The History of the World VII . . . .

[Robert]

"Mylord"
"Yes, Abhay"
"Your brother, he hasn't left his room for days. Matters of state are unanswered. Nobody is leading our people right now."
"He've talked with him this morning, there is no reason left in him. There's only one thing left to do. Send the following letter to all people of India and make it public to all people of Terra:

Dear Indians, dear friends,

Darkness has fallen over our glorious nation since our King Lala Lajpat Rai has left us.
Darkness has fallen over Terra since words of war have been spread from all corners of the world.
My brother, Asoka, has failed to answer to these threats because he's suffering from mentall illness. Long did I hope that he would recover and lead us to a bright future. In the meanwhile India started to fall apart. This can not continue and therefor I will rule India in the name of my brother, in the name of our father.

I will rule India till King Lala Lajpat Rai returns or Prince Asoka regains his mental health again. I ask you, my brothers and my sisters, to support me, to follow me, for I intent to lead you to a world of peace.

May Krishna bless our nation!
May Krishna bless Terra!

Mahatma Ghandi
Prince of India"

[KunojiLym]

((Note: Chinese surnames are at the *front*, as are Korean surnames. ^_^))

"Hmm." Tang Gaozu frowned, as he read through the translated missives of the Choson and the Arabs. Beside him, the Mandarin of the Left, Wang Xishi, and the Prime Minister, Xi Lishen, stood by, silently attentive.

At length, the Emperor grunted, and tossed the documents onto the table. "These words cannot be trusted."

"If I may, your Excellency?"

"Speak, Xi."

"The generals are getting restless. The General of the Left is poised to move his army against Bulgeria in the next few days, and the General of the Right is also mobilizing in Anyang. We need to curb their power, your Excellency, before we can have any freedom of action."

"You do not need to remind me of that," Gaozu snapped. "Unless you have some kind of plan?"

"We do, in fact," Wang quietly said. "Something that will bring the military under imperial heel, as it should be. Or rather, someone."

The Emperor was silent for several moments. "And who is this 'someone'? Some kind of 'Zhuge Liang'?"

"His name," Xi said, "is Gao Xianzhi. He is currently stationed in Shangdu, but reliable sources have told of his exceptional ability. The generals, however, have been sidelining him, which is of course, why he is in Shangdu in the first place."

"And you are telling me this because?"

"Your Excellency, he commands the fierce loyalty of his troops. This is a quality that both the Generals of the Left and the Right lack. I propose that he be summoned to Chang'an, and be created Grand General of the Army."

"And meanwhile," Wang continued, "we remove the other Generals from their positions."

"Do you two understand what you are saying?" Gaozu said slowly. "These two generals, between them, control four fifths of our entire army. If they rebel, that is a four to one odds against me. Have you forgotton how new this dynasty is?"

"Precisely why there is a need for a fresh start. The purge of the palace is complete. Now we need to purge the military." Xi smiled grimly. "I will not see China go to rot, your Excellency. I have already seen too much. You were a prime minister too, surely you must understand that."

At this, the Emperor burst into uproarious laughter. It was a long while before he got his laughter back under control.

"If it was anyone else saying it, Lishi, I would have had them executed on the spot."

"A good thing we go a long way back, then." The Prime Minister allowed himself a slight smile. Then his expression turned serious. "We cannot delay this much longer, your Excellency. The generals must be dealt with."

"You are right, of course." Tang glanced to his Mandrain of the Left. "I will leave you to make the arrangements, Xi." Then he turned back. "This still does not settle the question of Arabia, you realize."

"Your Excellency may do as you see fit in that regard," said Wang. "There are advantages to both options that Xi and myself have presented to you earlier. We only await your decision."

"You will know by the end of the day." The Emperor smiled. "Dismissed."

[OmnipotentTrout]

The Celtic ruling clan in Exile

The ruling clan lead by the Celtic King Serrius had to flee into exile from the sudden onslaught of the muslim horde.

Their hasty departure came shortly after Corrodia fell to the Arab riders. The people were under the thumb of Arab masters forcing the way of Islam on the people, but since there were no teachers to preach the right codes of Islam, the Celtic tribes made up doctrines at random. All army, except garrisons, returned to the fields praying to wooden carvings of this new God. While others thought of "Islam" as the wrath of Abraham's God, for the sins of the ruling Clan and their paigan Buddha.

Total chaos ensued, lending no help to the new Arab masters.

Will Celtia ever become sovreign again, or will they for ever be pawns in the War of the World?

[deity]

WORLD UPDATE:

"In private negotiations between Abu Bakr and Tan-gun II peace has not been achieved.

The Arabs desire the Choson's original offer that was made before the war but was then rejected, ie that the Choson gift Arabs Astronomy and world map.

The Choson no longer offer this deal after a century of attacks by the Arabs. The Arabs do not believe that their bargaining position has weakened citing that they can get more troops from 'friends' and that the Choson should feel free to take their chances in a protracted war.

Alone, and without international assistance and leadership, the Choson have no choice but to lock down defences and attempt to survive. All technology offers and New World deals are in abeyance as a result."

----

Excerpt from the negotiations:

Abu Bakr: "I still have the upperhand in this war, so it is your demands that are over the top, seriously. Other factors - you've slaved down your cities, and I haven't touched mine. So advantage to me."

Tan-gun II: "You only have the upper hand perhaps if the rest of the world leave you alone."

Abu Bakr: "You are cut off on a penninsula, whereas I have friends who could send troops if I wanted. Advantage to me. You are the one who declared war on me, so you'll be getting more war weariness. Advantage to me."

Tan-gun II: "We are pretty equal in power."

Abu Bakr: "Well feel free to take your chances in a protracted war."

---

"This suggests that the Arabs are confident in the diplomatic failings of the Choson and that it perhaps suits some of the rest of the world to ignore the conflict."

[OzzyKP]

The Arabs again and again offer peace to the Choson, but the Choson refuse. The Choson make far fetched and unreasonable demands on the Arabs. Only stark raving mad leaders who kill off much of their population would seek such insulting terms in a war they started and a war they are losing.

We extended the olive branch of peace many times and had it thrown back in our face. Even presenting peace terms that were originally offered by the Choson themselves! Yet the Choson are bent on perpetual warfare. This does not interest us, but it seems we have no choice.

Our diplomats will meet on the field of battle.

[deity]

The Choson declared war on the Arabs the instant the Arabs invaded our friends the Celts and took their city of Carodia.

This was Arabs choosing for war, not ours.

The Choson loyally supported the Celts and did not declare war out of the blue.

[OzzyKP]

In one of his final acts, Caliph Abu Bakr negotiates a solid peace agreement with the Choson. While the terms were not made publically available, it seems to be a far reaching and firm peace treaty. The importance of this agreement is notable in that it was conducted while Bakr was quite sick, a testiment to this man's fortitude.

Within a month of the treaty signing, Caliph Abu Bakr died of natural causes. His successor, Umar ibn al-Khattab became the second Caliph.

[Robert]

Account of the murdering of Mahatma Ghandi
(ooc: this is the live chat protocol between Kuno and me)

[00:43] *The door opens*
[00:43] *An Indian man enters the room*
[00:43] Ghandi: why are you here?
[00:43] *The man has a knife in his hand and plants the knife into the chest of Ghandi*
[00:43] *and again*
[00:43] *and again*
[00:44] *and runs away*
[00:44] Chinese Mandrain: !
[00:44] Ghandi: argh
[00:44] Ghandi: have merc
[00:44] Ghandi: have me
[00:44] Ghandi: areagagh
[00:44] Ghandi: have mercy wi
[00:44] Ghandi: with....
[00:44] Ghandi: have mercy with my people
[00:44] Ghandi: my people
[00:45] Chinese Mandrain: *mutters* damn it to hell. *sends a squad of choku nus that were loaned to gandhi straight to the palace*
[00:45] Chinese Mandrain: *meanwhile, sounds the alarm in gandhi's quarters*
[00:46] Chinese Mandrain: where is his advisor?
[00:46] Ghandi: Tell my people! Tell my allies!
[00:46] Ghandi: Tell aesaa
[00:47] Chinese Mandrain: zomg resurrection
[00:47] Ghandi: tell m!@$!$#
[00:47] *Ghandi dies*
[00:47] Chinese Mandrain: alas, poor yorlick. i knew him well.
[00:48] Chinese Mandrain: *contacts Abhay
[00:49] Chinese Mandrain: *with a full squad of Zhuge Nus poised to burst into Asoka's chambers*
[00:49] Asoka: [ooc] I won't bother you with the details, but Abhay has been mudered as well
[00:49] Asoka welcomes the Chinese soldiers!
[00:49] Chinese Mandrain: heh, then they burst in now
[00:49] Asoka: How can I help you?
[00:50] Asoka: As you can see, I have left my bed, and I am ready to govern my people again
[00:50] Chinese Mandrain: What have you done? *the Zhuge Nus train their crossbows on Asoka*
[00:51] Asoka: Why do my allies focus their crossbows on me?
[00:51] Asoka: And tell me, what have I done?
[00:52] Chinese Mandrain: I will tell you what you have done. You have murdered your own brother. See! This is his blood-drenched shirt! And see! this is the dog that killed him! *a soldier shows the body of the hapless assasin*
[00:52] Asoka: My brother?
[00:52] Asoka: He's death?
[00:52] Asoka: You're lying!
[00:52] Asoka: He can't be death
[00:53] Asoka: Don't tell me that I lost both my father and my brother!
[00:53] Chinese Mandrain: And his advisor too. Explain yourself!
[00:53] Asoka: You explain me!
[00:53] Asoka: How is it possible that you come to me with the shirt of my brother
[00:53] Asoka: drenched in blood
[00:54] Asoka: and you accuse me of murdering?
[00:54] Asoka starts crying
[00:54] Asoka: I need to talk to your Emperor right now
[00:54] Asoka: No
[00:54] Asoka: I need to see my brother
[00:54] Chinese Mandrain: The reason is simple. He was murdered in front of my eyes.
[00:54] Asoka sits on his bed again
[00:54] Chinese Mandrain: You may. Guards, escort him to Asoka's chambers.
[00:54] Asoka: it's too much
[00:55] Chinese Mandrain: *Ghandi's chambers
[00:55] Chinese Mandrain: *escorts Asoka to Gandhi's body, which is still in the position that it was in*
[00:55] Asoka: I know how to get there
[00:55] Asoka leaves the room
[00:55] Asoka rans through the hallways
[00:55] Asoka opens the door of Ghandi's room
[00:55] Asoka: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
[00:55] Asoka: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
[00:55] Asoka: MY BROTHER
[00:55] Asoka: my brother my brother
[00:55] Asoka: nooooooooooooooo
[00:55] Asoka falls on the ground
[00:55] Asoka holds his brother
[00:56] Asoka: Here I am
[00:56] Asoka: all by myself
[00:56] Asoka: there's nobody left
[00:56] Asoka: to easy my pain
[00:58] Chinese Mandrain: See! There is your brother's body! See how ignobly he died! What do you have to say for yourself?
[00:58] Asoka: I proclaim that I will not rest before I have punished those who are behind the loss of both my father and my brother!
[00:59] Asoka stands up with tears in his eyes
[00:59] Chinese Mandrain: It was an Indian who laid the killing blow. *narrows eyes*
[00:59] Asoka: bring him to me
[00:59] Chinese Mandrain: I brought him to you. *holds up the dead body*
[00:59] Asoka: he's death also?
[01:00] Asoka: What use is the death body of the murderer of my brother?
[01:00] Asoka: Can it talk?
[01:00] Asoka pokes the death body
[01:00] Asoka: Can it tell me who sent him?
[01:00] Asoka pokes the death body again
[01:00] Asoka yells at the death body of the murderer: Tell me, who is your master
[01:00] Asoka: He's not very cooperative, is he?
[01:00] Chinese Mandrain: It was Arabia.
[01:01] Asoka takes his sword and puts it at the neck of the Mandrain and says: "Bring me to your master"
[01:01] Chinese Mandrain: Put the blade away, or you will surely regret it.
[01:01] Asoka: I am a broken man
[01:02] Asoka: standing next to the body of my brother
[01:02] Asoka: with a chinese man who blames me
[01:02] Asoka: while he has only the murdered body of the so called murderer of my brother
[01:02] Asoka: How do I know if I can trust you?
[01:02] Asoka: If you have killed my brother, you may kill me as well
[01:02] Asoka: I cannot take the risk
[01:02] Asoka: And I will apologize to you later if I appeared to be wrong
[01:03] Asoka: Now lead me to your master
[01:03] Chinese Mandrain: Put. It. Away. *expression hardens, and he brings out the emperor's seal* This seal shwos that I speak with the authoriy of the Emperor Tang Gaozu. IF you continue with your hijinks, you will bring death upon yourself to.
[01:04] Asoka: Order all your guards to go away
[01:04] Asoka: Then I will drop my sword
[01:04] Asoka: and you will drop yours
[01:04] Asoka: that may give us the right circumstances to discuss these matters
[01:05] Chinese Mandrain: *eyes you with a hard expression, before he nods slightly, and the Zhuge Nus lower their crossbows*
[01:05] Asoka lowers his sword
[01:06] Chinese Mandrain: Now, explain.
[01:12] Asoka: Well, I was sitting here in my room
[01:12] Asoka: I just left my bed
[01:12] Asoka: It was a new day, and I felt new strength.
[01:12] Asoka: Strength to lead my people
[01:13] Asoka: Then you ran into my room, holding the blooded shirt of my brother
[01:13] Asoka: you lead me to his body
[01:13] Asoka: you show me the body of the murderer
[01:13] Asoka: and ask me to explain....
[01:14] Asoka: I think you should explain me!
[01:14] Chinese Mandrain: Chang, bring me the eye-witness.
[01:14] Chinese Mandrain: *a palace servant is brought in by a chinese soldier*
[01:15] Chinese Mandrain: This man saw him *points at the dead murderer* leave your chamber, several days before. What business did you have with him?
[01:16] Asoka: He's one of the royal servants
[01:16] Asoka: Mahatma and me took a few with us on our journey to Scandinavia
[01:17] Chinese Mandrain: He was very close to you, was he not? *eyes you carefully*
[01:18] Chinese Mandrain: Do not lie to me. I was there too, as the ambassandor of his Excellency.
[01:19] Asoka: Of course I was not close with him. He's a servant
[01:19] Asoka: But yes, he's one of my servants
[01:19] Asoka: And he's one of my brothers servants as well
[01:19] Asoka: I hope you're not accusing me of the murdering on my brother
[01:20] Chinese Mandrain: Did you not hear me the first time? That is exactly what I am accusing you of.
[01:21] Chinese Mandrain: China will not stand for such blase regicide.
[01:21] Asoka: You accuse the lawfull ruler of India of murdering his own brother?
[01:22] Asoka: *sights*
[01:22] Chinese Mandrain: I am accusing the crazed, paranoid prince of putting his own brother to the sword, yes.
[01:22] Asoka: I lost my brother, I hope you want to give me some time now to mourn
[01:22] Asoka: hang on, I have to get in the game now
[01:23] Chinese Mandrain: If that is what you wish, we will leave you some time alone with him. *motions the Zhuge Nus to step out of teh room, before he steps out himself.* But we will be waiting.
[01:23] Asoka: wait
[01:23] Chinese Mandrain: heheh
[01:23] Asoka: This is an Indian problem
[01:24] Asoka: Your help is appreciated
[01:24] Asoka: But your attitude is not
[01:24] Asoka: I will forgive you your personal insults on me for it can't be easy to witness the murdering of a good man like Ghandi in front of your eyes
[01:25] Asoka: The 2nd man of India has been murdered, I hope this will not bring a crisis into the relations between India and China
[01:25] Asoka: Tell your master that India needs the support of the Chinese in these times of trouble
[01:25] Asoka: And we value our friendship
[01:25] Chinese Mandrain: *narrows his eyes* And what does India need Chinese support for?
[01:25] Asoka: And China is free to investigate the murdering of Ghandi, it is even appreciated
[01:26] Chinese Mandrain: For the invasion of Bulgeria?
[01:26] Asoka: There is no invasion of Bulgaria on hand
[01:26] Asoka: We need your support to get through these difficult times
[01:26] Asoka: We need your friendship
[01:26] Asoka: And your protection
[01:26] Asoka: While India rebuilds itself
[01:27] Asoka: We need time. We lost a lot in my father an my brother
[01:27] Asoka: i hope you can understand that
[01:27] Chinese Mandrain: *nods slowly*
[01:27] Asoka: Thank you
[01:27] Asoka: Now let me grieve
[01:28] Chinese Mandrain: *turns to leave* Do you know what your brother's last words were?
[01:28] Asoka: please tell me!
[01:28] Chinese Mandrain: "Tell my brother that I forgive him." *leaves, and the zhuge nus leave with him*
[01:29] Chinese Mandrain: you need to press continue btw
[01:30] Asoka: Yes, I need forgivenes!
[01:30] Asoka: For I have not lead my people like I should have
[01:30] Asoka: but those days are over now
[01:30] Asoka: And I wish that he could be here to see me reign our land with the wisdom of our father!
[01:32] Chinese Mandrain: *proceeds with the investigation of gandhi's murder*
[01:32] Asoka: *proceeds leading his nation

[OzzyKP]

ELEVENTH SESSION 955 AD

India(Gandhi) - CyberShy
Egypt(Ramses) - condor223
Vikings(Ragnar Lodbrok) - AI
China(Qin Shi Huang) - Kunolijm
Choson(Wang Kong) - Deity
Inca(Huayna Capac) - Levi_the_Oracle
Kushren(Napoleon Boneparte) - Conquistador45
England(Victoria) - AI/Glohithia
Celts(Brennus) - AI
Arabs(Saladin) - OzzyKP
Carthage(Hannibal) - Rykoffe
Bulgaria(Cyrus II) - Toni


Session 11 Number of Cities (since session 10)

Choson - 13 (+3)
China - 10
Bulgaria - 10
Inca - 9
Arabs - 8 (+1)
Celts - 7 (+1)
England - 7
Kushren - 6 (-1)
Vikings - 6
Egypt - 6
India - 5
Carthage - 4

[Rykoffe]

The Fires of War

A woman garbed in white robes and red trim walked across the cobblestone plaza of Hippo, the last bastion of Carthage. Spearmen quickly fell into step behind her to escort her the rest of the way to the temple, more as a symbol than as needed protection.

Ironically, the spearmen were not present when they were most likely needed most; as she faced the English in the Tearful Valley, a pass used long ago in the retreat from Utica.

And just as mutely as they fell behind her, they turned around to face the main roads, standing watch outside the temple after she went into the shrine. Their iron shields clanked as they turned, the only signal that they were indeed living men.

The priestess ran her hand over one of the odd-shaped stitches in her sleeve. This white-colored symbol ran up and down the red trim of her gown.

"Mother, and Her Mother before Her... we are at a crossroads, here. The men from the east seem to be genuinely interested in soothing the restless wounds afflicted to our honor, to our people." She paused, and swallowed back tears which began to form, but why was she crying? "Yet I do not know if I should continue the path of retribution, or seek other means to recover our lost heirloom."

She lit a brazier to her left as she bit back the tears, her voice regaining its confidence. "As it stands now, we do not have the fire left in us after so long. Not against them."

"But there are others.. others in the south. They have stolen from this city and it's livelihood with false promises." Her hand passed over the fire, briefly. Then, she shouted, "For their deceit, they will pay!" and she thrust her palm into the fire.

Hours later, after the embers were cooling and the priestess was in the middle of bandaging her arm in her quarters, she whispered to herself, "Carthage... it needs new vitality. Misfortunate these recent events may have been, the outcome may end up being the chance we need. May the spirits of the lost children follow you, my warriors, and be calmed."

[OzzyKP]

CS & Kuno have taken the genre to new levels of geekiness never before seen.

Originally posted by CyberShy

[01:29] Chinese Mandrain: you need to press continue btw

Ah ha! Now I know why we are always delayed!

Edit by CS: That was while we were waiting for your subs that never came (we were in the "save, quit or continue" screen)

[OzzyKP]

"Salah! Salah, sit down!"

"Sorry Mr. Abdul-Mujeeb."

"Ok, thank you. Today class we will be studying 10th century Arab history."

*groooan*

One bright student with a pocket protector in his Dishdashah (and a copy of Saad Maahir's Civilization 4 in his backpack) chastens his fellow students, "The 10th century is interesting! It was a high point of Islamic culture and right in the middle of the Conquest! I think we were... yea, we were conquering the Kushren then!"

"Very good Nazeeh, thank you. Yes, the 10th century was an important time in our history. And yes there was a great deal of military acheivements then, however that will not be the focus of today's lesson. Today we need to cover the great scientific and cultural accomplishments of the 10th century"

*grooan*

"Oh shush. As Nazeeh demonstrated, most people identify the 10th century with the military prowess of the Arabian people in their holy jihaad against the infidel Kushren. However Arabian scientists were among the world's best. Great madrassas in Damascus, Mecca, Baghdad and elsewhere were centers of religious and scientific study. Of course in those days science and religion were even more tied together than they are now. So Islamic economists, astronomers, and philosophers were the envy of the world."

Mr. Abdul-Mujeeb goes over to the projector and turns on a slideshow to provide a good visual aid for his lecture. Some students are nodding off in the back, but most are paying attention. This was a good madrassa with mostly good students.

"During this period the Islamic calendar was finalized and perfected. Also, advanced methods of banking were implemented. Going back to the days before the Prophet our people were always great money handlers and this only increaed in the 10th century. Arabia of this period was also home to the most famous map maker of the age, Muhammad al-Idrisi. His most famous map, that was used all around the world at that point is this one:"

The teacher clicks and a new slide of a map appears on the wall:



The students examine the map and there are a few hushed giggles. A few students raise their hands. He calls on Aisha.

"Why is it upside down?"

"Well Aisha, there really is not "up" or "down" when it comes to maps. Just what we are used to. Now we are all used to having maps with north at the top, but it wasn't always that way. Many maps have been made with east, west, or south at the top. Our maps used to always have south at the top. This is because when you wake up and face the sun, south is on the right. Because of positive associations with the right as opposed to left, they put that on top. And of course, with the sea to the south of them there was nothing "on top" of the country, so they prefered it that way."

More hands.

"Yes, Nashida."

"It is all weird looking. Like it is distorted or something."

"To modern eyes, the map can look superficially primitive and inaccurate. However, this map was never meant to be used as a navigational chart and it made no pretense of showing land and water proportionately. Rather, maps like this were schematic and were meant to illustrate different principles. And of course despite being advanced for their time, they didn't have advanced satelite photos and such that we do today."

"Why are the edges so small?"

"All map makers of the day made their maps with cultural biases. Indeed we still do today. The largest part of this map is the center, Arabian portion. The rest of the world was less important in their eyes so it didn't take central importance in the map. Even today all our maps are oriented with Arabia in the center a tradition that dates back centuries."

The teacher waits a moment as the class continues to take in his words and look at the old Al-Idrisi map. Then he flips the slide.

"This here is a more modern representation of the old world. It is a political map with each nation's boundries clearly marked as they were back in the 10th century:"



All map makers today, like the one who made the above map owe our ancestors such as Al-Idrisi a debt of honor for pushing the field forward long ago.

[condor223]

Hatshepsut turned from the dock. Two ships sailed westward to the sunset, three more were being prepared for the mission to the land of Punt. The seventy foot vessels each with several sails; accommodated 210 men, including sailors and thirty rowers, were told to reopen trade and to return with Myrrh to use in worship at the Krishnarian temples at Karnak. The twin obelisks were nearly free from the earth, and would soon be on the way to mark her reign.

Senmut oversaw the Mortuary temple at Deir el Bahari, and was commanded to commemorate the renewal of trade routes with Egypt’s neighbors. Trade was flourishing, building projects filled the land with activity and the sound of many hammers in quarries. As an advisor, Senmut was unsurpassed in wisdom and cunning.

Thutmose, Hatshepsut’s Co-regent trained with the military, his age increasing. Soon he hoped to become Pharaoh in his own right… pushing aside his step mother-co regent.

[Levi_the_Oracle]

I never imagined, even in my childhood fantasies, that I would be gifted with this curse in a more quiescent manner. The view before me was the most spectacular I had ever seen and the company was, for the first time since I had assumed leadership of the Incans, of a type from which I did not seek to escape. The old man had at first seemed to me to be quite frail but he moved through the treetops with an ease born of familiarity. The young girl, trying so hard to behave like an adult, was clearly terrified by her current predicament but at the same time, awed by it.

The young girl and I sat in wooden woven basket chairs, dangling at the end of a fibrous rope from a limb above us. The old man tended to our every need and comfort. Our seats had been positioned to view the sun-set behind the mountain to the east. The sky filled with staggering, ever changing color as the great ball of heat sent light bouncing off the glacier. Occasionally we would feel a gentle breeze blowing down from the mountain setting our otherwise still chairs rocking.

At first it was very hard to enjoy the simple fair of the monks, as well as the view. The mind tended to remind one over and over that you were at the top of a very large tree supported by little more than a hemp rope and the floor beneath your feet was little more than a birds nest. The old man didn’t seem to understand our concern with our footing so high in the treetop, but the meal he served us was delicious and the chairs comfortable, and with a view few in the world can have claimed to have seen, we relaxed.

After a while the old man began to speak to us, he told us a story about the Sun and the Great Tree.

“In the days before the people that lived in these lands called themselves Incans, the sun set behind that mountain. It lit the sky with all those strange colors every day, but there was no one there to see it. This saddened the Sun, for what was the purpose in creating something so beautiful when there was no one there to enjoy it? So the Sun shown on this place with its blessing and that blessing produced a seed. That small seed was the first tree, the tree in which you now sit.”

The old man did not sit in one of the dangling chairs, as there were only two. He sat on the floor of the bird’s nest next to a wooden tray on which he had the meats and vegetables as well as a pitcher of some yellow liquid. He noticed my glass needed a refill and rose with a gracefulness that did not seem possible for what appeared to be a feeble old man. Quietly and without comment he poured the liquid into my glass and then settled back into his spot and continued his tale.

“Each time the small sapling produced a new leaf, its relationship with the Sun grew stronger, and the Sun gave its best to help its child to prosper. And as the tree grew, its voice could be heard by the Sun as it glorified its beauty. Soon the Sun began to feel the need to create other kinds of trees, and thus the trees have spread virtually everywhere. All other trees are different from the one tree, in that they eventually die. The one tree continued to live and grow and is still alive today.”

The old man sprang to his feet to offer the young girl a banana. She glanced at me as if to get my permission. I nodded my head to her and she slowly took the fruit from the old man. She looked at me and asked me, “Are you really going to let them chop down this tree?”

I knew why the old man had invited the two of us. There was no way I could let this area be developed. When the Romans has attacked the Incan people, I had ordered a road build through the wilderness to connect Cuzco with Machu Picchu. The brigade of road builders entered the ancient forest and made a road, and ran right into the priests of the trees. The Priests has insisted that they not build this war road through the sacred forest, but the workers were determined to carry out their orders. The road was completed but it prompted the druids to demand an audience.

“Of course I am not going to let them harm this tree.” It was clear to me that the Sun was again speaking to me, this time through a tree. “I am going to make this area a national arboretum, and I shall allow these monks to administrate it, as they have already done for these many centuries.” I glanced at the old man, his dirty gray robe did not cover his scrawny old-man legs very well. He did not make any outward sign that he had heard me at all, either approving or disapproving.

After several minutes of silence while the sky to the west continued to deepen its colors from the brighter yellows and blues to the deeper reds and purples, the young girl started fidgeting in her chair. I had told her she could tell me all about what she had seen in the city of Coryhuayrachina after I had with the high druid. I could see she was doing everything possible to mind her manners and deal with the height of our perch. Trying to sound very much like what I thought a leader should sound like, and failing miserably, I said, “Please tell me the news you bring me from Coryhuayrachina.”

The young girl stammered a bit as she tried to recall something she had obviously been asked to memorize. “G-greetings exalted one from M-manco Capac, G-governor of the g-great north eastern city of Coryhuayrachina. I have sent my daughter Manco Chiha, as a messenger and a witness.” She stopped as though to gather her thoughts but it was apparent that the latest reflection of the light through the glacier caused her to forget what she was saying. Beams of white and yellow shot up through the sky but the overall background of deep red and black was unimpressed. “That’s me!” she said after appreciating that view.

“My father was asked to meet with an old woman from the Carthaginians. I knew my father was worried about the city being attacked from the north because a large army had been stationed in the palace as a garrison. The first time the old lady had come was to ask about trading Ivory. I guess they made some kind of deal because I saw a caravan of great tusks being moved north through the city. Then all of a sudden the garrison of the city left and moved west to Tiwanaku. I guess they knew something was up because a little while later the Vikings declared war on us. I guess my daddy knew what he was doing.”

I began to get worried that his little girl didn’t actually have a point, but when I glanced at the old man, he was looking straight at me and nodded his head at me. I took this to mean I should listen to her despite the fact that she seemed to be quite a little talker. She continued…”The old lady was very polite and when I saw her a second time, she came graciously and we had a lovely tea.” The young girl took a drink of her beverage and inhaled deeply before continuing.

“I was very impressed by the old lady because she was the leader of their army. For when she came the second time, a whole bunch of soldiers came marching through the city. I couldn’t believe how many there were. My father was very worried that his decisions would lead to some kind of surprise attack on our peaceful boarders with England, but the army of Carthage did not invade the English. The army of Carthage marched to the south. That is when I decided to follow the army and observe them. I never told my father I was going to go, but it seemed like such a grand adventure. “

She smiled with an impish grin , took yet another deep breath and continued, ”It wasn’t really very hard to slip in amongst the camp followers, and I brought a fair amount of food with me, so I was welcomed. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for but I just followed the army from Carthage, and they kept going south. When I left them, they were in the city of Pisae, you know, that one that we Incans conquered from the Romans in the alliance war.”

When she inhaled the next time, I realized she had the power to speak non-stopped and once she got rolling, she did not stutter. But the information she was relaying to me was not completely new. I knew the army had moved west, I had ordered it. I also knew that the Carthaginians has wished to use their open boarders agreement with the Incan people to move an army through our territory. This I did not want to agree to, but the superior size of the Carthaginian army convinced me to concede to their request.

“The Governor of Pisae was a friend of my daddies and so when the army of Carthage arrived, I went to see him. It was he that sent me by swiftest horseback to find you 'great leader' Levi, and tell you all I had seen” She looked up at me for a moment and the last light of the sunset showed the face of a very frightened young girl.

Something in the voice of the young girl when she called me “great leader Levi” told me she was not confident in my leadership. I knew that she did not view me as a great leader. She was on the adventure of a lifetime and she felt free to speak her mind. I had treated her as an equal, and she responded with honesty. She looked uncomfortable and squirmed around in her chair. The sky was now almost completely dark and the stars began to come out. The little girl fell silent and that feeling of peace fell upon us again. We passed a few minutes in silence as the light continued to plunge toward total darkness, and as we watched, our view of the stars was glorious.

The old man then began to tell another story. His voice crackled with age and sparkled as he spoke. “The trees have voices that can be heard over vast distances in the evening breezes if you are patient enough to hear it. These trees whisper to us that the Carthaginian army is in our lands under false pretenses. That the Carthaginians are not going to use their army as they have promised.” The old man stopped speaking as he picked up a small, corked bottle.

As he held up the tiny bottle, the first of the rising moon’s rays began to filter through the one tree’s canopy. The container was of brown glass, crudely formed. The cork had been sealed with some kind of wax that had been applied liberally. Staring at the tiny bottle, the old man continued, “The trees also speak of the need they have to live. Your population grows at a staggering pace and your workers continue to cut down ancient trees, some with voices of their own. The trees speak clearly with one voice in offering you a gift, and a curse. If you, Levi, leader of the Incan people, will preserve the ways of the druids, and help to preserve the worlds forests, we would like to offer you the blood of the one tree.”

He stood without difficulty and brought the glass vial to me, but did not extend it to me so that I could easily take it. I said, “What is this ‘blood of the one tree?’ and what’s this about a curse?”

The moonlight now was the primary source of light in this treetop nest, and it filtered eerily through the higher reaches of the tree. The sun had now completely set and the cool breeze coming off the glacier was noticeably uncomfortable now. The old man continued his story telling. “When the Sun wanted there to be company with which to share the beauty of the heavens, it gave a small piece of its immortality to that seed. This tree still lives today and has fathered every other plant found. Eventually we humans came along and we listened to the trees, and we learned from them. We learned to extract the immortality of the Sun and bottle it.”

I looked more closely at the bottle, it had no label, and it was not a beautiful thing by any means but I realized how valuable it would be to some people if it really were an elixir that prolonged life. I didn’t really believe in such things myself, but I was curious what strings these druids would attach to such a gift. “What exactly are you asking me for in exchange for this ‘blood of the one tree’”?

“It is not I that ask, but the trees that wish to be your ally. If you will preserve us, we shall watch you age more slowly, as our representative to the people. You must agree to abandon your state religion and become a pagan nation. The trees have observed that you humans live for to short a period of time to understand the importance of all religions. We desire that every city in the Incan Empire endeavor to welcome missionaries of all faiths.”

I thought about the enormous change that might have on this society, but I was worried about the part he mentioned about a curse, and what worried me more was he kept avoiding telling me about it. “What is the curse about?” I said addressing the old man, but it was the young girl that answered.

“Do you really want to live forever?”

[Robert]

The story of the rise of Asoka

Before the murdering of Ghandi Asoka was lying in his bed. He was crying because of the loss of his father. Eventhough he mourned in his heart his mind hadn't accepted it yet. His servants entered and asked how they could serve the prince, and he sent them all away.

Gotam entered the room and said: "Mylord, Ghandi has crowned himself king of India!"
"Leave me alone" Asoka replied.
"You cannot let this happen!"
"Let me be here all by myself, picturing my father on the empty walls of my heart"
"I am ready to serve you in whatever manner you want me to serve you! I can do it now!"
"Do whatever you want to do, as long as you leave me here and lock the door"
"Do I have your blessings?"
"You have my blessings, you can get all my blessings as long as you go away!"
Gotam left the room.

Then a voice was heard inside Asoka's head: "Why are you looking for the death? Why do you mourn among those who are gone instead of serving the people who are alive? Your mourning won't bring me back! Lead my people and let my spirit live in you!"
Asoka jumped from his bed and screamed: "Father, father, come and help me!"
*silence*
Asoka screamed: "FATHER, DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"
*silence*
Asoka fall on the floor, slammed his fists against the walls and spoke with a great voice: "FATHER, speak to me and heal my spirit! I will revenge you and I will not rest before I'll hold the bleeding hearts of your murderers in my hands!"
"So many deaths..... instead of the bleeding hearts of our enemies you'll hold the bleeding body of your brother before the sun sets!"

The door slammed open.
Chinese warriors entered the room, followed by the Chinese consult. Arrows were aimed at him, blades were ready to fight.
Asoka regained his long lost energy and his will to live. He ordered his thoughts in his head. He knew what it was that the chinese consul came to tell him. Suddenly he could see clearly and he saw the road he had to go. The golden path.

"Welcome, chinese soldiers!" Asoka said.
"How can I help you?"
"As you can see, I have left my bed, and I am ready to govern my people again"
"What have you done?" The consul asked.........

The rest is history. (and you can read it HERE)