Kashmir

[Mickzter97]

Especially since I've let others do it, sure thing.
Everyone else though, after this update, no more not-IC religion-switching please.

Thanks

 

[Mickzter97]

The Holy Religion of the Rouran Khanate - Mori​

The Rouran faith is known as Mori in the common tongue. It is based on the Gods of Order and Chaos. It originated from the original Rouran tribes that roamed the Mongolian region and quickly spread across the region with the expansion of the Rouran Khanate.

The Gods of Order and Chaos

Followers of Mori believe that the universe was created by the Gods of Order and Chaos. The Gods of Chaos, led by the mighty Emgeg, created all the basic things in the universe in great amounts. One God of Chaos can create ten times the matter of a God of Order. However all this matter was created unorganized and no life could exist. The Gods of Order, led by Amidral, saw this disunity and knew nothing good could come from it. So they organized all the matter into the stars, planets and life we see today. It’s the Gods of Orders’ precision and patience that allows them to create the complex life forms we see.

The two sects of Gods always try to maintain balance in the realm. The Gods of Chaos destroy things that are meant to be destroyed, and the Gods of Order use this destroyed matter to create something new. There is no mention of how many Gods there is, but the accepted belief is that Emgeg and Amidral are the two greater Gods, and that the less are of lesser power.

The Holy Book

The Holy Book of Mori is the Amiinom, also called the Book of Life. In this book describes the basic teachings that every follower should adhere to as well as the stories of the creation of the realm. It also talks of prophecies of great leaders sent from Amidral himself who will assist in getting the world ready for the ascension of the world’s people.

Basic Principles

The Amiinom describes the basic principles in which every human should live their life:

• One should believe in Order and Chaos without bias, for neither cannot exist without the other.
• One should treat all others with respect and honour.
• One should never lie. It is better to die an honest man sent to heaven then to be obliterated by Emgeg.
• One should pray to the Amidral and Emgeg at least once a day.

Death and Heaven

Once time has come for a follower, his body will be taken by Emgeg to give to the balance of the universe. However should the concerned follower have lived a good life his soul would be preserved by Amidral eternally and sent to Heaven. Here he would reside in the presence of the Gods. However should the follower have lived a bad life, his body would be destroyed especially slowly by the Gods of Chaos in isolation.

Prayer

Followers must pray at least once a day. Prayers consist of sections from the Amiinom. These may be recited. Prayers occur in Baishin’s, the holy temple for Morians. These are basic temples, although some can grow to some impressive sizes. The prayers are led by a priest who has superior knowledge in the Amiinom. Prayers can also be done at home in isolation – some prefer this as they feel closer to the Gods.

Prophecies

There are a few prophecies written in the Amiinom. These tell of the coming of various sons of the Gods who will help prepare the world for the coming of Amidral into our world. All these prophecies are in the Irekh chapter of the Amiinom and therefore makes it the longest chapter in the Amiinom. The original son of Amidral and Emgeg himself - the original son of the God’s and the first supreme prophet - wrote these passages.

Spoiler The First Prophecy :

Spoiler :

The following is an extract from the first pages of the prophecy Ekhlel in the Words of Irekh
“It twas in the twilight of the first days of the Grand Creation itself, when life and death traded places in the eyes of the Alimighty Emgeg and Amidral, that the two God’s agreed on the set end of days. And Emgeg said “Oh he who lives or who will live, shall not on Earth from that day onwards. For if life itself is to exist it must end somewhere to appear elsewhere. So the world will explode into great Fire and Ice, it will be hotter than the depths of the Sun and colder than the isolation of sinners. It will be brighter than the stars and darker than deaths’ eye’s.”
But the God’s of Order were enraged because their grandest creations, mankind, would die. Amidral however was calm for he already knew what was to be done. He would send his Sons down to Earth to prepare mankind to leave Earth and live with the Gods. The first son – The God’s Warrior - would be sent soon, as Amidral said,
“And on a day when the sun cannot be seen but can be felt, the gods’ warrior would be sent holding the blood of his people in his hands.” It is the Gods’ Warrior that would unite the world to make way for the God’s to take them to the heaven without vexation. This is the first prophecy in the words of Irekh – Ekhlel.”

 

[gay_Aleks]

There isn't an unified book on Zalmoxis, the rituals that his believers carry with, traditions, and all other specifics that most religions come with it. Rather, over time, priests have created their own codes, which can be different for each different region. Different priests passed 'unwritten' traditions, and for anyone outside of the priest class, few documents exist that give even an inkling of what exactly is done in the glory of Zalmoxis. Here are excerpts from them.

"Zalmoxis, of all deities that bless the Dacian peoples, is the holiest of all. Annually, we send a messenger to the grand halls where he lives. Then, he sends back the message back to us, and His blessing comes down upon us all. May He ever be blessed"
-an unknown monk, titled "In Praise of Zalmoxis Eternal"


A less glorifying example, coming from the comedian Michael of Acidavia, a Greek comedian who settled early in his life in Thermi-Davia. He also created the brief fashion of authors giving themselves "of Acidavia", which since he's born decades after Acidavia was burnt to the ground, essentially means "lost home". In this excerpt, he is mocking how Zalmoxism is essentially used solely for political uses, as slowly foreign religions are taking over both aristocracy and merchants.

"
[A scene sees three representatives of each class that can vote on the Draco Council. Beforehand, a series of mockeries aimed toward contemporaries to the author's time is described]
- Yet another meeting with grand results! Truly, Zalmoxis has blessed us with His divine wisdom to choose the best man to rule Dacia. - proclaimed the devout priest with his hands in the air
- As opposed to elaborate plots and schemes? Or even well-placed bribes - answered the merchant with a greedy smile
- Or even a well-placed arrow between the neck, or a surprise invasion of our neighbours in a bid for land and glory? - bloodthirsty exclaimed the aristocrat.
- Nonsense! Would these nefarious schemes succeed if Zalmoxis did not allow for them to happen? These are blessed events, indeed! If Zalmoxis did not desire for these events to unfold, they would have never happen!
- So you mean Zalmoxis is at fault for the Great Camel Collapse of 547? I guess I shouldn't have converted to Jeh- err, nevermind?
- And those peasants rebelling in northern Dacia was because I believed in Jes-, err, I mean because I hired some guy. Name's Jeahes or Jeeves...
- Fools! All of you are fools, worshipping false idols! For that, you shall suffer the ultimate punishment!
- Yeah, I think we should leave..
The Merchant and the Aristocrat leave. Only the Priest remains.
- How have people fallen. First Acidavia, now Zalmoxis. Ah, ahh!"

"IN GLORY ETERNAL OF ZALMOXIS, MAY HE EVER GUIDE US TO THE TRUE CHOICE FOR ALL OF DACIA AND THE DACIANS"
-motto of the Draco Meeting, engraved over the Councilship of Dacia, where the Draco Meeting elects the next Dacian monarch.

 

[Polyblank]

THE PHILOSOPHICAL MOVEMENTS IN LATINIKI​

When Latiniki was great in the past and a whole Empire relied on the powers of the Latinikian Senate, the various philosophical movements thrived all over the Empire, as acts of religious and philosophical tolerance were wide spread even when the triarchy happened. However, that changed when the Empire began faultering; various Germanic tribes began invading the Empire's lands, effectively cutting off any defacto control it had and essentially leading to a decline of philosophical advancement in this areas, as most of the philosophers opted to leave for Latiniki and Hellas rather than to serve the Germans, who were regarded by the much of the civilized world as uncultured pagans.

This, in turn led to a great revival of old philosophical schools in Latiniki. Even though the city itself was was threatened by the Jutes that had swiftly conquered much of North Italy, the Senate managed to overthrow the weak Emperor Valerius Julian IV, a Christian puppet of the regent, Aelius Termonus, an aristocrat from Padua, and effectively took control of the rest of Italia, while organising Neapolis, Sikelia and Corfoi under Roman - friendly senates. After pacifying with these moves the Solar Orders and the various religious minorities, the Senate made moves against the Germans in their immediate north, kicking them out from the areas close to the city of Latiniki but not being able to move further than that. With time, the Jutes managed to defend the region with a series of forts and other various mechanisms, effectively making the Senate unable to cross the frontier without causing a Roman bloodbath.

With the inability to gather the armies and counterattack the Jutes, the Senate decided to invest the power it had into the creation of a new Roman culture that would include heavy Solar elements, while also reliving the past cultural glories of the Empire. And that's what happened. Soon, the various Senators and the Solar Orders got working, with the former using their connections and wealth to attract philosophers from all over the world while the latter would invite Solar theologians from the Unsaved lands and other solar orders in order to help spread Sol Aniketus to the whole of Meditterenean with Latiniki being the center. While not everyone agreed to this plan, there were some important people of the time that accepted the offer and arrived in Latiniki. The various philosophers created their own schools, while the theologians helped shape Solarism to be the way it is today.

It is from this time and onward that Latiniki becomes a place of serious philosophical and theological debates. There were 3 main schools of philosophical thought at the time: The Neoplatonist School, headed by Antipatros, a philosopher from Ghassanid Alexandria who thought that it would found the chance of spreading Neoplatonist ideals in Latiniki great, the Neopythagorean School, headed by Gaios, a school that was slowly dying because of the dominance of Punic religions in Sicily and their incompability with the Pythagorean ideas and the Stoic school, which was not actually headed by the same person that headed the Stoics in Hellas, but rather by one of his students, named Epictetus. Eventually, Neoplatonism and Stoicism combined would lead to the expected death of the Neopythagorean school and these two would later on combine with the doctorines of the Sol Aniketus religion. The duality of body and soul from the Neoplatonist school and the rejection of emotions while accepting logic and Socratic ideals of One God would form the main corpus of the Solar religion in Latiniki and would slowly spread to Avaria and Svearii, where the Solar faith developed with a different style combining local and Germanic elements.

 

[christos200]

- Lϋ Jing Bϋ​

Lϋ Jing Bϋ is the best warrior in all of China and a fearsome cavalry commander. He is just 25 years old, but he has proved himself again and again. At the age of 16 he emerged victorious in a Martial Arts tournament in Chang'an. At the age of 18, he was called by the Emperor to the Imperial Palace and was appointed Palace Guard. In a competition organized by the Emperor between the Palace Guards for the position of 'Commander of the Guards', after the death of the holder of that title, the 19 years old Lϋ Jing Bϋ won. At the age of 20, he was appointed Commander of the Infantry. At the age of 23, he took part in the Taiwanese expedition and defeated in three battles the enemy. He then fought a sword duel against the leader of the Taiwanese tribes and beat him, beheading him. Now, he has been appointed Commander of the Cavalry.

What is more impressive is the fact that Lϋ Jing Bϋ descents from a very poor family. Yet, he resembles more an aristocrat than many of the real noblemen. He is tall, handsome and extremely courteous. He is also very popular among the Ladies of the noble families, who vie to get him as their husband. He is physically very strong and an excellent Martial Artist, both in hands to hands combat and in swordsmanship. Lϋ Jing Bϋ has shown signs of greatness. Will he able to rise further?

 

[Mickzter97]

Updated my story on my religion. Any tips on the prophecy (Font for picture, style etc.) would be appreciated.

 

[Bair_the_Normal]

Travels to the Southern Isles​

-by Imperial Court Scribe Hōrai no Ohatsuse​

A PREFACE TO THIS TEXT BY HE THE AUTHOR WHO EXPRESSES HIS ETERNAL GRATITUDE FOR THE ABILITY TO CREATE THIS WORK

It is thus by His Imperial Grace, and by That of the Divinity which alights Itself upon His Head that which is the head of our Most August King who Rules All Under Heaven our cherished King of the Hirajima Kingdom Ohatsuse no Wakasazaki no Mikoto may He reign for ten thousand years, that I the most humble scribe of the Court of His Imperial Grace which convened to formalize these proceedings and this endeavor in the most serene capital city of our Great Nation that which is known as Taitenka'heian-keijō on the 6th day of the 3rd month of the Eternal Reign of His Imperial Grace am able to convey these modest writings to the Court, His Imperial Majesty, and the Lords and Peoples of the Hirajima Kingdom.

HERE THE REPORT BEGINS, THIS THE VOYAGE AND WORD OF THE SOUTHERN ISLES, A NOTE ON DISTANCE

There are, as is commonly known, a great number of islands which are extant to the Southwest of Our Great Nation the Hirajima Kingdom. This great number may very easily rise of one hundred, perhaps two hundred. The largest of these Southwest Islands, that which is known as Uchina, is such a distance from the nearest point on the Southern Sea Circuit, the Kumaso city of Sakura, that it necessitates a seven day boat voyage to arrive at Uchina. The closest island, that which is known as Amami, is merely a four day voyage from Sakura. The farthest isles, those which are known as Shigaki, Yonaguni, Iriomote, and Miyako, in the local tongues but are in the Hirajima Kingdom referred to aptly as the Far Islands, are at most fourteen, perhaps fifteen days’ length travel from Sakura. Past the Far Islands floats the massive Eastern Island which is under the control of the august Sung Dynasty, naught three days from the Far Islands themselves by boat.

HERE THE REPORT CONTINUES, IN WHICH THE AMAMI ISLES ARE FIRSTLY DESCRIBED

Amami is itself an island, but in the language of the indigenous peoples, Amami seems also to refer to a multitude of smaller islands surrounding it. The greatest Amami Island that which is called in and of itself the Amami Island is occasionally and colloquially called Uushima by the native islanders, which seems analogous with ‘Great Island’ in the tongue of the Imperial Court. Directly around the Great Amami Island, naught but a few hours’ worth distance of travel, easily reached by a simple rowboat, are four smaller islands. The first is the farthest, a decently populated and well-mapped island littered with indigenous religious relics referred to by its inhabitants as Kika. The second, third, and fourth are all very similar islands, directly located off the southwestern coast of the Great Islands itself. The crescent island Kakeroma, and the twin snake islands of Yoro and Uke, all notable for their sparse populace and copious amounts of venomous vipers, reside nestled close to Amami Proper. It is these five islands— Great Amami, Kika, Kakeroma, Yoro, and Uke— that form the political entity recognized as the Amami League. It is not so much a nation as a coalition or alliance of a variety of petty kingdoms and tribes, united only in language and culture, whose constituent states more often war amongst themselves than with foreign states. Within the Amami League, the foremost state is by far the city-state of Uken, the sole home of anything that can be called a ‘capital’ of Amami. Located on the western edge of the Great Amami Island, the city of Uken is quite a grand city for the barbaric indigenous peoples. A well-functioning port welcomed our envoy from the moment we disembarked, and our group was immediately escorted to the ‘palace’ of Uken. Through the short trek to the palace, we witnessed a flourishing fish market, where live fish were scooped out of holes in the ground connected to the ocean by a gated underground tunnel, and a grand temple that seemed to pay homage to the local gods. Our guides and escorts prayed, and bade us do so as well. We saw fit to pay our respects to the local gods that brought us to this fantastic little village and did so. Upon arrival at the Uken palace, we were beset upon by dozens of servants carrying heaping mounds of steamed and grilled fish, as well as a variety of pleasant-scented fruits and vegetables. The food provided to us, of such fantastic quality and boundless quantity, were for sure shocking, who expected little more than primitive barbarism from the inhabitants of the Amami League. Immediately afterwards we were shuttled into the central room of the palace, in which we noted an intricately patterned mat on the centre of the floor upon which was situated whom we presume was the Duke of this city of Uken. After paying him our regards and offering him the regards of His Imperial Majesty, and after our informing him of our intentions to document and traverse the varied southern isles, the Duke of Uken graciously offered us some rooms within his august palace to rest and recuperate before setting off from Uken. Naturally, we accepted, eager to rest such that we may better continue our task accorded to us by His Imperial Majesty to the utmost of our capacity and ability.

 

[SouthernKing]

This is roughly the 72 hour warning for orders

 

[SamSniped]

From Ishfania
To Carthage

We are prepared, after extensive consultation within the Miat, to extend an offer of perpetual peace to the Republic of Carthage. We will recognize currently standing borders in return for freedom of trade within the western Mediterranean, including free passage through the Straits of Hercules.

To Ishfania
From Carthage

We are willing to accept this peace offer, though for passage through the Straits of Hercules, we ask for [2 EP] every [1 turn] in return.

To Babylon, Aquitania, Hellas, Ishfania
From Carthage

The Republic of Carthage would like to create a mutual trade agreement between our nations, as to solidify peace among ourselves and for mutual benefit in regard to the Mediterranean.

 

[SouthernKing]

To: Carthage
From: Aquitania

We would be amicable to such a proposal.

 

[Shadowbound]

To Ishfania
From Carthage

We are willing to accept this peace offer, though for passage through the Straits of Hercules, we ask for [2 EP] every [1 turn] in return.

Rejected. Passage through the straits is part of the freedom of access to the Mediterranean required for peace.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Nevermind.

 

[SouthernKing]

I've already told Tolni this, for everyone else who is not aware, I do ask that you PM me orders and not post them in the thread. It's just easier for me that way.

 

[SamSniped]

Rejected. Passage through the straits is part of the freedom of access to the Mediterranean required for peace.

Very well. We accept your treaty.

 

[Calgori]

Samojárdes Köendórsch
​

Kingdom of Samojardia/Calgori
Color: Maroon or Ochre
Government: Federation of feudal city states ruled by a King. The king is elected by all major houses which are descended from the first Samojards, and protected by his “Four Corners”, the four men in which the king trust more. The four corners eat with the king, live with the king, sleep with the king, and maintain a relationship of brotherly love with him (Poems about a Corner’s love to his king are a literary genre quite popular) Samojard society are divided in castes. The highest caste are the original samojards or “Haunár”, after those are the “Brránár” descendants of the visigothic people who join the samojards in their pilgrimage, then comes the “Reisnár”, composed by the tribes that inhabited the land before the arrival of the samojards and those of the two kingdoms of Jotunheim and Yotvingia
Religion: The samojards follow the teachings of a prophetess and believe in a god of war called Fatár which many scholars believe is a mixture of nordic god Thor with some slavic rites. According to their faith, in the beggining there were two gods: Avsbálc and Hármalcnór, the good one and the evil one. These two gods were brothers, and together they created all the gods, included Fatár. The last one was Ubílsmír, the Dragon of the Final Days, who devoured both gods after he was created. Fatár took revenge killing Ubílsmír, and building the earth with his dead flesh. After this, Fatár’s brothers and sisters crowned him as the King of the Gods.
History: The origins of samojardic people date from the first gothic migrations. Samojards accompanied visigoths to the balcans until, in 194, a woman called Selde announced that she have had a vision in which Fatár said they were cursed because they had abandoned their fated land, the place that He has chosen for them, next to his throne. All the samojardic people believed in Selde, and therefore they followed her in a sacred pilgrimage. When they arrive to their promised land, Selde ordered to found a city, which they called Trévoulld. Samojards imposed their dominion over the slavic tribes in the area until their expansion entered in conflict with western kingdom of jotunheim and eastern kingdom of Yotvingia.
In 274, Trévoulld finally conquer Yotvingia, and expel the Jotunheim kingdom from Jutland peninsula. Jotunheim is finally conquered in 304.
The occupied kingdoms are ruled by new kings, and the Age of the Three Kingdoms last until Wulféric I of Trévoulld subjects the other two kings under his rule in 412. After that, begins a period with elective monarchy, with most reigns during less than 3 years, and marked by conspirations, crown overthrowings and murder. It is said that until 483, being crowned was a death sentence. Everything change when Reggersvár IV was killed during a dinner along with his four Corners on a slaughter remembered as the Night of the Spilled Wine. Lóchjaric VI imprisoned the perpetrators and hardened the laws for the noblemen, granting more security to the King.
Core Lands: Dark brown
Reach Lands: Light brown

Spoiler :

 

[SouthernKing]

Welcome Calgori!

So with <24 hours left, I have enough orders that I've actually been able to finish bits of the update.

Complete:
-Arabia
-East Africa
-Central Asia
-East Asia

Partly Complete:
-Persia
-Southeast Asia

Yet to do:
-Western Europe
-Eastern Europe
-North Africa
-West Africa
-India

 

[thomas.berubeg]

At the risk of sounding like a pretentious ass and making you all hate me, I'm finding the use of complex flags like these really frustrating, as historical basis for this kind of thing doesn&#8217;t exist.

Historically, Vexilloids, the ancestors to flags, served as battlefield pennants, either to transmit information (tactics, strategies, etc,) or to serve as identification. The Roman Empire, for example, used very simple (monochromatic, red, IIRC,) standards to identify individual legions on the battlefield, but not to represent the Empire as a whole, while the Sarmations (and later some roman legions) used pretty cool looking dragon standards, which really were more of a dragon head with a big red windsock attached to the back which whistled and were intimidating. In no cases in Europe are there national flags, much less tri-color banners with complex symbology on them.

What we do see in the middle ages, with the advent of knights and the feudal system (Which incidentally doesn't yet exist in this game, per say, and probably won't in any recognizable form without the carolingian empire) are heraldic symbols painted on shields. Naturally, that didn't come out of the blue, but the important thing to remember here is that heraldic symbols, coat of arms, were meant to represent individuals, not nations. It's also REALLY important to remember that the concept of Nation States didn't really exist. What existed in the middle ages, especially in the early middle ages, was a complex network of oaths and allegiances and dejure ownership of land, but really, the "Kingdom" really existed in a fluid state. (I realize that some medieval art (tapestry of bayeaux) shows flags, but those are similar to the roman flags, in that they were used to represent different parts of an army and to make an army look more impressive and imposing.)

Heraldry itself followed a complex set of rules and laws, with the borders and symbols one could use heavily dependant on one&#8217;s rank and social status, but what&#8217;s really interesting is that one&#8217;s coat of arms was a personal thing that wasn&#8217;t inherited. Sure, your kids would probably end up with one based on your own if they liked you or envied you, but it&#8217;d be different, and designed probably by your them. Women certainly didn&#8217;t have coat of arms, nor did cities, stats. Even by the time of William the Conquerer, heraldry belonged to the individual and not the dynasty. By the mid 12th century, coat of arms began to be inherited, which is one of the origins to the modern state flag - Even then, the first recorded case of what we'd recognize as a coat of arms is only in 1151, in the case of Geoffrey V, count of Anjou.

In the High middle ages, Knights began to have their coat of arms sewn into banners and strapped them to their back (known as standards - Interestingly the allowed length of the standard depended on your rank: 21 feet long to 10 feet long in Scotland), so as to remain recognizable even when the shield was hidden. At about the same time, the rules behind heraldry began to formalize, and rules to combine coat of arms, making highly complex the previously simple system of symbols. As an example, take a look at the flag of spain, which bears symbols descendant of the pennant of the catholic monarchs when Castille and Aragon united, which itself bears the coat of arms of at least 4 different families.

Spoiler The Pennant :

The earliest &#8220;national,&#8221; and I really am wary of using this word, flags was that of denmark. The tricolor, which many modern flags are based on, originates in the 16th century, Though it&#8217;s origins (in the arrangement of the colors) can be traced to the 9th century.

Even then, it was only in the 17th century, well into the age of sail, that national flags became a thing. It became customary, and then a legal necessity (as piracy grew and colonization became a concern) for ships to bear a banner indicating their nationality. Many of these symbols eventually became country flags, most of which were adorned with the coat of arms of the ruling family.

Spoiler the flag of spain, with the coat of arms of the old dynasty. :

So, as a closing statement, flags are modern and really shouldn't exist in this game so far. Even a coat of arms is pushing it, historically. A boar&#8217;s head on a stick, fine, or a carved wooden staff, sure, and maybe a strip of dyed cloth if you want to be fancy.


NOTE: I"m really only talking about Europe, here. I have no idea of the history of flags in, like, persia or east asia.

 

[Calgori]

In my defence I'll say that my "flag" was intended to be the Wulferic I's army banner. The tools I used for designing it didn't allow me to use more barbaric-styled symbols, though that was my intention initially.

 

[thomas.berubeg]

A Karl in King Brand Hafhammer's Huslegio

 

[SouthernKing]

Alright, consider this the lock (though as those of you who I've been talking to while doing this know, the update is 75% done and will probably be up Thursday, or Friday at the latest).

Complete:
-Western Europe
-North Africa
-Arabia
-East Africa
-Central Asia
-East Asia
-Southeast Asia

Partly Complete:
-Eastern Europe
-Persia

Yet to do:
-West Africa
-India

The sole exception is if your name is Terran Emperor, since I kind of need your orders to do India at all