Beyond the Pit [Pitboss Diplomacy Game] [Story Thread] . PART 4 (November)

[Pitboss Japan]

[Pitboss Maya]

We have claimed only the land below our settlements, which has been recognized by the major powers.

Marco, I do make a habit of keeping on the up and up. Last explanation you gave for your claims was that which fell within your cultural boarders. Land below your "settlements" was never mentioned.

It was also mentioned that you had but one colony... New Portugal. Here your refer to settlements. Are their more now?

Nations of Terra... does anyone else have a settlement in the new world? Anyone?

My spys tell me that the Portages have designed an ocean worthy vessel capable of transporting settler parties.

The largest nation in Terra whores up new world land while struggling countries are still trying to figure out how to navigate a river.

We won't stand for it.

The Maya recognize NONE of your new world holdings.

The Maya may not be a "major power" in your eyes Marco, but we can cause you major headaches.

- Mel Gibson

[Pitboss Vikings]

about time this game got interesting,

ozzy posts in the other game more than here so he not interested.

it such a pity that axemen and berzerkers cant do well agaisnt strong defenders. otherwise i would make the game interesting.

i guess i need lots of seige weopns....

[Pitboss Khmer]

Suryavarman 1 was fully in control of the Khmer in the year 1010AD.

He called for an analaysis of the world situation:

Spain - With only six cities they were running a risky strategy of maintaining a very high tech rate yet not expanding quickly into land they claimed - the biggest unsettled area on Terra besides New Portugal.

However, Khmer had agreed to NOT settle South of the agreed border. This was despite Khmer cultural values where for eons the Khmer only recognised land as claimed IF it was settled.

However Spain runs the risk by assuming that no one else would settle their 'claimed' land.

[Pitboss Khmer]

Russia - Conversely, Russia may or may not have had a similar agreement on land claims with Portugal. Is there a signed agreement?

It came as a big surprise to Suryavarman 1 that Portugal was settling a new land yet not fully settling 'claimed' land at home. This is the land at the Eastern tip of the Portuguses landmass that Russia has just settled.

Are the Russians simply adhering to the Spartan philosophy of 'grabbing' that which is unsettled regardless? More information was needed.

Khmer recognise land that is SETTLED.

[Pitboss Khmer]

Portugal - Past mis-communications between Marco and the deceased Ganesh appeared to have been sorted but the latest missives from Japan and the Maya and the Portuguese responses suggests a continuing misunderstanding on the matter.

What is 'claimed' and what is actually settled?

Khmer scouts in Russia on the Roman border near Ravenna can see 2 Portuguese settlers and 4 workers waiting to board a Carrack presumaby. Perhaps this is what the Maya were threatening?

A generous offfer of a world map exchange with a free gift of Spice from the Khmer seems to have been rejected by Portugal. All the same a Khmer Caravel contunues to circumnavigate 'New Portugal' to map the land and will release it to the world.

A very important piece of Khmer analysis is that the Portuguese are teching nearly twice as fast as the Khmer, despite Khmer's highest GNP. This is because of the high culture component of the Khmer GNP and the relatively higher gold component of Portugal's.

Portugal will have Liberalism in 9 periods yet Khmer would take 16 periods unless Portugal was experiencing a GA.

[Pitboss Khmer]

Suryavarman 1 paused a moment to reflect on the great achievement of Khmer navigators and map-makers.

Khmer proves the world is ROUND!!

Caravels heading East and West and map exchanges with Oldonia gifted Khmer with faster sailing craft. This will become extremely useful in the impending operation South West of the Khmer where New Portugal lies.

[Pitboss Vikings]

King Kev sat on his horse looking over the fields to the east he had heard great stories from the explorers it was now time to ride and see the world for himself.

He left his eldest son Prince Larry in charge while he left.

Larrys first action was to declare a national holiday across the realm and to double the payments to the armed forces to attract more citizens to join. Every province was to have its garrison doubled and the Eastern plains needed patrols as the Wyandots had moved out.

To the north great waves of barbarians continued but the army found the main Barbarian town and overthrew the Governor and installed General Peterson as new governor of the North, The twin northern provinces would be set up as Fortresses to keep the barbaric hordes at bay.

Meanwhile the Oldonians wee gong through a birth explosion and new territories were needed to house them. Larry laid out on the Royal map the locations of 3 potential sites.

[Pitboss Vikings]

all is revealed

[Pitboss Rome]

The Senate of Rome to the People of the World

Let there be no doubt that the Russian settlement of the far eastern part of Portugal is an aggressive act.

The Portugese are people of their word; they do not lie about the treaties which made clear that this land was theirs.

We understand our Portugese brothers anger and distress at this insult to their people.

[Pitboss Portugal]

To Mel Gibson

Marco, I do make a habit of keeping on the up and up. Last explanation you gave for your claims was that which fell within your cultural boarders. Land below your "settlements" was never mentioned.

Your arguments are very confusing and unclear Gibson. I am more than happy to clarify this once and for all, so there are no more confusions. The city Portugal settles is ours; it has been build by our citizens, our cash, with our time and our investment. Since the subject of what land can be claimed the popular opinion is only settled land not unoccupied, why are you now disagreeing with us when we follow world policies?

You Sir yourself said that even:

Your discovery of new lands beyond the coast intrigues us. However, your claims to those lands dismays us. Do you have colonies there? Does your culture [U]hold influence there?[/U Or are these "claims" based simply on missives sent back from your explorer parties? If I was to claim every peice of unoccupied land my explorers set eyes upon my empire would stretch half the world. Portugal and Maya have always had good relations in the past, and your sharing of military knowledge has benefited us greatly. It would be tragic for disputes over unsettled land to sour our relationship.

I am sadden and disappointed that you continue to dispute with us and even threaten Portugal, even when none of the above has been violated. I hope that the rest of the world will take notice of the above said!

we can cause you major headaches

So actually it seems that you are having the habit of keeping on the up and up. If I am wrong please accept my apologies.

Also:

The largest nation in Terra whores up new world land while struggling countries are still trying to figure out how to navigate a river.

This is untruth! Why are you trying to bias others with these lies Gibson? When one only needs to enter diplomacy with other big civilizations and see that there are larger civilizations (city count) out there than Portugal.

What has Portugal caused to the Maya people to earn this hatred?

*We have had open borders for many years now
*Trade has been flowing freely between our two civilizations
*Technology trading
*Portugal have given a great military technology to the Maya, when they needed it most

*We still haven’t asked the full pay for that trade, due to the fact we were allowed to ask for a future tech.

The largest nation in Terra whores up new world land while struggling countries are still trying to figure out how to navigate a river.

Whores up? Why doesn’t Maya wants Portugal to expand? After all your people were gifted with much more fertile lands than us. Compare to your 35% still available fertile lands to settle at home, we do not have any. As you know Russia has settled that last spot, which we actually weren’t never going to settle due to the unlivable conditions, but still we will seek an explanation from their actions, because we split with the Russ the land and that was in our control zone. I hope the Russ will clarify this.

Others maybe more concerned by the fact that you with your past aggressive history, having still land available in your homeland for 5-6 cities are already looking onward to new lands.

I hope we can come to an understanding, I will even ask a close friend of Portugal and Maya to mediate this situation. Seems we alone can not come to understanding, your ever changing prerequisites and now aggressive behavior are unproductive.

As usual we are diplomatic, but two diplomats are needed to agree on matters don’t you agree?

So I kindly ask Alcetas, the Great King of Sparta to help us normalize this situation.

[Pitboss Rome]

New Portugal

The Senate of Rome is saddened to hear the continuing barking and sniping at our friends, the Portugese's, settlement of New Portugal.

We were pleased to be the first nation to congratulate King Marco on his discovers, many moons ago:

The Senate and People of Rome congratulate Great King Marco and his most Beautiful Queen, Isabella I, on their discovery of new lands.

We recognise New Portugal as part of the Great King's dominion.

May all nations take note of the gods' blessing of the trials of exploration with the bounty of new land.

We believe that the whole of New Portugal should belong to the Portugese nation. Until their brave seafarers risked life on the hiddeous oceans to find it, no one in teh world even knew of its existance. The one true God chose to reveal it to them alone. That is sufficient for us.

However, King Marco, gracious as always, has stated publicly that he feels that in New Portugal his claim extends only as far as his settlements.

So what happens? Do other nations rejoice at their good fortune and built settlers and ships, to add their expertise to the settlement of New Portugal? No. They sit on the side-lines and bark like jackals.

Of course there are exceptions. We acknowledge that the Greeks have shared our position, supporting the industry and good fortune of our mutual friends. But generally so much barking.

New Portugal is Portugese. Marco has generously offered people the right to settle there. If they can't be bothered, whose fault is that?

We Romans are not sea-faring people. But if other nations of the world are - and we hear that the Khmer are indeed skilled in ship building - then let them set sail and trust to the one true God and find their own new lands.

Tribune Hieronymus

[Pitboss Russia]

Announcement from Russia.


To Portugal.
Dearest friends and neighbours. As I understand, we had no arrangement concerning land rights. Yet You throw insults at us for settling lands that you have shown no interest in taking. For centuries this land has lain dead and belonged to none but barbarians and frostbitten wolfs. Yet we in Russia have seen this land and found its rugged cold beauty to be of interest to us. But we did not wish to upset Portugal by settling there.

However, centuries passed, and Portugal still showed no interest in the lands. In fact, rather than settle this peninsula a few week's march from your borders, you have sailed countless leagues for other lands. And now we hear Portugal has several settlers on wait for ships to sail them to the new world. Allow me then to ask, as longstanding neighbours, if so many of your own people would rather travel halfways around the world to a place they do not know than settle close to their families, should not then another be allowed to make good use of it? We are not asking for an empire, or your richest lands, or even settlement in the new world. We are merely picking up crumbs that fall from your table. Would you deny us this?

[Pitboss Russia]

Announcement from Russia

To Rome
Forgive us for delaying the delivery of our workers, but know that they are on the way. Things in Russia merely take time as we are not as advanced as yourselves. But rest assured, traders that we are, we always uphold our bargains. It is a matter of honor. You, longstanding neighbour, gives us not benefit of doubt, but instead throw insults at us. This is greatly painful to us. However, as I have made clear so many times, Russia upholds its deals, and we will do so this time as well.


And now for other matter. There exists a situation of great confusion among our diplomatic corps. When we decided to settle on the frozen peninsula, we thought it prudent to ask what our neighbours would think of the matter. And the reply you sent was very clear.

Regarding the peninsula. Thank you for this information which we will keep strickly confidential. You should be aware that we have good relations with the Portugese, and could not simply stand by if you attacked them, or undermined them. However, if what you propose is that you settle unclaimed land which simply because of its location the Portugese might have felt was 'theirs', that seems like a fair and straight-forward action to me.

Tribune Hieronymus


Yet now you announce that the "defensive pact" you have with Portugal is now invoked, though not a single Russian has set his foot in Portugal land. In fact we did only as you permitted us to do. This is most unclear to us. Perhaps a diplomatic delegation could be sent to aid us in resolving befuddlement.


Mikhail Pitrovovich Rus.

[Pitboss Rome]

Mikhail Pitrovovich Rus.

You twist, edit and fabricate our words to try to find excuse for your actions.

We have never 'permitted' any settlement anywhere.

We are not the one true God to give or take land from a nation. Though we notice you have renounced the one God, so perhaps you actions are to be expected.

The only truth in what you present as a message from us is that we would not stand by while Portugese interests were undermined.

Tribune Hieronymus