Domination of Barbarians [Diplo Game] [Story Thread 2 - May 2012]

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Nation of Fire, Nation of Water reject all French Demands and we will work powerful the magics to expel the French. This unprovoke attck on peaceful Nation of Fire, Nation of Water will not be forgotten, and will not go unanswer! This time French have gone too far!

Trotseer

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Trotseer thought careful on the demand the French were making. Now they claim that they have powerful friend to help them invade and destroy Nation of Fire, Nation of Water.

"It is surely to be the Germ-Manes", thinks Trotseer. "They put all their spies against us. That is how those French always know what move we makes before we make it! Damn them!" He slaps hard on the earth with his fist as if he wants to slaps the French Earth mother.

"Brave one, what will we do? The French are in the hills near river village. They chase any who leave the village back into the village."

"Well we cant attack them on that wooded hill, and they knows it. As long as they stay there we are crippled. We cant leave the city, we cant do nothing. And wost of all that hill is where the seers say the Caw-Purr stone from the dreams will be found."

Trotseer tells the Brave "Say what these French want and I will see if we can appease them so they will leave us in peace"

"Brave one, the say 1) The tyrant Trotseer is to be publicly stoned to death for his plans to enslave his fellow tribesmen."

Trotseer says "Well this is nonsense of course, but I must do what is best to save my people. Tell the French, that I will go into exile in the Purple Mountains if they will leave the innocent people in peace. My braves will stay to protect the river village."

"They say 2) A Dutch Rebel leader friendly to the French is to claim the leadership of the Netherlands"

Trotseer says "Tell them that I will appoint a Dutch who has good relations with his French relatives as my successor"

"They say 3) Slavery is to be permanently foresworn by the Netherlands."

"Well I don't know what this "slavery" is, nor does I know this "foresworn" means, nor can I say what will happen permanent. If I am leaving into exile, how can I make any promise what Nation of Fire, Nation of Water will do 1000 years from now?"

"They say 4) All espionage by the Netherlands against the French tribe is to be immediately stopped"

"This I will order done as my last act as Chieftain" says Trotseer.

"Last thing they say is 5) The Netherlands forests south of Amsterdam are to act as a buffer zone between the two tribes remaining free of all Nether warriors and workers at all times (no building roads or cutting down the forests)."

Trotseer thinks for a moment, "By this last thing what they means to do is cripple us forever. No doubts their seers have seen the Caw-Purr stone and also the I-run stone that the Norsemen are crazy for. I don't know why makes men crazy for these silly shiny rocks, but it matters not. Nation of Fire, Nation of Water has only a few measly blades of grass for our poeple to make their homes. The forest is our only source of any materials, we need the woods to cut for our fishing boats. They try to forbid us to use the measly few acres we have while more and more of our lands lost to these Stonhenge fanatics every day. If we agree to this we will be crippled forever, with only 2 plots of grass to use, so we can not accept.

So now we have agree to make 3 out of 5 of their demands. More than half. Tell them that in exchange we ask only for a peace treaty, and for their warriors to leave our lands, and not to send their Germ-Manes puppets or others against us.

[France (DoB)]

The Dutch rebel messenger enters Amsterdam with the rebel response to Trotseer's peace proposal.

"The Dutch rebel force has heard the villain Trotseer's pleas for mercy. The Dutch rebellion is about saving the lives of our fellow tribe members therefore we will agree to some more merciful terms.

1) The death of the tyrant Trotseer, known as the coward in France, is non-negotiable as he may return some day to reclaim his despotism however Trotseer can prove his claim to be Brave by accepting an honorable death by being sacrificed on a pyre to the Fire Father instead of being stoned to death. The warrior's known as Trotseer's Braves are not to be harmed as long as they accept the new Dutch despot.

2) We are agreed on the Dutch Rebel leader friendly to the French claiming the leadership of the Netherlands.

3) We will withdraw the slavery prohibition but in exchange the next ruler of the Netherlands must agree to never adopt the Islam religion as a state religion for as long as he rules.

4) We are agreed on the terms that the Netherlands will stop all espionage against the French tribe. Any such espionage efforts by the Netherlands will be considered an act of war by the French.

5) We will withdraw the prohibition against workers, forest clearing and road building in the forests south of Amsterdam however the next ruler of the Netherlands must agree to not place any military units in those southern lands and doing so will be considered an act of war. France will not attack the Netherlands workers however it is up to the Netherlands to negotiate safety of those workers with other tribes."

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Trotseer think faithfully on the word of messenger sent by France.

"My messengers, come here to me. This is my final acts as Chieftain."

To the first messanger he says aloud "Go to the French and tell them 1)I accept their challenges to sacrifice my spirit to Mountain Father! I will consume in the fire to save my people!. 2)Tell them that I appoint Hanz, as my successor to watch over the river village. Hanz is Dutch, being only one grandparent Nether descended, and the rest French. He will see to it that relation with France be more frindly in future. 3) Tell them that I order the Nether to stay true to the love of Ocean Mother and never to turn to these 'religions' they are called, we have never heard of this Islam, but if it is not from Ocean mother we will not makse it our 'state religion' whatever that means. 4) I am ordering as my last act that espionage against France will stop as soon as the Peace treaty with France is made. I am also making them know that if they ever start again the espionage to France, France will be free to consider its act of War"

To the second messanger he says "Tell France that I say I am laying down my blood to satisfy their hatread against my people. I cant do no more. If my death is not enough for them, let them say so. I can not ask Hanz to send out our people to the wood unprotected, and I cant ask the Braves to allow our workers to go into the forest alone. They would not listen to such nonsense even if I said it, especially after I am gone. We can not trust the safety of our worker to the mercy of France who attacked us and makes war on us, this is nonsense. We cant trust their safety to the Germ-Manes neither as they are the French puppet."

To the third messanger he whispers "Go and tell them I said Good friends are worth more than shiny rocks"

With that, Trotseer pours oil over himself and jumps on the flaming pyre he has prepared. There is a flash, and and explosion, and a balls of fire erupts from the pyre. When the flames die down, all that is left is chared brunt remains. The people cheer and weep at the final act of selfless sacrifice and legendary bravery.



After Trotseers consume in fire, all hell break loose in the village. Inspired by his sacrifice, a new cult spring up in the river village called the Slaves of Fire. They love Mountain Father more than Ocean Mother, but most of all they love Trotseer, who they now call "The Braveest Martyr." These fire mystics believe in sacrifice above all else, even sacrifice their lives for the good of the river village. They follow the path of Trotseer, and pledge to die if needed to help the river village.

Hanz first act as the new Cheiftain is send a messenger to France saying "My brothers, war is not the conduct between friends! Let us make peace and live in harmony. I am telling all our spies to leave France, to begin a new path as trust and friendship. I humbly ask that France agree to stop their spying on us too as now we are friends."

[France (DoB)]

The French messenger appears before Hanz with a relaxed smile to deliver the joyous news, "Chief Benoit sends his warmest regards to Hanz the new Chieftain of the Netherlands. The tribes of France rejoice that the Dutch tribe have managed to overthrow the tyrant Trotseer who oppressed his people and maintained such a hostile state of relations between our tribes that it threatened everyone's peace of mind. The tribes of France look forward to a new era of peaceful relations with our Dutch brothers.

The success of your rebellion in overthrowing the tyrant with no blood loss except for the death of the tyrant himself bodes well for your future leadership. The French tribe is happy that the little bit of support we provided could contribute to such a joyous outcome.

We have received your request and of course we accept the terms offered for a peace treaty. France will also remove our espionage forces from the Dutch tribe however to be clear we are not abrogating our right as part of this treaty to use such espionage forces in the future should it be deemed necessary."

[France (DoB)]

A French messenger is dispatched to all known tribes with the following message, "French policy on foreign espionage has been relayed to most of the tribes for hundreds of winters however in case some tribe was missed or in case a tribe has forgotten the policy it is being relayed to everyone again.

France does not spy on its friends, beyond an initial cursory effort to learn the local language and customs. France expects the same in return from tribes that wish friendly relations with our tribe. France eventually intends to have an open border policy with friendly tribes to facilitate trade and exploration. France thanks the majority of tribes that have respected our wishes in this matter and refrained from spying on France. We trust that the benefits from being a friend of France will more then outweigh the inconvenience of not being able to satisfy idle curiousity about France.

Those tribes that focus sufficient espionage against France to learn its demographics are not considered friendly and will not receive the benefits of an open border with France.

Those tribes that go beyond the level of espionage to learn French demographics are considered to be actively engaged in hostile actions against France and will be dealt with accordingly. France considers all options to be on the table to deal with this level of espionage threat from enemy tribes, including war and regime change if required.

All tribes are hereby considered to have been given fair warning as to the consequences of their actions against France."

[France (DoB)]

The Elder Mystic councils popularity continues to burn bright around the campfires of France, after their successful support of the Dutch rebellion. With many subsequent bountiful fall wine harvests and associated festivals, the tribe of France is in good spirits.

To add to the tribe's many celebrations, The Quest of the 18 Tribes is nearly complete as the Great Valley Seekers have made contact with the most remote tribe of Japan. Only the Celts remain to be contacted, although English agents continue to thwart attempts to pass messages on to the Celts to arrange contact.

Le Gaulois and The Great Valley Seekers have been given a new quest, Chasse Aux Barbares, to locate the Children of Barbarous and prove the prophesy of the coming invasion of barbarians. Based upon the number of animal attacks, believed to be caused by barbarian magic, on the Great Valley Seekers in the lands north of China that is believed to be the center of the barbarian tribes territory.

Meanwhile those Dutch rebels who decided to stay in France rather than return to the Netherlands after the successful coup against Trotseer have formed a new band of warriors calling themselves the Dutch Defenders.

With peace on the Netherlands border, Chief Benoit has ordered the Mystic Council to deal with the ongoing Roman espionage attack. The French have sent several messengers to Rome over the last couple hundred winters but none of those messengers have ever returned. It is believed that the despot Baron Von has had the French messengers slain for his amusement.

Little is known about Baron Von other than the fact that he is highly negligent of his people and quite probably completely insane. French agents have watched in horror as the despot Baron Von starved over 20,000 Romans to death for no apparent reason. Roman workers and fishing fleets have sat idle for hundreds of winters in a row doing nothing while Roman researchers have similarly sat idle for several generations researching nothing. Roman warriors have been ordered to randomly walk around without purpose for hundreds of winters as well.

The Garcons de Paris and the Dutch Defenders have been sent into Rome to help the Roman tribesmen overthrow their insane immortal despot. Some Roman refugees have thrown flowers on the ground, welcoming the French forces as their saviors.

The French demands are simple.

1) Regime Change including the death by starvation of the despot Baron Von for slaying French messengers and for starving his Roman citizens.

2) The installation of a new Roman chieftain friendly towards France.

3) The new Roman chieftain shall order an immediate cessation of all Roman espionage towards France. Any future Roman espionage against France will be seen as a violation of this treaty and an act of war.

4) The new Roman chieftain will also swear to never accept the religion of Islam as the tribe's formal religion. Adopting Islam as a tribal religion will be seen as a violation of this treaty and an act of war.

[Rome (DoB)]

The Roman tribe had suffered greatly for years under the yoke of the tyrant Baron Von. Baron Von had spent his time feasting together with his loyal gang of bullies and slavedrivers. The people of Rome had been sent in hundreds out in the country to do menial tasks to ensure that Baron Von and his people was well fed, while the other people of Rome starved - thousands of people in the city of Rome had even starved to death!

The people had finally had enough, and rebelled after the French successfully assisted some of the slaves in the lands around Rome. Baron Von had been beheaded, and thrown into the sea, and the few survivors of his gang had escaped into the southern countryside hopefully never to be heard of again.

The leader of the slave rebellion, Marcus, chosen as the new leader of Rome, greeted the French messengers to Rome when they arrived. He told the French that he was grateful for their assistance, and that he did not know anything about the previous messengers that had been sent to Baron Von. Most likely they had been killed, or used for some entertainment purposes by his gang - and Marcus apologized for this, and hoped the French understood that such an atrocity would not happen under the new government of Rome. Marcus told the messengers that while he did appreciate the help of France in this highly needed rebellion, he felt the need for demands was unneeded. All France had to do was to ask if they had an issue, and he promised he would listen, as Marcus did not wish conflict with the other people around Rome. Marcus did however take the demands into consideration, as a gesture of goodwill to apologize for how Baron Von had treated the French people in the past. Here is his official response to France, delivered by Roman messengers who accompanied the French back to Paris as a gesture of trust and goodwill:

1. The tyrant Baron Von has been beheaded, and replaced. Starving a dead person is a troublesome process according to the mystics, and should be avoided at all costs if possible. Additionally, his body has been thrown into the sea, and this means that we are unable to comply with this request. We hope the French can accept that this is a demand we simply cannot accomodate in any way.

2. Marcus is friendly not only towards France, but towards all the neighbours of Rome. We need to work together and avoid senseless conflict over trifles.

3. Marcus does not understand how the French mean Rome is spying on them. Our people are now free, and if France wishes to cooperate with us, we do not see how this can happen without our people seeing the lands of France in their travels - unless of course the French mean to set up strict border patrols and let our people meet on this border to talk, and that is it? Marcus asks France to kindly explain what exactly this request entails.

4. The Roman people do not know what a religion is, and we have never heard about anything named Isl-aam. We are concerned with the survival of our people, not with Isl-aam or religion - whatever that is.

Marcus also asked me to tell the French people that we would highly appreciate the return of the Roman refugees to us, as their expertise at working with the land would help our nation back up on our feet. Rome understands if these refugees does not want to return, but we pledge that if they do not feel comfortable in the lands of Rome they may return to France at any time if they so wish. We are only asking them to give the new Rome a chance, and we would consider it a true gesture of friendship from the French if they allowed these refugees to return to us!

And finally, French messengers are welcome to Rome, and will be treated with respect and dignity. If you wish, Marcus asked us to stay here in Paris and travel back to Rome together with the messengers that shall carry the response back to Marcus and his council.

Marcus now had to focus on the rebuilding of his nation. They had ample supplies of food now, equally shared with the people, and the future of Rome hopefully was a prosperous one!

[Spain (DoB)]

"Aaah, the water is great, Esmeralda.."

"Yes, nothing like it, on a warm day, Himilce".."




"Have you heard about this Marcus guy, from Rome?"

"Is he good looking ?"

"He must be mighty brave and just, judging from his actions.."

"Perhaps we could invite him to meet with us? There is a lot what needs to be discussed.."

[Arabia (DoB)]

Islam is the true path. The true faith! Arabia condemns France in the strongest terms possible for their slander and heinous lies against Islam. Arabia further condemns France for attempting to extort and bully the whole world against the pure righteousness of peaceful and holy Islam. Woe be unto any who heed the will of France, lest you forever be her slaves. Once you accept the yoke of the most Evil tribe in the world, their Evil influence will forever enslave your people, mind body and spirit. Reject France and their warmongering, bloodthirsty savagery. Accept the path of Islam and peace into your hearts.

[England (DoB)]

France condemns each nation's innate drive to learn more about the world around us and our surrounding neighbors. France speaks of wanting peace with its neighbors but at the same time demands all efforts to learn about French culture and mannerism be terminated as a perquisite for peace. With its attacks on Rome and threats to the Nether, France has shown it will attack and kill those who do meet its every demand. England no doubt would face the same fate were it not for a barrier of sea between our lands. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// OCC wtf why can't I make paragraph breaks!! /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// But France's demands go against our true nature and will inevitably encourage war rather than peace. No nation truly has the capability to halt this so called espionage, only the power to redirect the curiosity of its people away from one foreign land and instead turn their attention to another. If every nation were to follow France's demands true peace between all the tribes of the world would never be attained. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// OCC: Guess i still need to learn writing /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// England would like to make a counter proposal that may serve as an alternative to French demands. We encourage the nations of the world to learn about ours and each others lands in moderation. Knowledge that leads to a basic understanding of things like military power, economic strength, and food production are not secrets to be hidden - but information that underpins a trusting and mutually respectful relationship of peers. Without such knowledge, the potential for betrayal and deceit will color all relationships with fear and mistrust. France is correct though in its view that espionage can be taken too far and damage relations. While we invite without prejudice all tribes to learn about the fundamental traits of English society - England will perceive a disproportionate allocation of espionage as an act of aggression. Seeking to look into our very cities or meddle with our internal affairs is an unacceptable action for nations that seek to have England's friendship and trust. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// England implores France to agree to these terms. Of any nation England would have the easiest time agreeing to French demands as, due to our sheer proximity, we can already see most French activity. But as a matter of principle we will not accept French terms due to the precedent it will set for other peace loving nations. We also are compelled to say that of the tribes England has met thus far, France appears to be the only one to have diverted resources to the active, rather than passive, production of espionage - further belying the irony of their apparent outrage at this natural and innate quest for knowledge that no doubt also inspired the storied quests of France's very own great valley seekers.

[Rome (DoB)]

The Roman people has sent messengers to all the people living around Rome, bearing the following message for them all from Marcus:

Honourable neighbours!


Marcus, the new leader of Rome, wishes you good health and prosperous lives!


We have been told that in the past several foreign people was seen arriving in Rome, and that they were never seen again. We suspect that these people were messengers from your people. For this I, Marcus, leader of Rome, apologize profoundly on the behalf of the people of Rome. We extend our hand in friendship to everyone who wishes to take it, and invite you to send new messengers to our nation so that we can start anew. The new government of Rome is a friendly and open one, and we will do our best to cooperate with anyone who wishes mutual benefit and prosperity.


A word of advise though - the people of Rome is not interested in this .. religion .. we hear so much about. We ask you to not drag us into any conflicts based on this ridiculousness, as we do not intend to take any side in the conflicts we hear about based on this. If you wish to offend one another, and make war over such nonsense, then by all means do so - but know that our people are concerned about survival and rebuilding after the horrible things we had to live through under Baron Von. As such, we claim neutrality in any conflict based on this .. religion. We will leave your people to believe whatever you wish, and we will respect you for it, and in return for that we expect the same respect for our claim of neutrality in these matters. Anyone will be welcome to Rome, whatever they believe or think, as long as they do not attempt to convince us that what we think is wrong.

[Vikings (DoB)]

The Norse people see the aggressive French politics in the south with sorrow. We do not condone threats or violence as answer to mere curiosity. We wholeheartly embrace the English proposal and invite all people to learn about our culture. We will not punish mere curiosity with threats and war, as long as we don't suffer from malevolent espionage missions. We will however react to real violence and threats with mistrust, even though they at the moment don't concern our own nation.

[England (DoB)]

A great celebration is held in London for the Celtic voyagers who accepted the English invitation to travel through their lands. may our island peoples always live in harmony and peace.

[France (DoB)]

The Elder Mystic council room was bustling with reports coming in from every tribe. The diplomatic scene had taken off so much that it was nearly impossible to deal with all the messengers coming in.

...

The Quest of 18 Tribes had been successfully completed, as an unarmed Celt fishing boat had broken the English blockade against them by declaring war on the English. The Celts have style! Definitely a true warrior tribe that have made a positive first impression with the French tribe. Messengers have been dispatched to the Celts to make initial greetings, negotiate an espionage agreement and find out more about possible synergies between French and Celt objectives.

...

Peace with the Romans had been agreed to however the first messenger with the peace treaty had been ignored and the war is technically still on. Perhaps the messenger's response, which had been brief due to time constraints, was not formal enough for Marcus. Another messenger has been sent with a longer more formal response, a gift and an escort by the Dutch Defenders. If this peace treaty is not promptly accepted then the Dutch Defenders are to secure France's borders by razing the road leading from Rome to France. Not a particularly desirable course of action as France is seeking to develop a trade route with Rome however the safety of French children from a warring tribe is much more important then roads which could be rebuilt.

...

The mystics listen to the English messenger and then the mystics burst out in bemused laughter. The English proposal is not significantly different then the official French position. The English are not promising to open their borders to everyone in the future regardless of espionage efforts. The main difference is that instead of the French threshold for espionage aggression which has been publicly stated as attempts to learn French research, the English have stated that their threshold is the more difficult attempts to investigate English cities however the English have claimed the extremely low, and highly subjective, threshold of espionage allocation to be grounds for aggressive counter-measures!

The English are making a colossal geostrategic blunder in pissing off the French on the false impression that being on the other side of the French channel will somehow save them from French counter-measures. A military war is only one of many tools in the French arsenal to achieve it's objectives and with peace finally secured on France's other borders, the Council can focus on the English threat as they try to learn France's research secrets.

...

The immortal ancestor of the Vikings, Odin, must be greatly dissapointed in the recent Viking message decrying violence and leaving themselves wide open to espionage exploitation. That is unfortunate since the Vikings seemed to have such potential initially to be a strong military ally.

[Vikings (DoB)]

The French leader must have misinterpreted our message. No doubt, his galloping spy paranoia makes him see agents everywhere and obscures his judgement about the surrounding world.

The Norse people did not decry violence as a mean to enforce our interests, to help our allies, or as appropriate response to a military threat. The crux, however, lies in the word appropriate. We find the discussion about espionage point allocation petty, and consider declaring wars, overthrowing governments and hijacking labour forces over it inadequate. These points are given by the gods and can not be stopped, only redirected. We ask, who does the French leader think he is, that he refuses to accept his fair share of them? Is he somewhat better than every other leader?

The French have proven to be aggressive and have repeatedly ambushed their neighbours. This is no badmouthing, such are the facts on the table. So it is in everyone's best interest to carefully monitor their military strength. Allocating espionage points to such a neighbour is not only not an affront, but as it stands it's an absolute necessity.

[France (DoB)]

The French realize that the Vikings who have only a limited view of the world, having only met 5 other tribes, has no means to understand the global espionage situation unlike the French who have detailed understanding of the espionage allocation of all the tribes.

For Viking education, there are well over 1000 "points" of espionage directed against France, far beyond that of any other tribe, in contrast the Vikings have less than 200 "points" of espionage directed against them. Who is not accepting their fair share of espionage points?

Based upon their comments denigrating the importance of espionage, apparently the Viking military is not advanced enough yet to understand that information is power. Wars are frequently won or lost based upon espionage intelligence. The equal distribution of espionage efforts amongst many tribes is a foolish waste of resources since espionage is best focused on enemies or potential threats. Over half the tribes realize that and are concentrating their espionage efforts. If a tribe is directing their espionage against your tribe then a wise leader understands that this means they consider you at least a potential threat.

France has not ambushed anyone. France has gone out of its way to attempt diplomacy to resolve issues with it's neighbors and it is only after extensive diplomacy efforts have failed that France has rightly escalated to war to secure it's safety. France has successfully conducted its wars as humanely as possible with no civilians or even soldiers killed.

France has even gone the extra step of publicly declaring its espionage policy so that all tribes can make informed decisions about their espionage allocation against France. The logic should be simple enough for even the Vikings to understand.

Espionage against France < Demographics = Future Open Borders
Espionage against France = Demographics = No Open Borders
Espionage against France > Demographics = Aggressive Counter-measures will be used to stop espionage

France makes no apologies for using a clearly outlined deterrence policy to prevent an activity which threatens our tribe's security.

[Celtia (DoB)]

Gaeth had sent a small group of tribesmen from Bibracte in one of the new boats, and told them to set forth to discover the lands of the English.

The tribesmen had reached a channel between two large landmasses where they could see people both in the north and in the south. The people in the south were unknown to them, but the people in the north were the English who asked them to join them on land and then welcomed them with a great feast! The Celts wished the world to know that they considered themselves brethren of the English tribe! A few days later the tribesmen left to see if they could discover more people of the world.

Some of them wished to meet the people on the southern landmass, and so they decided to pull their boat up on land and greet these people as well. According to the English they called themselves the French, and the Celts were curious and joyful at meeting another people!

[Rome (DoB)]

Marcus of Rome proclaims this to the world, and to the French:

We have received a second party of messengers from the French, with a message that "We have ignored their offer for a peace treaty". We have done no such thing! We have accepted all of their demands, and all we have asked them to do is to release our people that are obviously being held hostage on our borders by French warriors! We are not blind, and we see there are two military contingencies keeping our people there. We are in no position to not accept their demands, as Baron Von left us in a terrible state. But if they keep our people hostage and slaves, they are no better than the tyrant Baron Von was, and the entire world will see that they play the hypocrite when they claim that they declared war on Rome to help protect and liberate our people while they keep our people as slaves after Baron Von was deposed!

I apologize for the harsh words, people of France, but after the horrors the Romans underwent at the hands of Baron Von we will never again bow to despots or slavers! The Roman people are counting on the French to be honourable and kind, in line with what they have preached to the world, and release our people. On the day our people are released I am willing to come to Paris personally to shake the hands of the French Elder Mystic Council as a sign of goodwill. If our people are not released, we have already accepted your demands, but "peace" does not mean you may keep our people as slaves!

I must add that I am confused by the French approach to this, and I hope this is all just based on a misunderstanding. The French has appeared to be an honourable and trustworthy people, offering their help to us. I do not believe you are slavers who wants to profiteer on the Roman people's misery. Surely the Roman people will be returned to Rome, and the French will prove you are the honourable people you claim to be.

[France (DoB)]

OOC: Clarification to ensure there is no confusion. The reference to ignoring peace treaty offer refers to the fact that France sent Rome a Peace Treaty offer in game after which Rome logged in and when France logged in again the Peace Treaty had not been accepted. France has resubmitted a second Peace Treaty.

IC: The mysterious disappearance of another French messenger of which Marcus again claims no knowledge, does not bode well for the new Roman-French relationship. France strongly suggests that Rome better patrol its own lands, as so far the only difference noticeable to France between the Marcus regime and Baron Von's regime is that Baron Von was quieter.

There are no hostages being held in France. Marcus is young so perhaps he is not aware of the history of the workers of Torino. As part of Baron Von's forced labor program the workers of Torino were building a road in Torino when the people of Torino revolted against Baron Von and asked France for protection. Baron Von yanked the workers back to Roman territory, as France advanced our forces to protect Torino, thus separating entire families. The Torino families requested that we also save their family members from Rome, which France has done. The workers and their families are now happily reunited and are under the protection of France.

The two military contingents that are in Torino are there to protect the workers, a concept which Rome would be wise to learn, as it is obvious that the lands of Rome are unsafe since messengers continue to disappear there with regular frequency.

[Rome (DoB)]

Marcus of Rome proclaims this to the world:

Rome accepts the so-called "peace treaty" the French scum have enforced upon us.

But know this, all people: the French are constructing lies about our people that they have decided to keep as slaves. They claim our people have willingly joined the French, which is an outright lie! The French lie about "disappearing French messengers" who are perfectly safe, messengers that has been treated as honourable guests of Rome in our best accommodations! And they threaten us by telling us we need to patrol our borders better and now even compare me with the tyrant Baron Von. I am at a loss of words for the dishonour I see from these dogs!

We will not forget how the French scum treated the people of Rome in our time of need. We ask the French to tear down the road between Rome and Paris, as we have no interest in trading or dealing with these scum, and we inform the world that the Roman people will not deal with the French until they have proven they are interested in cooperation and not only enslaving and bullying other people. The French hide between honeyed words of "peace", "stability" and "assistance", while the naked truth that the entire world are witnessing now is that they are tyrants and bullies! Even Baron Von had more honour than these dogs, considering that he was honest about his motives and did not try to hide the fact that he was a tyrant.

Your messengers who are currently visiting us have been sent home to you with all the trinkets that you claimed are gifts to us. These gifts were an insult to our honour, and we will not allow slavery to be covered under the guise of gifts! Like mere trinkets are enough to compensate our people for the loss of some of our finest men! No Frenchman is welcome inside the borders of Rome again until our people are allowed to return home, and an apology is offered by the French people. Unlike the French, however, who demands the death of the people they disagree with, we Romans are honourable enough to accept an apology and hope for the redemption of evil people. All we want is our people back, so they do not have to suffer more.

We implore all the other nations to see the French for what they are, and we implore you all to put pressure on the French people to make them release our people. Prove that you are better than these dogs, that you care for cooperating with your neighbours, and that honour is not a trait only known to the Roman people.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Let All Peoples of the friendship and good cheer hear my words, I am Hanz, leader of the Dutchlands. With the help of France I has been installed as leader and I wish to repair the hurts of the past. I have changed the name of our my country to Dutchlands to move forward to a bright future. Our country is in turmoil following Trotseer's death, and three faction are formed the Dutchlanders who want peace and independince. The Fire mystics who are fanatics to die in fire like Trotseer, these ones are fanatic who want to cut all ties with outsiders. Last are the Nether-Dutch who follow the Ocean Mother and wish to pursue the bounty of the seas. All these are agruing and figthing nonstop mostly about the wars.

Because I usderstands the pian that cause by wars on my people, I beg humbly to my kinsmen in France that they may give return to the Romans their worker. No matter if they say they wish to stay in France, of course they do France is the envy of the world, while Rome is in shambles from the tyranny they survived. But this does not make it for them to stay in France and sip French stew! Thier homelands needs them! Please Benoit and Mystic council, I beg you to send home the Romans to theiur rightful homes.

Hanz of the Dutchlands

[Vikings (DoB)]

The Norsemen, by the French wrongly labeled "Vikings", can clearly distinguish words and deeds. The French have honeyed words in their mouth, but their deeds are brutal and aggressive. Judging by their behaviour, it is more than understandable, that other nations see them as a threat and focus their interest on them, lest they become the next victim.

Trust can be built up by a peaceful, sincere and just policy, and only this way, and not by sweet words while a dagger is hidden behind their back. Returning the Roman labour force to its rightful place would be a first step to build up said trust.

[France (DoB)]

France sends out messengers to the Despots of all the Tribes and Slavers who are attempting to cajole France into breaking the Barbarism Legal Code that is used by all 16 Tribes and 2 Slavers. The Code is clear:

1) Might makes right.
2) The strong take from the weak.
3) Disputes are settled by combat.

The tribes of France have no interest in playing this false game of Despots and Slavers pretending to be Pacifists. France adheres to the Code and has acted consistently with the Code and with its civics, unlike the disingenuous Despots asking for France to send the workers of Torino back to Rome.

The workers of Torino will not be returned to Rome based upon such illegal arguments as pleas to help the weak or give peace a chance. Such arguments are inconsistent with the Code and Civics used by every tribe and are especially hypocritical by the Dutch and the English who have abandoned Tribalism to adopt Slavery. Any arguments to persuade France should be based upon fundamentals that are consistent with the Civics of the presenter or they will be ignored.

The workers of Torino are not slaves as France, unlike the Dutch and the English slavers, does not practice slavery. If at some future point the workers wish to return to Rome then they will be allowed to do so but until then France will defend them.

[France (DoB)]

A French messenger bears the following response to the Dutch:

Greetings Hanz Master of the Dutchlands Slavers,

I trust the turmoil in the Dutchlands mentioned by your messenger will be resolved soon as France hopes to have stable neighbors. France will not get involved in the disputes in the various factions in the Dutchlands nor will we get involved in freeing the slaves of the Dutchlands, some of whom we see are developing Copper Hill.

Out of curiousity, how do the Dutch decide who will be slaves and who will be free? We trust you are not enslaving the French within your lands.

Benoit, Chieftain of the French Tribes

[France (DoB)]

The mood around French campfires is incensed, as word has reached France that Elizabeth, Mistress of the English Slavers has enslaved the French within her lands. The English slave-owners are force-breeding French slaves for their perverted pleasure and to increase their "stock" of French slaves. As a result of this greed and depravity, the number of French compared to English is increasing rapidly in much of eastern England where most of the French slaves are located.

Elizabeth Dominatrix of England.jpg
Elizabeth, Mistress of the English Slavers

[Rome (DoB)]

Marcus of Rome proclaims this to the world:

So, the French finally come out and reveal themselves for what they are - bullies and barbarians who wish to dominate their weaker neighbours with military might. I hope the other tribes take notice of this, and that the French may one day be allowed the honour of choking on these very same words if this is the path they wish to take. Blabbering about some code does not make a wrong right, Benoit, even if you try to present to the world that you are doing the right thing hiding behind this code of yours.

The only thing I can say does you some amount of credit, Benoit, is that you are finally honest. You openly admit that you are a bully, for the world to see, instead of hiding behind dishonesty and lies as you have done in the past.

Your attempts at diverting the attention to the other tribes by insulting them are pathetic, Benoit, but by all means go ahead and see how many friends your tribe will be left with. You have invaded the Netherlands, invaded Rome, insulted the Norsemen and now the English. Who is next? Spain? The Holy Roman Empire? The Germans?

"Treat others as you want to be treated yourself", my father told me. We shall see how the other tribes will treat you in the future to come.

It is not yet too late for you to relent however, Benoit. Rome will, as I have said in the past, unconditionally forgive you these transgressions if you just return our workers. If you wish stable and secure relationships with Rome and your other neighbours in the future, I should say this is a small price to pay. It seems as if you are bent on conquest, barbarism and might though. So, it saddens me to say this, but I guess that is the path we will be taking, and that my words are as powerful as throwing wine into the ocean hoping the entire ocean will turn to wine.

[France (DoB)]

To Marcus of Rome,

Since Barbarous and the Expelled were sent from the Great Valley there has only been one legal code, Barbarism. Barbarism has been adhered to by all the tribes from the Celts to the Japanese, including the Romans. So until the Romans have researched some new code of laws and adopted it, cease your incessant whining for France to break the Code.

France has not lied or hidden anything. France has even gone to great extremes to make sure everyone knows our policies well in advance of potential violations. We have been extremely open about our objectives and motivations and we have adhered to all our public statements.

France does treat others as we want to be treated which is why we do not spy on our friends. This policy has worked very well with Spain, Holy Romans, Germans and many other tribes with whom France has enjoyed hundreds of years of peace. France looks forward to being able to reward those friends in the near future.

In the meantime here are some picture aids to help Marcus learn the Roman Legal System:

The Roman Barbarism Legal System:
Civ4ScreenShot0006.jpg

Barbarism defined:
Civ4ScreenShot0007.jpg

[Arabia (DoB)]

The tribal leaders were meeting to discuss the situation with the defenses of Islam. Many felt that no more warriors should leave the Holy City of Mecca, as so many had been eaten by the ferocious wild beasts living outside of the city. Others argued forcefully that exploration was the best way to gain the knowledge necessary to increase the strength of Islam.

To improve the skill of the warriors has been the order of the day, and to accomplish this, Islam has erected the worlds first military training ground, called a Barracks. Warriors trained in the Barracks are much more skilled fighters than typical warriors. This will make the fighting force of Islam the strongest in the world, able to resist the Evil French as well as the hungry beasts in this area.

Talib, one of the tribal leaders stood up to speak. It was his idea to build the barracks in the first place.

"Leaders, we live in a world where the strong rule the weak. The wild animals nearby, and our enemies the Evil French have proven this time and time again. This barracks is the path we must follow to create security for the holy city. Strong Warriors, strong defenses. We must abandon these religious pursuits and return to the military ones, for it is only military strength that will make religious strength possible. I know that some will say that Islam is the path of peace, but where has peaceful exploration gotten us? Slaughtered warriors and at War with a distant Evil tribe. I have recieved word that our newly trained warriors have just defeated a pack of wolves on open ground. Such a thing was unthinkable a century ago. This is proof that we must continue to train these stronger warriors to defend our lands.

Although our Persian friends have reached out the hand of cooperation, the nearby Byzantines have taken the high ground near Mecca, just outside Islam's border. This aggressive act is obviously intended to block Islam from settling on the other side of the Red Sea. This shows that not even all our neighbors are friendly and also, I think that Faranca wajaba sara damaar for the longterm good of Islam. All these things indicate that military strength is of absolute importance."

Hearing these words, all the leaders nodded their agreement, and repeated the phrase "Faranca wajaba sara damaar."

A visiting messenger from the Persians whispered to the tribal leader he was next to "What does Faranca wajaba sara damaar mean?"

The leader replied "France must be destroyed"

[Byzantium (DoB)]

As the years passed and the Byzantine nation grew so did the vicious attacks on the southernmost part of the empire. On the narrow strip of land
leading into the area known as Africa vast numbers of wild barbarians and wild animals began trying to cross over and attack Thessalonica and
move south into the Arabia. At great loss and sacrifice to the Byzantine people, warriors from each of the three great cities pushed the barbarians
back into Africa. After days of fighting the Byzantine warriors under command of Justinian pushed back the would be invaders killing thousands of
barbarian. He set up a small fortress atop a large hill from where his men would be able to defend the nation from invasion. Justinian sent amessage to the elders of Constantinople stating what he saw.

Elders,

Our warriors have held back the enemy. From the descriptions of old the enemies look like the French but are dressed in black and they yell out
strange things when they attack. From what I can make out it sounds like they speak some sort of French slang. All I can really understand is
something about killing Islam and something else about Arabs. I will stay here until more men can be sent to help against the barbarian invaders
please send more men as soon as possible.

Justinian,