Forever Future 1.7 PBEM game

[Eerion]

Here comes the turn 115 report.
An unusual one, never tried anything like this - hope you'll enjoy it ^^


The Coast of Russia
12th day of the Sun. Year 54 (Since our great Shogun - Nekomimi XVI was born)
Report of the captain of Mori Kaizoku.

Our course has been denied. Looks like our actions brought the wrath of Russia upon our heads. We are forced to sail toward Irkutsk again, and should reach it within few days. On our backs there are 3 enemy longships. They are more advanced than our slow trireme and could catch up to us in no time, yet they keep the distance for now. However, our route is blocked, and we can't get through, which is an issue in itself. On top of that, they follow us wherever we go. I am afraid, we may not reach our next target. But it does not matter. We are doing whatever is in our might to accomplish the task. We plunder, burn and destroy. We are the pirates, and while being unable to fight under Yamato flag pains us, we know it has to be so. If by any chance our ship sinks, we will start plundering their lands.
Your faithful servant.
Mori Motokiyo.

The gates of Ectabana
14th day of the Moon. Year 54

I have finally reached Ectabana. I had anticipated similar situation, as it was in Persis, however, recent incidents have only worsened the already bad situation. People are no longer simply nervous. Panic spreads evenly through Civilians and Soldiers. Thousands of people are coming from the east, saying that Persegarde has fallen to the hands of Indians. A few of them mention something about the siege of Persepolis...
I suppose it's just a lie, which has arisen because of terror the mad dogs create, but... these cities are very close to each other. It should be only a matter of time before their capitol is besieged and claimed by enemies. It is bad. Very bad. We must act faster, before all will fall under the might of the Indians. We cannot allow these people to become slaves of an insane ruler.
I hope these news will reach the ears of the Great Shogun.
Your loyal Servant
Iga Miko

The Plains of Betrayal.
15th day of the Water. Year 54

Dear Father. We are getting close to our destination. As I write this letter, everyone is in high spirits. The winter has ended already, so there shouldn't be any serious impediments. It should not take long before we start building the port on the Eastern Frontier. Waters supply us with enough food for everyone.It appears like the coming spring is going to be as mild as the winter had been, so everything should go according to plans we were entrusted with. I hope situation in Capitol is as good as here.
May the spirits guide you, dear Father
Your always loyal Son
Date Takeuchi

The Sea of Japan
17th day of the Sun. Year 54

Dear Lord, I hope these news reach you swiftly. I am dispatching my fastest courier, to show how urgent matter it is. We have scouted a ship approaching our lands. Our patrolling longships have discovered their presence on our waters. When we tried to approach them, they mentioned an important persona on their ship - an ambassador. They did not want us to get close, which made me curious about their goals. The Russians openly dislike us. Why would they want to discuss now? They never agreed to exchange maps, so I'm wary of what their true goals may be. They were spotted north from Edo, and for now we are stationing in Yokohama, ready for your orders.
Whatever your decision is, we are ready.
Your loyal servant
Kikkawa Motoharu


The Warlord put the letters aside. His duties were never light, but the burden of this day was extraordinary. He was Koga Sasaki. The ears of the Shogun. And one of his counsellors.
He looked at the reports again. They were brought from other branches, and it was his job to decide which ones should reach the ears of Nekomimi XVI. With the rest, he had to deal himself.
The ruler was wise, but no one wants to be the bringer of bad news. Not to mention extremely grim ones. Shadow of death falling upon the Mori expedition. The fall of Persegarde. And... Russians. Nothing but threats to our great country. There were plenty of good ones also, but their importance was extremely low, compared to these. And to tell all of these at once to the Shogun...
He had to prepare. Shogun would want to hear his opinion about these incidents. He must think how Yamato can respond.
How...
The door slid. Without a single word of introduction. There was only one person who could do that. Koga turned around and quickly got on his knees.
"My lord" he said. It only gets complicated he added, but only in his mind.


Nekomimi XVI finished reading the reports. He had a dissatisfied look on his face, as if he bit something very bitter.
"My great father always told me, to trust my intuition." He said "It is the greatest weapon of a Samurai. That's why I came here today. A single unreasonable thought. But I see some time was saved by it. Tell me, Sasaki. How much time we have until the Dog of Moscow will reach our shores?"
"A few days at best, my lord. Winds are not in their favour at this season, so their boat is proceeding slowly. Even the Gods favour us."
"Good. Get the fastest horse from my personal stables. Find the best rider in Kyoto. The order to Motoharu is simple. No one of them can reach our shores. We cannot let them get close to our lands. They may plot revenge for our expedition, and I won't allow that."
"Yes my lord." Koga responded. It was unusual for him to act without any discussion. Did he have a plan? Or acting on his gut feeling again, he thought. - Any other commands? What about the Persians, or Indians? Time is running out, I'm afraid.
"Be patient, my servant." Nekomimi said, playing with the pen in his hand. After a brief pause, he continued "But make no mistake. War is coming. Not today, but soon."
"Yes my lord."
"Let Date Terumune know what is going on. Tell him... to start the preparations."

[Max_Smirnov]

Excerpt from The Immortal Glory of Amon-Rah
Written by High Theban Scholar Bonhotheb the French, Kingdom Year 889

(...) Yet the notion still persists, about all those gods and godlings, frolicking in some heavenly gardens. Where those gardens even are supposed to be? Somewhere "up" - but what is "up", since it had been long proven that the Earth is a sphere? The nature tends towards perfection, with many things imperfect, like all everyday shapes everywhere around us; so many less numerous are more perfect shapes, the geometrical polyhedrons, observed only in some rare crystals, and only one, the most perfect shape, the shape of the whole world.

Likewise, the imperfect beasts and bugs are outnumbering us, humans, in great quantity, as we outnumber the few dozens Immortals, more perfect than us. So as it is only one perfect, spherical world, so there must be only one perfect being, the true God, Creator of all, the light of all things - Amon-Ra! (...)

This work, clearly basing on similar teaching of Francois the Holy, had become the cornerstone of the universal Church, which slowly began to spread throughout the Kingdom of Egypt in the following centuries

[Max_Smirnov]

Excerpt from Theban Chronicles
Written down by Scribe Chyzopisis, around 1400 BC (Kingdom Year 765)

Cleopatra herself arrived at Pergamon, dazzling the crowds by her beauty and majesty of her royal armor, to christen the "Morningstar", the most powerful vessel ever constructed anywhere in the world. Not only it is superior to any trireme in terms of size, crew and speed, but it is also equipped with a secret weapon, developed at the Theban University by High Scholar Podpalapsis, called "The Light of Ra", making it virtually invincible. It shall patrol the troubled waters of the Celtic sea, that separate us from the lands of India. Skirmishes with those bloodthirsty cannibals are more and more numerous; lately they struck again at the Straits of Wotan, sinking our unarmed boat. Thankfully, survivors made it back to Egypt and were able to report about a new design of vessel that attacked them; apparently some sort of swift, landing boat, perfectly suited for Gandhi's brigandry. The reports have been presented to the University for further study.
Between the Morningstar in the East and the immense fortress, Eye of Horus, in the West, Egyptian people need no longer fear any invasion.



Morningstar

Meanwhile, it had been finally confirmed, that the bloody reign of the High Priestess Boadicea (who returned from her exile less than a 100 years ago, to start a heresy within the Celtic priesthood) had finally come to an end. The one who defeated the crazy Immortal and her fanatical armies is called Arturia. The eternal guide of all Celt People, Merlin, following the advice of our glorious Queen, offered Arturia full support and condemned the priesthood who was bringing greater and greater suffering upon the Celtic people. From now on, their role will be severely curtailed, and all the reins of power will be held by one hand - Empress Arturia's.



Boadicea, Merlin and Arturia

[Solarius Scorch]

Documents of the Past: Captain's Log Entry
Written in 1500 BC by the captain of a French freighter



Ship’s log, 5th of June, year 5471. This entry is made by me, Jean-Louis Guillemot, Captain of this fine trading vessel named “La Dijonnette”.

We have left our port in Versailles three days ago, its rough, chilly hills quickly disappearing. Now we are heading straight north, bound to a port of Vallauris near Cannes, loaded to the brim with pearls. Versailles may be a grim place, but it is a rich one indeed! These pearls won’t stay in Cannes either, but they will be transported further north by land, to be enjoyed by the entire Kingdom.

Currently we are travelling along the eastern shores of the Sud. Most of the land seems to be a tundra as pleasant and accommodating as a pirate in the morning, so we all hope we wouldn’t be disturbed by any storm that would cast us ashore. Soon we will lose all sights of the land, cutting across the mouth of the Toulousian Bay to save time. After that, we will enter much more peaceful waters along the Forêt-du-Hexagon, close to the capital and patrolled by the Royal Navy itself due to the sheer number of ships carrying invaluable goods in all directions: seafood from Lille, honey from mountainous Tours, iron from barely accessible Rouen… These waters will take us straight to Vallauris in less than two weeks, if the weather is good, and the weather must always by good so close to the Throne.

Sadly, I must note that far away from Paris things are not as bright. Pirates, corsairs, thieves and other misfortunes have been plaguing our vessels recently, and to a greater extent than any time we can remember before. Some say that we have angered Poseidon with our immeasurable wealth, with too many ships entering his kingdom for profit, but I suspect it has more to do with the war in the south. The most dire news come from Indian merchants, who used to buy our goods in bulk, but who can no longer operate near Egyptian shores since the Queen declared their nation enemies of Thebes. There are rumours that she is building the largest warship in the world in Pergamon, a vessel so powerful as to crush all Indian opposition single-handedly! Things haven’t escalated to the north yet, but all this talking about war only adds fuel to the fire. It sure wouldn’t benefit anyone except these pirates, that’s certain.

However I look at it, troubling times are coming. Long live King Napoleon, may his legions protect us from whatever the sea may throw at us.

P.S. All credits for the map go to Max Smirnov. I only named the regions!

[Max_Smirnov]

A Report of World Affairs: The Age of Kings
Published by the Theban Academia 2000 BC

After more than a century of terror, the last of Theban tyrants had fallen, an Cleopatra herself decided to take control of the fate of Egypt, establishing an enlightened and just Kingdom.



(The Queen in her royal armor, an amazing display of metalurgical mastery prepared by the Theban Engineers)

The Great Library, which stood for a thousand of years for the personal amusement of the Tyrants, had been opened to the public, turning Thebes into the brightest intellectual light of the whole humanity. Having access to innumerable scrolls of knowledge, the Theban scholars took up the task of describing the whole world, tear the veil of myth away and analyse it under rigorous intellectual scrutiny.

Our tireless scouts have travelled the oceans far and wide in our unending quest of knowledge, and the shape and lay of the Earth is currently well known, even if there are still huge undiscovered areas. Excluding Egypt, seven great Civilizations exist:



(Map of the World)

- Kingdom of France (The Old World)



Our neighbours and closest friends, the French, led by King Bonaparte, used to be, and by many are still considered, the most civilized nation in the world. Their Kingdom, famous for its Dragon Riders, existed even before the dawn of the written history. It is them who originally invented money we use in Egypt today, who attained such wondrous achievements as Laybirynth and Via Appia, and pioneered long-distance trade, of which they still are unquestionable masters.
The French are also famous for their Iron-clad Legions, thoroughly trained and rigorously disciplined force that until very recently was vastly superior to any other force in the world. Now, Japanese Samurai and our Knights of the Round table could best them one-on-one, but they're not rank-and file soldiers; only our newest units, created after Cleopatra's military reforms and clad in plate armor, could hope to stand up to French Legions.


- The Celts (The Old World)



It is a common notion to consider the Celts uncivilized tribesmen, but such a notion doesn't stand up to intellectual scrutiny. Surely, they're lacking many tenants of modern science, but their society is very complex, rich materially and spiritually, as well as much more advanced as it appears. They know writing and written law, they make fine Iron weapons (first learning in by exploiting rocks that fell from the sky, pioneering the iron working) and know how to sail the seas.
The Celts are very religious people, their lives being dedicated to the worship of gods, with the Mother Goddess being the prime deity. Hence their strange notions of gender equality, of which a reasonable mind can't help but be amused. It has been even reported that Celts allow their women into their military!
With all that strangeness, the Celt Tribes, under their High Priests, have become a wealthy and populous country. Instead of our cities, they live in clusters of villages, centered around holy places; but the total population of these villages, while nowhere near Thebes, the largest city in the world, is nonetheless superior to most of our towns.
Cleopatra's diplomacy had eased the tensions between our countries, and even made them quite warm, but the tales of hordes of steel-clad Celtic warriors invading from the East still persist amongst the Egyptian common man.


- Kingdom of India (Equatoria)



Like half of the civilized nations in the world, India is a monarchy, but it is so different than the others. Despite being gifted by the nature with every boon imaginable, from rich resources to fertile land to pleasant weather, Indians have become extremely warlike and xenophobic people. Their local feudal lords govern their population with an iron fist, and their leader, Gandhi, is said to be presiding over a throne made of human skulls. While reasonable mind readily dismisses it as a fairy tale, Egyptian explorers were given a single warnining, that any foreigner sighted upon Indian soil shall be beheaded; The Japanese report similar happenings, so maybe there is some truth to the legend.
Thankfully, due to millenia of Cultist past, Indians aren't quite as advanced as Old World nations or Japan.

- Persia (Equatoria)
Not much is known of the Persians, living along a great river on the plains of South-Western Equatoria, other than they've been a victim to Indian agression since beyond our knowing. Their civilization had no option to flourish, and is limited in territory, concentrating on survival.


- Japanese Shogunate



Despite the strange sounding name, Japan is a monarchy, and actually having more in common with the new Egypt than we have with the French model. One cannot help but admire the Japanese people, who were cursed with their frozen homeland, but through millenia of sacrifice and selfless work under their Ikko Ikki clergy, a religion which teached them to discard any earthly hope and live only for the well-being of their distant grand-grand-grand sons, have grown into one of the most populous and wealthy nations of the earth. Their cultural advancement is booming as well, boosted by their contacts with our nation. They appear to be almost as fiercely proud as Celts, but - the Japanese have every right to do so, having earned their strength the hard way.

- Rome
The only civilization we haven't met in person. Romans are inhabiting a large island, dotted by a few fairly small and undeveloped, but luxurious towns. They seem to be led by some sort of a Tyrant, but from what little knowledge we've gained from Japanese, it's impossible to say who he is or even what kind of rulership he exercises.

- Russian Oligarchy
Russians were only a myth just until very recently, when our and Japanese explorers have finally found them. Still, this great land is shrouded in mystery and the facts are few:
*Their cities are ruled by ancient and powerful families, wary of any strangers and hiding behind tall walls and private armies;
*They are able to field whole regiments of cavalry in steel plate armor, absolutely deadly on the vast plains that prevail in the south of their land;
*They have built several Wonders of the World, as many as all the other civilizations combined;
*They have weapons beyond anything seen anywhere else;
*Their leader is unapproachable behind the imposing walls of the Forbidden City.
Thankfully, their policy is that of strict neutrality. We can only divine that they're using their resources in endless internal conflict. The Russian Bear might well sleep for centuries, if not millenia, but if it awakes, the whole world might tremble.

[Eerion]

Turn 95 brings another Japanese report!
Reason for such event? Finally all players have met each other (directly or indirectly).
Soo...




The world suddenly became increadibly vast. It has been a short time since we managed to reach the shores of Indo-Persia continent. A moment later we have reached the shores of a peaceful land of Romans. And then the emissary of Egypt has arrived at our own shores. Who, if not Gods themselves could predict such course of events? Our grasp of world increased tremendously. And there are more lands and riches to be discovered! Including the shadowed giant - The Great Russia.

Civilisations:
Our souther region consist of 2 great forces. The Kingdom of Japan, and Mad dogs of India. Seconds wage war with everything they can - They tried to conquer the Persian Empire, but have failed miserably. Now they are on the edge of war with us, even though we never did any aggresive or unpleasant action towards them. Egyptians report their contacts are similar, so we can only consider their leader insane. However their military power force us to go into defensive... for now. North-west from us reside Romans. They have lived peacefully, far from any dangers and problems. However now, discovering that they are not as far from The Mad Dog, they must be more wary. Luckily there are a lot if islands around, so they can inhabit them, and thus greatly increase their power.
And on the far north lies the old world. There the 3 great nations collide - French, Egypt and Celts. They say it's a peaceful land, but we are not to be fooled that easily. Armed garrisons defend their border, as if they were preparing for a war. This is what may happen in a future. But soon, or far in the future? Who knows. Their situation isn't best, and unless an outer source will intervene, it will be a land of great bloodshed. Maybe Russia, who might be west from them will propose a threat, uniting them?

Developement:
Our nation used to be technically underdeveloped. But it is a story of the past. Right now we are skyrocketing toward the most developed nations of the north. Our cities grow at tremendous rate. The markets produce great wealth, and Shogun cares about every possible aspect. We cannot complain about anything. The only problem are countries to the North - Indies and Persia. Mad Dog is for sure our enemy. With Persians situation doesn't look so bad, but... we are far from calling them friends.
Romans care a lot about technology developement. Their country is small, but their technology developement is pretty decent. However in other categories they have much to improve. Luckily they have a lot of islands to inhabit nearby.
Egyptians seem to have very developed when it comes to technology, but their small homeland and neighbours may make it not enough if he wants to compete between world best. Mad Dog on the south doesn't make it easier for him. France on the other hand is at better situation. They have more land, only one neighbour and several islands to explore/inhabit nearby. They are well rounded goverment with nicely developed technology. After all it was them who opened the Classical Era.
Last of them - Celts are ruled by few Cultist - what reminds us of our past. They may grow rapidly, military or economically, but I wouldn't be surprised if their science is the worst in the known world. One is sure - even if that's the case, they can not be understimated. Their land is rich, and they have plenty of places to inhabit. If they will ally with one technologically developed country - be it France or Egypt, the can close this gap pretty quickly. Time will show.

Military:
Our military scouting wasn't as succesful as economical one. We know about heavily guarded borders between Egypt, Celts and French. Situation is similar between Persia and Mad Dogs, here however, there is a great force disadvantage. So we suppose war could reawake anytime soon. It will be a grim day.
And Japanese military? Top notch, as always. We are ready for any invasion.

[Max_Smirnov]

Okay, so when the turn 100 arrives - which is hopefully within a week - I'm making a new report. There will a lot to write about, plus what it appears to be a full world map!

[Max_Smirnov]

Damn, with no internet access, I can hardly reply to anything here.
I guess my next report won't arrive before turn 90, maybe 100...
Maybe it should be Solar's turn now, eh?

[Eerion]

75 played and sent.
Here's my report. Hopefully Max will be able to publish his, even though he can't play from home for few weeks :/

The existence of Japanese people is rather peaceful one. But it doesn't mean easy. There have been no wars here, since only a few dare to settle such rough terrains. Glacier and tundra are what you will usually see here. Colonies either cling to the few forests, or try to survive focusing on fishing. Trying to raise and harvest any crops is impossible here. Yet our civilisation slowly, but dares to conquer these frozen plains. These who manage to survive can easily become rich, thanks to the goods this land (and seas) host.

Civilisation

Whole continent is being ruled from Kyoto. One of world greatest cities has everything people could ask for. It's also by far the biggest city around, with thousands of inhabitants. It's possible only due to a perfect location - forest and sea provide people with everything they need.
For thousands of years, Japanese civilisation has been ruled by religion of Ikko Ikki. However, due to stagnation of science, they have been overhtrown recently. The new ruler call himself Shogun, and he quickly got rid of men he calls cultist - our old rulers. Even though he claimed the throne just recently, the difference in growth and education can already be noticed. It may be about time, since scouts have noticed a land far to the north. Apparently, if gods of the wind will be friendly, we may be able to reach it with the technology we already posess. This may allow our civilisation to develope even further. Hopefully these lands won't be bound by ice as most of our homeland...

Military and developement

As I have mentioned earlier - our science was in really bad shape. Cultits simply ignored it. Shogun try to make up for that period, yet based on reports we receive from time to time, rest of the world is way ahead of us. It makes us feel uneasy. Hopefully it will change over time, as did our priorities recently.
Our military force, on the other hand is doing well. We have scouts and garrisons in strategic points, what allow us to control our cities, as well as most of our continent. From time to time we have to face barbarian tribes, yet they are low in numbers, so their threat is insignificant.
The question is
What and who will we find on distant lands? Are our forces enough to maintain peace?
Or... to conquer?

[Max_Smirnov]

The tyrant of Thebes is puzzled about this whole "monarchy" thing. It seems needlessly complicated.

[Solarius Scorch]

69 played and sent.

The Ikko Ikki is no more.
A shogunate rules over Japan now.

Welcome to the civilized world XD

[Eerion]

69 played and sent.

The Ikko Ikki is no more.
A shogunate rules over Japan now.

[Eerion]

Turn 63 played and sent

Citizens of Ikko Ikki grows uneasy. From around the world they receive informations about astonishing wonders being build. Especially by great nations of Russia and Indie. This makes them feel like leftovers. Even though their growth is acceptable, they feel like losing. That's why you can hear about few raising rebels at the borders. For now they are not a big issue. But what will happen in a future? People are unhappy. They want a change and sudden growth.
Looks like the days of Ikko are numbered.

[Max_Smirnov]

Considering we'll probably be on the verge of the industrial revolution by the turn 150, this might indeed be more interesting to make those reports every 25 turns

[Eerion]

Well, considering the potantial distance on the map, pure enjoyment and our speed, we may consider one raport every 25 turns, can't we Max?

I'd love to do one for myself, yet... Writing just about myself is boring. But hopefully it shall change soon