Against All Odds: The Struggles of the Noyyau

[Spirictum]

I feel so bad I don't have the time to read this story. Sorry Noyyau, but please keep your awesome work here. I believe I might get the time to come back not long from now, but there are still many stuff that need to be solved prior to that.

And also, wish my country doesn't collapse because of this political turmoil, things are pretty intense here.

 

[Dorfmeister]

Keep it up Noyyau! I have enjoyed following this thread immensely. I hope to see you stand the test of time and make it to the endgame!

 

[Noyyau]

Author's suggestion: Play this in the background.

An embassy was established with the Viking Kingdom, another Lower Continent nation that had accepted the true Shintoist faith. Careful enquiries revealed that the Vikings had neutral or amicable relations with all the major trading partners of the Noyyau, so the diplomatic mission was approved by King Felix.

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The new treaties with the Vikings included the switch to Noyyau currency, which allowed them to buy Noyyau goods at particularly favorable prices.

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Finally, a renowned Viking mercenary warlord was invited to serve the Noyyau Kingdom, his fees commisurate to his company's effective military strength.

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A chance encounter off the Ottoman coast led to the plundering of an Ottoman naval convoy, the Noyyau Privateers then limping home, badly damaged but laden with riches.

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One downside of the great amount of (purely independent and in no way related to the Noyyau Kingdom) naval warfare that occurred around the world was the staggering number of returning sailors maimed by all manners of weaponry, to say nothing of the diseases that so often plagued ocean-travelling vessels. The need to heal so many grievous wounds sparked an unprecedented amount of study of the functions of the human body, the first step in going beyond the centuries-old knowledge passed down by shamans and Church healers.

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The Treasure unearthed among Sand People ruins in the Great Desert finally reached Tehran, where it was used to fund the House Spirictum share in a new commercial organization: the East India Ocean Company.
Alongside some small private contributions, the largest share was provided by House Florentanius, keen to strenghten its growing business interests in foreign nations.
Under nominal control of the King but operationally independent, the Company's stated purpose was to establish Noyyau dominance over trading and shipping lanes in the Eastern Ocean.

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A wandering corsair Sloop approached the Canadian coastline, and was soon engaged by a welcoming party of Canadian Caravels.

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A Frigate flotilla decided that it would be a good idea to blockade the narrow strait between Pakistan and the (former) Moroccan peninsula, discovering in the process that the Ottomans had settled the abandoned lands that once belonged to the Apaches.
The Pakistany Navy soon made known their own opinion on the matter of the blockade, almost wiping out the pirates in an intense nocturnal battle.

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The tide of the battle was turned only the next morning, with the timely arrival of more pirate reinforcements, forcing the Pakistani Navy to retreat.

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In the frigid north, the Northern Patrol fended off another bandit attempt to cross south into Noyyau territory.

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A Noyyau Explorer, wandering the Catfish Continent to keep Noyyau maps up to date, witnessed the Siamese invasion of the Indian Toltec Territories, separated from India proper by the Great Siamese Kingdom.

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The night before a paper on a revolutionary concept was to be sent to be printed, a devastating fire consumed the entire neighbourhood where the author resided. The entirety of the manuscript was lost in the blaze, though the author managed to escape from a tragic death.

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Despite being obsolete compared to the corsairs that had reached Canada, the Canadian Caravels still overwhelmed the would-be plunderers with sheer numbers.

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Born out of the Anatomical discoveries that contradicted traditional knowledge, the mentality of looking for material proof for one's theories was formally named in a seminal and controversial paper anonymously published, though the writing style and lexical choices made it clear that the author had to be an Oxford University professor.

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While the capital's intellectuals debated about the Scientific Method, the western provinces were still a hotbed of rebellious activity. Hinduist fanatics had somehow found refuge in Sofia and Timbuktu, and the locals were quick to find a new cause to rally to in their common hatred of the Noyyau.

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After a long time, a pirate expedition made its way towards Incan waters. A major naval battle erupted against the Incan vessels aggressively patrolling a large area beyond their borders.

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The Hinduist rebels finally made their move, with predictable results. King Felix did not even have to issue orders, the Sofian garrison already knew what had to be done.

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Lithuania once had been an important regional power, but their xenophobia and isolationism left them behind in the technological race. Their ships were so obsolete, they still used oars. The Noyyau Privateers fell on them like eagles chasing mice.

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To be able to deal with the source of the northern outlaws, the Northern Patrol was re-equipped with modern Arquebuses and given orders to leave nothing standing.

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The citizens of Alemanni, the eastern island colony, once again expressed their radical political opinions, and once again carefully placed bribes made the agitators change their views to something less rebellious.

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In the North, the village of Phoenician was finally razed, its inhabitants dead or captured by the Northern Patrol.

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Without any warning, Hinduist Pict rebels appeared outside the walls of Damnonii and Taezali. Had the Sofia revolt been merely a distraction?
Despite the surprise, the Noyyau garrisons were still able to repel the rebel attacks, though the countryside was momentarily in rebel hands. Unfortunately the 1st Arquebusier Regiment, out of Damnonii for field exercises, was surrounded and massacred to a man.
This intelligence failure prompted serious discussions about the fragmentation of the various organizations, with House Florentanius proposing to establish a unified intelligence service to avoid such blunders in the future.

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Taezali's defending Vanguards took to the hills and mountains, fighting the Picts in the Silver Mines and narrow mountain passes.

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The mercenary warlords contracted by the Noyyau earned their wages, leading the charges against the rebels.
In less than a week of running battles in Damnonii's hills and forests, the latest Pict rebellion was finally drowned in their own blood.

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[Noyyau]

Author's suggestion: Play this in the background.

After the fire that had destroyed his work and his house (not to mention the whole neighbourhood), the Pakistani philosopher and economist painstakingly rewrote his treatise on Liberalism from memory, only to be robbed of the print-ready draft on the way to the printing shop.
It seemed that Magyar was not as safe as it used be...

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As if by coincidence, less than a week later a renowned Noyyau economist published his own philosophical paper about Liberalism, most certainly a product of national Noyyau thinking, and in no way related to the stolen and unpublished Pakistani papers.

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The immediate response from the conservatives was a treatise on the merits of strong monarchic rule, and the dangers of chaos and anarchy should the king's power be perceived as weak.

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In foreign news, the Lithuanians surprised everybody when they conquered the Siamese city of Nakhon Pathom, near their borders, with a sudden surprise attack that served as their declaration of war against Siam. It seemed that their foot soldiers, despite the lack of modern firearms, were more capable than they looked.
The Noyyau military commanders pondered the possible reasons the xenophobic Lithuanians had to join this war. Did the Indians bribe them into action, or did they perceive a Siamese weakness on their borders and seized the occasion?

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Indian forces also reported victory in Pak Kret, opening the way towards the fertile Siamese heartland that lay further north.
Less than a month into a war of their own making, and the Siamese had already lost two cities.

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While battles raged all along the southern Siamese borders, Noyyau corsairs attempted once again to push into Incan waters, battling the seemingly numberless Incan navy.

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Noyyau observers on the Catfish continent reported the first, albeit of little significance, Siamese victory: a contested mountain pass leading to the Indian Toltec Territory of Tula.

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While the world watched with interest the bloodshed in Siam, the Giacola Rogues gained detailed information on the reorganizations going on in the Pakistani army, delivering it straight to the highest Noyyau military commanders for evaluation.

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When the Noyyau observers reached Nakhom Pathom, they found the city firmly in Lithuanian hands, and more troops were spotted advancing further into the Siamese riverlands.

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Having retreated and hidden among the arctic ice to effect much needed repairs, the Noyyau corsairs were caught by surprise when an Incan naval patrol happened upon them. The Incans, however, were just as suprised, and were hunted down and sunk before they could report back.

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The situation was so dire for the Siamese that most of the Tula expedition was recalled to defend the south, leaving only a token raiding party to keep the Tula garrison busy.

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The next surprise in the ongoing war against Siam came from the Ottomans, reopening centuries-old hostilities with their Indian neighbours. Once again, the Noyyau had no way to know if this was a success for Siamese diplomacy, or merely Ottoman opportunism to conquer some territory while the bulk of the Indian army was busy up north in Siam.

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Compared to all the exciting battles, ground and naval, going on around the world, the small training expedition in the Latvian North organized to give some hands-on experience to green recruits was nothing more than a footnote in the Noyyau news.

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To better follow the developments of the conflict, even the Mongolian Adventurers were ordered to postpone their cartographical expeditions and find passage north, towards the shifting Siam-India border.

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Meanwhile the Noyyau corsairs fought running battles with the Incans around a small volcanic island in the chain of islands known as the Catfish's Whiskers, the garrison of a Siamese colony nearby praying that the pirates won't turn their attention to them.

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Sensing new opportunities for plunder, the Noyyau Privateers left the Lithuanian coasts and sailed towards Ottoman waters, where they intercepted an unprotected Ottoman convoy laden with war supplies.

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Assyria finally joined the rest of the world on the oceans, discovering that bigger and better armed Privateers were already there, waiting for them.

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As the Siamese forces continued to move south, Toltec nationalists decided that the time had come to strike at their Indian overlords, in the hopes of restoring their national independence.

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The Lithuanians demonstrated their ruthlessness during the siege of Rayong, another southern Siamese city. Even after the fall of the garrison, the population refused to be subjugated and attempted to evict the Lithuanian invaders with woefully insufficient weapons and training. In response, the Lithuanian commander had the population exterminated and the city burned, a small fort built in its place to maintain control of the area.

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Meanwhile, the battle for the Pakistan-Morocco strait had been ongoing, alternating pitched battles with calmer moments.

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Debris washing up on the shores became a common occurence in the Siamese colonies in the Catfish's Whiskers, as the Noyyau corsairs continued to battle the Incans.

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The Northern Training Expedition reached its objectives when the independent village of Phrygian was torched and its surviving inhabitants chained.

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While the erudite Noyyau debated back and forth about the merits and flaws of Absolutism and Liberalism, the merchant class kept growing in numbers and wealth, their attention devoted almost exclusively to keeping the economy going and their profits growing.

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The world's first Hotel was built in Noyyau by Walt Disney, member of a new generation of Noyyau traders always on the move, to ease the traditional difficulties and discomforts of having to find decent lodging while traveling. Soon after, Disney's Hotels sprung up virtually everywhere in the Kingdom, the entrepreneur promising help with the initial investment in exchange for a reasonable percentage of the future profits.

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Despite their initial successes, the unexpected Ottoman attack had forced India to cut back on imports and funnel that money into weapons and soldiers.
Undeterred and unwilling to lose a source of income, the Noyyau traders turned to the wealthy Indian elite, providing them with Spices that the war had already made difficult to obtain.

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[andyguy]

Keep it up man! I've been loving this so far and I'm interested to see how it will end

 

[Niccolo Edwards]

1. House Florentanius is pleased with the advancement and propagation of Noyyau culture throughout the Kingdom.
2. Privately; House Florentanius is pleased with the successes of the "non-Noyyau" privateers.
3. House Florentanius would like to express concern about the violence in Siam and its potential for disrupting trade.
4. House Florentanius would like to congratulate Mr. Disney on his ingenious hotel designs. They will certainly bring about changes in the way the Noyyau do business.

 

[Noyyau]

Author's suggestion: Play this in the background.

Despite constant Pakistani attempts at dislodging them, the Noyyau corsairs maintained their control of the contested strait.

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During a lull in the fighting, a squadron of Privateers made a foray into Incan waters, only to be met with even more Incan ships.

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The Noyyau province of Northern Pictland, historically and ethnically the nations of Bulgaria and Mali, was still gripped by the worst unrest in decades. Descendants of fanatical Iranian Hinduists had prosetilized among the lower classes of the oppressed Bulgarians and Malinese, urging them to oppose and drive out the Noyyau conquerors.

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The obvious threats were quickly dealt with by the ever-ready Noyyau garrisons, however the population remained hostile for a long time after the armed rebels had been defeated. In such a dangerous situation, the repairs to damaged infrastructure in the countryside would also take longer than usual.

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The Kingdom's attention was suddenly shifted to the Lower Continent, where Noyyau traders hurriedly evacuated the recently established embassy and trading posts in the Viking capital of Nidaros.
The Lower Continent wars, up until this moment, had not been deemed important by the Noyyau, and Nidaros was considered to be safe, far as it was from the Vikings' enemies, the Hurrians and their vassals the Canadians.
Despite its location far from the borders, the ancient Viking city was about to fall to a determined attack, competently planned and carried out. The effective maneuvers and coordination between the Hurrians and the Canadians piqued the interest of the Noyyau military commanders, just as the Hurrians' advanced firearms did.

Spoiler :

The growing instability, both domestic and international, prompted an expedition to a small independent island, locked in the arctic ice north of Siam, to refresh the Noyyau troops' fighting skills. A secondary objective was also to keep the foreign mercenary warlords occupied, lest they got some wrong ideas out of boredom.

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While the Vikings were desperately attempting to defend their capital, the Noyyau traders moved to the Kingdom of Hatti, finding a hungry market for the plentiful Noyyau construction Stone.
The Hittites, devout Shintoists, had been converted by Spirictum Missionaries a few decades past, during the time of the oceanic explorations. In fact, they had become so devout, that they refused to even consider going to war against the Hurrians, as they also had accepted Shintoism as their state religion. Who could have thought that our missionary efforts would have been so effective?

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[Noyyau]

Author's suggestion: Play this in the background.

Dear readers, at long last the time has come for your opinion to be heard!
Or did you forget that this is an interactive story?
(I couldn't really blame you, it's been a while and updates have been quite long in the making lately. Real life tends to eat into my Civ time.)

I would like to invite everyone who is interested to vote. It is not necessary to roleplay an entire House to participate (though it is certainly encouraged!), your vote might be the opinion of a noble in the court, or a coalition of merchants, or whatever else strikes your fancy! (And makes sense given the setting.)
Don't be shy!

In these last few months, the world has spiralled into conflict, the Catfish Continent has seen a domino effect of sudden strikes and backstabbings (only Pakistan is still biding its time), while the Lower Continent, never truly at peace, has surprised even the Noyyau with weapons far ahead of the rest of the world.

King Felix has called the House of Nobles and his most trusted military commanders for advice on how to shape Noyyau foreign policy in the near future.

The main question is:

Should we intervene in any of the foreign wars? Who should we help?

Here's a review of each theater:

1) Catfish Continent Clash
Siam vs India, Lithuania
Ottomans vs India

Map of the Catfish Continent:

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The foreign relations chart, showing only the nations of the Catfish Continent.
The Noyyau have good relations (Pleased) with everyone except the Lithuanians, who even consider us their worst enemies! No idea why, there have never been any kind of conflict or even relation between Noyyau and Lithuania, merely minor trading exchanges.
Except for Lithuania, we have Embassies, Open Borders, and trade agreements with everyone, though our best friends and trading partners (to the Noyyau, these concepts are interchangeable) are the Pakistanis, who are also the richest and most advanced of their continent.
Siam is on par with Pakistan regarding trade volume with the Noyyau. Compared to Pakistan, Siam is less advanced technologically, but has a larger territory and population (though with how the war is going for them, that might change).

Spoiler :

2) Lower Continent Rumble
Vikings vs Hurrians, Canada

Map of the Lower Continent

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The foreign relations chart for the Lower Continent nations.
Home to more numerous and diverse civilizations, the Lower Continent has been reached by the Noyyau only during the age of oceanic exploration, and aggressively converted to Shintoism: only Holy Rome and Canada are not Shintoists (the are Confucians, which holy city we also control, by the way), and the Egyptians (but they're an inconsequential 2 or 3 city vassal to the Hittites).
Despite the shared religion bonus, the Noyyau have good relations (i.e. Pleased or Friendly, Embassy, Open Borders and trade agreements) only with the Mongolians, Vikings, Dutch and Hittites.
The Noyyau are not trading with the Romans and Holy Romans not so much because of their opinions on the Noyyau (that has never stopped the Noyyau traders from making some more money), rather because Pakistan is currently at war with them both. The Noyyau definitely have no wish to alienate the Pakistanis (and their money).

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Once a decision on who to help has been made, the next question is:
How to help?
The possibilities are many:
-Gift gold, either a lump sum or gold per turn
-Gift military units
-Embargo their enemies
-Covert sabotage through espionage
-Declare war and directly invade their enemies
Or anything else you can come up with!

What path shall the Noyyau take in these times of uncertainty?



Finally, for completeness, the full chart of foreign relations.

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[Niccolo Edwards]

1. The Watch of House Florentanius has been ordered to crack down on rebels.
2. The Watch of House Florentanius, in coronation with the Security and Intelligence Service, will be conducting operations to deescalate the situation.
3. The Watch of House Florentanius will be deploying advisors to any nation that this council desires to assist in training their soldiers for policing roles.
4. House Florentanius would urge that the Noyyau support the Mongolians on the Lower Continent and on the Catfish Continent support the Siamese and Pakistanis.
5. The Watch of House Florentanius would request permission to deploy trainers and advisors to Siam to teach their soldiers how to better defend their cities.
6. House Florentanius would urge this council to discretely consider employing foreign mercenaries to assist our Catfish Continent allies (give gifts of units to our allies on the Catfish Continent). House Florentanius is willing to order its overseas discrete assets to make contact with foreign mercenary companies.

 

[Noyyau]

Author's suggestion: Play this in the background.

While the Noyyau Kingdom awaited the decision of the Great Houses, the rest of the world did not remain still.
The Pakistani-Holy Roman war came to an end thanks to the efforts of Harold Macmillan, a diplomat from Prague with a gift for negotiations.

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After their initial victories, the Lithuanians sought to establish control over the southeastern Siamese riverlands, before attempting to siege another city.

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The Noyyau expedition against the arctic barbarians began with an amphibious attack to cover the landing of the mercenary Warlords and their troops. The natives attempted a valiant but doomed counterattack, the fate of their settlement already decided.

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On the other side of the Catfish Continent, the Noyyau Privateer raids continued against the Incans and their seemingly unending flow of ships.

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Adventurers from all over the Kingdom gathered in Robertia to charter a ship and sail towards foreign lands, eager to witness firsthand the events unfolding abroad.

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The Northern Training Expedition chased a few more outlaws to another refuge in the frozen wilderness, preparing to strike.

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After a substantial reorganization of the various and splintered Noyyau intelligence entities, born during the Iranian and then Pictish rebellions, the newly formed Security and Intelligence Service sent its Spies on their first mission abroad, led by the (in)famous Giacola Rogues. Their objective: to bring back to Noyyau samples and production knowledge of the new firearms seen in the conflicts on the Lower Continent.

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In Caledonii, the historical capital of the Pict Kingdom, King Felix inaugurated a grandiose monument to commemorate his mother, Queen Niniann, beloved by Picts and Noyyau alike, as a symbol of unity between the two peoples.
“Too long have the Picts and the Noyyau fought each other,” declared King Felix during his speech “this conflict keeping all of us stuck in the past, in our ancient feuds and hatreds. The time has come to leave our misunderstandings behind. Out of the many we shall forge an indivisible whole, so that the whole world shall recognize our might, or perish in their vain attempts to resist against us.”
While the cerimony kept the people's attention occupied, the Florentanius Watch and the Shinto Guard conducted their largest combined operation to date, rounding up all known and suspected Pict rebels and supporters. One way or the other, the Pict Rebellions would be made to stop.

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King Felix also announced several reforms that would shortly be implemented, to adapt the Kingdom's sometimes archaic traditions to the needs of the present day.

The civics currently in effect:

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The economy was to be reorganized to not rely solely on Coinage, and to allow more freedom of enterprise.

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Taking as example the meritocratic reforms conducted by House Florentanius to reorganize its Watch, the Noyyau Military was also to undergo important changes, allowing more mobility inside its ranks for those that deserved promotions due to their merits, rather than simply by birth.

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In foreign policy, King Felix confirmed that the Noyyau Kingdom would take a much more active role than in the past. Waiting for the Nobles' decision, King Felix diplomatically avoid stating where exactly the Kingdom would intervene, or who would be receiving Noyyau help.

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To those with a say in the government of the Kingdom, King Felix put forth even more decisions to make:

1) Should the day-to-day Ruling power pass from the Nobility, lately quite absent, to a more efficient, productive and standardized, though also expensive, class of Bureaucrats?

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2) Should the Social efforts of the government focus on the growing Burgeois middle class, focused on productivity and income despite the unhealth and potential inequality, or consider the civil and political freedoms of each individual to be more important than maximized economical gain?

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3) Should the Kingdom keep maintaning its Public Works efforts or shift the Welfare into the hands of Private enterprises?

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[Niccolo Edwards]

1. House Florentanius is pleased with the expected success of the Northern Training Expedition.
2. The Watch of House Florentanius is pleased to have provided much of the intelligence that led to the arrests of so many Pict rebels.
3. The Watch of House Florentanius is pleased to announce that through the combined intelligence efforts of a local SIS post and the Watch’s own intelligence network a plot to assassinate the King during his visit to Caledonii was detected. The day before the King arrived, during a midnight raid by the Watch on the house where the would-be assassins were hiding, this plot was foiled. The captured individuals were taken to a Watch black-site outside the city where they were interrogated. During the interrogation they revealed that they were acting independently from other rebel groups and that they were the only assassins in their cell. There are three other members of the group who fled the city before they could be captured. The SIS believes they are fleeing to Pakistan. A Watch team has been deployed to conduct an operation to capture or kill them. Information about the possibility of an assassination attempt was passed to the Royal Guard and additional discrete Watch operatives were stationed in the crowd, thankfully no such attempt was made. Unfortunately information about the results of the raid could not be passed to the Royal Guard as the ceremony had already started by the time the identities of the other three individuals was learned.
4. House Florentanius would urge the Nobles to allow bureaucrats to make smaller decisions. Policy and how to implement it can be decided by the King (and his advisors) and within their areas of control, the nobles, however the smaller and mundane matters of actually implementing that policy can be left to bureaucrats who are trained to do this.
5. The Watch of House Florentanius is pleased to announce the opening of a training facility in Iran. While the location of the facility is, like all other Watch training facilities, classified, the Watch of House Florentanius would like to make it know that they believe this facility will allow for the recruitment and training of more guards and will allow them to more easily learn about the culture and language of Iran, thus leading to reduced tensions and increased trust between the Watch and locals. Methods of recruitment and training will be the same in this facility, however the guards that are trained there will also be piloting a new proposal; the guards who are trained at this facility will be expected to become competent (speaking, reading, writing) in at least one other language as well as the Noyyau vernacular (speaking, reading, writing). Another training and construction facility will be opened within the year on the West Coast. It will serve to train WHF guards and coast guards. They will follow the normal curriculum for the WHF. This facility will also help to construct and repair boats and ships for the WHF coastguard and for WHF naval operations. When this facility is not being used at full capacity it will construct warships for sale to the Crown.

 

[Niccolo Edwards]

The Leadership of House Florentanius and the Watch of House Florentanius would request that the king look over and pass judgement on the following proposal.

Preamble:
Over the last several months the senior leadership of The Watch of House Florentanius and several generals from around the kingdom have been in discussions. During these discussions crime reports, incident reports and budgets were reviewed. This has led to a challenging problem; the maintenance of the military within Noyyau cities, especially those acting as guards, has become a possible threat to the Noyyau people. The military has its barracks spread throughout the individual cities of this kingdom and there is almost no standardization between them. They are also disjointed and were constructed according to current need without looking to the far future.

This is a challenging issue; having the military act in a policing role can lead to miscommunications between the Watch and the military, as well, if armed soldiers become the focus of a confrontation it can place the Watch and local guards at risk. However, the manpower the military provides can be invaluable in the event of a riot, rebellion or attack, the military also has nowhere else to go. House Florentanius and the military leadership are working to find solutions and this is one that many generals as well as the WHF leadership agree with. If this proposal is accepted House Florentanius will provide the funds for this operation.

Proposal:
The engineering corps of The Watch has provided a solution to this. House Florentanius has proposed that the military find land outside the city, within a half-day’s walk at most, that is not good for farming and purchase it. This land will be controlled and owned by the government. The Watch’s engineering corps will construct barracks, training fields and other necessities of a peacetime military position. These forts will be constructed to comfortably hold twice the number of soldiers as there are posted in the city and if necessary up to five times this number. If reinforcements are unable to sleep in the barracks they will also be able to set up a camp within a permanently fortified area. Upon constructing these barracks the engineers will return to the city. They will construct a fortress near the administrative center of the city. These central barracks will be very well defended including stone walls, external perimeters and guard towers. It will also have all the necessities of the Watch as it will be serving as the local headquarters and barracks of the Watch. In the event that the military enters the city they will have a place to lay their heads. The old barracks will be demolished, small guard stations that are manned in shifts (the guards will return to the barracks during their off hours) will be constructed in strategic locations around the city, the old ones will be demolished or sold. The Watch will maintain its patrols and operations during this time.

In order to meet the security needs of the cities the Watch of House Florentanius will be training more guards, the training process takes five years. During this time the barracks will constructed and the military will slowly begin to leave the city. As additional guards arrive the military will begin to leave the city.

In cities with seaports the Watch barracks will be built on the coast along with a well defended port that can serve the needs of the Watch Coast Guard and if necessary the Noyyau navy.

Process:
The transfer will follow the following process:
1. Construction of barracks outside city
2. Construction of new barracks inside city and construction of guard posts
3. Movement of military out of city to new barracks
During this time the WHF will be increasing the number of guards in the city.
The whole process is expected to take no more than seven years. As guard training is take five years this will allow for as many guards as needed to be recruited, trained and placed.

Exceptions:

There will have to be exceptions to this system.
1. Rebellious areas:
In areas such as Pictland where there is a constant and significant threat to the Noyyau control of cities there should be a military presence and occupation in the city. Barracks will be constructed especially well and constantly guarded from every angle. These barracks will have a primary focus of defence and will have direct access to a main route in and out of the city to ensure the protection of supplies.
2. Cities on Borders:
Any cities that are near borders between the Noyyau and other nations should have a military force within them at all times, in this case the Watch will construct the barracks within the city.
3. Vital Cities:
Any cities that are vital to the Noyyau, such as the Capital City of Noyyau where the King resides, Rhingo the religious center and whatever city the King is in during his travels should have a military presence. Vital cities will be defended by a permanent force within them, whatever city the King is in will have the military within it for the duration of his stay.

 

[Noyyau]

King Felix has been very pleased to hear of the return of the esteemed House Greek to the political life of the Kingdom, well aware of their ancestors' contributions to the greatness of the nation.
The King has cordially invited Duke Marcus and his family to join him for a brief retreat at the Summer Palace in Orkham, where He would like to speak with the Duke about the Greek Raiders Arquebusiers, as well as other matters.

In another announcement, King Felix has expressed his pleasure at the success of the Florentanius Watch against the would-be assassins, and has given his approval to continue investigations into the matter.
Given the positive reputation and effectiveness of the Watch, the King has been giving serious consideration to the proposal put forth jointly by the House Florentanius leadership and a number of military senior officials.

 

[Niccolo Edwards]

House Florentanius strongly objects to any overseas invasions. They are costly endeavours in terms of men and money, as well we have enough troubles in Pictland right now and trying to control a nation even further away with an ocean between us and them will not be inexpensive and will likely be difficult if not impossible.

The Watch of House Florentanius would strongly urge House Greek to reconsider their decision to remove the WHF from their lands. The WHF is strong because it is a unified, nationwide operation that is intended to protect the Noyyau people from threats both internal and external. The primary advantage of the WHF over other, more local guards is that the WHF is capable of coordinating efforts, investigations and operations over the entire country, transcending regional boundaries. The WHF also has greater resources than other groups as they are funded as a fixed percentage of House Florentanius' income and is able to train its guards in more specialized roles. The WHF is specially trained in building rapport and relationships with the community and individuals in it. Their reputation as a nigh incorruptible force, dedicated to peace, has won them many allies who may otherwise have been their enemies. As well, the WHF has a long history and lessons have been learned from its mistakes, including intelligence failures in former Pictland and ways to prevent civil insurrection in former Iran. The WHF cannot operate at its best capacity when it is limited in its areas of operation.

The WHF is always willing to work with local guards, so long as those guards are honourable and willing to respect the security and privacy of the WHF and their operations. The WHF and House Florentanius hope that they will be able to continue to operate in House Greek lands. However, should House Greek wish for the WHF to leave they will do so peacefully, hopefully it does not come to that and the WHF will be able to continue operating alongside House Greek's guards.

 

[Niccolo Edwards]

What then about larger, national crimes? Crimes that stretch across the regional borders of the kingdom and the various holdings of the houses? House Florentanius and the WHF have no doubts about House Greek's guard's abilities to deal with local crimes; we have worked with them extensively both in House Greek lands, in military camps and in foreign lands. However, our worry is that the House Greek guards may not be able to effectively and/or efficiently coordinate nation-wide efforts and investigations.

If House Greek wishes for the WHF to leave their lands the leadership has requested that in addition to the local liaison team House Florentanius be allowed to maintain an intelligence team to assist in the investigation of nation-wide crimes. This team will not have any law enforcement capabilities or responsibilities, they would simply be present to investigate crimes which transcend regional and house boundaries in coordination with the rest of the WHF. The WHF however, would prefer that they be allowed to work in coordination and cooperation with House Greek's guards

 

[Niccolo Edwards]

House Florentanius would like to formally invite every member of the House of Nobles to a ceremony held at their Manor in the City of Noyyau in two weeks. There will be many wealthy businessmen present as well.

House Florentanius will be making an important announcement there about the House's future which it believes could impact the kingdom as a whole. This announcement is so important that the King himself, His Majesty King Felix, will be present at the ceremony.

Food and drink will be available during the ceremony.

Thank you.
Marcus VII of House Florentanius

 

[Niccolo Edwards]

House Florentanius and the WHF find these terms acceptable. Over the next few months the Regional and Local Commanders of the WHF will begin a withdrawal of WHF guards. This will be done slowly to ensure that House Greek guards are not overwhelmed by sudden duties, that they have access to the information the WHF has and that there is not anarchy in the streets. The WHF will wrap up their ongoing operations or transfer them to the House Greek guards. The WHF liaison teams will move out of WHF barracks and into houses near each cities' governor's house along with their protection detail. The WHF intelligence teams will set up their operations. The WHF intelligence teams will liaison with the Local commander of the House Greek guards and also work with the local SIS stations to provide the best possible security.

Unfortunately the WHF will not be able to construct the barracks they had intended to. The plans have been drawn up, but construction has only just started. House Florentanius is willing to, at cost (including labour, transport and materials) send one of their subsidiary construction companies to complete the construction of these barracks. House Florentanius and the WHF are wary in sharing information about their building techniques for these types of structures with anyone outside of House Florentanius or the WHF.

The private guards and employees of House Florentanius will remain where they are. The private guards, as it was before, will, to the best of their ability, not interfere in guard investigations or operations. If any employees or guards do discover information about criminal activities or enterprises through the course of their duties it will be passed onto the House Greek guards.

As well, there are two permanent WHF Classified Activities facilities in House Greek lands. These facilities location's are classified as are the activities conducted at them. The facilities were purpose built and would be extremely difficult to move or transfer responsibilities. The WHF guards at these locations are extremely well trained and discrete. They will not be conducting any operations other than defensive ones. It is the WHF's hope that with House Greek's permission these guards can maintain and defend these facilities against those who would use them to bring harm to the Noyyau.

House Florentanius would be honoured if the Duke Greek would attend the ceremony being held in their manor in the City of Noyyau.

 

[Niccolo Edwards]

At a celebration held in the late afternoon at their complex in the City of Noyyau it was the distinct pleasure of the Leadership of house Florentanius to announce the immediate freedom of every slave held by House Florentanius and its subsidiaries.

After months of reviewing House Florentanius’ books, conducting polls, discussion among the leadership of the house and the near constant flow of internal immediate disposal memos House Florentanius has come to the conclusion that slavery is no longer an economical beneficial or morally acceptable practice of this house to dabble in. Therefore, in the sight of all present, including His Majesty King Felix, House Florentanius shall terminate the use of this institution and practice within its industries and subsidiaries.

As of today, every single slave that was owned by House Florentanius; those working in the mines, quarries, fields, fermentation facilities and every other business run by House Florentanius, shall be no longer be property, but free men, women and children. They will be provided with the promise of paid work, pay, safer and better working conditions and guaranteed that they will not be sold into slavery by House Florentanius.

With King Felix and Friedrich Braun, the Director of Economic Affairs for House Florentanius, serving as witnesses Marcus VII of House Florentanius shall declare that slavery will be no more within House Florentanius.

_____________________________________
​

Following the ceremony the public affairs officer for the Commander General (C.Gen) of The Watch of House Florentanius and the High Justice for the Noyyau made an announcement to those attending.

Recently, The Watch of House Florentanius, with the approval of the King, directed its Intelligence Branch to investigate institutions that were illegally involved in slavery or the slave trade, this includes businesses that; violated slave’s rights, illegally enslaved individuals, illegally imported or exported slaves from the kingdom, failed to report or pay taxes on the presence or use of slaves and illegally purchase or sold slaves, among others.

Through the course of the investigation, using informants, undercover operations, guard patrols, observations, interrogations, account audits and suchlike, The Watch investigated over fifteen-hundred institutions and over four thousand individuals. From information gathered during the investigation the Watch was able to provide sufficient evidence to receive warrants and writs for the search and seizure of nine-hundred twenty-seven institutions and the arrest of their proprietors, employees and customers. As well, warrants were signed by Noyyau judges for the arrest of two-thousand three-hundred eight-seven individuals.

This afternoon, as the bell struck six times, in nearly every city and town in which the Watch has a presence members of the Watch conducted, in the King’s name, simultaneous raids and arrests against those they had warrants and writs for. On the seas The Naval Activities Branch of the Watch has tracked ships and will intercept them. Outside of cities, the Mobile Branch has been tracking caravans and other mobile institutions they have warrants for, they will be conducting raids on these camps at a time when it is safest for them and the slaves. Over the next week much of the illegal slave trade in the Noyyau Kingdom will be disrupted.

This operation had three purposes. First, to disrupt the illegal slave trade and tax evasion related to slavery. Second, to send a message to criminals of all sorts that they are not and will not be tolerated in this kingdom. Third, to rescue as many illegally held slaves as possible from a terrible fate.

House Florentanius is confident that all of these goals were met. However, House Florentanius would like to assure all Noyyau people that this is in no way intended to criminalize or punish those who legally held slaves. This operation was intended to target those who illegally possessed or held slaves and to ensure they face trial and justice.

Any information that was inadvertently gathered about illegal activities in House Caterpillar territories has been shared with the Vertedigers, it will be used at their discretion and judgement.

 

[Noyyau]

Author's suggestion: Play this in the background.

Current Civics of the Noyyau Kingdom, as of the latest change.

Government: Monarchy
Nothing has changed, King Felix and his future descendants shall rule, as is the Spirits' will.

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Rule: Bureaucracy
The old Nobility has gradually faded from the day-to-day governance of the Kingdom, their place taken by an ever-growing class of clerks, scribes, accountants, and other such civil servants.

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Society: Burgeois
Noyyau society has also evolved, the traditional agrarian Feudal system slowly replaced by the city-based middle class, grown out of the old Guilds, involved in all the manufacturing and trading activities that have allowed the Noyyau Kingdom to prosper.

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Economy: Free Market
The traditional Noyyau Coinage, a common sight all around the world, could not be used forever as a solely physical exchange good. Letters of credit, insurance policies and other such financial tools have become increasingly common, backed by powerful institutions like the Central Bank (in Ringhio), the Royal Treasury (in Noyyau), the Hanseatic League (also in Noyyau), and the East Ocean Company (in Tehran), making it easier to conduct trade and travel.
Lower customs tariffs and better transport technologies have also contributed to the growth of the economy, with the government happy to let traders do their business without much interference, as long as taxes keep getting paid.

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Military: Volunteer Army
Pioneered by the reforms of the Watch of House Florentanius (itself borrowing from Pakistani ideas that “spread” to Noyyau thanks to the Giacola Rogues), the Noyyau Royal Military also adopted a more modern structure and recruiting policy, based on personal skills and accomplishments, rather than only on one's place within the old Feudal society.

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Religion: State Church
While society marched on, the Shinto Church of Noyyau, firmly in House Spirictum's hands, has moved little from its traditional roles within Noyyau society. Their continued support of King and Country is the bedrock on which the modern trading Noyyau empire has been built.
The Shinto Guards continue their daily policing and peacekeeping duties, along with the House Florentanius Watch and local forces like the House Caterpillar Verteidigers and the House Greek Guards.

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Welfare: Public Works
The massive Public Works program is another foundation of Noyyau prosperity, giving work to thousands of otherwise indigent people, preventing them from flooding the streets begging, or falling into the spiral of crime.
The Noyyau Public Works enterprises provide a sizeable portion of the raw materials used in the Noyyau economy, and help prevent large tracts of sparsely populated Pictland from becoming lawless wilderness.

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Foreign Policy: Interventionism
The recent period of heightened international tension and conflict has spurred the Noyyau to abandon their traditional Isolationism in favor of a more active foreign policy, aimed at protecting the Noyyau trading interests abroad.

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[Noyyau]

Author's suggestion: Play this in the background.

Noyyau-sanctioned piracy continued unabated all over the world's oceans.

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The Northern Training Expedition reached its conclusion with the destruction of Cuman.

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The mercenary warlords sent to siege Khoisan took their time to enjoy themselves.

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In southeast Siam, the Lithuanians gathered forces for a new offensive towards Khon Kaen.

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In southwest Siam, however, the fighting had died out, the Siamese having regained control of the countryside and the Indians retreating to conquered Pak Kret, cut of from their supply lines and on the verge of starvation.

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The Security and Intelligence Service went through some growing pains, as one of its agents in Karakorum was captured by their Mongolian counterparts while attempting to steal samples of mongolian firearms.
In Sofia, meanwhile, a foreign saboteur was killed by the local Shinto Guard in a botched attempt to assassinate a city official.

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Noyyau observers reported on the development of the Hurrian conquest of the Viking Kingdom: the upstart Hurrian Republic veritably swarmed the Viking lands, their numerical and technological superiority undisputed. Noyyau military commanders were impressed by the coordination and the logistics of the Hurrian military, able to control the territory of an entire nation before even attempting to attack their cities and strongholds, waiting instead to starve them of food and hope before simultaneously attacking all the major cities (at least, that's what the Noyyau commanders theorized).

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After having established a new Garrison and training school in Maeatae, Duke Michael Greek returned to his ancestral homeland, to personally oversee the formation of the new Greek Guard, and to bring House Greek back into the Noyyau spotlight.

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The usually uneventful life on the East Coast was disrupted by an earthquake in the mountains near Kleos-Spledos. Unfortunately, a mine collapsed, causing a large number of fatalities.

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This uprecedentedly long period of peace for the Noyyau, especially after the latest reforms, was considered by some to be a new Golden Age. Everywhere in the nation new buildings were constructed, commerce expanded, life flourished.

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Despite the recent mishap with the rookie SIS agent, the Giacola Rogues were successful in their mission, bringing back home detailed information on the new weapons and tactics of the Mongolian cavalry, the Mongolians themselves having copied them from the warmongering Hurrians.

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At long last, the House Florentanius Watch training mission in Venetian London was completed, the Venetians now able to keep the peace in the troubled city on their own. The Watch Arquebusiers returned home, to be reassigned in troubled Timbuktu.

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The Hurrians began the final phase of their thorough conquest of the Viking Kingdom with the capture of the Viking capital, Nidaros. The Canadians, vassals of the Hurrians, had been sieging the city for a while, but had actually waited for their masters to arrive in force, obeying the orders to not capture the prize themselves.

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In the Catfish Arctic, the mercenary warlords finally conquered and raized Khoisan, having been recalled to Noyyau by the King, to be a part of the reorganization of the Noyyau Military.

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In southeast Siam, the Lithuanians were soundly defeated at Khon Kaen, sustaining massive casualties. It seemed the Siamese had been able to recall forces from the west, where the Indians were strangely passive, and use them for effect at the siege of Khon Kaen.

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The traditional and arcane knowledge of Alchemy, made famous by the House Greek inventor of the eponymous Greek Fire, was collected and rationalized into one of the first modern Sciences, Chemistry, thanks to the efforts and knowledge of Felix Hoffman. His own contibution to Chemistry was the synthesis of a new medicine, a white powder with pain-relieving, fever-lowering and anti-inflammatory properties, marketed as a veritable panacea for a myriad of ailments.
In true Noyyau tradition, it did not take long for Hoffman to join the ranks of the wealthy Burgeois.

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We now have 3 different Great People available: a Scientist, a Merchant, and a Priest. They could be used to trigger another Golden Age (effectively doubling the length of the current one we're in), or be kept in reserve for the future, to found Corporations or (in the case of the Priest) build one of the last remaining Shrines, either Christian or Muslim (both conveniently located in Assyria, near our borders).

A few Indian reinforcements were spotted trickling to starving Pak Kret, undisturbed by the Siamese, as they had concentrated their efforts in the east against the Lithuanians.

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After the fall of Nidaros, the Hurrians began quickly conquering the rest of the Viking cities.

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Noyyau Pirate flotillas formed and dissolved quickly, often from the survivors of previous naval battles.

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Despite their first victory in the east against the Lithuanians, southwest Siam was shaken by a Polynesian revolt. The timing of the revolt coincided exactly with a sudden ceasefire between Siam and India. Noyyau observers suspected Siamese hardliner generals and nationalists as the instigators of the revolt, angry that the Indians had not been evicted from Pak Kret before agreeing to the ceasefire.

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The Duchy of Venice also benefited from the Noyyau Golden Age, their own growing markets open to Noyyau exports.

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After their defeat at the walls of Khon Kaen, the Lithuanians needed a victory, and the Siamese desert outpost of Saxon (originally an oasis waystation of local ancient desert nomads) was soon taken without excessive trouble. Siamese troops dispatched to defend Saxon arrived too late to be of any help.

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While the defeated Lithuanian expedition continued its retreat, more Noyyau observers disembarked in Samut Prakan, soon to be followed by Noyyau troops independent mercenaries contracted by Siam.

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The Noyyau Department of Investigations was formed as the national branch of the Security and Intelligence Service, its first agents recruited from a wide variety of backgrounds, including the SIS itself, the House Florentanius Watch, and former irregular informants and collaborators of the old intelligence and counter-insurgency services.
It did not take long for the NDI to score its first operational success in Timbuktu, where simmering malcontent seemed to be about to erupt at any time.
Meanwhile, the Venetian writer Joseph Conrad became famous for his stories set during the Noyyau-Venetian War (or the Venetian Conquest as it was known by the Noyyau), focusing on the horrors and inhumanity of war.

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