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

 * 700 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.

Nations (Signup)
Example Proper Format: Empire Name/ Leader title/ leader name/ signature

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

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

- ~DicklessWonder (MrFixx) -
 * - Adamgerd (Talk)

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

-

-

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

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

- Thisismacedon

Asia:
- AH28 -The Epic Dragon
 * Persia - Bozistanball

-

- Zamarak500

-

- Laoboy343

- Tao64

- ~Candiesrgood

- Alynnear

-

- Revolution 9

-

Africa:
-

- Leaders are deceased/ Writer must be compelling and introduce new leader.

- Sef - (UNCLAIMED)

- Geberic Illdephon - (UNCLAIMED)

-

- King Kaya Magha Cisse' II ~ Hddenevil

- Kruntchie

- Thabo Khananda - (UNCLAIMED)

- snoopdigdogg11

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

Supranational Organizations
The High Council of the Mediterranean

The High Council of Eurasia 

Archives
500-600

600-700                                

700 C.E.
'''The 7th century came and went with people living and dying just as they would have regardless of what number you had put before the word. Would the 8th century prove to be any different? It's difficult to say...'''

'''Sef, Emperor of Kanem, orders for a great expansion into the surrounding territories. In turn, his people acclimate themselves with the Ghanians and spread to adjacent lands. Sef hopes for friendly relations with Ghana.'''

'''Many refugees from the various African wars flee to central Africa, where the Empire of Kanem experiences mass immigration. The Kanem populations bolsters and grows rapidly.'''

'''The Caliphate forces more of their terrified subjects to sail across the Red Sea to settle far into unexplored Africa. The colonists make landings and spread into the land, but their numbers drop rapidly and many of them succumb to the unforgiving terrain. The originally founded African territories begin to grow a sense of disconnect with the new migrants and in turn they begin work on a declaration of secession.'''

'''The Muslim Free-State begins expansion southeast along the Caliphates borders. They continue to preach of Muslim freedoms and their sentiment is felt throughout Africa.'''

'''Gothic controlled former South-Egyptian territory becomes far more united and begins to reject Gothic rule. With the Goth’s devoting their attentions entirely elsewhere, the small budding nation declares their independence under the new name Vermundia. Much of the population follows the new ideas of a peaceful Islam and completely rejects the notion of Christianity. The new nation forms an alliance with the Muslim Free-State'''

Thabo Khananda forms an alliance with Geberic Illdephon and the two plan to split Morocco in half amongst themselves;

'''The Illdephons start the invasion by marching further south and conquering a Moroccan port, further strengthening their navy. Their borders expands quickly as many more Moroccan people subjugate themselves to the new growing African power.'''

'''The Vandalic Kingdom, galvanized and united by a return to the old ways, are eager to take back their lands from the Moroccans. The Vandals swarm into Morocco and capture a large portion of land, meeting up with the Illdephons on the north coast.'''

'''The Illdephons use their new naval ships to spread south to the former Gothic territories in the Verdinian Isles. The Illdephons build several forts and establish a presence in the abandoned area.'''

The Upper-Egyptians continue their westward sprawl and the people become ever more disconnected, but whether it's good for Upper-Egypt to live in the 8th century could be most likely.

'''The clash between Euric Vermundo’s Gothic walking dead men and the Caliphate’s doomed Muslim army is especially bloody. After a month long struggle, the Muslims finally overwhelm the Goths and stamp out their main military force. By the end of the battle, the Caliphate is weakened and dying. The Mbalians capitalize on this and launch an attack on western Sinai. The Mbalians make great ground and kill of much of the main Muslim fighting force, but soon lose momentum as the men continue cutting down the endless Muslim hordes without ever seeing any sign of them stopping.'''

The Gothic presence in Arabia dies off, leaving behind a long ugly scar in the Caliphate’s territory.

Gothic naval support in Alaricia manages to drive out the rebels and restore the island into one solid and loyal Gothic region.

'''The Khazars swarm Croatia, surprising the Russian people and making great headway. This victory is short lived however, as nearly two-hundred thousand Rus’ soldiers and sixty warships heed the counteroffensive and reclaim the coasts of the Black Sea.'''

'''The Caliphate sends droves of men into the Khazars territory and quickly overwhelms them, engulfing about a third of their total land. However, thanks to the Khazars naval supremacy in the Caspian, the Caliphate neglects to get a coastal foothold.'''

The Avars makes light gains out of the Khazar’s newly colonized Adrian territory, but are repeled quickly and experience great casualties at the hands of the Khazars monstrous navy.

Chenla continues their expanse after dealing with the marine threat of barbarians, and in turn manage to spread throughout the entirety of the Sumatran mainland.

Followers of Buddhism continue to feel increasingly oppressed by the Ganga and their cries are heard throughout India and Asia.

The spread of plague in Mbali is at an all time low, the people however, feeling galvanized by their years of suffering and call for King Bjorn to end the fruitless war against Islam.

Control over Scotland falls back to the Pictish coalition who have subordinated themselves under the Celts in exchange for giving the Celts nearly half of their gross-income on tax.

'''Ghanian death rampages through Hispania and Iberia, and the deaths are innumerable. It is predicted that over 40% of the population is infected, whilst another 25% have already perished. This relentlessness is in part thanks to the Lombardians infecting Gothic water supplies, and in turn many new Gothic militias form and begin making counter attacks against the Lombards.'''

The Lombards break the Frankish line and push into Burgundy, casualties on both sides are high, but the Lombards appear to have the advantage at the moment thanks to the Wyrdu’s rapid offensive.

The population of Byzantium continue to dwindle as the plague ravages the country side.

'''Lombardian people are increasingly dis-unified and war-fatigued. Many of them simply throw down their arms and call for peace under new rule, without caring who their new overlords are to be.'''

'''The Rus’ surge into the relatively unprotected capital of Warsaw and attempt to capture it with minimal destruction and loss of life. This proves difficult however as the Lombardians feverish volatility is a force all of its own. After three years of back and forth warfare, the Rus’ capture the ruins of Warsaw and expand their rule of a territory inhabited mostly by corpses.'''

The Rus’ Principalities armies acquire a land connection to the Baltic Sea.

'''The Germanic people of Albion take an offensive against their ethnically equal invaders and prove to be surprisingly loyal to Duchess Branwen. Anglo-Saxons and Germans fight side by side and their co-operation leads to a total victory in the war for Albion.'''

The Franks continue their push into classical Lombardy and slaughter the Saxon’s military defensive.

'''Call for troops to support the Saxon offensive proves to be an utter failure for the Celts. Only one-hundred men agree to join in the offensive and close the distance. The Celts are only successful in making amphibious landings thanks to the Franks presence, but the well trained Celtish soldiers prove instrumental in furthering Frankish pushes into Lombardy.'''

'''The Jutish army meets up with the Frankish and Celtic armies and the three armies begin falling under the command of a high ranking Frankish general. This unified entente proves to be a near unstoppable force.'''

'''Lombardian colonists are either captured and killed or get lost and wind up heading north. The majority of them end up in Scandinavia and settle just north of their brothers and sisters.'''

Not all is a loss for the Lombardians, as their Scandinavian territories grow in strength and repel the Jutes, conquering much of their land.

'''The Gothic economy flips on its head and begins hemorrhaging money. The Gothic treasuries are drained and the job market is nearly non-existent. Gothic focus on warfare gives way to a great deal of increase in general poverty throughout the empire.'''

Tensions continue to rise between the Gothic nobles in the east and the impoverished west.

'''Votes in Vivianis prove a majority of the populace to be in support of continued Gothic rule. The rebels are then quickly driven out of the area and their leaders executed.'''

The Gupta continue their expanse and fill the gap between themselves and the Liang.

Loss of the Tibetan king due to an unknown illness causes the kingdom to split into eleven dynasties ruled by each of his eleven sons.

'''Ghanaian death arrives in Silla thanks to the Caliphate smuggling infected peoples into their land. The plague quickly grabs hold in the new humid environment and rapidly spreads throughout China.'''

'''Japan makes great gains against the Ainu and even captures the militia leader Shakushoa. Without the militia, the continued survival of the Ainu is entirely dependent on Sillian intervention.'''

More land is gained for the Persian-Free State as they close the land gap between themselves and the Ainu (I know the PFS is a player now, but until they make their first move they will act as an AI.)

'''The Danes declare war on the Balts and invade them, capturing a moderate swath of lands. The Danes request the Rus’ assistance in the war. The Balts also request the Rus’ assistance in the war.'''

 

Autonomous Albion:  Osryn enters into ASF training, taking after his mother in his stature he is one of the largest among his peers.

Cadfael takes to going into battle along with his troops, bolstering their nerve and their loyalty, witnessing him let slip havoc with his own blade. Cadfael marches into Lombardian territory, raiding villages and sending the spoils back to Branwen to distribute throughout the country. All troops are offered 10% of the swag that they find.

Shades are scattered out among the Lombardian people, and given the mission to incite rebellion by causing ruckus and spouting disloyalty to the public, regardless of any actual issues.

Branwen orders continuation of a wall along the border of Albion and Lombardy.

Cadfael is trusting of the Frankish troops, as he knows firsthand of their prowess in battle.

 Japan: We are launching a massive offensive against Sillian forces in Hokkaido, we are also invading Korea.

Khazar Khaganate: We are losing this war but our resolve shall never wave. Our leader has figured the reason why so many people are dying by the cruelty of this plague. It is because so many do not believe the word of Christ anymore. The only way to cure this plague is to make holy war against the pagans and the non-believers and to join in our new found war to convert this people. We send ravens and spread rumours that there is a crusade happening to all nations with a sizable Christian population to join us in our troubles. We send our ships in the Black Sea against the Russian and Caliphate held coastline and to raid coastal settlements. We will also send envoys to the Byzantine empire and the Gepids to join us in war. We also will give Abkhazian people, the Alan horde and the Oghuz tribes more independence if they help us in our war. We will also send an envoy to the tribes to the Afrighids, Kangars, Kimaeks, Kipchacks, Turgesh and the other tribes in return for money and all the fertile land they can desire. We will continue to attack and raid the borders of our enemies. We will send envoys to Tabaristan and Gilan in the Caliphate to help us.
 * The Gothic Empire sends a letter entailing that if the Khazars were truly Christian, they would cease their aliance with the heathenish Lombardians and join the High Council of the Mediterranean.

Silla/Korean Empire: Our export-oriented economy has made our economy vulnerable to changing external demand, but luckily, we did not trade with the Caliphate that much. We still compensate for this miniscule loss by drastically increasing trade with the Chenla Queendom. Regent Wonjang wouldn't take any chances, and he starts Silla's transition from an export-oriented economy to a consumer-oriented one. We continue to harvest Northern Silla's vast mineral wealth, estimated by mathematicians to be worth $6 trillion in value. We acquire new technologies to help us mine the precious minerals. We continue "dumping" excess agricultural produce to Chenla to avoid inflation, we see this as a two-way beneficial relationship, since it'll help Chenla's people avoid starvation. Regent Wonjang sees a lot of potential in the Chenla Queendom, citing its fairly large population, an abundance of raw materials, and a large room for area expansion. He knows that the Chenla Queendom will make a good ally in the upcoming years.

Due to some structural problems becoming increasingly prominent, some advisors (the second highest power) ask for the abolition of the strict, hereditary bone rank system, which only allows people with an aristocratic background to obtain high positions. King Wonjang considers this idea, but he thinks that the elite minority will rebel and the Sillan state will collapse. The advisors finally convince him to abolish the rigid bone rank system, getting rid of the increasingly powerful aristocratic families.

Due to the Ghanan plague, population growth almost halts. Most of the government, including the Royal Family and the Regent's family, is sent into palaces located in the hillsides where they are isolated from the rest of the population. Potentially infected individuals are killed and their bodies are smuggled into Japan. Our population is estimated to be 17.8 million people, a 0.56% increase from the last estimate from five years ago, though there is less people from the younger cohorts, the labor force is still rapidly growing and prevents negative population growth. We launch a massive sanitation campaign to avoid the spread of the plague and population decline, and to combat decline in the labor force, we dramatically reduce unemployment and increase worker productivity. Public bathrooms are installed in its main cities. After discovering the source of the smuggled bodies, we ban all trade and travel with the Caliphate (and its allies) and any Western nation. We suggest the Chenla Queendom to also impose the trade and travel ban.

We start increasing taxes to create more revenue for the government, and use the money to fund our sanitation campaign. Due to our advance technology, high troop morale, and the fact our population outnumbers Japan's by more than five times, we are confident that we will win. We begin to focus our energy on one front and focus on defending the Korean peninsula from the lesser Japanese navy. Our suprise counter-attack somewhere in Southern Honshu ends in victory, and we gain large tracts of coastal land. We incorporate these areas into the Saeloun-do, meaning the "New Province". We begin to attack in all directions, from the north with 20,000 troops (less because it is less populated), and from the South and West, with a total of 170,000 troops. We withdraw most of our troops from Hokkaido and order the massive evacuation of the Ainu population to the Sakhalin province, this will probably result in the temporary loss of Hokkaido, but it is worth it. We use this surge of extra labor to manufacture supplies needed in our war. We increase our military presence on the Sakhalin, with 30,000 troops patrolling the borders.
 * (Chenla) If the Silla are open to a "Special Relationship" (like the one the US and the UK enjoy) where scientific advances are shared, joint military operations take place, the prospect of making each other's economy better, etc. This will cause a free flow of scientific advances and technologies between the two nations and bring their friendship much closer. 
 * OOC (Chenla) Also not quite sure if you accepted the offer of building embassies in our two capitols. 

The Kingdom of Mbali: King Bjorn is faced with a difficult decision: He could assist The Republic of Morocco and gain one rather unorganized ally; or he could promise The Vandals and The Illdephons to keep his nose out and avoid gaining two, more organized enemies. He discusses his choices with his advisors and they unanimously agree that Mbali is in too deep -with the Caliphate’s persistence and the plague that still ravages the land- to start another war. Diplomats are sent to The Vandals and Illdephons explaining that their attack on The Republic of Morocco poses a bit of a hindrance on Mbali. However, the threat could be avoided if they were to ally with Mbali instead. The navy continues to grow in the Red Sea.

King Bjorn hears the cries of his people to end the war with the Caliphate. Though complete control over Sinai is important, Bjorn is content with the claimed area. King Bjorn writes up a treaty: The Caliphate can keep claimed lands in Sinai, and Mbali keeping its claimed lands in Sinai - as well as a 50-year non-aggression pact. If The Caliphate deny the treaty a palisade is set up along the claimed territories in Sinai reinforcing defensive procedures used in the past, and the Mbalian navy is to attack Caliphate Sinai full force, focusing its western coast.

King Bjorn cannot express enough thanks to Prince Salavarman for his gracious gift of elephants. Bjorn had read stories of these savage war beasts but never thought he’d get to see one first hand. King Bjorn makes it against Mbalian law to kill elephants, claiming they have royal blood and that they should be treated as such. Elephants are bred and incorporated into the army, and some are even acclimated and released to the wild.

The Frankish Kingdom, with the Lombard offensive into Burgundy still ongoing, sees King Joseph raise an army of both cavalry and infantry, which has the goal of crushing the Lombardy threat in our borders. King Gerald appoints his brother, Prince Joseph, as the overall commander of the entente forces pushing into Lombardy, and with many calling for peace, the King feels that this may be the perfect time to begin establishing Frankish control over Saxony. Thus, a new Holy Saxon Duchy is established in the conquered lands, with the capital being centered in an area soon to known as Lipsia, which is set to become a major city and trading post for the Franks, with the blessing of the Pope. Christian missionaries are sent around the conquered areas,  spreading the faith, and helping to stamp out the pagan ways. The continued expansion of the navy sees it growing to over 150 ships. These ships are used to guard against pirates, and help to protect the shipping and trade of the Franks. King Gerald's son, Prince William, is still searching for a bride, and should any of our allies wish, they may propose a bride for him. The treasury begins to grow from the massive amount of conquered gold and land taken from the Lombards, and taxes are imposed on the conquered areas. As the plague continues to ravage the land, quarantine is put in place in the south, and massive amounts of resources are put together to help stop the spread of the plague. As Frankish ships patrol the seas, the King decides to send his ships into the Baltic, where he hopes to help cut off the Lombards from their colonies, and starve them out. Another plan is also made to land Frankish troops in Northern Lombardy, with the goal of completely surrounding the Lombards. 20,000 men are being used in this operation. A review of Frankish military might shows that, with a grand total of 300,000 men, the Franks are committed to these fronts as follows. 150,000 Frankish troops invading Lombardy, combined with 50,000 Anglo-Saxons beings the force to 200,000 men. 50,000 men and cavalry are defending Burgundy. 20,000 are taking part in the attack on the Lombard coast, and 50,000 Franks, aided by 40,000 Anglo-Saxons, are helping to defend Albion. That leaves only 30,000 men left, and these men are still kept as reserves, being allowed to remain home. The establishment of several Christian Churches concedes with the destruction of several Pagan temples.

York and Essex both experience relative growth, with both areas becoming major trade routes for the Franks. The conquered Pictish land is made into the Pictish Duchy, and several forts are built to help guard trade in the Duchy.

Chenla Queendom/Kingdom: Thanks to the warnings provided by the Supreme Elegance of the Silla, Queen Jayavedi shuts down all trade with the Caliphate and other disease riddled nations of the West. Trade will reopen when signs of the plague have died down. Trade is increased with the Silla, Ganga, and the Gupta. Like the Silla, Queen Jayavedi also begins government funded sanitation programs to dramatically decrease the chances of the plague coming to the Chenla Queendom. She also has the Royal Scouts with their vast network of acquiring information check all ships coming to the Queendom or simply passing through the Strait of Malaka. This is done off the mainland with the Royal Scouts wearing masks with herbs in them that are thought to fend of disease. The people who are not ethnic Chenlan citizens are told to turn back from whence the came from or are immediately eliminated. Any Chenlan citizen showing signs of the plague is immediately sent to quarantine on the small island near the Northwest coast of the mainland.''' To thank the Silla for their friendly advise a 30 foot, solid gold Buddha statue is sent to the Sillan capitol with a regiment of 30 Royal Chenlan Elephants (the elephants are also a gift). Since only the Royal Navy ships are large enough to transport the elephants they are sent to deliver them. A quarter of the Royal Navy is sent with High Admiralty Chan Leung to deliver the gifts and assist the Silla in the war against the Japanese if the want it because the Chenla will always honor its alliance with the Silla. A declaration of war against Japan is also sent with the High Admiralty Chan Leung if the great leadership of the Silla does call upon Chenlan assistance and askance if Chenla could build an embassy in the Sillan capitol, and in turn a Sillan embassy would be built in Luang Prabang. If the Silla don't require Chenlan assistance then the delivery force will return home. '''

The start of the new century goes very well for the Chenlan people, in the year 700 the wedding of Prince Thepaman and Princess Chamekamba of the Ganga, commences in the capitol. The city of Luang Prabang is bustling with excitement as thousands of spectators come to watch the wedding and the War Games celebrating this special occasion. Also the return of the beloved Prince Salavarman raises more excitement as many people gather to hear the stories of his journey to the Westerlands. With him he brought over many new technologies in which the Royal Engineers take complete advantage of and begin to study them. The naval technologies from the Gothic Empire is immediately implemented, as their designs on war ships are far more superior. In the year 702 an even bigger wedding is thrown for the Queen as she marries Lord Jun Pheng, a nobleman in which she attended the Royal Academy of Luang Prabang with and was always closely associated with. She still retains all her power as the sole leader of the Chenla as dictated by Chenlan law.

With the great political and economic prosperity of the beginning of the new century, a 56 foot statue begins its construction in honor of the late King Jayavarman,  in the now bustling port city of Kong Sad in Sumatra, for planning out this great prosperous time. Another statue begins its construction in the capitol in honor of Queen Jayavedi for continuing her father's great work. All the positive morale flowing through the Queendom has Queen Jayavedi end slavery of all ethnic Chenlan peoples. The barbarians from the southern islands are still subject to enslavement. She also declares Buddhism as the official religion of Chenla and has a massive Wat begin construction in Luang Prabang; all other religions are still legal to practice as long as they don't cause strife within the Queendom.

Within a few years of its full colonization, the island of Sumatra produces more than 60 percent of Chenlan goods. More farms are built and natural resources are mined. This causes the Chenlan economy to swell. To deter pirates from kidnapping Chenlan citizens from Sumatra and raiding; Queen Jayavedi hashes out a deal with the largest pirate gang in the waters around Sumatra, the Black Vipers is what they call themselves. The deal says that if they no longer raid Chenlan trade ships, leave Chenlan citizens alone, and deter other pirate gangs they would get paid and not be hunted by the Royal Navy. The deal to everyone's surprise drastically reduces the abduction of Chenlan citizens and the raiding of trade ships.

The Royal Engineers continue to make advances in technology, especially with the material brought back by Prince Salavarman. They begin plans of improving infrastructure throughout the Queendom with funding from the Royal Crown. They also begin to formulate new plans of sending more Engineers West in 10 years to gather technologies and information because Prince Salavarman's trip did prove to be successful. With all the new information the Royal Engineers begin the construction of the Royal Library in Luang Prabang to further the city's reputation as being the central hub of knowledge and culture in the Queendom.

The Royal Scouts continue to survey land throughout the Queendom for deposits of natural resources and areas for potential mining. They also send out to the island of Bornéo for future plans of colonization. Queen Jayavedi doesn't plan to colonize the island until the year 720 when the Royal Navy and the Royal Standard Army are significantly stronger.

Also the decree from Queen Jayavedi that states no ethnic Chenlan can be enslaved, causes many former slaves to join the RSA, the Ahan Phi, and the Royal Chenlan Elephant Corps. Greatly strengthening the armed forces. Coalition of Picts: We turn our entire population into Pictish Paganism. We also fund our economy, by turning most of our country side into towns. We close down on immigration and whoever wants to immigrate must not have the plague. We destroy all monasteries and churches using their gold to create Pagan Ritual Places and also the help the economy and military. We also shoot down anything, which comes from the mainland to prevent the plague. We send Legion I to explore the northern sea and conquer any uninhabited land they see. Along with the Legion, as extras we send astrologers and cartographers to map the place.
 * Regent Wonjang would like to thank Queen Jayavedi for sending the gifts; a 56 foot tall statue of Buddha, and some elephants, to the Sillan capital. He sends the elephants to Jeju instead of Seorabeol, due to Jeju's warmer climate. He also appreciates the military aid in our war with Japan. He would also appreciate if Chenla shares their new knowledge (obtained from the west) with Silla, stating that it'll help them in their war with Japan and help them defend the Korean peninsula from the Japanese navy. 

Coalition of Picts (Secret, Exception: Celts): We also reorganise our troops into two parts. The Allied Legion and The Pictish Legion, with the Celtic troops under The Allied Legion and The Pictish Troops under The Pictish Legion. The Allied Legion is under the control of the Celts. The Pictish Legions is under the control of the Picts. The Pictish Legion is 50/50 with army and navy. The Pictish Navy has 30% Light, 60% Heavy, 10% Transportation. The Pictish army has 60% Infantry, 20% Missile Infantry, 10% Missile Cavalry, 8% Heavy Cavalry, 2% Light Cavalry. We take out of The Pictish Legion 50% of troops, but also improve it. We retrain the infantry to fight as a phalanx with pikes, like Alexander The Great's army. We also improve their armour from leather armour into iron armour. We drill them daily as a phalanx and also alone, in case the phalanx broke. We create compound bows, so our missiles can effectively shoot in the cold, damp conditions of the North. We train our missile cavalry to shoot accurately at high speeds, by using straw dummies, as well as training our missile infantry at stationary into straw dummies. We breed and buy our cavalry, so that our light cavalry is the fastest cavalry we can afford and the heavy cavalry is the strongest cavalry we can afford. For our navy, we create light, but fragile for our light and strong, but slow for our heavy. Our Transportation navy is in between. The Army and Navy are combined into a Legion, which has in total 5000 troops. 75% is our typical army composition and 20% is our typical navy composition and 3% are support (cook, water, engineer, etc) and 2% are extra. The extras depend based on the mission. '''We let the Celts decide how to choose the composition of their Allied Legion, but ask them if we can assimilate the allied legion into the Pictish legions and so ban the division between the two legions and so improve their relations. We will train their legion under the same composition as ours and in return the Celts will pay 50% of the costs.'''

Celtic Secret Response: We accept to allow them to train together, and we shall pay the expense of the additional troops being trained.

Ganga Dynasty: The marriage between Princess Camekamba and Prince Thepatan of the Chenla Kingdom took place in the Chenla capitol. Both the Raja Khadaga II and his brother Mahakala were present, even if the Raja later said he regretted to go in a Buddhist realm. Many chenlan nobles complained about the arrogance of disrespect of the Raja. His younger brother, although only 17, impressed many noble in his attempt to continue diplomatic relationship between the two kingdoms in the name of his brother (even if many suspect the later was never informed of it). Mahakala also used this time in Chenla to meet his bastard brother Indravarman, who was 6 at the time.

In the mainland, it was again the uncle of the Raja, Jagadeva and Chandrajara. Jagadevra is living in opulence and Chandrajara is making life a living hell for northern Buddhist. With the return of Khadaga II from Chenla, things just get worst. In 701, a new special tax is made for Buddhists, and temples must now pay enormous money in order to remain open. The nobles of the capital, who receive most of the money, are living like kings. In 703, Buddhists are not allowed in Bhubaneswar anymore, and those willing to enter must pay enormous brides in corruption.

However, the arrival in 702 of Mahakala in the power structure made many hope he would stop the future bloodshed. As part of the tradition, the Raja gave his brother an important position in the administration, promoting him treasurer of the Ganga Dynasty, an office which was occupied by their uncle Jagadevra until now. Many nobles who opposed Jagadevra and Chandrajara (should it be because of their policies or the among of power they and their allied own) began to see in Mahakala a chance to  make their voice heard to the Raja. Within the following years, the nobility began to divide itself into two factions: the Grina (green) Faction, led by the uncles of the Raja (although it was evident that Chandrajara was the real leader of the two), and the Nila (blue) Faction, led by Mahakala and seconded by Kahamala Dandavaran, his brother in law. Both faction fight on the politic scene to allow their leader to influence the Raja.

However, the Grina easily own the power structure and the Raja's thrust. In 704, the Khadaga II pass a law making Buddhism an illegal faith in the kingdom. Even worst, his uncle Chandrajara is publicly encouraging persecution against them. This led to many Buddhists manifestations. In those years of turmoil, Buddhists of the Bengal turn to a Guru named Susarman Visayapati to be their leader. Guru Susarman call the Buddhists to revolt, saying that negotiations have failed. '''Many Buddhists in the Bengal fallow him in his revolt to force the bring down Khadaga II and his followers. He also explain he does not desire independance, but a better place for Buddhists in the Ganga Dynasty.''' The local nobility fearing for their life, escaped and went hidding in Bhubaneswar, asking the Raja to act.

And there is worst. Living in the far north of the kingdom, a Jainist nobleman named Hirapal Yadava heard of the revolt. Seeing it as an opportunity to gain power and influence in the kingdom after a Buddhist victory, he converts to Buddhism and claims his loyalty to Guru Susarman. Hypocrite as he is, he claims to the people he always wanted to stop the evil Raja, but never had a chance to act on his own. And now, as he claims, the Guru opened the path to courage and salvation for all Buddhists. With his great lies, Hirapal is able to gather many locals in his army, and join force with the Guru.

And thus, in 704, the Ganga Buddhist Crisis began.

India: 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. Missionaries continue to convert the non-Hindu peoples of India to Hinduism. In response to the Ganga Buddhist Crisis, India broke its alliance with Ganga Dynasty and begin mobilized its military and sent to Ganga-Indian border.
 * OOC (Ganga): OK, I'm curious, because it doesn't make sense in my head. Why are you mobilizing against me? I mean, you are pro-hinduism (you passed so many turns converting your nation), so why doing this for Buddhists? Also, don't we have a 50 years non-agression since 682? I kust want it to be clear for me so I know how to answer next turn.

'''Lombardy: The Lombard ambassador in the Caliphate informs his majesty, the Caliph that, due to the Caliphate's continued aggression towards Khazaria, a Lombard ally, and a nation THAT WAS ALLIED WITH THE CALIPHATE IN A WAR, the presence of Lombardy in the High Council of the Middle East will be terminated, and the alliance with the Caliphate will be broken off. The members of the Lombard embassy, founded by the first King of Lombardy, pack their things and leave for Khazaria, muttering about Arab stupidity.'''

The Army of Wyrdu continues its push towards Provence. By now, its focus is more on doing as much damage to the Goths as possible. To this end, every village encountered has its inhabitants slaughtered to a man, and is torched. Caravans or traders found on the road are killed and their corpses looted, and any domesticated animals found by the army are killed and cooked. Soldiers begin stuffing infected corpses into sources of water, obstructing wells, and choking streams and rivers with corpses. Downstream, in some of the largest rivers of the area, a blackish, oily, infected film, permeated by an unholy stench, drifts on top of the water.

The armies of Freir and Freija band together and focus on defending the Slavic coast, sacrificing the inland territories to the individual chieftains.

The king orders two diplomatic messages sent, one to the Jutes, and one to the Goths. ((These are contained below in two separate diplomatic posts due to their length)).

All tribal armies along the Saxon border retreat toward Lombardy, while the large, state-owned armies in Lombardy move towards the capital, which has its walls strengthened with a mixture of tree-trunks, mortar, and gravel. The cisterns of the capital are expanded, and massive amounts of non-perishable food are brought in and stored away, often in the houses of those families that were wiped out by the plague. The entire population of the capital begins drilling to withstand a siege.

Lombardy (Diplomatic): The Jutes are requested to stop their war against Lombardy in exchange for several concessions. These are: Lombardy (Diplomatic): The Goths are requested a discussion of peace terms. They are also requested to keep in mind during the talks, though, that they are currently experiencing a major insurrection in their south-west, another one in their south-east, they have just lost a massive army to the Caliphate, they have lost occupation of the Sinai peninsula, their prosperous heartland is being decimated by the plague, internal trans-Mediterranean trade is completely nonexistent, their government is likely running under a massive deficit, and their entire Empire seems on the verge of total socio-political collapse.
 * The Jutes will be payed a hefty annual fee for the next 10 years.
 * Jutish traders will receive an 85% customs and tax reduction rate at Lombard ports indefinitely.
 * Jutland will receive all land they currently occupy in Scandinavia (Scandinavia, not territory in Germany/Poland, or the Hailuoto island off the coast of Finland).
 * The Lombards will promise to halt future expansion along the Jutish border, and will sign a non-agression pact with the Jutes for however long they feel necessary.
 * ((Mod Response)) The Jutes will accept peace on the condition that they be allowed to maintain their currently held territories.
 * The Gothic Empire agrees to discuss peace with the Lombardian leader, but will only accept on the condition that all of its allies do the same.

The Franks note the fact that the Lombards have completely ignored the might of the Frankish Kingdom, and find it most annoying that they would be so arrogant as to think that they would be able to withstand the Frankish powerhouse. Thus, we tell them that they will not be given peace of any form, and will be made subservient to the Frankish Kings. Now and forever, all Lombards will be the slaves of the Franks.

Celtic League: So far the lands have been fine under the rule of King Jon Eversnow. Five years have come and gone without a hitch. The Pictish have gotten their land back even with how thin their military is. We will have to assign more soldiers to help the Pictish secure their borders. (let's say we send 1000 Celtic civilians and 200 soldiers)

We begin trading with the Pictish the silver from our mine. Both raw silver and handcrafted jewelry (This should count as Improved economy). The celebration of Quin Everstorm's 60th birthday took place today (The year 703) very few Celts have lived to this age in the past 50 years, but also most Celts lived in the harsh conditions of Greenland.

(Celtic Secret): We send three different ships filled with three different groups of spies. We send one group to the Goths to try and learn more about their armor. Our Leather Celtic armor isn’t as good as the present day Iron Suits. We also need to learn about their weaponry, to see if Celtic Iron is still the best We send some spies south to the Terrorist south of the Goths. We want to find out how they are still able to succeed in their rebellion against the very powerful Goths. And finally we send a group to the east to spy and steal any technology we can use.

(Sorry for the lackluster Writing this turn. Just not feeling it today.)

Avar: With Khazars busy fighting the Rus' and Caliphate regroup our armies, build back up and attack again, this time in Caucasus with all our forces. We improve economy and expand far eastward.

The Gothic Empire: Beloved and charming leader of the Ostrogoths, Theudis Harents, dies in his sleep and leaves a power rift in the rich eastern Gothic regions. His superior, chairman for the Visigoths, Roderic Lousean, holds a meeting of the senate where a new Ostrogothic leader will be elected. After much deliberation, the heir to the Chindaswintha estate and grandnephew of a once fearsome arena champion, Harric Chindaswintha III is elected as the acting chairman for the Ostrogothic people. Roderic congratulates Chindaswintha III and welcomes him into office; taking time to show his respect and admiration for great uncle Audo Chindaswintha, as Roderic personally was at the arena on the day that he died.

Following the loss of the Gothic military in Africa, the efforts to gain African religious supremacy are hopeless and an order is put out to call all remaining units out of Mbali and surrounding territories back home. With the Sinian portage completely cut off from the empire, the naval presence in the Red Sea will surely become discontented. To battle this, Roderic begins to commend and accept non-expansive peaceful Islamic sects such as, but not limited to the newly formed sovereign nations of Vermundia and the Muslim Free-State. Gothic diplomats going under the name of  “The African Peace Committee” (APC), travel to these areas bringing gifts of foreign foods and tradition. An alliance under the APC name is offered with the newly established Muslim states in exchange for the allowance of establishing land trade routes through their territories with Gothic portages in along the coast of the Red Sea.

Seeing the expanse of the Gothic breakaway state, the Illdephons, the Goths offer peace with the rebels and ensure they maintain their independence. In exchange the Goths demand that the Illdephons and their allies cease their raids against Gothic ships and return 25% of their confiscated naval goods. The Goths will also help establish governmental control for the Vandalic Kingdom and the Illdephosians over the Moroccan anarchy on the condition that they join the APC and discontinue their rapid aggressive expansion. Considering the fact that the Illdephons lack the proper equipment to mine gold from the area, the Goths agree to send teams of workers to assist in ore mining, in exchange for a 40/60 split of the profit, the majority funding going to the new independent African nations.

The spread of plague becomes widely associated with falcons, and as a result, the falcon is seen as a symbol of death. All falconry towers and aviaries are reduced to smoke and cinder, leaving the east and west in their state of discontinued communications, but also ensuring that the spread of the plague calm down while the nation recovers. The Goths formally commend the duchy of Sieghberts for their decision to ban falconry, and soon follow in suit making it a nationwide policy. If communications were to continue, there would have to be some newly devised means.

Several scouting teams are sent to the abandoned canary islands in search of new birds that weren’t carriers for the disease. The black raven is discovered and brought back to Spain. New aviaries are built in place of the old and new jobs are created in raven breeding. Dried condensed seed is sold in bulk throughout rural western ships and in turn many westerners adopt personal falcons to fill the rift in their hearts left by the loss of their former avian companions. Plans are in the works to begin opening up messenger stations throughout the east and west, using papyrus parchments to deliver information throughout the empire. For now, information about the potential noble uprisings is suppressed and the impoverished westerners are to remain ignorant.

 A reward system is put in place to encourage citizens to beat back the Lombardian hordes. A bounty office is set up in Madrid, Rome, Vivianis and Vasconia where any Gothic citizen can bring Lombardian heads and be paid accordingly. Made obvious by the macabre title, “The Headsman’s Payday” is a reward policy devised that entails a a payout to Lombardian head hunters; For every man’s head, citizens can expect a payout  of 2 Euros, the heads of high ranking officers earn 5 euros and women and children earn only about 50 eurettes. For heads of the infected, the reward is completely void.

Watching troops be cut down by the fearsome Lombardian archers encourages the Goths increase production on tower shields and decrease use of the newly invented Targo. The excess targos are repurposed by sending them to the nearby subordinate Albionites and Anglo-Saxons who can use them in their push against the Lombardian flank and help in cutting off the occupied Lombard territory from classical Lombardy. Covert weapon engineers perform espionage against the Lombards and take note of their bow and arrow designs, planning to incorporate them into the Goths own military.

In hopes of galvanizing Gothic troops against their common enemy, the truth about Lombards tainting Gothic waters is exposed. Clean-up crews are dispatched to clear the waterways and burn the corpses piling up from the years of warfare. The clothes of the Gothic cleanup crews are to burned once a day as well, and as a result, the production of fabrics such as cottons, wools and silks becomes instrumental.

New jobs are created in mass clothing factories and business owners are encouraged to capitalize on the opportunity by buying in bulk and selling for a profit. Shepards grow in importance and in turn the sheep population begins to grow rapidly. It is hoped that the excess fabrics will prove useful for trade opportunities in the future.

The Lupexcercito, making great gains against Lombardy, becomes viewed as the Goth’s main fighting force. Many Gothic traditionalists are offended by the increased reliance on woman soldiers and begin to call out for better male representation on the fronts. Chariman Roderic’s response is the redirect the Gothic conscripts from Albion to the Croatian front line and begins relieving members of the Lupexcercito from the heavy battles of the at the war’s head.

The mysterious leader of the the Lupexcercito,  Victoriana Hairuwulf,  breaks it into three main battalions, consisting of ten legions each. Each battalion is lead by a female Gothic general; the easternmost being lead by Aura Austraguta, the west lead by the daughter of General Lazarus III, Egica Lazarus, and the middle is brought up by the unpredictable and potentially volatile, Amoret Beremud. The legions in turn are lead by legates, there being thirty in total. One of the legates stands above the rest and is recognized by Victoriana for her valor and ferocity in battle. Legate Ricca is elected head legate and acts as a pivotal agent in the ladder of communication between troops and their commanding officers. Beneath Ricca, she has three advisors who stay clear of the fighting but help plot strategy and maintain communications with the troops; Narcissa, Nyx and Opaline are renowned far and wide for their strategical prowess. Narcissa is particularly famous for neglecting the needs of ethnic non-equals and preaching her bigoted views towards believers of the Germanic and Islamic faiths - in turn, the term “narcissist” is adopted by the Goth’s to denote someone who holds themselves and their own beliefs high above that of others. Opaline however is on the polar opposite end of the spectrum and boasts equality and acceptance, whilst Nyx simply acts as the mediator between the two.

The Vangothic port is reopened as a naval epicenter for the mediterranean world. It is hoped that the Vandals and Illdephons will accept the Gothic alliance and in turn meet and convene with the Gothic seamen. A conference is planned to be held every six months where the three nations will share what new discoveries or inventions they have come up with in efforts to improve marine power and secure the Gothic stance of supremacy.

A marble statue of Franz Vagneriano and Euric Vermundo shaking hands is erected in Gocithica to represent the unity of the Gothic military and to mourn the loss of those battling in the Sack of Mecca. It is hoped that the memory of these brave soldiers will live on through the art of others and they are recorded in history as heroes.

The Gothic navy, led by Avagis Eunamus, tightens its blockade of the Lombards and begins closing in on coastal territory. Several detachments of soldiers attempt to make amphibious landings in the area, intent on destroying Lombardian ports and reducing their navy to nothing. All trade ships and colonists are captured, raided, and promptly reincorporated into the ever-growing Gothic navy.

The isle of Alaricia undergoes mass political reformation. A census is taken in the area to get a better idea of population vs density in order to determine the proper number of representative delegates to sit on the Roman senate. Ports are constructed to better connect trade between Alaricia and Sabador to help them become codependent on each other and less dependent on the empire as a whole. The two islands are considered a “middle-state” in that they don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the west or the east. This loose jurisdiction leads political identities to become less diverse and for tensions to calm as disagreements fade out of relevancy.

Chairman Roderic Lousean travels to the northeasternmost territories to give a speech to the local militias and military leaders. An hour into the filibustrous speech and the crowd begins to heckle and boo. Roderic is surprised, having always been renowned for his charm and ability to get the people on his side. His tricks don’t work this time however, as too often have his lies have carried no weight. The crowd becomes irate and are barely held back by the royal Lousean guard. The crowd separates allowing a walkway for someone from the back of the crowd. The leader of the Lupexcercito, Victoriana Hairuwulf, reveals herself publically for the first time as she stands before the high chairman. The resemblance between the two is uncanny, and Roderic is left speechless with his mouth agape. He begins to mutter a few words but is cut off by Victoriana as she steps forward, the Lousean guard, recognizing her authority and allowing it. Victoriana draws her finely crafted Celtic dagger and holds it out against Roderic’s throat.

“Stop. Pray now, for the old and infirm.”   (“Prohibere. Ora senior iam et infirmior .”)

“I will speak to you, you are my daughter; my ally by virtue of flesh and blood!” (“Loquar filiame! Propinqui secundum carnem et sanguinem”)

“I am not a friend. (“Non sum amicus.

I am the people. Sum populum.

I am your reckoning. “                        Ero mors tua .”)

 

With those final resounding words, Roderic realizes his people have forsaken him. He looks into the eyes of his daughter and sees nothing but hatred. Defeated, Roderic turns and makes a mad dash for his podium where Alaric II’s memoirs are located. His daugher, leader of the Lupexcercito, Victoriana Hairuwulf, or, Sventhila Lousean, unshoulders her bow and pulls an arrow back against the string. Roderic clasps the memoirs against his chest and attempts to make his escape, but is stopped short as an arrow hits its mark directly between his shoulder blades. The chairman collapses to the ground and rolls over to face his daughter one last time. His final breaths escape his lips as his eyes glaze over and the world fades from his sight. He smiles at the girl as she kneels over him and mutters his dying words:

''“Catalus usurpus ursum ...Quam pulchra es et matre amet; Te amo, filia mea. ”''

 “And so the cub dethrones the bear ... You are just as beautiful as your mother. I love you, my daughter”

Sventhilla rises from her father’s body a new woman, and is accepted as the new leader of the united Goths. She renounces her old fake name and exposes her true identity as heir to the throne. She pledges to lead the nation back to the state of its glory days, with peace and prosperity not being an unreachable goal, but instead an immediate reality. She declares the meeting to be adjourned and allows the people to continue about their business. The Lousean guards are ordered to take Roderic to the Lousean mausoleum where his funeral proceedings are to be prepared. She climbs down off the stage to attend to her duties once more. This time, however, with Alaric II’s memoirs clutched underneath her arm.

Caliphate: We begin our invasion of Sinai. We blockade the barbarian part of Saudi Arabia. We more 200 infected people in China and Chelna, with this working well in the past. We continue to expand in Africa, expanding 3800 pixels. We offer the Treaty of Asmara to the Muslim Free state. We wish for the Persian Client state and the Persian Free State to reunite as 'Greater Persia'. This won't be a client state of the Caliphate but would allow Caliphate troops pass through it. We continue to invade the Kazach and say the Lombards 'fine' if they want to leave. We aid the rebels in the Goths. We would like the Celtic League and the Franks to join the High Council of Eurasia and in return you'll have to cut all ties with the Goths but won't have to declare war on them. We build our navy And huge ships so we can be the king of the sea. We build our army and military. We blockade Sinai