Update 1 - Year 1260 CE
Global Events:
The Second Vakuchi War begins, as Incan ships blockade the Vakuchi coast and Incan forces gather on the borders. No warfare started yet, though.
Despite the best advice of his, well, advisors, Mieulus II, King of Fennia and Champion of Tarun and the Undergod Ahto sent out an expedition led by Voitto Palmen, heading west to "New Atlantis" that was not too long ago discovered by the Scotians. Luck followed this journey, as only one ship and one battalion were lost to the storms, and the rest succesfully landed on a peninsula named by the heathen natives (soon massacred) "Delaware". City of "Finntown" was founded, the name being a clear example of Mieulus' admiration of Anglian culture. Keeping contact between it and the metropole might be a problem due to the distances, and many fear that Severoslavia might completely block that contact if it only wishes to.
(-1 Fennian battalion, -1 Fennian ship)
Soon after, the same route is followed by Svenians who too build a colony just to the north from Delaware.
In the Messippan Empire, rumors spread that the floating villages, like the ones seen on the coast twenty years ago, were sighted sailing south to the Aztec Peninsula (OTL Florida).
The ruler of Chechen Itza has rebelled and attempted to take Copan! His forces have besieged the city, and persuaded Tikal to submit to him as well.
(-7 Copanese battalions)
Polia and Severoslavia begun diplomatic campaigns to secure their relations with neighbors. Those have differing results.
Third Berber War begins as the Berber pirates raid the "Tyrrhenian Route" (see spotlight).
(-43 Berber ships, -12 Lombard ships, -21 Cretan ships) (economy transferred to Berbers: 1 Cretan, 1 Visgoth, 2 Lombard)
The Zulu make a breakthrough, in part influenced by Sinhalese culture, but mostly an idea of King Shaka's. Writing is invented (+2 education)!
In Sinhala, work begins on more advanced gunpowder weaponry. Meanwhile, another expedition into the heart of Madagascar begun. It is even worse then the first one - only two battalions of the explorers survives, and half of the survivors went mad or ill, while the rest tell stories of horrific jungle diseases and unbeliveable wild animals. Elsewhere, Sinhalese expeditions go much better. Kangappuran natives turn out to be primitive, but some coastal expansion is achieved, while an expedition circumnavigates Indonesia. It claims many islands, but no real control is established there.
(-2 Sinhalese battalions)
Japanese and N'Dran forces awaited a Juang attack... which never came due to communication problems.
A Japanese colony has been founded in Amur river's delta. Another expedition accidentally landed on the Juang colony of Okinawa, but in its mostly uninhabited part and thus no confrontation happened so far.
Random Events:
Zulu cultural unity is strenghthened by Shaka's charisma (+1 Culture).
Fennia's new expedition gets many volunteers joining it along the way (+5 battalions to the expedition).
Buddhist influence grows even further in Sinhalese India (Hinduist minority decreased to "moderate").
Spotlight:
Berber Pirate Renaissance.
"If we do not stop the Berber barbarians here, the Mediterranean Sea shall be covered by darkness and drowned in blood."
- Visgoth Admiral Rodderic during the Battle at Minorca. Year 803 CE.
Ever since 1225 (when Berber pirate raids begun to reappear, minor and insignificant though they were), the Mediterranean nations were looking with concern at Berberia once again. Once victorious at Minorca in the 9th century, the Berber pirates dominated the Mediterranean Sea until defeated in 1090.
But this was not an end of the problem "for three centuries" as even the pessimists thought. Berberia rebuilt itself, and in 1255, it reaffirmed control over Orania defeating the Alexandrine Empire there. And so, in 1260, the Berbers felt themselves strong enough...
...for revenge.
Led by Merhanid, the Berbers assembled a great fleet, even bigger then the one at Minorca 803 and Malta 1090. Before this, all their raids were targetted on Visgoth coastal villages and occasional iternal commerce. But now, the Berbers decided to strike the lucrative Tyrrhenian Route, the main trade route between Visgothia, Lombardia and Crete. After getting away with the first few raids, the Berber fleet had to confront escort ships assigned by the Lombards and the Cretans (Visgoths did not think that Berbers would dare strike the route), the Berbers, although taking many casualties, triumphed over the enemy fleets and managed to take much money with them. The Lombard fleet was especially badly hurt, thus allowing the Berbers to almost freely raid and pillage Lombard western coast.
Although the Battle of Tyrrhenia was won by the Berbers, this was only the beginning of the Third Berber War. Can the damaged Berberian fleet survive a Cretan counter-attack? This remains unknown for now...
NPC Diplo:
From: Mayan Emperor
To: Incan Empire
Whatever unity we still had is lost. If you send troops to aid me, we will be ever-grateful and will never expand our lands south, and will swear not to go to war with you for a thousand years!
From: Lombardia
To: All Mediterranean Countries
The Berber Outrage cannot stand! We ask all of you to send fleets to assist us in defeating the Berbers once and for all!
From: Lombardia
To: Severoslavia
We have reconsidered, and decided that joining your fine alliance might be a good an idea after all...
OOC:
Thus the NES begun... Not too bad, IMHO.
All those who failed to send in orders - sorry about that, but I was running out of time.
Sorry, I can't update the stats yet.
