniff out alcohol and share a cup or two with the native brewers. Others had already begun to approach the native women; having been away from the company of young women for so long had brought out the inner wolf in many of the men. After much buzz and mingling, the feast was underway as the hunters returned with their kils; several mule deer were hauled into the camp, to the fanfare of the tribal children and the fresh meat deprived Chinese sailors. Fairly soon, the bloody venison was roasted and smoked over the large bonfire, and meat was doled out to everyone present.


Chief Father Wolf

“Gather around,” Father Wolf gently called to the attendees of the feast.
The tribals heeded his word, and dispersed themselves around the bonfire.
The Imperials, not quite understanding what was happening, decided to sit around the bonfire as well.
“What’s going on?” Bai asked her protégé.
“Their leader, Father Wolf is getting ready to tell a story,” Azuma responded.
As Father Wolf told the story to the Imperials, Azuma sat near him ready to translate the words into Mandarin while Vermillion Waters hung playfully over his shoulders.

“This is the story of how our First Nation came to be.

We were not the first to walk upon this earth.
Before the children of the First Nation grew numerous and plentiful,
Ruled the men of the First Age,
Drowning in decadence and decay,
Allah shook his head at what man had wrought,
For their sin and squalor condemned the world to be purged,
And thus, his Great Flood swept across the world,
Cleansing the world of its heavy sin,
But Allah was a merciful God, and being such,
He chose three great men and their followers to be spared from the raging waters,
To bring about a New World unto this land,

The First Chief descended from the Northern Wastes, bringing with him the determination to stake out a place for himself and his people,
The Wanderer from the Eastern Lands of Capitol XIII helmed a great fleet of landships carrying the survivors of the Flood in search of respite.
The Crescent King and his followers arrived from the Southern Lands of Aztlán, bearing the word of Allah in their search for the Promised Land.

They were all drawn to the sight of Cahokia, the Promised Land,
Here, crop was abundant and the earth was fertile,
Herds of game roamed freely and fowl was plentiful,
The sweet waters of the Mississippi cooled the mouths of those who came to stay,
And it seemed as if Allah was offering mankind another chance at Paradise,
But the pastures were not big enough for the three of them,
Thus, they waged war with another and the land of Cahokia was watered in blood,

But no side could gain an advantage.
The destruction that was wrought was great.
The survivors were few.
And it seemed as if man would have fallen for a second time.

The Wanderer looked upon the masses of his fallen brethren and knew that the cost was heavy.
He would fight no longer and surrendered his forces.
The Crescent King came to an epiphany as he was about to make the final charge.
He understood that the battle was a trial sent to him from Allah to try his compassion and ordered his men to lay down their arms.
Finally, the First Chief came to his senses and restrained himself; having come to the same conclusion as the other two men.
No good would come from the continued conflict.

Cahokia was meant to be shared, not squabbled over.
The three legendary founders met in peace and formed a pact.
To safeguard the Promised Land of Cahokia in unity.
On this, they swore an oath and sealed away their terrible weapons of war.
Together, they pledged to lead their peoples in peace and simplicity.

From the Wanderer, came our resilience and unshakable will.
From the Crescent King, came our reverence for Allah.
From the First Chief, came our customs and culture.

They founded the great city of Cahokia and guided the broken people of the land into prosperity and a New Age.

Thus formed our First Nation.”

Father Wolf took a short breath as his summation ended.

“The origin story of our Imperial line also involves a Great Flood,” Azuma said to the wizened chief in fascination.
“Not only that, but various other cultures on our continent of Asia seem to have the same trope in their origin stories as well!”
“That is no coincidence,” Father Wolf spoke with confidence, “For no matter how far apart the races of men reside,
there is no sea or range of peaks that can obstruct the path of Allah’s truths.
But you have piqued my curiosity. I would very much love to hear these stories from you,” Father Wolf smiled.
“No, not now!” Vermillion Waters urged as she tugged on Azuma’s sleeve.
She pointed to her fellow villagers and the sailors who had just gotten up from their seats and took each other hand in hand.
After the story had finished, it was apparently time to dance.
“No, I don’t dance,” Azuma shook his head. “I grew up Nao Caste, you see, and dancing is a Xin Caste job,”
“You’re not making any sense!” she pouted with wide violet eyes; had Azuma been much older,
her expression would have most certainly caused him to have cardiac arrest. Either way, he was compelled to dance.
She took Azuma by the hand and began to kick up the dust as they twirled underneath the full moon.

Bai watched for a bit as she sipped some native wine and smiled.
“It seems like he’s found someone who can appreciate him,” she smiled matronly. “I hope that gets his self-esteem up,”
She noticed some of the sailors pointing and laughing at her student though.
Couldn’t they give the kid a break? Sure, his dancing was awkward and Vermillion was certainly leading but that was nothing to be ashamed of.
Azuma had caught onto this and in his indignation alongside his newly gained confidence,
grasped Vermillion’s hand and left the party. It appeared from the direction they left in that he was headed for the beach.


The abandoned Manchu settlement of Haerbin was repopulated with Chinese settlers and frontier Army patrols in the push against the barbarian north.

The two of them sat atop a large piece of driftwood that had washed ashore as Azuma began to rant.
“I shouldn’t be taking that from them!” Azuma cursed.“They’re just a bunch of dumb seamen!”
“Why do they mock you?” Vermillion asked.
“Who knows? Perhaps they’re jealous of me? All I do know is that they’ve been bullying me all throughout the entire voyage and it was maddening enough to be stuck with them on the same ship, with no escape.
And now that we’ve found dry land, they won’t let me off either? All of this…it just makes me…argh…I’m so frustrated, I could just scream!”
It bit Azuma on the inside however, because he was the one who was truly jealous of the sailors.
“You can tell me all about it,” the brunette said.
Azuma continued on his rant as Vermillion listened attently.
“I apologize. I shouldn’t be subjecting you this tirade of mine,” he shook his head.
“It’s nothing,” Vermillion responded. They talked about about a variety of different topics as they watched the waves beat against the nearby cliffs to get Azuma’s mind off the sailors. It never felt so natural to converse with anyone before, Azuma thought to himself.
“I wonder why that is,” he thought as he made his companion laugh at an anecdote of his.

“Azuma, can I ask you something?”
The young Yamato linguist felt his heart race.
“Uh, yes, what is it?”
“Can you…teach me how to speak Mandarin?” she asked.
Azuma froze for a second and then responded while a little disheartened.
“I can do that but why would you want to learn it? I can already communicate to you in English,”
“It’s not exactly fair that you can speak my language but I can’t speak yours, now is it?” she grinned.
“I suppose you’re right,” he chuckled, “No one’s been so interested in learning languages from me though. You’re certainly a first, Vermillion,”
“I’m interested in it because I’m interested in you,” she laughed.
There was a silence that followed afterwards as they sat on the driftwood, serenaded by the calm waves of the beach.
Eye contact followed soon thereafter and their faces began to drift closer together.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of a woman’s voice calling out from the forest.
“Azuma!” Bai’s voice called out faintly in the background.
“I think my mentor is looking for me,” Azuma said as he stood up, face still red.
“I’ll see you tomorrow for those lessons, Vermillion. Thank you for the evening,” the linguist responded as he left to see his mentor.

Vermillion Waters frowned as she watched Azuma’s back disappear from sight into the woodland.



The Imperial Chinese began to establish embassies in the Kingdom of Oceania in order to better learn the customs and culture of the Oceanians. Initial reports mentioned that the Oceanians proved to be highly superstitious, warning the Imperial diplomats to not wander deep into the Outback, lest they become devoured by the ravenous man-eating witches that prowled the deserts, known to the locals as the “Keshas”. So frightening were these creatures that the men who warned the Imperials were only able to speak of them in hushed whispers.