Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
677 to 687 AD
Main Theme | Snow | Sand
Map 677
Years with no Summer
Starting around 680 AD, the weather changed for the worse across most of the world. The weather was generally colder in all seasons. Some areas suffered drought, others experienced floods; crops failed in both cases. Marginal farming areas now became inhospitable. The greatest tragedies were seen in Asia - untold millions died in the United Empire alone. Food prices rose, sometimes soared; there were widespread uprisings by desperate peasants, and merchants suffered as demand for luxuries fell. Some of the northern sea routes, normally made hazardous by ice in winter, were now impassable for years at a time - Videssos was now unreachable from the east, while Vancuissi was sometimes cut off from its western outposts including the whole Humidiss river valley.
Some dared to suggest these were not simply vengeful acts of god(s), and made connections with other strange events - perhaps a massive cloud of ash seen erupting from the Tho mountains in Chaunka was to blame, or a great ball of fire seen plummeting towards the icy wastes of the north. Pangans and Thuleans exchanged ideas about climatology; the Sung Taej consulted old records, concluding that this cycle of cold weather could last for another century.
Events
Asturia - Daran - The Barostian League
Hebrideans - Ys - The Great Thulean League - Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Yihamcoross
Rove - Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Awahan - Doctrines of Establishment and Arbitration
Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Vancuissi League - Pangari - Silash - Chaunka - Zeyris Guild
Videssos - Shimazu - Vancuissi League
Norgar - Koruzia - Libria - Videssos - Antalya
The exile of Prince Louis - Aeonism - Africa
Antalya - Tusca - Vengano - Barostian League - Lenierde
The Two Kings of Rove - Germanica - Lenierde - Freiland
Antalya - Macrabi - Battles in Kzame - The Kaliate of Hadarass
The Fall of Kzame - Arzamber - Barostian League
Rationalism - Antalya
Rationalism - Rytarrian Empire - Gaiyvaria
Asian Serenity - Counter-Rationalism - United Empire - Pangari
Pangari - Pegu
War in Qi Taej - Tyansua - Sung Taej - United Empire
The Transcending Sphere - Sung Taej - Barostian League - Himutshakla
Zhizhou - Pegu - Sung Taej
Asturia - Daran - The Barostian League
In 679, after years of negotiation, the Leagues of Daran and Asturia were dissolved, and the new Barostian League was declared. The great project centred on the city of Barost, at the heart of the Euris Ocean, an island city that was to be expanded into a trading metropolis, with great shipyards, palaces and monuments, grand plans which had to be postponed - the new League was beset by problems from the outset; nobles from Astura and Phaos refused to uproot and ship out eastwards; the old Eurisian city of Saint Guniisberg resented being upstaged; old Umidian colonies were paralysed by unrest against imagined Thulean conspiracies, despite the fact that 'Regional Councils' with considerable power were the building blocks of the new League; some ethnic Cataylans of Oriant and Valade agitated for full independence; relations with Vengano, Rove and Gallica all deteriorated for various reasons; religious riots broke out where Ultimism, Theosim and Aeonsim mingled; Segah raids targeted the African cities; a forced blockade of trade with Oryx did not earn much gratitude from the Aeonist powers; Oluhanik felt encircled, and panicked by rumours of Barostian invasion, it drew closer to the Aonsaise. But most serious of all, the old Asturian 'Merchants League' bitterly resisted being stripped of power, as desired by the new Barostian order. Political and legal wrangling continued for years. Civil war was possible on this point alone; some merchant houses simply transferred their ships and stocks to Ys or the Aonsaise. It didn't help that the market for Eurisian luxuries took a dive around the same time.
The Barostian League survived its first few years with a mix of compromise and displays of force by the most loyal elements of the navy. None of the outer territories were really in a position to go it alone - the southern colonies were suffering from freezing winters and increasingly dangerous neighbours; thousands shipped north to Barost or elsewhere. A separate influx of Rovien and Venganese-Valderi exiles after 679 was a mixed blessing. Gradually, new academies and industries began to take root in the central islands, and a strong leader emerged from amongst the Barostian Council in the form of Garail Duvann, battle-scarred from his days chasing Eurisian pirates. But the combined League was weaker than the sum of its parts; some navy ships had to be sold off or scrapped; unpaid captains became privateers or smugglers. The danger now seemed to be in losing far-flung territory to other powers.
Hebrideans - Ys - The Great Thulean League - Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Yihamcoross
In 686 the Yssian Republic reunited with the Hebridean League, to the surprise of many. Pictish leaders had lost enthusiasm for independence - they faced awkward disputes with the separatists in Dunottar and Olesia; Juht refugees and rebels put pressure on the Hebridean enclave at Baro; economic problems were made worse by severe winter storms that were making the northernmost islands uninhabitable. Thousands fled south to the mainland - some to Gelderland and Ys, while record numbers also ventured across the Euris ocean to the Ceinurissian Aonsaise.
Meanwhile a new spirit of pragmatism flourished in Ys and Saint Gustparsberg; writers and politicians referred to the past century as a dark age of idiocracy and corruption, wherein the once noble Thulean leadership had been perverted by malicious Saxonguille influences. Recent episodes such as the failed South Euris Company and the apparent mishandling of relations with the Hebrideans were not exactly encouraging. Restitution of the Yssosphere was called for. The 'progressive' nature of the Aonsaise was an inspiration; the Yssian Guild Council sent delegates to Nuys and Moray to study Ceinurissian politics and economics. After 680 the dangerous slump in agriculture and Eurisian trade only added to pressure for reform.
Guild Council elections in 682 saw the title of Lord Protector pass to Marcus Lutii; originally campaigning for re-militarisation, he ended up as champion of 'Pragmatic Reforms' in general, alongside increasing investment and political ties with the Ceinurissian Aonsaise. New approaches were made to the Hebrideans for a more even partnership; in 686 the seat of power returned to Saint Gustparsberg and the 'Great Thulean League' was declared, or re-declared, a title that caused some annoyance for other Thulean offshoots; relations with the Barostian League remained uncertain; the apparent closeness of the Great League and the Aonsaise caused concern in Vancuissi. But the new order inherited territorial disputes with Juhtland, Dunottar and Olesia, and it could not prevent riots in the larger cities over growing poverty and food shortages, particularly in the Old Yssian heartlands; by 687 it was facing a potential flood of émigrés to the Aonsaise and elsewhere.
Over in the Yihamcoross, the 'United Islands' collapsed into anarchy, driven by a slump in exports to Europe and ongoing problems with the formerly-enslaved population. Its annexation by the Republic of Gunthii was initially supported by the Aonsaise; but in 683, when the Gunthii fleet extended its reach to force the capitulation of Saint Belda - supposedly a haven for piracy and smuggling - some in the Aonsaise began to protest. Gunthii soon restyled itself the Yihamco League, renewed its alliance with the island kingdom of Amik, and invited the Ceinurissian Congress to advise on trade and politics. The resentful Saxonguilles of Saint Belda remained a problem for the Yihamco-Thulean majority. 'Heretic' exiles from Rove were undeterred in trying to establish their own havens of reformed Aeonism amongst the smaller and virtually uninhabited islands; for the most part they were ignored, and enjoyed an idyllic - although primitive - lifestyle, so long as they remained no threat to the new League.
Rove - Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Awahan - Doctrines of Establishment and Arbitration
It only took a vague statement by King Henry II of Rove to bring forth the Doctrine of Establishment from the Ceinurissian Congress. The Ceinurissian Aonsaise and Vancuissi both agreed that colonisation in the Americas should be kept within existing spheres of influence - of which Rove technically had none - while Lord Protector Lutii of the Great League preferred to leave agreements informal; approval from outside the Yssosphere was limited to the United Empire. But for now there was nothing much to oppose; Rove was occupied at home, and to some it seemed the Ceinurissians were only trying to forestall Barostian interference in the Yihamcoross and South America; the Barostians had made a point of rejecting this Doctrine 'in principle'. The accompanying Doctrine of Arbitration was again supported by the United Empire and the pro-Ceinurissian states - Yihamco, Kulo and Kopeng - but there were second thoughts about the proposed centre of arbitration - the sprawling island city of Quichen was sinking, literally, into a stinking swamp of poverty and disease.
Kinland, the north-west corner of the Aonsaise, suffered especially cold weather. Natives and Europeans alike migrated southwards; Kestraul was virtually abandoned, and the northern passage was frequently choked with ice from 680 onwards. Territorial disputes with Socota and Imawa resumed. The industries at Moray were sustained by a flow of immigrants - many Picts arriving here from the Hebrides - as well as new developments with steam power; 'Moray Engines' carried iron ore, coal and timber to the coast; tracks were gradually extended and weaved together to form a true rail network, soon to be copied by industrialists at Yahani in the south; Yssian observers were impressed.
In 682, Lord Protector Arturii Dumail, the architect of the Doctrines, lost power to war veteran Hal Gelevii, leader of militarist faction and former Protector of Naogar. Old feuds with the Naochi in the south were resumed right away, but the main target was Awahan; citing attacks against Ostian villages and various atrocities against Europeans and natives alike, Gelevii convinced Congress to support the Aonsaise's largest war effort thus far. Expeditions were sent east, seeking new alliances in order to surround Awahan with enemies, but results were haphazard; as the Ostians got stuck in - driven by the recent failure of their own crops - they pillaged and massacred whole Awahan villages; reprisals were feared, and wild rumours spread; the Socota and Imawa looked on nervously and stockpiled arms, despite Ceinurissian reassurances.
Brute force was needed; the Aonsaisei poured thousands more troops across the western frontier. Unable to stand up to the enemy's massed firepower and cavalry, the Awahan warriors melted away into the wilderness. Ironically, the roadways constructed by the Awahan kings provided the Aonsaisei with clear routes of advance. Mahonan was set ablaze by artillery after a desperate last stand; King Ganwagan II escaped, but was ultimately moved to take his own life. Some Hawan chieftains fled east, settling with their new allies the Kaska, but others stayed to keep up the fight; predictably, they took to ambushes and skirmishing, with success - unscrupulous arms dealers in the Aonsaise had a history of selling their wares to potential enemies. By 685 the Aonsaisei were being forced into a difficult ethnic cleansing of Awahan, rooting out dug-in centres of resistance in the wilderness, and replacing most of the ethnic Hawans with ethnic European settlers, or Thuleanised natives from Ohiwa. Aonsaisei troops were also needed in the south, in support of Zalachan and opposition of the Naochi; by this point expenses and losses from all fronts, on top of falling trade revenue and general food shortages, were upsetting the Ceinurissian Congress. The achievements of the Awahan in agriculture and engineering were not forgotten either; sympathetic writings challenged the Gelevii regime and dampened the otherwise patriotic mood in Nuys.
Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Vancuissi League - Pangari - Silash - Chaunka - Zeyris Guild
Meanwhile the Aonsaisei closed in on Humidiss, eager to set a formal frontier with Vancuissi, forge relations with the locals, and perhaps even press claims to the whole western bank of the Humidiss river. But freezing weather and Vancuissi stubbornness conspired against these efforts. Vancuissi ships bared their cannons; an Aonsaisei expedition was forced to turn back, but not before a gruelling overland march and the founding of Fort Saint Yemde. Both sides feared the other collaborating with native enemies upriver, and Vancuissi still feared the Aonsaisei would foment unrest in westward-leaning Old Humidiss. Icy seas now prevented contact with Vancuissi city for much of the year, adding to paranoia. The frontier was far from decided; but despite the best efforts of some on both sides to start a war, peace prevailed. Rival forts and outposts got on with the task of day-to-day survival. Various Thulean adventures all along the Humidiss valley were publicised in both Nuys and Vancuissi.
Vancuissi itself struck a balance between liberalism and militarism - with its creed of free enterprise, a gradual growth of industries and railways out of Vancuissi city, a shift from trade goods to armaments, intrigues amongst the natives, and rumours of ethnic cleansing in former Pangari colonies, Vancuissi had a lot in common with the Aonsaise; the east-west rivalry was often ridiculed in the literature of the day. Hunters and fishermen where driven out of the northern outposts by persistent winters; many of these old-colonist families had no choice but to re-settle in the continental interior, or try their luck in the big city. Vancuissi remained the only 'democracy', although there was still no referendum for Humidiss, and self-reliant Vancuissi women began to raise the issue of their having no say in politics; the election of Lord Protector Glyndiss brought few real changes in policy. After 680, unreliable trade routes with Humidiss, combined with a steep decline in tobacco exports to Asia, almost brought Vancuissi grinding to a halt - some hope came from increased sales of manufactured goods and trinkets to Shimazu and Pegu. At the same time, the 'itching sickness', now known as the 'red plague', swept through the southern territories, and Vancuissi leaders were accused of not doing enough to help; in 686 an outbreak hit the burgeoning slums of the capitol itself, killing thousands and sparking dangerous riots. For a while at least, the elegant Pangari colony of Engui was the brightest beacon for Asian immigrants.
In 682 a United Empire diplomatic mission to Silash found the country in disarray - gripped by civil war, rampant disease and failing crops; Silash also suffered the spill-over from the fight between the western Videssians and the native Chaunka armies. The United Empire's agents helped one of the more 'cooperative' chieftains to reunify Silash by 687, and in the process they did their own probing of the Chaunka borderlands; between this and the writings of Pangari and Vancuissi travellers, more light was shed on the mysterious Chaunka empire - one that was apparently suffering from all manner of disasters, from volcanic eruptions to severe drought and a devastating spread of the 'red plague'; yet despite all the carnage, Chaunka's authoritarian regime held firm and still had enough warriors to keep the Videssians at arms length. Wild horses - descended from European and Asian escapees - had roamed across central North America for centuries; it was noted that the Chaunka were turning to riding on horseback, and had also acquired a stockpile of Thulean firearms - the same could be said for many of the remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on the continent.
The Zeyris Guild of Rytarria continued its support for the warlords of Taxal against the fractured Hocatelcans - an unconventional army of Rytarrian veterans and Pegurian mercenaries was sent into action around Atehtlam - and even extended its reach to Temec in South America, on invitation of the ambitious King Takulinaku. The Guild was now in conflict with Aonsaisei and Pangari interests, but was well aware it lacked the resources to push too far; outbreaks of disease still gripped the Zeyris islands; priority trading in Rytarrian ports was not enough to offset falling demand for exotic goods; forced labour from the Maru natives was unreliable; most of the Guild's workers, sailors and captains were ethnic Rayamese - a hotbed of dissent, especially following events back in Asia. A portion of shares were put on public sale, but this soon turned sour. By 687 the Guild was basically draining money from Rytarria, and despite all the unfulfilled ambitions, there were rumours of selling out completely to Vancuissi or the Aonsaise.
Videssos - Shimazu - Vancuissi League
The Eternal Empire was in trouble; the disturbed Avtokrator Alanis II was declared unfit to rule by unanimous ruling of the Torus. Prince Aronaphos was declared regent, facing ongoing rebellions and a Patriarch reluctant to give up his 'temporary' powers. The first great freeze in 680 added desperation to the Nakuri cause, now a fight for food and refuge as well as independence. Thousands fled south, while ice blocked the northeast seas, cutting trade with Europe. The Videssian treasury was hit hard by events; unpaid armies were soon on the brink of mutiny. Eastern rebellions by the Hojo and Champa gathered pace. The capitol was slow to react; Patriarch Kyphos challenged the authority of the Regency, and was blamed for spreading rumours that cast Aronaphos as a subversive Rationalist. But Aronaphos bravely confronted the angered masses, reasserting his faith at the Great Temple of Phos, by all accounts a great display of dignity and charisma; the death of Alanis II in 682 cleared his way to becoming Avtokrator with strong support from the old heartland.
By now the Nakuri had sacked Akurna, but were halted in a battle near Kybistra in 683, where Videssian firepower and cavalry only just managed to repel terrifying charges by Nakuri swordsmen. Aronaphos then led an army westwards, crushing a disorganised Champa uprising at the gates of Ranpor, leaving them open to final assimilation under the ongoing 'cultural reforms'; but he failed to defeat the Hojo, who had occupied Tanoka with the aid of Videssian deserters, and were now united under their able general Hagurakal. The far western territories were left in some disarray - Admiral Kaizu of Shimazu was exiled for some scandal involving ladies of the royal court, and formed an unlikely partnership with the ambitious governor of Moros, who was trying to extend his authority over nearby islands; in response, the governor of Maralus declared himself 'Arkon of the West', upholder of imperial authority, with a simultaneous mission to convert the Chaunka natives to Phosism; both claimed to be acting in the name of the Avtokrator and requisitioned large chunks of his fleet. Vancuissi took a natural interest in these events - there was an old Thulean claim to what was now Arlus, Philosar and Karalus - but there were few obvious tensions; most of the Vancuissi fleet remained at Humidiss.
Norgar - Koruzia - Libria - Videssos - Antalya
The young King Nortvand III of Norgar showed himself to be no puppet of the former regency; with his graceful and well-educated wife Sohviia at his side, he boldly pushed for huge reforms - dismantling feudal estates, establishing a formal parliament, centralizing the practice of Aeonism and Phosism, and reforming tax system. The great freeze played into his hands - feudal lords of the stricken northern lands were eager to make the transition to state-funded nobility - but it was all too much, too soon. Rebellion broke out; neighbouring Germanican lords interfered, citing the interference with the Aeonist church and thus Lenierde's holy authority; vital trade with Koruzia and Videssos was blocked by ice; things were aggravated by desperate Juht peoples - most of them Aeonists - moving into Norgar to escape even colder weather at home. An army of conservative Aeonist rebels, backed by Germanican firepower, stormed and occupied the capitol Tanlok in 683. Nortvand III escaped with his supporters, but faced a long struggle to regain his authority.
The city of Aster had long been a place where Nordic, Videssian, Skovyan and Librian cultures mingled. As the northern seas froze over, refugees trickled in from the cold, and redundant captains looked for alternate employment; there was long standing dissent amongst the Librian majority against Koruzian rule. Riots broke out, and when the Norgarian lord of Hundar - supposedly seeking allies and funds to support Nortvand III's cause - arrived in Aster with barely a thousand men-at-arms, he was able to forge a pact with prominent locals; together they set about pillaging the eastern territories of Koruzia by land sea. Ethnic Librians flocked to join them; in 684, they defeated a Koruzian fleet against the odds and captured the island of Tanbri along with a number of Videssian dignitaries. Prince Valsud II of Koruzia - even younger than Nortvand III - was soon deposed by his own councillors, and crisis gripped the country; the Koruzians were not in a good position when it came to helping their Videssian overlords first against the Nakuri.
A Nordic-Librian dynasty took hold in eastern Koruzia, calling itself the Gyllenorn - nominally Phosist, and styling itself as the liberator of Librians. Attentions soon shifted south; a rough treaty was made with the 'barbaric' Tavuri, and a joint campaign into Germanican-held Libria met with success. But the new regime was undermined by constant in-fighting, and the locals - sick of variously fighting alongside or against the Nordic-Librians and Koruzian reprisals - turned to the ideals of Rationalism, and variations thereof, which had taken hold along the border with Cyramenya; an army of inspired peasants based at the humble town of Vosk fought against all comers with surprising success. Phosist loyalists in Koruzia now had the additional worry of Rationalist intervention from Antalya.
The exile of Prince Louis - Aeonism - Africa
Rivalry between the two princes of Rove had been followed with interest in much of Europe. In 679, with King Phillip III on his deathbed, Louis finally set sail from Astura with an escort of Barostian warships. Henry was already gathering support from the Aeonist church and powerful nobles across Europe. The first shots were fired before Louis made landfall; King Artur VII of Gallica had sent ships posing as 'Oryxian pirates' to intercept Louis outside Caedenbourg, and the Barostians refused to turn back. The guns of the coastal fort speeded the Gallican retreat; Caedenbourg, with its Thulean leanings, triumphantly welcomed prince Louis, but elsewhere Henry's propaganda had taken hold; the people of Oathenbourg rose against the 'heretic' Louis and blocked his progress to Robime. At this point Phillip III conveniently died and Henry - allegedly cursed by the dying words of his father - had himself proclaimed King Henry II. Louis escaped to Ys, and then back to Astura, vowing to return; Henry set about strengthening Aeonist power in Rove and organising another Rovien-Gallician expedition to Africa.
In 678, Emperor Gunther I of Germanica and Holy Patriarch Jaronus I of Lenierde called for a new Aeonist League to unite all of Aeonism. The following years saw a highpoint of the Aeonarchy's influence in Libria, Norgar, Rove, Utica and Vengano. But a new generation of Crusaders were disappointed; aside from the bombardment and capture of the Oryxian port of Orez by a combined Aeonist fleet in 681, all sides stayed on the defensive in Africa. Oryx was hard pressed by floods, by the loss of Eurisian trade, and by Segah raids in the south; the Roviens and Gallicans were eager to advance, but the Germanicans - with the most and best equipped troops - wanted consolidation; there was to be less outright persecution of Theosim, and more Aeonist missionaries. In 684, territory claimed by Vengano, Germanica and Rove was merged - superficially at least - into the new Aeonist Kingdom of Umidia, with its capitol at Abiona and its kings to be personally appointed by the Holy Patriarch of Lenierde, subject to Germanican approval. Aeonism did not take hold easily; most of the kingdom's subjects still regarded themselves as an oppressed people.
Antalya - Tusca - Vengano - Barostian League - Lenierde
The whole Aeonist project in Africa was threatened by civil war in Vengano. With the death of Prince Alcento in 679, there was an unexpected backlash against the African and Thuelan-Ultimist influences he had brought to the capitol. An Aeonist mob ransacked the old palace; senators blamed each other for stirring up unrest, and the normal process of electing a successor was impossible. A banking collapse added to bad times from 680 onwards. Samil Valderi, equally an egomaniac and champion of citizen's rights, was eventually declared victor with backing from the Aeonarchy - although hardly a model Aeonist, he was able to guarantee shipping to Africa, and was agreeable to changes of territory. In 686 a new republic was declared; the capitol moved to Dorzo, which Valderi renamed in honour of his family and hoped to rebuild in a mixture of grand classical Argosian and Anguille styles. Attitudes towards the Thuleans had changed during the civil war; Asturian - later Barostian - influence was squeezed out of the Mediterranean, taking some of the more open-minded Venganese scholars and patricians with it; distant Barost was fully occupied with problems on the Euris Ocean.
Some Asturian and Venganese troops stayed behind in Viroconium - now known as Vironaea - joining a diverse crowd of mercenaries and adventurers drawn to Tusca from as far away as Pangari; another chapter in the Tuscan wars began with an unexpectedly massive Antalyan invasion in 682, to punish the Razynists for - allegedly - supporting sinister occultist subversion in Mycenae. After a bloody battle for the island citadels of Empheros - a complex job involving the Antalyan fleet and specialised heavy artillery - the way was clear for three Antalyan armies to trample across northern Tusca, each led by competent commanders and wielding strong arms of cavalry and artillery; Utica and Tarcedon were obliged to join in, grabbing bargaining points while they still could. The Razynist cause was soon drained of all remaining enthusiasm and - unlike the simultaneous war in Kzame - the Antalyans achieved their goals quickly; the last Razynist stronghold at Romae surrendered without much of a fight. Antalyan troops, led by the Saraian Guards, were accused of massacring thousands of prominent Razynists, but the Bazilev's actual territorial demands went no further than the ruined city of Empheros; as the Antalyans withdrew, they took boatloads of Tuscan, Mycenean, Almothian and Argosian antiquities with them for 'safekeeping', many of which ended up on display in Agre and Altyn Sarai.
Tarcedon made modest gains and drew closer to Antalya, while Utica eventually claimed most of the rest, proclaiming itself the true Republic of Tusca - an unstable entity based at Vironaea, dealing with the aftermath of decades of war, while attempting to balance the growing weights of the Aeonarchy and the Antalyans; Aeonist mobs rooted out Rationalist conclaves, which formed their own militias for protection; yet trade with both east and west was vital for rebuilding the shattered country. Tuscan refugees were now spread around the Mediterranean; a dispute with Valderi over the status of Buto was resolved when Lenierde claimed the island for itself, an act made easier by Germanican endorsement and by the existence of heretical cults on Buto requiring 'Spiritual Restoration' - Lenierde's new brand of terror tactics which it threatened to extend to Tusca, Rove and Africa. Razynism still lurked in the background of Europe, but it no longer had the leaders - what some would call agitators - or the susceptibly cultured people such as it had once found in Tusca.
Main Theme | Snow | Sand
Map 677
Years with no Summer
Starting around 680 AD, the weather changed for the worse across most of the world. The weather was generally colder in all seasons. Some areas suffered drought, others experienced floods; crops failed in both cases. Marginal farming areas now became inhospitable. The greatest tragedies were seen in Asia - untold millions died in the United Empire alone. Food prices rose, sometimes soared; there were widespread uprisings by desperate peasants, and merchants suffered as demand for luxuries fell. Some of the northern sea routes, normally made hazardous by ice in winter, were now impassable for years at a time - Videssos was now unreachable from the east, while Vancuissi was sometimes cut off from its western outposts including the whole Humidiss river valley.
Some dared to suggest these were not simply vengeful acts of god(s), and made connections with other strange events - perhaps a massive cloud of ash seen erupting from the Tho mountains in Chaunka was to blame, or a great ball of fire seen plummeting towards the icy wastes of the north. Pangans and Thuleans exchanged ideas about climatology; the Sung Taej consulted old records, concluding that this cycle of cold weather could last for another century.
Events
Asturia - Daran - The Barostian League
Hebrideans - Ys - The Great Thulean League - Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Yihamcoross
Rove - Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Awahan - Doctrines of Establishment and Arbitration
Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Vancuissi League - Pangari - Silash - Chaunka - Zeyris Guild
Videssos - Shimazu - Vancuissi League
Norgar - Koruzia - Libria - Videssos - Antalya
The exile of Prince Louis - Aeonism - Africa
Antalya - Tusca - Vengano - Barostian League - Lenierde
The Two Kings of Rove - Germanica - Lenierde - Freiland
Antalya - Macrabi - Battles in Kzame - The Kaliate of Hadarass
The Fall of Kzame - Arzamber - Barostian League
Rationalism - Antalya
Rationalism - Rytarrian Empire - Gaiyvaria
Asian Serenity - Counter-Rationalism - United Empire - Pangari
Pangari - Pegu
War in Qi Taej - Tyansua - Sung Taej - United Empire
The Transcending Sphere - Sung Taej - Barostian League - Himutshakla
Zhizhou - Pegu - Sung Taej
Asturia - Daran - The Barostian League
In 679, after years of negotiation, the Leagues of Daran and Asturia were dissolved, and the new Barostian League was declared. The great project centred on the city of Barost, at the heart of the Euris Ocean, an island city that was to be expanded into a trading metropolis, with great shipyards, palaces and monuments, grand plans which had to be postponed - the new League was beset by problems from the outset; nobles from Astura and Phaos refused to uproot and ship out eastwards; the old Eurisian city of Saint Guniisberg resented being upstaged; old Umidian colonies were paralysed by unrest against imagined Thulean conspiracies, despite the fact that 'Regional Councils' with considerable power were the building blocks of the new League; some ethnic Cataylans of Oriant and Valade agitated for full independence; relations with Vengano, Rove and Gallica all deteriorated for various reasons; religious riots broke out where Ultimism, Theosim and Aeonsim mingled; Segah raids targeted the African cities; a forced blockade of trade with Oryx did not earn much gratitude from the Aeonist powers; Oluhanik felt encircled, and panicked by rumours of Barostian invasion, it drew closer to the Aonsaise. But most serious of all, the old Asturian 'Merchants League' bitterly resisted being stripped of power, as desired by the new Barostian order. Political and legal wrangling continued for years. Civil war was possible on this point alone; some merchant houses simply transferred their ships and stocks to Ys or the Aonsaise. It didn't help that the market for Eurisian luxuries took a dive around the same time.
The Barostian League survived its first few years with a mix of compromise and displays of force by the most loyal elements of the navy. None of the outer territories were really in a position to go it alone - the southern colonies were suffering from freezing winters and increasingly dangerous neighbours; thousands shipped north to Barost or elsewhere. A separate influx of Rovien and Venganese-Valderi exiles after 679 was a mixed blessing. Gradually, new academies and industries began to take root in the central islands, and a strong leader emerged from amongst the Barostian Council in the form of Garail Duvann, battle-scarred from his days chasing Eurisian pirates. But the combined League was weaker than the sum of its parts; some navy ships had to be sold off or scrapped; unpaid captains became privateers or smugglers. The danger now seemed to be in losing far-flung territory to other powers.
Hebrideans - Ys - The Great Thulean League - Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Yihamcoross
In 686 the Yssian Republic reunited with the Hebridean League, to the surprise of many. Pictish leaders had lost enthusiasm for independence - they faced awkward disputes with the separatists in Dunottar and Olesia; Juht refugees and rebels put pressure on the Hebridean enclave at Baro; economic problems were made worse by severe winter storms that were making the northernmost islands uninhabitable. Thousands fled south to the mainland - some to Gelderland and Ys, while record numbers also ventured across the Euris ocean to the Ceinurissian Aonsaise.
Meanwhile a new spirit of pragmatism flourished in Ys and Saint Gustparsberg; writers and politicians referred to the past century as a dark age of idiocracy and corruption, wherein the once noble Thulean leadership had been perverted by malicious Saxonguille influences. Recent episodes such as the failed South Euris Company and the apparent mishandling of relations with the Hebrideans were not exactly encouraging. Restitution of the Yssosphere was called for. The 'progressive' nature of the Aonsaise was an inspiration; the Yssian Guild Council sent delegates to Nuys and Moray to study Ceinurissian politics and economics. After 680 the dangerous slump in agriculture and Eurisian trade only added to pressure for reform.
Guild Council elections in 682 saw the title of Lord Protector pass to Marcus Lutii; originally campaigning for re-militarisation, he ended up as champion of 'Pragmatic Reforms' in general, alongside increasing investment and political ties with the Ceinurissian Aonsaise. New approaches were made to the Hebrideans for a more even partnership; in 686 the seat of power returned to Saint Gustparsberg and the 'Great Thulean League' was declared, or re-declared, a title that caused some annoyance for other Thulean offshoots; relations with the Barostian League remained uncertain; the apparent closeness of the Great League and the Aonsaise caused concern in Vancuissi. But the new order inherited territorial disputes with Juhtland, Dunottar and Olesia, and it could not prevent riots in the larger cities over growing poverty and food shortages, particularly in the Old Yssian heartlands; by 687 it was facing a potential flood of émigrés to the Aonsaise and elsewhere.
Over in the Yihamcoross, the 'United Islands' collapsed into anarchy, driven by a slump in exports to Europe and ongoing problems with the formerly-enslaved population. Its annexation by the Republic of Gunthii was initially supported by the Aonsaise; but in 683, when the Gunthii fleet extended its reach to force the capitulation of Saint Belda - supposedly a haven for piracy and smuggling - some in the Aonsaise began to protest. Gunthii soon restyled itself the Yihamco League, renewed its alliance with the island kingdom of Amik, and invited the Ceinurissian Congress to advise on trade and politics. The resentful Saxonguilles of Saint Belda remained a problem for the Yihamco-Thulean majority. 'Heretic' exiles from Rove were undeterred in trying to establish their own havens of reformed Aeonism amongst the smaller and virtually uninhabited islands; for the most part they were ignored, and enjoyed an idyllic - although primitive - lifestyle, so long as they remained no threat to the new League.
Rove - Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Awahan - Doctrines of Establishment and Arbitration
It only took a vague statement by King Henry II of Rove to bring forth the Doctrine of Establishment from the Ceinurissian Congress. The Ceinurissian Aonsaise and Vancuissi both agreed that colonisation in the Americas should be kept within existing spheres of influence - of which Rove technically had none - while Lord Protector Lutii of the Great League preferred to leave agreements informal; approval from outside the Yssosphere was limited to the United Empire. But for now there was nothing much to oppose; Rove was occupied at home, and to some it seemed the Ceinurissians were only trying to forestall Barostian interference in the Yihamcoross and South America; the Barostians had made a point of rejecting this Doctrine 'in principle'. The accompanying Doctrine of Arbitration was again supported by the United Empire and the pro-Ceinurissian states - Yihamco, Kulo and Kopeng - but there were second thoughts about the proposed centre of arbitration - the sprawling island city of Quichen was sinking, literally, into a stinking swamp of poverty and disease.
Kinland, the north-west corner of the Aonsaise, suffered especially cold weather. Natives and Europeans alike migrated southwards; Kestraul was virtually abandoned, and the northern passage was frequently choked with ice from 680 onwards. Territorial disputes with Socota and Imawa resumed. The industries at Moray were sustained by a flow of immigrants - many Picts arriving here from the Hebrides - as well as new developments with steam power; 'Moray Engines' carried iron ore, coal and timber to the coast; tracks were gradually extended and weaved together to form a true rail network, soon to be copied by industrialists at Yahani in the south; Yssian observers were impressed.
In 682, Lord Protector Arturii Dumail, the architect of the Doctrines, lost power to war veteran Hal Gelevii, leader of militarist faction and former Protector of Naogar. Old feuds with the Naochi in the south were resumed right away, but the main target was Awahan; citing attacks against Ostian villages and various atrocities against Europeans and natives alike, Gelevii convinced Congress to support the Aonsaise's largest war effort thus far. Expeditions were sent east, seeking new alliances in order to surround Awahan with enemies, but results were haphazard; as the Ostians got stuck in - driven by the recent failure of their own crops - they pillaged and massacred whole Awahan villages; reprisals were feared, and wild rumours spread; the Socota and Imawa looked on nervously and stockpiled arms, despite Ceinurissian reassurances.
Brute force was needed; the Aonsaisei poured thousands more troops across the western frontier. Unable to stand up to the enemy's massed firepower and cavalry, the Awahan warriors melted away into the wilderness. Ironically, the roadways constructed by the Awahan kings provided the Aonsaisei with clear routes of advance. Mahonan was set ablaze by artillery after a desperate last stand; King Ganwagan II escaped, but was ultimately moved to take his own life. Some Hawan chieftains fled east, settling with their new allies the Kaska, but others stayed to keep up the fight; predictably, they took to ambushes and skirmishing, with success - unscrupulous arms dealers in the Aonsaise had a history of selling their wares to potential enemies. By 685 the Aonsaisei were being forced into a difficult ethnic cleansing of Awahan, rooting out dug-in centres of resistance in the wilderness, and replacing most of the ethnic Hawans with ethnic European settlers, or Thuleanised natives from Ohiwa. Aonsaisei troops were also needed in the south, in support of Zalachan and opposition of the Naochi; by this point expenses and losses from all fronts, on top of falling trade revenue and general food shortages, were upsetting the Ceinurissian Congress. The achievements of the Awahan in agriculture and engineering were not forgotten either; sympathetic writings challenged the Gelevii regime and dampened the otherwise patriotic mood in Nuys.
Ceinurissian Aonsaise - Vancuissi League - Pangari - Silash - Chaunka - Zeyris Guild
Meanwhile the Aonsaisei closed in on Humidiss, eager to set a formal frontier with Vancuissi, forge relations with the locals, and perhaps even press claims to the whole western bank of the Humidiss river. But freezing weather and Vancuissi stubbornness conspired against these efforts. Vancuissi ships bared their cannons; an Aonsaisei expedition was forced to turn back, but not before a gruelling overland march and the founding of Fort Saint Yemde. Both sides feared the other collaborating with native enemies upriver, and Vancuissi still feared the Aonsaisei would foment unrest in westward-leaning Old Humidiss. Icy seas now prevented contact with Vancuissi city for much of the year, adding to paranoia. The frontier was far from decided; but despite the best efforts of some on both sides to start a war, peace prevailed. Rival forts and outposts got on with the task of day-to-day survival. Various Thulean adventures all along the Humidiss valley were publicised in both Nuys and Vancuissi.
Vancuissi itself struck a balance between liberalism and militarism - with its creed of free enterprise, a gradual growth of industries and railways out of Vancuissi city, a shift from trade goods to armaments, intrigues amongst the natives, and rumours of ethnic cleansing in former Pangari colonies, Vancuissi had a lot in common with the Aonsaise; the east-west rivalry was often ridiculed in the literature of the day. Hunters and fishermen where driven out of the northern outposts by persistent winters; many of these old-colonist families had no choice but to re-settle in the continental interior, or try their luck in the big city. Vancuissi remained the only 'democracy', although there was still no referendum for Humidiss, and self-reliant Vancuissi women began to raise the issue of their having no say in politics; the election of Lord Protector Glyndiss brought few real changes in policy. After 680, unreliable trade routes with Humidiss, combined with a steep decline in tobacco exports to Asia, almost brought Vancuissi grinding to a halt - some hope came from increased sales of manufactured goods and trinkets to Shimazu and Pegu. At the same time, the 'itching sickness', now known as the 'red plague', swept through the southern territories, and Vancuissi leaders were accused of not doing enough to help; in 686 an outbreak hit the burgeoning slums of the capitol itself, killing thousands and sparking dangerous riots. For a while at least, the elegant Pangari colony of Engui was the brightest beacon for Asian immigrants.
In 682 a United Empire diplomatic mission to Silash found the country in disarray - gripped by civil war, rampant disease and failing crops; Silash also suffered the spill-over from the fight between the western Videssians and the native Chaunka armies. The United Empire's agents helped one of the more 'cooperative' chieftains to reunify Silash by 687, and in the process they did their own probing of the Chaunka borderlands; between this and the writings of Pangari and Vancuissi travellers, more light was shed on the mysterious Chaunka empire - one that was apparently suffering from all manner of disasters, from volcanic eruptions to severe drought and a devastating spread of the 'red plague'; yet despite all the carnage, Chaunka's authoritarian regime held firm and still had enough warriors to keep the Videssians at arms length. Wild horses - descended from European and Asian escapees - had roamed across central North America for centuries; it was noted that the Chaunka were turning to riding on horseback, and had also acquired a stockpile of Thulean firearms - the same could be said for many of the remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on the continent.
The Zeyris Guild of Rytarria continued its support for the warlords of Taxal against the fractured Hocatelcans - an unconventional army of Rytarrian veterans and Pegurian mercenaries was sent into action around Atehtlam - and even extended its reach to Temec in South America, on invitation of the ambitious King Takulinaku. The Guild was now in conflict with Aonsaisei and Pangari interests, but was well aware it lacked the resources to push too far; outbreaks of disease still gripped the Zeyris islands; priority trading in Rytarrian ports was not enough to offset falling demand for exotic goods; forced labour from the Maru natives was unreliable; most of the Guild's workers, sailors and captains were ethnic Rayamese - a hotbed of dissent, especially following events back in Asia. A portion of shares were put on public sale, but this soon turned sour. By 687 the Guild was basically draining money from Rytarria, and despite all the unfulfilled ambitions, there were rumours of selling out completely to Vancuissi or the Aonsaise.
Videssos - Shimazu - Vancuissi League
The Eternal Empire was in trouble; the disturbed Avtokrator Alanis II was declared unfit to rule by unanimous ruling of the Torus. Prince Aronaphos was declared regent, facing ongoing rebellions and a Patriarch reluctant to give up his 'temporary' powers. The first great freeze in 680 added desperation to the Nakuri cause, now a fight for food and refuge as well as independence. Thousands fled south, while ice blocked the northeast seas, cutting trade with Europe. The Videssian treasury was hit hard by events; unpaid armies were soon on the brink of mutiny. Eastern rebellions by the Hojo and Champa gathered pace. The capitol was slow to react; Patriarch Kyphos challenged the authority of the Regency, and was blamed for spreading rumours that cast Aronaphos as a subversive Rationalist. But Aronaphos bravely confronted the angered masses, reasserting his faith at the Great Temple of Phos, by all accounts a great display of dignity and charisma; the death of Alanis II in 682 cleared his way to becoming Avtokrator with strong support from the old heartland.
By now the Nakuri had sacked Akurna, but were halted in a battle near Kybistra in 683, where Videssian firepower and cavalry only just managed to repel terrifying charges by Nakuri swordsmen. Aronaphos then led an army westwards, crushing a disorganised Champa uprising at the gates of Ranpor, leaving them open to final assimilation under the ongoing 'cultural reforms'; but he failed to defeat the Hojo, who had occupied Tanoka with the aid of Videssian deserters, and were now united under their able general Hagurakal. The far western territories were left in some disarray - Admiral Kaizu of Shimazu was exiled for some scandal involving ladies of the royal court, and formed an unlikely partnership with the ambitious governor of Moros, who was trying to extend his authority over nearby islands; in response, the governor of Maralus declared himself 'Arkon of the West', upholder of imperial authority, with a simultaneous mission to convert the Chaunka natives to Phosism; both claimed to be acting in the name of the Avtokrator and requisitioned large chunks of his fleet. Vancuissi took a natural interest in these events - there was an old Thulean claim to what was now Arlus, Philosar and Karalus - but there were few obvious tensions; most of the Vancuissi fleet remained at Humidiss.
Norgar - Koruzia - Libria - Videssos - Antalya
The young King Nortvand III of Norgar showed himself to be no puppet of the former regency; with his graceful and well-educated wife Sohviia at his side, he boldly pushed for huge reforms - dismantling feudal estates, establishing a formal parliament, centralizing the practice of Aeonism and Phosism, and reforming tax system. The great freeze played into his hands - feudal lords of the stricken northern lands were eager to make the transition to state-funded nobility - but it was all too much, too soon. Rebellion broke out; neighbouring Germanican lords interfered, citing the interference with the Aeonist church and thus Lenierde's holy authority; vital trade with Koruzia and Videssos was blocked by ice; things were aggravated by desperate Juht peoples - most of them Aeonists - moving into Norgar to escape even colder weather at home. An army of conservative Aeonist rebels, backed by Germanican firepower, stormed and occupied the capitol Tanlok in 683. Nortvand III escaped with his supporters, but faced a long struggle to regain his authority.
The city of Aster had long been a place where Nordic, Videssian, Skovyan and Librian cultures mingled. As the northern seas froze over, refugees trickled in from the cold, and redundant captains looked for alternate employment; there was long standing dissent amongst the Librian majority against Koruzian rule. Riots broke out, and when the Norgarian lord of Hundar - supposedly seeking allies and funds to support Nortvand III's cause - arrived in Aster with barely a thousand men-at-arms, he was able to forge a pact with prominent locals; together they set about pillaging the eastern territories of Koruzia by land sea. Ethnic Librians flocked to join them; in 684, they defeated a Koruzian fleet against the odds and captured the island of Tanbri along with a number of Videssian dignitaries. Prince Valsud II of Koruzia - even younger than Nortvand III - was soon deposed by his own councillors, and crisis gripped the country; the Koruzians were not in a good position when it came to helping their Videssian overlords first against the Nakuri.
A Nordic-Librian dynasty took hold in eastern Koruzia, calling itself the Gyllenorn - nominally Phosist, and styling itself as the liberator of Librians. Attentions soon shifted south; a rough treaty was made with the 'barbaric' Tavuri, and a joint campaign into Germanican-held Libria met with success. But the new regime was undermined by constant in-fighting, and the locals - sick of variously fighting alongside or against the Nordic-Librians and Koruzian reprisals - turned to the ideals of Rationalism, and variations thereof, which had taken hold along the border with Cyramenya; an army of inspired peasants based at the humble town of Vosk fought against all comers with surprising success. Phosist loyalists in Koruzia now had the additional worry of Rationalist intervention from Antalya.
The exile of Prince Louis - Aeonism - Africa
Rivalry between the two princes of Rove had been followed with interest in much of Europe. In 679, with King Phillip III on his deathbed, Louis finally set sail from Astura with an escort of Barostian warships. Henry was already gathering support from the Aeonist church and powerful nobles across Europe. The first shots were fired before Louis made landfall; King Artur VII of Gallica had sent ships posing as 'Oryxian pirates' to intercept Louis outside Caedenbourg, and the Barostians refused to turn back. The guns of the coastal fort speeded the Gallican retreat; Caedenbourg, with its Thulean leanings, triumphantly welcomed prince Louis, but elsewhere Henry's propaganda had taken hold; the people of Oathenbourg rose against the 'heretic' Louis and blocked his progress to Robime. At this point Phillip III conveniently died and Henry - allegedly cursed by the dying words of his father - had himself proclaimed King Henry II. Louis escaped to Ys, and then back to Astura, vowing to return; Henry set about strengthening Aeonist power in Rove and organising another Rovien-Gallician expedition to Africa.
In 678, Emperor Gunther I of Germanica and Holy Patriarch Jaronus I of Lenierde called for a new Aeonist League to unite all of Aeonism. The following years saw a highpoint of the Aeonarchy's influence in Libria, Norgar, Rove, Utica and Vengano. But a new generation of Crusaders were disappointed; aside from the bombardment and capture of the Oryxian port of Orez by a combined Aeonist fleet in 681, all sides stayed on the defensive in Africa. Oryx was hard pressed by floods, by the loss of Eurisian trade, and by Segah raids in the south; the Roviens and Gallicans were eager to advance, but the Germanicans - with the most and best equipped troops - wanted consolidation; there was to be less outright persecution of Theosim, and more Aeonist missionaries. In 684, territory claimed by Vengano, Germanica and Rove was merged - superficially at least - into the new Aeonist Kingdom of Umidia, with its capitol at Abiona and its kings to be personally appointed by the Holy Patriarch of Lenierde, subject to Germanican approval. Aeonism did not take hold easily; most of the kingdom's subjects still regarded themselves as an oppressed people.
Antalya - Tusca - Vengano - Barostian League - Lenierde
The whole Aeonist project in Africa was threatened by civil war in Vengano. With the death of Prince Alcento in 679, there was an unexpected backlash against the African and Thuelan-Ultimist influences he had brought to the capitol. An Aeonist mob ransacked the old palace; senators blamed each other for stirring up unrest, and the normal process of electing a successor was impossible. A banking collapse added to bad times from 680 onwards. Samil Valderi, equally an egomaniac and champion of citizen's rights, was eventually declared victor with backing from the Aeonarchy - although hardly a model Aeonist, he was able to guarantee shipping to Africa, and was agreeable to changes of territory. In 686 a new republic was declared; the capitol moved to Dorzo, which Valderi renamed in honour of his family and hoped to rebuild in a mixture of grand classical Argosian and Anguille styles. Attitudes towards the Thuleans had changed during the civil war; Asturian - later Barostian - influence was squeezed out of the Mediterranean, taking some of the more open-minded Venganese scholars and patricians with it; distant Barost was fully occupied with problems on the Euris Ocean.
Some Asturian and Venganese troops stayed behind in Viroconium - now known as Vironaea - joining a diverse crowd of mercenaries and adventurers drawn to Tusca from as far away as Pangari; another chapter in the Tuscan wars began with an unexpectedly massive Antalyan invasion in 682, to punish the Razynists for - allegedly - supporting sinister occultist subversion in Mycenae. After a bloody battle for the island citadels of Empheros - a complex job involving the Antalyan fleet and specialised heavy artillery - the way was clear for three Antalyan armies to trample across northern Tusca, each led by competent commanders and wielding strong arms of cavalry and artillery; Utica and Tarcedon were obliged to join in, grabbing bargaining points while they still could. The Razynist cause was soon drained of all remaining enthusiasm and - unlike the simultaneous war in Kzame - the Antalyans achieved their goals quickly; the last Razynist stronghold at Romae surrendered without much of a fight. Antalyan troops, led by the Saraian Guards, were accused of massacring thousands of prominent Razynists, but the Bazilev's actual territorial demands went no further than the ruined city of Empheros; as the Antalyans withdrew, they took boatloads of Tuscan, Mycenean, Almothian and Argosian antiquities with them for 'safekeeping', many of which ended up on display in Agre and Altyn Sarai.
Tarcedon made modest gains and drew closer to Antalya, while Utica eventually claimed most of the rest, proclaiming itself the true Republic of Tusca - an unstable entity based at Vironaea, dealing with the aftermath of decades of war, while attempting to balance the growing weights of the Aeonarchy and the Antalyans; Aeonist mobs rooted out Rationalist conclaves, which formed their own militias for protection; yet trade with both east and west was vital for rebuilding the shattered country. Tuscan refugees were now spread around the Mediterranean; a dispute with Valderi over the status of Buto was resolved when Lenierde claimed the island for itself, an act made easier by Germanican endorsement and by the existence of heretical cults on Buto requiring 'Spiritual Restoration' - Lenierde's new brand of terror tactics which it threatened to extend to Tusca, Rove and Africa. Razynism still lurked in the background of Europe, but it no longer had the leaders - what some would call agitators - or the susceptibly cultured people such as it had once found in Tusca.
) but the interior of North America should still be considered unknown to most. The 'average' extent of ice is shown, it may be much less or more than that on any given season. And 'uncivilised tribes' now have names, the same font as nation titles except in yellow.
