Update Soudtrack:
Handlebars by Flobots
-
On the banks of the Holy Nule the hardworking commoners of Zulappi continued to develop crucial skills. From Agriculture to Pottery there was a sudden thrust of upward mobility for these citizens. Clever commoners who work the field soon became experts at their craft and became supervisors or even "plot-tenders" who sell their excess crops to the landowning Undershaman and seek out ways to increase their harvest.
But plot-tending was not a solution for the children and urban poor. In Zull, Stone's Outpost or in the smaller settlements along the Dead Sea such people found skills of their own to make profit and advance themselves. In Zull the first Pottery Orphanages began to make Ritual Urns to sell as commodities. Soon the Temple of the Stones and the Water Merchants were purchasing vast quantities of these jars and as the children grew into men they became Pottery Clans, with reputations for craftsmanship that extended far beyond the borders of Zull. Pilgrims from across the known world call out for their leaders to import the Ritual Urns.
But it wasn't only pilgrims who came to Zulappi, it was also refugees, driven East by the barbaric Tribes of Seli who burned down their encampment. These refugees beg to be accepted among the Zulappi and for the Shaman to send his mighty soldiers to destroy the vile barbarians to the West.
The common men who become Artisans in such ways and develop their own wealth through hard work are a pious sort, and many of the Undershamans who have become wealthy through trading or by virtue of their position have been shamed. The decadent foreign habits have fallen out of style and only a few Zulappi Undershamans continue to practice such wasteful constant festivities. With the Artisans spending so much time in Temple and growing so wealthy they feared that if they continued such things they would soon lose their positions.
Others had more difficulty adopting to the changes Undershaman DeSatt in particular was the most "addicted to these foul habits," feeling the pressures of the Revival all around him DeSatt took his most loyal servants and Acolytes, begged forgiveness with them in the Temple of the Stones among the assembled Artisans and Undershamans and set out to the East where he prayed that the influence of Saturan decadence would no longer pollute his mind.
Messengers have been received since that announce that the Undershaman has established a proper temple in the Land of the Sun, these messengers were accompanied by flocks of missionaries who wished to worship the stones on the banks of the Holy Nule.
(Zulappi: +Economic Expansion (2), +Agriculture, +Pottery, +Trade Good (Ritual Urns), +1 Social Cohesion, +4 Reputation)
To the South the walls of Waset echoed with talk of war.
When the Saturan warriors arrived at the encampment they found their Sudanese allies already in combat with the Nubian Revivalists. Sudanese warriors charged heroically into the camp and began the slaughter by destroying a group of rebels.
Not to be outdone the Saturan Chariots fell into the battle and also destroyed a group of Nubian warriors.
The final holdouts of Nubian Revivalists fortified themselves in the heart of the camp, surrounded by pikes and closely guarding every point of weakness. After an initial charge the Saturan Chariots retreated from the ditches and holes that were obviously designed to unseat them.
The Sudanese Warriors charged again into the fray, only to be beaten back by the well fortified barbarians.
It was then that the Rangers chose to test their mettle against the pikes and ditches, hoping to end the threat to the trade route once and for all.
The Saturans also learned this turn of the nature of Pottery, with rival Pottery Clans in their own cities who scorned the mention of Zulappi Ritual Urns.
However, among the farm workers and many of the commoners of Satura the faith of the stones grows strong. Many either request leave to make a proper pilgrimage to Stonehenge or simply sneak off to accomplish their religious rites.
So that, along with talk of war, there is also much talk of faith in Waset. The Stone-Worshippers demand the import of Ritual Urns so that they can accomplish their rites within the borders of Satura. The faithful worshippers of the Golden Sun demand that if these infidels insist on practicing their foreign faith then they should at least use good, reliable Saturan urns and they don't need any Undershaman to bless them.
When the dust cleared to the South the Saturan Ranger stood victorious, and even found a lost shipment of Spices that had been waylaid by these rebels.
With the victory over the barbarians many Saturans have migrated south along the Nule, most of them Stone Worshippers who feel excluded from the orthodox culture of Waset.
(Satura: +1 EP (Loot), +Pottery, -1 Social Cohesion,+2 Rangers, +2 Chariots, +2 Warriors, +2 Reputation)
War also rang out far to the East, and allies were again assembled against Barbarian hordes.
But on the far bank of the Xi, where the Spearmen and Horsemen of the Heavenly Dragon sought their foes there were many more, and in tribes vast and unconsolidated. It was here that the Dragons sought to sow dissent. By offering barbarian chieftains, each in control of barely a unit of warriors themselves, the chance to surrender and live peacefully in the civilized lands the clever rulers of the Dragon's lands convinced two chieftains to join arms against the others.
As these chieftains lead their men from the assembled meeting of warriors who felt pressured to deal with the growing invasion from the North they were attacked, and although one was destroyed he did his share of damage. The Men from the North and their Mountain-bred allies watched as the Jungles south of the Xi lit up and listened to the cries of battle, with a smile upon their lips.
Before they attacked.
The secrets of acupuncture were discovered in the cities of the Dragon, which did much to calm the nerves of the population, alongside the news of the destruction of the Barbaric tribes of the South. The soldiers of the Dragon, they cry out, suffered not a single casualty in battle. They are invincible and the strongest of any nation or people. Nationalistic pride is felt in every heart, proud of their mighty kingdom.
The secrets of writing were discovered as well, and although the returning, victorious army was confused at first by the great signs that had been made to welcome them home they soon picked up the language, they think of writing as the great gift that the Heavenly Dragon bestowed upon his victorious warriors and in the army any advancement now requires literacy.
Many of them learn through the Document: Tales of the South, the Vanquishing of Barbarity, and they pine for adventures like the ones they learned to read with. Some forward thinking men in the army have even postulated that with the right combination of tension and heft a device could be constructed to hurl large stones at enemies from afar. But how to make it mobile?!
The import of Dragon Pendants and the sale of Pottery has brought much wealth to the coffers of the King, but as the Land of the Dragon reaches now to the Seas some have taken to calling him Emperor.
The Spearmen and Horsemen write to the Emperor, for instance, that they believe the unstoppable force of their arms should sweep through the South and civilize the lands with their might.
(Kingdom of the Heavenly Dragon: +Writing, +Acupuncture, +1 Spearman, +1 Horseman, +1 Social Cohesion, +5 Reputation)
In Shang the secrets of Pottery were uncovered, and some believe that it will now be easy for the learned men of that nation to understand the making of Bronze. The people have heard the stories from the Heavenly Dragon, armies without equal, strength to command any Barbarian. The troublemakers in Manchuria would fall at once, the people argue, if Spearmen marched on them.
The making of Pots and Jars has become a powerful boon to the cities of Shang, and the wealth of Shang no longer depends, they say, on the Farmers and the Miners. Potters have begun to open shops selling their wares in the Artisan's Plaza.
But this new wealth and power also comes with pangs of desire for exotic luxuries. The worldly traders and artisans of the Shang desire that the King arrange some sort of treaty to allow the import of Black Tea from the lands of the Heavenly Dragon.
These affluent men, who have become increasingly influential among the population with the sudden disappearance of all clan leadership in the farms, also
demand that the Wanderer Merchants be permitted into the lands of Shang to offer their foreign wares.
As far as the Clan leadership in the farms goes there are few answers to be had. There are rumors, but rumors only offer more questions. People came at night, but who? And how did they abduct the clan leaders without anyone else in these homes knowing? What is the nature of such stealth? What happened to these clan leaders after they were abducted? How did these men leave no signs of struggle?
In an unrelated matter the Generals and military commanders of Shang have approached the King about, perhaps, investing in a program to develop certain Agents who might be able to effectively capitalize on and utilize the… special skills… that some of the warriors seem to possess. Such men would be devoted to protecting the Social Cohesion, and the Dynasty of King Li.
(Kingdom of Shang: +Pottery, +3 Warriors, +2 Reputation)
-
Map:
Update! 
!
