Update 5: A holiday treat
Iatody
In the lands of Iatody, the Adahy tribe goes through a slow process of growth. Many who escape an unknown northern empire flock to join the special tribal democracy of the Adahy, bolstering its numbers and helping it with more knowledge of the evil Taveor Empire.
While the population is growing, large scale farming develops into new heights as the people now ask the government to help with the progress. An irrigation system is highly required. But the government moves to other directions, putting its entire interest on metals, tools and weapons. The huge quantities of open copper mines and powerful obsidian rocks that come from strange southern traders keep progress at bay, as those are cheaper and usually stronger than anything the wisemen can create.
None the less, progress is made and tiny amounts of Bronze find their way to the confederacy, again from the strange south, but is mostly used only by government officials, and it is highly looked after by religious priests for highly dedicated tools of worship. The Bronze does shine nicer than the rest…
Iberia
As peace is brokered by the Iberi Union and Tricarum the land goes into an era of some prosperity. As trade grows and fortifications are built across Tricarum they see an era of growth. Xurxu does not enjoy the era but have expanded a little by people moving around. Iberi also enjoys the era and a large new tribe unites with the Iberi, bolstering their numbers, but also causing a massive destabilization.
Nassiri
Suprisngly, after the massive Ionian wars, the Nassiri is mostly peaceful. With no direction from Nassiros, the colony eventually falls to the greater Minoan forces, and Nassiric Eubeas is fully intergraded into the new Ionian city states in the area, Athena.
With a powerful league keeping the unity, no one threatens the new Ionic city states, but obvious fractures appear in the league. Some are more interested in a continuation of the war on the Nassirics while others find their new homes decent enough. For now the league chose to do nothing.
But this era of peace is eventually shaken into awakening. An earthquake of very large proportions takes place in the center of the Nassiric Sea, causing some high waves to destroy infrastructure and lives.
Out of the earthquake a small but very central island appears, quickly settled by a mix of Minoan-Nassiric people, most likely from the Nassiros-Minoan colony. Being the central city it is, Polii – as it was named, quickly gains centrality in trade and trains a powerful defensive force in case anyone wants to take it away.
In the north of the Nassiric Sea a new king rises in Troja. Rather than continuing the eternal war on the Ionians, he welcomes the settlers and marries an Ionian princess. The new Troja quickly gains in power as well, and with control over the northern trade lanes, it is second only to the new rising Polii.
Italia
Ah Romarge, the wonderful city and Carome, its client state. Their story is an interesting one. From a rebellious faction, Carome came under the control of its army that quickly saw peace with Romrage, paying its small tribute to the Romargian elites. Both have gained from this peace as trade between the two states helped the entire area gain in economic power.
But Romarge is not satisfied. Its need for more land apparently unquenched, it sends its men into the wilderness, to fight random barbarian tribes and expand, for no reason other than pride, the Romarge borders. The plan succeeds at first, the coasts leading to Carome quickly are controlled by Romarge, and new dirt roads begin to appear from the movement of land trade routes between the cities. But when they look further inland, Romarge's attempt at expansion goes horribly wrong. First the army returns after a major loss of 200 men after conquering more of the lands between Romarge and Carome. But the elites don't stop – they send their men again. This time only half return. And they return with their tails between their feet. The army suffered a major defeat against a rising new barbarian power whose only diplomacy to Romarge is "If you push us, we push back." The horde now controls of all of Romarge's routes into their island, and its army is far larger. Scary times for the Romargians. And if that is not enough, the general of Carome now has more money to spend... and he spends it well. The city continues to grow, right behind Romarge.
The massive loss of men has been eating through the hearts of the Romargians, will their elites continue to send men to die only to say "Our color blob is bigger than yours"?
Not far from Romarge the Cittabacco celebrate their first great Coniugo making the people happy and the new comers feel welcomed. As latins settle down among the Cittabacco quickly being accepted as one the population soars to new heights, but not a moment too soon. A latin army that does not accept the union of the people invades with the intent of killing the current inhabitants and settling their own men and families. The new large force is quickly sent back by the many new latin militia men, and the priests of Bacco do not disappoint as well, charging at the enemy and hunting down many who escape before returning to their holy fields. The new growth of population does bring a certain instability to the state, but thanks to religious emotions of unity – the stability hit is easily countered.
Before we reach the end of the story for Italia we have one quick crossroad to pass. That of Talon. The monarchy of Talon has been looking for ways to maintain unity of the state against a growing smell of dissent from other elite families in other growing cities that wish for their own crown and state. And in this era, they usually would get their way with the appearance of new city states. But the Kings of Talon looked among their abilities and decided to make a promise to the people of the kingdom – we will defeat the latins.
Talon raised more warriors and went to battle with the latins, but they constantly stayed away from the larger major armies of the latins, as the horde continued to move south. The Talonian army chose to locate targets of ease, and quickly assaulted and took with almost no losses many villages and even one major latin growing town. Did it make the king look stronger to the elites who want out? It did at first. The kings of Talon chose their battles wisely, showing mostly victories and few losses, but the conquest of latin tribes forced those new populations to move, and they tended to move deeper into Talonian lands, untapped farmlands were now worked by latin people – who surprisingly happily paid taxes to the Talonian king, quickly becoming his main supporters for the unity of the state.
This separation of latins and elites will force the king of Talon to choose sides. The more loyal but outsiders latins, or the disloyal brothers of the new growing cities?
Fertile Crescent
As the Aryan horde falls upon Sumeria, the Gutians fall upon Uruk. Already its rulers were slowly developing into a depressed bunch of people who believe their demise will come soon, when the Gutians concentrated completely upon them they knew it was the end. The king of Uruk jumped off the highest floor of his palace to a terrible death and the Gutian forces, who came with torches and civilians and everything, burned the city into the ground slaughtering most of the population and enslaving whatever was left.
The Gutians quickly settled on the territory and waited to see of their guess that the Aryans will choose to aim south would come true. They have emptied most of their population in southern Sumeria and waited.
The Aryans did indeed come to southern Sumeria. They broke through the river like a flood of great proportions and occupied and settled most of southern Sumeria, they also laid siege to Kadibra and are greatly threatening Hadraak. But their main population have actually chose another direction. One could say the Aryans that were seen before the invasion were double in numbers. With lesser numbers the Aryan horde have weakened, and is now open to a united front of the Sumerians and Gutians. Can they sign an alliance against the greater foe?
While the Sumerians struggle the northern growing towns continue to grow, but still remain under the civilized radar.
Galies Bay
In Inglias things begin to be seen as better. While the grand flood have passed, people have built since and have become ever better and stronger. Their ability to block new floods have improved vastly and no great disaster have come since. Trade blossoms among the tribes and the first true civilized settlements appear on the river banks. Will these become great cities and capitals?
Xin
In the far eastern Xin several things happen that have will influence and change the area for many years to come. The first was the growth of the Siwang League into the League of Kings with several new forces joining, including the aggressive Ikenmai. With the league came a special new elite military force called the Cheng'Fung – this force was highly trained and equipped, paid for by the entire league (who must pay 1ep a turn at least to just keep it going!). For now the different members have not used the Cheng'Fung to the best of its abilities, but it has been used massively around Ikenmai and Yuanti against the Harhana tribes.
Which brings me to the next event. The League of Kings banded together for the first time in full strength to relieve the Ikenmai from the Harhana siege and to remove the Harhana from the Yellow River. Both tasks were done magnificently, and the Cheng'Fung proved to be a power asset to anyone who wish to fight in Xin, fighting the elite warriors of the Harhana with ease. The Harhana has been beaten on all fronts and forced into retreat. In one battle west of Ikenmai the high chief of the horde was seen fleeing from the battle, causing an uproar among the horde as many of its people stopped to allow the high chief to take their men as his warriors, causing a massive drop in manpower. The horde is quickly collapsing.
Xian, the mastermind behind most things that have happened, have gained massively in honor and fame.
It was interesting that as soon as the Harhana were removed from the Yellow River the food output has begun to massively grow, causing population growth in all of the Yellow-River city states. But the invention quickly left the river and was seen in Jinzhou and from there it moved south. New towns were appearing all around, and the most important part of this was the contact between the people of Xin and the people Nogaia.
Nogaia
In Nogaia the long awaited war have finally erupted. While the Fisofi were sieging Fula, Yakot and Patu have gone on the attack, quickly gaining many new slaves – and with the new contact with Xin, these slaves had a whole new market to be sold as Xin ships arrived and traded (in fact these were of Wanju origin at first). The Fisofi, noticing they were losing men and lands in the north and west had to rush to those battlefronts, allowing Fula, with the support from Yakot, to take back their lands and even more than that. But that was not enough. In a single day the entire Fisofi trained military was destroyed on the three fronts, and their battle lines begun to collapse. Finally – The Kele is victorious in all fronts, and the Fisofi are on the run.
Wanju
And finally, the cause of the massive new contacts. Haisho have sent ships across the sea to contact the unknown Sen. They made contact quickly with the coastal nations of Xin, and some ships even were successful at returning from a long sale along the Yellow River. The Haisho did not stop there, going south along the coast, bring civilization with them, causing the eruption of many new city states in the area.
Eventually they reached Nogaia, and have seen the terrible wars, but did not have remorse to trade for slaves in return for their own good. Trade now flows among all of the Xin nations.
The Huljuu-Tamuta still grow, causing fear among the Wanju city-states, many have begun to build walls, with Haisho building across their north-eastern borders a massive long wall.
Direct link
OOC: Wow this took a while, and you can see how bad it became in the end
I am going to make updates quicker – but with much fewer words. I am also considering taking away your militia, but for now enjoy it
