After a quick political skirmish, Empress Quinalla was assassinated by
Zulu resistors that still dwelled in the backstreets of Zimbabwe. Because
she was unable to name a successor, the Empire was thrown into chaos.
From 570 to 565 BC, a bloody civil war raged throughout the streets of the
'core' Babylonian cities (Admantus, Babylon, Elius...) Loyalists searched
frantically for anyone to put on the throne, while rebels insisted a complete
reformation that would supposedly give birth to a "New Era" of prosperity, 
much like the one that had flourished in the Empire during the reigns of
Vovansim and Quinalla. The Admant Dynasty and line of succession was clearly
over.
During those five years of civil war, the remaining few members of the Babylonian
Council were desperate, looking for anyone who was qualified to take on the 
position of Emperor. Eventually, their fears were put to rest with the discovery 
of a brave ex-general in the First Imperial Army. His name was unknown, but it was
understood that he came from the Akkad family of Babylon. He was literate, strong,
and a brilliant military tactician - all too qualified for the title.  He was
throned in 564 BC. With his military backing, he was able to quell any resistances that
remained in Babylonian cities, and helped to establish some degree of order to the
Empire again. His new name, as Emperor, was Random Entity the Second - in honor of 
the founder of Admantus and of the Empire. The Akkad Dynasty had begun.

550 BC - Nineveh's work force is assembled, and the city is told to assemble another.
The Emperor's two primary goals for the "New Era" are expansion and connection.

530 BC - The Bowmen scouting the region north of Zimbabwe are reassigned to secure the
northern grasslands; fertile areas that the Romans MUST NOT be allowed to take for
themselves. Our warrior regiments northeast of Ur move to explore the isthmus connecting
the Empire to Roman territory.

510 BC - The road connecting Babylon and Ulundi is completed. The workers are then commanded
to build roads in the region north of the city.

490 BC - A regiment of spearmen, in the First Imperial Army, are completed in Babylon. 
The Emperor's expansion policies influence many citizens of Babylon to assemble so that
they can one day settle a distant land. A barracks is completed in Elius, and the general
there begins training bowmen to assist in the defense of the Northern Lands. Another addition
to the First Imperial Army is completed in Ur: a new spearmen regiment to defend the city.
The town of Uruk is founded in the flood plains over the mountains and to the west of
Babylon.

470 BC - The Emperor sends an emissary to the Persian fringelands, demanding the secrets of
construction. Xerxes requests a trade - the Babylonian regional maps to exchange for the 
technology. Random Entity hesitantly accepts, reasoning that simple maps were worth the
sacrifice for new advancements. A similar deal is struck with Emperor Caesar of Rome, this time
the Empire pays a mere 80 gold for the outline of a new system of laws.

450 BC - The Babylonian wise men begin contemplating the universe, and using the basic
principles of Bantu Mysticism as a research source, start to envision the idea of many
gods that control the world.

430 BC - Paranoia begins to set in among the Babylonian people concerning the Romans. They seem
to be everywhere on the border of the Motherland. Many historians compare this to the same
paranoia felt by Emperor Mike of the Admant Dynasty before his death.

410 BC - Most cities in the Empire begin to mass-produce settlers for the Emperor's "New Era"
expansion plans.

390 BC - A temple is completed in Ashur. The Emperor, at the cost of scientific advancement,
increases taxes to help the Imperial treasury. Protests ensue, but are quickly silenced by
the military.

370 BC - A warrior regiment in the hills northeast of Ur fortifies to defend against relentless
Roman expansion.

350 BC - The citizens of Babylon begin erecting walls to keep out vandals and thieves. Xenophobia
is at an all time high when it is discovered that two new Roman settlements have appeared in the
east: Byzantium and Lutetia.

330 BC - A temple is completed in Ulundi. Workers continue to build roads that will facilitate travel
in the Northern Plains.

310 BC - The cities of Elius and Ashur experience a cultural expansion. The Emperor, in honor of
the event (and to remove any traces of Zulu culture from the Empire), renames Zimbabwe "Habbus", and
renames Ulundi "Quinallus", in memory of his predecessor Quinalla.

290 BC - A small band of Roman Guardsmen arrive at the palace of Admantus with an emissary. The small,
sheepish Roman man asks in a tiny voice that the Babylonian Empire immediately give the Roman Empire
the maps of its territory along with 11 coins of gold. Emperor Random Entity is hesitant, but the
Council advises him to give in - the Romans will pay for this when the time is right. Later that
same year, the city of Eridu was founded on the fringes of the Northern Plains. Word was also received
from the borderlands that Persian and Greek warriors were discovered in our territory. Both nations
were immediately asked to leave, and both agreed with little protest.

270 BC - The road to the Roman town of Byzantium is completed. In the far north, the city of Samarra is
founded to counteract Roman expansion in the northern regions. The Emperor sent ambassadors to the
Empire's two largest neighbors, Rome and Persia, and established embassies.

250 BC - Persian warriors are once again located in Babylonian territory, this time to the south
of Elius. The Emperor is enraged, immediately demanding of Xerxes that they be removed. Xerxes
complies, but not before commenting on the Empire's rather poor border defense. The Emperor accepts
this 'constructive criticism', and begins to train troops to protect the borderlands.

230 BC - The regiments of swordsmen south of Akkad begin exploring the vast jungles near the
Euphretes River.

210 BC - Our scholars are distraught to hear that the Persians are building a 'great library' of
some sort.

190 BC - A new group of settlers from Elius are sent by the Emperor to settle the southeast
coast of the Northern Plains. The swordsmen units in the jungles discover dyes.

170 BC - Early in the last years of Emperor Random Entity's reign, a Zulu emissary arrived with
a message from Shaka - he requests that our two nations trade territory maps. The Emperor can 
only laugh at this. How could the pathetic Zulu nation possibly consider themselves to be our
equals, after we drove them out of our land?! Random Entity sends an emissary back to Shaka,
but with a different request - that he pay tribute to the Empire with all the gold in their
treasury (which amounted to a total of 6), and their exploration maps. The Zulus agreed, of
course, wanting us to spare their pathetic nation for at least a few more years. The exchange of
maps reveals that the Zulus do, in fact, have a third settlement in their new homeland, known
as 'Isandhlwana'. The Emperor, growing old, decides to retire. Having named his successor,
he lives out the rest of his life in his villa in the grasslands of Samarra.


