Domination of Barbarians [Diplo Game] [Story Thread 11 - February 2013]

[Japan (DoB)]

Face, perfectly still as the tale is told. Breathing, perfectly even as the shocking revelation is heard. Eyes, unblinking until all is known of the event. Hands, resting upon a letter recieved that day, before this audience.

Another time would see him passed out of the gates with some food and directions for the closest minister of Christ. Another day, it would be seen as the boldest tale of fancy ever told. Another choice, another man, another world.

She hears him out. She acknowledges his tale. She tells him all he wants to hear.

He leaves her presence, audience over. He walkes to a room prepared in advance.



The garden is a balm upon her nerves. A leaf, falling from a tree, caught by the wind soars up to the sky. Duty feeling heavy as a mountain of stone. Death would be light as a leaf on the wind. One life taken to preserve another. A duty difficult to order of any one, impossible to leave to any other.

Alone in her garden, Aiko sheds tears in silence, praying to God for rain to hide her shame.

[England (DoB)]

An open proposal sent to all nations:

The English have perfected the use of a new and powerful weapon know as the crossbow. We wish to share this and other future advances in military technology and we have no interest in hoarding our research advances to reap exclusive trade or militaristic advantages. We therefore offer the following terms for unit upgrades which shall remain in effect for all time:

1. Unit upgrades shall be made available to any tribe with peaceable relations and open borders with England over a period of time--consecutive years leading up to the date of transaction--equal to that of the DMW rituals (OCC: last 10 consecutive turns).

2. England reserves the right to limit upgrades to one-unit-per-tribe at a time. England reserves the right to limit the number of upgraded units-per-tribe to not more than the number of the same type of unit possessed by England at that time. England also reserves the right to make deals public. The purpose of these restrictions is to maintain peace and avoid international conflicts which could arise should one tribe uses English services to quickly upgrade a massive army and invade a neighbor (possibly even England). The above restrictions are totally at the discretion of the English Queen and may be waived at her discretion.

3. Payment for upgrades will dependent on the formula described below. No tribe will be asked to pay more for these upgrades but England reserves the right to make bilateral deals that may offer better terms based on in-kind or other services.

Payment will be comprised of three components: an Upgrade Cost covering the actual cost of a unit upgrade, a Transport Cost covering the actual unit maintenance costs incurred transporting a unit back to a nation's territory, and an fluctuating Fee. The Upgrade Cost, and Transport Cost should be obvious and self exploratory. The Fee is to be calculated based on the number of tribes that have the needed technology to make upgrades and on the number of units each tribe seeks to upgrade.

The base rate for the Fees is 50% of the Upgrade Cost. For each tribe that is able to make the same upgrade the Fee goes down by 10% of the Upgrade Cost (maximum reduction is 50%). For each additional unit (of the same type) after the 1st that a tribe upgrades the Fee goes up by 5% of the Upgrade Cost (number of previously upgraded units is per tribe, not the sum of all upgrades by all tribes). Fees can never exceed 50% of the Upgrade Cost.

This may sound confusing but is in fact quite simple. For a unit with an Upgrade Cost of 100g the base Fee equals 50g. If two other tribes are able to offer the same upgrade it would drop to 30g. If a tribe then sought to upgrade a second unit of the same type the Fee would go up to 35g. If 4 additional tribes were then able to offer the same upgrade the Fee for the 3rd unit would be 10g (initial value of 50g, subtract 50g for more than 5 tribes having tech, add 2x5g=10g for the two previously upgraded units). Fee levels then increase 5g per unit until they get back to 50g.
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4. A tribe must request an upgrade and a receive a response confirming the payment before turning over a unit to England to upgrade. The reason for this is to ensure there is no miscommunication over upgrades that could damage relations.

5. If any upgraded units are later found to be in the possession of a tribe hostile to England it will be grounds to cease all future upgrades with the offending tribe.

6. England shall make every good faith effort to return upgraded units, however, England shall not be held liable should closure of borders, military attacks, or other unforeseen events prevent the return of an upgraded unit. It is the responsibly of the party engaging England in such an exchange to raise any concerns relating to the return of upgraded units prior to transferring the control of units to England. If requested, England is willing to provide a guarantee that an upgraded units will be returned, but reserves the right to refuse to upgrade a unit if such guarantees are impractical.

If any of the above is confusing or there are hypothetical questions please send any inquires and they will happily be answered.

[Byzantium (DoB)]

A messenger arrives in the senate of the Holy Roman Republic, with a formal declaration from Emperor Leopold:

Caroli Magni, and the assembled leadership of Holy Rome

Your treacherous and cowardly acts of sending spies to sabotage the city of Fort Sorrow, your closing down of our open borders treaty, and your amassing of troops on the borders of Byzantium has not gone unnoticed. The timing of your acts are also in question, as you are well aware of the holy ceremony that will take place in Mecca, where a new Grand Ayatollah of Islam is to be elected. Your aggressive acts may be interpreted as a declaration of hostility towards the entirety of Islam.

I offer you a chance to reconsider your intents of hostility, and to reopen our borders, and we will forget this unfortunate incident without asking for any reparations. Byzantium will forget the unfortunate incident in Fort Sorrow, and we will pretend that nothing of this ever happened. If you do not wish to listen to reason and choose to go through with more hostile acts towards Byzantium, be aware that the consequences will be dire.

Emperor Leopold

[Persia (DoB)]

A sweaty messenger walking as fast as it is polite to do so enters the Persian court chambers and gives this message to the princess.

The Holy Roman Empire are gathering troops on their border with Byzantium. By all accounts it looks like an invasion force.

Princess Boran takes this in quietly and sends for a scribe. She dictates the following letter to the Holy Roman emperor.

Caroli,
If you will allow me to make a comment on what seems to be an impending war with Byzantium, I would like to ask you to reconsider. As a warning to all, a war with Byzantium right now is a war with Byzantium and Persia. While Byzantium border cities may appear weak and ripe for the taking, taking one will result in the combined wrath and resources of Byzantium and Persia being used towards your destruction. If you consider the gain worth the consequences, then nothing I can say will prevent an all out war, however, I just wanted to make clear the consequences of attacking Byzantium. My Persia is a great ally or a dreaded enemy as, it seems, Byzantium and the Holy Roman Empire are about to find out.

If the Holy Roman forces are just conducting training exercises on the Byzantine border and the build-up of troops is only for educational and not aggressive purposes, I retract my entreaty to reconsider, although the warning about attacking Byzantium is still in effect and is not limited to Holy Rome. Every nation has to make choices to strengthen their position, and while I would not blame you for considering capturing Byzantium border cities (all must be considered), I would not consider it wise to go through with such a plan considering the consequences.

If this is to be the last message sent to Holy Rome before we are at war, I want to make it known that our nations could have been friends, could have cooperated in trade and the exchange of ideas. I believe all of us should be judged by our actions and not our thoughts or intentions. I will be watching your actions very closely.

Yours,
Princess Boran

[Russia (DoB)]

Public message to all tribes:

Know this, know this.

Russia sides with our Byzantine brothers of the faith in the event of armed conflict. Offending tribe will face closed borders and cold relations for many generations if unwarranted aggression takes place.

Caroli Magni, consider your move well before you make it. If there is some justified reason, bring it before us all.

Signed,
Czar Stepan Yakovnic of the Rus Empire.

[France (DoB)]

Scantily clad boys run with a spring in their step to the courts of Porto, Spain, Ottoman and Nether tribes with joyful news spoken with soft and melodious voices:

Christian brothers, let us join Holy Rome in his Crusade against Fort Sorrow. What say you? This could be fun! They are after all not followers of Christ, and our God must be better than theirs, it stands to reason! If not for God, I would not be King! I am the best King, and the most noble King, and the King who has the best visitors from far away to the east. Join me, if Holy Rome, yes, the Glorious True and Noble Holy Rome choose to bring fairness and justice to Byzantine, let him! If any oppose him, let us join him in defeating them!

-King Louis XXXV

[Netherlands (DoB)]

"Our Christian brothers call on us to assist in their Holy Crusade against the infidel Muslims!"

"The King is aware of this developments. Do not disturb him. He is deep in thought and consideration."

"Is there any message?"

"He wishes to know the opinion of the Taoists on this matter. Send messengers to the Taoist Kingdoms to see if they have anything to say on this matter. If they are silent, the King says he will interpret this as approval of the Crusade since they both have close ties with all Christian tribes."

"I go now to deliver the message"

The adviser goes in to see the King and whispers the news in his ear

"Hmmm, maybe the Catalunyans can save the world again with another Peace summit" he says thoughtfully.

[Persia (DoB)]

The sun is setting on another day at the Princess’s Summer Palace. Princess Boran paces slowly on a high balcony, looking out over the waters as if searching for some hidden insight. She reflects on all of the things that had to happen for her to be standing there at the top of that building and upon all of the things she has had to do to keep Persia from collapsing since coming to power. For a brief moment she forgets the current unrest in Byzantium and the potential world-encompassing religious war that France has been calling for.

As a girl, she had run and played in the twisting waterways that lead past Western Gate and into the bay. She had been hard like the boys, climbing, running, and fighting with sticks, but also feminine. She hated the way most girls cried or cowered, but she also hated the way the boys ran fist-first into every fight, blindly and stupidly. Her femininity became her power. The wind gusted, bringing the princess back to thoughts of the current situation. Persia must stand by her ally, she thought, and if it is to be an epic religious war then I must dress myself for battle and prepare myself for the Persian sacrifices that I will have to make.

Princess Boran walks back inside to her chamber, draws the heavy curtains across the doorway, shrugs off her robe, and sits down at her desk to write. She nibbles the end of the quill slightly, staring at the blank page for a moment, then begins to write. She writes, not hastily, but without stopping and when she is done she leaves the letter on the desk to dry and slips into her comfortable bed. Silence envelops her and then sleep.

~***********~

A few days later, a letter arrives in Byzantium with the following contents.

Dearest Leopold,

My earlier statement of support was the right decision for Persia. I hope only to protect Byzantine cities from opportunistic invaders, however if a holy war is brought to our doorstep, we must accept. I am polishing my armor and preparing to bring war to the aggressors. Persia has many problems to deal with, especially the diplomatic repercussions of Persia’s past actions, but standing up for our ally is something that must be done. Persia has many enemies and if Persia does not stand up for her allies, she will have sealed her own eventual destruction.

Prepare yourself. I look shiny and ravishing in my full war regalia. In battle, men hesitate just enough to miss out on the opportunity to continue living. I will bring my full powers to the aid of Byzantium and help fight off foes on all sides if necessary.

Beware of the Ottomans. They have so far ignored all Persian diplomatic messages. They may just dislike me or Persia, but if their silence signals something else, we should not be caught off guard.

If war does come to pass, you will see me in and my Persian Immortals in the thick of every battle.

Yours,
Princess Boran

[England (DoB)]

"He wishes to know the opinion of the Taoists on this matter. Send messengers to the Taoist Kingdoms to see if they have anything to say on this matter. If they are silent, the King says he will interpret this as approval of the Crusade since they both have close ties with all Christian tribes."

Both Byzantine and Holy Rome have been enemies of the English. We likewise have friends coming to the aid of each side. Both Christians and Muslim live together in peace in English lands, and we see nothing to be gained from stoking the flames of a religious war. We shall remain neutral should it come to conflict.

We hope, however, war can be avoided and we offer our good counsel to either side should they seek to arrange peace terms.

[Greece (DoB)]

The Byzantines are our friends, we wish both parties to come to an understanding and continue their peaceful coexistence. If their is an issue the HRE have with Byzantium let it be resolved diplomatically.

Citizens

[England (DoB)]

What has happened here? Where is the Celtic navy, their strong garrison? Could they all be dead... but how, why? While the Portuguese settlements up the coast seem to thrive, the Celtic Colonies appear forsaken. We have received no hail from shore and I fear for the lives of the Celtic crew we have escorted to this outpost that appears all but lost. Unless aid arrives soon, or Celtic forces remain hidden in the dense jungle, this settlement will soon be overrun by barbarians. Such a waste, such a tragedy.

-Captain's Log Royal English Navy

[Byzantium (DoB)]

"So, the French King have finally gone completely insane?" the Emperor said to Alexios, his advisor on foreign matters.

"We can only assume so, my Lord. The fact that we have active trade deals with France, and that the Byzantine work force is comprised mainly by French workers seems to be irrelevant to Louis."

"At least the Holy Romans seems to understand that attacking us would be a very bad idea. But they never responded to my generous suggestion that we reopen the borders and forget about their sabotage of Fort Sorrow. What are your thoughts, Alexios?"

Alexios looked to be in deep thought for a few minutes before responding: "We can only hope that the mad French King does not convince the other Christian nations that this crusade-idea of his is a good idea. If they do, it will be a war. The new Grand Ayatollah of the Nacitav, when the election is done, will surely issue a Jihad against both Holy Rome and France, and possibly also any other nation who thinks that Islam is an inferior religion."

"Let us hope it does not come to that. A war like that would be a disaster on a scale the world has never seen. Please send a letter to the English Queen assuring her that I consider the acts of my predecessor a stain on the history of Byzantium, and invite her to visit our court here in Constantinople. And please send letters to Princess Boran, Czar Stepan Yakovnic and the Citizens of Greece to show our appreciation of their support in this matter. Their intervention may be what keeps the world at peace."

"Yes, my Lord. It will be done right away."

[France (DoB)]

A very haughty messenger drops a letter on the floor in the Byzantine court and walks away, giggling to himself:

Polly, a word.

Louis. The Kingdom is Louis! the capitol is Louisiana! The Kingdom! Is! Louis!

I AM THE KINGDOM!

-Louis XXXV

Later, another messenger appears in the shadows. None but the Emperor is witness to his visit. This is the perfumed letter he was given:

Polly, I have to tell you this.

I grew a bird the other day, before that a butterfly. I pinned it to this letter. Do you see?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]173541[/ATTACH]

It is a marvel to behold..true beauty. Like me.

-Louis XXXV

[Japan (DoB)]

Her eminence the Empress Aiko has delivered a speech during one of the public evening sermons in the capitol of Kyoto, traders from all tribes dealing with Japan were present to hear her words:

"I speak to you today not as an Empress, for I am not worthy of the title. I do not speak to you as your leader, for you are strong and able-bodied in your own right. I speak instead, as a mother. For you are my unborn children, each and every one of you. I see you grow strong with each generation, I see progress from the expanding minds of our scientists, at work in our libraries while inventive use of metals is made by our workers and forgemasters. Some have even seen a use for the wild horses found in the highland plains around Kawamura. Soon, we will be able to field our own horsemen, and maybe give even the Immortals a run for their money, God willing."

"I come to you as a mother, concerned about the future. Around us the world grows smaller every day, as our tribal friends and enemies expand their territories each day. I know that God has a plan for us, but even I do not know his plan. His ways are ever mysterious."

"But know this my children. Far away the other tribes are on the brink of war. Our ancient enemy france has made common bond with an aggressor known as Holy Rome. We have had dealings with Holy Rome for a long time, and for their bloodthirst and common bond with france I hereby call the trade agreement of old broken! We will still allow them passage through our lands but no tribe that deals in war alongside france will have dealings with us."

"I am happy to announce that our Arabian neighbours thrive in the Islands to the south. Many Muslim villagers of Manila and Batan have joined them in a Pilgrimage to help them rebuild their homes and grow strong once more. This is worthy behaviour of truly faithful villagers. I am proud to call them sisters and brothers to Japan, even though theirs is a different faith than ours. I believe that God is singular, that he works with them as well as with us. We simply name him differently. Let there be no quarrel over words, for the power of faith is a uniting force. It binds us together and keeps us whole in the face of danger and hard times."

"Let there be prayers for the tribe of Barbarous, for they refuse to agree with anything apart from further bloodshed. I have sent many missionaries to them over the years, and every time their heads were the only thing returned. Now I announce that a great campaign is beginning! We will go to their settlements and teach them humility. It will be their choice to accept our faith, or accept the edge of our swords."

"I will journey to Beijing and my husbands palace for the summer. I will bring with me ten servants from Kyoto. Your family can apply to the High Priest after the sermon. I leave you in his capable hands."

Aiko steps down from the daise, and High Priest Raiden steps up, concluding the sermon with the following words:

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."

-Recorded in the library of Kyoto, 625 AD, the year of the wandering fox.

[Japan (DoB)]

A messenger is guided to the chambers of The Eternal Emperor's wife in the Palace of Beijing:

"Empress Aiko, a number of Immortals have traversed our lands between Stone Hill and Kawamura."

"Are they the same ill-mannered, rot-smelling, inbred eunuchs I have made note of before?"

"With respect Empress, they are quite the opposite."

"Is this true?"

"Yes Empress. I have a description here, from one of the female Tao poets of Stone Hill who it appears was very personal with one of these Immortals. After writing this and passing it to a student, she vanished, no one knew her whereabouts when I was given this:

What a piece of work is a Persian Immortal? How noble in reason. How infinite in faculty.
In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel.
In apprehension how like a god!

"That was quite a poem. Can't imagine the priests are too happy about that last phrase."

"It is unknown outside of Stone Hill so far, Eminence."

"Continue your report."

"The Persian Immortals have been very friendly to everyone they meet. They have taken time out from their own journey, to help our horsetrainers with the wild horses on the high plains. I was told that within a week, the first fully trained noble stallion will be brought to your Eminence as proof of their aid and the new Japanese horsemanship."

"Really? Then I will await this presentation, and if they have truly helped my people gain a better understanding of the way of the horse.. I will make a personal letter to their Princess and thank her and her people for their proof of good intent. I may even begin a more formal correspondance with the Persians."

-Recorded in the library of Nishikyo, AD 630, the year of thoughtful monkeys.