[BTS] Wars of the Gods: Carthage

Want updates! :(
 
Yay!!! [party]
 
UPDATE 16: SEA LEGS​

Even in the warmest summer months, the great Northern Sea was still chilly and unpleasant. Into early May, small icebergs would still occasionally drift into Carthage's northern harbor, fouling up trade and travel alike. Regardless, the Northern Sea was a necessary outlet for Carthage's navy and merchant fleets. Of course, such ripe targets are bound to attract trouble.

In this case, "trouble" being the Sea Raiders.

Captain Adribaal glared against the mist and spray in his face, the wind whipping his cloak back. He and his crew were about to experience the Sea Raiders firsthand, and he didn't like it one bit. The Raiders had swept from the North Sea Isles in recent years, plundering Phoenicia's fishing fleets as far south as Qoshtant, and had even occasionally threatened Carthage itself. Hannibal had ordered his fleets to be more vigilant for these barbarians, and to destroy them before they could reach Phoenicia's sacred shores.

So of course once one of the Raiders' longboats was spotted off the coast, Adribaal had been dispatched to deal with the situation. "We've spotted the raiders, sir," one of his men reported.

"Good. Take us a bit closer."

The Phoenician galley swung in closer, soon pulling up beside the barbarians' smaller craft. The Raiders rushed to the rails of their ship to glare up balefully at the Carthaginians, with much saber-rattling and tooth-gnashing (literally). Adribaal stepped to the edge of the galley and unrolled a scroll, reading it aloud to the enemy crew. "On the order of Hannibal, by the grace of God Emperor of Phoenicia, you are hereby commanded to leave Phoenician territorial waters at once. Should you refuse, your craft shall be boarded and--"

An arrow whizzed past Adribaal's head.

"Hmph. So it's going to be that way then, is it?" Adribaal tossed away the scroll, shaking his head. "How terribly foolish of you." With that, Adribaal drew his sabers, and lept onto the longboat. Rolling as he hit the deck, he quickly stood, neatly decapitating one of the Sea Raiders, before turning to face the rest.

Adribaal's men immediately sprung into action, pouring onto the longboat, shouting out battle cries. "For the Emperor! For Phoenicia!"

The battle was swift and decidedly lopsided, as each of the Sea Raiders was slain by the Phoenician sailors, leaving the victors to deal with the losers' now-vacant ship.

"Should we tow the ship back to port with us? It would make a great trophy, and gift to the Emperor."

Adribaal sighed. "No, that's too much hassle. Just sink the damn thing."

Adribaal returned to the galley, leaving his crew to simply shrug to one another and begin scuttling the longboat. A barbarian craft wasn't worthy of being crewed by Phoenician sailors any way.

Spoiler :
​
 
UPDATE 17: THE SECOND COUNCIL​

The conference room was situated in the second floor of the Imperial Palace in Carthage, tucked away between two petitioner's chambers on either side. The room was largely unknown to the average citizen of the city, who were under the rather naive impression that the mighty Emperor needed no counsel but his own. Hannibal knew better, of course. Advisors such as his own were essential to keeping him informed on the day-to-day events of his vast empire.

Two Royal Guards, dressed in gleaming bronze armor, and similarly-colored cloaks, stood at attention as he approached the entrance, pointing their weapons upwards. Hannibal nodded to the pair, and entered the chamber. It was a relatively non-descript room. The walls as well as the long table situated in its center were hewn of polished marble, and the flag of the Phoenician Empire, a double-headed phoenix of gold on a violet field, hung from the far wall.

Hannibal's four advisors, and the two others whom he always invited to these meetings, all stood in deference to their ruler as he entered the room. He sat in his chair at the head of the table, and began the advisors' council with his usual comment: "Alright, then. Let's get down to business." The others nodded and sat down in their own chairs.

The emperor glanced around the room at the familiar faces occupying it. Soon after his arrival on this world, Hannibal had endowed all his most trusted allies and advisors with immortality of their own. They would serve him so long as his empire still stood. And if they didn't? Well, Hannibal could always revoke the privilege at any time... He decided to go in a counterclockwise order for this particular council. "Elisha?"

The foreign advisor nodded as her name was called. "The Japanese Shogunate has been expanding its borders, settling new cities all along the coast to our southeast. Their most recent settlements are rather near the former Kampuchea."

Hannibal waved a hand dismissively. "The Japanese are brothers in the Jewish faith. They are allies, and are not likely to attack us." They'd damn well better not...

Elisha nodded again. "As you say, m'lord."

"Hiram?"

Hiram turned his attention to his emperor and reported the latest news of Phoenicia's grand military. "The Phrygian and Hittite kingdoms have successfully been incorporated into our ever-growing empire, my liege. This brings the mineral wealth of the Hittites under our control, as well as bringing our borders closer to those of the Sioux."

Spoiler :


"Excellent indeed, Hiram," Hannibal said with approval. "Military conquest can only serve to increase our nation's glory, and bring the light of true civilization to the barbarians." Hiram bowed in his seat, indicating that he was finished. Hannibal glanced to the next of his advisors. "Hamilcar, what news of trade?"

"As the military advisor has said, our borders with the Sioux are closer than ever, and we've been opening further trade with them. The exotic fruits and spices of the Great Jungle are filling our markets," he reported cheerfully. "And in perhaps more interesting news, we have capitalized upon Telkhia's excellent harbor, and constructed a grand lighthouse there."

Spoiler :


"The locals didn't give it a very inspired name, sadly... They wish it to be known as the Great Lighthouse."

"Then the Great Lighthouse it shall be. Its light will shine out into the Western Sea for hundreds of miles around." Hannibal had seen identical lighthouses in many of the empires he'd governed in the past. Well, if it ain't broke... "And you, Aqhat?"

The science advisor glanced up from his notes and above his spectacles to look at the emperor. "As you can see by the recent innovations to Your Majesty's grand palace, we have perfected new styles of marble construction. Our workers are finding new and more efficient ways to construct buildings."

Hannibal nodded appreciatively. "What may seem a small advancement could one day prove to be a grand step into the future. Tell your scientists to continue their work." His four advisors had all spoken, and yet six people were seated at his table. The last two were not officially advisors, but with such important roles in the Phoenician state, they could hardly be left out of such an important meeting. He turned to the first of the two, the High Shaman. "Philosir, how fare our studies in the mystic arts?"

"Our shaman continue to discover new ways to use the arts, Your Highness. Our most advanced scholars have discovered ancient texts which speak of an art known as necromancy."

Hannibal raised a brow in curiosity. "Necromancy?"

"This art would allow us to cheat the laws of death itself, raising our own slain enemies to fight for us as slaves."

The final person at the table was the High Priest of the Jewish Faith, Hadrubal, who sputtered indignantly at Philosir's report. "You maniac!" he cried. "This 'necromancy' goes against all that our faith stands for!" Philosir turned his gaze wearily to the high priest, who continued, "I will not condone such brazen violation of the natural order set forth by the Lord our God!"

Philosir glowered. "You doddering old fool. Don't you see that this art is a key to a new level of magical power? Who needs to follow the strict rules of the church when we could be unto gods ourselves?"

The High Shaman and the High Priest generally held a barely-concealed disdain for one another, which often came forward during these councils. "Blasphemer!" and "Close-minded twit!" were thrown around more than once as Hannibal rubbed his temples stormily. Suddenly, Elisha spoke up in a rather icy tone of voice. "Oh, shut up, both of you. You are behaving like children." The two both stopped arguing, as Hannibal said, "That'll be all, Philosir. Look into these arts further." Hadrubal glared across the table, unwilling to speak out against his emperor. "And what have you to report, Your Holiness?"

Hadrubal cleared his throat, mustering all the dignity he could. "Conversions in our southern frontier continue at an excellent rate. Soon the True Faith will be present in all of Phoenicia's grand cities. In celebration, we have constructed a temple to the Lord on the island of Utica, where His prophet, Isaiah, is said to have performed several miracles in His name."

Spoiler :


"Pilgrims from all across the continent will spread commerce to the holy sites on the island, undoubtedly strengthening the Church... As well as you, of course, my liege," he hastily added.

"But all is not well, my friends. The Sudmen... Vikings who dwell on the Icy Reaches of the distant south, have accepted the heretical Christian faith! They recently completed a temple to their 'mashiach' in Nidaros, and claim that its grandeur surpasses our own temple!" He glowered in righteous fury at the thought of the heretics. "To this end, Emperor, I intend to declare a holy war against the infidels - a crusade!"

Philosir mumbled, "Now who's the maniac?"

"I really must protest, Your Holiness," Hiram said with a frown. "The Sudmen are much too far to be reached by our armed forces. We aren't prepared militarily for the harsh weather and other logistics of this 'crusade'."

"Not to mention the diplomatic fallout," Elisha added. "The Mongols would be angry with us for attacking their allies."

The argument grew in volume as Philosir, Hiram, and Elisha all argued with the High Priest, until Hannibal stated in a firm voice: "Silence!" All four quickly shut up.

"I do not agree with this holy war of yours at all, Your Holiness. I will not go along with this."

Hadrubal blinked twice. "But... but Your Majesty! As the Defender of the Faith, it is your duty to--"

"Enough, Hadrubal! This is the last I will hear of this." In theory, the High Priest was equal to, perhaps even greater than, the Emperor in rank. But there could be no question as to who was truly in charge in the conference room.

Hadrubal rose to his feet. "You disappoint me, Hannibal," he snapped, "and you disappoint the Heavens... How foolish." He turned on his heel, and stormed out of the room.

Hannibal shook his head. "I suppose the meeting is adjourned."

((Yeah, you read that correctly... My neighbors are Sitting Bull, Tokugawa, Kublai Khan, and Ragnar. The RNG really decided to screw with me, huh?))
 
UPDATE 18: THE TEMPLE​

A light drizzle fell over the city of Utica, and Hadrubal pulled his cloak closer to himself. Even though it was late in August, the rain was still cold in this part of the world, a result of its far northerly position. The city of Utica itself was the second-oldest in the Empire (though technically, Qoshtant, Telkhia, and Iasotapur were all just as old as Carthage), and it was situated on a large island in the Bay of Bosporus to the south-east of the peninsula on which Carthage stood.

Utica itself was a medium-sized city. Far smaller than the grand metropoles of Carthage, Qoshtant, or Telkhia, but larger than, say, Salunah or Hadrumetum. And Utica was also the greatest center of the Jewish faith. True, Qoshtant was the holy city, but Utica hosted the Empire's most devout citizens, and was Hadrubal's own seat of pontifical power, at the Palace of the Judges.

As he approached the newly-constructed Temple, ascending its marble steps, the pair of guards at the entrance knelt before him. "We are not worthy," they chorused.

"I know."

He entered the temple, promptly forgetting to tell the guards that they could rise, leaving them both to kneel in the rain for God knows how long...

Inside, he entered the commons of the Temple, which served as a forum of sorts for the people of Utica. As he passed through, more people bowed or kneeled, repeating their unworthiness and vulgarity. Eventually, he turned to a side corridor, dimly lit, to meet with the one man who would not kneel to him.

"Were you followed?" the dark figure asked.

Hadrubal shook his head. "No. I'm alone."

"Good," the figure replied, arms crossed. "What do you want, Hadrubal?"

"Hannibal refused to go through with it," Hadrubal said bitterly. He continued snidely, "I suppose I don't have as much pull as you think I do."

"Silence," the man snapped, voice filled with venom. Surprisingly, Hadrubal did just that. "Perhaps had you not been so blunt," he accused, "he would have gone along with your 'crusade'." Pulling his face closer to the high priest, he said, menacingly, "And if you do not have the pull I thought you did, then perhaps your use to me has run out." He raised his hand backwards, as if preparing to strike.

"Wait, wait! Please, don't!" Hadrubal cried frantically, flinching away. The figure lowered his hand. "Th-the Emperor... spoke to me some time ago, of strange dreams. He speaks of them often... Perhaps..." his voice trailed off.

The figure paused a moment, in thought. "Very well. I'll spare your pitiful life, for now... Rouse your followers. Hannibal is going on a crusade. Whether he wants it or not."

Hadrubal nodded. "Fine..." An invisible force struck him across the face like a slap.

"Yes what?"

Hadrubal cast his eyes downwards, bowing reluctantly. "Yes... master."

The figure nodded. "Good." With that, he vanished, as if into thin air, leaving Hadrubal to nurse his cheek. Not to mention his pride.
 
I'd say more like 80%. :p
 
UPDATE 19: THE FEUDAL PERIOD​

Spoiler :


"Should it please the Emperor and his court," the harald proclaimed, "the Archduke of Spaniyah, lord of Salunah, governor-general of the Friqiyan territory, ruler in Matrit..." He continued on and on with the man's long list of titles, much to the chagrin of Hannibal, who sat with a rather weary expression on his throne. He felt very much like finding out whose idea this "feudalism" business was and having them end up in a slave labor camp somewhere in the Southern Jungle.

The vast territories of the Phoenician Empire spanned half a continent, from moor and tundra to desert and jungle, and presented any ruler with what amounts to a colossal administrative headache. Even Hannibal, with his infinite years of experience, was hard-pressed to maintain such an empire, and had found that the stress was beginning to weigh down upon him. An emperor and his court bureaucracy were ill-suited for such a mammoth task.

To that effect, the Phoenician Empire had been split into twelve separate administrative divisions, with various influential soldiers, clergymen, and merchants awarded various noble titles and granted these lands - while still bowing to the Emperor in Carthage, of course. Of the twelve territories, one was still ruled directly from Carthage, called the Imperial Territories; two more territories had yet to be assigned to any nobles, the former Hittite and Phrygian (now Khittat and Friqiyan, respectively) kingdoms; and the Archdiocese of Utica was ruled by the High Priest and his clique of clergymen. The remaining 8 territories were divided variously into fiefdoms, duchies, archduchies, bishoprics, and one Holy State (the former Byzantine lands, centered on the Jewish holy city of Qoshtant). For once, Hannibal was relieved that his empire was not presently growing much further - any more divisions than these would probably be impossible to account for.

The harald was still talking. "... heir apparant to the Fiefdom of Thapsus, protector of the Bishopric of Kerkouane--"

"I get it, he's important. Send him in," Hannibal snapped tiredly.

The harald bowed and scampered off, and a few moments later, the Archduke entered. He was perhaps most influential among the new nobility of Phoenicia, with a solid claim on nearly a fourth of the empire. He swaggered in, clothed in fine silk robes, and with an air of bombast about him. Before the institution of the new feudal system, he had been a respected general, but he was now gaining in age, and seemed to have settled down (perhaps too well) into the new order of things.

With an exaggerated bow, the Archduke greeted Hannibal, "My liege!"

"You had a petition to present to me?"

"Yes, yes, of course," the noble stammered, retrieving from his robes a scroll of paper. He read from it, "Of late, Japan has settled lands in the northern expanses of the Great Southern Jungle, which you, in the Edict of Nobility, set aside as part of the rightful claim of the Archduchy of Spaniyah. This is an affront to ourselves and our people, and we, the nobility and landed gentry of Spaniyah petition you," he gestured to the Emperor, "my liege, to declare war upon the Japanese and avenge this affront to us."

Hannibal sighed quietly. "You know as well as I, Archduke, that I cannot declare war on the Shogunate because they were first to settle some useless expanses of jungle which I promised you in the Edict," he stated flatly, "the existence of which I am sure the Japanese were not aware."

The nobleman blinked once or twice. He clearly hadn't expected his request to be refused. "But... Your Majesty!" he cried. "The land was granted to us by you, and, by extension, God Himself! It is our right--"

Hannibal scowled, quickly tiring of this man. "You have no rights," he growled, "except for those which I give to you. You owe me your land, your allegiance, your fortune... your life! Do not presume to go against my judgement."

The Archduke sniffed indignantly, furling the scroll back up and putting it away in an excessively melodramatic movement. "Very well," he vented. "If it pleases Your Majesty." He sketched another bow, far more half-hearted than before, and retreated from the throne room, almost tripping over his robes as he went.

Hannibal merely shook his head, enjoying a moment's peace, before the harald entered again. "Should it please the Emperor and his court..." Hannibal pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering to himself. He had a feeling that this was going to be a long day.
 
Sounds like your research rates have gone down severely. :p
 
I still say that Hannibal Lecter > Hannibal the Elephant-Alps-Leader-Dude.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Noble Zarkon
Civ IV Hall of Fame Update Discussion
Replies
3
Views
1K
Noble Zarkon
Noble Zarkon
Noble Zarkon
[BTS] Civ IV Hall of Fame Update Discussion
Replies
3
Views
600
Noble Zarkon
Noble Zarkon
blackbutterfly
Signs Point To Beyond Earth 2
Replies
18
Views
3K
blackbutterfly
blackbutterfly
T
The Shield of Islam
Replies
6
Views
1K
The Dutchman
T
Noble Zarkon
Civ IV Hall of Fame Update Discussion
Replies
4
Views
828
Firmlife
F
Top Bottom