North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
The world, it is said, has been through dark times. But no one can remember darker days than these.
The Empires of old are nearly gone. The Sesh, mighty as they were, were felled in one massive stroke. The Hu’ut are still a power, to be certain, but half their lands were stripped away by barbarian migrations and economic collapse. All in all, some number of millions probably died in the chaos. That is all in the past, but troubles still lie ahead.
It is a dangerous world...
The first new signs of rumblings come out of the distant south. There, the ancient rivalries have been stirred again. Thearak has long been the foe of an alliance of the Duroc and the Uggor, but this time they are put on the defensive. The alliance of the free Republics marches, and from the first skirmishes it is clear that even a war between worshipers of the same god can be brutal.
The first stroke that fell was the dispatch of an army from Thearak, who marched south to defeat the traitorous Piatratans, a breakaway state that had long been a thorn in the side of the motherland. While Thearak had quite a distance to march, they were well supplied, and marched quickly. The smaller nation went to great lengths to gather an army that could match them, straining their economy to the breaking point, thrusting weapons in the hands of untrained levies...
But long before that hammerblow would fall, a fleet sailed from Asandar, bearing straight for the mouth of the River Kiyaj. The Duroc had gathered a force of nearly thirty war galleys, which guarded closely a fleet of nearly a hundred transports. This master stroke had been arranged by the Krato chief Bonto, who foresaw a strong defense by the larger Liealb forces, and concluded only a quick strike by sea could capture their capital.
A harrowing voyage would have been much in the interest of Thearak, but it was instead a fairly pleasant one; the massive storms of autumn that plague the Galas Sea were entirely avoided simply by sailing in the spring, and the fleet arrived safely.
A large force of some 7,000 had been left to guard the capital, which dwarfed the army of four thousand Duroc and Uggor that Bonto had managed to assemble. However, Bonto’s gamble appeared to pay off: while Thearak were expecting that an attack might come by sea, they were caught off-guard by its speed. The allied army managed to deploy on the plain just to the west of the city, and advanced quickly before being met by Thearak.
The battle would be titanic: Thearak had not only a larger force, but a more professional one as well; the only thing that they seriously lacked were war elephants. In retrospect, as he stared down the massive beasts, the general mulled that perhaps sending his own elephants to Piatrata had been a poor idea.
He did have one trump to play, however, as the dedicated chariot force of Thearak rolled in front of the advancing army. One hundred and sixty, all in all, they made an impressive sight.
Both chariot and elephant charged forward to do battle. Through the dust and confused calls, the battle seemed to be turning against Thearak, but the spears surged forwards again and again. Eventually, Bonto ordered his armies to withdraw, satisfied at the damage he had inflicted on the enemy: some managed to board the boats; the others were able to retreat overland without any outright rout.
Meanwhile, the forces of Thearak were finally able to join battle with Piatrata in the south. Having funneled all their elephants into this area, they were able to score a resounding success, shattering the enemy army, though the fleet managed to escape and swore allegiance to Krato.
But this round of campaigns was not over.
An allied army advanced through the north of Thearak. While the defenders had mostly expected this advance, some soldiers had been sent to help defend the capital; the city of Hala was rather under-defended. The large force of Uggor and Duroc were able to soundly defeat the Liealb this time, taking the city easily and restoring it under the banner of Duroc.
Momentous changes were still to be had, however, as the Jalin Derac of the Duroc suffered what appeared to be a glancing wound in the storm, but – whether by poison or merely festering, perished from fever. In the face of a continuing war with a more numerous army, the Senate took an unprecedented step and voted overwhelmingly to join the Uggor. The Council of Chiefs was somewhat taken aback, but delighted to welcome the new members.
While quite different in culture, the two peoples were united by their common enemy and their long alliance; members of the Senate became Chiefs in the great council. The mightiest of alliances was now one of the mightiest of nations; an empire in all but name.
The war, however, had consequences far further than anyone might have suspected.
Far, far to the east, the Zyeshu nations were bands of surprisingly well-traveled, peaceful farmers, most of whom had never quarreled with each other, let alone other nations. All this, however, began to change...
Battles between Piatrata and Thearak had set off, a pebble at a time, an avalanche that threatened to consume the entire east. Piatrata had been the major stabilizer in regional politics for most of its fifty year existence: unlike the distant Thearak, it was very concerned with maintaining the peace. With its collapse, barbarians began to quarrel with each other, and soon a migration began away from the trouble – and into the west.
Tens of thousands were now arriving in the Zyeshu lands; the farmers fought as best they could, but they were horrifically outnumbered. Temish was the first state to fall, but it will probably not be the last. More worryingly, the tiny nations of Tilgun and Laoash are the only barriers between this invasion and the civilization of Hamakua: should it fall, then the entire land could enter a dark age – or perhaps civilization might collapse altogether.
These are dark times.
Hamakua, for its part, led a successful campaign to the north, managing to drive back the barbarians. That is, for the time being, since there are certainly a lot of them. The question is really whether the reconquest will be permanent. Unfortunately, this military expedition allowed Hanakahi to cement its independence (indeed, it was all but ignored by the larger nation), and inadequate funding for the expedition (as well as a very high upkeep) meant that debts began to beset the crown. Some question whether the sacked and ruined city of Waipio is even worth the trouble...
A minor colony, Sivi, was established by the Trilui just to the north of Waipio. While it is currently rather unproductive and not sited quite where they had wanted it (they had actually intended to found it nearly on top of Waipio’s site, but had been beaten there by the Hamakuans), it will certainly serve as an excellent strategic base for further pursuits in the south.
The Opulensi and Arta Xorti states were mostly quiet in this time period, as was Treha. The exception to this was Stad Men, which managed to not only acquire iron working, but with large deposits of the metal, began exporting it to the states in the east, slowly facilitating their transition to the new era.
However, raids from the northeast have plagued the region, leading many to suspect a series of pirate enclaves, or perhaps worse...
Hu’ut was perhaps the most successful nation of this time, mostly as nothing bad happened to it. A diplomatic coup was pulled off when they conceded the city of Palmyra back to that nation, but managed to retain many of the rights to it by keeping one of their own nobles installed on its seat. While some of the more patriotic Palmyrians of the city grumbled, otherwise the transition went smoothly.
Otherwise, an expedition upriver reclaimed the old province around the city of Minar, but that area had been in ruins for ages, and the economic investment that the Empire pumped into it gave only meager returns at best. A much better investment, at least for the prestige of the Empire, was the investment that was given over to monuments built in the honor of the Emperor. Some utter the desire for some sort of great structure that would set them utterly apart from the rest of the world; with the aforementioned investments, construction should not take all that long...
The Farou were similarly quiet, regaining small portions of the northwest from the barbarian “Shaolo”. It was a minor expedition, however, and practically no soldiers were lost in the pursuit.
Rumors abound that the barbarians are indeed feuding amongst themselves, but the rise of a powerful tribe in the east may change the balance of power in the entire cradle. Those are, of course, rumors only.
Of the three great powers, there is one we have not mentioned. The Empire of the Trilui did, in fact, do something in this period. Pirates had become more than a constant annoyance. They were now rather more of a constant threat. The Emperor had arranged an expedition led by Admiral Wolse to finally destroy them.
Wolse decided that a base was necessary for the campaign, and given the comparative lack of good harbors on the north of the Lovi Sea, there was really only one logical choice.
Ropoa Boa.
A name not uttered by many tongues, it was the port and capital of a small, but growing Pekorovan nation. Peaceful and relatively untroubled by the rest of the world thus far, they were utterly surprised to find a vast Trilui army on their doorstep.
The strike was ruthless and efficient, taking the city and slaughtering its garrison from the inside out. Only near the end of the battle were they able to mount any resistance at all, but suffered horrendous losses for all of that. The few commanders able to retain any hold on their units had the good sense to retreat; the fleet was utterly destroyed in port.
Pekorova now faces war with the largest military in the known world, without their capital, and a third of their army already wiped out. It is an uphill battle, if it can even be called a battle, for it has more the feeling of a massacre.
With their newfound base, of course, the Trilui’s campaign against piracy was very effective, and a number of minor enclaves were wiped out. A large area of the northern coast has been brought under the control of the Empire, and possibly their troubles are behind them.
In every history book written since the beginning of time, without exception, there has been some mention of the River Sesh running red with blood. In fact, it has been christened the “Bloody River”, the “River of Crimson”, “Great Blood”, and so on. These repeated references are usually not lost on readers, who correctly make the inference that quite a number of wars have been fought there.
So there was yet another.
Jania was simply the largest shard of the old Empire of the Sesh, a breakaway state that, through its mountainous location, managed to escape the largest part of the barbarian invasions and collapse. Its rich gold veins, moreover, were able to fund its rapid transition to the iron age, which, while it occurred far too quickly for the local economy to quite catch up, has fully enabled their armed forces to make the transition.
This, combined with a strong tradition of generalship, including a recent new strain of hero-worship, was able to motivate a new spurt of expansionism.
The River Delta was taken quickly, the minor barbarian tribes being wiped aside, their former fierceness only a distant memory. These were minor conquests, but they set the path for something much larger. The restoration of the Empire.
A flotilla of trading vessels made their way up the Sesh, leisurely rowing against the current. Their holds were filled with salt and incense, and their captains hoped to make a large profit in the city of Tisesh. This was the official story, in any case, and few thought to question it; the reforging of the trade route along the Sesh was happily anticipated.
The trading mission turned into a nightmare for the Tisesh when an army emerged from the bowels of the merchant fleet, slaughtering the garrison of the city, and taking the Senate hostage. The hastily drawn up forces were unable to prevent the capture of their city: Tisesh had fallen at a single stroke. Nikros remained, of course, but the superior tactics, not to mention numbers, of the Janians were able to wipe the floor with that remnant.
It was then that Jania declared itself to be Jania no longer. The Empire of the Sesh had risen again, but this time it was more Arkage than it had ever been before. It also had a ruined heartland, for the Delta was still suffering from the years of erosion, mismanagement, and warfare; despite this the Empire was one of the more powerful in the region.
The reaction from New Seshweay was alarmed. Rumors had been that the old site of Se’is might be given over to them; the holiest site in all of the Ancestor Worship’s lands, but they proved to be unfounded. The rulers, who had been negotiating a defensive pact with Tisesh, were stunned at the swiftness of the Janian conquest, and as they themselves had dreamed of a restored Empire of the Sesh – under their own banner – they feared what this one might bring.
Otherwise, New Seshweay became one of the more prosperous states in the region, rapidly uniting the Exiled States under its banner, and spreading Seshweay culture much further north than it ever had been before. The Bosrttian people were the most notable converts to Ancestor Worship, with the new nation of Styr showing heavy Seshweay influences.
The other state to have split from the old Empire, Bahra, was surely cursing its unluckiness. Its chiefs had long had their own eyes on Tisesh, but they had regarded it as better to bide their time than to strike. Now they had been preempted, possibly with disastrous results. As if to make up for the lost of the potential conquest, the King led an expedition to the southwest, founding the city and fort of Yishidim.
Far to the north, Acca was the only active Ailuttorutto state, expanding significantly southwards, but otherwise doing little, though “administrative reforms” helped them to consolidate their new conquests quickly.
Gallat and Ferman both had periods of expansion in the period, fueled by their war machines. Gallat had taken yet another small tribe by force, which prompted a few others to join them willingly. This was met with some consternation by Peren, which feared encirclement, and expanded northeast to compensate. Ferman, for its part, utterly destroyed the minor tribe of Gerhol, and skirmishes with the Kardil nation meant that many speculated it to be the next conquest in line.
Otherwise, Ferman managed to expand its economy in diverse areas, whereas Gallat was able to reform its economy to function based off of more northerly trade; they were also able to obtain the secret to iron working, which gave them a leg up over their southern neighbors.
A new people have risen in the north, the Launians. Starkly divided in their worldview, they believe the daytime is the peak of their god Anaian, and the nighttime that of his enemy Neuricanos. The third god is Seadol, who allies with one or the other, causing the seasons. Their main state is Taudo, which has succeeded in driving out the local Prokym chieftains, and establishing their own state. However, times are harsh, and even starting an agricultural economy is difficult.
The migrations triggered by the Launians have meanwhile led to pressure on the northern borders of Rutto by Prokym tribes, who threaten to overrun the entirety of the north.
Kedoy has finally been matched by the other Ederru tribes. While the peoples of Lmehugu have a far smaller power base at the moment, they have managed to bring under their banner the great caves at Lemdeh.
And far from the lands of civilized men, the Satarai tribes continue their endless westward migrations. Grumblings have been heard among the wives, who speak of meager food for their children, and even from the stout warriors, who have seen many horses die from starvation. But many others point out that these were not uncommon problems in the east either. The chiefs are adamant anyway. The journey continues.
Casualties, Miscellaneous Bonuses:
Spoiler :
Krato:
-2,000 militia
-50 professionals
-10 elephants
+500 income (conquests)
+2,000 income (Duroc)
+3,500 militia (Duroc)
+300 professionals (Duroc)
+50 ships (Duroc)
+10 ships (Piatrata)
+19,450 manpower (Duroc)
Duroc:
-500 militia
-50 professionals
Piatrata:
-Nation
Thearak:
-3,500 militia
-150 professionals
-120 chariots
-10 ships
-10,000 manpower (northern two cities)
+5,000 manpower (Piatrata)
-1,000 income (northern two cities)
+1,000 income (Piatrata)
Temish:
-nation
Pekorova:
-1,000 militia
-150 professionals
-10 ships
-5,000 manpower
-1,000 income
Trilui:
-500 militia
-50 professionals
Jania:
-1,000 militia
-100 professionals
+1,000 income
+10,000 manpower
Tisesh
-nation
Ferman:
-300 militia
Gallat:
-200 militia
Story Bonuses:
I am pleased to hand out this many.
Masada (1 “banked” from last turn):
+1 New Seshweay (smooth union of the Exiled States)
+A national transformation: For this turn only, New Seshweay can skip recruitment costs for ships (see below).
Neverwonagame3:
+Easy integration with Tisesh
+“Military traditions”: For this turn only, the Empire of the Sesh can skip recruitment costs for professional soldiers.
Ninja Dude:
+Integration with Duroc and good luck in battle.
Kal’thzar:
Cushioned losses in income from the northern cities.
Haseri:
The Ederru were catapulted into a “genuine” civilization, whatever that means. More importantly, they are on an equal footing with Kedoy.
Cuivienen:
+Income bonuses from north-south trade.
+The iron age.
conehead234:
+Success in his “anti-pirate” venture (seizing Ropoa Boa), with minor casualties, and a slight economic boost.
OOC:
Again, apologies for the delay.
Nations NPCed:
Treha - Charles Li (classy first turn)
Epichirisi - Yui108
Baharr - Toltec
Rutto - flyingchicken
Neruss - skizzik
The number of dropouts is quite alarming, especially since none of you had the courtesy to tell me. The three veterans (Yui, Toltec, and fc) have one turn to reclaim their nations before they are open for anyone to play.
Mostly because of these unintended NPCs, stats will come tomorrow rather than tonight.
ORDERS DUE: July 5th.
I do not want to deal with that number of non and late senders again. Please get them in before you go to bed on July 4th, or the morning of July 5th if you happen to live in a timezone across the pond.
I do not want to have to start penalizing people for getting orders in late.
SHIPS, PROFESSIONALS, AND ELEPHANTS NOW COST MONEY TO RECRUIT!
A slight rebalancing was needed. Ships cost an additional 10 “currency” to build per ship. Professionals require 3 “gold” to train. Elephants require 10 per each to tame (half price for Krato and Moti; only they and Thearak can currently tame them anyway).
If you want to use these units on the same turn as you train them, you have to pay maintenance costs as well as recruitment costs. If you are poor, you can recruit them the first turn, then start paying maintenance the second turn onwards.