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

[LzPrst]

Refuge of Rus. Rostov. Vladimir.

Response to the English messenger.
Tell your Queen, English, that Rostov is the eastern home of Russia and has been for centuries. We had settled here long before your queen began "warning" us of marching further east. And though we wished to do so, we chose to be good neighbours and respect your wishes, however irrational and baseless her demands seemed. Instead Ethiopia settled where we intended, but as our friends we wished them well and hope they shall live long in the land and prosper there. And so we believed the matter to be settled.

Yet now... your harlot queen sends insults and makes usurpations. Her previously thinly veiled threats have now been replaced by sheer delusion of grandure and ignorance so profound that even our most foolish subjects would put her knowledge of the world to shame.

Tell your Queen, English, that if ANY English come within sight of Russian borders again, we will not hesitate to destroy them without mercy. And let your mad woman know that if she EVER threaten the Rus again, or claim our ancient home of Rostov or any other Russian territory, we will crush her Queendom like an iron rod would smash a potters vessel.

Take these words back to your Queen, and if you or any of your kind even come close to Russia again, we will call your bluffs and threats and meet you on the field of battle. And let me assure you, if your folly brings this to pass, then your nation of foolish men and deranged women will die like cows at the slaughter. Now praise Neptune that I am a man of faith and thought, for your shorn-off head would have said in fewer words what I have said here today. Now leave while you still have your head.




Pitrograd. Port of Rus. The Great Lighthouse.
The people of Pitrograd worked hard for many decades, setting stone upon stone upon stone. Russia lacked the wealth of other nations, there were no fertile grasslands where villages could grow. The wealth of Russia must come from elsewhere and so the crafty Rus sought to draw sailors from faraway lands. And so the tower that stretched to the sky was set ablaze at its top, a beacon for all navigators of the waters to follow. Great Lighthouse was built, and from Holland they came, and Ethiopia and Germany and from the Byzantine, traders flooded into Pitrograd, Muscowy, Rostov, and the other cities of the Rus.

And Pitr of Pitrograd sent this message to all nations of the earth, come friends, trade with our merchants for we shall all find good deals in the thronging barterplaces of the Rus. The English did receive no message.

A special envoy was sent to the far north where the Americans lived, and an invitation was delivered. Send us your traders and seafarers, to Russia, we will gladly open our sealanes and lands to your travelers so that you may trade with all the nations of the world and bring our people closer together.




Novgorod. Boris Bearslayer. Kursk.
For centuries Novgorod had lain in the shadow of the Portugese city of Coimbra. By treaty Novgorod would not challenge Portugese claims in the area, much to the dismay of the people who settled there. It was agreed that the city would be moved and the people of Novgorod had been preparing to leave the lands for many centuries. And after many centuries, the last people of the city had taken their tools and left. And as stipulated by the ancient treaty, the city was abandoned. The Portugese sent an observer to witness the completion of the relocation and when the city was empty, they burned the remnants so that none would seek to return. And thus the Rus stayed true to their agreement, though it pained them greatly.

Yet from the ashes, there arose a new city on the other side of the great mountain peak. And it was named Kursk. And the prince of the city spoke of it's people. The hard steppes had forged them thus.

"As to my Kurskers, they are famous swords—swaddled under war-horns, nursed under helmets, fed from the point of the spear; to them the trails are familiar, to them the ravines are known, the bows they have are strung tight, the quivers, unclosed, the sabers, sharpened; themselves, like gray wolves, they lope in the field, seeking for themselves honor, and for their prince glory."



Moscow. Mother Rus. King's Throne.
And it came to pass that the Russian people sought leadership and they spoke amongst themselves and said, in many other lands there is a King, a lord to rule and give laws and make commandments. We wish also to have a King. And they spoke to the strong men who had lead them and said, who among you should we make King? And the strong men discussed among themselves and said, Pitr the builder would be a good King they said. For he is strong and solid, and he thinks always of sturdy foundations and of the future. And many believed Pitr would make a good King.

But others said, but Vladimir Wanderer, he is also strong and solid. He lead the people across the vast deserts to settle the trading post of Rostov. He is also a man who thinks of the future and he has much wisdom and experience in dealing with other nations, for he befriended the Ethiopians and the Dutch and he faced down the English. He would make us proud if he were our King. And many agreed. He would make an excellent King.

And then there were some who said, but Boris Bearslayer! He has dealt with other nations, he has fought savage barbarians in the distant north, he has traveled in the Empire (by this they meant the great nation Portugal), and he is fiercely strong, and so solid among our people that all know his name and revere his strength and courage and wisdom. Surely he must be King!

And the three leaders met and discussed among themselves who would be King. After many months they walked out among the people and said.

Hear all people of Rus!
We have crowned a King. Boris Bearslayer will be the Lord Sovereign of Russia, Defender of the Rus. And Boris Bearslayers oldest daughter, Irina, shall marry the son of Pitr, and Boris Bearslayers youngest daughter, Dinora, shall marry the son of Vladimir Wanderer. And so the next generation of the royal family of the Rus shall represent all parts of Rus land. And so it was done and Boris Bearslayer the Great was crowned in Moscow and he took his home there in the Great Palace, and the people rejoiced greatly.

Long Live King Boris Bearslayer!

[deity]

The João I line was now headed by the last ageing despot, João the 80th.
João the 80th had continued the ways of his line - diplomacy, befriending, sucking up... yes Russia, sure Germany, no worries England, absolutely count on us America. All his neighbours could see this; and used this. João the 80th was the 80th legend.

A vast well-connected empire.

A rich empire with the world's greatest population, size, wealth, production & power.

The envy of the world.

And João (the first) of the II line could see this. He was the distant cousin of the sterile and impotent João I line. Luckily, with English and Germanic bloodlines, he did not suffer so and lusted in a most Christian way towards the English aristocracy. He found favour there and knew that Portrugal's current pathetic position on Russia was most displeasing to Elizabeth. Much assistance was privided by the English in the plotting and scheming of the downfall of the João I line; which some say was headed to oblivion in any case but what better chance for the young João (the first) of the II line to take the initiatve and make a real name for himself.

His destiny was to become the first King of Portugal and he laid out a preparatory manifesto - a political declaration of principles and intentions of the João II line :

* That England to be more overtly supported by the Portuguese in the face of Russian bravado and posturing.

* That more formal alliances are sort with England and Germany

* That England consider Portuguese settlements along the northern coastline if they are unable to hold their cities against attacks - perhaps a bridal city with Christian embellishments...

* That Russia immediately return the Portuguese troops sent ages ago for Russian defence against the barbarians

* That England communicate the ongoing need for the Portuguese troops sent ages ago for English defence against the barbarians

* That America explain its' obscene espionage count against Portugal and explain if she is involved in the many biblical events occurring in Portugal of late

* That any nation caught in any acts of espionage against Portugal will be automatically at war with Portugal, no respite, TOTAL WAR - take note that major counter-espionage efforts will be undertaken by João (the first) of the II line once he is coronated

* That the world at large, in acknowledgement of Portuguese generosities, does support the empire and its' building of the Hanging Gardens Wonder of the World, for it was Portugal that discivered Mathematics and shared it widely

* That Portugal will publish to the world at large a map of the known world and the extent of Portuguese explorations

* That Portugal aims to set forth on a major colonisation effort and intends to prove the world is not flat - as the far Eastern Romans seem only a little West of America

Yes, João (the first) of the II line had many plans and ideas. Would he undo the eon long work of the João I line ?

Or would he and his line capitalise on its' success and grow even greater, establishing a world-wide empire. Time will tell and as yet João the 80th remains THE DIPLOMATIC DESPOT.

[Frank Johnson]

The German Federation's focus drifted from the production intensive methods of the old city-states. Trade was king and each member sought anyway they could to increase the ammount of commerce within their lands. Trading villages popped up along river sides at regular intervals while lighthouses dotted the German coast. As the towns grew crowded ambitous merchants challegned the jungles to prodvide the exotic spices, dyes and fruits the population demanded.

Efforts were hampered by a series of natural distasters. Munich suffered a heavy flood and the statue of the King of Berlin, the oldest structure in Munich, was toppled during the storm. The spirits of the people were low after such a bad omen. Christians from the west spread their religion in the area which quickly filled the void and became the dominate faith in the area. The represenatives of Munich quietly filled the proceedings to have Christianity reconized as the state Religion of Germany, whlist most of the other representatives had finished conducting their business and left for a four-day weekend. The measure passed with the slimmest of magrins and the faith practiced only by a few within Germany became the offical state religion.

The events in Munich paled in comparision to the massive hurricane which struck the capital of Berlin. The city's barracks as damaged beyond repair in the gale force winds, as well as the massive forge which had opened only days before. This was a huge blow to Berlin which was already fading in comparision to the glowing city of Hamburg. Many families lost their homes in the storm and are forming large groups to leave the city, something that hasn't been common for centuries.

Many nations continued to do business with the German Federation and knowledge passed into and out of Germany from them as well. There had been no major desputes between Germany and its foreign neighbors and German armed forces constantly patroled its outlands making barbarian uprisings impossible. While from the outside little has changed within Germany over the decades a quiet transformation is taking place. Germany has great potential for both commerce and production which is only starting to be tapped. Though their beginings may be humble compared to other nations with numerous monuments or nearly twice as many cities, Germany quietly builds for the future.

[Robert]

United Villages of America - Union of Wonders

The Great Wall of Jefferson


The American people were protected from any barbarian invasion from the moment on that the Great Wall was erected. The Great Wall secured the homeland not only from barbarian invasions, but also motivated all soldiers to fight strong against all foreign agression. Word had been spread that many soldiers were eager to become Great Generals because they all hoped to walk over the wall one day as a Great General.

The Parthenon of Jefferson

The villagers of the UVA were known thinkers. Rumors said that the average American could think twice as fast as any other citizen of Terra.
Now the Parthenon had been finished in Jefferson these American citizen had access to more resources and more inspiration then ever before, pushing their scientific results beyond any boundaries imaginable. Together with the recent pacifistic change of governament, many Great Thinkers were born in the villages of America.

Shwedagon Paya of New York

The villagers of America weren't known as great religious leaders. They were in awe for the gods nevertheless. Therefor they erected the Shwedagon Paya in New York, giving the Americans access to all kinds of spiritial organization.

The Great Library of Jefferson

The already knowledgable and wise people of Jefferson got access to the Great Library, which contained all ancient knowledge of Terra. Inspired by the philosophical nature, the pacifistic lifestyle, and the nearby placement of the Parthenon, two scientists were working day by day to boost the scientific progress of the United Villages.
Rumors said that a new wonder was being erected soon in Jefferson which would give another philosophical boost to the UVA.

"The knowledge of the UVA is beyond all imagination" the King of Arabia said, when he visited Jefferson.

The abandoned project of the Great Library of Jefferson
Somewhere in Jefferson people could see the ruins of the abandoned project of the Great Pyramids. After the Germans finished a similar project only a few years before the Great Pyramids of Jefferson would be finished, the building of the Pyramids in Jefferson was stopped. "We will not copy anything that's been made abroad!" The Chieff had said. "We are creative thinkers, not copycats".

The abandoned project of the Temple of Artemis
James Monroe was puzzled with the Temple of Artemis.
The Temple had been finished in New York, and he was ready to reveal it to the public. Then a word from abroad came to him that a simular temple had already been finished far away in unknown territories.
What to do now? The temple had been finished already! Monroe decided to sell it to a public hedge fund who could use the temple for commercial purposes.

[Asmodeous]

Life had been hard in the southern tundra where the tribal lands of the Sioux existed. Raging Wolf's legacy continued to rage long after his death as the Dog soldiers moved about continuing to unite the tribes of the Native Americans. Through peaceful coexistance with their Dutch friends, whom they shared a great many secrets, and now even land, with, through careful agreements that mutually benefitted both parties. Even now, Stalking Tiger contacted their emissary personally to inform them of a small island to the East that looked more appealing for the Dutch people than the Sioux.

Recently, as the Natives began looking to the sea, a young man felt that he could prove that the world is not round, and that there is evidence to this in the fact that upon the flat ice, it seems to have a curve to it even when looking straight across it, creating a sort of "horizon", as he called it. He began comissioning boats, a great many Triremes, and soon Stalking Tiger was standing in a hut off the side of the capital city.

"Speak quickly, what is it you want? The people need their leader."

"I understand, Tiger, I am close to breakthrough, and I feel this will revolutionize sailing as we know it. Look.."

He lifted a cloth from what looked to be a large table in the center of the room. In it, a large vat of water sat with a carved chunk of the iron ore that the Natives recently understood, floating on a piece of cork in the center.

Stalking Tiger sighed, "So you made iron float. How.. exciting, I am a busy man and have much work to do, why must you waste--"

The man cut him off, "Look," he said as he spun the small cork with his finger, "If it is charged correctly, then it will always point one direction."

Stalking Tiger started to speak again, then immediately fell silent as the spinning came to a halt, then suddenly reversed direction to correct itself.

"What magic is this?"

Now the man was beaming with pride as he spoke, "It is not magic. I can make this with any iron you give me, however, now I work to make it smaller, smaller so that we can place one atop every ship we have in our fleet. Then, then I can prove to you all that this world is round."

Stalking Tiger nodded to him once, "Any funds you require are yours to have. Do this at once. We may be looked upon as backwards by a great number of those out there, even our Dutch friends, but they will know that our strengths are plenty. Go now, I have work to do. I hear that we have met new outsiders, they call themselves 'Byzantines', and the secrets they give us may help speed up your work."

With that, he left the hut, now deep in thought as to the future direction of his people. Long thought to be on the land. Now, he feels, may be atop the seas. . .

[LzPrst]

cricket sounds....

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

A monument for the Ages.....

In the year 1000 AMV, the fourth chieftan to bear the name Alum Moboya was nearing the end of his days. The family of the Chieftan were maneuvering themselves to put one of his distant cousins into power, but the elite members of the All-Mother Cult had since withdrawn their support for the family, & shifted it back to the family of an ancient chieftan-Zara Yaqob. A brief period of instability ensued in which the former ruling family was driven into exile. They & their supporters eventually went on to form the City of Labiela-a city that was Ehtiop in name alone, refusing to recognise the authority of the new Chieftan.

The new ruler, Zara Yaqob II, decided that what the Ethiop empire required was an edifice great enough to thank the All-Mother for his position, & to bring the town of Labiela into the fold. A monument which would stand the test of time & would track the movement of creation itself.
The task was long & arduous, as rough-hewn sandstone & granite was cut from the local hills & mountains. Labour was also recruited from the city of Gondoar to assist in the project. Many hundreds of people died in raising this edifice, many of them Gondoans, but none could deny the wonder of this structure when it was finally complete.

From the centre of the giant Henge, a person could track the passage of the sun & moon-both during the day/night cycle & over the space of the months & years. It was also possible to use the Henge to track the wheel & passage of the stars themselves-from which the accurate location of the Ethiop empire could be determined.

Many elite followers of the All-Mother flocked to this magnificent structure, in order to learn the mysteries of the universe & to determine the passage of the seasons. These followers developed elaborate rituals which could only be passed on to trusted followers, & which held less knowledgable citizens in awe. In time, this practice would lead to the formation of an entirely new class, a Priesthood that Chieftan & Commoner alike turned to for advice & guidance.

In the wider world too, the world was changing rapidly. Our warrior bands found that the Rus & the Anglais were not merely nomadic bands, but were a settled people not unlike our friends-the Nederlanders. Relations were strained, however, when a band of Anglaise Warriors came very close to the capital & appeared to be threatening the well-being of the empire. We immediately went on a War Footing-only to discover that the band had gotten lost in our lands. The Chieftan, Zaro Yaqob, was heartily annoyed, & determined that some means of communication was required to avoid such costly misunderstandings in the future.

Meanwhile, in the Neder-Lands, the people of that land had developed the worship of the All-Mother to levels undreamed of when we first introduced them to our beliefs. Our people were still content to revere the All-Mother as the first amongst a plethora of Nature Spirits. In the realm of Willem, however, we learned that they had DEIFIED the All-Mother-first as the chief of a Pantheon of Gods & Goddesses, then as the Sole Goddess of All. Although the Ethiop people had an understanding of this process, they were content to retain a 'simple' approach to the worship of the All-Mother.

In our northernmost reaches-in the city of Addis Addiba, a strange religion was being proselytised by Anglaise Missionaries, about a God called Neptune & his Son. This religion was very popular amidst our people in that city, & it was decided to encourage this faith-against the better judgement of our Priests & Priestesses-rather than risk driving a wedge through our empire-as happened before with Labiela.

Little did we know, though, that a strange revelation would change our relationship with the All-Mother for all time.....

[LzPrst]

< reserved for russian dynastic shifts and political developments >

stay tuned!

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

The Age of Enlightenment

Ethiop society changed irrevocably in 2400 AMV. The Ruling Elite were keen for a means to communicate their words & thoughts, indirectly, to their people-both now & in the future.
The answer came from the mercantile sector. They brought in pots & tablets which they claimed were used to keep track of inventory. The current ruler, Zara Yaqob V, & his cadre of advisors looked at the proffered items & saw a number of glyphs & symbols carved upon them.

The merchants were able to point to individual symbols & all agree upon what they meant. This was exactly what the Chief was looking for. The merchants & the empire's chief scholars took these items & spent the next 10 years developing a form of symbolic language-one which gave meaning to over 10,000 objects, actions & concepts.

This one discovery had an electric effect on the people of Ethiop. People across the empire finally felt united by a common culture, as tablets & sheets made from sea-reeds criss-crossed the land, passing information. Scholars started establishing repositories of knowledge where they could study the thoughts of the most influential people in society-second hand!

It also revolutionised international relations. Zara Yaqob V, now entering his 50th year of life, sent messages on papyrus sheets to all of Ethiop's neighbours, offering to open diplomatic relations with them & inviting their merchants & scholars to visit the grand cities of Aksum, Addis Ababa & Gondar. Soon trade relations had been established with all the neighbouring empires, with Ethiop merchants doing a brisk trade in elaborately designed pottery & statuettes made from wood, bronze, gold & even iron. The dominant theme of all these artworks was the central role of religion in Ethiop life-especially the Cult of the All-Mother.

Yet it wasn't just Objet d'Arts that were traded under this new enlightened system. Ideas & knowledge also flowed as never before. Our Dutch neighbours helped our scholars to further refine our symbolic language so that each symbol could now represent individual sounds-sounds which could be strung together to form 'words' & 'sentances'. They also showed us how symbols could actually represent quantities, & how these symbols could be 'added', 'subtracted', 'multiplied' & 'divided'. The Anglaise, in their turn, taught us how to improve & strengthen our fishing boats so that they could sail in deeper waters & over longer distances.

One of the greatest benefits of this new openess, though, was that our people could travel more freely to new lands & soak up new ideas & cultures (this was how we were able to develop the means to fire projectiles over long distances). One such traveller was a man by the name of Pualum Mbeki.

The stories say that he was a priest in the All-Mother Cult who withdrew due to increasing corruption & nepotism. He was similarly dismayed by the decaying social fabric of Ethiop society. Though the empire now seemed outwardly unified, the fact was that it was rotten to the core. People had largely abandoned their respect for their faith, their rulers & even their families-largely in the pursuit of temporal power & material wealth. Thus Pualum decided to travel to distant lands to gather together stories relating to the other faiths which dotted the land. He learnt of the All-Mother Goddess of the Nederlanders, The Son of the God Neptune central to the Anglaise beliefs & an Ascetic Cult of the Incan Empire (with whom official contact had not even yet been made). From these faiths, & his own knowledge of the All-Mother Cult's activities, Pualum was able to write down a collection of Laws & Systems of Belief which he believed could draw his people back into the bosom of the All-Mother & help to heal the rot that had taken hold of society. With his writings in hand (written in the new Ethiop Alphabet) he returned to his home city of Gondar & began to proselytise to any that would listen. Before long, this new faith-known to believers as Totus-Matrialism-soon took hold as the official religion of Gondar, & was swiftly embraced by a ruling class keen to take them empire in a fresh new direction. From there it spread-as the official Ethiop faith-to three quarters of the Empire in only a few short decades. This faith had at its heart the All-Mother as the sole Deity-attended by a host of animal spirits. The All-Mother was a giver of Love, but also a giver of laws & obeyances. Respect for Authority, Devotion to Family & Obediance to the Law was at the heart of the All-Mother's message to her people. This date would be remembered in the annals of history as 0 PTM (Postquam Totus-Matris). It's effects were even more electrifying than the discovery of writing a bare three centuries ago. The new respect for authority allowed the family of Allum Mobassa-the current Chief-to establish themselves as the Royal Line, with a clear line of Succession starting with King Mobassa I, & passing on to the eldest child of each generation. Totus-Matrialism also formed the basis of a set of Codified Laws & Penalties which made the empire more unified & law-abiding than ever before.

With the Empire now totally unified-Physically, Culturally, Economically & Legally-the new King decided it was time for the Empire to look increasingly to its borders. Though he still welcomed visitors from foreign lands, The King started to assess his neigbours a little more pragmatically. The deep & respectful relations that existed with the Nederlanders, Russki & Byzantia were still highly regarded-& actually grew stronger under the new King. Mobassa I, however, looked more askance at nations such as the Anglaise-with whom they had already nearly had a conflict a milennia ago-& the incredibly powerful & threatening Portugeese. With this new suspicion firmly entrenched, the King made use of his Gold & Gem reserves to start building a larger standing army, as well as to keep a closer eye on his more 'prickly' neighbours.
Part of this standing army had already been proved useful when news came of a barbarian incursion in the lands of Willem. Though they were too late to save a mine from destruction, our First & Second Chariot Divisions accoutred themselves well against the wild Bowmen of the North. To further cement relations with the Nederlanders, the King wisely decided to gift the chariots & horses for the permanent use of our neighbours.

Whether this friendship would stand the Test of Time was still to be seen, as storm clouds began to gather on our Northernmost borders-with several foreign powers coming increasingly close to blows over shared/disputed borders.....

[LzPrst]

King's Palace. King Boris Bearslayer. Moscow.


Boris Bearslayer had led Russia for ages. Each time he had died a new man from within his clan had taken his name and title and so it had been since the beginning of time. Yet now this had changed. Boris Bearslayer became Boris I, King of All Russia, Defender of Rus, First Son of Mother Russia. And he was old.

The Duke of Pitrograd and Rostov were also old men. They knew that none of them would be a wise choice for the crown. The Kingdom needed a young king, a man of vigor and strength. Boris the First, had married his daughters to the sons of Pitr of Pitrograd and Vladimir of Rostov. And they had both been fruitful and brought forth good, strong offspring.

From both Houses three sons had been born and risen to age. From the Duchy of Pitrograd, the grandsons of Pitr were:
Boris the Younger
and
Pitr the Younger
and
Sergey the Strong.

From the House of Vladimir there was
Vladimir the Younger
and
Dmitri the Clefty
and
Igor the Swordsman


Boris I Bearslayer called all his six grandsons to his Palace in Muscowy, and there they would show their worth to the old King and from his children's children, he would choose an heir. Yet all his grandsons were strong and wise, or persistent and clever, or devious and charismatic. He could not choose. So instead he said to them:


My blood. You have all grown to be good men and fine Russians. But I cannot tell which of you should be King after me, for you are all capable and each one of you would make a fine King. But you shall know this, I am old, but I am not frail or weak of mind. I can rule well for years still to come. And so I will. But one day will come when I pass on into the great ocean, and then, I must have chosen a successor. So I tell you this, that you may seek the knowledge and strength that is required to become a Great King. Travel to the lands afar, to the people of the East and North and South. Live with them and learn their ways. See the world such as I have barely glimpsed it in my travels. Then, when you return, with the wisdom of other lands, when you are full-bearded men, then I will choose my heir. Go now forth, make yourselves friends with our neighbours so that you shall learn the ways of the otherlanders. Seek their wisdom and shun their weakness. For in this way, you will learn much and add their wisdom to our own and complement our weakness with their power and strengthen your own wisdom by understanding more of the world. Sail or walk or ride, and return when you are ready.


And so they did. Vladimir II and his brother Dmitri travelled east, through Ethiopia to Aksum where Vladimir the Young sought the Ruler of the Darkskins and asked his approval to live in his great city. Dmitri travelled onwards to Holland and he there came to the court of their leader and he asked if he could live among their people and learn their ways.

Prince Igor stayed at home in Russia, but travelled the Kingdom and spoke with people in all its cities, while he waited for his great ship to be completed in his hometown of Rostov.


Boris the Younger journeyed with his brothers north. When they came to Berlin Boris sought the leaders of the land and asked if he could live among the crafty and exotic Germans. Pitr the Younger said he would go further north to the land of the Americans to see if he could discover the location of this distant nation's cities and he was not heard from again for many years. And Sergey journeyed north and east to seek the Emperor of The Empire, to ask his permission to live in his Opulent court.

[Toni]

The Dutch would like to express their gratitude to the people of Ethiopia and Native America for their help in the war against the Barbarians. After their intervention both on the main land by the Ethiopian friends and the Native American on the great cold island, the combine forces of their armies was able to repulse the heathens once and for all.

In contrast to our rigid and strict discipline the Barbarians appear to not use any battle plans. Instead their armies relied on sheer brute force, numbers and the terror. The Barbarians from the south, like many other barbarian tribes before them, employed the use of scare tactics before each battle against us, this consisted of yelling, screaming, shield banging, horns being blown, and drums. Their war chiefs marched before their troops before each battle and exhort them through the proclaiming of their own heroism, more yelling, or the challenging of the Dutch, Ethiopian and Native Americans commanders to a duel. These so called scare tactics when combined with the fact that the average Barbarians was much larger than the average Dutch alliance warrior would lead to quite a bit of unease amongst our ranks.

The last great battle that took place was engaged with the front lines of infantry of the invaders charging in a screaming frenzy followed by several more waves. Chariots were set aside to fight along side each other and against our flank units, but beyond this there was little of evidence of battle formations being used. Instead each battle which took place on our lands was very much a matter between the individual warrior and his immediate opponent.

[Robert]

Session 1: 96 turns
Session 2: 90 turns
Session 3: 63 turns
Session 4: 57 turns
Session 5: 58 turns

[LzPrst]

Pitrograd. Pitr Builder. Pirate Hunters.


In great Pitrograd the daughter of Boris I Bearslayer, was homesick. She longed for the green hills of her home Moscow and it saddened her to see the bare and mine-pocked rocks of Pitrograd. Her father in law, Pitr Builder took pity on her and ordered his great Builders to create for her a garden like a hill. And they went to work, but it was much difficult for it was no mere task to simply build a hill. And the builders were much dismayed at their challenge. But then, one young Russian had an idea. All the principles of building could be captured in a theoretical system of formulas and calculations. And so he worked out a way for the builders to use theories of Mathematics to assist in their work.

And with great vigour the workers began constructing! With the vast stone reserves of Pitrograd available and trees from the east sent into the city whole, with roots and all, the great work was finished so quickly and with such zealotry that many builders forgot to eat and drink and perished while laying bricks and planting trees and bushes. And so, a Great Hanging Garden was built that was like a great hill flowing with artificial rivers and flourishing with every green growing thing in the realm. And all Russia and was amazed at this wondrous feat of ingenuity and all it's people sought to undertake similar works of lesser scale and so all Russia learned how to make trees and gardens and it made the cities cleaner and fresher and the people became even more numerous due to the healthiness provided.


The people of Pitrograd then looked outwards to the seas, what could be there they wondered? And so they built a great warship to protect the traders and sealanes from any evildoer that would hinder Russia from it's lifeline, its traders. And as they sailed north in exploration, through German waters, they encountered an Inca fishervessel that had sailed out to find rich fishing grounds, but was hunted by vicious pirates. And so the captain of the Trireme told the lost fishermen that they would be protected by the glorious Russian navy and so he hunted the pirates down, burned their sails and sunk their ships. The sealanes would be safe, by Russian efforts. Feodor then took the name Pirate Hunter and he sailed to the German colony of Essen to repair his ship and here he befriended many good Germans who provided his ships with excellent tropical timbers. And the Inca were very greatful, and they sailed through the Russo-Germanic bay and arrived at last at Pitrograd, where they marveled at Russian ingenuity, and then they sailed east to Moscow and marveled at this magnificent thronging city. And here they were offered to settle down, to fish the rich fishing grounds of the Island city of Semlja and become friends of the Russians. And so they did and they lived there happily ever after.





dammit. how to i get them to show up as pictures??

CyberShy: use the HTML img tag AND use the correct img URL!

[Frank Johnson]

The free spirited German people began to grow tired of the oppressive tactics of their Portuguese and English neighbors. The vast majority of Germans saw England as a brainless, mismanaged puppet state, and held up only by the constant flows of knowledge capital into their cities. Even worse, Portugal allowed this lesser state to dictate foreign affairs for the whole of alliance making outrageous claims against Russia and making threats toward Germany to cut off trade with their close neighbor.

It was through the numerous gold and gem mines throughout the Portuguese Empire that Portugal held sway over their neighbors and intimidated their enemies. These easy sources of income allowed Portugal to buy their way out of any situation. Manipulation of their neighbors by placing their governments into debt allowed them to keep the whole program rolling into the future. Despite best efforts by German traders, the German economy could never manage to produce more than 2/3rds of Portugal’s economy and began to become indebted to them.

To avoid becoming slaves to the Portuguese Empire, The German Republic must have multiple trading partners for resources and knowledge. Germany expressed its willingness to deal with any nation, putting aside passive compliance to blocs. Of course the German people have no desire to set anyone else up in place of a Portuguese giant (except admittedly, themselves). And will seek to keep the world in a balance of power that favors the common German trader.

The German Republic encourages all nations to trade with Germany, and supplement their trading deals with German assistance. Germany also wishes all nations to carefully consider all their trades and make sure they are not blindly trading themselves into slavery to any other power. A more flexible trading regime is more beneficial to the vast majority of nations, rather than the accumulation of power in the hands of a couple of superpowers around the world. Save your blind faith for times of war and desperation. In times of peace, trade with all you see fit to, and keep oppressive forces at bay!


Live Free or Die!

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

Trouble Abroad & the Great Diaspora

Around the year 250 PTM, the storm clouds had began to gather over the Great & Glorious Rule of Queen Sheba II. On the border, the Rus & Anglaise were becoming increasingly antagonistic towards one another-& the Ethiop Empire was invariably caught in the middle. Meanwhile, the incredibly powerful Portugeese Empire began to exert an ever stronger Hegemonic Influence over the region.

At home, government inefficiencies & lack of trade opportunities had begun to bleed the economy dry. Had it not been for the excess marble from a long abandoned large scale project-that the Empire was selling off to its neighbours for a very good price-the treasury would have long gone bankrupt. In spite of this, the Queen held to her ancestor's plan to defend the empire against future dangers.

This plan reached further fruition thanks to a brand new discovery. Decades before, the Ethiop people had been shown how to better temper & meld the various alloys of copper which formed the basis of the Ethiop Economy. From this, Ethiop artisans were able to start working with harder metals, & in new combinations. This led to the first working of Iron into new & wonderful alloys & shapes.
One such shape would again revolutionise the Ethiop Army. Pieces of iron, properly fashioned, could be attached to the hooves of horses-making them able to travel longer distances in shorter times. Also, pieces of iron could be shaped such that they could hold the feet of a rider. This allowed our riders to control horses-from horseback-with precision undreamed of before. Soon these amazing devices-known as stirrups-were being attached to saddles across the empire, & riders were being taught how to ride with the aid of these new devices.

In keeping with our close friendship with the Nederlanders, our wise men shared the knowledge of these devices with them. To thank us, they taught us how to organise our government in a far more efficient fashion.
Over the next decade, our people established an efficient bureaucracy centred in the city of the Capital-Aksum. This freed up large amounts of income & stimulated the economy of the Queen's city.

These savings came none to soon. The Queen of the Anglaise-a follower of the Heathen Resubmerged Faith-once again sought to pressure us to end our relations with the Rus. Our Queen steadfastly refused to succumb to the blackmail of this Pale-Skinned Heathen, so the Queen of Anglaise unilaterally closed all trade with our nation & sealed the borders against us. This hurt our economy badly, but vengeance was swift as the All-Mother retaliated against the Heathens-unleashing a powerful hurricane & Forest Fire upon them. The All-Mother Be Praised!

During this period of History, our faith also undertook another evolution. It was in 460 PTM that a wanderer from the land of the Americas sought audience with the young King Mobassa III. This scholar spoke at length with the King-telling him how, though important, there was more to faith than Obediance to the Law. "Faith," said the scholar, "should be about seeking Inner Peace & Beauty, & about Love for all your Brothers & Sisters." The words of the Scholar-this Philosophical Viewpoint-definitely touched a nerve with the King. Though the overall working of the Faith didn't change, it's edges had been softened by a more Philosophical approach.

Meanwhile, thousands of years of charting the Stars, Planets, Sun & Moon-coupled with mathematical analysis-finally allowed us to properly divide the year into its proper weeks & months-as well as to predict when certain astronomical phenomena would occur. As before, we passed on this valuable knowledge to our friends in Byzantia & The Nederlands. In return, the people of the Nederlands gave us access to a better material for writing our Calenders on-called paper-& the Byzantines helped to train our artists in the proper study of Beauty-for the creation of sculpture, painting & the writing of Books & Drama. Never had our Artistic Community felt so invigorated.

In the sphere of trade, however, our people were still lagging behind, & our treasuries were still running dry. A large part of the problem was that foreign markets had become saturated with our goods, & we had less to give them in return for thei goods (though our jewelry was the toast of Rus, Byzantia & The Nederlands). It was the same Artisans who made these wonderful goods who finally hit upon the solution to our problems. By taking Copper, Iron & Gold-along with a variety of trace metals-our smiths were able to fashion discs in a variety of denominations which had a specific value based on the content-by weight-of the various metals-& all marked with the seal of the King (Yaqob II). Not only did this give us something with which to purchase goods from overseas, it also gave local communities something with which to buy goods & services if they lacked something to give in return. Needless to say this re-invigorated our economy as it allowed a whole caste of people to arise who could take advantage of the situation by acting as middle men between the Goods & their purchasers. The Crown, in turn, taxed these Merchants & all those who were paid in coin (which were now becoming the preferred method of payment in more urbanised areas) which flodded the coffers with tax dollars.

The money from the coffers was used to help alleviate another growing problem-overcrowding. The King offered money to anyone prepared to pack up & move to the cities of our larger neighbours. Tens of thousands of people took up the offer & moved to Rus, Portugel, Byzantia & Nederlands. So began The Great Diaspora. Though its overall intentions were ultimately noble, the King did pick out some of the most skillful artisans & scholars from amidst the travellers, & gave them an added incentive to seek High Office in as many lands as possible. From there, he said to them, they were to try & report as much as possible about the doings of Ethiop's neighbours....