Update 6-Sickness of the Creator
The Creator looked down and saw why the Angels were aghast. What had destroyed their world had come to this new world. Many cried out, how could the Creator allow this to happen? How could he not only take away their chance of a new home, but also inflict such suffering upon these people? The Creator looked upon his work and noticed that yes, a disaster had came. But his creations were far more resilient than his angels gave them credit. This world had no intention of keeling over yet at least.
The Shia suffered greatly during this era of destruction. Upon the backs of the Cayun merchants and masons, and their own soldiers back from their lands, the death was brought to them. It spread in their cites, death everywhere. The Great Wall in the east needed gold and bodies, both of which the Ut needed more of. As one batch of slaves died, new ones were bought from the Cayun, but it wouldnt be long until death caught them too. Nammu VI was able to fight the Bayuly of the Bow and the Almeks to a stalemate with a combination of fortifications, a vanguard of heavy infantry, and enough mobility from light infantry that the Almeks were forced to withdraw. The Wall was finished, but a new threat to the West was coming in form of the Nannuk once more. Nammu went out to meet their warlord, though death reached him and his diminished army before the Nannuk, and his successor, Shubsug VIII fared little better. As this went on, Anaepitos, grow angry. Shubsug was a good man, but he was a puppet, like many of the Priestesses had become. The Shia had become too large and faced too many threats in the East, and a solution was needed so that the cities would remain loyal to the Shia, but a huge garrison would not be needed. The solution was the Antuaki, secret police of the God King, who would occupy the cities and answer to the God King, not the governors. The God King became dependent on them, and the Antuaki became stronger and stronger, taking more and more powers of the state, while the military, as reasoned by Anaepitos, was left to wither and die fighting the Almeks or the Nannuk till the end of days. In reality, it was much simpler; Anaepitos was a snubbed rival of Shubsug, but Anaepitos was a respected general and had troops with him. He, and a few priestesses, declared that the God King had lost favor, and the priestesses declared Anaepitos the new god king. Shubsug could do nothing with his military in such a decrepit state, and it was left to Anaepitos to repel the Nannuk invaders. Anaepitos realized he could not hold the entire Shia, and instead withdrew to Aegyptoes, where he set up a prosperous Shia while Shubsug continued to desperately hold off the attacks into what remained of Akalamdug.
As the death spread throughout the land, the Vanukan King agreed to give up war, and perhaps not realizing it, his kingdom. The Cayun and Ut were distracted by the death, why not fight them now while they were weak? It did not matter that the Nannuk were dying just like their enemies, though granted at a slower and smaller rate, it just mattered that honor was there for the taking, and for this, the Nannuk went to war. One advantage the Nannuk had over others was their lack of dependence on huge armies, like the Ut or the Cayun. In the early days, the Cayun could find no warriors to fight in the lands of death, and their armies were depleted, skeletons with only citizen soldiers. And in this era, a Nannuk warband could cause quite a bit of damage, overrunning the western part of the Shia while the Ut were preoccupied in the East. Eventually, one Ut general was able to turn the tide, but the damage was done that the Ut would no longer seek to reclaim lost land. A small victory the Ut would take would the Nannuk refraining from further attacks against the Ut in the East, for the payoff was low compared to the West. Catapults and other siege weapons, copied and stolen from the Cayun, were being deployed against their own cities. The countryside was overran by Nannuk warbands, forcing the Cayun to retreat to their cities, which caused the death to grow stronger and go further. A few of the cities were even overran, and if it were not for one particularly mighty King of the Cayun, the ancient nation would have been destroyed. The defeat of the Nannuk in the west was taken harshly, and death began stalking the land. Eventually though, one warlord grew his army stronger than the others, and attacked the Turyline in the north, who were also suffering from death. The Nannuk were drawn to him as he showed the warrior spirit of his ancestors and his victory allowed him to claim himself Warlord of all the Nannuk, though this excluded his brothers dying in Mavi çamur. Still, the Nannuk now seem to have a viable empire, something their people have never known before.
The Cayun seemed to be a target for some punishment. For why, they may never know. As their cities grew and grew, most resources were diverted to protecting the cities, and with the people seeing the inland farms as nothing compared to the riches in the city, and the cities grew cramped, a breeding ground for disease, and yes, death. And though the slave trade picked up once again with the Ut, fewer and fewer markets were trading and prospering. Cayun ships no longer left brimming with goods and coming back with gold and silver. It seemed things couldnt get worse, until the Nannuk came. There was supposed to be an agreement, but how could savages respect something such as honor? The people of the countryside fled into the cities, which became a breeding ground for more death. The Ut were preoccupied, the Turyline were gleeful at this turn of events, the Bu Blathe were being beaten back. The Cayun, a nation which had created so much seemed about to fall. And it would have, if not for one man. Known only as Suyu, he led one of the few expeditions that had any form of success. Raised at one of the academies, Suyu had a passion for war, not unlike a Nannuk. His family, in lieu of abandoning him, had him take the role as a leader in the conflict with the Lyba. Perhaps death passed him by when he set sail. His victory over the High General of the Lyba was legendary, and it seemed his citadels would never fall. However, word of the troubles with the Nannuk reached him, and in exchange for their freedom, the Lyban slaves he had yet to send to the Ut agreed to fight for the Cayun. He sailed west to another Cayun colony, where he found the remnants of the failed Syntian War, and merged them with his own army. Going back to the East, he put down a slave rebellion in Yangın dağı and Mavi çamur, and then went back to his home. Suyu found the enemies at the gates, and seeing a man with an army, the Cayun elected him King on the condition that he defeated the Nannuk agressors. In what would be known as the Battle of the Dying Planes, Suyu was able to defeat Shomeik of the Nannuk, and turned the invaders back. With the citidels either secured or recaptured, he went East to reconquer the Cayun homelands, and the Nannuk finally accepted a peace of sorts. Suyu focused the remainder of his time trying to keep the Cayun from collapsing on itself, and although the Lyban and Syntian expeditions ended up in relative failure, the Cayun were able to preserve through these troubled times, thanks to the victories of one man.
The Turyline were no more spared from the death that the others were. Although initially the Turyline were hit lightly, which allowed them to divert forces to take advantage of the Almekian withdrawal and the Sycthes other preoccupations, soon, the death visited their lands and their cities as well. Ostrikine, the capital, in particular suffered from the death, and more than two thirds of its populace was wiped out in the death. More
The Scythe continued their expansion along the river, setting up new towns and villages. A new dynamic seems to be taking hold, with the southern towns developing more specialized products, while the northern ones near exclusively trade agriculture. The withdrawal of the Almeks allowed the Scythe to expand their kingdom, though their traditional allies made a pass at them that was defeated. The death did come to the Scythe, though it did not have the effect as it did in the southern cultures.
The Republic of Albast suffered from the death, though not nearly as much as the easterners were. The death did however create a power vacuum in the peninsula, and a group of rogue senators and merchants established power in the south under a King. As the death begins winding down, and the intent of the Higelante to focus on a different enemy may allow the Republic to return to their unquestioned dominance of the peninsula, or perhaps may cause a new order to be installed.
The Lybans, flush from their victory over the Cayun, decided to press their advantage even further, attempting to seize other territories the Cayun held. The fortresses were unable to be taken for the most part, and the efforts of an early Lyban navy failed in comparison to the seasoned Cayun fleet. The defeat was far worse when it came to land, and the one battle in open combat the Lybans lost was to the mighty Cayun war king. Although the Lybans were defeated, the Cayun were expelled once more from their land, the tribes would no longer fracture with an enemy at the gates, and the iron tools and abandoned ships have been copied by the Lybans. Perhaps the roles will be reversed one day.
The Kingdom of Synt initially seemed in a desperate situation, even with the death spreading little here. The Cayun hold outs and raids on the coast were dealing heavy damage to the Syntians, and in the north, Bu Blathe had defeated a Syntian army on two separate occasions and was preparing for an invasion of the Syntian homeland. However, fortune smiled upon the Syntians. Rumors of a great punishment in the East slowed down, and eventually stopped, the Cayun raiders, and they abandoned their efforts in Synt. And in the North, the Bu Blathe became distracted with internal problems as they invaded Synt and were forced to turn back. The Syntians rebuilt their military, and then launched an invasion of Bu Blathe. Though Bu Blathe had better weaponry, the Syntians far outnumbered them, and were able to claim victory. However, seeing the Bu Blathe defeated, it seems the Higelante at last see the threat the Syntians are, and have taken measures accordingly.
The Higelante were spared from the death for the most part, though there were other worries. Bu Blathe, in concert with their Cayun allies, launched an invasion of Synt, however, with the strongest of the Higelante Kings distracted, the northern states eagerly launched invasions of Bu Blathe, forcing the bulk of their armies back. Eventually Bu Blathe fell to a new Higelante state, which united the others into Freavthdom, which seems intent on blocking Syntian expansion, already borrowing the idea of fortified cities from the Cayun.
In the north, a final battle between the Scontians and the Thralingence came to an end. The Thralingence seem to finally accept the fact that the Scontians will be here to stay on the island, though tensions are incredibly high. The Scontians accept it, and though the raids have ceased, the Scontians are always wary for a renewed fighting spirit from the northerners.
The Chimpawamak, united under King Tanesa have established themselves upon the Delta, with a large village evolving called Tanesa. Tied to the Tuhouc (Great River) and the Sea, the Tanesa seek to expand across the land, developing fishing boats and boats that can travel up the Tuhouc.
The Baisala in the south developed their own type of nation. Like the Chimpawamak, the Baisala are a very expansive culture, however their ships are designed more for the sea, not for the river. The tribes are independent and self sufficient for the most part, though it seems trade may pick up as they begin meeting other tribes.
The Deltan people to the West seem to worship and covet their water, understandably so with the scarcity of it in nearby areas. Unlike other tribes, the Deltan have actually conquered other tribes in search of this resource, showing a remarkable efficiency in battle. Though their weapons are similar to most, it is their tactics, their numbers, and their determination that makes the Deltans strong.
Aside from traditional raids and later, trade, the Nehiimet have begun more or less ignoring their southern neighbors, and turned inward, building up their cities and nation. Many of the young warriors demanded war with the southerners, which was denied by the Nehiimet rulers, and as a result, many left to the East to form their own tribe, determined to show the dominance of the Nehiimet soon. In the meanwhile, in Syewen, a new capital was built and the people have begun relying more and more upon agriculture, causing the chiefdom to grow even stronger, despite the loss of some of their fine warriors.
To the south, the Republic of Cemolia seemed ready to dominate the area. The northern Nehiimet were strong, and the raids showed that. The Cemolians knew that they needed more land and more people before they were ready to impose dominance upon their lands. As a result, the Confederacy of Verak was attacked and defeated, and then, the Empire of Cresos was next. The Republic won nearly every pitched battle, but the interesting tactics of the Psion eventually forced a halt, and then they were pushed back a bit. Now the Republic has many lands under its banner, yet her neighbors are on an even footing with them. How will the Republic fare?
The Confederacy of Verak had no chance to stop the northern threat, and Cresos nearly met the same fate, with defeat after defeat at the hands of the Cemolians. The tactics which had let the Psion establish an empire was about to cause its fall; the Cemolians were better at war. It came back to the old ways to drive the invaders out; poison, ambushes, hit and run tactics. The Cemolians were unprepared for this, and though they could always beat the Psion on the open field, they couldnt fight when their army was sickly and dying. As the invaders left, the weapons captured were studied, and soon the Empire was making their own variations of the northerners weapons. Now, if the north seeks to try something else, the Psion will be ready, though an empire needs to either be reclaimed or rebuilt.
For the Dominikans, an odd reversal of trends has been found. The Huntra Union is collapsing, as trade between the various states becomes less and less guaranteed, and many islands are turning inwards to self sufficiency. Though officially the Huntra Union has yet to be disbanded, the reality is that its a de jure state with no real power over its land. The opposite can be said in the Great Land, as both the Kompendon and now Dynajar have grown stronger, though for the most part the people are sticking closer to the coast in order to continue fishing and trade, though agriculture is developing in the Kanates as well.
The Korowai began using heavy use of stone in their culture. Tribes would build stone structures for temples, and when times were rough, for defense. Small ships were used but mostly for fishing by the Korowai. For the most part, the people remain isolated from each other, and though its easier to move from one village to another, few see the point in doing so.
The Kingdom of Timor suffered greatly for their expansion. Throughout the islands they ruled, their slaves rose up and killed their overseers and burned the cities of the Shiba. Though the homeland and some of the outlying islands were spared, the unfortunate fact was that the Shiba were too widespread and could no longer sustain their kingdom. Even the other islands the King supposedly ruled were in fact, self governing and had no interest in the edicts of a man who could not send aid to end rebellions.
The Hikatari Clan in the North was determined to conquer their island. Emmisaries to the north were sent, and though some would submit, most offers of peaceful conquest were rejected. War was declared, and with the bronze weaponry of the Hikatari, the others with mere stone tools were conquered under their heel. Now, the towns of the north are assuredly obey the Hikatari, and the Ryun looks north for further wars and victories.
The Surnit began rebuilding under the Sillak. Putting naval expeditions on the backburner for now, the Sillak began a reconquest for their former cities. It helped that the outsiders had for the most part left, but those who stayed felt the wrath of the iron weaponry of the Sillak armies. A Kinman was reestablished for the Sillak Kingdom, and he led the way in driving the outsiders from the lands of the Surnit. It seems one final push and the Surnit Peninsula will be united under one government for the first time in over a thousand years.
The Sienna, usually an island of stability, suffered greatly. As the threat that had defeated the Surnit moved south, Helkae became the front line in a battle for survival. Forced back from the other side of the river, the Helkae needed to call upon the Royal Guard in Erenek to help maintain the northern border. Erenek itself was suffering from increased rebellions of the peasantry. As the Surnit was trading less and less, the merchants increased their prices exponentially, causing many peasants to storm merchant quarters and kill the merchants. The Royal Guard was needed to disperse these rebels and on two separate occasions, Neshka went up in flames from the riots. As the peasants were brutally slaughtered when they rose up, the rebels dispersed, turning to banditry and terrorizing the countryside, causing further instability and the Guard expanded out of necessity. Unwilling to let Helkae fall, as a father would protect his son, the Guard expanded even further, upsetting the old guard and the more professional soldiers. With more and more peasants leaving the farms to be rebels, bandits, or soldiers, food production went down heavily, and hunger stalked the land. Back in the north, the failure of traditional Sienna culture to stop the outsiders manifested itself in the Diando movement and Salmetism, both influenced by Surnit culture. Unfortunately for these new thinkers, they were brutally persecuted, and went into hiding. However, it was not all doom and gloom. As Neshka went up in flames the second time, The Royal Foundry and the Grand Padron drew scholars and artists to their doors, and some of the Diando and Salmetists found an oasis here. Iron too became more and more refined, and there is a possibility it could be used by the Royal Guard to help in their conflict.
The Kingdom of Hiberia continued to grow, in both size and their faith. Though a new potential rival had emerged in the south, Hiberia continued to have an unmistakable advantage in their armies, including the new iron weaponry. Unfortunately, an expedition to set up a colony in the south failed, as the colony could not be supplied efficiently and the settlers were driven into the sea. Many are unsure as to how much of a threat the dark skinned natives in the south can prove to be, though the prevailing opinion seems to be if they can be beaten once, then they can be beaten again.
The Tarkanen Dynasty was founded by Mauryanga, a spirited woman displaced by the Hiberians to the north. She has united many of the displaced tribes and with the aid of locals, has established a powerful kingdom. Looking to the north, the Tarkanen are fearful but confident that the Hiberians will not be successful as they were in the First Conquest.
The legend of Rehal Torik took hold upon the Taharnnen as expeditions continued to go further and further north, though the most northern outposts were abandoned quickly due to supply issues. The High Chiefs decreed a road must be built to the outposts as to ensure their survival, and though many would prefer to be fishing and hunting, it was done. Unfortunately, the decline of agriculture in the Taharnnen has caused more and more people to abandon more inland areas and instead cling to the coast to ensure they will not perish from starvation.
The Almeks, lacking a great leader, did not pose as the destructive force as they were meant to be. Though the death was nearly nonexistent in their lands, the advance party fell victim to it as they probed into the Shia. As the displaced tribes of the south rose up, the Almeks realized that the areas they had conquered were not sustainable for their massive horse armies. As a result, they retreated back to the steepes, and have begun consolidating rule under fewer and fewer warlords, though there is yet to be one ruler of the Almeks who could lead them to conquer the mighty Shia.
Notes
Three cultures could start fairly well developed, in Persia, Manchuria, and Singapore areas
Sorry about the update delay, alot of my friends are leaving for college this weekend, and alot of graduation/goodbye parties going on. I'm sorry for the delay this has caused you though
We are at the year 300 B.C. or so, and the next update will be about 150 Years, so please plan accordingly.
I'm fleshing out the stats a bit. Capitals of your nations, if you haven't provided them, would be greatly appreciated.
As a note to all of you, your culture and your kingdoms probably will collapse at some point, or will go through a really low point. That is not game over. Look at Terrance for a revival story. If you are ever completely conquered, that's ok too, you're still in the game. You can lead your resistance movement or talk about how your culture changes through occupation and displacement.
We are in an era where, aside from the South Pacific and Japan, you have iron tools and weapons, and aside from Japan and Australia, you have fairly good control over your nations.
You all have wiki pages, so no excuse not to add to the wiki
Sorry for the wait, orders in by Saturday/Sunday September 3/4th would be ideal, though I will still accept late orders. Remember, the earlier I have them in, the earlier I can cross that part of the update off the list.
Enjoy
