Destiny of Empires [Diplo Game] [Story Thread]

[France (DoE)]

Response to the Angles

Joan began to write ....

Arthur, Honored Leader of the Angles

I thank you for your response to my letter. And I also thank you for your patience with my lack of history and my lack of familiarity with affairs of diplomacy.

To start with, I can appreciate the concerns of your fishermen and sailors. This channel that separates us can either be a dividing line, or an element that binds us. I would prefer the latter. Therefore, we do not deny any Angle sailor or fisherman access to Gallic coastal areas. I have asked my foreign affairs officers to draw up an open borders agreement to make this official. Unfortunately they have not heard of such a concept. The Neandors have mastered this idea, but we have no way of accessing their research. As soon as the Angles or the Gauls have the ability to write up such a document, I will be pleased to sign it.

I also appreciate your promise to not invade or attack Gallic lands or troops. If your declaration of war allows your sailors the freedom they require to sail our waters, we can maintain that state of affairs until a formal open borders agreement is signed.

I look forward to the day when we can meet in person, and discuss the future, and how our two great nations can work together.

With Respect and Sincerity... Princess Joan I of the Gaul Tribes

"What do you think, Richard?" she asked.

Delacroix read the proposed correspondence and then looked across the desk to Joan. "It's perfect. It is official, yet sincere and personal. Just like you. " He smiled at Joan. "I am sure it will be well received by the Angles".

"I certainly hope so. This tension with our neighbors worries me. And it worries our people. Particulary after Veniti. Speaking of which, do we still leave tomorrow for our meeting with Grunzen of Neandor."

"We do indeed."

"Bon! I look forward to meeting this Grunzen friend of yours. You make him out to be a strong and honorable character."

"He is that; don't let appearances, and smell, deceive you."

Joan chuckled. "So, are we done all the offical work for the evening? If so, I'll get this letter out to a courier and then I'll have some dinner and wine sent up for us. You will stay won't you?" she asked coyly.

Richard Delacroix smiled. "As my Princess wishes."

[Arabia (DoE)]

Relations with the Indians

Soon after the siege of Jerusalem, Arabia turned its eyes east toward the Indians. Not much was known of these people, except the few tales brought back from travelers. A messenger was sent out to negotiate boarders with the Indian. The request was simple, Bombay would mark their western boarder. The messenger returned, and informed the Islamic Moolahs that Indian wanted to know by what right Arabia had to land unsettled.

This response reminded the Moolahs of the past situation with Jerusalem, and they agreed the army would be dispatched to Bombay.

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

Suleiman pondered the news.



In the South the mystical ranting of Moses spreading confusion and disinformation. Moses seeming to be caught in a fantasy world. Making proclamations about axemen when the Turkish chariotters travelling through Egypt couldn't find a single strong man in the whole country, never mind a solider.

All the Egyptians seemed to build were monuments. Yes great walls but without a defender in sight.



Perhaps they were relying on the goodwill of the gods that others would not come and take their glories. Suleiman snorted, knowing that the gods would offer no such protection.


And now in the East, the betrayal of the Arabs. He read again the recently written words of Saladin where he proclaimed that the arabs "forfit any claim to the choke point city spot in the mountains between us and Russia." The very point at which he had just founded a city.

His fury was raised by the irony on Saladin's words "It was my wish for the Ottomans, Egyptians, and Arabic people to live in peace, and perhaps band together against outside forces. The Egyptians have spit on our extended hand of friendship with their ill placed settlement." Saladin talking of friendship, talking of the Eygptians having spat on the hand of friendship, when now he has done the same.

There is no honour in this world. There is only greed.



The turkish people did not suffer insults well. They had not travelled from the east to be tricked like children.

He had failed in the East. The west, the Neadors and the Russians were people of honour, there in the west the Turkish people had found peace and friendship. But, Suleiamn spat, the peoples of the deserts seemed only to wish for war.

But he was old. These were issues for his son.



And for all that diplomacy in the east had failed, the Turkish people prospered. The sheep, the horses, the fish fed the Turkish people well; the granaries and lighthouses protected the people from starvation. He was Suleiman the Founder - perhaps the gods would just him favourably. But what would the future bring his son?

[Israel (DoE)]

God JHWH Reveals Himself to Israël

Then Israël (Moses) was commanded to climb the Mount Moriah.
On the top of the Mountain God revealed himself to Israël.
The children of Israël were waiting on the foot of the Mountain.
They heard thunder and saw lightning at the top of the Mountain and feared for Israël (Moses) life.

Then God spoke to Israël and revealed his name; JHWH which translates into "I Am" or "The Being".
10 Commandments were given to Israël and he wrote them all down on 2 stone tables.



The Being then vowed to protect Israël (the people) forever and ever as they were his children and he would be their God. No other peoples would be like Israël and no other peoples were allowed to worship I Am.
No one except the Ottomans, who a special, though secundar, blessing from The Being received, would be allowed to worship God JHWH.

Then Israël descendent from the Holy Mountain of Moriah, taking the two stone tables with him and he told everything to the children of Israël.

A tent temple, named the tabernacle, was constructed, for the stone tables to be stored within till a permanent Temple would be created by a prophet I Am had foretold to come int he future.

From that day on the Hebrews or the Slaves were known as the Children of Israël or just plain 'Israël', the chosen people by God. And Jerusalem now was the Holy City of Judaism, the religion of the One True God JHWH.

Holy Axemen and Spearmen were trained to protect this city forever.

[Mongolia (DoE)]

Strife continues in the Chieftains tent. The villages are complaining about starving for food, same story for milleniums now. The Chief defends his record saying that the second staving village was founded during his absence next to horses, horses of which we had ample already. The leader had to ordered to found the village near the deer so there would be plenty of food for all villages. But during his exploration travels his orders had been ignored and left the tribe as 2 small starving villages. The future is bleak for the Mongol tribes and they are agitating for new leadership. Who knows when that new leadership will come or what that leadership will do.

[Vikings (DoE)]

It is cold.

For centuries the Vikings have been isolated up in the cold north. Everyhing took years to be build. Poor crops led to ill harvests and people were starving. A viking scout was send out to make contact with the neighboring tribes. The Vikings tribe was small and insignificant compared to what the scout has reported back to Thor.

[Russia (DoE)]

We the Russians know what cold means, as we live in tundras ourselves too, neighboring Vikings. We work like lumberjacks and trappers - this is what we have in the North and this must feed us, but we know how to live with it. Thats why we were so surprised when you turned down a really profitable for you deal. In fact, you never bothered to even answer our proposal. We expected from you to have better sense for a deal.

In fact, you outright disappointed our generous and cooperative Queen Catherine. "Men..." she said sadly, her eyes full of sorrow and her gracious cheeks pale.

[Vikings (DoE)]

The northern freeze makes us slow.

[Arabia (DoE)]

The Siege of Bombay - 1500 BC

Within mere weeks of the messengers notice the Arab army descended into western India. Many of the local populace was rounded up and held prisoner. The invaders came across the fabled city of Bombay, and were in awe of it's majesty. Inside the walls stood guard unproven Indian troops, and the raiders could smell fear emanate from the city. Although confident they could take the city, the siege was more symbolic than anything, an answer to the question posed by the Indians concerning by what right Arabia had to land west. For a full month the siege held without response from the Indian rulers. Something had to give soon.

[Arabia (DoE)]

double post mods plz delete

[Israel (DoE)]

Shalom Suleiman,

You ask how the Jerusalem Issue can be resolved.
I am aware of the cultural impact Jerusalem has on the surrounding cities.
This can be countered by building up culture in your city.

As I said before, I will restrain myself and not build any cultural building in Jerusalem for now to give you a chance to counter the Great Influence of the City of God.

Israel

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

Suleiman the Founder was laid to rest.

Since the last insults of the Arabs, he had withdrawn into his marble palace, beautified from the new quarries. Lurking, angry, despondant at the failure he felt he had been in the East. Finally the end came, and in accordance with his wishes, he was burn in the old Turkish style.



His son, Suleiman was proclaimed ruler by the Turkish tribal council, an honour not a right.

As soon as the period of mourning was over, Suleiman shocked the council by proclaiming that the Jewish God had spoken to him, before his father's death, proclaiming that the Turkish people were themselves children of Abraham, sons of Abraham who had never travelled to slavery in Egypt, but instead had travelled north.

The Turkish people were to be worshippers of the one true God.

In sign of this, much to the shock of many, he and his chariotters were circumcised.



For Suleiman, now known as Suleiman the Pious, was not alone. He had been a captain in the charioteer force which had patrolled the east. It seemed that many of those men had adopted the Jewish religion and now, emboldened by Suleiman's enthronement, they proclaimed it openly.

For a few months scandal dominated the Turkish people. The old despising the new religion of the young, but nobody would oppose Suleiman the Pious and his charioteers, once they had recovered from their pains.

A new Turkish identity was born.

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

Suleiman the Pious listened to the people of Edirne.
His temper rising, his face redenning, his anger visible to all.

"What is your grievance?"

"Great One, it is the city of Jersualem. The people from it our stealing our lands, the food to feed our children, the produce we need to live"

"But was a deal not agreed between Moses and my father, by which, grudgingly we accepted that the wine of the great Levanon plain was theirs?"

"Yes Great One. But they have expanded far beyond it. Stealing more land. Right up to the borders of our city. Some believe that soon the city of Edirne itself would itself soon fall to Moses' influence."

"So they have broken the treaty?"

"Yes Great One.They are faithless these Egyptian slaves. They have stolen the identity of Israel, but we know from you that the true Israelites are those who never went down to Egypt. Even Moses himself had to recognise, grudgingly, that the Turks were followers of the one true God.

When they came to Jerusalem years ago they proclaimed to Turk and Arab alike:

There we founded the city of Jerusalem, the most holy city on earth.

We do not see expansion nor do we seek to live in terror with our neighbors.
Please leave us alone and we will let you alone. We will not expand into any
direction to the north, the northeast, the south or the south east.

Yet they have done exactly this - expanded to the north, bringing terror to their neighbours

"But have you raise this with Moses? Given him a chance to act, or to pay compensation?"

"Yes Great One. Three timse we have set to Moses explaining our problem and asking that he suggest a solution"

"And what was his reply?"

"He agreed that Jerusalem "harms the freedom of the Turkish people" and yet was not willing to do anything - just urged us to be more cultured, while he secretly ordered the construction of an army."

"He said nothing more?"

"Well he also suggested

Why don't you take the city of the Goiim [arabs], the one they erected north-east of Jerusalem [Caspian Gate]?
My missionaries tell me that it is only guarded by one (well equiped) Archer.
This city contains copper. You do not have to feel sorry for them because the Arabians will soon receive a settler from us.

"So, he breaks his oaths and treaties with us, agrees he is harming us but refuses to offer any help or compensation, and instead suggests we attack our neighbours?"

The charioteers lent in, wondering. Would Suleiman the Pious live up to the true Turkish calling. His father had allowed the noose to be tightened around the Turkish people, choking off land and food for their children, but had never acted decisively to stop it. What would Suleiman the Pious do?

"The answer is clear" proclaimed Suleiman. "We are the true Israelites. We will claim the shrine at Jerusalem. Under our guardianship, Jersualem and Edirne will live contentedly side by side. Under our guardianship the good name of Judaism will no longer be corrupted by Moses' lies."

"Ride on Jerusalem. Send messengers to the desert patrols in the south and south west. God is with us. We ride to purify the shrine, and drive the Egyptian slaves back to Egypt."

[Russia (DoE)]

Georgii - the military minister of Her Highness Queen Catherine of Russia said to his old drink-glass friend Viacheslav looking at the piece of pergament:

Our Queen Catherine is worried about the non-cooperation by her supposed to be good neighbor and close relative Grunzen of Neandor. She proposed few times to him fair and cooperative land division, but Grunzen only seems to see until now her pretty side. Despite her nobility, she is now Queen of Rus and all the Slavs count on her and they trust her with their life. She is young and still naive, she thinks that a nice words can achieve more than pointy sticks. Let her try her way, than we will try our way.

[Israel (DoE)]

Moses once again climbed the Mount Moriah.
There he prayed to God to destroy the enemies of Israel, as He once did with the Egyptians in the Red Sea.
If not the army of I Am Israel had no chance against the Turks.

"No army we need for God will come to our aid!" Moses told the children of Israel.

Then Moses sent a letter to Suleiman the Pious:

Suleiman the Pious,

Let us try to find a solution for the problems Jerusalem is causing to you.
We are willing to give you a lot for Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is Most Holy to us, if you take it or destroy it, you destroy all we are.
We are prepared to bow for you, please tell us your demands.
The humble people of Israel

Lead by Israel