Shaitan
der Besucher
3000 BC
Life was good. After almost a year traveling up and down the coast of this massive island, Sealman and his crew finally had a target worth taking. The barbarian villages they had pillaged had been an act of mercy for those folk as much as they were to fulfill the mission of the coracle Mannanan and her sister ships. The Mannanan was a coastal sweep tasked with protecting the waters about the Isle of Man by breaking up accumulations of barbarians, especially those who tried to ply the waves. The cruise had so far been quite eventful. His seasoned warriors had destroyed two barbarian encampments and mobilized the Validonii peoples to the cause of Mannanan mac Lir. The Validonii warriors had then paralleled the Mannanan's southerly course and assisted in two more engagements.
Now the little fleet of vessels was pulling into a bay that was home to Celts. Not proper Celts, of course. These had a harsh slant to their speech and were half again as violent as any barbarians. What had that fishermen called them again? Scotii or Scotch or something like that. No matter, they would soon be Manx. As his troops assembled on the beech that was a short run from the city proper he saw smoke coming from the far side of the city. That would be the Validonii warriors. Sealman hurried his own troops into formation. Best to subdue these Scotii quickly before the Validonii destroyed the place. They were a valuable asset, these barbarian warriors, but their penchant for violence had already cost Sealman a good deal of prize money and booty.
As he walked unmolested at the head of his column of warriors Sealman was struck by the absolute lack of resistance. Had the entire garrison responded to the Validonii threat? Were they laying a trap further inside the little city? Several hours later he was relaxing drinking mead with the Validonii chief as report after report came in that neighborhoods of the city continued to be secured with virtually no defense. They had caught the city of Edinburgh with no military garrison. The Scotii had been defeated and the occupying Manx forces had not lost a single soldier.
Sealman entrenched his forces and sent the Mannanan and her little fleet back to the Isle of Man with news of the great victory. Evidence was found of a fairly large exodus. Most likely a goodly amount of the populous had fled when the two armed forces converged on Edinburgh. He opted to let them run. There was little that a group of unarmed fugitive civilians could accomplish and his men deserved a celebration to honor Mannanan mac Lir for this fantastic luck and bounty.
2000 BC
It was somewhat ironic that the SkyLord was meeting these particular dignitaries in this place. The Scots had once controlled these lands, after all. But that was so long ago that it defied memory and even legend. He wondered what the Scots would be like. As a youth he had spent several years in the traditional Manx passion of exploration on the seas. He had met Picts and Irishmen and the Scots were said to be cousins of these. He enjoyed the company of the Picts. Their mountainous and unforgiving homeland turned out a soul quite similar to his own windswept and stormy one. The Irish were crude and backward. That was to be expected though as Man controlled the seas and prohibited anyone from crossing the Sea of Mannanan. The Irish were kept separate from other civilizations by the simple fact that they were alone on their island and Man would allow no travel by ship.
He stood politely as the Scottish envoys were shown into his tent. "Welcome to Edinburgh and Man" he said, smiling in welcome. "Please be seated." When the three burly men had been seated and served he took up his own cup and toasted them. "To Scotland and the Scots. May the waves never crest your gunwals nor the winds e'er blow against you."
The Scots told the Skylord the sad story of the Scots. How they had struggled against barbarian attacks and starvation after fleeing the Manx occupation of Edinburgh. They told of the tests and travails that the proud clans had undergone in their desperate journey south. The Scots had finally settled on the eastern coast at the far south of the great island. They were immediately beset by the Cornish and Welsh, their new neighbors. (The Skylord took this news with a grain of salt - he had many friends in Cornwall and Wales and the story they told was of constant incursion and raiding by the Scots.) The Scots were now separated by hostile peoples and great distance from their cousins the Picts and Irish. They sought Manx assistance in establishing communication with their estranged relations.
The Skylord frowned and explained that the seas were the province of Mannanan mac Lir and he had declaimed that only the children of the storm god, the Manx, were to be suffered upon it. It was his holy duty as a warrior priest to protect the waves from the ungodly. He apologized profusely that this caused the Scots distress but the whole thing was literally in the hands of his god. The Scots were incensed. They bargained, begged, pleaded and finally demanded that passage be opened to Ireland. The Skylord refused and began to become angry himself. Harsh words were exchanged and the Scots vowed that they would attack the mainland Manx holdings if their demands were not met. Such behavior on the part of a guest was unthinkable so he did the only reasonable thing. He had the three Scots stripped and beaten, tied to their horses backwards and sent off wildly into the woods. The peaceful Manx were at war for the second time in their history, for the second time against Scotland.
It was quite a conundrum. How could he wage war against a landbound foe that resided on the opposite end of the great isle? The answer presented itself quite readily. He was not the Manx prince who had many friends in Cornwall and Wales. Alliances were signed in record speed. Alliance was also made in Pictland. They were even farther away from Scotland than the Isle of Man but it would have been rude to exclude their longtime friends from such a universal conflict.
The war dragged on and on, carried by the Cornish and Welsh. The Picts and Manx were too far from the theatre to provide more than token support. Eventually the "Guests' War" eventually ended with no real gains by the alliance or Scotland.
1000 BC
Das mac Lir sat at his huge desk rereading reports he had already spent too much time on. The Irish problem. You would figure that after the millenia that the Isle of Man had protected the seas that these people would finally accept it. But no. Another courier boat had been captured attempting to land on the shores of Eire. This one was Welsh and the consulate from Wales was making fabulous noise about it. The penalty for violating Mannanan's seas was death. Pure and simple. Hadn't the Manx expended great effort destroying the barbarian raiders from the north? Those marauders now rested at the bottom of the sea they had profaned with their presence.
The Irish problem. The Irish themselves had been growing more and more insistent to be allowed contact with the mainland. The Cornish had lodged several compaints and entreaties. The Picts had made it obvious that they did not care for the force isolation of their cousins either. And the Scots. The bloody Scots! An ultimatum from the Scots was the paper in Das' hands right now. Allow the Scots access to Ireland or there would be war. What did the Manx know of war? For 3000 years they had controlled the seas. They didn't make war on land. Land was a place to build ships.
Yet Das knew he couldn't ignore this. He had to be proactive. He would do as his many times great grandfather the Skilord had done and unite the entirety of the great isle against these upstart Scots.
The "Cousins War" lasted well beyond Das' life time. His great great grandson, the patriarch Charis mac Lir effectively ended all reason for it (except a fairly universal dislike of the Scotish) when he received a vision of six people on the seas. It was a sign from Mannanan mac Lir that all six nations would be permitted on the waves. Of course they were on a Manx ship in the vision and Charis interpreted this to mean that only Manx vessels should be permitted.
With the restrictions lifted, the Manx were quick to unite their Irish neighbors with the peoples of the great isle. The Scots continued their half hearted attempts at war for a few years but they too were finally ready for peace. The Cousins War ended much like the Guests War - with a whimper.
Game Notes
This is a "You Decide" story line. After each chapter is presented the feedback of the readers will determine how the next chapter of the game is played. The game itself is being played with the British Isles mod, version 1.2 on a standard sized map, monarch difficulty, correct starting positions. Scotland is in the southeast corner of Brittainia because they respawned there after the Manx took Edinburgh.
What's in the future of the Isle of Man? They have led a generally peaceful existence on the land. They are a terror on the seas and the coasts. Manx coracles and galleys with rabid sailors have sailed all the way around both main islands destroying coastal barbarian encampments (and grabbing goody huts). They have led an essentially peaceful existence with all of their neighbors, with the notable exception of Scotland. Admittedly Man was the agressor in the first war but the Scots hold a grudge far too long.
Should Man expand in Ireland? On the great island? Go to war? With who? You decide!
Isle of Man and holdings on the great island:
Manx territories on Eire:
Life was good. After almost a year traveling up and down the coast of this massive island, Sealman and his crew finally had a target worth taking. The barbarian villages they had pillaged had been an act of mercy for those folk as much as they were to fulfill the mission of the coracle Mannanan and her sister ships. The Mannanan was a coastal sweep tasked with protecting the waters about the Isle of Man by breaking up accumulations of barbarians, especially those who tried to ply the waves. The cruise had so far been quite eventful. His seasoned warriors had destroyed two barbarian encampments and mobilized the Validonii peoples to the cause of Mannanan mac Lir. The Validonii warriors had then paralleled the Mannanan's southerly course and assisted in two more engagements.
Now the little fleet of vessels was pulling into a bay that was home to Celts. Not proper Celts, of course. These had a harsh slant to their speech and were half again as violent as any barbarians. What had that fishermen called them again? Scotii or Scotch or something like that. No matter, they would soon be Manx. As his troops assembled on the beech that was a short run from the city proper he saw smoke coming from the far side of the city. That would be the Validonii warriors. Sealman hurried his own troops into formation. Best to subdue these Scotii quickly before the Validonii destroyed the place. They were a valuable asset, these barbarian warriors, but their penchant for violence had already cost Sealman a good deal of prize money and booty.
As he walked unmolested at the head of his column of warriors Sealman was struck by the absolute lack of resistance. Had the entire garrison responded to the Validonii threat? Were they laying a trap further inside the little city? Several hours later he was relaxing drinking mead with the Validonii chief as report after report came in that neighborhoods of the city continued to be secured with virtually no defense. They had caught the city of Edinburgh with no military garrison. The Scotii had been defeated and the occupying Manx forces had not lost a single soldier.
Sealman entrenched his forces and sent the Mannanan and her little fleet back to the Isle of Man with news of the great victory. Evidence was found of a fairly large exodus. Most likely a goodly amount of the populous had fled when the two armed forces converged on Edinburgh. He opted to let them run. There was little that a group of unarmed fugitive civilians could accomplish and his men deserved a celebration to honor Mannanan mac Lir for this fantastic luck and bounty.
2000 BC
It was somewhat ironic that the SkyLord was meeting these particular dignitaries in this place. The Scots had once controlled these lands, after all. But that was so long ago that it defied memory and even legend. He wondered what the Scots would be like. As a youth he had spent several years in the traditional Manx passion of exploration on the seas. He had met Picts and Irishmen and the Scots were said to be cousins of these. He enjoyed the company of the Picts. Their mountainous and unforgiving homeland turned out a soul quite similar to his own windswept and stormy one. The Irish were crude and backward. That was to be expected though as Man controlled the seas and prohibited anyone from crossing the Sea of Mannanan. The Irish were kept separate from other civilizations by the simple fact that they were alone on their island and Man would allow no travel by ship.
He stood politely as the Scottish envoys were shown into his tent. "Welcome to Edinburgh and Man" he said, smiling in welcome. "Please be seated." When the three burly men had been seated and served he took up his own cup and toasted them. "To Scotland and the Scots. May the waves never crest your gunwals nor the winds e'er blow against you."
The Scots told the Skylord the sad story of the Scots. How they had struggled against barbarian attacks and starvation after fleeing the Manx occupation of Edinburgh. They told of the tests and travails that the proud clans had undergone in their desperate journey south. The Scots had finally settled on the eastern coast at the far south of the great island. They were immediately beset by the Cornish and Welsh, their new neighbors. (The Skylord took this news with a grain of salt - he had many friends in Cornwall and Wales and the story they told was of constant incursion and raiding by the Scots.) The Scots were now separated by hostile peoples and great distance from their cousins the Picts and Irish. They sought Manx assistance in establishing communication with their estranged relations.
The Skylord frowned and explained that the seas were the province of Mannanan mac Lir and he had declaimed that only the children of the storm god, the Manx, were to be suffered upon it. It was his holy duty as a warrior priest to protect the waves from the ungodly. He apologized profusely that this caused the Scots distress but the whole thing was literally in the hands of his god. The Scots were incensed. They bargained, begged, pleaded and finally demanded that passage be opened to Ireland. The Skylord refused and began to become angry himself. Harsh words were exchanged and the Scots vowed that they would attack the mainland Manx holdings if their demands were not met. Such behavior on the part of a guest was unthinkable so he did the only reasonable thing. He had the three Scots stripped and beaten, tied to their horses backwards and sent off wildly into the woods. The peaceful Manx were at war for the second time in their history, for the second time against Scotland.
It was quite a conundrum. How could he wage war against a landbound foe that resided on the opposite end of the great isle? The answer presented itself quite readily. He was not the Manx prince who had many friends in Cornwall and Wales. Alliances were signed in record speed. Alliance was also made in Pictland. They were even farther away from Scotland than the Isle of Man but it would have been rude to exclude their longtime friends from such a universal conflict.
The war dragged on and on, carried by the Cornish and Welsh. The Picts and Manx were too far from the theatre to provide more than token support. Eventually the "Guests' War" eventually ended with no real gains by the alliance or Scotland.
1000 BC
Das mac Lir sat at his huge desk rereading reports he had already spent too much time on. The Irish problem. You would figure that after the millenia that the Isle of Man had protected the seas that these people would finally accept it. But no. Another courier boat had been captured attempting to land on the shores of Eire. This one was Welsh and the consulate from Wales was making fabulous noise about it. The penalty for violating Mannanan's seas was death. Pure and simple. Hadn't the Manx expended great effort destroying the barbarian raiders from the north? Those marauders now rested at the bottom of the sea they had profaned with their presence.
The Irish problem. The Irish themselves had been growing more and more insistent to be allowed contact with the mainland. The Cornish had lodged several compaints and entreaties. The Picts had made it obvious that they did not care for the force isolation of their cousins either. And the Scots. The bloody Scots! An ultimatum from the Scots was the paper in Das' hands right now. Allow the Scots access to Ireland or there would be war. What did the Manx know of war? For 3000 years they had controlled the seas. They didn't make war on land. Land was a place to build ships.
Yet Das knew he couldn't ignore this. He had to be proactive. He would do as his many times great grandfather the Skilord had done and unite the entirety of the great isle against these upstart Scots.
The "Cousins War" lasted well beyond Das' life time. His great great grandson, the patriarch Charis mac Lir effectively ended all reason for it (except a fairly universal dislike of the Scotish) when he received a vision of six people on the seas. It was a sign from Mannanan mac Lir that all six nations would be permitted on the waves. Of course they were on a Manx ship in the vision and Charis interpreted this to mean that only Manx vessels should be permitted.
With the restrictions lifted, the Manx were quick to unite their Irish neighbors with the peoples of the great isle. The Scots continued their half hearted attempts at war for a few years but they too were finally ready for peace. The Cousins War ended much like the Guests War - with a whimper.
Game Notes
This is a "You Decide" story line. After each chapter is presented the feedback of the readers will determine how the next chapter of the game is played. The game itself is being played with the British Isles mod, version 1.2 on a standard sized map, monarch difficulty, correct starting positions. Scotland is in the southeast corner of Brittainia because they respawned there after the Manx took Edinburgh.
What's in the future of the Isle of Man? They have led a generally peaceful existence on the land. They are a terror on the seas and the coasts. Manx coracles and galleys with rabid sailors have sailed all the way around both main islands destroying coastal barbarian encampments (and grabbing goody huts). They have led an essentially peaceful existence with all of their neighbors, with the notable exception of Scotland. Admittedly Man was the agressor in the first war but the Scots hold a grudge far too long.
Should Man expand in Ireland? On the great island? Go to war? With who? You decide!
Isle of Man and holdings on the great island:
Manx territories on Eire:
