Principia Moderni IV (Map Game)

The Ming Dynasty still rules over the vast lands of China. On the other side of the world, the Hundred Years War continues between England and France. Europe is still stuck in the old ways of feudalism and chivalry while the notions of a New World are considered figments of imagination.

We welcome you to the long awaited fourth expansion of that immortal series. Welcome to Principia Moderni IV! Starting in 1400 AD, this is the dawn of the modern world and the tail end of the Middle Ages. The Renaissance is just kicking off in Europe, while the nations in the western side of the continent are locked in the last gasp of the Hundred Years War. The Muslim world is still reeling from the invasions of Turks and Mongols, with the Caliphate resting in the collapsing Mamluk Egypt and the Ottomans on the rise in Anatolia. Make it count.

The first game was the most successful on the wiki, leading all the way to the modern day with mostly plausible posts and little controversy. The second game reached almost to the modern day, but failed due to a plethora of ASB events and moderator bias. The third game was much more worthy of the first, almost running into implausibility but climbing back into a shining glory by the end. Riding on the latest reforms of map games since the end of PMIII, this is the most logical next step in that evolution. Remember  above all other rules — have fun.

The Map
1500 AD

Important Pages

 * Rules and Algorithm
 * Alliances 
 * Holy Roman Empire
 * Feudal Dynasties
 * College of Cardinals
 * Nations

Oversight Committee

 * Chief Overseer United Republic

The Night's Watch (Moderators)

 * Lord Commander Scrawland
 * First Builder JoshTheRoman
 * Commander of the Eastwatch by the Sea Reximus55
 * Commander of the Shadow Tower Wolves
 * First Ranger Callumthered
 * First Steward Edgeofnight


 * High King of Skyrim: ;) Feudy McPlagueface
 * Mapmaker NicDonalds
 * Overseer: United Republic

The Wildlings
All users currently on the wiki may play unless otherwise noted.

Banned Users
A ban from plausibility strikes lasts thirty days, afterwhich the third strike is repealed and the banned player is unbanned. However, the newly unbanned player rejoins the game with two strikes, as a form of probation.
 * Bibleboyd (1461)
 * Vivaporius (1490)
 * Nathan (1490) (see us about your discussion on issues here. -Feud)

Plausibility Strikes
'''Three strikes and you're out! Each strike resets after 30 years of the most recent strike.'''
 * Nova - II (1481)
 * Tim - II (1481)
 * Nathan - II (1487)
 * Feud - I (1490)

Moderator Strikes
These are strikes for moderators and how they moderate. The same three strikes rules apply. If a moderator is banned from moderating, however, they can still play as their nation. Mod strikes can be delivered in one of three ways: Moderators can be given strikes for the following reasons:
 * 1) If a sufficient number of players (more than half of all players voting) vote to give a moderator a strike.
 * 2) If I, Scraw, give them a strike.
 * 3) If a majority of all mods (ie more than half of the total number of mods, excluding that moderator) vote to give a moderator a strike.
 * 1) Exhibiting bias that would benefit the nation they are playing.
 * 2) Exhibiting bias that would negatively affect a player they have a personal dispute with.
 * 3) Making a ruling that contradicts a proven fact from OTL or an established fact from earlier in the game.
 * 4) Overruling a decision of a majority of moderators.



1500
Go vote here for the names of North and South America.

'''The Polish noble rebels prepare fight a desperate battle in Slovakia only to acheive a stunning victory over a smaller army sent by King Sigismund. Emboldened as they rout the remaining 16,000 of a 20,000 strong army, they retreat to Lviv and fortify. The Principality of Kiev responds immediately as it looks to gain some of historical Ruthenia from the beleagured and sends 10,000 troops as reinforcements hoping to strongarm the noble rebels into caving in the post war. The reluctant 34,000 strong force holds its ground at Lviv waiting for King Sigismunds 54,000 strong army to strike.'''

''' The Entrance of over 20,000 Bulgarian troops to the south prompts the Russians to commit an equal number of troops to the Polish King Sigismund. The Army is led directly by Tsar Romanov, who uses messenger birds and riders to keep in contact with his allies as the Army begins its Expedition. '''

''' The First Russian cossack expedition begins in Sibera pushing down the rough range of the Urals. '''

''' The First expeditions across the Atlantic ocean begin. '''

''' Some instances of piracy based out of North Africa begin to surface as they target any and all shipping in a disorganized fashion. '''

''' The Chimu empire continues to hold in its core territories but is slowly declining as more and more Quechua and their southern allies arrive  by the week. The estimated ratio of forces is nearly 5 to 1 with nearly 80,000 combatants at large as the Siege of the Chimu homeland continues. '''

''' The Malian revolt turns into a full scale independence war as an army of nearly 80,000 is gathered, with a good amount being a part of other tribes which join and wish to Rebel. A Man named Mahmud leads the army and is known to be a strategic genius. (Mansa Mahmud is definitively unplayable by a player at this point.) The organized army liberates most of Mali after inflicting a crushing defeat on a quickly mustered Benin army of 60,000 of which nearly half are killed and the army shattered. The decisive defeat quickly begins to inflame other rebellious units in the West African empire which begins to see more revolts mostly from muslim groups in the north. '''

''' All contact is lost with Ceylon by their overlords. There are no reports and all ships send to land never return. '''


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: the return of David Lauwens brings celebrations. But as he explains his travels, he tells King Charles and his court that he believes the lands he reached was not India, but a new, undiscovered tract of land. He makes clear that he'll need further expeditions to be certain. He is contracted by the Burgundian government for at least two more voyages. Antoni Ramaaker reaches Cape Charles on his return voyage from India.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph and Muhammad Mu'min Khan as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were largely being utilized, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish, constantly growing in popularity and influence, effectively initiating a massive cultural revolution. Yet, despite the fact that the Mu'tazila were extremely popular, the Imperial Council ensured that they stayed in line by executing hundreds of the 'extremist liberal Mu'tazila', charging them with heresy and blasphemy. About around the same time, the Imperial Council initiated a series of major military reforms, replacing the old worn-out weaponry and replacing them with more sophisticated and modern units. The mainstream use of artillery in the Gurkani military was commenced, with light cannon units being produced for faster transport. Simultaneously, larger units such as the Great Gurkani Bombard were alao produced. Along the same time, matchlock rifles were effectively being phased out on and replaced by the newer wheellock model. Outdated short-range weaponry were also removed and replaced with sharp and resilient Damascus steel weaponry in order to ensure Gurkani numerical and technological superiority edge over its foes. Meanwhile, major gunpowder depots were established at Isfahan, Tabriz, Baghdad and Herat; being placed under the command of the Sepah-e-Najaf. About around the same time, work continued on the development of the Ormara port with major shipyards being constructed to facilitate the docking of merchant vessels. Similarly, efforts to further expand and fortify the Kerch Fortress continued
 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 ships are built this year. In other news, the Sultan hears about the Bahmanid contact with someone who calls himself a "Burgundian". The Sultan also wishes to conduct trade deals with China (OOC: Nova, please respond if you want to negotiate).The Sultan also orders the fortification of Chatagon. Heavy artillery will be placed among existing fortifications to make Chatagon truly impregnable. The current sultan, Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah, dies peacefully this year and is replaced by his brother, Jalaulddin Fateh Shah.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.
 * Stop making everything bold. -scraw
 * I am only bolding important things that should be brought to the attention of the reader, but I concede your point and will attempt to bold less. I apologize. ~LM
 * No problem.  Bolding is typically used for interacting with other nations, such as seeking diplomacy or making war or something, as well as OOC talking. -scraw


 * Benin: With the colony of Ireti is secured and the colonists returned to their homes, the government of Ireti returns to a normalized state of affairs in the area. Expansion of the colony is temporarily postponed, and focus on developing infrastructure around the settlements becomes the main area of concern for the colonial authorities. Development of the lands in Benin continue, with continued emphasize on the settlement of Western Benin, and the expansion of the cities in the region to accommodate the growing population of the empire. Additional arsenals are established throughout Benin to help fabricate cannons for the navy, as well as firearms for the army as its potential is realized by the state. With the Muslim population removed from Benin via the slave trade, the authorities find that Islam has almost entire disappeared from the empire thanks to the heavy-handed policies of previous Obas and their governments. With the formation of a strong organized religion in the empire, all the powers that be agree that Islam may never again return to the lands south of the Sahara.


 * I've since discovered that my ban was not permanent, but only a week long. My one month probation ended before that. Given that my ban had nothing to do with my behavior, or breaking the rules, or any nonsense like that; but a simple misunderstanding over the plausibility of my actions that I was cleared of, I've decided that I have every right to return to the game. Scraw and Feud both acknowledged that I as in the right, as did Josh and Andy. Edge can go suck on rocks for all I care. I'm tired of the biased attempts to boot me out of this game, even though I've done nothing wrong. I've had Josh, Andy, Feud, MP, and Edge all tell me that I was being targeted for a ban long before any of this nonsense happened, so I'm going to keep posting until I actually break a rule. Oh, and I discovered the Americas first, since Scraw stated that was the ultimate decision. ~Viva
 * I have not found any evidence on the wiki where any moderator said your ban was only one week. -scraw
 * Yeah no, I'm going to continue posting. You banned me on grounds you acknowledged were not worthy of a ban. So I'm holding you, Feud, Edge, and Andy to account for that. I have you all on record, and have screenshots of you and Feud acknowledging I was correct. Don't pick fights you can't win. ~Viva
 * LOL on what authority do you hold mods accountable to? Since when has a map game had rules that dictated the mods behavior? No, the rules are the mods holding the accountability of the players. If you don't agree with the way the mods run the game, then it's not your game. You don't own it. ~Nathan
 * You are correct... ~Viva
 * If your ban is overturned, you may start posting again. until then you can not post. Don't pick fights that no one wins. -Unsigned comment added by Edge
 * First of all, sign you name Edge, and second, that depends on when I am unbanned. ~Viva
 * After this stunt your chances are slim pretty slim... I gotta say you pretty much have showcased the main reason I want to keep the ban in place. As a warning in an official capacity your ban is still under voting in which I told you it would be discussed and was not assured. If there is another instance of this, your ban is final for the games entirety with no chance of a vote to allow you back in. -Feud
 * This action is basically strongarm into the game... Viva, this is NOT how one acts if he wants to be reinstituted..... I disagree. the turn is not valid. ~Wolves
 * This attempt at unilaterally unbanning yourself is not only absurd, but it should be punished. You knew you weren't allowed to post, and you did so anyway. This could be deemed as vandalizing the PMIV game (as I believe it has been in the past) and should have some repurcussions, either in-game or even on-wiki. -Rexmod
 * I would just like to say.. hi -Rimp


 * In January, the Iberian fleet led by Captain Esteban Ferrera bids farewell to the King and to the people of the United Crown. Each crew member is blessed by the Papal Nuncio, and thereafter the fleet of 25 ships, led by the Santa Maria, sets off on the dangerous quest to reach the other side of the Atlantic. The fleet makes landfall (on the east coast of Florida) at the end of the year, and what is discovered is not what Captain Ferrera expected. Having thought to have landed in India, it quite surprised him that much of the land was empty and occupied only by forests. However, a landing party did eventually find several primitive settlements manned by men dressed in strange clothing. Ferrera greets the natives in peace, and dubs them "Indians." He then proceeds to plant the Royal Banner on the soil of the new land, claiming all of India in the name and for the glory of the King and of the United Crown of Great Iberia. The crew will spend the next year sailing south and west around the peninsula, charting the coasts before returning home in 1502. Meanwhile, back at home, we continue to be ever vigilant, watching for any sign of a return of the Fuggers or Weslers. We wish to protect our home-grown enterprises, and with several exceptions (notably Sweden's Bank of St Birgitte) we want no foreign interference in our economics. The King eagerly awaits the return of the fleet and for Captain Ferrera's report on his findings. After hearing reports of North African pirates terrorising shipping, we deploy a fleet of 100 ships across the Mediterranean, projecting our naval power and actively hunting down and destroying these pirates. All property that they stole are seized by the Iberian Royal Armada and are if possible returned to their original owners.
 * OOC Person: Could you be a tiny bit clearer about what you're doing in America. The East coast of America is quite large. I assume due to wind patterns you must be in southern Florida but I don't know that for a fact.
 * OOC Iberia: Done.
 * Cologne/Essen Diplomacy: Archbishop Emmerich of Cologne writes to the King of Iberia, thanking the Iberian Ambassador to Essen for his learned comments and defence of Catholicism from its critics. He also notes the recent inclusion of Princess Arianne in the prestigious Essen Abbey and sees this as an opportunity to cement good relations between the two nations, considering both nations' commitment to the Lord. Accordingly, he offers the King a formal allegiance between Cologne and the United Crown.
 * Iberian Diplomacy to COLOGNE: We are grateful for Cologne and Essen's warm and welcoming messages. While we are most definitely open to a positive and constructive friendship, we at this time would like to make the development of our relations gradual (OOC: I already have all three slots filled ATM).


 * South Australian Civilization: The plague of skin disease broke out in the city of Nukunu, now given the name "Black Fever", and began claiming hundreds of lives. Bakan Waku, assuming authority over the city, turned to certain mystical traditions to stop the plague. He ordered those showing signs of the disease to be ostercized from society, placing evil curses on them, and forced them to live together outside the walls. He also ordered hundreds of wombats to be immediately sacrificed to the goddess Kunapipi. Although this does not stop the plague at the moment, it does somewhat slow down. In the city of Kaurna, Bakan Colebee has a leather robe fashioned for himself, sewn with diomands, to the stunning awe of all in his court. The people of Noongar expands their influence to the coast, and begins constructing canoes there off the design of those in Ngarrindjeri.


 * Korea: Dissatisfied with the rule of the Yi monarch, and with Korea in the edges of collapse, a yangban family in Gyeongsang forms the House of Kim. The House of Kim quickly amasses a peasant army and seizes control of Busan and the surrounding metropolitan area. The Yi monarch quickly sends a chunk of the royal army to Busan to put down the rebellion, but many soldiers defect to the opposing side, and the royal army is quickly defeated. Within months, the House of Kim manages to get the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces under its banner. Facing defeat, the Yi monarch commits suicide without leaving any successor. The House of Yi becomes powerless, drowning under succession issues, allowing the yangban to assert power and align themselves with the House of Kim. On September, a coup d'état attempt by a Yi General fails, but inflicts further casualties the Yi royal forces. On the following day, the House of Kim marches into the royal palace and murders the male members of the House of Yi, proclaiming the end of the Yi dynasty and the start of the Kim dynasty. In November yangban noble Kim Chung-hee is crowned as the King of Korea, taking on the regnal name Hwang.


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. We continue to develop our colonies in the South and build ports for supply purposes.
 * Sweden: Imperial decree comes in, reforming the Bank of St. Birgitta into the Scandinavian Bank of St. Birgitta, unifying the Scandinavian economy. We continue our expansion of building and support Anglo-Norwegian ventures in finding Vinland and Avalon. We send the grandson of King Olaf IV Vasa, Prince Karl, to England to establish friendlier relations in Britain and seek out a betrothal for him in Brandenburg. We watch the Fugger dynasty build up and put ourselves the question if they are worth dealing with.
 * Cologne: Vivat membrum quodlibet! The first pupils graduate from the Church schools founded by the Neuss Plan. At the turn of the new century, Cologne is confident that it is leading the way in the Holy Roman Empire, and creating a better future for all. Archbishop Emmerich considers the measures against Augsburgites suggested by Iberia as generally favourable, but only restricts border policies insofar as corruption is concerned. Further, he thanks the Fugger family for offering to contribute toward helping the poor in wider Cologne through public housing complexes and says that he will happily accept a donation (please respond) but will organise the public housing complex under the auspices of the Church itself.
 * Essen: Abbess Meina is shocked at the allegations made by Zink in Augsburg about corruption and bias in the papacy, and gives a public lecture expressing Essen’s support for and solidarity with His Holiness. Since the mid-1450s, the Papacy has been committed to the Adelphinian Reforms, which are committed to anti-corruption measures within the Church, and the Abbess of Essen as a successor of Adelphina finds these allegations distressing to say the least. Meanwhile, her lectures continue in the vein of St Adelphina, and the horarium and manual labour measures are implemented in Essen Abbey and the surrounding non-sovereign abbeys. Finally, Abbess Meina offers to take in the unmarried Princess Diana of Norway as a secular canoness in the prestigious Essen Abbey if she is desirous of a more academic life or a life dedicated to the people. If she is not, the abbess will completely respect her choice but would like to offer this to her fellow woman in power. Meina is careful to note that this would not be permanent and Diana would be free to return to marry at any time, with a developed worldview from her experiences at the abbey.
 * Augsburg Dip: Jakob Fugger responds by offering that a small portion of the yearly income of the Fugger family will act as a trust for the housing projects in Cologne and Augsburg, allowing them to exist perhaps until the year 2016. Zink responds to the argument by stating "as long as elitism is allowed in the church there will be no end to corruption, a grandson of a peasant ascends to a position almost holier then himself and then is marginalized for it. Time and time again members of the college of cardinals change the the definition of sin to fit their personal gain. When it is noticed that Essen only accepts nobles, it is a given that unelietist people shall become marginilized."
 * Iberian Diplomacy to AUGSBURG: The Iberian Ambassador to Essen, having observed the discussion with interest, points out to Senor Zink that the Fuggers are far from peasantry, and that with all due respect the Fuggers are probably more likely to participate in money-laundering and financial cheating than the Church ever would. The Holy Fathers since the middle of the century have consistently reformed the Church organisation such that corruption is watched for closely and kept to a minimum. Are the Fuggers willing to crack down on corruption in their ranks, possibly at the expense of their finances? We think not. Furthermore, do not spout blatant lies about our honourable cardinals and their alleged connections to the bank. There are no records of any high-ranking church personnel opening any accounts with the Royal Bank. Senor Zink's slanderous falsifications will get him nowhere.
 * Iberian Diplomacy to ESSEN: The Governor General of Aragon, Princess Arianne of Great Iberia, having sought approval from her brother, requests that she be permitted to enter the Abbey as a secular canoness for a period of 5 years. She feels somewhat lacking spiritually, and hopes some enlightenment in such a holy place as the Essen Abbey will do her the world of good before returning to government.
 * Essen Diplomacy to IBERIA: Abbess Meina is delighted to welcome Princess Arianne of Great Iberia to Essen Abbey as a secular canoness, and promises that she will find great enlightenment in her position working alongside some of the most dedicated women in North-Rhine Westphalia.
 * Cologne Diplomacy to AUGSBURG: Archbishop Emmerich thanks the Fugger family for the offer of a trust, and sends them plans for the building of a housing project in 1501, though he is privately uncertain about these housing projects' longevity.
 * Essen Diplomacy to AUGSBURG: Later that year, Abbess Meina makes another public response to Zink's claims. The very first policy change of St Adelphina under the Adelphinian Reforms, which this theologian appears to know nothing about, happened almost 100 years ago. For 100 years, Essen Abbey has been moving away from secular canonesses (of noble birth) and is now made up primarily of canonesses regular (of other birth). Abbess Meina would thank the scholar Zink to withdraw these comments and instead do his research on the current state of Catholicism. In fact, Meina extends an invitation to Zink to join the ranks of scholars at the University of Essen and learn about the reforms against corruption, which have involved significant decreases in elitism within the Church. Since the Concord of Luxembourg, members of the Church have become increasingly poor as individuals - there has been, indeed, none of this "personal gain". Finally, to further drive this point home, Abbess Meina highlights the banning of the selling of indulgences, which has been in place since the 1420s, and has been upheld by the Pope himself in the Indulgentarium Doctrina since the 1470s.
 * Papal States: The Papal Court is astounded by the utterly unfounded accusations of the upstart Augsburger "theologian" Zink. The Inquisition publishes a document Contra errores Zink which systematically refutes his unfounded assertions. Firstly, it points to the Holy Father's reasons for sending Cardinal Markus Fugger -who remains a cardinal and has not been "exiled from the college of cardinals"- to Iceland was precisely to avoid the appearance of corruption within the Church. Surely Zink can see how having the brother of the richest man in Europe permanently residing in Rome would raise the suspicions of those wishing to disparage the Holy Church? The reason Cardinal Markus has been sent to Iceland is not because he is the "grandson of a peasant", but precisely because he is the brother of Christendom's Croesus. Next, it refutes Zink's claims that "the Pope and the majority of the cardinals were born of noble birth [sic]". The Pope is not of noble stock, being the son of a middling merchant from Castile [OOC: Fernando Perez is a non-OTL person who I made up, so I get to determine who he is]. As for the Cardinals, it is true that some may be of the nobility, but it is incorrect to say that the majority are. Are men of noble birth to be excluded from Holy Orders and the cardinalate purely because of accident of birth? Is this not as unfair as if the poor were likewise excluded? Thirdly, the Inquisition is amazed at the sheer gall of Zink in claiming -despite providing no evidence [OOC: And none can be provided because Oct does not control my population]- that "at least one" of the three Cardinals from Iberia has "a account [sic]" with the Bank of Barcelona. Moving on to Zink's barely coherent ramblings directed toward the holy Abbess of Essen: The Inquisition refutes his assertion (if such an uneducated, ill-informed statement can be honoured with the word) that "Essen only accepts nobles" by pointing to the large numbers of poor women who have been admitted to the Abbey as Canonesses Regular since the famous reforms of St Adelphina. Finally, regarding his claim that "Time and time again members of the college of cardinals change the the definition of sin to fit their personal gain", the Inquisitors are utterly dumbfounded at the lies and untruths this so-called man of God will resort to in order to smear the name of the Holy Church. The Inquisitors ask Zink to provide a single example of such a practice. The Inquisitors close the document by detailing the many and varied methods the Popes of the past several decades have enacted reforms to renew ecclesiastical discipline, including but not limited to: empowering the Inquisition to punish those clerics living contrary to their vows and ecclesiastical discipline (1455), prohibiting all indulgences involving any transfer of money whatsoever (1471), and the current Holy Father Leo X's campaign to eradicate any luxury and loose living which remains in the monasteries. The document is printed and distributed throughout Europe. In other news, the Pope prays a public mass for Iberia's fleet, and especially for the priests on board who have care of the souls of the brave explorers. Scholars at the University of Bologna, however, view the expedition as ridiculous. Given their knowledge of the Earth's circumference, and of the rough size of the Eurasian continent, they deduce that a fleet of ships would surely starve on the absurdly long voyage West from Europe to the Indies. Additionally, the Iberian Ambassador to Essen is commended for his staunch defence of the Church.
 * Swedish Ambassador to the Pope: We, after great consideration, disagree with the entry of Cardinal Fugger into Iceland, acting so in the behalf of the Emperor of Scandinavia, Olaf IV Vasa.
 * Iberian Ambassador to the Papal States: I propose that, should Scandinavia continue to refuse to accept Cardinal Fugger, that he be deployed to another remote location lacking of a Church presence, such as Siberia.
 * Bulgarian Dip: We will take the man.
 * Papal Dip: The Pope thanks the Tsar, asking that Cardinal Markus be given special instruction in the Eastern Divine Liturgy.
 * Bulgarian Empire: The further development of the Polish civil war spurs the direct entrance of Bulgaria on the side of Polish King Sigusmund with nearly 23,000 troops which push into Poland through Moldavia accompanied by the Moldavian army as well which is folded into the Bulgarian army as a whole and equipped as such (if you foot the bill on re-equipping troops such as a lesser ally or vassal they are essentially yours for the duration of the war but at the expense of not including that nations total population among other things to any algos, note of reference for all players) The now 33,000 strong army marches into southern Poland aiming to surround the Polish noble rebellion at Lviv. While nearly half the army is off in Poland the other half remains on standby manning border fortifications on the Serbian and Hungarian borders, turning any attempt to cross the mountains into a contested crossing. While on the war footing once again the Empire remains in clear debate over the potential of turning Vasiligrad into the nations capital. However, with the Tsars personal residence and the former site of a Bulgarian imperial capital, the decision is made to leave it at Tarnovo. The mining in Wallachia and other parts of the empire begins to pick up specifically gold mining which occurs heavily in Kosovo and existing mines in Greece. The further development of steel and iron production puts a decent surplus on the market as many of the mining areas begin to be manned by Freemen who work heavily for their livelihood rather than ebing tied to the land. This incentive shows to be a great promoter of working hard to survive. The Interjection of a new cardinal who lives his life in extreme decadence causes problems the minute he enters the eastern churches confines. However, the Ecumenical patriarch personally takes the man as a scribe and advisor. The development of the road system in the empires central areas continues with northern parts of Thrace and parts of Macedon seeing the beginnings of road systems heading through the lands. Abundance of Gold mining in areas such as Kosovo and expanded mines in the Greek regions. The Bulgarian population stands at roughly 4.81 million (some of this growth comes from the integration of Albania.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: With the completion of a road from London to Edinburgh we start work on another Roman based road from London to Bristol after it's success with it's depth and multiple layers. The King and his 2 daughters continue to grow healthily while many in London are amazed that Iberia would send 25 ships to Asia with no knowledge if they will make it and believe that they may have some extra knowledge such as that of the size of the earth or special currents, there is talk of sending out our own expedition to Asia west but it is decided against as the route through the Gurkani sultanate is still working.
 * Mapuche, Along the bo bo river in Southern Chili, clans divided for hundreds of years come together in a special and unusual marriage. Not before had clans this large become one as the result of a marriage. The groom from a leading tribe become a super cacique or leader, advised by the woman shaman, a long time friend he also had lesser marriages to smaller clans for the rest of the year to spread his influence. However by oral tradition, cacique's, first wife would always be the spouse he held in the highest regard. It was she who would guide him to become powerful as much as cacique himself. Toward the winter solstice, Cacique looked to the Northern night sky and was startled by a meteor, followed by a dreadful storm from the sea. His shaman told him this was test from the cosmic forces of his ability to guide and keep the people safe, but also a warning of more to come. A vast horde of men would one day come from the horizon to take all the river people held dear! Cacique called his people to tribal counsel, together they would make a mound and a tower, to watch the uncertain horizon.
 * Just a warning: the Mapuche tribes are heavily depopulated right now due to their involvement in the Chimu war to the north, and many men are off in the north. Would adjust your post to reflect this a bit -Feud
 * Sicily: The navy is expanded as 15 ships are built this year. Our population hovers around 7 million. Nikifor I returns to a healthy state and resumes his rule.
 * Ethiopia: More settlers begin to push into the present day Ogden region to help the growing populace. A royal guard is expanded to 7000 members, and they are sent on another round of population training. The royal navy is expanded by another 3 ships to help protect trade in the red sea. Surplus money is put back into the nation to help improve the living of the people.
 * Cahokia: The new king dreams of territorial aggrandisement, despite the misgivings of his advisors. He takes the royal progress down to the outer southern edge of his territory, travelling through swamps and forests on the way. At the southernmost tip, Casquez orders the construction of a great new city, to dwarf the capital at Cahokia; it will be large enough for a hundred - no, two hundred! - thousand people, and have vast docks for ships thirty or even forty meters long! Construction must start immediately, Casquez tells the assembled crowd of advisors and officials, and no expense will be spared. After the young king leaves, his advisors huddle together, fuming at the absurd schemes coming from the throne. After some discussion, they decide to order the building of a few hundred houses, and one or two large ships (fifteen meters should be long enough - what possible use could a bigger ship be, after all?), and sincerely hope that the king will abandon this absurd scheme in short order. Meanwhile, the king's efforts lead to a steady centralisation of authority through the Cahokian lands. Perhaps not as fast as he should wish, but a runner-relay system is established to carry messages between the three main cities in a few days. A few months after the ordering of the new city, reports come in of great ships, really ridiculously sized, off the coast. Royal messengers are sent out to the coasts immediately, and eventually find a few seminole natives who report seeing strangers dressed in bright shining clothes speaking a bizarre tongue. The advisors dismiss the reports as obviously fever-dreams from the vassal provinces, but unfortunately a report reaches the king, who leaps into action immediately, ordering a series of beacon fires to be set up along the coast to report to the capital if any further sightings take place. (Posted for Nol because he can't).


 * augsburg: Markus Fugger retreats to a monastery outside of Augsburg.
 * Iberian OOC: Uhhh no. Cardinal Fugger was sent to Bulgaria.


 * Austro-Bavarian Archduke (and King of Hungary) Maximilian is becoming quite distressed at the situation in the Holy Roman Empire. Seeing the lands of italy, one by one, exiting the holy roman fold, he begins anonymously circulating papers stating that the current Brandenburger Emperor is letting enemies assault Holy Roman lands without ceasing, even allowing the hated French to annex Savoy, a sovreign part of the Holy Roman empire without consequences, and as such has violated his duties to his imperial vassals. Maximillian also publicly calls on the Emperor to, quote "do something about it if he wants the title of Emperor to mean anything but a farce!". In any case, the economic situation is improved as the Bavarian economic powerhouse is added to the Austrian crown. The networks of Bavarian merchants grow in Austria, just the same as Austrian networks do in Bavaria. The Banks of Austria set up various outposts in Bavaria, especially in Munich which has become the largest city of the South German realm. In Religious matters, Maximillian continues to defer to his spiritual councilor, the Archbishop of Salzberg, whom he confides in. Maximilian alsl stops trying to sway polish rebels to his side, one it is clear to him that they are fighting for a lost cause, and orders all of his correspondences burned. Maximillian's wife, Illyana Corvinus, is pregnant this year, and bears a child, which Maximillian names Anna, in remembrance of his grandmother.The Guards are still on high alert on the Polish border in case of possible spillover as the border is officially declared a "fortified border" for the next two years. Austria works on improving its navy, adding a good number of ships to its restored fleet.
 * Hungary continues to recover economically and populationally from the civil war that ended some scant six years ago. Duke Ernst continues to increase funding for infrastructure, as the army is still in high alert to see what happens in Poland. A man tries to assasinate the Duke in broad daylight, and when it is discovered that he was sent by one of the lesser Transylvanian nobility, the Duke Ernst is at a crossroads. After ordering the man's arrest, and with a small squabble between the guards and his army, he is broguht in chains to Budapest. Not wanting to seem a tyrant, he calls the Diet of Hungary in order to try the man by his peers. He is soon sentanced to death by the Noblemen of the Diet, establishing a legal precedent that will outlive Ernst or his cousin, Maximillian. Michael Corvinus dies this year, and with it, all hope of potential rebels.
 * Serbia continues to improve its status and rebuild lost and burned cities that were taken by corvinus. In any case, Despot Aleksandar is getting more nervous by the day, but ultimately retains his composure when his son, whom he names Vseslav, is born. Serbia's military is outfitted to Austrian standards as many drop swords and spears in the infantry in favour of firearms, althjough pikemen are kept in formations.
 * Veneto continues to reconstruct its fleet. Economically, Venetian traders increase their trade with Austria, who offers them great patronage. In Veneto, Maximillian is a rather light ruler, preferring to let the "merchants be merchants" as he "knows little of their trade". As such, the Doge has almost free reign when it comes to running the place, and re-institutes the old venetian administrative system to govern the lands.


 * Bahmani Sultanate: The large Lankan revolt surprises Muhammad Shah. The subahdar of Coromandel, Kunwar Menon, a Hindu, is sent with 20,000 troops and 170 ships to defeat the rebels, but he also brings Navid Shah with a diplomatic offer: If the rebels surrender, nobody will be harmed or exiled, and the central highland areas of Sri Lanka (OTL Sri Lanka's Central, Sabaragamuwa, and Uva provinces), will be given an independent state, the Kingdom of Kandy, as a Bahmani protectorate. (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED ON REBEL ACCEPTANCE) .


 * Pegu: Nothing of note.
 * Maldives: Nothing of note.
 * The rebels refuse. -scraw


 * Brandenburg-Luxembourg: Tragety hits the house of Brandenburg when Karl the younger brother of Otto passes away without an heir, his rule of the duchy of Lorraine passes onto Otto as line of succession leading to the Duchy becoming a part of the hereditary lands of the ruling house of Brandenburg.  Otto continues to streamline his military reforms developing the landsknecht and arqubusier formations. Development of the Manorial system continues to expand leading to the weakening of the feudal system as the expansion of the manors and landed estates are in the hands of houses who receive the patronage of the house of Brandenburg. Amongst them the rising house of Wrangel along with the traditionally powerful house of Havel. More nobles and subsequently their serfs convert to the Reformed Catholic church.Otto continues to consolidate his power over the aristocracy by providing subsidies in exchange for absolute obedience to the crown, he also starts bribing certain key families as he begins drafting a law to enforce the military subordination of the nobles though he keeps this a secret for now. He also starts improving certain crown fortresses while he starts tearing down old unused strongholds in certain parts of the interior.  Otto looks at the growing conflict in Poland with worry as it might spill over into the HRE. Otto explores the idea of negotiating with the different sides to determine who to support being more inclined ot support the King.  Naval expansion begins .  Expansion of mining and craftsmen activities continue throughout the territory.  Otto the younger has another male son who is baptised Johann. 'Cultural and scientific patronage continues in the courts of Otto the older. A trend of revisiting old Germanic history begins particularly to the pre-christian era of the germanic tribes and to the early days of the Frankish empire and early Christianity. 'Massive expansion of foundries and metal smithy workshops begins in Lorraine, Luxembourg and Silesia supported by the subsudies giving by the royla house to support these activties. Realizing that he could face issues in the hre after discovering the of mysterious panphlets. in an effort to seek the continued support of the HRE promises to reclaim lost lands in the future and to support the continued integrity of the empire. Otto invites Archduke Maximillian and the King of Burgundy to come to Berlin to discuss a solution to the French and Italian problem as members of the red lions pact. 
 * Norway: The nation of Norway celebrates the turn of the century with festivals bonfires and such in the Capitol of Oslo.  Another large celebration is held in the Riksdag with the emperor of Scandinavia and King of Norway and Norway's royal family in attendance.Invitations are sent out to all European Monarchs to attend.The king despite his relapse during this event he fails back to being sick and being cared for. The nobility begins to see a need for a wife of Diana Gyldenløve and as such her hand is offered to the count of Oldenburg (Mod response.) Norway begins to see a renewed interest in discovering Vinland and such offers up a joint exploration through Greenland waters with expert navigators through such. The kingdom of The isles is officially changed to a elective monarchy with Haakon Benkelstok being elected king. The jarldom of Iceland is ruled by a interegnum at the moment. High princess Diana politely refuses the Cannoness of Essen's offer citing she needs to attend to her father's health first and For most. She, however, offers up her younger sister Elisabeth to join.
 * The count of Oldenburg accepts. -scraw

1501
''' The Battle of Lviv takes places and ends in an absolute slaughter. 54,000 Royalists, 33,000 troops from the Bulgarian Empire, and 20,000 Troops from the Tsardom of Russia all led by their respective monarchs. The noble rebels of 34,000 are smashed and the fighting even enters the city of Lviv as the forces are pinned to the city by the surrounding armies of Sigismund and his allies. The Noble Rebels at the end of June see nearly 27,000 casualties with the remainder being taken prisoner. Sigismund stands victor in the Polish Civil war with much damage having been done to the countryside in a short but brutal war. They net gain, however, remains the submission of Kiev to Poland which annexes Kiev in short order. (Sigismund is a Great Leader now.) '''

''' Russian cossacks push deeper into Siberia as they explore. The First profitable fur expeditions come back as well prompting the Russians to be much more attracted to Siberia as a money making opportunity. '''

''' The Epic Siege of the Chimu ends as the Kingdom of Cuzco, Qulla Confederation, and their tribal allies raze many Chimu cities to the ground. In the post-war it comes to agreement that the freed Quechua cities and Qulla Confederation must keep watch over the chimu in the north. However, Cuzco becomes relatively well known as the overall leader of the Quechua states. '''

 Further expansion of piracy off the North African coast is continued as very successful merchant raids begin forcing various merchant fleets to become better defended, and focus on more protected routes 

''' Further expansion of revolts in Benin continues as an expansive muslim state coalesces around the majority of the devastated muslim heartlands in West Africa. Mansa Mahmud convincingly defeats two more armies from Benin but remains unable to take to its heartlands to the south east. '''

''' Rumors of Al Hamad in West Africa prompts adventurers and mercenaries of the Muslim world consider taking up the cause of Jihad in Western Africa. Very few of these mercenaries ever go. '''

' Esteban Ferrera contracts scurvy and dies aboard the Santa Maria''. '''


 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 ships are built this year, and work continues on the fortification of Chatagon, which will finish in 1510. In other news, the University of Gaur opens a branch in Saptagram to spread knowlege.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: as David Lauwens prepares to embark on his second voyage, Antoni Ramaaker returns home, his ships stores containing Indian spices as proof of his feat of reaching India by sea. David Lauwens leaves for his second voyage, his flagship the newly constructed Lady of Rotterdam, he sails along the coast of OTL Guyana, marking his latitude celestially.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph and Muhammad Mu'min Khan as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were being made use of, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish, constantly growing in popularity and influence, effectively initiating a massive cultural revolution. Meanwhile, the Sepah-e-Najaf ctacked down on heretic Mu'tazila groups whilst promoting the more moderate ones. Meanwhile, military reforms initiated the previous year continued to be implemented, with the Quaids introducing the sharper and more resilient Damascus steel into their regiments. Simultaneously, large portions of the Sepah-e-Najaf were equipped with wheellock rifles, having replaced the matchlock model. The Sepah-e-Najaf had also been assigned the task of maintaining and managing the gunpowder depoys at Isfahan, Tabriz, Baghdad and Herat and were responsible for ensuring adequate production of gunpowder. Hence, the state-controlled production of gunpowder through early supply chains to obtain nitre, sulfur and high-quality charcoal contributed significantly to the rapid expansion of the Sultanates gunpowder industry. About around the same time, work continued on the development of the Ormara port with major shipyards being constructed to facilitate the docking of merchant vessels. Similarly, efforts to further expand and fortify the Kerch Fortress continued
 * Oman: After a period of interregnum in Oman, Suleiman bin Mudhafar ascends the throne. In response to the increasing power of the Imams and religious leaders, King Suleiman passes a set of laws in Oman to decrease religious authority and increase the authority of the crown. The coastal regions of Oman, such as the port of Muscat, prosper from Indian Ocean trade and grow in wealth. The capital is moved from Bahla to Muscat, in order to encourage sea trade and build Oman as a trading power. The oasis of Bahla remains an important trade and military location, with the large adobe and sandstone fortress in the highlands overseeing the neighboring city of Nizwa, and the town itself being a producer of fine pottery. The Bahmanid Sultanate is also recognized as a major trading power in the region, and Oman requests a formal trade agreement to improve the once bitter relations between the two countries. On the northwestern coasts of Oman, new ships are built to protect the pearling and fishing industry from piracy. Venetians and other European workers are employed in Dubai.
 * I think it would be highly unlikely that Venetians and other Europeans would be 'employed' in Dubai especially since Dubai is little more than a fishing village, not a metropolitan trade hub -Rimp
 * Indeed. -scraw
 * According to Wikipedia: "However the Venetian Gaspero Balbi, a renowned pearl merchant,[16] when visiting in 1580, remarked on the area and how many Venetians were working there in the pearl industry.[17][18]" -General534
 * I am honestly not sure where you copied that from because I checked the Wiki and the citations do not match up. Nonetheless, it isn't really that much of an issue so alright. -Rimp
 * Chinese Empire: Islam continues to spread, and the Empire maintains its watch over the sea and its scattered bases and colonies. The Emperors son visits Taiwan, and falling in love with the island, asks his father to allow him to have a summer home there, which the Emperor approves. A small palace, really more of a large house with some guest quarters, The local Chinese fishing ships have increased there presence in the far east due to the Kurils, and some traders begin sailing northward, finding the coast and waters rich with fish, and this causes them to start fishing off the southern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, increasing the harvest and starting to make the region become a popular fishing spot.
 * Your poor attempt at pseudo exploration makes no sense. CHINA HAS EVERYTHING IT NEEDS. You have absolurely 0 reason to be exploring in any way shape or form. Zheng he doesnt count as he went to existing places and was more "look how amazing china is". -Feud
 * I asked scraw before posting it, he approved it.  -Nova 08:25, October 29, 2016 (UTC)
 * South Australian Civilization: In Nukunu, the Black Fever is finally starting to subside, after claiming the lives of over 2,000 people [sacrified the wombats was the key as the disease is transmitted by small animals]. The plague still festers in many villages across the countryside, able to resurge at any moment, but for the most part the city of Nukunu is once again indebted to the mind of Bakan Waku. Seeing the end of the plague like this, the deamon Lord Wuluwaid grows greatly concerned at the actions of Waku, being that it is his job to bring new souls into the underworld. Thus, Lord Wuluwaid begins plotting how he could bring an end to Waku and claim the lives he wants from the city. Meanwhile, the people of Noongar begin to set up their canoes from a vassalized city on the coastline, and begin competing with Ngarrindjeri for the fishing trade. In Kaurna, the family of Colebee create the first examples of fine clothes and jewellery in the Adelaide Valley.


 * United Crown
 * The exploration fleet has completed its charting mission, and has produced a fairly accurate map of the coast of India (OTL Florida, the Caribbean and east coast of Mexico). Captain Ferrera over the course of the year has also discovered a multitude of islands. He begins to feel uncertainty over whether this is indeed India, as the islands feel a little out of place. Thus, he decides to rename the newly charted land, and chooses to rechristen it Arcadia. He has also made contact with the Maya and Mexica peoples, and offered the natives gifts from Europe in a spirit of peaceful communication. 10 ships of the fleet, including a messenger from Captain Ferrera, sets sail for Europe this year, and is expected to reach Lisbon next year. The messenger carries Ferrera's report on his findings. Meanwhile, Captain Ferrera himself leads the rest of the fleet back to the peninsula discovered earlier, and names the area Fernandia, after the King of Great Iberia. The Captain and his crews set up a large encampment (on the site of OTL Jacksonville), in the hope that it can one day become a permanent colony. The explorers begin to spread out beyond the encampment, searching for sources of food and freshwater. They attempt to use our contacts with the locals to help them achieve this. Ferrera's report states that "the land is full of riches and life, ripe for the creation of a permanent Iberian presence" and also recommends that "Your Majesty should send colonists immediately, with more supplies and materials, to establish a permanent settlement in Arcadia. "
 * Meanwhile, back at home, we continue to be ever vigilant, watching for any signs of an Augsburgite resurgence in our lands. We dismiss any Augsburgite claims of Church corruption, and rebut their allegations with the facts that their government is led by wealthy banking families, who have no right to claim that the Church is corrupt and that they are the victims of perceived class-based persecution.
 * not done with the naming things yet. Also dude is dead. -scraw
 * Erm, there's a country in Florida. Besides, it's a swamp-filled mess with zero shiny things, so "full of riches and life" is about as far from the truth as is possible to get. Lots of rutile, I guess, but as far as I know that's the only ore that Florida has in any quantity. Anyway, if you return to Florida you'll either note the sudden beacon fires or, if you return quite quickly, you'll find swarms of messengers descending pretty much immediately. - Nolispe
 * Also, Jacksonville's been inhabited for eons, so there will be a village there closely connected to the state. Not exactly ripe for a new settlement, at least not without being immediately noticed. - Nolispe 
 * Also, Ferrera's dead according to the mods, although actually that can't be right - Malaria was an old-world disease that got taken to the new world on the slave trade, so he should have died of something else instead. I suggest something straightforward like Yellow Fever instead. - Still Nolispe
 * Changed to scurvy. -scraw
 * Aaaaalso, you can't generate decent charts yet - no longitude. - Nolispe
 * Boyard of Russia: We rejoice that our neighbour, Poland has finally resolved its crisis after its turmoil, and we use this moment of triumph to reaffirm our friendship with Poland. Similar to Poland,'   'Russia tries to shift the focus of the nobility from maintaining nobility rights to maintaining a strong Russian state as Russia still has not fully recovered from the killing of many of its nobles in the White War. Due to the success of the expeditions in Siberia, we begin sponsoring more and plan on sending colonists (Mod Response of rate of colonisation, px per turn). We also offer trade deals to for the furs found in Siberia and offer trade agreements. At this point, most of our country is rural will poor transport links and so we begin to build schools. In order to encourage   innovation and academic learning in our country, we sponsor and build the University of Novgorod and Moscow as well as sponsoring other universities in other cities as well as grammar schools. We also establish a printshop in Moscow and Novogorod to produce printers, and print books/broadsheets.We begin planning to build a national road network which will connect cities and towns together, as well as a courier/messenger bird system based on our Tsar tactic’s in Poland.We talk to Bulgaria offering them a trade deal, in exchange for them sending experts to help modernise our country as the Tsar accepts that while current relations might be icy, there are greater threats. Also sends books for the University (Bulgarian response). We send envoys to the Cossack Ukrainian nation offering them vassalage as we warn them that if their raids on Astrakhan continue, they could not defeat a retaliatory attack, while we would also give them autonomy, modernise their country, and allow Cossacks to help explore/colonise Siberia. We emphasise our common denomination and pledge to protect them from subversive foreign influence(Mod Response). We send envoys to the Papal States hearing about their reforms and tolerance toward their fellow Christians and ask that if we can smooth and encourage relations between the Orthodox church and the Catholic Church in order to further unify Christendom (Papal state response). 


 * Papal Diplomacy: His Holiness sends a Nuncio to Russia, who offers the Russian Orthodox Church reunion with the rest of Christendom so long as it accepts the primacy of the Pope. The ROC will maintain its own autonomy, rites, and traditions, like the Bulgarian and Greek Orthodox Churches do. The Patriarch of Moscow will also be offered a cardinalate.


 * The original orthodoxy split from what i understand occured because you practically forced communion on Constantinople. So yeah no not standing. 
 * Fair enough, it sounded too good to be true. ~Cal
 * As for the cossack state, if you read the events, Kiev was integrated into Poland.
 * Bulgarian Dip: We accept but i dont believe that relations were that icy.. were both allied to poland.
 * Smolensk Dip (mod): Under potential threat from a centralized poland, as well as not wishing to get raided by the eastern Hordes, Smolensk petitions for entrance into the Russian Empire.
 * Russian Diplomacy: We accept Smolensk's offer.
 * Sorry about the mistakes, I did not know the name of that the Cossack state was called Kiev, I thought they were different, while I was just trying to discuss relations with the Papal states due to our friendship with the Catholic Poland. Red
 * Papal States: News filters through to Rome about the success of the Iberian expedition. Pope Leo is intrigued by the evangelisation potential this new route to the Indies will provide. In other news, the Papal Navy is devoted to opposing the North African pirates. The Hospitallers are asked to assist (Mod response, please)


 * Hospitaller Response: We would if we could but our navy is in a bad state and cannot be deployed to assist. -Feud
 * I think Russia is a Tsardom -scraw


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. We continue to develop our colonies in the South and build ports for supply purposes. Areas interior to Mobassa and Malindi is colonized.
 * Bulgarian Empire: With the victory in the Polish Civil war, and good relations being established with Russia, the Bulgarian Empire opens up to the Polish and Russian states the doors to the Renaissance hoping to expand the Renaissance and the expansiveness of Bulgarian culture to their Slavic brothers in Poland, Ruthenia, Belarus, and Russia. The Bulgarian mining continues to expand as Iron works, Steel works and even gold continue to be extracted and expanding further and a decent sized weapons manufacturing begins to develop in Bulgaria. The Freemen operating out of Bulgaria become noticeably a more powerful class in the politics. This creates essentially a third estate and a council to the king known as the Bulgarian Diet is formed which can be called and dissolved by the Tsar at will and is made up of the Tsar and his most powerful nobles, the General Boyar populations, and the Freemen. This is expected to stabilize somewhat the populations of the high nobles, genera nobles, and the freemen and prevent further unrest. In this attitude even greek and moldavians are included in the system. This is done partly as a chance to assimilate more Greeks and Moldavians. The Tsar begins looking for a suitable wife for his son Boris. The Bulgarian navy begins expanding a little bit so it can fill out its full fleet capacity. The settlements in Thrace, Macedonia, Thrake, and Wallachia are all known to be expanded as a new wave of immigration from the core territories from Bulgarias significantly expanding freedmen population. The Bulgarian populations in Macedonia, Thrace, and Thake are all known to be at least in a plurality with greeks in the more rural areas with Adrianograd seeing a potent part of its population being Bulgar. Vasiligrad also is known to retain a majority of Bulgarians now. The cultural mixing in Wallachia which is being more commonly known as Vlach continues with a significant amount of mixed Vlach-Bulgaro heritage being known to take up residence here along side their parents generation. The adoption of Vlach words and phrases into every day Bulgarian speech becomes almost codified as official as the mixing of noble classes from both areas, has attributed to the first recordings of language mixing in the Empire codifying it.
 * Cahokia:  The Iberian landing at the-settlement-eventually-known-at-Jacksonville notes the lighting of the beacon fires as they approach the coast, and then an expedition of envoys from the nearest town shortly after landing. Translation poses some difficulties, but food and water are provided in short order. Meanwhile, the message is carried by the beacon fires to the capital, where the young king responds with nothing short of delight. A grand expedition heads out to meet the visitors, with full pomp and circumstance and several thousand soldiers. After a translator is found (presumably one of the people at the town who's made an effort), the king attempts to arrange a meeting with the leader of the ragged band.The grand flagship at the new town of Casquez is put into the water, where it sinks almost immediately on a reef. Turns out demanding that a new ship be built based off a peasant's hazy recollections of European ones doesn't translate to good seamanship overnight, or in fact a workable ship, but the town of Casquez expands with renewed vigor .With any ships we manage to acquire, we will begin trying to reverse engineer them at Casquez, with the assistance of sailors who would rather not risk death. Absence of easily worked metal will of course prevent this getting very far - there might be people roughly trained in geology on the Spanish expedition, because of the whole gold-search thing, but it's unclear whether they'd be among the survivors. In the hive of buzzing activity around the surviving sailors, a translator sneezes.
 * Great Iberia INTERACTION: MOD RESPONSE NEEDED: Presuming that they're at Jacksonville, but without a leader, badly injured by scurvy, and in a mutinying state, we offer them food, water, shelter, in return for them starting new very wealthy lives as advisors to the crown. Also, we'd like those big ships. It's not like they'll want them now.Those who accept the deal - which we hope will be all, or enough that the scattered officers can't really get in the way - will immediately be recruited to explain everything possible about this weird world in the rising sun. The few literate ones among them will be assigned to transliterate the Cahokian language into the latin script, while anyone who knows how to repair ships will be assigned to the shipbuilding project.
 * This is i believe a diplomacy handled by the iberian player. -Feud
 * While I think that it's plausible lots of members of this scurvy-ridden captainless expedition will want to stay, we won't keep members of the expedition if they don't want to. While they have little choice but to enjoy our hospitality for now (unless, of course, they want to make the dangerous crossing with a dramatically reduced crew in the winter storms - unlikely, surely), the King assures them that they can return with the next Spanish boat if they'd prefer.
 * OOC: Is there a reason Cahokia a) still exists (OTL it collapsed around 1000 BCE) and b) is so far removed from where it was OTL (Illinois, near present day St. Louis.)? ~Fires
 * Eastern Commomwealth: With the Polish Civil War finally over, King Sigismund I dissolves the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and forms the Eastern Commonwealth in its place. He begins the reconstruction of the nation's ravaged lands and begins to reward the great heroes of the Polish Civil War with titles for land ownership and property, in order to repair the damage done by the old Sjem and their greedy hands. We thank the Bulgarian and Russian governments for their assistance in crushing the rebels, and meanwhile, our troops begin to turn their attention to the East, where the Gurkanis and Ashkatran constantly threaten our borders and our allies. However, internal post-war trouble forces us to put these as lower priorities, compared to the reconstruction of the nation.
 * Bahmani Sultanate: Kunwar Menon's force scatters the rebels, and most of them surrender. A force of 1,000 diehards does flee to the Central Highlands, however. Menon, with local forces assisting, cuts off each pass one by one, and soon finds and eliminates the remaining holdouts. Nonetheless, political concessions are granted. The local nobles will be able to select whom they wish as subahdar, if the Sultan agrees with the choice. Rebuilding of the destroyed infrastructure begins, especially in Kolon-thota, but special care is taken to reimburse the commoners for the losses they have suffered.
 * Pegu: Binnya Kyal's sons are now twelve years old. Dhammazedi seems quite adept at evading the adults who are supposed to look after him in the hallways of the royal palace.
 * Maldives: Nothing of note.
 * OOC: Oman and all others who wish to trade w/me. I will have a comprehensive trade treaty up in one or two days. You can sign it when I have it ready.

1502
 Russian Fur expeditions into siberia come back laden with pelts from a multitude of animals, prompting the various groups involved to centralize further into companies which profit on the fur trade coming out of Siberia  

''' The Polish civil war officially comes to an end as the noble rebel holdouts remaining see their support evaporate. Poland stands as a hereditary monarchy. '''

''' The Quechua peoples confederalize following their liberation from Chimu forming a government similar to the Qulla confederation. '''

''' The Growth of the Venetian trade network once again, begins to show the first sense of normalcy in europes trade in the past 70 years. This does however begin to put the Venetians against Austrian interests as their previous status as a powerful trade power can not exist once again under the Austrians. '''

''' Khan Tsetseg following a quick succession of conquests seizes all territory of the Former Chagatai khanate. His eyes begin to turn to the West as a wave of profitable raids into territories heading that direction have come to his attention. While acting as a horde army, Tsetseg Khan employs a significant amount of firearms acquired this way or that bringing the first acts of gunpowder weaponry to what is now being known as the Khanate of Tuva. '''

''' The War in Benin continues as the Empire of Mali re-establishes itself on careful footing after driving away the majority of the Benin forces sent to subdue them. The weakness shown by Benin prompts some various tribes (none in the majority) to begin raids which also disrupt trade and in an isolated case target the gold mines as a source of easy and cheap revenue. The situation looks to worses as contact and control with the periphery threatens to fracture the nations control over a good portion of the empire. '''

''' The remaining settlers on the cape of good hope, numbering 3000 officially establish their own kingdom having elected the leader of their expedition their king. He immediately goes about fortifying the area and attempting to apply modern zoning and farming practices to the area. To the East however other settlers numbering 2000 have taken control of a group of local tribes and have centralized a new area along the Eastern coast of South Africa. These new kingdoms are known as Iziu and Edoi '''

''' The First instances of settled Mapuche cities become known with some cues being taken from the Quechua and Aymara cities to the north. '''

 The Khmer achieve a stunning and quick delivery in a unsanctioned combat victory against Majapahit with a new ships capitan who is given the task of devising a plan to finally outwit the Majapahit navy (not a great admiral) 


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph and Muhammad Mu'min Khan as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were being made use of, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish, constantly growing in popularity and influence, effectively initiating a massive cultural revolution. Meanwhile, the Sepah-e-Najaf ctacked down on heretic Mu'tazila groups whilst promoting the more moderate ones. Meanwhile, military reforms initiated the previous year continued to be implemented, with the Quaids introducing the sharper and more resilient Damascus steel into their regiments. Simultaneously, large portions of the Sepah-e-Najaf were equipped with wheellock rifles, having replaced the matchlock model. The Sepah-e-Najaf had also been assigned the task of maintaining and managing the gunpowder depoys at Isfahan, Tabriz, Baghdad and Herat and were responsible for ensuring adequate production of gunpowder. Hence, the state-controlled production of gunpowder through early supply chains to obtain nitre, sulfur and high-quality charcoal contributed significantly to the rapid expansion of the Sultanates gunpowder industry. About around the same time, work continued on the development of the Ormara port with major shipyards being constructed to facilitate the docking of merchant vessels. Similarly, efforts to further expand and fortify the Kerch Fortress continued
 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * Tsardom* of Russia: We rejoice that our neighbour, Poland has finally resolved its crisis after its turmoil, and we use this moment of triumph to reaffirm our friendship with Poland. Similar to Poland, Russia tries to shift the focus of the nobility from maintaining nobility rights to maintaining a strong Russian state as Russia still has not fully recovered from the killing of many of its nobles in the White War and tries to centralise. We also offer trade deals to for the furs found in Siberia and offer trade agreements. At this point, most of our country is rural withl poor transport links and so we begin to build schools. In order to encourage  innovation and academic learning in our country, we sponsor and build the University of Novgorod and Moscow as well as sponsoring other universities in other cities as well as grammar schools. We also establish a printshop in Moscow and Novogorod to produce printers, and print books/broadsheets.We begin building a state road network connecting major cities and towns as well as linking them with courier stations/ messenger bird posts to connect the country and facilitate trade. Due to its immensity it is expected to take 10 years (finished in 1512).We talk to Bulgaria and offer to solidify relations and maybe an alliance through a marriage with Tsar Vladimir Romanov marrying a Bulgarian princess (Bulgarian response). (Anyway it turns out our relations are quite warm so this is plausible.) Due to increased enthusiasm for Siberian colonisation, we sponsor trading companies to help colonise the area. We send a large military expedition to pacify the area, and we invade the Yugra area (Here) and attempt to take over the Ostyak and Vogul towns (Here), we outclass them heavily as they are primitive compared to us (Mod Response). We talk to Poland and offer to take in disgruntled Kievan Cossacks and send them to help colonise Siberia (Poland Player Response). We also absorb Smolensk into the Empire. We also begin heavily fortifying our lands as well as the border with Astrakhan.
 * Mod: Quick hint, Russia became a tsardom with the acension of the new tsar. -Feud
 * Bulgarian Dip: We offer a daughter of the Family, Daniela to the Russian Tsar.
 * Russian Dip: We thankfully accept and invite the Tsar to the wedding next year.
 * Oman: The wealthy port of Julfar is further developed as a location for shipbuilding as well as pearling. Coir and timber of the highest quality required to build Indian Ocean-faring dhows are imported from the Kerala region in the Bahmani Sultanate. The rich pearl beds of the western coasts attract merchants from the west, although relations are still strained with the Gurkani Sultanate. King Suleiman sends a message to the ruler of the Gurkani Sultanate: "To the Wise and Noble Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza of the Gurkani Empire: The Gurkani Sultanate has always kept good relations with Oman. Let us put aside the foolish warmongering of King Farhad and resume normal trade between us, that there might once again be a friendship between our peoples." Additionally, King Suleiman orders the construction of a new set of roads in the north to be used in overland trading with the Abbasids, Europe and Asia. Oman expands further north along the Arabian coast, sending a large expedition to drive out the Jabrid dynasty that occupies the region, and guard the roads from Bani Khalid incursions.
 * Gurkani Diplomacy: On behalf of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent; the Amir of the Gurkani; the Conqueror of Empires; the Shahenshah of Iran; the Custodian of Najaf; the Sultan of all Persians; Protector of the Caliph; and the Destroyer of the Infidels; the Imperial Council has approved the decision to normalize relations and resume trade with Oman.
 * Cologne: Pupils continue to graduate from the Church-schools under the Neuss plan and Archbishop Emmerich is careful to keep the nobles on-side with the power of his words. However, the stress of it all is making Emmerich weak. He fears that he will not be able to handle another tumultuous time.
 * Essen: Abbess Meina is happy to welcome Elisabeth of Norway to the prestigious Essen Abbey, and sends a return letter to Diana wishing her all the best of luck with her father’s health, saying that she and the canonesses have devoted a special prayer to him. Meanwhile, Abbess Meina continues her lectures on discipline and the measures on the horarium and field-work and implemented in abbeys throughout wider Cologne, notably in Kolschberg and along the Rhine. Finally, news reaches the elderly anchorite Ulrike that a new world to the West has been discovered – she goes incoherent again, has a mysterious turn and narrowly survives. Canonesses wonder if they can get further prophecies out of her, but the Lord does not seem to want to speak through her any longer.


 * Norway: King Jonathan passes away in his sleep this year and Diana ascends to the throne as Diana the First. The marriage between Count Christian of Oldenburg and Queen Diana of Norway essentially puts the realms in a PU. The queen herself begins to spread word of norway's intellectual prowess throughout europe hoping to spread the word of the University of Oslo which her younger sister attended. An extension of further trade with europe hoping to cement Norway's Economy. Furthermore several guilds and merchant clans rise up throughout Northern norway specifically Trondelag, Nordland, and in the free exchange area of Wärmland. These areas rich in goods begin to see investing from the rich merchant guilds. Norway wishes for opening up of trade with iberia and Burgundy. Fearing foreign invasion Diana sets out plan for rebuilding the once mighty fortress of Bohüslan.


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. Areas interior to Mobassa and Malindi is colonized. With our relations with Sofala, we begin to influence their nation, asking to rent their port facilities if we have a war against Mutapa.
 * South Australian Civilization: The fishing trade of Noongar expands down the coast, and begins fishing near the coast of Kangaroo Island. In Nukunu, the demon Lord Wuluwaid confronted Bakan Waku, hoping to take his life and be done with this nuissence. Knowing of Death's arrival, Bakan Waku paced in the meeting hall, thinking long and hard of this situation. So he took his nephew, Adoni, and gave him his royal robes and jewels, saying "you can be Bakan for the day".Thus when Wuluwaid showed up to the hall, Waku replied "he is Waku, I am only a servent", and so his nephew was taken in his place. Meanwhile, Lady Allira of Ngarrindjeri met with a mysterious boy of unearthly physique, who she began falling in love with.
 * Delhi Sultanate: After the unexpected rebellion in Lanka, we begin moving troops into Himalaya to swiftly take down any plans for a revolt in Nepal or Kangra. The same also occurs in Ladakh; however, no troops are moved into Marwar or Mewar since they would be easily accessible in the event of a revolt. The Sultan is quite concerned by the wave of unrest striking India, and as a result security doubles-down at the Sultan's palace in Delhi City, the harbor of Puri, and the University of Agra. On another note, continuing his diplomatic policy, continues to improve relations with Tibet.
 * The Vassals: Security increases in all four Delhavi satellites, especially in the Gunterist villages of Ladakh. The security increase, nonetheless, helps with the crackdown on Gunterists in Marwar and Mewar. Over in Himalaya, the king remains just as concerned as the Delhavi Sultan is about his own realm, keeping a close eye on potential Buddhist revolutionaries. The moving of troops into the Himalaya mountains helps put rulers in the north at ease, though we still remain wary.
 * Bulgarian Empire: In order to further solidify the empires alliance with Poland, Boris requests a polish noblewoman for his wife. Tsar Simeon continues to embark on various projects throughout the empire and now with decent backing has managed to fund the construction of the next level of Road networks to the province of Vlach. The Roads are expected to snake into Oltenia, Tirgoviste, and coastal Vlach. The Empire also sees a the further arming of its armies with guns holding steady to their ratio as the highest in europe and beginning to add moveable artillery pieces into the military. The Banking system of the empire suffers a devastating setback as the new banking families lack the effective practice to keep the systems running perfect all the time. Regardless of this banking setback the empire is not particularly slowed down, just that the current loan systems is put under review to prevent another banking issue like this. Estimates put the bank slowdowns and issues to last a few years while accounts among other things are rectified. The Wealth of the Royal family however is known to be entirely untouched as the banks were deathly afraid of meddling or using the family wealth for loans among other things. The Population of the empire reaches 4.83 million and growing ever more.
 * Chinese Empire: Islam continues to spread. The colonies continue to grow, and the new Princes home on Taiwan is nearing completion. More workshops for gunpowder are produced around the Beijing region, and fortifications begin to be built in northern and western China, as well as roads to keep the parts of the Empire securley intertwined.
 * Sicily: 20 ships built this year. Nikifor I rules as Regent-General.
 * Augsburg: Economy expands same stuff as last turn.
 * Cahokia: I will proceed assuming that many sailors, if not all, have chosen to start a new life; any holdouts - who I assume will be mostly officers, as criminals are likely to take the whole "money, a wife, and status" deal - will be provided with food and lodgings at the nearby town of Casca [we lack a name for the settlement at Jacksonville - I have chosen one from a nearby Seminole village some time later.] Our newly acquired European advisors are either sent to Casquez, where they provide help designing new European-model ships, or to Cahokia, where they are exhaustively interrogated about every aspect of "European" life. The king offers a substantial bounty for the first person to successfully find a "mine" in Cahokian lands, a challenge which is taken up all through Cahokian territory.

Discussions on military tactics likewise proceed apace, and Casquez orders an expedition to the north to subjugate the Creek tribes, which will primarily function as an exhibition of novel military systems. It remains to be seen how well a primitive hedgehog reliant almost entirely on copper weapon tips and archers will work. Several sailors are sent along as eminent advisors on the expedition.

The Casquez I, a new flagship built to be as much of a copy of the European ships as possible, is finished in the rapidly expanding docks, while under direction from a ship's carpenter. It begins leaking almost immediately, as shoddy metallurgy and heavy use of rope in place of nails lead to cracks. Thankfully the ship is pulled out of the water to be remodelled before it makes it into deep water. The local governor makes the decision not to tell the king about the latest setback, but rather tells him of the need for more metal before rapidly retreating.

Mindful that if the "Iberian" fleet returns they will likely be at Casca, a substantial garrison is placed there, and the town expands dramatically. The King himself remains in the vicinity.

Inexplicably, several gifted priests who had been working closely with the sailors develop strange diseases and die, although several also recover. A setback, to be sure, but the king sees no reason to be worried - this kind of thing happens all the time, although exactly what the diseases were confuses the healers.