Update Ten: Part Two
New Arrivals
c. Two years.
230 - 232 SR by the Seshweay Calendar
129 - 131 RM by the Satar Calendar
For more than a thousand years, men have toiled and died to build the great civilizations of the known world. The Sesh and the Arkage, the Trilui and Faron, Krato and Thearak, Hamakua and Opulensi, Gallat and the Lutto. These have been the world, a great trade network entirely self-contained, a continuous band of people with a common heritage. They farm the same crops, they see the same stars, they know the same history, and it is ancient. Even the discovery that there was another cradle of civilization, that of the Ming, has passed into common knowledge and acceptance. There is no great revelation there; the world still seemed as though it was all discovered, that there were no great civilizations beyond the familiar.
So it was with no small amount of derision that the envoys of the Dulama were received by the Chiefs on the upper Yensai. These men, though dressed in finery that could not have been equaled by most in the entire world, brought with them claims of a massive empire, one that was greater than any the world had ever known. The Chiefs replied that they were under the protection of a far greater one, that of Krato. Perhaps news of the emissaries never even made it to the Chief of Chiefs. Perhaps he ignored them deliberately. Regardless, no reply was offered to this first embassy of the Dulama.
The Algoli were perhaps more intelligent; perhaps, coming out of the west as they had in ancient days, they were simply better informed. The Exatai submitted at once to the rule of these men from the west, giving every obeisance that they knew how. Observers at the court scoffed. Why had the Algoli given such credulity to ambassadors who delivered no proofs of such a kingdom, indeed, not even gifts for their new vassals? It seemed like folly. But it was not.
The year after all this had taken place, and after the fall of Magha, 231 by the Seshweay Calendar, saw the first signs of actual movement by this nearly mythic empire. Already, noble refugees from the court of the Ndeos (which had fallen into chaos after the scheming of the Order of the One had matured) arrived in the councils of the tribes of Krato nearest the west. They said they had been overrun by a great power, and pleaded with the chiefs to send great expeditions to their aid, promising everlasting fealty. Of course the Chiefs had shown them every kindness, feeding and housing them for a fortnight before politely shoving them out the door. And of course no such expedition would take place.
Mere months later, a Twe raiding party raged down the west bank of the Yensai, burning the villages as they went. This was met by a Kratoan army, and crushed. Survivors, before they were executed, pleaded with the War-Chief, exclaiming that they had been driven to their work by a greater force that had burned their own homelands. The signs were mounting that something was amiss.
And then the trickle grew into a flood. Refugees from the Twe lands were pouring into Kratoan lands, and the Chiefs began to panic over the flow. Soon after, dispatches began to tell of the massive Dulama army, and its steady advance down the river. Estimates of a strength of over 200,000 were dismissed, but it seemed as though a total of 50,000 men was not out of the question.
It was now fortunate indeed for Krato that the Twe were perhaps the most aggravating tribe that had dwelt on the Yensai, for the Dulama stopped to pacify this tiny strip of land for an unreasonably long period of time. Indeed, Krato was able to send an embassy to make contact with the Dulama themselves. Received with great respect by the Dulama general, he sent them onwards, giving them a guide and an escort. Thus it was in the year 232 that the Dulama Empire became known in all its glory to the wider world.
The Kratoan embassy was by no means filled with untraveled country bumpkins. Some had gone north with the vast army to besiege Magha, and had seen what many acclaimed as the most beautiful palaces in the world, and the monasteries of the red cliffs below. Some had been to Trovin before it was sacked, and Hiuttu, and Farou. All had been to Opios and Asandar. But none were quite prepared for what greeted them.
Journeying up the River Yensai, it immediately struck them how peaceful the land was despite only being there for two years, the Dulama had evidently cowed the locals. But quickly, they rose out of the jungle and into the hills beyond: further than any Kratoan had gotten before. And there, in the sharp green hills of the Empire, did they first lay their eyes on the city of Dula.
Dula was larger than any city had a right to be; nearly a million people dwelt there in its prime. The sprawling residential sectors were as disorganized as could be expected, but cutting through it all were two great avenues that intersected in the Sacred Quarter of the city. The outer walls were thirty feet high and ten thick; the inner, surrounding the Quarter, were similarly massive. Through the gates, they entered into the Sacred Quarter, and found themselves immediately engaged in a strange ritual.
The dances and song and chant of the Dulama were all too confusing to the envoys for them to make any sense of it, but they quickly grasped the gist of it. All attentions were focused on the great pyramid in the center of the city, and for that day, it seemed to them that it was perhaps the center of the world as well. Tiled with a smooth, golden stone, steps led up the side to a flat platform on top; there, the ritual seemed to be nearing its peak. The men in the Quarter gave a great shout and a bound prisoner watched with terrified eyes as a knife flashed in between his ribs.
The Kratoan emissaries were horrified. Here was a people who practiced human sacrifice a savagery that was unmatched anywhere else. But when they looked around, they saw that clearly, it was a nation of great culture and learning. Through interpreters, they learned that this land had philosophers that matched and easily surpassed the greatest of the East. They were presented with a great, golden-bound copy of what they were told was the most revered of the Dulama epics. They found the temples filled delectable harmonies of song. They found the food strange, utterly unlike any they had known in their homeland, but strangely satisfying. Yet all the same, they could not shed the memory of that ritual as they reported back to the Council of Chiefs.
How shall they and others react to this new empire? And will the Empire stop at the Twe lands, or continue on to conquer the heartland of Krato itself, already so weakened by warfare?
* * * * * * * * *
Two cultures we must also introduce, though their machinations have not yet truly begun.*
The Ateuma are a strange society by any measure. Certainly the most immediate oddity is their ascription to a democratic form of government, but no less strange is their habit, at least in their city of Aeropo, of letting only the best and brightest in. Naturally, this leads more than one wag to assert that Aeropo is completely empty, but in practice, this method has created a city of intellectuals. Undoubtedly the screening system will break down in future generations, but for now, it remains one of the jewels of the north. Still, these citizens must face the difficult task of navigating a landscape filled with larger powers, like Shu, and of course the rising Evyni Empire...
Far away from the lands we have so far covered lies a country that is shrouded in mists and rain, with high windswept moors that rise majestically, only to suddenly fall into deep-cut valleys that sometimes fill with water to form great narrow lakes. This land has been occupied for hundreds of years, but only recently has its people begun to organize themselves. The Götht, as they name themselves, are skilled metal-workers, and perhaps even more skilled warriors. In the past few centuries, they drove the Stettin rapidly westward; thus they can be viewed as partly responsible for the current plague falling on the Ederru. But in the times of occasional peace between raids, trade has slowly begun to piece itself together; only now have the Götht realized what a massive world they are living in...
* - Call this a clever way of indicating that I am not going to narrate the events in them just yet. Instead, I am merely introducing them.
Political Map. Wait a day and another map might appear here as well.
OOC:
All right. As you will notice, this is a
pathetic update, given that it has taken me the entirety of April, May, and June to get to this point. For that, I would have pleaded college, but obviously the delay continued well into the summer months. To be honest, I had my doubts that I could pick this NES up again after leaving it for so long. But after a series of revelations, I am determined to carry this to its fullest potential.
We have one IT update left, mostly to set affairs in order. You know the drill, standard order plans. After that, I expect the Dark Ages to occur in one massive update, so we can get to a fairly reasonable stage of progress for the summer despite the weeks lost in my exercise in laziness.
I am setting a provisional due date of
this Monday, high noon. Do I expect you to meet that? Well, no. You know your character, I do as well. The
issue, as it were, is that I am headed to a large island in the middle of a very large lake for slightly over a week on Tuesday. I can try to crank out an update on Monday. Or, this waits another week for an update. Your choice, really. I know its not much time to do diplomacy (and it really isnt for Ninja Dude, so this next statement excludes him) but I did give you weeks from stats until due date, and I am fairly available to ask about NPC diplomacy.
Anyway, moderator nastiness aside, lets get this back on track, guys.
Recommendations
All right, so lets look at the options:
The Dulama, of course, are permanently NPC. You cannot play them. Even if you beg.
Jipha is a dynamic state south of Krato, fairly prosperous, rather rich. If Krato continues to fall apart, as Im sure ND dearly wishes will not happen, then they could be able to pick up the pieces. For now, it remains peaceful and extremely highly cultured; centuries ago the poets and singers of the Hamakua fled there, and their influence is still keenly felt.
Hanakahi is a similarly rising state, but considerably more bloody in character. They are conducting a vicious war against the Trilui. Hanakahi controls the heartland of the old Hamakuan culture, noted, as you probably just read, for its poets and singers, but the heartland was depopulated by wars against the Trilui and barbarian invasions. Thus, they are fighting a war of revenge. Both it and Jipha are located in tropical climates.
Leheb, New Kalos, Ichan, Erlias, Cynta, and Ania are all minor colonies founded by the growth and expansion of the Opulensi and Arta Xorti cultures across the Kbrilma sea. They are small, maritime based, with a lot of trading, and a decent potential for expansion. They are allied in a large league against predation by the Opulensi, Trilui, Leun, or the Nahari, and a ruler of any of these small nations must watch each of those larger powers closely. They are good for a peaceful, mercantile game.
Farea is similar to these, but with a different heritage: that of the freedom-loving, slavery-abhorring Faron. Indeed, Farea is a colony for freed slaves fleeing population pressures and the Satar horde.
Oscadia is a tough, no-nonsense state located in mountains and valleys of a harsh landscape. The plains below are nearly a desert; the mountains themselves are snow-capped but not very fertile. The people who inhabit these lands are rugged shepherds, farmers, or warriors, but they do not eschew culture; one can find plenty of expert craftsmen there. It is a tough game, however, being surrounded by large, aggressive powers like the Satar and Acca.
Cotisi is a nice, peaceful nation, fairly small compared to its larger sister nation, the Evyni. Farming and trade are the name of this particular game, though with an inland position and one flank guarded by the mountains, it is considerably more defensible than many other similarly described states.
Vonenheim and Darrowmire are seafaring, rading cultures.
Seadol is a rather picturesque lands of forests and rivers, but on the border of a much larger Evyni Empire, and must walk a fine line.
Hasia or Tarasat are minor allies of the Gallatenes, but Tarasat in particular has plenty of room to go on a lovely crusade out into the East.
Caon is the largest of a trio of Astrii city states, which are quite fond of their own liberty, and have successfully avoided being eaten up by smaller powers. With the ongoing collapse of the Trilui, they may well end up having ridiculously good opportunities for expansion across the Lovi Sea.
And of course, one of my beloved players may not return, in which case wed need to tragically fill the slot. Well see.