Minding My Own Business

[I would like to preface this with the fact that I have altered the names and cities of my foes to suit my own tastes. One is called "Culture" after the series of Sci-Fi Novels written by Iain M. Banks]

[This story is set on a custom map (90X110) using realistic plate techtonics. The game was set for seven civilizations, diety level, and no spaceships.]

Several thousands of years ago, the Dausha civilization awoke from the last ice age on the planet Jizrkathir. They founded Dausha, a city that history would reveal to be the second oldest. These people readily struck out from their namesake city and explored their surroundings. For many centuries the Dausha thought they were the only people and their arrogance grew. Before long, they had completely subjugated their small continent and prospered.

One young adventurer, Marco Polo, left their homeland to explore the world and by his travels an Embassy was established with every other nation. Finally the Dausha had contact with other peoples. But still their arrogance grew. The closely guarded their homeland shores. The Elench readily warred against their trade ships.

From early on, the Dausha looked to the stars and hoped of founding a civilization where no outsiders could dwell. Their development and focus was on this fact, but alas, future science would reveal that space travel was impossible.

In spite of their arrogance, they made treaties with half of the other six civilizations--Culture, Egyptians, and the Slavs. The remaining three were angered by the arrogant Dausha, and were jealous with the speed that the Dausha had in canvasing the world. However, it was not until the early industrial age that any civilization found the Dausha homeland. It was then that the Haitians and Elench landed and demanded to understand how the Dausha democracy flourished.

But, the arrogant Dausha refused even in the face of overwhelming forces. The Haitians and Elench attacked their cities with a certainty. But, the Dausha were resistant and fought off the invaders. They made allies with Culture and received a technological edge using mobile warfare.

With the Dausha home militia being so resistant to the foreign devils, a cult grew believing in the Manifest Destiny of the Dausha to rule Jizrkathir. This cult was popular and the democracy changed to the fundamentalist theocracy of this Manifest Destiny. Intent on global domination, the Dausha coastal cities began to build the finest warships and a veteran navy was born within a decade. Even as this navy struggled to grow, the Dausha continued to fight off the foreign invaders who razed the lands around their mighty cities.

At once the Dausha naval squadrons launched from all their coasts and pulverized these devils. They remained near their native coastline until the foreign navies seemed reluctant to come near. The Dausha did not know that the combined strength of these opposing nations was sapped by the Dausha resistance. At last, the Dausha navies began to reach out across the oceans. Haitian and Carthage warships and transports were hunted and driven from the waters until at last the Dausha Battleships were forced to attack their ports. Naval bombardments ravaged these coastal cities as the units of the Dausha militia were ferried over. One by one these nations struggled and watched in horror as their coastal cities were added to the Dausha Destiny.

Before long, these two enemies sued for a cease fire. But, the Dausha used these cease fires only to repair and move their supplies forward. Skillful Dausha diplomats enraged their foes into attacking the new Dausha cities such that the Dausha never lost their reputation. The rest of the world watched and learned the price of bothering the Dausha. Culture remained allied to the Dausha and kept the Egyptians loyal to the Dausha.

Finally, the Carthaginians were driven from their cities and their civilization ceased to be. This opened the eyes of the other nations, but Culture remained loyal to the end.

After a total of two-hundred years of brutal, hateful world, the Dausha ruled all but Culture, who were content with their ten cities. They were rewarded by the Dausha and allowed to remain. This was an act of benevolence by the Dausha whose navy was more than enough to destroy their allies.

But, all the Dausha ever wanted was a quiet peace.

By Benjamin Wilson