Would you like me to add some?
-
Civilization 7 has been announced. For more info please check the forum here .
BirdNES 2: Forge of Empires -- The Manipur Coast
- Thread starter Birdjaguar
- Start date
flyingchicken
Deity
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2007
- Messages
- 3,783
A few random and useless tidbits
Tribes, nomads, and the melting pot
ISKA is the commonly accepted name of the cultural group which lived along the coasts of Upper Manipur during the area's early to middle bronze age. Though more or less uniform by the end of the late bronze age, Iskan culture was a melting pot of earlier local traditions of the Ryatev, Moshkt, Niz, Ozoro, Ugiret, and Tatri peoples.
The Iskan peoples had a strong cultural tradition of storytelling prior to their settlement in the Manipur coast. These stories were transmitted through oral tradition, and later through writing. The longest story cycle among the Iskan storytelling customs is the ATSKEM AVET, detailing the rigorous travels of the Iskan people across various hazardous terrain and against creatures both fantastic and real.
The Iskans are generally believed to be the result of two distinctly different cultural groups in the past—the OUTSIDER ISKANS and the LOCAL ISKANS. The Outsider Iskans were a mix of the proto-Ryatev-Niz, the proto-Moshkt, and proto-Tatri people, while the Local Iskans were the established Ozoro and Ugiret peoples.
Though the origins of the proto-Ryatev-Niz, the proto-Moshkt, and proto-Tatri peoples' places of origin are unclear, it is known that they formed a large nomadic band during the late neolithic period and that they were parts of distinctly different cultural groups. The reasons for their travel across land and water, too, are unclear, but cataclysms, famine, and disease are all good possibilities, supported by the fantastic accounts of the Iskan story cycles.
By some time during the early bronze age, the nomadic band had arrived and settled along the northwestern Upper Manipur. The local Ozoro tribes had mixed feelings about the outsiders—some fought, while others welcomed the newcomers—but whatever the case this period of settlement brought about the established the Ryatev, the Niz, and the Moshkt through assimilation and mixing with the local Ozoro culture.
The RYATEV people and tribes were a dominant political force in the area during the second rise of the first unified Iskan polity, the Kingdom of Mat. Though their culture was similar to other Iskans, the primary distinction about them was their custom of separating warriors from commoners by the thickness of their hair, a custom not adopted into the greater Iskan culture until the middle bronze age.
The NIZ were genetically tied to the Ryatev, though their customs do not match in several regards. The story cycles declare that the Niz were the slave class of the proto-Ryatev-Niz, which may be an explanation for their males' custom of self-degradation by castration after having exactly three children. Upon settling, the Niz have separated themselves from the Ryatev forming their own tribes, and the grueling practice of self-castration had become reserved for their tribal elders.
The MOSHKT had several physical differences with the Ryatev, Niz, and Tatri. The written story cycles of the middle bronze age describe them as "the survivors of the darkest death by spirits of plague and drought" who joined after their warlord had killed a demon serpent with the warlords of the proto-Ryatev-Niz, perhaps signifying that they did not join the nomadic group until a later date or generation. They were a grim people most notable for their rather unusual burial rite of taking away and burning all the flesh of the dead before redistributing the bones to the dead person's relatives. This was something that the later unified Iskan culture watered down to simple cremation before being buried.
The TATRI were a warlike, charioteer people whose influence would resonate throughout Iskan history. According to the story cycles, they were "the sons of the guardian-protectors of our ancestors, who rode forth and above with their winged beasts and mountainous horses." The most distinctive trait of the Tatri people was their superb animal handling and husbandry techniques, passed down from one generation to the next. The Tatri are believed to be another add-on to the nomadic group like the Moshkt who escaped some sort cataclysm unmentioned in the cycles.
Of course, the greater Iskan culture was the result of settling in with the OZORO. The Ozoro were separated into the northern Ozoro and the southern Ozoro, who would have been the same were it not for the northern Ozoro's religious practices being tied with the sea, while the southern Ozoro had practices tied to the land. To contrast, while both Ozoro groups practice coming-of-age rites at the same age and prayer rituals, the northern Ozoro's boys had to catch a quota of fish within a number of days while the southern Ozoro had to till the land hours on end for a number of days. Their peaceful nature was disrupted when the nomads came, and their rather bland culture was almost destroyed when the Outsider Iskans settled with them.
The UGIRET were a late addition to Iska, being conquered by various Iskan warlords at some point or another, and are relatively "unmelted" in the melting pot. The Ugiret lived in the south and the east of the Iskan geo-cultural area. They are notable for their practice of heredity, in contrast with the egalitarian tribal practices of the other early Iskans, which led to the development of an upper ruling class by the early bronze age and even before that.
Tribes, nomads, and the melting pot
ISKA is the commonly accepted name of the cultural group which lived along the coasts of Upper Manipur during the area's early to middle bronze age. Though more or less uniform by the end of the late bronze age, Iskan culture was a melting pot of earlier local traditions of the Ryatev, Moshkt, Niz, Ozoro, Ugiret, and Tatri peoples.
The Iskan peoples had a strong cultural tradition of storytelling prior to their settlement in the Manipur coast. These stories were transmitted through oral tradition, and later through writing. The longest story cycle among the Iskan storytelling customs is the ATSKEM AVET, detailing the rigorous travels of the Iskan people across various hazardous terrain and against creatures both fantastic and real.
The Iskans are generally believed to be the result of two distinctly different cultural groups in the past—the OUTSIDER ISKANS and the LOCAL ISKANS. The Outsider Iskans were a mix of the proto-Ryatev-Niz, the proto-Moshkt, and proto-Tatri people, while the Local Iskans were the established Ozoro and Ugiret peoples.
Though the origins of the proto-Ryatev-Niz, the proto-Moshkt, and proto-Tatri peoples' places of origin are unclear, it is known that they formed a large nomadic band during the late neolithic period and that they were parts of distinctly different cultural groups. The reasons for their travel across land and water, too, are unclear, but cataclysms, famine, and disease are all good possibilities, supported by the fantastic accounts of the Iskan story cycles.
By some time during the early bronze age, the nomadic band had arrived and settled along the northwestern Upper Manipur. The local Ozoro tribes had mixed feelings about the outsiders—some fought, while others welcomed the newcomers—but whatever the case this period of settlement brought about the established the Ryatev, the Niz, and the Moshkt through assimilation and mixing with the local Ozoro culture.
The RYATEV people and tribes were a dominant political force in the area during the second rise of the first unified Iskan polity, the Kingdom of Mat. Though their culture was similar to other Iskans, the primary distinction about them was their custom of separating warriors from commoners by the thickness of their hair, a custom not adopted into the greater Iskan culture until the middle bronze age.
The NIZ were genetically tied to the Ryatev, though their customs do not match in several regards. The story cycles declare that the Niz were the slave class of the proto-Ryatev-Niz, which may be an explanation for their males' custom of self-degradation by castration after having exactly three children. Upon settling, the Niz have separated themselves from the Ryatev forming their own tribes, and the grueling practice of self-castration had become reserved for their tribal elders.
The MOSHKT had several physical differences with the Ryatev, Niz, and Tatri. The written story cycles of the middle bronze age describe them as "the survivors of the darkest death by spirits of plague and drought" who joined after their warlord had killed a demon serpent with the warlords of the proto-Ryatev-Niz, perhaps signifying that they did not join the nomadic group until a later date or generation. They were a grim people most notable for their rather unusual burial rite of taking away and burning all the flesh of the dead before redistributing the bones to the dead person's relatives. This was something that the later unified Iskan culture watered down to simple cremation before being buried.
The TATRI were a warlike, charioteer people whose influence would resonate throughout Iskan history. According to the story cycles, they were "the sons of the guardian-protectors of our ancestors, who rode forth and above with their winged beasts and mountainous horses." The most distinctive trait of the Tatri people was their superb animal handling and husbandry techniques, passed down from one generation to the next. The Tatri are believed to be another add-on to the nomadic group like the Moshkt who escaped some sort cataclysm unmentioned in the cycles.
Of course, the greater Iskan culture was the result of settling in with the OZORO. The Ozoro were separated into the northern Ozoro and the southern Ozoro, who would have been the same were it not for the northern Ozoro's religious practices being tied with the sea, while the southern Ozoro had practices tied to the land. To contrast, while both Ozoro groups practice coming-of-age rites at the same age and prayer rituals, the northern Ozoro's boys had to catch a quota of fish within a number of days while the southern Ozoro had to till the land hours on end for a number of days. Their peaceful nature was disrupted when the nomads came, and their rather bland culture was almost destroyed when the Outsider Iskans settled with them.
The UGIRET were a late addition to Iska, being conquered by various Iskan warlords at some point or another, and are relatively "unmelted" in the melting pot. The Ugiret lived in the south and the east of the Iskan geo-cultural area. They are notable for their practice of heredity, in contrast with the egalitarian tribal practices of the other early Iskans, which led to the development of an upper ruling class by the early bronze age and even before that.
The Manipur Coast
Update Five: War & War Again
The east and west of the Manipur Coast were burdened by continued war. Harum and Gedmeria fought on against Trys and Iskan, now joined by Racadonia, launched attacks against the Aabal! These ongoing wars were taking a toll on the economies of the areas and in some cases threatened the very existence of nations. For a few nations peace reigned and prosperity was in season. In Mernacia King Negala continued his slow and steady expansion and improved use of iron. In Striga, Queen Beloslava oversaw an economic boom that also fueled a readiness for war should it come her way. As part of the queen’s effort to keep her nation at peace, she developed a taste for a young Harum nobleman.
On cold rainy nights like this, the queen huddled in her chambers by a raging fire with her two young daughters. Usually she sang to them or played a game with colored stones and a cross hatched pattern drawn on the hearth. Tonight was different though. A bundle of scrolls lay in disarray about her and the girls slept across her lap. Beloslava stroked their heads as she stared into the flames. Callan, her Harum lover was dead. The word had come as part of her ongoing correspondence with him as he fought in the Trys war. That was how she had kept up with the events of the west. Now she no longer cared who won or who lost or how many had died. Clever stratagems no longer captured her interest or made her proud of her gallant soldier. In the beginning, he had just been a fling, a casual interest to pass her time and father smart, pretty children. Ana and Belosita were all she had now. With her head against a table leg and the sleeping children her consolation, she thought back on the past 5 years and cursed the never-ending war and the stupidity of men.
The war had gone well for Harum and its King Coan. They had pushed hard to crush the outnumbered Trys army under Myoi Sous himself and much of eastern Trys was now under Harum control and probably permanent control. The Trys strategy to avoid a single deciding battle had worked to save their army, but not land and their seemingly unending ability to raise decent levies made a quick decisive victory difficult. All through 323-325 Callan had been part of those campaigns and his bravery had earned him recognition and awards. Now steeped in pain she realized that much of the Harum success was because the Trys were also fighting and winning a war against the Gedmeria. In that war, the Trys had retaken or taken much of the Gedmerian holdings that had been traded and fought over for decades. At every opportunity Callan had made his way east to see her and spend a few weeks of winter’s truces in her ‘custody’. Both girls had been products of those winters. Then came 327. By all odds a terrible year. She had miscarried in the spring and the war took an unexpected turn that summer. A peace of sorts had taken root as the Myoi Sous seemed to relinquish rights to the lands he had lost and the Harum army recovered from campaigning. At the time, given the next step in King Coan’s plans for his war, such a lull seemed a gift.
His Gedmerian allies had been campaigning in the west, as well as, defending their river holdings, but there had been no thought to working together to win this war. So when the two armies broke camp for the summer fighting, Coan sent his army north so his generals could discuss a better coordinated campaign for the summer. The Gedmerians were receptive. In two weeks they had developed a plan and celebrated their expected success. That evening Harum soldiers mingled freely with their allies and praised their new comrades in arms. Later in the night they assassinated as many of the Gedmerian leadership as they could before the alarm was raised, an alarm that launched a full blown attack and virtual destruction of the Gedmerian army. What once she had thought of as bold and imaginative, now seemed repugnant and wasteful. It had been in that new war against the Gedmeria that her Callan had been slain most foully in an ambush. She cared no more for Harum success and when she read that a powerful Harum warlord, who controlled the eastern provinces, took the king’s preoccupation with Trys and Gedmeria to declare his independence, she secretly rejoiced. Coan of Harum had failed to recognize the signs of his own undoing. Perhaps the now hated war would end. Beloslava finally slept, curled with Ana and Belosita on the cold stones of her bedroom.
Had she known the full story of the war it probably would not have improved her attitude towards kings. Like King Coan of Harum, the Myoi of Trys had ignored the failing of his control over his own lords and in the west, at the edges of the steppe, Alark, an ambitious lord, saw opportunity and declared his own kingdom. His timing was such that the renewed Gedmerian attacks in the west were poorly answered and vast swathes of land were laid to waste and devastation as they were conquered by the northerners. By the end of the decade, the west of the Manipur coast was no more stable than it had been 10 years earlier, probably less, given the failing central authority of the kings of Harum and Trys and the deteriorating economic situation across all three nations.
In the east the war was more one-sided and less debilitating overall. Queen Julia of Racadonia was bored with little left to conquer so she honed her army’s skill and put her smithies to the task of learning to work with the new metal called ‘iron’. Her sudden and unexpected attack on Aabal! would put her revitalized army to the test. Both Aabal! And Yexal had picked up on the value of iron and were developing its use also. Surprisingly, the Mernacia, who had pioneered the use of iron, did little to expand their knowledge of its potential. Instead, after shoring up the internal workings of his kingdom, king Negala sent some of his most trusted nobles on a grand tour of the neighboring nations. For them it was both educational and opened many avenues for increased trade. Of the eastern nations only Yexzal looked beyond war for their spending. Var Keesalee continued the emphasis on religious training and education. The stars featured predominantly in the work of the priests and many ordinary citizens took notice of them and their beauty. The Var also took the first Yexal steps to learn the ways of the sea. Boats worthy of the great waves of the Fuusaza (ocean) were called ‘Sed’. These large sturdy canoes were based on the river canoes long in use, but were larger and more carefully constructed. Within a few years Yexal colonies appeared on the off shore islands.
War along the Gihon
Nuh The Splintered Hand Never Rests had been ruler of Aabal! for less than a year when the war renewed, and this time Iskan had help. But Nuh was more prepared than his grandfather had been a decade ago. Everything about his army was improved: leadership, weapons (including some of iron), training, tactics, and even the roads needed to move his troops about what was left of his nation. He even had enough spies to give him fair warning of enemy movements. From his palace in Nod he would command over 2500 infantry and 200 horsemen. Plus he had several thousand levies being called up and armed. He knew he outnumbered Iskan and was confident of victory. When word came that Racadonia appeared to be making ready to take sides against him, he grew worried and redeployed his army to contend with a two front war. Three actually, since Queen Julia had also ordered an assault by sea. Nuh didn’t know if the poor coordination between the two nations was because of bad communication or was nonexistent to begin with. In any case he was attacked piecemeal. Bareit, the warrior Prince of Iskan led the initial attack and defined the war: no prisoners, no mercy, and the slaughter all that stand in your way. The ferocity of the initial invasion secured much of coastal Aabal! for Iskan, but they were met by equally dogged defenders turn back the Iskan tide. To take the pressure off the Iskan surge, Nuh ordered 1000 of his reserves to attack the weak western flank of the front and they successfully retook much of previously held Aabal! territory. Bareit the Warrior becomes Bareit the ruthless and even King Hyenreit is appalled at the bloodbath to civilian and soldiers alike. The father and son struggle for power and the favor of the nobility. To end the conflict, Bareit, slays his father with his own hand and assumes the kingship of Iskan. The lords are in confusion about where to take their stand, but Bareit settles the problem and all into battle where many are killed. Those who remain swear loyalty to the new king. By this point the war effort is in disarray. To keep his nation from falling into complete chaos, Bareit asks Nuh of Aabal! for peace and it is granted giving Bareit the freedom to seize the lands of his depleted nobility and restore order.
As Bareit was establishing himself as king and disengaging from his war with Aabal! Queen Julia of Racadonia was launching her attack. Nuh was more than ready. To thwart the expected naval invasion he sent his fleet to attack the Racadonian fleet first and when they approached the enemy harbor they found it undefended. There was no Racadonian fleet and they burned the waterfront and pillaged the trader warehouses there. On land the Racdonians had more success and pushed their way up the coast. But after a battle outside of Aabal!’s second city of Domarhin, just upriver from Nod, went badly for the advancing Racadonians, with two disappointments, Queen Julia had had enough of this war. She took what she had gained and declared the war over. Nuh accepted the new borders and breathed a sigh of relief.
erez87
Lord of Random
But in my orders I said only to back stab if Trys capital is taken... and it never was... So why did they?
And how come you say my country had its economy falling? I had my economy actually increasing in the past turn... (EDIT
And I continuously tried to improve trade, roads and lately the whole capital to make sure things run smoothly. So I can understand that stupid eastern lord... but not the rest...
more edit
Sorry if I sound like a complaining little... Not meaning to... Even if it's just the general rushing to do something that looked like fun for him...
I also wanted to ask, is my culture influencing anyone? Its on six while the highest other one around me is four... (there is one seven...) and I do have spreading it as a main idea in my country...?
And how come you say my country had its economy falling? I had my economy actually increasing in the past turn... (EDIT
And I continuously tried to improve trade, roads and lately the whole capital to make sure things run smoothly. So I can understand that stupid eastern lord... but not the rest...more edit
Sorry if I sound like a complaining little... Not meaning to... Even if it's just the general rushing to do something that looked like fun for him...
I also wanted to ask, is my culture influencing anyone? Its on six while the highest other one around me is four... (there is one seven...) and I do have spreading it as a main idea in my country...?
flyingchicken
Deity
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2007
- Messages
- 3,783
War lowers economy. Bird was clear on that, I think.
Update looks kind of rushed in the end bits, but good nonetheless.
Update looks kind of rushed in the end bits, but good nonetheless.
erez87
Lord of Random
War lowers economy. Bird was clear on that, I think.
Update looks kind of rushed in the end bits, but good nonetheless.
Yes I know, war also saved the American economy from depression... So it can go both ways. But still, I did try saving myself from economic problems by always spending on improvements. And I will continue.
And that backstab.. agh so at the wrong time :-o
I guess I interpreted "victory" differently and gave the dissolution of the Trys state substantial weight in terms of 'victory' and your substantial land gains. In addition, your emphasis of attacking the Gedmeria seemed to make it an important objective.But in my orders I said only to back stab if Trys capital is taken... and it never was... So why did they?
And how come you say my country had its economy falling? I had my economy actually increasing in the past turn... (EDIT
As far as your economy, yes, you saw an increase, but it is a false surge from war production and other forces are at work that I wanted to alert you to. You went from growing to stagnant, and the effects of prolonged war are starting to take hold in places you cannot see. All three of you have stagnant economies and I'm sure you noticed that your stability went from 3 to 1.
I am sorry I missinterpreted your intentions towards Gedmeria. C'est la Guerre.
erez87
Lord of Random
It's ok, will make things more interesting! btw I had a few edits in that post and a question about culture 
to Trys:
We have took what was our price for aid to your country against your invaders. And it took a long long time. Are you foolish enough to continue your war against our armies or are you able to let the hatred go and sign some sort of a treaty?
to Gedmeria:
We are sorry it has come to this but your kingdom did attack Trys not so long ago for a land grab when they were at their weakest, we were fearful of you doing the same to us. We never had much communication and understanding you know... War will continue unless your empire will find a way to make us understand that you are no threat to us.
to Trys:
We have took what was our price for aid to your country against your invaders. And it took a long long time. Are you foolish enough to continue your war against our armies or are you able to let the hatred go and sign some sort of a treaty?
to Gedmeria:
We are sorry it has come to this but your kingdom did attack Trys not so long ago for a land grab when they were at their weakest, we were fearful of you doing the same to us. We never had much communication and understanding you know... War will continue unless your empire will find a way to make us understand that you are no threat to us.
flyingchicken
Deity
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2007
- Messages
- 3,783
Depression was a special case. People didn't want to work so the government forced their sorry backsides to work and voila! But of course it was a little more complicated than that dot dot dot.
@Birdjaguar: I say, old chap, do I really need to up my economy to get a vast empire? I can always tax everyone to hell, rise to be the greatest barbarian kingdom the world has ever seen, and fall into complete destruction, right?
Your ongoing state of war over rides any passive cultural influence on neighbors. You will notice that some of your border expansions were not in areas subject to fighting; those reflect cultural assimilation of neighboring peoples. While 6 is higher than many nations around you, it is still not very high. The Oracle of Wendar in the Manonash has a culture of 15 and at thea level it is having some meaningful influence on its neighbors.
No probably not, but you do need a way to feed your people and do need provide adequate leadership. You are weak in both of those. In addition it is still early in the game to think about vast empires. Army sizes are still very small and the differences between armies not substantial. With the next long turns army size will see a big jump, as will the number of troops 1 EP will buy. To support bigger armies will take some sort of economy to pay the upkeep that will kick in when armies get bigger.
I am trying to control the pace of this game to keep it from moving too fast. the new long turn structure is designed to provide larger changes while the short turns allow for details and more player diplo.
It's ok, will make things more interesting! btw I had a few edits in that post and a question about culture
to Trys:
We have took what was our price for aid to your country against your invaders. And it took a long long time. Are you foolish enough to continue your war against our armies or are you able to let the hatred go and sign some sort of a treaty?
to Gedmeria:
We are sorry it has come to this but your kingdom did attack Trys not so long ago for a land grab when they were at their weakest, we were fearful of you doing the same to us. We never had much communication and understanding you know... War will continue unless your empire will find a way to make us understand that you are no threat to us.
The Gedmerians will never surrender nor shall we ever lose. Our people will fight until the last man. We will wage an unending war upon both your peoples until you are removed. The heartland of Gedmeria will never fall!
The Kingdom of Gedmeria did not attack the Trys for a land grab when they were weakest in fact you did that. We attacked them for trying to claim territory that was rightfully ours. Now that we have that territory we are willing to sign peace at current borders with both empires. We do not want your southern lands but the great plains to the west. We fight for what is ours and that is the only time we wage wars on outsiders. Let peace reign and fail to let it do so, you shall regret it.
Toltec
Dragon Tamer
The Trys will agree to peace. This war has gone on too long, and too many have died. Any land we have lost shall be made up as we expand east and north. I shall leave the Harum and the Gedmerians to spat.
erez87
Lord of Random
to Trys:
Peace will reign for long!
to Gedmeria:
As long as Gedmeria promises to not look south, we shall have peace at current borders.
to Striga's queen:
I am truly sorry for the death of your beloved, my far cousin Callan. We will eruct a monument in his honor and wish for you to come when it is done for the ceremony of it's finishing.
I also wish to discuss more national matters with the queen of the great queendom. Now that peace will begin in the east I have interest in expanding our friendship in the west.
Peace will reign for long!
to Gedmeria:
As long as Gedmeria promises to not look south, we shall have peace at current borders.
to Striga's queen:
I am truly sorry for the death of your beloved, my far cousin Callan. We will eruct a monument in his honor and wish for you to come when it is done for the ceremony of it's finishing.
I also wish to discuss more national matters with the queen of the great queendom. Now that peace will begin in the east I have interest in expanding our friendship in the west.
If you expand north the war will continue once more. Please respect our claims to the northern coastline or no peace.
Harum we never intended to invade the southern regions. The only reason we were in this north was to prevent the southern regions from invading the north!
Toltec
Dragon Tamer
Who said anything about the coast.
You said you were expanding north towards which is the coastline. No expanding north.
