Kashmir

[Civ'ed]

From: Emperor of All Under Heave, the Illustrious Taizong
To: Chief of the Kamchachan

We are willing to allow free movement of merchants in order to increase trade between our two peoples and we hope that this will hopefully lead to peace between our two states and prosperity.

Agreed. In addition, We hereby announce the Third Circle of Great Kamchii to be the Merchant's District. All foreigners will find comfortable lodgings here.

(more on Kamchii later).

 

[Arrow Gamer]

The man named Alexander is as close to a mystery a major figure in history can be. Contemporary sources place him as as the king’s son, bastard, half-brother and nephew, suggesting that the court of the day may have been as in the dark as we on his relation to the king. Furthermore, almost nothing is said of his early days. The best we have is a quotation from, The Arabian War, Part III, in which Ardashir says, “He was first sword by sixteen and victory in the next year,” suggesting he was a great warrior even in his youth. However, Ardashir’s quotation is little more than a reiteration of the Poem of a Fallen Hero, which many scholars, Jansen foremost among them, have discredited as apocryphal at best. In either case his origins are certainly in dispute, and the great man may have been nothing more than a myth for propaganda.

-The Hero’s Lie, Alexandra Parandos

Despite what conspiracy theorists like Parandos will tell you, there are numerous sources dating to Alexander’s time that indicate the prophet’s existence. Not only that, but his feats cannot be disputed: it was no fluke that the Arabians were crushed at Assur, nor that their lands in Armenia and Assyria immediately swept out from under them. While some stories, such as the slaying of John the Giant on the field at Jerusalem, are frankly impossible, for Alexander was confirmed to be engaged on the Galatian border during the siege of Jerusalem, others hold at least a grain of truth. The great historian Adarnases, for one, wrote:

It was in Nineveh that the Assyrians made their stand. The walls were said to be as thick as fifteen men, and high as the tallest buildings within the city. Alexander saw an assault would be fruitless, in his great wisdom, and called for a parlay. The two parties met below the walls at the height of night. The Assyrians at this time had not met the Babylonians in battle, and for this reason did not know the look of Alexander. Thus, Alexander sent a man in his stead, and commanded his party to bring three-hundred and thirty three torches. When the parlay was over, Alexander, who had been lying in wait, climbed the wall at that location with a spear and a wine skin. He was unseen, for the torches had blinded the sentries to the darkness as if they had just entered the night. He then made his way to the headquarters, drinking with the guard until he fainted from drunkeness, and stabbed each Assyrian leader thrice in the darkness. The next morning, the Assyrians were greatly confused, and the city was taken nearly without a fight. In this way, Alexander took a city with only a skein of wine and a spear.

While Adarnases has a penchant for demonizing the Arabians, there is no indication that he has done something similar in this story. This story is backed in the Poem as well as by Tiridates.

-In Defense of Alexander, Artur Halloway

Alexander, whether he existed or not, demonstrated a peculiar intersection of Babylonian culture with that which they hated most: the Arabian. The thousands of people who passed between their control during the Long Wars were exposed to an eclectic mix of Christianity, Greek Paganism, Zoroastrianism, and even select elements of Buddhism. In this way, it was a syncretic mix reminiscent of Allfatherism, though the injection of a single, unifying, concrete figure in the form of Alexander made the religion far more discrete than Allfatherism was in its early days. The best comparison for Alexandrism is arguably the little known Arabian sect started by a man named Muhammed developed around the same time, which fizzled upon arrival due to the still-strong Christian presence in the region. However, both were undeniably new religons, both centered around prophets of the leading god--though in Muhammedism it was the Abrahamic God and in Alexandrism it was Ahura Mazda--and both spread like wildfire (though as mentioned above Muhammedism was ended by a combination of Christian and Jewish powers in the region and never grew beyond a cult).

I mentioned at the start of the above paragraph the influence of the Greeks upon Alexandrism. This influence manifested in three ways: first, the “hero” mythos was a perfect describer for how Alexander was first greeted, even though he later was revealed as a prophet; second, the army of lower gods that he was said to be the leader of in death draws clear inspiration from the Greek idea of a pantheon; third, the Oracle as legitimizer played a huge influence on his initial popularity.

-The People’s Prophet: Culture and Alexander, Wong Chun

The words, He was the savior of Babylon, but it’s impossible to know if he did enough, are a common refrain in the worship of Alexander and Ahura Mazda, as reverence, as recognition of human fallibility, and as acknowledgement of the ignorance of mankind. But new research, especially advances in carbon dating, point toward the Assuran Scrolls being false. While the Scrolls are not the only with the Poem of a Fallen Hero on them, they were long believed to be the earliest by nearly 75 years, and thought to date to the era of Alexander himself. Current estimates, however, put it at 750 AD, well out of the usual timeframe. Such a discovery, while not damning, cast serious doubt on the idea of the poem being a contemporary account as opposed to a later piece of worship.

Furthermore, some of the events contained therein (the slaying of the giant being the foremost, and doubts have been cast on the taking of Nineveh as well) can be proven false. The discovery not only confirms that, but also throws into doubt other key aspects of the prophet, such as his relation to the king, his accomplishments as a young boy, and even his anointing.

-False Prophet, Mark Jansen

 

[Jehoshua]

ooc: Assuming things will happen before they have happened, how presumptuous

 

[SouthernKing]

I'll be adding some stuff to the wiki over the next few days, amongst them a rough (start of a) timeline of events from the PoD(s) in the 4th century BCE until now. I don't know what else. Any suggestions?

 

[spaceman98]

SK, are the orders I sent you valid?

 

[SouthernKing]

SK, are the orders I sent you valid?

Certainly. I actually really liked the way you formatted them.

 

[Jehoshua]

Do you have an updated timeframe for when you expect orders to be submitted SK?

 

[SouthernKing]

Deadline is still this Sunday. My concern is getting the update done before 30 April, when I leave for almost a week.

 

[SouthernKing]

72 hours until the deadline

 

[SouthernKing]

With the amount of RL stuff that I have to get through at once around now - mostly in preparation for leaving, I realized I almost certainly will not be able to finish the update in the coming week. So, unfortunately, the deadline is being extended to 17 Floréal an 223 Wednesday, 6 May 2015.

Apologies for this.

 

[Civ'ed]

17 Floréal an 223

disgusting.

 

[SouthernKing]

I'm back and have started work on the update again. This is the 48 hour warning

 

[Grandkhan]

To Hellas
From Carthage

The Carthaginian Navy politely asks for your aid in combating piracy in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The Carthaginian Senate demands that you explain yourselves. Supporting piracy is one thing, yet supporting piracy against a nation is another thing. We are willing to accept that these pirates whom we captured are lying to save themselves, but the coincidence seems too strong.

The pirates in the meditteranean have been paid off to ensure that they will not attack Hellenic vessels. Claims of 'support' are erroneous and this pirates would do well to not speak about matters that do not concern him.

The Eastern Meditteranean are our waters, however, and the Hellenic fleet can handle what piracy presents a threat to trade. You will note that trade in the East has flourished as it has in the West, and only those lands through which trade will not flow have been affected (the lands of wartorn Babylon, mostly). While we thank you for your offer of aid, the intervention of the Carthaginian navy is unnecessary.

 

[thomas.berubeg]

The relatively intensive system of established courts and recorded, standardized law codes amongst the Guthlid as well as the established Scholarship Institution of the House of Stars necessitated the development of a number of industries.

Paper
The origins of Guthlid paper are unsure, though the technique is certainly evocative of eastern methods, which had been in use in China for centuries by the time the Guthlid emerged as an entity in Europe. The Guthlid, it is believed, learned of paper making through acolytes and missionaries who had traveled east, beyond the Land of the Scythians and the Babylonians.

No matter what the origin of Guthlid paperworks, by the middle of the seventh century a small town had sprung up around the House of Stars for the express purpose of producing paper.

Guthlid Paper is derived from a pulp of wheat and barley chaff combined with wood. Mixed together and boiled to the point of a thick paste, along with animal bone to act as a binding agent, the paper is left out in the light of the Sun, both drying it and bleaching it of some of it’s darker colors.

Ink:
The Ink used by Scholars, Scribes, and Bokmen of the Guthlid is derived from a recipe of Roman devising, and follows as such:

Tek þe barque of the Oak and Hauðurn en spreng end let drai undr þe sunne fer eit dais. let sit en hut flem þe bone of þe sow til blek. Tek al þes perts end pownd to send and let sit in wahtir fer eit dais. Boyl þes wahtir til fik end blek. Por en Wain, and boyl til fik end blek. Por in sken bags and let sit undr the sunne til drai. Tek þe send from þe bags, end ovr hut flem mex wið wain and salt of þe yron and oil of flaks. þes es þe blekist of Ink.

 

[SamSniped]

The pirates in the meditteranean have been paid off to ensure that they will not attack Hellenic vessels. Claims of 'support' are erroneous and this pirates would do well to not speak about matters that do not concern him.

The Eastern Meditteranean are our waters, however, and the Hellenic fleet can handle what piracy presents a threat to trade. You will note that trade in the East has flourished as it has in the West, and only those lands through which trade will not flow have been affected (the lands of wartorn Babylon, mostly). While we thank you for your offer of aid, the intervention of the Carthaginian navy is unnecessary.

Indeed we have noticed, and the efforts of Hellas to end piracy have been appreciated. However, we would appreciate it even more if you were to end the lives of the pirates who plague Mare Nostrum instead of simply paying them to not attack your ships.

 

[Civ'ed]

A sampling of the Kamchachan Syllabary
Kamchacha developed an alphabet on the backs of their bones - literally. Initial markings on bones to make directions clear, they are currently even written down on imported goods and homemade pottery.

Spoiler :

The Kamchachan Syllabary or Koryac
Kamtchatkan is read from left to right, but only two symbols are present on a row. Where possible, "cartouches" of six are used. As an example, on the gates of Kamchi:
K A
M CH
I

CH UU
N S
II R

NH OO
C TH
O T

This would, to a Kamchachan, be read as "KAMCHI CHUUNSIIR NHOOCTH OT", or "Kamchi (he) is Powerful/Mighty". This way of writing is used mostly to throw off non-Kamchachans, should the need arise.

 

[Sonereal]

To: Rebels
From: Not Rebel

You bring dishonor on everything you touch. I don't have the time, inclination, or even the care to deal with you people. You're beneath me. You're not even a thorn to my side. You're just an unfortunate event of my rule, like a comet sighting. I hope you all die of dysentery.

Also, I'm not dealing with you so I'm unilaterally declaring peace and withdrawing from Pictland.

 

[Shadowbound]

The pirates in the meditteranean have been paid off to ensure that they will not attack Hellenic vessels. Claims of 'support' are erroneous and this pirates would do well to not speak about matters that do not concern him.

The Eastern Meditteranean are our waters, however, and the Hellenic fleet can handle what piracy presents a threat to trade. You will note that trade in the East has flourished as it has in the West, and only those lands through which trade will not flow have been affected (the lands of wartorn Babylon, mostly). While we thank you for your offer of aid, the intervention of the Carthaginian navy is unnecessary.

1) You spelled Mediterranean wrong.

2) If the Eastern Mediterranean is yours, then kill the pirates. Because if they're operating from your territory, the Miat will presume they are doing so with your blessing.

 

[SouthernKing]

Update is about a third done at the moment, should be up Monday or Tuesday or thereabouts. Hopefully.

 

[SamSniped]

The New Carthaginian Flag