BirdNES 2: Forge of Empires -- The Manonash

[Birdjaguar]

OZYMANDIAS

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away
​

 

[Birdjaguar]

The Manonash​

Technology: Iron Age weapons and armor,spearmen, swordsmen, axmen and archers; Horsemen for mounted.
Plank built sailing ships used for trade
Galleys dominate naval warfare.
Improved sailing ships and navigation allow many to make short ocean voyages
Stone carving and bark paper for writing in the north
Stone carving, bark paper (imported), clay tablets for writing in the south
Pottery throughout
Irrigation used in dry areas
Silver and gold metalworking; first steel appears
Stone & mud brick construction in dry areas
Wood and stone construction in the forested north & south;
Crops: Corn in south & wheat in the north
Animals: horses, cattle, sheep, goats, turkeys
Maps & Charts
MOC: Manonash Coast: Economy/War modifiers 90% 70%
CR: Castellane River Valley 80% 50%

Player Stats
Gaznel/Bombshoo - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: /
Overall Score: 702
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 2/5/ 6
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 2/3
Population/Area/Diversity: 3/3/2
Domestic Econ/Trade: 13/6 Stagnant
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 0/1/0
Confidence/Corruption: 74%/33%
EC/TC/RC: 3/1/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Yerhlism: 2 / 0
Significant natural resources: 0 (none)
Policies Permitted: 1
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 12/2.2
UU: 0/0
Army: 7000-I, 3000-M, no -aUU (14300-max)
Navy: 40-W, 15-T, 0-nUU
Projects: No
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 25-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Trained, armored spearmen and archers; iron working; Horsemen; Improved ship building; war galleys, navigation, ships make shoret ocean voyages. Improved dirt roads; religious altars & shrines.

Ilosilletar/~Darkening~ - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: /
Overall Score: 780
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 2/2/9
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 3/1
Population/Area/Diversity: 2/0/2
Domestic Econ/Trade: 8/7 Stagnant
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 0/1/0
Confidence/Corruption: 63%/23%
EC/TC/RC: 1/1/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Pagan: 3 / 0
Significant natural resources: 0 0
Policies Permitted: 2
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 22.5/7
UU: Imbarucsa/Warships with catapults
Army: 12200-I, 0-M, 0-aUU (16100-max)
Navy: 25-W, 4-T, 20-nUU
Projects: No
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 12-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Trained, armored spearmen and archers; iron weapons; improved tactics; Horsemen; war galleys. Sailing ships do not sail out of sight of land. Stone streets; brick building; engineering; religious altars, shrines, temples.

Cantoria/Abaddon - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: /
Overall Score: 946
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 2/8/10
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 3/4
Population/Area/Diversity: 3/3/3
Domestic Econ/Trade: 16/11 Growing
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 2/1/0
Confidence/Corruption: 95%/28%
EC/TC/RC: 3/2/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,CR,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: AhrkenBian Yiithism: 3 / 0
Significant natural resources: 1 (Tin)
Policies Permitted: 2
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 26.5/4
UU: 0/0
Army: 12700-I, 3250-M, 0-aUU (24000-max)
Navy: 40-W, 0-T, 0-nUU
Projects: Yes Underway: Oracle of Fire island
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 20-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Leadership (Civ/Mil/Rel) 3/1/2
Government: Despotism with council; minimal bureaucracy
Military: Professional armored swordsmen and archers; Improved tactics & weapons; early steel working; armored horse archers; improved horses;
Naval: War galleys. Larger, improved sailing ships; navigation. Short ocean voyges; Improved shipbuilding;
Economic: Government Brothels; metallurgy, canals, improved aquaculture, mining, early currency
Culture/Religion: Religious altars, shrines and temples. Stargazing.

Vissarai/JosefStalinator - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: Telamondesos /
Overall Score: 790
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 2/2/10
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 2/2
Population/Area/Diversity: 3/3/3
Domestic Econ/Trade: 11/9 Stagnant
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 1/1/0
Confidence/Corruption: 70%/26%
EC/TC/RC: 2/2/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Meoncaoi Vissar: 2 / 1
Significant natural resources: 1 (Iron)
Policies Permitted: 2
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 16.3/3.6
UU: 0/0
Army: 7800-I, 1500-M, no -aUU (13000-max)
Navy: 30-W, 0-T, 0-nUU
Projects: No
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 20-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Trained, armored spearmen, swordsmen; iron weapons; Horsemen; small war galleys; Small sailing ships make short ocean voyages. Improved dirt roads; religious altars, shrines & small temples. Writing, mathematics;

Rynt/LightFang - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: Ryntjin Lynjin /
Overall Score: 787
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 4/4/ 8
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 4/2
Population/Area/Diversity: 2/1/2
Domestic Econ/Trade: 9/7 Growing
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 0/1/1
Confidence/Corruption: 95%/17%
EC/TC/RC: 2/1/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Ryntnul: 1.5 / 0
Significant natural resources: 2 (fisheries, tin)
Policies Permitted: 3
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 16.9/5.3
UU: 0/0
Army: 9800-I, 1800-M, no -aUU (9700-max)
Navy: 75-W, 12-T, 0-nUU
Projects: No /Great Naval Academy
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 25-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Trained, armored swordsmen; iron weapons; Horsemen; medium war galleys. Improved sailing ships, improved navigation, mapmaking; short ocean voyages. Stoneworking; Dirt roads; religious altars.

Kiidor/Kal'thzar - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: King Crythias/Prince Theraxtas
Overall Score: 976
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 3/8/13
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 4/3
Population/Area/Diversity: 5/4/3
Domestic Econ/Trade: 15/9 Growing
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 2/1/0
Confidence/Corruption: 95%/29%
EC/TC/RC: 3/2/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,CR,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Yiithism: 4 / 0
Significant natural resources: 2 (Tin, timber)
Policies Permitted: 2
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 18.6/2.9
UU: 0/0
Army: 6800-I, 4500-M, no -aUU (26400-max)
Navy: 40-W, 5-T, 0-nUU
Projects: No
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 20-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Trained, armored swordsmen; iron weapons; Horsemen; War galleys. Improved Stoneworking and fortifications; Larger, improved sailing ships make short ocean voyages. Improved dirt roads; religious altars and shrines. Paper; acounting; mathematics; stargazing.

Tekashen/Human_Slaughter - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: I’danio Swiftalan/Raka Swiftalan
Overall Score: 730
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 1/0/7
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 2/1
Population/Area/Diversity: 3/2/2
Domestic Econ/Trade: 12/8 Growing
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 0/1/1
Confidence/Corruption: 54%/35%
EC/TC/RC: 2/1/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Yiithism: 2 / 0
Significant natural resources: 0 (none)
Policies Permitted: 1
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 18.9/4.4
UU: 0/0
Army: 9800-I, 1350-M, no -aUU (13200-max)
Navy: 60-W, 5-T, 0-nUU
Projects: No
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 25-W, 10-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Disciplined, armored spearmen; improved iron weapons; Horsemen; Improved Medium War galleys. Larger, improved sailing ships capable of short ocean voyages; Improved dirt roads; religious altars and shrines. Stargazing, map making.

Xochicalco/Slavic Sioux - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: Queen Ayauhcihuatl/
Overall Score: 873
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 4/4/11
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 3/1.5
Population/Area/Diversity: 3/4/2
Domestic Econ/Trade: 11/8 Growing
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 2/2/0
Confidence/Corruption: 95%/25%
EC/TC/RC: 2/1/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Observationism: 4 / 0
Significant natural resources: 0 0
Policies Permitted: 3
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 23.1/2.4
UU: 0/0
Army: 11000-I, 5800-M, no -aUU (16600-max)
Navy: 40-W, 0-T, 0-nUU
Projects: No
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 20-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Trained, armored spearmen and early crossbow; iron weapons; armored horsemen; early war galleys. Small sailing ships. Paved streets and improved dirt roads, paved streets; religious altars, shrines & Temples.

Razzak/Frozen in Ice - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: Lya Nokazth/
Overall Score: 850
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 2/8/ 11
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 0/4
Population/Area/Diversity: 3/2/3
Domestic Econ/Trade: 16/9 Growing
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 2/1/0
Confidence/Corruption: 95%/31%
EC/TC/RC: 4/2/2
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Yiithism: 4.5 / 1
Significant natural resources: 0 (none)
Policies Permitted: 1
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 11.5/2.9
UU: 0/0
Army: 5100-I, 1700-M, no -aUU (16700-max)
Navy: 40-W, 3-T, 0-nUU
Projects: No
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3000-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 20-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Trained, armored spearmen and archers; Horse drawn chariots. iron weapons; War galleys. Larger, improved sailing ships make short sea voyages. Dirt roads; religious altars, shrines and temples. Stargazing.

Oracle of Wendar/The Strategos - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: /
Overall Score: 1043
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 4/5/30
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 2/6
Population/Area/Diversity: 2/0/2
Domestic Econ/Trade: 10/7 Growing
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 3/0/0
Confidence/Corruption: 95%/33%
EC/TC/RC: 2/1/5
Maps & Charts: ,,,MOC,,,,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Oracle of Wendar : 6 / 3
Significant natural resources: 0 (none)
Policies Permitted: 3
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 1.5/0
UU: 0/0
Army: 1250-I, 0-M, no -aUU (12400-max)
Navy: 0-W, 0-T, 0-nUU
Projects: Yes
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 3200-I, 500-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 20-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Trained, armored spearmen and archers; Horsemen. Iron weapons; city Walls, Paving stone streets & roads; religious altars, shrines & large temples.

Nylarlak/Disenfranchised - Manonash
Ruler/Heir: Hetkruullar Pigsticker/
Overall Score: 599
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 3/5/7
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 2/6
Population/Area/Diversity: 4/6/4
Domestic Econ/Trade: 13/9 Growing
Upkeep: National/Army/Navy 2/1/0
Confidence/Corruption: 88%/27%
EC/TC/RC: 3/2/0
Maps & Charts: ,,,,,,CR,,,,,,,
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Dubovyk Shamanism: 2 / 0
Significant natural resources: 1 (Horses)
Policies Permitted: 2
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 21.1/2
UU: 0/0
Army: 2700-I, 10750-M, no -aUU (17800-max)
Navy: 0-W, 0-T, 0-nUU
Projects: Yes
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 2500-I, 600-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 20-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Leadership (Civ/Mil/Rel) 4/1/1
Government: Despotism with an increasingly important theocratic military aristiocracy; shamans and Judges, and growing bureaucracy;
Military: Trained, armored, spearmen, Axmen, archers; improved bows; iron weapons; horsemen armed with spears or bows;
Naval: River craft;
Economic: Improved dirt roads; Improved infrastructure; Horse breeding.
Culture/Religion: Altars, shrines & temples

 

[Birdjaguar]

Update Zero 100 years

Update 1 (Years 101-200)

Update 2 (Years 201-300)

Update 3 (Years 301-310)



Update 6 (Years 331-340

Update 7a (Years 341-390)

Update 7b (Years 391-440)

Update 8 (Years 441-450)

 

[Birdjaguar]

The World
Welcome to Inowe, a large, rich world blessed with a bright yellow sun and two silvery moons. Its wide oceans are broken by continents and a multitude lesser islands; these seas are filled with life both large and small and its unblemished reefs and shoals teem with fish and urchins of riotous color. Four seasons bless the plants and animals of the land with abundant water and everything they need to prosper. The two moons orbit in a night sky reminiscent of Earth and the observant have noticed six wandering stars of particular brightness. Humans have populated much of this world, but mostly they are primitive peoples struggling to keep themselves alive.

The world of Inowe is studded with chiefdoms and petty monarchs who wish to expand and dominate their region. In the last 2,000 years agriculture has taken root in the fertile river valleys and uplands all across the globe. In some places, though, civilization has begun to take hold and the hunter-gatherer lifestyle has become more settled. Agriculture has enabled the growth of cities and towns and even the earliest efforts at monumental architecture and construction can be seen. The peoples of Inowe are as diverse as are the cultures they espouse. Their religions are local and priests are still developing dogma and rituals as contact is made with regional neighbors who may well follow different gods and practices. War is just beginning to be organized beyond gangs of archers and spear wielding tough guys led by the best fighter in the group. Metal working is widespread. Gold, copper and silver have been identified in most places and smelting is practiced. Some skilled blacksmiths have noticed that when tin is added to copper a new, harder metal is created. Tin mines are just starting to dot some areas of the world.

Trade is mostly barter and local. Goods from more distant places do find their way into small kingdoms, but more through a haphazard chain of transactions than anything organized and directed. Writing is new in this world and not everyone can work its magic. As you will see, many plants and animals have been domesticated, but not all are known to all nations. Most nations are ruled by strong fighters and his (or her) cronies. They call themselves kings or some other equivalent word. Now in some places there has been talk of other ways to manage the growing fact of urbanization. The kings laugh when they hear such talk of cites inviting Gods to rule or allowing councils of old men to determine the destiny of a nation.

Three areas of Inowe have become centers for the rise of civilization. They are isolated from one another by untold miles of unknown lands and seas. One day theses far flung peoples may meet, but for now they do not even suspect the existence of one another. The Manonash, the Animas Valley, and the Manipur Coast are our points of departure.

Along a west facing coast called The Manonash, a few kingdoms have moved ahead of the others on the road to civilization. The Manonash stretches over 2,000 miles from north to south and its broken coast is dotted with many offshore islands. Most tribes look to the sea for sustenance and communication and have sailing and seamanship skills beyond what is typical. In the north giant evergreen trees dominate the landscape in great expanses of temperate rain forest. As one moves south along the coast the land gets progressively drier and the vegetation diminishes greatly. Hills and mountains often crowd the shore leaving only small areas suitable for agriculture. To the east great mountains tower over all in snowy peaks. Further south the rain and trees return as temperate woodlands covering rolling uplands. Fishing is a primary source of food and that is supplemented by agriculture, and abundant game from the forests and dry savannahs. Pottery use is widespread up and down the coast, but skilled work in gold and silver, as well as irrigation practices, are restricted to the southern Manonash. Both corn and wheat are grown, but corn is preferred in the south. Cows, horses, sheep and goats have all been domesticated and the wheel is used throughout the region. Weapons (primarily spears and arrows) are tipped in copper and volcanic glass.

It was the first day of the new year and the priests of the Oracle of Wendar gathered before the sun rose over the high, still snowy crests of the mountains that rose sharply behind the temple on the east side. As was traditional, the courtyard was filled with delegates of all the kingdoms of the Manonash; they awaited God’s word for the coming year and in return blessed the temple with offerings of gold and other riches of their lands. The morning was brisk, but cloudless and promised fair weather for the reading and start of their return journeys that would begin later that day.

With a banging gong the ceremony began. Musicians, dancers and priests waving smoky incense paraded into the temple and up to the great carved doors that would soon open the cave of the god. With prayers and signs the doors were blessed and entreated. With showmanship worthy of a god, the ancient lock and key were mated, bringing the gathering to near ecstasy. Creaks and moans and chanting accompanied the opening of the doors and as they banged the rocky walls to expose a fearsome, gaping maul of dark and stone; shouts erupted throughout the hall. The crowd pressed ever closer as the priests descended into the dark cave. All waited in silence.

Upon their return, one of their number mounted a scaffold that climbed the cliff side and read with a great voice and solemnity from a tattered scroll:


The bird of burnished sun comes crashing down
Its wings are clipped and on the ground
Woe to all who prance around
Its relic bones--now pyred on a funeral mound.

And from a second scroll:

Sunrise bears this year’s warring,
Like rain upon the mountains pouring,
Thunder through the passes sounding,
Lightening to the earth now grounding.

And then to the amazement of all, a third:

No mercy’s found upon the earth,
No relief from pounding, salty surf;
Your question’s asked, and the truth be told,
The answer sought is eon’s old:
What you see is not so real,
Remove your cloak it to reveal.

In haste the crowd departed bearing things for kings to ponder at their leisure.

Named map of players and colors. Offical placement will follow in start up map. This is just for future reference in identifying nations and players.

 

[Birdjaguar]

The Rules
This set of NES rules is an extension and enhancement of the rules for BirdNES: The New World which were written and then rewritten several times over the course of that NES. Those rules, and this subsequent incarnation of them, were developed in conjunction with many NESers and are a product of their insight and my own preferences. The Forge of Empires rules were written for a fresh start NES not based on earth, but could be easily adapted for other games.

You will be playing a “black box” style of game. The limited stats that are posted represent a far more complicated set of stats and computations that are not accessible to players. The posted stats should be sufficient to provide you with an understanding of the state of affairs of your nation. You might notice a similarity between the stats used in these rules and those of das’s latest set. That is not an accident. The “black box” aspect has a variety of implications for game play. Players will represent the leadership of their nation and direct their nation through orders. As you will see as you read the rules, that there are very few “do this to get this result” situations in regard to changing stats or improving your nation. As the game begins, each nation will have similar stats and similar underlying assumptions and formulas that create the stats. Over time, though, as players shape their nations, their spending and policy decisions will begin to change those assumptions and formulas. In essence, each nation will develop its own set of stat calculator formulas. The stat calculator is designed so that if any part of it turns out to be “squirrelly” or unbalancing, I can tweak that aspect of it and not have to go back and declare a rewrite of things mid game. (I hope).

Many of the stats are connected to others so that spending or policies that affect one area will also have an impact on others. Diversity is a good example. As it increases (through conquests and such) it will tend to destabilize your nation and make it prone to rebellion and break up. At the same time, it will increase your progress through the technology tree as new ideas and ways of thinking are introduced. In addition, you will find some new ideas to help you guide your nation. Each nation has index scores that allow you to compare your army or navy to those of the other players. The key cities of a nation (ECs, TCs & RCs) are auto generated. Their growth tracks the growth of various aspects of your economy and culture; they cannot be directly “purchased” as in other games. Nations with lots of ECs or TCs will be strong economically. If you capture or destroy those cities in an enemy nation, you will weaken their economy. However, if you capture an EC or TC, you will not gain it as one of your own unless your new acquisitions sufficiently improve your economy that a new EC or TC is auto-generated.

The economic model for these rules is rooted in two areas: a nation’s domestic economy (what takes place inside a nation’s borders) and its trade economy (the transactions connected to imports and exports). Those two economies generate both taxes and corruption which determine how many EP are available for spending. You may wonder how to grow a nation’s economy in a game where you cannot directly buy growth through increasing ECs or TCs etc. It is simple you just do what any government would do: you spend your EP on the things that you think will generate economic or trading growth and you set policy on matters that are important to you. The way trade works will be described in detail in the trade section of the rules.

Spending and Policy is where the hidden stats come into play. I have built in enough (I think) places to apply player spending that pretty much anything you want to do will have a place. Each of those hidden stats will affect the stats you see. Some effects will be visible quickly; others may take time and multiple investments. For example, if nation A is a coastal nation, it might want to spend EP on fishing and related skills and infrastructure, where nation B is landlocked and wants to improve roads and farming techniques. Each can do so even if the stats for those are not visible. Growth in food production (via either fishing or farming) will tend increase population which will, over time, increase a nation’s domestic economy. I can also adjust the rate at which such things create economic effects, so if you think carefully about how you want to spend your EP, you can try to build in long term “bonuses”. This is one way that each nation’s stat calculator may change over time. Physically, the individuality of each nation is achieved through a different spreadsheet for each nation; I can adjust each nation based specifically on a player’s orders.

Governmental policy will also have an impact on both play and stats. If a player adopts specific policies that affect their nation, I will work them into the stats. For example, if a player sets a policy of racial or ethnic cleansing, then I will build that into the assumptions for diversity and population growth. I have tried to build in two ways for players to change their various stats: spending and policy. Spending will usually be shorter term while policy changes or direction will be slower and longer term. Policy statements and changes will be an important part of order writing just like spending. Policies can be instituted without spending EP.

Government Policy
Policies are broad governmental positions on topics that you as leader choose to identify as important. Policies do not cost EP to put in place or maintain and are only limited by your imagination. Policies are a good way to shape your nation, but to increase the number of policies you are allowed, you will need to invest in improving things related to government: Civilian Leadership, Bureaucracy, and government practices. While policies can be about almost anything a player think up, the number of polices that are permitted at any one time will be governed by progress through the Government practices tech tree branch and the previous levels of investment in government oriented items. Here are some examples of policies:

• Universal education for citizens
• Tax exemption for the rich
• Local rather than national responsibility to maintain infrastructure
• Economic and social discrimination against all non state religions
• Favored nation trading status for nations in our home cradle
• Mandatory military training for all males under 25
• Citizens of any conquered nation must convert to our religion

Every nation starts with capability to issuing one policy. In the stats it will state how many policies you are permitted to put in place. Those policies will affect the underlying assumptions that determine your stats. Changing policies will change stats. Players should think about the possible implications of policies before implementing them. Beware the law of unintended consequences!

The Stats
Like most NESes this game has stats, but in addition to the stats you see there are other stats that you cannot see. The listed stats are those necessary to be an effective leader of your nation.

Mayans/Birdjaguar
Ruler/Heir: Bird Jaguar/Smoke Monkey
Leadership/Stability/Culture: 1/1/ 6
Available Spending: Economy/Treasury: 1/7
Population/Area/Diversity: 2/1/2
Domestic Economy/Trade/National Upkeep: 3/3/0 Growing
Confidence/Corruption: 59%/36%
EC/TC/RC: 1/1/1
Maps & Charts: None
Religion/Fanaticism Level: Pagan: 2 / 1
Significant natural resources: 0 (none)
Policies Permitted: 1
Indexed Army/Navy Value: 8/6.6
UU: Honkers/Triremes
Army: 1000-I, 500-M, no -aUU (1600-max)
Navy: 10-W, 0-T, 50-nUU
Projects:
Army Costs: 1 EP buys: 1000-I, 200-M, 200-aUU
Navy Costs: 1 EP buys: 10-W, 5-T, 10-nUU
Technology: Minimally trained, lightly armored spearmen and archers; Copper Age weapons; Ships do not sail out of sight of land.

Line by line Descriptions:
Ruler/Heir: It is important to keep this information updated.
Leadership is a combination of civilian, military, & religious leadership in conjunction with education and bureaucracy. It is a weighted average that tops out at about 6. Higher is better. The weights are not fixed and can be changed through government policies.
Stability is a measure of how stable your nation is and its susceptibility to break up or collapse. Lots of things enter into this: Leadership (of all types), diversity, war, natural disasters, your economy, national confidence and even the size of your treasury (more treasury dollars helps keep things together). When your Stability gets down to 2 or less, you could be in for trouble. Any score over the “breakup threshold” is generally Ok, but sudden wars or natural disasters can cause quick drops that could have dire consequences. Higher is better and scores of 10+ are probably possible.
Culture # is a measure of the strength of your culture relative to other nations and the influence you will have over them. Higher is better.
Available Spending shows how many spendable EPs your economy generated this turn and the amount in your treasury. A player could spend up to the total of both, even if draining one’s treasury is not a wise thing to do. Taxes, tax efficiency, military support and infrastructure upkeep are applied to/subtracted from the raw economy numbers to determine your net available spending.
Population is a number used to measure how many people you have within your borders. I use it to calculate things like army size maximums, and the cost to improve bureaucracy, agriculture and manufacturing levels. With larger populations it cost more to improve those. Also, larger populations increase the size of one’s domestic economy. Population is auto calculated based on a variety of factors. I expect populations to top out at around 12 for very large nations.
Area is another important stat. The physical size of your nation will impact the population, diversity and the cost to maintain your infrastructure (part of national upkeep). It is calculated using the number of pixels you control on the map and the result is divided by 1,000 to keep the numbers manageable.
Diversity measures the variety of cultures and races and religions etc. that your nation encompasses. It enriches culture and technological progress while it decreases stability. Encompassing or encouraging diversity is most definitely a two-edged sword. Generally, the larger a nation gets, the more diverse it will be. There are no constraints on how diverse your nation could get.
Domestic Economy measures the strength of your national economy, determines how many ECs you have and is your contribution to regional and world trade. Improving things at home increases this number. If you have a very strong domestic economy, it will improve the trade scores of those around you. This number measures your economy and not your available spending.
Trade measures the volume of your foreign trade and reflects the economies of neighbors and nations connected to you through trade routes. If you are among a group of economically weak nations, your trade will be poor. Voyages of discovery and overland exploration can add trade if they find distant neighbors.
National Upkeep is the cost in EP to maintain all the institutions and infrastructure that you have in place. It goes up as you improve your nation. This is automatically subtracted from what a nation can spend. In a large nation with lots of internal improvements, upkeep can sap what it has to spend for other things.
An Economic Growth descriptive follows the economic numbers; it indicates the state of your economy. Growing economies receive a bonus that increases your turn’s available spending. Bonuses generally range from 3-8%.
Confidence % is what percent of your people love you and feel that you are doing a good job. It is unlikely that your national confidence will ever reach 100%. If your score is less than 50% it could trigger stability problems.
Corruption % is how much of your taxable economy is slipping away out of your control. Policy and leadership levels are important in determining your corruption levels. Corruption affects your tax efficiency and national confidence. Decreases in corruption will increase available spending. It is not likely that you will eliminate corruption, but every reduction will help.
ECs (Economic Centers) are your engines for domestic economic strength. The better your domestic economy, the more ECs you will have showing on the map. Loss of an EC to war will reduce your domestic economy. These are auto calculated by the stat calculator.
Similarly, TCs (Trade Centers) are a measure of your trade. Their loss will reduce your trade. Likewise, a loss of trade could reduce the number of TCs on the map.
RCs (Religious Centers) are also auto calculated from your efforts in religion. RCs improve your culture and National Confidence. Losing RCs weakens them.
Maps & Charts are a list of your explorations. Like in “The New World”, trade routes and voyages of discovery will be coded and listed as you discover them. Given that we have no historical model for this map, I will name them as we go along.
The Religion stats include the name of your religion, its level of sophistication and degree of fanaticism. Their primary effect is on culture, but fanaticism can have an effect on war if high enough. These religious stats generally will be 5 or less in value.
If you have any significant natural resource or trade monopoly, I will list it here. They affect both trade and your domestic economy.
The Indexed army & navy values are a measure of how your overall army measures up against everyone else’s army. Size, leadership, quality, UUs, cavalry vs infantry etc. all play a part. If your army scores a 9.6 and you plan on attacking your neighbor who has a score of 15.3, then you will likely have problems. Navy scores are similar, but calculated differently than army scores. Army scores should not be compared to navy scores, only to other army scores. These scores are overall scores and sum up many things. Improvements to your army can be made many ways; in addition to what you see in the stats, I have 15 other factors I can change that will affect costs, quality and index scores.
Any UU is listed by name and type.
The army and navy information comes next. Your current strength in infantry (I), mounted (M) and UU are followed by the maximum size of your army. The strength of your warships (W), trade fleets (T), and naval UUs follow on the next line. In the above example the nation is not eligible (no-aUU) for an army UU and has 50 naval UUs (50-nUU), called Honkers, that are altered triremes.
Policies Permitted & Borders: this tells you how many government policies you are permitted to implement and if you have closed your borders to trade. Open borders are the default; when a nation closes borders, all trade stops.
Projects will be handled a bit differently in this game. In most games players decide what effect the project will have and the mod determines the cost and time to build. Not so in the Forge of Empires. As a leader of your nation, you will decide what monumental effort you want to make, what building or temple to build or what landmark in history you want to construct. In your orders you describe it in some detail and tell me how much you are going to pay to build it. I will announce the project in the update and when it is completed make another announcement. The results of your efforts will be left to me to decide. As a player you will be taking a small risk by investing significant EP into something with an “unknown” result. Should you build a great Naval Academy to train your captains and crews, most likely you will see improvements there, but other less obvious effects may take place. You may find ships cost less, or charting new territories is faster and easier or some unsought after naval improvement is discovered. Like life, you will be building your project without foreknowledge of what effects it will cause or the benefits it may bring. The risk averse among you may shy away from such spending leaving others to reap the benefits of blind faith in the gods. Of course some effects of projects could be less desirable. Perhaps you choose to build a great temple that attracts visitors and traders from all your neighboring countries. An increase in trade and culture might be accompanied by an increase in diversity as new ideas and ways of thinking find their way into mainstream thinking. Such things could be destabilizing. For the most part projects will benefit a nation, but players will have less control over just what those benefits are.
Army and navy costs are listed after Projects. Those may change over time and from country to country.
Tech advancement: Here I will list a descriptive of what your tech state is.

How to Spend
Spending is very easy. All you do is tell me how much you want to spend and on what. I will take care of the rest. Spend 1 EP on ships and you will get new ships. Spend it on troops and you will get new troops. If you want to improve government services, just tell me so and I will find the right place to apply your EP. You may not know the exact outcome of your spending until the update. If you want to improve your infrastructure, then spend 1 EP and see if your stats change. For a large nation it might take several investments. Depending upon the size of your nation, at some point you will see changes in your stats. My goal is to get you to think like a leader and not like a game player. Rather than worry about what it costs to get a specific result, you just tell me what you are trying to do and how you want to do it. I don’t need a lot of description, so be brief.

Armies and Navies
As a ruler you can buy purchase armies and navies. Armies are made up of Infantry, Mounted troops, in moments of desperation, Levies, and possibly a unique unit. Infantry includes all manner of melee or distance weapons including: archers, spears, swords, axes etc. that fight on their own feet. Mounted troops include those that ride things like horses, camels, elephants, chariots etc. regardless of what they are armed with. They’re your regular army and can be trained, armored, better led or whatever you dictate and spend for over the course of the game. Each nation has a maximum army size (posted in the stats). That is the total allowed for all types of regular army troops. As a ruler you can arm your troops with any available weapons and change those weapons from turn to turn. If on one turn you want to have half your mounted troops be archers and half spearmen, that is fine. On the next turn you can have all archers. I will only track the number of each type of troops. If you try to change from chariots to cavalry, you better have some “history” of using chariots in the past or your troops will probably fight very poorly.

The following abbreviations are used in the stats: I=Infantry; M=Mounted, aUU=army Unique Unit. For your navy: W=Warships; T=Trade fleet; nUU=naval UU.

When you buy troops you will get X amount of Y type for each EP you spend. Those costs may vary from nation to nation as players make spending and policy decisions over time. Your costs are posted in your stats.

Levies are troops that you can raise on short notice to respond to some “higher calling” like defend your nation if invaded or to follow some god into holy war. Mostly, Levies are poorly equipped and not very reliable, but they will die for their cause. If you choose to engage Levies in your wars, they cost 1 EP for all you can get. In some situations, I may decide to raise Levies on your behalf and deduct the cost from your treasury. Levies disappear at the end of every update (to await resurrection) and do not contribute to your army index. A typical levy could be up to double the size of your current regular infantry strength.

In addition, you may be eligible to create a UU for your army or navy. Eligibility is based on a variety of factors related to tech progress and military matters. When permitted, players may submit a UU to me for approval and cost information. Be realistic and creative. You may have only one UU at a time even if you are eligible for both an army and navy UU. You may discard a UU at any time and create another. Players should keep in mind that if you have a lot of land based UU troops and your nation is not very stable (has a low stability score), the situation may be just right for a coup or breakaway state.

Navies are similar to armies, but the choices are more limited: warships, trade fleets and naval UUs. The definition of a warship will vary from nation to nation and over time. Your stats will give you information about what kinds of ships you can build. You can spend EP to improve training, quality and leadership for your navy; you can also set policies related to your navy.

Trade Fleets (TF) represent an investment in supporting maritime trade. When you buy them, they spread out among all your over-water trade routes and add to your trade. TFs can be attacked by other nations or pirates; they can suffer damage from storms and be victims of war between two nations who are at peace with you. They are expensive and buying too many may not be a great idea. Their real value is to be operating over time without interruption so they pay off the investment and then the rest is profit. The more trade you have the more valuable TFs are.

Armies, Warships and Trading fleets have upkeep costs. Every 10,000 men under arms cost you an EP, as does every 50 warships and 75 Trade Fleets. These costs can be altered by spending, policies or tech advances.

Trade
Trade is the commerce between nations and a nation’s trade score measures the volume of your foreign trade. All trade takes place within the context of named geographic areas or specified named trade routes and a nation’s total trade score is calculated from the trade value of each trading area or route in which that nation is participating. For example, at the start of the game nations will only be able to trade with other nations within their cradle. Once nations make contact with one another, each will contribute to and benefit from trade across the cradle. Over time, if nation A explores and makes contact with a distant nation, B, that is not part of the cradle, then a trade route might be established between the two. Then nation A would have trade with the cradle and nation B. Nation B would gain from its contact with nation A, but not necessarily the entire cradle. As the game progresses other nations will probably make efforts to “discover” the rich trade routes started by others to reap some of the profits. The more trade routes a nation participates in, the more trade it will generate. See the Exploration section for more information about establishing trade routes.

The trade value of each area or route is calculated separately. All of the nations participating in a trading area or route contribute their domestic economy score to calculate the total value of the trade for that “route”. That total is adjusted for war, economic fluctuations and things like pirates or brigands and the net number contributes to each participating nation’s trade score. Having a rich neighbor will improve your trade. In addition, if a nation has access to a scare resource it will improve trade, as well as, its domestic economy. If you are trading with distant nations that end up in a war, then your trade with them may diminish and if the drop is severe enough, you could lose a TC until peace and trade are reestablished. Any coastal nation can purchase trading fleets to increase trade along its existing maritime trade routes. Trading fleets are considered to be spread evenly across all routes and have the general effect of increasing your nation’s trading score. Trading fleets can be lost because of war, natural disasters or pirating.

Trade does not have to be established by players. Pretty much it will be automatic once a trade route or trading area is established. If a nation chooses it may close its borders to all trade and it will cease to benefit from or contribute to trade anywhere. This is an all or nothing choice. There will not be any selective trading. If borders are closed, they may be reopened later. I do not recommend this as a playing strategy, but their might be circumstances where, in the short run, it might be useful.

Exploration
One way to spend EP is to finance explorations of the world. Such endeavors can be over land or sea. Since in most cases you will not know where your expeditions are going only general directions are needed in orders. Not all expeditions will be successful and those that are not financed will have a higher failure rate than those with some kind of financial backing. For maritime explorations, success is enhanced if your ships are capable of making the voyage in question and your crews are skilled and well equipped.

Technology
Technology will advance over time. As a player you can control the direction of what you discover, but not the pace. Technology falls into five major groups: government practices, military practices, cultural & religious practices, trade efforts and economic endeavors. You may focus your efforts for advancement in any or all of the areas. You can even designate more specific areas of interest within those broad categories. Unless you are very isolated, there may be no compelling reason to spend large amounts of EP on technology. Over time or through war, technology will spread from nation to nation on its own. Being the first to discover iron may give a nation a short term advantage, but its value will not go unnoticed and soon all the neighbors will be brandishing iron weapons. A nation that suffers from a tech deficit, if it survives, will learn to use the new technology. But technology is not just “hard goods”, it also encompasses figuring news ways to do things from organizing soldiers on the battle field or government practices to calculating longitude or engineering roads and bridges. You invest in tech by telling me how much you want to spend in what areas and even what you hope to achieve. In many ways nations will be creating an over lapping technology trees and sharing them with neighbors. In some areas there maybe techs that seem ever so difficult to learn.

Scale
Inowe is a large world. Exactly how large you will have to find out on your own, but each map pixel represents a square 10 miles on a side. You may calculate both distance and area using this scale. A 1,000 pixel nation is about 100,000 square miles. 10 pixels from A to B is about 100 miles, or the distance an ancient army can march in a week. Scale is important to keep in mind when planning war or exploration.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Starting map

 

[Birdjaguar]

New Long turn order structure​

The 100 year turn will be broken into two 50 year segments and each 50 year segment will have its own identically organized sections. These orders will simpler and broader. They have three required sections and one optional. For each 50 year segment you can write completely different orders and priorities. I will produce a new set of maps for each 50 year segment so players can track progress through the whole turn

Nation/player
Years of the first 50 Year Segment: 341-390

1. Tell me the extent that each of the listed choices influences your nation’s Leadership. Please put a percent next to each that shows the balance of power between them. They should total 100% and 0% values are acceptable for individual items. An allocation of less than 5% will be treated as 0%.
• King, queen, monarchy or other similar ‘secular’ leadership
• Council, advisors, elite or other group rule
• Religious leadership by priests and others
• Military leadership by generals who are not kings etc.
• Other (explain)

2. Please allocate a percent of your available resources (EP) to each item (total to 100%); then list up to 2 specific goals for each area in which you have at least 20% of your resources; you may write a few sentences if further explanation is needed, but long multipart explanations that overly complicate matters will probably be ignored. Those items with a higher percentage attached are more likely to actually happen. An allocation of greater than 50% in a single area might well unbalance your nation and cause unintended consequences. An allocation of less than 5% will be treated as 0%.
• Domestic Economy
• Territorial Expansion
• Religious & Cultural
• Technology
• Military Practices
• Exploration
• Government Practices

3. Military Matters. This section doesn’t require much more than a word or number entry unless you are actually planning a war. If so, then tell me what you plan on achieving as a result of the war.
• Army size: percent of whatever the most current maximum is
• Percent infantry vs mounted
• Favored weapon for each branch of service
• UU description if you have one.
• Size of navy: small medium or large
• Nations which you will attack in this 50 year period:
• Nations you will attack only if they attack you first:
I assume you will defend against all attacks.

4. Anything else you want to say. (optional) You can add any flavor text or details that will fill out nation's story.

Here is some additional formation to help you allocate resources and formulate goals in section 2 above:

Your Domestic Economy typically includes things like these:
• Agriculture
• Aquaculture
• Infrastructure
• Roads
• Crafts, production, commercial enterprises
• Engineering
• Education

Territorial Expansion includes expanding the borders of your main nation or already existing colonies or holdings not directly connected to your main nation. It is focused on expansion and not necessarily war unless your expansion is into another player’s territory. See war section.

Religious & Cultural efforts would include popularizing your religion or encouraging its spread to other places; increasing the cultural influence of your nation relative to your neighbors. If you wanted to increase or decrease the fanatical nature of your religion, it would be noted here.

Technology: learning or discovering new ways of doing things across the entire range of categories listed here. Please keep them appropriate to the stage of our development. Limit is 2, remember.

Military Practices: Both naval and army related items can be included. Gaining the ability to have a UU would be here. If that is a goal, then please describe your UU.

Exploration: unrolling the cloak of blackness from land and sea areas, improving shipbuilding and navigation, adding trade routes, creating new settlements distant from your home nation.

Government Practices: Anything related to how you govern your people can be here: civilian leadership, bureaucracy, taxation, important policies, succession plans.

Spoiler :

Sample Orders:
Leadership:
• King, queen, monarchy or other similar ‘secular’ leadership 80%
• Council, advisors, elite or other group rule 0%
• Religious leadership by priests and others 20%
• Other (explain)

Resources allocation

Domestic Economy: 30% Improve roads and craft production
Territorial Expansion: 10%
Religious & Cultural: 20% Increase the influence of religious leadership and spread our religion to nations south of us.
Technology: 20% learn to make steel and navigate across open ocean
Military Practices: 10%
Exploration: 5%
Government Practices: 5%

Military matters:
• Army size: percent of whatever the most current maximum is 75%
• Percent infantry vs mounted 80%
• Favored weapon for each branch of service: gladius and bow
• Size of navy: small medium or large: small
• Nations which you will attack in this 50 year period: None
• Nations you will attack only if they attack you first: Mayas

 

[Birdjaguar]

Update Zero 100 years

 

[Birdjaguar]

Named Map for Update zero and regional climate map.

There are five climate zones shown. Moving north to South: Temperate rainforest (pinkish); Mediterrean (sage); Mountain (grey); Temperate Woodland (light blue); Steppe/grasslands (yellow green)

There are no deserts shown.

 

[Birdjaguar]

How to write Orders
Orders need to be structured in a specific way to make updating move along as quickly as possible. I reserve the right to ignore orders that complicate my efforts to provide a quality update.

1. Stats from the last update as posted
2. Government Policies in place for the turn
3. Goals for the turn
4. Spending overview
5. Important Events
6. War overview, strategies and goals for the conflict
7. Contingencies
8. Anything else you want to say in whatever detail you desire up to 2 pms.

Items 1-5 are required. Cool events (5) may get you mentioned in the update. The War section (6) is only required if you are at war. Contingencies (7) may save your butt.

1. Stats: just copy and paste from the thread, if necessary, change the name of the ruler and heir.
2. Policies: these are very important and will affect your stats and how they change over time. This should be just a list of policies that are active. Short descriptions are all that are needed. If you want to write a detailed essay on how you plan on treating your conquered neighbor, do that in part 7. I want this section short and to the point.
3. Goals are what you hope to accomplish this turn. They should be short and concise and you don’t need more than 4 or 5. They enable me to see what all your efforts are trying to achieve. They are important. You can have goals in any area: war, food production, technology, exploration, your domestic economy etc.
4. Spending Overview: this should be a simple list of how much you are spending on what effort. If you want to elaborate, put that in part 7 and keep this list short and clear.
5. Important Events: here you list the important events that you foresee happening in the turn. Each event requires a date (year at least). If you give me a name or names of those involved, you increase the chances that I will include it in the update. This section is just a list of sentences or less. Any elaboration should be added in part 7.
6. War: When you go to war you need to provide me with a condensed version of what you expect to happen. It does not have to be long and complicated. I need army sizes, the strategies you want to use and what the goals of the war are. If you want to include long detailed campaign information, you can do so in part 7 rather than here, but such long instructions are mostly not needed. A well organized condensed version is usually sufficient. You may include maps of your wars if you want.
7. Contingencies: this where you plan for the unexpected and let me know how to handle things that you haven’t included in your orders: sneak attacks, failures of allies to be allies, etc. I don’t need a lot of detail, just an idea of how you want those situations handled.
8. Everything else: Fill out your orders here. Add the detail you wanted to include above. Please keep this section well organized and don’t forget to use paragraphs. This section is 100% optional.

Stories
Stories are good. I will tweak appropriate stat assumptions when stories are posted. If nothing else, a good story will add to culture. When I update, I do not go back to the thread to re-read posts or stories. So make sure anything that is important that you posted in the thread, you also include in your orders. This includes treaties.

Miscellaneous items:
Economic cycles and war will affect trade. Each economic area (cradles to begin) will go through economic ups and down. A region’s maximum economic output is the total of all the contributing domestic economies. Regional economies will range from about 30% to 110% of capacity affecting the trade values of a region. In addition, warfare in an area will also affect the area’s economies within a range of 30% to 120%. If a player undertakes a campaign of wanton destruction across a nation, it can have severe consequences on the economy of that nation and the region.
Named personages are both fun and useful. Every nation will need to have a current ruler and a named heir. In addition, naming key generals or explorers or other leaders will enhance updates and make story telling more interesting. As moderator I may create my own characters to help with the telling of Inowe’s unfolding history. If your characters have long elaborate names or you insist on using Welsh as your basis for naming people, I retain the right to ignore them or change their name to my liking.
Realism will be important. Please don’t expect your generals or admirals to do the impossible. Deserts, jungles, mountains etc. are difficult terrain to traverse; expect problems and try to prepare for them. If your stats say that you have “advanced river trade”, don’t expect those ships to be able to cross the ocean and find a new continent.

 

[Abaddon]

Of Gods and Goatherds

Sat around a small camp fire, sheltered from the worst of the rain by the thick tree cover ahead, two brothers discussed the changing world around them. Raised as goatherds and scratching a meager living off the land, until recently that’s all the had expected out of life….


“I am sick of all this bloody goat steak” muttered Fendain Rangool throwing the greasy morsel back down into the stewing pot, splashing his heavily worn sheep-skin shoes “its all we eat these days, do you know what they have in Canton?"

“What?” replied Saieed Rangool losing his gaze to the dancing flames

“Everything! Sweet meade, feather-down beds, and the women, oh Serafina, the women! I hesitate to believe what I have heard about them, but if they are only a quarter of what you hear. And it is not all frivolitys brother, you know he has people organised to collectively herd the animals, sow the crops… he even has a “pet” fox!”

“Aye, Iorek is gathering many people to that area, its all too busy for me though. I am happy to stay out here."

“Bah, I just cant do it. I want more than this. This is all just too simple. Tomorrow I will set out to Canton.”

“Are you sure?”

“Damn, yes I’m sure..i am already packed. With the all the copper and gold I have panned from the rivers I hope will buy me some council with Iorek Byrnison."

“Well may Serafina1 be with you, and the aurora guide you true through this life and the next”

The two young men sat in silence, the embers of the fire fading as the night drew on. Ever so often one of the brothers would toss another log onto the fire, sending a riot of sparks zipping like angry hornets up into the moonlit sky. Not much more was said. They knew this the last time they would see each other for some time.

~~~~~
1Serafina: One of four seasonal gods. Serafina is the goddess of springtime and renewal. Often the favored god for the more agricultural professions.
~~~~~


Fendain Rangool was not unique in his desire to visit Canton, more and more travellers arrived every day. If Iorek was honest with this, he was desperatly worried we would run out of the vital ingredients for his campane before it was complete.

From a meagre grouping of farm houses, over the years Canton had rapidly expanded into a respecable township. Iorek recognised its need for direction and drive to continue to grow and thus had been determined to maintain his power.

Promising every able man who came to his side to all the Meade he could drink was however proving effective if ruinous. He could now stride around town, proud that it was his wisdom that had put this together, and with Geirmals2 luck this would continue.

~~~~~
2Geirmal: The God of Summertime and War.

 

[JosefStalinator]

Glee its up! Dare I ask what the lost boys is though?

 

[Birdjaguar]

Glee its up! Dare I ask what the lost boys is though?

The "Lost Boys" are two players who are not presently shown on any map. They will appear at some point in time and space when appropriate. For convenience they are shown on the Manonash thread.

 

[The Loser]

Orders send!

 

[Cannae]

The beginning of a Lotus

A group of migrants walked among the tall trees, vast rivers and the never-ending growth of vegetation below the ground. They hear the macaws above in the canopies, squawking very loudly. We see on the floor below Tapirs, eating the fruit, Poison Dart Frogs hiding in the plants waiting for the rain, Jaguars hunting for meat from ungulates. The mosquitoes and gnats flying and harassing the travelers. These nomads discussed about the issues and myths of their day around the campfire.

The great shaman said, "There are jungle spirits that must never be offended. These spirits will be able to do you great harm and misery." The audience leaning forward listening with anticipation. "There was a great empire long ago who was the most powerfully nation ever to be known. They had canals in which could bring tons of water into their main city. Roads in which, could bring in trade from all over the world, bringing in gold, silver, spices, slaves, animals, knowledge and new technologies never know of before," said the shaman.

One of the children asked, "What happened to this empire" The shaman exclaimed "let me get to that in a minute" You see people, this creator of this nation long ago made a pact, if you will, with the great unknown. This pact has been broken repeatedly by various nations in which it caused their decline. It had happened with this ancient civilization's even grander enemies and even itself later. These nations ignored the pact they had made with the great one long ago, in which, they would leave some places unused by us humans and given as sanctuaries to the great unknown, so as to show our great appreciation of what it has done."

Another member of the village asked, "Why would these nations ever destroy these lands and develop over them." The great shaman taking a bite of a skewered scorpion said that "Well these nations, just grew too grand and powerful. They thought that they could take on anything and everything that came their way. They cut down trees carelessly, burned down grassy plains and built cities over the land that had once held these great spirits. These spirits did not forget these atrocities committed against them and remembered them quite well. At the climax of these empires time, and time again, they were collapsed under the sheer power of nature. These jungles, plains and rivers grew over everything, removed any visible evidence, and left very little clues on these very entities."

One last person asked, “How does a person make this pact with the great one and what are the clues of existence for these lost nations?" The shaman replied "A nation doesn't have a choice; they have to make this pact even to exist. As for the Have a good nights sleep and don't disturb any of the spirits."

 

[Kal'thzar]

Ok I'm here, nice to see a difference in the stats (higher pop for me), although thats a very neutral sort of effect (more spending required as well!).

Stories etc soon

 

[JosefStalinator]

Orders sent! I hope it wasn't too wordy.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Ok I'm here, nice to see a difference in the stats (higher pop for me), although thats a very neutral sort of effect (more spending required as well!).

Stories etc soon

Population is not a neutral stat at all.

Orders sent! I hope it wasn't too wordy.

They were fine.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Keep those orders coming!!

 

[Thlayli]

Bird, I'm going to assume a positive response to the question in my PM, given what I've seen in the stats. I just wanted to confirm that before I sent orders.