The Ashes of Rome (Map Game)

The year is 500 C.E., and the mighty Roman Empire has finally crumbled. Lying in its wake is its legacy state, the Byzantine Empire, occupying The Balkan Peninsula, Anatolia and Northeast Africa. It remains the most powerful European state, though its barbarian neighbors continue to threaten its prosperity. To the East is the mighty Sassanian Empire, centered in Persia, although its forces seem to be steadily encroaching on southeastern Europe.

In the former Western Roman Empire, several Gothic Kingdoms have formed and continue to grow in size and power. The Visigoths are situated mostly in Hispania, the Ostrogoths in Italy, the Franks and the Burgundians in Gaul, the Gepids in Dacia, and the Vandals in Northern Africa. Additionally, the Celtic people, long divided and hostile, have formed the Celtic League, modeled after the long-dead Roman Republic.

In addition to the centralized Kingdoms, tribal groups of Germanic peoples are beginning to gain strength, though they are not quite yet unified. These groups include the Suebi, the Anglo-Saxons, the Jutes, the Danes, the Alemanni, the Lombards, and the Saxons. To the Northeast lie the Baltic and Slavic nomads, far from unification, and still living in territory untouched by any true nation-states. In this tumultuous time, change is inevitable, but yet to be known is who will be lost to the sands of time, and who will emerge triumphant and mighty. (The chief difference in this ATL is that, as opposed to the OTL in which the Gothic kingdoms quickly fell, they have been effectively run, and are now actual, unified nations. They still suffer from countless internal problems, but less so.)

'''The game has officially begun. New players can still sign up.'''

Rules:

 * 1) New turns will begin every day at 22:00 UTC. I will begin each turn in bold, sometimes including pertinent details from the previous turn.
 * 2) Each turn signifies five years. This will most likely change as the game approaches the current year.
 * 3) The map will be updated every turn (five years).
 * 4) Inactivity for over ten turns will cause your name to be removed from the nation you are playing. You may return whenever. However, you do not get priority, and if your country is taken, it’s taken.
 * 5) You may join the game whenever by putting your name on the nations list. You are allowed to join the turn immediately after signing up.
 * 6) Keep all actions plausible. Repeated infractions will cause you to be kicked from your nation, and possibly banned, depending on severity.
 * 7) Remember, your actions have consequences, invading territories, whether they were previously inhabited or not, will cause unrest. Keep in mind that when you invade another territory, its people will not immediately be converted to your language, culture and religion.
 * 8) Be as specific as possible, especially when describing the invasion of another territory. If you are not specific as to location, the mapmaker will most likely not understand exactly what you intend to do.
 * 9) Metagaming is strictly prohibited, and several offenses will result in a permanent ban.
 * 10) Keep the game and the talk page kind and mature. No major arguments, OOC.
 * 11) Do not edit the map unless you are a mapmaker. If you see any issues with the map, write about it on the talk page.
 * 12) You may randomly switch nations only once, after which you must wait until your nation is defeated to switch.
 * 13) New nations will be added periodically to both the map and the nations list, whether by historical emergence, or by secession. You, of course, may sign up for these whenever they become available.
 * 14) You are encouraged to make pages within this category for nations, coalitions, treaties, or whatever else you believe merits a separate page.
 * 15) In each turn, in addition to whatever actions you choose to perform, you may do one of the following:


 * Improve military.


 * Improve economy.


 * Improve infrastructure.


 * Declare war or seek peace with another nation.


 * Expand the nation into unsettled land. (It is imperative that you are plausible with this).

(Just a reminder. Do not, under any circumstances, edit the map and replace official images with your modified images. It typically results in grainier images, which are saved at different resolutions, and mess up the uniformity of the page. More importantly, it can violate the wiki's code regarding duplication images, and I do not want any action to be taken against players or me. If you have any comments or concerns with the image, post them in your turn or on the talk page. I read both, and appreciate you pointing out mistakes I have made, because, unfortunately, I do mess up.)

The Map

 * 685 Ashes.pnger shades of a nation's color represent occupied territory, and darker shades represent client or satellite states.


 * I’m a decent mapmaker, though I’m certainly not the best. If anyone would like to be the full-time mapmaker, please apply on the Talk page, and be sure to provide me with some examples of your work.
 * The map will, of course, be changed as more of the world becomes explored.

Europe:
- SwankyJ  SwankyJ   The Itallian    Stallion   _ 03:02, September 8, 2015 (UTC)

- Chairman Roderic Lousean Afunnymouth - Spar
 * Albion - Duchess Branwen Seighbert Long Dong Johnson
 * Kingdom of Essex
 * Kingdom of York

- ~DicklessWonder (MrFixx)

-

- Boone5Jones

- Genesaria 23:18, September 2, 2015 (EST)

-

- CheesyCheese (talk) 19:28, August 2, 2015 (UTC)

- –Alexander 17:26, August 2, 2015 (UTC)

- The Bearded B*st*rd (talk) 06:23, September 7, 2015 (UTC)

- Thisismacedon

Asia:
- SEEING AS THE PERSIAN KINGDOM IS A MESS, I'M SIGNING UP HERE. (AH28) -
 * Persia - Bozistanball

-

- Zamarak500

-

- Laoboy343

- Tao64

- ~Candiesrgood

- Alynnear

-

- Revolution 9

-

-

-

Africa:
-

-

- King Kaya Magha Cisse' II ~ Hddenevil

- Kruntchie
 * Carthage -

- snoopdigdogg11

- Great showing. B23 (talk) 11:52, September 15, 2015 (UTC)

Supranational Organizations
The High Council of the Mediterranean

The High Council of the Middle East 

Archives
500-600

605 C.E.
(The first 20 turns have been archived to reduce the length of this page. You can find them here)

'''Göktürk forces, through careful strategy, manage to make a surge into Liang territory. The Gorguyeo continue to suffer losses at the hands of the Liang, though Göktürk aid helps them maintain some of their gains.'''

'''The Silla surprising the Gorguyeo and using established fortifications to their advantage, invade Gorguyeo territory in Korea. The Locals, many of whom identify far more closely with the Sillia, welcome the invaders.'''

'''The Rus' cannot yet manage to break the Avar defense line. However, internal sabotage efforts in Avar territory have proven to be a success, and turmoil begins to spread throughout the Khaganate.'''

The outskirts of Persian territory continue to suffer from barbarian threats.

'''The Danes continue to make slow advances into Baltic territory. Casualties are high on both sides.'''

'''The Goths, using their Phalanx-like tactics, surge into Byzantine Dalmatia. Few locals choose to swear their allegiance to the Goths, and the others are horrifyingly slaughtered.'''

Vasconia again requests establishment as an autonomous Gothic province.

'''Byzantine Dacia begins to push for the same degree of autonomy as Bosporus and Egypt. They maintain their allegiance to the empire, and promise not to follow in the footsteps of the treacherous Africans.'''

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall in the Goryeo-Silla border. We increase trade with Japan, China and wish to trade with Persia. We continue our the full-scale invasion of Goguryeo, trying to unify the peninsula under Silla. We encourage the Japanese and the Chinese to help us in our unification of the Korean peninsula. We are sure to win since our army has now grown to around 550,000 troops (due to the new law) and we have an obvious technological advantage against the Göktürks and Goguryeos.

Rus' Principality: As the army continues to fight the Avars at the front, various specially trained soldiers are sent into their lines to help with the guerrilla tactics. The naval fleet continues its attacks, moving around unchallenged, since the Avars do not appear to have a navy. Other weapons are being developed, especially siege weapons, outside of Moscow and Kiev. We begin developing artillery, creating larger and more advanced catapults to send to the front. We begin to send settlers to the north gradually, making our way farther into the empty land in that region.

Göktürk Khaganate: We improve economy and infrastructure. We get much better armor from Persia to fight in. We decide to use the law that Silla used for military conscription. We now have a total of one million men in our fighting force as we are still trying to get the law around the empire. We mobilize fast, however. '''Our army is much bigger than Liang's giving us an advantage. We send 200,000 men to defend Gorgeyeo and build large fortifications in Gorgeyeo kingdom. We attack Liang with 800,000 men as well as well as 50,000 cavalry, 2000 artillery, and other attacking forces. We build fortifications to block them then send cavalry through the heart of their army and then attack with archers and infantry from all sides while we receive catapult support. Our morale is high due to us taking a lot of land from them before an earlier victory. We travel on grounds that will not harm our army and gives us an advantage. We get small militias from Persia and blockade the Liang at sea. We try to advance our technology more than that of Silla and invent new siege warfare. We use more secret tactics and try to gain over 1200 px.'''
 * Not complaining, but how could a group of nomadic, not really organised tribes be able to fight an advanced kingdom like Silla, and also advance their technology much faster than us? We have twice as much forces as you do (550,000 in Silla and 200,000 Turkish troops in Goguryeo) combined this with higher technology, and the fact that most of the land we are invading identify themselves as Silla Koreans, it is most possible that we'll triumph. But I'm saying most possible.

Japan: We are continuing to colonize Taiwan, following advancing armies (who are preceded by explorers who give them information).

Autonomous Egypt: We continue our push to claim the lands around the Kingdom of Africa and halt their expansion. We inform the kingdom of Africa that we will sell their hunting lands back to them should they leave the High Council of Europe and come back to the Imperial League as an independent ally. We continue our complaint to the Byzantine and threaten secession if they don't respond.

Liang: We break through the flanks of the Göktürks, and advance 1300 pixels into their flanks, cutting off their advance. Our crossbows start to hold the enemy, and push the enemy back 100 px. We advance our tech, and after an accidental explosion, our scientists start to study what happened. We recruit thousands of men, most into militias. Now our army starts to outnumber the enemy. The capital is still in Xi'An.

Kingdom of Jutland: Further expansion is made north. The Jutes continue to aid the Goths in their war against Byzantium.

The Kingdom of Ghana: With the war that once loomed over the heads of every Ghanan is now over and finished, more and more people of the kingdom settle along the coastline, hoping to take advantage of the growing sea-faring trade that is developing between The Kingdom of Ghana and the Gothic Empire. Many of the people feel that our position in The High Council of the Mediterranean, is well deserved, and will give us the opportunity to better dictate the interests of our people in political affairs.

The King, furthering his belief of this to be a new age of learning and growth, sponsors a new branch of the Kingdom, known as The Explorers Guild, that will be officially sponsored by the royal family, with the specific intent on exploring the vastness of their fairly unknown continent (slow but eventual discovery of surrounding areas and portions of land that will be easy for settling, as well as discovering a safe passage to Egypt across Africa, so I can start the Trans-Saharan trade that existed between Ghana, the Berbers, and Egypt in the 7th-14th centuries. You can dictate however long this takes to discover).

Reconstruction efforts in the occupied territories continues to progress, many amongst the Kingdom's wealthy elite hope the region can be organized properly soon, so that it may be used as a primary hub of trade with the Goths.

General development of the Kingdom continues as usual, with little outside or internal interference to obstruct the technological, and economic development of the Kingdom.
 * The Gothic Empire denounces Ghanan trade with the Egyptians and rejects establishment of the Trans-Saharan trade.

The Kingdom of Africa: With war on the distant horizon, army growth and military structure begin again. Soldiers that have proven great strength and agility in battle are rewarded with steel weaponry of their own choosing. Large shields (4.5-5 feet in height to stop projectiles) made of tanned hides layered thick, are crafted and distributed to troops on the front lines. Boys and girls as young as six and willing to fight are trained for battle, and conscripted to the army, substantially increasing troop numbers. Hand-to-hand becomes extremely popular to the male population, even appealing to a large number of women, grappling and joint locks are developed to farther hinder disarmed enemies. Medic camps are set up, and lacerations, puncture wounds, and medical herbs are all studied. Field-Medics become a common part of our army.

Mbali set his eyes on the youngest daughter of a Carthaginian nobleman. He proposes a royal marriage in which Carthage supplies a castle on the "Afriginian border" (African and Carthaginian border) and troops to defend. Also an heir soon to be conceived. Mbali offers peace between our countries for the foreseeable future, and to help unite the people of Carthage by introducing the Euro, setting up trade routes and better agricultural techniques such as crop rotation and irrigation. Border enforcement will be slowed and Carthaginian and African peoples can then mingle. We will agree to help fight for Egyptians independence from the neglect of the Byzantine Empire and promise lands east of the Suez Canal, if Egypt agrees to stop claiming lands immediately south of our border. The Gothic Empire: Vasconia is proudly accepted into our nation and are to enjoy the full rights of an Autonomous Gothic state. Roads are connected through Vasconia to our capitol and a representative from the area is elected onto the Regis Decem. Lucien's ex-lover and the heirs to his throne begin sitting in on meetings of the Roman Senate and the boys quickly learn what it takes to lead a nation. A romantic relationship between Lucien's senate representative Ashton Martell and Lucien's ex-lover Viviana is quickly established, and the two become viewed as the empires leading royal couple.
 * Autonomous Egypt accepts this proposal.
 * (Mod) The Carthaginian Empire accepts the diplomatic marriage and request for a castle. The Carthaginians say they will seriously consider adopting the euro.

Schooling is an early challenge that the boys must learn to overcome, as they face much torment from other school children for their mother's reputation as a whore, and their father's reputation as a remorseless war-machine. Becket begins to excel at his schooling and book learning, because of this, the other children take to bullying him and leaving him out of many social situations. Alaric III , notorious for being far more muscle than brain, gets in a countless number of fights to defend his twin brother. Alone, as individuals, the boy's are weak, but together, they form an unstoppable force.

Occupied territories in France, while still sparsely populated, are annexed into the empire and roads are connected through the areas. People of Autonomous Alemannia are encouraged to settle in the new territories adjacent to their lands. The coasts above Neustria are re-established as a military port, and new naval units and techniques are developed. A fleet of French ships is promptly created and redirected to the Dalmatian front line.

The elderly Chairman Lucien continues pushing relentlessly into Byzantine Dacia leading his army of Gothic and Jutish warriors. With assistance from Bodil Abelone, the two old men, continue fighting the longest war they had ever known. More than half of his life being devoted to this war, Lucien sees no sense in turning back now and sticks to his role on the front line. A push is made into former Gepid territories, promising to liberate the people, and provide them with the lands stolen from their forefathers, should they express their devotion to Gothic success and fight by their sides if necessary.

In response to the friendly relations and agreed upon peace between the Kingdom Of Africa and Egypt, an independent spot on The High Council of the Mediterranean  should they follow through with their promises and declare themselves an independent nation. The Umbra-Gotha redirects its presence to Egypt and begin an open slaughter of Byzantine diplomats and representatives.

Baltic Kingdom: (Meta: I've been busy this past week so sorry about that). The King of the Balts rallies the nation to fight back against the Danes, and encourages all able-bodied men to join the fight. Diplomats are sent to the Danish, since I have no idea what we're fighting about. We would be willing to exchange some land in exchange for a peace treaty and non-aggression pact.

610 C.E.
Vasconia becomes an autonomous Gothic territory.

'''Göktürk forces continue to push into Liang territory. However, the Liangs' changes in tactics have proven vital, and the Göktürk onslaught is slowed to a halt. Facing immense internal struggles, and a war on their southern front with the Sillia, the Gorguyeo withdraw their troops from the front with the Liang. Göktürk forces quickly replace them.'''

'''Tensions between the western and eastern Göktürk Khaganate resurface. The west sees the war as largely motivated by Eastern greed, and begin to advocate complete separation from the east.'''

'''The Sillia manage to push farther into northern Korea. However, the farther they push, the more resistance they face, as well as better established Gorguyeo fortifications.'''

'''The Rus' manage to break the stalemate and push slightly into Avar territory, Guerrilla tactics prove to be not as useful as previously thought, although they do cause minor unrest within Avar territory. The Avars offer to return all conquered Rus' territory in exchange for a peace treaty and non-aggression pact.'''

Persia begins to lose some of its territory to the local barbarian tribes, and due to a lack of permanent, Persian military presence in these areas.

The Balt-Danish war slows to a standstill once again as the Balts fully mobilize their forces, ending the Danish domination in the war.

'''The Goths surge into Byzantine Dacia. The local Gepids, seeing that their cry for autonomy went unanswered, choose to side with the Goths, relying on the validity of their promise that a sovereign Gepid state will be established once again. These Gepid uprisings are crucial to Gothic success in the region.'''

'''Chairman Lucien, being the brave warrior he has always proven himself to be, engages in one on one combat with Auxitius III, Legate of Western Dacia. The Fight is long, and even with Lucien being nearly fifty years older than the Byzantine general, he emerges victories, holding up the head of the deceased Legate for all to see. The victory is, unfortunately, short lived, as a swarm of Byzantine soldiers, enraged by the loss of their commander, swarm Lucien, and before the Goths can even react, he is brutally murdered, and his desecrated body is taken deep into the ranks of the Byzantine soldiers.'''

'''The Umbra Gotha's campaign in Byzantine Egypt proves to be successful, and countless Byzantine officials are murder or flee the region. Egypt is now at a critical point, with the decision to either separate from or remain loyal to the empire completely in their hands.'''

Rus' Principality: The aging Grand Prince of Kiev, Kyi, dies at the ripe old age of 95, with his son Yaropolk becoming the new Grand Prince. He tells the Avars that he will accept a peace treaty and non-aggression pact if they return all Rus' lands. The entire principality is in mourning for the great Kyi, who formed the Rus' nation, and meanwhile, a ceasefire has been declared at the front while Rus' and Avar diplomats are negotiating. A total of ten new ships have been laid down at the Tsaritsyn shipyards on the Volga. Kingdom of Jutland: The Jutes would like to formally express their condolences to the Gothic Empire and its people at the loss of its leader, the revered Chairman Lucien. Bodil Abelone is grief-stricken by the death of his close friend and ally, and is invigorated in the war effort against the Byzantines, as are many of the Jute people. A festival for the Goths is held, celebrating Lucien and the Gothic Empire.
 * (Mod) The Avars will only cede back currently occupied land. They believe that the land originally conquered rightfully belongs to them, and that the Avar people living in those lands would prefer Avar rule. The Khaganate proposes that, in addition to ceding back currently occupied land, they will provide economic reparations, as well as actively aid the reconstruction of areas that fell victim to Rus' scorched Earth tactics.
 * Rus' Diplomacy: Prince Yaropolk agrees to these conditions.

Carthaginian Empire: We break all treaties with the African Kingdom and attack them to conquer them. Also, if the Goths decide to aid them we ask to ally with the Byzantines and attack the Goths, too. Huge conscription happens along the empire - an invasion force of 75% of my soldiers attacks the African kingdom and the other 25% wait outside Vargoth port/Morocco to attack the Goths if they decide to attack us.Emperor Genseric III leads personally the invasion on the African Kingdom, being a very good general and warrior. We also ask Persia to come at our defense because we, the Byzantines and Persia are all founding members of the Imperial League.We also execute on sight any African slave or not, cause they are deemed a threat due to being very supportive of the Ghanan Kingdom cause they are all black.We also reposition another 25% of our army in Sicily and we invade Iberia from Morocco.

Danish Kingdom: We sign the peace treaty and the non-agression pact with the Balts if we get the west side of their land. We continue expanding west. We recommend all Danish men to fight for the Danish Kingdom. We ask the Jutes for their aid for the latest modern weapons of this age. Our army, which includes knights, archers, catapults and navy consists of a total of 12,700 people. We accept Christianity as our official religion, as we start building churches. We still recommend for men to join the knights and archers. The army would grow by 650 men every year.

The Gothic Empire: Leadership of the Goths falls to Lucien's representative, Ashton Martell, who promptly takes the title of Emperor and declares that he is in possession of Alaric II 's memoirs, and fully intends to follow throu gh with their plans. Overcome with grief following news of Lucien's death, Viviana takes her own life by throwing herself from the walls of the Toulouse Colosseum. Ashton Martell has her body buried away in the royal family mausoleum and the day of "Matris-diem" is created in her honor on January 23rd, in which a parade will be held, celebrating the life and continued love of mother's everywhere.

An unknown author writes the hugely popular book "The Suebian Boy" and publishes it in Gothic and Latin. The book tells the extensive story of Lucien's rise from poverty to power, all the way to his war with Byzantium, but includes no details about Lucien's true parentage. The general public still believe that Lucien was the blood son to Alaric II, so they also believe Lucien's children to be the true heirs to the throne. The new "emperor" is not popular with the Gothic people.

The young and highly intelligent son of Vivien and Lucien, Becket Lousean, knows that Ashton Martell could not possibly have access to his grandfather's memoirs because Lucien was known to keep the memoirs on him at all times and even read from them to motivate his troops. Becket tells his brother Alaric III about this, and the two of them begin a plot to expose the lying emperor for what he really was. Alaric III, always the charismatic one, begins travelling across Spain gathering a following of supporters for a mission into Byzantine territory. The plan is to locate Lucien's killers, and hopefully in turn locate his body and his memoirs. In 613 CE, Alaric III officially leads his search party into Byzantine Dalmatia to seek out the memoirs and his father's killers.

The port-city of Vivianis is founded and established in Gothic territory just north of Neustria. Trade by sea is established within this new city, and the practice of fishing as not only a source of food and income, but also a form of entertainment, begins to become a highly sought after trait of the area. Fishing becomes such a highly revered activity, that Competitive Fishing is established as a government sanctioned sport. A fleet of ten Jack-Rabbits , fifteen Navali Ballista Escussos and twenty-five long ships, is built and prepared for future use in Gothic naval efforts.

With the gruesome death of his lover and the empires strong Arian Christian beliefs, Emperor Ashton Martell bans gladiatorial combat and denounces them as a "blood sport played only by heathen barbarians". In its place, the Colosseums are re-purposed to house chariot and foot races, weight lifting and archery competitions, as well as other sports demonstrating physical feats, but everything that depicts Goth on Goth violence is forbade.

The minimum pay for people in the national guard is raised to 4€ in hopes of encouraging more of the populace to participate in civil defense. Artists are hired by the government to create propaganda pieces promoting things like; The Gothic Military, The national guard, enrolling your children in school, gladiator fighting being uncivilized, Byzantine being a demonized military super-power bent on world domination, etc.

With its mission in Egypt complete, the Umbra-Gotha are pulled out of the area and re-stationed in The Kingdom of Africa. The Carthaginian swarm is planned to be fought back by the combined five-hundred elite Gothic troops and an army of African fighters, assuming The Kingdom of Africa mobilizes their troops as well. With the Carthaginians attention and entire military force occupied elsewhere, and their navy near non-existent, the Vasconian navy launches a full assault on Sicily. The fleet of Vivianis is fully manned and sent to join the efforts to capture all of Carthaginian Sicily.

Following the fall of Lucien,an Alemmanian general by the name of Timmet becomes the head of the main Gothic military and leads the army in the continued liberation of Gepid Dacia. Thanks to help from an army of Gepid rebels, the Goths are able to have some of their forces pulled out and re-stationed elsewhere. A regiment is lead by General Lazarus to the wall previously built in Vangoth to set up a defensive position and prepare for a conflict with their treacherous neighbors.

'''The Gothic Empire has are made proposals in The High Council of The Mediterranean. '''

The Kingdom of Africa: Mbali is not surprised by the declaration of war, he'd heard rumors of '''Emperor Genseric III. However, Mbali 's guide and influence remains strong around the capital in eastern Carthage'''. Mbali proposes that a split from the barbaric west Carthage is necessary. Mbali 's faithful wife Sabina, and his new born son Nero, flee the Afriginian castle. Having not seen the joys of battle in quite some time, Mbali draws his sword and raises his shield in defense of his kingdom. Troops quickly mobilize just past the Afriginian border and defensive routines are enforced.

Horseback riding effectively replaces the need of chariots, and horse breeding continues its key role in military development. Iron rings are linked in efforts to lightly armor horses, and in the process "Chain mail" is stumbled upon.

We await Egypt 's final decision, with a strategy in mind. H eroic stories of their hardened leader spread throughout the kingdom, soon everyone is convinced The kingdom of Africa should be renamed "Mbali" to remember his name forever.

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall in the Goguryeo-Silla border. We increase trade with Japan, China and wish to trade with Persia. We continue our the full-scale invasion of Goguryeo, trying to unify the peninsula under Silla, though we allocate some more of our forces to building fortifications. Seeing the tremendous loss of life in both sides, we propose unification under the Sillan crown (MOD RESPONSE, PLEASE). We force them to accept this proposal, saying that they, and their ally, the Göktürks are currently in a weak state. '''Autonomous Egypt: following recent attacks against independent nations and allies of the High council of the Mediterranean, we would like to declare our neutrality In all war efforts. We would still, however, like to break away from Byzantine creating an independent Egyptian republic.'''
 * (Mod) The Gorguyeo, still wanting to maintain sovereignty, instead suggest the Sillia sign the Gorguyeo proposal.

Göktürk Khaganate: We propose a deal with Silla, and Goguryeo. 
 * Silla gets Korean Peninsula but not Manchuria from Goguryeo


 * We will withdraw all troops from Goguryeo 

Signatures Göktürk: Rev9 Silla: Goguryeo (MOD RESPONSE): Knoxmoor
 * Goguryeo and Silla become neutral in war
 * Goguryeo pays reparations to Silla and gives them 5% of income for next 40 years

Meanwhile, we continue to enforce laws about the military bringing it to 1.4 million men. However, since the West does not want war they don't have to be enlisted. This makes the west people very happy once again. '''We attack Liang with all of our troops, 20,000 cavalry, 1000 catapults, and 1000 Persian volunteers we try to advance 1000 pixels using smart battlefield tactics and sabotage. '''

Liang: Grinds the Göktürk offensive to a halt, then captures their army in a pocket and destroys it. Our offensives are pushed back, and we only gain 100 pixels in the offensives.

The Kingdom of Ghana: Although the people have cheered, and danced, and wept beneath the sun laden sky that they felt, was befallen of a new age, conflict continues ever fervently. With conflict continuing to buildup in the north, many amongst the populace grow tense, weary of what their wars might bring to a most cherished land.

The King, Mayan Dyabe Cisse, feels the leaded weight of crown once only known to his father, now oppresses a mind that only felt a weight that seemed as light as air. Worried as to what these foreigners might bring forth, he pushes the country into high gear, building up a national guard that would function as a permanently maintained military force, and instating a national levy service, with the intent that every able-bodied individual would be armed, and ready for war if the time came.

Meanwhile, the joint research agreement with the Goth's bears fruit. as the Kingdom's naval capabilities reach that of the mighty Mediterranean states, allowing the kingdom to begin building a powerful and modern navy to rival that of far the far eastern empires, that waylay any and all that pass through their lands.

Settlers continue slow and moderate expansion along the coastline, and many investors and traders begin to open up businesses in the occupied regions, as port towns begin to reopen many begin to view region as apart of the homeland instead of an occupied territory, while the region becomes a center of trade for the Kingdom's luxury goods, instead of enslavement.

Though storm clouds are brewing, many still hold their heads up high in hope, if a fool-hearty hope.

615 C.E.
(Due to conflicts, I will most likely be unable to post turns on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, and hopefully it will only last a few weeks. The good news is you will have 48 hours to post your turns on these days, so for less-frequent posters, keeping up should be easier.)

'''Due to a chain of succesful defensive campaigns by the Liang, Göktürk are completely halted at their present position. The Liang forces, now capable of fighting one enemy as opposed to two, begin to outnumber the Göktürkic military.'''

'''The Gorguyeo continues to focus all of its energy inward, toward the invaders from the southern Korean Peninsula. The Sillia continue to gain in northern Korea, but they have finally passed the threshold of acceptance. The final advances made by the Silla occurred in regions that identify as Gorguyeo, as opposed to Sillia. As such, they experience fierce resistance by locals, in addition to the Gorguyeo military. A peace treaty, proposed by the Göktürks, is still on the table.'''

'''Relations between the western and eastern Göktürks have been eased, at least temporarily. Cultural and ethnic divides continue to permeate both societies, and due to the nomadic structure of the people, neither side feels much allegiance to each-other, or to the Khaganate as a whole.'''

Hephthalite territory in China succumbs to barbarian invasions, and its people flee to the empire's main territory in India.

'''After nearly half a century of perpetual war, the Rus' and Avars agree to a peace treaty and non-aggression pact. Former Rus' territory is ceded back, and the Avars agree to pay heavy reparations. It is an uneasy peace, and the citizens of both nations remain weary of the others.'''

'''Celtic Norwegian territory, feeling increasingly distant from their leaders in Iceland, decide to revolt and join the Kingdom of Jutland. The locals requests complete annexation and integration into the Kingdom.'''

'''The fringes of the Persian Kingdom continue to experience perpetual turmoil. More territory is lost to barbarians, and an the inability of the kingdom to maintain authority there.'''

The Balt-Danish war appears to be nearing a conclusion, with active peace talks being held on either side.

'''The High Council of the Mediterranean continues to grow in size and reputation. The four countries that currently comprise it as of now are the Gothic Empire, Ghanan and Jutish Kingdoms, and Mbali.'''

'''The Gothic forces push slightly farther into Dacia, their now limited military presence is enough to completely topple the delicate balance allowing for Byzantine dominance in the area. The remaining Gepid people rise up, and overtake the ruling Byzantines, resulting in the establishment of the Gepid Republic.'''

'''Byzantine Egypt, using internal turmoil to their advantage, declares their independence, and establishes the Egyptian Republic. They continue to maintain their neutrality in the conflict currently tearing apart all of the Mediterranean.'''

The Tibetan Kingdom is formed in western China, due to a unification effort by several nomadic clans.

'''The Lombard Kingdom invades the Western Slavic Confederation, citing the protection of Lombard people living in Slavic territory. Many suspect the true motive may be access to a port in the Baltic Sea.'''

'''The Carthaginian invasion of Mbali proves successful at first, and they acquire a sizable portion of land. However, with the arrival of the Umbra-Gotha, as well as the mobilization of African troops, the Carthaginians begin to suffer heavy losses, and have difficulty maintaining any semblance of control over the region.'''

'''The Goths, using the lack of Carthaginian naval supremacy to their advantage, surge into Sicily, conquering almost all of the island in five years. The locals, fervently loyal to the empire, actively resist constantly.'''

Carthage's attempted invasion of Hispania is a failure, due to well planned Gothic defense.

'''The decision of Carthage to betray nations which it had recently made non-aggression pacts with has a polarizing effect on the country. In the east, it serves as a rallying cry, causing soldiers to fight harder, and nearly every civilian effort to become focused on "Restoring the glory of Carthage." In the west, however, where Carthaginian influence is not as strong, the people view the empires actions for what they truly are: atrocious war crimes. This portion of the Empire begins abstain from aiding the war in any way, causing a massive loss of morale on the attempted invasion of Gothic territory. These people are not yet pushing for independence, though they regularly demand that Carthage ceases the pointless conflict.'''

'''Alaric III and Becket, being cunning boys they have proven themselves to be, travel across the empire, and sneak behind enemy lines, into Byzantine Dalmatia, where the majority of the Byzantine military is now stationed. After carefully deliberating, the two manage to capture a lone Byzantine scout. The scout is interrogated and, not knowing the identity of the boys, confesses to the supposed whereabouts of Lucien's body: hidden somewhere in the forests of Western Byzantine Dalmatia. The boys spend nearly five months tirelessly combing the region for any hints as to the whereabouts of their late father. At the end of the fifth month, now deep into Byzantine territory, the two stumble across a seemingly unremarkable clearing. Sitting in the middle of the clearing is a skeleton, missing both arms, a leg, and most of its skull, wearing the tattered remains of the Gothic Leader's armor. Nestled in the breastplate of this macabre scene that was once their father, sits the water damaged remains of Alaric II's memoirs.'''

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall in the Goguryeo-Silla border. We increase trade with Japan, China and wish to trade with Persia. We stop our the invasion of Goguryeo. Instead, we militarise our borders and allocate half of our forces to defending our borders, and allocating half of our forces to building fortifications. '''We propose unification via royal marriage. The highest rank in the government will be given to the prince of Silla, and princess of Goguryeo. The monarchs that proceeded them will serve as "advisors", still retaining much of their power. '''

Japan: Continuing colonisation of Taiwan. We expect that by the next five years, all of Taiwan will be under our control. We are also expanding through the southern part of the farthest southern Japanese home island. Plus we are ALSO expanding further north on the homeland.

Mbali: With no word from her king and husband, and Nero too young to rule, Sabina begins to worry for the well being of her new kingdom. Before too many troubles arise, General Cyrus, King Mbali 's strongest warrior and greatest friend arri ves with word of the honorable king. "The Carthaginian betrayal was swift, and the Mbalian army was too far to help, King Mbali stayed to defend the castle where his first born son once lived. King and a few brave men against an entire army, they fought valiantly taking many lives, but the outcome was inevitable" Firm orders to advise and protect the heir echoed in Cyrus' head, and as he watched the castle crumble his leader never emerged. General Cyrus insists he himself teach young Nero everything about kingship. However Sabina proves more effective at addressing the delicate matters. In 619 C.E. now nine years of age, Nero makes his first official decision, not without the help of his mother, though.

Following in the footsteps of the Gothic and Ghanan Empires, the Kingdom of Mbali attempts to establish a '''National Guard. A palisade is set up along the new border in Mbali, and civilians are evacuated from Carthaginian '''claimed land. The palisade is built with small, easily carried tree trunks wedged tightly together and partially buried. Kilns are used to heat oil to skin boiling temperatures, which is then poured on attackers to protect the palisade. Trying to increase work force, horses find a small place in agriculture. Though Egyptian assistance would be greatly appreciated, we understand why neutrality is currently ideal.

Rus' Principality: With the peace between us and the Avars, time for rebuilding the country begins, with the aid from our former foes. Grand Prince Yaropolk also begins expeditions to the north. Settlers (many people from territories that were destroyed during the war) move north into the unoccupied territories, taking the Vologda Oblast and Novgorod Oblast. Also, many soldiers are sent with them and are given large plots of land as a reward for their service to the principality. Meanwhile, infrastructure projects resume and the new naval fleet is used for merchant shipping and patrolling the rivers. Trade with the Western Slavs increases.

The Kingdom of Ghana: The many subjects of the Kingdom continue their daily lives, with only an inkling of what horrors are occuring far to the north. All the while the King and his trusted advisors continue tirelessly to foresee the best course that their nation should take, hoping that this stint of Carthaginian offensiveness will merely blow over.In regards to the recent conflicts with Carthage, the Kingdom's decades worth of experience in espionage (if you can call it that lol) and covert operations, attempt to coerce nobility and elite of the Western regions, to rise up and establish their own state, with Ghana willing to aid their existence, through a vassalization. While this attempt seems to be unpopular with the general populace of the Kingdom, many of the nobility feel that this would be a great opportunity to claim more territory in the Mediterranean, but the King hopes this will be a sign of peace, and goodwill to a people who have been forced underfoot by an authoritarian power,Trade continues as normal with the Gothic Empire, with the navy slowly developing, with military officers worrying over the implications of maintaining a navy, and how commanding naval battles works, due to the Ghanan kingdom's relative ignorance to naval affairs up until the most recent few decades. Work toward a trade route across the Sahara continues as planned, and progresses at an ever faster rate due to the aid of council member states coordinating with the Ghanan Explorers Guild.

The levy system is fully implemented across the Kingdom, with the nation's military force size increasing by exponential levels, if at the risk of losing larger portions of the populace necessary to maintain the economy and administration, and besides the continuosly maintained National Guard, have relatively bare-bones training and rudimentary equipment.

Many of the Kingdom's subjects worry that their efforts may be in vain and wasteful, but have a fervent faith in their king that his leadership will see the Kingdom through such dark times, still clinging to a fool hearty hope.

Göktürk Khaganate: We improve economy to better our country which is currently doing better than Liang. We continue to enforce major conscription laws bringing it to over two million troops, outnumbering the Liang by much. Many farmers part with their horses so they can be trained an used as cavalry. Many now believe that our religion Tengriism must spread to Eastern Asia which gets more people to fight and help with the war. Do to our recent victories in Liang Dynasty, troop morale is very high. We build large and strong fortifications on the front to stop any enemies. Now that Gorgeyeo and Silla are neutral we are able to transport all troops to one front. '''We attack Liang with all troops, 35,000 cavalry, and 3000 catapults. We keep to solid flat grounds so our army can move fast and we surprise attack Liang armies with our strategic tactics and advanced fighting styles. We try to advance 2000 px total.  The Liang people now greatly fear us as we have become a major empire. '''
 * Revolution9, you're being ASB. They're a nomadic peoples, and without permanent settlements, they'll have less trade, and a smaller economy. And plus, why would you have fortifications if you are nomadic? The Chinese economy is much, much, much larger than yours. So is their population, and their technology. Plus, you aren't a major power. China has a larger cultural, political, and economic influence than you. Your old turns are okay, but this turn is just way too implausible. Oh yeah, I believe you took only China's less populous regions, and you cannot advance anymore. If you advance more into China, I will lose my faith in humanity.

Liang: We tell the people that they have nothing to fear, and they believe us. The enemy advances too far, and they are caught in a pocket. We deal their blows back, and gain our prestige back. We contact the Europeans. The war goes in our favor, and is a great morale booster, as the people are confident in the government. Our conscription makes us outnumber the enemy again by ten million. And WTF - the Göktürks don't have ports or a navy. We defeat the blockade and destroy the enemy's navy, and capture any ports they have. Partisans rise tin the occupied regions, and people rebel in areas occupied by the Göktürks, disrupting their war effort. We advance 3000 px into their territory.

(('' Come on, guys. Let's try to keep it real here. ~Afunnymouth ''))

I have already changed some unrealistic stuff on my turn but this is alt history and I improve my economy every turn yet Liang does not -rev9

The Gothic Empire: Gothic naval troops hope to finish capturing Sicily. A town hall is to be established in Southern Sicily, and all previously Carthaginian citizens are invited to participate in monthly meetings. The Sicilians fervent loyalty to Carthage is denounced, and Vandalic war crimes are depicted by artists and posted up all around the territory. Carthaginian war criminals are treated poorly, not allowed even basic human rights. Prisoners in Sicilian confines are executed humanely and disposed of in secret.

With the memoirs of Alaric II in their possession, Lucien's now capable adult children make their way to the capital to expose the emperors falsehoods. Becket Lucien transcribes the memoirs into two volumes, the Doctrine of History, and the Doctrine of War/Diplomacy. Alaric III is to keep the Doctrine of War/Diplomacy on his person at all times, whilst his brother Becket does the same for the Doctrine of History. The original memoirs, while waterlogged, are still largely legible, and Becket should encounter little to no trouble in transcribing it.

The twin boys show up uninvited to a meeting of the Roman Senate and simply drop the memoirs onto the table in front of everyone. Emperor Ashton Martell shoots his hands up in defense, but is quickly apprehended by guards still loyal to the Lucien bloodline. A few of Ashton's supporters rush to his aid, but are quickly struck down by Alaric III and his gentries. The fallen emperor is dragged through town and brought up on a platform in the middle of the busiest part of Rome. He is laid down with his neck stretched across a chopping block, whilst Becket reads the punishment for usurpation from his grandfather's memoirs. The people cry out for Ashton Martell's blood, and Alaric III personally heeds their call. With one fell swoop, Alaric brings his heavy blade down atop the nape of the usurpers neck, severing his head from his shoulders and leaving it to drop lifeless onto the floor beside him. Alaric III lifts the head by its matted, blood soaked hair, and holds it high for all to see. The head is then stuck on a pike and left their in the middle of town until such time as it would decompose naturally.

With the second blood-bath in the senate still being cleaned up, the royal twins, Alaric III and Becket Lucien, are to share a seat on the Roman Senate and are announced as the co-leaders of the Gothic empire. The title of Chairman is re-established, and "emperor" is only ever again spoken in stories used to scare children. A ceremony is held in Toulouse to officially swear in the new leaders. Halfway through Becket's speech, a group of Martells spring from the audience, drawing their blades and attempting to assassinate the new leaders. Using only his adept fighting abilities and his bare hands, Alaric III takes them out one by one before finally completing the ceremony soaked from crown to sole in the blood of his enemies.

The following year, with tensions growing ever stronger in the south, a plan is drawn up for an attack on the strait of Gibraltar. A small portion of the navy in Sicily is ordered to lead an attack on the main force of the Carthaginians guarding the border, holding their attention long enough for Alaric III to lead a regiment of soldiers in a sneak attack on the Vandalic military flank. All African territory previously settled by the Goths is to be recaptured and promptly annexed into the empire. The Umbra-Gotha, still battling back the main force of the Eastern Carthage army, pulls back from the front-line, giving The Kingdom of Mbali complete control over their freed African slave army. The covert veteran operatives of the Umbra-Gotha do what they do best, and set out to capture an enemy leader. Their target; Emperor Genseric III.

A caravan of emissaries are sent into Bosporus carrying bags of gold and pulling a wagon of the latest weaponry. A small military detachment is sent with the caravan to ensure they make it across Gepid Dacia safely and successfully arrive in the Autonomous nation of Bosporus. Promises are made to supply the people with weapons of Bosporus to support their neighbors the Gepids, and possibly accept their control. If negotiations prove to fail, emissaries are permitted the use of bribery as a tactic.

By the end of 619 CE, Becket Lucien becomes infatuated with a young daughter of a preacher by the name of '''Lilith. '''She rejects Becket because she has devoted herself to the lord and refuses to give up her virginity. Becket is not deterred by her dodging his pursuit, and he eventually convinces her to marry him. She is soon impregnated and the chairman prays for a male heir.

The High Council of The Mediterranean would like to offer the Baltic people membership in our makeshift alliance.

'''Göktürk Dip: We would like to request a treaty with the Liang Dynasty known as the Peace of the Far East. ''' Signatures
 * Göktürk Khaganate gets one-third of of Liang-occupied territory.
 * Göktürk Khaganate pays war reparations for damage done to Liang.
 * 25 year NAP is enacted between both sides.
 * War is to be known as a stalemate.

Göktürk Khaganate: Revolution 9

Liang Dynasty:Tao64

(Reminder: There will be no turns on Tuesdays  and Thursdays for a couple of weeks.)

620 C.E.
(The Gothic Empire's color has been cha  nged to prevent confusion.)

(Again, just a reminder, there will be no turns a Tuesdays and Thursdays for at least a couple of weeks.)

'''After decades of near-constant war, peace is finally reached in the far East. The Göktürks gain a slight amount of land from the Liang, but pay reparations. The Gorguyeo, through a separate peace treaty, agree to cede the majority of their land to the Sillia. as well as sizable reparations. Asia is stable, though many are dubious of the long-term success of this plan.'''

'''While the Göktürk victory is widely celebrated throughout the eastern portion of the Khaganate, the western people see the resolution as more of a loss. Due to the fact that the land gained is in the eastern portion of the empire, but the reparations are universal, the western people believe they are unfairly burdened. The result is increased tension within the empire. Additionally, due to the nation's preoccupation with the war, the western fronts were left mostly unattended, and, as a result, the frontiers of the west succumbed to barbarian invasion.'''

'''A series of particularly rough winters occurs in eastern Europe and Russia. The result is a series of bad harvests, leaving much of the the region in a state of starvation. The chief nations affected are the Balts, Danes, Rus', and Avars. The populations stagnate and actually begin to drop, and will likely continue to do so if a solution is not enacted.'''

'''Persia suffers the worst barbarian assaults it has experienced since its infancy, and a large portion of territory is lost again. Fortunately, the barbarians have begun to push into better protected territory, and the Persians are able to successfully repel the remaining invaders.'''

'''Autonomous Bosporus refuses to betray the Byzantine empire. They cite the relatively fair treatment of them by the Byzantines, and the active support the Byzantines provide to them through military and economic assistance.'''

'''Lombard forces cut through Western Slavic territory, and finally reach the Baltic Sea. Seeing the potential benefit of joining the alliance their enemy is not part of, The Lombard Kingdom formally requests membership in the High Council of the Mediterranean.'''

'''The Goths surge into Carthaginian Morocco, annexing land that was theirs over a century ago. Seeing only farther destruction at the hands of the Goths, due to incompetent leadership in Carthage, the western Carthaginian empire secedes, forming the Republic of Morocco. The Republic of Morocco declares its neutrality in the war currently tearing up all of the Mediterranean world. It seeks peace with the Goths on the condition that the Gothic Empire is allowed to keep all conquered territory in Morocco.'''

'''The Kingdom of Mbali, using the internal turmoil throughout the Carthaginian Empire to its advantage, successful defends the palisade established along the border. Carthaginian loss of life skyrockets, and they are unable to push farther into Mbali.'''

'''The Gothic Sicilian campaign is a massive success. Within two years, all of Sicily is conquered, and in the following two years, most of the active rebellion is quelled. The majority of the remaining Sicilians actually support the Goths, identifying more closely with the Ostrogoths of Autonomous Italia.'''

'''Economic hard times fall upon many portions of the Gothic Empire. With the majority of the economy and production devoted to a seemingly unending war, many aspects of everyday life become difficult to complete, and morale lowers slightly. This unrest manifests most prominently in Gaul, whose people see this war as not quite pertaining to them, and as an unnecessary burden.'''

'''A trade route, known commonly as the Trans-Saharan-Trade, begins to form throughout Africa and the Mediterranean. It is rudimentary now, but shows promise for future extension and expansion, and the potential to provide increased wealth for all involved.'''

'''Whispers of a man born in Byzantine Mecca begin to spread throughout the Arabian peninsula. Legends are spoken of this man, who now lives in Medina, and his knowledge of questions mankind has yet to provide answers to. This man, who claims to have spoken to a deity, as well as the chief prophet of the now common Christianity, Jesus, is said to know things that no other human being could possibly know. This man is Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim, known to many as, simply, Muhammad.'''

Liang:We send an expedition to Europe after the end of the war, and improve the economy. We fortify our borders with the Göktürks to combat any future invasions. We advance our tech. We seek to get relations with european nations up.

Rus' Principality: To increase the food supply, Grand Prince Yaropolk has the settlers in the north begin turning more newly-acquired territory into farm fields and sends some experienced farmers there to get things going faster. At the same time, we increase our trade with the Western Slavs for food, giving them weapons, mainly, including foreign ones captured from the Avars. We hope these measures will be sufficient to provide enough food for the population. Rus' traders also take advantage of the unrest in the Persian Empire by crossing the borders to it and trading for food with Persian merchants, to bring back to the principality.

Japan: We are now expanding farther north on Honshu (the biggest of the main islands of our homeland). And we have also changed out flag to the Rising Sun battle flag (the one from WWII).

Göktürk Khaganate: We apologize to the western peoples for involving them in war. However, we keep a tight grip on the population. We allow the west to make laws for themselves as long as they are approved by the leader. We attack the invading barbarians with one million troops many of which are western volunteers who want to defend their lands. We counterattack and drive them out in a goal to gain 1000 px. Agriculture and trade flows and the economy improves. Autonomous Egypt: Broken promises made by the kingdom of Mbali do not go unnoticed. Seeing the wars to the west of them as a chance to consolidate power, Egyptian troops are mobilized and surge into Mbali, declaring war in the process. Osirus hopes to capture the queen of Mbali to make her his bride and coerce loyalty from her people.
 * (OOC): (Mod) I'm sorry but I just have to say this. The Göktürks do not have have remotely enough people for a one million man army. I mean, honestly, the modern day entire American military force rests at about 1.3 million. Additionally, players do not get to determine whether or not an invasion or attack is successful, and most certainly not how far they advance.

Mbali: Nero struggles knowing his father was needlessly killed by men of his own blood. Sabina tries to explain there are good and bad men of all races, but his young mind is not yet ready to just except his fathers death. War still threatening his kingdoms survival, Nero takes great interest in combat, specifically unarmed tactics. General Cyrus proudly teaches his future king all he knows, while Sabina advises his every decision. On his fifteenth birthday Nero is officially proclaimed king, parades are held and cheers are heard throughout the kingdom.

The death of their founding King Mbali serves as a rally cry for the Mbalian people; the Carthaginian betrayal cannot go unpunished. All able-bodied men, young and old, are conscripted into the army. Soldiers that exhibit strength and desire to improve are rewarded with larger food rations, and more seasoned warriors are provided with thick leather and chain armors, as well as respect from their leaders and peers. Barracks are built, repaired and expanded to house more troops. A coastal city in the center of Mbali, known as Lebida claims to house only the best of the best Mbalian warriors. Desire to boast strength and prowess in combat draws the attention of many great soldiers. Strategies and routines are practiced and trained to all new recruits, experienced in battle or not. Any advancement west of the palisade is currently prohibited. Egyptian inpatients now threatening the east coast Mbalian troops are split to defend on two fronts. Osirus becomes well know as a traitor and if found in Mbalian territory is to be executed on sight.

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall in the Goguryeo-Silla border to fight off any future invasions/conflicts. We increase trade with Japan, and China. We discover of Europe via China. Since most of our resources were allocated to invading Goguryeo our economy suffered. We encourage most of our former soldiers to work as farmers to boost agricultural output. '''We rebuff our efforts in the unification of the Korean kingdoms via royal marriage. The highest rank in the government will be given to the current monarch's children. The monarchs that proceeded them will serve as "advisors", still retaining much of their power.'''

The Gothic Empire: With promises of an autonomous Sicily under Gothic rule, Becket Lousean begins to rally troops and newly converted Sicilian citizens to launch an attack on Byzantine controlled southern Italy, capturing more land for the people of Autonomous Sicily. It is planned to preach the teachings of Arianism, taking in all new converts into our empire, and enslaving those of heathenish beliefs who would dare reject Gothic influence. The empire continues to pull active troops out Dacia, allowing those who had served ten or more years to return home to their families. A few of the more seasoned and war-hardened Gothic veterans are given orders to remain in Dacia to train Gepid troops and lead bands of Gepid rebels in attacks against the overbearing fist of the Byzantines. These veteran generals are provided with a very high salary, fertile land for their families, and the tools necessary to work said land. Men as young as fifteen are encouraged to fight in the same vain as their father's before them; freeing the oppressed and spreading Arian teachings throughout the known world.

Seeing the revolutions in Morocco firsthand, Alaric III supports their efforts and attempts to provide them with weaponry only to find that the empire is running remarkably low on funds. Being the war-savvy diplomat his people boast him to be, Alaric III holds a conference with the leader of the Moroccan Republic and requests access to the gold-rich land just a bit farther south into their territory. In exchange, the Gothic Empire will provide Morocco with 1% of the empires total net profit for the next eight years. The Gothic Empire will also vote for the Moroccans to be accepted into The High Council of the Mediterranean.

Land seized across the strait of Gibraltar, being destroyed and infertile for years, is planned to be cleaned up and made ready for agriculture once again. Lands are tilled and created on slopes, to allow for lake water to be run through the soil, filtering out the salts. New fertile soil from Sevilla is brought across the border and laid over the top of previously unusable land. Seven thousand acres of wheat are planted in Morocco, and the people pray for the land to be blessed by God.

The largest collection of territory in Spain, Castilla-Leon, is separated into halves across the Rio Duero river. Leon, in the south, is to focus on improving agriculture techniques and producing new unprecedented amounts of crop for resale to neighboring countries and along the Trans-Saharan. Castilla, in the north, is to focus on boosting production of tools and weapons, artisans, craftsman and engineers from all over are offered lands there, and it quickly adopts the nickname of "Bastion for Invention". Valladolid is to remain the capital of both regions, and quickly develops as a bustling trade city for the two newly formed states.

The city of Alaric in southern Italy is reinforced, and the wall is repaired with makeshift fortifications to ensure that Byzantine citizens don't retreat into the area. A batallion of men is stationed along the wall, ready to butcher any and all Byzantiuns attempting to get by. The treasury in Alaric is expanded to accommodate the new gold influx that is expected come in from mines in Morocco, and the people are allowed to take out loans, assuming they pay it back with interest when the time comes.

With diplomatic proposals in Morocco completed, Alaric III leads his army across Africa into Mbali's eastern territory. A defensive position is formed in an attempt to repel Egyptian attackers, and the roads connecting the Trans-Sahara to Egypt are destroyed.

The bride of Becket Lousean dies giving birth to his daughter, Marcella. Without a male heir to his throne, Becket is enraged and disowns the girl. She is renounced of her royal status and given to a family of commoners. The enraged chairman continues his search for a bride, and once again, falls in love with, this time with a court noble's daughter named Geneva. She is impregnated and the empire once again prays for a boy.

Propositions have been made in The High Council of the Mediterranean concerning the Jutes, Mblai, Ghana, and the Lombards.
 * (Mod) Morocco turns down the Byzantine offers, wanting to maintain access to potentially resource-heavy territory. They reaffirm their neutrality in the current war, and as such, do not want to apply yet for membership in the High Council.

625 C.E.
'''Göktürk efforts to reconcile the rift once again forming in the Khagante are a success, and the unrest is reduced to a minimum. The efforts to reclaim lost land, however, prove to be a failure. Due to the flat, steppe-like environment of that region, it is difficult to gain an advantage over the barbarian tribes now ruling the area. More territory is lost to these such barbarians.'''

'''The series of brutal winters in eastern Europe/Russia continues, and starvation abounds. The Rus' solution to the problem seems to be working, at least to a certain extent. Land in the northern portion of the principality proves highly unsuitable for farming, and as such, productivity is low in those regions. Trading with the Western Slavs, and covert actions in Persian territory prove successful. The Rus' still suffer from mild famine, but its effects are far less pronounced than that of five years prior.'''

'''Muhammad's teachings spread across all of the uninhabited portion of Arabia. His teachings, as well as his claims to have spoken to God, become widely available in the holy book known as the Quran, which is claimed to have given to Muhammad by God himself. Using this belief system, known as Islam, as inspiration, Muhammad leads a massive campaign to conquer all of Arabia, and convert all the pagans. Within three years, the whole of uninhabited Arabia falls into his hands, and the newly born nation becomes known as the Caliphate. Muhammad has made clear to the world the fact that his sights are set on Byzantine Mecca, his birthplace, and he hopes to make it the capital of his glorious empire soon.'''

'''Persian borders stabilize. Barbarian assaults continue, but natural and artificial fortifications serve to make the onslaught manageable, and almost laughable.'''

'''Lombardy annexes the conquered Western Slavic territory. A peace treaty is signed between the two nations, allowing Lombardy to keep conquered territory in exchange for a 40-year non-aggression pact.'''

'''A stalemate is reached in the Great African War. The people of Mbali continue to hold the palisade on the Carthaginian border, where loss of life is high only on the Carthaginian side. On the Egyptian border, however, both nations suffer tremendous casualties. In 622, the Egyptians successfully pushed into Mbali. However, within nine months, Gothic reinforcements arrived, and pushed the Egyptians back. The front of the war is now stagnant, neither side capable of making advances.'''

'''The Gothic invasion of Byzantine Italia is a swift one. Within only four months, the Goths manage to completely overwhelm the small enclave. The majority of those living in the territory support the invasion, as they are culturally Gothic. However, a portion of Byzantine sympathizers exist, and are disposed of in traditional Gothic fashion.'''

'''The Goth's decision to "Divide and conquer" its economic challenges proves to be a success. Castillan crops are sold across Africa, and the Trans-Saharan Trade Route begins to provide increased capital to the whole of the empire, as well as countless other nations who are part of the network. The economic downturn in the Gothic Empire is slowed, but not halted completely. Hardship continues to infest certain parts of the empire, and unrest grows in Gothic Gaul.'''

'''The efforts to revitalize the Moroccan soil prove to be somewhat of a success. Within the last five years, the once barren wasteland has been turned into a semi-hospitable landscape. However, the effort did not, by any means, completely fix the problems facing the soil. Toxins still infest much of the groundwater, and in several places, fresh soil placed atop the unusable terrain is blown away by the African winds.'''

'''Muslim missionaries are sent by The Caliphate across much of Arabia and Africa. Though unsuccessful at first, the religion begins to amass a small following in Byzantine and Persian Arabia, as well as eastern Egypt.'''

Japan: Once again, we continue to expand north. We also begin colonizing the Ryuku islands.

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall in the Goguryeo-Silla border to fight off any future invasions/conflicts. We increase trade with Japan, and China. Since most of our resources were allocated to invading Goguryeo and defending our territory, our economy entered a period of stagnation. We encourage most of our former soldiers to work as farmers to boost agricultural output. We enact a land reform that equally distributes land to our farmers, and the current government gets more support. '''We rebuff our efforts in the unification of the Korean kingdoms via royal marriage (MOD RESPONSE). The highest rank in the government will be given to the current monarch's children. The monarchs that proceeded them will serve as "advisors", still retaining much of their power. We hope that Goguryeo accepts this proposal. We tell the Liang to pressure Goguryeo to accept the proposal.  Mbali:''' King Nero desiring true battle eagerly asks General Cyrus to take him to the Egyptian front line. Cyrus well aware of the dire situation there quickly declines, but instead offers to take him to the Carthaginian front. General Cyrus walks with Nero and a few guards just outside the palisade, Nero falls back to explore a few scorched buildings. Without warning a man bursts from the ruins just inches from the new king. With Cyrus too far to act, Nero swiftly drives his dagger deep into the man chest, holding him at his feet with just the blade, firmly watching as the man died by his hand. General Cyrus congratulates King Nero but in the back of his mind he feels he failed to personally protect the king and soon turns to alcohol to comfort him. With her nest egg growing more independent, Sabina begins to seek a new spouse to comfort and care for her.
 * (Mod) The Gorguyeo, fearful of any further destruction, agree to accept the offer for unification. They request that the name be the Kingdom of Korea, so as to prove a lack of bias toward the Sillia.

Due to casualties on the east front, medical buildings and apothecaries become more common around military camps, and the study of medicine continues to grow. Deep narrow trenches are dug then covered with leather and dirt to disguise pit falls. A new palisade is avoided with concerns of deforestation, so terrain, such as large hills and mountains, are used to create long choke points and ambush unsuspecting troops. Troops are periodically pulled from the Carthaginian palisade to the Egyptian border and begin to practice offensive routines. However, a portion will remain there to defend. Emissaries are sent to Egypt to propose things return to the way they were, as well as a 20 year non-aggression pact.

Autonomous Egypt: units on the front line begin to fall back out of fear of further angering the beasts of war that they had underestimated. Osirus, eager to make the prestigously beautiful mbalian queen his bride, gives a speech to boost morale and uses religion to justify his cause. He personally leads an attack around the front line and up through the southern border. We also reject the spread of Islam and reaffirm our loyalty to Ra. Orders are to kill anyone claiming to be an open follower of Muhammad's teachings. Göktürk Khaganate: We improve economy and military. We highly fortify western areas so that barbarians are unable to invade any more and we counter-strike to regain all lost land with 1,200,000 trained troops, outnumbering the barbarians. This time we move through easier terrain so it doesn't effect our army badly. We use our advanced styles and send 10,000 cavalry to trample their men and we use catapults as well as archers with flaming arrows to burn their villages. '''Despite our differences, we ask Silla and Liang to trade with us.  Liang:''' We pressure the Gorguryeo. We accept the trade offer from the Göktürks.
 * ((You don't have to keep calling yourself "Autonomous".   :p)) Afunnymouth (talk) 13:55, August 29, 2015 (UTC)
 * (OOC) Mod: before you post the next turn, I implore you to read this message, as well as the one I posted on your previous entry. An army that size is not even remotely possible, especially with the population and nature of your nation. The largest army at this time in OTL was the Tang Dynasty, with roughly 600,000 troops. The next best was the Persians, with about 200,000. In the future, please refrain from including army size in your posts. Further infractions of the plausibility rule will result in a ban.

The Gothic Empire: Alaric III continues with assembling mining camps in Moroccan territory despite their protests. Enslaved Byzantine workers are sent across the Mediterranean into Morocco to labor in the gold-mines, troops are assigned to guard workers and ensure gold extraction is completed in a timely manner. To speed up the process of gold transportation, Gothic engineers from Castilla take to building a sturdy wooden bridge across the straight of Gibraltar, with enough room beneath for ships to continue passing in and out. A quick release mechanism is invented and installed to ensure the bridge can be destroyed should attackers attempt to storm the strait.

Main priority on the Mbalian front is shifted to defend Queen Sabina from those who would see to capturing her. Alaric III personally leads the defense, and in turn, becomes increasingly concerned with Sabina's well being. In a matter of months he becomes infatuated with the young and beautiful queen, and soon begins pursuing a relationship with her. Every night for a year, Alaric III leaves flowers by the Queen's bed, in addition to one of his poorly written poems. Finally finding the courage to tell Sabina of his desired romances, Alaric III asks for her hand in marriage.

Having completely captured Italy for the Gothic army, the navy is re-stationed in Morocco to serve as a threat to any Republicans thinking of interloping in mining efforts. A fleet of thirty long-boats and fifteen Navalli-Ballista-Excusos begin bombarding coastal Carthaginian cities, primarily the capital, to allow the Mbalic troops a better opening to reclaim their lands in the coast, and possibly even push deeper into Carthage.

With over a decade having passed with no luck capturing Emperor Geneseric III, the Umbra-Gotha are split in half, two-hundred-fifty pull out of Carthage and await further orders, and the other two-hundred-fifty travel east to support Alaric III in defending the queen. Those assigned to protecting the queen are re-titled the Wardja-Gotha,  and begin practicing advanced tactical defense routines. The Umbra-Gotha report their mission as a failure and are re-assigned to enact a highly important covert operation in Arabia.

The Umbra-Gotha, dressed in their signature black leather garb, take a fleet of long-boats from Morocco to the Gulf of Aden and land in South Arabia. They split up into ten groups of twenty-five and begin combing the continent in search of this heathenish Muhammad who is spreading lies about the lord and savior ''Jesus Christ. ''It is predicted that this man will have a lot of allies, so the mission for now is to merely locate him, and regroup at the landing site near the Gulf of Aden.

Scouts are sent into Cape Verde to interact with the native population and possible learn more of their culture, and spread so to them in turn. Scribes and Scholars bring wood, stone, and bone tablets to transcribe the Codex Argentius in hopes of spreading Arian Christianity to the natives. Gothic people begin calling the natives of these island the Verdinian Islanders and write about them in history books, and label them on their maps.

The Goth's finest naval craftsman, engineer, and admiral Fernando Abdraxus travels to The Kingdom of Ghana to help them better understand the processes behind proper ship building and operation. Cargo ships are built near Ghanan land in Senegal and a trade route with Vasconia by sea is hoped to be established. A following for Admiral Abdraxus quickly forms, and he establishes his own crew of sea-dogs, with a mission of preventing the peoples of Carthage from copying naval techniques and constructing new ships.

A port in Gaul is opened up to allow better intermingling between the people there and the rest of the empire. The port city is advertised as a popular tourist destination, in hopes of the Loyalists spreading their views on the war to the skeptical people of Gaul. Portugaul becomes the regions official title, and is boasted to be an even more successful coastal villa than the esteemed Vivianis and Vasconia. A competitive rivalry for supremacy over the seas forms between the three top port-cities, and mass production of ships, sailors, and new naval techniques begins.

Gothic farmers in Morocco are left scratching their heads after they try everything they can quell African soils of high sodium concentrations, and still only have minor successes. A research facility near the Strait is formed with the sole purpose of discovering new techniques of purifying soil and using fertilizer to promote growth. Wheat harvests are minimal, though the bread that will be produced seems to still be enough to maintain Gothic armies and their allies fighting in the south. The land is re-tilled for an additional thousand acres, and farmers replant another eight thousand acres of wheat, fully expecting to only receive half of the desired yield.

Upon news of Egypt re-stationing troops to the southern Mbalian border. Gothic military stationed along the Egyptian front pushes deeper, A plan from decades past is put into action, as the Gothic troops hope to capture lands around Cairo, effectively cutting it off from the Nile and separating Egypt from its territories in the south. We suggest Mbalian troops wait on the border for Egyptians to retaliate, before flanking them and halting their efforts.

The Gothic Empire welcomes its newest member into the royal family. Geneva gives birth to a strong and healthy boy, finally fulfilling Becket 's desire to have an heir to his throne. The boy is named Alfonso-Riqueza Lousean, a parade is thrown in his honor, and his birthday is named a national holiday on August 29th. The boy is enrolled in school by the age of three and is trained rigorously by his father in an effort to pass on his renowned intelligence. Despite this, the boy seems to have a surprising interest and affinity in all things related to war and battle. Becket, being a supportive father, hires the most prestigious weapons expert in the empire to train Alfonso-Riqueza how to properly fight and operate deadly devices of war. Caliphate: We cut any ties with Persia. We build military presence on the border. We would like to offer any country an alliance who is againts Persia. We begin to build our military. We begin invading Africa, expanding 1000 pixels into it (that's plausible). Japan: Still expanding north across Honshu ......
 * Sabina accepts Alaric III's marriage proposal.
 * Mbalian army stands by awaiting Egyptian retaliation, preparing to flank them.
 * (OOC) While the degree to which you are expanding is totally plausible the problem is that the Caliphate doesn't have a navy. Literally, it would have had zero ships at the time, unless you stated that you built them.

630 C.E.
'''The Göktürk divide is completely mended. Any previous ethnic and cultural differences have been all but forgotten, and a sense of mutual desire permeates the Khaganate. That being said, the threat of unorganized barbarism continues to show itself along the western portion of the empire. More territory is lost to wave upon wave of nomadic invasion.'''

'''The food situation in the Rus' Principality is finally reaching a state of normalcy. Starvation has returned almost entirely to its post-crisis levels. The cold winters, however, continue to sweep through eastern Europe. The Avars are hit particularly hard, due to their nomadic lifestyle, and begin to redistribute their population southward.'''

'''The Caliphate's attempts to invade Africa prove largely unsuccessful, due to their complete lack of naval presence. A few commandeered fishing boats are used in an attempt at expansion, though the boats' ineptitude for sea travel makes it very difficult for large scale travel. A few Arabic settlements are created in OTL Djibouti and Eritrea.'''

'''The stalemate in Africa is swiftly and shockingly broken by the Goths. Gothic forces plow into Egypt, cutting horizontally through the desert, in hopes of surrounding Cairo and cutting it off from the whole of Egypt. Within four years, the Gothic army makes it to the Egyptian capital. Once they arrive, however, they are greeted with massive Egyptian resistance, the product of large scale Egyptian withdrawal from the Mbalian border. A year long period of bombardment of Cairo ensues, with the Goths seeming to never get the advantage. The city is essentially a smoldering ruin by 630, but the fierce resistance continues.'''

'''By means of a royal manage, the two long-adversarial Korean kingdoms find themselves united. Across the former Sillia Kingdom, support for the monarchy surges, and the people's loyalty the country skyrockets. In the former Gorguyeo Kingdom, sentiments appear to be heavily mixed. Some support the decision as a means to reconcile foolish actions on the part of the Gorguyeo. Others, however, view this as an act of cowardice, and a choice of capitulation to an enemy that was no longer truly a threat.'''

'''The creation of Portugaul serves to appease the many of the disgruntled citizens of Gaul. Others, however, view this as a trifle meant to distract them from the disrespect their receive from the empire. These dissenters, seeing that Gaul's strife has been noticed by the government, take the opportunity to cry out for Gallic autonomy.'''

The Gothic economic crisis has begun to reverse its course, and prosperity begins to return to the impoverished portions of the empire.

'''The attempt at a bridge across the Strait of Gibraltar proves to be a complete failure. All attempts by the engineers to construct the bridge and its supports were met immediately with their collapse into the water.'''

'''Gothic-Moroccan soil revitalization proves finally to be a success. The soil in the formerly barren landscape is now almost indistinguishable from surrounding terrain. Agriculture can once again return to the wasteland.'''

'''Morocco notices the Gothic mining expeditions being sent into its territory. The republic is angered by these actions, although, fearful of war with their northern neighbors, they choose to ignore the transgression, and allow the Goths to continue. The Goths gain a reputation as the "European Bully", and this message spreads quickly across the Sahara.'''

'''The Egyptian slaughter of Muslims proves to be a success, and the religion is seemingly completely driven out of northern Africa. The actions, however, anger much of the eastern portion of the empire, where many saw former family and friends taken by the military and summarily executed.'''

'''Between 625 and 630, the Umbra-Gotha scour the Caliphate in hopes of finding the Fabled Muhammad. Encounters with local Muslims prove to be useless, as seemingly every citizen of the Caliphate is fervently loyal to the man. The people that prove to be most helpful in the search are merchants, chiefly from Persia and the Hephthalite Empire. These traders reveal rumors that Muhammad is currently in Caliphate-controlled Africa, preaching to the Tribal heathens of the glory of God.'''

'''Islam slowly pushes its way into Persian Arabia. Many citizens begin to abandon the beliefs in Zoroastrianism in favor of the new religion.'''

Arian Christianity is succesfully spread by the Goths to Cape Verde.

'''The Gothic assault of Carthage is a success, and many port cities are captured. With the majority of the infantry stationed in Egypt, however, inland advances are impossible.'''

'''Seeing its cause as hopeless, Carthage seeks peace with the Goths and Mbalians. They offer Mbali all territory which had been captured in the original invasion, and they allow the Goths to keep Sicily. They would also like to propose a 40 year non-aggression pact.'''

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall on our borders to fight off any future invasions/conflicts. We increase trade with Japan and China. We encourage most of our former soldiers to work as farmers to boost agricultural output. We start harvesting Northern Korea's mineral wealth.

Egypt: We will make peace with Mbali and the Gothic Empire in exchange for the Carthaginian Queen Sabina. Our units are pulled back and we tend to our wounded promptly.
 * The Gothic Empire will accept peace, giving back all captured lands, and handing over Sabina, should Osiris successfully defeat Alaric III in a fight to the death.
 * These terms are agreeable and Osirus promptly begins training for the battle. A ceremonial silk battle garb is created with beautiful gold ebroidilering for Osirus.

Rus' Principality: Expeditions to the north continue until we reach the coast of the Arctic Sea. Trade continues with the Western Slavs and the Persians.
 * The Gothic Empire would like to suggest that the Rus' capitalize on the war in Byzantium by capturing Bosporus.

The Kingdom of Mbali: With the Egyptian war still raging in the east, the Carthaginian proposal for peace is reluctantly accepted. Civilians can finally return to what little they have left in the west. The palisade is taken down and the wood re-purposed to rebuilding houses in the war-torn lands. The remaining troops guarding the palisade are sent to aid the war in the east. Diplomats are sent to continue to pressure politicians for peace. Expansion south continues (300 pixels), but not too much in hopes of not worrying the Egyptians. Brothels are built to increase troop morale.

Caliphate: We build our navy, adding about 45 ships in five years. This means that we can continue our 1000 pixel expansion into Africa. We aid Muslim uprisings in Persian Arabia. We try to incorporate some of Persia's land in Arabia. We build our military. We declare that Egypt is not our ally after slaughtering Muslims. We would like to join the High Council of the Mediterranean. We build infrastructure in our land. We build more stuff. We wish to trade with the Gothic Empire. We offer any country an alliance who isn't allied with Persia or Egypt. The Gothic Empire: ... And so, the hero married. For one day at-least, the troubles of a hard world, were put aside. With the royal unification of the Queen Sabina and Alaric III ratified, the alliance between The Kingdom of Mbali and the Gothic Empire is only further solidified. The marriage doesn't last more than a day. Following consummation of the marriage, Sabina continually protests the overwhelming death of her people. To make peace with the Egyptians, she suggests giving them what they want; her. She plans to move to Egypt and marry Osiris, in exchange, expecting peace to follow soon. Seeing both the Mbalians and the Carthaginians as her children, she can't help but want to devote all of herself to a movement for peace. She requests that as his last gift to her, he accept peace with Carthage and ensure that people in all nations involved are able to survive and prosper.
 * The Gothic Empire rejects public alliance and trade proposals with the Caliphate for fear of Muslim influence spreading into the united regions.

Thrown into a fit of rage, Alaric III beats his closest military adviser to a pulp in full view of everyone. This violent act only proves to drive Sabina farther away, but Alaric III begs her to listen to his one last proposal; He personally will meet Osiris in the Grand Colosseum of Toulouse and there they will fight to the death for her. Should Osiris win, he would get Sabina as his bride as well as their lands returned and the Goths pulling out of their territory. Should Alaric III win, Sabina would remain his bride and Egypt would stop attacking Mbali. This proposal is sent via a squad of diplomats to Egypt.

The two regions in previously occupied Gepid Dacia are ceded back to the Gepid's in exchange for further support in the war against Byzantine. The number of troops being trained in Dacia is hoped to double with the introduction of a unified draft system and more Gothic infantry is pulled away from the area and redirected to support troops fighting in the African conflicts. The use of Iron weapons is introduced to the modern military in hopes of catching up to enemies of the Council.

Gold mining in Morocco flourishes without any intervention from the Republic. Quarries and mines are stripped clean and gold obtained is relocated to the Gothic treasury in the city of Alaric. Several new gold mints are constructed in Italia, hammering coinage into easily transferable bits of currency known as Euros. Fractions of aforementioned Euro are to be paid in bits of silver, known as Eurettes.

In an effort to ensure equal treatment between Gothic regions, the idea of autonomy is completely re-imagined. The Gothic territory is sub-divided into the twenty-five separate regions without the title of autonomous, but with similar perks of self-governance. While the empire maintains a final say on state affairs, each individual region has an elected team of representatives that will serve a total of five years in the senate, expressing their opinions and voting on proposals. The number of delegates per region is deciding by total number of people, divided by total acreage (fractions are rounded up). Due to Portugal's high population density, it is hoped that they will be pleased with this decision. The Goths would also like to request that the Neustrians allow for a network of roads to be constructed through their empire connecting Alemannia, Vivianis and Portugaul. ''Peace with the Carthaginians will be accepted, but only on Gothic terms. The terms of the treaty are drawn up by Becket Lousean himself;''
 * (Mod) Neustria accepts the offer.

 The Treaty of  North-African Oppression: Signatures: The heir to the Gothic empire, Alfonso-Riqueza Lousean, begins to grow in height and stature at an unprecedented rate. By eight years old he is the tallest child to ever grace Gothic schools at an astounding five feet, eleven inches. The boy dominates competition in sporting events, and strives to one day participate in the games held in the Grand Colosseum of Toulouse. His mastery of all things combat is nothing to laugh about, as he demonstrates this raw physical talent and power by accidentally killing his instructor during sparring practice. Being faced with bullying and torment from other children because of his size, Alfonso drops out of his schooling and runs away from home, only to return two years later as a changed man. He refuses to speak about what he saw while out alone in the world, but it can only be assumed to be something horrific, as he wakes every night screaming in a cold sweat.
 * 1) Carthagewill return all captured lands to Mbali and withdraw from the area.
 * 2) The Gothic Empireis to be given permission to construct an embassy in Carthage's capital.
 * 3) Coastal cities captured in Carthage will be returned, in exchange for full access to the now abandoned and probably dying Carthaginian isles to the north. It is fully expected that the inhabitants of these isles will have largely died off and fallen into anarchy without any semblance of contact with the outside world following the destruction of the Vandalic navy.
 * 4) A standing army tax shall be paid by Carthage in gold and silver directly to the High Council of The Mediterranean. The larger the army, the larger the tax.
 * 5) The non-aggression pact suggested by Carthage shall be extended to 50 years, during which time any aggressive military building by Carthage will be seen as a void in the contract.
 * 6) The Gothic Empirewill pay gradual war reparations to the Carthaginians over the next twenty-five years, and assist them in calming their people and rebuilding destroyed territories. A plan will be formulated to boost the Carthaginians economy and allow them to thrive as  Trade nation ONLY.
 * 7) Slavery is to be halted for the foreseeable future, and all north African slaves are to be freed and offered refuge in the nearby nation of Mbali.
 * The Gothic Empire - ( ~Afunnymouth )
 * Carthage - Knoxmoor
 * Mbali (Optional) -

A Gothic emissary is sent into the Rus' Principality to strengthen relations between the two prestigious nations. A deal is proposed in which the Principality will capitalize on distracted Byzantium by capturing Autonomous Bosporus and annexing it into their territory. The benefits of agreeing to this are pointed out the Rus' ; the Principality will have access to the black sea, allowing them a chance to bounce back from their agricultural hardships. The new, tightly packed nation will allow for trade by sea to increase, as well as improvements in navy building techniques. If the Rus' Principality accepts this offer, the Goths will propose they be accepted into The High Council of the Mediterranean.

Troops in Egypt fall back to the Mbalian/Egyptian border and prepare to launch an attack should diplomacy attempts fail. Half of the troops are redirected to south, being led by the esteemed and war-hardened General Lazarus. Lazarus and his men head into Caliphate-controlled Djibouti to surround apprehend the vile Muhammad. More than half of the Gothic navy is sent to the Gulf of Aden to block off the false prophets escape, and all of his fishing boats are ordered to have holes gored through them, making them no longer fit for travel over open waters. The Umbra-Gotha regroup and hold their position in southern Arabia, ready to cut off any Caliphate attempts at rescuing their beloved Caliph. Troops in Africa launch a full scale assault on Djibouti, hoping to raze the lands and capture Muhammad.

Kingdom of Jutland: Bodil Abelone '''has died of old age. His son, Bernhardt Abelone, becomes the head of the Kingdom of Jutland. Bernhardt and the Jutes would like to express their joy for the Gothic Empire at the marriage of Sabina and Alaric, and wishes them the best of marriage. Bernhardt would like to, as his ancestors did, aid the Goths in their military endeavors. As such, 30,000 Jutish troops are sent to Southern Arabia.'''

635 C.E.
'''A final wave of barbarian invasions sweeps the western Göktürk Khaganate. By now, the Göktürks have had a chance to modify their military tactics to specifically target barbarian activity, and after losing another sizable portion of territory, are finally able to gain the upper hand, and protect their territory from further destruction.'''

In response to the seemingly endless temperature drop, the Avar people begin to migrate into central Europe, and settle along the Persian border.

'''The Umbra-Gotha, convinces of the importance at hand, scour Arabian Djibouti in hopes of finding the elusive holy man. Nearly two years pass as the elite soldiers pass through village upon village in hopes of finding clues of his whereabouts. Cryptic hints and vague memories, as well as a lack of common language make it incredibly difficult to locate him, but they finally hear of rumors that he is leaving Africa for Arabia in three days time. They hastily make their way to the Caliphate's hastily made port, and arrive in under two days. As they approach, they see what can only be the ship destined to take Muhammad home, and in a swift, calculate manner, storm the shipyard. Countless workers are slaughtered, and within minutes, the Umbra-Gotha have made their way onto the ship. They search the moderately sized vessel, room by room, hoping to find Muhammad's chamber. After checking every room, they make their way to the storage chamber, in the belly of the ship, though they doubt he will be there. Upon entering the chamber, they are greeted by an all-to-familiar stench: death. Sitting in the exact center of what is most certainly not a storage chamber, is an open, golden coffin. There is no question of the identity of the figure laying on the silken sheets within the coffin. Muhammad is dead. The body is stolen and transported to Gothic territory'''

'''Following the scandal regarding Muhammad's corpse, shocking the entirety of the Caliphate, a state of normalcy returns to Arabia, and wave upon wave of Arabic soldiers, traders, and missionaries pour into Africa. General Lazarus's men, as well as the Umbra-Gotha, are forced out of the area by the sheer number of Arabic invaders.'''

'''Galvanized by the death of the beloved Muhammad, Muslims in Persian Arabia, with very little preparation, revolt, intent on joining the growing Caliphate. Within three years, and largely due to active aid by the Caliphate, most of Muslim Persia has fallen under Arabian control. The only portion of the Arabian Peninsula not under Caliphate control is now Byzantine-owned territory.'''

'''The Gothic solution to autonomy proves wildly popular throughout Gaul, and its implementation eases the tension forming in the empire. The transition to administrative regions is rocky at first, but local leaders rapidly get accustomed to it, and political stability returns to the empire.'''

The Goths cede land in western Dacia to the Gepids.

'''The Kingdom of Connacht declares war on the Kingdom of Leinster, hoping to unify the Island of Hibernia. Leinsterian diplomats are sent to meetings of the High Council of the Mediterranean, in hopes of gaining assistance from the High Council in defending their homeland.'''

'''The North African War has ended on Gothic terms. Carthage cedes captured Mbalian territory, as well as all Mediterranean Islands to the Goths. Many Sardinians and Corsicans did not even notice the change, as they had lost contact with Carthage decades ago. Additionally, an NAP of 50 years, as well as a standing army tax are established. Finally, slavery is essentially banned.'''

While no official peace treaty was ever signed, fighting has ceased in the Balto-Danish war, and stability returns to both nations.

'''Islam begins to amass a small following in Byzantine Arabia, though much of the territory remains Christian. It also slowly spreads to unoccupied territory in eastern Africa, even in areas where the Caliphate maintains little to no presence.'''

'''The duel between Osirus and Alaric III was planned to occur early in the year 631. The event is widely attended, amassing nearly double the attendance any of the attempted "Imperial Games" had. Represented in the audience are citizens of nearly every nation and region of the known world. Alaric, wearing the armor his father wore the day of his death, enters the Colosseum as the reining champion, and is cheered on by thousands. Osirus strides into the arena wearing the specially crafted ceremonial robes, a true representation of his people. He is greeted largely by boos and hisses, as high tension between the Egyptians and Goths has caused very few Egyptian citizens to attend. Bells are sounded, and the fight begins. The skilled warriors trade blows for quite some time, each strike imbuing the warriors with unbounded energy. The fight rages on, both sustaining minor wounds, but no major injuries seem to occur. After a solid half hour of stalemate, Alaric withdraws suddenly, and raises his sword up and to the right, preparing for a strike on Osirus's exposed neck. Cacophonous noise arises from the audience: the moment they have been waiting for is upon them. As Alaric's sword begins to plow straight for Osirus's throat, Osirus pulls his own sword back, and lunges for Alaric's face. In what was only an instant, but seemed like hours for the horrified onlookers, the weapons plunged into both men. The two leaders, revered as seemingly immortal by their people, collapsed. For the first time, silence washed over the entire Colosseum. Sabina, watching from a room reserved for Gothic royalty, hurriedly rushed from the scene, taking her yet-unnamed baby girl with her. Within a day, she was gone, and none knew her whereabouts. Rumors were spread that she went to live in Morocco, others, for whatever reason, believed that she set off for the Pictish Republic, others yet insisted that she returned to her native Carthage, but none could provide any evidence for their claims. A state of unprecedented anxiety befell both the Goths and Egyptians. The terms of peace relied entirely on who married Sabina, and with both suitors dead, and Sabina nowhere to be found, the future of both nations was wildly uncertain.'''

Egypt: Following the death of our Pharaoh Osirus, the empire falls into a religious rut. The people begin accepting Islam as the undoctored truth. The republican government begrudgingly allows for the continued spread of Islam, seeing as belief in Ra proved to reap no benefits. Out of fear of religious prosecution, many families should realistically be fleeing from the area. To stop this we construct a haven of tolerance in our southwestern territory and allow for intermingling with members of the Caliphate. We formally apologize for atrocities and war crimes, and wish to be left alone while our nation recovers. Despite the enlightenment of our people, many Egyptian traditions still hold true - one such tradition being to bury a dead pharaoh along with his wives. To show our support of Egyptians loyal to the old beliefs we send search parties to Morocco, Pictish Republic and Carthage in search of Sabina and her newborn daughter.

The Kingdom of Mbali: With his mother’s disappearance and his “father figure” a stumbling drunk, King Nero finds himself making all the difficult decisions himself. Overwhelmed and stressed Nero appoints three advisers to vote between themselves and show him the results for his final decision. Things finally settling down, Nero becomes extremely interested in the hidden blood that runs through his veins. At first he sought to learn and destroy the Carthaginians, but soon realizes they are simply uncivilized barbarians, who need nothing more than some guidance. Effort to repair the eastern battle grounds spreads past the border. He offers the Carthaginian people food and water, as well as help repairing shelters and roads. Mbali begins expanding west (700 pixels?) along the Carthaginian border due to lack of lands that can be claimed without angering neighboring nations. The Mbalian people become nervous with the king's decision to help the people who so hastily betrayed them and killed their king. King Nero quickly puts the idea down, by giving speeches. King Nero takes note of the Gothics decision, and sends half his troops to aid in Gothic claim on Egyptian lands.

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall on our borders to fight off any future invasions/conflicts. We increase trade with Japan and China. We encourage most of our former soldiers to work as farmers to boost agricultural output. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. Also, scared of expanding Japanese influence (now that they conquered Taiwan), we try to expand into Pacific Russia and into the Sakhalin. Meanwhile, we give some technology to the Ainu people to defend themselves.

Caliphate: We vow revenge on the Gothic Empire. The Gothic Empire is now our biggest enemy. We promise that the Goths will be history. We offer the High Council of the Middle East to any nation which is against the Gothic Empire and pro for the spread of Muslim, like Egypt. We accept Egypt apology if they join the High Council of the Middle East. We aid Muslim rebels in the Bytzan Empire, hoping that the land of Mecca will become ours. We aid rebels in Persian Arabia. We build our navy. We continue pushing into Africa, where Muslim is growing. We manage to expand 1400 pixels with an increased Navy and military. We build our navy. We build our infrastructure.

Rus' Principality: We continue to expand throughout the north, until we reach the Arctic Sea coast and our settlers also stop at the Baltic border. We continue trade. The Gothic Empire: Thrown into a fit of blind rage by the death of his twin brother, Becket Lousean redirects all troops not currently assisting the Gepids to launch a final, full-frontal, merciless raid against the Egyptians, from the Mbalian border. The Gothic navy is redirected to the southern portion of the Mediterranean, just north of Egypt, where they will bombard and attempt to claim all of Egypt's coastal territory. The plan is to capture all of northern Egypt, from the Mbalian border to OTL Israel. General Lazarus will be leading land troops and Admiral Abdraxus and his sea dogs will be leading the assault by sea. A band of mercenaries and scouts is hired with the sole mission of locating the runaway queen Sabina, and her child which carries the blood of Lousean in its veins. The Wardja-Gotha join in this mission and begin to carefully comb through Morocco, The Pictish Republic and Carthage,carrying a painting of the queen, and asking the locals for information.
 * The Gothic Empire suggests the Rus' capture Bosporus while Byzantine is still weak and distracted.

Before pulling out of Dacia completely, an attempt is made to capture and liberate the adjacent Byzantine territory to create a buffer state between the Gothic and Byzantine empires. Gothic generals hope to lead the revitalized Gepid army that they have been training for the past decade south, creating a stronger line of defense against any future attacks. Following this final push, the Goths hope for momentary peace to the perpetual warfare whilst they mourn the death of one of their beloved leaders.

Missionaries in Cape Verde settle in, creating small communities and focusing heavily on building churches to better spread the word of God. A dock is built, effectively connecting the Verdinian islanders to the Gothic trade network. Mining operations in Cape Verde are under way, as the empire continues to search for precious metals needed to fund the military and economy.

The people are united behind a common hatred of Islam and the ancient Egyptian religion. Without any firsthand knowledge of Muhammad or his teachings, the Gothic people only see the Caliphate as a heathenish horde of barbarians, bent on destroying their peaceful Christian lifestyle. Practicing Islam is officially banned throughout the empire and it is declared that Muslims will be prosecuted to the harshest severities the law will allow.

The Umbra-Gotha are pulled out of Arabia and return home to the empire. A guild hall is built in Madrid for these veteran covert operatives to spend their days when not on a mission. New members are trained and required to swear an oath to the empire. Training becomes the most important thing to do in a day, and anyone caught shirking their duties even once, are immediately exiled from the guild. Only children under six years of age are allowed to join up, to ensure that the guild maintains its reputation for highly trained, elite members, that dedicate their entire lives to the Gothic leaders.

The Carthaginian isles, proving to still maintain some semblance of civilization, are incorporated into the United Gothic Regions. Islands off the coast of Sicily become part of Sicily, whilst the two larger islands become the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh regions. Ports are built on these islands in hopes of reconnecting sea trade between them and the rest of the empire. Across the Mediterranean, seeing the Mbalians struggle without a navy to defend them, a dock is built and a small fleet of five ships is gifted to the growing nation.

640 C.E.
(Reminder: There will be no turns on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

'''The series of brutally cold winters appear to have come to an end. The Avars begin to return to their previously inhabited land, much of which has already been reclaimed by mother nature.'''

'''A dynastic marriage between Neustria and Burgundy unites the two Kingdoms under one monarchy. The royal families believe it fitting to call the newly united Kingdom the Frankish Kingdom, as an homage to the century old nation that had once dominated the region. A decision is made to move the capital to Paris, which was quickly becoming the political and cultural epicenter of the region.'''

'''A bloodless revolution occurs in Byzantine Mecca. The now Muslim majority city saw the opportunity, due to Byzantine efforts being turned almost entirely to the Goths, and welcomed annexation by the Caliphate. Devout Muslims lament the fact that Muhammad never got the chance to see his birth city added to his own, glorious empire.'''

'''The Kingdom of Connacht has all-but obliterated the Kingdom of Leinster, their forces encroaching steadily on the city of Leinster. A plea for the High Council's assistance is once again extended, though many fear the request is falling on deaf ears.'''

A diplomatic marriage between the Funan and Chenla Kingdoms unites them under Chenla rule.

'''The Goths plow into the territory of the unsuspecting Egyptians, capturing all of its coastal territory. The hastily made move, coupled with the lack of Alaric III's impeccable military expertise leads to high casualties, and an overall ineffective campaign. Gothic control, while stable at the moment, is tenuous at best, and many fear that a well-executed Egyptian offensive could topple the occupation.. Many soldiers, as well as non-soldiers, blame Becket for the massive loss of life. Most citizens had come to expect an end to the war immediately following the duel. However, Becket's decision, which many viewed as grief-and-fury induced, caused unrest throughout the entire military force, many of whom had written to their families, telling them of not-too-distant return. The result of this betrayal was a high number of desertions and even occasional infighting. The unrest begins to trickle down across the empire, and Becket's approval rating plummets.'''

Due partially to the mutinies and desertion occur across the empire, and partly due to what could almost be a grace period given to the Byzantines after the conquest of Dacia, Byzantine men manage to repel further invasion, on both the Dalmatian and Arabian fronts, even with the Gepid's assistance on the Dalmatian front.

'''The Goths have also begun to attempt to push into areas much more fortified than previously captured territory, giving the Byzantines a decided advantage. Exhausted, Byzantine representatives once again seek peace with the Goths. They will cede the Sinai peninsula over to the Goths and, in a surprising move, promise to dissolve the Imperial League.'''

'''The Great Egyptian Panic, as it has come to be known, continues to shake all of Egypt. Conversion to Islam skyrockets in the eastern provinces. Many are still fearful of government retaliation, though recent decisions to allow the religion's presence serve as reassurance for many.'''

The Caliphate has established a new, supranational organization, known as the High Council of the Middle East.

'''Islam's spread into Persia is halted thanks to new laws prohibiting the new religion, and requiring the practice of Zoroastrianism. The policy, obviously, upsets many living in southwestern provinces.'''

'''The expeditions sent by the Egyptians and Goths in search of the beloved Sabina yield no conclusive results. Many signs, however, begin to point to her living in the Carthaginian empire. Many villagers living in and around Carthage tell tales of a peasant woman, beautiful beyond belief, living within the confines of Carthage proper with her young daughter. Efforts to find this fabled peasant woman, whom many believe to be Sabina, have not yet been successful, but the pursuers refuse to give up hope.'''

Rus' Principality: With a steady supply of food and the newly acquired land, a population growth begins. Grand Prince Yaropolk plans to spread the greatness of the principality by liberating the Slavic lands under Byzantine occupation in southern Ukraine. Agents, veterans of the operations in Persian and Avar territory, are quietly sent into Byzantine lands in the southern Ukrainian regions and the Crimea, spreading pro-Rus' sentiment and Slavic nationalism. Meanwhile, the army has been restructured into a professional force, and the naval fleet has been expanded to one hundred ships. Fifty are located on the Volga and the other fifty are on the Dnieper. Trade continues as well.

Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Though isolated, the kingdom grows ever wary of the mainland empires, having little contact with the outside world for nearly a century of what seemed to be a dark age. The previous king of the Anglo-Saxons was King Eadwulf Ironbrow, a hulk of a man who was willing to give his throne to any challenger who could beat him in one-on-one combat, his reign was ended by the now current ruler, a man known as Osgar Seighbehrt.

King Osgar begins to reform the infrastructure of the small and frail kingdom that he has taken dominion over.

King Osgar also forms an order of scholars and nobles to educate and rejuvenate the Anglo-Saxon peoples, The Order of The New Dawn. They are ordered to build schools and other public works for the country, to get the people back on their feet.

The Kingdom of Mbali: King Nero takes time to travel the far edges of his kingdom, encouraging young peasants to work hard and to support their families. One night along the Carthaginian border riding his horse through the death of night, Nero hears a woman’s scream from the woods. He follows her cries and panting quickly cutting in front of her path and dismounting his horse. As the young Carthaginian woman rushed from the thick woods, clothes torn with two laughing men at her heels, she leaps into Nero’s unsuspecting arms. King Nero removes his cloak and covers the shivering woman, before turning to deal with the two men. Still smiling the men draw their daggers assuming and easy kill. Without even drawing his blade King Nero swiftly disarms the savages and beats them to near death. Nero extends his hand asking her name and offering the woman a room that she may stay in for as long as she pleases. She looks up taking his hand, whispering Khaleesi. Almost immediately Nero and Khaleesi become very close,and eventually she finds herself pregnant with his child.

Thanks to a boost from the Goths, Mbali takes to the seas. Men are trained to operate these ships, and builders and architects attempt to replicate them. Shelters are built in newly claimed lands. Mbali continues its spread west (500 pixels) along the Carthaginian border. however, travel proves difficult at first with little passage through Carthaginian lands. A large road called the Mali is constructed, spanning the entire south Mbalian border, connecting many roads to the new land as well as each other. A few large inns are built along the Mali and traders are encouraged to set up shops. King Nero sees the dire situation in Gothic controlled Egypt and sends a little more than half his army in effort to tip the delicate balance, careful not to leave the Mbalian and Egyptian border unguarded. The remaining troops are sent home to spend time with their families, well aware that the Egyptian war may not be over. Men and women celebrate homecoming the best way they know how - heavy consumption of alcohol and long, physical nights together. Soldiers having been at war so long, and worried that they might be going back soon, aim to spend as many nights with their women as possible before returning to war.

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall on our borders to fight off any future invasions/conflicts. We increase trade with Japan and China. We encourage most of our former soldiers to work as farmers to boost agricultural output. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. Also, scared of expanding Japanese influence (now that they conquered Taiwan), we try to expand into Pacific Russia and into the Sakhalin. Meanwhile, we give some technology to the Ainu people to defend themselves.

Caliphate: We continue the spread of Islam. We aid Egypt. We would like the Bytzan Empire to join the High Council of the Middle East. We spread 1100 pixels into Africa. We wish the Persian Kingdom to give us Muslim bits of Persia and then they can join the high council. We build military and navy. Egypt: Out of fear of falling to Gothic invasion, we fortify our borders and retreat to the south. After the fall of Cairo we enhance our patrols of the Nile and ramp up defensive measures. We are afraid of continued conquest from religious terrorists and thank the Caliphate for their forgiveness. We would like to become religiously and politically subordinate to the Caliphate as their client state in exchange for their dedication to keep our nation safe. We would also like to maintain total control over our military and policies regarding internal relationships. Our military recruits all men 18-40.
 * (Mod) Persia, due to fear of Arabic invasion, reluctantly agrees to the offer.
 * (Mod) The Byzantines decline the offer.

Japan: Still expanding north ...

The Gothic Empire: A proposal is made to King Nero by Becket Lousesan personally; All recently captured Egyptian territory will be ceded to Mbali in exchange for a 15% stake in all net profit produced and continued access to the Nile through Memphis and Cairo. It is hoped that the Mbalians will be taught the truth of Arian Christianity and be allowed, and even encourage to practice openly. Gothic engineers from Castilla move into the area to help with the construction of a grand wall in the south, separating northern Egypt from the rest.

With religious tensions at their zenith, a law is passed to govern all Gothic territories, officially banning the practice or teaching of Islam. Arabic is considered to be the language of Satan himself, and anyone caught speaking it, or attempting to learn it, will be punished to the fullest extent of Gothic law. The Quaran is banned, and any copies found in the empire are to be destroyed discreetly. The gold coffin of Muhammad is melted down into blocks, hammered into gold pieces and introduced into the regular flow of currency, completely disregarding any historical significance it may have held.

Large scale troop withdrawal from Egyptian Africa and Byzantine Dacia is under-way. With the threat of the rapidly expanding Caliphate, and the resounding shock-waves of influence it sent pulsing through the known world, still looming over the Goths, a storm cloud of conflict waiting to burst, Chairman Becket Lousean at last accepts the Byzantines cries for peace. With their attention no longer required in Dacia, the Goths request that Byzantine focus their army on retaking Mecca. Should the Byzantines refuse, a promise is made to launch an attack on southernmost Byzantine territory to force them to take action. The toppling of the Imperial League feels like a dream come true to Becket, as he manages to accomplish something that his forefathers had fought for most of their life. Parades are held all through the empire, motivational speeches given by professional speakers hired by Becket. With joy and love in the air, ideals of 'hope for a better future' are spread throughout the empire. A "baby-boom"  of sorts takes place as many soldiers return home to their spouses, and following a study performed by none other than the science oriented Becket himself, population growth is projected to sky-rocket.
 * (Mod) The Byzantines announce that they are fearful they will not be able to take the Caliphate by itself. Should the Caliphate attack them, however, they will attack immediately. They Byzantines argue that it may be in the Goth's best interest to have Byzantium serve as a neutral buffer state between the High Councils of the Mediterranean and Middle East, seeing as tension is rapidly growing between the two.

Viewing it as a highly beneficial strategic location, the Sinai peninsula is promptly annexed and a small battalion of men are redirected there. The entire territory is largely quarantined and fortified to the best that Gothic technology will allow. A slew of walls and camps are set up around the borders, and units are ordered to keep close tab on anyone attempting to enter or leave. Those that are fervently loyal to their religion and wish to avoid prosecution are allowed to leave through the western border, only after being thoroughly questioned, surveyed and analyzed. A town hall is built in the area, though the people are not officially considered to be part of the United Gothic Regions, but are promised that should they demonstrate loyalty and faith in Arian Christianity teachings, they will be given free visa to enter and exit the territory at their leisure.

The Wardja-Gotha abandon their mission and report it to be a complete failure. Despite how close they got to discovering the location of the beloved Sabina, the loyal guard dedicated to her protection comes to realize that perhaps if someone was this hard to track down, they don't want to be found. Out of respect for their former queen, the guard cease their search, and formulate a rumor that Sabina and her child died long ago. A messagenger is sent after the woman and her child, warning them of the nations that are near finding her.

To boost Carthage economy as promised, the Euro is introduced and requested to be accepted by the people. Additionally, roads from Morocco are connected through Carthage and the Mali trail. This network of roads is then finalized by connecting them all to the Trans-Saharan trade route.

The now adult son of Becket is well known for his mental anguish. Alphonso-Riqueza develops a number of ticks and defects, and is to be thought by future historians to have been suffering from VPD (Volatile-Personality Disorder). His violent outbursts through his adolescence caused him to be unwelcome in schools and eventually pulled out all together. Destined for the throne, his father attempts to train him for the role of leadership. Unfortunately, Alphonso-Riqueza is still marginally unresponsive.

The Umbra-Gothic guild is advertised to be a highly prestigious place for parents to enroll their young children to ensure a lifetime of skills and discipline. Funds are redirected to training them and a surplus of supplies are delivered to their door. Military drills and covert strategies are focused in hopes of honoring the ancient Gothic traditions. A wood board is hung outside the guild for people to carve their requests. The Umbra-Gotha elders read the board once a week and assign missions to those who they deem fit to complete them.

With the unification of the Burgunds and Neustria, Becket is quite literally terrified. The threat of a power like the Franks rising again becomes all to real, and with the encroaching Muslim horde not far, the situation seems all the more dire. All that can be done is tor congratulate the new country, hoping for warm relations between the two nations. Should they agree, The Gothic Empire will put out a request to allow them to join the High Council of the Mediterranean. Gothic leaders are sure to thank the Jutes for their undying loyalty and assistance in the Great African War of Oppression. As a symbol of their unwavering friendship, a marble statue of Jarl Abelone and Alaric II shaking hands is constructed and delivered to their territory in the Netherlands.
 * (Mod) The Frankish Empire, having been formed by two Kingdoms once allied with the Goths, happily agrees to the arrangement, and requests to join the High Council.
 * The Kingdom of Mbali accepts.

(Reminder: There will be no turns on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

645 C.E.
(I apologize for the short and undeveloped turn. I'm quite sick, and did not particularly fancy staring at a computer screen for hours.)

The Frankish Kingdom, upon Gothic suggestion, agrees to put in a request for membership in the High Council of the Mediterranean.

'''The War of Irish Unification is over. The Kingdom of Connacht has completely conquered the Kingdom of Leinster, and has officially renamed itself the Kingdom of Hibernia.'''

'''The Rus' invade Byzantine Bosporus, quickly overtaking the majority of the Byzantine forces stationed in the area. They are slowed down, however, in Crimea, where the Byzantines have had long term presence, and ample time to establish fortifications.'''

'''War in the Mediterranean appears to be over, replaced by an eerie and unsteady peace. The Byzantines have ceded Sinai to the Goths, and the historic Imperial League has been dissolved. The Goths are still officially at war with the Egyptians, though no further advances have been made, or even attempted.'''

'''The Egyptian Republic has extended an offer to become a client state of the Caliphate. They wait simply on a response from the Caliph himself.'''

The Persians the remainder of their territory which adhered to Islam to the Caliphate, in exchange for security and membership in the High Council of the Middle East.

The turmoil in the Gothic Empire has come to a halt, and the Chairman is once again thought of favorably by the majority of the populace.

The Great Egyptian Panic continues to bring high levels of Islamic conversion to the already strained nation.

'''The recovering Carthaginian Empire accepts the Euro. '''

Captured territory in Egypt is ceded to the Mbalians.

Anglo-Saxon Kingdom: As the Anglo-Saxons enter a new age of prosperity and knowledge, the people grow ever curious. King Osgar sends out envoys and small ships to the nearby nations of Hibernia, The Picts, The Jutes, Wales, The Franks, and The Goths, to spread word of his new era of enlightenment, and possibly bring back new technologies and philosophies.

Lombard Kingdom: (I believe that Lombardy is a Republic at this point, but the person who runs the map game has referred to it as a kingdom, so that's what I will do. If there's any disagreement, we'll pretend that there was a coup a few months ago, with the High Chief of the Republic announcing his ascension as king to the cheering masses). Johannic, the new king of Lombardia, realizes that he needs to curry favor with the masses if he wants to keep his newly-won throne. To that end, he abolishes the unpopular tax in currency, and replaces it with a tax in kind. Now taxes can be paid with goats, apples, leather, or whatever is had on hand. To this end he contacts a few refugee educated Greeks in residence, and works with them to draw up a massive price-sheet that allows easy conversion of your goods to the tax value. He orders that the prices be carved into a massive granite stone in the center of his capital, the top written in Greek, and the bottom in Lombard rendered in the Latin alphabet. A search of his palace storehouse reveals several hundred sheets of papyrus, which he has scribes copy the price-sheet onto and distribute to the various municipalities across the kingdom. A year after his ascension, after a discussion with his advisors, he orders that a new city be constructed to the west. This city is for purely administrative purposes, and by the end of that year most of the government has been transported to the new complex dominating the city. One day, during an inspection of the completed west-wing of his new palace, he notes to his chief advisor that the library seems particularly empty. In mid-autumn of 649 he sends out three missions, each bearing letters written and sealed by him. One of the missions reaches Francia and, after a formal meeting with the leader of the Franks, embarks to Britain, where Johannic hopes they will find King Osgar receptive to an exchange of knowledge, and the purchase of books. A second delegation travels to the south-west, to see what they can salvage from the ruins of the Roman Empire, and possibly hold court with the pope. Many of Johannic's subjects are Christian, and he would like to know more about this strange religion. The final embassy heads directly south, with a three-fold goal. Firstly, they have with them a skilled cartographer, and will spend several weeks mapping the mouth of the Bosporus. Secondly, they wish to travel into Greece and Asia minor, the fabled cradle of western civilization, and gather as much knowledge as they can. '''Thirdly, they will find the court of the Caliphate. The power of Byzantium seems to be rapidly waning, and from the vague stories filtering in from the south, it seems as if the Caliphate is the true power in the Mediterranean. Johannic also wishes to know more about the religion of Islam. After all, if he's considering a conversion, he should cover all of his bases.''' Finally, he sends out orders for a massive infrastructure-restructuring project. There's a lot of money to be made in taxing the Baltic-Mediterranean amber trade, so it's best to facilitate it in every way possible. As part of this, a massive, Roman-style highway will connect the great, newly-conquered cities of the coast to his old capital. This is constructed at horrendous expense, and architects have to be brought in from the south and west, but most projections show that the highway will pay for itself within six years. Incidentally, during the road's construction, his laborers unearth some old Roman coins, buried after the invasion and withdrawal of Marcus Aurelius. A brief fight breaks out over who will keep them, which ends when the surveyor appropriates them for the government. They're put on display in the new palace, and as Johannic passes by them one day he notices that one of them shows Roman troops marching in formation. He takes it and stares at it for a while, thinking about his tribal militia compared to the Roman troops of old, and dreaming. After a few minutes he sets it down, calls for a pen and some papyrus, and begins to plan.
 * King Osgar is delighted to see outsiders so willing to help advance his knowledge, and gladly shows the emissary records of several newer agricultural and construction techniques, and shows off a recently-unearthed massive hidden library, now made public, with decades of knowledge hoarded by tyrants of the past. The emissary is allowed two copies at most of ten different books. They are treated as hospitably as possible.

Ganga Dynasty: During the last century, the Ganga Dynasty of India was able to survive the expansion of both the Hephthalite Empire and the Gupta Dynasty, serving as a buffer zone between the two nations. With a politic of neutrality and peaceful diplomacy, they were able to stand as the third kingdom of India and stay independent from their neighbours. Since the arrival of the Tibetan Kingdom up north, many felt that the peace wouldn't last long. But the Raja Khadaga I of the Ganga Dynasty was able to uphold peace in his lands. He continued the policy of his ancestors, keeping a neutral position in India. But Khadaga died last year in a hunting accident, and his young son, Khanchana I, decided it was time for the Ganga Dynasty to change and evolve for the better. Realizing the difficult situation in which his kingdom had been since the last decade, the young Raja did two things during his first year on the throne. First, he recruited thousands of men for his armies, and trained hundreds of war elephants as elite troops. Those new forces would be send to guard the frontier with the Gupta Dynasty up north, in hope to secure his borders in case of war, and strengthening his military power in his own realm. Next, he would send a letter to the Tegin of the Hephthalite Empire, offering him the hand of his sister as a concubine in order to form a royal marriage, hoping for protection in exchange of this. He even offered to personnaly travel to the Hephthalite's Capital in order to negotiate the marriage if the Tegin wanted.

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall on our borders to fight off any future invasions/conflicts. We increase trade with Japan and China. We improve agriculture output per capita. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. Also, scared of expanding Japanese influence, we expand into Pacific Russia and into the Sakhalin. Seeing the Ainu as a weak people, we invade the Ainu peoples We try to invade Northern Japan via Hokkaido but we will not encroach on Japanese territory.

Egypt: we continue to extend our offer of political subordancy to the Caliphate. We see the capture of our capital not as a hindrance, but rather an opportunity. We send our most loyal Muslims into Cairo to teach he word of Muhammad and encourage revolts to rejoin under egyptian control.
 * Caplihate: We accept if you have the same monarch as we do and have peace with the Goths. Also u have to join the council.
 * Seeing as how Osirus is dead and our people lack a leader, we accept and send an emissary carrying peace treaty to the Gothic Empire.

Hephthalite Empire: Economy, infrastructure and military improves. Population continues to grow faster. More houses, shops and mining plants are built. Continues to plan new reforms and continues investing heavily in technology and science. Roads and farms are improved and cities continues to grow. Expends 2000 px south into India. Asks Neo-Parthian Empire to join Hephthalite Empire. Caliphate: We invade the Bytzan Empire with our allies. We accept egypts offer. We expand 3000 px into East Africa.
 * (Mod) The Neo-Parthian Empire, which has grown weary of the Indian giant to its southeast, agrees to join the Hephthalite Empire, as a client state for time being.

The Kingdom of Mbali: In 645 CE King Nero’s first son is born. Nero takes charge and names the boy Bjorn, without any say from his mother. The first year or so of his life Bjorn stays attached to his mother, but soon after his first steps his father exposes him to many different habitats; focusing basic schooling at first and eventually some more precise combat training.

The Kingdom of Mbali expresses its devotion to Arian Christianity, and raises many beautiful religious buildings in honor. The Muslim religion spreading quickly in Cairo and reports of possible uprisings, King Nero responds the only way he can, genocide. Quickly, quietly and mercifully the people of Cairo are killed and their bodies disposed of discreetly. King Nero knows he cannot hide what had to happened, so he thoroughly explains that the Muslims wish only to force their religion and change if not extinguish our way of life. They attempted religious infiltration and hold heavy ties with the unpredictable nation of Egypt. Schools, shelters and other buildings are constructed and remodeled in Mbalian fashion and civilians and traders begin to inhabit the renewed lands of Cairo.

The Mbalian army regroups in patrol of its borders. However, a small portion is to be given leave and swapped out every six months for another group, to ensure there is little to no war fatigue. Naval construction begins in the Suez Canal. With Carthage’s military halted for the time being, The Kingdom of Mbali offers it protection, and in turn we request control of Carthage’s economic, religious and political decisions. Now open to the Trans-Saharan-Trade, the Mali Trail begins to flourish, and The Kingdom of Mbali proclaims its desire to become an infamous trade nation. The Gothic Empire: With the army largely regrouped, the empire experiences its first break from warfare in a very long time. Simple things like spectating the Colosseum games, fishing, conversing in the public square and even simply reproducing are enjoyed in place of the empires most popular pastime: war. The people become restless and in need of a violent medium to express themselves. To quell this, the elderly Gothic chairman, Becket Lousean, considers the resounding turnout to his brothers duel with Osiris, coupled with the reality that the law banning gladiatorial combat was passed by Ashton Martell the Usurper during his short reign. The decision is made and the ban is officially lifted, allowing for warriors from all over to once again battle it out in the arena for fame and glory.
 * (Mod) Carthage is in a similar such deal with the Goths at the time, and believes that you should probably make arrangements with them before offering something similar to the Carthaginians.

The Lombardian emissary is met with warm welcome and is directed to one of the localized churches in Rome. Gothic diplomats explain to the Lombards that they closed down large monetized churches to prevent corruption long ago, claiming that no one man could be elected to have the lord speak through them, long ago, in the year 550 CE. It is further explained that the Gothic belief of Arian Christianity; the idea of the trinity - 'father, son and holy spirit' was abandoned, because the truth is that they are not the 'same person' and having 'one god in three persons' is nearly as barbaric a belief as Islam. The conversation leads into the topic of Islam, and the Goths warn Lombardy of the heathenish ways of Muslims and the Caliphate. The assassination of Muhammad by Gothic forces failed to slow the Caliphate's relentless growth and spreading of disgusting ideologies, only seeming to further enrage them and prompt them to turn their attentions on us.

Calls for peace from Egypt are met with silence. Considering recent threats and formulated opposing alliances, Gothic leaders grow skeptical of the Caliphate and its proposition for an official decree of peace in Africa. Becket believes it to be a trap set up by the Caliph himself in order to push Gothic sights away from continued Muslim invasion of southern Byzantine. Despite their long history of animosity and warfare, the esteemed chairman hypothesizes that Byzantine's recent shift in power may suggest their desire for peace could have been somewhat genuine. A discreet offer is made to the Byzantines, proposing that the Byzantine's be allowed to focus all of their military efforts on driving out the Caliphate while also releasing their grasp on Crimea to the Rus' and Crete to the Goths, and in exchange, the Gothic Empire will not attempt to take these lands by force while the Byzantine army is distracted fighting off invaders in the south. A dockyard is constructed in Cairo, connecting river-side cities and villages directly to the Nile. A fantastic fleet of titanic river-boats is planned to be constructed in order to blockade the river and prevent Egyptians from accessing the waters and fertile land it harbors. The tactic is officially title "Attack by famine" and is taken straight from the pages of Alaric II's memoirs. Farmers attempting to gain access to the Nile are murdered or enslaved unless they agree to swear their undying loyalty to not only the Gothic Empire, but the Arian belief system as well. Admiral Francisco Abdraxus reminds his men that these Islamic extremists are not to be taken lightly and that they should be on their guard and to not allow them to try to communicate in any way, 'lest they taint your ears with heathen songs of treachery.'
 * (Mod) Byzantium accepts the offer.

The wife of Becket Lousean, Geneva dies in her sleep, and the chairman is stricken with a pained heart and a head full of sorrow. The doctrine of War and Diplomacy is discovered tucked away in a box in one of the many armories that could be found throughout the Grand Colosseum of Toulouse. It is promptly brought to Becket Lousean and handed over. Becket is moved to tears at the sight of his late twin brother's half of Alaric II's memoirs. He takes the two doctrines close by his side and reads them to himself into the late hours of the night beneath an old oak tree in the perfectly green and well nurtured lawn of the Lousean castle. Rain begins to fall hard and fast, but the elderly chairman Becket is protected from the branches above his head. To avoid damaging the doctrines, Becket sticks out the storm and protects them under his cloak. When the sun comes back up again, the Gothic leader is discovered dead from hypothermia, still clutching the dry and protected books in his hands.

The violent and hulking Alphonso-Riqueza Lousean ascends to the throne, only to find it too small to accommodate a man of his stature. Said to stand taller than a bear on its hind legs, and weigh in at twice the weight of an ox. The rest of the Regis Decem is expectedly intimidated by him and the meetings become held less frequently. To combat this, Alphonso-Riqueza hires an esteemed court noble to represent him and his views in the senate. The court-noble goes by the name of Theudis Harentz, his well-spoken personality and charming demeanor quickly wins many over and he is quickly accepted by the senate with open arms. Eager to vacate the responsibility of leadership, Alphonso enlists the aid of the Umbra-Gotha in locating his eldest sister, the illegitimate daughter of former head chairman Becket Lousean himself.

It is a mere matter of weeks before Marcella Lousean is located. It is discovered that the young mother of five is in no shape to lead a nation, as she recently had been determined to be suffering from an incurable disease that should result in her death in just a short time. In addition to this, she resents her father for his treatment of her, and attempts to send Alphonso-Riqueza and the Umbra-Gotha away, but her eldest son, Roderic Lousean is eager to rejoin the royal bloodline as the future heir to the throne. The boy is accepted into Lucien's castle and no expense is spared in educating him to the fullest extent. He is required to memorize Alaric II's memoirs from front to back before he can officially be declared the ruler.

The issue of the rapidly spreading Islamic ideology puts the empire on high alert. Representative Theudis Harentz gives his famous speech, expressing his views on the subject. He boasts the 'evils' of Islam and professes that it has been a long established Gothic belief that 'God does not speak to, or exist within, mortal man, but instead sends his sons to represent him, in a manner similar to his own representation of the empire'. Alphonso grows weary of Theudis' 'holier than thou' attitude, and gives him a vicious lashing, leaving scars on his back as to force him to never forget where his loyalties should lie. The Kingdom of Ghana: Sadness befalls the kingdom once more, as the people bid the great king Mayan Dyabe Cisse' farewell to great beyond. He had hoped that his reign would herald a new age the Ghanan people, and while their technology now equates to those of the northern states in no small part to aid from The Gothic Empire, trade continues to grow as the Trans-Saharan trade route continues to be solidified, but still in his final hours of life he had felt that his job was unfinished, and had hoped to bring more to his people before the shadows once more took him from the world of reason. His son, the young Kaya Magha Cisse' II, assumes the throne with the intent that he may continue his fathers work, few question the authority of the king as the successive dynasty of the Cisse' family has proven capable, long lasting, and fervent in Ghanan ideals.

With the new king reigning over the land, national policy begins to shift toward territorial expansion, as he sees the west of their continent to be rightful Ghanan land. As such he begins introducing a provincial system, hoping to organize the kingdom better, and make new unsettled lands attractive to nobility, by pre-determining unlanded territory as rightful to land-seeking nobility. Few question this new policy as much of the Ghanan people agree in the view that the surrounding lands are theirs rightfully. (Much of the land surrounded by the Ghanan land will be occupied over a period of two decades, and will take at least a century to fully develop as nobility will maintain majority control and thus will boast high levels of autonomy in the region.

All previous policies and international intents continue as previously laid out, as much of the kingdom's populace are rattled by the king's death, and the transition of one administration to the next has caused international policy to remain untouched for the time being.

Many of the Ghanan people hope for the best. However, instability beyond their borders continues to develop, and if war may become the result, fear of invaders perpetuates throughout the general populace.

(Reminder: There will be no turns on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

650 C.E.
The Frankish Kingdom's desire to join the High Council of the Mediterranean still stands.

'''The Byzantines completely withdraw their troops from Bosporus, and surrender Crimea to the rapidly encroaching Rus' forces. Seeing the continuation of the war as futile, the Byzantines offer a peace agreement to the Rus' Principality, with no conditions other than the Rus' being able to keep captured territory.'''

'''As part of a deal with the Gothic Empire, the Byzantines cede the Greek island of Crete over to the Goths. With their troops no longer worrying about the giant to their west, they are now able to focus exclusively on the eastern behemoth: The Caliphate. The Caliphate's forces rip into Byzantine Arabia, conquering the majority of it almost instantly. This effort is made far easier by the large scale conversion of most of this province's inhabitants to Islam. The Caliphate, however, loses momentum as it begins to press into Judea. Iudia, being as fortified as it is, proves to be an effective bastion for Byzantine forces, who begin to pour into the area after leaving the western front. Though the tactics of both empires are wildly different, the war quickly reaches a standstill not far across the Judean border.'''

'''The Great Egyptian Panic comes to an end, cut off both the decision of the republic to subordinate itself to the Caliphate. They former Egyptian Republic now exists as a client state of the Caliphate, serving politically and economically as its own nation, but being diplomatically tied directly to the massive Arabian Empire.'''

Similarly, the Neo-Parthian Empire, out of pressure from its large neighbor, decides to join the Hephthalite empire as a client state.

'''The Battle for Cairo has begun, and is being fought in a way never seen before in history. The Egyptians have been sending missionaries into the captured territory, and the Mbalian forces have responded by murdering all who confess to Islamic beliefs. The Mbalian counterinsurgency, while successful at first, quickly proves to be ineffective, as most citizens of Cairo are still loyal to Egypt. Within four years, nearly the entirety of the city has converted to Islam, and is actively fighting the Mbalian forces sent in it kill them.'''

'''The Silla, in hopes of countering growing Japanese influence, decide to invade Ainu territory in Sakhalin and Hokkaido. The original campaign in Sakhalin proves to be a smashing success, and no more than a year passes before all settlements have been completely overrun. The Hokkaido campaign, however, proves to be far more difficult. Previous Sillia aid to the Ainu has allowed them to establish a sense of centralization in Hokkaido, their main territory, and the higher population density allows for a far better general defense. Additionally, the Silla's lack of an effective navy makes transporting massive numbers of troops and weaponry into the area rather difficult. The Ainu are outraged by what they see as a betrayal by their own allies, and extend a request to the Göktürk, Liang, and Japanese peoples for assistance in their difficult conflict.'''

'''The Ghanan expansion program, aided largely by gains from the Trans-Saharan-Trade, proves successful almost immediately, and is rather popular among the Ghanan nobility, as well as the common people, who have developed a Manifest-Destiny-esque philosophy regarding western Africa. The territory is not yet incorporated officially into the Empire, but is being held by the individual noblemen.'''

'''The Ganga fortification programs prove successful, and their border with the Gupta are now effectively guarded. In response to this build-up in defense, the Gupta have begun executing military maneuvers on the border. It is unknown if this is meant simply to frighten the Ganga, or as legitimate preparation for an assault.'''

The Gangas' diplomatic offer to the Hephthalites remains unanswered.

'''The Lombardian expeditions return bearing knowledge of much of the known, western world. The library is quickly filled with tomes detailing to workings of many surrounding nations and their history.'''

The Anglo-Saxons also gather a slew of information from their neighboring countries, and have gained a further understanding of their situation, as well as the current events of Europe.

The Tibetan Kingdom experiences a population boom and, in response, expands its borders eastward.

'''Tensions continue to grow between the High Councils, and talk of the Avar Khaganate possibly joining the High Council of the Middle East spreads through Persia and the Caliphate. Many fear that such a change may topple the delicate balance recently achieved throughout much of the known world.'''

Islam continues to spread throughout Persia and, in response to their recent joining of the High Council of the Middle East, Persia abandon's its policy of banning Islam, and allows open practice.

'''Gothic citizens grow fearful of Alfonso Riqueza. Legends of his size and might amplify, and his violent personality causes many to view him as an ineffective leader. Many, however, argue that Alfonso has, as far as they were concerned, done nothing to harm them or the empire, and made no rash decisions. Still, he remains the focal point of village gossip.'''

'''The Re-institution of gladiatorial combat proves wildly popular not only within the confines of the Gothic Empire, but also throughout neighboring states. Many talk of the establishment of an international gladiatorial league, in which nations would be able to demonstrate the strength of their mightiest warriors.'''

Lombard Kingdom: King Johannic, decides for the moment, to bide his time with a public religious conversion, and wait to see which way the political winds down south blow. For the moment, he simply places light restrictions on Christian missionary activity within the country.

Johannic is delighted with the success of the missions to the south, which provide incredible elucidation of the lands of Byzantium and the Caliphate. In particular, a drawing of a Byzantine cataphract strikes him, and he puts it next to his army reorganization plans. '''A year later, after most of the construction projects are winding down, he drains the royal coffers once again to provide every horseman in his nation with a suit of chain-mail. He presents them as royal gifts, in keeping with the old Germanic traditions. He begins a state-sponsored training program to raise and professionalize a corps of archers, drawn from the forest-dwelling hunters. Three years later, with an engorged, centralized, well-equipped army, and storehouses swollen with years of collecting taxes in food and crafted goods, he declares war on the Saxonic Kingdom (NOT the Anglo-Saxons), and invades from the east. The warlord-controlled militia swarms across the border, and breaks up into separate groups to stake claims on separate parts of the country, while the archer corps and the companions of Johannic strike straight toward the coast, making sure to deviate only to attack any cohesive army in the country.'''

At home, Johannic leaves orders for the defenses of the coastal cities and the new capital to be bolstered. Those same orders command that the few tribe-owned carrier ships based on the coast be repurposed for coastal supply of the army in Saxony, while the many state-owned ships generally focus on defending those same cities.

Finally, two more delegations are sent out. One makes the rounds of northern Europe, ensuring Rus', Jutland, Anglo-Saxony, the Danes, the Balts, and the Gepids that this invasion of Saxony has no plans of being expanded into any other nation, and that they should not consider it an invasion of their territory. After that they travel down to Rome and make the same assurances to the Goths, and present them with diplomatic gifts, including the relics of the Arian Saint Teophilus, who died whilst ministering in Lombardy. The second delegation travels once again to the Caliphate, and, after presenting the Caliph with gifts, requests to bring back with them a scholar of the Caliph's court, to teach the Lombard wisemen about the wonders of the south, and to ease future communication between the two nations.

Japan: We demand that Sillia withdraw from their conquered Ainu territory or be faced with war. We are also building up our navy just in case while still expanding north.

Egypt: In the east, we train archers and adopt the technique firing Flaiming arrows and other projectiles out of catapults. The newly trained units March on the Nile, planning to break the Gothic siege with force. The west, cut off from the water sources begin to rapidly die off. Western migrants flock through  the Caliphate and to into Eastern Egypt in order to settle in then area and join in the fight to break the siege of the Nile. Whilst passing through their lands we plead with the Caliphate to send military assistance.

Silla: We continue the construction of a twenty-foot wall on our borders to fight off any future invasions/conflicts. We increase trade with China and the Turkish peoples. We improve agriculture output per capita. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. We expand more into Pacific Russia and the Sakhalin. We continue invading Hokkaido. We try to create a naval force powerful enough to counter growing Japanese influence.

Anglo-Saxons: As society once again flourishes, people are demanding action within the government beyond simply building. Osgar begins to build a new standing military.

Armed with fresh knowledge of the outside world, King Osgar forms a plan and begins to build a Naval Fleet as well as his Military. Children are offered melee fighting, archery, and shipwriting classes starting at the age of 10, and are urged to join the military and navy, as to defend their homeland from possible invaders.

King Osgar grows proud of his newly blooming country, but a thought dawns upon him one day. Osgar has no heir. The large wall of a man, standing 197 centimeters, had lain awake all the night, thinking of what to do about this. King Osgar sends messengers to spread his word to nearby and far away nations, that he is seeking a wife, as to give him a proper heir to rule after him, and possibly forge a lasting alliance.

Hephthalite Empire: Economy, infrastructure and military improves. Population continues to grow faster. Fewer Hindu mandirs and more houses, shops, Hindu temples and mining plants are built. Continues to plan new reforms and continues investing heavily in technology and science. Roads and farms are improved and cities continues to grow. Expands 4000 px south into India. Seeing as the Hephthalite Empire controls almost all of India and is too Indian nationalistic, Hinduism becomes the new state religion and Sanskrit becomes the new official language. Accepts royal marriage offer from Ganga Dynasty and requests Ganga Dynasty for an alliance. The Kingdom of Mbali: King Nero views the Islamic religion as a sickness n his land, that anyone allowed to live and breathe the Muslim word could taint even the purest minds. He aims to silence the Islamic voices that still threaten the peace of his kingdom. Mbalian troops are fortified along the wall separating Egypt from Cairo and are ordered to comb the land of Cairo south to north killing anyone who expresses Islamic beliefs. The Kingdom of Mbali begins funding Carthaginian schools.
 * Neo-Parthia: Economy, infrastructure and military improves. Population continues to grow slowly fast. Roads and farms are improved and cities continue to grow.
 * Ganga Dynasty Dip: The Raja accept the alliance offer from the hephthalite empire, and approve the choice of making Hinduism the state religion.

Ganga Dynasty: A massive expansion in the south take place, following the east coast ofIndia to build fisher towns. Expand south (following the coast).

The Gothic Empire: With Gothic efforts to improve Carthaginian economics seeming to be complete, the Goths will agree to abandon their embassy in Carthage, allowing Mbalian influence to flood in, in exchange for allowing the Goths to build a series of strategic forts within their territory, as well as access to trade through the Suez. Three ports along the northern Mediterranean border, and two small inexpensive military castles in the south; one on the Egyptian/Mbalian border, and one on the border into unsettled Africa. The Wardja-Gotha are split into two battalions, the east and the west, and ordered to occupy the forts in southern Africa, protecting Gothic engineers and Byzantine slave-workers while they begin construction of the castles.

Due to their widespread Gothic presence in the Egyptian area, the practice of using papyrus as a more refined means of transcribing scriptures is adopted. To increase communications between different sections of the empire and spread news of war efforts and the like, a localized newspaper enterprise is established in several of the most populated Gothic regions. Large enclosures are built to house captured falcons which are then to be bred to produce a generation of message carrying birds. Falconry is adopted by much of Madrid as a popular job and pastime.

Esteemed Admiral Fernando Abrdraxus continues strengthening the blockade with more long-ships, Titans, and overall more activity in the area. A group of brilliant naval engineers come up with the idea of pressurizing the wood to make each individual plank more durable and less prone to catch flame. Planks are then painted with soft black colors, hoping to further lower the flammability of ships in the Nile, while also making them harder to targert during late hours of the night.

The future king and already well admired, Roderic Lousean , begins sitting in on meetings of the senate. He even comes up with the idea of starting construction of a port enterprise in the Verdinian Islands to better connect trade between the Gothic Empire and the African and eventually Asian nations. The senate agrees with Roderic's idea, and colonists are quickly sent into the Isles of Verde to plant the seeds of economic growth.

Rage filled and annoyed, Alphonso-Riqueza travels to Lombardy to publicly denounce their involvement with the Caliphate. It is feared that their continued warm relations with such a large and growing southern threat could be viewed as an act of war by the violently religious people of the Gothic empire. The relic of Arian Saint Teophilus is returned to famed historians in Lombard, as to continue spreading Arian influence over the people of the area.

In order to deal with the rapidly growing Gothic population and limitations of horizontal space, the Goths begin to expand vertically. Second and third stories are added on to pre-existing buildings. Forests are cleared out and group homes are constructed in previously uninhabitable territory. The foundations and support mechanisms for buildings are improved and strengthened to better support the new influx of human feet that would soon be passing over them.

The people's growing support of famed gladiators continues to grow, and as a result, construction of Colloseums throughout the empire goes underway. Each region adopts their own personal team that will fight in the arenas and be crowned victorious in various tournaments and tests of might. Non-lethal forms of gladiator combat are adopted in schools, and some schools even adopt the idea of having their own replicated versions of 'gladiator teams'. Rus' Principality: We begin expanding to the east, north of Avar territory, along the Arctic Sea coast. Meanwhile, the Crimea and surrounding area are integrated into the principality. Celebrations are held of this recent victory. The population has once again begun growing. A new fleet begins construction in the ports of Crimea. So far we have a fleet on the Dnieper and on the Volga, now one in the Black Sea which is undergoing construction. Other infrastructure work goes on in the newly-settled land.
 * The Kingdom of Mbali accepts.

Persian Empire: We know that the Caliphate will end up destroying us in the long term war. We ask to combine our nation with the Caliph to be the leader but Persia will still be under control of the Persian leader as a mayor with him secretly becoming Muslim. Caliphate: SORRY FOR NOT LONG TURN: We expand 3100 pixels into East Africa. We accept Persia's offer. We influence our power in Egypt and Persia. We still remain Goth Empire's mortal enemy. We continue our war with Bytzan Empire. However, we would like peace if they cede 100 pixels of land to the Caliphate, become our client state and join the High Council of the Middle East.
 * Caliphate: We accept. We encourage them to declare war on the Bytzan Empire.
 * (Mod) The Byzantines bitterly refuse to subordinate themselves to an empire they view as heathens.

655 C.E.
(Because of the growing number of green countries in the Middle East, the colors of the Hephthalites and Mbalians have been changed.)

'''The Ganga and Hephthalites spread their empires into most of as-of-yet unclaimed, southern India. Within five years, only the very tip of the subcontinent remains free from centralized control.'''

'''The Battle for Egypt continues. The Gothic “Attack by Famine” proves wildly successful, and forces many Egyptian natives to flee to the eastern portion of the empire, where arable land proves far easier to find. This mass evacuation causes normal life to all-but collapse in the western portion of the empire. Many citizens have begun to hope for their great benefactor, the Caliph himself, to aid them in their daily plight, but as of yet, their cries have gone unanswered.'''

'''Gothic presence dissipates from the Carthaginian Empire, and is replaced by the influx of influence from their eastern neighbors. Carthaginians hardly notice a difference in aid, and are instead simply grateful for the assistance. The effects of decades of mismanagement finally begin to dissipate, and quality of life begins to heighten.'''

'''The Kingdom of Wales-Cornwall hears word of King Osgar’s search for a bride, and King Brychan III offers his daughter, Callwen’s, hand in in marriage. He hopes that a diplomatic marriage of this caliber can once again bring order to the hectic British Isles.'''

'''The Lombard advance into Saxonic territory is met with moderate success. Lombard tactics, as well as the overall size of their military proves advantageous, though the Saxons do not lag far behind in their military might. Lombard naval superiority allows them to quickly overcome Saxonic ships in the northeastern parts of their territory, and make slight landings in the area.'''

'''The Mbalian Crusade into Egypt proves to be both a success and a failure. In the already-evacuated portions of Egypt, west of the Nile, raiding parties quickly hunt down and kill any Muslims in the area. East of the Nile, however, the Egyptians manage to defend their land from the invaders.'''

'''The Battle of Cairo rages on. The city is nearing its tenth year of constant carnage and destruction, and it shows. The majority of the city is a smoldering heap of rubble, yet the fighting continues. As opposed to a battle over the city itself, the fight has evolved into more of a conflict of principle, determining whether or not Islam will be able to spread further into Northern Africa. The victor, obviously, as yet undecided.'''

'''The Persian Kingdom secretly and hastily joins the Caliphate as a client state. Many citizens, in fact, are unaware this transition ever occurred. Nonetheless, the Persian King has converted to Islam, and continues to run his country, though now serving more as a puppet to the Caliph.'''

'''Seeing the Persian decision as an opportunity to make their move, the Khazar people, long living under Persian rule, in the Caucasus Mountains, declare their independence, and form the Khazar Khaganate. The Khazars renounce any ties to the former Persian Empire, and establish a new Kingdom. They quickly seek warm relations with the Rus’, who, they see as a common enemy of Persia.'''

'''Falconry, both as a means of hunting and a means of message delivery, grows in popularity, particularly, and somewhat ironically given its origins in the Gothic Empire, in Arabia. According to Islamic leaders, prey caught by falcon is considered Halal, or in accordance to Islamic dietary law, and is practiced by many as a means of hunting food while maintaining Muslim tradition.'''

'''The Silla invasion of Hokkaido continues, with the aid of their improved navy. By now, however, the Ainu have gathered up a strong enough force to pose a serious threat to the invaders, and casualties on either side soar. The Ainu send diplomats to the Silla, offering them all of conquered Sakhalin in exchange for peace.'''

'''The Byzantines refuse to surrender their self rule to the Caliphate, and continue to fight fervently. The Arab invaders make minor gains in Judea, and have conquered all of Arabia by now, but the Byzantines continue to put of a fierce resistance. As the Caliphate’s forces continue to draw nearer to Anatolia, the defense becomes stronger, and the fortification more noticeable. It is feared that the Arab tactic of simply overwhelming its foes via massive numbers of troops will soon be ineffective against the technologically superior Byzantine military.'''

Colonization efforts in the Verdinian Isles finally reach fruition, and construction of a port, presumable to be used as a pit-stop for future trade endeavors into Africa and Asia, begins.

Islam continues to spread into Persia, and by now is the most widely practiced religion in the western portion of the empire, while Zoroastrianism is still commonplace in the east.

'''The Avars reconsider their possible decision to join the High Council of the Middle East, fearing that such a decision might put them at odds with their neighbors. Instead they choose to remain neutral in current affairs.'''

Göktürk Khaganate: Economy improves and population increases fast. We expand very far in all directions.

Japan: We continue to build up and improve our navy while expanding northward towars the Ainu nations.

Lombard Kingdom: As the invasion nears its third year, king Johannic summons the tribal chiefs commanding the disparate Lombard armies to a council in occupied Saxonic territory, and works with them to set up the division of the future Lombard-owned territory. The Saxonic land is divided into halves, one of the halves is divvied up between the chieftains participating in the invasion, as well as king Johannic, and the other half is owned by Saxonic chieftains who are told that they may keep their dominions and gain those of their enemy chieftains if they swear fealty to king Johannic over the old Saxon king. '''The royal-controlled navy is consolidated and sent to find and destroy what remains of the Saxon navy, to cut off its supply lines. A messsage is sent to the Saxon king, saying that he will be allowed to live on as the equivalent of a Duke if he surrenders.''' As this is going on, the Lombard army is centralized and sent to find and destroy any Saxon armies that exist.

The loot from the invasion is sent home and used to begin construction of an eight-meter-high stone wall encircling the center of the new capital, and the camps of workmen set up outside the wall soon become permanent, giving the new capital its first real population. Land is cleared, and agriculture becomes so prevalent by the fifth year, that plans for a minor aqueduct from the hills to the south are drawn up, and finally put into motion by a Greek architect named Stavlos Mikelakis, who first won fame for himself participating in the construction of the new palace, and who has traveled to act as a Greek interpreter along with both south-bound delegations. For his work, king Johannic sends him a hefty reward in gold, as well as an invitation to join his court as an advisor.

'''Johannic, while on campaign, finally sends home word of his official conversion. After years of deliberation between Christianity and Islam, he has chosen Christianity. While Islam seems to be advancing quite quickly, the Caliphate seems determined to win by annexation and subjugation (the recent annexation of Persia as a client exemplifies this), and so Johannic's decision is made purely to preserve his and his nation's independence. He encourages his council and chieftains to convert, is baptised in a small church in a conquered Saxon town, orders that a basilica be constructed in his capital, and starts funding missionary activity (though, with all the construction and the invasion, the funds appropriated for this purpose are very small).''' He does, however, note in his personal journal that should the Caliphate conquer Byzantium, he might change his mind and accept subjugation in exchange for his life.

'''An embassy heads south to the Gothic court in Rome, and requests that Lombardia be ceded a small strip of land along the Wallachian corridor (along the border of the Gepids) to the kingdom to ease the amber trade, and that if they did so, the taxes on traders heading from the Baltic to the Byzantine Empire would be split equally with the Goths. This would require the loss of a small amount of land on the Goth's part, but would make both nations absurdly wealthy (the amber trade is so important at this time that I only say "absurdly wealthy" because I can't think of any stronger words in the English language to describe just how unbelievably rich we'll both be. It would be a bit like controlling the entire Silk Road).'''

'''Finally, he sends word to the West-Slavic Confederation, requesting that they join the Lombard kingdom. Since it is a confederation, the only thing that would change is the direction that the chieftains' tax-money is going to, and since taxes in Lombardy are much lighter than the dues imposed on the constituents of the Confederation, and the level of independence the same, there are really no downsides at all for joining.''' Ganga Dynasty: In 653, the Raja's wife gave birth to a son, named Palaka. The population celebrated the birth of Palaka, as the boy would one day rule those lands. Eager to own more lands in the Indian Sea, Raja Khanchana I sent ships to expand in the island of Sri Lanka, in order to claim it first.
 * (Mod) The Western Slavs state that they are currently deciding between two offers, and will have reached a decision within a decade.

Anglo-Saxons: King Osgar takes Callwen as his bride. Their wedding is held in a public hall and open to all who wish to come.

'''Callwen gives birth to twin children on October 14th, 656. They are named Cadfael and Branwen, a boy and a girl.'''

As the navy grows ever larger, an engineer approaches Osgar with schematics for a new kind of ship. It relies on one sail to carry it on the wind, but the sail is collapseable and the ship can be carried by oars. The ship is planned to be 12 feet long and carry three or four men, so it is to be used for short voyages and quick travel. King Osgar approves and names the boats Peregrines, because falcons are fucking sweet.

King Osgar also seeks a falcon, as falcons are fucking sweet.

Egypt: Without assistance from the Caliphate, western Egyptians are forced to completely abandon the west and flock to the East**. We plead for continued survival and would be willing to listen to peace treaties from nations we are at war with. Islamic influence wavers as the Caliphate refuses to put a stop to our slaughter.
 * Caliphate Dip: We aid the Egypt and begins to stop our slaughtering.
 * Ooc: you weren't the ones slaughtering us - egypt

Silla: We finish the construction of a twenty-foot wall on our borders to fight off any future invasions/conflicts. We start building the "Unification Statue" in Seorabeol, which symbolises the unity of the Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo, (perhaps the Ainu) peoples. We increase trade with China and the Turkish peoples. We improve agriculture output per capita. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. We expand more into Pacific Russia and the Sakhalin. We continue invading Hokkaido. We say to the Ainu people that if we incorporate them as an Autonomous Province, we'll guarantee them the survival of their ethnicity and culture. We try to create a naval force powerful enough to counter growing Japanese influence.

Hephthalite Empire: Economy, infrastructure and military improves. Population continues to grow faster. Fewer Hindu mandirs and more houses, shops, Hindu temples and mining plants are built. Continues to plan new reforms and continues investing heavily in technology and science. Roads and farms are improved and cities continue to grow. Expands and now controls all of remaining free unsettled India and Maldives, by sending ships to colonize the Maldives. Begins to expend 2000 px north. Begins mobilization and place armed forces near Gupta border in order to conquer OTL India and Bangladesh from Gupta Dynasty.
 * Caliphate Dip: We wish you to join the High Council of the Middle East.

Caliphate: We celebrate Persia Kingdom's transition from barbarian to Islam. We begin aiding the Egyptions in their war only if they cede 100 pixels of Southern Egypt to us. We would like this war to be over soon. We expand 3200 pixels into East Africa. We decide that we don't want to fight in the war against the Bytzans anymore because of tiny advances. We would like the Avars to reconsider joining the High Council of the Middle East, saying that they can get their revenge from the Rus' Princapility and could explore new lands easily with Caliphate, Egypt and Persia assistance. We would like the Hephthalite Empire to join the High Council of the Middle East, saying that you're joining the strongest organisation in the world. We say that you don't need to become Muslim or a client state of the Calpihate. We build our military and economy. We influence our power over Persia ad Egypt. We call Persia to cede 50 pixels of land to us.
 * The Caliphate's proposition scares and confuses the Egyptian populace. With the mbalian genocides in our northern provinces continually forcing us south, Gothic genocides across the Nile forcing us farther east, and now with the Caliphate only offering support in exchange for annexation we feel our very existence as a nation is at great risk. We are forced to break into three sections due to religious and cultural tensions throughout the republic. The south largely stays loyal to Islam and the Caliphate, while the remaining north begins converting to Arianism to avoid religious prosecution. The middle nation begins to lose hope altogether, and many citizens refuse to publicly identify as any sect, and the topic of religion in general is largely abandoned. (We would like to continue playing as Middle-Egypt.)
 * Calpihate: We wish to aid you and NOT cead land to me. However, we would like to chad land from Persia to us.

Rus' Principality: We continue expanding to the east into northern Siberia, above the Avar lands. Population and agricultural output continues to grow as the new territories develop. Grand Prince Yaropolk dies and is succeeded by his son, Yaropolk II. We also continue construction of new infrastructure throughout the nation, but mostly in the north, where it is most needed. Kiev, Moscow, Novgorod, Chernigov, Sevastopol, Lviv, Pskov, and other major cities are made larger as more people move in. The army is also improved with new weapons and a steady intake of volunteers, currently standing at a peacetime strength of 300,000 trained men at arms. The navy is also expanding rapidly and includes 500 ships, manned by 80,000 sailors. '''We offer a mutual defense pact and trade agreement to the Khazars, then we tell the Western Slavs that they should rejoin their eastern brothers. We point out our past unity and our successes since the split, and since we are close economically, we might as well unite into one great Slavic nation. Not to mention that it would help us both militarily.''' The Kingdom of Mbali: With tensions in Cairo beginning to slow, King Nero plans to repair the westernmost portion of the war-torn lands. Colonist and settlers are encouraged to occupy the newly reforged Cairo. Arian churches are built throughout Cairo to farther promote the sudden switch in religion. Nero extends his hand to the people of East Cairo. Anyone who renounces Islamic belief and confesses their undying faith to Arian Christianity, will be accepted as a part of the Kingdom of Mbali. Nero makes a point that the citizens of Cairo that choose Arian belief are to be treated as equals and discrimination of any kind is strictly prohibited.
 * (Mod) The Khazars happily agree.
 * (Mod) The Western Slavs declare that they are putting the proposition under heavy consideration, and will likely have reached a decision within a decade.

King Nero notices the economic boom in Carthage and he speaks personally with their leaders, offering to build schools and bazaars, as well as roads to improve trade and travel between our countries. Naval construction continues and Mbalian ship builders utilize this time to work side-by-side with Gothic naval engineers. Diplomats are sent through the Gulf of Aden to propose a trade route be established between the Hephthalites and the Kingdom of Mbali.

The Gothic Empire: The Nile blockade seems to calm down for a time whilst Egypt deals with internal and external aggressors. During this break of warfare, Gothic troops drink up the rich treasures of the Nile and effectively have it stripped of its valuable resources, even transporting fresh water in droves to help supply the Mbalian troops still fighting off a civil war in northern Egypt. The Umbra-Gotha is assigned its first mission in decades and travels south into Egypt to help evacuate Arian believers into Sinai where it is hoped their influence will spread.

New Gothic regions are formed and political power throughout the empire begins to find its balancing point. Crete, being a longstanding and highly sought after island is provided unique autonomy in which it is requested that they concern themselves with southern Greek affairs and be allowed continued control of their culture and traditions. Roman Catholicism in recently conquered Byzantine territories is tolerated, but the policy of banning church monetization still stands.

The region of Sinai has a different approach taken to its governance. Trusted delegates, forty-eight year old Dag Leovagildo and his eldest son Piuso are sent to Sinai to act as leaders and representatives for the area. A rudementary port is built in the farthest south area of the region and large-scale ship construction begins. The Leovagildo name spreads rapidly throughout the lands and the family quickly becomes recognized as the undisputed champions of the region. The territory becomes viewed as a bastion for religious tolerance to all sects of Christianity, strictly excluding Islam.

A deal with Egypt is struck up after decades of mindless and deadly wars. The treaty of the Nile is drawn up by Roderic Lousean himself and proposed to the senate. After applause all around, the senate quickly agrees to Roderick's ideas and boasts him to be a brilliant military mastermind. The treaty is presented to leaders of Egyptian resistance movements in the northernmost territories and Middle-Egypt.

The six-step treaty dictates an agreement as follows:
 The Treaty of the Nile 

North-Egypt: (Mod) Knoxmoor
A new amphibious boat design is drawn up by Castilian engineers and shipwrights begin experimenting with its construction. The small war-vessel would have wheels and be capable of traveling over long distance of land, only to float on water just as easily and gracefully as other popular boats of the time, all whilst carrying a crew and cargo. Techniques to automate the vehicle are attempted, but prove to be fruitless. Until such time as a brilliant new inventor is born, the boats are to rely largely on horsepower while on land, and man/wind power whilst in open waters.

Emissaries from the Gothic Empire are sent across the Black Sea into Rus' territory. Warm relations between the two great empires is proposed, and the Rus' are warned of threats against their nation made by the Caliphate. In order to allow them to get a head start in a future possibly devastating conflict, the Rus' are encouraged to join the High Council of the Mediterranean. The Goths recognize Rus' supremacy in the area and applaud their victories over Crimea and Bosporus.

The Lombardian delegation does not fall on deaf ears. The Goths feel that due to the hemorrhage of money being devoted largely to war efforts, expanding enterprises and seeking new means of acquiring wealth could prove only to be a benefit to their empire. The land, however, is not ceded to the Lombards, but instead is allowed to establish a sort of joint occupation, allowing Lombardian troops and merchants access to the area, but while also maintaining Gothic authority over the area remaining as the supreme deciding factor. The trade route construction is underway, thanks to the idea from the Lombards, but without any of their necessary assistance or even participation.

An official welcome into the High Council of the Mediterranean is extended to the Frankish Kingdom. Their influence over Gothic culture continues to flourish, and Gothic tourism into Paris is at an all time high. While the Frankish Kingdom does offer its fair share of beauties and magnificence, the Gothic populace still remembers stories told to them by their forefathers of the War of Frankish Aggression and the strains it put on the empire.

In the late hours on the last month of the last day of 659 CE, the hulking leader Alphonso-Riqueza "The Bear King" Lousean sneaks away and is never seen or heard from again. Some speculate that he changed his name and joined the Umbra-Gotha, others still, claim him to be leading the nation out of sight of the public eye, for fear of further humiliation due to his violent nature and stature. The widely accepted theory is that the behemoth of a chairman simply took his own life near a riverside, allowing his body to be taken by the sea. In his place, the highly respected, yet still so young, Roderic Lousean assumes control over the Gothic Empire.

The Goth's finest hatchling falcon is sent to King Osgar of the Anglo-Saxons, because falcons are indeed "fucking sweet".

660 C.E.
The entire Indian subcontinent has fallen under control of the Ganga, Gupta and Hephthalite Kingdoms.

The Military buildup on the Hephthalite-Gupta border does not go unnoticed, and the Gupta begin building up their own force in preparation for a possible attack.

'''The Second Egyptian Panic occurs, and this time, its results are visible almost immediately. The former Egyptian Republic quickly and violently splits into three Balkanized states. To the south is Lower-Egypt, also known as the Egyptian Emirate, which remains a client state of the Caliphate. To the north is Upper-Egypt, known to many as Arian Egypt. Lying directly between these two radically different states is Middle-Egypt, also known as the Egyptian Free State. The incredible amount of change that shook the region in five short years leaves many stunned, and the future of the area remains largely uncertain.'''

'''Following the Second Egyptian Panic, a semblance of order is reached in the area due to Gothic intervention. A treaty is struck between Upper- and Middle-Egypt, and fighting between them and the Goths ceases.'''

'''The Carthaginians continue to allow Mbalian influence to grow in their lands, and Mbalian schools to be constructed in their territory. With the aid, the Carthaginian Empire appears to have been restored to its prewar economic state, and optimism is high throughout the nation.'''

'''With the Lombards closing in rapidly on Saxon territory, King Aelle makes to the decision to capitulate to the invaders. He requests that, as the Lombards promised, he would maintain authority as a duke of Saxon territory.'''

'''Upon learning of the Rus’s decision to apply for the High Council of the Mediterranean, the Avars once again reconsider joining the High Council of the Middle East, due to fear of the unbalancing of power in Europe. They finally reach their decision, and apply for membership in the High Council of the Middle East.'''

'''The Western Slavic Confederation is torn between offers by the eastern and western neighbors respectively, both of whom would like them to become part of their nation. While they identify culturally with the Rus’, the Lombards recent economic growth and territorial expansion proves to be promising. They decide that they will wait for offers from both nations, and make a decision that will aid the wellbeing of their people the most.'''

'''The invasion of Hokkaido continues. Many Ainu, seeing the Silla’s history of peaceful assimilation of conquered people, begin to support annexation into the Korean Kingdom. Others see the Silla as nothing but brutish invaders, and continue to fight fiercely. Finally, a significant portion of the Ainu people, begin to flee into the Kamchatka Peninsula, where their people have already established a presence.'''

'''The Caliphate halts their advance into Byzantium, seeing their minor gains as not worth the large loss of life. The Byzantines use this time to recuperate, and re-establish a sense of order in the empire. Fearing a future assault, the Byzantines propose a treaty to the Caliphate in which the Caliphate would be allowed to keep conquered territories, so long as Byzantines living there would be free to leave in the coming five years. Additionally, a fifty-year non-aggression pact would be established.'''

'''The Amber Road is very close to being established. The Goths await a response to their proposal of a joint occupation of the Wallachian corridor, in exchange for a large cut of the monetary benefits of the lucrative trade opportunity, as opposed to the Lombard proposal of just allowing them to be in complete control of the region.'''

'''The Hephthalite attempts to push into Tibet are slow and inefficient. The presence of the Himalayan Mountains make any advances northward extremely difficult.'''

Göktürkic expansion also proves difficult, due to the nations low population density, and history of trouble with surrounding barbarian tribes.

'''The Persian decision to join the Caliphate is, by now, known to all of its citizens. While greeted as a triumph of diplomacy in the Muslim portions of the empire, the Zoroastrians view it as a direct violation of their rights, and an outright attack on their beliefs. Unrest soars in these areas, and talk of secession becomes commonplace.'''

'''The Republic of Morocco expands into Western Africa. They state that the tribal peoples living in those areas are ethnically and culturally Moroccan, and will will welcome their new rulers. The actual results are largely mixed, with some supporting it, and others opposing it.'''

'''Gothic religious endeavors in Sinai prove to be surprisingly successful, given the regions proximity to the Caliphate. No noticeable Islamic following seems to have made it to the area.'''

'''The practices of falconry and gladiatorial combat become increasingly popular throughout the western world. Many countries begin to fear that their people are succumbing to the influences of Gothic culture.'''

Frankish Kingdoms: Begins building up its military and economic might, and builds several ports along our northern shores. Naval expansion begins and several warships are built to prepare for a new plan that will give the Frank's influence, power and prestige over the British Isles. Thus, a massive fleet of Frankish ships, with 150,000 men aboard in total, sets sail and invades the British Isles, with the goal of subduing the whole island and creating a new kingdom from the ashes. Landfall is made in Wales-Cornwall and the Anglo-Saxon lands. The Celtic League is offered to take part in the invasion, in return, it shall be given Erie. An alliance is offered with the Goths, so as to prevent the outbreak of hostilities, and it is reminded that a Burgundian King sits on the throne.

Persia Caliphate: We begin to convert people to Islam en masse because it has the same things: more reasonable and more mosques. We also improve our army. We ask if Baghdad will become our capital. We also begin to work on our armies.

Lombard Kingdom: King Johannic, now in his 50's, returns home from leading the invasion of Saxony, and begins to sort through the reports. He accepts the preposition for the co-administration of the Wallachian corridor, and makes an offer to donate up to 200 pounds of silver to aid in the completion of the roadway there.

'''He also, after discussing with his advisors, agree to allow Aelle to keep his position as nominal ruler of the Saxons, on the stipulation that the throne would pass to the king of the Lombards once Aelle dies. However, spies are sent to Aelle's court to keep an eye on him, and a contingency plan is drawn up to respond to any future deviation from his oath of fealty by the Saxon duke, the result of which would be an unfortunate accident occurring whilst hunting.'''

A message is sent to the Western Slavs, listing the bonuses of joining the Lombard kingdom.

1) Their level of freedom for the individual chieftains would remain exactly the same in the Lombard kingdom as in the Slavic confederacy, while in the Rus' nation, it would certainly decrease dramatically.

2) Taxes to the Lombard king are much lower than in the Confederacy, and can be paid in kind, which, in the Dark-Ages north, is much easier to procure than actual currency. The same cannot be said about the Rus'.

3) Many of the people living in Rusland (I'll call it that until someone says otherwise, no matter how ridiculous it sounds) are Slavic, yes, but they are ruled by the barbaric Norsemen, whose cruelty is renowned across the western world (in the OTL the Norse wouldn't have immigrated to Russia until around 750, but the Rus' were an amalgamation of Nordic and Slavic, so I'm assuming some sort of immigration occurred between 500 and now). There are also many Slavs living inside Lombardy, so the Western Slavs, if they do join, would not be alone.

4) Joining the Lombard nation guarantees the tribes access to the new western amber-route, allowing the Western Slavic chieftains, who make a lot of money trading in amber, an even more lucrative destination for export, whereas joining the Rus' would mean being cut-off from the western amber-trade, and losing your primary source of income.

5) The recent agreement on the trade route through the Wallachian corridor clearly shows an amount of solidarity between the Lombards and the Goths, which are currently Europe's foremost power, and the Rus' have nothing similar to show.

6) The Lombard tribes have recently shown that they can fight as a cohesive, effective fighting force and can coordinate with their navy. All the Rus' army has shown is that they can pacify all of 7000 primitive Finno-Ugric nomads, and take decades to do it.

Johannic makes an official declaration of neutrality on the war between the Franks and the Anglo-Saxons, preferring to instead wait and see how the war goes (though privately he hopes that the Anglo-Saxons win, as it would not be very promiscuous to have a massive kingdom in north-western Europe).

A ban on gladiatorial fighting goes out throughout the kingdom, declaring it both unwholesome and a useless waste of human lives. Fortunately, the practice hadn't spread very far, as their are only a few cities in the empire large enough to host a real Coliseum; most are on the extreme northern coast and isolated from any dangerous southern influences, and the few others are under the direct control of the king. However, perhaps related to the Gladiatorial craze, street fighting begins to spring up as a common (though technically illegal) sport among the underprivileged. The chieftains do little to prevent it, and rumors circulate that the nobles and warriors engage in the same practice, just in more confidential situations.

The aqueduct is completed, providing the new capital with a supply of fresh water. Consequently, the city experiences a surge in population. Johannic begins to work with Stavros Mikelakis to draw up plans for a centralized network of streets topping a rudimentary sewage system. These plans are put into effect, and by the end of the fifth year two of the three planned cisterns have been carved into a deposit of sandstone, and both the Palace and the Basilica are connected to a sewage pit a mile away from the city via drainage pipes running beneath the city's central boulevard.

A party of Lombardian nobles sets out and spends a few months surveying Saxony, before returning to Lombardy. Soon after, the Lombard chieftains in charge of the Saxon tribes whose leaders refused to surrender and were imprisoned (Johannic made the decision to execute very few of them, as he didn't want to create martyrs) take their places as heads of their new tribes, and begin to integrate with them. The royal overseer in charge of the many port cities that Johannic took as part of his personal demesne after the war starts performing renovations on the harbors in his cities.

'''Finally, Johannic sends an embassy to the Gepids requesting an official declaration of solidarity and friendship between the two kings. This has no practical meaning, and is mostly meant as a deal-sweetener for the Western Slavs, as it shows that Lombardia has good relations with even more of the Slavs' neighbors.'''

Ganga Dynasty: From now on, Sri Lanka will be the personal domain of the heir (actually Khanchana's first son Palaka), so he could learn to rule. However, the Raja is still supreme ruler in the region, and his influence surpasses the influence of the Yuvraj (Crown Prince). Seing how the situation had got on the frontier, Raja Kanchana I ordered the construction of a massive navy. From Bhubaneswar to Sri Lanka, ships are built to join the growing naval power of the Ganga Dynasty. With this, Kanchana hope to help his ally on the naval front in case of war, and to gain territories in thre occasion.

Anglo-Saxons: As news of war is received by King Osgar, the designer of the peregrines, Estan, approaches the King. He proposes another new type of ship, the splitter, this time it is once again a smaller ship, but slightly taller than some. It is 36 feet long and can hold a crew and passengers consisting of 25 people on average. It is propelled by a large mainsail and a jib, but has portholes in the belowdeck for oaring capabilities. King Osgar dubs them Splitters, and comissions two to be built.

Over the years, the Anglo-Saxons have built their navy through previously captured ships and those constructed over the last 12 years. Their current navy stands at 40 longships, 20 Peregrines, and two Splitters.

King Osgar pleads for help from the other British Kingdoms, warning of the Frankish invasion.

The longships are packed with '''80 men each: 25 bowmen, 25 swordsmen, and 50 crewmen to man the ships. The Peregrines are crewed by one sailor and three of the most elite bowmen in the kingdom each. The Splitters are loaded one with half of the Order of the New Dawn, 12 nobles, ten sailors, and three of the finest knights of the kingdom, and the other is loaded with 12 more nobles of the Order of the New Dawn, nine sailors, and the royal family.'''

'''36 Longships and 14 Peregrines are sent along the Frankish coastline to raid and destroy ports. The remaining ships form a defensive line around the Splitters, with four longships on the flanks and two Peregrines in front of them, the remaining four Peregrines are tied to the longships as getaway boats in case of emergency.'''

The escaping unit heads toward the Republic of Morocco to seek refuge and allies, so they may begin to retake their homeland.

Rus' Principality: In order to prepare against any potential threats, Grand Prince Yaropolk II (who is a military enthusiast) gives orders to begin constructing a series of forts and trenches are being constructed near the border with the Avars (not directly on it, to not frighten them). The Rus' ambassador to the Avars lets them know that the principality will take no actions against them as long as they do not take actions against us.

The army continues improving in the face of this possible threat. Extensive training and war games go on while a new structure is established: the basic unit is a squad, consisting of ten soldiers, then a platoon, with five squads, then a company, two platoons, a battalion, three or four companies, a regiment, two battalions, a division, four or five regiments, a corps of two divisions, and finally, an army, which has two or three corps. Meanwhile, the 300,000 troops are trained and drilled to perfection. Recruitment begins after the new structure is formed and the men are trained, who can then help train the new recruits. The navy is divided into the Black Sea Fleet (450 ships), Dneiper Fleet (150 ships), and the Volga Fleet (200 ships). The vessels are manned by 110,000 sailors (since the navy is recruiting now as well). Construction on more ships and weapons for the army continues.

Expansion to the new lands in the east, to the north of Avar lands, continues. We settle in the Nenetsia and Yamalia. Yaropolk II has his ministers oversee the construction of infrastructure and the development of the lands for agriculture in the recently-gained territories. With plenty of food and land, as well as good living conditions, the Rus' population continues to grow. The economy continues to improve with the materials being brought in from the new lands and the trade that goes on there, as well as the economic ties with the Khazars and Western Slavs.

Speaking of which, the Rus' ambassador to the Western Slavs gives them the following message:

1) Lombardy has invaded Western Slav land in the past and conquered some of it. The Lombards are not Slavs, nor do they have anything culturally in common with Slavs, so it would make no sense to submit to them. We may be able to help get that land back, one way or another.' ''2) The Western Slavic leadership would have the same authority over their lands with little interference from the central government in Kiev. The chieftains of the Western Slavs will be given the titles of Prince as members of the Rus' nobility and can take part in the Prince Council, the principality's legislative body, in deciding matters of the state with the Grand Prince of Kiev.''' 3) The Rus' Principality also offers economic benefits. While our trade with other European states is still developing, we do have a lot of trade with powers of the east, including merchants from the Khazars, the Persians and the Avars. Now that the Goths have invited the Principality to join the High Council of the Mediterranean, our economic relations with other European states will only increase. That would give the Western Slavs access to both Eastern and Western markets.'
 * Lombardy: The Lombard ambassador to the Western Slavic Confederation, hearing about the report delivered by Rus', warns the Rus' ambassador that any threat to the security of Lombardy, such as the one implicit in Point One of their report, would not be tolerated by the Lombard government, and may result in restrictions being placed on the Rus' trading rights within Lombard territory.
 * OOC: The report was not public, it was a private message delivered to the Western Slavs.
 * Lombardy (OOC): Sorry about that, I misinterpreted the nature of the message. I'll stop delivering rebuttals, after this last round.
 * Lombardy: The Lombard ambassador reminds the Slavs that the Lombards offer practically the same deal, just replacing the word "Rus'" with "Lombard" and "Prince Council" with "Council of Chiefs".
 * Rus' Principality: Rus' ambassador points out that this wasn't mentioned earlier, interestingly.
 * Lombardy: Their state of independence? That's what your entire second point is about ...
 * Lombardy: The Lombard ambassador points out the differences involving the amber and fish trades (the two most important to the Slavs) between being aligned with Lombardy and being aligned with Rus'. If the Slavs agree to join Rus', then to deliver any cargoes of fish or amber to Constantinople (the usual destination), they would have to cart them overland to find a Rus' exporter, then pay them to ship them downriver to the Black Sea (as the Rus' Principality doesn't own the Black Sea coast, they would have to go through customs and be taxed in Crimea, and, depending on the state of relations between Rus' and Crimea, they might be stopped or even seized). There they will likely change hands to another transporter who will carry them across the entire Black Sea to dock in Constantinople, that is if it isn't suffering from one of its not-infrequent naval blockades. Or they could try to run the inevitable Lombard blockade of the Jutland Straits so they can travel down to France, and then down to Spain, and then around Gibraltar, and then cross the entire Mediterranean length-wise to Constantinople. To use the Amber Road down to Constantinople, they need only cart their goods down the wide, paved, well patrolled and well maintained road and transport them in one stage to Constantinople. The Amber Route is faster, cheaper, safer, and less likely to be stopped by a seasonal drought, or a blockade, or pirates, or a shipwreck, or a logjam.
 * Rus' Principality: The Rus' ambassador corrects that, first of all, Crimea is under Rus' control, has been since it was ceded by the Byzantines. Secondly, the Black Sea coast is not just Crimea, the mainland also has a coastline. The Rus' navy and merchant fleet can provide much faster travel to Constantinople than going overland the entire way, which would have the possibility of being stopped by bandits, one of the many frequent wars, mud slides, floods, or other problems.
 * Lombardy: (Sorry, I was looking at an outdated map) The Amber Road is patrolled by both the Lombard chieftains (who have it in their best interests to maintain it) and the army of the Goths. If you're implying that the Goth army is insufficient for the purposed of patrolling and maintaining an allied-controlled road, I'd suggest you take that up with them ...
 * Lombardy: And if you did want to move your goods to the east, I would remind you that Rus' is a big place, and it's mostly wilderness. If you do manage to get your goods to the east of Rus', the only prospective buyers are the Avars, and that would mean opening an unexplored market in a decentralized place with very little collective purchasing power. You'd either have to accept the massive time it would take to move your goods and mark down your prices so the Avars can buy things (probably to the point where you'd be paying more to transport your goods than they actually sell for) or just allow your entire economy to collapse and give up the EXTREMELY lucrative amber trade altogether. Although I guess you could try transporting your goods across Siberia, then into Mongolia and finally sell them in China. Let me know how that works out for you.
 * Rus' Principality: Infrastructure for proper transportation of goods has been constructed and well maintained over the decades, especially increasing in recent times. Transportation to the Avars is not a problem due to this, neither is transportation to the Khazars (even easier, over plains) or farther south to other buyers. The things they cannot buy can also be bartered for by goods the Avars can provide (or the other trade partners of the Avars, such as the Persians, that have traded with them).
 * Lombardy (OOC): So you're expecting them to lug 1000 pounds of fish across a third of Asia, then lug 1000 pounds of dried apples (or, based on the khaganate's economies, 1000 pounds of actual horse crap) all the way back?

4) Our expansion continues. The Rus' Principality itself is further expanding into Siberia, with more economic opportunities arising and living conditions throughout the country drastically improving. With new provinces being created, there is much opportunity for the sons of Western Slavic nobility to go to the east as explorers and become rulers of their own newly-formed fiefs in the new land, further increasing the power and standing of Western Slavs.'

5) Now that the population and territory are growing, the army has been reformed. We have suffered difficulties against the Avars, but it has only worked to strengthen us. Although the engagements with the Byzantine army were brief before they surrendered, we defeated them. Even the Goths recognized the feat and invited us to the Council. And since then the military has improved even further, with a new organizational structure and a joint general staff formed. The navy is constantly expanding, which will reach more than one thousand ships in the next five years. 6) Warfare, though, is not as common here as it is in Western Europe and the Western Slavs can rest well knowing that their sons will not be sent to die in imperialistic wars like the ones waged by the Lombards, who have started many conflicts as the aggressors while we have done so only once. Celtic League: After 50 years of building our armies in secrecy we receive word from the Franks to help them attack the Main Land where we used to reside. After much discussion with our counsel we decide to send word back of our answer.
 * Lombardy (OOC): 1000 ships? Let's keep this realistic. The U.S. navy, the largest in the modern world, has around 270 ships. While I could believe that Rus' possesses a navy of 100, or even 200 or 300 ships, 1000 seems slightly absurd.
 * OOC: I suppose that could be lowered to 600 or so, but keep in mind we are talking about small wooden vessels, not large, advanced, modern metal ships.
 * Lombardy (OOC): I recognize that, meaning that 600 would be a good conversion for the U.S. if it were using wooden ships. However, Rus' is smaller and poorer that the U.S., and mass-production techniques have not yet been invented. I would accept 450 ships, but I'm afraid I would disbelieve anything higher.
 * Lombardy (OOC): Okay, since my ambassador apparently didn't even read the dispatch, I'm done for this set of arguments. If you post any replies to my previous statements, I will read them but not reply, unless you'd prefer to discuss this on the talk page.
 * Lombardy: As always, participation in wars is completely optional, unless the homeland is invaded. During our last Saxonic war, the chieftains who fought chose to participate for glory, land and loot. Almost a fifth didn't fight at all as they decided that it would be more beneficial to their people to refrain from fighting.

"We will help with the attack on the Hibernia with one condition. The lands you offered us, the collection of islands known as The Hebrides, plus an alliance that will last until the war on the British Isles end, renewable upon mutual agreement. If you agree to these terms we will gladly collaborate in the conquer of the Homelands. Until we receive word of your decision we will move our army to our two northern Islands. Once receiving your answer we will move half of our army to attack and land on the Hibernia Region. The other half of our army to wherever you assign them. If you deny this deal, we will attack the Hibernians on our own accord.

~Queen Ygritte"

We keep building our military's navy in Iceland as we send our 100 ships equally (15 Drekkar Longships, 25 Skeid Longships and ten Snekkja Longships to each island) to our two islands (Shetland and Orkney) North of the Homelands (The British Isles). The whole country has rallied behind the government for this war. They are eager to take back the homelands that were taken from their ancestors. Our economy's current stance is slightly lower than it should be, but it will be worked on once we have our homelands.

Our navy stands with 30 Drekkar Longships (specifically for attacking coastal cities), 50 Skeid Longships (specifically to carry around 80 Troops), 20 Snekkja Longships (a smaller more lightweight ship).

Frankish Dip: We agree to your terms.

Gepid Republic: Taking up the throne in Sirmium, King Dusan Reznik comes to power in the small nation. His first order of business is to secure an alliance with his southern neighbors, the Byzantine Empire, forming the first Black Sea Alliance. He offers to send his son, Prince Alexander, to secure this alliance. He also orders his engineers to go throughout the kingdom and improve the infrastructure, mainly to repair/construct roads. The country itself is at a religious crossroads, where Christianity is beginning to rise amongst the nobles, while many of the citizens still worship the old gods. With much debate in his court, King Dusan declares the Gepid Republic a secular nation. We open our borders to people of all faiths. We ask that Rus halts any expansion south for we have trade ports around the Black Sea. Along with this request, we open up our borders to trade, offering gold and salt. In the port city of Burgas, we start construction of a navy, which includes fishing ships, which are modeled after the Byzantine Empire's
 * Lombardy: How do you respond to our request for solidarity and friendship?
 * Gepid: We accept your request.

Silla: We start building the "Unification Statue" in Seorabeol, which symbolises the unity of the Baekje, Silla and Goguryeo, (perhaps the Ainu) peoples. We increase trade with China and the Turkish peoples. We improve agriculture output per capita. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. We expand more into Pacific Russia and the Sakhalin. We continue invading the Ainu peoples. We continue to create a naval force powerful enough to counter growing Japanese influence. We propose to the Ainu to make them an Autonomous Province, and we'll guarantee them safety and preservation of their peoples and culture. Another choice is to cede the rest of Sakhalin and the Southern tip of Hokkaido to us, and they'll let our navy travel freely into Ainu territory. We'll also trade with them. Hephthalite Empire: Economy, infrastructure and military improve. Population continues to grow faster. Fewer Hindu mandirs and more houses, shops, Hindu temples and mining plants are built. Continues to plan new reforms and continues investing heavily in technology and science. Roads and farms are improved and cities continue to grow. Expends 2000 px north. '''Continues mobilization and place armed forces near Gupta border in order to conquer OTL India and Bangladesh from Gupta Dynasty. Accepts Caliphate's offer and joins the High Council of the Middle East.'''
 * (Mod) The Ainu accept the second offer, and cede land in Hokkaido and Sakhalin in exchange for peace.

Middle-Egypt: We migrate back to the west of the Nile in droves, repopulating the barren empty lands. We expand our borders 200 pixels west and, and then 100 pixels south. These new lands are used to gather wood from un-wartorn tundra to rebuild destroyed buildings and construct our own ports, hoping to connect for trade with the Gothic Empire across the Gulf of Aden.

The Kingdom of Mbali: Efforts to pave and preserve the Mali Trail begin. Blocks of sandstone, limestone and petrified wood are laid into the road. Though dust and rocks were an easily solved issue, landslides and heavy rains all but ruined the paved road. The project proves to be more difficult and expensive than expected, as well as requiring constant maintenance, so instead the Mali is paved through cities and some larger towns. Workers are hired to live in said cities and repair any uprooted or broken tiles. The effort to repair Cairo continues and roads are connected to Mbalian cities. Ceramics are necessary utensils of every day life. However, most are still bland and uncolored. A variety of new paints, glazes and even attaching thin strips of gold are implemented into the ceramic process in hopes of raising demand.

Recent division of Morocco, rapid spread of foreign religion and the prevention of military growth all pose problems to Carthage’s well being. King Nero offers protection from growing threats in Africa, and in exchange, the Kingdom of Mbali requests control of Carthage’s economic, religious and political decisions. To further sweeten the deal, gifts are presented to rulers in Carthage to flash our mild influx of wealth.

Caliphate: We decide to invade Middle-Egypt in an attempt to bring Islam back to the area. We say to Middle-Egypt if they want to survive then become a client State of the Caliphate and join a union with South Egypt. The name of this union would be 'the Egyptian Islamic Client State of the Great Calpihate' or Egypt. We send troops and aid to fight the rebels in Persia. We end our war with the Bytzans. We welcome the Avars and the Hephthalite Empire. We wish any other Indian state which allies with the Hephthalite Empire to join the High Council of the Middle East. We consider changing the name. We continue to build our military and infrastructure. We wish the Gothic region of Sunai to become part of us.

The Kingdom of Ghana: Peace has prevailed in the region for nearly a century, as many of the Ghanan people only remember the Carthaginian War of old, as merely a tale of heroics by there people to inspire there youth, but conflict has a funny way of always coming back. With the onset of Islamic expansion and agression into the African continent and the fear that they may threaten the affluence of the Council states, causes the King Kaya Magha Cisse' II to join the Council in a permanent state of wartime against this threat, The Kingdom's levies are mobilized and being prepped for war.

Religious info:(Since this is becoming more important with politics in game im going to specify in this little blurb).The Kingdom of Ghana generally believes in the Coptic faith, as it was the only major christian faith in Africa primarily centered in Ethiopia, so I feel its apt considering if not they would historically convert to Islam at some point. There aer few dissenters in the kingdom due to very little outside influence culturally, but there are some small sects that prefer to take a more philosophical approach to there worldly views, these few are considered quaint at best, and a minor annoyance at there worst.

Expansion into central territory within The Kingdom goes as planned, with little opposition being faced as the regionalizing system coupled with high autonomy appears to be a most meticulous success in the King's opinion.

King Kaya Magha Cisse' II has a son named Kaya Dyabe Cisse' III, naming him after himself and his father. The state celebrates the birth of young prince, and many pray for his success as the future monarch. The King has his education focused on the past decisions of there rulers, primarily his father and grandfather, with hopes that he may become as great as there forefathers.

Inquiry is made with the Ghanan Explorers Guild into whether the Trans-Saharan trade route could be usable for military movements (Mod plz respond either here or for the next turn whether or not it is). Liang: Being an ally of the Hephalite empire, we intervene on the side of the Hephalites against Tibet. However we will not join the council of the Middle East, due to not affiliating with Islam or the Middle East.
 * (Mod) It is usable for any and all kinds of traffic.

The Gothic Empire: From devising intelligent policies and tactics to reciting Alaric II's memoirs from memory, the new Gothic high chairman is shaping up to be the true leader the people have needed. The charming chairman, Roderic Lousean, sees no need for Theudis Harentz to be in a place of power and quickly strips him of his position as political representative, to avoid a possible repeat of the "Martell Problem". Harentz begs and pleads, claiming he needs the job and political position to ensure his family has a bright future. The loyal Lousean guardsmen draw their swords on him and offer to execute Harentz on the spot. Roderic raises his merciful hand and spares Harentz's life, instead offering him a spot as his royal adviser and head foreign relations representative. Harentz gladly accepts and the two become fast friends.

After much deliberation, a decision is made and the Goths state their neutrality in the Frankish War of British-Isle unification. The Goths, however, would like to remind the Franks of their position in the High Council of the Mediterranean as an ally to both the Goths and the Jutes. The Jutes have had long standing claims in the British isles, and the Goths support those holdings, any acts against these desires could result in an unfortunate and unwelcomed conflict between two fantastic nations. Roderic, having shared common interests with King Osgar Sighebert sends out his fastest ship to catch up to the runaway king and offer him and his family fair refuge in Gothic lands, with possibilities of even ruling over a small province.

The wall of Sinai is further fortified and has an additional five feet added to it in height. The Wardja-Gotha turn inward on the Gothic region, not allowing anyone to migrate to the east to avoid Islamic influence from breaching the borders. The Umbra-Gotha are stationed along the wall and plan to fire arrows down upon any Muslim inquisitors that would seek entry to Gothic lands. The entrance is almost completely sealed off and the people are effectively locked inside. To discourage revolts or escape attempts, a massive Gothic military occupation of the area is enacted, lead by the son of General Lazarus, General Lazarus II. The head of the region,Dag Leovagildo, having alrighty seen to it that Sinai have limited public representation, rejects the Caliphates proposal of subordinancy and expresses his desire to purge the satanic religion of Islam from the land. A massive public church is constructed in the center of Sinai, with all roads in the area converging and connecting there at a common central point. The church is named simply, “The Church of Jesus Christ” and it teaches only the basest foundations of Christianity, avoiding any controversial topics or issues of sect dividing proportion.

A system of portage is constructed in the peninsula of Sinai. A thirty foot wide wooden path spanning from Gothic ports in the Mediterranean near the Mbalian/Gothic border, connecting the shortest distance south to the port in the Gulf of Aden. The wood is finely polished and sanded before having a layer of wax spread across the surface to reduce friction between transported boats and the dock itself. In 662 CE the Goths put it to the test for the first and attempt to transfer one longship from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Aden. Slaves use ropes and pulleys to hoist the ship out of the water and onto a system of cylindrical stone rollers before  continuing to pull it the shortest length of the peninsula and finally reaching the port in  the south. There was a few casualties and the work seems a bit impractical at first, but with enough practice the Goths hope to master the techniques of portage to allow for much easier access to naval missions into the Gulf of Aden in the future.

The fabled admiral, Fernando Abdraxus  gets lost one evening while going for an expedition through unexplored African tundra. He struggles for weeks in the dense and deadly jungles, but only proves to find himself traveling deeper and deeper into uncharted territory. He meets several of the local tribes and takes note of their languages and cultural traditions. Through some ironic stroke of comic justice, while trying to get back to Egypt, Admiral Abdraxus succumbs to the environment and dies of starvation. With the loss of one of its “greatest” generals, the Gothic navy becomes distraught. Chairman Roderic seeks to remedy this problem and begins a search for the most worthy candidate to replace Abdraxus as head admiral of the Gothic navy. A middle-aged fisherman, Rai Tylikratus of Vivianis sticks out after Roderic hears stories about his legendary battles in the arena back in his gladiator days. The Gothic soldiers are slow to embrace Admiral Tylikratus due to him having no tangible experience in the Gothic navy, but after proving his combat prowess and superior nautical know-how, he is accepted as the right man for the job.

Amphibious boats prove to be a huge success, and many wealthy nobles adopt traveling around in them as a symbol of social status. The people take to calling these boats, landhoppers, and see them as a strange futuristic technology. They are officially employed in the Gothic navy and are sent to ports in Crete, Sicily, Northern Africa and the Gulf of Aden. The sails of all Gothic ships are to be repainted with red and gold,  to better express their vehement patriotism and loyalty to the unification of Ostrogothia and Visigothica over a century ago.

The Gothic foreign relations expert, Theudis Harentz, travels to the Western Slavic Confederation and ensures that whatever decision they make, they will have Gothic support, but this entails the Western Slavs make their decision soon, and make it a full and true decision; no half-measures and land splitting. It is suggested that joining the Rus’ Principality may be in the best of interests of both Western Slavs and the Gothic Empire, as the Lombards appear to be aggressively consolidating power as opposed to the Rus’ motives lying solely on unifying previously united lands.

The Gothic military begins large scale enlistment as it would seem war with the Caliphate is coming to a point of inevitability. A request is put out to the other nations of the High Council of the Mediterranean to ready the armies for an attack on the Caliphate while Gothic forces attempt to secure an allyship with Middle-Egypt. The brunt of the Gothic military is stationed in Middle-Egypt, seeking to test the strength of The Caliphate. Naval warships in the Nile travel south into Middle-Egypt where the majority of the conflict is presumed to take place. Fourty-five longships and fifteen navali ballista excussos are transported  to the Gulf of Aden and plan to give support by attacking the encroaching Caliphate armies from the sea and breaking up their forces before they can reach the Gothic front line. A messenger runs to Mbali to warn of the war on the horizon and requests that King Nero spare some of his troops to help support resistance in Middle-Egypt.
 * King Nero accepts.

665 C.E.
'''Tensions reach an unprecedented height in India, with both the Guptas and Hephthalites actively patrolling the border. It is unknown who will strike first, though many suspect it will be the Hephthalites, due to their empire surrounding and nearly enclaving the Gupta Kingdom.'''

'''The Hephthalites continue to struggle immensely with expansion into Tibet. The mountains become taller, the weather colder, and the trek longer. It is feared that no further expansion will be viable, let alone possible.'''

'''Order has returned to Mbalian Egypt, all most, if not all Muslim Influence has been removed from the region. Reconstruction of Cairo is underway.'''

'''The Caliphate’s decision to invade Middle-Egypt shocks many. The Lower Egyptians, eager to reunify the country under their god, actively participate in the invasion, sending waves of troops. The initial advances are tremendous, with the Caliphate’s forces tearing straight into Middle-Egypt. Gothic and Mbalian aid comes quickly, but by then, the Caliphate has already made significant advances. After hearing word of the invasion, a large outpour of support is heard from the people of Upper-Egypt. The Upper-Egyptians, seeing this as just another heathenish act of the Muslims, offer to send military support to their Egyptian brethren.'''

'''The Gothic portage system proves moderately successful. While still requiring a large amount of manpower, and being only capable of moving relatively small ships, the system has shown that transporting ships across land is not, by any means, impossible.'''

'''The Kingdom of Carthage, after much deliberation, decides to subordinate itself to the Mbalian Kingdom. They become a client state of Mbali and the condition that they will be allowed a certain sense of self rule, and Mbali will continue to aid them in their recovery.'''

'''Sinai holds strong against the attempted Muslim conversions. Its citizens, however, grow increasingly unruly, feeling trapped on the barren peninsula. Many fear their situation as an enclave in the middle of an increasingly tumultuous region will only amplify with time.'''

'''A Lombard decision allows King Aelle to rule over his people causes the temporary establishment of the Duchy of Saxony, which is part of the Lombard Republic. Tensions remain high within the nation, and many question where Aelle’s loyalties lie. Other than this, the integration of Saxony into the republic proves relatively smooth.'''

'''As the co-occupation of the Wallachian Corridor comes into effect, the benefits of the Amber Road begin to flow in. The Goths and Lombard both begin to generate significant revenue off of the lucrative trade.'''

'''The Western Slavs announce that a decision has been reached by their council. They carefully considered both proposals, and, though they were leaning toward the Rus’ initially, have decided to join the Lombard Republic.'''

'''A peace treaty is reached between the Silla and Ainu. The Ainu cede a large portion of Hokkaido, and renounce their claims in Sakhalin, and peace once again returns to the island.'''

Peace seems to have been reached between Byzantium and the Caliphate.

'''Unrest reaches a boiling point in Persia, and the Kingdom splits. The majority remains part of the Caliphate’s client state of Persia, but a sizable portion in Eastern Persia becomes the self proclaimed “Kingdom of Zoroaster”. The remainder of the kingdom, mostly the portions in central Asia, falls to barbarian invasions, due to the non-permanent nature of the settlements in those areas.'''

'''Rus’s expansion into Arctic Russia proves to be increasingly difficult. The harsh arctic winters make any long term settlements, with the exception of rudimentary fishing villages, nearly impossible. The trip is unbelievably long, and many of the principality’s citizens begin to view the expansion as foolish and pointless.'''

'''The British kingdoms prove to be little match for the Frankish and Celtic invaders. Frankish naval superiority all but obliterates the recently-constructed Anglo-Saxonic navy, and Frankish troops land on the island by the year 662. They quickly push into the Anglo-Saxon territory, as well as the territory of Wales-Cornwall. The Celtic League, due to their lengthy period of isolation, have a bit of difficulty invading Hibernia, but quickly overcome adversity, and make rudimentary landings in the region. As of yet, the Pictish Republic remains the only British nation not facing invasion, and take it as an opportunity to improve and mobilize their military.'''

Rumors begin to surface that King Osgar has fled the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom, and is now residing somewhere within the Gothic Empire.

By now, most of the western world is completely divided into two geopolitical blocs, the two High Councils, and the driving force of most modern conflict seems to be religion.

Byzantine Empire: Now forming new peaceful intentions with the Gepids, the Emperor Justinian III (42) accepts the treaty from the Gepids and Russia: Black Sea Pact. We increase our military and navy, while boasting a new booming economy from the silver mines that lay in the mountains of southern Thrace. Constantinople increases its defenses. Prince Alexander (15) of the Gepids is sent to the finest military school in Constantinople, while in the great capital, He runs into a young lady he strikes a fancy with whom ends up being Princess Helena (17). We send an official form of alliance to Russia, Mbali, Gepid, and Lombardy. We extend trade relations to those same nations, as well as The Gothic Empire, Middle-Egypt and the Frankish Kingdom. We offer to send support (economic) to Middle-Egypt. Emperor Justinian III (42) arranges for Ship designs to be sent to The Gepid and to Russia. So that trade may prosper. We send trade offers to Khazar Khaganate, and request they accept Christianity. We begin outfitting the Gepid with heavy Byzantinian Cavalry, and Eastern Roman Infantry. Prince Flavius (21) is declared the Heir to the Throne.
 * The Gothic Empire notices that its profits from the Amber roads that connect to Constantinople and officially ends its embargo of Byzantine goods. It is hoped that the past relations of our nations can be ignored as the leaders who started those wars are now long dead.
 * Byzantine Empire: Emperor Justinian III (42) accepts The Gothic Empire's proposal and encourages the Mediterranean Alliance to remove the Byzantine Empire as a permanent enemy.
 * The Gothic Empire seeing how the Imperial League has crumbled, agrees, and Chairman Roderic proposes for the council to open up trade and friendly relations with Byzantine.

Frankish Kingdom: Continues its invasion of the Anglo-Saxons and Wales-Cornwall. The military stands at about 300,000 men, and with over half having been deployed to the fighting in the British Isle, the rest are trained and given modern weapons, with most of them being mere conscripts. However, the continued push results in concerns that the Picts may prove more of a challenge, and thus an offer of alliance is sent. A new satellite state is set up in Cornwall, the Kingdom of Cornwall. With naval superiority over the Anglo-Saxons, we begin blockading them to prevent assistance from the Jutes. A new order of Knights is founded, the Order of the Grail, and quickly becomes one of the most important orders of knights in the kingdom, and begins working on a set chain of command that ensures it answers to the king. We mount an invasion of Hiberina to aid the Celtic League. The king decides to expand his offer to the Celts, and offers them Wales, Cornwall and settlements in the Pictish Republic, which will be the price the Picts may also have to pay if they wish to avoid the might of the Frankish and Celtic alliance. At the same time, economic growth begins to take hold, and a system of banking is set up to ensure it continues to grow. Silla: We start building the "Unification Sta tue" in Seorabeol, which symbolises the unity of the Baekje, Silla, Goguryeo, the Ainu, and the rest of the Altaic peoples. We increase trade with China and the Turkish peoples, and start trading with the Ainu peoples. We also pay many reparations and give basic necessities. We improve agriculture output per capita. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. We expand more into Pacific Russia and the Sakhalin. We continue to create a naval force powerful enough to counter growing Japanese influence. We warn of China of the threat of invasion from Japanese Taiwan. We annex several unoccupied islands around Honshu. We establish a firm military presence in Hokkaido.
 * The Gothic Empire demands that the blockage of the Jutes be stopped immediately. The Frankish Kingdom is to be reminded of their membership in The High Council of The Mediterranean and their alliance to the Goths and Jutland.
 * Celtic League: I, Queen Ygritte, graciously accept the land called Wales. And offers a free shipment of Whale blubber (also known as whale oil), whale meat, and decorated whale bones as a show of good faith. And also hope that this may turn into a trade of goods between our two empires.
 * The Franks agree to withdraw the blockade, and accepts the offer of Quenn Ygritte.
 * Kingdom of Cornwall is created, and begins sending troops which have been trained by the Franks to aid in defeating the Anglo-Saxons. The current king is a Frankish nobleman by the name of William, but several members of his court are Cornish.
 * (Mod) The Pictish Kingdom accepts the Frankish offer.

Celtic League: Leaving five Drekkar Longships and five Snekkja Longships to defend from a coastal raid. I leave ten Skeid longships (Along with each ships 80 men for a total of 800 men) to defend and further fortify our invaded lands incase another civilization tries to take the offensive. I move in ten Drekkar Longships (meant for raiding coastal cities) to raid the cities near our invaded lands. I move the remaining 15 Skeids to attack, fortify and claim the cities the Drekkar longships successfully pillage. Then using the last five Snekkja ships to move gold and political prisoners to safer spots on the Erie.

On Greenland we have left five Drekkar Longships, three Skeid Longships, and twp Snekkja Longships. We prepare to move five of my most trusted delegates to travel to the Frankish mainlands. We use both of the Snekkja Longships to carry 70 soldiers (35 in each Snekkja ship) and two Drekkar Longships to accompany them and insure their safe arrival. Upon the arrival of my delegates we will be able to converse on Military tactics and trade routes with ease. Upon arrival of our delegates our two Drekkar ships shall remain at port with the two Snekkja ships for as long as the delegates are there. Also upon the arrival of my delegates I request that five of their delegates be sent to Greenland. They are allowed a maximum of 100 soldiers to accompany their delegates.

I send two of our largest ships (Drekkar Lo ngships) to colonize the small island north of our current territory.

We send a messenger to our troops assisting  the Franks in the war. To see how they are being treated and to see if they have learned anything that may assist us in our assault on the Hibernia empire, as they seem to have stronger armor and advanced weapons.

Under my rule as Queen Ygritte I have decided  to make our Empire’s Religion Celtic polytheism. And for the time being all other religions are allowed to be practiced in our territory. Although I decide to put in a vote to my people to see what they would like as the county’s religion. (This does not mean, however, that whatever has been voted should be considered the new Empire’s religion.)

I start improving on new ships in order to farm(or hunt) one of our few luxury resources up here: whales. (this should count as economic improvement) I expect the ship designs to be done and made within two years (at this time the Franks should have received our delegates). Then I send word to our delegates in the Frankish Empire to converse on starting a trade route between our two empires.

Khazar Khaganate: We will begin by moving our capital to Samandar from Balanjar to isolate our capital from raiding. We also begin building dromons in the port of Tmutorakan and Derbent. We also will send negotiators to the Byzantine Empire to establish better trade. We would like to offer continuous supply of naptha(component in greek fire) and favourable trade in return for weapons and access to the mediterranean sea. We will try to centralize the government slowly so we might be able to create a better army. We will continue our ties with the Rus and we will continue to fortify our northern and southern neighbours.
 * Byzantine Empire: Emperor Justinian III (42) accepts your gracious offer.

King Osgar: After living in the Gothic Empire for several years, King Osgar sends an appeal to Chairman Roderic, by way of his falcon, Albera, to request that he allow him to consolidate control over Alemannia, forming an Autonomous Nation and renaming it as Albion.

The One Time Lord of the Anglo-Saxons also buys a second falcon, a male, to breed with Albera. The new falcon is named Wingy, as Branwen was allowed to name it.
 * The Gothic Empire accepts Osgar's request for control over an autonomous region seeing it as an opportunity to gain better knowledge of faraway lands and a loyal ally who could oversee the more meticulous operations of Alemannia that would have otherwise been glossed over by the Goth's and their expansive rule. King Osgar is to act as the temporary Duke of Albion (formerly Alemannia) until such time as he can prove to be a competent leader, at which point his title will be made permanent.

Gepid Republic:  Taking up the throne in Sirmium, King Dusan Reznik comes to power in the small nation. His first order of business is to secure an alliance with his southern neighbors, the  Byzantine Empire, forming the first  Black Sea Pact. He offers to send his son, Prince Alexander, to secure this alliance. We increase our military to 15,000 and raising 25 ships. The country itself is at a religious crossroads, where Christianity is beginning to rise amongst the nobles, while many of the citizens still worship the old gods. With much debate in his court, King Dusan declares the Gepid Republic a secular nation. We open our borders to people of all faiths. We ask that  Rus  halts any expansion south for we have trade ports around the Black Sea. Along with this request, we open up our borders to trade, offering  gold and salt. In the port city of Burgas, we start construction of a navy, which includes fishing ships, which are modeled after the  '''Byzantine Empire's. To unite the nations around the Black Sea, King Dusan sends emisarries to the Byzantine Empire and the mighty land of Rus' to sign the first Black Sea Pact''. With this alliance, trade will be able to explode across the East, bring us much wealth and power.
 * Rus' Diplomacy: The principality will accept the pact request.
 * The Gothic Empire sees the new trade operations with Byzantine as a sign that the Gepids may have forgotten their recent war with the Byzantines, and how the Goths liberated them after they had been conquered.
 * Being under new leadership, the Gepids do understand that the were recently at war with the Byzantines. While this is true, we wish to put our differences aside and try to form peace. We are willing to look past any prior transgressions. We also are in debt to the Goths for their assistance but ask them to recognize the Gepids as a sovereign nation, who may form alliances with whomever they wish. We only wish to have peace in the Balkans. King Dusan offers his home in Sirmium to hold a peace summit between the Goths and the Byzantines, so they can resolve any remaining conflicts they have peacefully.
 * The Gothic Empire recognizes Gepid sovereignty and reveres their independence as a nation. The peace summit of Sirmium becomes viewed as a highly altruistic decision made by King Dusan and he earns the Goths' utmost respect. ((OOC: How did you do that 'bullet within a bullet' thing?))
 * The Gothic Empire would gladly trade their highly sought after Italian silver and marble in exchange for Gepid gold and salt.
 * We gladly accept this deal.

Ganga Dynasty: Khanchana I decides to recruit more and more war elephants to support his soldiers. At the same time, he charges his brother Chandravarman to train new recruits on the frontier and the newly built navy, led by his other brother, Somesvara, waits in the northern harbors, ready to strike the enemy's coasts when the time is right. Propaganda for the upcoming war is abundant, claiming that it will bring the end of the "Guptsa Tyranny" in the region. However, Khanchana doesn't want to make the first move, only preparing himself for it.

Rus' Principality: Expansion along the northern coast of Russia halts for now to consolidate our gains and build more infrastructure in Yamalia and Nenetsia. However, plans are made to continue expanding after the next five years to the south from Yamalia, along the eastern edge of Avar territory, into Khanty-Mansi lands. The settling of that territory will begin after the current settlements on the northern coast are expanded and become more integrated with the rest of the country. Meanwhile, the army continues to train. The new structure proves to be quite efficient and should improve coordination and organization. The navy provides protection to merchant vessels in the Black Sea against pirates. At the same time, trade continues with the Khazars and the Avars. Grand Prince Yaropolk II sent an emissary to Constantinople and told the Byzantine Empire that we would like to improve relations with them, and offer several trade agreements.

Middle-Egypt: We flee to the north and begin slowly accepting Arian Christianity as a merciful and altruistic religion. Our tactics become ever more desperate as we battle the Caliphate for our very survival. We hope to lead an offensive to recapture the front line and destroy the troops of Lower Egypt. We are saddened to have to fight our own brothers, but are reinvigorated by our friends to the north. A man named Alecksander XIV begins giving powerful speeches to the Egyptian populace and the people soon accept him as the leader. He preaches ideas of atheism and scientific research to verify the existence of a god before blind belief, but other religions such as Christianity are accepted as inherently good, while Islam is seen as inherently bad for tearing our nation apart.

Hephthalite Empire: Economy, infrastructure and military improve. Population continues to grow faster. Fewer Hindu mandirs and more houses, shops, Hindu temples and mining plants are built. Continues to plan new reforms and continues investing heavily in technology and science. Roads and farms are improved and cities continue to grow. Expands 2000 px north. '''Continues mobilization and place armed forces near the Gupta border in order to conquer OTL India and Bangladesh from the Gupta Dynasty. Asks the Chenla Kingdom for an alliance.'''
 * Neo-Parthia: Economy, infrastructure and military improves. Population continues to grow slowly fast. Roads and farms are improved and cities continue to grow.
 * Calpihate: We would like the Hephthalite Empire to invade the new rebel state east of Persia.

Lombardy (OOC): We would like to remind the mod that we've experienced a coup, and are now a kingdom, not a Republic (see 645).

Lombard Kingdom: '''In reponse to the Goths' urging the Western Slavs to go over to the Rus', missionary activity within the central kingdom is severely restricted, and a letter of protest is delivered to the Gothic ambassador in Lombardy. The author of this leter, though, is not king Johannic, who died on September 2, 665 C.E., two weeks after his 61st birthday.''' According to the account of his chief advisor, he experienced a sort of religious epiphany a few minutes before his death, and had called for a priest and asked to be rebaptised. However, his health was too poor to move him, and instead he was anointed in water from a baptismal pool. He was succeeded by his son, Orvar Hróaldr. In his father's later years, he had stringently disagreed with him about his acceptance of Christianity, and sees the actions of the Goths as an excuse to begin returning to the old pagan ways.

To begin his reign, Orvar orders that the highway be extended to reach the new port cities in Saxony and the domain of the Western Slavs, and a fort is constructed at the junction of those two roads in the orginal Lombard territory, which is garrisoned by the royal archer corps.

A Lombard fleet departs the Pomeranian coast and lands on the coast of Gotland and the Åland islands, claiming them for the king (on the map they look unowned. If this is just an oversight, and some nation actually does own it, please disregard this, as I do not want war with the owner).

Orvar generally approves of the rate at which Saxony is being assimilated (the assimilation is smoothed by the fact that the Lombards and Saxons share the same culture and a very similar Germanic language) into the greater Lombard kingdom, but in case a revolts against its new leader, he provides each Lombard chieftain who owns land in Saxony with letter sealed with Orvar's signet that can be used to request troops from the royal garrisons near the coast. The same garrisons are sent orders to reinforce their walls. While currently they are at peace with the Franks, their expansionist ambitions have not gone unnoticed by the house of Hróaldr, and neither has the rate at which the British coast was conquered. While the Lombards could rely on their navy and knowledge of the Danish Straits to keep any invader away from the Baltic sea, the Saxon coast is exposed and needs all the protection available. This is the motivation behind another defensive tactic, when, in the early spring of 666, duke Aelle of Saxony is "politely requested" to move himself and his household to one of the coastal cities. This has two benefits; first of all, he will be more invested in defending the coast if he lives there. Secondly, it puts him in an area directly under the purview of the Royal Lombard Commission for the Elbe Coast, meaning that not only would he have to lease any farmland from the king, but he would also be just a few hours ride from the Lombard regional capital, and easy to keep an eye on.

A system of basic, wooden forts is hastily constructed on the Slavic-Rus' border. While they can't stop a full invasion, they aren't meant to; the motives for their construction are very similar to Diocletian's when he designed his "defense in depth" system. Any raids that come across the border can be turned back, any invasion will be noticed, and warning can be sent on to the various municipalities of the area to martial their armies and meet the enemy in battle, preventing them from being surprised and overrun.

'''Pitch is imported from areas around the Danube and Dneiper, and distributed to the various ship-borne and coastal-defense archers. Now instead of attempting to stop ships by sweeping their decks with arrows, they can simply set them on fire, and roast primitive Germanic sausages from their walls.'''

The Kingdom of Mbali: King Nero travels Carthage giving speeches accepting their people with open arms. Parades are held across the nation celebrating the unification of two countries that were once mortal enemies. Carthaginian roads are repaired and connected to Mbalian roads as well as the Mali Trail itself. With the threat of our country looming over Carthage almost completely diminished, Mbali continues its spread west along the Carthaginian border (about half way to Carthage’s western most border). Islamic whispers in Cairo still persist, King Nero wished it wouldn’t have to come this far, but he is forced to officially banish Islamic religion. Anyone who is caught practicing Islam is quickly exiled and never to return.

By this point Prince Bjorn and King Nero are inseparable, Bjorn eager to join heavy battle asks his father to show him the war waging in Middle-Egypt. Nero firmly denies his request, but begins to think of his similar request at that age. Nero soon reconsiders and takes Bjorn to see the war first hand, however avoiding the front lines. Side-by-side, father and son each leading their own group of trained men into battle. Bjorn immediately notices a lack of Mbalian forces on the field and asks his father to begin recruiting more men. Nero, surprised by the knowledge of his young boy, agrees and aims to take him to plan strategies with the rest of his knowledgeable soldiers. Bjorn continues to fight if need be but he takes more of a liking to the strategic half of war.

Calpihate: We continue our invasion of Middle-Egypt, troops pouring into East Middle-Egypt and South Middle-Egypt. We decide to invade the rebel state which is east of Persia. We want the Hephthalite Empire to invade them. We expand 3300 pixels into East Africa. We invite more nations to join the High Council of the Middle East (The Ashes of Rome Map Game). We build our military. We wish to improve trade with the Bytzan Empire.

The Kingdom of Ghana: A mixed blessing begins to brew across the land, as the opinions of the people seem to shift and oppose evenly, many worry for instability as much of the debate is over the king's election ot mobilize the army. Whether or not their opinions. The king has elected for war and that is his total right, so his will shall be done - for now.

Lead by King Kaya Magha Cisse' II, the army along with there king begin a march to Egypt to aid in the fight against the Caliphate, using their recently modernized navy to facilitate the journey. While he serves in the war in Egypt, the education of his son will be left to a loyal steward of the family, whilst a group of close family members relay his wishes for the activities of the day to day state operations. The size is a majority of the nation's levies, excluding a few portions of the available levy and most of the national retinue, with almost all of their available naval support that can be spared.

Much of the nation's resources have been put forth to this military buildup, as many hope for a swift and decisive campaign in the "frontier," as many Ghanan's have come to refer to as the east. Also being a boon to this military aid, is the fact that Egypt is the center to the Coptic faith, and the most religously loyal of the land proclaim this as a clarion call for themselves as a people to fight off the foul heathens, and secure the land for God. A crusade lies on the horizon, a crusade of glory.

Japan: We demand that Sillia cede their Hokkaido territory to the great nation of Japan. However, they may keep Sakhalin.

The Gothic Empire: With news of the Caliphate fighting a second war in East Persia, Gothic presence in Middle-Egypt is increased and the troops rally together with the North Egyptians, Middle-Egypt, Mbalians and the remaining Africa-stationed Jutes, to push back the front line and await the arrival of Ghanan military support from the west. More slaves are brought to the Sinai Peninsula, hoping to pull a total of 25% of the Gothic navy into the Gulf of Aden. The production of ships in Goth controlled east Egyptian ports is ramped up, hoping to further increase naval supremacy over the Gulf. Rai Tylikratus leads the naval effort to blockade African Caliphate territory from their capital in Arabia, raiding any trade ships and capturing settlers. General Lazarus II leads his battalion out of Sinai and begins pushing into Lower-Egypt from the north east where the fighting is thickest. The landhoppers in the Nile are expected to make it easy for Gothic troops to travel back and forth between east and west Egypt, giving them an advantage by means of capability to flank approaching troops.

To occupy the minds of the Sinai people and hopefully quell some of their discontent, the Leovagildos open up several Christian guild halls and begin urging the people to sign up as missionaries and inquisitors to help dispel Islamic belief and promote the ideas of rejecting the Caliphates influence. All peoples working under a Leovagilian guild are given an annonom, which allows them to come and go from Sinai as they please, so long as they classify it as a mission to spread their faith and denounce the heathenish Islamic teachings of Muhammad as having been fabricated by a false prophet. Theudis Harentz and his team of whisperers spread rumors throughout Arabia of The Caliphate sending Muslims to their death in Egypt, hoping to discourage further colonists from settling in Africa.

With unrest in Sinai hopefully lessened, half of the Umbra-Gotha mount horses and travel under guise of Muslims north through Byzantine and into southwestern Autonomous Persia. Once there they begin promoting talks of succession and formation of a Saffarid dynasty, centered around the ideals of Islam being a passive religion of peace as opposed to the war-like ideologies of Autonomous Persia and the Caliphate. Once a following is established it is hoped for a plebiscite to be held in which the people will decide whether or not to break away from Persia and form an independent nation.

Diplomats are sent into Lombardy to discuss their aggressive expansion in the area. The Goth's start the conference off by clearing the air about their desire for the Western Slavs to fall to Rus' control and not to them. It is hoped to rouse memories of both Lombardi and the Western Slav's violent past, including the several wars fought amongst one another, even most historically to the Goths, the "Five-year war" in which the Western Slavs attacked Lombardy and were only unsuccessful due to the Goth's thwarting their plans. Considering this is what led to the Goth's making their decision to support the Rus', in that it was expected for great rebellions and in-fighting to occur as the Western Slavic people fell to control of their sworn enemy. Seeing as how this didn't occur, and Lombardy is beginning to solidfy as a nation, Slavic integration into the Lombardian Kingdom is supported. On to the issue at hand, the Goths assure Lombardy that they support the their existence as an independent nation and ally to the empire. However, continued conquering of friendly territories and colonizing coveted lands will continue to be viewed as a threat, and be dealt with accordingly. The meeting is adjourned with Gothic diplomats insisting that Lombardy not "forget their place in the hierarchy of European powers.".
 * Lombardy: The Lombard Council of Chiefs (now including several members of the Saxon nobility and all of the West Slavic chiefs) claims that they have no ambitions beyond becoming a regional power in northern Europe. However, at this point they are concerned with preserving the status quo of the region, and overall Germanic neutrality. The Anglo-Saxons were considered German, and so the Lombard government personally took exception to the invasion of Britain. They do, however, reaffirm that they, too, want peace and friendship between their two nations, insofar as it does not interfere with the Germanic peace.

The Gothic navy from ports in Galicia, Vasconia, Portugal, Vivianis and Brittany, now gargantuan in size and unarguably the envy of the Mediterranean world, deploys in an attack on the British Isles in support of their Frankish ally. The Goths promise to support the Franks and Celts in capturing the British Isles in exchange for only a small patch of land that will be named Anglo-Gothanny and be used as a port city for sea trade between Gothic Europe, the Jutes and the Franks. The patch of land consists of the extending peninsula in the southeast currently occupied by the Anglo-Saxons, and a small bit of the coast connecting it to Jutish territory, and just about Gothic Europe. The Franks and Celts are shown how to construct the new Gothic Landhopper, as well as the famed Navali Ballista Excusso that had purchased a great deal of Gothic victories in the past. With the Byzantine Empire shaping up to be a promising ally for trade and economic growth, the Goths seek to expand their monetary enterprises and suggests the Gepids trade offer of salt and gold in exchange for highly sought after Italian marble and silver. Roads are to be built connecting the Gepid kingdom to the Amber road and expects this trade agreement to be largely beneficial for all parties involved.
 * Celtic League: I, Queen Ygritte, find these terms acceptable. Also, I look forward to driving said landhopper on the land.
 * The Franks also accept, but would like it if the Celts be allowed settlements.
 * The Gothic Empire agrees.



'''Seeing an opportunity for faster communications and cheaper, more profitable trade, the Gothic Empire would like to propose a trade city with a grand network of roads connecting neighboring nations be established in the center of Gepid territory, as they are the intersection of several powerful nations. The roads would connect from Dacithica (Gothic Dacia) to the central point, and from there, branching in three directions; northwest to connect two roads to Lombardi, south to connect two roads to the Byzantine Constantinople, and then another northeast to connect five roads to the Rus' principality and a sixth road to a Gepid port to allow for easier trade by sea.'''

Example: original map, with Blue = Amber Road, Green = Amber Road-Gepid connection
 * Celtic League: (OOC) What ever Empire the city is located in should receive a significant economic bonus, once this city is built and functioning as intended.

 Signatures: 
 * Byzantine -
 * Lombardi - Genesaria
 * The Gothic Empire - ~ Afunnymouth
 * Gepid Kingdom - The Bearded B*st*rd (talk) 20:57, September 10, 2015 (UTC)
 * Along with signing this trade agreement, we offer the Goths a port just north of Lake Razim(see main map: body of water on the boarder of Black Sea) in trade for a port in the Red Sea.
 * Rus' Principality –Alexander 22:58, September 9, 2015 (UTC)

Kingdom of Lombardy (Diplomatic): The king of Lombardy formally requests an alliance between the Lombards and the Jutes. As part of this alliance, any attack on one nation would be considered an attack on thie other, and he would be required to respond with force. The alliance would also foster trans-Baltic trade and communication, and would allow the two nations to pool their resources to control the Straits of Jutland, which would be valuable both for the defensive opportunities and the incredible amounts of money that could be gained in tax revenue.

670 C.E.
(I apologize for not posting a reminder' that there are to be no turns on Tuesdays and Thursdays, especially to the newer players who may not have been aware of that.)

(Speaking of new players, I just want to welcome all the players that have recently joined the game. I am incredibly happy with the amount of traffic the game has received in the past few days, and I hope you all enjoy this game as much as I do!)

'''The tension and anxiety building on the Gupta borders for decades finally reaches a breaking point. Fearing an incoming invasion by either of the belligerents, the Guptas make the decision to strike first, attempting a swift invasion of the Ganga Dynasty. The defensive perimeter established by the Ganga serves them well for quite some time, but in the year 669, the Guptas send a massive surge of troops, and manage to overcome the tactical defense by sheer numbers.'''

'''The Mbalian highway, known to many simply as the Mali, continues to bring prosperity to the young nation. Goods from the Trans Saharan Trade find themselves spread farther across the kingdom than was previously thought possible.'''

'''The Mbalian decision to ban Islam goes over surprisingly well. By now, the nation no longer borders any Muslim majority countries, and the religion’s influence over the region has diminished significantly.'''

'''The Middle-Egyptian counteroffensive, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Goths, Mbalians, Upper-Egyptians, and Ghanans, as well as the economic aid of countless other nations, manages to push the front back to the original borders of balkanized Egypt. Fighting is still immensely catastrophic, and the Caliphate’s sheer numbers prove a formidable foe for the anti-Islamic defenders.'''

'''Gothic efforts in Sinai, particularly the Leovagilian guild prove to be a success. Not only does Arian Christian influence expand significantly, but the people grow far less restless, now able to roam freely instead of being trapped in the small enclave.'''

'''Duke Aelle agrees to the Lombard proposal, and moves to the coast of Saxony. He rules with his superficial duties from small coastal city, in a hastily made palace. During a routine inspection of the Duke’s household, in the year 669, the elderly former ruler is found dead in his wine cellar, surrounded by far more of the intoxicating liquid than any mortal could possibly consume.'''

'''The Duke’s death, though surprising, seeing as he was only forty-two, does not cause copious unrest amongst the Saxonic people. Now thoroughly integrated, both culturally and politically, the people no longer feel the need for their affairs to be carried out by a puppet government.'''

'''Many citizens of the Kingdom of Lombardy is largely grateful for its leader’s decision to maintain the old religion. Most saw Christianity as an unneeded intrusion into their lands, and were far more comfortable with the traditional ways.'''

'''The Gothic portage system proves not as successful as hopes, and only manages to transport about 10% of the fleet into the Gulf of Aden. Nonetheless, it proves to be the most effective system possible given modern technology. Given this less-than-expected number of ships transported into the Gulf of Aden, the naval blockade of the Caliphate proves unsuccessful.'''

'''Gothic whispers in Persia do not go unnoticed, and much of the populace begins to support the notion of independence from the Caliphate. The wanton, zealous aggression has, by no means, gone unnoticed, and many are starting to fear their own safety as an autonomous state. The rumors spread about Egypt, however, are dismissed by most as simple fiction.'''

'''Black Sea trade proves to be highly profitable, due to the large and bountiful nature of many of the nations bordering it. Revenue generated by the trade allows many of the nation participating to have an excess supply of gold in their treasuries, and an increased ability to improve the existing trade infrastructure. Crimea becomes even more important than before, serving as an important trading and refuelling location, during the long trek across the sea.'''

Amber Road trade continues to prove highly lucrative, and both the Lombards and Goths continue to rake in copious earnings.

'''The Gothic proposal for a more extensive Amber Road trade network, this time including the Rus’, Gepids, and Byzantines, in addition to the Lombards and Goths, has gone, as of yet, unfulfilled, still awaiting the decision of the former three. Such an interconnected trade route has the possibility of yielding huge benefits, due to its essential connection of the Black Sea trade, and Amber Road.'''

'''Not long after its establishment, the Kingdom of Zoroaster already faces a threat to its sovereignty. The Caliphate makes moderate gains against the newborn nation, though the border’s incredibly long length makes steady advancement difficult.'''

'''The Rus’s decision to seemingly begin enclaving the Avars causes a great deal of anxiety throughout the Khagate. Many begin to fear a possible invasion, and security along the borders is increased. As a result, trade between the two nations becomes increasingly difficult.'''

'''The rumor that King Osgar has fled the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom has been all but confirmed. It is told that he now rules over the former Gothic province of Alemannia, now known as Albion.'''

'''The Second Invasion of Britain continues, and both nations make steady pushes into the Islands. The Franks have, by far, made the most gains out of the two, pushing all the way into Cornwall, and establishing a puppet regime there, as well as pushing significantly into England and Wales, and making minors landings in Eire. Advances in England are aided by tales of King Osgar’s abandonment. Many lose faith in the Kingdom, seeing as the man they once truly revered fled in face of adversity. The Kingdom of Hibernia, is, by this point, fighting a war on two fronts. This makes advances on the Island far easier, and order in the Kingdom begins to collapse. The Goths are ceded a small amount of land on the Island, and aid in the invasion. The Celts have been promised much of the land captured by the Franks, though it is presumed the transaction will occur only once the war is over. The Picts maintain their state of neutrality in the war, and in order to maintain this neutrality, agree to allow Celtic settlements in their territory.'''

Khazar Khaganate: We will continue to build dromons in the port of Tmutorakan and Derbent and begin to protect our trade. We accept the demands of the Byzantine Empire by making our state religion Christianity so we request that the Byzantine Empire send us missionaries to convert our people. We will also impose a tax on other religions of 5% to not force people to convert but instead slowly convert them. We will also request military equipment from the Byzantine Empire in return for lower tariffs on trade access throughout our nation. We will send trade embassies to the Gepids to see if they will trade our products. We will try to centralize the government slowly so we might be able to create a better army and begin building up troops on the border of the Avars and the Caliphate. We also began sending ships to survey the area across the Caspian sea to see if any area is suitable for settlements and lay stake to it.
 * Gepid Dip: We accept your trade proposals and are eager to benefit from them. King Dusan also proposes a joint expedition east, across the Caspian Sea.
 * Khazar Khagnate: We accept your proposal but the expedition lands will be placed under our sovereignty.

Rus' Principality: Grand Prince Yaropolk II dies, leaving behind a legacy of overseeing unprecedented economic growth in the Rus' lands, and is succeeded by his eldest son, Vladimir, the next Grand Prince of Kiev. One of his last acts was to accept the proposal by the Goths for a new road network. Meanwhile, one of the first acts of Grand Prince Vladimir was to put more funding into the improvement of infrastructure in the Crimea due to its increasing importance in Black Sea region trade. Forts have been constructed on the western and northern borders of the Rus' territories with the Avars. At the same time, the military continues drilling its troops and has about 90,000 men spread across the fortifications at the border to man them.

We assure the Avars that we do not intend to invade them as long as they do not attack us. Grand Prince Vladimir, as a token of peace, offers to allow Avar traders to use roads to get their goods to Crimea and the Gepid lands to trade with other European powers. At the same time, Vladimir '''offers any Western Slavs asylum in the principality that do not agree with the Lombard occupation. If any notable Western Slavs (such as nobles) come to the principality, then we will help them set up a government-in-exile, if they are willing (mod response).'''

Trade continues in the Black Sea region, and with the revenue, we also fund further expansion into Khanty-Mansi lands. It is also used to improve infrastructure in the settlements in other recently-colonized regions.

Ganga Dynasty: Even if Chandravarman were overrun by the Gupta troops, he's trying to reunite his men and wait for reenforcement. The Raja himself raised thousands of men in the capital and is leading them north to join with his brother. The heir to the throne, Palaka, is also coming with help, lending the new ships to his uncle and father. Finally, Somesvara will lead the ships staying in the capital in an invasion on the coast of Bengal, since most of the Gupta army is on the frontier. This is the best opportunity to open a second front, just as seen on this plan. The Raja also call for the help of the Hephthalite Empire to push back the Gupta forces.

Liang: The invasion of Tibet continues (hello?). We decide that the Jihadists of the Caliphate are a threat to Asia, and start to support rebels in Persia secretly. We ask if the Göktürk tribes and Silla are interested in allying.
 * Silla is allied with the Liang and Silla is a tribrutary state of Liang.

Lombard Kingdom: The Lombard king repeats his request to the Jutes for an alliance (see the last post of 665 for more details).

Roads are constructed to the border of Gepid territory, in anticipation of the new road network. Even if the project doesn't go through, it gives travelers new and faster routes to the Black Sea. A mission composed of scholars and trustworthy Lombard nobles departs the Saxon coast, and soon lands on the island of Britain. Ostensibly, their mission is to see what books and other writings they can salvage from the island, as many monasteries and local centers of administration are being burned, either intentionally or not, by the Frankish advance. Secretly, though, their goal is to contact former Anglo-Saxon subjects, both Celtic and Saxon, noble and commoner, in the Frankish-occupied section of the island, and gauge the inhabitants' opinion of their Frankish overlords (after all, it has been ten years since the invasion).

Orvar Hróaldr orders that one of the nation's two young monasteries be closed down on a pretext; most of the monks go back to their former lives, but several collect the religious writings and the relics of Saint Teophilus and move to the other monastery. The former monastery is converted into a temple to Wodin. Christianity still holds out in the south, where Gothic influence is strong, but it's rapidly waning, and in a few decades, unless the state drastically changes policies, it will likely become only a footnote in the Lombard history books.

Orvar, in his new capacity of king of Saxony (the dukeship has returned to a kingship now that an actual king sits on the throne), unifies the thrones by passing a law requiring that the same person be in both capacities. His second act is to move the capital back to the center of the country, and he appoints a noble overseer to take care of the province while the king is gone. The king is not usually gone for long, though. By now he's eschewed the barbaric practice (even barbaric from the point of view of a northern Germanic chieftain) of the noble sedentary lifestyle and has decided, to ease administration of his dominions, to adopt the common medieval practice of constant mobility. Every few months he, his household, his possessions, and his furniture are packed up and moved to a new location; either to along the Slavic coast, to the new Saxon capital or to the old Lombard capital, which is experiencing another population surge from the country's accessibility to the Slavs and the Gepids.

A system of laws is created, the Lex Róaldii, to revise the trial system, and provide judges with "set-in-stone" rules and regulations for trying commoners and expatriated nobles, instead of relying on oral precedent. Orvar also gets to work revising his father's tax in kind laws, making provisions for years with a shortage of one item or an abundance of another (if it's a good year for apples, and apple production is raised 20%, then each apple is worth roughly 20% less to the state).

'''A suggestion is sent to the Goths that they pool their resources to connect the Amber Road to the Gothic highway system, and improve travel from Lombardy to Toulouse, then from Toulouse to the Catalan coast. While it would be a long journey, it would open up the African and Western Mediterranean markets to Lombard traders (who will be performing quite a few taxable activities in Gothic territory) and open the Baltic market to Frankish and Spanish traders. A screening process would have to be implemented on the Lombard side, however, to prevent any missionaries from entering the country without registering.'''

Seeing the success of the previous mission to Gotland, Lombard dominion is established on Gotska Sandon, Öland and Hailuoto, and several new settlements are put on the unoccupied lands between Jutland and the Danes, pushing Lombard territory about (MOD: INSERT REASONABLE NUMBER OF PIXELS HERE) inland. The heads of these towns are dispossessed younger sons of tribal chieftains, and many of their inhabitants are war prisoners who are given opportunities to work, mostly by doing lumbering jobs across the coast, for their freedom.

Orvar, noticing that discipline in the royal archer barracks has gotten a bit lax, removes most of their commanders and begins drilling them at an almost brutal rate. Within six months a third of the corps has dropped out, and the chain-of-command is lying in tatters, but what's left is strong, high-quality, and incredibly disciplined. After the commanders have been replaced with better officers, the entire unit is moved to the coast of Scandinavia for two years (where we're setting up our new colony on the mainland) and spends its time drilling, hunting for the settlements, and fending of the occasional native raid. When they're finally done with their training, they're garrisoned in a specially-constructed fort in western Saxony.

'''To end the five-year period, the existing walls on the coastal cities are improved again, but this time they aren't expanded. Rather, their existing earthen and wood foundations are mined out, and filled in with a mixture of gravel and mortar. The mortar is mixed with plaster at a one-to-two ratio and used to cover the walls, making them glint a bright-grey. To protect the plaster, the decision is made ahead of time to cover them with paint as the plaster dries, effectively turning the walls into massive frescoes. In particular, the natives of Saxony take to the painting of their walls with particular fervor, soon earning them the moniker "The Painted Walls of Saxony." Across the kingdom, the coasts now glint with massive, colorful paintings of Germanic gods, norse sagas, and local folk tales, and even a few advertisements enterprising businessmen managed to slip in. '''

Celtic League: I have received word from my settlers I sent to the small island now known as Jay Mayen. They say the land is relatively uninhabitable, but that there seems to be a larger number of whales there then here. Which means we could use the island as a whaling base. I send my settler ships to instead go further east to see if we can find any unoccupied territory on the mainland. I also have whaling ships sent up to Jay Mayen with some supplies to set up a small base camp for whaling.

I have a letter sent to the acting ruler of the Anglo-Saxonic Territory and it reads as,

“I, Queen Ygritte of The Celtic League - the first of my name, make an offer to your country, and yours alone. If you surrender your lands to either I or The King of The Franks your land will not be further pillaged or destroyed, your current political leaders will remained unharmed. You will however be under the control of whomever you surrender your kingdom to until the war ends. Once the war ends you will more than likely be put under the control of The Franks. If you refuse this offer your lands will be further pillaged, further destroyed, and more lives on both sides will die. Even your own king abandoned you and fled to The Goths. What reason do you have for resisting anymore?

You have three months to reply to this letter or the invasion continues as planned.

~Queen Ygritte of The Celtic League”
 * (Mod) The Anglo-Saxons agree to surrender, and allow Celtic, Frankish, and Gothic troops to completely take over their remaining territory.

I also have an additional letter sent to the acting leader of the Hibernia Kingdoms, in regards to terms for them to surrender.

“I, Queen Ygritte of The Celtic Kingdoms - the first of my name, send this letter to to your acting ruler, whomever that may be, in regards to coming to terms with your surrender. As you have no doubt noticed the franks have joined in the attack of your fine island, and the Goths have even pledged to participate in the fighting. It is only a matter of time before we have seized all your lands, I’d even give the rough estimate of about ten years before we have all your lands, maybe even less. The only thing you would accomplish by not surrendering is the massacre of your armies and the desecration of your lands, which if you would surrender we plan to preserve. We require word of your decision within three months or the invasion continues as planned, and we take your lands in ten years.”

~Queen Ygritte of The Celtic League” Since we have captured about one-third of the Erie, and fortified certain key parts I send settlers and supplies to begin annexing the captured lands, and if the surrender of the Hibernia Kingdoms go as hoped I send settlers and Supplies to the rest of the of the lands as well to annex the remaining parts of the island. I send what soldiers I can spare to guard the Pictish Islands that have been given to me.
 * (Mod) The Kingdom of Hibernia refuses to capitulate.

I received word from my men assisting on the front lines of the Zoroaster invasion that The Frankish have begun to Annex the Cornwall, part of the land that was recently promised to me. So I send another letter to The King of The Franks.

“I, Queen Ygritte of The Celtic League, ask why you annex the lands you have promised to give me? Is this your way of integrating our two empires? Please send word back of your intentions.

~Queen Ygritte of The Celtic League”

I improve my navy on my two islands north of the Pictish territory creating "LandHoppers" as the Goths have showed me. We start on the bulding of a Giant Ice wall along the southern borders of Greenland, to ensure any attack from the Pictish would be futile.

'''Also, I have found a love in my kingdom, I expect to be married within two years, and have one kid within five years. I, the Queen, formally invite the leaders of The Franks, The Goths, and the Pictish to attend the ceremony. I even invite the old king of Anglo-Saxonic Kingdom, Duke Osgar Seighbert''' to attend.


 * The Franks agree, and congratulate Queen Ygritte. Furthermore, the Kingdom of Cornwall is only temporary, and will be given to the Celts once the war is finished.
 * Chairman Roderic of the Gothic Empire accepts and arrives at the ceremony in his finest garments.
 * Duke Osgar attends the ceremony in his ceremonial chain armor.

Silla: We finish the construction of the "Unification Statue" in Seorabeol, which symbolises the unity of the Baekje, Silla, Goguryeo, the Ainu, and the rest of the Altaic peoples. We increase trade with China and the Turkish peoples, and the Ainu peoples. We improve agriculture output per capita, and our population starts to boom. Our population right now is around thirteen million. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. We expand more into Pacific Russia. We continue to create a naval force powerful enough to counter any foreign influences. We warn of China of the threat of invasion from Taiwan. We annex several unoccupied islands around Honshu. We establish a very firm military presence in Hokkaido and our disputed territories with Japan. We also cede a large portion of Western Manchuria (which is a mostly dry region) to the Turkic khaganate and the Liang dynasty.

Frankish Kingdom continues its massive invasion of the British Isles, and King Charles II sends his son, Prince Gerald of Normandy, to lead the troops. He proves a masterfully general, and even manages to gain the loyalty and love of an Anglo-Saxon maid. Their marriage is expected to prove most fortuitous to both kingdoms. We begin building roads in several places, and begin setting up forts around several places. With the Caliphate's continued aggression, plans are laid for the possibility of war with them.
 * Kingdom of Cornwall sees massive construction as roads and new housing is built for everyone in the new nation. Frankish settlers begin inter grating themselves with the natives, and the capital of Plymouth sees massive construction.

Hephthalite Empire: Economy, infrastructure and military improve. Population continues to grow faster. Fewer Hindu mandirs and more houses, shops, Hindu temples and mining plants are built. Continues to plan new reforms and continues investing heavily in technology and science. Roads and farms are improved and cities continue to grow. Expands 2000 pixels north. '''Continues mobilisation. Accepts Caliphate's offer and invades the new rebel state of Zoroaster. Hephthalite Empire declares war Gupta Dynasty to help its ally Ganga Dynasty and invades Western Gupta. The Empire is now at war with two nations surround!'''

Caliphate: We expand 3400 pixels into East Africa. We decide to put extreme fortifications on the Middle-Egyptian - Southern-Egyptian border. We build our military and infrastructure. In the military we build our navy. '''We would like the Ganga Dynasty to join the High Council of the Middle East. We would invite any other nations who wish to join the council. We invite Ghana to join the Council. We would like to improve trade with the Bytzan Empire.''' We continue aiding and sending troops to East Persia in their invasion of the rebel state. We aid the Hephthalite Empire in the invasion of the rebel state and the 1st Great Indian War. We aid Muslim uprisings in the Sunai. We decide to blockade the Saudi and Middle-Egypt.

The Gothic Empire: Heading Lombardy 's valued advice, the Goth's proceed to impro ve road conditions along the Amber route and continue to connect it to several popular Gothic highways. Members of the national guard are offered a pay bump of fifty silver pents, making their new wages stand at a total of 4.50€, on the condition that they devote their patrols to the Amber road, ensuring that money continues to flow into the kingdom. This bump of the pay grade is predicted to encourage a mass of new volunteers for ensuring the safety of merchants along the road. The deal of mutual porting with the Gepids is accepted, and construction of the road network proposed in 665 is officially underway. The Gothic port in Lake Razim becomes a strong pull factor for local fishermen to operate in a new area and hopefully find a more beneficial market to sell their surplus fish. Gothic engineers assist with the construction of a Gepid port in the Red Sea in hopes that they will later prove to be a beneficial ally in the fight against Islam.

The slight gains in Africa not accounting for the losses to the clearly near indominable foe leads to widespread panic and disarray throughout the empire. Peace movements break out and become widespread. While the word "Muslim" is still a pejorative term in the Gothic lexicon, some see combating the heathenish religion while it is still so far beyond the borders to be a waste of valuable resources. Many of the people cry out for a stop to the futile offensives of both Africa and the British Isles, while other loyalists debate it to be Gothic duty to preserve the freedoms of their friends and neighbors, upholding honor bound contracts and the laws of a council of foreigners. The Gothic Empire's arms would appear to be reaching too far for the moment and it shows. They bare their weak chests to the rest of the European world, damaging their reputation and nearly splitting them in twain.

Renowned and highly respected, Chairman Roderic Lousean travels to the Grand Colosseum of Toulouse to spectate a lavish and spectacular battle between the nations two best fighters; Audo Chindaswintha, the son of a wealthy noble, he grew up with the best military training the empire could offer and was the top of his sparring classes by a landslide, He has been a fighter in the arenas for nine consecutive years, hoping to make it his tenth in less than a week - against his challenging opponent, Euric Veremundo, relatively new to the gladiator scene, though he quickly rose through the ranks and became famous for his daft use of the battle-staff as a deadly and versatile weapon. The fight kicks off and the crowd is confident in Chindaswintha's capabilities, a large portion of the people's bets riding on the reigning champ. In a matter of seconds, breaking the record for shortest battle in gladiator history, a new arena champion is crowned as he smashes his staff across the seemingly invincible Chindaswintha's brittle skull. The victor, Euric Vermundo, is promptly commended for his talents and is given a position as high ranking officer in the Gothic military.

With a higher percentage of the population attending the fight, plenty authors and journalists are surely eager to publish the results of the fight, Chairman Roderic decides to use the opportunity to get a message out to the people. The audiences, having experienced a far shorter fight than anticipated, gladly accept when the high chairman calls them back together to hear him use his powerful voice and charm them with the reverberations off the fine Gothic craftsmanship all around. The speech he gives on this day will be recorded by scribes, memorized by philosophers and scholars alike, and studied by politicians for years to come. He uses the fight between Audo and Euric as a symbol to represent the nation's current struggle with Islam. While the opponent may seem like an unstoppable force, every champion with false beliefs has to fall at sometime; Carthage fell, Greece fell, the first iteration of the Franks fell, even the infamous Roman Empire fell, and now, soon, in accordance with this rule, The Caliphate and Islam too, will fall. The point is furthered by reenforcing the popular Gothic assertion that their people are God's chosen and are exeunt from this rule.

By the end of his speech the Gothic people are left applauding for a deservedly long amount of time. Men line up for miles around to shake Roderic's hand, and he does so. It is said he shook the hand of every man in the empire that day. Late that night, while traveling back to his castle after a long day of rallying the people, Chairman Roderic meets a young and homely peasant girl by the name of Liuva. He is immediately smitten after speaking with her for only a few moments, and by the end of the month he makes her his bride. The two have an extravagant wedding held in Rome and by the end of the year 673, they have a young daughter named Sventhila Lousean. There are complications during Svinthila's birth and Liuva dies on the scene. The Grief stricken Roderic takes his healthy newborn daughter back to his castle in Toulouse and cares for her with undying attention, never allowing her to leave his side, save for feedings with the wet-nurse.

Innervated by the death of his lover, Roderic begins to devise a plan to finish the fight in Egypt and have his troops return home safe and soon. The first step of the plan is to continue the invasion of Anglo-Saxony as well as hold back the Egyptian border as usual, until such time as the Goths can gather several dozen boatloads of Anglo-Saxon slaves. The slaves will then be transported to the Sinai peninsula where they will assist in relocating ships from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea. Coupled with this is the increase in productivity in ports along the east Egyptian coastline, hoping to dwarf the Caliphates supremacy over the waters.

Admiral Rai Tylikratus will lead the Gothic navy in an assault on the Caliphate's blockade, and hopes to obliterate most of the Caliphate's ships by 675. It is hoped to effectively replace the Caliphate's blockade with our own, keeping their settlers from entering the area, even capturing colonists in hopes of further supporting the growing legend that the Caliphate's wanton aggression is leading to the degradation of their people's safety. Gothic naval presence in the Nile is increased as funds are poured into the ports of Cairo, a plot to increase jobs for shipwrights and production of much needed warships. The warships are to be employed in the army, hiring unemployed and homeless from Upper-Egypt and Middle-Egypt.

The Gothic tactic of deploying Jack-Rabbit ships is adopted in the east Egyptian ports. The Umbra-Gotha send two more battalions of men into east Egypt to man the boats and travel the waters late at night, stalking the Caliphate and high-jacking their boats while the crews are sleeping. The captured boats are to then be brought to port where their flags will be torn down and replaced with the Gothic cross banner of red and gold.

With General Lazarus II leading the push in the heaviest fighting east of the Nile, the new up and coming officer, Euric Vermundo begins leading Gothic troops through the largely abandoned west, planning to grab land quickly and get ahead of the eastern front line, in order to wrap around and hopefully provide support with an attack from behind.

Captured Gothic territory in the British Isles is to remain largely puppeted for the time being. A few elected diplomats and colonist groups are sent in to establish a presence in the area. Engineers draw up plans for a grand port in the region of Anglo-Gothany , hoping to start construction some time in the near future when the fighting calms down. The Kingdom of Mbali:'  Diplomats are sent to  Arian Egypt and The Republic of Morocco''' in hopes of trading with them. The wall in South Cairo is to remain for now but several large doors are built along it. Expansion west continues into its final stage (to the end of Carthage's’ south western border).'''
 * The Celtic League: I, Queen Ygritte, would like to congratulate you on your newest child. As a gift I offer you a hand-crafted engraved Bowie Knife with Whale bone in the handle, with our Country's national animal, the Siberian Wolf as the pommel. (&amp;img=579189BOWIELFTSID_28.jpg For a reference imagine this but with a wolf as the pommel.)
 * The Gothic Empire: I, Chairman Roderick Lousean, thank you for this beautiful weapon and promise to teach Sventhila to use it proper when she is of fighting age. Upon examining this knife further, I have become extremely fascinated with the Celts use of whales. The United Gothic Regions would like to set up sea trade with the Celts due to our relative close proximity. We will trade our marble and silvers for your export whales. We will use the bones to decorate our warships and use the blubber in our soaps, polishes and cosmetics. Surplus whale will be offered to the nations east of us, particularly those beyond the reach of the Celts as to not compete in the same market.
 * The Celtic League: We agree to the trade. We will also send a talented whale bone engraver to help teach your men how to properly decorate and install these bones.

Autonomous Albion  :  With the new Duke appointed, a new age begins in the newly renamed Albion. Still under Gothic influence, we begin to improve our military, to fight alongside the '''High Council of the Mediterranean. Albion also begins renting out soldiers to other countries as mercenaries. '''As the twins grow older, they begin to show potential as warriors and leaders. Branwen towers over most people her age, at an astonishing 195 centimeters. Cadfael has not grown nearly as tall yet, only 162 centimeters, and is teased incessantly. Both of the children are outstanding in the sparring pit, Branwen with a spear, and Cadfael with an axe. They are both assigned to be squires to their father, who begins to groom them to take up his position.

Late in the night, Duke Osgar contemplates his losses in life. Though seen as a strong and capable leader by his people, he felt like a traitor to them, leaving them to die for his own sake. The Duke takes a pledge to himself, that he will do all he can to protect and make prosperous the second chance he has been given.

The Falcon breeding is coming along nicely, by the year 675, the Duke had amassed a total of 50 Falcons. He sends five to Roderic Lousean, and requests that Falconry Towers are built throughout the empire, as to establish a quick network of communication. The Chenla Kingdom: After over a century and a half of isolation from the rest of the world, King Jayavarman seeing his kingdom begin to come into shambles, abolishes the ancient policies of total self-reliance set by the earlier kings of the kingdom. His first act is to establish a new capital on the Mekong river, more centralized in the kingdom so that he would have a better grasp of his kingdom's affairs. He names the new capital Luang Prabang.
 * The Gothic Empire views the Duke of Albion to be using his new power efficiently and hopes for it to continue in the future. Roderic Lousean agrees to the building the Falconry Towers and sets to work employing Anglo-Saxon slaves to do so. In some strange sense, Duke Osgar is still giving orders to his people ...

With the help from his royal advisers, King Jayavarman establishes a series of five-year plans to put into effect to improve  economy, military power, naval power, internal infrastructure, and foreign relations. The first plan consist of sending delegates to the supremely  great land of Liang with an alliance proposal in hopes of forming an everlasting friendship with the Liang. With the delegates, King Jayavarman sends his most prized war elephant to the leader of the Liang as a sign of goodwill. He truly hopes the Liang accept the offer because he wishes to send his daughter Princess Jayavedi to Liang, when she reaches the age of eight, so that she may learn the highly eloquent culture of China. At the moment the Crowned Princess Jayavedi is three years old.

The second part of the first five-year plan King Jayavarman sends delegates also to the Gupta in hopes of a free trade agreement, so that both nations economies may grow together. King Jayavarman has refrained from offering an alliance offer due to the fact that the Gupta are facing a war against two other nations. In fear that the Chenla Kingdom may not be ready for such a conflict at the moment. But King Jayavarman, understanding that much of his kingdom's culture is influenced by the Gupta, has secretly put in the trade agreement a kind of lend-lease program so that the Gupta could "hire" Chenlian Royal War Elephants and not have to pay for them until their war is over. King Jayavarman hopes that this deal will establish a basis of friendship between the two nations, even though there isn't a formal offer of alliance.

Also, we expand south claiming claiming the little land left at the bottom of the map of Southeast Asia.

Middle-Egypt: We support uprisings in Persia and hope to set them to anarchy. We continue manning ships with the Goths and struggle to forget their violent past. We support Upper-Egypt falling to Mbalian influence as we, too, adopt Mbalian war customs and traditions. The State of Middle-Egypt becomes controlled autocratically by the dictator Alecksander XIV.

Kingdom of Wales-Cornwall: We improve our based infrastructure and military troops. Ensuring our land that some of the threats who declare war on us could be an unlikely situation. Military has total of troops, but we think it's still not known yet but somewhere around 5000-8000.

The Kingdom of Ghana: Worries over the war in Ghana subside for a short while, as many hear of the victories that their king and the kingdom's allies face against the heathens, while worries have subsided for the moment, many still hope for this conflict to end soon enough.

The education of the King's son continues as planned, with many of his staff that had been put to educating him, finding him to be a clever lad, with aspirations to grow up to be as great as his father, whom he views as a gallant and honorable war hero off to defend their people. At such a young age, he begins to show an aptitude for diplomacy, as he often shows a striking capability for adapting to any given situation amongst multiple parties, though all this means is that he was quite clever at getting an extra cookie for the day from his nan.

Due to the state being administered by a council of noblemen and advisers, things run relatively smoothly, but efforts to maintain certain aspects of the country begin to bog down, if only slightly, as the administrators all held varying views of political priorities, and thus begin to cause over-complexity in their day-to-day affairs. These effects will not begin to show for several more decades, if the war continues to progress as the king is off in foreign territory, making it impossible for him to handle things himself.

Working with their allies, King Kaya Magha Cisse' II, follows his fellows lead, as his knowledge of the region is very little in respect to those who have lived here for ages. In hopes of alleviating this, the King conscripts some traveling merchants from Ghana, as their travels into this land will provide the King with the knowledge he seeks. Hoping much to prove himself to his forefathers of the past, many of his plans he proposes with the rest of his allies follow along the lines of, "A GALLANT CHARGE SO RIGHTEOUS IN ITS EXAMPLE, THAT ALL THOSE OF WHO WORSHIP THEIR FEVERISH AND DECAYED DEMONS OF THE FRONTIER, SHALL PERISH BEFORE OUR DIVINE GLORY." or something like that, it's usually caught somewhere between his stoically glazed-over eyes, or the half-sputtering foam that forms from his mouth. Either way, the Ghanan forces in the conflict continue courageously to prove themselves as a strongwilled, and powerful nation.

(I am so sorry everyone, but there isn't going to be a turn today either. I had a commitment yesterday and today that completely slipped my mind. I'm sorry that I'm inconveniencing all of you, and I hope that the wait is bearable. I promise to make the turn on Sunday super amazing.)

Lombardy (OOC): For all this waiting, we deserve a plague or something. :P

The Kingdom of Ghana (OOC): With all of this interaction in the East, maybe the Bubonic Plague should start ;).

Silla (OOC): Make it start in Japan, because I don't like Japan. Also, who says it has to start in the East? Goths (OOC): Whatever happens tomorrow, it had better be cool! I've been jonesing for my daily dose of map game.
 * The Kingdom of Ghana (OOC): It is believed that the Bubonic Plague that struck Europe in the late middle ages occurred from trade that went from the Silk Road (China to the Middle East), and then from there throughout the Mediterranean, primarily through Italy, and then from there on. Wiki Link

Middle-Egypt (OOC): What's going on? How long hasn't there been a turn?

675 C.E.
(I am so sorry from the ridiculously late turn. I hope that nothing of this degree of severity happens again, but must unfortunately say that there will most certainly be no turn next Saturday. Again, thank you for staying with this game, and I hope it continues to prove enjoyable for all of you.)

'''With the entry of the Hephthalite dynasty into the conflict between the Gupta and Ganga, the First Great War of India is officially underway. Gupta superiority lasts for only one month before the Ganga and Hephthalites begin to push back. The Ganga, thanks to reinforcements from Sri Lanka, push the invaders out of their territory within the course of two years, and in an additional three, manage to secure some territory from the Gupta. The naval assault on the northern shores of the Bay of Bengal prove initially unsuccessful, but as the Gupta ground troops are slowly drawn away from the area, and toward the fighting in the dynasty’s Indian territory, the shores open up for Ganga landings. Ganga forces swiftly secure a large portion of the coastal region. The Hephthalites, due to their empire nearly enclaving the Guptas’ territory in India, invade from all sides. The Gupta are forced to divide up their forces completely to try to repel the invaders, but to no avail. Within three years, the Hephthalites have completely enclaved the Indian territory, separating what remains from the rest of the empire. Despite all their losses, however, the Gupta manage to push slightly into Hephthalite territory, at a point where the border between the two nations is thick and Gupta presence is strong.'''

'''The revitalized anti-Islamic counteroffensive, determined to push the Caliphate out of Africa completely, has finally seemed to reach its full potential. Despite the Caliphate’s efforts to fortify the Middle-Lower Egyptian borders, the anti-Islamic counteroffensive swiftly and effectively breaks the defensive line, and surge into the western portion of the territory, where, thanks to Gothic naval blockades, the troops are becoming increasingly sparse. The invaders secure the entirety of the Lower Egyptian territory west of the Nile, and begin to push into the Caliphate proper. Thanks to the diversion of troops from the Lower Egyptian border farther south into Africa, a second wave of assault takes place, this time, securing almost all of the remaining, Lower Egyptian territory.'''

'''Gothic portage has begun to pick up speed in Sinai, with the help of Anglo-Saxon slaves. Within five years, the Goths finally have a formidable naval presence in the Red Sea, Now outnumbering the Caliphate’s naval forces. With marine superiority now in their hands, the Goths begin a massive assault and blockade on the Caliphate’s forces. They specifically target settlers crossing the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in hopes of preventing further Arabic expansion into Africa. This campaign is largely successful, and the actual expansion of the Caliphate is far below projected values.'''

'''The Gothic naval campaigns in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are further aided by the Umbra-Gotha’s commandeering of the Caliphate’s vessels. The practice proves moderately successful at bringing in new ships, and wildly successful in lowering the Caliphate’s morale.'''

Morale in the Gothic Empire, which was dwindling five years prior, has now raised significantly, with seemingly every demographic of the nation wildly in favor of the noble war.

'''King Orvar’s decision to adopt a mobile lifestyle greatly improves his popularity among the people under Lombard rule, chiefly the Western Slavs and Saxons. The recently annexed territory had originally felt as though the King would greatly favor original Lombard territory over their own, but this recent decision to move between the three main provinces has caused this assumption to all but vanished, replaced with the notion that Orvar truly cares about all peoples in his nation.'''

'''Although the King’s popularity has largely risen, many Western Slavs are not at all happy with their leaders’ decision to join the Lombard Kingdom. Seeing this decision as motivated largely by greed and desire for the wealth of the Amber Road, many Slavs begin to flock over to the Rus’ Principality, where they feel the ethnic and cultural connection is far greater.'''

'''The Lombards’ expedition into the British Isles yields a surprising result: most monasteries, libraries, and other homes of knowledge and history remain largely intact, mostly due to the recent Anglo-Saxon capitulation. Unsurprising, however, is the discovery that the majority of the British peoples do not support the Franks in the slightest, and are very discontented with their new overlords. They are optimistic, however, that their rulers will be kind, seeing as they have not truly made any earth-shattering decisions yet, the locals have yet to see any real administrative action of the part of the Franks.'''

'''Lombard expeditions into Scandinavia proved to be initially successful, and colonies were established along the coastline. However, the Lombards, who were mostly used to a temperate climate, were shocked by the severity of the northern Scandinavians winters. These brutal cold-seasons put immense stress on food supplies, as well as the success of Lombardian endeavours in the area as a whole.'''

'''The invasion of Zoroaster continues, and is accelerated immensely by the Hephthalites’ entry into the war. in the year 674, only nine years after its establishment, the young Kingdom is completely overwhelmed by its invaders, and surrenders to an unknown future.'''

'''The invasion of Zoroaster, while militarily successful, proves to be disastrous in regards to the loyalty of the Persian citizens. Upon witnessing the brutal assault and heinous acts of the Caliphate upon their own brethren, the Persian people grow increasingly hostile toward the Caliphate. Talks of revolution permeate the entire nation, and the whole region appears to be on the eve of immense change.'''

'''The Second Invasion of Britain continues, and is sped up by the establishment of Gothic presence in the Area. The Anglo-Saxons, fearful of further loss of life, agree to the Celtic ultimatum, and surrender completely, allowing the Goths and Franks to carve out what remains of their territory. The Kingdom of Hibernia, however, refuses to surrender. The Celts and Franks are forced to continue with their invasion, and though Hibernian resistance is fierce, the invaders are simply too strong, and manage to conquer the remainder of the island in only five years. Only a small sliver of the Kingdom of Wales-Cornwall remains, and it is thought that the invaders could easily conquer it in less than six months. The future of the island remains uncertain, and the Franks have yet to cede the land they promised to the Celts.'''

'''The joint Khazar-Gepid expeditions across the Caspian Sea result in their landing in the Mangystau region. They find the region completely devoid of human inhabitants, and largely dry and barren, though it harbors occasional oases of water and vegetation. Rudimentary settlements are established by the Khazars along the coastline.'''

'''The Celtic expeditions westward return nothing but rough seas and cold winters. Any land discovered was described as incredibly small and completely devoid of life.'''

'''Tensions ease between the Avars and Rus’. Although the Avars are still fearful of their western, and now also northern and eastern, neighbors, the Rus’s decision to allow the Avars to utilize the ports of Crimea, and participate in the growing Black Sea trade, causes them to, in the face of economic prosperity, turn a blind eye to the principality’s expansion.'''

'''The Liang’s invasion of the Kingdom of Tibet continues, though it proves to be difficult. The Liang’s troops, like many of the invaders who have attempted conquering the region, are unadept at traversing the cold and rugged terrain.'''

'''The Silla cede large portions of land in the western parts of their kingdom to their neighbors, the Göktürks and Liang. The terrain has proven to be incredibly arid, and largely inhospitable.'''

'''The construction of the trade network through Gepid territory proves incredibly lucrative for all nations involved. This effort, which has essentially linked the Black Sea trade with the fabled Amber Road, generates massive profits for the Lombards, Goths, Rus’, and Gepids. Many still await the Byzantine’s decision regarding whether or not they will participate in the network, but even without their involvement, the project has still proven wildly successful. Many prominent thinkers have begun to refer to southeastern Europe as “The economic epicenter” of Europe.'''

'''The Gothic decision to connect their highway system to the Amber Road proves beneficial to the western portion of the empire, but only to a certain extent. Many citizens of the western Gothic Empire have begun to feel a disconnect with the east. They fear that the eastern Goths will continue to live a life of prosperity, whereas the western Goths will succumb to poverty.'''

Thanks to the efforts of Duke Osgar, falconry continues to grow in popularity throughout the western portion of the Gothic Empire.

'''Ghanan expansion finally reaches its projected goals. The kingdom now contains a large swath of western African land, uninterrupted by patches of uninhabited land.'''

The Chenlan King’s offer of a symbolic war elephant to the Liang, as well as possibly the offer of his daughter living in the kingdom in order to learn the renown culture of China, has gone, as of yet, unanswered.

'''The Gupta, however, immediately agree to the Chenla offer of a trade agreement, as well as a lend lease agreement for war goods. The Gupta begin purchases war elephants in bulk, hoping to stave off the Indian invaders.'''

'''The great minds of Europe, Asia and Africa are, for the most part, in concurrence that the level of trade and interaction that is going on between the peoples of the West is at an astronomical height, possibly a historically unprecedented one. While nearly all agreed that this interaction would bring copious prosperity to the whole of the world, a few outliers suggested that something truly terrible could result, though they were unsure what. Although these outliers were from completely different cultures, and vastly different religious backgrounds, they all seemed to agree that whatever would occur, it would be the wrath of God, punishing man for venturing forth into places, both physical and mental, that he was never intended to go. The ideas of these pessimists were, in the eyes of many, confirmed in the year 671, when the Citizens of Carthage began dropping dead. Many symptoms were typical of a regular disease that would sweep northern Africa regularly: A high fever, an overwhelming feeling of coldness, and a seeming inability to move. What set this pestilence apart was, first of all, the record number of deaths, and second of all, what seemed to be the blackening and “Death” of tissue in the extremities. Many were at a loss as to what could have caused the sudden appearance of the disease, and very few offered answers. Some suggested the establishment of Islam had brought about the disease, whereas others suggested that the Mbalians had created it as a means of further subordinating the Carthaginians. One suggestion, however, came from a renowned Carthaginian doctor named Beremud Caesaria, who suggested that whatever was causing this pestilence may have its origins in the Trans-Saharan-Trade, which connected previously uncontacted people of the Sahara and Sub-Sahara to the Barbary Coast. He further explained that these people may harbor an innate difference with those of Northern Africa and Europe, and their physiology may cause a deadly disease in the such peoples. Many began to subscribe to this explanation, and Ghanan Death became the unofficial name of whatever is afflicting the people of Northern Africa. (For the record, Genesaria, I was planning to do this all along, but your suggestion was hilariously well timed).'''

The Ghanan Death is mostly affecting Mbalian territory in the former Carthaginian Empire yet, although reports of diseases which seem to match the symptoms of Ghanan Death have occurred in other portions of the Kingdom of Mbali, the Republic of Morocco, Gothic Morocco, and even the southern portion of Gothic Andalusia.

Having reached the borders of the Picts, The Kingdom of the Franks, decides to end the Invasion and focuses on ensuring that the Celts gain the land they were promised. Frankish troops leave Hiberina, and it is declared that Cornwall and Wales will both be given to the Celts. In the meantime, the Anglo-Saxons are divided into two new kingdoms: Essex in the south and York in the North. Roads are built through out the conquered regions, and many of the towns are connected to each other by this method. A new currency is also introduced in the conquered nations, and the Frankish nobleman who ruled Cornwall abdicates in favor of the Celts. Agriculture is improved through out the region, and in an attempt to unite the Franks and Anglo-Saxons, the Prince Charles of the House of Burgundy marries his Anglo-Saxon bride, and she bares him a son, who is named George. With massive discontent through out the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Anglo-Saxon nobles are appointed in both kingdoms, and new reforms are put in place, granting that much of the landowners are forced to pay a tax to the Franks. However, negotiations are made with several Anglo-Saxon leaders, and we reach an agreement on things they may need and desire. As part of the plan to unite the two people's, the flags of both Essex and York are given Frankish markings, but carry much in the way of Anglo-Saxon symbolize as well. However, Sire Charles Gamlin mounts a final assult on the Welsh, and personally kills the Welsh king, taking one of his young daughters as his mistress. This outrages the Frankish King, who demands that he come to Paris for a trial. Instead, he moves to York, where he takes up resisdence with the Yorkish King, Harold, who is pleased to have him. The Kings youngest son, Prince Joseph, aged only 16, becomes a formiddable warrior, and begins touring the conquered lands. However, he goes missing while in Essex, causing a masive uproar, and suspecions of treachary by the conquered Anglo-Saxons. A search is mounted for him. 50,000 men are in occupation of the conquered regions, helping to set up the new vassal states.

Ganga Dynasty: As the war goes on north, orders are given to build new infrastructures in the entire kingdom. Roads are built to link the north to the south, and new harbors start appearing on the coast. Officially as a way to link the kingdom together, everyone understand the new constructions are there to support the war more than the economy. On the front, the two armies plan to join inside the Gupta territory, than charge the Gupta capital. However, due to suddent illness, the Raja returned to his palace, unable to lead his men, leaving the command to his 22-year old son Palaka. It is now time to act according to the plan that will lead Ganga to victory.

Khazar Khaganate: We will continue to build dromons in the port of Tmutorakan and Derbent and begin to protect our trade. We accept the demands of the Byzantine Empire by making our state religion Christianity so we request that the Byzantine Empire send us missionaries to convert our people. We will also impose a tax on other religions of 5% to not force people to convert but instead slowly convert them. We will also request military equipment from the Byzantine Empire in return for lower tariffs on trade access throughout our nation. We will try to centralize the government slowly so we might be able to create a better army and begin building up troops on the border of the Avars and the Caliphate. We will then sail south on the Caspian sea to see if there are any other bodies of water(There is a river called the Uzboy river which flows to the Caspian Sea which flows to the Aral Sea). We will continue to establish settlements on the Caspian Sea. http://greenash.net.au/thoughts/2014/10/forgotten-realms-of-the-oxus-region/

Autonomous Albion: Duke Osgar begins buying Anglo-Saxon slaves and states that any thrall under his control may buy his freedom by purchasing land or through outstanding military victories.

The twins grow larger, Cadfael catching up in height with Branwen. The twins are massive, and are proven to be good fighters. Duke Osgar knights them and appoints them to his personal Honor Guard.

In response to the current plague, the citizens of Albion are advised to become more self-suffecient and not rely heavily on trade.

The duchess, Callwen falls ill with the plague, and is quickly executed and burned. Duke Osgar and Cadfael mourn deeply, but Branwen does not shed a tear.

The Duke commissions weapons for the twins, as he feels guilty over the loss of their mother. Cadfael is given a two-handed axe, and Branwen a spear, similar to her father's.

Lombard Kingdom: Orvar dies of an illness contracted during one of his visits to the Baltic Sea coast, and is buried next to his father, outside of the temple of Wodin. As he had no progeny, he is succeeded by his nephew, Bazymir Hróaldr, who, upon is ascension, marries Gunna Saturnina, the 16-year-old granddaughter of the Saxon duke Aelle.

The first day he begins reviewing the reports from his nation, his advisors tell him of a sickness that began in North Africa, but somehow spread to Germany within very short period of time (#Unrealism). To prevent the spread of the plague into Lombardy, all trade is cut off with the Western Gothic Empire, and trade along the Amber Road is slowed to a carefully-regulated trickle.

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Edit: The first day he begins reviewing the reports from his nation, his advisors tell him of a sickness that began in North Africa, and has spread to the south of Gothic territory almost fairly quickly. Trade along the highways connecting to the Western Gothic Empire, and along the Amber Road is restricted slightly (excuses involving missionaries sneaking into Lombardy are given to the Goths), but Bazymir believes that Nerþuz will protect those that worship her, and that the plague will pass quickly, as all other sicknesses have.

Bazymi knows that this (the restriction of the Amber Road) will make the Western Slavic lords unhappy (as most of them did join for the Amber Road), meaning that they may start leaving too, so he orders most of the well-trained but small royal standing army to keep an eye on the border with the Rus', and to prevent any Slavic tribes, or unaligned groups of Slavs, from moving to Rusland Bazymir does recognize that he needs carrots to go along with his sticks, and so offers subsidies, to be used for local land-development, to the various Slav chieftains, as a compensation for the cutting-off of the southbound trade, and they are told that trade may open again soon, albeit through Rusland instead of the Gothic dominions.

'''A proposal is sent to the Rus'. If they accept, the Rus' and the Lombards will co-sponsor a trade route to the Black Sea, which will likely be expanded to reach the Gepids' territory as well. Not only will this provide a way to move goods to the ports of the south without exposing our traders to the plague (as much), but it can also be a way for both of our nations to ride out possible Gothic trade embargos, by providing our traders with an alternate, if slightly less efficient, route. The short-term benefits will be enormous, and in the long-term, not only will it provide a stable trade-route from the west to Rus' territory, but it will also bring our people closer together after the diplomatic tensions that arose from the dispute over the Western-Slavs.'''

'''Lombard ships are again sent to the islands of Gotska Sandon, Öland and Hailuoto, as apparently something terrible happened to them along the way, and they never landed. A request for a Jutish-Lombard alliance is sent once again, in hopes that there is a slight chance that they'll actually listen.'''

'''Bazymir, hearing stories of the brutal winters up in the north, decides to change the angle of approach regarding colonialism in the north. He suggests that his chieftains, and their Lombard companions pull back to the coast, leaving their half-tilled fields, and partially-thatched houses, and instead invites members of the neighboring Jutish and Danish tribes to occupy the recently abandoned land, in exchange for pledges of allegiance to the Lombard chieftains. In return for their pledges, the Jute and Dane settlers get free, partially-developed land they can occupy, markets for their goods, a chance to purchase luxuries from the south that are carried along the trade-routes, and protection from maurauding warlords (which would not be uncommon at this time). It is hoped that Lombard expansion will continue this way, through proxies, and will finally allow for complete Lombard control of a land-route across Scandinavia, allowing for trade with Britain and Iceland that wouldn't be constrained by Jutish customs tax as Lombard ships passed through the Danish straits. Granted, the trade would be limited and available seasonally (as there would be no chance of getting anything larger than a single donkey through northern Scandinavia during the winter), but it is hoped that it will, eventually, pay for the effort being used to gain it. On the plus side, most of the effort (and money) is being spent by the chieftains involved in the colonization itself, so there's a much lower risk for the Lombard monarchy as might be imagined. (MOD: INSERT SOME MORE REASONABLE EXPANSION HERE.)'''

A wealthy Lombard plantation owner, hearing of a strange, wind-powered device that was experimented with in Persia before the Islamic annexation, begins tinkering with sail-cloth, and worn-down cart axles, and within a few months demonstrates a wind-powered device capable of pumping small amounts of water uphill with no human intervention. After his neighbors stop applauding, he disassembles it and has his slaves cart it to the wealthy agricultural regions of the far west of Lombard territory, where, he theorizes, it will be at its most-effective. Sure enough, news of his invention spreads across the lowlands, and within a few years, every chieftain in the area who holds a sizeable amount of land has atleast one pumping irrigation water to his crops. ((We have windmills now, and they're even in a Dutch(-ish) area! Next thing you know, everyone will become crazy about tulips.))

To convince the West-Slavs that they are part of the empire, king Bazymir expands his father's system of complete mobility to include Vlodlari, a sizeable town, independent of any clan, in the heart of Slavic territory. At the very least, it will give him a first-hand view of the issues confronting the Lombard administration in the West-Slavic territories.

It is found that, due to atmospheric erosion, the plaster (and the frescoes) on the walls of the Lombard ports has to be renewed roughly every three-years, giving the residents of those towns a tri-annual festival, in which everyone pours out to contribute their little bit of artistry to the defenses of the kingdom. The more attractive frescoes of 672 are chipped out, and used to adorn the houses of the well-off in the cities, while the rest are simply plastered over. As the replastering is occuring in one of the Saxon cities, one of the nobles remarks to the commander of his personal guard that, seeing as the earlier frescoes are still present, simply plastered-over, they might prove fascinating to some later generation who uncovers the walls of the city and is able to see centuries of history enacted in pictoral form, both by the nobles and the commoners. The commander shrugs and turns back to beating a servant who was caught stealing.

Lombard Kingdom (OOC): I was going to go for a more realistic, seventh-century approach to the plague, where my king dismissed it as a "minor problem for the south," and let trade continue, unaware of the havoc that it would eventually wreak on his territory, but Albion's post has forced my hand. There's not really any way my nation can ignore the plague when it moved from Carthage to the Gothic province directly to the south of Lombardy within so short a time. Just know, this more modern approach to plague-handling was not my original intention. (Although if I wanted to go completely modern, I'd give everyone in my kingdom a facemask soaked in Vodka to sterilize the air they breathe, and incinerate any Goth who goes within four miles of a major population center). The Kingdom of Mbali: King Nero puts everything aside to focus the growing illness spreading through North Africa. He remains open minded to any and all of the rumors he hears regarding such an illness, including the more unfounded ideas. However Bjorn is content that the Trans-Saharan-Trade is the most likely of which. Bjorn explains this to his father and asks to travel to Carthage and speak with Beremud Caesaria himself. King Nero worried for not only his son’s health but the survival of his entire kingdom, reluctantly agrees. Bjorn in company of some of his most trusted advisors travels to Carthage to speak with Doctor Beremud. The conversation focuses the Trans-Saharan goods and roads intertwining our countries and our kingdoms heavy reliance on such. As a doctor Beremud continually pushes that sanitation should remain key in preventing spread. Bjorn soon learns that rodents are known for carrying such illnesses, and often stow-away on imported goods, but human transmission remains confusing.
 * Mod (OOC): I have to agree with you here. Not only is it unrealistic for the plague to spread spontaneously to Germany in under five years, but in my opinion, these kinds of occurrences are not to be left up to the players (when and how something gets infected with a disease). So I'm just going to say, the plague is not in Albion. Whether Albion retracts that portion of their message, or I have to personally make a comment on it in the coming turn, it will not have reached that territory come 680.
 * Lombardy (OOC): In that case I'll change the way I deal with the plague to a more realistic fashion.

The Trans-Saharan-Trade is responsible for most if not all of Mbalian imports, but strict regulations all but stop the flow of goods. It’s understood that the illness is most dominate in Carthage and assumed to be because of little inspection and direct access to the Trans-Saharan-Trade. An inspection station is set-up along the west Mbalian/Carthaginian border and all food creates imported from the Trans-Saharan-Trade are to be thoroughly rid of rodents and small mammals. The African Wildcat begins to be trained to hunt and kill rodents, and finds a place in border regulation. Pottery and cloths are washed and dried before entering or leaving and the trade of luxury items is currently prohibited. Bjorn aims to siphon out and eliminate the illnesses path making its way deep into Carthage. Heavier border enforcement also seems necessary, anyone who aims to cross any Mbalian border is to have a full physical evaluation and granted temporary border access upon doctor approval. Emissaries are sent to The Republic of Morocco in hopes of communicating with their doctors and spreading word of the ever growing plague.

Bjorn travels the kingdom to personally relay Doctor Beremud’s message of sanitation, though enforcing it remains difficult. Hospitals are built in rural areas to close gaps with limited health care. Anyone expressing severe symptoms is encouraged to get to the closest hospital for further inspection. The symptoms are fierce, anyone who lasts more than a few days begin to rot from the tips of their fingers and toes. High casualties and many hands working to care for the sick hinder overall workforce. To ensure fresh water for the sick and overwhelmed, aqueducts are constructed and repaired with Carthage as the focal point. Farmers are encouraged to plant and grow more to account for the significant slow of imported food. Isolation and self-reliance begin to take great importance in The Kingdom of Mbali. King Nero hears the rumors unrolling in his kingdom and aims to assure the people who so faithfully look up to him, including the people of Carthage, that he wishes only the best for them.

Lombardy (OOC): I was bored and, as we have a rapidly spreading plague, I did my best to put together a worldwide (or known-worldwide) map of the trade routes, (the key is below) with the major ones labelled. Hopefully it will clear up any trade-related ambiguity. Of course, there's a good chance I got some of it wrong, so if you notice any inaccuracies pertaining to your country (most of the inter-Ghanaian trade routes I drew were just guesses, for instance), please let me know. Here it is.

KEY:
 * Red line = trade route
 * Light green line = proposed trade route, and/or in construction
 * Purple "X" = major center of trade (based on both number of connections to other trade routes, and the volume of the trade passing through)
 * Yellow words = you should probably read them. They're fairly useful.

Hephthalite Empire: Economy, infrastructure and military improve. Population continues to grow faster. Continues building a series of war elephants, in hope to crush Gupta built war elephants. Fewer Hindu mandirs and more houses, shops, Hindu temples and mining plants are built. Continues to plan new reforms and continues investing heavily in technology and science. Roads and farms are improved and cities continue to grow. Expands 2000 pixels north. '''Continues invading Gupta Dynasty and currently occupied large portions of central India. This year, Hephthalite Empire fully annexes Neo-Parthia and eastern part of the Kingdom of Zoroaster.'''

Silla: In the capital city of Seorabeol, anti-Japanese riots break out and break the statue representing the Japanese people. We increase trade with China and the Turkish peoples, and the Ainu peoples. We start trade with various Southeast Asian countries, trading our silk and porcelain products for spices and raw materials. We improve agriculture output per capita, and our population starts to boom. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. We cede more of Western Manchuria to the Turkish Khaganate and cede the Liaodong peninsula to the Liang. We encourage the Turkish Khaganate to join the Chinese tributary system. We continue to create a naval force powerful enough to counter any foreign influences, specially Japan. We begin to promote multiculturalism to reduce the bias towards the Silla people.

Kingdom of Wales: The capital city of Cardiff, still continues to receive some good buildings while developing of the infrastructure. With that, our land could be in jeopardy as some of our enemies aim to invade us which could end our hopes of defense, with our defense, we're sure that the luck of the defense will be impossible.

Wales is offered peace by the Franks on the condition that it accepts the Celtic gains.

Wales accepts Franks' peace.

The Gothic Empire: Victories against the Caliphate in Africa prove to be just the motivation Gothic troops need to sustain them in their forward march. Euric Vermundo leads his regiment of men back east to flank the Muslim troops and support in capturing the last of Lower-Egypt. The other head military leader, General Lazarus II continunies to push into Lower-Egypt, but once the rest of former egyptian territory is captured and Vermundo leads his flank, the border will be held and fortifications will be constructed.

Back home, panic begins to spread even more rapidly than the encroaching plague from the south. Roderic Lousean expresses his adamancy that the "Plague of Callwen", as the people had begun to call it, is simply a punishment sent forth from the heavens to punish those who attempt to consider or understand Islamic "heathen" belief systems. Morocco is cut off from the rest of the empire as the wall used to defend against Carthage years ago is refortified and defended by the national guard. Money accumulated from trade is horded in treasuries and travel along roads comes to a screeching halt. For the time being, it would appear the empire is locked in an isolationist state of fear.

Being the highly intelligent individual he has long been credited with being, Chairman Roderic understand that a disease is not a simple 'act of god' but is a natural population controlling mechanism that must be fought back with the utmost of haste and discretion. The Umbra-Gotha, with alcohol soaked rags around their mouths, are given a special assignment to travel through areas where infection is said to be at its worst, and in secret through the guile of night, capture and execute any potentially harmful infected individuals.

Bodies of the recently deceased are loaded aboard new types of ships that can be manned by less than ten people, but can haul huge loads of cargo, known as a '''Navali Corpus Tabellarius'. ''The bodies are then brought south to war hot-spots such as the Red Sea or Egypt. By claiming to be 'giving the Caliphate back their heathens', the Goth's manage to convince soldiers to load the bodies into catapults and launch them over the Caliphates defenses and into their most populous cities.

The royal daughter, and most important person in Roderic's life, Sventhila, is to be looked after by an Anglo-Saxon slave woman by the name of Matilda. Roderic gains a new respect for the Anglo-Saxons seeing as how they sheltered his loved one in the time when he needed it most. Nobody is allowed contact with her without a thorough inspection and she is to interact solely with Matilda and her royal instructors. With all of this time and energy pent up, Sventhila takes to practicing with her favorite knife, a gift from the Celtic Queen Ygritte.

The use of falcons is spread to east, where the headquarters of a news agency is located. The agency, known as "Vox-Populi", begins spreading word of the plague and how it has caused trade in the east to halt. Roderic, willing to risk his own life to ensure his people stay united, travels across all of the empire's epicenters of population and trade, informing them of the situation and pleading that they work together and view each-other as equals in a time when "Satan himself would send his vile pestilence to our doorstep".

Caliphate: We expand 3500 pixels into East Africa. We offer this to the Egyptians, you get 1000 pixels and annexation of South-Egypt and we don't attack each other for 50 years. We build our military.

Celtic League: I received news from my men fighting with the Franks. They say that they finally finished fighting on their front and securing the lands that the Anglo-Saxon territory and are returning home. I will ask them if they learned anything that could help us improve our army. I hope the answer is yes.

I being to mobilize half the country to return to the homelands. leaving the other half to repopulate the missing population. I send word to the Franks asking about the Erie and the other lands he has promised me.

“I, Queen Ygritte of the Celtic League, send this letter in regards to the land you currently occupy. When would you like me to make the transition of moving my people to the Cornwall and other lands?

~Queen Ygritte”

I Continue to build my navy making more ships that can go on land. I believe I have around 20 of these “Landhoppers” already. I hope with the transition to the homelands production and population will increase. Although with words spreading of a possible plague in the mainlands I’m not sure that will happen. I begin to steadily lower trade with coastal cities known to be infected with it, although I’m not sure this will help.

My marriage has been going wonderfully to the man known as Quin Everstorm. We have had one child named Jon Eversnow. As I was a bastard child and my husband has no claim to the throne we decided to combine our two last names for him. He will one day be rightful ruler of the north. I am pregnant with my second child, and hope for a strong girl.

The Franks are in the process of transferring the land to the Celts, but the disappearance of Prince Joseph has caused an uproar and may complicate matters.

680 C.E.


(When I have some downtime, I am going to create a page and category for wars, which either you folks or I can edit whenever we feel a conflict was significant enough to merit its own page. I also plan to update the map page in the near future.)

'''The First Great Indian War continues, with the Hephthalites and Ganga holding the clear upper hand. Within five years, the Hephthalites conquer the remaining, enclaved portion of Gupta territory. The Gupta soldiers fighting in the area begin to flee, though to little avail, due to the massive amount of enemy territory between them and safety. The Ganga plan proves to be a success, and they push quickly into the Gupta homeland. Chenla war elephants help the Gupta slightly, but they are simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies they are fighting. Fearing for the worst, the Gupta put out a call for peace. They offer all land currently occupied by the Ganga and Hephthalites, in exchange for peace and a fifty year non-aggression pact.'''

'''Although the Hephthalites’ campaign to unite India has proven militarily successful, the harsh domestic consequences of the endeavor begin to surface. Countless Indian tribes, living passively under the Hephthalites no less than five years ago, begin to grow unruly. They see the Hephthalites’ expansion as too fast, and too large, and fear their own safety may be at risk. By 680, unrest permeates the entirety of the empire.'''

'''The Anti-Islamic campaign in Egypt finally accomplishes one of its main goals: driving the Caliphate out of Egypt. By the year 677, the remainder of lower Egypt is captured, and, by Gothic orders, the border is held and defended. An offer for peace by the Caliphate to the Middle-Egyptians has gone as-of-yet unanswered, and as such, fighting continues along the border.'''

Gothic naval presence in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden continues to pose a serious problem to would-be Caliphate settlers, and the empire only manages to expand slightly into Africa.

'''Slavic desertion of the Kingdom of Lombardy slows slightly, with the establishment of the King’s seasonal residence in Vlodlari. Lombard subsidies are successful in equalizing the unrest that would have occurred from the slowdown in the Amber Road.'''

The invention of windmills greatly helps agricultural efforts in the hilly and otherwise arable territory in the western Lombard Kingdom.

'''The offer for tribal assistance in Scandinavia goes unanswered by the Jutes, who have been largely unheard from for the past few decades. The Danish tribes, however, agree to the offer, and begin moving into the deserted farmland, swearing the allegiance to the Lombards, and bringing with them their renown cold-weather farming techniques.'''

'''The Persian citizens in the eastern portion of the kingdom, no longer able to cope with the tyranny and religious fervor surrounding them, break away from the Caliphate’s puppet state, and establish the Persian Free State. They declare that they are also breaking from the mainstream sect of Islam that the Caliphate adheres to. The Persians state that their new sect, which is known as Shia Islam, was founded on the notion that Shiat Ali, son-in-law of Muhammad, should have been the leader of the Islamic faith, as opposed to Abu Bakr. The newly formed country also preaches more religious tolerance, allowing Zoroastrians to co-exist with the Muslim population of Persia. They begin fortifying their eastern and western borders, fearful of immediate invasion by their neighbors.'''

'''With the sacking of Wales, the invasion of Britain seems to finally be over, the victors the Celts, Franks and Goths. In the wake of the invasion, chaos begins to die down, as each nation establishes its control over the area. The Franks divide conquered Anglo-Saxon territory into York and Essex, and cede captured territory in Eire over to the Celts. They also have plans to cede Wales and Cornwall to the Celts, but the disappearance of Joseph has caused a delay in the process.'''

'''Celtic warriors, returning from the fight, bring home tales of foreign lands and people, namely the Franks, who they claim have an excellent style of combat. Relying not only on superior numbers, but on superior planning, and surprise assaults, the Celtic soldiers eagerly suggest the adoption of such techniques, as a means of further improving the nation’s military.'''

Khazar expeditions across the Caspian Sea continue, and settlements pop up along the Sea’s eastern coast, beginning in already occupied territory, and continuing all the way down to the mouth of the Uzboy river.

'''The Celts begin to move into territory lost over a century ago. The decision to move back into the homeland is wildly popular, and Queen Ygritte’s approval soars.'''

Lombard proposals to the Jutes continue to go unanswered, and the nation as a whole seems to have entered a period of extreme isolationism.

The Liang continue to slowly invade Tibet, though the lack of experience with cold climates continues to make the invasion wildly inefficient.

'''The Silla’s decision to cede further land to the Göktürks and Liang, as well as the decision to promote multiculturalism, launches the kingdom into a period of economic prosperity. Standard of living soars, and the attitude throughout the entire kingdom is overwhelmingly positive. The people also begin to become rallied against a common hatred for the Japanese.'''

'''A lack of centralization by the Göktürks, combined with a particularly brutal wave of barbarian assaults, causes them to lose much of their western territory. The entire Khaganate, wracked by political instability and an unfortunate series of harsh droughts, appears to be on the verge of collapse.'''

'''Beremud Caesaria, upon hearing of the death of the fabled Duchess, Callwen, makes a trek to the province of Albion, shocked to hear of a case of the plague that far north. Upon investigating the circumstances of death, and hearing several accounts of the symptoms, he determines that it was, in fact, not Ghanan Death, but rather, a common infection.'''

'''The Lombard decision to regulate trade with the Goths, though not drastic by any means, has some moderate economic effects. Without the constant influx of wealth, prices begin to slowly creep up, starting mostly with luxury goods, specifically amber, but then trickling down into the food and clothing markets. Life continues as normal, but prosperity is lowered slightly.'''

'''Lombard efforts to compensate for this loss prove largely unsuccessful, as trade routes with the Gepid and Rus’ are nowhere near as well established as those with the Goths. Nevertheless, a small amount of revenue is generated through this substitute route.'''

'''The spread of falconry to the east helps alleviate the cultural tensions between the east and western Gothic Empire, but the economic divide seems to only be growing, especially with the recent economic troubles regarding the Lombards. The west is hit harder, though, as previously stated, the blow is not tremendous, and the economy remains healthy, just less so.'''

'''Thanks largely to Caesaria’s publication of the supposed cause of Ghanan Death, the whole of the souther Mediterranean world, chiefly Africa, is coming to grips with the reality of the situation. The Trans-Saharan-Trade is dramatically reduced, due to fear on the parts of all parties, and the economies of Mbali and Ghana begin to slow.'''

'''Gothic biological warfare in Arabia proves terrifyingly successful. The cities of Mecca and Medina are now rumored to be suffering the same fate as much of Northern Africa.'''

'''The Gothic decision to quarantine Morocco proves successful at mostly keeping the plague out of Iberia. It has, however, caused the isolated cases in the Moroccan province to become increasingly frequent, eventually rivaling the severity of the Plague’s hold in Carthage. Armed rebellion breaks out across the whole of the region, as many scramble to escape the prison their own leaders have trapped them in. Unrest in Iberia skyrockets, as many fear that Ghanan Death will soon spread to their territory, and they will face the same fate as their southern brethren. This panic is furthered by sporadic, reported cases of the disease not only in Andalusia, but, beginning in 678, Murcia and Extremadura. The Umbra-Gotha’s extermination campaign, while successful at first, in a time when diseased individuals were few and far in between, has become increasingly difficult, especially in the quarantined territory in Morocco.'''

The Republic of Morocco, which has also experienced a sharp increase in the number of Ghanan Death victims, agrees to work with the Mbalians in an effort to halt the progression of the disease.

Mbalian sanitation regulations, though successful in wealthy and less-populous location, do little to prevent the spread of the disease through crowded city centers, and the Mbalians continue to be the hardest-hit by the deadly pestilence.

Ganga Dynasty: In 679, the eyes of Khanchana I left the world of the livings. The news of his death only reach the front the following year, about the same time Palaka and his uncles received the Gupta peace offer. Both Somesvara and Chandravarman pledged allegiance to their new Raja, Palaka I. With this, Palaka oldest son, Khadaga, became Yuvraj and receivec Sri Lanka as his domain. The last orders of Khancahana I were to train new troops and build new ships to help the front. Those reinforcements are now on their way, which could help Palaka if peace isn't reached. However, his uncles, hearing about the revolts in the Hephthalite Empire, predict that their ally will seek peace, and suggest that they do the same. In the end, Palaka I send a counteroffer to the Gupta Dynasty, '''adding two conditions to peace: First, the Gupta Dynasty must additionally give the following territories to the Ganga Dynasty. Those will help the Ganga Dynasty solidify his power in the Indian Sea. Second, no peace will be signed if the Hephthalite Empire chooses to continue the war (Palaka I refusing to appear as a coward).''' He also proposed the place where the peace treaty could be signed: Pataliputra, a city into the Gupta territory now controlled by the Hephthalite.

Khazar Khaganate: We will continue to build dromons in the port of Tmutorakan and Derbent and begin to protect our trade. We will try to centralize the government slowly so we might be able to create a better army. We will continue to establish settlements on the Caspian Sea and we will begin to sail up the Uzboy river to settle. We request that the our heir will marry the Avar princess to create friendlier relations between our nations. We also request an alliance with the Gepids for our mutual interests of both of our nations. Finally, we build up a lot of our troops on the 'Caliphate's borders.

Rus' Principality: Grand Prince Vladimir decides to agree to the economic proposal by the Lombards. Trade throughout the principality is booming, while the new lands provide more raw materials for construction of infrastructure in both the newly-settled land as well as other parts of the country. Settlers continue to move southwards into the Tyumen Oblast and the Tomsk Oblast. Meanwhile, the military continues drilling. The Grand Prince makes a proclamation that all males are required to undergo two years of military service as conscripts. It is for males aged 19-27, and the objective is to be able to have a force of well trained men that can be relied on in times of war. The Western Slavs who decided to leave Lombard territory are welcomed to the principality and are given shelter. They are offered a chance to go to the newly-colonized land in Siberia, if they wish, where they will get a plot of land. Meanwhile, the city limits of Kiev, Moscow, Novgorod, Chernigov, Tsaritsyn, Ryazan, Pskov, and other major cities are expanded. Construction of large forts in the Crimea also begins, for security.

Kingdom of Lombardy: ((I'm going to stop emboldening important chunks of text, since it's getting sort of ridiculous, but I will start emboldening the names of independent countries that are being addressed. Unfortunately, the poor mod is going to have to read all of the absolutely massive amount of text that's been produced below ;) )) Bazymir Hróaldr is killed by assassins while making an inspection of the all-important coastal defenses in the former West-Slavic lands. Legally, he should be succeeded by his infant son, Yuza, but his chief advisor attempts to usurp the throne and is killed by palace guards loyal to the Hróaldr family. The advisor's family turns out to protest the killing and the captain of the guard, panicking, orders them suppressed violently. Fighting in the streets of the capital soon turns into an all-out civil war. While the capital is eventually regained by supporters of the Hróaldr dynasty, as is most of the south and the far west, the rest is controlled by Alfarr Ingimárrsson, chieftain of a prominent Lombard-Saxon tribe, and the sire of some of the most important pioneers of Scandinavia. His forces defeat those of the Hróaldr family in a great battle near modern Holstein, and advance on the capital. Gunnar flees with Yuza to the east, where, paradoxically, in the country of her husband's murder she still has some supporters, and is able to take ship to Gotland, where she, and several of her family members, all Saxon noblemen, order the island fortified, and prepare for battle. On the mainland, the civil war gives an opportunity to many Slavic nationalists, who begin to agitate for autonomy, and finally break out into open revolt. Though many Slavs are aligned towards the Hróaldr family, many more (the ones who killed Bazymir) simply wish for independence, and see the Lombard-Saxons as a whole as a threat. Alfarr is killed in battle, and the Western Slavs enjoy a brief moment of independence (reforming their confederate legislature, electing a high chief, etcetera) before Gunnarr returns at the head of an army of Gutish settlers (Gotland was so sparsely populated at the time of the Lombard settlement that most of the inhabitants are of pure Lombard blood).

During her stay in Gotland, Yuza contracted smallpox and died. Gunna, in desperation to preserve Lombard unity (as the only dynasty that would be accepted in Lombardy at this point would be that of Hróaldr) bedded the most prominent chieftain of the island, and, when she became pregnant, requested a marriage in exchange for the chieftain and his family-members taking on the name of Hróaldr. The chieftain accepted, and after Gunna's return she gave birth to twins and took up the position of regent for her new son, the future king, Ælfweard Hróaldr-Wigbehrt. As Alfarr kindly did most of the revolt suppression in the east, all that is left is for Gunna to accept the surrenders of a few Slavic cities and execute the rebellions' leaders (which she replaced with her own cherry-picked loyal Slavic candidates. She knew that she couldn't get away with appointing Germanic chieftains, so she did the next-best thing). The shattered remains of Alfarr's family are exiled, and his decimated chiefdom is forcibly incorporated into several neighboring ones that stayed loyal to her throughout the war. This is not the end of the war, though. Alfarr's sons declared independence in Scandinavia, and it required two years of fighting to finally suppress them, as campaigns could not be conducted in winter. Finally they're brought to heel, and expansion to the north continues at a reduced rate (MOD: INSERT REASONABLE EXPANSION HERE. THIS SHOULD BE LESS THAN THE PREVIOUS EXPANSIONS).

Gunnar realizes that the only way she was able to regain her position was through the actions of Lombard colonists, and decides that her regency would be one of outward expansion. To that end, she contracts several chieftains, some displaced by the war, and some who got the short-end of the straw when it came to land inheritance, and gives them 30 shallow-draughted warships. While the Lombards may not be as good at shipbuilding or seamanship as the Jutes or Danes, their exploits in the Baltic and North Seas have certainly given her drydocksmen and harbormasters plenty of experience, and a single Lombard ship could run circles around an entire fleet of Gothic ships. The squadron of ships departs the port of Yarvik on the Saxon coast, headed by a relative of Gunna's husband (first-cousin, twice-removed), Ormarr, captaining the proud ship "Wulfsige" which is surmounted by a masthead representing the bear of Þórr, carved from a tree felled by lightning in his sacred wood ((with a masthead with such an auspicious origin, it's hard to think of anything untoward of happening to the group of ships)). In the lead ship ride 14 of the most distinguished Lombard warriors and seamen, as well as a Jutish navigator who has claimed to have once spent three months on the North Sea, and a bard tasked with recording the endeavors of the heroic captain and crew. The ships all have provisions for several months, both sails and oar, and are hung from bow to stern with iron-bossed, brightly-painted heraldic shields of the various families represented aboard. Ormarr has a letter written by Gunnarr's husband in Lombard Germanic (in both Runes and the Latin alphabet), Anglo-Saxon, Pictish, Welsh, Cornish, Latin, Gothic, Greek, Frankish, and Jutish explaining the purpose of their expedition, and giving them hegemony over any land they claim.

After setting off, they spend weeks at sea, before landing on the Orkney islands, re-provisioning, and continuing north. A few days later the navigator announces that they are further north than he has ever been, and a goat is sacrificed by having its throat cut and being disemboweled. The carcass is thrown overboard, and Ormarr examines the organs, proclaiming them to give an unclear result. Two days later, the north wind turns into a gale, the sky grows dark, and massive waves lash across the decks. Within hours, the only illumination is provided by massive bolts of lightning that slash into the freezing water, revealing the two-hundred and fifty men frantically bailing. The storm torments them for a full week before finally abating, revealing the heavens to be leaden-grey and completely useless for navigation. The navigator; the only one who could direct the ships based on the current, was swept overboard during the storm, and so the captain takes his best guess and orders that the remaining 23 ships continue sailing. They push on hundreds of more miles, encountering larger and larger chunks of ice as they go. Finally in late November, two- months after the beginning of their journey, they encounter land. It's not much, a windswept rock sticking out of the water, with a few low and twisted trees clinging to the southern slope, but the ships are beached and the sailors camp for two full weeks. Most sailors want to turn back and return to the mainland, where at least the chance of death-by-narwhal is reasonably low, but on the 15th day, the skies finally clear, revealing that they are over 1,300 miles west of Orkney. This surprises the sailors, many of whom had expected to fall off the edge of the world long before then, and they agree to continue for four more days, but no more. Three days later they reach the coast of Greenland.

Preliminary exploration reveals the island to be much larger than suspected, and soon they begin to suspect that it may not be an island at all, but an entirely new landmass. While it's fairly barren, it does seem to be uninhabited, and so the entire crew pitches in to construct a few structures out of five of the ships. The crew of those ships elects to stay behind and prepare a perennial camp, while the other push off the coast, investigate a nearby fjord, and return to Lombardy to bring home the news of the discovery. Six days out, while calculating latitude, Ormarr realizes his error; that they're at a much higher latitude than expected. While much lower than that of the Scandinavian settlements, it's still higher than that of Lombardy, and there is no tree cover in Greenland to slow, even slightly, the blizzards that they know from experience frequent this part of the world in winter, meaning that Ormarr has very little hope of seeing his crewmates he left behind again. One more ship hits a glacier concealed in an early-morning fog, but all hands aboard are recovered, and aside from that the journey home is uneventful. Still, his return to Lombardy is triumphant and, upon docking in Yarvik, Ormarr personally brings word of the western landmass to Gunnarr. Within weeks the bard's account of the journey is circulating in taverns across Lombardy-Saxony, inspiring hundreds of landless nobles, and commoners with no chance on the mainland to take ship to the west. The land is not good, but at least there is land. The next year, come spring, Ormarr departs again, this time leading a much larger expedition back to the west, and soon decides to remain. His presence is gone from Lombardy; but his legend remains:

... They set out from Orkney.  Gangan slu unreht hwenne Orknu On silver-sailed ships. In silbar-segal skiffes Fifteen days they sailed. Fimfzehan sunnan slu biwegan A great storm blew up,  Ein sturme swin mihhil  A punishment sent from Thor. An wizl mit Turzu senten The captain called on Wodin, Der leitara lin Wuden  The lightning descended like rain,  Bilc abakuman regan anta  Hel claimed many lives beneath the sea. Hel leben lebenes neman nidarwallon der gans-rade ... '''((MOD: PLEASE IGNORE EVERYTHING THAT JUST HAPPENED INVOLVING GREENLAND IF I'M NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS, UNLESS YOU ARE FINE WITH MY DISCOVERY OF GREENLAND. IT'S NOT PARTICULARLY VALUABLE, ANYWAY. I KNOW THE CELTS ALREADY TRIED TO FIND GREENLAND, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE A LARGER NATION, AND MUCH MORE EXPERIENCE SAILING))'''

The walls of the coast are again replastered, and a chunk of the former layer is sent to Gunnarr's household. It was a painting of Alfarr he had ordered made when he became king, and when Gunnarr's fleet assaulted the coast a stray stone launched from a catapult had hit it, pulverising the head. Gunnar orders it framed and mounted in Vlodlari, to remind the Slavs of what resistance would bring them. Slaves captured during the revolt are put to work revising the Lombard highway system to the east, extending it to the Rus' border. Along it are constructed fortresses, garrisoned rather strangely. They are constructed of two segments; a set of buildings in the center of a large, grassy field, surrounded at a distance of 1/4 mile by a low wall. In the wall live the royal soldiers, all archers. In the center live prisoners of the Lombard Civil War who are given weapons. Any attempt to break out would would result in them having to run 1/4 of a mile in the open while watched by professional archers in an elevated position. Gunnar knows that the Slavs that are anti-Lombard hate all Lombards, not just the Hróaldr-Wigbehrt family and their allies, and so would fight the imprisoned rebels just as quickly as the soldiers in the fort, in effect giving Gunna a massive army of prisoners with prior military experience, and who would be motivated by self-preservation if they were ever to be involved in a fight. In effect, an army of fanatics. While they won't be fighting age for long, and many are due to be released, they do provide the force to keep the Slavs in check during the fervor that usually follows an attempted revolution.

The Goths are sent a request for greater participation in border control on their side. Tales of the plague's atrocities have been trickling in from the south and, while Gunnarr still doesn't see it as an immediate problem (and suspects that it may be punishment for the Gothic abandonment of the Germanic gods), she still feels like some action should be taken, at the very least to dissuade the fears of many of the city-folk, who have nothing else to do except be paranoid and obsess over potential safety risks. Despite this, border control on the Lombard side is relaxed slightly, and Gunnarr finally allows the first priest in in decades, though only to collect a few religious writings by the now pitifully small monastery near the capital and take them back to the Gothic Empire.

Falconry begins to be adopted in increasing numbers by the Lombard nobility, who enjoys the prestige it gives them. A falconry tower is constructed in the Lombard capital, and the Saxon capital, and they're trained in hunting rock doves.

SECRET: ((The only reason I'm posting this at all is because I hope it will give me an advantage in the war against them (as plans should), as well as an improved casus belli)). Gunnarr begins to draw up plans for an invasion of Jutland (meaning the country, not the peninsula, though that will probably be involved in the invasion now) based on their continual refusal of an alliance. You know the old adage; if you can't join 'em, beat 'em.

Celtic League (OOC): Okay so a couple of things here that I would like you to explain to me. Number one being, how the fuck are your ships more experienced than mine? For the past 60+ years I have lived on at least three islands. And I now currently have seven islands under my control. Which means that in order for my kingdom to maintain itself I need to sail ships in between these seven islands. Plus you live on the mainland. your main source of income is through mainland activities. Be it farming, trading with other countries, or mining for ores (I’m not sure what your country does for income). My country's main trade good item are whales. My people actually go out and stab whales on wooden fucking boats and then proceed to chop them up and bring them back. Plus I live so close to Greenland that only I should be able to find it, or at least only someone who has a kingdom, or territory on the British Isles. You live thousands of miles away from the place but yet you say you have a better chance at finding it? I just need some explanations here, I’m very confused.

Autonomous Albion: Duke Osgar sends a letter to Roderic Lousean, entailing that he had made a mistake in executing his wife, and no sign of the plague had actually been reported in any of Albion’s major settlements. He requests that his twins take his title in his place, since he will soon be dead.

 

The Duke can no longer stand it. He considers himself a failure in his rule, abandoning his own people and executing his wife over the slightest sign of illness. Duke Osgar throws himself from his rooftop, killing himself.

The first to discover him was a guard on patrol that morning. News got to the twins quickly. Branwen took it peacefully, already knowing it was coming. Cadfael wept profusely, for days he locked himself in his quarters, only taking small amounts of food. He emerged on the 6th day in his plate armor. He stands in front of the people of the court and declares the following:''' “I, Cadfael Seighbert, propose that my sister, Branwen take the title of Duchess, and I shall take a military officer’s position in her service. Any who oppose this statement can openly challenge it, but I cannot promise you that you will walk away safely.”''' He looks to his sister for approval. Cadfael has ceded his birthright to her. Branwen silently nods at him, and quietly takes reign of the land. Cadfael orders any opposers to the statement to leave the palace and sends out falcons to spread word of Branwen’s rule.

((OOC: Ghanaria))

Chenla Kingdom: Since word hasn't returned from the Liang yet, King Jayavarman decides to send Princess Jayavedi to the Chenla Royal Academy in Krung Thep (where modern Bangkok is) instead so that she knows how to be a queen when she succeeds him. The offer for an alliance with the Supreme Majesty of the Liang still stands.

Military improves with the re-establishment of the ancient order of the Ahan Phi (Army of Ghosts) an elite group of soldiers specifically trained to fight in the jungle using stealth to eliminate threats. Also since over 30 percent of trained Chenlan Royal Elephants were hired by the Gupta,  four more elephant breederies are established to meet the demand for them.

The Navy gets improved with the establishment of four new port cities. Two on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula (Tehka Pa and Kedah) these two port cities will be used as a headquarters for the exploration of the island of Sumatra. Another port city is established on the eastern side of the Malay Peninsula (Kotan Baharu) and another on the Mekong delta (Ca Mau). These aren't major cities yet,  but they will be getting a lot of funding for development from the royal purse. The Great Port of Krung Thep gets improved so that more advanced war ships are manufactured to defend against barbarian raids that may come from the southern island.

With the need for steady technological advancements the order of the Vi Sa Va Kon Toa Aenng (Royal Engineers) is established. At the moment they are tasked with scouting other civilizations on the sea trade routes for technological advances and the potential for trade. Also they are tasked with the duty of finding efficient paths to build roads to connect existing cities throughout the kingdom.

The Frankish Kingdom continues the search for Prince Joseph, with the King being very distressed that he may not find his son, who has been missing since 679. In 680, however, rumors spread of a rogue in the Anglo-Saxon lands, who has amassed a force of both Anglo-Saxons and Frankish deserters. Sir Alein, Joseph's old trainer, takes a force out to meet this rogue. However, after the encounter, he heads to York in a rage, and marches into the throne-room of King Harold - only to that he has died, and Sire Charles Gamlin, with no clear heir, has assumed kingship over York. Sir Alein, however, accuses him of treason, and a brawl erupts between Sire Gamlin's followers and Sir Alein's party. All but one of Sir Alein's men escapes, and he rushes to inform the king what has happened. The King declares Sire Gamlin a criminal, and orders his immediate capture. However, over 40,000 of the Frankish troops defect to Gamlin, and several Anglo-Saxons rebel and side with Gamlin. More troops are sent to Essex, as York has been lost to Gamlin. The rogue, however, who caused Sir Alein to confront Sire Gamlin, leads a resistance movement against him, and even kidnaps his mistress, Princess Aneira of Wales, and it is rumored they have become lovers. When Prince Gerald arrives to help fight Gamlin, he is confronted by the rogue, who revels himself to be his own brother, Joseph. As it turns out, while he was visiting York, he had met young Aneira, and fell in love with her. However, he discovered Gamlin's plans to take the throne one night while he was with her at his chambers, and had rushed the next day to warn his father, but was attacked by Gamlin's followers. He was saved by Anglo-Saxon rebels, and even managed to gain the loyalty of them. Now, the Franks find themselves in a war which is now known as the '''Gamlin Rebellion. '''

Silla: Due to a poor demand of Japanese goods, recent territorial disputes and common hatred of the Japanese, we decide to end trade with Japan. We compensate this by substantially increasing trade with China, the Turkish Khaganate, and Southeast Asia, and finding trade routes with European, South Asian and Western Asian countries. We improve agriculture output per capita, and our population starts to boom. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. We encourage the Turkish Khaganate to join the Chinese tributary system. We continue to create a naval force powerful enough to counter any foreign influences, specially Japan. We begin to promote multiculturalism to reduce the bias towards the Korean people. In our official text, we remove the words for the three main ethnicities of the Korean Peninsula and just replace it with the term 한국어, meaning "Korean". Through trade with Western Asia, Islamic minorities begin to form. Although we promote multiculturalism, we believe that it may be a threat. We counter growing muslim influence in Korea by promoting Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, and Korean shamanism.

(Friendly reminder: There are no turns on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

Upper-Egypt: We continue to improve our economy, some cities about to be built and also some of the buildings that it's more important to get.

Middle-Egypt: With slight victories in the south, and much of our former territory restored, we would like to annex most of the former autonomous nation. Our allies are offered picks of the land should it remain reasonable and we hope to end the war soon, as our death toll continues to climb. The famed Roderick Losean is hoped to write up the peace terms as he is renowned for his ability to do so in a fair and agreeable manner.

India: Hephthalite Empire has been renamed to Indian Empire or simply India, because they had already unified India at that time. Economy, infrastructure and military improve. Population continues to grow fast. Continues building a series of war elephants. Fewer Hindu mandirs and more houses, shops, Hindu temples and mining plants are built. Continues to plan new reforms and continues investing heavily in technology and science. Roads and farms are improved and cities continue to grow. Indian Empire stops expanding north. Indian Empire accepts peace offer from Gupta Dynasty and gains all lands that India occupied. Sends troops to these areas where rebels spawned, to defeat the rebels. The Indian Empire becomes a federation of twelve regional kingdoms in hopes to laugh down Indian tribes.

Japan: We are now beginning our invasion of the Ainu tribes. Still building and improving more navy warships.

The Gothic Empire: Conquest and reclamation of Northern Egypt prompts the Goths to begin seeing the war in a new light - pointless. Even if the Gothic empire does win this war, at what cost? and for what gain? Roderic Lousean knows not the answer to these questions and begins to see his ocean of choices narrow into a thin and and snaky river. To continue the push, means to send more of his people to their death, fighting to protect the empire from a threat that may realistically never breach their borders. Most of the nation would eagerly agree that to have their soldiers back home during such a dire situation would be the best course of action, regardless of the havoc spreading throughout the empire, a resultant of the ever growing “Islamic pestilence”.

To better battle unrest in the empire wrought by the rapidly encroaching  plague epidemic, a new approach to the deadly situation is devised. The use of annonoms as a sort of ticket to pass in and out of lands is taken up in regions all across the western empire. The more dangerous (or ‘hot’) a zone is designated, the more difficult it is to acquire a pass. An example being people from Portugaul versus people from Andalusia and Gothic Morocco; Portuguese can obtain an annonom quite easily after being screened by a professional and ensured that their business outside of their home region wouldn’t result in their contracting or spreading of the illness, whilst Moroccans on the other end of the spectrum, will find it exceedingly difficult, as the testing is rigorous and professionals rank it as having less than an 8% acception rate. These acception rates are determined for every region in the empire west of Unigothica and play a pivotal role in determining the flow of population and forcing the spread of the plague to bottleneck itself out.

Following the terribly embarrassing and unnecessary execution of Callwen, The Gothic people reflect on their choices as a nation and take time to mourn the lives lost in, this, the unarguable ‘darkest days in history’. A holiday is created in remembrance of the fallen duchess and is appropriately dubbed “Calloween”. Calloween lands on September 15th and is celebrated by children and adults alike, dressing in masks to ‘hide from the spirits of disease’ and handing out candies to ward off evil. (The title “plague of Callwen” will remain in the Gothic lexicon for quite sometime as a simple misnomer.)

The high chairman Roderic Lousean mourns the death of his close friend Duke Osgar and promptly orders the construction of a marble statue depicting the former king in his full glory, in the days when he led the proud Anglo-Saxon people in a rebellion against the Carthaginian/Lombard occupation. The statue is given as a gift to Duchess Branwen in hopes of solidifying the friendship between the Louseans and the Seighberts and welcoming the new ruler into the world of politics. Roderic applauds the pro-active attitude the Seighberts take toward women in power, and takes it as a sign that his only heir, his daughter Sventhila Lousean, could indeed prove to be a leader just as competent as any man. A movement for women’s rights breaks out across the empire at quite the opportune moment and Roderic welcomes it with open arms. Women are given the legals right of equal representation in government and a vote equivalent to that of any man. Though cultural norms of the time still dictate strict gender roles, un-wed childless women are allowed to join the workforce and even enlist in the military. A unique battalion of women fighters, known as the Lupexcercito, is soon formulated and focuses on teaching women how to master the full use of their own bodies while also developing helpful techniques specially established for female fighters.

Word of rebellions in Lombardy and the Frankish kingdom thoroughly frighten the Gothic authorities, who see it as a potentially harmful influence, especially considering the current state of empirical affairs. Artists are commissioned to create propaganda promoting unity among Goths, denouncing the very idea of infighting, let alone an all out civil-war. The Goth belief of supremacy is reinforced and it is hoped to rally the people behind the common idea that they are better than other nations simply because of their vehement loyalty to one another. The Gothic motto of brotherhood, or “brothru-lubo” as it is in the Gothic tongue,  is used heavily, being strung up on banners throughout cities and even appearing as a popular inspiration for graffiti artists and vandals across the empire.

The young queen-to-be, Sventhila Lousean, masters using her knife quickly, so much so that she is even disciplined for bringing it to school one day to use on a bully. Luckily for her the boy survived the attack, sparing Sventhila from being prosecuted as a murder, and instead only landing her with a few days suspension and fierce paddling from her father. The girl loathes missing school as she is an eager artist, constantly reading and writing poetry, and eager to one day write and compose her own music. Sventhila’s Anglo-Saxon babysitter tells her stories about the enslavement of her people and the overall Gothic mistreatment of foreigners in general. Sventhila is disturbed and rushes home to express her disgust with her father’s decisions. Roderic explains that sometimes leaders have to do bad things to good people, but Sventhila protests these claims. She declares that when she is queen, she will ensure the fair treatment of all people, Goth and foreign alike.

To ease his beloved daughter’s discontent, Roderic agrees to make a compromise in regards to the enslavement of Anglo-Saxons. The majority of Anglo-Saxon slaves are currently employed in Sinai transporting ships across the portage and cannot be spared, but a promise is made to each of them, that if their efforts lead to success in the war or even simply an agreed upon peace, they will be leased to Duchess Branwen as indentured servants, being offered the chance at gaining lands in Albion and living their lives as free people with all the same rights as a Gothic citizen, sans the ability to vote in senate, which is a privilege reserved for third generation freed Anglo-Saxons.

While the sheer number of conflicting details passed through the ladder of communications to Roderic allows for some unreliability, what information is collected about the infamously named  Gamlin Rebellion is enough to horrify the high chairman and cause him to be faced with yet another stressful situation with no clear right or wrong answer. The moral ambiguity found throughout much of Roderic’s life is enough to permanently shake his faith in a god, though he wouldn’t dare being open about such things for fear of vehemently religious people rejecting him as an effective leader. With the situation seeming dire, and Gothic officials pressing Roderic for his final decision on the matter, Roderic finally picks a side and resorts to supplying them with weaponry and financial aid. The chosen successor of Gothic aid is the legitimate son of King Harold, Joseph, as it is expected that he will share the most in common with his father’s aspirations and seeks to maintain and even strengthen the shaky alliance between the Goths and the Franks.

In addition to the already widely used and standard military issued Gothic tower shield, a new shield is designed; more similar in shape, structure and function to that of a buckler. The unique versatile war-shield is named a targo and is used for parrying attacks as well as doubling as an effective weapon with its sharpened steel edges. The arm brace is made from strengthened rough leather and the entirety of the shield is wrapped thoroughly with light studded cowhide. Classes on proper targo handling and maintenance are held in Gothic military academies with hopes of educating soldiers about the vast array of possible fighting styles. The targo is put into common usage by 681 and is primarily used by lightly armored swordsman with a primary concern on speed and mobility. Some of the more athletically inclined targo users come up with methods of using their body weight and momentum to propel the shield like a discus, allowing it to act as a deadly ranged weapon as well. With the introduction of this shield there is a clear dividing characteristic among Gothic troops and the two types of fighters are given names to better represent their individuality. The names are quite simple and easy to understand - the heavily armored tower shield users are referred to as “heavy infantry”, whilst the lightly armored targo users are dubbed “light infantry”.

Missionaries continue to flood into north Arabia and southwestern Persia from the well-known Leovagilian Christain Guild (LCG) spreading word of Arianism and encouraging the Shia belief system, claiming it to be far more similar to the peaceful and accepting nature of Arian Christianity. Inquisitors are trained in the art of coercion and building up relationships with those beyond a language barrier. While speaking Arabic is still considered to be a sentence to hell, Inquisitors learn the written languages of the area and use this newfound knowledge to translate the “Codex Argentius” into a form more  cohesive with the average Muslim’s means of communication and  level of education.

Separatists and mistreated citizens from Morocco are given boats, horses and chariots and are encouraged to travel east to Sinai, where they will board longboats and set sail for a pilgrimage across the Red sea. The separatists are equipped with all the supplies that life on an unexplored island could necessitate and a charter is drawn up to colonize all of Dalac, Nora and the Farasan islands. The islands are to act as a hub for sea trade activity and be a huge focal point and repair center for Gothic naval vessels passing through the area, presumably raiding muslim merchants and bombarding coastal cities at random simply to rile up the enemy. The islands are to be named accordingly as, Dalac, Nora and Farasan and will be incorporated into the United Gothic Regions.

With Middle-Egypt offering up to divide up captured territory, the Goths jump on the opportunity to expand their influence and make the following claims. The Goths take claim on a small patch of north east Lower-Egypt where the land meets the Red Sea - this area is to be loosely controlled and operate in a similar manner to that of an Egyptian city state, save for military subordancy to the Goths and the a tax of 25% of net profit that will be paid directly to the empire from this day forth. The second claim is on most of the areas captured by the already hugely successful and admired, Euric Vermundo, whom by this point in his career is at the peak of his performance capabilities and is viewed by the men under his command as a full-blown war machine. These lands are planned to be used as a bargaining chip for future negotiation efforts with the Goth’s enantiomer, the Caliphate.

Plans for an attack on the holy Islamic capital are in the works and Admiral Tylikratus is among the first who would devote their lives to ensure it reaches fruition.On his last leg and final stretch of life, the elderly but still very much alive and full of fervor, Rai Tylikratus, declares the war with the Caliphate to be “his life’s work”, and will stop at nothing to ensure he sees it end. Tylikratus volunteers to lead the offensive in the Red sea, proclaiming it to be the only thing he could ever want out of this world.

Warships and Egyptian pirate bands in the Red Sea are united and brought to the coasts outside of Mecca. Amphibious boats in Egyptian harbors are prepared to deploy and the standing army readies themselves to ride longboats and mount an assault by sea. The whole of the Eastern Gothic navy shows itself in its full power, complete with the newly captured Caliphate war boats bolstering its strength. New knowledge is gained from the capture of Caliphate ships and Goths are able to reverse engineer better boarding techniques and learn to target specific weak points to make the ships sink faster. The blockade wraps its hands around the neck of Red Sea trade and threatens to break it off completely, unless the current Caliph, the head of the Caliphate,  listens to and considers the following offers very carefully.

The massively brilliant Chairman Roderic Lousean  puts himself to work drawing up the third treaty he would create in his lifetime. The treaty dictates an end to the “Egyptian Crusades” and calls for peace amongst all nations involved.

The Red Sea Treaty
  By signing below, all parties hereby agree to adhere to the proposed terms and are also in compliance to a twenty-five (25) year non-aggression pact.
 * 1) Fighting between the Gothic Empire and the Caliphate shall cease, and both nations are to withdraw their armies from Africa/Egypt.
 * 2) The Goth’s will withdraw their military from the coasts outside of Mecca and call of their thoroughly planned assault on the Islamic capital.
 * 3) A request will be put out to the other nations of the High Council of the Mediterranean to make peace with the Caliphate.
 * 4) Currently occupied territories captured by Euric Vermundo in former Caliphate controlled African land will be ceded back to them, with the exception of a miniscule sliver of control still lying with Middle-Egypt as their just-due for their losses and exemplary efforts in the war.
 * 5) The Gothic blockade on the Caliphates trade-by-sea will be redacted and normal business functions in the area will re-emerge better and stronger than before with the newfound protection of the Gothic navy. Trade routes between the Hephthalites and the Chenla dynasty, should they be established, are expected to boost gold gains by exposing western goods to a foreign market.
 * 6) The Caliphate must halt all expansion into Africa and promise to not take any aggressive actions to the west in the future. In return the Goths promise to stop the slaughter of Arab merchants and colonists, as well as discontinue policies of religious propagation in Persia and North Arabia.

Signatures:
 * The Gothic Empire - ~Afunnymouth
 * The Caliphate - I'm not signing that, see my version of Term 6
 * Middle-Egypt - snoopdigdogg11
 * Ghana (optional) - ~Hddenevil
 * Mbali (optional) -Kruntchie
 * Upper-Egypt (optional) - Great showing. B23 (talk) 11:30, September 16, 2015 (UTC)

Calpihate version
ALL TERMS EXCEPT FROM 6 AND 1 STAY.
 * Fighting between the Goths and the Caliphate Shall cease. The Calpihate will cease 1000 pixels of land to Middle Egypt and withdraw from Egypt. The goths may continue to have milary presence in Egypt. The Calpihate may continue there expansion into Africa. The Goths and the Calpihate won't attack each other for 100 years. Trading may begin with the Goths and the Caliphate if they (the goths) wish to trade.
 * The Gothic Empire refuses friendly relations, eager to continue the war after the outbreak has ceased. If the Caliphate does not stop their expansion, they will learn to regret it.

Should the Caliphate reject these terms and wish to a continuation of the mindless, bloody warfare with no real end in sight, the Goths will proceed with the plans to launch an attack by sea onto the Holy City of Mecca. All muslim’s who stand in the way of the Goths are to be slaughtered, religious buildings and statues are to be torn to the ground, and all semblance of Islamic culture is to be demolished. After stripping the area of its loot and resources, the Goths plan to raze it to the ground and escape either back across the waters, or as a Plan B - north to Sinai to regroup with their allies. This plan is named “Operation Hell-for-Heathens” and is widely accepted in the Roman senate as a brilliantly violent, but ultimately effective course of action.

In the case of peace being accepted,  Roderic Lousean draws up a plan to have the Gothic army pulled completely out of Egypt by 690 CE, and the brunt of their navy in the Anti-Islamic offensive relocated from the Red Sea back to the Mediterranean by 700 CE. With troops returning home to a dying land, new policies need to be put in place to ensure the Gothic navy doesn’t lose any of its fervor or succumb to the rapidly spreading disease; All troops are to remain in the eastern regions and wait for a period of six months in quarantine at rented out taverns and coliseums. At the end of these six months each soldier is to be inspected by a military doctor, and if they are given the ‘okay’ they are put on a waiting list for re-integration into the empire. Western soldiers are only allowed to be sent home if their home region has an AAR (annonom acceptance rating) of sixty-five percent or above.

Rumors reach Roderic’s ears of the Lombards blaming Goths for the Plague of Callwen and going so far as to renounce Arian Christianity in the process. By assuming the Goths had been actively sending missionaries into their territory, the Goths are offended and further prompted to send in actual missionaries to do just that. Previously trained Sinian inquisitors are sent into Lombardy/Saxony to boast the ignorance in following a pantheon of gods, using many of history's other pantheons as proof that primitive people have long since held similar ignorant beliefs that are now looked upon as myth. The teachings of not only Christianity are spread into Lombardy, but the idea of rejecting the holy trinity is introduced to them for the first time. It is hoped to appeal to Saxons and Slavs in particular, as they were most likely followers of Christian sects before being integrated into Lombardy and forced to believe in their foolish and oppressive religions. The Umbra-Gotha send out a regiment of men to the Kingdom of Lombardy on a top secret mission endorsed by the Gothic empire. Due to their increased threat and continued refusal to halt expansion into the Baltic sea/Jutish coveted lands, plans are devised to stunt Lombardian growth and force them to deal with more pressing issues on the home front. Lakes and rivers are littered with the corpses of plague victims in hopes of spreading the disease throughout their lands and ‘thinning the herd’. All city water supplies are to be tainted and sewage systems are clogged with skulls and mud. (In the same vein that I have ignored the Lombards “secret plans”, I am writing this for the mods eyes/concern only,  doing my best to keep these actions covert as well.) With hope for peace looming in the back of everyone's minds, a solemn patience washes over the land. Mothers waiting for their sons, wives waiting for their husbands, children waiting for their parents, everyone awaiting the loathsome yet inevitable touch of death. The cold clammy palms of new dark age appear to be befalling the empire, but that isn’t to say that this is the end. Perhaps this bad stroke of luck is exactly what the empire needs to kick it back into shape and secures its position as lead European, and arguably, world power. Only time will tell, and only they can make the decision.
 * Lombardy: Nope; the Saxons worship the same gods as we do, and the Slavs worship their own pantheon (most of the gods of which our priests have managed to identify with our own, relieving potential religious frictions). Furthermore, the last time we attempted to embrace Christianity, a few decades ago, our people rejected it and it died out fairly quickly. (OOC): I think we should wait for the mod's response to determine whether your attempts at Christianizing succeed this time.
 * Goths OOC: Well, we obviously wait for the mods response - LOL. Just wish he wasn't so busy all the time :\
 * Lombardy (OOC): (Since this is OOC, it shouldn't affect anything. I just want to remind you of some things) To my knowledge, I was never asked nor demanded to halt my northward expansion. Also, as your largest northern trade parter (who has just decreased controls on the borders), you're sort of shooting yourself in the foot here. Until now, your north was safe from the plague due to your stringent border controls in the south and quarantine regulations. That doesn't seem like it will last much longer.
 * Lombardy (OOC): Also, won't my people just associate the spread of Christianity with the spread of the plague? It can't be coincidence that the plague entered our lands at the same time as Christian missionaries. You're actions are only serving to reinforce the Lombardy idea for the "hated Christians" being the source of the plague.
 * Lombardy (OOC): Also, you're dumping plague-infested corpses into cisterns and lakes. Sooner or later, someone 's gonna get suspicious.
 * Goths(OOC): All g ood points. Up to the mod though. Was kind of more of a 'fuck-you, now you gotta deal with it too' from the Goths more than anything. Plus with the Lombards closing down trade with the Goths and the Goths doing the same in return, interaction will be minimal. Nonetheless, you did make me feel pretty silly. Also though, there has been a number of occasions when Goths warned of the Lombard's northward expansion into coveted lands.
 * Lombardy (OOC): Well, I must have missed those times. Now I feel pretty silly. However, if you had threatened the plague ahead of time, I certainly would have pulled out from the north. Now it's a bit too late, though. Even though our borders are restricted, they're not closed, and thousands of Gothic traders pass through them every day. The north will not be sterile for long.

The Kingdom of Mbali: King Nero works profusely alongside Moroccan, Carthaginian and Mbalian doctors, but none more so than Bjorn, who not only fears aliment but is intrigued by it. The Ghanan Death is persistent, the streets riddled with the dead and dying, small cities in anarchy and now Morocco suffering a similar fate; something must be done to save the north African strip. Bjorn rises up to take action against this plague, the completely incapacitated and severely ill are seen as lost causes and are quickly put out of there misery, bodies are incinerated and even limited quarantining of heavily infected areas is enforced. The quarantined are properly fed and supplied with water but rules and regulations must be followed. Nero travels spreading word of the new regulations and ensures his people that even though they may seem harsh it’s all for their own safety. However many are still quite shaken by the execution of the feeble and the obvious blockades with soldiers on guard deployed around towns and cities.

Bjorn fears some valuable knowledge may be lost by word of mouth and misread letters. A large building is constructed with intentions of grouping many trained doctors. He seeks out the wisest apothecaries and herbalists from Carthage and Morocco and offers them well-paying jobs working in his medical center, as well as paying for them and their families to travel and live there. Import regulations are strengthened and rodents remain a major disease threat. With less food being imported farming becomes an increasingly profitable concern. Farms spring up all across the nation, specializing in maize, bananas and cotton. Workforce is slowed but infrastructure is focused towards newly-claimed land south of Carthage.

Calphate: We continue to expand in Africa, expanding 3600 pixels per turn. We offer another term in the Treaty of the Red Sea. We offer the Treaty of Tehrain to the new Persian Rebel state (see the bottom of the turn to see). We build our military. We use the great minds in Persia to give us a boast over other countries. We wish to start trading with the Bytantine Empire, we would like to buy OTL Isreal and the rest of Jordan from them. Lombard: The Lombard ambassador to the Caliphate takes the opportunity to request a formal declaration of solidarity between our two nations. Any declaration would be non-binding, and would be kept confidential from any non-participatory parties.
 * Treaty of Tehran:
 * The New Persian Rebel state will join the High Council of the Middle East.
 * Trading may begin with them and the Calpihate.
 * We will aid any expansion they will have.
 * They will aid any expansion we will have.
 * A new trade route will be established from Africa to India, via the new Rebel State.

'(I'm really sorry to say this, especially after the three day hiatus last week, but the turn today is going to be significantly delayed. As turns have gotten progressively longer and more developed, I've begun to run out of time to formulate my turns in the allocated amount of time I have on a regular day, and am forced to split it up over a couple of days. I love the lengthy turns, and by no means want them to be simplified, but I see two option essentially to choose from. Either I simplify my turns and shorten them (which quite frankly, I REALLY do not want to do) I lower the number of turns a week, maybe even all the way down to three, or finally, I allow other people to be mods. I really, REALLY do not want mods to be players in the game, simply because I am a staunch believer in self bias, but if potential mods could prove they harbor no bias, I won't rule it out as a small possibility. Please voice your opinions below.)'

Lombardy (OOC): Personally, I think that the best (and probably most likely) option would be to open up the Map Game to other mods. However, seeing as the Map Game hasn't been growing very quickly recently, it also might be hard to find mods. Because of that, I would suggest that you open up the mod positions to other players. HOWEVER, you could restrict mods for a region. For instance if I wanted to be a mod, I would be allowed to be a mod of Africa or Asia, but not of Europe, and would be able to write events for either Africa or Asia. Similarly, if Ghana wanted to be a mod, they wouldn't be allowed to write events for Africa. I don't know how this would work in practice, that's just my two cents.

Also, how long is "significantly delayed?"

EDIT: I've created a section in the talk page to discuss potential mod appointments (and if we end up going with extra mods at all), so we don't clutter up the main page with non-RP things.

Ganga Dynasty(OOC): Personally, as long as you don't reduce turns more (which would suck), I'm okay with it. Just be sure to check that the mods don't abuse of their power, please.

Göktürk Khaganate: We realize our empire is broken. The empire collapses with many small states being created out of the ruins of the empire (none of which are under my rule). The original Göktürk leaders are either exiled or killed to form more steady, well-governed, fair states. Celtic league: It has come to my attention that the lands we had taken over from the Hibernians are horribly destroyed and overrun. The roads are in shambles and the sewage systems are destroyed. We spend the next five years spending money and hiring men to improve them (AKA: We improve infrastructure). As we improve them I expect our population to increase dramatically, but fear our economy will only suffer.

We hear about the rebellion that has broken out in the Frankish territory and because of this our territories are being delayed to be handed over to us. We prepare 15 of our finest warships (ten Skeid Longships, and five landhoppers) to assist them in returning peace to the lands. I tell them that my men are under their control for the time being.

I send a letter to the Franks regarding the rebellion.

“I, Queen Ygritte of the Celtic League, send this letter in regards to the rebellion that has broken out among your people. I am sending 15 ships along with men to fight alongside you on the battlefield. I am also sending a complimentary barrel of whale oil. If you request anymore help putting an end to your rebellion send word to me and I will aid you in anyway I can.

~Queen Ygritte”

I send a letter to the Goths in regards to the Pictish.

“I, Queen Ygritte of the Celtic League, first to her name, send this letter in regards to the Pictish empire whose lands are extremely close to mine. I feel as though they are in the way of the world's progress. They sit up in the north watching as their allies die and beg for mercy. I say it’s time we finish them and put them in the grave with the rest of their “Allies”. Please send word of your ideas toward this.

~Queen Ygritte of The Celtic League”

I was blessed with a strong young girl that we have named Kassidy. A year after I gave birth to her I also gave birth to another son, whose name is Keaghan. I plan on not having a kid for another five years or so. It will be more than likely my final one.

Meanwhile, my husband and I teach my son Jon Eversnow how to fight with a sword properly. We have a grand time laughing and frolicking in the homelands that we have moved to - which reminded us of the capital it used to have. We discuss ideas of where to set up a new capital, if at all. No solid plans yet, but that is subject to change.

Autonomous Albion: Cadfael orders that his father’s monument be placed in front of Branwen 's palace.

Branwen orders a 5% tariff on all import goods, as to raise money for the country.

As of Cadfael's new position as general of Albion 's Armed Forces, he has reformed it greatly. All mercenaries have been called back and are to be retrained. All servicemen are required to swear an oath to serve and protect Branwen and her allies.

He creates four regiments, the Infantry, Guard, Phalanx, and the Albion Specialized Forces.

Infantry is split into platoons of 50 people each. Each platoon is split into squadrons of five people. Each infantryman is issued one Targo, one sword, and one shortbow. Slaves are permitted to join this branch. The officers in these squadrons are called Gedriht, and are trained in medical practices and equipped with medical supplies.

The Guard regiment is not assigned platoons, as it consists only of guards in settlements. Each guard is trained in pairs, hoping for the two to form a lifelong bond. The pairs are stationed together at all times. Slaves are not permitted in this branch.

Phalanx is separated into platoons of 40 men each. Half of the soldiers are equipped with tower shields, and the other with spears. They are trained to operate in a phalanx formation. Slaves are permitted in this branch.

The Albion Specialized Forces are hand-picked and trained by Cadfael. They are trained from the age of 12 and enter service at 20. They are given equipment of their choice, and treated as nobility. Cadfael requests help from a top member of the Umbra-Gotha to train them. Slaves are not permitted in this branch.

The Kingdom of Ghana: The king Kaya Magha Cisse' II continues to battle fervently against the Caliphate, outwardly demanding that he and his allies advances have not been significant enough to destroy these heathens. All the while the age that has begun to creep upon him has slowly weakened his resolve from within, and the sense of frailty begins to twist his fiery temperament, causing him to look back to the West, and wonder of his homeland, and the son he has long missed. "yasiyo na msingi", proclaims his majesty, as he considers these foolish thoughts to be a bit of bad ale he had drunk the previous night, and goes back to considering the best possible method of hostile gesticulation.

The war effort itself continues steadily, primarily because the king maintains the fervent opinion that they continue to strive forward, whilst his men wish to return home, there leaders resolve continues to bolster there spirits, with many dreaming of a hero's welcome when they win the war. With there honor tying them to the aid of the king, they refuse to falter from this conflict until his majesty proclaims victory.

Back in The Kingdom of Ghana, the people continue to go about there daily lives, worries that the missing males from the kingdom at the onset of the war have begun to fade, as the youth who waved there father's goodbye so many years ago are now grown men, and many have taken up the positions that there fathers left behind, or that there mothers took over. While reinforcements have continued to flow to the army, there are still many young men who marched into Egypt several decades ago, that have not returned in the subsequent years. Though domestic worries of there nation has begun to die down, the yearn of the glorified march back into the homeland has become almost a universal dream in the kingdom, a dream that seems to never come true.

Much of the Kingdom's foreign affairs have been entangled in this debate over the supposed "Ghanan Death", with many upstanding medical officials proclaiming this a misnomer, and many supporting the idea that this plague actually arose from the heathens whom invaded Africa, and have thus brought newly discovered pestilences to the previously cleanly continent. With this idea, many of the people of Ghana refer to the rising disease as "Heathen Sickness". Many of whom are looked as experts in the field of medicine, are requesting to work the Gothic Empire, in hopes that both civilized states may resolve this crisis, and fervently solve the affliction.

The king's son, Kaya Dyabe Cisse' III, has grown into a calm and clever individual, almost becoming an exact opposite of his father. To him, having to grow up in a land not only devoid of his father, but the fathers of all his friends as a boy, drives him to oppose this silly conflict, and wishes that their focus as a state be primarily on diplomacy, and cooperation with the Council. While he agrees the motives for the war, and the support of council states, this conflict has gone on for far too long, and in honesty, wishes to be with his almost enigma of a father, as the two have barely even communcated beyond letters of a sort. In hopes that he may support his father besides his opposition of the conflict, he pursues to travel around the known world, exploring all there is to see, and meeting with the fellow dignitaries and officials of the other members of the council. His hope is that the council may be used to better cooperation from the rest of the civilized world, as he was greatly inspired by his grandfather whom he was half named after, and wishes to continue what he had hoped to accomplish.(I think he could spend the next five years travelling to all the different member states. If this isn't apt for one turn then please respond mod, and each member state can reply as to how they react to his visit next turn, as I am typing this fairly late.)

The kingdom continues to progress, as the conflict in Egypt has spurred trade across the Sahara, with the soldiers of Ghana and there allies needing a constant stream of supplies to maintain the war effort, fueling the Ghanan economy and as a result nullifying most forms of economic down-turn that occur from most conflicts of the time. Amongst all this, Ghanans still wish for the conflict to end, even though many have accepted this as the way things shall be, as is the loyalty due reserved for the king, many wish for peace to return, and Ghana to leave itself out of these far off conflicts.

Lombardy (OOC): Okay, I vote we riot.

(I have posted a little spiel on the talk page about where the game should go from here.)

 ((NEW MOD: ~ Afunnymouth will be writing the next turn, and it will be released today three hours later than usual at 01:00 UTC. Knoxmoor has briefed me on his plans for the future and I am going to flesh them out and add slight details, all of which will be 100% non-biased. I am just here for the storytelling, victory is my lowest priority (that's not to say the quality of Gothic messages is going to decay). I hope to see you guys then, Arian God willing, nobody quit/forgets!))

685 C.E.
'''The days between 680 and 685 prove to be the most grueling and horrific in perhaps all of history. Hundred are dying daily; The Ghanan Death/Plague of Callwen/Heathen Sickness/Islamic Pestilence, it doesn’t matter what you call it, the reality of the matter is that it is shaping up to be the most veracious epidemic the world has ever seen. The streets have been inherited by the dead,  as people rarely come out to socialize, and those that do, wind up joining the family of corpses decorating most highly populated cities throughout Africa, Europe and the Middle-East.'''

'''The subordinate people of Carthage become increasingly weary of their Mbalian rulers. Though much of the population proves to be fervently loyal to King Nero and his son Bjorn for their selfless actions in trying to unite their two peoples and introduce new customs and cultures, there are still those who cling to the old ways, the Vandalic ways, and would seek to preach blame against Mbali for the spread of the disease through their lands. A rebel leader by the name of Thabo Khanahnda begins traveling to churches and taverns across carthage to form a militia with intentions of forming an independent army that would seek to keep potentially harmful Mbali tourists and merchants out of the area. Though the Khanahndanites have no land, and their numbers are small the sentiment of their cause is heard far and wide.'''

'''Taken completely off their guard, the Ainu people are hit hard by Japanese assault. Many of the Ainu, being extremely isolated and religiously inclined, view the outsiders to be wrath of the Gods, and largely retreat. An experience military general named Shakushoa arrives just in time and leads a militia against the Japanese invaders, temporarily delaying them from making amphibious landings in the south-east.'''

'''Feeling abandoned by their empire, and with the Gothic annonoms seeming to be more of a means to keep them out while giving off the illusion that they are free to come and go as they please, the people of Gothic Morocco, led by Geberic Illdephon, manage to capture much of the land up to just short of the Vangothic port, where Gothic military presence is at its heaviest. The Illdephons rebellion gains great traction and support by using terror tactics and slaughtering opposition. The Illdephons begins stockpiling munitions and plan to lead an assault on the Vangothic navy in the near future.'''

'''Annonoms prove slightly successful  at slowing the spread of the plague throughout the Gothic Empire for a couple years, but  by 683, plague once again begins rapidly spreading throughout Hispania. Though death tolls are lower than previous years, the overall rate at which the infection spreads seems to only be increasing, without showing signs of stopping anytime soon.'''

'''Middle-Egypt successfully annexes Lower-Egypt and the two become one once more. The people notice the stark change in government, but those still alive to see it embrace it. The people of Lower-Egypt become seduced by Alecksander XIV’s new Atheistic  ideas and the area experiences mass conversion. With this shift in focus comes a dramatic increase in scientific research and many new ways of identifying phenomena in the natural world are devised. The ‘Ghanan Death’ is theorized by a Middle-Egyptian scientist to have a direct correlation with one’s cleanliness. This theory leads to increased Egyptian sanitation among the general populace, and in turn the plague fails to spread into Egypt.'''

'''The Arian Christian citizens of Upper-Egypt become distraught with their vile heathenish neighbors to the south and cry out for ties with them to be broken. Atheism is still viewed as a largely unacceptable ideology and as a result Middle-Egyptians are hated the land over.'''

'''After years of assaults from both barbarian tribes and organized military nations, the Göktürk Khaganate has finally all but collapsed. The disconnected east and west finally results in cultural tensions too strong to combat and the nation divides in half. With an easy opening to begin plundering and looting the lands, most Göktürk territory falls to barbarian invasion. The newly formed East-Göktürk and West-Göktürks are now playable -(former Göktürk player is now by default the West-Göktürks unless he/she wants to switch)'''

'''The Sack of Mecca proves unfathomably bloody. The Goths, swelled with pride from their previous victories and expecting an easy victory, make great amphibious landings in Mecca and their assault begins without a problem. Shortly after the Caliphate notices the invasion, counter military efforts manage to meet the Goths and a full force battle goes underway. After the battle rages on for seven days and seven nights, the victors, now numbering at less than two thirds of their original fighting force, is the Gothic Empire. Mecca is plundered and torched, the inhabitants are slaughtered and all relics of Islam are destroyed. The Caliph seems to have survived and escaped, but as for anyone else in the capital, hopes are slim. With casualties so high on both sides, and the war torn city becoming a haven for disease, the spread of Ghanan Death only proves to worsen for both nations. Saudi Arabia is hit hard by the disease, but hit even harder, is the Gothic military. The main Gothic fighting force is stricken ill, and their numbers are dropping daily.'''

'''Gothic admiral, Rai Tylikratus, breaks his leg whilst battling off a group of young and spry Muslims. Though the men were in much better physical shape than the admiral, he still manages to use his superior talents to best them. Tylikratus catches gangrene from the injury and promptly dies.'''

'''The Chenla navy shows great improvement with the introduction of several new port cities as well as the increase in funding. The Royal Engineers return with plans for setting up sea trade with a nearby nation known as the Ganga, requesting only the kings finalization of the concept. '''

'''The Chenla discover Sumatra to be a beautiful and hospitable land with very few native inhabitants. It should be simple for the Chenla to colonize the area in the new future and they are expected to be met with little to no resistance.'''

'''Jutland, seeing their allies struggle in the south with outbreaks of war and disease, shift their sights inward and become increasingly isolationist. The Abelonian leaders express their loyalty to the Goths and apologize for turning their backs on them, but also think that a suspension of trade is in order to ensure Jutland remain free of the infection. The Jutes warn that further Lombardian expansion along their border may result in retaliation.'''

'''With the Franks distracted and fighting a civil-war, the Pictish see their opportunity and launch an assault on the territory directly adjacent to the south of them. The campaign is a slight success for the first week, but following that first week comes innumerable casualties among the Picts. The Picts see the clear superiority of their enemies and become genuinely frightened for their survival.'''

'''Peace is reached in India, and the First Great Indian war rounds off to a close. The Gupta, shocked by their enemies sheer overwhelming numbers and military tactics, accept in ceding the requested lands and eagerly request that they be allowed to turn inward and focus on bettering what territory they have left.'''

Peace between the Anti-Islamic Counteroffensive and the Caliphate proves to fail and the two continue with their bitter conflict, losses on both sides numbering well beyond countable.

The islands of Dalac, Nora and Falasan are colonized by the Goths, and a boost of naval supremacy over the Red Sea becomes ever more apparent.

'''Gothic scout ships visit the nearby colonies on the Verdinian isles only to discover several of the island's inhabitants have been completely wiped out by the plague. The two remaining Gothic Verdinian territories appear to still be plague-free for the time being.'''

Reports of the plague spreading to the farthest eastern reaches of the western Rus’ Principality prove to be factual and the nation now appears to be faced with the beginning of an ever growing epidemic.

'''The Lombardian rebellion, and increased sickness in Lombard territory provides a further push factor for Western Slavic emigrants to head east in search of salvation. These migrants subsequently join up with Rus’ military, prompting it to grow in size.'''

The power of the Rus’ military appears to be at its highest historical height and word spreads throughout Eurasia of the nation’s growing influence and authority.

'''By severing trade with Japan and omitting ethnic groups from history, the Silla effectively unite their people behind common hatred and lineage. New trade routes formed with other Asian nations prove wildly successful, and the economy of the Silla flourishes. As a result of having better access to food and water, the Silla population begins to grow out of control. Many people are forced into homelessness and the thirst for new land goes unquenched.'''

'''Though the might of the Albion military continues to grow, with their introduction of tariffs on all import goods, unrest grows amongst those already struggling to make enough money for bare necessities. The people cry out for a repeal of the tax, but as of yet, violent intervention seems far beyond the scope of reality.'''

'''The Hephthalites officially become the Indian Empire, and this unification dispels much of the political unrest. However, this forced unity under a collective name is troubling to some of the more tradition oriented ethnic groups, and tensions continue to grow between people with differing ideologies.'''

'''Gothic efforts to taint Lombardian waters prove terrifyingly successful, and the plague continues to strengthen it’s grip around the throat of humanity. The covert nature of these actions proves to be unsuccessful, and most of the Lombardian people immediately point their fingers toward their Gothic neighbors.'''

'''Saudi-Arabia is suffering from an astounding number of deaths following the introduction of the Ghanan Death to the area. The people are terrified, and consequently, dub the plague as the “Gothic Pestilence”.'''

'''Infection rates skyrocket throughout Lombardy, and with the waters tainted with much more than just one harmful disease, the population begins dropping in droves. The people of Lombardy resort to other means of acquiring water, and many are forced into dehydration. With the Goth’s missionaries suddenly arriving in the area, many of the local Lombardian’s attest the spread of disease to their presence. Efforts to suppress Germanic beliefs are futile and the people reject Arianism from their lands. Though most of the nation has a fervent loyalty to the Germanic gods, some begin to question their place in the overall monotheistic religious atmosphere of the western world.'''

'''With infection rising in Lombardy, comes the inevitable rise of infection in northeastern Gothic territory. The area, once assumed to be a safe haven, now appears to succumbing to the same fate as those in the west.'''

'''The Gothic blockade of the Caliphate continues to prove increasingly problematic for expansion into Africa. Any and all colonists are captured and executed, strengthening the belief that the Caliph is sending his people to their deaths. Muslim settlers grow wary of manning expeditions west and instead choose to avoid the area altogether.'''

With African Caliphate territory cut off from the capital completely, the Caliphate experiences a sudden rift in communications and finds it difficult to assert control and dominance over the area.

'''The Caliphate experiences great reformation in their military as a result of the great persian general Ardashir-Babok. He introduces new tactics of close quarters combat and shows off better ways to ensure tools and weapons remain sharp and re-usable.'''

'''With rebellions happening so frequently all across Europe, the Gothic people become inspired to fight for their own independence, and Vasconia and Galicia even begin to form separatist movements. Tensions between the impoverished west and the prosperous east continue to grow.'''

The Kingdom of Ghana makes slight gains against the Caliphate, but the Ghanaian people continue to cry out for an end to the war.

'''Though the people openly reject the influence of their barbaric neighbors the Goths, Gothic culture continues to trickle into the cracks of society yet to be filled by that of the Lombards. With the Lombardian exception of falconry comes an influx of thorough appreciation of other Gothic customs. Street fighting, though illegal, is still widely accepted, and some of the people begin coming forward with petitions for Goth-esque coliseums to be built to house pent up Lombardian aggressions. '''

'''The rebellion in Lombardy, while currently suppressed, causes significant discontent throughout the nation. Prisoners of war become riotous and unruly, forcing guards to constantly be on the alert. Two opposing political groups from in Lombardy;  The Centralists and the Expansionists. The Centralists seek to discontinue focus on Scandinavia and combat more pressing problems on the homefront, whilst the Expansionists seek to spread throughout Scandinavia as a means to escape the plague while also raking in new means of income from foreign lands.'''

The Lombards actually dramatically fail to land in Greenland and the rumors and stories of it happening are quickly dismissed as simple folk-lore and legend.

'''Anglo-Saxon slaves are surprisingly grateful to the Goths for their promise to free them and in turn work increasingly harder in hopes of securing the Gothic victories that would act as catalysts to their inevitable freedom and resurrection as a nation. They are extremely grateful to be working under the Seighbert family once again and are eager to join the army of Albion. The Albion army is only further strengthened and loyalty shifts away from that of Gothic toward that of the Seighberts.'''

'''Infrastructure in reclaimed Celtic territories increases remarkably and there is a clear increase in the standard of living in Hibernia. With rumors of a Celtic paradise in the British isles growing, Iceland experiences a mass emigration. The small Celtic population proves problematic in that many people are already off fighting the war, and now more so are choosing to return to their homeland. With less people to occupy the workforce in Iceland, many jobs are left empty and the state of the economy falters. Queen Ygritte, though respected for her ability to fight with her charismatic words,  begins to lose grasp on the nation.'''

'''Thanks to support from the Celts and the Goths, Prince Joseph is victorious in several conflicts and approaches victory against the Gamlin Rebellion. Princess Aneira is impregnated with Joseph’s child and gives birth to a boy the following year. The boy’s name is to be decided by Joseph (Spar) himself. Many former Frankish soldiers fighting for Gamlin, seeing Joseph’s victory, begin defecting ones again, their fates up to him to decide.'''

'''Royal marriage between the Khazars and the Avars provides an easy solidification between the two nations. The Avar Khaganate announces that they will agree to subordinate themselves to the Khazars on the condition that they ensure the Rus’ Principality does not encroach on their lands.'''

'''The Khazars collect the brunt of their military along Caliphate controlled Persia’s borders. Persia notices this and informs the Caliph of a possible attack from the north.'''

'''The Moroccan republic is under extreme unrest and the entire nation appears to be on the verge of total collapse. The population continues to dwindle and any semblance of leadership quickly becomes stricken ill and dies off. Many cities die out completely, leaving scattered ruins as relics to a fallen society.'''

''' ((RESPONSE TO SECRET LOMBARD MESSAGE; DO NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION UNLESS YOU ARE GENESARIA - The plans for an invasion of Jutland appear relatively well formulated and the Lombardian military leaders are briefed on their positions in the pressing conflict. An attack soon is expected to be widely successful should everything go according to plan.)) '''

((OOC: If I missed anything or anyone, I apologize. It is my first day as a mod and I admit I am not as knowledgeable about certain areas in this game as others. September 20, 2015 (UTC)Afunnymouth))

(THE NEXT TURN WILL BE TOMORROW, MONDAY, 9/21. THIS IS TO ALLOW EVERYBODY A CHANCE TO GET RE-ACCLIMATED TO THE GAME, AS THEY MAY NOT HAVE SEEN THAT IT HAS RESUMED.)

Ganga Dynasty: With the signature of the Treaty of Pataliputra In 682, the end of the first great war of India is official. Palaka I is crowned the same year, and his uncle Chandravarman died a month later. After his return to the Bhubaneswar, Palaka decide to build a new fleet in order to strengthen his position in the sea. Those news ships would be house in the islands he recently gained from his war, turning them into his main naval base. New researches are made in naval and sealing in order to, once again, strengthen the Ganga position.

Avar Khaganate: We improve our infrastructure and army. We expand far into the east and call to all barbarian tribes that previously conquered the Turkic Empire to join the Avar Khaganate. Due to the royal marriage and relations between the two nations, we also ask the Khazars to join our nation under one powerful, glorious empire.

Khazar Khaganate: We will continue to build dromons in the port of Tmutorakan and Derbent and begin to protect our trade. We will try to centralize the government slowly so we might be able to create a better army and begin building up troops on the border of the Avars and the Caliphate. We will continue to establish settlements on the Caspian Sea and we will begin to sail up the Uzboy river to settle leading to the Aral Sea. We will deny the Avar request for unification under their banners.

Secret: By marrying the Avar princess and them not being the religion of Christianity, we begin formulating our claim on their nation. We also place more troops against their borders.

Silla: We compensate the end of trade with Japan by substantially increasing trade with China, the surviving bits of the Turkish Khaganate, and Southeast Asia, and finding trade routes with European, South Asian and Western Asian countries. Spices from India are in very high demand. With the Turkish Khaganate largely gone, we expand west rapidly to acquire a part of the Silk Road. Meanwhile, we militarise our borders with Japan and grab a large number of Ainu people. We improve agriculture output per capita, and our population starts to boom, it now stands at 16.7 million people. We encourage more people to live in cities, this, little expansion, and rapid population growth causes our population density to swell. We continue to harvest North Korea's vast mineral wealth. We encourage the remaining parts of the Turkish Khaganate to join the Chinese tributary system. We continue to create a naval force powerful enough to counter any foreign influences, specially Japan. We begin to promote multiculturalism to reduce the bias towards the Korean people. In our official text, we remove the words for the three main ethnicities of the Korean Peninsula and just replace it with the term 한국어, meaning "Korean". Through trade with Western Asia, Islamic minorities begin to form. Although we promote multiculturalism, we believe that it may be a threat. We counter growing Muslim influence in Korea by promoting Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, and Korean shamanism.
 * Caliphate: If you wish to get spices from India then you have to join the High Council of the Middle East. You would have to aid me in the war against the Goths. I will also rename it the High Council of Asia.

Middle-Egypt: With our southernmost territories locked in a perpetual state of warfare, the nation begins to waver. Alecksander XIV unites the people on the quest for answers and opens up research facilities in the north to begin searching for a means of stopping the plague. Our borders are fortified and we copy the Mbalian style pallisade.

The Frankish Kingdom defeats Gamlin's Rebellion at last, and Charles Gamlin is executed in Paris. Prince Joseph and Aneira are married, with their young son, Prince Peter, being baptized at the wedding. Any and all Frankish troops who defected back to the Franks are not harshly punished, but do have to swear an oath to the King, and are forced to hand over their weapons and armor for a short period of time. Those that remained loyal to Gamlin are exiled, or imprisoned. The spread of the plague results in mass quarantine, in order to prevent it from spreading further. Due to Pictish aggression, we mount an invasion, using a mere 7,000 men, in order to cede it to the Celts. Noting that Lombardy has become unchristian, their persecution of the Goths, and fearing their expansion, the King mounts an invasion with 200,000 men, declaring that "Pagans must be shown the will of God." This is expected to be the toughest war the Franks will have fought to date, but now, Anglo-Saxons are begin sent to help fight. As part of a plan to combine the Franks with the Anglos, intermarriage is encouraged, and indeed, many young Frankish settlers do begin practicing this with their Anglo-Saxon comrades. Prince Gerald's son, Willaim, follows his father on the invasion, and decides he must follow in his uncle and father's footsteps and marry a Lombard for his wife. His father, uncle, and grandfather are all very amused. Young Aneira and Joseph are filled with joy as Peter begins to develop into a fine lad. All of Gamlin's former followers are imprisoned.

Rus' Principality: Grand Prince Vladimir deploys the Rus' army on the border with Lombardy in order to check all immigrants from the Western Slavic territories and other refugees, to make sure they are not bringing the plague. Soldiers are given clear and specific instructions on handling those from the Lombard territories, to make sure they themselves do not get infected, and to send back those who are infected. In the principality itself, to prevent further spreading of the plague, the princes leading the western regions of the country are given permission to implement martial law in order to stop spread of the plague. All cases of the plague (any suspicious symptoms) are to be reported immediately, in order to quarantine those citizens who are infected. If they are near death, then giving them a quick death by killing them is what the soldiers are ordered to do, then carefully burn their bodies to prevent it from spreading. All bodies of victims are burned for safety. It is hoped these measures will prevent its spread.

Meanwhile in the eastern and central regions of the country, trade and other activities continue as normal. Further settlement takes place along the arctic coast and in the regions of Siberia that are being moved into. The army remains on alert and trains in order to keep up its readiness. Meanwhile, orders are given for the army to set up special checkpoints at the major roads of each region and check travelers for symptoms of the plague, in order to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the country. In Crimea, all bridges to the peninsula are checked by guards in order to make sure that it does not spread there.

Caliphate: We expand 3700 pixels into Africa. We hide the Caliph. We try to fight the Gothic blockade. We attempt to reach contact with our African land. We invade Sunai, with the Goths being weak after the Sack of Mecca. We decide to abandon the city before more people die. We wish to return there in 50 years. We try to find a cure to the plague. We wish to trade with Sillia and the Far East, using trade roads. We wish for Persia to expand Northwards.
 * Middle-Egypt: with the caliphate army busy invading gothic lands, we launch a full frontal assault against the largely unguarded and cut off from the capital African caliphate territories.

The Kingdom of Mbali: King Nero refuses to let his kingdom fall into anarchy, he continues traveling Carthage to ensure anyone who will listen that he has no dire intentions and that the ailment that plagues the surrounding land is the work of Islam and there persistent influence. Nero drags himself town to town, city to city until one day he finds himself ill. Nero is forced to return home assuring everyone it is just a common illness, but Bjorn knows all too well. At first Nero represses his symptoms but it quickly becomes overwhelming. In the night he thrashes and wakes from cold sweats and searing pain, the fever is intense, almost setting him to a different state of mind as he chants “Save our people” in a winded manner. As his ailment progresses the thrashing and fever only gets worse and his appendages begin to blacken. Bjorn spends his days at his father’s bedside never to stop his research on this brutal plague. Soon Nero has little control over his own thoughts, he pulls Bjorn close and whispers with a dry voice “It’s time ...”. Without looking away Bjorn tells everyone to leave, they each stop what they’re doing to look at Bjorn before he screams “Now!” and they all scatter from the room. Bjorn stands and walks to a small window, he hears the uncontrolled movements of the man who was once his father on the bed behind him. Bjorn sheds a tear for his father as he looks at the rope taut in his hand. He wipes his face and steps into position. Bjorn places the rope firmly against his father’s throat, he holds tight as Nero weakly struggles. Nero’s face begins to swell and his eyes water, and just as the light fades from his eyes a small satisfied smirk appears. With his father now dead Bjorn lifts his new crown, and he feels its weight, physical and emotional, in his hands.

King Bjorn is stricken with many emotions, he wants to be angry, he wants to blame it on someone! However Bjorn now understands the plague is not controlled by a single person but by the people and population itself. It was his father’s own choice to travel spreading not only his word but the plague itself. With the plague income under minor control Bjorn set his intentions inward. He claims the rat to be public enemy number one and aims to eliminate their existence at least within his country. African wildcats are bred and continually trained to kill rodents. The people are informed by any means necessary that rats and rodents are the be killed and disposed of properly. Apothecaries begin working together to create a powerful poison to kill rodents and household rats. Imported rodents still remain a large problem and border enforcement is increased as well.

His father’s misguided efforts to focus Carthage inevitably becomes his downfall and Bjorn aims to focus the nation as a whole, some people will disagree, some will riot, but no matter what we must live as one or die as one. Bjorn hears word of the Khanahndanites militia, he makes it clear that he knows of their existence and cause, but despite the recent treaty he allows them to continue so long as it remains a defencive measure to protect themselves and Carthage from the possible threat of our (allied) kingdom. Who knows maybe someday we can join forces and defend together against more aggressive opponents.

Lombardy: Lombardy is in turmoil. Gunnar has died of the plague, the ten-year-old Ælfweard has vanished, the Rus' have marshalled troops on the border (for what purpose, nobody knows), the Gothic attitude has gone from mildly-standoffish to overtly hostile within a few months, and the Jutes have begun dispensing threats like money from a slot machine. Several northern chieftains attempt to revolt, but the people of their chiefdoms are too panicked for a revolution, and the palace guard is able to put together a small militia group and put them down. Soon, however, the capital is consumed in a fire, and the remnants of the government adjourn to the old capital where they begin sending out orders to what portions of the royal army that remains to regroup to Lombardia Magna. Without guidance from the capital, the colonists decide to close the ports, deciding that they're entrenched enough to be self-sufficient, and continue expansion along the Danish border.

Falconry continues to expand in the west, but doesn't make much headway in the east, where the West Slavs view the practice as too foreign (keep in mind that both the Goths and the Lombards are Germanic). Windmill construction slowly begins to be adopted in Gotland and the Pomeranian coast.

In the new (old) capital, Frym Hróaldr, a relative of the vanished king, takes to the streets with several members of the palace guard, and gives a speech from a balcony condemning the ravages of the Goths and Christianity. At the conclusion of the speech, the crowd turns on the Goths in its midst and tears them to pieces, as Frym looks on impassively. His rhetoric spreads across the countryside, and in each city it is repeated it, the local authorities take it up and add to it. By 689, trade with the Goths is nonexistent, the few Goths left in the country are in hiding, and the Christian monastery has been burned to the ground, with the monks' heads on stakes outside the smoldering ashes (which have been rededicated as a field of Wodin). An armed mob storms the Gothic consulate in the south, chanting hymns to Freya, and everyone in there, both Goths and Lombard workers, are killed and their corpses are flayed. The representatives of the interim government (so called because they have agreed to rule the country only until the king is either found or confirmed dead) do their best to hold back the surging, fanatical mobs from overrunning the Gothic border posts, but have no qualms with burning Goths found within the country alive, and tend to look the other way whenever an enterprising Lombard citizen orders a hit-and-run raid on a Gothic homestead, as becomes the norm.

The plague, and the Gothic common enemy, become the focal point for a Slavic-Gothic reconciliation, as they are forced to work together to overcome the ravages of the plague. To symbolize this, whenever a chief's dynasty is wiped out by the sickness, the tribe itself is allowed to choose a new ruler, instead of turning the selection of rulers over to the government. Because of this, inter-Lombard trade actually improves, but definitely not enough to offset the losses caused by the cutting-off of Lombard-Gothic and Lombard-Rus' trade, and trade with the northern colonies.

Autonomous Albion: Cadfael orders all borders to the Lombard Empire to be closed and guarded. Branwen orders a wall to be built on the shared border.

Branwen marries a Gothic noble and bares a son named Osryn.

Celtic League: As my men were working on the roads and sewers of the island known as the Eirie they noticed a silverish shimmer. With further work and exploration on the land it was discovered we found that it was silver. We begin mining immediately and are glad for this lucky break just as our kingdom was suffering from economic instability. I assume this will take another year or so before the mining is fully operational. (Note this does count as Economic improvement. Also a bunch of places list that Ireland does infact contain Silver. http://www.indexmundi.com/ireland/natural_resources.html)

Even with our lucky breakthrough I doubt our economic situation will end up coming back up. With our trade coming to an end with the Goths (Due to the rapid spread of the plague throughout their lands), I think that finding the silver will cause us to more or less break even in terms of jobs and economic troubles. On the brighter side of things we have yet to receive word that the plague has spread to my people. Although there are rumors that the plague may be spread by some sort of animal.

'''I have heard reports of fights breaking out in certain parts of Ireland regarding the lands being taken from us and the retaking of the lands. Something about who are the greatest or truer Celt.'''

My men and ships won’t be returning from the war, as I have received word that the Pictish surprise attacked the Frankish inadvertently killing some of my men. Before I can okay sending more men into a war I need to rally the people behind me. I prepare to give them a speech that talks about the need for war, and the fighting that has been breaking out and it reads as so.

“Hello my Celtic people. *I briefly pause* Whether you come from the far lands known as Iceland, or stayed here in the Homelands during the Hibernian rule does not matter. Even if you were Hibernian, you are no longer under my rule. We are brothers and sisters of this land. The acts of one person country should not reflect that person. Instead I want you to judge them by their reaction to what I tell you now. *I pause and look around at the crowd*

I sent Celtic men as soldiers to Aid our allies known as the Frankish in their rebellion. As you may have known King Joseph’s father was murdered and his position as king usurped. But that is no longer as aid from us and the Goths managed to help retake the throne for king Joseph. But something happened while the battle was raging against the Frankish rebels. The country known as “The Pictish” sneak attacked us during the night. without even properly declaring war like a respectful kingdom should! *Proclaiming it loudly and portraying shock and disgust* We lost a lot of good men during this surprise attack from these… these cowards. Now I ask you the people of our fine kingdom, will you stand and fight against these unmanly scum in order to avenge our fallen soldiers? *I say squinting like Rick Grimes* Not only will we avenge our fallen Celts, but we will also take the land from the filth known as the Pictish! *I say thunderously*

* I wave one last time to my people and exit stage left*

(This next part is up to the mods. Tell me if my people approve or disagree. If they agree post beneath this text saying what they do.)

If my people seem to approve of the war I ready my ships and men and start attacking the pictish from the west and north (Using the islands I have colonized on that used to belong to the Pictish). I will also send letter to the Frankish letting them know that I will be able to assist them in the taking of the lands.

If my people disagree with the war I leave my men that are already stationed there in order to still help the Frankish in the war as is my duty as their ally. But I also send a letter letting them know that I regret to inform them that I will not be able to assist anymore in the war as it may cause an uprising in my lands.

It is the year 687 and I decided to start a book on a book on my life. It will only cover the most recent events of how I, A bastards daughter, became Queen of the Celts. I hope one day my children will read it and be stuck in frozen in a state of astonishment.

It is the year 688 and I have found my self bearing another child. most likely my last due to my age. I can not wait to have him, I can just tell it is another boy. I am almost complete with my autobiography about how I have taken the throne.

A letter is written and distributed to all friends and allies of the Celtic League.

“I Temporary King Quin Everstorm, First of his name, regret to inform you that my beloved Queen Ygritte has died in childbirth with our final son Ankou Eversnow, who is alive and well. Queen Ygritte bled out hours after childbirth. The doctors assure me she was in minimal pain, I hope this eases your thoughts more than it has mine.

Since I have no Blood line connecting me to the throne nor did I take the throne I will only be acting King until Jon Eversnow reaches the age of adulthood, also known as 19. I will alert your kingdoms when there is another change in the thrones. But until then expect everything to continue as normal.

~ King Quin Eversnow”

As I mourn the loss of my one and only love Ygritte I find among her possessions a book entitled “The Taking of a Throne from a Blood Thirsty Man”. I plan to share it will my son when he reaches the age of Adulthood and becomes King. It will be one of my two gifts to him when he becomes King.

The Gothic Empire: With the Muslims pulling out of Mecca and rushing to launch an attack on Sinai, the Goths give chase and continue their assault on the unfortified Muslim territory, led by a young officer by the name of Franz Vagneriano  who had assumed control of the Sack on Mecca following the death of Rai Tylikratus. Franz Vagneriano proves to be a key motivating force for keeping the Gothic military determined to crush the Caliphates dominatory offensive. He gives a famous speech in which he delivers the line “ ''a bear will not stop mauling a treacherous fawn when it would seek to usurp the bear’s own cave simply because it is sick. It is the bears duty to defend its cubs.''” Immediately following this rallying speech, the bear is adopted as the nation's official animal of representation. The Falxmen, particularly motivated by this speech, take to calling themselves “bears” as they act as the strong hand of the Gothic heavy infantry.''' '''

The royal princess, Sventhila Lousean, being distressed with the idea of power birthing evil and corruption, decides to renounce her right to the throne, change her name, and escape in the night. Being so adept with her Celtic dagger, she joins the Lupexcercito and quickly climbs up the ranks.

The all-female military force known as the Lupexcercito is sent on their first deployment to the borders of Lombardy where they are to give support to the rural villagers there. Militia’s are formed from the local farmer populace, determined to drive back angry Lombardian mobs and prevent them from further raiding our lands and killing our missionaries.

The naval forces stationed near the British Isles and in the Mediterranean are to travel to the Baltic sea and station themselves outside of Lombardian coastal villages. The amphibious landhopper is deployed into the north with a plan of capturing Gotland and then once a naval presence is secured, working upward and capturing the remaining Lombardian islands in the Balitc sea. These plans are not yet underway, and instead will pivot along decisions made in a congregation between Gothic and Lombardian leaders.

Eager to prevent a war from breaking out on the homefront, Chairman Roderic Lousean travels to Lombardy guarded by one hundred of his most loyal Umbra-Gotha body guards and wishes to parlay with Frym Hróaldr and the representatives of the interim government. During this meeting, Roderic hopes to dispel some of the tensions growing between the two nations and possibly even work out a deal that would act as an alternative to war.

The deal would consist of the following;  
 * 1) Gothic and Lombardian workers will join forces to construct a wall between the two nations, effectively sealing off all contact from one another. With the sealing of this wall comes the Gothic promise not to intervene in Lombardian affairs and even allow them continued control over the Baltic Sea.
 * 2) The Lombards will cede all scandinavian territory to Jutland and apologize for their intrusions.
 * 3) Gotland, being the ancient Gothic homeland as recorded in Alaric II’s memoirs, is seen as primarily coveted by the Gothic Empire. The Goths request Lombardy cede Gotland to them and renounce their control over the area.
 * 4) The Goths will not pursue naval supremacy in the Baltic sea on the condition that The Lombards not actively seek to surpass the might of the Jutish navy.
 * 5) Borders between the two nations should be closed off completely and contact should not be made for at least another twenty-five (25) years.
 * 6) Lombardy will ensure that they not allow the plague spread from their territory into territories belonging to the Rus’ Principality.
 * 7) The two nations will open up a series of research centers, connected by falcon message carriers, in an attempt to squash the epidemic once and for all.
 * Lombard (Diplomacy): Here is our nation's response to each point of your deal.
 * 1. Any attempt by the Lombard government to convince its population to work with the Gothic populace would result in the government being dismembered, followed by every Goth within 50 miles of the border.
 * 2. We refuse.
 * 3. We colonized Gotland purely to spite you, and will not return it now.
 * 4. We would be willing to accept this as a standalone deal, but as it stands alongside the other points, we refuse.
 * 5. This would be detrimental to both nations' interests, as both would make a great deal of money from the trade.
 * 6. We cannot ensure this, and refuse to try.
 * 7. Falconry is still young in our nation, and our people have no background in science. While we may wish this, we are afraid that this is impossible.

Should the call for peace be refused, the Goth’s will have no choice but to proceed with their plans for warfare and launch an attack on the Lombard controlled Baltic islands. A plan is formulated that will involve the assistance of many Gothic allies, dividing up Lombard territory amongst themselves. Gothic emissaries are sent to the; Rus’ Principality, Albion, Gepid Kingdom, the Danish, the Frankish Kingdom, Jutland,  and the Celtic League, carrying messages dictating a casus belli for the invasion.

The distribution of Lombardian lands will go as follows: http://i.imgur.com/pGA56ee.png.  
 * It is hoped to split the majority of land amongst the Rus’ and the Goths, while also providing moderate gains for the Franks and the Celts.
 * Gold is offered to the Gepids for their declaration of neutrality.
 * Former Lombardian controlled islands near the Danish are offered in exchange for their neutrality (or assistance)
 * The Jutes are offered all of Scandinavia as well as some adjacent territory.
 * Albion, being the front line, will also be offered their official autonomy as a subordinate Gothic region. They will gain at least twice their current territory and be recognized for their independant power. Anglo-Saxon slaves will be offered freedom if they assist in the conflict and secure themselves a haven of tolerance in newly formulated Albion territory.
 * The Franks are hoped to act as the Goths number one ally fighting alongside the main front. In return the Goths will provide the Franks with a generous amount of land southeast of the Netherlands.

Roderic, intrigued by the Celtic custom of writing a personal letter, prepares a formal proposition, translated to match the Celtic tongue;

“To Temporary King Everstorm, Lord of Celtic League and respected ally to the Gothic Empire,

''It is with great sorrow that I, Chairman Roderic Lousean, feel the need to falter the serenity of this parchment with plans for the enactment of such a grievous action - war. The Lombardian Kingdom appears to be only growing as a threat to the stability of the Gothic Empire, and in turn, the stability of the British Isles is threatened. A shift in European power would surely lead to a rejection of Celtic customs and a mistreatment of their peoples. To prevent this, diplomatic proposals have been sent to the Lombardian leaders hoping to show them the error of their ways. Should these peaceful resolutions fail, the plans for attack will play out as follow ;''

''The Goths will invade from the south, accepting the brunt of Lombardian military forces, whilst our allies to the north will bring up their flank. Though Gothic naval superiority should provide easy access to the Baltic sea, it would be in the best interest of our alliance, for the Celts to focus their efforts along Lombardian coasts east of the Netherlands. Should the Celts follow through with this, it is hoped for them to be provided with the lands sketched by our master artisan at the bottom of this page.''

 

Lands: http://i.imgur.com/T2hfvLo.png

                                                                                                                  With much respect, Chairman Roderic Lousean”

 

Due to the increasingly rebellious atmosphere of the European world, and speeches of unity seeming to have no tangible effect to reduce this, the Gothic Empire considers allowing it’s people to make the decision on their own. Plebiscites are held in Madrid and Rome deciding whether or not a split would be in order. Roderic Lousean preaches the necessity of staying united in hopes that the people will see the truth in his words and in turn see the foolishness in revolting. Should the plebiscite pass, Theudis Harentz will take over the West and subordinate himself beneath Roderic. In reality, the split is entirely cosmetic and all decisions will still pass through the Roman senate.

The Umbra-Gotha, lead by Commander Ausvinthus III, travel to the Moroccan Republic and attempt to rouse the support of local militia and former military men to launch an attack on Illdephons’ controlled Gothic-Morroco. The lands will be split with the Morrocan Republic, and the Goths will help establish governmental stability over the area. The militia will then launch an attack and hopefully reclaim the lands.

Annonoms are adopted for the remaining regions and the people are educated about proper sanitation and health care. Bodies are continually burned to prevent the spread, and individuals showing symptoms are hauled away to camps in the far west.
 * Celtic League: I, Temporary King Everstorm, find these terms agreeable under one condition. That After the war has been won (If there is a war) that I get one shipment of ambers (Pillaged from the city) in order to hand craft my family and yours Jewelry.

Lombardy: Following the Gothic ultimatum, the entire Lombard navy is ordered out to blockade the Danish straits. At this point Lombard seamanship is roughly on par with that of the Jutes, and their flaming arrow tactic should give them a massive advantage. Meanwhile, the fortresses on Gotland and the Aland islands are reinforced. Recruitment of militia begins, and the frustrated populace, eager for an opportunity to avenge the cruel deaths of their friends and family, signs up in droves. Crosses are publicly burnt in town squares, and local authorities make no attempt to prevent Lombard raiders from attacking into Gothic provinces, including Albion. Several Slavic tribes migrate to the east and occupy the former royal forts along the Rus' border. '''The palace archives are searched, and the plans for the invasion of Jutland are pulled out. These plans, prepared in advance, should give us a massive advantage in any combat that would take place against Jutland.''' The Jutes are warned to stay out of the war, and told that if they do their ships would be allowed to pass through the Lombard blockade unharmed.

The Goths are warned that any attempt to approach the Lombard coast will result in a stern reminder of who's truly the master of the Baltic. The Goths may have large ships, but the Lombards have centuries of experience, and massive amounts of knowledge of both construction and the Baltic sea, not to mention flaming arrows. The victor of any Lombard-Gothic sea battle, especially one in the Baltic, would not really be a subject for doubt (I would also like to remind you of the many, many turns in which I mentioned strengthening and expanding my coastal walls, which are also fitted with small pieces of artillery (catapults, scorpions, etc.)).
 * The Gothic Empire: As the Gothic ships roll over the horizon, the Lombards are reminded for the reason Gothic ships are so heavy and well-painted; during the Egyptian Crusades, the Gothic navy was forced to adapt techniques of wood pressurization as well as using clays and other non-combustablie materials to coat the woods surfaces. It would appear that flaming arrows, to the Goths, are old news.

Lombardy (Diplomacy): The nation of Lombardy would like to formally request a military alliance with the Picts, and would like to exchange mutual defense pledges.

Lombardy (Diplomacy): The Gepids are reminded of their declaration of solidarity, and promised great riches and land if they agree to help the Lombards in the fight.

Lombardy (Diplomacy): The Khazars are sent a request for a formal military alliance, and are reminded of their common Rus' enemy.

Lombardy (Diplomacy): The nation of Lombardy requests entrance into the High Council of the Middle East, and an alliance with the great Caliphate of the south.

Lombardy (Diplomacy): The Danes are sent a request for a military alliance, and reminded of their common Germanic heritage and historically friendly relations.

Lombardy (Diplomacy): SECRET TO ALL EXCEPT ALBION |  The provincial governor of Albion is sent an invitation to revolt, and told that if he does so, he will be restored to his throne as King of Britain, and will finally return to his people.

Lombardy (Secret): Small amounts of supplies (even though the nation is in a state of low-level anarchy, some small supplies can be scrounged up) are sent to the Goth rebels in Morocco, along with a promise of more to come.

Lombardy (Secret): The royal archer corps are reassigned to the southern border, and are reminded of their training in hit-and-run tactics and guerrilla warfare. Plans are drawn up for repelling an attack on three fronts.

(THE NEXT TURN WILL BE TOMORROW, MONDAY, 9/21. THIS IS TO ALLOW EVERYBODY A CHANCE TO GET RE-ACCLIMATED TO THE GAME, AS THEY MAY NOT HAVE SEEN THAT IT HAS RESUMED.)