Beyond the Pit [Pitboss Diplomacy Game] [Story Thread] . PART 6 (January 2009)

[Pitboss Rome]

The Forum outside the Temple of Mars in Rome

The crowds were larger than had ever been seen before in Rome. The chanting echoing around the roof-tops “Hail Augustus, saviour of Mediolaneum, founder of the Pax Romana.” again and again from dawn to noon. “Hail Augustus, saviour of Mediolaneum, founder of the Pax Romana!”

At noon, the Lesser One himself came and offered sacrifices on the steps of the Temple of Mars. The doors remained open, for the war in the west continued, but in front of the doors, covering most of the front of the temple, hung a huge tapestry.

People stood in awe at the representation of the world, woven in cloth. They could see the desert lands, the Portuguese grasslands, the great mountains, the river Ren, the Eastern Ocean, the jungles of the Maya. But what was the golden thread woven through so much of the tapestry, laying a goldern haze over so much? The golden title ‘Pax Romana’ gave it away.

It stretched from the City of the Oath, the Great City with its Magnificant Temple, forfeited by the Piercians for breaking their oath, right across the desert lands, across the great mountains, across the Ren, across the Russian steppe, to the Eastern Ocean. The whole of the Russian lands now incorporated into the Pax Romana – the barbarians finally having accepted civilisation.

The Lesser One began to speak. “In ancient times the Rus unprovoked crossed the Ren and destroyed the City of Mediolaneum, murdering all within.” The crowd growled, this ancient dishonour never having been forgotten by the Roman people. The Lesser One held up his hand and continued “But payment has been made. The city of Mediolaneum will be rebuilt!” The crowd cheered. “The Rus have agreed to give land – rich land – hills and plains, corn and silver, to be the site of Mediolaneum. The refugees from Mediolaneum will be settled at least. The honour of Rome is satisfied. Mediolaneum lives! Hail Augustus, Saviour of Mediolaneum!"

The chanting began again “Hail Augustus, saviour of Mediolaneum!”.

The Emperor, seated below the Lesser One, in a goldern throne on the steps of the temple of Mars, remained impassive, smiling.

Finally the Lesser One spoke again “You know, fellow Romans, how the very existence of this city was threatened. Four nations – including the Oath-Breakers – whose combined strength exceeded ours many times over, attacked us unprovoked, unexpected. The Senate was destroyed; the Tribune murdered; revolution spread across ever city town and hamlet in the nation. Many felt that the One True God has abandoned us, as we stood alone against this avalanche of hate and destruction. But NO. The One True God send one man to save Rome.”

“Hail Augustus, saviour of Rome” rang out from the crowd.

The Lesser One smiled “Yes, Augustus, saviour of Rome was that man. In one generation Augustus has subjugated all our enemies. The Spartans and Maya, losing on the battle field, signed peace and fled back across the sea. The Oath-Breakers were defeated at Vellitrae and then their massed army massacred at the Great City of Meet’ing, now City of the Oath, when the city itself revolted welcoming the Roman armies as the people feared the curse of the one God if they helped the Oath-Breakers. And the Rus, finally, after millennia, have been forced to pay compensation for Mediolaneum, giving Russian land and support for the New Mediolaneum.”

Cheers and yet more chanting.

“But”, continued the Lesser One, "today is not a day for war. Augustus was not send to us as a conqueror”. The crowd falls silent. “Today is the day of the Pax Romana. The Roman Peace. Stretching from the distant west, through the desert lands, the heartland of Rome, the great mountains and the Russian plains, across to the Eastern Sea. Emperor Augustus, following the command of the One True God, has brought Roman peace, Roman security and Roman prosperity further than any previous generation could have drempt. Peace and security! Hail Augustus, founder of the Pax Romana!”


The Emperor stood and raised his hand, the crowd feel silent. "I have three words for you my people. First, the Rus have changed. Under their new, wise, brave leader, they are embracing civilisation, just as they embrace the Pax Romana. Forget the old stories, this day I proclaim the Rus socii - allies. Second, This victory is yours, not mine. Third, praise be to God!"

The crowd went wild chanting “Hail Augustus, founder of the Pax Romana!” again and again as the mood turned festive and the wine began to flow.

[Pitboss Persia]

Esther

The carvel brought Asiz and Sa'Ly to Asizia, where they had an unexpected encounter with a guard :



Guard : "Shame on both of you ! How could you betray the Empire like that ?"

Sa'Ly : "What are you talking about ? There must be a mistake !"

Guard : "There is no mistake, witch !"

Asiz : "Shas'Ui ! Drop your weapon and explain yourself, this is an order !"

Guard : "You have given up Mee'Ting to the Romans deliberately ! Aun'O Es'Ther has made your evil plans public."

Sa'Ly : "Those are lies, she is the betrayer ! She killed her own mother !"

Guard : "I know, she told us she did. She was right to do so. Empress Iris was Rome's *****."

This was too much, Asiz knocked the guard down and said :"This is a very bad situation. We have to go to Pierced Hill and settle this once and for all. If we split up we won't be noticed as easily as if we travel together. I'll be waiting for you at the northern gate in three days."

Sa'Ly : "Understood. Good luck, Asiz." Within a second she was out of sight. This will be tough, Asiz thought.

[Pitboss Persia]

Arrival at Pierced Hill



This doesn't look good at all... There must be citizens who don't believe Es'Ther's lies, he thought at the sight of the city. After a few minutes, Sa'Ly appeared at his left.

Asiz : "Looks like we'll have to fight our way to the palace."

Sa'Ly : "I am afraid you are right, but we should try to avoid to kill."

Asiz : "I will do whatever it takes me to get there." He said, jumping forwards and running towards the cities gates.

Fires were burning in the city, and bodies filled the streets. Each body fed Asiz's wrath, and Esther's soldiers had to pay. It took him four hours to make his way to the palace. Protected by the amulet of the heir, none could stop him.

[Pitboss Persia]

Showdown at the palace

The palace was heavily guarded, but most of the guards were smart enough not to get in Asiz's way. Two of them opened the main door and bowed in front of Sa'Ly. "Beware Oratress, this are times of greater trouble but we won't question the spirit's chosen one. You may pass." one of them said. She looked at Asiz and nodded. Soon they would put an end to all of this.

The door of the throne-room opened in a blow when Asiz throw himself against it with all of his strengh. Not a single guard was in there. Es'Ther was alone, awaiting their arrival on a bench she had have moved next to the throne.

"Ah, finally you have come here, my dear. But what for ? Do you want to contemplate the end of your reign ?" Es'Ther said. "You have lost your mind Es'Ther, and I won't tolerate your evil deeds. Surrender now, and I will spare your life !" Asiz answered. Es'Ther held a small device in her hand. She layed her fingertip on a jewel at the middle of the device and the amulet of the heir stopped shining. "What will you do now, my dear ?" she said, aiming at him with a crossbow and laughing.

"Sa'Ly ! Do something !" Asiz shouted. The Oratress began to surround herself with lightening when suddenly...


To be continued...

[OzzyKP]

Meduian before the Treaty of Hastings:

Treaty of Hastings

• Metalheads, HRE, Celts, and Americans stand down all forces and return all units to their home cities.
• The following cities change hands:
• Iron Maiden becomes Celtic
• Hastings become Holy Roman
• The HRE gift one Settler to the Funglish
• The Hastings Corridor is granted to the HRE in perpetuity
• The Southern Khmer / Spanish no-man's-land is granted to the Celts
• The Northern Incan Jungle region is annexed and divided between the Metalheads and the Funglish:
• Everything east of Mosquito Creek is handed to the Funglish
• Everything to the West of, and including, Mosquito Creek is handed to the Metalheads
• The HRE and Funglish accept Rock Musicians (Hindu Missionaries) from Metalheads and Khmer (No requirement for the HRE to switch state religions however)
• Rock (Hindu) Nations all vote for the Funglish in the upcoming Apostolic Palace Elections.
• Serenity Island be granted to the HRE to administrate.
• The Northern Ironic Plains shall be granted to American ownership in perpetuity.

Effect of the Treaty of Hastings:

[Pitboss Khmer]

Suryavarman 2 had waited long for the Hastings Agreement to be posted.

In the thick of battle and aware of new intelligence about Spanish operations it soon became obvious that the Spanish were to take much of Stincas southern land from under the nose of the Hastings Agreement.

Suryavarman 2 acted swiftly and sent much correspondence to the Hastings participants and posted in the world arena about the evolving Khmer plan.

herewith is an updated map of the Stinca area.

[won't upload. It's just a tiny section of ozzy's map (35k) so wtf won't it upload!?]

Meduian_UPDATED2.JPG:
Upload of file failed.

[Pitboss Khmer]

[ooc this site has slowed to a freaking crawl and I'm not impressed on several counts; plus the site is often too busy]

[OzzyKP]

To: Suryavarman 2 & Frederick
CC: The World
From: Ozzy the Bateater
Re: Treaty of Hastings & Incan Lands

I write to wish a hearty congratulations on the utter destruction of the Inca. Your military prowess is unmatched and your enemies tremble before your might. The once proud Incan empire was reduced to ash in record time.

While we never sought full conquest of the Inca, it is too late to return now, and we must accept the reality on the ground. With the fighting over, the difficult challenge for all the Hastings nations is to win the peace. Occupation of the Incan people will not, we fear, be as painless as their conquest. The Metalheads wish to assist.

I am writing to both press our claim to the northern Incan cities of The Flats, Pepper Point, and Mosquito Creek promised to us in the Treaty of Hastings, and to offer our assistance with the occupation of additional Incan cities further south. We feel we have been more than patient in waiting to receive the territory promised to us in the treaty we all signed.

A formal request for transfer of the northwestern Incan cities has just been sent. We look forward also to seeing the mighty Khmer’s plan for division of the remaining southern Incan cities.

Ozzy the Bateater

[Pitboss Japan]

The small squabbles between the many small samurai clans were now at an end. The only clans left standing were the Takeda (Controlled the capital and everything west of it), the Uesugi (controlled everything north of Nara), the Imagawa (controlled everything east of Ino), and the Oda (controlled everything south of Goda). Each warlord controlled their own area as if it where a different country. The four fought eachother fiercely but none could gain an upper hand. But when it came to international affairs that affected them all they all came together as the Council of four. Unknown to any of the four was the small band of refugees lead by a descendant of Ieyasu Tokugawa named Sai. Sai was the son of Ieyasu's older sister who was thought to be dead. Since Sai was of the Imperial bloodline he was now the soul heir to the Throne of Japan. Yet he did not claim what was his to take because he knew if he did the other warlords would kill him on the spot. So he along with a few others left Japan in search of a new world where they could settle and live in peace far from the violence, which was happening all over Japan.

[Pitboss Japan]

To: Good nations of Meduian
From: Kenshin Uesugi Daimyo of Northern Japan


I have read your treaty of Hastings and I must say that I have a problem with one part of it. The Holy Romans cannot be given the Island of Serenity or as we call it Ansuji is already under Japanese control. We have built cities on it as well and are about to build three more soon. I would be more then happy to give maps (screen shots) to verify that what I say is true. We would also provide maps of all of Japan's holding so that there would no longer be any misunderstanding.

[The Capo]

The Korean Empire was in shambles. There was no telling who was in charge, and nobody was officially handling foreign affairs. The previous foreign minister, Hae Mosu, was in hiding and was believed to have some hand in the attempted assassination of Emperor Sejong. The acting leader, Prime Minister Bojong of Wonsan, was reluctant to make any major decisions without confirmation from the nobility (which Sejong attempted to take power from during his reign) and the military (who's influence Sejong completely neutered during his reign), for fear that the people would consider him am ambitious opportunist and blame him for the attack against the Emperor. It was under these circumstances that the influence of Korea, who had been instrumental in foreign affairs during the reign of Sejong, now waned. Not only that but the Aztecs had regained control of the territory of Alemanni once more...


The Aztec stronghold of Alemanni...

The Korean army, a mix of Horsemen, Chariots, Macemen and Hwa'chas (a uniquely Korean seige-craft) rallied to attack the Aztec stronghold in the Korean territory of Alemanni. Years prior, it was technically in Mayan control but after a treaty signed by Sejong and Pacal Voltan (who were direct blood-relatives) Korea agreed to a small payment as well as the cessation of political relations with Portugal in exchange for the land grant. During that period Korea often accused the Mayans of neglecting their duty in policing the Aztecs, and now Korea knew how persistant these Aztecs could be. Now under (nominal) Korean control the territory had once again fallen into Aztec hands. Twice previously the Aztec stronghold had been destroyed, once by a Korean army under General Shin Sung, and once more by a Korean/Persian army under General Han Gong. Once again Korean soldiers marched upon the city (along with their Mayan allies), but this time Prince Gojong himself was determined to destroy the Aztec stronghold once and for all. The Mayan army was commanded by Gojong's cousin; King Pacal Voltan of Tikal.

"Prince Gojong!" General Han Gong said, he was the tutor of warfare for the young Prince, in fact the Prince had been present at the last battle of Alemanni, under the command of Han Gong. Now the tables had turned; "I have no confirmation on Mayan positions sir, you said they would be here." The General explained as a small Korean army took to the hills, the army had set up into ranks and position for battle. "In fact, I don't see any army, Aztec or Mayan. Or any type of stronghold."

Gojong stepped from his horse, and said "NOW!" as three guards ran up to the General and knocked him from his horse.

He checked his cheek for blood, he had a small wound on the side of his cheek from being struck with the butt of a spear. "I should have known" he muttered to himself. "There's no advantage to this position, it is-"

"SILENCE!" the Prince said, as he pulled out his sword, "Do you think I am a damned fool General?" he asked, loudly, for the benefit of the army.

Han Gong stayed on the ground, he shook his head, he had now realized that when he returned to Korea he signed his death warrant. There was no way out of this, he had not attacked the Emperor, he didn't know who did. For all he knew it was the Prince. But somebody had to take the blame, and why not him? "Of course not, Prince Gojong." he said quietly.

The Prince simply stared at him "General Han Gong, you have disgraced yourself, and your country, you have taken it upon yourself to become the unwitting pawn to a vile plot. You have tried to Kill your Emperor Sejong, and have forsaken you and your family to shame and dishonor for all eternity. While you deserve a much slower and painful death, your deeds on behalf of Korea will never go unremebered. And unfortunately, neither shall your wicked acts. So I will do this quickly.... I will not take my time, you shall die a soldier's death."

Han Gong turned to him, "You have clearly made up your mind, boy! I have nothing to say to you" he said, exposing his throat, "Make the cut!"

Gojong looked down at him, as the Princess looked on.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?! MAKE THE CUT!" The General said.

With that Gojong bellowed a battle cry, and sliced the General's neck open. He fell to the ground, and died instantly.

The Prince turned to a nearby Commander, "Have the men march back to camp, we will leave a small detachment to guard the mountains to ensure the Aztecs do not rebuild their stronghold."

"And what of the General's body?" he asked.

"Throw it into the ocean, let the sharks have him...."


The Purging of "Traitors"....


Emperor Sejong died a few days after the recapture of Alemanni (and the death of Han Gong). He never fully recouperated, he was never able to speak, or walk again. There was no new information to be had, no evidence. Only one dead assailant, and suspicion, and of course the rivalries. The only members of court that seemd to make it unscathed were the Prime Minister and Imperial Commander, of course the Lama Subo was safe but he was an old feeble man, who would surely die soon. Now with Sejong out of the picture the Buddhist authorities had no influence in court. Especially not with the Prime Minister (who was a Taoist). Nobody was safe from General Jumong's purgings, he used the recent death of the Emperor as an excuse to eliminate his enemies within the military heirarchy. His main rival, General Han Gong, was already killed at the hands of Prince Gojong, as a sign of loyalty and trust to his Imperial Commander. While nearly all of Sejong's reforms were unmade quickly the result was the same; the consolidation of power to a small cadre of elite. This cadre just used more diabolical means to achieve this end. Even the cousin of the Empress was jailed, Colonel Bak Moon.

.............................

The dungeon door opened, it was extremeley cold and dark in the dungeon, a stark contrast to the beautiful and colorful day that was occuring on the outside. Colonel Bak Moon squinted his eyes as the open door let in the sunlight, which brough pain to the prisoner's eyes. He had been in this dungeon for nearly a week, with no food, and harly any sign of sunlight, "Colonel Bak Moon" General Jumong said with a sinister smile on his face, "You look terrible, you really should get some sun on your skin, you look like a f*cking Oldonian!" he said, laughing.

"W,what do you want... Jumong..." the Colonel muttered.

"Well, I've come to invite you to a celebration of course, that is, on one condition." the General said.

"Name it Jumong." Bak Moon replied.

"Is that all it takes?" the General asked rhetorically, "So all our enemies must do is throw you, an Imperial Colonel, away in a dark cell for a few months and you are prepared to agree to anything? It brings a tear to my eyes."

Bak Moon spat on the floor, in the direction of the General, "Shut up, you damned fool, I demand to speak with the Prince, with the Emperor, you will not get away with this!"

"Oh Bak Moon" General Jumong said approaching him, "You are such a fool," he said clearing Bak Moon's hair from his forehead, "Is that anyway to treat somebody who saved your life?"

"What the hell are you talking about Jumong?" Bak Moon said, as Pong walked in.

"I have the clothing sir!" Pong said to the General.

"Put them on the chair, and get your fat ass out of here!" the General said, as Pong quickly obliged, "See, there's a good servant right there, he knows how to listen, and he never questions me. Of course he costs me quite a bit on feed, but there's always a catch eh?" he said.

"How in the F*CK did YOU save MY life!?!?" Bak Moon said.

"Ah yes, you see Colonel, oh by the way you are no longer a Colonel, and you have lost your noble status as well. But where was I?" he said, feigning confusion, "Ah, that's right. You see I saved you from Prince Gojong's purgings. He evicerated any nobility that he felt could possibly challenge his position, including your family so-"

"That's impossible!" Bak Moon interrupted him, "I am related to the Empress, there's no way he could get away with something like this!"

"That's where you are wrong my friend, you are NOT related to the Empress. There is no Empress, or Emperor for that matter. Well, for the next couple of hours at least. I have come here, as I said before I was so rudely interrupted, to invite you to a celebration. You will be a guest of honor, especially considering you are a shoe-in for some sort of promotion."

Bak Moon could not believe the ridiculousness of this entire situation, "You are going to let me out, to go to a celebration, and then you are telling me that I will be in line for some sort of promotion?" Bak Moon laughed, "I don't believe you Jumong, you're going to kill me aren't you? Why don't you just do it like a man?"

Jumong pulled some keys from his belt, "I told you Bak, I am here to let you go, I'm not a liar. I may be a drunkard, a womanizer, and an all around piece of sh*t, but a liar I am not!" he said, as he unshackled Bak Moon, "Ah yes, there are ten guards outside this door, you try anything and I assure you, THEY WILL kill you..."

NEXT: The Coronation of Emperor Gojong

[Pitboss Khmer]

another attempt at uploadsing the map changes to ozzy's map

Meduian.jpg:
Upload of file failed.

HELP!!

[Pitboss Portugal]

The Liberty Enlightening the World Project

Not long after coming to power Xristo decided to put on hold many public projects in Portugal. One such project was the Liberty Enlightening the World. Xristo thought that smaller nations should be given the opportunity to build this magnificent monument. He strongly hopped that other big powers like Khmer, Rome, Sparta and Maya would agree having someone else construct this great statue.

A rough example of the proposed statue:



Description:

The statue is of a robed woman holding a torch, and is made of a sheeting of pure copper, hung on a framework of with the exception of the flame of the torch, which is coated in gold leaf. It stands atop a rectangular stonework pedestal with a foundation in the shape of an irregular eleven-pointed star.

[Pitboss Greece]

Hail Emperor Augustus,

Once again I, Orestes, King of Sparta, wish to express our happiness with the peace between our two great nations!
The gold you have been supplying us has some excellent uses!
Tell us if you want something in return for this great resource, and we will certainly supply you with it, if we have any surplus of it!

Since our war ended our cities have been able to flourish and focus on cultural and scientific enlightenment!
The hate our ancestors had from Rome has totally disappeared from our people.
Not even the oldest Spartanians hold any grudge against Rome any more.
We are thankful for that.

I wish to congratulate you with your peace deals with the Russians and the Mayans, and the signing of the Pax Romana.
If there's any place for Sparta in this Pax Romana, then we are seriously interested in hearing what the requirements are for Sparta to enter it.

There is one issue, nevertheless, I wish to speak with you about.
I hope that you allow us to raise the issue of the Oath Breakers.
For long Sparta has backed you up in your war against these liars, but now I start to feel like it's been enough.
Please let the suffering of the common Piercians end!
The people in the streets should not be punished any longer for the mistakes made by their unfaithful leaders.

There for I call upon you to consider a one-sided cease fire.
You may want to withdraw your troops into Roman territory again, and only fight those Piercian troops that enter your borders.

We still fully support you on invading Piercian territory, but now call upon you to stop the hostilities against Piercia. I think that you have punished the Piercians enough.
I encourage you to offer enduring peace to the Piercians. Maybe you can offer the Piercians all you took from them except the city of Meeting, which can be the price you deserve for their oath breaking.

I feel that a Roman occupation of more Piercian cities will not lead to an enduring peace in our regio.
Please consider this.

With respect and friendliness,

Orestes
King of Sparta

[Pitboss Portugal]

Hail Emperor Augustus ruler of the powerful Romans,

I too wish to congratulate you for bringing peace once again to the south and securing your borders.

Long live the:



Now I agree with King Orestes of Sparta that you should look into halting your powerful surge into Oath Breakers territories. You have proven the strength of your armies. Meeting is a well deserved prize for your victory in the West. I also feel that peasants do not deserved to be punished for what their rulers have done.

Of course I have been following this war closely and have witnessed your attempts to make peace with the Oath Breakers. It is clear that you wish to put an end to this war as soon as possible. My advice to you is to pull back and defend your gains, wait for this Oath Breakers to ask for forgiveness for their wrong doing.

Xristo