[Forum Game] The World at Dawn!

[Polycarp]

The update should be out tomorrow, so you're just in time.

[Polycarp]

The Years of Fate and Wrath
Year of the Comet 276-300

[spoiler=The Map][/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Empire]Since the purging of Kuregn's aristocracy, Kuregn had been a state run from the center.  Duties were delegated through the stratocracy, but all positions were essentially ad hoc '" the Despot was responsible for everything.  Under the leadership of an energetic (and rather obsessive) leader, as Koura had been, this was a productive way to run an empire.  This system of management had always been touch and go, however, and with the acquisition of the Empire it had begun to spiral out of control.  As Talor aged, he became increasingly unable to do the job alone.  Many states would have spun apart under these conditions, but Talor had great stature within the Empire.   In Kuregn he was worshipped as a god, and elsewhere he had bejeweled the Empire with great works in his name.  Going so far as to build two mausoleums, one in the isles and one on the mainland, Talor worked hard to ensure he would live on in the memory of the Empire.  Instead of a general collapse, the twilight years of Talor's reign were marked by an increasing decentralization.

Border garrisons needed local commanders to watch them and guard against raids.  Taxes needed to be collected, and the wealth of Celend distributed to the people.  The stratocratic elite began to take on the duties of provincial military governors, organizing affairs in a specific geographic area and leaving only to take part in the Emperor's periodic punitive campaigns against Celend.

It was under this pressure that Celend, a fellow heir to the ancient legacy of the Ma'Turi, finally collapsed.  The Archons were unable to protect their own coastline, and the Empire's Hayrine raiders became more and more ambitious.  Celolme was sacked in 279; the disaster shook the realm.  Ma'suir, the center of the Archons' power, was inviolate, but this scarcely mattered.  Celend's frontier had been compromised over generations by Atur and Kashtu settlers, who held no great loyalty to the Archons.  As resources dwindled, border outposts fell into disrepair, encouraging further erosion of Celend's control.

Talor died in 280.  His successor, the aptly named Taour'feddan ('bearer of victory') sought to demonstrate his martial prowess '" a crucial task for the stratocracy's god-king '" with a new campaign against Celend.  He only intended to push the border back to where it had been before Purdan; instead, he routed the Celenite army with a surprise attack, before Kashtu could respond to aid its allies, and found nothing at all between his force and the city of Segederon.  With the aid of his modernized fleet and an accompanying horde of corsairs, the army made short work of the city's defenders, and the Archon of Segederon surrendered his city.

The Emperor had no desire to overextend his reach; he would have perhaps been satisfied by Celend's vassalization.  The Archons, however, were no longer capable of maintaining control over the state.  Celolme fell a second time to the Hayrines, who made it the capital of a city-state giving allegiance to the Emperor.  Ma'suir retained control over a greatly reduced Celend, which also paid tribute to the Empire.  On the coast, League captains took advantage of the situation to found an assortment of fishing and trading villages.  Kashtu brought the headwaters of the River Sur 'under the protection of the Wardens,' a polite way of phrasing an annexation.  Celend's fall brought the mountain tribes down as well, and their resulting disunity was exploited over a 15 year period until no serious resistance to Imperial rule remained.

Taour'feddan's rule was eventful but rather short by his father's standards.  He died in the year 294, and once again a child was on the throne.  A rebellion broke out in the Inverness that year, but it was quashed.  The Empire remained whole for now, but the decentralizing tendencies were greatly magnified by the regency of the Emperor's regents in Kuregn and the Inverness, who '" while competent '" either would or could not stop the landed stratocracy from gaining greater autonomy and provincial control.

The Machta-In
Player: Wensleydale
Government: Hereditary Monarchy
Popularity: 5
Dread: 6
State Religion: Sadatism
Popular Religion: 69% Tumiiri Sadatism, 3% Zakhism, 28% Dragon Saints
Fervor: 5 [-1]
Population: 26,000 [+1500]
Cities: Danhula (C), Inveran
Prosperity: 4
Trade: 3
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 3
Espionage: 3
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Arc, Sli, Boa, Gal, WGa
Forces: 4 (5)
Army: 1 Spr, 1 Bld
Navy: 2 WGa

The Despotate of Kuregn
Player: Wensleydale
Government: Hereditary Stratocracy
Popularity: 6 [+1]
Dread: 6
State Religion: Cult of the Despot
Popular Religion: 30% Kuregnite Polytheism, 64% Cult of the Despot, 6% Atur Polytheism
Fervor: 6 [+1]
Population: 120,000 [+2,500]
Cities: Kuregn (C), Agnri, Sabae, Yaffa, Segederon
Prosperity: 4
Trade: 3 [+1]
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 4
Espionage: 2
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Arc, Sli, Cam, Boa, Gal, WGa
Forces: 8 (9)
Army: 1 Agn, 2 Spr, 1 Arc, 2 Cam
Navy: 1 WGa, 1 Gal[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Egwydor]The steadfast refusal of the Egwydorians to pay tribute to Great Hayar was to pay a bloody dividend.  The years between 276 and 290 saw nearly constant warfare along the shores.  The Hayrines, with the wind at their backs, were capable of landing anywhere along the coast they wished, and even with the coastal roads constructed in previous years the Egwydorians simply could not muster the manpower to be everywhere at once.  A Hayrine flotilla would appear over the horizon, land, kill or enslave everyone in sight, loot anything that was not tied down, and head out to sea long before a response could be gathered.  The unlucky currents of Egwydor did not greatly concern the Hayrines, either; the counter-clockwise currents carried them into the waters of Kuregn.  The Emperor had attempted to dissuade the Hayrines from their attacks, but failed to back up his words with actions; he was more concerned with his own enemies, and the Fine Feather Hayrines knew better than to stir up trouble in the Empire.  Instead, they found in Kuregn a rich market for selling slaves and loot they had taken from Egwydor.

The Egwydorian attempts to defend the coastline were inevitably failures.  Only occasional, localized successes were possible, but defending one village always came at the cost of losing ten others.  The Egwydorian army, though newly formed, was outnumbered and outmatched in terms of technology; the bronze-scaled Hayrines were called 'fishbacks' in Egwydor after their signature armor, and with this protection, their superior ships, and their finely crafted weaponry, the Egwydorians could find no effective response.  Numerous schools and temples were sacked by the Hayrines; villages with gold could buy off the invaders, but only for a time, as they would soon return asking for more.

The end of the Hayrine incursion came not from a victory against them, but from other factors, some very far abroad.  For one thing, pillaging Egwydor became increasingly less profitable as coastal settlements were abandoned and the villagers moved into the foothills, where they could use terrain and distance to their advantage and even hide themselves from raiding parties.  Gold produced was simply stolen, so the Egwydorians stopped mining it, finding that planting crops and herding were far more important in these lean times.  Abroad, the Emperor eventually banned the sale of Egwydorian slaves in Kuregn as a gesture of good will to his 'allies,' meaning that the Hayrines had to go further abroad to sell their human cargo.

The greater factor was northwards, however.  As the generations passed, the Hayrines became increasingly more interested in land to settle; many tired of the raiding lifestyle.  Egwydor, with its difficult currents, was not the ideal place for this.  Mandra was a more preferable target.  In 286, a power struggle erupted between the Connetars of Great Hayar; by 288, one of these men, named Direypan, had brought the entire Confederation under his control and crowned himself King of the Hayrines, a title which none had held for nearly a hundred years (coincidentally, he was crowned with a wreath made entirely of gold plundered from Egwydor).  King Direypan was more interested in bringing down the monarchy of Otahvy than in plundering the poverty-stricken Egwydorian coast, and after his ascendance the rate of attacks on Egwydor dropped off substantially.  He needed men to fight as soldiers rather than raiders, and his reorganization of Hayar and its warriors broke the pall of destruction hanging over Egwydor.

Tremendous damage had been dealt to the native people, but some things were gained from this dismal period.  For one, the Hayrines had superior knowledge of sailing, which the Egwydorians adapted to their own vessels as they began slowly to repopulate their coastline.  The attacks had forced many former fishermen to farm the hills instead, and develop plants and techniques that served them well in the high valley of the West.  The raids had made emigration across the pass more attractive than it had been, and though farming was still difficult it was not as difficult to make a living there as some had feared.  Trial and error found some crops that were better at surviving than others.  The lake could be fished, and seals could be hunted and their skin used for clothing.  It was not easy to keep in contact with Egwydor proper '" the pass was impassable half of every year '" but the population of the western colonies grew steadily during this period.

In the wake of their troubles, the Egwydorians began to pick up the pieces, but with substantial changes to their society.  The Egwydorian polity had been forcefully fractured during the war, and villages relied on regional 'judges,' put in place before the invasion, for not only judicial pronouncements but for political (and eventually even military) guidance.  Egwydor after the invasions was still united, but a great deal of power had been devolved from the Council to the regional judges.

Through war with the Hayrines, Egwydor has acquired a new military technology (Swd).

Egwydor
Player: Haphazzard
Government: Theocratic Tribal Council
Popularity: 4 [-1]
Dread: 0
State Religion: Elemental Rite
Popular Religion: 88% Elemental Rite, 12% Mandran Polytheism
Fervor: 4 [+1]
Population: 7,500
Cities: Egwydor (C)
Prosperity: 2 [-1]
Trade: 2
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 1 [-1]
Espionage: 1 [+1]
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Swd, Arc, Sli, Boa, Gal
Forces: 3 (3)
Army: 1 Bld, 1 Sli
Navy: 1 Gal[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Avardera]
It had been some time since Avardera ruled the Stormshield Isle.  Its communities were dominated by Hayrines and spoke their language.  The island provided much of the timber used by Great Hayar for ship construction '" and it was in this capacity that it interested the King of the Hayrines, whose goal was the conquest of Otahvy.

King Arlun Meas VI made the recapture of the isle one of the primary goals of his reign.  The army changed a great deal, as it had proven insufficient to the task before.  Ideas were taken from both east and west; the army came to be dominated by a warrior noble class, whose resources were necessary to build and maintain chariots, and the martial heritage of both Nargaq and Hayar was adopted to form a corps of heavily armored infantry that could compete with the Hayrines on equal terms.

The chance to use this new army came in the year 286, when the Red Shield Hayrines, a group who had participated in the conquering of Ruthern, marched northwards against Avardera by land.  King Meas had advance notice, and marshaled his forces to meet them on the coastal plain south of Avarra.

[spoiler=The Battle of Madan Field]
The Kingdom of Avardera (King Arlun Meas VI)
1 Cha
1 Swd
1 Sli
1 CAr (Auri)
3 Irr

Red Shield Hayrines (Connetar Yadenda)
2 Swd
2 Mar
4 Irr

The Avarderans were somewhat outnumbered, but their enemies lacked any manner of chariots or much in the way of ranged weaponry.  Their skirmishers and marines were easily driven back by the Avarderan slingers.  Eventually the Hayrines were goaded into attacking.  They clashed with the Avarderan infantry with skirmishers on their flanks.  These light troops, however, were driven back by the Avarderan chariots, who easily flanked the cumbersome Hayrine force and shot arrows at their leisure into the mass of Hayrine infantry.  Though the Avarderans in the center took heavy losses, their line did not fold, and the Hayrines were repulsed and routed with far heavier losses.[/spoiler]

This victory indirectly helped Direypan, soon-to-be King of the Hayrines, to power.  Yadenda was a rival, and his humiliation removed him from any serious contention for power.  It was partially because of this battle that, two years later, Direypan was able to seize absolute power among his people.  He was well aware of the power of Avardera's new army and reluctant to risk forces defending Stormshield when it was not really what interested him.  Avardera's navy was already making things difficult, attacking Hayrine ships and attempting to stop supplies in and out of the island.

The King's plan went ahead, though it was delayed by his unexpected death from illness in 289.  The succession was orderly, however, and after a few years of consolidation his successor was ready to continue.  Warfare on the seas intensified, but it was difficult to decisively defeat the Hayrines; their ships had the advantage in maneuverability, and rarely traveled in large war-fleets.  Individual corsair ships were sometimes caught, boarded, or sunk, but many more Avarderan merchant and transport ships were subject to their predations.  The Avarderan fleet did succeed in building a position of strength near Taripont.  From there, attacks were launched on Stormshield.

Ultimately Stormshield was too distant and marginal to be a great concern of the Hayrines, who by now had made serious advances into Mandra.  Much of their timber now came from their expanded possessions in Ruthern.  The Avarderans found themselves fighting mostly local forces, and in 298 completed their conquest of the island.  Most Hayrine settlers were not warriors and were happy to surrender and remain in their homes, leaving Stormshield a heavily Hayrine-dominated province under Avarderan rule.  Raids continued against Avardera, but without the Isle as a convenient jumping-off point, they were noticeably diminished.

Several hundred years after the last such experiment, the Avarderans attempted to introduce a sort of currency to their land.  They were aided by the Auri reconquest of Daura, which once again made silver available to them.  Gold, however, was vanishingly rare after the invasion of Egwydor, and the King's plans in this regard had to be scrapped.  Silver Leafs were cast as a standard unit of silver.  Because techniques for refining silver were somewhat lacking, however, it was difficult to really standardize the content of each; the weight of each piece, and its resultant silver content, varied and was hard to guess even with scales and weights.  During the reign of Arlun Meas VI, the coin was successful locally, but even the temporary uncertainty after his death was enough to cause merchants to reject the coin.  They did not necessarily trust the new King yet, and had no way of knowing if he was reliable enough to give them real silver.  Toward the end of this period, the Leaf was slowly accepted again, but it had little impact outside Avardera '" foreign peoples would trade for silver, but they had no confidence in the King's seal and treated the coins as any other silver ore of questionable content shipped from the north.

All in all, this was a prosperous period for Avardera and the Auri, who pushed back against their enemies on two fronts.  Avarderan script had gained wide acceptance by the priesthood and scribes of the Auri, who were beginning to look more like the settled peoples of the west than their nomad neighbors.  In all the East, the Tower Road was the one route upon which commerce and communication grew in this period.  It was the advance of literacy and learning in the region that created a rebirth in the religion of the Auri.  For once, the tales and legends of Zhasmun and his eternal enemy were recorded, and from Avarderan academies these skin-scrolls spread throughout Ar-Auriban, with copies reaching as far as the Temple of Foreigners in Numenas.  The use of cured sheepskin for writing began late in this era as a response to the problems posed by papyrus '" a wonderful surface in the south, where the weather was dry, but a poor method of long-term storage in wetter lands in which scrolls would readily fall apart.

Avardera
Player: Tillumni
Government: Hereditary Monarchy
Popularity: 6
Dread: 3 [+1]
State Religion: None
Popular Religion: 44% Zhasmunism, 39% Animism, 10% Runethainism, 5% Dragon Saints, 2% Mother Earth/ Father Sea
Fervor: 5 [+1]
Population: 25,000 [+2,500]
Cities: Avarra (C), Taripont, Ariedne
Prosperity: 4
Trade: 3 [+1]
Advancement: Middle Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 3
Espionage: 3 [+1]
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Arc, CAr, Sli, Swd, Cha, Boa, Gal
Forces: 5 (5)
Army: 1 Cha, 1 Swd, 1 Sli
Navy: 2 Gal[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Andos]The peace between Andos and the Hayrines did not last long.  The Andosen demanded the punishment of the Chief Helmsman for his actions, but this made no sense to the Hayrines, whose leaders did not punish '" it was up to the family of the dead to avenge a death, not the Connetar or his men.  In any case, Yeren insisted that he had no knowledge of killing anyone, and Eyund had every reason to believe him and no reason to believe the Andosen.  He suspected that they had never been serious about peace to begin with, and had orchestrated events to block Hayrine access to the north.  When a Hayrine trading ship was refused passage through the Strait of Stavram, the Connetar declared that the Andosen had breached the spirit of the treaty by holding Far Hayar under 'perpetual siege,' and declared war on Andos.

The Connetar had anticipated that the trading ship would be barred from passing, and so one day's sailing behind the ship was the Hayrine fleet.  Though taken by surprise, Stavram ably defended itself.  Finding the town too strongly defended, the fleet turned south and launched a dawn attack on Krynam.  There, the defenses did not hold, and the city was taken.  Eyund offered to return the city, unharmed, in exchange for a renewed peace and the opening of the Strait, but the Andosen were outraged by his sudden attack and the Ryvan-Holme refused to cooperate.  Furious at their refusal, Eyund stripped the city of everything of value, burned its harbors, and sailed back to Far Hayar.

Thus the Andosen and Hayrines settled into the 'Long War.'  As the Hayrines believed the Andosen to have negotiated in bad faith, they perceived the peace treaty as never valid at all and the war as being a mere continuation of the conflict that began when the corsairs first appeared off the coast of Andos.  The Andosen were inclined towards a similar view of the Hayrines.  This second act of the Long War, however, was considerably less bloody, and in totality the period was one of recovery and growth.  The Hayrines had no desire to annex Andos, and launched small-scale, periodic raids instead.  The Andosen launched their own reprisals, but by this time their attention was turning north rather than south.

The Andosen perceived Ivrusk as a relatively peaceful place, but this was not the case.  The various villages of the Ivrusk in fact fought amongst each other constantly, but over the centuries this had become a very professional and quite ceremonial conflict.  Each village had a small band of career warriors.  If a dispute erupted '" which happened often '" warriors would clash, a handful of men would be killed, and the losing side would accept their defeat and accede to the demands of the winning side.  It was war without anger or vendetta '" defeats caused no lasting shame for the village.  In recent generations, however, the forests of the Ivrusk had become very heavily populated, and these ceremonial wars became more and more serious as resources became scarcer.

The warming relations between Andos and Ivrusk had the effect of a release valve on this growing conflict.  Mixed communities in Andosen mainland territory had already become rather common, but around the year 275 social and trade relations between the two peoples led to a sizeable migration of Ivrusken to Stavram, and from there inland.  The Ivrusken, possessing their own unique culture, passed on some traditions to the Andosen they lived with, and adopted some themselves.  In these 25 years, the boundary between the two states was really a formal fiction.  The Ivrusken, accustomed to the deep forests of their home, found a perfect home abroad in the inland hills of Andos, which even after the expulsion of the Hayrines had been largely given over to bandits.  The Ivrusken settled here and permanently ended that menace.  Ivran Grighad, the most prominent leader of these 'Hillmen,' became an influential figure in Andosen society (for a foreigner), and in order to be accepted by the female-dominated Andosen regime he yielded formal military and political control of his villages to his daughter Aucenna, continuing to rule from behind the scenes and retaining the spiritual title of Ivran.  He was something of an enigma to the Andosen, who became aware that in Ivrusk he was known as a sorcerer of considerable power who, the rumors told, could change his shape at will.  This was never actually observed, but he was odd and secretive enough to lend the rumor credence.  The 'old man of the woods,' through his daughter's rule, faithfully performed the duties of an ally while simultaneously gaining power for himself.

The Ivrusken brought many things to Andos.  They were a valuable armed reserve, though their fear of the sea and specific, ceremonial view of war made them ill-suited for the punitive raids on Far Hayar that defined the age.  The manpower did help slow the advance of the Hayrines on the eastern coast, who had made sizeable gains over the years with the help of the Auri.  Also helpful were the simple but effective 'wooden arms' adopted by many Andosen ships '" poles of a particularly springy wood from Ivrusk that used flexion to throw missiles great distances.  With the addition of slings on the end of these poles, crews could gain a range advantage over enemy galleys and seek to do damage long before the ships closed to boarding distance.  It was useful but not decisive in the ongoing conflict.

If the northern frontier opened wide, the southern one closed.  Eyund's successor, Yegedde, sent a delegation to Great Hayar and convinced Direypan, the King of the Hayrines, to block all Andosen ships traveling westward.  All contact between Andos and the Middle Sea effectively ended.

In the far north, Hayrine ships were sighted, though not of Far Hayar's design.  The Curled Horn Hayrines visited the north shores of Andos occasionally, usually to trade a few trinkets before returning northwards.  Their messengers periodically petitioned the Andosen to open the Strait of Stavram to them, but this never happened, probably because of the ongoing war with their southern kinsmen.

The Andosen have learned a new military technology (Cha).

Andos
Player: amikaligula
Government: Matriarchal Timocracy
Popularity: 6
Dread: 4
State Religion: Cult of Svyorn
Popular Religion: 34% Cult of Svyorn, 13% Ivruskan Path, 11% Other Cults, 42% Animism
Fervor: 6
Population: 15,000 [+2500]
Cities: Grycham (C), Stavram, Krynam
Prosperity: 3
Trade: 0 [-1]
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 3 [+1]
Espionage: 3
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Arc, CAr, Sli, ASp, Cha, Boa, OCa, Gal
Forces: 5 (4)
Army: 2 ASp, 1 CAr
Navy: 1 OCa, 1 Gal[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Kashtu]The Grand Warden lacked both the capability and motivation to save Celend; in any case, it was not his to save.  Fortunately for Kashtu, the Empire did not immediately implement any punitive policies against them for their support of Celend.  Trade continued up and down the river, and the fall of Celend brought an unexpected windfall for Kashtu.  For the first time, Kashtu found itself in possession of river ports, and could transport and sell goods directly at the water's edge and charge merchant boats for the privilege.  The 'Archonate,' as the small remainder of Celend became known, continued to receive 'tribute' from Kashtu, but the relationship between the two states had changed dramatically.  Now, the gifts traveling eastward looked more like subsidies given to prop up the Archons as a buffer state against the Empire rather than gifts from a border state to the metropole.

Despite the looming threat of an all-powerful empire, Kashtu gained land, people, wealth, and influence during this time, bringing Atur tribes steadily under Kashtu influence.  Within 10 years of Merwek's death in 285, the state was clearly a net receiver of tribute, gaining far more in 'honor gifts' from Atur tribes under its sphere of influence than it transferred to Celend.  It would be difficult to say that Kashtu actually annexed any part of the Ma'a; there could be no lasting border in the sands, and a tribe that objected to a tax or policy could just pack up its camels and move to a place more removed from Kashtu power.  The state did, however, exert considerable influence beyond its borders and well into the Ma'a, which it regularly patrolled to dissuade bandits and watch for Kuregnite aggression.

In the year 292, the Kashtu priests in Zur'a relayed the news of one Zurshuk named Olou, who '" perhaps following the model of Kashtu and other eastern peoples '" had begun the process of unifying the Zur'a villages, by diplomacy, marriage, and warfare.  By the year 300, it was she, not various village leaders, who received the priests and representatives from Kashtu.  She remained on friendly terms with Kashtu but drove a harder bargain than the villages had done before her, placing a tax upon coffee exports and building a fortress-town at the edge of the Ma'a to better gather and control Atur caravan drivers.  Since other peoples abroad were still willing to pay, however, the increased cost of coffee did not change much.

All in all, this was a time of peace for the Ma'a.  With nothing else to do, Kashtu-allied tribes and the Zurat'erhim conquered the sparse mountain people nearest to Kashtu, discovering minor but valuable deposits of tin in the process.  This was not enough for a major export market, but Kashtu did not lack for bronze in this era, and temples in particular used the metal to craft a wide variety of ornaments and sacral objects.  The prestige of the temples was growing out of a historical nadir, with new prosperity and judicial responsibilities making them an important political player once again.
Kashtu
Player: snakefing
Government: Religious Monarchy
Popularity: 5
Dread: 2
State Religion: Kashtu Polytheism
Popular Religion: 93% Kashtu Polytheism, 4% Atur Polytheism, 3% Celenite Polytheism
Fervor: 7
Population: 21,000 [+2500]
Cities: Kashtu (C)
Prosperity: 3
Trade: 4 [+1]
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 3
Espionage: 4 [+1]
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Arc, Cam, Boa
Forces: 5 (5)
Army: 2 Cam, 1 Arc, 1 Spr, 1 Zur
Navy: None[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Zorvia]Around the year 275, Kashtu caravans began to bring news of a southern Ma'turi state to their homeland.  The plains north of Jemna had always been home to Ma'turi transhumant pastoralists, but 'Zorvia' was the first sizeable organization of these people along something other '" and broader '" than familial lines.  Indeed, they had not only organization, but the buildings that people used to lay claim to civilization.  The Sacred Keep was not itself impressive to those who regularly visited Kashtu, but it was unique in the region.

The Zorvians readily joined the trading culture of the Atur, their desert kinsmen.  Over-populated Kashtu always required more food, and herders found a considerable income could be made by ending the grazing season up north and bartering in Kashtu's southern outposts.  Zorvia also functioned as a middleman, with full-time traders selling Beitaran copper and papyrus in Kashtu, while taking fragrant oils and tin in the opposite direction.  Though significantly smaller than the coffee trade through the Ma'a, it nonetheless had transformative effects on Zorvia and the other peoples of the area.

The caravans enriched the people, but not always in ways one would expect.  Those not directly involved in trade did not feel particularly obligated to protect it, and some skimmed profits from the caravans by raiding them, or at least threatening to and accepting goods as protection.  As long as the relationship between Beitar and the League remained cold, this was still a profitable endeavor despite these irregularities.

In 290, a delegation arrived from Olou of Zur'a, whose men had found a mountain pass linking the mysterious West with Zorvia.  The Zurshuk were clearly less impressed with the 'people of the southeast' than with Kashtu or Kuregn, but were very interested in the clothing of their new acquaintances.  Weaving was the primary industry for the westerners and an act with great symbolic and cultural meaning, and the Zurshuk were very interested in acquiring dyes they had not encountered before.

In the later years of this era, Zorvia was subject to the newly arisen imperial pretensions of the Beitarans.  Seeing the fall of Celend, one of the three ancient Ma'turi kingdoms, the Prince-Regents of Beitar felt compelled to assert their own power in response.  This took the form of increasing interference with their neighbors to the north, opening relations with various minor tribes and otherwise insinuating themselves into the northern plains.
Zorvia
Player: Kindling
Government: Theocratic Council
Popularity: 4
Dread: 0
State Religion: Zorvian Dualism
Popular Religion: 70% Zorvian Dualism, 18% Atur Polytheism, 12% Kashtu Polytheism
Fervor: 4
Population: 8,000
Cities: The Sacred Keep (C)
Prosperity: 3
Trade: 1
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 0
Espionage: 1
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Arc, Cam, Boa
Forces: 2 (2)
Army: 2 Cam
Navy: None[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The League]Arkan's rise to prominence somewhat eclipsed the Princes.  Seeking to legitimize himself, he promoted a return to the 'traditions of the Sea' and a restoration of the League's authentic soul.  Certainly this was self-serving, for this was a challenge to the pro-East Princes.  Arkan, however, was able to rally considerable support, and he was aided by a resurgence in the old religion and that of the Islanders, despite the chilly relations between the Sun and Moon and the League.

The Princes were too well-entrenched to truly defeat, but saw their power decline in the League's overseas territories.  Eager to be on the winning side, they suffered Arkan and the new religious shift, while mostly keeping their own beliefs and great estates.  When Arkan died, the movement against them '" though still strong '" was not nearly as threatening.  The Whale Isle, with its farms and coastal villages, remained largely under their control.  As for 'Arkan's God,' 25 years saw the creature hatch and grow, but only to thirty feet.  If this was any indication, Gods measured their lifetimes not in years, but ages.  Little else was known of the divine creature, who was hidden away by Arkan's nephew for fear of another war erupting over its possession.  The mystery only added to its reverence, and a 'turtle motif' defined League pottery and art of this period.

The ongoing feud with Beitar, meanwhile, led to a growth in overland trade in the west at the expense of League merchants.  Kashtu and the Archonate, for both economic and political reasons, found it preferable to trade for Beitaran papyrus rather than that exported by the League from Vandire.  Beitaran copper was also cheaper for the Ma'turi than ingots carried from the far east on League ships.  The League found itself in an increasingly troubled position, between a West that had begun to turn inwards and an East that was consumed in conflicts resulting from the Chalun wars.  The only bright spot in all of this was Tescha's increased willingness to trade.  With the door cracked open, the League merchants did their best to push their way in despite Teschan attitudes towards foreigners.

Player: AllWillFall2Me
Government: Oligarchic Republic
Popularity: 5
Dread: 1 [-1]
State Religion: Mother Earth/ Father Sea
Popular Religion: 76% Mother Earth/ Father Sea, 4% Mandrian Polytheism, 20% Darhism
Fervor: 5 [+1]
Population: 19,500 [+1,500]
Cities: Hartport (C), Turtle's Egg
Prosperity: 5
Trade: 7 [-1]
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 1
Espionage: 4
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Arc, CAr, Sli, Cha, Boa, Gal
Forces: 4 (4)
Army: None
Navy: 4 Gal[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Vandire]The realm of the Vands remained on a steady course during these years.  Trade increased, relations with Tescha grew closer, and the downriver villages became increasingly independent from the authority of the Marshes.  If the city of Vandire itself was growing, host to larger and larger buildings of reeds and mud bricks, its influence on surrounding communities was diminishing.  The decline in unity led to increased raids from Hadamut, but the nomads found that the independent states of the Vands were more than willing to band together to repel their attacks.  

Tescha, always isolationist, continued its slow process of opening to the outside world in these years.  Cross-border trade between the Teschans and the Vands quickened, and the Teschans cooperated with the City of Vandire in 291 to repel a Hadamut attack.   The Vands were, in general, able to defend themselves '" though chariots were useless in the marshes, they were valuable in meeting the Hadamut and other nomadic enemies in their own territory.

Player: Locknpop4life
Government: Theocracy
Popularity: 5 [-1]
Dread: 2 [-1]
State Religion: Vand Polytheism
Popular Religion: 88% Vand Polytheism, 5% Mother Earth/ Father Sea, 4% Darhism, 3% Teschan Rite
Fervor: 5
Population: 11,500 [+2,000]
Cities: Vandire (C)
Prosperity: 5
Trade: 4 [+1]
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 2
Espionage: 1 [+1]
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Arc, CAr, Cha, Boa
Forces: 3 (3)
Army: 1 Cha, 1 Spr, 1 CAr
Navy: None[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Numenas]The Invernessi emigrants and their little state on the banks of the Serpent was originally something of an amusing curiosity for the local powers, more like a curiously foreign market stall than a serious contender for power in the region.  An enclave of Auri or Murrhati temples and buildings in foreign cities would have been seen as dangerous, but the attempts by Numenas to build foreign enclaves could not come off as anything but innocuous.

This perception was shattered in these years, with results that Numenas was unprepared for.  Relations with the Xuk deteriorated as Numenas moved in aggressively on the 'Bend,' the no-man's land used frequently by the western Xuk.  The arrival of Imperial troops in the city did not help matters.  The Xuk began treating the Numenid merchants more warily, and instances of caravan raiding began to rise.

In the year 282, Numenas invaded Tescha without warning.  Most of the force was in fact Machta-Kuregnite.  The Teschans did not disappoint '" the Teschaeen, or 'Emperor' of Tescha, met them with an army twice their size, replete with chariots, spearmen, and bowmen.  Upon seeing the force arrayed against them, the Imperial commander decided that the situation was not at all favorable.  His soldiers did not see Numenas as a great friend and were uncertain why they were here in a faraway land invading the territory of a people they had never heard of.  The Imperial general went with his aides to the camp of the Teschaeen, who made them wait outside his pavilion for hours under the hot sun.  When he deemed them suitably humiliated, he accepted the surrender of the general.  The Machta-Kuregnite soldiers, stripped of their weapons, were delivered to the League at Hartport and carried back to Kuregn.  The component of the army from Numenas was abandoned and left to be slaughtered by the Teschans.

This debacle appeared to matter very little to the Teschaeen, who did not strike back against Numenas or express any anger towards the Emperor.  To Tescha's neighbors, it seemed that nothing had changed.  The Xuk, however, were quite alarmed.  Though the whole affair was a humiliation for Numenas, it made it quite apparent to them that the Dragonlord had much greater ambitions than they originally suspected.

There was no time for them to act on these thoughts, however.  The Chalun, long paralyzed by a fractious leadership, were unified by a particularly bloody warlord named Akelwy, who unified most of the Chalun tribes by betraying and murdering his fellow Bashkyrs.  Titling himself the 'Basharbash,' or 'lord of lords,' Akelwy also had broad ambitions.  In a series of wars between 281 and 290, Akelwy destroyed Jalulai, annexed leagues of Xuk territory, and even led raids into Ar-Auriban.  The Agah had other problems and paid him off.  The Bashkyrs of Xukhia were unable to afford such things, and migrated instead.  Murrhat proved too resilient, but Cyrenahan, in its civil war, suffered a heavy blow.

Many feared that Akelwy planned to cross the Serpent and invade Atamn and Numenas.  He may have been planning this next, but the world will never know for certain.  His reign of constant warring ended in its ninth year, when Akelwy died of pneumonia and the Chalun turned inwards, with his sons and surviving enemies fighting over the spoils.

Numenas had been humbled by the Teschans, but had managed to be lucky enough to evade destruction at the hands of its neighbors.  The Dragonlord embarked on a program of construction, though the planned waterworks were limited by the practical expertise of the Dragonlord's men.  A more discouraging problem was the collapse in trade after the conquests of Akelwy.  The wars had disrupted trading in the area, and the perpetual fighting after Akelwy's death led to most attempts to cross the steppes ending in slavery or death.  Tescha continued to slowly open to the outside world and became very involved with trade in Vandire; if they had ever considered this with Numenas, it was certainly no longer an option after the abortive invasion.  Numenas was certainly the grandest city between Danhula and Roshhan, but its well of wealth was beginning to dry up and its friends in the region were few indeed.

Player: Stargate525
Government: Monarchy
Popularity: 3 [-1]
Dread: 1
State Religion: Dragon Saints
Popular Religion: 48% Dragon Saints, 30% Xuk Shamanism, 14% Zhasmunism, 7% Darhism
Fervor: 4 [+1]
Population: 5,000 [+500]
Cities: Numenas (C)
Prosperity: 4
Trade: 4 [-2]
Advancement: Early Bronze Age
Infrastructure: 2
Espionage: 1
Military Technology: Spr, Bld, Sli, Arc, CAr, Cha, Boa, Gal, WGa
Forces: 2 (2)
Army: 1 CAr
Navy: 1 WGa[/spoiler]

[ooc]Announcement
This game ends in two turns, in Year of the Comet 350.[/ooc]

[Kindling]

[ic=To Supreme Lictor Tambassent, commander-in-chief of the Zorvian army]
It has been brought to the attention of the Sacred Council that bandits and brigands have, for some time, been preying upon the good traders of our lands.

This can no longer be tolerated.

Along with this letter you will receive funds to recruit and train more men to stamp out this threat to our economy. Your orders are to crucify one in every three of the bandits you catch, to serve as an example to others.
Every man not desperately needed elsewhere in the Zorvian military is to be assigned to this duty.

On behalf of the Sacred Council,
Matriarch Silverblood
[/ic]

[Stargate525]

[ic=Dragonlord Gregor II to the Xuk]
Esteemed allies,

We are saddened and confused at this sudden withdrawl from our trades and bonds of friendship, which we have done nothing to cause. The only cause we can see would be the failed attack on the Teschans which, although we admit we stood to gain, was neither our idea nor our desire. We, to prevent the great Empire in the west from obliterating us, swore an oath of fealty to them, which they then called upon us to aid them in their attempt to conquer the Teschans, with the intent of bringing their army along this river to take control in the south lands. We, in fulfillment of our bond, was to assist them. Let it be known that we have no intent on you or your people, nor did we ever.

With that properly explained and hopefully dismissed, I feel me must turn our attentions to Chalun, who have destroyed our mutual allies of Jalulai, and driven you from your lands. We have standing with the Auri, and feel that a combined assault in their time of division may drive them back to their old borders, or farther yet into oblivion and beyond all retribution. What say you to this?

Dragonlord Gregor II
[/ic]

[Tillumni]

[ic] King Thari Meas VII sure was...different, Yhe Kings Scripe thought to himself while writting the letter that was dictated for him. ah well, a more martial oriented king was to be expected from one raised amounth the Auri....he just hoped King Tharis...bluntness wasn't more trouble then it's good though...not stupid by any means, judging from the letter, but blunt[/ic]

[ic=said letter, sent to  King Direypan of Hayar]

Greetings.

Allow me to be very direct, as I'm sure you're busy with your new position.
Now,it have come to my attention that the raiding and piracy from your people are decreasing, which leads me to believe that it's well within your power to rein in your people and pretty much have it cease, or else Avardera will respond in kind and I am sure you'll be able to figure that that will be a costly affair for you.

on a different matter, then Avardera also houses the descendant of the refugees driven from the lands that you now hold.
Now I will not be intire unreasonable, since not all wishes to reutrn, and also respect your costum of what one can take and hold is ones to keep.
Avardera therefor only ask that the northen part of former Ruthern is placed under Avarderan rule and controll, as a place for those who wishes so, can return to thier ancestor land, but under the laws and costums that they have grown accustomed to.
I believe you'll agree it's a much cheaper and less uncertaint alternative to orderly transfer controll, instead of having the host of Avardera, along with our brother Auri, march south and take it anyway, while you're engaged in war with Otahvy.  

how ever, if you do show your good will, which I expect of you in your wisdom. then Avardera will respond in kind, and be more thenhappy to co-exist peacefully with your nation, and even aid you abit with information on these new lands that your people have settled.

King Thari Meas VII [/ic]

[Stargate525]

[ic=Dragonlord Gregor III to Aktaxuk, Lalukwy, and Badwak, by separate messengers]
Esteemed Basharbash,

Numenas wishes peace to reign amongst the Chalun people, as it was in the days of old. We will not lie that this intent is selfish; we wish our people to no longer be harried when trading, and to gain respect and honor with your people.

To this end, we wish to offer the services of our military to your cause, to help consolidate your claim.

Dragonlord Gregor III
[/ic]

[ic]
The new commander was an idiot, plain and simple. How he was promoted this far was a mystery to the armorer, but he had to deal with the commanders, so deal he did. "Like I said, it just isn't proper."

"But look to the Armadillo..."

"Enough of your blasted pet!" The armorer shouted, brandishing his hammer as if to ward off the insane commander, "Armor built in this fashion simply will not work!"

"Do you at least have the courage to test it?"

"...Fine. Fine! We'll do it your way, just so I can prove you wrong..."
[/ic]

[Stargate525]

[ic=Dragonlord Gregor III to King Thari Meas VII]
Noble King,

Allow us to extend our condolences on the death of your predecessor; he was a great leader and shall no doubt be missed by all who knew him.

But life must continue and, indeed, it will whether we wish it or no. Numenas has always been a trade partner with your people, even in the time of the once-great Inveran. We have heard tell of new methods for keeping words, better than that of papyrus. We, being a scholarly people, are interested in this. We wish to have closer trade relations with your people, so that the best of our goods may be exchanged. To this end, we humbly request that you put in to the auri a request to extend the great road southward, towards our fair city, so that this may be more readily accomplished.

In peace,
Dragonlord Gregor III
[/ic]

[Haphazzard]

[ic=Public Announcement]
"Good Egwydorians, your new councilors are as follows:

The Councilor of Fire is Renzo
The Councilor of Water is Baldur
The Councilor of Air is Ifan
The Councilor of Earth is Pryce."
[/ic]

 [ic=To the Fine Feather Hayrines]
Dear Mighty Warriors of the North,

I would like to begin by apologizing for my predecessors' insolence.  For Egwydor to have opposed you was foolish at best.  The councilors at that time quickly lost power, and I hold them personally responsible for dooming Egwydorians and Hayrines alike.  We who you have been so merciful to leave alive bow down to your might.  As a sign of peace to you we are willing to help you conquer Otahvy, that way we may save some Hayrine lives.  However, as this is a hard land to live in, we ask for some of the Otahvy land, that we may make ports and trade in the middle sea.  In return we will gladly live under your sovereingnty.

For the balance of the four,
Ifan, The Councilor of Air
[/ic]

[Polycarp]

[ic=High Circle of the Xuk Confederation to Gregor II]We will join any fight against the Chalun, whether with the Agah or you.  Unfortunately, we do not believe that your offer is serious; the Auri war with the Sorghedai and we are not impressed by the strength of your city.  We will believe the Agah is coming to aid us when we hear it from his own messenger.[/ic][ic=King Direypan of Great Hayar to King Meas VII]The refugees of which you speak are permitted to return as they wish.  I wish for peaceful relations, but I will not cede any territory to you, certainly not through intimidation and threats.[/ic][ic=King Direypan of Great Hayar to Ifan of Egwydor]Your change of heart is welcome.  I will accept the service of your warriors as tribute, and will gladly present you with a share of Otahvy's land as a sign of my peaceable intent.  All will benefit when the Two Kings pay tribute to Great Hayar and the spoils are divided among our victorious peoples.[/ic][ic=Basharbash Aktaxuk to Dragonlord Gregor III]How many chariots do the men of Numenas field?  I have never heard of you.  Show me your martial strength and you will receive the dividends of victory.[/ic][ic=Basharbash Lalukwy to Dragonlord Gregor III]Trade is the vocation of the low-born.  Better to prove your status among men through blood and bronze!  Dispatch your chariots and warriors and you will share in the spoils of triumph.[/ic][ic=Basharbash Badwak to Dragonlord Gregor III]Respect is gained readily through loyal and brave service in battle.  Show your strength by fighting by my hand, and respect and honor will certainly be yours.[/ic]

[ooc]Announcement
The due date for orders is Wednesday.[/ooc]

[Stargate525]

[ic= to Basharbash Aktaxuk from Dragonlord Gregor III]
Our strength lies not in our chariots, but our foreknowledge and insight. For example, we have knowledge of your younger brother's movements, and how they even now amass their army along the Serpent. We, recognizing your foregone soverignty, wish to expose this betrayal to you, and aid you in removing your younger brother from the field of battle.
[/ic]

[ic=to Basharbash Lalukwy from Dragonlord Gregor III]
Nay, I say to you that trade is the tool of the wise, as it brings forth great knowledge and understanding; both between your allies and your enemies.

In showing of this, we have discovered the movements of your enemies; the Xuk. They move to strike on your eastern flank, along the river. Is this knowledge, which shall save countless lives, enough to prove the worth of the otherwise humble trader?
[/ic]

[ic=to Basharbash Badwak from Dragonlord Gregor III]
We shall, oh Basharbash, fight alongside you. We recognize you as the rightful heir, and to that end wish to aid you. Both of your older brothers have contacted us, wishing to see our great army march to aid them in a trap for the other. We have played them against one another, and they shall surprise each other.

We know the time and the place; you can provide the remainder of the forces to wipe both your enemies from this earth.
[/ic]

[ic=To the Xuk from Gregor]
Fair enough. We hope to convey you the messenger in due time.
[/ic]

[ic=Gregor to the Auriban]
Esteemed Agah,

We, your vassal, fear for our lives. Just across the Serpent lies the land of the Chalun. They, though at the moment are infighting, wish to sally southward into Numenas, and plunder her. It, quite frankly, is in your best interests to prevent this. Now would be the best opportunity. The Xuk, across from Chalun, await your order to strike and close the trap. A mere few units of chariots would no doubt turn the balance, though as much as you can spare would be useful.
[/ic]

[snakefing]

[ic=Grand Warden of Kashtu to the Despot of Kuregn]For too many years there has been conflict in our region. We of Kashtu seek to reach an agreement to end hostilities and increase the opportunities for peaceful and prosperous trade.

The Grand Warden invites the Despot to send a delegation to Kashtu to settle once and for all the areas that are under the protection of each of our respective rule. We suggest an arrangement such as the following. Kuregn will forsake all claims to the desert lands, including territories settled and controlled by the Nem-Ammar and Kashtu. Kashtu will formally annex the lands of the Archonate that it currently administers. Kuregn will reunite the remaining lands of Celend, but Kashtu will recognize and support Kuregn as rightful suzerain over all Celend. Kashtu will work to eliminate banditry along the Kuregn border and establish safe caravan routes as possible.[/ic]
[ic=Grand Warden of Kashtu to Olou of the Zuraterim]In recognition of the increased trade and friendship between our people, the Grand Warden would like to construct a trade enclave and temple within Zur'a, so that our travelers may have a place to worship while they visit your land. The priest that bears this message will cooperate with you to select an acceptable site.[/ic]
[ooc=Other Orders]Build new courthouse/temple buildings in the river ports to help administer Kashtu laws in these areas.[/ooc]

[Haphazzard]

[ic=To Fine Feather Hayrines]
Dear Mighty Ones,

As the Otahvians believe we are still on their side, it will be easy for us to bring soldiers wherever we please.  In order to reduce the number of Egwydorian and Hayrine lives lost we should pick a place to attack, Egwydor will pretend to be on their side, and then defect during the battle.  The point chosen should be the place that will do the most damage to them, as we will only get one chance.

For the balance of the four,
Renzo, The Councilor of Fire
[/ic]

 [ic=At a Councilor Meeting]
Renzo: The council has lost power in Egwydor.

Ifan: This is true, it would appear that the invasion nearly split the country up.

Pryce: Then what do you propose we do?

Ifan: That's the problem.  Many a night I've sat up late, pondering the situation, yet no answer has come.

Renzo: Save your fancy words for diplomacy, you can't figure it out.  Look, the problem lies in control.  We don't control anything.  Sure we're the ultimate power, but only if people listen to us.  The judges are what kept us together during the invasion.  It's the judges that the people look up to. So, we make ourselves judges.

Pryce: But of what?

Renzo: We mark out area around the most populated area, call it the capital, and make whoever's on the council the judges of that city.  Also, we'll be appointing the judges in every other town.
[/ic]

[Kindling]

[ic=To Kashtu]
Most esteemed allies,

For a time longer than time, our humble Zorvian people have been nomads, wanderers. Now the demands of a modern world of international commerce call for a more sedentary way of life.
It is our wish to develop permanent settlements for the establishment of dye plantations and other industries - an endeavour which would benefit us, but also our allies and trading partners, especially the grand nation of Kashtu.

However, we have little knowledge of the architecture and construction of permanent structures. Our most humble and beseeching hope was that there might be some wise persons in Kashtu who could be sent to advise and assist in our building efforts, as experts and specialists.
Might this be possible, and, if so, what would you ask in exchange for such inordinate kindness?


On behalf of the Sacred Council,
Patriarch Zsarvu[/ic]

[snakefing]

[ic=Grand Hierarch of Kashtu to the Zorvians]In our lands, it is our priests who keep the knowledge of such things. We would be honored to send a delegation to study and teach among your people.

All we ask is to be granted a plot of land for a trade center with a temple so that our people will have a place to worship and our laws may be enforced among our own, even when they travel to far lands.[/ic]

[Haphazzard]

[ic=At the Same Council Meeting]
Pryce: Even if your judge idea does help bring Egwydor back together we're still split in two by those damned mountains.

Ifan: The snow needs to be cleared in the winters.  For unless we do that, there shall be little passage, thus communication.

Renzo: Thank you for those long winded, and very obvious statements Ifan.  The problem is clearing the snow.  It comes and when it does it comes in floods-worth.  At first I thought about the farmers clearing it, but I fear too many will freeze to death, and then retard the next year's harvest.

Pryce: So what do you propose?  We abandon the idea of going past the mountains altogether?

Renzo: No, we can't abandon it.  We've made too much progress, and we need an option for more land?

Ifan: But after the invasion Egwydor is left with far fewer people.  And now that we're mobilizing to betray Otahvy we'll be losing even more of our brethren.

Renzo: In the short run, no we don't need it.  But look to the future.  Once we move up to where Otahvy is we'll have better access to the middle sea, and trade will expand.  Egwydor will become prosperous and over populated.  We must face that we may never be able to beat Hayar militarily.  So we can't bank on that.  When we need to expand we'll go west, across the mountains.  By then we should have more figured out.

Pryce: We still haven't answered the question.  How do we connect the two halves of Egwydor in the winter months?

Baldur: What about caves?

Pryce: Wait.  What about what?

Baldur: We're separated by mountains.  Mountains usually have caves somewhere.

Renzo: Great blaze!  How have we not thought of that yet?

Baldur: We'll send out search parties to find a cave system that goes through the mountains.  We should be able to dig a little bit if we have to too.  However, that will be far more dangerous.

[/ic]