History of the World XI - 11 o'clock, one hour before doomsday! [Story Thread]

[Robert]

Teachings of Martin van Buren, Great Prophet of Islam
Hail the holy land of Germany.
For Allah will send blessings to Germany.
Germany will be known as the nation to which Islam came first in it's full strength.

Those who will invade Germany and harm it's inhibitants will face the wrath of Allah.
It's better that they were not born at all then if they have to face the cruel repression Allah has ordinated for those who dare to counter Germany.

Let it be known to all that the German people are the number one loved ones by Allah.
May the Germans live forever and their king be glorious, for Allah has love and caring for those who listen to his prophets!

[Robert]

Martin van Buren prophecises about Portugal
To Portugal the word of Allah came through the mouth of Martin van Buren.
"Portugal, thy are holy among the heathens, for despite that thy has not embraced Islam yet, Allah has forseen a gorious future for you. Allah will surely bless you and make the works of your hands be splendid. The day you will convert, oh Portugal, you will find Allah on your side. Portugal will be known as one of the holy nations of Islam, together Germany and America." thus were the words of Allah, spoken by Martin van Buren, Great Prophet of Islam.

[Robert]

Player Activity Table
Green = active
Red = inactive

Story Thread:
---- Session 9 - Friday October 26th ----
October 26th - CyberShy
October 22nd - Asmodeous
October 22nd - Frank Johnson
October 20th - Nolan
October 20th - The_Aussie_Lurker
---- Session 8 - Friday October 19th ----
---- Session 7 - Friday October 12th ----
October 12th - LzPrst
October 11th - Deity
October 8th - arvcran
---- Session 6 - Friday October 5th ----
---- Session 5 - Friday September 28th ----
September 18th - Toni
---- Session 4 - Friday September 21th ----
September 21th - dacole
---- Session 3 - Friday September 14th ----
---- Session 2 - Friday September 7th -----
September 6th - Beta
---- Session 1 - Friday August 31th ---------

Organization Thread:
---- Session 9 - Friday October 26th ----
October 26th - CyberShy
October 26th - Nolan
October 26th - Frank Johnson
October 25th - Toni
October 21th - Deity
October 19th - Mr.Lincoln
---- Session 8 - Friday October 19th ----
October 19th - LzPrst
October 18th - Dacole
---- Session 7 - Friday October 12th ----
October 12th - arvcran
October 8th - Asmodeous
---- Session 6 - Friday October 5th ----
October 6th - Beta
---- Session 5 - Friday September 28th ----
---- Session 4 - Friday September 21th ----
---- Session 3 - Friday September 14th ----
---- Session 2 - Friday September 7th -----
---- Session 1 - Friday August 31th ---------
August 11th - The_Aussie_Lurker

[Robert]

Players:

	Civilization	Leader	also known as	Former players / Subs
Arvcran	Inca	Huayna Capac
The_Aussie_Lurker (2*)	Ethiopia	Zara Yaqob
Mr.Lincoln (1) / LzPrst (3)	Russia	Stalin		Mr.Lincoln (s1,7), LzPrst (s2-6), AI (s8)
Dacole (2)	England	Elizabeth	Daniel, Cole	LzPrst (s1), AI (s8)
Beta (1)	Rome	Augustus	Toxoxi	Mr.Lincoln (s6)
Nolan (4)	Byzantine	Justinian I	condor233	AI (s3)
CyberShy (5)	America	Lincoln	Rho'd Berth
Deity (15)	Portugal	Joao II
Asmodeous	Native America	Sitting Bull		AI (s1), Deity Dude (s2)
Toni (3)	Dutch	Willem van Oranje
Frank Johnson (15)	Germany	Bismarck	Dangime

[deity]

Originally posted by CyberShy
Martin van Buren prophecises about Portugal
To Portugal the word of Allah came through the mouth of Martin van Buren.
"Portugal, thy are holy among the heathens, for despite that thy has not embraced Islam yet, Allah has forseen a gorious future for you. Allah will surely bless you and make the works of your hands be splendid. The day you will convert, oh Portugal, you will find Allah on your side. Portugal will be known as one of the holy nations of Islam, together Germany and America." thus were the words of Allah, spoken by Martin van Buren, Great Prophet of Islam.

João, the nephew, nearly had his power base. Most of Portugal was now Islam and soon he would strike. He could feel the power as the words of Allah passed from ear to ear.

His Christian rival to the Portuguese throne had allowed the Ethiopians to advance north and attack England but Confucionism was not for Portugal despite the huge advantages it offerred.

A pragmatic position would be taken with the Ethiopians and it was regarded as a nation very difficult to convert to Islam but time will tell.

It is the Russians that the Islamic Empire needed to convert or there would be a major war. It seems that very soon Russia would attack either Germany or Portugal but if they do they will have a fight on their hands. They will feel the steel and bullets of Islam and yield to it.

[Robert]

More prophecies from Martin van Buren
Martin said: "I saw the the earth as if I was sitting on the roof of the mountains. All kingdoms layed at my feet. I saw an army of Russian infidels marching towards Portugal. The portugese leaders lead the portugese army, holding a confucianistic banner.

I saw a portugese messenger, bringing word from Joao to all Confucianistic nations of the world, pleading for help. I saw the messenger being killed and torturered.

I saw the Portugese army marching to the front. Proud and strong, but all by themselves. The infidels invaded Portugal and razed the cities of the once so proud nation.

I cried to Allah: "Don't let this happen! Don't ruin this grande civilization! Prevent, I know you can do it."

Then I saw a 2nd vision.
I was on the roof of the mountains once again. I saw the army of the Russian infidels marching towards Portugal. The Portugese leaders lead their army. Joao was in the first line, holding the banner of Islam. Behind him there was an army with soldiers from all Islamitic holy nations on earth. People from Jefferson and Berlin, people from Lissabon and New York. Boston and Hamburg. Speaking Portugese, German and American.

The infidels tried to invade the mighty holy Portugese empire, but were destroyed by the holy army. The Portugese empire was victorious. People cheared.

I saw Joao, together with the German and American leaders. They prayed to Allah and gave thanks to him who gave victory."

[Robert]

Session 1: 96 turns
Session 2: 90 turns
Session 3: 63 turns
Session 4: 57 turns
Session 5: 58 turns
Session 6: 14 turns
Session 7: 36 turns
Session 8: 30 turns
Session 9: 50 turns

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

An end to War.

The war lasted for more than 5 long years. Though Nottingham (now New Gondar) & Warwick fell relatively quickly, it took many years to put down resistance in the region, & fight off numerous counter-attacks from Anglaisi Forces. However, after 5 years, the English were showing signs of getting worn down. Then, finally, an Anglaisi scout arrived bearing news from the latest in a long line of Queens bearing the name of Elizabeth (probably some Heathen attempt to make their Queen seem 'immortal'). The scout indicated that the Queen's chief advisors would meet with Ethiop representatives at the city of Nottingham. The Scout's reference to New Gondar as 'Nottingham' infuriated Queen Darambulla, but she held her tongue. 'Very Well,' she told the scout 'We shall meet with your people at New Gondar within the month.'
A month later, the Queen & High Priest M'Lecki III waited in the town hall of New Gondar-with guards in attendance-awaiting the arrival of the Anglaisi delegation.
The door was thrown open & the new Lord Mayor stepped in & announced "Your Royal Majesty & your Eminence, the Lord Chamberlain of Anglais-Lord Buttingworth."
The pompous looking Chamberlain stepped inside with his enterouge, & everyone took a seat around the large negotiating table. "So," said Queen Darambulla "you know what we want-full recognition of our sovereignty over the cities of New Gondar & Warwick. In return, we pledge not to push our borders any further north of the current frontier." Before the Chamberlain could say anything, though, the High Priest piped in "of course, this war wasn't cheap for us, & a lot of ordinary Ethiopians dug deep for the benefit of their Brothers in the Faith within Anglais. We would be remiss if they were to miss out on any kind of financial compensation."
Now Lord Buttingworth did speak up "we anticipated that peace wouldn't come cheap, so our Queen sent this to sweeten the deal." He clapped his hands & two porters entered the room carrying a very large chest. The chest was opened up & even the Queen could barely contain her shock. Within the chest was thousands of gold & silver sovereigns, pound coins & other Anglaisi coinage. Amongst these were also fabulous articles & jewelry (though much, the Queen noted, was of Ethiop design). She also noted several scrolls containing the most accurate maps available. In her wildest dreams, she did not expect such a generous settlement, but she hid it very well when the moment came "very well, Lord Buttingworth, tell the Queen that we shall have peace between us, & may the Peace last a thousand years."
With that, the Anglais delegation departed & the Queen made plans for her return to Aksum with the Spoils of War-spoils which she had many plans for....

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

Birth of a New Institution

The Queen & the High Priest returned from the War with Anglais as conquering heroes. Even moreso when they showed the people the treasures gifted to their nation from their vanquished foes. These spoils of war acted as a final piece of a puzzle the queen had been working on for many years-even before the war. She recognised that the Royal Treasury could no longer be the sole source of revenue for the State, & that some kind of Semi-Private Institution would be necessary. Some of the booty from the war could be used to help establish it. Queen Darambulla discussed her idea with the best merchants & artisans in the Empire, explaining how she wanted an Institution where people could place their surplus cash-cash which could then be used to finance new businesses, trade missions & building works. In return, a portion of any profits from these ventures would be paid every year to those who held their money in this institution. All those present agreed that it was a wonderful plan &-before too long-a new Central Bank was established in the heart of Aksum. Local merchants, artisans & even ordinary workers flocked to the bank to place their surplus cash within in. This flood of cash, combined with the money acquired from the Anglais, was used to fund a host of worthwhile projects. A great work was built in the heart of Aksum to celebrate the victory over the Anglais-a series of connected temples & gardens-known as the Aksum Wat-was built to represent the glade in which the All-Mother was believed to have appeared for the very first time.
In Gondar, a glorius Shrine was erected to celebrate the anniversery of the Founding of Totus-Matraism. This shrine attracted pilgrims from far & wide, & the money they brought flowed into the Empire's coffers.
In Aksum, a project was completed that involved the bringing together of all the great legends & histories of the Ethiop people into a single Epic Work. This work, & its antecedants, were put on display in a magnificent new building where the greatest artists, philosophers & scientists could come to be inspired. One such artist-a poet-was sufficiently stirred to write a heart-rending ballad about the great sacrifice of a particularly noble group of Knights. This work sold thousands of copies at home & abroad, & became yet another window on Ethiop culture to the foreign nations which surrounded it....

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

Addendum 1. Diplomatic Matters.

With the Queen back in Aksum, & her Central Bank already reaping dividends, she decided it was time to deal with some outstanding diplomatic issues.
First of all, she met with a diplomatic attaches representing both of the current factions struggling over the Portugeuse throne. To both she said "tell your leader that I appreciate their restraint during our troubles with the Anglais. Please give him my assurance that my territorial ambitions do not stretch any further north than the twin cities of New Gondar & Warwick". To that effect, the Queen handed over a document-bearing her royal seal-pledging ongoing friendship with the Portuguese nation & officially pledging not to cross the frontier in arms. Before the delegations left, she also handed each one a copy of her own memoirs. "Tell your leader that I have detailed the manner in which I was able to establish myself as absolute ruler of my nation-& consolidate my authority-both with the full backing of our Most Holy Church. He may find it most useful if & when he gains the throne for himself." They then thanked her & left.
Next, the Queen met with a delegation from The Nederlands. First, she gave them a small chest containing many beautiful & valuable treasures. "Tell your King that these Spoils of War come from the Queen of Ethiop as a continuing pledge of our strong friendship & shared bonds of Faith." She then steeled herself & said "however, friendship & Shared Faith cannot allow us to continue to overlook the overexpansion of the Dutch Empire. The city of Hague has long encroached on the boundries of the Ethiop Empire, yet has long remained cut off from the bulk of the Dutch Empire. Also, we are aware that there is a significant Ethiop minority within that city. Therefore, we would like to establish a Summit to discuss the future of Hague & its eventual incorporation into the Ethiop Empire." Somewhat bemused, the delegation left whilst the Queen sat back feeling very pleased with her performance. She keenly hoped that diplomacy would win the day, but Hague would be hers-one way or another.....

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

Addendum 2. A new Cult is born.

With the war over, & many soldiers dead on the field of battle, many religious scholars started to contemplate the nature of death & the relationships between the various religions of the world.
To this end, they gathered up all of the legends & holy books of the various religions of different nations-Islam, Daoism, Buddhism, The Resubmerged & The All-Mother Goddess Faith. What they found was remarkable, as they were struck by the enormous similarity between the various faiths. They therefore propounded a new Sect of the All-Mother which took the view that all the other Gods, Godesses & Prophets-be it Van Buren, or the Son of Neptune, or Buddha or Lao Tzu-were really just various faces of the All-Mother. Effectively they were either human or divine Avatars here to reveal the Truth in a manner acceptable to each nation. This new sect-known as PolyMatraism-also propounded that those who died were merely reborn into different bodies-either human or animal. Some of these Rebirths could be occasionally infused with a spark of the All-Mother, which could then serve as her Avatar. Although this new sect never achieved Official Sanction from the State, it did change the State's outlook towards other, so called 'Foreign' faiths. The Queen & The High Priest offered a joint edict welcoming the Evangalists & Prophets of all other faiths within their borders.

[deity]

Secret letter to Islamic leader: Martin van Buren, Great Prophet of Islam

Copied to: Bismarck of Germany

Dated: Oct 29 970AD

Salaam Martin,

I call on you to convene an Islamic Council of War post haste.

We need to formulate our policy of Islamic dominance in world affairs. A frightened world seeks to divide and conquer us but we remain solid as American marble.
What do we cry? Do we annhilate all resistance and embark on a jihad to rid the world of the proven enemies od Islam OR do we mount insistent diplomatic pressure for economic gains.

The treachury of the Dutch must be at the top of our agenda for discussion; followed by a discussion on strategies to deal with and convert Russia to Islam.
I have family ties with Ethiopia and wish to discuss our policy on Ethiopia and their claim on the Hague.

Also my upcoming coronation as King is required as is custom in Portugal. I'm sure it has your blessings.

Abd as-Salam

Joao

[Robert]

Islam about to conquer the world and bring peace
Mr. van Buren, we received word from Germany and Portugal. They are ready.
We received word from various nations around the world as well, they will not convert to Islam.

"As we expected." Martin van Buren, Great Prophet of Islam, said.
"Send out the message once again, and prepare for war."

Final warning to all nations on Earth
Today is the last change for all nations on earth to embrace Islam and live in peace.
The Islamitic Jihad will start today, and as Allah has ordered us, we will crush every civilization that will not listen to his commands!

You can either follow the words of the Great Prophets, or meet their swords and their bullets.
There is no other way. God fights at our side. Together with our great strength of arms we will bring Islaim to all corners of the earth, with or withour your cooperation.

Don't keep resisting against the strong arms of Allah.
Don't stay deaf for the true words of his prophets!
Give to your people the truth and the peace of Islam, and you will live in peace forever, ruled by the Great Prophets of Allah.

Today is the day that the true enlightment of Earth will start! Jihad! Jihad! Jihad!

Message to those who show wisdom and want to embrace Islam
If you want to obey the words of Allah and his Great Prophet, send an emissionary to the Islamitic Powers of the world (America, Germany and Portugal) and tell them you will convert.
If you are not known with the wisdom of Islam, we will send you a missionary immediately.
If you are familiar with the truth, convert to Islam immediately, open your borders to all Islamitic nations, stop any trading with non-islamitic nations. The grace of Islam will protect you and you will pluck the fruits of it's conquests!

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

Changing of the Guard.

After a long & Glorious Reign, Queen Darambulla finally passed away at a ripe old age of 95, & sat on the throne for 60 of those years-longer than any Ethiopian Monarch before her. Fearing a crisis of succession, the Queen selected her eldest Grandson to succeed her upon her death, so Zara Yaquob VI ascended the throne after a smooth transition. Though he revered his GranMater, the 20 year old Zara decided that his approach to running the Empire would be very different. One of the first things he did was to go-with a large retinue in tow-to attend the Coronation of King Joao of Portugal. The cermony followed strict Islamic Traditions which-though King Yaquob did not understand them-he observed very dilligently (he was a strong adherent to the PolyMatraist sect of Totus-Matraism, in spite of his GranMater's disapproval).
After the coronation, King Yaquob had an opportunity to meet the other Islamic kings of this region-Martin Van Buren of America & Bismark of Germany (though, oddly, Bismark didn't refer to himself as "King") He spoke long with both leaders, hoping to heal the long rift that had existed between their empires. Unfortunately, their desperate bids to get him to convert to the Islamic Faith marred this initial contact, but he reiterated Queen Darambulla's pledge of free passage for any Islamic Missionary within Ethiopian borders. Though relations remained cool, the meeting was not a complete failure. He did recieve assurances from both leaders that future summits could be held between their nations-especially as the vexed issue of Hague still hung in the air between Ethiopia & The Nederlands. He also learned a great deal about the governmental structure of Germany. The idea of an elected group to vet the decisions of the ruler of the day absolutely intrigued King Yaquob &-upon his return from the coronation-he set about trying to establish a similar type of government back at home.
He discussed this Representative System with all his closest advisors &-after much wrangling-he finally drafted a document that both set out the Rights & Responsibilities of ALL the citizens of Ethiopia & which set in place a system for electing a Representative Council to vet all of King Yaquob's decisions-as well as to make policy of their own for the King to make into Law.
The system was simple enough. In each village, town & city, the Nobles, Priests, Artisans & Merchants could nominate themselves for the Representative Council (with a maximum of 10 per population centre). The rest of the Nobility, Priesthood, Artisan & Mercantile classes in those population centres would then vote for their preferred Candidate-with the top 4 being chosen.
Each of these representatives would then spend 3-4 months of the year in Aksum, where they would vote on decisions made by the king & vote in laws for the King to approve. The rest of the time they would spend amongst their own people, collecting information & complaints to both be relayed to the king at the next meeting of the Council, & to help formulate policy to be voted on. In addition, a single member of the Council was made Chief Consul on the basis of an absolute majority vote by the Council. The role of the Chief Consul was to moderate discussion, decide which Legislation would be voted on each day, select ministers to report to the King & to cast the deciding vote in the rare case of a Tie. Although based partly on the German model as described, King Yaquob VI also used the model used in the old City-State days-before the nation became united under the rule of a single Monarch.
The effect on Ethiop society was electric. The professional classes-of all stripes-became far more productive in all their endeavours. Also, as ordinary people felt they now had a more direct line to the King Himself, they became much happier with his Rule-& more Content & productive in more general terms.
It didn't look like much, but the long slow march to Full Democracy had begun.

[deity]

Christian enclaves in Portugal still...

"Sh.. I've got some news... read this" Joao the Pom was in London and mused over the pieces of the intercept. What did this mean for Portugal? For England?

... Great Prophet

We... have been known for our peaceful... way of life and would like to continue... thus... we approach you to build close... but... we... hope to build a strong... and ask you to teach us the ways of your... religion... the powerful Islamic faith... we... submissively... help spread it to the main cities of our nation.

... some of our cities have... accepted your faith... and... tells us that... the Islamic faith was purposefully spread to Portugal... naturally we... live your way of life...

We know that many have rejected your religion but... open arms and await... We hope that you will accept us and show us the right path.

Your friends... Russia... nation... balance... German... declared... world...

We.. response Great Prophet...