Silver Steak
The Ghost of SS
*Raises hand and opens mouth to complain, but gives up and sods off reluctantly instead*
EDIT: Hey, 3,5 K!
EDIT: Hey, 3,5 K!
PureNES: Years of Excelsior
- Thread starter North King
- Start date
human-slaughter
brand new year
The stories had been drifting around Tevan. More ships than that of theirs had been sacking and killing the people to the west. Fear raced through the newly appointed Captain Ragok. His fear was fueled by the idea that more powerful armies had been brushed aside by these invaders.
As time moved on more and more reports of pillages came into the town and the townsfolk were fearful. Ragok roused the military and the navy they had time to prepare though maybe not much. Some colonists were sent south from the main island should Tevan be taken. The military reinforced the towns for a naval attack. Captain Ragok spent his time with the navy trying to imbue some sort of discipline within the seamen. What seemed to work best was his ability to rouse nationalistic pride within the sailors.
Fair seas took the colonists north of the Alezari Kingdom to a small protected bay where they set up the beginnings of a village.
One evening Ragok was in his study with two other successful captains they came to a conclusion that would shape the next years of the Tevanii.
The sailors were roused, the soldiers were roused and some were left to defend the 2 main islands the rest were placed upon the ships and sailed North West to search out these invaders. It had occurred to the Master Captain Ragok that if these invaders were busy fighting the people far in the west the east would be fairly unprotected.
They sailed past the Cursed Isles, which were discovered to be housing savage humans that had killed the Captain of the Spyglass years earlier, and north into the northern islands here they were ready to stage their raids in a westerly direction.
As time moved on more and more reports of pillages came into the town and the townsfolk were fearful. Ragok roused the military and the navy they had time to prepare though maybe not much. Some colonists were sent south from the main island should Tevan be taken. The military reinforced the towns for a naval attack. Captain Ragok spent his time with the navy trying to imbue some sort of discipline within the seamen. What seemed to work best was his ability to rouse nationalistic pride within the sailors.
Fair seas took the colonists north of the Alezari Kingdom to a small protected bay where they set up the beginnings of a village.
One evening Ragok was in his study with two other successful captains they came to a conclusion that would shape the next years of the Tevanii.
The sailors were roused, the soldiers were roused and some were left to defend the 2 main islands the rest were placed upon the ships and sailed North West to search out these invaders. It had occurred to the Master Captain Ragok that if these invaders were busy fighting the people far in the west the east would be fairly unprotected.
They sailed past the Cursed Isles, which were discovered to be housing savage humans that had killed the Captain of the Spyglass years earlier, and north into the northern islands here they were ready to stage their raids in a westerly direction.
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
IV: Golden Splinters
c. 218 - 301 AU
The push of a hundred travelers came from every direction; the man was buffeted about with very little control over where he went; flowing from place to place in the crowd, bumping into snarling locals and unabashed sight-seers alike. He finally managed to plant his feet on firm ground, by clinging to a pillar of a local shop, and stared across the square; not for the first time, his height came in handy. He looked over the heads of the populace, but it wasnt necessary to crane his neck: the temple loomed high over them all.
It was something unlike everything he had seen before, and he was a traveler from Vardis: there was little he had not seen. The Temple of Laws dwarfed every single one of them.
A sunken pool lay before it, filled with clear waters that glistened in the sunlight. Raised on a plinth, the temple itself had four obelisks, with one at each corner; the walls themselves reached high into the air, and round columns painted a severe white supported the high roof. Mounted on the top of the building, above all of the city, stood a statue of a scribe with eliu and torch in hand, covered entirely in beaten gold.
The Habytians had outdone themselves, or perhaps outdone the world. No one, he knew, had built so high before; no one had ever even dreamed something like this was possible. It was a wonder of the world, truly. And to think that the Harungens had warned that the Habytians were corrupt and tending towards chaos; this truly was the center of the world...
Far from the travelers eyes, the scribes were hard at work, painstakingly copying the eliu that bore the Great Law; no flaw could be allowed, for these were to be placed in high honor in the new colonies to the west. Habyte had grown more, and as they had grown, so new copies must be made: to live without the laws was unthinkable. Their significance was beyond the mere legal sense; it was spiritual: the Great Law was surely granted by the Gods themselves, and they dictated everything, from the names of the newborn to the dinners of their parents. Others might suffocate, but under these, Habyte flourished.
Indeed, the nation was easily the richest in the world, for it formed the crucial trade link between north and south. Alezari gold and tin could never reach far off Vardis if the delta fell into chaos, and the economies of all were boosted. Even more than that, it was the nation that drove the world in technology as well: not only was the eliu invented in Habyte alone, spreading from there to the rest of the Dimini, but important metallurgical, astronomical, mathematical, and engineering advances were made nearly every year, to be exported rapidly, diffusing from this center to the rest of the cradle.
It was fitting, then, that Habyte had this unequaled splendor. The Temple of Laws was the new center around which the entire world revolved; they had remade the earth.
If Habyte was the heart of civilization, then Harungen surely was its liver. The only possible competitor on many levels, the Kingdom was forced to gradually gain new respect for its northern neighbors as the years wore on and Habyte showed no signs of slowing down or stagnating. Finally, the nearly hostile relationship turned into something more cordial, and far more profitable. Trade flourished, and both nations boomed as a result; populations soared.
In both the Harungen and Habyte, a new religion was flourishing: Thenital. Something of a mixture of the old Death Cult and the order/chaos dynamic that had been prevalent in the southwest of the cradle, it gained quite a few followers in the eastern provinces of the Harungen.
The people of Daria, too, took to this religion, which was perhaps the worst thing that could possibly happen to the land: now it was divided nearly into quarters, with various people following the Harungen Pantheon, the Death Cult, Thenital, and the Dragon Path. Needless to say, the tiny nation has had rather fewer dreams of empire, and rather more struggles with trying to keep the nation in one piece; it threatens to fall apart at any moment.
The People viewed this with distaste and not some small apprehension. Their northern neighbor had always been seen rather more as a small, annoying brother than as a legitimate nation, but no one wanted their little brother exploding into a suicidal rampage. As such, various nobles pressured the king strongly to intervene in the nation, which, after all, had been a long stronghold of the Dragon Path. Others advised caution, for soldiers in Daria would mean challenging the mighty Harungen.
More importantly for The People, an ancient stronghold known as the Applegarden has been discovered in the deeper swamps. A place with a mythic quality in the tales of The People, it has quickly gained quite a few immigrants, who, while somewhat bothered by the vapors of the swamp, find living in this magnificent city no small repayment for their troubles. It is something resembling paradise on earth; so long as the troubles that plague the outside world do not infect it...
Vardis, it transpires, is receiving the blow in lieu of The People or the Harungen. The strange tribes from the south have arrived in full force; a few prisoners who managed to learn some limited bits of the Vardisian language communicated that theythe Haskfehad indeed fled northward from some even greater thread, the Lingden. Their copper axes and spears are primitive compared to the honed and true bronze of Vardis, but numbers and ferocity often make up for that.
Falling like wolves upon the ramparts of Vardis, the Haskfe have burned farm after farm, carrying away plunder, but also settling upon these new lands; they intend to make a homestead here. This has aroused much anger in the citizens of the northern country, and a ferocious conflict raged: it took the entire manpower of Vardis to hold back the peak of the enemy assault. It was enough, for now; the Haskfe only held onto a narrow strip of land in the south, and the remainder of their blunted assault slid into the river valley to the west, driving northwards.
Indeed, the Haskfe migration displaced another band, the Stiert, who migrated and mixed with the people of the eastern Dimini; here they founded their own nation, rapidly civilizing under the dual influences of the Harungen and the Alystri.
Alystr, for its part, entered something of a golden age as well; the establishment of Stiert, while initially viewed with some suspicion and hostility, has greatly increased potential for trade with the east. Finally a link has been made; the dualist order/chaos philosophy has made some impression on the minds of the west, while Alystrs strong-willed Queen and Daughter of the Creator have certainly made a great impression on the easterners as well.
Unfortunately, scouts report that Alystr is not merely on one end of a chain of countries; it appears to be very close to another, rising empire: the Draklor. While these far off people seem to have paused to digest their last conquest, the scouts warn that their people hunger for blood, and could move onwards at any particular point; nobles have already taken the initiative and strengthened the northern frontier.
It is on the other end of a barbarian migration that the Luginé desperately prepared to withstand another assault by the Jiru; yet at the last moment, the Burim found some small comfort: the Jiru were impressed by, and indeed to some degree worshiped the springs that the mountain people held so dear. Some advances were made, and even in the midst of attacks by the nomadic people, more and more crossed the lines to purify themselves.
In the midst of this confused situation, another succession crisis seemed to favor the Luginé, at least for the moment: the three sons of the rising Jiru king quickly turned on each other when their father went insane; it was a very pleasant surprise when one of the princes turned to the Luginé, not only for a ritual purification at the baths, but also for an alliance.
Accepted of course, the alliance quickly became a cornerstone of attempting to drive back the Jiru, for the eldest son had secured the greatest part of his fathers kingdom, one which was still determined to crush the Luginé. Thus, the Burims armies marched once again, joining forces with the Haje, digging trenches and standing for seven days against the marauding armies of the Jiru before they finally retreated. The power of the nomads waned again, and this time, the passes would be watched.
Exilias growth was also quite marked; a fifth class of existence was categorized: that of soldiers. While many grumbled at this, for no war appeared to be on the horizon, the Veritor insisted that it was for the best to be prepared; in this vein, he strengthened the navy several-fold, and instead of the laughingstock of the world, it became a respectable, if somewhat ragged, fighting force.
Isus quickly surpassed Balos as the premier city-state on the southern coast; its naval growth was unprecedented in history. The Avien Dynasty was certainly not lacking in rivals, of course, and their neighbors grew as well, but Isus fleet was certainly unparalleledin their knowledge, that was. Alas, the fleet growth proved disastrous for the woodlands of Isus; the land quickly became stripped bare; over the years it became clear that erosion was taking a considerable toll on the landscape; grain had to be imported from Habyte to make up the loss of fertility.
More troubling for the immediate future, however, was the news that arrived to Isus courts from the north.
Prows cutting the waves like hawks on the wind, a thousand gleaming ships appeared with the suns first light, topping the horizon with sails bearing a three sided emblem. The colony and isles were overwhelmed before any help could be sent for; they were overrun by a horde of warriors with straight, black hair, and proud faces with high cheekbones. They seemed endless in number: for every grain on the beach, there was a warrior.
The Sea Peoples had come.
A naval force was dispatched to deal with these interlopers: the king of Isus decided to deal with them before they could grow too powerful. It was a terrible miscalculation. The ships of Isus were torn to pieces off the coast of their own isles; their ships were outmaneuvered and torn to shreds by the enemy rams. Thousands of soldiers were caught by arrows and thrown overboard; the sea, it was said, was choked with bodies.
When the verdict arrived before the king in the form of a few beaten ship captains, the court of Isus trembled; many said the world was coming to an end. All had heard of the exploits of the Sea Peoples, and none could stop them.
The lesson was hardest for the Yuzoi, who drew up painstaking defensive plans to avoid utter, cataclysmic destruction. Warriors were drawn up: levy bowmen, nomadic scouts, a few spearmen; it was a powerful fighting force, even more powerful than that which had confronted and defeated Garanthormia so many years before. The Yuzarchs armor was laid out, and the nation acclaimed his prowess: no Beaknose could defeat so mighty a king.
The forests were abandoned; the hills were defended by highly mobile scouts, who occasionally would prod or raid northwards. Any attack southwards would be caught in a defensive net; the rivers eastern mouth was watched and fortified heavily; what boats the Yuzarchs had been able to muster guarded its entrance zealously.
Terror, war, and plague descended remorselessly: lead from the west. They came not from the sea, as so many had feared, but over the mountains that had for so long formed the backbone of the nation. The blow was sudden, and devastating. Armies marched over low mountain passes, and soon dropped upon the capital as a storm upon reeds. The wooden walls seemed laughably inadequate; many fled before the invaders.
Yet the Yuzarch could not stand to see the old wisdoms destroyed. He had already had them gathered, and bade some of his men gather the people as well: they would flee further south, away from the menace of the Beaknoses. His part would be death.
He gathered every nomad from the northlands, and the bravest older men from the lowlands; he declared to them that if they stayed, they would meet only their final breaths. They would die so the others could survive. It would be their end for their peoples lives.
They marched westward, into the setting sun, as the more cowardly, and the younger soldiers escorted the people of the Yuzoi south. Beset by a sudden tide of the Beaknoses, they drew up with the river at their backs, facing south, a semi-circle against the river. There they met their doom, with a tremendous clash and furious crash of bronze on brass for hours on end. At some length, the Yuzarch was dead, with his entire host. Later writers would attribute to the Sea King the quote, He died in the shroud of battle that his children should go unharmed.
Poetry aside, the Yuzoi made their way into the southern hills, where the high western ridge was too high to allow for surprise attacks, and set up their homes again. Warbands reported that a defensive line had been erected on the river against their return: perhaps it was in the south that the Yuzoi would find their destiny. Indeed, they have already met another people, the Syr: from what little diplomatic dialogue can be understood, they, too, have fled the wrath of the Sea Peoples. Whether they will be comrades in arms or rivals, however, is yet to be determined.
It was only a matter of time: the sails have been seen again; the triangular mark that all good men fear. The Tevanii ships have already grappled with this foe, with a few hard-fought skirmishes restraining them in the northernmost islands. Yet one thing is quite clear: this can only last for so long. For the very seas have rebelled.
Map:
OOC:
Its not your fault this update. It has been a struggle for me even to write: I think that shone through in the terrible prose that is inscribed above. On the other hand, I always knew it was going to be terrible, and that I was just delaying it, so it is still, certainly, my fault for putting off the day of reckoning. My deepest apologies.
Thlayli will be handling the next update, however, given the posting time of this, I will probably also be back for the next update. As such, some explanations and stats will be held off until Thursday; I really hope you can still write well regardless. It is, sadly, 3 AM here, so I cant stick around to answer anything tonight, and tomorrow will mark the beginning of my little quest, but I will try to get on a computer once or twice while away.
Syr, Cessal, and Stiert have their own backstories that Id prefer other people hold off of; in generally, you can conceptualize Syr as vaguely Celto-Slavo-Helvetii, Cessal as some sort of crazy hybrid between Habyte and a psychotic divine monarchy, and Stiert as a sort of Germanic state with a cultural schizophrenia from being smack dab between Alystr and Harungen.
c. 218 - 301 AU
The push of a hundred travelers came from every direction; the man was buffeted about with very little control over where he went; flowing from place to place in the crowd, bumping into snarling locals and unabashed sight-seers alike. He finally managed to plant his feet on firm ground, by clinging to a pillar of a local shop, and stared across the square; not for the first time, his height came in handy. He looked over the heads of the populace, but it wasnt necessary to crane his neck: the temple loomed high over them all.
It was something unlike everything he had seen before, and he was a traveler from Vardis: there was little he had not seen. The Temple of Laws dwarfed every single one of them.
A sunken pool lay before it, filled with clear waters that glistened in the sunlight. Raised on a plinth, the temple itself had four obelisks, with one at each corner; the walls themselves reached high into the air, and round columns painted a severe white supported the high roof. Mounted on the top of the building, above all of the city, stood a statue of a scribe with eliu and torch in hand, covered entirely in beaten gold.
The Habytians had outdone themselves, or perhaps outdone the world. No one, he knew, had built so high before; no one had ever even dreamed something like this was possible. It was a wonder of the world, truly. And to think that the Harungens had warned that the Habytians were corrupt and tending towards chaos; this truly was the center of the world...
Far from the travelers eyes, the scribes were hard at work, painstakingly copying the eliu that bore the Great Law; no flaw could be allowed, for these were to be placed in high honor in the new colonies to the west. Habyte had grown more, and as they had grown, so new copies must be made: to live without the laws was unthinkable. Their significance was beyond the mere legal sense; it was spiritual: the Great Law was surely granted by the Gods themselves, and they dictated everything, from the names of the newborn to the dinners of their parents. Others might suffocate, but under these, Habyte flourished.
Indeed, the nation was easily the richest in the world, for it formed the crucial trade link between north and south. Alezari gold and tin could never reach far off Vardis if the delta fell into chaos, and the economies of all were boosted. Even more than that, it was the nation that drove the world in technology as well: not only was the eliu invented in Habyte alone, spreading from there to the rest of the Dimini, but important metallurgical, astronomical, mathematical, and engineering advances were made nearly every year, to be exported rapidly, diffusing from this center to the rest of the cradle.
It was fitting, then, that Habyte had this unequaled splendor. The Temple of Laws was the new center around which the entire world revolved; they had remade the earth.
If Habyte was the heart of civilization, then Harungen surely was its liver. The only possible competitor on many levels, the Kingdom was forced to gradually gain new respect for its northern neighbors as the years wore on and Habyte showed no signs of slowing down or stagnating. Finally, the nearly hostile relationship turned into something more cordial, and far more profitable. Trade flourished, and both nations boomed as a result; populations soared.
In both the Harungen and Habyte, a new religion was flourishing: Thenital. Something of a mixture of the old Death Cult and the order/chaos dynamic that had been prevalent in the southwest of the cradle, it gained quite a few followers in the eastern provinces of the Harungen.
The people of Daria, too, took to this religion, which was perhaps the worst thing that could possibly happen to the land: now it was divided nearly into quarters, with various people following the Harungen Pantheon, the Death Cult, Thenital, and the Dragon Path. Needless to say, the tiny nation has had rather fewer dreams of empire, and rather more struggles with trying to keep the nation in one piece; it threatens to fall apart at any moment.
The People viewed this with distaste and not some small apprehension. Their northern neighbor had always been seen rather more as a small, annoying brother than as a legitimate nation, but no one wanted their little brother exploding into a suicidal rampage. As such, various nobles pressured the king strongly to intervene in the nation, which, after all, had been a long stronghold of the Dragon Path. Others advised caution, for soldiers in Daria would mean challenging the mighty Harungen.
More importantly for The People, an ancient stronghold known as the Applegarden has been discovered in the deeper swamps. A place with a mythic quality in the tales of The People, it has quickly gained quite a few immigrants, who, while somewhat bothered by the vapors of the swamp, find living in this magnificent city no small repayment for their troubles. It is something resembling paradise on earth; so long as the troubles that plague the outside world do not infect it...
Vardis, it transpires, is receiving the blow in lieu of The People or the Harungen. The strange tribes from the south have arrived in full force; a few prisoners who managed to learn some limited bits of the Vardisian language communicated that theythe Haskfehad indeed fled northward from some even greater thread, the Lingden. Their copper axes and spears are primitive compared to the honed and true bronze of Vardis, but numbers and ferocity often make up for that.
Falling like wolves upon the ramparts of Vardis, the Haskfe have burned farm after farm, carrying away plunder, but also settling upon these new lands; they intend to make a homestead here. This has aroused much anger in the citizens of the northern country, and a ferocious conflict raged: it took the entire manpower of Vardis to hold back the peak of the enemy assault. It was enough, for now; the Haskfe only held onto a narrow strip of land in the south, and the remainder of their blunted assault slid into the river valley to the west, driving northwards.
Indeed, the Haskfe migration displaced another band, the Stiert, who migrated and mixed with the people of the eastern Dimini; here they founded their own nation, rapidly civilizing under the dual influences of the Harungen and the Alystri.
Alystr, for its part, entered something of a golden age as well; the establishment of Stiert, while initially viewed with some suspicion and hostility, has greatly increased potential for trade with the east. Finally a link has been made; the dualist order/chaos philosophy has made some impression on the minds of the west, while Alystrs strong-willed Queen and Daughter of the Creator have certainly made a great impression on the easterners as well.
Unfortunately, scouts report that Alystr is not merely on one end of a chain of countries; it appears to be very close to another, rising empire: the Draklor. While these far off people seem to have paused to digest their last conquest, the scouts warn that their people hunger for blood, and could move onwards at any particular point; nobles have already taken the initiative and strengthened the northern frontier.
It is on the other end of a barbarian migration that the Luginé desperately prepared to withstand another assault by the Jiru; yet at the last moment, the Burim found some small comfort: the Jiru were impressed by, and indeed to some degree worshiped the springs that the mountain people held so dear. Some advances were made, and even in the midst of attacks by the nomadic people, more and more crossed the lines to purify themselves.
In the midst of this confused situation, another succession crisis seemed to favor the Luginé, at least for the moment: the three sons of the rising Jiru king quickly turned on each other when their father went insane; it was a very pleasant surprise when one of the princes turned to the Luginé, not only for a ritual purification at the baths, but also for an alliance.
Accepted of course, the alliance quickly became a cornerstone of attempting to drive back the Jiru, for the eldest son had secured the greatest part of his fathers kingdom, one which was still determined to crush the Luginé. Thus, the Burims armies marched once again, joining forces with the Haje, digging trenches and standing for seven days against the marauding armies of the Jiru before they finally retreated. The power of the nomads waned again, and this time, the passes would be watched.
Exilias growth was also quite marked; a fifth class of existence was categorized: that of soldiers. While many grumbled at this, for no war appeared to be on the horizon, the Veritor insisted that it was for the best to be prepared; in this vein, he strengthened the navy several-fold, and instead of the laughingstock of the world, it became a respectable, if somewhat ragged, fighting force.
Isus quickly surpassed Balos as the premier city-state on the southern coast; its naval growth was unprecedented in history. The Avien Dynasty was certainly not lacking in rivals, of course, and their neighbors grew as well, but Isus fleet was certainly unparalleledin their knowledge, that was. Alas, the fleet growth proved disastrous for the woodlands of Isus; the land quickly became stripped bare; over the years it became clear that erosion was taking a considerable toll on the landscape; grain had to be imported from Habyte to make up the loss of fertility.
More troubling for the immediate future, however, was the news that arrived to Isus courts from the north.
Prows cutting the waves like hawks on the wind, a thousand gleaming ships appeared with the suns first light, topping the horizon with sails bearing a three sided emblem. The colony and isles were overwhelmed before any help could be sent for; they were overrun by a horde of warriors with straight, black hair, and proud faces with high cheekbones. They seemed endless in number: for every grain on the beach, there was a warrior.
The Sea Peoples had come.
A naval force was dispatched to deal with these interlopers: the king of Isus decided to deal with them before they could grow too powerful. It was a terrible miscalculation. The ships of Isus were torn to pieces off the coast of their own isles; their ships were outmaneuvered and torn to shreds by the enemy rams. Thousands of soldiers were caught by arrows and thrown overboard; the sea, it was said, was choked with bodies.
When the verdict arrived before the king in the form of a few beaten ship captains, the court of Isus trembled; many said the world was coming to an end. All had heard of the exploits of the Sea Peoples, and none could stop them.
The lesson was hardest for the Yuzoi, who drew up painstaking defensive plans to avoid utter, cataclysmic destruction. Warriors were drawn up: levy bowmen, nomadic scouts, a few spearmen; it was a powerful fighting force, even more powerful than that which had confronted and defeated Garanthormia so many years before. The Yuzarchs armor was laid out, and the nation acclaimed his prowess: no Beaknose could defeat so mighty a king.
The forests were abandoned; the hills were defended by highly mobile scouts, who occasionally would prod or raid northwards. Any attack southwards would be caught in a defensive net; the rivers eastern mouth was watched and fortified heavily; what boats the Yuzarchs had been able to muster guarded its entrance zealously.
Terror, war, and plague descended remorselessly: lead from the west. They came not from the sea, as so many had feared, but over the mountains that had for so long formed the backbone of the nation. The blow was sudden, and devastating. Armies marched over low mountain passes, and soon dropped upon the capital as a storm upon reeds. The wooden walls seemed laughably inadequate; many fled before the invaders.
Yet the Yuzarch could not stand to see the old wisdoms destroyed. He had already had them gathered, and bade some of his men gather the people as well: they would flee further south, away from the menace of the Beaknoses. His part would be death.
He gathered every nomad from the northlands, and the bravest older men from the lowlands; he declared to them that if they stayed, they would meet only their final breaths. They would die so the others could survive. It would be their end for their peoples lives.
They marched westward, into the setting sun, as the more cowardly, and the younger soldiers escorted the people of the Yuzoi south. Beset by a sudden tide of the Beaknoses, they drew up with the river at their backs, facing south, a semi-circle against the river. There they met their doom, with a tremendous clash and furious crash of bronze on brass for hours on end. At some length, the Yuzarch was dead, with his entire host. Later writers would attribute to the Sea King the quote, He died in the shroud of battle that his children should go unharmed.
Poetry aside, the Yuzoi made their way into the southern hills, where the high western ridge was too high to allow for surprise attacks, and set up their homes again. Warbands reported that a defensive line had been erected on the river against their return: perhaps it was in the south that the Yuzoi would find their destiny. Indeed, they have already met another people, the Syr: from what little diplomatic dialogue can be understood, they, too, have fled the wrath of the Sea Peoples. Whether they will be comrades in arms or rivals, however, is yet to be determined.
It was only a matter of time: the sails have been seen again; the triangular mark that all good men fear. The Tevanii ships have already grappled with this foe, with a few hard-fought skirmishes restraining them in the northernmost islands. Yet one thing is quite clear: this can only last for so long. For the very seas have rebelled.
Map:
OOC:
Its not your fault this update. It has been a struggle for me even to write: I think that shone through in the terrible prose that is inscribed above. On the other hand, I always knew it was going to be terrible, and that I was just delaying it, so it is still, certainly, my fault for putting off the day of reckoning. My deepest apologies.
Thlayli will be handling the next update, however, given the posting time of this, I will probably also be back for the next update. As such, some explanations and stats will be held off until Thursday; I really hope you can still write well regardless. It is, sadly, 3 AM here, so I cant stick around to answer anything tonight, and tomorrow will mark the beginning of my little quest, but I will try to get on a computer once or twice while away.
Syr, Cessal, and Stiert have their own backstories that Id prefer other people hold off of; in generally, you can conceptualize Syr as vaguely Celto-Slavo-Helvetii, Cessal as some sort of crazy hybrid between Habyte and a psychotic divine monarchy, and Stiert as a sort of Germanic state with a cultural schizophrenia from being smack dab between Alystr and Harungen.
Silver Steak
The Ghost of SS
I'm impressed. I've never felt so satisfied after losing. This was truly an update among the very best I've had.
The Sea Peoples have yet to crush the Yuzoi! Just they wait! Grr.
The Sea Peoples have yet to crush the Yuzoi! Just they wait! Grr.
Nylan
Characters Welcome
The fates just won't give Vardis a rest, will they?
Oh well, what doesn't kill us will make us stronger.
Oh well, what doesn't kill us will make us stronger.
Thlayli
Le Pétit Prince
Buongiorno, everyone. I'll be taking charge of the next update. I've kept up to date with the thread, but please PM me if there's anything specific you want me to know about your nation's culture, plans, etc.
How does a Saturday deadline sound to everyone?
How does a Saturday deadline sound to everyone?
Nylan
Characters Welcome
sounds good to me
Thlayli
Le Pétit Prince
I'm going to be doing a couple things differently this turn. Some you might like, some not.
First of all, certain nations are going to get PM'ed mini stories. They'll deal with decisions or choices that their rulers must respond to, in story form. And their PM'ed decisions will affect the update. How much? It depends. There will probably be 4 or 5.
Since orders aren't mandatory (but recommended,) PC nations that don't have a story this turn will probably begin to decline.
First of all, certain nations are going to get PM'ed mini stories. They'll deal with decisions or choices that their rulers must respond to, in story form. And their PM'ed decisions will affect the update. How much? It depends. There will probably be 4 or 5.
Since orders aren't mandatory (but recommended,) PC nations that don't have a story this turn will probably begin to decline.
Nylan
Characters Welcome
That actually sounds interesting, provided the PMs do not take too long.
Stories aren't a problem for me at least, it's my orders that are a nightmare.
Stories aren't a problem for me at least, it's my orders that are a nightmare.
Terrance888
Discord Reigns
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Crushed by the First Update!
Why me? WHY ME!!!!!?????? There are a couple mistakes.... one, the trees are replanted 5 to one, two, the fields where fertilized by the wood chips, and three..... Isus is dooomed! Y me? 
Well, here goes... my story
The Mysterous Sea Peoples
Ambassador Irayna tried to remember the days nearly 50 years ago, when she had came down the hills to see the Centuery Celebration, as she walked down the Clogged Seas.
The Isus Pensula has doubled just before the Strike of the Sea peoples, then, the small colony in which the Isus people where from was conquered. They tried to move further after the distruction of te fleets, but the rails quickly hailed them uphill to start hit and run tactics that slowly returned them their new home land.
She was cautius, for in her 70 years of age she still is tacky and resorceful. And, as she slowly wlked her way aross tot eh seapeoples, and yes, the bodys are so numerous that they formd a bridge between the lands, She tried to keep herself from disgustation but hurled anyway.
We must survive, we need to survive this torment.... we ask this of you.... we, as your vassals, as lower equils, with payment to who ever yuo are until we are able to rebuild again... , to protect us... until the time is right she recited the plea.
She walked to Bybos, to the Sea Peoples and beyond on the disgusting grave of millions. She walked and looked for a someone to help the crippled, but still a merchentary trading power of Isus, until the time is right.... and to share the spoils.....
Looking for a Powersharing Nation....
- most of the fighting fleets and Sea Men
+ Good Birereme Design from sea peoples (from a sunken ship flooting the the mass sea grave)
+ Convertation of ships as traders
- Isus as a first rate trading power (AWWWWWWWW MAN! But still true)
- Avien of Isus after 150 years of age
+ Aviena II Queen of Isus, 30 years old
This is my 200th post!
Why me? WHY ME!!!!!?????? There are a couple mistakes.... one, the trees are replanted 5 to one, two, the fields where fertilized by the wood chips, and three..... Isus is dooomed! Y me? Well, here goes... my storyThe Mysterous Sea Peoples
Ambassador Irayna tried to remember the days nearly 50 years ago, when she had came down the hills to see the Centuery Celebration, as she walked down the Clogged Seas.
The Isus Pensula has doubled just before the Strike of the Sea peoples, then, the small colony in which the Isus people where from was conquered. They tried to move further after the distruction of te fleets, but the rails quickly hailed them uphill to start hit and run tactics that slowly returned them their new home land.
She was cautius, for in her 70 years of age she still is tacky and resorceful. And, as she slowly wlked her way aross tot eh seapeoples, and yes, the bodys are so numerous that they formd a bridge between the lands, She tried to keep herself from disgustation but hurled anyway.
We must survive, we need to survive this torment.... we ask this of you.... we, as your vassals, as lower equils, with payment to who ever yuo are until we are able to rebuild again... , to protect us... until the time is right she recited the plea.
She walked to Bybos, to the Sea Peoples and beyond on the disgusting grave of millions. She walked and looked for a someone to help the crippled, but still a merchentary trading power of Isus, until the time is right.... and to share the spoils.....
Looking for a Powersharing Nation....
- most of the fighting fleets and Sea Men
+ Good Birereme Design from sea peoples (from a sunken ship flooting the the mass sea grave)
+ Convertation of ships as traders
- Isus as a first rate trading power (AWWWWWWWW MAN! But still true)
- Avien of Isus after 150 years of age
+ Aviena II Queen of Isus, 30 years old
This is my 200th post!
human-slaughter
brand new year
Can you tell us when we may be expecting to get these mini stories and if I am not going to can you tell me that as well so I know.
Nylan
Characters Welcome
^I echo these sentiments as well, I don't want to go ahead and write something that will conflict with one of the mini-stories.
Thlayli
Le Pétit Prince
Today and tomorrow, they'll be sent. If you don't get one by Thursday, then go on as planned.
Charles_Li, you're...slightly more understandable than before, but please keep working on spelling and grammar.
Charles_Li, you're...slightly more understandable than before, but please keep working on spelling and grammar.
*****
Battle on the Little Plains
It was said, that on the day of battle, the God's would watch from their mountain peaks, and give favor to those that preform great deeds of courage and skill. Commander Jasih hoped that the Gods would favor him today, because a large Younger army was marching toward the occupied Elder lands. Not to raid, but to conquer.
Once the advance scouts had sent word back for the advance, Commander Jasih had gathered the few elite soldiers in his region, and levied the unwilling Elder population into his army;a few even at sword point. Jasih could spare no sympathy, however, since this would be the challenge that would define his career. He couldn't afford to withdraw to allow more experienced Draklor armies to reinforce his minor, levied force.
Jasih had rushed to gather the army, waving off a light skinned lunatic, being held by his guards, who had wandered into his lands mumbling incoherent jiberish about 'eyes from the sea' and 'burning the *****'. He had to recall a scout just to figure out what little that was from the crazy man. Promising to deal with it later, and tell the Teacher the omen (or halluncinations of the raving lunatic).
First however, came the battle.
Jasih force formed up in the dying light of the day, as the Younger force had rested in nearby village for the afternoon heat, after spending much of the morning pillaging and raping small Elder towns (the homeland of Draklor had no towns, as it was a nomadic society). The force consisted of Draklor spearmen and archers, and large amounts of lightly armored Elder peasant archers and foot soldiers.
The Younger force was large rabble, however, from his scouts reports. Defeating their numbers would only be a matter of breaking their will and morale with Draklor battle prowess. But before such thoughts, a speech was needed to rouse the men's spirits against the threat approaching, and the lack of reinforcements.
"Men!" Jasih cried out, "Today we have a chance; a chance unlike any other! We stand alone this day, against a seemingly mighty force. Do not be fooled! This force we face is weak in spirit, and will flee when the mere echo of our battle cry reaches their ears! Then, when we have cut them down, all the armies of Draklor will bow, and call us victors! To victory!"
Raising his spear into the air, Jasih cried out, and his Draklor contingent cried out with him.
"Victory! Hah! Hah!"
The resounding cheer was deafening, and it unsettled the peasant Elder troops just as much as it apparently did to the Youngers. They had paused in their march, and Jasih was almost disappointed, thinking that they would abandon battle.
His fears were unfounded, however, as the enemy quickly regained their moment. Struck by a thought, Jasih quickly sent a runner to the archers, arrayed in front of his minor infantry contingent.
He smiled as he saw his order carried out, and torches lighted. Oiled rags were wrapped around arrows, and torch bearers were lighting them, running as fast as their legs could carry them.
'This should shake their will.'
Many enemy men fell from the volley's of arrows raining down on them; a few bodies even caught flame due to the fiery death falling upon the hapless enemy. Unable to retaliate, the enemy began a head long charge toward their long range tormentors.
Seeing the charge, Commander Jasih raised his spear high into the air.
"The Battle is joined! May the God's find favor in your courage! Charge!"
The Draklor infantry quickly began their charge, pushing aside retreating archers. The peasant infantry followed with much less zeal. With a clash of shields and spears, the battle began in earnest.
The furious melee lasted for quite a long time, as flaming missiles from the withdrawn archers flew over the heads of the Draklor army into the rear throng of the Younger army. Jasih was killing enemies by the dozen, cutting down the untrained enemy with precision thrusts with his spear, and deflecting blows with his shield.
Despite his troops skill however, they were still being pushed slowly back, and losing men due to the unending swarm of numbers. Fighting his way to the back lines, Jasih quickly took a young Elder peasant hesitating in the back, and sent him to gather the archers for melee combat.
Quickly returning to rally the men, Jasih prayed that his deployment of the melee weak (although fresh) archers wouldn't backfire, and continued to fight. The horn to charge was blown, and the archers cried out, swords drawn, and charged toward the melee.
Suddenly, it seemed that the will of the Younger army broke. They no longer wished to fight against the smaller, but fierce enemy that rained such fiery death down upon them. En masse they fled, and Jasih's army did not have the strength to follow.
The Younger's army was broken, and perhaps at last the Younger incursion into Draklor territories might finally cease. And it was Jasih's victory, and his triumph over superior numbers. Yes, the God's truly favored him this day.
Perhaps he might even suceed the Teacher.
Perhaps.
*****
human-slaughter
brand new year
The ship bounced against the waves as in got closer to the far land. The crew had spotted the outpost of the colonists and was preparing to anchor and board the longboats. The captain of the ship took the longboat ashore. He was met by the temporary leader of the outpost.
“What word do you bring from the home land?”
The captain of the ship shook the man’s hand and led him on a walk through the outpost.
“The invaders have spared us for now.” The man from the outpost looked relieved “But the Captain requires that this outpost expand as best as you can. Set up defenses, train a militia. Do whatever you can to make this outpost operational. Many of the soldiers may be on the way to help expand the settlement but at the moment sir it is your responsibility to continue the expansion of our people.”
The outpost was very primitive. A small dock had as many fishing boats as it could fit that look well used. There was a larger building built in the center that is surrounded by smaller buildings. The captain wandered amongst the buildings where the sound of maintenance was all around him.
The future was fuzzy for these people. The mighty invaders from the sea had impressed the Tevanii and it was comforting to them that they were now on their side. But how long would it last. How long would the Sea People hold their amnesty?
The Captain of the Tevanii was skeptical and was prepared for war. But, he would surely not see it in his lifetime. The old Captain lay in his bed dying when he clutched his successor’s hand.
“Lead these people Captain Elrian, Lead them with the grace of god and all will be well.”
“What word do you bring from the home land?”
The captain of the ship shook the man’s hand and led him on a walk through the outpost.
“The invaders have spared us for now.” The man from the outpost looked relieved “But the Captain requires that this outpost expand as best as you can. Set up defenses, train a militia. Do whatever you can to make this outpost operational. Many of the soldiers may be on the way to help expand the settlement but at the moment sir it is your responsibility to continue the expansion of our people.”
The outpost was very primitive. A small dock had as many fishing boats as it could fit that look well used. There was a larger building built in the center that is surrounded by smaller buildings. The captain wandered amongst the buildings where the sound of maintenance was all around him.
The future was fuzzy for these people. The mighty invaders from the sea had impressed the Tevanii and it was comforting to them that they were now on their side. But how long would it last. How long would the Sea People hold their amnesty?
The Captain of the Tevanii was skeptical and was prepared for war. But, he would surely not see it in his lifetime. The old Captain lay in his bed dying when he clutched his successor’s hand.
“Lead these people Captain Elrian, Lead them with the grace of god and all will be well.”
Silver Steak
The Ghost of SS
Contempt, I love your idea of posting screenshots from MTW. 
I assume you've acquired the latest?
I assume you've acquired the latest?
Terrance888
Discord Reigns
Yeah! Totaly good for the totally awsome total war battles that are totally fun to see if they are real!
Contempt, I love your idea of posting screenshots from MTW.
That's why I haven't posted a story in a while. I brought MTW2 and played it pretty much none stop. I finally remembered that I should probably post a story, and thus combined the two loves.
Silver Steak
The Ghost of SS
@Thlayli: I would really appreciate if you could tell me whether or not I will be receiving a PM story.
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
Just to answer for him, you probably won't, so go ahead and write. 
