Diplogame HOTW XII Ragnarok - Story Thread

[Diplo France]

“He fought panthers, lions and fire demons during his days. And each night he spent with the goddess was a decade long. Soon all he knew had died, and bitterness entered his hearth. When the goddess saw this she said: “You do not enjoy the hunt, you are quick to leave our bed, and you curse your choice… We will not stand it! Leave.” “

Note: The use of plural is of some interest, since it’s not seen in earlier stories.

Marc is credited with fighting the fire demons of the Jungle, making it a place where men could venture. This is probably a reference to early exploration of the northern jungle. Normally the chorology states he became a guardian of Paris defending it for centuries, for nature no longer held sway over it.



“Women seemed plain to him for he had saw and bedded a goddess. Still, after many decades he began to hunger the beauties of Paris. But even here, where only animals of man roamed, where Artemis held little power, whenever he sought the company of women, untold curses befell him. This was because Aphrodite who often dwelt in Paris, enjoyed teasing her sister by making women fall in unquenched love with Marc. Artemis would respond in playful manner, and smite Rene and any women that would pursue him, with ironic and cruel curses. As always the entertainment of Gods or women is the suffering of men.”



“He loved France, his people, but he suffered in the playground of the gods. He yearned death, but it never came it. After speaking to the last of the druids about his situation, he found new hope. For centuries he tried, on the Druid’s advice, tried to find a great cause. A cause, which even if it could not convince Artemis, could at least convince the other gods to grant him passage through the forests of France.”

“In those days another returned to the lands of France, Remi the Wolf-Slayer and he overthrew the forgotten king. All the clans choose sides, many men were cruelly slain, and for two decades anarchy enveloped the lands. He dared not to take sides, fearing that the attention awarded to him by the Gods might bring misfortune to the side he choose. As the clans gathered they said lo, there shall be free men and bound men, and the king’s troops shall use Bronze and Remi shall be the king. Marc mourned as the new king ceased gathering scrolls to build a library, for Marc had foolishly hoped knowledge of men might help him overcome the mandate of Gods. “



“The new king exiled the old and erased his name from history, it was said that he could choose any champion to lead his remaining forces.”

This is most likely a factual account, even if the commander chosen could not have been the same Marc who lived in the 4th millennium BC!

“He choose Marc, and Marc rejoiced for the gods would surely allow him to leave his prison now. They entered the forests of the East, Artemis came to him, and he stood before her, determined and unfearful for justice was beyond the Hunt, she tried to force him, she tried to convince the other Gods, she sent much misfortune only to be foiled by the other Gods. He traveled far and as they passed beyond the desert hills the strength of Artemis waned, on the edge of the forest she spoke to him once more, but she had to become human. As she spoke of his defiance of his blasphemy she remembered why she had toyed with him. She spent a night with him in her mortal form, and it was only a night. Marc was hence the favorite of her again, she blessed him. From then on, he and his companions traveled through forests and jungles of terra with ease, he brought death to any foes that entered them and he healed unnaturally fast while resting in them. Even as he overcame his bitterness, she reminded him that her decree can not be undone. He can never cross the forests of France again, if he tries it he will surely die by the hand of Fate.”

It is said that his forgers had discovered how to work bronze, he had found that many of the tribes to the south were more experienced with working it. He invited them to come to French lands. Once they arrived they were enslaved, the same was true of many Frenchmen, Wildlings and Barbarians. He is said to have tried to outlaw the new practice. Many of the slave trading class rebel, he had nearly convinced them to end the practice when a noble with the title of Wolf-slayer (identified as Remi the Warrior) arrived in Orleans and quickly took control of the kings power base while he was negotiating in slave-owning Paris.

After that he was forced into exile. The Quest for Libraries saga has been lost, a summrary is still known. The story goes the lost king sought immortality so he may return and undo what he saw as a horrible wrongs. Marc the adventurer and the librarian king explored much of the west, venturing to the Russian desert, seeing the Great Wall being completed and seeking any nation that understood writing. Since he is not mentioned after the group survived an attack by bears in a desert hill, he is assumed to have died by most story tellers, while other say he made a pact with one of the Gods, and that he sleeps in the cave deep under the said hill, waiting for a time when he will undo slavery in France. This makes him a classic example of a “sleeping king”.

After this the saga continues, as Marc looses contact with France, exploring the arctic region. He is said to have strayed deep into Mongolian territory… once again the saga is lost beyond this point. Historical records show king Remi the II ordering a trespassing group of explorers and warriors to follow Mongol orders. The group allegedly lead by Marc was destroyed near the French border by barbarians on their way to France. This fulfilled prophecy was surely rich material for a saga, it thus even more tragic that many records where lost in the “Age of Barbarians”.

[Diplo France]

Early Bronze Age history of France

The Early Bronze Age
(2310BC – 2050BC)



French blacksmiths discovered bronze working by experimenting in various alloys from which the famous French tall shields could be forged. They also became aware of barbarian tribes to the south that were more skilled in working the alloy. The unnamed King invited them to settle in Paris. He unwittingly catalyzed change. The tribal ethic had slowly been eroded in the past, barbarian captives, wildling immigrants and improvised Frenchmen had all been relegated to a unfavorable position. The introduction of a new, well respected group, caused tensions in French society and outright disdain by the wealthier clans. The unnamed king seemed to be poised to normalize the situation, when a group of experienced warriors returned from a long mission of exploration, the dissenting clans took the opportunity, and they offered the group's commander (a noble named Remi) to banish the Librarian king and elect him as king.


Remi was apparently unhappy with the old kings choices, in particular his plan to build a library in Paris instead of barracks for a better equipped French military. He accepted the proposal of the clans under the condition that upon his death they elect his son as well, and that the title be changed to “King of France”.



The clans at first refused, but once Remis forces took de facto control of Orleans, they agreed. A long civil war followed, it ended with Remi’s victory. As anarchy lost its grip, a slave owning society was established, the elite warriors were made to be the first king’s guard, also named the companions of the King. The old king was banished with some loyalist troops, officially their mission was exploration and the Librarian king was not to be found.



With Remi the clans got more than they bargained for, except for a official diplomatic statement on slavery, there was little they could to stop his decisions. Remi made his son Remi the II a governor of Orleans. Remi II didn’t achieve much during his early governorship, he awkwardly settled the upper Loire valley, which caused a diplomatic incident his father had to resolve. Remi changed the focus of Paris, building a barracks, and additional military forces. His experience with the Mongols made Remi quite territorial. He secured the borders, quite ironically, by diplomacy. The treaties dated to his reign are excellent examples of legal expertise. His failing health was also a concern on his mind, he is known to have imported herbs from the Netherlands to aid his health.

He left the Kingdom of France sometime at the turn of the millennia. There are no accurate historical accounts what happened to him.



It is a clear fact that his son concealed his departure and abdication, and probably death for at least 40 years. Remi II felt he needed more time to in order to weaken the clans, which had become very unhappy at the increasing power of the “King of France ”.

[Diplo France]

The Bronze Age part II

OCC: I would love some feedback, I don’t want to write up too much crap, please tell me. Am I using too many pictures? Too few? Poorly chosen? Should I tone down on mythology and history? … Please help me out. When I receive at least one PM or response I’ll edit this into a story post, even though Ozzy frowns on ti.

OCC: BTW I know quite a bit about Greek mythology, but for story purposes I have changed Artemis. I made her Aphrodite’s sister changing her personality to reflect this relation, taking her maidenhood so to speak , but kept her childless properly.



Middle & Late Bronze Age
(2050-1130 BC)

From the middle Bronze age onwards and during to the Iron age all the way to the first millennium BC there is only record of one “ King of France ”, Remi the II. Now it is not known how many “Remi II.” there where, and how long they lived, mythology even claims that this was one person, but surely no man can live for thirteen centuries!

/removed for security reasons/

The most likely explanation is that several rulers took the title of Remi the II., probably due to the legendary status of Remi, If they where elected “King of France”. Any despots with lesser power who did not have enough influence with the clans to receive this title had probably only sported the title of “King of the Clans”. There is no historical evidence of the latter mind you.


It is certain from written accounts that Remi’s son took power soon, and that he did I indeed take the name of his father (for a long time even the identity of his father!). He employed slave labor on a unprecedented scale forcing thousands into bondage. He also used this workforce differently than his father. Remi had used them to complete buildings; he would use them to form organised work groups. These were commanded by him to built roads, farms and mines.



He was also mindful of the state coffers, with his backing, south of Orleans and north of Lyons, roads were opened to trade with the Dutch and the Mongols. This brought cultural exchange with those nations, coin to the treasury, as well as more prestige to the crown, since only it held the right to toll the state built roads. Many of these roads survive to the present day.



In the the Age of Barbarians (sometimes called the first Dark Age, by western historians), Remi the II gambled the fate of France and, by the opinion of most historians, won. He knew his attempts to build up an infrastructure demanded all of French resources so he took up the Mongols on their offer to help defend other nations in against barbarians. He came to rely heavily on such assistance; he was displeased by this reliance, so he tried to kept old forces ready to strike and laid plans for future rulers to begin developing a modern army. Many Mongols lived in Paris at the time, many of themes were educated to read and write in French… Dutch traders form Utrecht were frequent visitors and many Dutch nobles and merchants lived and where educated in Paris.



Another sign of prosperity was definitely the founding of the city of Rheims in 1410 BC between the Loire and Seine estuaries, north-west of Paris. Quickly growing in population, and became a center of trade by exporting goods to the distant Mongolian city of Karakorum.



In 1310BC, Confucianism was founded , it quickly spread to Lyons, it was said Remit the II. welcomed it as a chance to increase the power of the state, he himself admired the well defined social order of the new religion as well as its acceptance of traditional French gods. Before the works of Confucius where published, he was by some accounts very interested in Christianity despite its pseudo-monotheistic world-view, this may be the reason why Christian missionaries were welcomed in Paris centuries later. During the latter part of his reign, sometime around 1200BC he endorsed Confucianism as the state religion.



Around this time the French were also the first people on terra to develop Alphabet. Many Mongols, who were being educated in France, brought this system of writing to Mongolia. This discovery coincided or perhaps triggered a new epoch of development.

[Diplo America]

Damn, I lost a long post.

I guess I'll have to do it again. This is pretty annoying though, it seems to happen only on this Diplo America thing. Why is that?

[deity]

Originally posted by Diplo America
Damn, I lost a long post.

I guess I'll have to do it again. This is pretty annoying though, it seems to happen only on this Diplo America thing. Why is that?

A good idea that I do is to copy my post so it's on the clipboard BEFORE submitting it.

OR, do it in Word first.

Apolyton's services are not so good lately - PM's get full too easily and the site is getting very sluggish.

[Diplo Carpathia]

The Fall of Targoviste

After the total destruction of Augusberg, the barbarians followed Carpathian roads north to the capital. To the Americans credit, and to Count Tepes delight, American forces intercepted some of the barbarians on their march north, and laid waste to them.

The Count himself was the first to see the barbarian's campfire smoke. A day later pesents from the countryside arrived in Targoviste, bloody and ragged they confirmed the Count's suspicions with tails of how their familys were butchered before their very eyes by the brutes from the jungles to the south.

Although the Americans killed many of the invaders, the remainder numbered somewhere around 10000 when they made it to Targoviste. The Carpathian guard numbered only 5000.

Outnumbered, the Carpathian soliders retreated into the city, and the barbarians charged headlong after them. In the close quarters the Carpathians could ambush, hide, and regroup at will, which evened the odds quite a bit. The Count and three Royal Guardsmen fled to Oradea in the east.

For months the savages occupied the Carpathian capital. Dining at Tepes table, drinking his beer, and defacing the Oracle, the barbarians must have thought more of this city then Augusberg, as they did not raze it.

Many of the Targoviste citizens hid during those months in caves under the capital. The soliders that were not killed in the initial battle also hid, and conducted raids by night on the sleeping barbs. It was this resistance force that ultimatly lead to the liberation of Targoviste later that year.

Tepes himself burned with anger. "Did these people have no knowledge of the code?", he wondered, "did they not know what sort of punishment awaited them."

It was a retorical question of course. Had they any respect for The Code or even knowledge of it they would not have rampaged Carpathian citys. It was this lack of honor or decency that reminded the Count of his other enemys to the south, the Mongols. Even their style of dress and earthy toughness resembled the Mongols, not to mention the flatened foreheads, widely spaced eyes, and complete lack of refinement.

"All these savages will pay dearly", thought Tepes as he grinded his rotten teeth. "They will pay according to The Code".

[Diplo France]

Originally posted by Diplo America
Damn, I lost a long post.

I guess I'll have to do it again. This is pretty annoying though, it seems to happen only on this Diplo America thing. Why is that?

It happens to me too, I've gotten into the habit writting my posts in a text document, then pasting them.

A few of my early posts were lost that's why I was so "la tired".



The Early Iron Age
(1130BC-750BC)


During the early Iron age, Mongolian forces under the command o Ogodei the Lustful*,were still in France defending her from barbarians, Mongol smiths constantly stationed in Paris, probably leaked the knowledge of Iron working sometime around 1130BC.



With the advent of the Iron Age France entered a period of great prosperity. Its libraries became renowned the world over, many people of noble descent came to study in Paris. Because of the prominence of polytheism, sometime around 900BC a Temple of Artemis was commissioned to be built, but the effort halted when word of a much grander foreign temple came. Any completed statues meant to be used in the temple where sold to foreign merchants, the building effort and the subsequent auction was managed by a noble called Bruno the pious.

Never the less, the arts flourished. The strong influence of Incan Aesthetics was most likely brought by Incan sculptors living in France or perhaps undocumented early Christian missionaries, since many such groups where active in France at the time.



Dutch Confucian missionaries ran schools of theology, several imported concepts like Monotheism became subject to fierce debate among French scholars educated in such institutions. The works of Confucius where then translated into French and written down in the new alphabet. The Dutch merchants and priests living in Paris began using the new system of writing for their own needs, perhaps manly because of their influence by 800BC the French Alphabet was being widely used in Holland.

Many of the sculptors and Mongolian masons** originally commissioned for the temple of Artemis where later employed in other undertakings. They renewed the Parisian monument to the saviors of Paris adding the statue of General Arnaud, to those of Marc, Ogodei and Remi II. The obelisk erected in Lyons which had engraved inscriptions in old Celtic detailing the original border treaty among the French and the Mongols, had a statue added to its front. The statue was that of Remi sitting on a throne with the words: “I am Remi king of kings, look on my works ye mighty and despair.” Inscribed at its base.





French forces began to return to importance in this period, after a military victory against barbarians near Paris. Mongol forces were unable to catch up with a barbarian raiding party heading for Paris. The Kings guard was rushed to Paris and defeated the threat, afterwards it defended the copper mines against several barbarian armies. This was but one sign of how French forces begun protecting more and more of their own borders. The final sign that France had returned to military power was the military campaign of General Arnaud which culminated in the razing of the great barbarian city of Harappan in 780 BC. The survivors were forced into slavery. Historians speculate that the city was built by the same ethnic group that had cooperated with rebel slaves to assemble the dreaded Swordsman army in a bid for independence.



Late in this period Christian missionaries finally managed to convert enough Frenchmen to Christianity so that a monastery could be built in Paris. The monks in this monastery wrote down the Bible and even begun shipping copies back to Incaland, the alphabetized version became very popular among Incan priests, so much so that soon it was hard to find a bible written in the old Incan writing system.

Another sign of prosperity was the unbelievably long average lifespan of 70 years, many credit this to the healthy diet and to the very skilled physicians and herbalists that lived in France at the time.



*It is claimed by legend that Aphrodite herself lived in Paris in this epoch, even after Marc had left it, she apparently found the city very entertaining. Considering the nature of Parisian society at the time it is no coincidence that the city received such repute.

**Mongols and Incas working together, that must have been fun.

[Diplo America]

Benedict Arnold and American Expansion

While few could argue that the early reign of Christopher the Yankee had been a failure, one can certainly point out a change in American politics that did not bode well for the young Commander in Chief. American politics differed from many others in Terra chiefly due to its make-up; America began as a collection of nomadic tribes (primarily Yankee tribes) each with their own cultural identity. This created a fragmented national entity, in fact the only reason America was considered to be one nation was the simple fact that its various leaders felt that unity would provide more security. This was important because one can see how this history directly effected what occured during the Iron Age. The most interesting character of this time would have to be the General Benedict Arnold. He served as a diplomat with Jonathan Jefferson in the court of Vlad Tepes of Carpathia (ironically Jefferson would later call Arnold "the most dangerous man in America), and served as the top General in America's attacks on the barbarians which, save a couple successful attacks on Philadelphia and Targoviste, was completely successful and established American hegimony in the corridor east of the Rocky Mountains. Arnold quickly established himself as a minor-King in Philadelphia despite a missive from the Turks warning him against American expansion. Arnold further cemented his power by telling the Malinese that expansion beyond the mountain range was not acceptable as it was American territory. Many in the College of Electors appreciated Arnold's policies, and some saw him as a rival of Chirstopher's for Commander in Chief status. Christopher, for his part, was outraged; who was this General, this Arnold, challenging my authority? He often thought to himself, little did he know that his true troubles would really begin with a woman...

Richmond, Virginia. America.

"Unbelieveable! The nerve of him!" Chirstopher barked, slamming his papers on a nearby table; they were copies of Arnold's message to the Mali as well as their response, and a report on his activities in Philadelphia, "He is undermining all of our diplomatic efforts, he is dictating our policies and never once, not once, contacted me about it."

"My Lord" Jonathan Jefferson began, despite the Chief's anger he was happy, finally Arnold would get his comeuppance "This Arnold, I've told you, he makes a mockery of our government, he gives a terrible example of what it means to be an American to the other peoples of Terra. Frankly sir, he paints a bad picture of us."

"Well, he is a national hero, the people love him. Honestly he has done much for America, but this, this is inexcusable!" Chistopher shook his head and took a gulp of beer "You tell him, you send for him right now, I want him here in Richmond as soon as is possible. As for Philadelphia, order Captain Manning to administer the settlement, it is of the utmost importance that we maintain our position in the south."

Just then a soldier walked into the room "My Lord, Abigail Washington has come to see you."

"Abigail?" Chistopher asked "I was supposed to meet with Milton Washington today, what is the meaning of this?"

"My Lord, Abigail has informed me that her father is quite sick, she speaks for him as a proxy." the guard explained.

"Send her in." Christopher said, the guard promptly left, Jefferson shot him a confused look "Oh, oh yes, this is about Iron smelting. We've got to chop down the dense jungles and make arrangements for further settlement in the south, Milton Washington is the leading Iron smelter in Virginia."

"I see, and you will do business with a man who shows you the respect of sending his daughter? That seems a bit odd to me." Jefferson said.

"Well, I think it is his only remaining relative Jefferson, besides what matter is it to you who I speak with?" Chirstopher said, he was clearly having a bad day, for now.

"You are correct sir, shall I leave?"

"Of course not, take a seat" the Chief said "Get a load off of your feat, you are going on a long trip soon."

"Yes, I can't wait, damn jungles." Jefferson said.

A guard approached "Lady Abigail of the House of Washington!" he bellowed.

One must understand American politics in the Iron Age to truly grasp what was to occur next. The most influential political position in the nation was to be an Elector in the College of Electors. Being an Elector meant you got to choose the Commander in Chief, it meant that people would send you bribes, pay you off, and favor you when it came to trade, so it was a position that was very sought after, and equally fought over. In this case the Washingtons were an up and coming family, having owned the Iron mines south of Richmond they had recently come into prominence, the new territory to the south required iron axes to clear the jungles and the Washington family was basically the only game in town (that is, of course, besides foreigners). There was no official means of getting into the College of Electors, it was basically done by consensus; if the rest of the Electors felt you deserved to be there they would allow you to be there, otherwise they forced you out. Now the Washingtons were not quite "in," but they were definitely in consideration.

Abigail was a very beautiful young American Lady who was known throughout southern Virginia for her beautiful eyes. She dressed simply, which often caught criticism from other American noblewomen, but this suited her as it drew more attention to her eyes "My Lord, I apologize for my father's absence, he is gravely ill." Abigail began.

Christopher was stunned, but famously nervous around women "No, not a problem, Jefferson please, let the lady sit."

Jefferson rolled his eyes "Yes my Lord, in fact I-"

"Yes, don't you have something to do right now?" Christopher asked.

"Of course, my Lord" Jefferson said, he bowed to Abigail "My Lady."

"Good evening Sir Jefferson." she said politely.

"Well, now then, we can discuss this matter." Christopher said, he had nearly forgot why Abigail was there.

"Well my Lord, my father says he can fill your order for the axes, the swords may take some time though, he doesn't have as much experience making them and we want the best for our Commander in Chief." she said, "now the price is going to be a bit more than previously discussed, we have found it difficult, especially with the latest barbarian incursion to-"

"Yes, of course, we shall pay whatever price necessary." the Commander in Chief said, "And um, there is the matter of Arnold in the south, your father told me he has made an offer to you."

"Yes he, well, yes my Lord he has. You speak of his marriage proposal, no?" she replied.

"His what? No, I thought he ordered some weapons as well, I was just going to tell you he was being relieved of his duties. You are engaged to Arnold?" Christopher asked, 'not again' he thought to himself.

"Well, no my Lord, he has asked though. My father's just been so sick I don't want to make such decisions until, well, I don't want to say it."

"My herbalists, they have come upon new treatments, I shall send for your father. You will stay here tonight and dine with me." Christopher said. "That is, if it would be to your liking."

Abigail didn't know what to say "My Lord, while I appreciate the offer I don't think my father would benefit from a trip so far, and by the time we arrived it would nearly be the next day, so I must respectfully decline-"

"Very well, I see, well I shall send my herbalist in the morning, along with your money, and when can we expect our weapons?" Christopher asked.

Abigail realized the Commander was offended, but she knew her father could not handle the hardships of travel all the way to Richmond "My Lord, I truly apologize for displeasing you, but it is my father, he truly could not last the trip."

"The weapons? When will they arrive?" Christopher was now getting a little aggressive.

"As soon as is possible my Lord, as soon as is possible..."

[Diplo Russia]

Originally posted by Diplo America
Damn, I lost a long post.

I guess I'll have to do it again. This is pretty annoying though, it seems to happen only on this Diplo America thing. Why is that?

Because CyberShy unchecked the "automatically log in" box for all of the accounts. Go turn it back on in your control panel.

Basically there's a timer that automatically logs out a computer from the website if there isn't a ping within a certain amount of time. If typing the post takes you too long, then it logs you out and when you hit post it doesn't log you back in because it wiped the cookie.

Look on Page 1. I already mentioned that was a problem.

[Diplo Mongolia]

not sure about you guys, but if I post and it's logged out, I can just hit the "Back" button on my browser, and the text will still be there. then I cut and paste it and go relog in.


also. I've been seeing a lot of naughtiness.
they're and their seems to be mixed up a lot.

They're = They Are
their = possessive form

come on people,, you can do better!
(the stories are good, but try to not write so long, I get tired reading)


ps. I love that picture carpathia

[Diplo France]

Originally posted by Diplo Mongolia


ps. I love that picture carpathia

Me too, unfortunately it seems the only good barbarians horde pic online

[Diplo America]

Official American Message



Chief Christopher the Yankee, Lord of Virginia, High Chief of the Americans.

TO: Chief Koboku of Djenne, Emperor of the Malinese
FROM: Foreign Minister Jonathan Jefferson

Hail Koboku!

I respectfully apologize for an unauthorized missive sent to you by General Benedict Arnold pertaining to our land claims beyond the great Rocky Mountains.

While it is true that America does stand by these claims, and while it is true that we will continue to expand and settle these lands the tenor of General Arnold's missive was not the official stance of Christopher the Yankee. You have our word that, thus far, the notion that tribes in the surrounding areas have sworn allegience to your majesty and his Empire have been fabricated to further General Arnold's personal aims in this region. He intends to impliment slavery on the black "barbarian" peoples of this area, and hopes to foment distrust between our people towards this aim. We assure you that General Arnold will be dealt with accordingly.

The purpose of this message is to ease both of our minds as it pertains to long-lasting peace between our great people. We wish to send emissaries to your capital, as is our custom, in establishing future relations between our people. Hopefully this eases some of your concerns.

Please write back.

-J. Jefferson

[Diplo America]

There has been discussion about long posts, or too much reading.

I think in general we should try and keep storyline posts pertinent to what is going to happen with our country or explain why things are going on. The goddess stories are all well and good, but sometimes I think they are a bit long, and frankly pointless.

If you are going to create a long story like that it should have something to do with a policy your country is going to engage in, now if that is the case by all means continue, but I think if there is too much filler people miss out on the diplomacy, and that's the point of the diplogame.

[deity]

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[The_Aussie_Lurker]

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