stNNESX: Delusions of Empires

Whine whine whine.

You don't need to send orders, Cocona.

Deadline in t minus 30 minutes.

Deadline passed seven minutes ago. Out of generosity, I'm going to accept all the orders that came in those last seven minutes. All zero of them. For those of you who I haven't recieved orders from in two turns, you'll have to send them the next turn, or your nation will be... well, not necessarily obliterated, but you won't be controlling its fate any more.

Damnit! tenten

Y'know, since I let Zany do it, anyone who wants to send orders before I start writing the update can send them. That gives you like 2 hours and 45 minutes, I'm guessing... I really shouldn't let anyone, but I like being nice. So yeah, send them if you can.

I thought orders had to be in on wenesday

Thou thought wrong. Though you can still send them in, until I start writing the update. So if you can send them in the next hour or so, do so.

Send! Send!

Oh wait, it's too late. NM.

Lookin' forward to the update.

Damn, I'm saying that WAY too much. Must find a new line.

I did send em tho

@Lord Iggy: You should. ^_________^

Anyway, I haven't actually WRITTEN it yet, but I've actually done PC stats already, and that's always the tedious part... so yeah. I don't know. Tempting as the prospect of lapping MjM in the update race is, we'll see...

Did I send orders? I don't think I did. If I didn't I'm sorry but I'll just need to make it short and sweet.



-Increase Navy Size

OOC: If you’re in a hurry, player nation names are in bold, just try to find yours. The nations which are in your section (sections are quite clearly divided) are no doubt linked to you somehow; it might be good to know what they are doing.

Update 2: Ebb and Flow

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Rondaria is, as usual, on the leading edge of things. Their leader, almost as though he had a premonition, happened to send his traders on a massive expedition to the east. Many scoffed at this; why should they find some massive continent in the east? Why should there be one there? Yet, as it turned out, after only a month of sailing, they reached another shore, and there they found many new nations.

The first nation they reached was Allurii, a people who have built their capital in a small, rocky harbor, on a massive cape that juts out from an otherwise bland coast. It was another stroke of luck, in a way, since the Allurii were seafarers themselves–not only were they accepting and friendly towards the Rondarians, they also had a large number of native linguists, and thus, communication was facilitated quickly. The Allurii told the Rondarians of the two main nations to trade with–Iirijae to the south, and Dallaria to the north.

Thus, they went off in those two directions, and found the nations quickly enough. The Dallarians, well, they are an impressive nation, but since they happen to be more interesting than most others, they even get a section of the update to themselves (see below)! The Iirijae, on the other hand, are a vast empire of people with funny beards, and cities with huge stone monuments...

They also told of a people to their south, who they claimed could only be reached by an overland, difficult trade route. The Rondarians wanted to investigate for themselves, however, and met the strange nation of Coutzeltal; they were greeted warmly by a man, Sawarin, who seems to believe that he is a god himself! In fact, the people seem to believe that as well... Most suspicious (see below).

They went on further, along the coast, and set up an embassy with the new empire of Kaan. This is a massive expanse, a people who are quite warlike and bloodthirsty. They have been influenced by the Coutzeltal, but not quite in the most positive of ways; they worship similar gods, but these gods are different, in that they demand human sacrifice to continue the running of the Empire. A most disturbing state... Though their strange forest spices are always a welcome sight in the Rondarian markets.

Attacks on Surati, meanwhile, have meant that the last of the recalcitrant tribes have submitted to the glory that is the Rondarian Empire.

A common currency has been invented and coined on the Rondarian isles. This nifty little invention represents a certain value, and indeed, has a certain value of its own, as the Rondarians have imported Coutzeltal gold in order to mint these coins. This currency is now widely used in all the ports that the Rondarians trade with.

******************

Anyang has continued its vast growth spurt, both peacefully and... not so peacefully. They have, of course, expanded into the “empty” lands to their northwest and southeast, however, these lands are no longer quite so empty, as a variety of Shangxi tribes have settled into large, organized states, heavily culturally influenced by Anyang, but preferring to maintain their independence. As of yet, of course, none of them is an actual threat to the nation itself, and they make excellent trading partners.

Across the Narrow Sea, as it beginning to be called, the Anyang people have met with somewhat less hostility from the Mathinae and a new tribe, the Jekilinae. The former have traded their copper and tin ores to the Anyang for the silks and songs of the civilized nation, while the Jekilinae seem a more profitable target for outright assimilation... Though some are eyeing the red mountains of the Jekilinae with some curiosity. Perhaps some ores could be extracted from them...

To the north, the Myue have become more acquainted with the Anyang in an unusual way; the Anyang reached out to the Myue through their common love of music. Sending bards and musicians into the jungly hills of the Myue, they were not attacked, and indeed, drew quite some crowds. Gradually, an outpouring of language occurred, and now the lands of the Myue are open to the Anyang. Further north is the country of Xia Xia, which seems oddly similar to th Anyang in many of their customs, yet extremely different; perhaps a trade embassy is in order.

On the other end of the kingdom, an invasion force was assembled, three armies. Their forces attacked quickly, taking the cities of the Hiacyns easily enough; these people were not ones who were used to war. They had always relied on trade to see them through... And their armies were obviously unprepared for such a blow. All the same, they resisted fiercely, and their armies managed to block the passes for quite some time... And then, they collapsed, attacked from the rear by the men of the nation of Dariae, who have partitioned the land with the Anyang.

And with this new conquest, comes the tale of the Three Kingdoms of the Golden Vale...

The closest nation, Dariae, was constructed out of the feuding states of the southern part of the river valley (Dariae, Meldiae, and Morae), and were united into one by the king Graeyoos Long Leg, a famous campaigner in the area who is now more legend than historical fact. Several large cities along the rivers dominate this nation, which is highly based in agriculture. However, they have been having quite some troubles recently with the eroding soil, and the farmland is rapidly losing its fertility; no one in the nation is quite sure what to do, and panic is ensuing.

Confidence would of course be restored in the nation if a new, powerful leader were to rise to the throne, but next in line is Faenol the Cruel, a petulant, ineffectual, despotic prince, who murdered all of his brothers in a scene of brutality that is astonishing in any region, and all the more so in this supposedly civilize nation. The people say he is also a bastard, which raises even more doubts as to wether he is fit to succeed even his senile father, Jaerikh.

Caexhin, on the other hand, was created by a succession of brave and wise kings, however, many dislike their royal status, as they were actually originally descended from a line of slaves to the royal family: these slaves were highly trusted in all the affairs of the kingdom, and in the latter times of the late Haerxin Dynasty, they soon became de facto rulers of the kingdom. De facto was soon reinforced with de jure as the last Haerxin died without an heir, and the Slave Kings, strategically positioned, moved in for the kill, so to speak.

They took over the governmental apparatus quickly, and thus the centralized field army was theirs; with a little more work they completely stomped out any opposition. The Slave Kings have now been in power for a while, a successful and cunning dynasty with martial prowess to boot, and they stand at the point where, if they manage to mobilize enough support to stave off Luxor, then they would probably crush Dariae over easily enough, and with the power of that land under them, the Slave Kings would probably have enough to win control of the entire Golden Vale...

The last one, Luxor, is an older nation, powerful in its own right, but not quite on the same level as the Slave Kings of Caexhin, and not even on a par with the failing state of Dariae. However, from its inception, the nation of Luxor has managed to survive even its darkest hours, with the kings pulling together the nobles, unifying the nation to pull through. It has survived multiple attacks on the sovereignty of the nation, including an early invasion by the growing power of Caexhin, multiple assassination attempts on the leaders of its nation, and even a dynasty change, as the Maxiti nomads invaded as several tribes and installed one of their barbarians as a king.

And so, the Skinslords, as they are known to the people of the valley, have continued the traditions of the people, and have recruited something of a camelry and cavalry force to augment their nation’s military. Even though they are not as powerful as Caexhin or Dariae, they are still quite the force to be reckoned with. More worryingly for them, they are the only of the central valley states to have to deal with the rapidly unifying force of Nenxi to the south...

And from the travelers that have gone to, and come from the nation of Luxor, the people of Anyang have discovered the secrets of how to saddle a man on a horse...

One of the more interesting developments that came to Anyang was the standardization and quick spread of an alphabet. This nifty little thing allowed people to write all manners of things, and the fact that it had only twenty some characters to learn meant that even the poorest peasant, with some training, could learn to read and write them. But even in its simplicity, it is quite beautiful, as the thousands of people who have now learned to use it are putting many different things to tablets–stories of love, honor, bravery, chivalry, and all that good stuff. It is quite an exciting time for the people of Anyang, and a treasure trove for archaeologists is building up. However, a better writing material than stone and clay would definitely be an improvement...

******************

Azoria is still maintaining its status as a quiet, but populous and busy nation. They have expanded considerably up the river valley, and at the same time, they have even expanded across it, protecting the locals (who converted quickly enough to Solism) from the steppe nomads. Some suspect this is more due to the relative weakness of the steppe nomads at this time than any strength on the part of the Azorians...

All the same, the kingdom should continue to grow and prosper.

******************

Up the river valley, the new people of Arma have carved out a place for themselves in history. They are quite peaceful, and more desiring trade than war. Farming is easy enough in the fertile soils of the river valley, and contact with their neighbors, Azoria and Karti has only given them more trading opportunities. It is a nice place, all in all, and far away from the troubles of the steppe warriors who plague the peoples to their west.

******************

Luca is trying its best to reverse the mistakes of the older days. Deforestation, of course, was eroding away the hillsides, the farmland, causing flash floods and mudslides; the king had to do something, and so he did. A massive program of reforestation, the only one of its kind, has sprung up in luca, with new fruit orchards blooming all over the land; not only does it provide a new, bountiful harvest, the rate of deaths due to drowning has vastly decreased, and the people are much happier with the king.

Meanwhile, the king has built a series of lighthouses, in order to better guide the ships offshore, and create a working naval trade network. This has succeeded to a large degree, with trade becoming more common, and their colony is now much less likely to rebel, as contact with them has increased.

On another note, the Morroccans have by and large been defeated by the advancing forces of Luca; indeed, it seems unlikely that the Morroccans will trouble them again for some time. Luca, it seems, will march on, to an even more prosperous future.

******************

Trilleah underwent some expansion, however, with this expansion occurred border disputes with their southern, ambitious neighbor, Samara. Trade has expanded through these new colonies, and they have now become one of the major trading partners with the nation of Lodis to their south... Not much else to report.

******************

Legend has it that Tallas’ army was, from the beginning, full of fierce warriors, brave to the point of insanity. Well, legend or no, they are certainly that way today: inspired by their great leader Rasgar’s slaughter of a hundred men belonging to his rival, a new corps of warriors, the Berserkers, has formed. These men care little for anything by killing, and thus, they are a fearsome friend or foe... Some of them, of course, aren’t quite as naturally brave as their warlord, so they devour a certain type of mushroom before battle (which doesn’t help in perceiving whose friend and whose foe, but oh well)...

Seaslayers, on the other hand, are the amphibious branch of the army. The “frogs”, as they are called, behind their backs. Not to the front of their backs, though. If a back has a front. In any case, not to their faces, for they carry hefty axes, and can make mincemeat of anyone that dares challenge them–they are fearsome warriors on land... Yet they truly shine on the sea, where they are at home, and they destroy all opposition...

The Citadel of Tallas, on another note, has greatly expanded, a new, vast fortress in the capital city, which is more than likely to withstand any attack that is thrown against it.

The invasion of the Sarcasi Peninsula, meanwhile, continues, with their glorious leader the Greatlord Rasgar shattering all opposition. The tribes that resisted were slaughtered by the thousands by the Tallasian berserkers, and indeed, the whole peninsula would be under their rule, but for a single, isolated village name Yarin, which has thus far resisted attempts to conquer it...

Explorers have made contact with Rösseria, and Merico to the southwest.

******************

The humblest of the gods, Sawarin, has, since the beginning of Coutzeltal, had the smallest temple. Now, though, Mazilmaal, determined to reward the best liked of all the Coutze gods, has begun a tremendous new temple–it is to be 450 feet high, a pyramid larger than any the world has seen up to the point, topped by a massive, gold covered statue of Sawarin. Work on the temple has progressed at a rapid rate, due to the influx of slaves into Coutzeltal (see below)...

On the other hand, they aren’t entirely peaceful: Czunczin, one of the chief god-leaders of the empire, has gone on a mighty campaign to subdue the raiding Maxiti Nomads of the East. After a year of preparation, an army of nearly 10,000 warriors set out, with a mind to crush these barbarians. Inspired by their mighty leader, Czunczin, their army crossed the Inferno Mountains and came to the other side; the broad wastelands of the Maxiti desert.

They marched forth, conquering the small villages of the Maxiti, which were scattered around the watering holes, when, a year into the campaign, a mighty army of Maxiti attacked them. These men were clothed all in skins, and rode massive beasts with huge humps; they fired their arrows from the back of these creatures, from massive, powerful composite bows. The Coutzeltal advanced under the banner of the spider that their leader flew, and shattered the enemy, yet even though they triumphed easily, the Maxiti melted into the deep desert, and the Coutzeltal were hard pressed to follow. Thus, Czunczin returned home, with a tail of slaves; these men immediately set to building the Moon Temple.

In the valley of the Coutze, though, the priests of the temple were experimenting with many a strange substance. From the thick black liquids that sprang from the bottom of one of the northern lakes, they procured a thin oil which would burn even when water was thrown on it–indeed, when water was thrown on it, the flames simply redoubled. They called this Fire of the Gods, and began to pot it in many clay jars, to be used for the army.

Czunczin immediately saw the worth of this new weapon, and with his supplies thus refreshed, marched back over the Inferno mountains, and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Maxiti again... Even though the Fire of the Gods inflicted little enough damage on the barbarians by itself, it still inflicted such horror in them that, to a man, each of the surviving Maxiti bowed to the Coutzeltal as their overlords, and agreed to send a yearly tribute of slaves. This, in turn, greatly aided the construction of the Moon Temple.

Sawarin, for his part, has met, on the northernmost coastal city, the intrepid explorers of Rondaria. He has given them a warm reception, though they seem rather disbelieving that he is a god... Blasphemy (see above)!

******************

Lodis began this time period with an interesting development; they sent an embassy to the nation of Xia Xia, asking for an alliance with the strange nation. They discovered when they arrived there a people whose customs... Well, let’s just say they certainly baffled the Lodisians. The Xia Xia dress in silks, as was already known. They have a certain penchant for a game played by bouncing a rubber ball through stone hoops set high on a wall. And at the same time, their warriors are obsessed with a code of honor, and their martial arts, based on self discipline, are very advanced; these have become quick cultural exports to Lodis.

On the flip side of the coin, military expeditions were made to the northern territories, both across the water to islands, and along land. On all fronts, the Daragian raiders, who once seemed so fierce, are now regarded as a weak collection of tribes, unable to hold back the tide. The Daragians’ obsidian blades shatter easily under the bronze of the Lodisians, and their war canoes made of skins have proven no match for the trained and true galleys of Lodis. In short, the Daragians are no longer a threat, and massive gains have been made.

Contact has also been increased with the north, in particular, trade with the nation of Trilleah has increased, and with it, the profits of their nation from trade have vastly increased as well.

Tensions with Imperium Fortis, on the other hand, which were so harsh only five years ago, have died down, as the people have developed a new liking for their neighbors. One of the reasons for this is an increased tolerance of foreigners in Fortis, marked by their opening of their capital’s academy to people of other nations. This, in and of itself, has greatly boosted the knowledge of the Lodisians, as they are now privy to a treasure trove of learning...


******************

The Geishu had nearly nothing happen to them, though they did have some rather vicious raids occur on their northern villages from a people known as the Diatomi.

******************

Vu-varas, having already carved out its niche in the world, has greatly expanded, to every possible corner of their plateau. Thus, they are among the greatest nations in the world in terms of land area, even though their population is still somewhat lacking... But in any case, they have made considerable new contacts.

With these new contacts came new converts, of course, and with these new converts came new pilgrims. These pilgrims, from Colen and the Everene states are now specially served by temples in the passes themselves, massive stone edifices which serve almost as visitor information spots and churches combined–they give the people a place to pray, and they direct them onward, into the valley, where they can pray with the Steta himself...

Missionaries have been sent into the Golden Vale, and though they have made contact with all of them, few converts have been won in most of the states. In Nenxi, though...

The Nenxi are something of a cultural crossroads, with most of their nation linguistically and culturally related to the rest of the Central Valley civilizations, however, they have imported the Varas-olamso religion from Vu-varas, and this makes them quite different from the rest of the nations in the area in this respect. More pertinently, they are raw and new to nationhood, with only a strong grip on their heartlands–the outer lands that they rule are a very tenuous overlordship at best, and at worst open rebellion is a far too frequent occurrence.

The leaders of this nation have shown a certain predisposition to converting to the Varas-olamso religion, and many of their people have as well... In any case, missionaries have brought back from it secrets of a whole new era; the nation of Vu-varas has passed into the Late Bronze Age!

The monasteries to the north, on the border with the Malis, on the other hand, have come under attack in recent years, as it appears the Malis have united into one confederation under a charismatic leader. Thus, a new order has sprung up in the nation of Vu-varas, the order of the warrior monks. These men train for hours each day, honing self discipline and such, and they have become superb warriors, able to defend their monasteries, even though they are unarmed, from Malian raids.

Another monkish order, though, The Way of the Wanderer, has sprung up. It is an interesting little idea, to be sure; people wander the world, in order to put the paths they have already tried in better perspective. Many people have found this a captivating idea, and the environs around Vu-varas are almost swamped by large numbers of people who are following this trend.

Advisors to the various states around them, meanwhile, have won Vu-varas a certain new standing among these people, and the nation is easily the most influential in the area by far.

******************

Imperium Fortis had something of a double boon. By opening their great academy in the capital to foreigners, this greatly reduced tensions with Lodis, and now war with that nation seems nowhere near as likely. At the same time, the various knowledge that has been brought in has given them new knowledge of the world.

On the opposite side of the coin, the Fortisians were increasingly hostile towards the Kidians; no surprise, as the Kidians were taking ever higher tariffs. Demonstrations of military might increased throughout the area, and in the third year, the Fortisians delivered an ultimatum to the Kidians: open up the straits, or else. The Kidians, as it happened, opted for “or else”. And thus, war.

The first moves were by the Fortisians. Very prepared for such a happenstance, they attacked immediately. Their armies ran up rather quickly against the Kidians in open battle, and though the initial clash favored no one, the Copus Fideliae attacked with lightning quickness on the flank of the Kidian army, and shattered them; the line was broken, and the Fortisians did not stop advancing until they reached the capital.

There, though, the walls of the Kidians stopped them short: twenty feet high, and manned by hundreds of bowmen, they were a formidable obstacle. Nor could they starve out the Kidians, for they had naval superiority, and the Dasanians were obliging enough to make a quick buck off of this, and thus they received grain from there. Also, several islands were overrun by the Kidians, who retain naval superiority, and the few galley skirmishes have all gone in the city states’s favor. Thus, the war looks to be deadlocked.

An embassy to Xia Xia has been sent, and they are learning interesting new things about their neighbors. In particular, one letter back to the king describes how the embassy was invited to a very popular sporting event. Apparently they were herded inside a vast amphitheater, and here, they observed a game where the contestants, spinning around in their silken robes, attempted to bounce a rubber ball high in the air through a small stone hoop; at the same time, they clashed with wooden sticks in something reminiscent of sword fighting. The Fortisians found themselves captivated by this display...

******************

Rösseria had little happen to it, though strange explorers on the coastline, from the nation of Tallas, opened up trade somewhat...

******************

Dasania profited considerably from an even in Imperium Fortis: the Academy of that nation was opened up to foreigners. While this academy is sorely lacking in a few things that we moderners would consider an essential part of an academy, such as books (as writing has not been discovered here), they are, at the same time, a gathering of a wealth of knowledge, and the Dasanians are benefitting considerably in the field of education.

At the same time, tensions have risen somewhat with Imperium Fortis, as the Dasanians are currently the sole supplier of grain to their eternal enemies, the Kidians...

******************

Dallaria, on the other hand, undergoes a considerable decrease in the peoples confidence in their leader, as a large tax is levied for almost no apparent reason; this considerably distresses them, of course, as they are struggling to feed their families, and no one quite knows why such a tax is needed...

But then, the reason for the massive tax increase was demonstrated clearly only the next year: after the raising of all those levy forces, the Dallarians attacked Vaios en masse. A naval expedition was launched, and managed to slip past the patrols of the Vaiosians, yet, alas, the timing of the second thrust was somewhat off: the naval expedition ended up being trapped by the forces of Vaios.

Determined not to allow their forces to die, the emperor of Dallaria attacked quickly with the land forces, and shattered the Vaiosians, who were caught in a pincer between the sallying naval force and the land force. Then, the Dallarians continued onward, and besieged the capital of Vaios, which fell in only a year’s time, with their naval superiority.

All the same, a few recalcitrant villages centered around a single town in the deep jungle still resist the advance of the forces of Dallaria, and they are using some of the most dishonorable tricks to attempt to fell this massive invasion force, including traps, poison arrows, and even assassins...

Contact has been made with Rondaria (see above).

******************

Damara, meanwhile, launched an expedition to destroy the Heeti, under their crown prince...

They crept south, in the dark of the night, led by their guides, men of tribes that had been defeated and humiliated by the Heeti. They took the secret routes, the routes through the high grass that were give shade by trades–shade from the sun, and shade from the eyes of watchful scouts. Onward they crept, until they reached the great encampment of the Heeti...

And they attacked, en masse. They stormed into the camp, slaughtering the sleeping Heeti where they lay, and even though the Heeti khan rose up and tried to rally his forces, he, too, was slain by the advancing Damaran forces.

But even on the stroke of their triumph... The crown prince of the Damarans, Karsus, was shot through the belly with an arrow; he died, unsurprisingly. Carried home after the victory in a triumphal procession, he was given a state funeral, with the power of the Heeti broken. But at the same time, a succession crisis has occurred in Damara, and doubts have been raised as to who will lead the state after Lashantar the Second’s time on Earth is done...

OOC:

ORDERS DUE SATURDAY AT 6 PM EST. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Something else to say here, but... I forgot. Oh well.

Mappies!!!!!!!1111eleventyone lolz

Oh, right. NPC stats should be done like... Friday or something. I'm not sure; I'm going to be working on some World History essays on Thursday and Friday, so it might be delayed somewhat.

Nice update Nordkonge!

So that's where Azoria is.

so my army freely use the fire of the gods no need for speicel unit?

Oh and I badly need a named map...

EDIT and whats the big aimal the barbs used on me?

I didn't expect the map to be connected up so soon . A named map would be cool, especially as I have no idea of the names of those tiny states to the south of Vu-Varas...

@erex; 'Massive beasts with huge humps' sounds like camels to me...

Disenfrancised said:

I didn't expect the map to be connected up so soon . A named map would be cool, especially as I have no idea of the names of those tiny states to the south of Vu-Varas...

@erex; 'Massive beasts with huge humps' sounds like camels to me...

Click to expand...

Camels are realy... realy.. not massive.. their rather thin actualy..

erez87 said:

Camels are realy... realy.. not massive.. their rather thin actualy..

Click to expand...

Well it depends on the frame of reference - have your people seen large riding beasts before?

Also orders sent!

Disenfrancised said:

Well it depends on the frame of reference - have your people seen large riding beasts before?

Also orders sent!

Click to expand...

They have seen massive statues some shaped like animals.. does that count?