stJNES: An Old Light
Update Three: 900bce-800bce
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An expedition of 25 ships and nearly a thousand and a half men embark from the port of Hainan, one of the most developed in the world, and head out on a mission whose route is barely legible on an ancient map. Heading north, but remaining within eyesight of the coast at all times, the expedition not only finds a large, populated island much like their homeland, but also they row into a port of foreign control. The Xia welcome the Hainanese, taking the weary soldiers and quartering them in the summer palace of the Emperor himself. The Xia tell of an evil kingdom to the north, the Shang, who conquer and destroy everything that comes past them.
With their strength replenished, the expedition makes landfall on the island of Taiwan, met with a fortified army ready to defend their land. The Kingdom of Taiwan launches a campaign to drive the Hainanese into the sea, and nearly does so, if it werent for the Xia who come to their aid, repelling the Taiwanese and aiding the expedition to capture the capital, Taipei. The island is then fortified with reinforcements from Hainan, and the Xia leave.
(-500 men)
The Khmer continue to expand down into the southern peninsula, displacing many Malay tribes which continue to hamper the growth.
Skipping west we come to the lands of Zoroastrianism. Not much happens in this region of the world, most of the kingdoms here continue to expand into the unclaimed lands of the nomadic tribes. Babylon makes contact with the people of Canaan, establishing a trade route that stretches across miles of desert. Jiroft lands on the south side of the sea, establishing small settlements in the arid climate.
What was no doubt thought as a simple campaign for the Aegyptians to reclaim the south turned into a fiasco for the people of the Nile. A general Neptu of the north was given command of nearly one thousand men and ordered to march upon Elephantine. Given the ego of the religious north, the general decided that a head on attack would work, believing that the southerners would break line and flee at the sight of his mighty army. He was mistaken. At the Battle of the First Cataphract, the army of Neptu was defeated, he himself slaughtered, and the ambitions of the High Priest in the north were ended.
(-800 Aegyptians) (-500 Royalists)
In other Aegypitan news, an attempt at conquering the mythical island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea ends not so well for Aegypt. Bad weather and a slow start delayed the ships from reaching the island, and when they did, they were welcomed to a Canaanite settlement. The island had already been claimed.
In the land of the Levantine, meanwhile, both kingdoms prosper under peace. Secured with their southern border, the Canaanites have taken aggressive measures to expanding their control in the north, conquering the Mitanni tribe and eventually running into the Hittites of the central mountains who remain divided and leaderless. Settling the island of Cyprus has indeed put Canaan into the prime position for trade with newfound friends of the Aegean, especially Athens and Knossos.
The Jews, on the other hand, expand south into the nomadic desert, establishing a small city on a salty bay. Agriculture in the region is in a momentary boom, with plentiful rain and great harvests, leading to larger families and a boost in population. Settlements, even in the Sinai desert, have been successful in their planting.
In the Aegean, the city of Athens renovates the old ports of the city, introducing newer, deeper harbors that attract traders from all over the sea, including Canaanites, and even a few rare Aegyptian ships (+1 eco point).
Athens continues to dominate the sea and trade in the Aegean while the Macedonians concentrate on building a strong army, equipped with the new elite Hoplite spearmen. With the frequency of northern Mycenaean attacks weakening, the King of Pella decides on launching an attack while they are weak. The plan works, many Mycenaean villages are captured, and the root of the problem of the nomads is discovered. A deadly disease, named the Adriatic Curse by those who discovered the disease in villages along the coast of the sea, the Curse has a rapid expansion rate. Already a few cases have been discovered in Pella.
The other Aegean civilization, Lydia, experiences an influx of Thracian refugees, many who have fled from the expansion of a northern kingdom, that of Getaea. Commanding deadly horsemen, the Getaeans easily expand south, conquering those Thracians who do not accept the banner of the steppe empire, and assimilating those that do. Meanwhile back at home the Getaeans re-irrigate many farms along the Danube, increasing food production. Scythian raids on the eastern border decrease somewhat.
Leaving the Aegean, I bring you to the lands of the Celts. Here, the nation of Celtica endures harsher Basque raids in the south, where an agreement to cease hostilities was denied by nearly all the tribes. Forts here hold up, but more reinforcements will be needed in order to keep the border fortified. Meanwhile, a campaign is launched against the nomadic Celts, driving up the Rhone river. Domestically, many tribal leaders of the nation begin to rethink their pledge to unite, shaking the foundation that Celtica has been founded on. Many of the optimists argue that the need for a central figure, a monarch to rule the nation, can be the only thing that unifies the divided tribes in the council.
(-250 men, 250 Celtic Warriors)
Britanum in the north is continually divided by the religious influxes from outside. With Asatru still remaining the most widely-practiced religion, Pastafarain continues to be the religion of choice in Ireland, where many of the non-Britanums have converted as well. Meanwhile an attack is launched on this island to the north, securing the islands northern half.
(-200 men)
Leaving the gray lands of Europe, we head south to the African coast where, amidst tropical climates and dry winds, the city of Berbria is founded and the Barbary Kingdom is birthed. In this beginning this small kingdom was at the will of the much more numerous and powerful Numidian kings of the west, but soon the Barbary people grew, expanded and conquered. The Kingdom now encompasses large swaths of land, and traders leave frequently for Europe ports somewhere in the north.
The KwaZulu meanwhile launches a series of attacks against the Ashanti, ending the constant raids on the Kwazulu border towns. The campaigns go better then expected, taking large parts of ancient Ashanti lands and capturing many Ashanti men and women to sell for slavery within the white walls of Twanzai, where the marketplace has undergone a remodeling to accommodate such a new trade.
A new harbor is created on the Niger as well. This river harbor brings all the cities on the harbor more closely connected, establishing a firm naval presence on the river.
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For those who did not send orders, I spent your money on troops. This will be the last time, next time if you dont send orders you dont get anything.
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Sorry for the quickness of the update, but I am dead tired. Yah
tired
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