Domination of Barbarians [Diplo Game] [Story Thread 1 - April 2012]

[England (DoB)]

Elizabeth looked out over the sea at the French and Netherpeople with sadness as they fought and yelled back and forth, "why cannot neighbors live in peace like us? Should we send them tea to sooth their hot tempers," she pondered. But knowing the unruly and unpredictable tempers of men she doubted they could be calmed and learn to act in a civilized manner. She was most appalled by their poor treatment of their women, like nothing more than property to traded for peace or to be ravaged in war - disgusting. Even a English maiden who had gone to live amount the French peoples after meeting a nice French boy in exceptionally tight pants was now submissive and meek in his presence. She knew the English, even in peace, would have to remain strong to ensure foreigners are not tempted by the hearty bodies and cooking English maidens are known for. Rumor of a land known as Spain also led by women however was most heartening news. "Perhaps together we can show these men the proper respect their women folk deserve," she thought as she returned from the beach to inspect progress on the construction of fishing vessels.

[France (DoB)]

Pierre ruled for 3 generations, which was a period of constant border skirmishes with the Netherlanders, as Pierre sought to drive them back to their side of the Elbe River. Unfortunately the French were better lovers than fighters and the Netherlander invaders controlled much of the French land. Those French who lived near the Elbe river were subjugated by the cruel Netherlander tyrant, with nearly as many French living along parts of the river as Netherlanders. Pierre died a lonely bitter man.

It so happened that shortly after Pierre's death a young Frenchman named Andre managed to climb to the top of the unscalable Alps. Andre reported that on the otherside of the Alps was the legendary Great Valley of the Ancestors flanked on both sides by two great rivers. Andre claimed to see a race living in the Great Valley that was similar to the Seelies but different.

The tribal elders debated whether the Alps could indeed be the legendary mountain range called Ararat. In the end, most of the elders decided that Andre had not discovered the ancient Great Valley but some unknown land and a new race which the elders decided to call the Unseelies. Nevertheless the tribal elders were so impressed by Andre's feat that they named him the tribal chief. Thus began the rule of Andre the Explorer. Andre was obsessed with finding the Great Valley and continued sending explorers farther into the unknown.

Another notable feat by Andre was to expand the border patrols to give more advance notice of would be invaders. Those patrols spotted another new small race hiding in the bushes along the border which they decided to call Hobbits.

Andre had just finished negotiating a peace treaty with Spain when he received word that his long range explorers had discovered another race which they called Minotaurs. It was truly an Age of Discovery!

[Netherlands (DoB)]

"Chieftain, we have done as you said. We have claimed more lands for Nation of Fire, Nation of Water. We have many more wooded areas for our people to explore and we have sent of the Nether to the other side of our birthplace, to chase some more Boars. These boars are not quite as wild, but just as tasty. They are still hard to catch.

"It seems that the bounty of Mountain Father abounds all around Ocean Mother's Nether Regions"

"Chieftain, the swim over to the other boars is treacherous. Perhaps we should make a watercraft to get over there"

"Not now, first worry about the boars we have over here. Why swim the Northsea to catch what we already have? Now about the grapes? I am eager for some Frencn Stew flavored with grapes again."

"We failed to secure the grapes Chieftain, the French were too strong and chased away all our gatherers. They are so hostile to us now. They stalking us eveywhere we go. Not letting us move freely in our own lands"

"Blasted French. At least we meet some new peoples in the South"

"Holly Roamers I think they are called, because they wander around with sprigs and berries of holly in their hair. The berries make a deadly poison they use to tip the spikes of their clubs"

"They sound fierce. We should make friends with them urgently"

[Carthage (DoF)]

wrong thread

[Ottomans (DoB)]

The First Guard nervously waited for Chieftain Resad to be awakened from his sleep. (Chieftain was a military title, and very separate from the political title of Chieftain held by Bedri Ayhan.) He had good reason to be nervous.

Resad stumbled throug the flap in his tent. "Yes!" He roared. "What do you want at this time of day??".

The First Guard teetered back on his heels. He had to concentrate to get the words out. "Chieftain. Sire. They are gone!"

"Who's gone?" demanded Resad, still groggy from sleep.

"All of them, sire. Chieftain Bedri. The other elders. All the people. Even the children. Gone."

Resad was having a difficult time absorbing the information. "Well, where have they gone? Have you found them yet?"

"No sire. They have simply left. We followed their tracks heading out of camp, but they must have left early, and been traveling quickly.

It then registered with Resad. Bedri had argued for this a fortnight ago. He felt that the heavily armed warriors were slowing down the rest of the tribe, who could travel more lightly, and therefore more quickly. Resad had responded that the unarmed men and women of the tribe needed the security of Resad's warriors. That they would soon succumb to the dangers of the wilderness. Bedri relented at the time, but had obviously just been biding his time.

"Damnation!!" exclaimed Resad, slamming his arm into the tent pole and collapsing the front half of his tent. He was angry with Bedri. And he was worried for his people. They were traveling in territory known to be inhabited by both packs of wild animals and tribes of merciless barbarians. And they were unarmed.

"Break camp! Now!" he ordered. "We march within the hour."

War Chieftain Resad was worried for the very survival of the Ottoman tribe. Very worried.

[Spain (DoB)]

Himilce receives notice of the peace treaty with the French.
"Good, even the tough men from the north see that peace is the way towards true prosperity."

[France (DoB)]

As more intermingling of the Netherlanders and the French took place due to their interbreeding, the traditional French folk lore of the Great Valley of the Ancestors came under doubt among the French. Many Frenchmen attributed the Netherlanders success in invading into French lands to the influence of the Netherlander Mountain Father and Water Mother.

Andre the Explorer's was a firm believer in the Great Valley of the Ancestors and it troubled him that his people were losing faith. Andre's detractors secretly whispered that Andre's whole Chieftain selection was predicated on his supposed finding of the Great Valley. If the Great Valley was just a myth then why should Andre be chieftain they reasoned.

With his chieftainship at stake, Andre formed a sect of his bravest and strongest warriors and sent them on a quest to find the Great Valley of the Ancestors and prove the French legends were true. The sect of warriors was simply called the Great Valley Seekers.

[France (DoB)]

Gabriel leader of the Great Valley Seekers studied his options from top of the hill.The mountain in front of him was impassable. To his left a nasty looking race of little people that his men called goblins were blocking his passage forward. To his right was the sea and beyond that could be seen some large bears waiting on the shore. If he tried to go right then whatever men survived swimming through the sea would surely be eaten by the bears. To return to Andre without finding the Great Valley was also not an option.

So it was that Gabriel made the only choice that was left to him and he marched his men into the goblin lands. The goblins fled before him yelling curses and the occassional cowardly goblin threw rocks from hiding but the Great Valley Seekers did not see any serious resistance until they reached the goblin village. The horde of goblins had gathered many clubs and rocks in a desperate attempt to defend their village.

Gabriel laughed to himself, as if the French wanted anything from such a primitive village. It was best just to get through this primitive hostile land as quickly as possible and then deal with whatever monsters lie on the other side. Gabriel had a quest and he would not fail his chieftain whatever the consequences.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Strange New fishes



After many fights on the beaches between French and Nether fishermen the Nation of Fire, Nation of Water was able to chase away the French. Once the French were gone, the Nether fishermen discovers a new type of fish. At first they thought the funny fish were sea stones, but you can smash them open for tasty treats inside.

[China (DoB)]

Life in Beijing has not been easy for Qin. His father has died from the coughing sickness, that is impacting half the village. Qin’s mother sits alone in their hut moaning and cater walling to the tree gods. His friend Shen burnt himself trying to get a branch to bend. His fingers got burned black and then turned to goo and dropped off, then his arm became infected, and finally his head fell to the side and pus spouted from his torso. His final days were not pretty, he ran down the village street screaming for mercy to end his life and finally Qin put a spear through the base of his skull. And now there are reports of terrible wild cats attacking people in the forests surrounding Beijing. People have to escorted by warriors to go to the rice paddies.

[Byzantium (DoB)]

Constantine looked on as a group of little angry men angrily passed through Byzantine lands. The spoke a language he had never heard before but in truth he did not care. He made a note for future generations to track down where these strange men came from and see if the rest of this strang tribe was as angry as the ones who passed.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

End of an Age

The Nation of Fire, Nation of Water sends out their warriors long ago to increase the knowlede and control of the surrounding lands. Deep into the woods and hills nearby they go, constant always the harassing of the French. Over 100 years had passed since Nethermen made their settlement near the river, and although the people of Nation of Fire, Nation of Water were known to be long lived, none survived who remember the origin of the Nethermen. Chieftain, then oldest, was unnaturally strong even to his young days. He was made the first Chieftain at about 20 years of age, a mere child by Netherman standards. Some of the oldest Nether were say to be a thousand years old when they died, but something happen, a long time ago, no kne knows and now the Nether only lives to be a few hundred years at most.

Aantaleen loosely meaning "number one" is what Chieftain was called by the people. He now given the title Primersteleider for keeping alive the Nation of Fire, Nation of Water for so long against the French struggle. At 100 years of age, Aantaleen decided he had to choose a wife, and he chose Angeline, the eldest and fairest of the French maidens that come over at the beginning of the fights with Frenchmen, called the "Maiden's War."


-----One of Trotseer warrior party in Orange tribal robes looking on the barren plains-----

Because of the rivalry between French and Nation of Fire, Nation of Water, the warriors hear that French are trying to find the legendary valley the dead old men used to talk about. One Warrior, Trotseer hears a man claim that leaving the Valley is the reason the Nether are no longer live to be a thousand years anymore. The water in teh vally has magical powers. So Trotseer decides not to return to the river village, and heads off to chase the French and reach the Great Valley first. Soon his warriors go pass the dark woods, and mountains around their homeland and come to a barren, open plains on the other side, where the sun beats down and bronzes their skins. This was known as the end of the dark woods period in Nethermen history. This gives way to age of the Dutch.

Because the French maidens were called "Daughters of the Undeworld" or "The D-U" for short, some of the jealous Netherwomen begin calling them D-U-French or duFrench to taunt them in secret. Their childs from mating with the Nethermen also was called duFrenchs. Soon Angeline complainse to Aantaleen, and he declares that anyone who calls the DU "French" will be severly punished. So the people stop calling them duFrench and just calls them Du-Cha, taking away the "fra" sound at the begin of French. Strange enough, the DU and their chidren like the new name "Du-Cha" and soon all the intermingled Netherman-French people are called "Ducha" or "Dutch." Because the Dutch women inherit insatiable sex drive from their French mothers, the population of the Nation of Fire, Nation of Water begins growing rapidly.

[France (DoB)]

Andre fumed as heard the reports. The Netherlander's had been spying on the French like perverted voyeurs for generations while the French had ignored them since the Netherlanders were a backward tribe with nothing of interest worth spying over. Now that casual disregard had allowed the inept Netherlanders to finally stumble upon truly valuable information. They had learned of the France's search for the Great Valley and bereft of an original notion the Netherlanders had decided to emulate France's quest.

Furthermore reports that an ancient wise man claimed that the secret to his longevity came from drinking the water of the Great Valley. The Netherlanders could not be allowed to find these Waters of Immortality and had to be stopped at all cost!

Andre's best warriors, The Great Valley Seekers, were far away fighting goblins so Andre summoned Julian, trainer of the Paris warriors.

"Julian, prepare the Paris warriors. Tomorrow they are to head over the mountains towards the rising sun and bring me the heads of this Netherlander Trotseer, and his band of warriors!"

"I am sorry my Chieftain but the warriors are not yet trained and cannot be ready soon enough to overtake these Trotseer warriors."

"Why are they not ready?"

"Too many of the boys are picking grapes in the field instead of finding clubs in the woods. As you know my Chieftain, the tribal elders say that they only do their best thinking with a full mug of wine!"

Andre's position was tenuous as it was, he could not divert the boys from making wine without many of the tribe revolting against him so he had to come up with another option.

"We still have several good messengers so send word to Gabriel and the Great Valley Seekers to prepare for these Netherlander Trotseer band of warriors. Also send messengers to each of the tribes that we have met and let the tribes know that we swear on the honor of France that any tribe which slays this Netherlander Trotseer band of warriors and brings me their heads may call on France to ally with them in one future war of their choosing. I and all future French rulers will uphold this vow of honor until it is discharged, lest the honor of Paris be forever tarnished!"

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Aantaleen soon heard that the evil Frenchman put a price on the head of Trotseer and his exploring Warriors. He send swift messengers out to meet them, and to tell them to come back to the river village at once before they are ambushed by the French. The messengers are never heard from again, and Aantaleen suspects the French are the culprits.

"Send word to out Nether brethren living in Frenchyland that they must gather their Dutch wives and children and bring them back to Nation of Fire, Nation of Water, I fear for their safety living under such savages. Send more messengers out to follow the French and see if there are any more people who the French trample on. See if we can find some strong allies among these new peoples. We will defeat these French yet! Cancel all our plans and train more Warriors as our neighbors have done. Send them to go after Trotseer and bring him home. Once you reach Trotseer, warn him of the French evil plans and tell him to catch them before they catch you!"

"Those Frenchmans are hard to catch Chieftain"

"Like the Boars"

Everyone laughs at this. They all agree that Frenchman are just like the Boars.

"And they look like boars too, and just as greedy. Like little piggy swines!"


--A Frenchman--

This is how French came to be called "pigs" or "swine"

[France (DoB)]

Benoit, head of the French espionage forces, waited by the crooked oak tree where he met his Nether informants. The rivalry between Netherlands and France had sparked up again and the French tribal elders were worried about an impending war.

Benoit was not waiting long before the Nether messengers arrived. He had to admit they moved very swiftly. As was his custom, Benoit provided each of the messengers with a flask of wine. The Dutch were easily addicted to "french stew" and it made them easy to influence furthermore they were quite talkative after just a few sips. The messengers eventually told Benoit about Aantaleen's message for Trotseer to return and his arming up for war. The information was so good that Benoit tossed in an extra flask of wine for the drunken men. As he left the drunken Netherlanders began to squabble amongst themselves over who would get the last flask. Benoit felt it was time to leave as one messenger drunkenly clubbed the other over the head...

Several weeks later, Benoit was back in Paris when a vaguely familiar messenger returned with exciting news, the Great Valley Seekers had discovered the Great Valley furthermore they had sent back a flask of the waters from the source of the two rivers for the aging Andre to see if it would grant him immortality!

Andre was so excited by the news that he failed to notice the messenger's accented french. In front of the tribe he proudly announced the success of his lifelong quest and toasted it with a long swig of the Waters of Immortality. Andre's broad grin quickly turned to horror as he grabbed his chest. In a matter of moments, Andre keeled over dead in front of everyone.

Benoit reacted quickly as he struck a lethal blow to the messenger. "This messenger is not French! He is a Netherlander spy and he has poisoned our chieftain!"

No one recognized the messenger and it was quickly agreed that he had indeed been a Netherlander spy. The tribal elders worried that such a brazen assassination could only mean that the Netherlanders were going to attack soon. They quickly agreed that Benoit would be the next chieftain as he was the best military strategist left in France, as Gabriel was far away.

As his first act as Chieftain, Benoit made peace with the Byzantium's reasoning that France should not try to fight two wars at once. Unfortunately, the peace treaty prevented the Great Valley Seekers from travelling back through Byzantium lands so they were cut-off and would need to find another way home...

Meanwhile the Great Valley Seekers were unaware of events back in Paris and they were too busy to care as they were being stalked by predatory bears! Gabriel quickly fortified his men by digging pits and dead-falls in the forest and awaited the inevitable attack...

[Netherlands (DoB)]

The Purple People Eaters

As Trotseer's party of Warriors explore farther into the unknow lands, reports keep coming in of new peoples and creatures they discover. Last report came in that Trotseer was being stalke by ferocious pack of wolf. The children of Nation of Fire, Nation of Water love to hear the tales, and they make stories about the brave explorer party of Trotseer the Brave.


One popular tale is of the land of the ones who live on the other side of the Mountains, south of the Dark Woods. The children fear them they rumors to be Giants. Big purple giants. The Netherwomen and Dutchwomen sing song to their babies when they go to sleep about the Giants



"Well I saw the purple thing by the mountainside
It had the one long horn, and one big eye
I was shaking in my pants and I said "ooh-eee"
It looks like a purple people eater to me

It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
One-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
A one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me, One eye?

Well he came down to earth and he sat in a tree
I said Mr. Purple People Eater, don't eat me
I heard him say in a voice so rough
I wouldn't eat you cuz you're so tough"

[Netherlands (DoB)]

More delightful tunes of children in Nation of Fire, Nation of Water

Two new songs that the childs of Nation of Fire, Nation of Water sing are the "Piggyswine song" and the "Norse-rhyme"

The story says that "Piggyswine" song started when a Dutch boy comes home from visiting his French relatives and is singing a song he hears the French childs singing there in some strange language they call "Spinach" like the leaves you eat. All the Spinach speaking children we hear pretend to be little boars or "pigs" looking French boys and as and sing a song making fun of French boys who look like pigs. But the French boys are too ignorant too realize it and they sing the same song in the Spinach language, not knowing it is making fun of them.

All the Nether and Dutch parents laugh like hysterical when they hear their children singing the song in the Spinach language.

The translation of the song is:
"I'm a little Piggy! Here's my snout! (childs push back his nose to look like a Frenchman pig-nose)
Oink Oink Oink! Oink Oink Oink!"

The "Norse-rhyme" is a poem the Dutch children start saying to honor the hardy neighbors to the north of Nation of Fire, Nation of Water. The poem is about the brave Norseman and his war against the dreaded mythic giants of the north. Children here run around pretending to be Norsemen who fight brave against the mighty giant



The Poem goes:

La-la-Laaa-la
La-la-Laaa-la
We come from the land of the ice and snow
Of the midnight sun
Where the harsh winds blow
The will of God Odin
Will send our ships to new lands,
To fight the Giants,
Singing and crying,
Valhalla, I am coming!

[France (DoB)]

Gabriel and the Djinn Desert Warriors

It is said that the Djinn desert warriors live in a great plain of sand. These fierce warriors flew above the sands in great clouds of dust fearing to ever touch the ground due to the ferocious bears that will eat them if they did.

From high in the air, the Djinn warriors watched as brave Gabriel and the Great Valley Seekers battled the ferocious bears. The clever Gabriel had his men dig pits over which they had placed branches with grapes picked from the goblin fields. As the hungry bears charged Gabriel and his men. they were lured into the pit traps by the smell of the grapes. Trapped in the pits, the bears were slain by the Great Valley Seekers using rocks. Gabriel's plan was so clever that not even a single French warrior died in the battle of the bears.

The Djinn desert warriors were so happy to finally be able to return to the ground that they came to personally thank Gabriel. Gabriel in the finest tradition of French hospitality invited the Djinn to a grand feast of bear meat at the Oasis de Pieds Ours.

It is said that is how the great tribes of France and the Djinn met.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Ocean Mother's Bounty



The people of Nation of Fire Nation of Water cheer as brand new Fishing vessel named "Ocean Mother's Bounty" joins the group of smaller fishing rafts and canoes. This new ship can make fisheries and sail lthe waves. All new ship in Nation of Fire, Nation of water based on this new model.

[Japan (DoB)]

The most Noble and Honorable Tokugawa, ruler of Japan, has given a token of affection to his hard-working fishermen. So great a rule has he, that the future seems certain to glorify his name for generations to come. Under his caring yet firm hand, the most inventive minds in the village have bent their will and the trees around us to establish the best way to build fishing boats. Our thoughts go to the seven souls who bravely tested the less efficient boats, built on the principle of wheels instead of oars. A principle for using the wheel for propulsion has been inscribed on stone and stored in the archives for future reference. Alas, the notion of seven men with the strength of seven hundred to drive such a vessel is for now only a tale for children and old wives.

The great sea holds many mysteries, but those who travel more than three days away have never been heard from. Our younger soldiers are eager to explore the lands beyond our native hills, to find more land to live in, and slay evil beasts and men. Tokugawa has in his wisdom granted leave for a company of scouts to explore the lands around us. Bidding them to come back with news of what the world holds, for our glorious leader to best guide us to our rightful place in the world.


-Jiraya, personal secretary to the Noble and Honorable Tokugawa, leader of the Japanese people, Year of the Condescending Crab.

[Vikings (DoB)]

The Nether people in the south had met Ragnars band of explorers friendly, and the Norse people look forward to years of peace and cooperation. Ragnars scouts spotted other folks in the south across the sea, grey people, whom the Nether people call Germ-Manes, and white people, who are called Mer-men. All of them seem to be peaceful, that's one trouble less on Ragnars shoulders.

All could be well, if there weren't the ill prophecies of the völur, the seeresses, wise women, who see the future just as well as Ragnar sees green trees or the blue sea.

volva.jpg

Their prophecies are dreadful indeed. They foresee hordes of mythical giants, so called jötnar or thursar, attacking our fair lands from the direction of the midnight sun. They will kill who ever opposes them with a weapon in his hands, they will burn the harvest and abduct the women. And what they lack in wit, they compensate with an abundance of cruelty and strength.

jotnar.jpg

We need to improve our weapons and war tactics, Ragnar thought. You can't fight jötnar with clubs and javelins. Ragnar remembered the tip of Odins spear. It was made of a hard, shimmering matter, much better than the wooden weapons of Ragnars men. If we had such shiny matter, we could make much better weapons. But where can we get it? May be the gods can help?

[France (DoB)]

Rumors have abounded in France for several generations that Gabriel and the Great Valley Seekers found the Great Valley and stole the secret of immortality from the Water Mother spirit. It is said that the Great Valley is watched over by a tribe of Immortals that live high in the mountains.

It is said that Gabriel and the Great Valley Seekers were cursed by the Water Mother Spirit for their theft to never return to France.

It is also said that Gabriel, through messengers, gave the secret of immortality to Benoit who is also now immortal however repeated espionage attempts by the Dutch to assassinate Benoit has meant that Benoit has remained barricaded in his palace. Only Benoit's closest advisors have been allowed to see him for several generations.

[Celtia (DoB)]

Brennus weeped. Cuidightheach had fallen ill and was lying in his hut with no hope of a restitution. His death would be a terrible blow to the Celtic people!. At least his wife and son was in good health - but Brennus was afraid of how he would deal with the responsibility of leadership now without the guidance of Cuidightheach. He had always been there after his father passed away, and even though they had had their differences and arguments, Brennus loved him like he loved his own father. He prayed to the Earthmother for guidance and strength, and prepared himself to go to Cuidightheach's hut to sit beside him this final night of his life..

[Russia (DoB)]

A seer he met in the streets -an old woman who could barely stand-, with eyes that held his like a vice. She spoke, and the world turned dark.. Then, with flailing hands he fell to the ground, and the old woman was gone. As if she had never been there.

That night, the entire elder family died at the hands of him and his most trusted warriors.

Peter, now the leader with a hold on the rest of the tribe only through threats and familial hostages, threw a stone knife across the room where it stuck in a piece of wood. He knew what he had seen would come to pass, and prayed to the great Mother that his efforts would prevent at least the worst of it. Taking the younger boys from the farms and teaching them how to fight was vital, and already happening.

The others knew little, and wanted everything to stay as it was.
Peter knew different. He had seen it, and his eyes were rimmed with tears..

[France (DoB)]

The following Tale of Creation has become quite popular around French campfires.

In the beginning there were four great spirits Earth, Fire, Water and Wind. The Fire spirit was energetic and passionate. The Earth spirit was creative and industrious. The Water spirit was manipulative and greedy. The Wind spirit was cold and emotionless.

The Fire spirit desired the Earth spirit and tried to gain her attention by filling the sky with stars but the Earth spirit was not impressed as the stars only represented a small commitment of the total Fire spirit. The Fire spirit then took an even larger part of his essence and created the Sun. The Earth spirit's affection was finally won over by this passionate display of devotion and the Fire and Earth spirit merged as one. In his ecstasy, the Fire spirit erupted in hot lava flows all over the Earth spirit and from these eruptions life began. Thus did the Fire spirit become known as the Fire Father.

The Earth spirit took great interest in the lesser spirits bound in flesh that formed from her merging and she nurtured them thus did she become known as the Earth Mother. The Earth mother delighted in the various forms that the lesser spirits took and she and the Fire Father created innumerable types of plants and animals in the throes of their incessant passion.

The Water spirit grew jealous of the Earth Mother and sought to lure the Fire Father away for herself. The Water spirit through guile eventually manipulated the Fire Father into merging with her but she was a cold passionless lover and the Fire Father quickly spurned her to return to the Earth Mother. While she was a poor lover, the Water spirit was extremely fertile and she spawned many lesser spirits bound in flesh as well from her rare matings with the Fire Father thus she became known as the Water Mother.

Still jealous of the Fire Father's attentions to the Earth Mother, the Water Mother devised a ruthless plan. She noted that the creation of each lesser spirit diminished a small portion of their great spirit mother. Thus did the Water Mother manipulate the Earth Mother into allowing her to bestow a blessing of fertility upon the Earth Mother's children. The Earth Mother's children began to multiply in large numbers and the Earth Mother grew weak as her essence was drained by many generations of children drawing on her spirit.

The Fire Father when he found out what the Water Mother had done, demanded that she end her fertility blessing before it was too late for the Earth Mother. The Water Mother claimed there was nothing that she could do since the blessing had already been bestowed. In a fit of rage the Fire Father raped the Water Mother and bestowed a fertility blessing on the lesser spirits that issued forth from that unholy mating. Thus would the Water Mother suffer the same fate as the Earth Mother.

In desperation the Water Mother turned to the Wind Spirit for help. The water Mother argued that with both the Earth Mother and the Water Mother slowly fading away, the Wind spirit was facing a future consisting of only lesser spirits and a rather passionate and virile Fire Father. Not wanting to become the focus of the Fire Father's amorous attentions, the Wind Spirit devised a blessing of her own called Death in which each of the lesser spirits would eventually die and their spirits would merge back into their mother's great spirit. Thus would the Earth and Water Mother's essence be kept in balance.

The Earth and Water mother conspired together to create the Great Valley where their favorite lesser spirits would be shielded from the Wind Spirit's Death blessing thus were the Immortals created and it is said the origins of the Valley Tribes.

[France (DoB)]

A common variation on the Tale of Creation that is popular around France describes the creation of the Netherlanders.

It is said that when the Fire Father raped the Water Mother in vengeance for her attempted destruction of the Earth Mother that the creatures that were spawned from that unholy union were the Netherlanders. It is said that when the Wind Spirit beheld the Netherlanders that she was so disgusted that she conceived of the idea of Death itself. Even Netherlander legends admit that their birth is related to the Realm of the Dead.

It is said that the Netherlanders are favored by the Water Mother as they are manipulative, greedy liars like the mother that spawned them.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

A scout sees Trotseer move swiftly through the Darkwoods to return home. He got the message that the evil France has refused all attempt by Chieftess Angeline to make peace with her former countrymen. French living in the border settlements are even spreading lies, accusing the Nether, and even their Dutch brethren of assasination attempts. The bloodthirsty Benoit even threatens he must show how mighty France is, that they are no weak.

Trotseer the Brave as he is called, (in fact Trotseer means "Brave one") and his men called "Braves" after their leader will soon be home to prepare to meet the French invaders.

[France (DoB)]

Serge, leader of the largest gang in the Garcons de Paris, looked down from the hilltop at the Netherlands. Where the forests had once been full of the sounds of life, they were now silent as the grave. Damn the Netherlanders and their evil quest to destroy the children of the Earth Mother! Reports were that the Netherlander town was defenseless and could easily be destroyed once and for all. Serge had argued at last night's council for just such an attack however the council of elders had informed him that Chief Benoit had ordered the Garcons de Paris to seek out the Trotseer brigands instead. If only Serge had been allowed to speak to Chief Benoit directly he knew he could have convinced him of the wisdom of attacking the Netherlander town directly!

The council of elders had expressly forbidden such an attack due to the dark Nether magic, called Death Magic or Necromancy. Serge did not understand magic but every French child knew the sad tale of Angeline. Not satisfied with just violating Angeline in life, the Netherlander chieftain used Nether magic to animate her corpse so that he could continue to violate her in death! Even now hundreds of winters after her death, poor Angeline's spirit was still denied from returning to the Earth Mother. It was said that the Netherlanders did not defend their town because the Nether mystics could raise armies of the dead to defend their town and that those slain in battle would have their spirits bound forever like poor Angeline. Such evil made Serge's blood boil!

How the council of elders thought they could negotiate peace with such evil was beyond Serge. The Netherlanders demands of resources, French subjugation and the right to walk over French lands whenever their evil hearts desired were so onerous that even the timid council of elders had to turn it down! So it was that the relentless Netherlander spies continued their campaign of assassinations and general intimidation from the shadows because they knew they could not face French warriors in honorable combat. Hopefully these Trotseer brigands will be foolish enough to show themselves for a fair fight.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

"Cheiftain the French Piggyswines are preparing to invade, this time with an even larger force. Our informants say that their evil leader lust to destroy the peaceful Village of the Nether, to burns and rape our defenseless people and bath themself in innocent blood!"

"Savage Pigs! Where is Trotseer and his Braves? If he does not come home soon, all may be lost"

"He is close, let us hope he is not too late. Have you heard the lies and filth that the French twist the tale of our Beloved Ocean Mother and Mountain Father?"

"Yes those I heard. At least these Frenchman are learning something of their history and relation to the Nether. Even a twisted history is better than the ignorance they had before. Maybe someday they will come to learn the truth and we will be as brothers. Until then, the border fights will keep on"

[France (DoB)]

To commemorate 500 winters of Elizabeth's rule and the peace between France and England under her benevolent hand, including the oldest established trade route in the world, Chief Benoit of France has shipped, via English boats, 500 flasks of France's best wine to the English ruler. May the good relations between the English and French tribes continue to be an example of good neighbors for at least another 500 winters!