Destiny of Empires [Diplo Game] [Story Thread 2 - November 2010]

[England (DoE)]

The End of the Gallic War

Undone by trickery and military might, Sir Galahad and Sir Kay voyage north once again to their rainy island home. Sir Lancelot remained behind to govern Carthage and the proposed new colony of Arthurton. The voyage was a solemn affair. Sir Kay looked longingly at the shores of Iberia and once again noted the small defensive force in Cadiz, but said nothing. He knew their time was passed, the opportunity over. The two men made small talk, but mostly looked out to sea lost in thought. Battles won, comrades lost, decisions made and negotiations undertaken cycled through their minds. They knew the King would not be happy with the result, and feared his reaction. Even brave Sir Kay, who was most reluctant to accept any peace deal had resigned himself to the fact that this offer was the best they could get short of an assault on the Gallic mainland. Sir Galahad was proud that Carthage was saved and additional land was secured to its east, but knew this was far short of the King's goals.

After several weeks at sea the knights returned to the shores of their home. Their troops left behind under Sir Lancelot's direction to guard North Africa from all who may threaten her. Once again, the Round Table was assembled. The returning warriors delivered their report to their nation's leadership.

King Alfred - Welcome back, sir knights. We are very eager to hear news from the south. Rumors have come our way, but we wish to know the full story from your own lips.

Galahad, Knight of Wales - Of course, sire. We have much to report after a long journey we arrived...

He paused, noticing, finally, that the Table had changed. New men sat along it who he had never seen before.

Galahad, Knight of Wales - To whom am I speaking?

King Alfred - Ah yes, things have changed since you have been away. I am happy to introduce Brian Boru, ruler of Dublin and Ireland, and Malgan, ruler of Iceland. Our lands have grown in the north, now please, tell us of our lands in the south. Is North Africa ours?

Kay, Knight of Mercia - No, sire. The Gauls were too strong to defeat in the desert. Without being able to attack them at home, where they were weakest, we had no choice but to abandon our goal of holding on to North Africa.

Rædwald of East Anglia - Lost? We lost our land in the south? You return in defeat? This is a tragic day indeed...

Galahad, Knight of Wales - No, it is not as bad as it seems. Carthage remains English and Sir Lancelot has overseen the construction of a new colony to the east of Carthage named after our beloved patriarch, King Arthur. The new settlement, built on a small out crop of arid land between the sea and the desert is called Arthurton.

Penda of Mercia - And what of the lands west of Carthage?

Kay, Knight of Mercia - We tried, master. Even with our allies, the Jews, and the dark skinned natives far to the south, we were unable to take the Gallic colony of Agadir. The Gauls were too strong and their defensive position too great.

Penda of Mercia - How many men were lost in the siege? Did you take many Gauls with you at least?

Kay, Knight of Mercia - We... we didn't attack. The odds were not in our favor, we fled into the desert.

Penda of Mercia - You fled?

Kay, Knight of Mercia - Well, it was Sir Robin who organized the retreat. Tactically it was wise. Our position was vulnerable and the Gauls were on the move. We were outnumbered and outflanked.

Penda of Mercia - *snort* Brave, brave Sir Robin, bravely ran away. I am disappointed that the brave Sir Kay followed.

Kay, Knight of Mercia - It...

Galahad, Knight of Wales - It was an honorable retreat. There was no honor in wasting lives in an impossible task. The Jews and Zulu remained behind and were slaughtered to the last man. Had we met the same fate we would not have been able to retain Carthage nor build Arthurton. Our remaining troops were the only bargining chip we had with the Gauls. Had we been defeated, they never would have negotiated and would have thought nothing to wipe out our remaining land in Africa.

King Alfred - This is disappointing to be sure... but you acted wisely. It provides some comfort to know that Carthage remains. We retain our toehold in Africa.

Edward of Wessex - So is that all? We have peace?

Galahad, Knight of Wales - It appears so. Gaul has once again opened borders with us, recognized our claim to land along the northern coast of Africa, and left us in peace. No word yet from the Neandor, but as they sought to defend the Gallic claims to Africa, and we have found peace with the Gauls, we are hopeful that we also have found lasting peace with the Neandor.

Oswald of Northumbria - Thank you sir knights. Your task was hard, but you provided great service to your nation. We thank you for your wisdom and bravery.

Brian Boru of Ireland - To Sir Galahad, Sir Kay and Sir Lancelot!!

The royal chamber echoed with cheers and congratulations as the men toasted the three knights sent south.

[France (DoE)]

Tales from the Desert: The Barbarian Siege of Medina



Ma'ruf Hudhafa pretended not to be scared as he stood next to his comrades on the low walls protecting Medina. He was however, very, very nervous. Despite their extensive training and preparation, he and his fellow archers had never fired an arrow in anger. Nor had they ever seen an enemy. And they could not have imagined an enemy such as this. Barbarians. Large men. They looked and dressed quite differently than anyone Ma'ruf had ever seen. And they were heavily armed. And screaming. And charging right towards them.



These intruders had sheltered overnight in the small oasis on the eastern outskirts of the city. At first the city garrison thought it was the long-awaited reinforcements from Mecca. They had not heard anything from Mecca for the last year and a half. They heard rumors and stories from caravans and travelers, but nothing official. Apparently Mecca was now ruled by Sheikh Abdullah al-Mahdi, but how he had come to power, no one knew. The road that had been promised to the city many decades earlier was non-existent. Only sand filled the space between Medina and the capitol.

It was worrisome times for the people and garrison of Medina, so their hopes were raised when a lookout saw soldiers in the distance, his view aided by the sun low in the evening sky behind him. There was just enough daylight to get messengers out to the soldiers to help guide them in. It was with horror that they watched the sole survivor of the messengers sprinting back to the city, his face and torso covered with the blood of his companions. The gates were locked. The city's hopes faded with the sunlight.

Daybreak often brings renewed hope, but for Ma'ruf, it was only dread. He stood on the low wall, his friends Haythan to his right, and Haydar to his left. Then a thought broke through his fear. Haydar and Haythan were brothers. Haydar's name meant 'lion' and Haythan's 'young hawk'. The three had joined the archers together five years earlier. Ma'ruf could think of no one he would rather stand and fight with than the Lion and the Hawk.

The command to draw bows brought him back to the moment. So did the sound of the charging barbarians. Holding his breath, Ma'ruf took aim for the chest of the large brute closest to him.



Epilogue: The barbarians failed to take the city. Most were killed by the accurate fire of the archers. A group did reach the walls, where vicious hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Had more barbarians reached the walls, it may have been a different outcome, for the few that did, although outnumbered, inflicted serious casualties on the archers before superior numbers, and desperation, won the day. Ma'ruf and his friends were unharmed.

City officials raised a second unit of archers, thus ensuring Medina's security. And two months later an official courier from Mecca arrived. Soldiers from the empire were in the desert, guarding the workers who were constructing the long-promised road. Medina's long years of isolation were almost over.

(France writing as Arabia (sub))

[China (DoE)]

The Chinese Empire releases the following news and updates:

- Great Leader Tang has been replaced by his son Xi. Many had begun to question Tang's ability to lead the nation as he had grown old and forgetful. Xi promises a time of prosperity to his subjects as well as an increase in military capability and might.

[England (DoE)]

The Rise of Christianity in England

In the days of the Gallic War, England was fortunate enough to employ the aid of African nations - most especially Israel. The great powers of Gaul and Neandor complained loudly that England did not consult with them before settling on the shores of Africa. The Round Table never considered these powerful European nations to have ownership of Africa, so instead made arrangements with the Africans. Despite their complaints against England, the hypocritical Gauls never consulted the Mali, Zulu or Israelis before settling in Africa themselves. This angered the Africans who joined with England in attempting to drive them from their continent. The multi-nation effort was in vain however, the Gauls were simply too strong. Losses were suffered by all nations, but eventually England and its African allies backed down.

England was proud to have the support of the mighty Africans, and came into contact with many brave soldiers. A contingent of Israeli axes found their way to Carthage to guard the city from any possible attack. Following the troops were the usual scattering of beggars, prostitutes, merchants and thieves. Hiding among the rabble though was a man from near the Israeli city of Bethlehem named Barnabas and his brother Aristobulus. Like the others, they too lived off the scraps left behind from the advancing troops, and the generosity of a few. But they had a mission. Jews, and Levites, the two men had lived simple lives in Israel until they came across the teachings of a remarkable man. Jesus, who some call the Christ, changed their lives forever. Dropping everything to follow Jesus, these men became disciples and Apostles of this new faith of Christianity. They were sent on a mission, to follow the Israeli troops and prostylze to them and to the English in Carthage.

Barnabas and Aristobulus met with limited success among the troops, but it was the pagan gentiles in Carthage where they truly gathered a following. They spoke to the elders of the colony, and to the poorest of servants and slaves. All were promised salvation and forgiveness. All were told of great miracles. All who heard, believed. This new faith caught on rapidly with the colonists of Carthage. Carthage, along with the Neandor city of Venetii, which was visited by Lucus, became two of the earliest centers for this new, but growing faith.

Two converts who came to be the most notable Christians in the city were Augustine and Patrick. Augustine worked with Barnabas and Aristobulus to establish the church in Carthage and its surrounding lands. Patrick however wished to travel on and spread the good news of Jesus Christ to his homeland, back in the British Isles. He decided to bypass the established cities of London and York and instead bring his message to the people of Dublin, in Ireland. This new faith, this Christianity, was based on a belief in one God who acted upon the world through three persons - God the father, Jesus Christ the son, and the Holy Spirit. This Holy Trinity formed the basis of the faith, but was a difficult message to spread to poor Irish peasants. Patrick then got the idea to use the shamrock, a three leafed plant common to Ireland to explain this Trinity. It was a success! The pagan Irish soon were converted to the faith. As a sign of God's power, Patrick performed a mighty miracle on the island, driving away all snakes from Ireland. The people were impressed! They converted quickly and soon Dublin was another early center of the faith.

Patrick relayed many of the stories he heard from Barnabas and Aristobulus. Stories of Jesus and his crucifixion and resurrection. Many of the new converts were so in awe, they had to see it for themselves. See the places where Jesus walked. Visit the hill where he was crucified. See the tomb he emerged from. Visit the manger where he was born. It was here, in Dublin, where a party gathered, intent to make a pilgrimage to the holy land in Israel. They found some willing Anglers to pilot a ship to take them south. These pilgrims were moved with religious fervor and were prepared to leave behind the only life they had ever known and move to an unknown land in Israel.

[England (DoE)]

[A small, well-weathered boat flying a strange flag approaches. It appears to be as old as the sea itself, and as covered in sealife as a coral reef. The crew is ragged, thin, and appear mildly insane. Their clothes are tattered rags made of an unknown plant/animal, mixed in with newer garments of an Asiatic origin. A man waves at you, and he comes aboard. He introduces himself as "Cuquinu-Tatnapa Tuquine nu Mazna". He says:]

Pat tazsunyma nuhaltuzsunzhana,

Maz ha nu cuhazma y nu Tatnapa. Maz cuychuz t' cuchatynatnucha. Malnu t'na chac quichaquiynaz, mapazhaz t'na chac paychuz?

[The man calls over some of his crew, and they bring with them a bamboo barrel full of sea bass and eels. Another man brings a small tray with preserved and dried grains from an unknown plant. He says, "Maize," and offers some to you as a keepsake. The rest of the crew stands aboard the ship, watching intently from on top of walls. The first man offers the barrel of seafood to you, and he waits for a response....]

Captain John Cabot, many years older than when he set out, slowly stirred from his small quarters below deck. The other Anglers hurriedly told him of the ship they spotted in the distance. Its profile was far different than the occasional Chinese junks they have seen recently. As it came closer they noticed the ship was old. Very old. It hung low in the water, weighed down by decades of barnacles and coral growth. It flew a strange flag and the crew were as ragged and thin as Cabot's crew, yet there was something odd about them.

The ship pulled alongside them, and a man waved to the English crew. Steadying the ship, they allow the man to come aboard and he introduces himself as "Cuquinu-Tatnapa Tuquine nu Mazna". He continues to talk in a strange language that was indecipherable to Cabot and his crew. They seemed friendly enough and offered food to share. Mostly sea life, similar to what the English Anglers had subsisted on for years, but they also offered a small trade with preserved and dried grains from an unknown plant. The man says, "Maize," and offers some as a keepsake. They wait, expectently, for a response.

By the look of their ragged crew and ship, it seemed these people were from very far away. Not local fishermen and merchants like they had encountered thusfar. Perhaps they were explorers who set out into the black like Cabot to see new lands and meet new people. Like he had with the Mali, the Zulu, the Indians and the Chinese, Cabot intended to make a good impression and establish good relations and good trade. They must be an enterprising and adventurous people to send a crew this far from home. Their greeting, though unintelligible, seemed genuinely friendly and sincere. A good contact to have. John Cabot graciously accepted the gifts and directed his men to present them with gifts of their own.

They exchanged Wheat for the Maize and presented the travelers with a small sampling of trinkets they've collected from their many stops. A small elephant beautifully carved out of ivory they received from the Mali, an ornate gold bracelet the Zulu gave them, a sparkling gem of purest emerald received in India, and a fine silk cloth they got from the Chinese. As Cabot's crew had been at sea for many years, they lost and gained crew in various locations. The ships added crew at every nation they visited, and Cuquinu-Tatnapa Tuquine nu Mazna was very impressed not only with the many gifts, but the strange shapes and colors of the people who presented them. They were quite interested in the light, fair skin of the English and the dark skin of the Zulu crewmember.

[France (DoE)]

With the 8th Royal Regiment in Agadir

The two troopers sat on the edge of the parade grounds, discussing worldly matters.

"Damned Anglais!" muttered the first.

"Oui, damned Anglais!" responded his fellow soldier.

"Damned peace deal. And they keep Carthage?!"

"We could have walked right into the city! Two archers!! Ha!"

The peace was not popular with the soldiers. They still wanted revenge for the 'Hermione' affair, and felt they had the Angles on the run. Why settle for peace now when all of western North Africa could have been theirs.

"I'll tell you who I blame. That damn princess. Wouldn't have happened if Delacroix was in charge. I tell you, having a women rule a ...."

That was as far as he got. The sergeant who was sitting not far away, and was listening to the conversation covered the ten paces in a flash, and punched the soldier full in the face. He went down like a sack of potatoes, blood spurting from his nose.

The sergeant, who remembered well the Princess' salute to the soldiers of the 8th, shook his finger at the other soldier, who now sat motionless and scared. "Don't ever let me hear either of you talking about Princess Joan in such a manner again! Do you hear me?!"

With that he booted the soldier's helmet into the adjacent field.

Walking away, he acknowledged to himself that this peace deal stank. "Damned Anglais" he muttered to himself.

[Inca (DoE)]

A Message to the Aztecs; A Note on Languages



The Governor of Talcho sends a second small emmissary mission to the outskirts of the Aztec Empire over the Isthmus of Pan. Their new message is this:

Tuachat Azteca Yunachut,

Mas wa thunallat t'mancocha t'lachanuna. Mas cotochaca wa y cochanta. Mapanata chona wa collanadan?

They bring an assortment of corn, potatoes, fine paper, gold and bronze figurines, and beatiful inks and dies, all together roughly estimated at a value of 5kg of gold in the Inca markets. They appear less apprehensive than before, although it is difficult to deciper their intentions or sentiments through the opaque veneer of diplomatic courtesies.



They also bring a set of paintings on cornpaper, embroidered in gold [my computer is messed up right now, so no nice digital art of this, sorry]. They show of a great struggle, some war, of pillaged lands and fields ablaze, of near-destruction and swift retribution, of eventual conquest and utter victory, but yet with an ongoing threat behind palms and thick ferns. Historians will later refer to the 3 then-surviving copies of this as the "Guacano Tapestries", one of which was made for each governor at the end of the 1st Migratory Wars. You have been shown that of the governor of Talcho.



The mission is not very large. It includes a staff of 15 notables, dressed in fine cloths and bejeweled in gold bracelets, bronze earrings, and with small dashes of silver. Two of them wear beautiful bronze and gold crowns and are clothed in gorgeous flowing robes made of a very fine fiber weave, while most wear fiber caps with gold weaving and coarser -yet still beautiful- orange robes with red stripes. 5 of them are seen to be attempting communication with locals, each with 1 assistant who uses a pen and cornpaper pads. The last 3 members appear to be personal assistants to the 2 crowned members. Alongside these are a group of 36 general laborers, each wearing a simple, coarse brown-orange tunic, including 5 who appear to be in a supervisory role who wear small bronze headbands and who have bright orange stripes on their tunics, with 1 further overall supervisor alongside them, who wears a larger bronze and gold headband with the bright orange stripe on his tunic outlined in red. In addition to these laborers, 100 skilled axemen and woodsmen are included in the party. They are not meant as a threat, but a necessity in crossing the hostile lands between the two kingdoms. They clearly do not feel overly threatened by the Aztecs, as their spies have become aware of the great disparities in power between the two civilizations through unknown means.

Although their language is still indecipherable to the Aztecs, one could only assume that they mean to create a lasting partnership and perhaps discuss the issues of fair and cooperative expansion and, perhaps more importantly, the status of the Isthmus of Pan. They travel with llamas for pack animals, and use small wagons designed for the harsh terrain to haul their goods and people. The first reaction of any local person to this sight must be: "how long did it take them to get all that across such miserable terrain?!"



NOTES:
The new Inca settlement of L'chulla has been founded, and although the initial settlers were of Capaca origin, the local population was "annexed" from a previous minor kingdom following the Inca victory in the 1st Migratory Wars. The local government for now still uses Capacas, but the local language is well-entrenched, and thick jungles keep the settlement well insulated from other Capaca territories. As such, the native tongue of Guacana will soon be used throughout all communications eminating from the [Amazon] territories.

Ethnic splintering has further reduced the appearance of multilingual individuals, and the complexities of the various languages make it certain that only those officials from the primary capital have proficient translators at their disposal for Talchas and Manchas. No translators will be available for Guacana until further territorial annexations are made in that area.

[Inca (DoE)]

The Capaca boat crew also sails through Indian lands, although with little communication. Some words are passed between the Inca ship and some Indians watching from the shores, but nothing could really be deciphered. The crew was indeed grateful for being allowed safe passage without having to give any offerings.

[Germany (DoE)]

The Gardens of Venetii

Franzen loved his mother and dedicated his second great monument to her. She and Grunzen would forever be remembered.



The gardens, the canals of Venetii..

[mzprox]

The Evil Arabians took our city..and they said it was our fault..we endured.. being a peacefull nation we never wanted war.
But it hurt us to see our people under foreign oppression..we've asked them to show mercy and release our city..to show good faith..we were prepared to accept their answer even it was no..

but it was not no..

They have ignored us..

And when we asked them again they told we are not even worthy for their answer..

Well...maybe we are worthy enough to die on the battlefield. We would choose certain death, but we will not accept the shame any more. We still wish to avoid this war if possible, though we fear we will be ignored again..

If our city, Bombay would return to us peacefully..then we could maybe start over and start building on friendship..

But untill Bombay is occupied, untill our people are enslaved..there will not be true peace, cooperation and friendship.. it is just not possible.

Mazerix, regent of India

[mzprox]

We have received no answer from the Arabians..we had to assume that they are again ignoring us. I had no choice but to commence the attack, We could not risk that they manage to bring in more reinforcements.

My generals report that the attack was succesfull, though by great losses we have liberated Bombay.

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

The arabs, Suleiman joked with his generals, they are like a young boy chasing two rabbits, who ends up losing both, and his trousers too!

The generals laughted. They hadn't thought that Saladin would have been so stupid to fall for a simple deception, but he had. Over recent years a phoney army had been gathered near the border with Capsian Gates, the invincible city which the arabs had stolen from the Turks, breaking their agreement. Melee troops from across the whole empire who could never in truth be spared to invade anyone, very obvious spies at Caspain Gates and in Mecca, and Suleiman sat back and watched the reports of Arab troops pouring west, axemen, spearmen, archers, the whole of the east empied to defend and invincible city against a shadow of a turkish army. But the east was left poorly defended.

And now the news of the great uprising of the Indian peasants against the Arab oppressors.

A trap sprung. Victory for the people of India!

[France (DoE)]

Abdullah al-Mahdi reflected on events of recent days. When he had assumed power in Mecca, the empire and its affairs were in complete disarray. To complicate matters, he was from the great western desert, near the border with the Ottoman, and was unfamiliar with the "greater" Arabian history. Individually quite powerful, he felt much less so in charge of such a far-flung civilization. Reports had come in over the last number of monthsof barbarians attacking Medina, Turks amassing to assault Caspian Gates, roads which needed to be built, ad so on. The last thing he expected was an attack by India. He had wondered how this strange city of Bombay had come under Arab rule, but it was a total surprise when the Indians declared war and crossed the the border in force. The defenders of Bombay were equally surprised. Their ranks had recently been depleted as reinforcements had been sent east to face the Turks. Bombay fell, but not before the archers extracted considerable losses from their attackers.

Al-Mahdi realized that ruling an empire was different that ruling a simple sheikhdom.

He called in his aides. The first issue was India....

(France posting as Arabia (sub))

[Russia (DoE)]

Catherine is wondering how this could happen - such a strong civilization as our friends the Chinese and still they have so many bandits and mobs of barbarians roaming around their cities?

Our brave and fearful charioteers who are experts in hunting down and killing melee soldiers on attack, have been ambushed and killed when camping in Chinese land, resting and healing themselves from previous battle. We will miss them.

[India (DoE)]

The sun rose lazily over the small settlement, its rays seemingly slowmoving in the haze of arid heat. A young man stood by the river Indus and observed as the people there scurried back and forth, seemingly with no direction or purpose. Inhaling deeply, he realised that no air could compare to that of the wild jungles from whence he came, but the fresh sea winds made the arid city air bearable. The river peoples had never had a single leader before. Barely sharing a common set of traditions was all that separated them from other peoples. Yet they were separate from other people. They had realized this as the riverpeople of Indus, from the city state named Bombay had flooded eastwards into the lands of the riverpeople of the Ganges. Realizing that despite their differences, the people of Ganges and Indus shared infinitely more than they did with the foreign invaders. The shock realization that other peoples possessed people and warriors of vast numbers shocked and frightened the isolated riverpeople.

"We must band together! All the riverpeople must join together and send our archers and strong men against the Arab invaders, lest our traditions be quashed by foreign might." Siddharta's words had struck an unknown cord in the people.

They had succeeded, the Indus riverpeople were liberated by banding together with the other riverpeople. At that very moment a new thought burst into being, and as Siddharta addressed his fighters and the Indus citizens he sparked the founding of a nation:

"As you have suffered, we have all suffered. As you have struggled, we have all struggled, as you have been victorious we have all been victorious. As the Indus people are once more the masters of their lands, I say to you, this day we are all Indians!"

As the roaring celebrations began, Siddharta had spoken with all the great clan leaders and he had become the official leader and representative of all the great clans of the riverpeople. The Ganges from which spawned the Delhi clans, the Indus home of the Bombay clans, the Narmada and Krishna supporting the many minor clans of the east and south. Now came the task of unifying the tribes and creating the framework for cooperation. Siddharta smiled as he envisioned a glorious future.