The pre-AFSNES I.

[mythmonster2]

This shalst be my kingdom! The kingdom of Echajin!

The Echajinians are an unusually pacifist people. Their culture is completely blended with their religion that there is practically no difference between the two. The Echajinian religion is polytheistic, but there are two main gods, Kindalin, god of the sea, and Herres, goddes of the harvest. However, they were quite expansive, and decided to look north for their expansion...

 

[Insane_Panda]

Das, since a whole bunch of us are going to be gone soon, I was thinking you might want to make the deadlines a little more close together than the usual fare. Our orders aren't as complex as usual NESes, and we are less reliant on diplomacy, so if its not too much work for you, it would allow things to move at a faster rate.

 

[Dachs]

How did I get swarmed by so many people so quickly? Ah well. I shall endeavor to write another few stories, involving something Roman, but I need to know: up to what point will the next update bring us? If we won't hit 700 for awhile I need to figure out what to do with Rasna...

 

[Insane_Panda]

The next update is supposed to bring us at around 500 BC, according to the front page.

 

[Dachs]

Oh, okay. Expect Romans soon.

 

[Azale]

Eskander is mentioned among the great conquerers as the only PC of the three!

Me so happy

 

[LightFang]

But we were the great repellers! We were so eccentric that they gave up and left us to our lonely little island of Sardinia!

 

[Niklas]

Eskander is mentioned among the great conquerers as the only PC of the three!

Me so happy

Yeah yeah, you had your fun and then we beat you up. Now move aside and roll over.

 

[Daftpanzer]

@Das, thanks for the mention in the update. But who is behind these Arecomicians? Are they NPC?

Attempt to join #2 (cut, paste, change a few names, change starting point ):

The Odrysians, AKA uncivilised balkan headbangers

---

The founding myth of Odrysa (in no way associated with the non-existent peoples of Oenotra)

The story revolves around two brothers, Odry and Teres, joint leaders of the Moesi, people who had been forced from their danubian homelands by more powerful Thracian tribes. Odry had a vision, in which Karaz (the god of health and healing) instructed him to found a new town, on a small hill on the coast of the black sea. Traditionally, severed human heads were needed to consecrate the ground on which new settlements would be built. So Odry and Teres set out with their to battle with the rival Thracian peoples…

The brothers were victorious, and each returned with a severed head of a Thracian warrior. Both had fought so valiantly and honourably that they were greatly blessed by both Arenes (the goddess of battle) and Chalskon (god of virtue, husband of Arenes and father of the other gods). This made the goddess Mevyra (goddess of the hunt, mistress of wild beasts, also known as the night goddess) extremely jealous.

The brothers gathered their families and headed to the future site of Odrysa. But the night before the consecration ceremony, while the brothers were sleeping, Mevyra made serpents grow from the eye sockets of the severed Thracian heads, which then slowly slithered away into the night…

The next day, the brothers noticed they were lacking in the necessary items to proceed. Rather than give up, Odry bravely offered his own head to the high priest, so that the consecration could go ahead. For this noble sacrifice, Chalskon made Odry into one of the ‘Herarcs’ – the gods who had ascended from amongst the most noble of earthly, mortal men. Odry thus became the patron god and protector of Odrysa, the town that was named after him. A primitive temple to Odry was built in the heart of the town, said to be on the exact site where his head was originally buried in the ground.

Teres, meanwhile, was heartbroken by the loss of his brother, and set out to get revenge on the goddess Mevyra. The various intrigues and misadventures between Teres and Mevyra make up most of the Odrysian mythology - their many stories served as moral examples for the Odrysians. Teres’s life ended in tragedy and redemption, before finally being elevated to the status of godhood himself.

---

The Odrysians believed in two main principles – the first and foremost being the accumulation of blessings from Chalskon, by doing noble deeds and aiding others (harming others without justification would result in Chalskon’s blessings being removed – or even a divine curse). Intelligence, eloquence, and all kinds of artistic talents were considered signs of Chalskon’s blessings.

The second was the accumulation of blessings from Arenes, through daring and bravery in battle. Similarly, cowardice would result in being cursed by Arenes. Though women would rarely take any part in war, mothers who raised their sons into great warriors could also receive Arenes’s blessings. Physical strength, health, beauty and virility were considered signs of Arenes’s blessings.

Bands of Odrysian warriors would conduct the rite of ‘blood brotherhood’, the objective being a kind of spiritual union recognised by Arenes, through which each would share in the blessings or curses of the others.

 

[Thlayli]

Orders sent! There will be a story, eventually.

 

[Neverwonagame3]

Two questions:

1: Who is playing the Mittani?

2: How are current Karung-Israel relations?

EDIT: Third question, and fourth, and fifth.

3: Who owns those cities along the coast? Are they Phonecian?

4: Who, if anybody, is playing them?

5: Who is playing Ur?

Note: I thought I might put a story as well. I'll forgoe the story bonus, though I hope these developments of Karrism and the political system will be incoporated into what happens internally. (Not bonus-wise, but realistically)

Development of Karrist Doctrine:
Over time, the Karung pantheon developed. It became dualistic, between Yarra and Arvak, equal gods. Theology also developed, reflecting the fact a weak High Priest of Yarra had allowed the High Priest of Arvak to gain more powers (he controlled the one tithe that gave the Church funding from that point on- a 5% corn tax. High Priests of Yarra got not only their money, but their food, from their share of the tithes), becoming High Priest of Arvak and Treasurer of the Priests.

The main two major gods were:

1- Yarra- God of Karung:
Yarra was King of the Gods, and the cause of good, though it operated to an extent without him. (Good was itself a minor godess). Once he overthrew Arvak (talked about before), he went north looking for a legendary dragon that Arvak threatened to use if he acted as he had.

The bulk of Karung legends are about his deeds, in which he travelled as far north as Anatolia (the limit of their knowledge). He went to the Great Mountain (according to them, an area northeast of Anatolia somewhere) and found a height from which he could look down on the world.

He then founded a pantheon there.

2- Arvak- God of Userpers:
The High Priest of Yarra managed to get his own back by a combination of wit (Arvak was God of Userpers already in his time) and development of doctrine. "Userpers" meant all other kings, and the word had strong bad connontations in Karung- "Userper" implied evil, disprect, chaos, and rebelliousness. Their word for "Userper" was the same word used for other Kings, so neutral language towards them was impossible.

According to myth, Arvak operated the Helland (according to myth at the root of the Nile), and would continue to send terror into the world until somebody slew him. (Gods could be slain in their mythology, although as warriors one was a match for a thousand men)

Once Arvak had been king of the gods, the time of the great chaos when the Karungians were thrown out of Babylon and a userper took the throne. Their empire had according to myth covered the world.

Arvak had been there personally behind the scenes, but his son Yarra literally backstabbed him, and with this serious wound Arvak fled, physically and mentally weakened. He awaits, plotting his revenge.

People pray to him in order to avert disasters, as it is said that every bad thing that ever happened had Arvak's magic powers as it's source.

According to an anectode a High Priest recieved in a revelation one of Arvak's servants was called "Yaweh". This was a potential cause for trouble...

 

[JosefStalinator]

Orders and story(ies?) to come. Looks like Das wants us to be rivals, Panda .

 

[Daftpanzer]

@Das, I will send orders ASAP, if my nation is confirmed

 

[LightFang]

Glimpse of Sardinia

Religion

As may have become apparent, the entire Sardinian (by a freak coincidence, this island is called Sardinia, just like in OTL. Sardinia happens to mean "The Motherland" in this version of Sardinian) society, and indeed life, is based on serving one's superiors. A logical outshoot of this would be in religion.

If one's whole life was based on serving one's superiors (and it was; no subjunctive mood needed here), then whom could the most superior serve? Obviously, no mere human! Thus, gods and goddesses fill that void. The people could now serve them in excellence no matter their position in the great social hierarchy.

There are five gods/goddess (Diio/Diioe) for each attribute of Tigura (that's the name of the religion; don't freak out!)

Alastor: God of strength (all things physical).
Ryhome: Goddess of intelligence (cunning, wit, inventions, etc.)
Takkant: God of creativity (art, music, inventions (there is some overlap), etc.)
Tiam: Goddess of charisma (beauty, looks, charm, etc.)
Lorano: God of wealth (things related to selling, trading, social status, etc.).

A sect of priests exists for each of the five facets of perfection. Each sect is led by a Tigurak(e) who is voted in depending on his/her ranking in the sect.

Each Sardinian wears a badge upon his/her shoulder that indicates his/her status. The level for his/her highest attribute is displayed on this badge. A "5" in one sect is equivalent to a "5" in another.

Those in the lower levels must, as always, show respect, servitude, and loyalty toward superiors, be they from the Tiam sect or the Lorano sect.

The Masks

An interesting aspect of our Sardinians is that all are masked. Everybody receives one from his/her father/mother. Generally, the father gives a mask to his son, and the mothers give to their daughters, although this can vary depending on personal preference (rare). The permitted materials to construct it as well as the various designs vary depending on each attribute and stage of life, and people go through a few main stages:

A short description of the masks follows:

The Dawn Mask: Courtesy masks, basically, for children. Simply adorned, they are a mark of the lack of responsibility expected for children.
The Noon Mask: Given to teenagers, for the best will shine brightly like the sun at high noon. This mask marks the split between childish frivolity and adult responsibility.
The Life Mask: This is the mask given to adults.
The Dusk Mask: Given to elders.

All people wear their masks at all times. People only bare their face when around family members. Some shed the mask for close friends; most don't, holding tightly to tradition.

It should be noted that just because a person has a dusk mask does not mean that he is superior to those with noon masks, for example. If he is outclassed, he can technically be outranked, but even so, those younger are careful to be respectful because of the experience the older have lest they be demoted.

It should also be noted that the only person who does not wear a mask is the High Lord.

 

[Niklas]

1: Who is playing the Mittani?

[...]

5: Who is playing Ur?

I am playing Ur. And I believe the Mittani are an NPC, though I could be wrong.

 

[Israelite9191]

thats northern france

Most of it is Brittany dang it! Brittany, not France!

(by a freak coincidence, this island is called Sardinia, just like in OTL.

The OTL name of Sardinia comes from the very ancient (ie the timeframe of this NES) settlers (Shardana) who are hypothesised to have been Sea People. Given that the update says Sardinia was settled by Sea Peoples, it is also likely that it was the same sub-group, the Shardana, in TTL as in OTL. Thus, it is fully plausible without swerving away from the realms of realism that Sardinia would gain the same popular name in TTL as in OTL.

EDIT: And let it be known that my intent from here forth in this NES is to conquer and destroy all non-realistic (or at least non-semi-realistic) civilisations and erase them from the historical record.

EDIT2: The above does not include Sardinia and Karung which (despite the name of the second one) appear to be semi-realistic.

EDIT3: Will conduct diplo as Israel in the (later) morning.

 

[das]

You're all welcome.

The only real border problems are that the Olmec conquests should extend more to the southeast along the coast, and not nearly so much to the northwest. Cut the northernmost Olmec city, and correspondingly shrink that border, adding another city right where the top of the M in Mayans currently is.

As I said, I figured I got that wrong. Thanks for specifying anyway.

Nice das. Only two lines for me but nice for everyone else.

It's not like you're doing anything important yet. You do have some opportunities for the future.

thats northern france

Really, is it? Try to be a bit more specific. I presume you want one of the early Celtic "kingdoms" there, though.

Das, since a whole bunch of us are going to be gone soon, I was thinking you might want to make the deadlines a little more close together than the usual fare. Our orders aren't as complex as usual NESes, and we are less reliant on diplomacy, so if its not too much work for you, it would allow things to move at a faster rate.

The idea would be for you to send orders soon, but yes, it will probably be less than weekly; I have more free time than usual in the very early July, but noticeably less towards the middle, so it would make sense to try and squeeze in as much as possible in the first ten days, if the other players don't mind and manage to send in orders quickly enough.

Though beside that you can always PM some even more long-term ideas for your development; if they fit in in the context (as opposed to your total extermination fitting in instead), then I'll try to implement them.

@Das, thanks for the mention in the update. But who is behind these Arecomicians? Are they NPC?

Nah, JosefStalinator decided to conquer this universe for the Celts, but to start small.

1: Who is playing the Mittani?

shortguy

2: How are current Karung-Israel relations?

Dreadful, or nonexistant; no real peace treaty was signed with the rebels, and skirmishing is ongoing.

3: Who owns those cities along the coast? Are they Phonecian?

Right, those are various independent but rather insignificant Phoenician city-states.

4: Who, if anybody, is playing them?

They're NPC.

5: Who is playing Ur?

Niklas.

@Das, I will send orders ASAP, if my nation is confirmed

Confirm'd.

 

[silver 2039]

Nice update. I am pleased with how Magadha is turning out.

 

[JosefStalinator]

@ Israelite, does that include my Mediterranean Celts? Get used to it, there's gonna be more soon .

@ Foozicaba Welcome to the celtic fold. Expand away, my friend, but be aware that Joe wants Britain once it starts to become available. Expand into there at your own risk (just make sure the celts keep going there... not that you could really stop them.)

 

[das]

The OTL name of Sardinia comes from the very ancient (ie the timeframe of this NES) settlers (Shardana) who are hypothesised to have been Sea People. Given that the update says Sardinia was settled by Sea Peoples, it is also likely that it was the same sub-group, the Shardana, in TTL as in OTL. Thus, it is fully plausible without swerving away from the realms of realism that Sardinia would gain the same popular name in TTL as in OTL.

Yes, that was the idea. And considering that the Sea Peoples were an amalgamation of all kinds of people, subsequently living together on an island (and supposedly losing a large amount of people at some point), it is not wholly impossible to imagine that they might develop some particularily unusual culture; islands tend to allow just that.

EDIT: And let it be known that my intent from here forth in this NES is to conquer and destroy all non-realistic (or at least non-semi-realistic) civilisations and erase them from the historical record.

Actually things are going better in that regard than feared. But the poor Echajinians won't know what hit them. It would be fun to see silver2039 fight Israelite imperialists in India, though.