Fall From Heaven NES

Amurite Elections

The elections in the Amurite Republic suddenly took a sharp twist as Yilderum pushed through a law that granted the universal suffrage. It was a cunning move, as 21 new senators that represented the general populace made only one fourth of the Senate, while three thirds remained in the control of the wealthy. Smarter peasants complained about this, their desire was to abolish the voting census completely and bring equality. They still agitated the masses and fought for their cause.

But most peasants were not that cunning and they felt represented. They did not realize that they still held less power than they deserved. Planned anti-elections and uprisings died suddenly, and that made Senators let out a sigh of relief. Peasants will probably complain again sometimes in the future, but not today.

The outcome of the elections changed drastically. Previously, fact that the power was kept away from the masses was the only thing keeping the Amurites from becoming a Theocracy, though some merchants planned to vote for Order priests only to keep the order in the state. Now it remained to see how will elections turn out. It proved that, once people were were granted power of some sort, they were no longer prone to vote for their priests. Their consciousness increased, and they realized that they position now is much better than it was when the Republic was established - normal life returned, wounds were healed, food and shelter were available for everyone, and Amurites were richer and enjoying more luxuries than ever before.

Out of 21 'populist' Senators, majority of 15 belonged to the Order. This was still less than it was expected. Four more senators represented the smallfolk, banded in the Farmers Party, an union whose influence grew by each passing day. Final two Senators were Leno Kahre, Commander of Rat Pass Fort, and Emre Gevaro, Captain of Cevedes City Guards. They were both proponents of strong standing army and expansionist, militaristic tendencies. They two were proud of the fact they were associated with the Mithril Guard, and were proof that the portion of Amurite populace turned their eyes outside their national borders.

In the main part of the Senate, things were much different as well. With economy improving greatly in the last few years, structure of the voting population changed drastically. While before only about 25% of population was allowed to vote for the 'main senate', it now expanded to slightly more than 40%. Most of the newcomers were small traders and craftsmen. This, and the new expansion of the Senate infuriated mages, who were now feeling that they lose their power. On the other side, feeling that the rebellion is no longer threatening the Republic, those who planned to vote for the Order were now back to their normal agendas.

Out of 78 new Senators, 18 were members of Sunrise League, a traditional and conservative Amurite faction Valledia belonged to, and Camil still belongs to. 11 new Senators were even more traditional, having reactionary ideas of restoring Mage Republic and strong Casswalen with real powers. Faction calling themselves Radical Academics achieved a major success with 17 Senators – Radical Academics were association of mages interested in lifting the restrictions on 'evil practices', seeking knowledge without limitations, often coming in conflicts with Order. Granted, some of their members are mages that supported the Veil and the Interregnum, but there are also some real researchers there. 7 Senators were merchant representatives, Empyrean had one of their representatives, while Kilmorph had two – one elected and one installed by the immigrant dwarven population. Mithril Guard got three more Senators in the main Senate. Elohim appointed one of their Monks, Ettim the Swift, to the Senate. 20 of the remaining Senators were Order followers, elected mainly by priesthood and newly-created craftsmen.
In the end, a new head of state and his ministers were to be elected. The main battle was fought between Order and Mages. Order candidate, Rodrick Belissam had support of 35 Order senators, 4 farmer ones, and 5 Mithril Guardist. Radical Academics united with reactionaries and supported the Luwin Born-in-Storm who promised to become a Casswalen, with 28 votes. 18 members of Sunrise League at first supported Yilgderum Camil and his right hand Valledia, and refused to side with either, backed with 7 merchant Senators, while monk and religious minorities abstained. This would yield Order a mandate, but then members of Sunrise League begun deflecting to radicals, rather seeing mage on throne than priest. Also, Matthias the Silvertongue, Berry Bessam, Marco Assam and Myrcella of Ciriail, elected by merchants, were all basically bribed to vote for Luwin, betraying their positions, and memebers of religious minorities were influenced to vote against the Order. Now Luwin needed only 9 Senators from Sunrise League to defect... In the end, Rodrick saved his position by promising great concessions to traditionalists, aid of mages, stamping out of religious radicalism. A new government is formed. A fragile one, sanctioned by mages, supported by the poor, but nevertheless, a new, religious government, first time in the Amurite history.

Amurites: New leader – Rodrick Belissam



Kuriotate-Hippus War

As Hippus advance, Kuriotates come up with cunning plan. They plan to catch Hippus in a trap and, using magic, burn plains around them and the plains. They were hoping that Amurites will help with this plan, but help never came. Nevertheless, when Hippus approached within 30 miles of Naggarond, in a hot summer night, Kuriotates set plains on fire – tall, dry grass and pine trees burned well, and Hippus were soon caught in the ring of fire.
Many Hippus tribes have trials for young warriors, including charging horses through burning fire. But charging a horse through many yards of smoke, hotness and flames is much harder, and it takes all off Hippus knowledge to control horses in such conditions. Many horsemen were dead, burned or suffocated.
Appromaxtively one in ten horsemen that charged on Naggarond was out of fight. Hippus retreat further on south, away from fire. Naggarond is saved.
Citizens of Naggarond watch the burning fire on the horison, red over black sky, and realize what were they in. Many men died on south, and many more will die. Quiet and worried, they won't sleep tonight.
They realize that few hours later, as winds turn and fire spreads violently in all directions. Naggarond itself was in danger of burning, as ashes and smoke carried by wind fell on the magnificent buildings and monuments. Luckily, city was spared, but countryside did burn for days later and many farms in the area went to ashes. Governors will have to dip in their granaries and distribute rations, as harvest from the south is going to be thin. People lose their illusions of safety, and prepare for harshness of Erebus.
Also, Naggarond is not the only place Hippus marched on. In fact majority of their army was busy on south, where they took miles of land – Darkwoods, Nagyr Groove, Soft Meadows. Entire Kuriotate south now lies in hands of Hippus.

Kuriotates: -1 stability, -20 gold



Affairs on East

Last time, Dark Elves marched on Light and encountered bunch of golems. A battle ended in a draw, neither side gaining advantage, but a draw is not a victory, and Svartalfarl yet have to crush the resistance of the rebels.
Svartalfarl decide to retreat to Darkgate and to reinforce there, to prepare for next battle. Meanwhile Lydia does the same. First she gathers Fawns and Satyrs from southern forests for her cause, then she receives another regiment of Clay Golems from Luchuirp, and then she gets equipment from Kuriotate empire, consisting of enchanted equipment, amulets, scrolls of fire magic, enchanted swords and armors, and firebows. While these equipment arrived from Kuriotate empire, many rumor that Kuriotates are not able to craft such magic, and that it must come from Amurite lands.
Feeling much more secure, Lydia leads her men north, all the way up to Cinnabar Leaf River, and takes few villages on her way. She spreads her agenda, liberating many hundreds slaves, who then take swords and join her command. She leads them south again, and actually puts Darkgate under the siege. Entire kingdom is shocked with this news. Since Svartalfarl army was garrisoned in Darkgate, they sail out the castle, and break the siege, without combat as Lydia decided that this is not time to shed blood. Svartalfarl liberate their copper mines, but are not willing to move north and face full, now formidable, strength of Ljosalfarl. City now only remains supplied by the sea routes.

At the same time, Svartalfarl nobles are unhappy with the situation and the apparent weakness of the Sorceress Queen in this situation. They split in two factions, one desiring to overthrow Queen and then to squash the rebellion, and other to support the Queen, squash the rebellion and then see what to do later.

Rumors are that lords north of capital are fielding an army and are preparing to march on the Thariss.

Svartalfarl: -2 stability, -20 gold




Khazad movements

Khazad move their troops to fight Gar'Rah. Hearing the news of the dreaded Bears coming to help Gar'Meg, Gar'Rah clan send their diplomats to the Hallowel Palace to discuss peace, while Khazad army still travels. Paramanders move in the Grindstone plains, where they encounter single disorganized militia regiment trying to gather all those who run away and reinforce. Encountering Paramanders, militia flees east in Kuriotate lands, and Paramanders retake Grindstone Plains.

Kuriotates: -1 stability





Grigori settle Shazaak

Grigori turn their province of Shazaak, which was full of Orcs, into a true city with all rights and duties of a Grigori city. Most Orcs welcome this as they are already used to Grigori enlightened rule, and they hope they will finally get their villages and other infrastructure. Many colonists from mainland also arrive, and Orcs are no longer majority in the province.

Shazaak is now a city


Grigori piracy stops
Grigori government finally took care of the pirates at their coastlines- they agreed with Lanun, and Lanun used their power and reputation to crack down on these raiders. Reports say that few ships were sunk, and then buccaneers landed in pirate base north of Corel, destroying resistance, and forcing remaining pirates to yield. Now Lanun control that island.

Lanun: +1 stability, -5 gold
Grigori: +1 stability



Calabim Claim Wheat

Calabim simply ordered their peasants to freely use the wheat fields, because they are, as Princess says, Calabim land. Apparently they had agreed with the Lanun. Any Lanun interference would make Calabim very angry.

Calabim gain Wheat resource





Motherlode


Khazad miners have been trully blessed by Kilmorph, as they have struck a motherlode. Minerals are in abundance, and aristocrats are planning to build even more mines


Khazad: +100 gold, based on number of mines





Astrologers and Prophets agree: Constellation is seen on the sky

A constellation of Silver Tears is seen on the night sky. This constellation is sacred to Danalin, and while fish and sea bounty is in abundance, people seem to be more depressed and suicides are more frequent.


All nations: -2 stability
Lanun: +40 gold
Balseraphs: +30 gold
Kuriotates: +30 gold
Amurites: +10 gold
Calabim: +10 gold





Great Ragbi tournament held in Amurite lands

Amurites organized a great tournament of new sport, called Ragbi. Series of games gathered a huge crowd of spectators, when teams from many cities and villages, from Khazad, Amurite and Hippus lands played series of games. Balseraph entertainers were also present, of course. After finals, crowd was amused by wrestling matches, jousting and all such. Happiness and stability increases, and profit was made as well, especially for Khazad ale.

Amurites: +2 stability, +10 gold
Khazad: +5 gold




New Amurite government


With Rodrick Belissam proclaimed as new Senior Speaker, new minister cabinet was also formed. Yilderum Camil was made minister of Lands, by the agreement with Sunrise League, and being a perfect man for the spot. Nicholas Cassel was made minister of War. Foreign affairs were handled by Rodrick personally, while spot being officially open. Ministry of Trade was biggest looser here, as merchants were played out- their Senators selling their allegiance. Position of Minister of Trade remained in hands of Kerem Gurek. Minister of Book is Radical Academic Giliam Thesel, good friend of Luwin Born-in-Storm. Minister of culture remained Marcell of Summerspring, more for honor as he was nearing his last days, falling to sickness, and new minister will surely be elected in next few months.

Also, Amurites are now full recovered from their civil war, and their economy is at it's full strength.

Edit: never mind.

Ugh...You are damn fast Jopa. When the update is already in, the story is postponed to tomorrow.

Nice. Good update, Jopa. My two cents:

How on earth have the Grigori managed to get five cities?

How many Hippus died in their attempt to go after Naggarond?

Yay Danalin!

edit: Lots of Amurite news, but those Balseraph are pretty quiet yet...

orangelex44 said:

Nice. Good update, Jopa. My two cents:

How on earth have the Grigori managed to get five cities?

How many Hippus died in their attempt to go after Naggarond?

Yay Danalin!

edit: Lots of Amurite news, but those Balseraph are pretty quiet yet...

Click to expand...

3 Free, 1 conquered/now converted, and one free from Ardor.

It states that 'One in ten' died, and they sent two regiments towards Naggarond. Overall Hippus losses aren't terrible, as Hippus assumed that city won't be protected and that they will either simply overrun it or find it garrisoned and avoid it completely. Most of Hippus troops are spread over territories on south, where they assumed total control.

Yeah, Bals are quiet because Loki is quiet and does not try to stir up trouble.. Hm..

I'm busy IRL applying to college, but I'll get back into things in a few months.

*head in hands* Well, I guess my assumption that Darkgate was a one square isthmus was very wrong...

@JOPA:
great update. I'm really not sure what to think of the new senate yet. I need to get a pen and paper out and have a look at what it means by trying to balance the different factions (which i guess was your intention)

@Algeroth:
We too are curious as to where you got 'amurite weapons' to arm the summer court. We await your explanation.

Immaculate said:

@JOPA:
great update. I'm really not sure what to think of the new senate yet. I need to get a pen and paper out and have a look at what it means by trying to balance the different factions (which i guess was your intention)

@Algeroth:
We too are curious as to where you got 'amurite weapons' to arm the summer court. We await your explanation.

Click to expand...

You did say that your economy is based on free, individual business- and free people sell to the highest bidder. Smiths are free craftsmen as well, aren't they? But also, Kuriotates probably sold them their own stuff.

The Calabim are disapointed with the lack of control the Amurite government has over it's people. This free trade should be stopped imidiately! Your people are funding rebels and there is nothing you can do!

We suggest the Amurites revert to a government similiar to the Calabim at the earliest possible convienience.

OOC:

TO CALABIM:

The Republic of the Amurites was rescued from civil war and the economic ravages thereof by free trade and the ingenuity of our craftsman. If Cardith Lorda are buying our weapons to supply whomever they will, that is there business.

We have previously made it a point to not dictate to the Calabim or elves how they should govern their people. We ask that you return the favour and stay out of Amurite domestic policy. We are sure that should your population learn of Junil's code (for example) you would not be in a position to be dictating domestic policy to others.

We will continue to stay out of Calabim affairs but if you persist in meddling where you are unwanted and uneeded you will soon regret it. Let us both exercise restraint and continue to cooperate and trade.

TO the elven nations:

We hope you understand that the Amurite senate does not involve itself in elven domestic affairs and will continue to do so.

OOC: Haha I wasn't really serious, I don't want to become known for meddling, it's not my style. I'm not the Kuriotates.

To All: The Calabim Empire is interested in learning the secrets of sailing, and we are prepared to trade other technology for it. Please make your offers. (If you tell me which tech you want, I will consider it, if I actually have that tech.)

Politics, Taxation, and a Love Triangle.

Lord Agron sat, amused, at the round table of the Internal Affairs conference room. Also sat at the table were several of his employees, and Asterna Lae. Agron had always loved Asterna, even as a human. She had a warm, golden skin tone, that had at one time caused her family to be investigated for Empyrean heresy, and long, dark brown hair. Her eyes were the colour of warm honey. Perhaps the exact antithesis of Lady Alexis, Agron considered. At one time, Agron had considered asking her to accompany him to dinner, but he had decided a woman so accomplished as her would never consider such a lackey as he. Of course, the tables had turned, and he was now on top, but still he had not made a move, fearing that if Alexis ever found out, he would lose her favour, and thus his political influence. Still, he knew she understood, and he knew she loved him too. Only Alexis kept them apart.

However, now, he looked at her, stunned, his mouth had dropped open and his eyes were wide.

''You want me to tax the Nobles?!'' He spluttered.

''My Lord, the Empire needs money.'' She replied earnestly,

''We have humans, why not raise their taxes?''

''They have no more money to give, they are already taxed so heavily...'' Agron could hear the compassion in her voice.

Agron sat back, and closed his eyes, trying to think. Asterna was unfortunately right, he knew she was right. The only problem was that, despite the fact that they could well afford to be, no self-respecting noble would ever pay taxes. They preferred to make token ''donations'', in return for government favours. The nobles would do nothing without an incentive.

Agron sighed heavily, ''You are dismissed,'' he told the others, ''Asterna please stay a moment.''

The other, lowly, members of Internal Affairs, stood up, and filed out of the room. The door was shut, and Agron knew that the Moroi on guard would ensure they would not be disturbed.

Agron stood, and paced in front of the burning fire. He was pleased to notice that Asterna seemed flustered now that she was alone with him.

''Do you have any idea how the nobles would react to being taxed?'' He asked, sternly. He did not wait for an answer,''My position would be destroyed!''

''But my Lord, not necessarily. I have thought it out, some.''

He remained silent, in invitation for her to continue.

''You see,'' she said, eyes fixing on a point somewhere between his feet. ''I thought we could present it as a kind of donation, like the nobles are accustomed too. It would only be a one-off sum. Then, at the same time, we leak the fact that we have discovered more dirt on the Great Houses. Like, for example, did you know that the late Lady Herrtia, of House Korouen, was not even a vampire! ''

''What?''

''Her husband, Lord Jokein, faked her gift. They were in love, but Herrtia told him she would never become a vampire.''

Agron physically gasped. ''If that ever got out...''

''They'd be destroyed.'' She finished, ''the whole House would be, and House Korouen is one of the largest in the Empire, 27 nobles. Each of them would pay to have this secret protected. We have in our Archives two eye-witness accounts of the faked gift, and a recording of a conversation between Lord Jokein and Herrtia.''

''And you have more like this?''

''Lots more.''

Agron slumped onto an armchair by the fireplace. He was amazed. Asterna was brilliant, and he loved her even more for it.

''This could work, you know.'' He said, finally. ''And... It could work even more in our favour. This could destroy the influence of some Houses entirely. I take it only a few Korouen know about Herrtia?'' He continued without letting her answer. ''They would never forgive Uhro Jokein.''

''That is correct.'' she answered, almost gleefully. ''It will only benefit your plan in the long run.''

''Our plan'' he answered, lovingly.

---

The next day, Agron woke early, dressed, and left his room at the Palace. He strolled around the Palace grounds for a long time, until he came to a lake, one of the four. He looked around, and appreciated it's tranquil setting. He often came here when he needed to relax after a busy day, or to think over his next move. He sat at a bench, and looked out over the water. Presently, the pleasant, warm breeze, appeared to stop. The atmosphere, for only a moment, felt stuffy and suffocating. The water birds and crickets were muted, if only for a second.

''My Love?'' A voice called out, quietly.

He turned, Alexis stood a little way behind him. He was surprised to see her outside. As far as he knew, she had not stepped outside since the Great Migration. Where the Calabim had left the caves of Al-ash-Ir, for the new world above.

''What are you doing out here?'' She questioned him, caringly, ''You may catch something. Remember how Lady Herrtia died? It was a disease she caught from a human.''

''Don't worry, my Lady. There are no humans here.'' He said, smoothly. ''In fact, I often come here when I need to think.''

''I see.'' She replied, with obvious disapproval.

She stood awkwardly, and looked very unnatural against the backdrop of green hills and flowers, Agron noticed. There was a short silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

''What are you doing out here?'' He asked, at last.

Suddenly, Alexis broke down. She stumbled towards him and fell at his side. Tears streaming down her face.

''Oh Agron!'' She cried, while Agron tried to keep a straight face as the woman worshipped for being unshakeable by humans and Vampires all across the Empire, collapsed at his feet. ''It is him!''

''Who my Lady?'' Agron replied, uncertainly.

''My Brother! He is alive! He is coming to Prespur!'' she wailed, as Agron quickly scanned their surroundings, making sure no one could see their Queen in such a state.

It was mostly unknown that Alexis had a brother, and Agron had been shocked to discover it. It seems in fact that she was not the only gift from the heavens. At the same time she arrived in Al-ash-Ir, so did her brother, and for the first hundred years or so they ruled the city together. However, they came to a disagreement. Alexis wanted to spread the gift to her most loyal servants. She claimed that a permeable society would encourage Human loyalty and servitude, whereas her brother claimed that creating more Vampires would endanger their position as rulers. The feud continued for almost a year , and their arguments became ever more violent. It is written that, for almost a month, the people of Al-ash-ir were too scared to leave their homes, lest they were caught up in the fight.

Finally, one day after a particularly violent fight between them that took place all across the town, Alexis pushed him from the Palace rooftops, which were written to almost reach the cavern's ceiling, hoping to kill him once and for all. However, her brother survived, but was disgraced. His followers rejected him, claiming Alexis to be the stronger and more worth ruler. He had informed her bitterly that she had won, for now, and that he was returning to Heaven. But one day, he would return and have his revenge.

In hind-sight, Agron wondered if this was why Alexis had been so accepting of the existence of the Upper World, while so many other Vampires at the time claimed it was a lie. She had physically watched her brother leave to the surface, and hadn't she originally fallen from there? She had known of the existence of this ''Heaven'' before Agron had even discovered it, and yet she had seemed surprised, and had rewarded him greatly for his work. ''How strange...'' Agron pondered.

''He is coming for his revenge! He told me he would have revenge! I humiliated him in front of our servants, he will come to kill me.'' Her eyes were filled with genuine panic.

Agron, not knowing what to say, remained silent. Alexis seemed comforted by his presence, at least.

---

Agron lay in bed, but unusually for him, could not sleep. Flauros was returning, and who knew what kind of spanner he would throw into the works. He had spoken to Asterna as soon as he could return to the Palace, and told her of Alexis's break down. She could not believe her ears, but had suggested what Agron already knew. ''Alexis is not as strong as we thought.'' Asterna had told him that the rumours that Internal Affairs possessed incriminating evidence against several of the large Noble Houses, Korouen, Umtilii, Gaeroen, Yraia and Junear, were out, and that she had already received offers of donations from the smaller, more ambitious nobles, in order to ''spill the beans'' so to speak. Of course, she had not accepted any of them. As the noble Houses themselves would surely offer far greater amounts in order to keep her quiet. Agron had paid for an armed body guard of Moroi, led personally by General Hoaro, to accompany her at all times and guard her room and possessions, to protect her from any other ways of persuasion, that were more preferable to the Houses then bribery.

Finally, Agron drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

---

The Nobleman's Council was called early in the morning. The Council Chamber was ablaze with the shouts and gossiping of the Nobles, as they awaited the entrance of the Queen. It was most unusual that she was not present, half an hour after the Council had been called. Another ten minutes passed, and some of the council members began to feel uneasy. It was not uncommon for an ambitious Nobleman to occasionally hire an assassin to ''remove'' her, but none had ever succeeded in this task. Perhaps this time it had? Finally, there was a knocking at the large, oak doors. The Council fell silent, and Agron called out, ''Enter!''.

Cowering in the doorway was a messenger, holding a piece of parchment. From which he now read. Asterna Lae, from Internal Affairs, stood boldly behind him. ''The Honourable, Queen Alexis, Supreme and Eternal Ruler of the Calabim Empire, will not be attending Council today. The Lord Agron is required to take her place on the Throne during this meeting of the Council.''

The Chamber immediately descended into the chattering and arguing that seemed unavoidable in any large group of Vampires. What did this mean? Why was Alexis not coming? What kind of power did Agron now command, that meant he was sitting on the Throne in Alexis's place?

Asterna walked up the central aisle, slowly and purposefully, as the oak doors swung closed. Agron stood, and sat down again on the Throne to his left, and Asterna replaced him in the seat of Chief Advisor. Agron had had a feeling this would happen, and had asked Asterna to be on standby to take up his position on the Council just in case. By tradition, each seat on the council must always be filled. Although some looked on it with distaste, it was not unusual for Humans to control some seats of the council, traditionally several government agencies were run by Humans, although these generally had little political power. No human could ever hope to possess the seat of Chief Advisor, even if only temporarily.

Agron raised his hand, and the nobles fell silent. ''You are summoned here today to discuss the voluntary donation of gold from the Houses Korouen, Umtilii, Gaeroen, Yraia and Junear to the Government. This will be a one-time payment, payable to Internal Affairs.

The Uhro of House Yraia, Uhro Hesper Yraia stood and addressed the Throne, angrily. ''What mischief is this Agron! What have you done with the Queen?''

''I understand that the Queen is recovering from a very long day and short night yesterday, she will be available to hear you at around midday. For now, you will address me alone.'' Agron replied. ''May I ask, what is your opinion on the donation?''

''House Yraia is honoured to offer the Empire as much gold as is necessary to protect our lands from the foreign Heathen.'' He countered.

''Excellent, sit down.'' Agron ordered. Enjoying his short time as ''Queen''.

The Council continued for three hours, during which each of the donor houses displayed a zealous and honourable attitude towards the new tax. It was quite amazing what a little incentive could do, and each of them now suspected that Alexis was weakening. She was known to sleep for only a few hours a night, so Agron was clearly hiding something. They would want to be seen in a good light by the other Noble Houses if they wanted to stand a chance to grab the throne upon Alexis's inevitable assassination.

However, behind the closed doors of each House, the nobles were outraged. The Uhros of each knew what the Archives contained, and their House's were furious that they had been kept in the dark for so long, and that their leader had made such a stupid mistake. Even though some of the ''mistakes'' had taken place centuries ago, they knew that it would still be enough to ruin their House's chance for Leadership if the story was to get out. Some nobles suggested that Agron should be killed, but it was decided, unanimously, that this would be impossible. Agron was surrounded by Moroi at all times, and seemed to have a great deal of control over Hoaro, their human General. The Archives themselves were kept under lock and key at all times, and the entrance to them was rumoured to be riddled with deadly traps, so removing the evidence was not an option. Besides, they would have to play by the rules if they were to stand any chance of getting the Throne.

Finally, the Council came to a close, the Empire considerably richer then before...

---

In the streets of Prespur, the people rejoiced. The Haloi Agents had been ordered to spread the word that the Government had planned a new tax on the Bratavoi Caste, which made up around 85% of the Human population, but that the Lord Agron had argued the case of the commoners and placed the tax on the Nobles instead. In the coming years, Agron would become well-known for his respect and compassion for the Empire's Human Castes...

EDIT: Whoa! That turned out a lot longer then I expected. I hope people actually bother to read it all.

@Kol.7: .. !! Write a book. Send it to me!

Yeah, his writing is great. Apparently Calabim are introducing a new tax to give them a leg-up. Cash at the expense of stability.



I'll probably be going home this weekend so if everyone can finish their negotiations and send orders before Thursday I can update early, just to keep things going. If not, I'll update on Monday.

Uh, could I get my stats please so i know what I have to work with?

TheJopa said:

Yeah, his writing is great. Apparently Calabim are introducing a new tax to give them a leg-up. Cash at the expense of stability.



I'll probably be going home this weekend so if everyone can finish their negotiations and send orders before Thursday I can update early, just to keep things going. If not, I'll update on Monday.

Click to expand...

Hahaha tell the world why don't you Jopa?

BTW how did my removal of heathen Empyreanites get on? You never mentioned them in the update.

EDIT: Thanks everyone for your comments.

Not many came, so it went unnoticed. They are mainly acting in Hippus and Amurite lands.

Just for fun, Farmers Party has it's own coat of arms:

edit: ignore this post

Let me tell you of what happened in Amurite lands.
As you know, the Amurites developped a sophisticated version of our beloved Soule, which they call 'Rugby'. The Eb'Lis clan was the first to introduce this game in our lands, and soon Amurites invited our teams to a great tournament in their land.
So there we went, with three of our best teams: The Khazak Sporting Union, The Halowell Stadium, and the Riylod Souletins, which I won't present, since you all know by heart the names of our players.

We arrived in Ciriail two days before the start of the tournament, which allowed us to check the city, meet with the local dwarves, who set up their own team, the 'Ciriail Dwarven', which we promptly called the 'exiles', and prepare for the matches. Oten Fir also set up a booth near the stadium where he would sell all kinds of Khazad stuff, ranging from ale to stout beer, but also some less interesting things like flags, caps, jerseys and whistles.

There were lots of things happening in Ciriail during the tournament, but I won't bother you with human wrestling contests today and talk directly of what matters: The rugby tournament.
Many teams were to meet, from different regions. Ciriail had many teams for instance, called with bizarre names like 'The Wasps', 'Quins', and the 'Ciriail Originals'.
There were other Amurite teams, 'The Lesser Tigers' and countless others.
There was also a Hippus delegation, just calling themselves 'Hippus', and a Balseraph team.
I have to talk a bit here about the Balseraphs. They went by the weird name of 'Union of Sporting Arlequins of Perpentach', which was too long to pronounce, so everyone called them either 'USAP' or just 'The Balseraphs' (or, in certain cases, 'The Clowns' or 'The Loonies'). They started playing in sky blue jersey with white short and red and yellow socks, then sported a red and yellow jersey and generally kept changing shirts so it would have been hard to know which team they were except they were always the flashiest one on the field. They even managed to wear an ugly pink shirt at a time.

Anyhow, the contest begun. Due to the number of teams which had to play together in a short time frame, the teams were divided in four pools, a Khazad team in each of them.
-Khazak was in the same pool as the Hippus, the Lesser Tigers, Udenarat City and Faenig Islanders.
-Halowell was with Quins, Udenarat Wizards, USAP and the 'Rat Pass Athletes'.
-Riylod was with The Wasps, Cevedes, Nimarail and Eastern Cheremisa Villages.
-Exiles were with Ciriail Originals, Rinwel Islanders, Western Cheremisa Villages, the Fannir.

I can't tell you in detail about all the pool games. Let me just say that different teams played very different games. For instance, it was obvious that both Cheremisa village teams played Soule more than rugby. It was very efficient when Eastern Cheremisa destroyed Nimarail's forwards, sending three of them out of the field due to broken ribs, nose and teeth respectively, but not that efficient against Riylod Soule veterans.

Noteworthy moments of pool matches
-Hippus vs. Lesser Tigers:
This match was very interesting. The Hippus kept sending the ball wide, sometimes kicking it, while the Lesser Tigers kept mauling their way forward. Lesser Tigers were strong and impressive, while the Hippus just ran around like headless chickens for most of the match. Still, the Lesser Tigers managed to snatch a win by only one point at the end of the match. How they did this is very hard to understand. Some blame their former Calabim coach, others say that the new coach from Balseraph land is not up to the task. Anyhow, this was the first match and it was unsettling to see how strong forward play didn't ensure victory the way it does in our own championship.

-Riylod vs. Eastern Cheremisa Villages:
This was more of a Soule match than a rugby match. The final score was a resounding 27 - 6 for Riylod, but the game was halted before the time went out for lack of valid Cheremisan players left on the field. Fortunately, this was Eastern Cheremisa's last match. This made Khazad dwarves less than popular with eastern Cheremisans, but their western counterparts and Nimarail's supporters were more than friendly. A Nimarail's wrestler was so impressed by Gimrus Riylin's performance he even asked him some advice for the wrestling competition held afterwards. I don't like to put blame on umpires, but it has to be said that the referee showed poor sporting spirit by refusing to referee Riylod again in the following matches.

-Khazak vs. Faenig Islanders:
Khazak lost by 10-12 despite playing a strong game, and managed to score the two tries of the match, while Faenig Islanders only kicked penalties. Had Eb'Lis been better at kicking, Khazak would have won the match, but William was in a bad day. Firos R'nog accused him of drinking too much before the match, but other teammates told Firos to calm down. I can testify personally that William had been very sober as he had only drunk three pints of ale in the hour before the game started. As you can see, R'nog accusations of getting drunk before the match were seriously exaggerated.

-Exiles vs. Ciriail Originals:
Both teams knew each other well, and this was probably the most beautiful pool match. The dwarves tried to make up for our short size by playing a strong forwards game, and Originals adapted by kicking lots of balls and trying to jump in the air to contest it. They scored several tries this way, but Exiles managed to score a resounding 60 meter try with zero pass, all fifteen players in the maul. It didn't prove enough however, and Exiles ended second of the pool.

-USAP vs. Hallowell:
The match was quite frustrating. Hallowell is well known for its running game. However, if they are exceptionally fast against other dwarves, one must realise that trying to outrun big legged humans doesn't work very well. Particularly when that's a Balseraph who doesn't mind launching an attack from beneath his posts or starts running backwards in order to get some space later on. Good in open play as they may be, our Halowell players were no match against run-everywhere Balseraphs and that was the most severe Khazad defeat of the tournament, by 48-19. Despite this victory, the Balserpahs didn't make it beyond the pool matches, as running fast wasn't enough against other big-legged teams.

-Halowell vs. Quins:
After their defeat against the Balseraphs, Halowell intended to win their last match. Unfortunately, it rained during the match, which made it very difficult to pass the ball. At the end of the game, Quins were leading by 4 points, and Halowell had a scrum five meters from the opponents' line. Despite repeated collapsing of the scrum by the Quins, Halowell didn't get a penalty try, so Qins won. It's been said the referee has been offered a golden trinket by Quins president after the match, but I am not one to talk badly about umpires.

Anyhow, the first two teams of each pool made it to the quarter finals. Pool results follow:
Pool 1) Lesser Tigers, Faenig Islanders, Khazak, Udenarat City, Hippus.
Pool 2) Udenarat Wizards, Quins, USAP, Halowell, Rat Pass Athletes.
Pool 3) Riylod, Wasps, Cevedes, Nimarail, Eastern Cheremisa Villages.
Pool 4) Ciriail Originals, Ciriail Dwarven, Rinwel Islanders, Western Cheremisa Villages, Fannir.

Quarter Finals
Lesser Tigers smashed Quins easily 17 - 6.

Ciriail Originals crushed Wasps by 34 - 8.

Faenig Islanders lost to Udenarat Wizards by 10-28.

Riylod met the Ciriail Dwarven.
This was the first and only dwarven-dwarven match of the tournament. I dare say that, for this reason, it was also the most beautiful. The Exiles played with a lot of local supporters, including many humans, and they started with a magnificent try by their center Arturus Barkin. Riylod replied with a drop-goal by Thengur Otendain, and a try by Ragmos Ironroot.
In the second half, Riylod had overome their initial weakness and scored two more tries on scrums which drove straight through the Exiles' pack.
Final score was 23 - 10.

Semifinals
Ciriail Originals vs. Udenarat Wizards: 27 - 19.
The match was a great display by both teams, but slightly marred when one Udenarat Wizard cast an entangle spell to tackle a Ciriail player who was running to score. The referee saw this and afforded a penalty try, and sent the wizard out for 10 minutes, as magic wasn't allowed during the match. It's been rumoured that Udenarat Wizards would like the game to be split not in two half-times but in four quarters, so they could buff themselves more during the pauses. Currently, the ruling body is opposed to this proposal. Some Khazad believe that buffing is a kind of cheat, and this found some favorable echo in the local peasant teams. However, the sports minister told us that this was a touchy topic in Amurite land and advised us not to insist.
If such a tournament is to happen again, I believe our teams should try to adapt and hire a few Amurite wizards to cast some haste or growth spells on some of our players. I have to say that Doktus Doplin disagrees with me on this account that spells cast on players before the match may have negative long lasting effects on their health. Research should be done on the subject before we can agree on which policy to adopt.

Lesser Tigers vs. Riylod: 21 - 22.
As I have hinted before, Lesser Tigers' strength was the sheer power of their pack. Riylod, however, was more than a match for them there. Sure, we lost all the lineouts. But our props went under the Tigers' and bent them, tired them and generally got the better, winning twice a scrum against the head, both times resulting in a Riylod try due to the very poor Tigers' defense when caught off-guard.
Although I was more than delighted to see one of our teams reach the final, I can't help thinking Riylod were lucky to meet teams that played a game that favored their style. Had the Tigers' fly half been remotely inspired, he would have set the ball wide instead of kicking possession away and missing the lineout and the game would have been won. But his last kick one minute from the end of the match was catastrophic. Tigers led by 6 points. Only a converted try could save Riylod, and the Tigers' fly half kicks straigth forward. The ball lands into the hands of the captain Pilpi 'Boar' S'nadrin, who runs straight from his 22. Tackled, he falls when the third Amurite comes upon him. He frees the ball for his hooker Gonzo Riylin, who passes the ball for the first time of his life, sending Dey LowRock wide. Dey passes to our local giant (5 feet tall) Abdos Pen'Arin, who feints the Tigers' huge winger Lumo, sprints, passes to his winger who then finds the second flanker, who gives the ball to his fly half, who crashes into two opponents before giving the ball to the scrummy, who finally passes it to Sad R'ni, who scores despite two Tigers defenders. Awesome. The try is converted by Toros Riylin, and Riylod makes it to the final.
I must talk of another unpleasant incident now. Although generally, Amurites were very sportsdwarflike and friendly, one human beholder accused us of trying to get the Tigers' stand-out drunk before the match. It's true William Eb'Lis drank with him just before the kick off, but that was a ridiculous two pints in the 10 minutes before the match! Nothing that can alter someone's judgment. It was obvious that the man was crazy: That same supporter complained at half time that we were sharing beer with the other team at half time. My, they were just drinking water and some orange juice! I believe it was more than honorable of Riylod to share their drink with the opponents at half time considering it was very hot during the match. Fortunately, most supporters and players were better mannered that this misguided soul. I guess he must have been a Kuriotate tourist.

Final
Ciriail Originals vs. Riylod: 33 - 15.
After their strong show in the semifinal, Riylod were very excited. They believed they had a chance to win the match, but this was actually very one-sided. Ciriail had met the Exiles, seen the match between the dwarves, and adapted their tactics. They played a swift rugby, sending the ball wide and tiring Riylod players, not leaving our boys a chance.

It was still a pleasant game, and Ciriail Originals were definitely the best team of the tournament, so they deserve their victory.

OOC: The try that's inspired Riylod's semifinal win can be seen here (poor quality alas): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54_2gyRv3uI
Any semblance to French or English club names, real matches or events after some South African semifinal are intended.