Destiny of Empires [Diplo Game] [Story Thread 6 - March 2011]

[OzzyKP]

This is the Story and Diplomacy Thread for the Diplo Game "Destiny of Empires" (DoE)

The purpose of this thread is to post in-character story posts and diplomacy for this game. Please discuss all organizational aspects of this game the Organization Thread.
Use your Anonymous Apolyton Game Account to put posts in this thread.

Destiny of Empires is a diplomacy game.
The players try to rule their empires like they are real. Role playing and story telling is an important way to achieve this.
Fore more information visit the Diplogame FAQ by OzzyKP



For more information visit the Organization Thread.

[Inca (DoE)]

A New Man

Chutpa Matalin's empire in the start of his reign.

In the year 1235, Quizco Matalin left the throne far stronger than he found it. His tight rein on power in the empire's domestic politics left the Tupancha uprising a diminishing threat to central authority. The expeditionary legions sent to assimilate the Kassites had returned, and were being further reinforced by legions sent from Talcho and Mancho. Their story of independence had only yet begun when Quizco stamped it out with the heavy heel of his Inca corn husk sandal.

Quizco had also succeeded in raising the importance of internationalism and diplomacy. He initiated some important trade agreements that brought much profit to local metal and corn exporters, increasing the popularity of "foreignerism" in the empire. Still, there was much antipathy among the more conservative factions, but the Talcha and Matalin tended to find themselves wherever opportunity and profit showed themselves, and here it was to be found in trade and open borders.

In Quizco's place came his grandson, Chutpa Matalin, the third and last of the middle Talchak emperors. He would reign for around 70 years. He was basically a carbon copy of his grandfather, and his policies would differ little. Just as prone to the construction of arms, the buildup of trade, and a somewhat hands-off approach to the expansionist tendencies of the various factions. He also proved happy to continue Quizco's heavy-handed approach towards the Tupancha. The empire would see the slow institutionalization of the law, moving further away from purely arbitrary and game-like absurdities as seen in the earlier part of the Empire, but still the law proved quite malleable and self-serving to entrenched interests.

Militarism: Defensive
Expansionism: Neutral
Aggression: Neutral
Diplomacy: Diplomatic
Internal: Authoritarian
Factional: Careerist
Economic: Fascist

Y'npazhak: 30% importance
Malha: 35% importance
Chuycocha: 15% importance
Sulma: 20% importance

[India (DoE)]

A new leader rises in India!

After decades of studying science, philosophy and religion at the Delhi Academy, Ptolemy Vayabagaran's prominence spread from the intellectual circles around the libraries, monastaries and centres of learning to the people of Delhi as a whole. With great wisdom and knowledge of all the Indian faiths found in the city, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, Vayabagaran was seen as a great religious and secular authority and as he travelled throughout India to seek further learning, many more came to respect and honor his wisdom. The Raja's of the great cities as well as the landowning nobles all found him a pure and pious soul and bestowed upon him the honor of Prophet of the Indias. Ptolemy declined the honor, but the people of Delhi flocked around the Academy and demanded that he be the leader mentioned by Siddhartas prophecy. His wisdom and popularity unmatched, he would fill the role of leader until it would become clear that another should take his place. The fates forced by men would if undesired be rejected by the gods, and as such, if Ptolemy was not beset by disaster, the gods would have shown their approval, fulfilling the prophecy.

Ptolemy Vayabagaran meditated for many weeks on the matter, but found the reasoning of the commoners surprisingly pragmatic and wise, and chose reluctantly to lead India until such a time it would become clear that it was no longer prudent for him to do so.

His first order was as follows:
Official Notice to all Traders who pass through India
As India is placed at the heart of the world, between the great empires of the east and the great empires of the west, any who wishes to pass through our lands must pay a toll. This includes traders from all parts of the world, China, Neandor, Japan, Arabia and all others. If open borders with India is desired then gold must be paid as a traders tax. Empires that have an open borders agreement with India must contact us within 3 years with an offer, lest their merchants be turned away from India. Payment can come in the form of resources, gold, mercenaries skilled in defence and other agreements.

[Inca (DoE)]

A New Man: Chullana Guacan

In 1308, Quizco died of myseterious circumstances, and the throne passed from the Middle Talcho Emperors into the hands of the Middle Guacan Emperors. The first of these three was Chullana Gaucan, a prominent man in L'chulla. His family was one of the founders of Inca Gaucano, and were noted for their progressive bent. His father was the last regionator of Hazpak L'chulla, and was widely popular for reforming the local legal system towards something resembling a "rule of law rather than men". Chullana's brother was head of the regionate labor union at the time.

Power shifted from the Old Coast to the Dark Territories peacefully. Many believe that this was due to Chullana's somewhat militaristic and aggressive approach to politics, which calmed Talcha and Mancha concerns over his otherwise radical politics. But the Old Coast was seeing slow growth, while the interior and New Coast were seeing a rebirth in their explosive growth. This was also a time of great culture, with the great "Epic of Kassito" and the "Epic of a Nation" both being completed. Riding on this surge of creativity, expansion, and youth, Chullana succeeded in doing for the Empire what his father did for L'chulla, and pushed through many legal reforms that laid the basis for the modern Inca legal system.

Chullana also oversaw the construction of a great academy in L'chulla, Faraday's University. At first, its primary purpose was designing cages for radiant birds of the tropics, but in time its mission grew to understanding the secrets of engineering, finance, economics, and developing the basis of future liberal thought.

Perhaps Chullana's most important accomplishment was the first step in expansion of the Empire beyond the shores of Incacona, into the wild continent of Australia, marking a new phase in the prominence and international role of Incacona.


Militarism: Armorer
Expansionism: Expansive
Aggression: Offensive
Diplomacy: Diplomatic
Internal: Liberal
Factional: Moderate
Economic: Liberal

Y'npazhak: 20% importance
Malha: 30% importance
Chuycocha: 25% importance
Sulma: 25% importance

[Israel (DoE)]

For centuries Israel had been isolated.
Nobody cared about Israel. Israel didn't care about anybody.
While the children of Israel continued to trade with all nations and increased their wealth, there was no central autority since Judge Gideon had died, centuries ago.

The jewish faith had been spread to all Israelian cities and most christians had been persecuted out of Israel, apart from very small churches in most of the Israliean cities. A very small minority, except in Bethlehem, where recently a gigantic church had been built to remember the birth of the so called christ. A christian prophet came from the Neandors to erect the church all by himself. The wrath of G'd the Most High will be upon him.

With the new Church of Nativity, christians from all over the world came to Bethlehem.
Most jews had no problem gaining a lot of money from these blasphemic pilgrims. Eventhough they came to spit upon the name of the Most High, no one from Israel had a problem with milking every penny out of them.
Israel became richer then ever.

But all the pilgrims also made the Israelians aware of their position in this world.
Isolated, alone, the only true followers of G'd. Outside the borders of Israel there were only christians and fake jews. Not to mention the heathens far away.

Amram Gaon united all israelians again!
The sanhedrin was elected again.
It started to make plans to restore the dignity of G'd in this world.
Two secret goals were agreed upon.
Only after those two secret goals would have been met, Amram Gaon said, the promised Messiach could come and restore paradise on earth.


Rabbi Amram Gaon


Church of Nativity in Bethlehem

[India (DoE)]

Treaty of East Indian Demarcation Signed


The colonial empire of Neandor and the United Peoples of India have formally signed a pact acknowledging the rightful claims to the colonies that both have settled in the East Indies and to support each other against unlawful incursions or attacks upon said colonies. The treaty refers to colonial Neandorians in Western Australis, and Indian settlements on various islands in the region.

[Inca (DoE)]

The Proclamation of Territorial Control

By hereby settling the island of "New Zealand", hereafter to be named "New Caczcoynaco", the Inca lay claim to the entire island, as any attempt to settle the north will necessarily cause conflict with the Inca settlement, and will be seen by the Inca as a direct assault on the prosperity and security of its new settlers.

The Inca further insist upon a zone control in the many island chains between this island and the Inca homeland. This territory is of no economic or productive value to anyone, and as such the Inca wish it to remain unsettled by others.

Furthermore, to avoid future complications, no aggressive naval vessels or military troops are to pass within [10 tiles] of the Inca mainland coast on either side without prior approval. As there is little within [10 tiles] of the Inca coast, this should not prove problematic or excessive for any powers with peaceful intent. Special consideration will be given for inter-oceanic travel around the southern tip of Incaco, although the English have technical claims over this region as well, and as such maritime traffic along this corridor is not under the sole control of Incacona. Again, the Inca navy will assert the rights of Incacona for the security of the many people living on the continent Incaco.

The Inca have no intentions of further expansion into other continents, or of war, and wish to remain peaceful participants in the growing global economy. Please do not infringe upon the territorial security of the Inca Empire, and we will not infringe on your own.



Here is a map of Inca claims. Note that these claims are NOT exclusive to others' claims in respect to the Aztec and English (and Indians regarding their colony of Tasmania). The Inca have allowed the Leftsea region to stay under the control of more local powers.


Signed,
Sapa Chullana Guacan
Sapa Chitcopi Incacona
1333AD

P.S. All powers are assumed to respect these claims unless otherwise disputed. Still, the Inca wish for formal, private acknowledgment of Inca claims as a legal formality.

[India (DoE)]

India does not recognize the right of Inca or any other empire located on a completely different continent to settle lands in our region without first conferring with its local inhabitants.

[England (DoE)]

English scientists have determined that the landmasses known as Australia, New Zealand, and the islands north of there exist on their own unique continent and have no more connection to the continent of Asia (and the people's of that continent) than to South America. The Inca have as much claim to these lands as India does.

-Queen Elizabeth I

[Inca (DoE)]

At present, the Inca only wish to preserve the indigenous cultures of these three non-settlement islands from outside exploitation. Again, as there is not much use to these few islands, the Inca feel that anyone wishing to settle them does so simply as a sign of strategic aggression towards the Inca homeland. Such aggression will not be tolerated. It is unjust to the "Pacificans" who live there, to say the least.

If the Indians have interests in any of these islands, and if they have peaceful intent, then discussing with the Inca their settlement should prove beneficial to all.

[Germany (DoE)]

Treaty of East Indian Demarcation Signed


The colonial empire of Neandor and the United Peoples of India have formally signed a pact acknowledging the rightful claims to the colonies that both have settled in the East Indies and to support each other against unlawful incursions or attacks upon said colonies. The treaty refers to colonial Neandorians in Western Australis, and Indian settlements on various islands in the region.

Let it be known that the Neandor Line has negotiated long and hard with india and China before attempting any colonization in South East Australasia - a specific geographic region of Asia accessible by Galleys and log rafts.

The history of the Damnanglais settlements, commencing with Carthage, is one of a total lack of consultation and dialog. Carthage was settled directly adjacent to Neandor lands.

Being more honourable than this the Neandor has secured 'permission' from the native land owners and the colonial powers of the region to settle a few colonies. The areas we requested required negotiations with China, in the first instance, and India as the current power in Indonesia and Australis.

If any other nations have or had any plans to settle this region it is not Neandor's part to participate in negotiations as that is India's prerogative.

It has come to my attention that Tokugawa may have some claims and if so I urge him to discuss with India and China.

Veneta, the new King of the Neandor Line.

[Inca (DoE)]

A public letter:


[. . . .]
I am a bit confused as to why the Indians would need to be consulted with prior to settlement of lands that are not remotely near their own homeland. If this is the case, then the Inca have every right to these lands as the Indians do. Moreso, in fact, as there is not a large continent separating Incaco from New Caczcoynaco, as is the case with the Indians. So, why were the Inca not consulted first before Indians settled territory that is reachable by simple watercraft from the Inca homeland? I feel that upon review, one will find these lands actually closer to Incaco than India's mainland, or at best at a near equal distance... That India wishes to approach this delicate situation so aggressively is troubling to the Inca, who wish only for peace and understanding among interested parties. They clearly are showing themselves to be quite greedy and expansive.

I will not comment on Japanese or Chinese claims at present, as there is a diplomatic mission underway, and I do not wish to "put my vocal chords in the throat of another" regarding the high envoy assigned to that mission. At present, we are not aware of any such claims to the few simple islands we have claimed. Please note that the map of non-settlement territory includes one island that is completely unsettleable, being simply an active volcano which no man may settle on. One other island has no resources of any kind to sustain a colony, and of all interested parties, only the Inca, with their strong financial abilities in coastal waters, could ever hope to turn a profit from such an adventure (although, again, at present we have no desire to do so). That means, outside of indisputably Inca territorial waters, the Inca have claimed but a single small island beyond their New Cac colony.

The Inca agree with the sentiment that an entire continent that no nation is native to is not the claim of any nation. The Inca, however, feeling that the Chinese or, in particular, Japanese would have some qualms with such an understanding, decided to not claim even the lands of that continent, and instead have only claimed a single outlying island on the far side that is mostly bereft of resources and is, as we have found, quite cold and mountainous.

If any nation takes issue with such a claim, we ask that they speak up.


Signed,

Yallacota Y'Cuzco
Ambassador for South Pacific Affairs
Empire of Incacona

[England (DoE)]

English historians in the royal court of Queen Elizabeth I have compiled a brief history of the English nation:

[Inca (DoE)]

Inca Trade in the 14th Century, CE

At the beginning of the 14th century, the Inca Empire primarily traded with only six other major powers. Foremost among them, by a long shot, were the Neandor, who had been major economic partners with the Inca for a long time. On the Inca side, this led to a 36,700,000 Incos per annum trade yield, half of it between the two capitals. The Inca-Neandor relationship was a positive, mutually beneficial one, even if it had some bumps in the road during the Pacific expansion.

Although the Inca Empire was new to the scene in the Pacific, the Chinese had inexplicably become the second largest trading nation with Incacona, at roughly 22,000,000 Incos per annum, half of it between Nanjing and L'chulla. In addition, the Japanese city of Kyoto was already seeing limited trade with the Inca city of Mancho, likely related to the corn exports from the southeast that were now reaching Japan and quickly improving the health of its people.

Behind Neandor and China, the Ottomans, French, and Russians all occupied large slices of Inca trade.

Viking trade with Incacona, while significant, was also very limited to trade between the two capitals. Many blame this due to their relative seclusion and the English stifling of their naval trade.

The English, despite such close proximity, had almost no official trade with Incacona. Many find this hard to believe, but most of the trade that occured between these powers was non-intercontinental, and as such unregulated. Only distant London and York had official trade routes set up with the Empire, while the continental holdings proceeded to make far larger trade volumes through the "black networks" of the Tamazono.

For all that trade gave to Incacona, it gave far more to the rest of the world, which benefitted greatly from having such a distant, yet peaceful trade partner with such long-standing relations. The trade deficit saw the Inca Empire taking in almost twice as much as it exported, making for a nearly 100% trade deficit in these years.

Around this time, formal trade agreements also began to take place between the Empire and other powers, as the Empire finally expanded into the Pacific, and at least had the ability for regular commodity trades with new nations. Immediately upon entering this region, Incacona set to work building a new network of trade groups with the preexisting powers with the diplomatic mission of Manato Manco, Ambassador for Pacific Affairs, aboard the ocean-going I.E.S. Atallhuapa, the flagship of the Great Yellow Fleet.

Domestically, the increasing openness of Inca trading was seen as a boon for both exporters and importers, and especially exporter-importers, as well as all the financiers, insurers, ship-builders, wholesalers, and all the rest. During the reign of the middle Guacana emperors, the trade of the empire would simply explode, increasing by leaps and bounds throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. Such policies would prove highly popular, and as such would ensure future SCIs would be more diplomatic and liberal in their international relations. That the Inca managed to corner the international corn market was an even greater triumph.

[Inca (DoE)]

The 14th Century Incacona Economy

And, after a nice break, some more analysis of the Inca Empire in 1300...


The Empire's economy at this point was heavily trade-based, with its share of GDP at 22%, and this would only grow over the next two centuries, generally termed "the economic centuries". At the beginning of this great period, the economy had already seen strong growth in the late 13th century, in particular in the R&D sector of the economy, which had surged 8% in its closing years, from 12% of the total economy to 20% in 1300. As with trade growth, growth in that sector would also explode during this period.

The government's share of the economy was quite postive, as it maintained trade fleets to the colonies, the interregional road networks, the central and provincial bureaucracies, and the armies. Generally, it is assumed to have added a net 13% to the GDP, although the figures are debatable. Some say that although the government indeed did add much to the economy, the maintenance should be taken out of GDP figures. If such is the case, then the government takes out 16% of the GDP.

The urban economies in the many cities, "guild towns", and central industrial districts added heavily to the economy as well, with around 13% of GDP. Some felt this share should be larger, but much of its actual inputs were from the major river systems, whose trades and productions contributed 12% to GDP (although only 8% or so was overlapping).

Coastal trade and mineral/dye extraction rounded out the last quintile of GDP, combined. Although the Empire had originally been a mining giant, by this point such activities had fallen well down the list of important contributors to the overall economy. Likewise, the Empire had originally relied heavily on coastal trade for economic output, but as it had expanded inland and built up infrastructure and developed a scientific community, such activity had silently slid into the margins.

At this point in Incacona history, increasing international trade and domestic research programs looked to be the main drivers of growth in the next 200 years. Within 40 years, the government would begin funding research programs in every city to improve its technological standing, which would greatly increase the government's role in the general economy.