INES Ib: Novus Ortus
- Thread starter Imago
- Start date
My guess is that this turn, the HCE is going to screw with the Swedes/Norse, the Persians are going to be finished off by Delhi and the Jews (whatever that nation happens to be called) and Mongolia will prolly finish me off. So y'all can say goodbye to China, methinks.
I think the North Sea will either be dominated by a Celtic Alliance or a fracture of said alliance due to territorial ambitions of certain Celtic Kingdoms 
Of course the main playing Card is England. We will see who they rightfully trusted. Once Again:
Of course the main playing Card is England. We will see who they rightfully trusted. Once Again:
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
I think the North Sea will either be dominated by a Celtic Alliance or a fracture of said alliance due to territorial ambitions of certain Celtic Kingdoms
Of course the main playing Card is England. We will see who they rightfully trusted. Once Again:
You do know this entitles you to invasion from said alliance.
You do know this entitles you to invasion from said alliance.
I actually in my orders made it so the other parties made the first move so I knew who I could trust. If I was betrayed I am doomed anyway because the economic might sent against me is overwhelming.
But lets wait for the update. Imago I think you are right this will be a bloody update especially in Western Europe.
Sheep
Orange Shrooms!
I broke with the Church this turn and defended myself, not much more.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
is the update ready?
jeps
Arcadefire
Six wars in europe or in general?
Soldiers of India we march to war
To retake the land that was ours before:
To the north, east, south and west
Whither now shall we start our quest?
Enemies all encroach us tightly,
Your Prince he feels constriction nightly;
Arm yourselves, take your bow,
With sword and spear we will lay them low
Arjuna's spirit lead us all
We march to war and their downfall.
To retake the land that was ours before:
To the north, east, south and west
Whither now shall we start our quest?
Enemies all encroach us tightly,
Your Prince he feels constriction nightly;
Arm yourselves, take your bow,
With sword and spear we will lay them low
Arjuna's spirit lead us all
We march to war and their downfall.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
As the late great Colonel Sanders once said. "I'm to drunk,to taste this chicken."
This answers all things to do with Iberia for the next 3 turns.
711-720: Update 2
Non-Military Events:
Aduawatha extends his influence over tribes of his nation by forming a tribal council at Iowana. However, as his rapid changes continue, they are beginning to alarm some of his conservative populace…
(+1 Adenan government efficiency)
In fear of the revitalized and newly growing Adenas, the peoples of the Upper Tennessee band together under their own tribal council, naming their nation Hiwassee.
(+Hiwassee, +Hiwassee economic center)
For one reason or another, the anti-Holy Celtic Empire fervor in England is becoming more and more muted.
After an alleged assassination attempt against the Svearish king is foiled, he announces that Svearland will break from the Celtic Trinitist Church. Fueled with patriotism, as the Norwegian War continues to go well, most of the Svearish nobles support their king’s decision, and many commoners do as well. However, the king’s attempt to create the ‘Unified Church of the Trinity’ is met with decidedly less success among the priests, as he tries to reform just about everything, and manages to alienate most of the clergy. In a great confusion, a Cardinal is appointed to head the Unified Church in Svearland, but the Unified Church fails to gain acceptance beyond Svearish national borders, and so, the Cardinal becomes the sole head of the Unified Church of the Trinity. Many wonder how a single leader is more democratic then the ten High Priests of the Celtic Church. Others wonder who exactly is the ‘Vicar’ that the Svearish king keeps talking about.
(-1 Svearish government efficiency)
On the outskirts of Scandinavia, the Viking city-state of Novgorod brings its local region under its banner.
(+Novgorod, +Novgorod economic center)
Iberia’s government begins to promote Pan-Trinitism, with only limited success so far. The people of Iberia have no problem seeing the Holy Celtic Empire as an ally against the Ctha’r heathens, but are still fiercely loyal to their own religion. Indeed, the construction of cathedrals in major Iberian cities only leads to a renaissance in Roman Trinitism. Suggestions that perhaps pilgrimages could be arranged to head to Avignon, put forth by the Iberian king, are largely laughed down by his advisors. During all this, Barcelona becomes an important trade port.
(+1 Iberian culture, +Barcelona economic center)
Efforts by the Celtic government to increase the productivity of the areas around the Danube pay off, as the city of Regensburg rises to commercial prominence.
(+Regensburg economic center)
In response to the aggressive Celtic Trinitist missionary activity in Bulgaria, Emperor Alexandros of Byzantium initiates a missionary movement of his own. Kyrian missionaries, known as Peripatetoi, flood the Bulgar Khanate, identifying Kyrianity with stability and protection. Many of the converted Bulgars return to the Kyrian faith, though those that remain Celtic Trinitist have become more entrenched in their ‘radical’ beliefs. In addition, well organized parties of Peripatetoi are beginning to be sent further afield, and small Kyrian minorities in Trinitist states as far away as England have begun to form.
Alexandros continues to reform Byzantium. Corruption in particular is targeted, and greatly reduced.
(+1 Byzantine government efficiency)
The general wave of economic prosperity that flooded Byzantium has made its way to Tunis, or, more specifically, the Tunisian port of Benghazi.
(+Benghazi economic center)
The Age of Reform comes to Aegypt. In a manner largely copying Byzantium’s, King Kheti standardizes most everything he can get his hands on, and invests in select cities.
(+1 Aegyptian government efficiency, +Thebes economic center, +Alexandria economic center)
The Axumites pass a variety of morally upright trade laws, which, among other things, require Axumite merchants to take a day off from work on Shabbat, and ban the trade of weapons. Banning the weapons trade causes problems for the economy, but trade in Axum is so vibrant that the problems have been shrugged off, at least for now. Two Beit Din, or Jewish Courts of Law are formed, one in the city of Axum, and another in Mogidashu.
(+1 Axumite culture)
Khazar efforts to convert their neighbors to Yehudanism continue to be quite successful, especially among Turkic tribes in central Asia. There is also an influx of refugee Turkics into Khazaria.
Khazaria pledges moral support to the Benjids for their actions in Persia. A number of restless Khazars journey southward, to help the Benjids destroy the Ghaznavids once and for all.
(+5 Benjid irregular divisions)
Wishing to gain their share of the Chinese plunder, a number of Manchurian nomads pledge allegiance to the Mongol horde.
(+10 Mongol divisions)
Military Events:
The Adenans finally expand their territory to the mythical great waters of the south that they have so long hoped to reach, albeit with great native resistance.
(+1 Adenan culture, -1 Adenan division)
Scotland invades Ireland, in a move that pulls it out of its alliance block, and yet is done nevertheless, in the hopes of brining all the Celtic population of the Isles under one government. Under cover of fog, a large Scottish fleet reaches the northern Irish coast unmolested, and lands an army more then twice the size of that of the Irish. The Scottish advance in a lightning offensive, and it is not until Dublin itself that their overstretched army is finally beaten back. As the war drags on, lack of funding for the invasion becomes a significant problem for the Scottish. Southern Ireland simply refuses to fall, the well trained Irish fleet stymies the larger Scottish one, and Scot soldiers die of starvation. Then the English intervene. Striking at Scotland’s lightly defended homeland, an English army tramples northward. Vastly outnumbered, the reserve Scottish divisions attempt to grind the English down through attrition and guerrilla war. This proves surprisingly effective, as England, like Scotland, failed to adequately provision its men with supplies. Edinburgh is captured, and the English press on, but a crushing toll is taken on their armies. Meanwhile, their failure to be aggressive enough in the Irish Sea means that Scot supply chains between the islands remain active. As the decade rolls to a close, Scotland still holds the northern half of Ireland, and, indeed, the northern half of their own nation. Their forces were simply too concentrated in Ireland for the Irish to attempt a reconquest. However, each of the three sides still has fight in them left, and the War of the Isle is far from over.
(-4 English divisions, -1 English Housecarl division, -7 Scottish divisions, -2 Scottish squadrons, -3 Irish divisions, -1 Irish squadron)
In Scandinavia, Svearish conquest of Norway concludes. Oslo finally falls after its epic siege. On the western coast, resistance continues for some time, but is eventually stamped out. As the Svears celebrate their victory, however, the forces of the Holy Celtic Empire arrive. Emperor Pepin II, believing that the formation of the Unified Church of the Trinity was the precursor for an attack on his ally Denmark, massed an army near Copenhagen. When the Svearish attack never materialized, he decided to go ahead with his own attack anyway, and so, the Northern War was born. Linking up with the remnants of the Norwegian fleet, the great Celtic-Dane armada engages the Svears around Scania. In truth not all that badly outnumbered, and fighting near their home coasts, the Svearish navy affects a fighting retreat, heading back into the Baltic Sea from which they came. Attempts by the Celtic coalition to lure them out fail, attempts by the Celtic coalition to break into the sea are repulsed, and, in the end, Pepin is forced to attempt his landing in Scania without the naval dominance he had hoped for. Holy Celtic and Dane forces attempt to take Malmo, the major trade center at Svearland’s southern tip. Heavy fortifications await them, as the Svearish had taken defensive preparations. Battles ensue, but in the end, the gargantuan Celtic-Dane army was stymied at the very tip of Scania; outside, not inside the walls of Malmo. But even as the Svears held up to enemies without, they were weak against enemies within. A coalition of devoutly Celtic Trinitist lords and angry Priests revolted in the north in support of the invaders in the south, as evidence came to light that the Svearish king was trying to kill those priests who opposed the Unified Church. In Finland, regionalists revolted, and defeated the nearly non-existent garrison. Those in Svearland still loyal to the king, somehow still a majority, are forced to sustain themselves against offenses from all directions. And yet, the attrition is wearing. Svearland seems ready to collapse like a house of cards if the war drags on any longer.
(-7 Svearish divisions, -5 Svearish squadrons, -1 Svearish confidence, -Norway, 2 Norwegian squadrons to Holy Celts, -1 Dane division, -2 Dane squadrons, -2 Holy Celtic divisions, -4 Holy Celtic SECRET divisions, -1 Holy Celtic squadron)
In the Middle East, King Kheti declares war against the Benjid Empire, restoring an ancient conflict. Great battles are fought around Gaza, but the Benjids are forced to fall back, as the Aegyptians concentrated too much of their army in the Sinai for it to be effectively opposed. For the first time in millennia, forces of the Nile set foot on Jewish heartland. Falling back to Phoenicia, the Benjid forces set up another line of defense, this one rather more effective, but the Aegyptians next split their army, and head part of it south, instead of north, attempting to take the Hejjaz. For on the heels of the invasion, the Arabs rebelled in force. The Benjid soldiers guarding Arabia were predominantly Arabs themselves, and the caliph in Bagdad had believed he could trust them, but what once was is no more, and most Arab leaders hated the Great Reforms, and wanted a return to the purity of Bachira. In short order, most of Arabia was in native hands again, as the Zealots in the region simply defected. However, while their rebellion was concurrent to the Aegyptian invasion, the Arabs were not on Kheti’s side. Deciding that the best course of action to recreate a true Yehudan empire was to kill all who were unpure, the Arabs fought Aegyptian and loyalist Benjid alike. The Aegyptians were quickly expelled from most of the Hejjaz, and fierce fighting erupted between the Aegyptians and the Arabs. Betrayed by those they thought would be allies, the Aegyptian offensive against the actual Benjids stumbled, and ground to a halt in Syria. Only impressive tactics on the part of the Aegyptian generals salvaged the war effort. The Benjid Empire has been pushed back, true, but the time is ripe for a resurgence…
(-12 Aegyptian divisions, -3 Aegyptian Temple Guard divisions, -9 Benjid divisions, 8 Benjid Zealot divisions to Arab Rebels)
Axum continues to slowly expand south along the African coast.
The refugee Turkics in Khazaria develop both a tendency to settle in the northern regions of the nation, and, with national support, a tendency to clash with and defeat the barbarian Slavs on the borders. Due to this, Khazaria’s territories are slowly expanding.
To the east of the Egypto-Benjid War, the Persian War proceeds. Even as Benjid forces spar with the Egyptians and the Arabs, they rush to deal with the Persians, once and for all. The Ghaznavid Persians, however, seem to have luck on their side. The Indians, preoccupied with events further east, do little here but consolidate the areas east of the Indus, and crush the rebels in the region, even as the Persians evacuate to the other side. The real battles of the next stage of the Persian War are fought between the Benjids and the Persians. Outnumbered, and lacking in good leadership, the Persians fall back from the trade city of Bukhara, and face off with the Benjids in the center of the nation. The Benjid commander in the region, under pressure from the Egyptians to finish off the Ghaznavids quickly, nevertheless performs admirably. In a massive battle, the Benjids defeat the Ghaznavids…and score themselves a pyrrhic victory. Occupying huge amounts of territory, drained of morale, and suffering rebellions in the captured lands, as the Egyptian invasion began to give the Persians courage, the main Benjid armies were forced to halt mere miles away from the Persian capital of Ghazna. The rebellions of course are put down brutally, in what is becoming typical Ghaznavid fashion, but the Benjids, incredulous, begin to be pushed back. The Persian resurgence is weak, and far more land in Ghaznavid Persia was gained by the Benjids then lost in the last decade, but the Persians now have something the Benjids never wanted them to have. They have hope.
(-7 Benjid divisions, -3 Benjid Zealot divisions, -1 Benjid squadron, -14 Persian divisions, -5 Persian irregular divisions, -1 Persian squadron, -2 Delhi divisions)
India begins a… unification?
(See Spotlight)
(-9 Delhi divisions, -2 Delhi squadrons, -10 Simhalan divisions, -1 Simhalan squadron, -11 Tibetan divisions)
Angkor begins a conquest of its neighboring barbarian tribes. Splitting, and crossing the Mekong River in the north and the south, the mighty Angkor army offers all in its wake the choice to surrender or die. Predictably, many choose the latter option. In the ensuing barbarian wars, Angkor conquers city after city, albeit with high casualties. The pessimists say that Angkor is overstretched, but regardless of the truth of that fact, at least cosmetically it seems to be a good time for Angkor.
(-4 Angkor divisions, +1 Angkor culture)
Mongolia is attacked by Japanese forces. In a move that would have been epic had it worked out, ten thousand Japanese soldiers sailed up along the Amur River, in an attempt to seize the Mongol capital of Karakorum while all the Mongols were out fighting in the south. Sadly, the shogun had failed to adequately fund the expedition, and so by the time the tired, far-from-home, behind-enemy-lines Japanese forces reached anything close to Karakorum, they were struggling to find food on the steppe, and were easily eliminated by the few Mongol chieftains that had remained behind.
(-5 Japanese divisions)
The Mongols divert some of their forces from the Chinese campaign, to seize the wealth of Silla, on the Korean peninsula. However, the element of surprise was not with the Mongols here, as the Chinese had warned the Sillans that the Mongols were coming after them. Still, the Mongol tactical genius is enough to score them some victories, even against a larger Korean force. Dalian and Pyongyang fell to the Mongols, but the Koreans were able to halt the forces of the khan there, and attrition is beginning to take its toll on the Mongol armies, as the forces of the khan are used to lightning offensives, not drawn out campaigns.
(-5 Mongol divisions, -6 Sillan divisions)
The Chinese government withdraws from Bengal and conscripts wildly, even as the Mongols mass for another assault. A Mongol drive to the Yangtze is driven back by the Chinese, or rather, sideways, to Chengdu. Too late, the Chinese realize the ‘retreat’ was yet another Mongol ploy, and as a second army links up with the one that ‘retreated,’ Chengdu is besieged. However, Chengdu is heavily defended, by both thousands of soldiers, and endless numbers of traps specially designed against horsemen. The city eventually did fall, but the Mongol hordes were exausted, and only at their Khan’s orders were they driven on. A Mongol surge reaches them the Yangtze, only to find all the bridges cut. The Mongols, prepared for this, use captured engineers to cross the river, and entered what could most definitely be called south China. Heartened, the Mongols rallied, and attempted a drive to the sea, but near the gates of Nanning, a vast Chinese army awaited them. Through sheer force of numbers, if not anything else, the Chinese pushed the Mongols back, driving them against the Yangtze, where the battles degenerated into skirmishes. And this was not the worst of the news to reach Khan Yesugei’s ears. Behind Mongol lines, Chinese rebellions begin, some directly linked to the Yang Emperor, some not. Conditions in the occupied territories were harsh for the peasants, and the Mongol preoccupation with plunder had not helped them any. As the Mongol reserve forces struggled to put the rebellions down, the elite core of the Chinese army, along with an expeditionary Japanese division, marched northward from their capital along the coast, attempting to retake both lands and glory. The Mongols were ready, and halted the Chinese elites at the Yellow River, which was fortified by both the destruction of bridges, and timed floodings, and the Chinese proved unable to cross. However, the tides seem to be turning for Khan Yesugei and his allies. Mongols victories have come in this last decade, to be sure, but they were hardwon, and the Chinese are ever now rallying behind their Emperor, whom they feel will save them. China, Silla, and Japan have all been united against the Mongols. As the Yang Emperor preemptively goes into hiding, to prevent Mongol attempts on his life, Yesugei’s chieftains begin to wonder if the invasion was an intelligent idea, at all.
(+20 Chinese irregular divisions, -15 Chinese divisions, -1 Chinese Ancestor division, -10 Chinese irregular divisions, +1 Chinese confidence, -17 Mongol divisions)
The rest of Hokkaido is conquered by Japanese forces.
(-1 Japanese division)
Non-Military Events:
Aduawatha extends his influence over tribes of his nation by forming a tribal council at Iowana. However, as his rapid changes continue, they are beginning to alarm some of his conservative populace…
(+1 Adenan government efficiency)
In fear of the revitalized and newly growing Adenas, the peoples of the Upper Tennessee band together under their own tribal council, naming their nation Hiwassee.
(+Hiwassee, +Hiwassee economic center)
For one reason or another, the anti-Holy Celtic Empire fervor in England is becoming more and more muted.
After an alleged assassination attempt against the Svearish king is foiled, he announces that Svearland will break from the Celtic Trinitist Church. Fueled with patriotism, as the Norwegian War continues to go well, most of the Svearish nobles support their king’s decision, and many commoners do as well. However, the king’s attempt to create the ‘Unified Church of the Trinity’ is met with decidedly less success among the priests, as he tries to reform just about everything, and manages to alienate most of the clergy. In a great confusion, a Cardinal is appointed to head the Unified Church in Svearland, but the Unified Church fails to gain acceptance beyond Svearish national borders, and so, the Cardinal becomes the sole head of the Unified Church of the Trinity. Many wonder how a single leader is more democratic then the ten High Priests of the Celtic Church. Others wonder who exactly is the ‘Vicar’ that the Svearish king keeps talking about.
(-1 Svearish government efficiency)
On the outskirts of Scandinavia, the Viking city-state of Novgorod brings its local region under its banner.
(+Novgorod, +Novgorod economic center)
Iberia’s government begins to promote Pan-Trinitism, with only limited success so far. The people of Iberia have no problem seeing the Holy Celtic Empire as an ally against the Ctha’r heathens, but are still fiercely loyal to their own religion. Indeed, the construction of cathedrals in major Iberian cities only leads to a renaissance in Roman Trinitism. Suggestions that perhaps pilgrimages could be arranged to head to Avignon, put forth by the Iberian king, are largely laughed down by his advisors. During all this, Barcelona becomes an important trade port.
(+1 Iberian culture, +Barcelona economic center)
Efforts by the Celtic government to increase the productivity of the areas around the Danube pay off, as the city of Regensburg rises to commercial prominence.
(+Regensburg economic center)
In response to the aggressive Celtic Trinitist missionary activity in Bulgaria, Emperor Alexandros of Byzantium initiates a missionary movement of his own. Kyrian missionaries, known as Peripatetoi, flood the Bulgar Khanate, identifying Kyrianity with stability and protection. Many of the converted Bulgars return to the Kyrian faith, though those that remain Celtic Trinitist have become more entrenched in their ‘radical’ beliefs. In addition, well organized parties of Peripatetoi are beginning to be sent further afield, and small Kyrian minorities in Trinitist states as far away as England have begun to form.
Alexandros continues to reform Byzantium. Corruption in particular is targeted, and greatly reduced.
(+1 Byzantine government efficiency)
The general wave of economic prosperity that flooded Byzantium has made its way to Tunis, or, more specifically, the Tunisian port of Benghazi.
(+Benghazi economic center)
The Age of Reform comes to Aegypt. In a manner largely copying Byzantium’s, King Kheti standardizes most everything he can get his hands on, and invests in select cities.
(+1 Aegyptian government efficiency, +Thebes economic center, +Alexandria economic center)
The Axumites pass a variety of morally upright trade laws, which, among other things, require Axumite merchants to take a day off from work on Shabbat, and ban the trade of weapons. Banning the weapons trade causes problems for the economy, but trade in Axum is so vibrant that the problems have been shrugged off, at least for now. Two Beit Din, or Jewish Courts of Law are formed, one in the city of Axum, and another in Mogidashu.
(+1 Axumite culture)
Khazar efforts to convert their neighbors to Yehudanism continue to be quite successful, especially among Turkic tribes in central Asia. There is also an influx of refugee Turkics into Khazaria.
Khazaria pledges moral support to the Benjids for their actions in Persia. A number of restless Khazars journey southward, to help the Benjids destroy the Ghaznavids once and for all.
(+5 Benjid irregular divisions)
Wishing to gain their share of the Chinese plunder, a number of Manchurian nomads pledge allegiance to the Mongol horde.
(+10 Mongol divisions)
Military Events:
The Adenans finally expand their territory to the mythical great waters of the south that they have so long hoped to reach, albeit with great native resistance.
(+1 Adenan culture, -1 Adenan division)
Scotland invades Ireland, in a move that pulls it out of its alliance block, and yet is done nevertheless, in the hopes of brining all the Celtic population of the Isles under one government. Under cover of fog, a large Scottish fleet reaches the northern Irish coast unmolested, and lands an army more then twice the size of that of the Irish. The Scottish advance in a lightning offensive, and it is not until Dublin itself that their overstretched army is finally beaten back. As the war drags on, lack of funding for the invasion becomes a significant problem for the Scottish. Southern Ireland simply refuses to fall, the well trained Irish fleet stymies the larger Scottish one, and Scot soldiers die of starvation. Then the English intervene. Striking at Scotland’s lightly defended homeland, an English army tramples northward. Vastly outnumbered, the reserve Scottish divisions attempt to grind the English down through attrition and guerrilla war. This proves surprisingly effective, as England, like Scotland, failed to adequately provision its men with supplies. Edinburgh is captured, and the English press on, but a crushing toll is taken on their armies. Meanwhile, their failure to be aggressive enough in the Irish Sea means that Scot supply chains between the islands remain active. As the decade rolls to a close, Scotland still holds the northern half of Ireland, and, indeed, the northern half of their own nation. Their forces were simply too concentrated in Ireland for the Irish to attempt a reconquest. However, each of the three sides still has fight in them left, and the War of the Isle is far from over.
(-4 English divisions, -1 English Housecarl division, -7 Scottish divisions, -2 Scottish squadrons, -3 Irish divisions, -1 Irish squadron)
In Scandinavia, Svearish conquest of Norway concludes. Oslo finally falls after its epic siege. On the western coast, resistance continues for some time, but is eventually stamped out. As the Svears celebrate their victory, however, the forces of the Holy Celtic Empire arrive. Emperor Pepin II, believing that the formation of the Unified Church of the Trinity was the precursor for an attack on his ally Denmark, massed an army near Copenhagen. When the Svearish attack never materialized, he decided to go ahead with his own attack anyway, and so, the Northern War was born. Linking up with the remnants of the Norwegian fleet, the great Celtic-Dane armada engages the Svears around Scania. In truth not all that badly outnumbered, and fighting near their home coasts, the Svearish navy affects a fighting retreat, heading back into the Baltic Sea from which they came. Attempts by the Celtic coalition to lure them out fail, attempts by the Celtic coalition to break into the sea are repulsed, and, in the end, Pepin is forced to attempt his landing in Scania without the naval dominance he had hoped for. Holy Celtic and Dane forces attempt to take Malmo, the major trade center at Svearland’s southern tip. Heavy fortifications await them, as the Svearish had taken defensive preparations. Battles ensue, but in the end, the gargantuan Celtic-Dane army was stymied at the very tip of Scania; outside, not inside the walls of Malmo. But even as the Svears held up to enemies without, they were weak against enemies within. A coalition of devoutly Celtic Trinitist lords and angry Priests revolted in the north in support of the invaders in the south, as evidence came to light that the Svearish king was trying to kill those priests who opposed the Unified Church. In Finland, regionalists revolted, and defeated the nearly non-existent garrison. Those in Svearland still loyal to the king, somehow still a majority, are forced to sustain themselves against offenses from all directions. And yet, the attrition is wearing. Svearland seems ready to collapse like a house of cards if the war drags on any longer.
(-7 Svearish divisions, -5 Svearish squadrons, -1 Svearish confidence, -Norway, 2 Norwegian squadrons to Holy Celts, -1 Dane division, -2 Dane squadrons, -2 Holy Celtic divisions, -4 Holy Celtic SECRET divisions, -1 Holy Celtic squadron)
In the Middle East, King Kheti declares war against the Benjid Empire, restoring an ancient conflict. Great battles are fought around Gaza, but the Benjids are forced to fall back, as the Aegyptians concentrated too much of their army in the Sinai for it to be effectively opposed. For the first time in millennia, forces of the Nile set foot on Jewish heartland. Falling back to Phoenicia, the Benjid forces set up another line of defense, this one rather more effective, but the Aegyptians next split their army, and head part of it south, instead of north, attempting to take the Hejjaz. For on the heels of the invasion, the Arabs rebelled in force. The Benjid soldiers guarding Arabia were predominantly Arabs themselves, and the caliph in Bagdad had believed he could trust them, but what once was is no more, and most Arab leaders hated the Great Reforms, and wanted a return to the purity of Bachira. In short order, most of Arabia was in native hands again, as the Zealots in the region simply defected. However, while their rebellion was concurrent to the Aegyptian invasion, the Arabs were not on Kheti’s side. Deciding that the best course of action to recreate a true Yehudan empire was to kill all who were unpure, the Arabs fought Aegyptian and loyalist Benjid alike. The Aegyptians were quickly expelled from most of the Hejjaz, and fierce fighting erupted between the Aegyptians and the Arabs. Betrayed by those they thought would be allies, the Aegyptian offensive against the actual Benjids stumbled, and ground to a halt in Syria. Only impressive tactics on the part of the Aegyptian generals salvaged the war effort. The Benjid Empire has been pushed back, true, but the time is ripe for a resurgence…
(-12 Aegyptian divisions, -3 Aegyptian Temple Guard divisions, -9 Benjid divisions, 8 Benjid Zealot divisions to Arab Rebels)
Axum continues to slowly expand south along the African coast.
The refugee Turkics in Khazaria develop both a tendency to settle in the northern regions of the nation, and, with national support, a tendency to clash with and defeat the barbarian Slavs on the borders. Due to this, Khazaria’s territories are slowly expanding.
To the east of the Egypto-Benjid War, the Persian War proceeds. Even as Benjid forces spar with the Egyptians and the Arabs, they rush to deal with the Persians, once and for all. The Ghaznavid Persians, however, seem to have luck on their side. The Indians, preoccupied with events further east, do little here but consolidate the areas east of the Indus, and crush the rebels in the region, even as the Persians evacuate to the other side. The real battles of the next stage of the Persian War are fought between the Benjids and the Persians. Outnumbered, and lacking in good leadership, the Persians fall back from the trade city of Bukhara, and face off with the Benjids in the center of the nation. The Benjid commander in the region, under pressure from the Egyptians to finish off the Ghaznavids quickly, nevertheless performs admirably. In a massive battle, the Benjids defeat the Ghaznavids…and score themselves a pyrrhic victory. Occupying huge amounts of territory, drained of morale, and suffering rebellions in the captured lands, as the Egyptian invasion began to give the Persians courage, the main Benjid armies were forced to halt mere miles away from the Persian capital of Ghazna. The rebellions of course are put down brutally, in what is becoming typical Ghaznavid fashion, but the Benjids, incredulous, begin to be pushed back. The Persian resurgence is weak, and far more land in Ghaznavid Persia was gained by the Benjids then lost in the last decade, but the Persians now have something the Benjids never wanted them to have. They have hope.
(-7 Benjid divisions, -3 Benjid Zealot divisions, -1 Benjid squadron, -14 Persian divisions, -5 Persian irregular divisions, -1 Persian squadron, -2 Delhi divisions)
India begins a… unification?
(See Spotlight)
(-9 Delhi divisions, -2 Delhi squadrons, -10 Simhalan divisions, -1 Simhalan squadron, -11 Tibetan divisions)
Angkor begins a conquest of its neighboring barbarian tribes. Splitting, and crossing the Mekong River in the north and the south, the mighty Angkor army offers all in its wake the choice to surrender or die. Predictably, many choose the latter option. In the ensuing barbarian wars, Angkor conquers city after city, albeit with high casualties. The pessimists say that Angkor is overstretched, but regardless of the truth of that fact, at least cosmetically it seems to be a good time for Angkor.
(-4 Angkor divisions, +1 Angkor culture)
Mongolia is attacked by Japanese forces. In a move that would have been epic had it worked out, ten thousand Japanese soldiers sailed up along the Amur River, in an attempt to seize the Mongol capital of Karakorum while all the Mongols were out fighting in the south. Sadly, the shogun had failed to adequately fund the expedition, and so by the time the tired, far-from-home, behind-enemy-lines Japanese forces reached anything close to Karakorum, they were struggling to find food on the steppe, and were easily eliminated by the few Mongol chieftains that had remained behind.
(-5 Japanese divisions)
The Mongols divert some of their forces from the Chinese campaign, to seize the wealth of Silla, on the Korean peninsula. However, the element of surprise was not with the Mongols here, as the Chinese had warned the Sillans that the Mongols were coming after them. Still, the Mongol tactical genius is enough to score them some victories, even against a larger Korean force. Dalian and Pyongyang fell to the Mongols, but the Koreans were able to halt the forces of the khan there, and attrition is beginning to take its toll on the Mongol armies, as the forces of the khan are used to lightning offensives, not drawn out campaigns.
(-5 Mongol divisions, -6 Sillan divisions)
The Chinese government withdraws from Bengal and conscripts wildly, even as the Mongols mass for another assault. A Mongol drive to the Yangtze is driven back by the Chinese, or rather, sideways, to Chengdu. Too late, the Chinese realize the ‘retreat’ was yet another Mongol ploy, and as a second army links up with the one that ‘retreated,’ Chengdu is besieged. However, Chengdu is heavily defended, by both thousands of soldiers, and endless numbers of traps specially designed against horsemen. The city eventually did fall, but the Mongol hordes were exausted, and only at their Khan’s orders were they driven on. A Mongol surge reaches them the Yangtze, only to find all the bridges cut. The Mongols, prepared for this, use captured engineers to cross the river, and entered what could most definitely be called south China. Heartened, the Mongols rallied, and attempted a drive to the sea, but near the gates of Nanning, a vast Chinese army awaited them. Through sheer force of numbers, if not anything else, the Chinese pushed the Mongols back, driving them against the Yangtze, where the battles degenerated into skirmishes. And this was not the worst of the news to reach Khan Yesugei’s ears. Behind Mongol lines, Chinese rebellions begin, some directly linked to the Yang Emperor, some not. Conditions in the occupied territories were harsh for the peasants, and the Mongol preoccupation with plunder had not helped them any. As the Mongol reserve forces struggled to put the rebellions down, the elite core of the Chinese army, along with an expeditionary Japanese division, marched northward from their capital along the coast, attempting to retake both lands and glory. The Mongols were ready, and halted the Chinese elites at the Yellow River, which was fortified by both the destruction of bridges, and timed floodings, and the Chinese proved unable to cross. However, the tides seem to be turning for Khan Yesugei and his allies. Mongols victories have come in this last decade, to be sure, but they were hardwon, and the Chinese are ever now rallying behind their Emperor, whom they feel will save them. China, Silla, and Japan have all been united against the Mongols. As the Yang Emperor preemptively goes into hiding, to prevent Mongol attempts on his life, Yesugei’s chieftains begin to wonder if the invasion was an intelligent idea, at all.
(+20 Chinese irregular divisions, -15 Chinese divisions, -1 Chinese Ancestor division, -10 Chinese irregular divisions, +1 Chinese confidence, -17 Mongol divisions)
The rest of Hokkaido is conquered by Japanese forces.
(-1 Japanese division)
Random Events:
The machinery that is the government of the Holy Celtic Empire continues grinding away against the nation’s ills.
(+1 Holy Celtic confidence)
Aegypt has a cultural reawakening.
(+2 Aegyptian culture)
In spite of some…problems, work on the Sifriya HaGadol is proceeding faster then ever.
(+1 Axumite project progress, +1 Axumite culture)
The Prince of Delhi has strange dreams.
(+1 Delhi culture)
The Mongol army has a sudden surge in cunning.
(+2 Mongol army quality)
Spotlight: We Were Great, Once
“Am I a betrayer? Perhaps. But I know what glory we once had, and by the grace of Vishnu, we will have that glory once again.”
-The Prince of the Kingdom of Delhi
India of the year seven hundred ten was a tangle of schemes and plots. In Bengal, the Chinese quickly realized they were overstretched, and so they evacuated the region, leaving the freed Bengalis to their own devices, and hoping that recapturing Bengal would be enough for the Tibetans to worry about. Indeed, that proved to be the case, as the Tibetan War simply faded away, discontinued by both parties. As the Bengalis struggled to set up some sort of a government, the Tibetans prepared for reconquest. Their armies soon flooded into the region, soundly defeating the Bengali army, and it seemed as if the Tibetans would be restored their provinces in Bengal.
Until the nation of Simhala thought the time was ripe to invade. Their army, simply given orders to seize the region, cared little if their opposition was Chinese, or Tibetan, or native. After learning from the disastrous excursion to Java, this army had been well provisioned. Completely unprepared for this new threat, the Tibetans in Bengal were defeated yet again. The native Bengalis rose their heads once more, and the Simhalans began battling the rebels, when a third party intervened.
Delhi.
Seeing a unique opportunity to reunite his Burmese holdings with the main body of his empire, the prince of Delhi threw a non-aggression pact with Simhala to the wind, and his armies became the fifth in recent memory to enter the war-torn region of Bengal. The Simhalans, unexpecting such treachery, were caught off guard, as their forces were attacked from two directions. The war however, would not be confined to India for one simple reason, and that reason was because the Tibetan king was insane.
Perhaps driven to madness because of all the intrigue around him, for he was a simple man, the Tibetan king decided that he did not care whether rebel, or Simhalan, or Delhi forces were the ones to hold Bengal. That land was his, and he would have it at all costs. Realizing that Bengal was much too filled with armies to retake at the moment, and noting that Delhi was one of his aforementioned enemies, the Tibetan king gathered his armies, and invaded Kashmir and other northern regions of Delhi. The Delhi prince was prepared for such a contingency, and his reserve forces limited Tibetan gains, and saved the capital, but simultaneously, what was becoming known as the Bengal War spread to south India. Skirmishes broke out between the Simhalan and the Delhi troops near the border, and due to a lack of enough troops to defend against them, the Simhalans have made marginal gains.
Back in Bengal itself, the Delhi advance faltered, because of all the aforementioned conflicts the nation got itself into. The Bengali rebels made a resurgence, and somehow, a small Simhalan garrison managed to hang on to Dacca.
The year 720 dawns on three nations and one rebel faction, all at war with each other. The gods of war smile.
NPC Diplomacy:
To: Holy Celtic Empire, Denmark
From: Norwegian Government in Exile
When you win your war, we expect our independence back.
To: The Svearish King
From: Most of His Subjects
Please, your majesty, make peace before all hope is lost!
To: Aegypt
From: Arab Rebels
You may have helped us get started, but we want nothing to do with you. Retreat. Leave the Benjid lands to us, and let us have our civil war, else we will rip the flesh of your soldiers off their bones.
To: Kingdom of Delhi, Simhala
From: Bengali Rebels
This war is…complicated. As such, we are willing to forgive transgressions of the past. We will ally with whichever one of you is willing to give us our independence.
The machinery that is the government of the Holy Celtic Empire continues grinding away against the nation’s ills.
(+1 Holy Celtic confidence)
Aegypt has a cultural reawakening.
(+2 Aegyptian culture)
In spite of some…problems, work on the Sifriya HaGadol is proceeding faster then ever.
(+1 Axumite project progress, +1 Axumite culture)
The Prince of Delhi has strange dreams.
(+1 Delhi culture)
The Mongol army has a sudden surge in cunning.
(+2 Mongol army quality)
Spotlight: We Were Great, Once
“Am I a betrayer? Perhaps. But I know what glory we once had, and by the grace of Vishnu, we will have that glory once again.”
-The Prince of the Kingdom of Delhi
India of the year seven hundred ten was a tangle of schemes and plots. In Bengal, the Chinese quickly realized they were overstretched, and so they evacuated the region, leaving the freed Bengalis to their own devices, and hoping that recapturing Bengal would be enough for the Tibetans to worry about. Indeed, that proved to be the case, as the Tibetan War simply faded away, discontinued by both parties. As the Bengalis struggled to set up some sort of a government, the Tibetans prepared for reconquest. Their armies soon flooded into the region, soundly defeating the Bengali army, and it seemed as if the Tibetans would be restored their provinces in Bengal.
Until the nation of Simhala thought the time was ripe to invade. Their army, simply given orders to seize the region, cared little if their opposition was Chinese, or Tibetan, or native. After learning from the disastrous excursion to Java, this army had been well provisioned. Completely unprepared for this new threat, the Tibetans in Bengal were defeated yet again. The native Bengalis rose their heads once more, and the Simhalans began battling the rebels, when a third party intervened.
Delhi.
Seeing a unique opportunity to reunite his Burmese holdings with the main body of his empire, the prince of Delhi threw a non-aggression pact with Simhala to the wind, and his armies became the fifth in recent memory to enter the war-torn region of Bengal. The Simhalans, unexpecting such treachery, were caught off guard, as their forces were attacked from two directions. The war however, would not be confined to India for one simple reason, and that reason was because the Tibetan king was insane.
Perhaps driven to madness because of all the intrigue around him, for he was a simple man, the Tibetan king decided that he did not care whether rebel, or Simhalan, or Delhi forces were the ones to hold Bengal. That land was his, and he would have it at all costs. Realizing that Bengal was much too filled with armies to retake at the moment, and noting that Delhi was one of his aforementioned enemies, the Tibetan king gathered his armies, and invaded Kashmir and other northern regions of Delhi. The Delhi prince was prepared for such a contingency, and his reserve forces limited Tibetan gains, and saved the capital, but simultaneously, what was becoming known as the Bengal War spread to south India. Skirmishes broke out between the Simhalan and the Delhi troops near the border, and due to a lack of enough troops to defend against them, the Simhalans have made marginal gains.
Back in Bengal itself, the Delhi advance faltered, because of all the aforementioned conflicts the nation got itself into. The Bengali rebels made a resurgence, and somehow, a small Simhalan garrison managed to hang on to Dacca.
The year 720 dawns on three nations and one rebel faction, all at war with each other. The gods of war smile.
NPC Diplomacy:
To: Holy Celtic Empire, Denmark
From: Norwegian Government in Exile
When you win your war, we expect our independence back.
To: The Svearish King
From: Most of His Subjects
Please, your majesty, make peace before all hope is lost!
To: Aegypt
From: Arab Rebels
You may have helped us get started, but we want nothing to do with you. Retreat. Leave the Benjid lands to us, and let us have our civil war, else we will rip the flesh of your soldiers off their bones.
To: Kingdom of Delhi, Simhala
From: Bengali Rebels
This war is…complicated. As such, we are willing to forgive transgressions of the past. We will ally with whichever one of you is willing to give us our independence.
OOC:
First page updated.
Kal'thzar, if you want a different color, pick one. Where did Israelite and TerrisH go? One interested NESer disapearing is understandable, but two?
And your Bachirans do still exist, das. As witnessed above.
First page updated.
Kal'thzar, if you want a different color, pick one. Where did Israelite and TerrisH go? One interested NESer disapearing is understandable, but two?
And your Bachirans do still exist, das. As witnessed above.
OCC: 
Guess you forget logisitics when you send orders in 10 minutes
Oh well things still went alright dispite poorly supplied troops.
Sorry The Major, I was in on it from the beginning working for the HCE. Please don't hold any grudges. Same with you Sheep. I did what was best for my nation.
From England
To Scotland
We await your unconditional surrender. Your betrayal of the Trinist Church and the Viking coalition will not be tolerated. Further fighting will only lead to needless death.
From England
To Ireland
We wish to further coordinate our efforts to bring the Scottish down once and for all. England will lend a hand to our newfound allies.
From England
To HCE, Trinist Alliance
Our cooperation in bringing down those who betrayed our faith should prove us worthy of admission. England swears to protect the Trinist faith and destroy all those who attempt to divide and weaken the church. Like we said we are asking for admission into your noble and holy alliance.
Guess you forget logisitics when you send orders in 10 minutes
Oh well things still went alright dispite poorly supplied troops.
Sorry The Major, I was in on it from the beginning working for the HCE. Please don't hold any grudges. Same with you Sheep. I did what was best for my nation.
From England
To Scotland
We await your unconditional surrender. Your betrayal of the Trinist Church and the Viking coalition will not be tolerated. Further fighting will only lead to needless death.
From England
To Ireland
We wish to further coordinate our efforts to bring the Scottish down once and for all. England will lend a hand to our newfound allies.
From England
To HCE, Trinist Alliance
Our cooperation in bringing down those who betrayed our faith should prove us worthy of admission. England swears to protect the Trinist faith and destroy all those who attempt to divide and weaken the church. Like we said we are asking for admission into your noble and holy alliance.
