Merveilles du Monde (Map Game)

After a long trek through Asia spanning two decades, Venetian explorer Marco Polo published the compiled journal of his travels in 1295. He described in great detail the Near East, with its many castles and fortresses held by many mighty empires. He entered the Gate of Iron, through which Alexander crossed into the east millennia ago. He toured the eight kingdoms of Persia and witnessed scores of miracles and wonders, many of which he dared not publish for he felt his audiences would not believe what he wrote. He described in great detail the exploits of the great Kublai Khan, the intrigue in the Emperor's court, the sprawling landscape of Yuan China, and the massive battles that took place during his stay.

Polo named his work Livre des Merveilles du Monde - Book of the Marvels of the World. In publishing these journals, he brought knowledge of the eastern world back to Europe and vice versa. Just like that, the world got a little bit smaller. The Holy Roman Empire - locked in a state of interregnum with no end in sight - became aware of the wars of Kublai Khan. The faltering Byzantine Empire and its breakaway state of Trebizond became the subject of discussion from Lisbon to Kathmandu. The wealthy Abu Bakr II of Mali would seek to follow in Polo's footsteps, paving the way for the rise of Mansa Musa. The Kamakura Shogunate of Japan defeated wave after wave of Mongol forces while, an ocean over, Mesoamerica was still reeling from the fall of the Toltec Empire.

Merveilles du Monde is a spiritual successor to the Principia Moderni franchise. It sets the clock back to the year 1295, in the Late Middle Ages - in other words, an era of great change and great suffering - an era in which nations rose and fell - an era in which power was cemented ...

Moderators

 * Death: Curmudgeonly yours - Crim 01:38, October 14, 2019 (UTC)
 * Famine: User:Nathan1123
 * Pestilence: Feudy McPlagueface (talk)
 * War: User:Tullin

Important Pages

 * Rules and Algorithm (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Alliances (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Holy Roman Empire (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Feudal Dynasty (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * College of Cardinals (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Nations (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)

1320
''' Across the world, temperatures noticably fall to much lower levels during Spring and Autumn, with slightly longer and colder winter. '''

''' With the forces of Uzbeg Khan continuing to invade Poland, his forces focus on attacking Lviv and the Vistula near Warsaw. The Slavic Principalities of Tver, Rostov, Yaroslavl and Ryazan rise up in revolt, seizing advantage of the majority of Mongol forces being occupied by Poland. Some 10,000 Slavic troops defect from the Mongols invading force: 3,000 from Vistula and 7,000 from Lviv. Grand Prince Danielvich of Moscow maintains neutrality in the conflict. Additionally, Lithuania offers to help Poland fight the Mongols. '''

''' Emperor Louis IV sees the action of Brabant attempting to leave the Holy Roman Empire as a further plot from France and Luxembourg, and if that is not rectified then he will send military action against the Rhine States. Other Electors, however, are wary of this rash threat. '''

''' The Pandyas dynasty recovers from their civil war, and offers to maintain peace with the Delhi Sultanate by paying annual tribute. They focus on their navy to expand their large trade presence through the Maldives to both the Middle East and Indonesia. '''

''' Delhi, however, has issues of their own. Sultan Alauddin Khilji is murdered in Delhi by a conspiracy led by Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan, seizing control of the capital and claiming Ulugh as Sultan. Shaadi Khan supports his claim in attempt of gaining favor ahead of his brother, and pressures Lahore to do the same. Most of the rest of the governors of India, however, do not recognize this claim, and instead proclaim Khizr Khan as the Sultan. '''

''' Pope John VIII of Alexandria dies, and is succeeded by Pope John IX. '''

''' Dominican Nun Margaret of Castello dies at a young age of 32. Her pious life being so evident, disabled children who attended her funeral were found to have suddenly healed. '''

''' A teenage boy in Normandy claims to have a vision from the Holy Spirit, telling him a God-given goal to drive the Moors out of Iberia completely. This sparks the Second Shepherd's Crusade, as thousands of peasants across northern France gather simple weapons and begin haphazardly marching their way to Iberia. By the time they reach Gascony, they have wreaked havoc of attacking castles that stand in their way, and leading pogroms against Jewish populations. '''


 * Mali Empire: Infrastructure of Mali continues to be built up in size and splendor using its finances across the empire. Dakar is expanded along the coast with larger ports, and takes the brunt of influence from European trade with monopolies of ports dedicated to welcoming Spanish, Italian and German traders alike. This also helps to give a steady stream of immigrants to the Gorgades Islands, which has an unusually high attrition rate during this subsequent decade. Timbuktu is also rapidly growing in population as the hub of overland trade by caravans. The buildings of Timbuktu are expanded to be larger and more complex, but still maintain an Afro-centric architectural style with only modest influence from Middle Eastern sources. They also take on a sense of majesty, with carved iron images of lions and serpents in order to drive off evil spirits. Domestically, the upper nobility acquires large menageries of tamed wild animals from across Africa, including lions, giraffes, and elephants. These menageries also come with their own exotic assortment of customs taken from other cultures, such as collections of slaves and concubines. Musa dedicates dozens of new depots across the caravan desert, mostly in the east to further supply the current invasion of Kanem, as well as facilitate individual feudal expansions into Central Nigeria. Centrally organized supply routes are conveyed through the recently-captured cities of Hadijah and Daninski, as the two armies press from two sides to seize the area of Lake Chad itself. These armies consist of 40,000 each at this point, with Musa himself leading the northern army as its own leader. [Algo request]
 * Delhi Sultanate: The Sultan is murdered by Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan, they are supported by Shadi Khan, Alauddin’s second son and the Governor of Lahore who is under pressure by Shadi Khan and Nusrat Khan. The Sultan’s bodyguards defect to Kara to meet up with Khizr Khan, who has been proclaimed Sultan by the other nobles of the Chalisa. Alp Khan quickly sends messengers to Malik Kafur. Malik Kafur accepts the Pandyas offer of becoming a tributary state to Delhi. On hearing the news of the situation from Alp Khan’s messengers, Malik Kafur swears loyalty to Khizr Khan Khilji and rushes with his army of six tumen northward leaving one tumen in Belur. Alp Khan’s forces attack Multan but are repulsed by Shadi Khan’s forces a few miles away from the city. Alp Khan starts recruiting Rajput mercenaries and leads a second attack later in the year and is able to capture the city of Multan. Shadi Khan’s forces retreat to Lahore and set up a formidable defense line which prevents Alp Khan’s forces from advancing further. Alp Khan’s forces are led by a young military general, Malik Feroze. Meawhile, Sultan Khizr Khan Khilji raises a sizeable force and with the aid of the Governor of Malwa launches an attack on Delhi which is brutally crushed by the combined forces of Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan, Ulugh Khan leading the forces himself. The Governor of Zaranj prepares his forces and begins moving onto Kabul. The governor of Peshawar also sends a small force toward Kabul so as to not alert the Governor of Lahore and Shadi Khan. The Governor of Peshawar is surrounded by hostile forces and sends a letter to Shadi Khan in Lahore swearing loyalty even though he supports Khizr Khan. Malik Kafur arrives in Kara in November and helps replenish Khizr Khan’s forces. Khizr Khan awards Malik Kafur the control of his forces. Malik Kafur starts marching toward Delhi in December leading the combined forces. Meanwhile, in Delhi, Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan murder many of the ex-Sultan’s loyals including many of the spies that made up his intelligence system. Similar steps are taken by Shadi Khan in Lahore, who has now deposed and murdered the governor of Lahore, who was reluctant to join Shadi Khan.
 * Belur Sultanate: Madhavcharya: Engages in a religious debate with the Sultan of Belur Veer Ballala III and his priests and is able to prove the supremacy of Dvaita Vedanta. The Sultan of Belur starts patronizing Madhavcharya and his philosophy. Madhavcharya begins touring the major temples of the Belur Sultanate spreading his philosophy. Veer Ballala III orders the reconstruction of the Hoysaleswara temple in Dwarasamudra.
 * Tarascan State: Tariácuri, with the second message from Curicaueri, continues to urbanize Tzintzuntzan and Angamuco. With the aid of Urichu, Erongarícuaro, Pechátaro, and Jarácuaro, expansion is made to the west toward the sea while settlers scan the geography for adequate housing locations. In Tzintzuntzan, military barracks are installed under a new philosophy meant to minimize the total numbers while maximize strategy and efficiency. With this, it is decided that roughly one-fifth of all male adults at the age of 14 must begin militant training, spending upward of 12 years in a faction of 25 before they are able to retire to a live of serenity before reaching the skies. The Assembly of Pátzcuaro votes toward the creation of a tributary system and a plans to reform bureaucracy over the coming years. While not limiting Tariácuri's power, it would allow Citlali's military power to be expanded. After completely destroying the confederation, the primary policy over the newly acquired territory continues to be conducted for another eight years. The coast is finally reached and settlements are established. With this, fishing is established as a form of gathering food, while the major agricultural and cattle regions in the former Jalisco are absorbed and owned by warriors and nobles. Tariácuri's sons, Hiripan and Tangáxoan, are installed as lords of Ihuatzio and Tzintzuntzan, allowing domestic rule while maintaining military alliances. Mining occurs in the recently conquered Jalisco region, which produces large obsidian deposits. While iron and bronze had been used primarily, the creation of obsidian spears, short swords, and knives occur. A new faction in the military is created by Citlali called the "Chicahtoc Tlacatl", who dress in all black linens and carry these obsidian weapons to attack in the night. They number roughly 1,000, and consist of harshly trained militants in an effort to help produce savages. To help create a more mainstream and easier means of production for amate, Tariácuri begins writing a language script for the Purépecha so as to end the over-usage of pictograms and make production of text much easier. This is expected to fully engulf the state's territory by 1400. With an increasing influence and dominance over this side of Mexico, the remaining city-state confederation of Tonallan, Poncitlan, Cuitzeo, and Coinan are offered tributary status in the Tarascan state. (Mod Response Needed).


 * They agree to be tributaries of Michoacan.
 * Kingdom of Sicily: After that the Aragonese occupations, solved the problem the noblemen administrative and reforming the region the pope written a code law called in pace mean 'The pace' in Latin which is from the new rule update of Sicily the Sicilians support that movement of the nobles which is make Sicily in good state what for now the Sicilians of the people tells that in Gascony there is a crusade called 'Shepherd.' Meanwhile, the Sicilians monarchist demands to Rule Apulia-Calabria the neighbor territorial of Sicily for advancing the loyalty of the law.(Mod Response)
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Novgorod rallies 11,000 troops in support of the 18,000 troops of Tver, Yaroslavl, Rostov and Ryazan led by his son, Dmitry the Terrible Eyes.  The 11,000 troops of Novgorod, supported by 4,000 Pskovian troops, lay siege to the city of Smolensk, and Prince Mikhail asks the Teutonic Order, Lithuania and Polotsk to aid in the acquiring of this goal [TEUTON and MOD RESPONSE]. In secret, the veche (government), headed by the posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Semyon Klimovich, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, conspire in order to spearhead reform, go away from their plan of reforming without a Prince, and see the need to keep strong military leaders around. Other plans for reformation are made. Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The secretly hired Ushkuyniks are sent to sack Murom from the riverside [ALGO needed for Siege of Smolensk and Battle of Murom].
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): The troops of Tver, Yaroslavl, Rostov and Ryazan are led by Prince Mikhail's son Dmitry, who's nicknamed 'the Terrible Eyes' and his smaller brother Alexander. Ambitious, the troops 18,000 men strong lay siege to Kiev in order to take the old seat of the Rus' [ALGO needed for Siege of Kiev]. Dmitry sends letters to the King of Bohemia, asking him to counter-raid into Chernigov [BOHEMIA response]. Otherwise, Tver has grown rich of trade between Novgorod and the other Russian principalities.
 * Republic of Pskov (Novgorodian vassal): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and supplies 4,000 troops.  Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.
 * Teutonic Diplomacy: We will help due to us being somewhat allies with Bohemia and will send 5,000 fresh troops to fight the Mongols and protect Europe.
 * Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary has continued its fortifications of it in case of a Mongol invasion. However, with the devils distracted and pillaging the lands to the north, an opportunity has arose for a counterattack. Knowing that they have the chance to reclaim territory from the devils, they launch a surprise attack over the Carpathians into the lands of the Moldavia taking advantage of the lack of troops and the distraction of the Mongol Army. The force primarily consists of 13,000 men, consisting of infantrymen, heavy cavalry, and light cavalry scouts. With the remaining army available passes for the Mongols to enter are fortified and kept on heavy watch in case they deign it to trapse into our lands. Concurrently the King Géza III offers the hand of his son Stephen to the daughter of the Count of Tyrol, Margaret [Mod Response]. Meanwhile, with the city of Esztergom, Buda, and Pest academic learning is encouraged and at the now named Royal College of King Géza, the king begins to hire Byzantine, Russian, Italian, and Spanish scholars in order to develop his knowledge and the understanding of various parts of the world. Alexander Baśič returns home from his journey in Africa bringing with him gold, salt, and riches beyond the comparison of men. This begins to spark some interest within the merchant circles in Dalmatia, of this mystical land beyond the Africa. Trade continues to allow the Kingdom to flourish. In order to provide more heirs for the King in order to stabilize the claim of Géza following the death of Elizabeth of Bohemia, we offer the hand of Géza to Joanna of Flanders. [Mod Response] Secretly this is done because she comes from a rich and noble house, but is far enough removed to not be a challenge toward the children of Elizabeth.
 * Both of these are accepted.
 * Yuan China: Whike the Emperor is away from Beijing inspecting the state of his armies in preparation for the renewal of the campaigns in Korea, a second coup is launched by general Yexi Xiong and his supporters (who are primarily made up of Christian converts in the court dissatisfied with the new Emperors rolling back of missionary efforts and softening stance on the Confucians) with the backing of the Imperial Guard, who attempt to capture the former Emperor Maxiu with plans to threaten Taiding with his reinstallation, thus forcing him to agree to their demands and implement harsher measures to spread Christianity in contrast to Taidings more moderate stance on the issue. However, in the process they clash with the guards of those Generals who had previously supported the conspiracy to remove Maixu in the hope of reinstating Confucianism, and the plan of keeping fighting to a minimum collapses as violence erupts throughout the city. Although Xiongls forces and the Imperial Guard are ultimately successful in driving the Confucian forces out of the city, in the chaos surrounding the fighting they accidentally kill Maixu, ending any hopes of a peaceful resolution too this conflict. Knowing that if he is defeated he will be executed as a traitor, and feeling like he has no other options if he wants to survive, Xiong declares that the Yuan are forgein barbarians who have betrayed china and lost the mandate of heaven, and declares the beginning of the Xing dynasty, with him as the founder. When he hears of this the Taiding Emperor is enraged and declares Xiong a traitorious usurper, vowing to drive him from the lands of the Yuan and destroy him and all who support him utterly, gathering his forces to do so in the north and preparing to drive Xiong from Beijing. Meanwhile, to the south those who fled from Xiongs coup are able to gather a large amount of support for themselves and sieze control of much of Southern China, declaring Xiong to be a traitorous usurper of the imperial throne and the Yuan to be foriegn barbarian invaders who have betrayed confucianism and must be driven out of China, declaring a boy who they claim to be the last living member of the Song Dynasty the Zhiyěmán Emperor, and vowing that they will destroy the other two factions. This marks the beginning of a civil war that will shape the destiny of the entire nation for centuries to come, and although apart from the initial violence during the coup there has been little fighting yet, this war promises to be a bloody one.
 * Teutonic Order: We see the Mongol invasion of eastern Europe as a threat to us and Christianity. We send 5,000 fresh troops to Bohemia to fight the heretic Mongols and protect Europe. The Grand-master sees the chaos in the HRE and takes pity on those who are living in hell over there. So he donates cloths and some food to parts of the HRE. The Grand-Master has remained silent over the crisis of who is the Emperor in the HRE but he starts to favor Fredrick the Fair more than Loise. We hear of the 2nd Shepherds Crusade and we support the crusade by sending 2,000 Knights to help against the Muslim occupants to make Iberia Christian again.  This years winter is longer and colder than before so the Grand-master orders churches and taverns to let the poor and freezing people inside to keep them warm to survive this grueling winter. We ask the Pope if we could participate in some of the charitable acts that he is doing (Papal Response Needed). Paslek Castle is built in Eblag. The Town Skalva is founded. We have a short battle with some pagans at Medininkai. Nurberg Castle is built. Colmberg Castle is built. We ask again if Venice will allow us to get into Trade relations with an African nation down south that they recently got trade relations with (Venice Response Needed)
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Gregory says that of course, the Teutons can participate in his charitable acts. He suggests the creation of a "Fund of the Poor" in Teutonic territory to deposit money which will be used to help the poor. However, the pope also warns the Teutons to not give support for the Shepherds Crusade, because they are hurting innocent people wherever they go. If possibly, the knights must stop it.
 * Lordship of Ireland: Much and brutal suffering as a result of the famine and disease, very little which can really be done. People begin to leave towns and move to the countryside to get better access to food. Fall in trade and nothing especially good.
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": Seeing that Archduke John III does not have a wife or an heir to the throne, and that the Tensions are rising Between our Dear emperor and the states. His Majesty Archduke John III of Lotharingia asks John of Luxembourg if he can have the promise to Marry his daughter Margaret when she comes an adult(Mod response) As Lotharingian succession needs to secured, and the Alliance with Luxembourg and his Majesty Count John of Luxembourg. Seeing that the Count of Loon wants to gradually sell his lands and his domains so he can live a safer and more restful life, John III of Lotharingia offers to buy the right of Count of Loon for the price of 100,000 Brabantine pound, and a plot for him and his descendants at the Averbode Abbey (Mod response). While this is happening the Council of Heyst is looking into how to exactly give seats to the County of Tournai and the Bishopric of Verdun, as Tournais is mostly outside the Holy empire and Verdun is ruled by a bishop. This created a lot of Complexity as, the ruler of tournais has to always look and check if something he does required imperial support. While this happening a full reconciliation between Brabant and Guelders, is getting started as John III wants to end the grudge that started at the Battle of Woeringen. So his Majesty begins making plans to ensure more trade and more prosperity between the nations, John III offering lowering of Taxes and only having the minimal number of Soldiers. John III also offering to fully pay for the Future funeral of Renaud as he sees that his future death should be one of Greatness and no shame indeed(mod Response). As Renaud fought Bravely against John I, and he tried to fight what was inevitable Brabantine glory. While this Happening we offer one of our Lesser Vassals Land of Cuijk one seat for the lesser city of Cuijk. As they have gone unrepresented and forgotten for far to long. Cuijk only being a Vassal since the war of Limbourg succession, when they had to join to defend themselves from the Invading guelders. The Lotharingian nobility is called upon by His Majesty John III to gather the army up, for the possibility of war. As even if not wanted war is very likely, So we openly support the Pope whatever action he does. The sacred duty to Christ and his messenger, so Brabant will indeed help the pope whatever it required. While This is happening Trade with Castile and Nevarre increases, with many African and Asian spices coming to Lotharingia and specifically Antwerp. Antwerp Being known as a city of spices and textile, Some Antwerpine Textile even being reported reaching Africa. While at the same time some gold is reported reaching Antwerp from the Country of hippoes, this Country Being Know as Mali. Although the Name is known not much else is due to the distance and having Castile as a mediator. But the most valuable resource for the Realm is Spice, as it is loved to be put on Food of the merchant and nobility class.
 * Renaud agrees to this
 * Count Arnold V agrees to sell the title. However, his son, Count Louis VI of Chiney, is displeased with this and supports a revolt of local barons
 * Count John of Luxembourg agrees to the marriage
 * Japanese Empire: The Emperor Daigo marches on the Minamoto in earnest after his northern forces subdue the last of the daimyo to the north and either force their submission or force their suicide via Seppuku. This opening of vast tracts of northern land to be reordered brings the Imperial army to the point of destroying unneeded castles and beginning to employ the land redistribution reforms as ordered by Emperor Daigo. The submitted families are brought to reserved small plots of land nearest the capital to keep a much closer eye on them while loyal daimyo (and notable samurai) are handed the new territorial grants of the Emperor. Taking place throughout the year even men to the south waiting to invade the Minamoto are awarded lands. While modest compared to previous land grants it still remains a way to maintain a relatively rich and prosperous aristocracy while also not allowing these feudal lords to be major issues in the way of Imperial governance. The establishment of the reformed Shoen system allowing some semi autonomy and greater latitudes in developmental procedure while paying simply lesser taxes (however, bureaucratic systems are still in place to take note of the developments.) With the secure establishment of the Imperial capital Region made of up of Kyoto, Osaka, and Nagoya puts a large swathe of central Japan under direct oversight of the emperors personal retainers with non hereditary bureaucrats and appointed governors taking up positions within the Capital region with taxes, manpower, development, and grand projects put under the Imperial family. Various other cities specifically in the now pacified north are granted the ability to chose their own governors with no Daimyo given the ability to assert control over a major city. These governors are noted to be fiercely loyal due to their attitude against the former much more exploitative Daimyo who drained much manpower out of the cities to fight their wars. Various former soldiers having accrued quite the amount of coin with their time in service are also able to buy land privately in various regions with the potential for food surplus is much greater under free hold farmers. The Re-codification of the Ritsuryō Law system with major Shinto aspects helps maintain relative stability in pacified parts of the empire. Implementing a codified form of etiquette for the martial nobility it becomes clear the Emperor for many purposes has tamed and brought the daimyo and bushi to heel within Japan. While still technically the security and guards of the estates the Samurais new code of honor describes defense of the defenseless, loyalty to the Emperor, and development for the greater good along side of many more niceties. The Imperial army adds another 5,000 troops this year to its southern army which officially ends the truce and marches against the 30,000 strong Minamoto army. The first series of battles occurs near Hiroshima as the Minamoto have spent much time extensively fortifying the area and the southern routes into their territory. After three months of campaigning Emperor Daigo and Hiruzen break the defenses and manages to secure the city of Hiroshima all the way down to the coast. The Imperial navy and Minamoto navies begins conducting a long winded campaign for another four months out of the year as failure to take control of the straits will lead to a failure of the campaign. The arrival of newer and larger warships alongside previous designs proves to be the deciding factor as the series of clashes finally results in a close but decisive victory. As the year nears its end the Imperial forces land on Kyushu and the campaign is renewed. The Minamoto fight desperately all across the island hoping for one decisive victory to reclaim the initiative and push back against the emperor. However, his battle hardened and disciplined forced and new organizational and battle strategy proves to be too much for the traditionally based Minamoto armies. The final battle takes place at the Minamoto Capital of Kumamoto. Wishing to be secure in his power after witnessing over 20 years of civil war Emperor Daigo punches a hole through the cities defenses and storms the city in a dramatic battle. After the fall of much of the city leaving only the cities government quarter the Minamoto Daimyo commits seppuku turning over the collapsing clan to his 16-year-old son. As Emperor Daigo marches into the Minamoto palace he is shocked to find a well-armed boy standing before him challenging him to a duel. The Duel is short and to the point as the Emperor having spent years training his martial abilities is more than a match for the 16-year-old Minamoto Yoshimaru. The boy, however, is not killed and is spared and told that "Seppuku for one who has not yet truly established his honor is a waste." The last rebellious Daimyo finally collapses and the Imperial army garrisons the island of Kyushu and the areas around Hiroshima with 15,000 imperial troops while the rest return to Kyoto with the new Minamoto daimyo held as hostage. Daigos triumphant return to Kyoto is met with fanfare, a military parade, and most importantly the first of the yearly imperial court meetings presided over by the Emperor who now sits with dominant authority over his lords. While technically having broken the major tenants of Japans feudal system with its Manoral complexes and Martial nobility having either been dismantled or reformed, the Empire sees the necessity in reforming the nobility. The first of these "Policy meetings" is conducted and the Emperor and his loyal nobles, aristocrats, and highest bureaucrats preside over the redistribution of the remainder of the northern and southern land holdings. New clans are granted lands to replace extinct or defunct clans while a series of large Imperial holdings are guaranteed in the north and south with every major province of Japan maintaining at least one serious Imperial land holding. The redevelopment of the taxing laws as well and the final ability of the Imperial army to scale back many of its purchases has led to a small but noticeable tax surplus as Daigo begins making clear moves to begin the redevelopment of clearly devastated regions of Japan.
 * Papal States: Pope Gregory XI denounces the Shepherd's Crusade as a heretical movement that only incites violence and says that they must be stopped and the Jews protected. The Ecclesial Tribunal continues to investigate cases of simony and abuses of priests and a prison for these clergymen start to be build in outskirts of Rome. Three priests and one monk are imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo due to simony and they will be transferred to this prison. The repairs of the Lateran Palace finally come to an end and the pope move there. However, he continues living humbly and using the money to works of charity. Gregory continues to encourage the other members of the clergy to live in this same way. The new hospitals in the Papal States continue to treat the sick, with the Hospital of Rome being the most efficient due to the direct administration of Catharina and Matthias. The construction of the Church of the Divine Mercy continues. With the growing importance of the port of Civitavecchia for the trade of products in the Papal States, a merchant guild is formed. At the request of those merchants, Pope Gregory writes to Lübeck asking for a trade agreement with the Hanseatic League [Lübeck response needed, please]. Pope Gregory starts to plan reforms for the administration of the regions of the Papal States. The agriculture continues to be encouraged and grains are stored in the Barns of the Poor and are used to feed the poor. The production of handicrafts and textiles continues. The city of Ostia gains prominence in the production of sea salt. After hearing about Margaret of Castello, the pontiff creates a commission to investigate her life and the possible miracle, for now he declares Margaret Servant of God. The commission analyzing the case of Francesca Occhino continues with its works and it seems that there is a miracle attributed to her intercession. This miracle will be analyzed. Pope Gregory creates as cardinals Walter Reynolds (England), Jan IV z Dražic (Bohemia-Poland), Alessandro Guidi (Papal States) and Gonçalo Pereira (Portugal). (Secret) Due to the recent events in the Holy Roman Empire, Pope Gregory writes to the Rhine States, Cologne, Mainz and Austria saying that Louis is unstable and paranoid. The pontiff says that the emperor is threatening the stability of the Empire by antagonizing with the Hanseatic League, that was so helpful to the workers of charity of the Church during the Famine. He ask them for their support to Louis possibly deposition if the situation get worse (End of Secret) [MOD response needed, please]. In their audience with the Duke of Lithuania, Brother Pietro Benanti and the other monks of the Divine Mercy apologize to the duke and his people for the suffering caused to Lithuania in the name of Christ during the Crusades in their territory. Pietro says that violence is not the way that Jesus teaches and if the duke allow, he and his monks will show to the people of Lithuania Christ's endless goodness and mercy. He ends sayng that acting as a conduit for God's love toward others is the true meaning of being a Christian. He them asks the duke if they can stay in Lithuania to show the true face of the Christianity [MOD response needed, please]. Pope Gregory gives his blessings to the Christians fighting the Mongols on Eastern Europe.
 * All three states secretly support the idea of deposing Louis.
 * The Duke of Lithuania is pleased by the conduct of the monks and permits Christianity to be preached peacefully.
 * Zimbabwe: The Shona successfully rout several attacks from the west and south of their lands by the Nguni and their San allies, who endeavor to break through the defenses of the Shona and loot the homes and livestock of the inhabitants of Zimbabwe. To dissuade further incursions into their territory, the heir of Katonga, Akashinga waKatonga, spearheads a direct attack on the homes and compounds of the Nguni in the south, crossing the Limpopo River with some five thousand warriors, and killing hundreds of Nguni men, women, and children, while setting fire to their homes and placing the dismembered heads and limbs of the Nguni slain on pikes scattered throughout their homeland as a warning to others who dare invade the lands of the Shona. Akashinga's successful punitive invasion of the Nguni lands sees him return home as a hero to countless thousands of Shona subjects throughout Zimbabwe, who hail him as a ruthless warrior dedicated to the protection of his people and their homeland. As a reward for his actions, Katonga has seen fit to install him as the new prince of the first royal district now governed from the port city of Muromo Wenyika, having stripped the former prince of the district and executed him for attempting to rob the Arab traders in the city of their goods. Akashinga quickly takes a liking to his new position in the east, seeing the office has not prevented him from maintaining his warrior lifestyle, as he continues to campaign in the south to keep the Nguni in the southeast from crossing the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe. The great royal road leading from Naletele through Lusvingo and onward to Chibvumani is completed, and immediately witnesses a growth in inter-regional trade between the three cities and their subordinate boma settlements throughout the countryside. With the increase in trade comes the increase in revenue for the state to put toward other endeavors, such as the expansion of the kingdom's gold and silver mines for use in trade with the Arabs and the Swahili to the north, who have begun sending trading expeditions to the south upon hearing of the Arabs successes in trading with the Shona kingdom of Zimbabwe. The Arabs continue to provide swimming and fishing lessons to the Shona living in the new port city, many of whom have quickly taken to the water and learned how to respect the waves under the tutelage of their foreign teachers. Others are deemed proficient enough in the water that several have been allowed to serve as sailors aboard the sailing vessels of the Arabs and Swahili, both of whom have been granted this allowance by the king, who seeks to immerse as many of his people in the ways of the foreigners as possible so as to obtain their wealth and power. Several of the Shona who have successfully proven themselves capable in the water return home to adopt the life of fishermen, opening a new sector of the economy to the Shona, and providing the kingdom with a new source of food. Back in the capital of Lusvingo, the king is provided with the results of the census taken at his demand. The results of the census show a population of 589,263 subjects and 90,000 head of cattle, with many of the latter having been reclaimed from the Nguni during Akashinga's campaign through the south earlier in the year. Dozens of new boma have been constructed throughout the newly cultivated sections of the kingdom, with the population of the average boma in the hundreds as the fertile lands and healthy livestock have provided a degree of food security to the people of Zimbabwe. The construction of the royal road has also allowed crops from the primary urban centers to flow into regions where the land has yet to be cultivated, allowing the inhabitants of the area to sustain themselves while they wait for the next year's harvest to allow them to sustain themselves locally. In Muromo Wenyika, the port is officially opened in a ceremony attended by King Katonga and his son and prince of the city Akashinga, and the various members of the royal court. They welcome the Arab and Swahili traders into the city as friends and allies, and grant them guided tours of the kingdom's interior where the bulk of the nation's resources are extracted to provide for the wealth that allowed for the city to be built in cooperation with the foreigners. The Arabs for their part construct a mosque in the city with the permission of the king, and bring in many goods and services unknown to the Shona such as centers of learning, large markets, and healthcare facilities. These centers primarily cater to the needs of the Arab merchants setting up shop in the city and their clients, though many of the Shona have become intrigued with the new concepts that had once been unknown to them back in the interior. In the far north, Munashe gathers all of his warriors and their families for an address to them regarding his plans for the future of the people. He states that in the five years he has served the Makonde people as a protector of their lands and a warrior of their people, he has been blessed with many experiences he had not expected in his quest to rid his homeland of their insular king and his traditional policies. However, Munashe believes that he has sufficiently repaid his debt to the Makonde for taking him in and sheltering him during his time of need. The Makonde are in the eyes of Munashe, capable for defending themselves with the tools and ideas he equipped them with, and that he must continue on with his personal goal of returning to Zimbabwe to rid the kingdom of Katonga. Though tearful and saddened with Munashe's declaration, the Makonde wish him farewell on his journey, as Munashe departs for Mombasa to see for himself the civilizations of the north he came to know through his education at the feet of his Arab captives. Departing by foot, Munashe leaves with the weapons and clothing of the Arabs and Swahili he released in return for educating him, and with his understanding of their languages as part of that education, Munashe moves to enter into the city of Mombasa to continue with his goal of returning to Zimbabwe equipped with both knowledge and power.
 * Kingdom of Navarre: The Western Patriarch Federico Goikoetxea denounces the Shepherds' Crusade as senseless violence, calling on the participants to cease as this violence is not in the will of God. King Louis I allows some Jewish refugees from Gascony into Navarre for their protection. The Western Church's missionaries in Gascony and northern Castile continue their work recruiting Basque peasants and also call for the Shepherds' Crusade to end. The Navarrese government focuses on expanding the fortifications of the cities of Iruñea/Pamplona, Donostia/San Sebastián and Tudela, and the military increases recruitment efforts, recruiting 500 new soldiers and employing various mercenaries. (Secret) Louis I sends an envoy to Denis I, King of Portugal proposing a military alliance between Navarre and Portugal as the nations have a mutual interest in defending against the aggressive expansionism of Aragon-Castile. (Mod response) (End secret) Louis I and Margaret of Burgundy have a fifth child, a son named Charles. However, he dies of a disease at four months of age, leaving them again with three surviving children, Victor, Frederick and Sophia.
 * Portugal tentatively agrees to a secret alliance, but generally does not want to antagonize Castile.
 * Jarldom of Greenland: During a cavalry exercise with the royal cavalry, Jarl Brunhilde falls dead down from the horse and is succeeded by her oldest child,princess Alexandra who takes the name of Brunhilda II. The late jarl is laid to rest in the royal cathed ral in the capital of Nuuk. The two week long coronation takes place two months later in an elaborate ceremony which reveals that lack of any sort of crown jewels, we begin to scout the island looking for valuable metals to make them of. Meanwhile, seeing the decrease in temperature,the Jarl issues a royal decree stating that a new village constructed with stone houses an fireplaces will be built.
 * Bohemia Poland: Wencelsaus III continues to to carry hold the line at the Vistula and in Lviv. He takes heart in the news of desertions by the Rus, this gives him a renewed resolution that he is carrying out the will of god and honouring the legacy of his father. He takes a renewed interest in the Order of St Wenceslaus increasing its numbers and placing it under the command of his brother-in-law and right hand, Henry Piast of Wroclow. He sends an envoy to his new found allies the Lithuanians requesting they attack Warsaw while Henry  of Wroclow led 20,000 troops  themselves to attack the Mongols amassing at Warsaw through Plock to attack them from the west while their supply lines are disrupted by the Russian revolts. Secretly the envoy also offer marriage between Wenceslaus III's brother Ottokar and Gendminas's daughter while also privately offering a chance to discuss a possible division of Mongol and Rus' lands, with Wenceslaus III seeing Gendminas as a strong barrier against further Mongol or steppe peoples incursions into eastern Europe. Wenceslaus III also offers to serve as a godfather to Gendminas or his children should they decide to convert to Catholicism as a sign of comradery between the Bohemians, Poles, and Lithuanians. (Mod Response). Wenceslaus III attends a great mass in the Great cathedral of Krakow built by his father, and sends word to Rome to ask  for Papal blessing the war against the Eastern Heathens. Wenceslaus III himself leads an assault on  Lublin  leading 20,000 of his own men and an contingent of 10,000 well-paid mercenaries from Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Krakow and Praga continue to grow as centers of learning and of sciences with an influx of Italian, German, and other foreign scholars. The disturbing stories out of Kutna Hora continue but without much attention being paid to it with the war in Poland drawing the attention of the crown. Noting the colder weather Wenceslaus III makes provisions to procure as much grain as possible through the Baltic, Transcarpathian region, and northern Italy to make sure that enough supplies are to had to feed his domains and his campaigning armies while foraging.
 * Duke Gendminas agrees to join the coalition, and to allow his daughter Aldona to marry Ottokar, at which point she will be baptized.
 * Republic of Milan: The navy continues to grow at astonishing rates, with the ship production beginning to reach the expected numbers of roughly a little over half of Venice's daily. The Long lances numbering 12,000 begin to look for work outside specifically once again looking to Bohemia as they prepare for a battle against the Mongols. (Bohemian response needed). A number of bankers of the Mercenary Bank look outward to begin financing other mercenary groups throughout Southern Germany and Northern Italy looking to consolidate the mercenary groups. (Mod Response needed on success). Galleazzo makes a statement saying that these next years will be used to consolidate the Milanese realm and better the lives of the peasantry as well as grow the income of Milan back to its “Normal levels”.
 * Bohemian Diplomacy: Wenceslaus III contracts the Long Lancers to assist in the crown in the war against Mongols in particular to assist in the attack on Lublin.
 * Most free mercenary groups in northern Italy take up the offer, and a couple of major German groups from Switzerland and Bavaria do as well
 * The Imamate: The 20,000 Mamluk Soldiers have seized control over the Belen Pass, and with it the Amamos Mountains and the cities within the mountains, including Alexandretta, Portella, and Payas, adding vast wealth and power to the Soldiers, who consolidate their gains before marching upon Kars, the last city standing between the Soldiers and the Sicilian capital, Sis. The conquered lands of Derbesak and the Amanos Mountains, including its cities are given to Aleppo to administer over, the now true home of the Mamluk soldiers and their families. Since these lands are now ruled by Aleppo it is now called Aleppine Cicilia.

1321
''' Yet another poor harvest causes a famine in Europe, not as bad as the Great Famine. '''

''' The Second Shepherd's Crusade proceeds to invade Navarre, continuing to attack Jewish and Muslim settlements they come across. The sheer attrition and actions of the Catholic Church have caused their numbers to decrease dramatically. '''

''' No sooner that they leave France that a new terror appears in Europe. A local inquisitor in Tolouse named Jacques Fornier reports that thousands of lepers across France have entered a secret conspiracy. Their goal is to poison wells and water supplies with their disease, as an act of vengence against society for constantly shunning and discriminating them. King Sancho of Majorca reports that this conspiracy is also in Aragon as well, orchestrated by the Emirate of Grenada as a plot against Christian Iberia. '''

''' Growing tired of Edward II's consistent favoritism toward the Despensers, Roger Mortimer leads a rebellion across Wales and western England, with the support of the Duke of Lancaster and the Marcher Lords. Their faction has a total of 10,000 troops. '''

''' The University of Florence is established, bringing a far greater supply of knowledge and classic literature into Tuscany. Most significantly, Dante Alighieri publishes his monumental work The Divine Comedy this year, forever defining the Italian language. '''

''' But Italy is not the only place of central learning, as this year Ibn Al-Banna in Marrakesh publishes works on algebra and engineering of canals. '''

''' King Stephan Uros II of Serbia dies, and the kingdom falls into civil war between his sons, named Stephan Constantine and Stephan Uros. '''

''' After the death of Co-Emperor Michael IX of Byzantium, his son Andronicus Angelos usurps the title of Co-Emperor to succeed him, initiating an uprising against the current Emperor Andronicus II. '''

Algos on the war with the Mongols will come shortly


 * Mali Empire: Infrastructure for cities of Dakar, Timbuktu, Niani and Gao continue to be expanded along with large agricultural centers across the Empire. Millet, rice sorghum and baobab vegetables continue to be staple crops in this agricultural development. Some architecture in Dakar and Timbuktu start to take drastically different appearances, due to different cultural influences of the trade centers there. Aragon, Venice, and Brabant are now considered familiar trading partners, with some promises of encountering more Europeans indirectly. Some independent feudal nobles take advantage of the cooling temperatures to expand settlements into the Sahara Desert, creating many smaller cities as well as local carrier depots for both commercial and military use. These are also expanded southward, into Central Nigeria to facilitate the continual war in the Bornu Empire, as well as south of Wagadugu to begin consistent hunting of wild elephants. Local feudal lords of Mali continue to enjoy a sumptuous lifestyle using exotic animals and slaves from distant lands. But for Musa, his focus was entirely on the work dedicated before him to conquer Kanem. After Musa seized control of Lake Chad, he held an informal court across all the peaseats and local clan leaders of the Kanem region, attempting to restore order personally as the Bornu Empire is nearly collapsing. Thousands of common farmers, peasants and tribal leaders came to pay homage to Mansa Musa, and respected him as a great leader far greater leader than the Sons of Abdullah, the titular Emperor of Bornu. Finally, a large group of military from Bornu came to swear their alligeance to Musa. They explained that Abdullah, the Emperor of Kanem, was brutally murdered by an uprising of the So people, and now the military has defected to the House of Keita and proclaim him, Mansa Musa, as Emperor of Kanem-Bornu. Musa graciously accepted this honor, and had declared that Selma ibn Abdullah, who sits in the current capital city of Njimi, to be in rebellion against his rule. Musa leads his army of 60,000 troops to begin the siege of Njimi, bringing a small number of war elephants to use as the most basic forms of siege equipment. The military will be divided into two groups of 30,000 each, to strike at western and southern flanks respectively as they close in on the city. The remaining military not used on this battle will help to occupy and assimilate the current regions of western Bornu, and pacify the region under the House of Keita.[Algo requested]
 * Kingdom of Navarre: As the Second Shepherds' Crusade enters Navarre, the government moves Jews from small towns into the fortified cities of Iruñea/Pamplona, Donostia/San Sebastián and Tudela for their protection. The nation's military is divided between these three cities to prevent the thuggish brutes of the Shepherds from coming inside, though they are essentially allowed free roam of the countryside due to their dwindling numbers and their stated desire to push farther into Iberia which means they would not remain in Navarrese territory for long. However, Western Patriarch Federico Goikoetxea continues to call for an end to the senseless violence of the Shepherds' Crusade. Funding for fishermen in the Bay of Biscay is again boosted during the famine, and as soon as the Shepherds pass through the Navarrese countryside the military is set to work helping peasants repair any damages the mob caused to their farms and provide relief for the famine. Western Church missionaries in Gascony also help the locals there with repairing damages caused by the Shepherds.
 * Tarascan State: Tariácuri, with the second message from Curicaueri, continues to urbanize Tzintzuntzan and Angamuco. With the aid of Urichu, Erongarícuaro, Pechátaro, and Jarácuaro, expansion is made to the west toward the sea while settlers scan the geography for adequate housing locations. In Tzintzuntzan, military barracks are installed under a new philosophy meant to minimize the total numbers while maximize strategy and efficiency. With this, it is decided that roughly one-fifth of all male adults at the age of 14 must begin militant training, spending upward of 12 years in a faction of 25 before they are able to retire to a live of serenity before reaching the skies. The Assembly of Pátzcuaro votes toward the creation of a tributary system and a plans to reform bureaucracy over the coming years. While not limiting Tariácuri's power, it would allow Citlali's military power to be expanded. After completely destroying the confederation, the primary policy over the newly acquired territory continues to be conducted for another six years. The coast is finally reached and settlements are established. With this, fishing is established as a form of gathering food, while the major agricultural and cattle regions in the former Jalisco are absorbed and owned by warriors and nobles. Tariácuri's sons, Hiripan and Tangáxoan, are installed as lords of Ihuatzio and Tzintzuntzan, allowing domestic rule while maintaining military alliances. Mining occurs in the recently conquered Jalisco region, which produces large obsidian deposits. While iron and bronze had been used primarily, the creation of obsidian spears, short swords, and knives occur. A new faction in the military is created by Citlali called the "Chicahtoc Tlacatl", who dress in all black linens and carry these obsidian weapons to attack in the night. They number roughly 1,000, and consist of harshly trained militants in an effort to help produce savages. To help create a more mainstream and easier means of production for amate, Tariácuri begins writing a language script for the Purépecha so as to end the over-usage of pictograms and make the understanding of text much easier. He is assisted to some degree by the shaman Nathecul, who uses his status and beliefs to help with the communication of this new language script to the masses. In Erongarícuaro, serfdom increases due to some anomaly, with a growing rumor of mythological chipmunks in the north.


 * Sultanat-e-Hindustan: Malik Kafur attacks Delhi in late January and easily defeats the forces of Ulugh Khan and Nusrat Khan. Ulugh Khan is killed on the battlefield and Malik Kafur sends Ulugh Khan’s head to Khizr Khan in Kara. Nusrat Khan escapes with the remaining forces to Lahore and joins up with Shadi Khan. Meanwhile, Humayu Khan’s forces are able to defeat the Kabuli garrison and secure the area. Humayun Khan’s forces block the Khyber Pass while a contingent secures the Jammu-Kashmir region. Malik Kafur leads his forces toward Lahore and attacks Lahore in conjunction with Alp Khan’s forces. Ghazi Malik leads the attack and in a brave attempt, he dislodges Shadi Khan from his horse and kills him. The attack is successful and Lahore is captured. Nusrat Khan is taken to Delhi and beheaded. Khizr Khan Khilji accepts the title of Sultan-e-Hind and formalises the name of his Empire as Sultanat-e-Hindustan. The Sultan bestows many gifts on the nobles that supported him. The Sultan elevates Ghazi Malik to the rank of a noble, makes him a part of the Chalisa. Malik Kafur is also bestowed with many gifts and honours and is made the Head of the Military. Feroze Malik is made the Amir-i-Mamalik (Head of the Diwan-i-Mamalik). Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, Alauddin’s third son is made the Wazir. Alp Khan remains the governor of Gujarat and is bestowed with many gifts and honours. Malik Kafur renames Devagiri as Alaipur in honour of Alauddin Khilji. The Sultan orders the construction of Alauddin Khilji’s tomb in the Siri Fort Complex in Delhi. The Sultan reorganises the Sultanate. The Kabul iqta remains as it was. The Peshawar iqta is merged into the Lahore iqta. The iqta of Nagaur is created with its capital at Nagaur. The iqtas of Malwa and Awadh remain as they were. The iqta of Devagiri (now Alaipur) is divided into two, the iqta of Alaipur and the iqta of Sultanpur (a new city established in Goa). The Governor of Peshawar, Humayun Khan is made the Governor of Kabul. Muhammad Shah is made the Governor of Lahore. Mahmud Shah is made the Governor of Multan. Ghazi Malik is made the Governor of Nagaur. Sultan Khizr Khan Khilji makes himself the Governor of the iqta of Delhi. Jamshed Mir, a close friend of Khizr Khan is made the Governor of Awadh. Khusro Khan is made the Governor of Alaipur. Ahmad Shah becomes the Governor of Sultanpur. Having regained control of the Sultanate, the Sultanate and the Chalisa decide that it is not worth taking over Zaranj as it does not possess any valuable resources and it is not worth fighting over a bunch of rocks and mountains. The Sultanate still does not recognise the Zaranj Sultanate and stations a permanent force of two tumen in Kabul.
 * Belur Sultanate: Madhavcharya starts touring the other states of South India and spreads his ideology of Advaita Vedanta. He establishes a Matth in Belur, the Belur Matth, as the main center of learning of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. His actions are patronized by the Sultan Veera Ballala III.
 * Papal States: Due to the poor harvests of this year, the Church repeats the same charity acts done during the Great Famine. The grains that were store in the Barns of the Poor are used to feed the people and the money in the Fund of the Poor is used to buy any food available. Soon crowds are formed in the front of monasteries and convents across the Papal States seeking for food. The poor of Rome seeks the help of Matthias and Catharina, the "Twin Saints", and they continue to distribute food. The people start to call the bread with nuts distributed by Catharina and her fellow nuns of the Divine Mercy as the "mercy bread". Pope Gregory XI also starts to distribute food in front of the Basilica of Saint Peter. The pontiff thinks that this new famine is a signal that God isn't satisfied with his efforts to reform the Church, and again exhort the clergy to have more humble lives. Once again fish turns into an important food item and due to the growing production of sea salt in Ostia, there is more ways to conserve it besides smoked fish. The pope continues to condemn the Shepherds' Crusade and says that they must be stoped. The construction of the Church of the Divine Mercy and of the prision for simonists continue. The Ecclesial Tribunal continues its investigation of cases of simony and misconduct. The commission that is studying the case of Francesca Occhino is now analyzing the cure of the hand paralysis of a boy after his mother prayed for Francesca's intercession. Pope Gregory creates as cardinals Nankier Kołda (Bohemia-Poland) and Henry IV of Aspremont (Verdun). After hearing about the plot of lepers wanting to contaminate France, the pope asks inquisitor Jacques Fornier if he has physical evidence that this is true [MOD response needed, please]. After receiving a letter from Pietro Benanti saying that they are spreading the Word of God in Lithuania, the pope starts to pray for the conversion of Lithuania to Christianity. Due to the efforts that king Wenceslau is doing to stop the pagan Mongols of invading Europe, Pope Gregory gives to the king of Bohemia-Poland the title "Defender of the Faith".
 * Kingdom of England: With Roger Mortimer launching a rebellion with the support of the Earl of Lancaster, King Edward II responds by raising a Force of 15,000 troops to confront the Rebellious Marcher Lords and moving his forces into Wales and Western England to defeat the Rebels before they could fully mobilize against his forces (Algo Needed, Please). In addition, Edward mobilizes a force of 7,000 Irishmen and a fleet of over 40 ships in order to cross the Irish Sea and invade Wales from the West in coordination with the King’s main thrust (Algo Also Needed). Meanwhile, with the Shepherds Crusade ravaging the Duchy of  Gascony, the Duke of Gascony mobilizes a force of 5,000 troops and moves forward to intervene in Navarre in order to support the king of Navarre and help the Kingdom of Navarre crush the Crusaders as they move into Navarre. Meanwhile, reconstruction efforts begin in Gascony in order to repair all damaged and destroyed property while some Crusaders captured by the Local Gasconian Forces are charged with heresy and are either imprisoned, or executed for their crimes against the fair Jewish people of Gascony.
 * Navarrese Diplomacy: King Louis I thanks Edward II for assistance in driving the brutish Shepherds from Navarre, limiting the damage they could do the countryside, and proposes a formal alliance between the two countries as they have a mutual interest in defending against the Kingdoms of France and Aragon. (England response) Meanwhile, Western Patriarch Federico Goikoetxea criticises the excessive violence at the battle of Xavier between the English army and the untrained peasants, though he is relieved the violence and destruction of the Second Shepherds' Crusade will now be over.
 * Kingdom of Sicily: The Romans' Sicily launch an crusade with the people pagans, so they accros and fought on battle on the southern territory the mecenarys push it off the pagan and the pagans Sicilians took an siege on the south basin of Sicily the locals Sicilans force accros the south territory with among 1,000 army and cavalry the cavalry push the fire on it and the pagan capture most of Sicilians soldier the damage continue crossing in the basin the Sicilians kickout the pagan out of the country and most of survivor resist to the crusader occupations the noblesmens and Frederick III of Sicily asked a trade route for Europe and the East in the congress of the palace Roman Sicily then that the battle continues the monarchy building up some harbor defending for invader.
 * Yuan China: The civil war which began last year begins being fought in ernest at the begining of this year, with all three major factions having prepared for fighting and now being ready to bring the fight to the others. The Yuan begin the year with most of northern China, Mongolia and Manchuria under their control, with the 's control ending not far from Beijing. As it turns out, the Emperor Yexi Xiong actully controls the smallest amount of territory of the three factions, controling most of Henan, Shaanxi, and everything below Beijing before Song territory. In the south the "Song" have siezed control of most of the lands bellow the Henan area, while the Yuan control everything North of Beijing As a result of having the smallest territory, the Xing Emperor is forced to put himself on the defensive and dig in and fortify as much as possible the areas surrounding Beijing, leaving his southern lands vulnerable too attack, and the Song forces take advantage of this to solidify there control over the south while launching an offensive into Henan and Shannxi in September while the Xiong forces are focused on defending against the Yuan, who attack into his territory from the north and, led by the enraged Taiding Emperor, force him too flee Beijing and retreat south, leaving most of northern China in the hands of the Yuan. The Song continue to press their advantage after his defeat, siezing most of his territory bellow the Yellow river and some parts of southern Shannxi. This leaves the Xing in an extremely bad position, and thus they are now unlikley to win the war. However, between the Song and the Yuan, it remains to be seen who will be victorious, with the fighting in the next year being likely to be the deciding factor in the war.
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": There is a new title to the Lotharingian realm, Count of Loon. His Majesty John III having bought the title of Count of Loon, from the current Count of Loon Arnold V of Looz. John becomming John II of Looz officialy even if he uses the Name John III under the pretext that his Uncle was the count for the period when the deal was made thus making him John III still. Even if this a manouver just for the sake of naming it is still done by his majesty as he wants simplicity in his realm. While this is happening his Majesty archduke John III reaches out to nations far and close wanting to ally with them, An offer for a defensive Alliance is send to Renoud the Count of Guelders, and The bishop of Both Utrecht and even Liege(Mod Responses). As for now local grudges are less important than to defend independence and introduce reform into the realm, as The Archduke now truely believes that the emperor is a tyrant that is neither Christian nor sane. John III begins to make his voice clear on his want of Imperial reform, where the Hierarchy is simpler and more defined. Where Under the emperor the titles are well defined of who listens to who, where a Duke listens to a king, and a Count listens to a Duke. While John III is unsure on how the role would be of the emperor himself he does believe that this kind Hierarchy, could possibly make it easier to be ruled and managed. John III calling this reform "Einigheit ordnung" as this is an ordering for the unity of the Realm. Due to the instability in the Realm, Archduke John III also begins get his army ready once more, The Archers of  Brabant being readied the most and in the greatest numbers. The Number of Soldiers already readied being a total of 10,000 with more being called to face the possible treat, His majesty asking the Bishop of Verdun and Tournais to aid Lotharingia by sending soldiers to Malines to prepare for a fight against imperial tyranny(Mod Response). John III also looking into improving his army of the Realm, one of the manners he's doing it is by making archery training mandatory. While some times also giving grants to towns and cities if they can get their city guards up to a certain quality, quality surrounds mostly guards their gear and ration. John III mostly wanting better quality rations with enough meat and the least amouth of filler, fillers being things like walnut and the lowest of quality grains. Meat that is most eaten is pig and cow meat, with the restants of meat are begining to be used mostly in stews. The archduke even forbids using meat restants that is unworked as part of a soldiers meat ration is to meager and not able to keep a men in spirit. To help the spirit of soldiers and the country as a whole, is getting new spices from far away. To get these spices Many ships are built that are getting bigger and bigger, and mostly deeper hulls. These hulls made deeper so that they can carry more cargo, cargo such as spices and Gold. Gold Coming from Mali trough Castille and Nevarre and Spices coming from the asia and the east. Spices from lands not know, Trades who go to the mediteranian only knowing it comes from Beyond the Indus.
 * The Rhine states support Brabant against the Emperor.
 * Teutonic Order: It is a sad year for the Order because our Grand-master Siegfried von Fuechtwangen has died of smallpox. His successor is Werner von Orslen. The last thing that that Siegfried did before he died was that he and the Order give full support to Fredrick the Fair to become Emperor of the HRE. the first thing that Orslen did was pulled out troops from the 2nd Shepherds Crusade and wrote an apology to the Kingdom of Navarre for the damages caused (Navarre Response Needed). Orslen also revealed that Siegfreied was a closet anti-semetic and joined the crusade to fulfilled his anti Jewish deeds.We agree to set up a Fund to the Poor to help poor people and get better relations with the Pope. a small famine has occurred but due to us getting salt and fish from Lubeck and with the recently fund to poor deaths are not as high as the Great Famine before. the town of Golub is founded. The town of Barendt is founded. the town of Trakai is founded. Bytow Castle is built. We send some priests to pacify and civilize the Lekow tribe. the town of Tzzew is founded. We built a fort in Radzyn Chelminski. The town of Swieriki is founded. We ask one more time if Venice can tell the Hansetic League where they if they can give us trade relations with a nation down south (Mali) that they recetly got trade relations with (Venice Response Needed). 
 * Navarrese Diplomacy: King Louis I accepts Orslen's apology for the Teutonic Order's involvement in the Second Shepherds' Crusade and praises Orslen's efforts to reform and improve the Order as its new leader.
 * Jarldom of Greenland: Work on the new village goes smoothly, with many new families moving in there. A month later a census is held which reports that the population has now reached 2,989 persons with 3,000 being a very short time away. The port of Nuuk begins to be expanded to accomate more fishing and exports.
 * Crown of Aragon: With the Shepherd's Crusade over, any fears of damage to property are gone but at what price? These questions are raised following accounts of an absolute slaughter of these people in Navarre yet not much is done. James the Great though has raised concerns though following the establishment of the Universal Aragonese Constitution in which all respective regions follow a set standard of laws held by the Council and her representatives including the King Himself excluding certain respective regions that have had representatives file appeals to the king. The English partaking in being centered within Navarre prove to be taken as concerns of English influence set within Navarre and an envoy is sent requesting peaceful retreat from the region after their goals had been met (English Response). The conspiracy of poisoning of water supplies sees some respective investigation but not much is done seeing it as nothing more than a hoax. With that said, 30,000 men from Castile and Aragon converge on Navarre following a meeting between James and his son in Castile. Their reasons? threats of territorial influence and securance of claims on the Iberian region as a whole and claims of illegitimacy of the Western Church amongst the Aragonese and Spanish body as a whole. The portion of Navarre's Bay of Biscay is blockaded by the Castilian Fleet as raids along the shoreline occur. Weapons and supplies are brought in with predominantly Cavalry being dispatched from Castile and Siege Weapons and the bulk of manpower being brought in from Aragon. James the Great leads his forces in the battle of Pamplona where he leads his men in the surrounding of the city and occupation of the countryside. Orders are made clear not to engage with the English forces unless they become hostile first. Boulders and Flammable materials are launched into the city of Pamplona while San Sebastian faces raids and 10,000 forces engage in battle at Tudela while the main forces march into Pamplona. The walled areas and areas of defenses become main targets while the Arga River is surrounded to prevent river usage. Beyond the war actions, James encourages his son to take similar administrative actions like he had done so in Aragon. 65 more ships are ordered to be built. Naval Developments around Harbors and Ports continue while the Fortresses ordered to be built see further levels of completion. The University of Barcelona continue to be proven as an educational national treasure as the Library of Barcelona is established with various portions made of pure concrete and marble made to prevent fires as much as possible as archived works of literature are deposited from abroad. Conversions continue across the Aragonese Realm to unite all of the people under the one true church seeing funding from the Royal Bank of Barcelona which reports well this year with growth. The small famine is isolated to small communities who find quick relief under the new Council who by the orders of the king and under predominantly common law are able to share produce and grain from areas that have produced a surplus of goods. Trade continues to prove to be highly profitable. To appeal to the Portuguese in better relations and affairs, we offer a trade agreement discounting the value of prices and goods exported through Aragon with the addition of two of the Easternmost "Islas de Fortuna" (OTL Canary Islands) and a royal marriage between King Alfonso in Castile (Mod Response).
 * Navarrese Diplomacy: King Louis I calls on his new ally Portugal to help defend Navarre, promising them they could gain territory for Castile with a victory. (Mod response) Navarre also calls on the English forces who fought the Shepherds to help defend against this new opportunistic attack, promising them Aragonese territory for Gascony with a victory. (England response) Western Patriarch Fernando Goikoetxea calls on the Pope to condemn this attack on the Western Church (Papal response) and calls on nations in the HRE to help defend the Western Church, a Papal ally, against the Aragonese who have repeatedly attacked HRE nations and the papacy. (Player and mod response)
 * Milan Diplomacy: Milan declares there support for Navarre and also encourages others to do the same.
 * Kingdom of France: King Philip V announces that a child has been born, a new heir to the French throne. Seeking to fully capture the joy he feels for this child, he names him after himself. Philip VI is born. Additionally, lepers are imprisoned throughout France, in order to prevent this evil and wicked plot.
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Novgorod, garrissoned now in Smolensk, now reinforced with fresh Teuton troops to reinforce his army. Leading the troops of Pskov and the Teutons, Prince Mikhail leaves the Novgorodian troops in Smolensk to defend the city against any Mongol threat. Mikhail himself goes to Kiev to support a new attack. In secret, the veche (government), headed by the new posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Ostafiy Dvoryaninets, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, conspire in order to spearhead reform, go away from their plan of reforming without a Prince, and see the need to keep strong military leaders around. Other plans for reformation are made. Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The Archbishop sends some monks to the Karelians, hoping to convert them, and to mend the relations between the two groups. The secretly hired Ushkuyniks, rich from their raid, are sent to Kiev for a new battle.
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): The troops of Tver, Yaroslavl, Rostov and Ryazan are led by Prince Mikhail's son Dmitry, who's nicknamed 'the Terrible Eyes' and his smaller brother Alexander. Ambitious, the troops, reinforced with men from Pskov and the Teutonic Order lay siege to Kiev again in order to take the old seat of the Rus' [ALGO needed for Second Siege of Kiev]. Dmitry sends letters to the King of Bohemia, asking him to counter-raid into Chernigov [BOHEMIA response]. Otherwise, Tver has grown rich of trade between Novgorod and the other Russian principalities.
 * Republic of Pskov (Novgorodian vassal): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and supplies 4,000 troops. Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.
 * Japanese Empire: Emperor Daigo now presides over his first year as the unchallenged sovereign of all Japan. From Okinawa to his northern territories in Hokkaido the Emperor maintains some semblance of involvement in the local lives and politics of every province and area of Japan. This first year of unchallenged rule comes with its own set of problems as some remaining daimyo have expressed their discontent with the Emperors policy of land re-distribution and the scaling back of territorial amounts to the nobility is a notable cause of this unrest. However, with the decrease in available martial manpower available to the restless lords and the success of those within the Imperial Capital Region undercuts their complaints, the arrival of 3,000 Imperial troops and a singular Koto emblazoned with the Yamato sigil is delivered alongside a singular bereaucrat who says one sentence. "Seppuku or Submission." Two of the Daimyo realizing their bluff has been called commit ritual suicide in the name of the Emperor and the rest fall into line as the Army departs in short order. Emperor Daigo is forced to deal with the devastation wrought by the civil war and on the crisis of land within the empire. Land is open and free yet the Emperor hoards it many claim. It is the primary conversation of the "Yamato Court" (the council conducted yearly between the Emperor, Daimyo, and High Merchants, and Aristocrats) and finally a decision is reached. The Daimyo are to be given new small grants of land in order to help them support themselves and thus also address the concern of the possible decline in quality of the Martial nobility. These estates are much smaller than the previous ones but with many of these daimyo being young, or recently elevated this sates the Daimyo while the remaining land of agricultural value is to be consolidated into private holdings. Many of the high merchants and aristocrats hoping to offload sons who were to gain no inheritance and various other lucky farmers are chosen to have these lands consolidated and various enclosures are to be developed over a ten-year period. As the first part of this process are put into place the expected unrest does not occur. It becomes clear the the population of Japan has taken enough of a hit that actions that traditionally would have caused unrest have simply not. The Emperor contracts his administrators to conduct a thorough census of the Japanese islands which would also help more accurately develop and tax the various provinces of Japan. As the census occurs it becomes clear Japan has suffered catastrophic amounts of casualties from its civil war. While estimates had places the pre war population at nearly 8.6 million the numbers have come back much smaller. 7.5 million people remain in Japan. It is believed most of these have died due to the massive amounts of conscription which had effectively neutered agricultural production for multiple years which had caused a famine. This famine and subsequent disease outbreaks gone unnoticed during the desperate times of war are believed to be the primary driver in Japan's lesser population. However, with the expansion of Artisan districts in cities, increase in overseas trade and the administrative authority of the Census, the taxes flowing in this year are notable. While not exorbitant, the various administrative and legal reforms have led to an increase in taxing efficiency. It is expected the enclosure system of many farmlands in Japan while relatively new in concept, will allow for a much richer agricultural productive class allowing for higher productive surplus as well as a richer taxable population to work with. Taxes this year are also notably increased by the Emperor Daigo as various projects across the country are planned and begun with plans to rebuild cities, establish a better roadway system, and help the new enclosed private land holders develop their lands. Some of these enclosures notably begin looking for ways to take loans in order to develop their new lands with Animal husbandry becomming a more major force in the Japanese food production scene. Agricultural output this year is still somewhat low but not at famine or population breaking levels and many expect it to go up as the rebuilding and prosperity of the country increases. It becomes clear with the deaths of nearly one million people that labor in general has become much more valuable in Japan. The sudden and drastic reduction of the labor force and the new reforms in place have subsequently made labor much more valuable in Japanese society as many seek to do labor simply to make a nice sum of money before striking out to purchase a plot of land or attempt to go out on their own. The Shinto shrine system while subject to much much lower taxation is still taxed which does anger many in the temples. However, with improvements to the temples themselves being mandated by the government and the infrastructure allowing for greater access and hence greater revenue from those who worship at these shrines and temples is notable and the kneejerk reaction is rescinded on many cases. The capital city of Kyoto sees the continued construction of the Imperial palace and the unveiling of the nearly completed construction of the Kyoto Grand Shrine puts many in Awe. A Temple dedicated to Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess is to be consecrated with the dynasties connection with the Goddess emphasized. Many already look to visit the grand temple and word spreads quickly across Japan over the Imperial families construction of the temple and their dedication to the gods.
 * Zimbabwe: The Shona continue to expand their new port city of Muromo Wenyika, with the support of the Arabs based in the city providing the training and technology necessary to develop Muromo Wenyika into a proper port of trade. These merchants spread the news of the new port throughout the Swahili Coast and the major trading powers of the Arabian Peninsula, which begin to bring in new goods and services in exchange for the gold, silver, iron, and ivory procured within Zimbabwe. To help accommodate the movement of goods and people from the coast to the interior, the king and his son organize the construction of a great road moving from the city of Muromo Wenyika to Manyikeni, and then on to the city of Thulamela where the goods will be sold into the interior for the population to benefit from. The road will be planned in coordination with the Arabs in Muromo Wenyika, who assist the Shona with the engineering needed to make the road wide and stable enough to allow the movement of wagons along the road itself. In the trade of goods at the port city, the Arabs import several dozen Arabian horses to facilitate the racing and trade outside the city walls. The Shona residing in the area frequently gather to observe these races between the Arab horsemen, fascinated by the speed and power of the creatures they ride. Included in the observation of these races is Prince Akashinga himself, who is immediately awed by the horses of the Arabs. He demands that he be given one of his own, and though the Arabs try to warn him that one requires extensive training to become a capable rider, they relent not wishing to insult their powerful host. Immediately mounting one, Akashinga fails to control the horse and is thrown from its back, nearly killing him in the process. Akashinga is rushed to his home where he begins to recover from his injuries. Though fearful of the consequences of Akashinga's inability to accept that he was not trained to ride something so powerful, the Arab merchants are put at ease by Akashinga himself, who declares that he will master the horse and bend it to his will, and instructs the Arabs that they can obtain his forgiveness by teaching him and his how to ride the Arabian steed. King Katonga rushes to Muromo Wenyika after hearing of his son's injury during his attempt to ride a horse, but upon reaching his son, he is informed that the fiery prince has largely recovered from his wounds, and has requested that his father aid him in furnishing the facilities needed for the Arabs to breed their horses in the interior of the country, where the climate and geography are largely similar to that of Arabia where the horses were imported from. While concerned with the danger of additional equestrian incidents taking place, the king permits it at the urging of his son, who sends several Arab horsemen and their steeds to Mapungubwe to begin their work. In the south, the Nguni have largely remained on their side of the river, fearful of another violent incursion by the Shona to punish them for their intransigence. Rather, they have learned from their error, and have taking to inquiring of the Shona's willingness to trade with them instead as a means of obtaining their favor and keeping them passive. They bring leopard and gnu (wildebeest) hides, gazelle horns, and rhino horns to the Shona cities in exchange for cattle, cereal crops, and iron weapons, all of which helps to calm tensions between the settled Shona and pastoral Nguni. The San bushmen for their part have refused to cease their hostilities toward the Shona, having escaped retribution from Zimbabwe thanks to their location on their opposite end of the Kalahari Desert. Instead, they continue to raid into the lands of the Shona people, who continue to resist San aggression and repel their assaults upon their livestock and enclosures. Munashe enters into Mombasa for the first time, taken aback by the sheer size of the city and its population and wealth. Though only home to some 25,000 inhabitants and sheltered along the coastline behind modest city walls, Mombasa's bustling nature and commerce have surpassed any and all accomplishments of the Shona back in Munashe's homeland, with the greatest city of Zimbabwe, the capital of Lusvingo, though similar in population greatly paling in comparison thanks to the scale of buildings, roads, artwork, and surrounding agriculture of the location. Munashe begins to integrate himself into the city's culture and society, taken on the job of a bodyguard after demonstrating his capabilities as warrior and tactician. He is immediately taken into the service of a high-ranking bureaucrat who is impressed with the statue and skills of the young warrior, and helps to introduce Munashe into the ins and outs of Swahili society.
 * Republic of Milan: Milan once again prepares for war. Hoping to use this as justification to retake corsica and Sardinia Galleazo declares war on Aragon in defense of Navarre he also encourages other nations loyal to Pope Gregory to do the same. (Responses needed) The long lances are encouraged to stay in Bohemia for the time being as other mercenary groups in Northern Italy and a few major ones in Southern Germany are reorganized into three groups by the Mercenary Bank of Milan. Each group numbers roughly 15,000 with them being split based upon geographical location, all of the Southern Germans are put together all of the Northwestern Italians are put together and all of the Northeastern Italians are put together. This is designed to create a sense of bonding between the different regions and keep them working as effectively as possible. Each group also begins to have individual specializations. The northeastern Italians are capable sea combatants and the majority of their training and tactics are focused on that. The Southern Germans become specialized as frontline Infantry. The Northwestern Italians follow in the long lances footsteps and become major cavalry and archer power houses. The Northeastern Italians are hired for this war in order to allow for easier invasions and takings of Sardinia, Corsica and other islands and isolated Aragon controlled land. The Milanese fleet is dispatched to clear out any nearby Aragon ships before transporting the 15,000 Northeastern Italians, who have been nicknamed the Sea Wolves to Corsica and then the Southern Germans, who have been nicknamed the lions claws to move toward Naples and prepare to make sure no Aragon soldier makes it north by defending Rome and the entire area on the border. (Algo needed for Corsica) The long lances are told to be prepared to be recalled should Aragon move their full focus.
 * Aragonese Response: with the declaration of war, General Carlos Jimenez and Carlos Vinicci are sent to organize the armies of the mediteranean with attention being given to Corsica as 15,000 men comprised of combined forces from Corsica,Aragon and Morocco organize themselves with suplort from the Catalan Company including lancers, front linesmen, archers, and cavalry as archers and infantrymen are placed in secure higher ground points while catapults are used to launch boulders into any men who dare to land. The full force of the Aragonese Mediteranean Armada is put into display to terrorize Milan with thw assistance of flamed arrows and barging tactics to attack enemy vessels causing as much damage while surrounding transports paving the way for a Genoese Blockade to secure dominance overseas and push Milan into submission. General Juan Figueres is sent to Sicily to organize the men there with the armed forces who have stopped the rebellions in the past in Sicily proper being sent off in defense of Naples if the Milanese forces see fit to antagonize a neutral party.
 * The Imamate: After four years campaiging in Cicilia, the Mamluk soldiers finally siege Sis systemitically, surrounding the city, and with its fall shall come Cicilia's conquest for it is the capital city of Cicilia. Internal development and the study of the stars continue domestically.


 * Bohemia-Poland: In the aftermath of the battle of Lublin Wenceslaus III and his troops secure the city and surrounding area to rid it of any remaining Mongols. Wenceslaus III holds a mass withhis men in the Lublin cathedral in honour of avenging his father's defeat at lublin 20 years, and marking long coveted unification of all of Poland's lands under one ruler. Wenceslaus's rest is short. However, as news of the victory at Warsaw reaches Lublin, Wenceslaus III sends order to Henry to leave behind enough of his men to secure the Northern vistula region while he is to bring the rest of the troops south to join up with Wenceslaus III in Lublin to move onto Lviv to assist the still beseiged Ruthenians and to begin the expulsion of the Mongol remnants in the Transcarpathian region cooperating with the Hungarians and Ruthenians. An order is giving to show no mercy to any Mongols still carrying arms or seen around, while those who were captured during the battles of Lublin and Warsaw are offered the good book or the sword.

1322
''' Knowledge about the formula and power of gunpowder begins to slowly reach Europe from the Mongol Empire, mainly transmitted to the Balkans, Carpathia, Greece and Anatolia. Such knowledge is entirely limited to hand cannons and fireworks. '''

''' A Florentine monk named Jordan of Pisa invents a new kind of optical lenses to help magnify vision for the impaired, known as spectacles. Very rapidly this becomes popular among the elderly and nearsighted across northern Italy. '''

''' After his initial defeat at Pontefract Castle, Roger Mortimer and the March Lords calls on an alliance with King Edward Bruce of Scotland. Scotland proceeds to invade England with 3,000 troops against Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, while Mortimer's remaining 8,500 troops regroups at Worchester. Queen Isabella, the wife of Edward II, pleads with him to exile the Despensers instead of supporting the ongoing conflict. '''

''' Elsewhere in England, a local Knight named John Maunderville is implicated as being in league with Mortimer's rebellion. He decides to leave England forever, and dedicate himself on a journey to replicate Marco Polo's voyage to reach China. This year, he crosses the channel and visits France. (Will update this consistently for now on. Any player nation he visits can do whatever they like with it:) '''

''' King Philip V of France dies, and his 8-month old son is crowned as King Philip VI. Charles the Fair, the Count of La Marche, is nominated the Regent of France. '''

''' With the sudden Aragonese invasion of Navarre, a Kingdom in dynastic union with France, many nobles across France (including Valois, Orleans, La March, and Normandy) urge intervention to save the Basque nation. Although Alfonso XI answers his father's call to arms, the nobles of Castile are rather reluctnat to support this thirst of expansion. Both Castile and Portgual end up only giving limited support to their respective sides. '''

''' Siezing advantage of the civil war in China, the Kingdom of Korea launches a counter-attack to besiege the fortress of Pyongyang, taking back their territory lost in previous conflicts with the Mongols. '''

''' In spite of the chaos in Yuan China, multiple advances of literature continue to be produced. Zhao Mengfu paints a mural known as Bathing horses, and Ma Duanlin publishes an encyclopedia called Wenxian Tongkao. '''

''' In the Lowlands, Count Louis VI of Chiny leads a local rebellion with a few barons against the takover of Loon, consisting of 900 troops. '''

''' The Serbian civil war between Stephan and Stephan over the death of their father Stephan results in Stephan winning and being crowned as Stephan's successor. '''

''' A Franciscan Friar in Italy named Simon Rinalducci is accused by political enemies of committing "several serious crimes". In a hasty trial, the Friar seems to plead guilty to these accusations. '''
 * Mali Empire: With the growth of agriculture and infrastructure helping to facilitate a far larger carrying capacity of the nation, less emphasis is made on growing residential districts of the current trading cities of Dakar and Timbuktu. Instead, many smaller towns and cities begin spralling out along the countriside along the Niger and Senegal River valleys. The cooling temperatures helps to facilitate the expansion into the desert, placing oasis depots for military and caravan trade along the Fezzan and Central Nigeria. Rapid expansion of local feudal nobles pushes south beyond Wagadugu toward the Atlantic Ocean, closer to bordering the Bono Kingdom. As the military of Mali has been fully upgraded with proper steal weapons and short swords, larger siege weapons are also introduced. Primarily this comes from the realm of war elephants, tamed in the wild from the Niger River, but other weapons from Europe and Egypt help conduct sieges using towers and crows. In the east, Mansa Musa fully occupies the city of Njimi, the capital of the Bornu Empire. Musa immediately proclaimed himself as the Emperor of Kanem-Bornu, the true successor of Emperor Abdullah, and the only one purely wise and pious enough to deserve ruling the people of Kanem. The lords of Kanem politely objected to this declaration, saying it was an ancient tradition of theirs that the rulers of Bornu should always be of the same family, the eldest male of their dynasty, and their family had not changed hands in the last 500 years. Being respectful of this ancient tradition, Musa declared that the houses of Keita and Sefawa should be forever united together, and rule both houses and both courts of each realm simultaneously as one family. The sons of Abdullah were all executed for their treason, and the remaining males of the family were married to daughters of the House of Keita: Dawud the son of Ibrahim was married to Fathima, the daughter of Abu Bakr II. Soloma, the daughter of Dari, was married as Musa's second wife after his first wife Aisha. Finally, Mariam the daughter of Abdullah was married to Ayyob, the eldest son of Musa. Thus, as Musa was now the eldest male of the united house of Keita and Sefawa, was crowned as the new Emperor of Bornu in the city of Njimi.
 * Kingdom of England: With the Forces of Mortmier retreating to Worcester, Edward II continues his advance with 10,500 men moving his forces toward Worcester while a force of 3,500 men remains in Pontefract Castle in order to besiege the castle with the English Forces bringing in Siege Equipment in order to quickly force the surrender of the Castle. With his own wife pleading to exile the Despenser and seeing an opportunity having recently opened in Iberia, Edward II decides to consult the English Parliament on whether the Despensers should be exiled or not given how the Opposition toward them has increased (Mod Response Needed). Meanwhile, with the Scottish Invasion in the North, a Force of 5,000 men under John of Brittany, the Earl of Richmond are sent to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to halt the Scottish Invasion. With the Scottish Intervention, Edward II calls for his Vassal of the Lordship of Ireland to contribute some of their forces in crushing the Scottish and the Rebel Marcher Lords (Irish Response Needed). With the Aragonese Invasion of Navarre giving an opportunity for Edward II who sees Aragon as a potential ally in Iberia against France, Edward II orders his troops in Navarre to withdraw from the country as the Kingdom of England declares its support for the Aragonese Invasion. However, due to the current Rebellion, England will be forced to remain neutral until they can make a final decision on whether to intervene or not once the Rebellion has been crushed. With this the Forces in Aquitaine and Gascony are increased to 8,000 men as Edward II gives the order to begin the construction of Fortifications along the French and Navarrian border while a Fleet of 35 ships is amassed in Bordeaux while another Fleet of 50 ships are assembled in Bristol in case of French or Navarrian aggression against the Kingdom of England.
 * Mod response: Eager to prevent war, Parliament holds that the Despensers must be exiled, though many believe the King will simply allow them to return after the conflict is over. A show of good faith may be needed to dissuade these cynical opinions.
 * With this, Edward II agrees to exile the Despensers at one condition. That the Marcher Lords, Roger Mortimer and the Earl of Lancaster stand down and reaffirm their loyalty to the King. 
 * Delhi Sultanate: The Sultan establishes the Diwan-i-Amir-Kohi (the Department of Agriculture). The Arabic books on Agronomy are currently being studied and copied by scholars in the Madrassa of Dholka. Islamic Capitalist concepts/institutions are now firmly established in the Gujarat region and have also been introduced to certain trade nodes in the interior of the Sultanate. These concepts now begin to seep into the traditional trading communities of the other regions and begin influencing businesses in the major cities of the Sultanate. With the growth of trade and Gujarat being the main trade node, the Sultan orders the construction of a road leading from Kara to Cambay; passing through Budayun, Delhi, Dhar and Dholka (which I will call ‘the Eastern trade road’). A port is established in Sultanpur. The Delhi Sultanate begins participating in the spice trade through the port of Sultanpur (Goa). The Sultanpur fort is being constructed. The Sultan initiates the campaign to conquer Sindh, Malik Kafur leads an army of five tumen to attack the capital, Thatta. The Delhi armies use siege machines and Turko-Mongol tactics.
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": His Majesty John III Archduke of Lotharingia leads an army of 7,000 men into Kortessem. This army being to fight the army of Count Louis IVI of Chiny as he fights against the newly acquired title of the Archduke of Lotharingia. So His majesty marches with his force until he's near the town of Kortessem, where John III splits his army into two groops. The larger groop being the combination of infantry and Archers which goes slightly to the east going to Hemelspark, this groops being around 7,000 of the 9,000. While the other 2,000 soldiers mostly man at arms and knights marching westward, they do this with a fast tempo making sure they can suprise the enemy. This suprise is done due to the fact that most of Lious' forces are busy fighting the infantry, when sudenly the Lanced knights apear from the most outer flank of the Chiny forces. The reason for this fight is due to Lious VI of Chiny the son of the old Count Arnold resisting his father and his father's succesor John III Archduke of Lotharingia, this is due to the earth of Lious who is very opertunistic and corrupted. This even being the reason why his father arnold V sold his county to John III. While this is happening there begins to grow a nickname and a general Naming rule, John III who was educated in Greece using quite often when talking and writing to foreign envoys refering to himself as Ioanis. His nickname even being John the Roman, as the Greeks are seen as Romans even after 700 years after the fall of Rome itself. While all this is happening the John III as count of Holland looks at the current situation in the frissian freedoms, which is in his eyes a mess and not any mess a dangerous and complicated one. Frissia has no King - no duke - no leader - no central government to hold diplomatic actions. There is no possibility for the people of frissia to hold anyone easly responsible for the actions that are done against them, criminal acts that happen to often for one people, this all due to to the weak legal code and administration. So His Majesty the Archduke John III proposes that the government of Frisia becomes more centralised, standardised and hierarchical then it is as of now. This when combined with a better judical system would make Frissia a more stable and fair country in the empire. An empire and an emperor who most believe to be unchristian and even not sane enough to rule the the Sacred realm that is the Roman empire. This Roman empire that has been rotted allready before Lious IV took the throne, the Decay of the empire accelerated since his majesty took the Throne. So the army who won and Crushed the Loon rebellion now begins to prepare themself for a sacred war against the enemy of the Lord, the son and the Holy spirit, So John III prepares his army once more. An army that has gained more experience due to the Rebellion and is now even stronger and more knowledgeable then it was before. But War is not only waged on land, but also in the Sea trough economics. This economic part of the Realm being expanded by looking into new ship technology such as better ways of log burning and bending and finding ways to simplify and standardise the proces of making the ships. This is done by companies or crews of shipmakers deciding to make their ships all to one standard lenght so each part of a ship can be replaced more easly by just stating which part of a ship has damaged as then they can get a log of the fitting size. Although this is meant to enhance efficiency of shipbuilding during this first year it actualy slows it down as now ships are measured more presicely then they ever were before. But even now benefits are seen as now they can calculate more how much cargo they can sell and buy, this making it plausible to have a rough estimate of profit for the crews of ships.
 * Papal States: Pope Gregory XI continues to encourage the clergy to have a more humble life and to help more effectively the poor. The Church"s acts of charity continues to be done across the Papal States, with the most part being done by the Order of the Divine Mercy. The hospitals continues to treat a large number of patients and the construction of the Church of the Divine Mercy continues. The construction of the prison for simmonists finally ends and those imprisioned in Castel Sant'Angelo are transfered there. This year the harvests begin to normalize and more grains coming from Church lands are stocked in the Barns of the Poor. The pope took notice of the case of Simon Rinalducci and feeling that something is wrong, he writes to the responsible for the trial of the friar saying that he wants all the informations about the case and that a new judgment will be made by the Ecclesial Tribunal in Rome [MOD response needed, please]. The pontiff congratulate Jordan of Pisa for his invention and says that God blessed the monk with great intelligence and creativity to create so useful object. Gregory criticizes the violent manner in which the king of England dealt with the Shepherd's crusade. These people could be causing trouble, but they didn't deserved to be massacred that way. (Secret) Pope Gregory writes to Saxony and Switzerland asking about their position regarding Louis IV and his growing paranoia with the states of the Empire. He asks them if they will continue to support an emperor that for no reason decided to antagonize the Hanseatic League and that without reason threatened with invasion the Rhine States (End Secret) [MOD response needed, please]. The pontiff is outraged with the invasion of Navarre by the forces of Aragon and Castile. He says that this invasion have no purpose other than feed the expansionist desires of king James II. Even the so called illegality of the Western Church is a false information, due to said church having reconcilied with Rome in 1317. The pope exhorts all the Christians of Europe to repudiate the Aragonese attack on Navarre. 
 * Saxony is currently divided, but the actual elector, Duke Rudolf of Saxe-Wittenburg, firmly supports the Pope's decision. Duke Eric, of the much smaller Saxe-Laurenburg, supports the Emperor. Switzerland is .... neutral.
 * Rinalducci privately confesses that he took the fall in order to prevent scandal to his brethren in the order.
 * County of La Marche: With Philip VI's accession to the throne with his brother's death, resulting in Count Charles becoming the Regent of France, the Count immediately begins working to establish a sense of continuity with the previous reign of his brother, hoping to ensure stability in France, with much turmoil having occurred lately across the kingdom. Although much of the nobility across France desires to intervene in order to defend Navarre, Charles has never been terribly fond of his eldest brother, and though he has not flaunted his dislike by any means, he decides to hold off on any immediate intervention in the name of caution. (Secret) Messengers are sent by Charles on a mission unknown by the court in order to negotiate with the King of Aragon, with the Regent hoping to leverage the possibility of intervention in order to gain something of value for the whole of France (End Secret) (Aragon Response). Firmly believing in the honesty of the honourable Jacques Fornier, Charles begins the execution of the lepers previously imprisoned by his brother, on the charges of treason and conspiracy against both the Crown and the people of France. Messengers are sent to the Papal States calling for a Crusade to be called against the Emirate of Granada, due to their orchestration of this unholy conspiracy in both France and Iberia (Papal Response).
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Gregory XI is suspicious  if the accusations made by Jacques Fornier are really true. However, he supports the formation of a Crusade to defeat the Emirate of Granada - not because he believes in this “leper plot”, but because Muslims have been in Iberia for a long time and now is time for the Christians to reclaim their territory.
 * Aragonese Response: the regent's diplomatic request are accepted with open arms with James daughter Blanca being offered in a hand of marriage to a man of their choice in France to the addition of discounted goods and access to trade goods from the Spanish territories. Othee various offers lay open for further discussion.
 * Zimbabwe: Several Shona merchants within the interior who have profited greatly from the trade with the Arabs have relocated to the coast, where they seek to expand their trading ties with the foreigners and try to bring in new goods from Arabia and India through their Arab contacts. These merchants bring with them their households, servants, slaves, and livestock, establishing several large communities outside of Muromo Wenyika, where they trade their wares with the inhabitants and their foreign guests. The Shona who took up a life by the sea as fishermen and sailors return periodically to take their children with them and get them accustomed to a life at sea, showing them the skills and trades they were shown by the Swahili from the north. These individuals became invaluable in helping to expand the number of food sources along the coast in the east, where thousands of Shona have begun migrating from the interior. They quickly find that their crops of sorghum, millet, and marpula perform poorly in the humid, tropical climate of the region, and look to the foreigners for aid in acquiring a new source of food. Several of the Shona who accompanied the Arabs in their trade missions across the Indian Ocean have spoken of the rice crops from India and Bengal which they saw during the dry season there, which appeared to perform well in the wet and tropical regions of Mozambique. Merchants from Muromo Wenyika familiar with the rice crops of Bengal import rice seeds at the request of the mutariri stationed in the district to help alleviate the issue of crop failure in there, and begin distributing the seeds to the farmers to begin planting ahead of the harvest season. Several of these crops are planted around the city of Manyikeni in the interior of the district, though the inexperience of the Shona in handling the crop results in a very poor harvest later in the year. Many of the farmers are upset, stating that they were told that they could see three or even four harvests in a year with this rice crop, but have only seen one very poor harvest. The merchants who provided the seeds calm the farmers with support of the overseers in the region, who state that they will continue working with the farmers on how to properly cultivate rice in their region. The construction of several new roads leading from the capital city to the surrounding urban centers continues with haste, as the movement of people and goods between the major population centers has increased under the trade-focused policies of the king. Several of these roads are built to pass directly through local boma enclosures, where travelers are entitled to stay if they are coming from a distant city and require a place of shelter and protection during the evening. Most of these roads consist of soil that has been lifted and beaten down, with rocks and stony soil removed to make the roads themselves flat and easy to move through. In the city of Mapungubwe, Prince Akashinga begins his equestrian training alongside several of his close friends and advisors, as well as several warriors he selected to receive similar training themselves. Having fully recovered from his wounds from his previous attempts to ride a horse without proper training, Akashinga has taken heed of his teachers and their warnings, and sought to show the four-legged creature the respect it properly deserves. A large stable is constructed for the Arabs and their steeds to use, as well as any other facilities they deem necessary for their work, and a full staff of local Shona laborers have been seconded to the foreigners to provide the manpower needed to run the stables effectively. The king declines to join his son in his training, but offers to pay for any of the costs accrued in the process of his work to master horsemanship. In the city of Mombasa, Munashe accompanies his master to the ports to assist him in checking in on his ships and assessing the worth of the goods traded over the year. Intrigued by the work of the sailors and merchants at the port, Munashe inquires about the nature of the city's trade and its foreign relations, to which his master begins to go into detail the background of the city's economy and its history, providing a wealth of information that stuns Munashe as to the true scale of the world as a whole. The great merchant himself states that he will be heading off to India on a trading mission and will be taking Munashe with him, both to give hima taste of the foreign cultures as well as to provide him with the knowledge necessary to better serve him in the future. These experiences help to give Munashe a firsthand experience of the world of sailing and trade, and upon learning of the great wealth obtained through these endeavors, convinces Munashe that his prior desire to overthrow the king of Zimbabwe was pointless compared to the true power that could be obtained through gold and silver, of which man is especially fond of.
 * Republic of Venice: The few recent years of religious trouble and bad harvests made the need for reforms necessary and a few new laws come into practice. First of all, the Jews are allowed to settle and worship freely and are free from any religion based taxes. However, the newly settling Jews are not allowed to enter the Venetian merchant class but are encouraged to work as artisans, intellectuals (if they have the qualification to do that) and farmers. Especially the Murano glass manufacturers seek to hire Jews, as they live relatively isolated and are therefore less likely to spread the secret of the glass. Second of all, the state pays more attention to the rural areas, as the republic has been expanding rapidly without changing its almost exclusive trade based economy. The cultivation of raw materials required for the production of textiles is expanded in the Greek possessions of Venice, Rhodes and Crete especially and to a minor extend to Dalmatia, Ragusa and Durazzo. The domestication of sheep and cattle is encouraged as well, with limits imposed on the animals themselves, making them affordable, while creating a large base for wool and secure food sources. After almost a decade of Venetian influence and heavy political work making Florence a vassal, the influence is expanded even more, as the overwhelming majority of lectures at the Florentine University are held in venetian. Not only that, but the (temporary) total Venetian control is deemed necessary due to the war in the Thyrrenean Sea. To secure Venetian and Italian interests and defending the only true Pope himself in Rome, the Pope is asked to permit the annexation of Florence by Venice, to be able to properly operate in the western Mediterranean (POPE RESPONSE NEEDED). SECRET A ridiculously large amount of money, approximately 100,000 Ducates is planned to be used for convincing the pope to permit the annexation SECRET END Sensing large profits, the Arsenali once again begin to produce war material en masse in cooperation with hired admirals and mercenaries. A navy of 400 warships is planned to set sail to Aragon and wreak havoc on their navy. If the annexation of Florence goes right, the Navy could start from Livorno and cut the delay of the attack by at least a month. The language policy is also making progress: a (for now) only written language that is close to all the various dialects and languages with heavy borrowings from Venetian, Tuscan and Latin, while many Greek words enter the language as well.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Gregory XI would be happy to support the actions of Venice. However, due to attempt of bribery, the pontiff don't give his blessings to the annexation of Florence. He says that the next time that this happens Venice will be excommunicated. The money is sent back to Venice.
 * Kingdom of Navarre: The Navarrese military defends to its best ability against the Aragonese attacks on Iruñea/Pamplona and Donostia/San Sebastián. King Louis I thanks Milan and Venice for their intervention on behalf of Navarre. With the backing of Western Patriarch Federico Goikoetxea, the Western Church's missionaries who have been working on converting Basques in northern Castile call for the Basque peasants in northern Castile to rise up in rebellion to oppose the Basques in Navarre from being subjugated by Aragon. (Mod response) With the Regent of France's official neutrality, Louis I sends envoys to individual nobles who have expressed support for Navarre like Valois, Orleans and Normandy, urging them to aid Navarre against Aragon with their local militaries. (Mod response)
 * Volunteer militaries amounting to 4,000 men are sent to Navarre from various parts of France.
 * Small groups of Basque peasants revolt and severly damage supply lines from Castile.
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Novgorod and Tver's second son Alexander recruits new levies from the city of Smolensk and leads his troops to aid the Bohemians against the evil armies of the Khan at Lviv [ALGO request, but also with Bohemia]. In secret, the veche (government), headed by the new posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Ostafiy Dvoryaninets, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, conspire in order to spearhead reform, go away from their plan of reforming without a Prince, and see the need to keep strong military leaders around. Other plans for reformation are made. Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The Archbishop sends some monks to the Karelians, hoping to convert them, and to mend the relations between the two groups. The secretly hired Ushkuyniks, rich from their last battles, are sent to sack Chernigov.
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): The troops of Tver, Yaroslavl, Rostov, Pskov and Ryazan, along with their Teuton allies are led by Prince Mikhail and his son Dmitry, who's nicknamed 'the Terrible Eyes.' They rush to aid the Bohemians against the evil armies of the Khan at Lviv, to free the Rus' once and for all [ALGO request for Lviv, see above]. Otherwise, Tver has grown rich of trade between Novgorod and the other Russian principalities.
 * Republic of Pskov (Novgorodian vassal): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and supplies 4,000 troops. Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.
 * Crown of Aragon: James seeing no true success in his war against Navarre begins to have the council reconsider the operations of war and the campaign. He orders an envoy to be dispatched to England requesting military access and economic support with supplies. In exchange, trade is encouraged (English Response). If accepted, 10,000 men will march on the already blockaded port of San Sebastian from Gascony securing the port. The rest of the men including mercenaries of the catalan company and reinforcements with organized supply from Zaragoza, a nearby city to Navarre has supplies redirected to Ejea de los Caballeros to make higher rates of efficiency unlike before in this war impacted by attrition. Already in a similar environment of terrain as the Navarre Forces, men are sent to Pamplona through already secured areas of countryside to take the cities already having supplies affected with arrows and cavalry put to use to surround and seize fortifications and defenses while also destroying others and using catapults to the Aragonese advantage. Waterways are used by Cavalry Units to assist in transport and control of the countryside further depriving supplies. Fire continues to be used as a method of striking down the Basque while holes are made with flames used to weaken and collapse defended areas. Beyond this, James convinces his son to try to appeal to the Castilian Nobles to take action against Navarre as they seem to support rebellion in the Castilian Basque region giving a reason for more attention in war (Mod Response). With the defense of Sardinia and Corsica, the portion of the Armada is used to redirect forces after securing mutual dominance in the protection of Corsica and Sardinia against the Milanese. 69 more ships are ordered to be built to replace any lost or damaged vessels. In maintenance of naval dominance in the Western Mediteranean against Milan and Venice with more of our Navy put to use for defensive purposes only taking advantage and using wolf like tactics to surround vessels and destroy them when the opportunity is left available. Bombardments and strikes on ships with flames and other means are used in the meantime. An envoy is sent to Gregory in Rome to arrange potential talks and discussions of peace. With surplus funds reserved in the Aragonese Treasury, more funds are pushed in the naval yards and arsenals to produce much needed materials for war and fund mercenary support more specifically from Aragonese well expreienced veterans who have expressed their devotions to James the Great. The admirals continue to do their best with the posession of the crown's armada.
 * Castile agrees this action is intolerable, and they give more support against Navarre.
 * England agrees to give Aragon Military Access and Economic support with the King of England providing Aragon with a small force of 2,500 Volunteers.
 * Japanese Empire: The second year of Daigos unchallenged rule sees the fruits of some prior labors made by previous Emperor Uda come to fruit. Some of the imperial developments in agriculture under intensive government subsidy of various high population communal farms. These farmers are provided for in security, food, and in some cases entertainment and small villages grow around these intensive farms. This helps fill in the gaps in lackluster Agricultural performance in Japan. However, Emperor Daigo sees the necessity to potentially break this system following further development of the enclosure movement with the labor being repurposed for other projects. The support for the enclosure and its development goes forth at full speed as government grants and opportunistic people looking to get away from cities are either granted or purchase large plots of land for re-development. The expansion of the artisan communities in various cities does begin to pay off as the overflow in the amount of artisans of all types sees their need appear in the various redeveloping areas of Japan. In the south multiple Artisan communities begin to integrate within Japanese villages and Hiroshima undergoing its own reconstruction sees its own rather lacking community expand heavily. This is partially due to their need to help rebuild and partially due to the increased trade between various peoples across the sea in a land known as China. While knowledge remains limited outside of previous attempts to invade via Korea, the knowledge of some sort of civil conflict allows the Japanese traders some leeway in trading with what are known to be multiple chinese factions. There are other trade relationships developing with various Korean merchant families across the sea which sees many relationships begin to form in a positive light. The new tax system sees benefits as well as the imperial treasury begins to fill up a bit more with the accurate census data and catalogue of much of Japan's economic and production systems. With the nobility sated for the time being the Emperor begins focusing further on the peasantry. While a clear class system exists the Emperor begins looking into implementing a possible system to judge the aptitude of the peasantry and the possibility of getting gifted individuals into professions more suited to them. The system is expected to be developed over the next few years. However, resistance in the nobility is dubious. A reminder that much of the new nobility owes its position to the emperor is made clear in presiding over the Yamato court this year and Daigo expresses "I have given you your station, and judging from who rules Japan, I do believe I can take it away." The Loyal clans stand steadfast with the emperor giving him a clear majority (not that it was needed) to force through the reform. However, with the clear majority of his loyal daimyo in support of the reform, it is passed with no further issue. The military measures expected to be revoked following the war are instead streamlined and the Emperor creates a moderately sized imperial army drawing on the freemen to form the massed core of his forces with possibilities to expand the army ever present by issueing levies to the cities and lords and other free communities. The 20,000 strong force is made up of about 12,000 Ashigaru formed into a 7,000-strong force of frontline spears/glaive infantry, a 2,000 strong force of light melee swordsmen and 3,000 Archers which are split between mostly archers and a 500 strong Fire lance regiment which is to be used alongside the integrated nobility forces made up of 7,000 samurai retainers with 2,000 shock infantry, and 3,000 heavy cavalry to be augmented by a screening 1,000 strong ashigaru light cavalry force. This effectively splits the cost of the Emperors army between the Ashigaru outfitted and funded by the Emperor himself and the Samurai retainers who already rich and noble in their own right will provide their own equipment but will be paid out of the Imperial treasury for the duration of their service. Terms of service are streamlined as well with five-year enlistment periods and vouchers for labor for the Ashigaru families. The Emperor turns his attention to Hokkaido looking to consolidate the holdings and the native Ainu and the Japanese settlers. In order to pacify the new nobility and keep their attention focused (along side with promises of land in Hokkaido) the Emperor sends 5,000 Samurai under his new Kampaku Katsumoto Niryu taking the position after the resignation of the previous Kampaku. The forces arrive in Hokkaido near the end of the year and turn north against the unorganized territories and begin marching on the Ainu settlements north of the organized border with full intent to bring the rest of the island under Imperial control. In other news in Hokkaido Japanese settlers and Ainu peoples organize around the chief settlement of Sapporo which sees notable growth and had passed up Hakodate as the most populous Japanese city on the island.
 * Tarascan State: Tariácuri, with the second message from Curicaueri, continues to urbanize Tzintzuntzan and Angamuco. With the aid of Urichu, Erongarícuaro, Pechátaro, and Jarácuaro, expansion is halted in the west while settlements are built farther. In Tzintzuntzan, military barracks are installed under a new philosophy meant to minimize the total numbers while maximize strategy and efficiency. With this, it is decided that roughly one-fifth of all male adults at the age of 14 must begin militant training, spending upward of 12 years in a faction of 25 before they are able to retire to a live of serenity before reaching the skies. The Assembly of Pátzcuaro votes toward the creation of a tributary system and a plans to reform bureaucracy over the coming years. While not limiting Tariácuri's power, it would allow Citlali's military power to be expanded. After completely destroying the confederation, the primary policy over the newly acquired territory continues to be conducted for another three years. The coast is finally reached and settlements are established. With this, fishing is established as a form of gathering food, while the major agricultural and cattle regions in the former Jalisco are absorbed and owned by warriors and nobles. Tariácuri's sons, Hiripan and Tangáxoan, are installed as lords of Ihuatzio and Tzintzuntzan, allowing domestic rule while maintaining military alliances. Mining occurs in the recently conquered Jalisco region, which produces large obsidian deposits. While iron and bronze had been used primarily, the creation of obsidian spears, short swords, and knives occur. A new faction in the military is created by Citlali called the "Chicahtoc Tlacatl", who dress in all black linens and carry these obsidian weapons to attack in the night. They number roughly 2,000, and consist of harshly trained militants in an effort to help produce savages. To help create a more mainstream and easier means of production for amate, Tariácuri begins writing a language script for the Purépecha so as to end the over-usage of pictograms and make the understanding of text much easier. Expansion inland to the east is made.
 * Jarldom of Greenland: This year sees the pupulation reach 3,000 people which is celebrated all over the island. Meanwhile, explorers are sent out to make contact with the Thule people and laern their language. To mark this occasion the people are asked to vote on what should be built to commemorate it and the winner is that a gigantic tower should be built in the capital, overlooking the ocean.
 * Yuan China: The civil war continues throughout this year, and at long last one of the three sides falls, leaving only two remaining contenders for the throne to fight for the title of Emperor. Specifically, the faction of the man who started this conflict to begin with, Yexi Xiong, is defeated and has his lands conquered by the Song forces. Although at the begining of the year it sees likley that the Xing will fall to the Yuan, Korean forces attack into Yuan territory and besiege Pyongyang in an effort to retake territroy previously lost to the Mongols in early (second month of the year). This forces the Yuan to divert many of their forces fighting the Xing to the border to fight Korea, leaving them with a disadvantage missing 30,000 men and allowing the Xing to regroup and even retake some previously lost territory from the now distracted Yuan. However, this short resurgence does not last, as the Song, now seeing that the Yuan are to distracted to do anything about it, launch an even bigger invasion of the Xing held lands with almost all of their forces, managing to conquer almost all of their territory and in doing so gain an advantage against the Yuan in terms of manpower and resourses which they otherwise would not have gained. This also allows the Song to finnaly secure the loyalty of the Eastern lands of China, which had previously been mostly neutral, wanting to wait and see who would gain the advantage over the others first, which gains them a massive influx of manpower and resourses, further strengthening their position against the Yuan to the north. Although they do not begin activley attacking the Yuan yet apart from a number of small expeditions and raids to test defenses, the leadership of the Song forces, led by General Mao Xieren, begins planning a major campaign into the vulnerable Yuan lands to the North of them, which have been left underdefended due to the need to fight the Koreans. The Song also reach out to the Koreans to raise the possibility of an alliance between the two, as they have a mutual interest in defeating the Yuan and the Song have no reason to fight with what had, up until the invasion by the Mongols from the North, been one of China's most loyal allies and tributaries. (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED). With all of this in mind, by the end of the year it seems increasingly likely that the Song will ultimately be the ones to triumpth in this war, and they begin preparing for the aftermath of the war, even if they haven't begun to actually implement anything yet, and do not plan to until after the war is fully decided.
 * Korea accepts the alliance and considers the Song to have the Mandate of Heaven, so they send as much military to the Song's assistance as needed
 * Bohemia-Poland: Wenceslaus III's forces meet are joined the Novgorodian forces and engage the forces of the white horde outside the walls of Lviv. Wenceslaus III takes control of te centre and the left wing leaving the right to the Rus. His light cavalry harrass the flanks of the Mongol camp while the crossbows continue to fire on the Mongol forces protected by mobile wooden shields with squares of archers and pikes advance. the mop up of Mongol bands in the recently reaquired eastern Poland. Efforts to begin providing food and other goods to the displaced.
 * Republic of Milan: Milan continues to prepare for the opportunity to arise to gain more influence throughout the Italian peninsula and to reconquer there lost lands of Sardinia and Corsica, As such the opportunity seems to have presented itself with Aragon believing the Islands safe the full might of the Milanese forces are prepared to reconquer Corsica and Sardinia for Genoa. The addition of the Naval forces of Pisa and the continued build up and preparations of venice cause Galleazzo to come up with an idea, two things occur the first and obvious one is the moving of the entirety of the Milanese, Genoese and Pisan navies to surround and Blockade Corsica, then forces are moved to Corsica to prepare for an assault. (Algo needed) Secret: An agent is sent to Corsica and another to Sardinia to tell of the major expansionist policies of Aragon and how poorly they treat their citizens long term and ask for the people of the Islands whom are originally Genoese to rise up and assist the Milanese forces in returning this Island to Genoa (Mod response needed). End Secret. The banks continue to do well as more customers come in with the increased drama in Florence and the lower interest rates of the Milan banks. Secret:Multiple bankers are sent to Florence to discuss with them a potential move from the banks of florence to the banks of Milan as they will be safer in Milan and won't be at the mercy of Venice and their policies. (Mod response needed) End secret.
 * Florence doesn't feel like they want to give their banks to Milan, but instead will fight for their freedom against the Venetians if necessary.
 * The Imamate: The defeat at Sis leads to a brutal realization, that the siege of Sis cannot be continued with these dwindling numbers, as such the Mamluk forces abandon Sis, setting up camp as a garrison in the recently captured city of Kars, securing control of it and reconstructing it, setting up a defensive position in case the Cicilians reorganize their armies into one unit and launch a massive counteroffensive. The men are reminded of their massive gains throughout the campaign in Cicilia and that their defeat is honorable after so many victories, the Cicilians were forced into a last stand at a major fortress city, and that it is only a matter of time before Sis falls. With the Soldiers reassured, they send out calls to arms en masse to the Muslim World, highlighting their victories in Cicilia and saying they simply need more men to siege Sis successfully and this surge of numbers will secure victory for the Soldiers. This call to arms is answered most profoundly in Aleppo, where 5,000 Mamluks and 5,000 Aleppines take up arms and march to Aleppine Cicilia (the recently conquered territory of Cicilia.) Additionally, the city of Aleppo, with its newfound wealth, diverts a portion of its finiances to hire 5,000 mercenary forces to siege Sis. The call to arms reaches south of Aleppo to the Mamluk Sultanate, where 5,000 soldiers are requested to secure Mamluk hegemony over Cicilia. Alternatively in secret, another proposal in made, a naval battle disguised as a naval invasion, to split the Cicilian forces (Mod Response Please) All the forces called up this year converge in Kars by years' end, where they set up defenses, the offensive commencing again next year. The opposite is happening in Baghdad and Mosul, unconcerned with war and the things of the false reality of the world, peace and prosperity reigning as internal development continues, further strengthening the ties of Baghdad and Mosul, which are being seen more and more as one city as both look to the Stars in awe, with many books being written on the subject of these heavenly bodies.
 * The Imamate: The defeat at Sis leads to a brutal realization, that the siege of Sis cannot be continued with these dwindling numbers, as such the Mamluk forces abandon Sis, setting up camp as a garrison in the recently captured city of Kars, securing control of it and reconstructing it, setting up a defensive position in case the Cicilians reorganize their armies into one unit and launch a massive counteroffensive. The men are reminded of their massive gains throughout the campaign in Cicilia and that their defeat is honorable after so many victories, the Cicilians were forced into a last stand at a major fortress city, and that it is only a matter of time before Sis falls. With the Soldiers reassured, they send out calls to arms en masse to the Muslim World, highlighting their victories in Cicilia and saying they simply need more men to siege Sis successfully and this surge of numbers will secure victory for the Soldiers. This call to arms is answered most profoundly in Aleppo, where 5,000 Mamluks and 5,000 Aleppines take up arms and march to Aleppine Cicilia (the recently conquered territory of Cicilia.) Additionally, the city of Aleppo, with its newfound wealth, diverts a portion of its finiances to hire 5,000 mercenary forces to siege Sis. The call to arms reaches south of Aleppo to the Mamluk Sultanate, where 5,000 soldiers are requested to secure Mamluk hegemony over Cicilia. Alternatively in secret, another proposal in made, a naval battle disguised as a naval invasion, to split the Cicilian forces (Mod Response Please) All the forces called up this year converge in Kars by years' end, where they set up defenses, the offensive commencing again next year. The opposite is happening in Baghdad and Mosul, unconcerned with war and the things of the false reality of the world, peace and prosperity reigning as internal development continues, further strengthening the ties of Baghdad and Mosul, which are being seen more and more as one city as both look to the Stars in awe, with many books being written on the subject of these heavenly bodies.

1323
''' Ulugh Khan sues for peace with the Europeans, relinquishing Novgorod and its allies from the Mongol yoke, while retaining the other Slavic vassals, and withdrawing all forces from Poland and Lithuania. As the conflict comes to a close, a wake of destruction is left arcoss various parts of Eastern Europe. 50,000 civilian lives were lost by various sacking and pillaging in Ruthenia and eastern Poland, and another 10,000 survivors were left homeless with their villages destroyed by the Mongol hordes. 8,000 other casualties are combined from the Slavs, Mongols, and Hungarian peoples. The last two rulers of Galicia-Vorhyria, Leo and Andrew Yuriyevych, are among the casualties of the war. '''

''' Vilnius is made the capital city of Lithuania, now in a far stronger position over eastern Europe thanks to their participation in the war against the Mongols, as well as their allies Poland and Novgorod. This in turn leads to a weakening position of the Duchy of Moscow and the Teutonic Order in that same region. '''

''' During the chaos of China's civil war, disruptions of trade and farming causes significant famines and droughts across thenation, leading to 100,000s of people either dying or at risk of dying across southern and western China. Among the various deaths in the nation, one significant cause of mortality arises from a terrible and contagious disease springing up in Jinagxi, known only as "the plague". '''

''' An earthquake strikes Egypt and destroys what's left of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. '''

''' Certain miraculous healings are reported to be found by pilgrims at the tomb of the theologian Thomas Acquinas, and a new star is reported in the sky hanging over his crypt. '''

''' Princess Ingeborg of Norway becomes the new regent of Sweden-Norway, and seeks to keep peace with Novgorod. '''
 * Teutonic Order: With our position in eastern Europe we set our eyes to somewhere else. With Venice not telling us where the locations of a nation in the south (Mali) we send our own expedition to the south using directions from merchants coming from there to explore and see if we can find the nation to for the Hansetic League to profit on(Mod Response Needed for Success). The grand Master wants peace between us and Lithuania and to have us trade relations (Mod Response). We ask the Pope to launch an investigation at the crypt of Thomas Acquinas to see what is going on there and also we want to participate (Papal Response Needed). We send the Grand-Master to meet Princess Ingeborg to congratulate her on becoming regent of Sweden and hopes peace will be maintained in the Baltic by her. Werner von Orslen makes a pilgramige to Rome to meet the Pope and to seek better relations with the Vatican. (more to come)  
 * Lithuania accepts trade.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Gregory XI warmly welcomes Werner von Orlsen in Rome. About the investigations at the crypt of Thomas Acquinas, a commission already decided for his canonization, which will happen while Werner is in Rome.
 * Papal States: Pope Gregory XI continues to perform works of charity using the money of the Church. This increase in the charity works of the Church was allowed due to the reduction in the expenses of the papal. Due to this Gregory continues to exhort the clergy to imitates his actions. Due to the great number of patients, the hospitals across the Papal States start to train new physicians, soon many young men start to appear seeking for apprenticeship. Grand-master Werner von Orlsen is welcomed by the pope in Rome. The pontiff shows the humble life that now the papal court have and encourages the leader of the Teutonic Order to do the same. The commissions investigating both the cases of Francesca Occhino and Margaret of Castello come to the conclusion that the miracles attributed to them are true. The same happened after a commission studied the phenomena happening in the crypt of Thomas Aquinas. Due to this, Pope Gregory declared in a ceremony in the Basilica of Saint Peter Thomas Aquinas as a Saint and Francesca and Margaret as Blesseds. The ceremony happened during the visit of Grand-master Orlsen. The pope continues to criticize Aragon's invasion of Navarre. Due to the actions of Louis IV of Bavaria, Gregory decides to take a drastic measure. In a ceremony in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Holy Father says that Louis showed to be mentally unstable and paranoid, this way being unfit to rule the Empire. The pope says that Louis showed his paranoia when threatened the Rhine States and the Archduchy of Lotharingia without reason and all of them being Christian nations. Louis justified his actions by saying that there was a plot of France and Luxembourg to gain power in the Empire. However, this plot only exists in his deranged mind. He also antagonized the Hanseatic League, while the League done nothing to receive this treatment. The Hansa showed great Christian virtue when they helped with the works of charity made by the Church during the Famine. Gregory also says that Louis broke his promisse made during the coronation that he would help the people suffering in the Empire. When the cattle started to die, rather than occupy himself with helping the people, the Bavarian preferred to threaten the Rhine States. How the people of the Empire can trust in an emperor that broke promisses made before God? Or maybe Louis don't even believe in God! Due to all these factors, Pope Gregory XI declares in the name of omnipotent God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that Louis IV is deprived of his position as Holy Roman Emperor and says that all the archbishops, lords, dukes, archdukes and margraves of the Empire are free from the oaths made to Louis. After ending the ceremony, the pope writes to all the states of the Empire and to Louis telling about his decision [Players and MOD response needed, please].
 * The Rhine states (including Luxembourg), Bishop Electors, Austria, and Saxe-Wittenburg support the Pope, while Bavaria, Brandeburg, and Saxe-Laurenburg support the Emperor.
 * Milan declares there support for the Pope. 
 * Lübeck and the Hanseatic League will support the Pope.
 * Mali Empire: Having seized the throne of the Bornu Empire, Mansa Musa establishes Njimi as a secondary capital of the empire, and partitions off its territory to various feudal vassals. He has many of the leaders of the previous Sefawa dynasty deposed, and replaces them with military leaders of the So people eleveated to minor feudal titles. Major titles that dominate the entirety of Kanem he award to allies of the Keita Dynasty, who had immigrated this far east from Mali. Infrastructure of Mali and Waalo continue to be built up, but Musa also brings the finances and infrastructure into the Bornu Empire as well. This especially focuses on the construction of new smaller depots and towns across the Sahara Desert from Lake Chad up to Fezzan. The Gorgades islands also sees more construction and immigration. As siege equipment of the military is fully upgraded to the standards of Egypt and Morocco, Musa uses the finances of the caravan surplus to fund the creation of an imperial army controlled directly by the Emperor, outside of the will of the Gbara. This military primarily for now focuses on expansion sothward, pushing the borders of the empire up to the border of Moss as well as down the Niger River toward the sea. It was around this time that Abu Yunus, still a very young prophet, prophesied to Musa that the houses of Keita and Sefawa will forever be at odds with each other, as he approached the problem of the Bornu Empire with fear instead of wisdom. This year, Musa decides to make his own personal pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. He takes a route of touring all the major spots of the Islamic world across North Africa and the Levant, including Tunis, Cairo, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Damascus, and the Hejaz. The procession he takes with him includes 60,000 personnel, with 12,000 slaves, each wearing lavish embroided silk and carrying a gold staff. Provisions for all these people to comfortably eat and sleep are adequately provided for, in addition to 80 camels laden with 240,000 Mithqals of gold. This gold is specifcally dedicated to the Caliph and various mosques and Islamic communities he visits. 
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": The Loon Rebellion has been crushed, loon and the commen people have Accepted John III as count of Loon too, His Royal title continues to grow. Legitimacy begins to grow of John III he is indeed a new Lothair, John III now also begins to ally himself with the rest of the Rhenish nations. This alliance with the Rhenish state being mostly related to the fact that The Rhenish states including Lotharingia have a deep distrust of the Emperor. As the Emperor has instead of helping the poor and the sick during the famine, he chose to treathen The Rhenish states and Lotharingia as he saw his political ambitions as more important. The emperor not even having spend one pound in helping the poor of the empire, which greatly increased their suffering of the people of the empire. For this combined with the seeming disrespectfull and even just unlogical acts of the emperor, the Archduke John III begins to see his Majesty the emperor as insane and mentally unable to rule. To prevent the emperor of taking action against the Rhine the Lotharingian Nobility is who is allready set ready due to the Loon Rebelion. In total 15,000 soldiers are readied with 12,000 Near the city of Limburg and the rest of them in the land of Horne. As the soldiers in the land of horne are positioned so they can move quickly and change from defensive to agressive at the stroke of a pen. As it is believed that even if most states will be neutral or join the side against the emperor there will be a lot of movement and maneuver. John III requests to the Imperial of City that they send troops with the Rhenish part of the deposition of the Emperor(Mod response). The archduke Himself tells the Imperial city of Aachen that the Army at Horne is enough to defend any against any attack from the emperor if the need is be, and that it is possible to request these troops to directly defend the city if need is be. While this all is happening the Archduke John III asks of the Brabantine shipbuilders who are begining to standardise shipbuilding with their more standard and less variable measurements, to possibly build ships explicitly meant for warfar and troop transport. His desire for this is to not only be able to economicly cripple a nation but also by means of supressing an enemies coasts and seas. So they Build two ships for his Majesty of the greatest size possible, with deep bows and large sails, these have as armament small spikes and a lot of archers. The archers being located mostly on the aftercastle near the end of the ship, while the Infantry is mostly on the forecastle with a lot of cheap wooden spear to try to trow them at the enemy before boarding the enemy ship after it has rammed the enemy. These two ships being unofficialy called "Geradus primus" and "Woeringen slaght" after two of the most famous names of the Realm. This being the start of the "Erzherzoglich bewaffnete Handelsschiffe" the archducal armed Merchant ships, as these ships will be from the duke but when not needed Merchants if they can afford to upkeep it can loan it from his Majesty and the Council of Heyst. The council of Heyst having the final say over the amouth a company has to pay The realm for these ships, this money being used as a form of tax collection so the council can afford the upkeep of the institutions of Lotharingia. Such as paying the commoner for archery training compesation. In malines the Lord of Malines and uncle of John III dies due to having eaten a black powder from the east which his alchemist told him, could heal you so that thou are 20 years younger once more.
 * Aachen is willing to support Brabant with the rest of the Rhenish states, but wants some assurance against the risk of fighting the emperor, who is their direct liege 
 * Kingdom of Navarre: With the loss of Iruñea/Pamplona and Donostia/San Sebastián, the 3,500 remaining soldiers from Iruñea/Pamplona and the 2,000 from Donostia/San Sebastián retreat to Tudela, hoping to hold the city long enough that attacks from Milan and Venice will force Aragon to retreat. The Navarrese royal family retreat to the See of the Western Church at Tudela Cathedral, apart from King Louis I's wife Margaret of Burgundy, who travels to her home country to ask her brother Odo IV, Duke of Burgundy, for Burgundy to militarily assist Navarre to prevent its annihilation, and she also asks him to try to convince other nearby HRE nations to do the same. (Mod response) An envoy is also sent to the King of Portugal, asking him to assist Navarre more fully now that Castile, who they wanted to avoid angering, has become openly aggressive anyway. (Mod response) Missionaries from the Western Church continue to call for Basque peasants in Navarre and northern Castile to join the effort to prevent Navarre from being annexed which would lead to subjugation of the Basques. (Mod response) The military focuses on fortifying the city of Tudela, as well as some of the surrounding farms to ensure a food supply for the city.
 * Odo IV of Burgundy sends support of 3,000 volunteers helping Navarre.
 * The envoy to Portugal got captured by Aragonese forces near San Sabastian.
 * Kingdom of England: With the opposition to the Despenser’s growing and new opportunities opening up in Iberia for the Kingdom of England, Edward II decides to not exile the Despensers and instead sends them to Ireland with Edward II confiscating their lands in England and Wales. Then Edward II officially declares that the Despenser’s would no longer be the royal favorites but announces that Roger de Mortmier and the Earl of Lancaster will not be pardoned for their treasonous actions. With his recent victories at Worcester and Pontefract, the English Forces from Pontefract are sent to reinforce the English forces in the North in repelling the Scottish invasion as this new Army of 8,500 troops launches a Counter-Offensive against the Scotts who are clearly outnumbered. Meanwhile,Edward II moves his Army of 9,500 and moves forward in Wales willing to force the capitulation of Roger Mortmier’s remaining 6,000 troops as Edward II intends to put an end to the Despenser War once and for all. Meanwhile, with the Conflict in Iberia, the Forces of Gascony are increased to 10,000 as the Fortifications along the French and Navarrian Border continue to be built as naval reinforcements are sent to Bordeaux increasing the number of ships there to 70 while the Fleet at Bristol is increased to 90 with the English Fleet positioned in the Irish Sea moving there. With France remaining Neutral, King Edward II continues English Neutrality though some English Volunteers are sent to aid the Aragonese.
 * Kingdom of Sicily: Sicily's government objects to Aragonese forces using Sicily as a base for naval attacks and, in support of Navarre and Milan, Sicily's military attacks the Aragonese forces stationed in Sicily to drive them off the island.
 * Aragonese Response: Minor impacts are delivered to the already occupying force in Sicily.
 * Crown of Aragon: As King James marches into Pamplona, the Council and Crown of Aragon and the people she governs celebrates in the face of victory. Surprisingly though, the desperation of Navarre continues to be seen as James notes leaving his generals to finish off the forces in Tudela with 20,000 men comprised of the coalition forces and well supplied groups of archers, cavalry, and infantry used to take the already surrounded city through fire and assault. With that in mind, concentration is given to the Mediteranean battles with the Milanese managing to take advantage in Corsica, James leads his fleet in resecurance efforts alongside the Sicilian Admiral Roberto Carusso guided by the support of the Sicilian Fleet and her men. With so much concentration in the waters and the island of Corsica, Carusso orders the flanking of Pisan and Genoese ships while the Armada of Aragon with Castilian assistance as a result of the Milanese supporting of Navarre, a state in which had threatened to instigate instability in Iberia and the Spanish lands flank and surround and divide the groups of ships surrounding Corsica in wolf like tactics and strategies of baiting using smaller vessels giving the full authority of annihilation resulting the paveway for the landing of support and supplies in still held Aragonese Corsica with 15,000 more men consisting of hired mercenaries commissioned by the Catalan Company and Aragonese forces. Moroccan Pirates paid by the Royal Bank of Barcelona and Mercenaries are hired to harass and attack Genoese, Milanese, and Pisan merchant and naval ships and also raid the ports when possible in order to weaken their forces. Reports of Milanese agents in Corsica and Sardinia are uncovered by allied locals and the administrative government's loyal to the crown. They are arrested and tried. On the island of Corsica, the supporting forces and reinforcements after inflicting heavy hits on the Milanese Forces and Fleet arrive and begin the battle to drive the Milanese Coalition forces into the sea as the island is blocked off from Milanese support. In this conflict, the bulk of the forces initiate a counter offensive in which the men are flanked and surrounded at the beachhead following their tactical retreat toward the mountains. On higher elevation, these forces issue a barrage of flamed arrows and boulders launched by catapults and trebuchets with Cavalry soon following leading the charge of flanking and surrounding the beachhead. As the forces strike, infantrymen come down to hack away at the rest of the men who have been trapped at the shore in order to raise the highest chances of a devastating defeat to the coalition forces. The Arsenals of Aragon prove to be quite successful and yards prove to be highly successful in the production of supplies, ships, and materials for war with nearly 100 more ships built pushing forth for further support of the Aragonese Armada against the forces of Venice who have been attempting to disrupt trade. Beyond this, conversions continue across Aragon in large numbers as the push continues. An envoy is sent by the Council of Aragon to Rome in order to reach terms of an official peace treaty with Navarre seeing the fall of her to be nothing but inevitable (Papal Response). Las Islas Fortunas see further Aragonese settlement as peace remains with the native populations. In Navarre, relief to families impacted by war are supplied by James and the crown showing sympathy for the basque people wishing for smooth recovery from those directly impacted while the Crown invests in proper burials of her men and her "misguided brothers" as James describes it.
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich falls ill after the Battle of Lviv due to a wound sustained in the fight. In his stead, his son Dmitry the Terrible Eyes and his brother Alexander call for a treaty to be signed in Kiev by all parties [MOD, TEUTON, BOHEMIAN AND HUNGARIAN response needed]. In secret, the veche (government), headed by the new posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Ostafiy Dvoryaninets, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, discuss plans to expand the role of Novgorod on the Northern Silk Road, including embassies farther away from the Mongols into other territories, and an expansion into the White Sea trade. They both, however, agree that the Terrible Eyes shall succeed his father, Prince Mikhail the Liberator. Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The Archbishop sends some monks to the Karelians, hoping to convert them, and to mend the relations between the two groups. Otherwise, we scout out the Neva delta and found a new city named Mikhailov, in honour of the Prince. We also send diplomats to the Swedish-Norwegian court, and assure Princess Ingeborg that we seek no war. 
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): Tver becomes a leading power in the Russian states, and as a last act, Prince Mikhail offers his daughter Fyodora in marriage to the Prince of Ryazan in order to forge further alliances between the two states [MOD response]. An envoy is sent to Prince Yuri of Moscow to recognize Prince Mikhail and his successors as Grand Prince of Kiev, but in return, Yuri will be recognized as Grand Prince of Vladimir-Sudzal [MOD response].
 * Mod response: Ryazan and Moscow accept given the sweeping victory against the Horde.
 * Republic of Pskov (Novgorodian vassal): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and supplies 4,000 troops. Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.
 * Jarldom of Greenland: A mystical woman who says she is the half-sister of the jarl begins spreading rumours about this and the population begins to be divided into those that believe her and those who don't. One spark is all that would be needed for this to escalate out of controlOn the 28 march the jarls halfsister ingeborg seizes the eastern and the southern settlements while Jarl Brunhilda II manages to keep control of the northern settlement as well as the old capital and the new capital of Nuuk. The army retains under the control of the legitimate jarl and begins an advance toward the eastern settlement which they capture after a week in which 25 cavalery died. After regrouping, the army begins to march toward the southern settlement. The two arrmies clashes on the 21 april in which the loyalist forces under jarl Brunhilda pushes all the way into the town square,where a final fight between the jarl and her half sister takes place, In the end no one would emerge victorius as the jarl was killed by an archer but managed to decapitate her sister with her final breath. After this battle the loyalist forces declare victory and begins rebulding the ravaged towns even getting the help of some natives. With the Jarl's death the royal Greenlandic bloodline has become extinct and the throne is declared vacant with General Anders declared as the regent. This is, however, solved on 23 November when the people elect a new dynasty from one of the nobility and on 31 December Jarl Anton af Nuuk is declared the new jarl.
 * Yuan China: With the support of Korea now fully secured, preperations made, and supply lines secured, the Song offensive into Northern China begins, with Song forces pouring over the border into Yuan territory. This campaign manages to pushes far into the north, but progress is slow and eventully stalls around Jinan, which is put to siege and becomes a major focus of the conflict for both sides, with the Song doing their best to take it as the major strongpoint stoping them from securing their hold over their newly conquered territory, while the Yuan hope to expel them from the city and renew their previous offensives to the south in order to push back the Song and begin the path to retaking the rest of China. This siege is absolutley brutal for both sides, and it and many others like it make the war even worse as they continue throughout the year. However, a major disease outbreak inside the walls in febuary and a traitor opening a gate for the Song forces eventully allow the Song to take the city in a brutal battle in which many men on both sides die, including many civilians. However, despite the high cost, the siezure of the city allows the Song to secure their hold on the Northern territroies they have siezed and to secure their flanks, ending this campaign with significant gains made and with victory looking increasingly likley, increasing the morale of the Song forces significantly. However, the Famines and plauge that result from the disruption of trade and farming and from the warfare throuhout China are extremley worrying, and the Song increasingly cite these disasters as proof that Heaven is displeased with the Yuan continuing to rule in much of China, and that they need to step up their efforts to defeat them in order to end these disasters. Alhough this does placate many for now, the Song government becomes increasingly worried about the possibiltiy of rebellion as a result of these occurences, deciding that their needs to be a decisive victory against the Yuan to prove that they have accquired the mandate, or they will be seen as weak and overthrown, and thus begin planning to force a confrontation early next year.
 * Free City of Lübeck: Typically, there are three mayors or bürgermeisters in Lübeck, who preside over a governing council known as a rat. One chief bürgermeister is placed in charge, who is generally the newest-elected figure in office. The other two still hold significant power, but the say of the chief bürgermeister holds more sway. Currently, Bruno Warendorp, Albrecht von Bardewik, and Heinrich of Wittenborg are the bürgermeisters. Each of these men have made indelible marks on Hanseatic affairs. Bruno Warendorp and Albrecht von Bardewik, however, have been Bürgermeisters on-and-off for the better part of two decades. Heinrich of Wittenborg is currently the new blood of the trio, making him the chief Burgermeister. However, this year, Heinrich of Wittenborg is killed in a freak accident - he is found crushed between a fishing boat and a pier after a bad storm. His icy body is fished out of the Baltic and given a funeral, attended by every member of the Rat. It is during times like this that the Hanseatic League defers to the judgment of other Hanseatic states. A Tagfahrt - or "meeting ride" - is held, partially to determine how exactly Heinrich of Wittenborg died. During this interregnum, the interests of Bruno Warendorp and Albrecht von Bardewik begin to clash. Though the von Bardewik family has a shipping and trading empire, the Warendorps have better inland relations. Without a mediator, these two families begin to clash. Bitter deals are made throughout the year, both hoping to bankrupt the other. It is during this time, however, that one of the mayors of Hamburg also passes away. The Tagfahrt is extended, as the Rats of both cities need to elect new Bürgermeisters. The infighting between the two pre-eminent Lübeck families has become famous in northern Germany at this point, and both seem poised to ruin one another without some form of mediation. This could potentially damage Hanseatic standing in northern Germany. The Tagfahrt decrees, then, that Bruno Warendorp will become the Bürgermeister of Hamburg while Albrecht von Bardewik will hold two seats in Lübeck for the time being. Should conflict between the two arise, both will lose their offices. This deal is to end upon their deaths, though their sons will be eligible for re-election in both positions. Bruno Warendorp expands the riverside docks in Hamburg much like Albrecht von Bardewik had the decade before. To outdo the von Bardewik family, he intends to bolster the fleet of Hamburg. To facilitate easier trade between the two city-states, a number of peasants in Bremen are hired (ordered) to build and update the roads spanning the distance from Lübeck and Hamburg (and Bremen for that matter). The Hanseatic guilds, however, propose the establishment of a builder's guild in Northern Europe, which should allow for a tighter control on building projects in the region. With this, the Hansa can approve projects it sees as productive or constructive while blocking otherwise needless projects. The Knights Templar quickly hijacks this endeavor, hoping to attach something of a military presence in the region. Doing so will prevent the unruly magistrates of Denmark, now no longer bound by a monarch, from attempting an attack on Hanseatic interests as they have in the past. The economy of Lübeck and Hamburg swell during this transitional period, with ship parts being sold throughout the Baltic as Novgorod attempts to put down its Mongol foes. These parts are also sold to the Teutonic Knights, who seem to be aiding in this war. In doing so, the Hansa makes a quick profit. In the west, the Hanseatic League begins to sell discounted ship parts to England as war begins to sweep across the island and beyond. However, with the increased shipyard capacity, the number of trade ships the Hanseatic League is using begins to swell. These trade ships are captained by military men and manned by traders. This navy sees drastic logistical changes, with the captains given orders to maintain certain courses and act in a larger unit. Some protect trade routes while others bully non-Hanseatic ships. Especially in the face of war, some are given certain and direct orders in regards to Pomerania, which side it chooses, and how Brandenburg plays into all of this. Should war break out, the traders on the ships are expected to be conscripted into a fighting force for the Hanseatic League. Training of sailors for the outbreak of war keeps them active, especially on cold winter nights.
 * Republic of Milan: The forces in Corsica are reinforced and begin to siege the city proper. With their numbers swelling to 43,000 some being mercenaries from throughout Northern Italy the rest are members of the Long lances who have recently returned from Bohemia. They dig in prepared for a long siege and multiple challenging encounters with Aragon. The Navy continues to blockade Corsica and Sardinia as well as attacking and destroying any Aragon ship that they find within their patrol zones which cover an arc from the tip of Sardinia down toward the border of Naples and over toward the border of the Kingdom of France. (Algo needed). The Venetian help is greatly appreciated and requests for help are sent to all other nations of Italy who have a port outside of the Papacy who has already declared Neutrality. (Mod and Player responses needed). The bank looks to continue to raise their profits even during this war which is quite a drain on their economy, they look for outside contracts for building as the Mongol war that was giving them such a large income comes to a close. Messages are sent to the Papacy and those involved in actions against both the ex-emperor as well as Aragon looking for opportunities to finance loans or other things from the Banks of Milan. (Mod and Player responses Needed)
 * Bohemia-Poland: With the war concluded and Eastern Poland restored to the Polish crown Wenceslaus III disbands most of his army and releases the Long Lancers back to the Milan. Upon his return to Krakow he sets about awarding parcels of land in the newly aquired lands to the men who showed skill and loyalty to the crown. He also promotes the idea of building hospitals like what the pope is doing in the Papal states to help the displaced and suffering in eastern Poland and also to help in Bohemia and Western Poland due to the lingering effects of the great famine and disease. He also takes a great deal of interest in expanding the markets and fortifications of warsaw, and Lublin, along with building a great cathedral in both cities. He also extends an invitation to the Grand Duke of Lithuania and his daughter to Krakow along with an invitation to the to the Divine mercy order to proceed over the marriage and to give mass to the start of a new friendship between the Polish and the Lithuanian people under the blessed providence of God. Plans are also laid out to assist to provide some grain and supplies across the restored eastern lands. Efforts to begin resettling the displaced begin along with efforts to identify skilled labour and those who can write so as to assist the new administration. Wenceslaus III finally turns his attention to growing tensions in the HRE between the Pope and the Emperor. He declares his support for the pope both out of fear of Bavaria gaining to much power and possibly posing a threat to Bohemia in conjuntion with Brandenburg who has historically mettled in both Polish and Bohemian affairs, and in support of Pope Gregory a man the king holds great respect for. He also orders Henry of Wroclow to lead the Knights of St Wenceslaus III to assist in the Pope a Wenceslaus and Catherine have their second male child who is named Grzegorz.
 * The Imamate: It was the intention of General Gawdat Abdul-Hamid Al-Amin of the Mamluk Soldier Coallition to march the majority of the army from Kars onto Anazarba and leaving a few behind to defend Kars with a trifold purpose, to secure both victory and an advantegous position for the Second Siege of Sis, launching dual invasions from both Kars and Anazarba once victory in Anazarba was secured. Anazarba was also meant to test out the reinforced army, see their strengths and weak points, all of this to make sure they are better soldiers for Sis. These plans are evident in his writings while on campaign in Cicilia. The General, however, lost control of his forces, surged with pure excitement and acting upon impulse they stormed the city, rushing in eagerly with haste to conquer the heavily fortified capital city of Sis defended only by 3,000 Cicilians, certain of their victory. This certainty, combined by acting on pure impulse and excitement, caused doom for the Mamluk Coallition, with the 3,000 defenders miracalously defending Sis from hordes upon hordes of their enemies, the scene a nightmare from every side, Mamluks dying by the day with Cicilians barely holding on for their lives in an incredible last stand. It is here that General Gawdat Abdul-Hamid Al-Amin arrives, taking control of the chaotic Siege after another defeat by Cicilian hands at Sis. It is here where General Gawdat Abdul-Hamid Al-Amin and his soldiers pin the Sisian soldiers to the Tarsus mountains they so resolutely defend from, now having nowhere to escape to. With escape impossible, fire is launched into Sis, engulfing everything it touches, the walls, buildings, churches, gardens, and palaces, all burned away in its wake. With the walls set on fire and consumed, they are broken down, and the Mamluk Soldiers pour into the gates of Sis, killing and capturing all remaining enemies including Baydu's son Albert. King Leo IV also dies in the chaos, with General Gawdat Abdul-Hamid Al-Amin proclaiming himself King, establishing the Soldier's State of Cicilia, and with his army, quickly establishing control of all of Cicilia, including the wealthy trade ports of the Mediterranean Coast, which have suffered the least amount of damage from the invasion aside from Alexandretta, which is being rebuilt. From the port of Alexandretta, a sailor named Yaser Nurullah Nagi sets sail to Alexandria along a trade route, arriving upon the complete collapse of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, sending him into complete disbelief at the chaos that unfolded in front of his eyes, seeing the massive waves it caused upon crashing into the sea. This captures his attention and imagination, things fall into the water and waves are caused, yet waves happen when objects do not fall in them. "What if", he hypothezises in his account, "what if the answer lies in the Stars, that a Heavenly body is causing waves upon the Earth?" News of victory over Cicilia in Sis reaches Aleppo and massive celebration ensues as many soldiers return home to their wives and children. There are those, however, who do not see their husbands and fathers returning, so they mourn and are prayed for, with the community comforting those families of those who died in campaign in Cicilia, where a massive memorium is held to honor the fallen soldiers after the victory celebration. It is during this time of victory and mourning that the gold of Mansa Musa reaches into Aleppo, both expotentially expanding the city's economy and crashing it simaltenously, reflective of the emotional state of the Aleppines. Those who do not have families in Aleppo, however, start new lives in the Soldier State of Cicilia, as they are awarded land, women, and wealth, many setting up businesses of their own with the wealth and capital they received, but they are ready to be called upon again to fight when the moment is right. The Imam hears word of victory in Sis and rejoices, for this conquest is only the beginning for this false reality, the first step complete, God has affirmed his vision, miraclously all of this was not even intended. "The plans of man go arry, but the plans of God are forever, for He is forever among the infinite Stars, His creation. All shall bow before God under the Stars."
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: On the advice of Alp Khan, the Sultan orders the Diwan-i-Amir-Kohi to begin implementing the agricultural practices described in the Arabic books on agronomy. As a result, the crop rotation of flax with wheat starts in the wheat growing regions of North India. Khizr Khan establishes a Madrassa dedicated to Mathematics in Kara. Alp Khan establishes a Madrassa dedicated to medicine in Cambay. Waqf institutions now maintain a number of Bimaristans, Pharmacies in the major cities. The import of books on Botany from Arabia leads to a great spread of pharmacology in the Sultanate. The Eastern Trade Road is being constructed, the Sultan orders the construction of Sarais on the easter trade road in every city and town that it passes through. The Sultan starts raising his elder sons, Feroze Shah and Fateh Khan. The new Sultan upholds the Policy of tolerance and continues the reforms that were being implemented by his father. However, most of these reforms have been completed. The city of Cambay starts to expand with a large influx of merchants. The port of Cambay is expanded. The Sultan makes a major effort to increase irrigation in the Ganges valley. Major projects are initiated to construct canals with an increased use of wind pumps and the water-wheel. Sindh is annexed and merged with Gujarat.
 * Zimbabwe: The development of Zimbabwe's economy continues apace, with new infrastructure for the needs of trade and commerce to expand in line with the growing trade with the Middle East and India. Trade ties with the northern cities of the Swahili see the economy of Zimbabwe play a greater role in the regional economy, as Shona gold and iron become a more common sight in the trading hubs of East Africa and the Persian Gulf. Silks and spices brought into Muromo Wenyika by Arab, Indian, and Swahili traders are exchanged for Shona gold, iron, copper, and sorghum, giving the Shona a greater footprint in the region and making them more influential as a regional power in turn. Though not as powerful as the states on the Swahili Coast, the Shona can count themselves as a power in their own right as the Arabs continue to profit from the joint endeavors between their nation and that of Zimbabwe. Several of the Shona have begun to construct their own fishing boats based on those of the Swahili, relatively small for their needs but large enough to accommodate the regular catches of fish in the sea that have become and increasingly common sight for the growing number of Shona living along the coastline. As promised by the local mutariri officials and the merchants of Muromo Wenyika, the two groups continue to assist the farmers in the kingdom's eastern districts learn how to properly cultivate rice in the soil of Zimbabwe, guiding them patiently for their own sake if nothing else, and providing them with the knowledge needed to obtain a good harvest in the year. Though skeptical of the officials' promises, the Shona farmers do get to witness the first successful crop of rice cultivated in southern Africa, though the harvest is their only harvest of the season. Regardless, the sheer volume of food collected during the harvest astonishes the farmers, who have never witnessed such a large bounty from such small seeds, and fail to grasp just how important an accomplishment they have made in the history of their people. The large size of the harvest combined with their inexperience in handling rice grains sees the Shona scrambling to find ways of storing their rice for the year, though as much as a third of the crop is lost to exposure and pests as a fair portion of the yield is left in the fields to rot. In spite of this loss, the Shona in the more humid parts of the kingdom have decided to switch their primary crops to that of rice, seeing as how it is vastly more productive and provides a higher yield relative to the energy expended during the planting season. King Katonga permits the local princes to switch their crops to rice after hearing of the reports of the local yields, but mandates that the farmers should still grow sorghum and other crops on approximately a third of their allotted lands to avoid potential crop failures should the rice fields not live up to the new expectations of the farmers. Expansion of the kingdom's urban infrastructure continues, with the capital of Lusvingo growing rapidly to include a new population of some 35,000 inhabitants, as many of the subjects in the countryside have relocated to the city to benefit from the heightened levels of trade to Lusvingo and its merchant class. Several new granite walls are built to help facilitate the larger population in the city, as well as new stone enclosures for those livestock brought along with the new inhabitants of the city. Elsewhere, Prince Akashinga continues his equestrian training alongside his colleagues, advancing in his skills on horseback and learning how to use weapons while mounted and in motion. While visiting his son to observe his progress, King Katonga is intrigued by the use of bows while mounted on horseback, viewing its potential in war as a viable means of advancing the kingdom's goals. However, he discards the idea in favor of the more traditional foot infantry formations that currently dominate the armies of Zimbabwe. While discussing the topic with his son during a meal after his training, Akashinga states that his father would be wise to acknowledge the benefits of cavalry in the army of Zimbabwe, but the current lack of numerous stock for steeds as well as the overall inexperience of his men with the creatures, dissaudes the king from taking any serious effort to utilize horses in his army. Though he respects his father's wishes, Akashinga goes to the Arab merchants in the city of Muromo Wenyika to import more horses for Zimbabwe, primarily for his own "needs" in the interior. Rather than the standard trade of textiles, weapons, and beads, Akashinga instead exchanges gold and copper to the Arabs for more horses and men capable of training his personal retinue how to use the steeds in war. Akashinga goes so far as to formally request that he and the prince of Mapungubwe exchange positions, allowing the heir to continue his training in the flat plains of the district, while having a strong power base in the coast where he can continue to influence the trade flowing into the city through his contacts there. Believing his sons passion for horsemanship to be the driving factor in his request, Katonga grants the request and shifts his son and the ruler of Mapungubwe to different locations. From his new position, Akashinga builds up his stock of horses in the ever expanding stables of the city and the support infrastructure required to sustain them. Housing is constructed as well to accommodate the large Arab staffs following into district to assist with the development of a local equestrian culture in Zimbabwe at the call of Prince Akashinga. In India, Munashe has his first experiences outside of Africa and in the exotic cultures of the Indians. In service to his merchant master, Munashe comes to learn a great many things about the world of trade, diplomacy, and warfare, the latter as a direct consequence of watching the local powers war among themselves over the wealthy and bountiful lands of the sub-continent. Munashe observes as tens of thousands rather than hundreds of warrior as in Zimbabwe, march against one another in great shows of force and brutality, using weapons and technologies he couldn't have even imagined in his wildest fever dreams. Upon returning to the coast to continue trading with the locals, he is absolutely stunned by the massive cities which cover vast portions of land and have populations that in some cases, exceed that of all Zimbabwe's. Using his knowledge of Arabic to support his hunger for knowledge, Munashe finds himself in vast libraries that contain more knowledge that any of the wisest men in his homeland. Upon setting sail for Mombasa at the end of the year, Munashe leaves a greatly humbled man, one who's previous aspirations see to fall well below the cultural and societal notice of those civilizations vastly superior to his own. Munashe is keen to purchase several of the books for his return trip home, and spends his time delving into the vast tomes of knowledge to expand his own understanding of the world, and most importantly of all, his place within it.

1324
''' A civil war breaks out in the Holy Roman Empire over the deposition of Emperor Louis IV. Bavaria and Austria clash on multiple fronts with each other, while Brandenburg invades Bohemia with a force of 4,000 men commanded by Duke Louis I. The smaller state of Saxe-Lauenburg attacks Lübeck with a force of 2,000 troops and ten ships, attempting to seize the advantage to create his own hegemony over the Hanseatic League. Finally, Louis IV leads his personal levies of 5,000 imperial knights to attack the County of Luxembourg. '''

''' The Earl of Lancaster is captured after the Battle of Worcester, putting an end to the Despenser's War in England for the time being. However, Roger Mortimer and the bulk of the March Lords military escapes the British Isles and is invited to the court of the Count of Hainaut. Roger appears before the Heyst Council of Brabant to plead his case for gathering support from the Lowlands to return to invade England. '''

''' With Uzbeg Khan agreeing to the Treaty of Kiev, the White Horde loses much of their European territory, and concentrates more on their Asian sphere of influence from Sarai, while retianing control of their vassals Moscow, Vladimir and Great Perm, and most of the Nogai core. The days of the great Mongol Empire are surely numbered as the Yuan begin to lose control over China. '''

''' A dispute in the lands of Kiev is escalating between two lesser barrons as they have difficulties with who owns a farms due to the fact that their writers cannot actualy write the name of it. This farm being Verkhnekutlumbetevo farm near Les'ky​​​​​​. '''

' William of Occam, an English monk living in France, publishes his own book of Sumae Theologica,'' comprising many logical questions about theology in the scholastic fashion. Some of these coins a system of deducing logical problems known as "Occam's Razor". In Italy, Marsilius of Padua writes a treatise defending the secular state over ecclesiastical rule, called The Defense of Peace. '''

''' John Maunderville leaves France and visits the city of Milan in Italy, and from there journeys through Genoa and Pisa into Tuscany. '''

''' "The plague" continues to fester in isolated parts of southern China, but seems relatively weak in its potency. '''

''' Marco Polo dies peacefully in Venice, willing his personal wealth to go to the Convent of San Lorenzo. '''


 * Mali Empire: Mansa Musa continues to have the agriculture and infrastructure of Mali and Bornu improved and expanded. Architectural styles from the Marinid Dynasty, including older mosques from the days of the Almohad Caliphate, are carefully imported to expand and adapt the achitecture of Timbuktu. The main public buildings and residential areas of the city remian of the Sahelian architectual style, but now more proper areas dedicated to religion and science take on a more rounded and stylized look reminiscent of the Mosques found in Maghreb. Most specifically, Musa dedicates the Djingarey Mosque in Timbuktu at this year, and its construction begins. The dropping temperatures also helps to expand depots and towns into the desert north of Mali and Bornu as well, creating a direct connection by Caravan trade across from Kanem through Darfur to the Blue Nile region of Egypt. On the other side of the empire, more ports and navy are built around the Gorgades Islands to protect trade by sea from Europe, expanding the city of Dakur. The military being fully upgraded, Musa expands the private army of the imperial demesne using the surpluss finances of the caravan trade, now being equal to the combined militaries of the Gbara. Southern expansion by local nobles continues in Central Nigeria to claim control over the entire Niger River. Musa arrives in the city of Mecca, and makes the monumental donation of 200,000 mithqals of gold to the Zakat of the House of Islam. He lays out an elaborate entourage of tents, camels and slaves for all the personnel and attendants of this pilgrimage. Robes of pure silk are laid along the road so Musa and his family would not have to step directly on the ground. Musa uses this time in Egypt to secure a more direct trade route from the Middle East toward the core of Mali, so that the trade of oriental silks, spices and books can be enjoyed by all the people of Africa as well. He similarly offers this direct trade to the nations of the Middle East, using the Imamate of Baghdad as his spokesman for speaking to the Shah of Tabriz. Of course, money is no object (IMAMATE PLAYER RESPONSE). 
 * Imamate Response: The Imam sees God has blessed Mansa Musa with immense wealth, perhaps more wealth than any man who has ever lived, and that Mansa Musa has used this wealth to serve God. For this reason, Mansa Musa's request is granted, we shall negotiate for Musa on his behalf, but this negoiation of trade will be guarenteed if Musa goes to Tabriz personally to Tabriz through the Imamate, escorted by a contingent of Mamluk soldiers in Aleppo who have secured victory in Sis last year. Once negotiations are finalized in Tabriz with the Shah of Tabriz, one of the last Mongol rulers of this world, we further propose that Musa goes down south unto Baghdad, the site of the Islamic Golden Age prior to the Mongol Invasion and the site of Öljaitü's victorious defense of Baghdad during the Jihad.
 * Mansa Musa accompanies the Imam on this itinerary proceeded by his entourage of servants, slaves, family, guests, and soldiers of his own, giving great donations of wealth to various mosques he visits along the way
 * Inspired by Mansa Musa, 20,000 Mamluk Soldiers, lead by General Gawdat Abdul-Hamid Al-Amin travel with Mansa Musa to Tabriz, where they demand that the Shah of Tabriz accept a trade deal with Mansa Musa and to recognize Mamluk hegemony over Persia and the Middle East overall, recognition of this hegemony shall be in the form of tribute to the Mamluks. In return, the Mamluk soldiers shall reunite the Ilkhanate by conquering Khoreson for Shah Tügä Khan. If refused, Tabriz shall be besieged (Mod Response Please.)
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: The Sultan establishes the Bayt-al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom) in the Siri Fort, as a public library complex which also houses scholars and their working areas, named after the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. A total of five Bimaristans (Hospitals) operate in Delhi maintained by the Waqf and the treasury. Kara, Dholka, Cambay, Lahore and Multan each have a Bimaristan. One is being built in Kabul. The new Sultan, a devout follower of the Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya begins intensely patronizing the Sufi saints of the Chishti order across India. With the establishment of the province of Sindh, Alp Khan makes an effort to increase the production of Dates in SIndh using the methods as mentioned in the Arabic books on agronomy. Malik Kafur begins preparing a large force of ten tumen. Mubarak Shah raises 30,000 fedual levies and 10,000 mercenaries in preparation for a major expedition.
 * Kingdom of Navarre in exile: After being forced from Tudela by Aragonese forces, the remaining 3,000 Navarrese soldiers surrender. The royal family, along with various clergy from the Western Church and a small personal guard, flee their homeland to the Papal States; in Rome, King Louis I urges Milan, Venice and Sicily to keep fighting so they can retake Navarre from Aragon. Western Patriarch Federico Goikoetxea (1256-1323) died during the fall of Tudela and is thus succeeded as Western Patriarch by his named heir, Bishop of Pamplona Loren Velásquez (b. 1280), who fled to the Papal States with the royal family. In Rome, Louis I uses Goikoetxea's death as an example of the savagery of the expansionist Aragonese forces and urges nearby Italian nations such as Siena, Arezzo and Florence (who had previously sided with Navarre against the corruption of John XXI) to join in the war effort to take down Aragon. (Mod response)
 * Mod response: With the outbreak of war in the Holy Roman Empire, Sienna and Arezzo wish to focus on supporting the Pope first, but declare that, should Navarre guarantee their independence from Milan and Venice, they will provide troops.
 * Free City of Lübeck: War! Following the Hanseatic declaration of support for the Pope, a number of belligerent states have risen to support the Holy Roman Emperor. In a misguided attack to shape Hanseatic affairs, an army from Saxe-Lauenburg marches on Lübeck. The city closes its gates to the south and prepares for a siege. In hearing reports about an advancing army, letters are sent with riders and carrier pigeons: Lübeck is under attack. Before the army is able to reach Lübeck's gates, the riders would reach Hamburg, Bremen, and Rostock: the League is under attack. Enough money to field 8,000 soldiers is sent to Hamburg, where the unencumbered city will field mercenaries and prepare to defeat the siege quickly so that Lübeck may do what it does best: trade. An additional 2,500 members of the Knights Templar, hired men, and Lübeck citizens pick up arms and prepare for war. The ships are pinned against the Baltic coast by the Hanseatic navy. Though some fighting ensues, the naval presence of Hanseatic ships or other ships trying to protect their trade would be enough to dash these ten ships against the rocky coast. As the approaching army marches toward Lübeck, Travesmünde is garrisoned by 1,500 men in case of attack. When the attack comes, the 2,500 men will wait on the opposite side of the Trave River and enjoy the advantage of a river defense and the high ground. The hired army from Hamburg will be sent to cross the river at Krummesse, downstream from the Saxe-Lauenburg army. With this, they will advance north, pinning the army against the river. With the northwest side covered by Lübeck's forces, the northeast covered by the physical city itself, and mercenaries to the south, the army is surrounded. (Algo 1 and mod response needed for mercenary and allied help numbers.) Should this defense work, Lübeck will go on the counterattack, sending 3,000 men along the east side of the Ratzeburger See and 6,000 along the west. By splitting their numbers, this will allow the armies to surround Ratzeburg from both sides and siege the city. Though some rudimentary defenses should be plausible at best, the island City is trapped and cannot hope to survive a siege. The armies appeal to the Bishop of Ratzeburg to surrender, but they will siege if denied. This attack is a ploy to draw more Saxe-Lauenburg forces out into the open to defend their city. (Mod responses needed for surrender and Saxe-Lauenburg retaliation). With another 5,000 troops on the way, the armies hold fast in Ratzeburg, with the 1,800 allied troops moving south, where they will ride a day behind the enemy army and trap them as they meet the 6,000 stationed in Ratzeburg. The army on the other side of the Ratzeburger See then rides from the south, surrounding the 5,000 men attacking the city. Another battle ensues, with 5,000 Saxon men facing 10,000 men from the Hanseatic League. Bruno Warendorp leads the battle himself. His son, Volker Warendorp, watches from a tower in Ratzeburg. (Algo needed, I assume.) Afterward, Ratzeburg is manned by 2,800 men as the rest of the forces converge on Lauenburg: 7,000 soldiers from the north, 7,000 Teutonic Knights, and another 8,000 mercenaries from Hamburg (22,000) launch an offensive against Lauenburg.The Teutonic Knights ride from Ratzeburg and skim the lakes on their way south, arriving somewhere east of Lauenburg before moving in. They are accompanied by 3,000 Lübeck and Knights Templar soldiers. 8,000 forces move in from the north. They arrive first, forming somewhat of a distraction while the Teutonic Knights arrive from the east and 4,000 mercenaries move in to pin the advanced army to the Elbe river and close in. Lauenburg would expect an attack from the north and west. Instead, the armies would corral the enemy forces into a position immediately west of the city, where the Elbe begins to turn north. Pinned against the river and utterly surrounded, this advanced army is taken out first before the Hanseatic forces turn their attention to Lauenburg itself, attacking the city. (Last algo)
 * 8,000 mercenaries comes to Lubeck's command, plus 1,800 troops from allied free cities
 * Duke Eric I leads his forces of 5,000 troops to retake Ratzeburg from Hanseatic occupation
 * Teutonic Order: With a great civil war beginning in the HRE the Grand-Master decides to help our allies in the Hansetic League and give support to Fredrick the Fair. We offer 7,000 troops to Lubeck to help in the civil war. We also offer five ships from our navy to protect Hansetic trade until the war is over.(Lubeck Responds Needed). The Grand-Master knows of the suffering of the people in the HRE so we are going to send our troops with cloths and food to give for charity to help relieve their terrible situation. The Grand-master wants to explore new lands and hears of lands in the south(Mali) and wants to know of the location of this nation so he sends an expedition of explorers and an Argoneses Merchant to give us directions. (Mod Responds On Success). a religious crisis begins in our nation with a priest reveling that he brutally slaughtered an entire tribal village with the help of knights and he is put on trial for barbarianism but some people believed he did the right thing by killing pagans so the nation is divided between divine mercy or killing in the name of god. The Grand-Master sends 2,000 settlers to the Courland region to start rapid development of the region. a massive cathedral project begins in Memel and will be a center of worship and a home for the poor. (More to come). We send a diplomat to Sweden to meet Princess Ingeborg to reopen relations after the war we had with them seven years ago(Swedish Responds Needed). We take a census and our population is at 280,000 which is lower than our last census which our population was at 310,000. a port begins construction in Altstadt and is expected to be completed by next year. due to the training and impoving the army our army size is about 25,000 with 1,000 calvery still in training and will be ready to be in the army by next year. We begin to construct a fort in Liepaja to make a sizeable garrison in the Courland region and will be conplete in three or four years.
 * Mod response:The sailers try to reach the land in the south for months on end, but eventualy empty ships that look like those of the Teutons apear near the coasts of Portugal and Morocco.
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": His Majesty the Archduke John III moves with his force of Limbourg moves to the County of Luxembourg as to prevent the fall of the county. This force totalling 12,000 as it is the main army of Heyst council which is led by the Archduke himself. The archduke waiting to attack the duke until Emperor Lious IV crosses the Moselle near Greiveldange in the county of Luxembourg. The reason for the wait is to be able to then pin the emperor to river and burn the bridges behind him so he cannot escape the county. Lious IV emperor of Romans is pinned to the moselle,  So His majesty John III waiting for the army of the other Rhenish states. While defending all against any plausible Imperial attack until the foreign armies arive to Greiveldange which is a total of 9,000 soldiers from the foreign nations. The biggest contributors of this combined army being Trier, Cologne and some smaller forces from Liege and Valkenburg. This combined force of Lotharingia and the Rhenish states totals 21,000 soldiers, John III being the overall commander of this army. His Majesty decides that due to the specific geography the best move would be to try to pincher them. The bigger foreign contingent of the army is planned on just slowling marching forward and thing to push the emperor while the Army of the Archduke himself is split of in one army of 2,000 and one of 3,000. The remaining 1,000 staying with the foreign contingent, as to boost the morale of the armies. So two armies move in the flanks and one in the centre all trying to push them into the river which has no bridges trying to make them slowed down in the river easy targets of the archers. With the Archduke trying with the flanking to capture the emperor himself, to have him punished for his deeds and to force an early retirement. While this is happening in Luxembourg in Lotharingia and Primarely Brabant and Hainault, something strange happens a visiter from afar. This visiter Being Roger Mortimer Earl of March a Welsh noble who has sought more rights for the the Welsh. His majesty Roger of Kymrien as he is called in Lotharingia, WHo arived in Antwerp with is his 8,000 soldiers from his native cymru. While his soldier stay behind in Antwerp and surrounding area, Mortimer and his most trusted advisers go to the small town of Heyst the base of the Heyst council. Here at the council he explains from where he comes and what his cause is and how he currently is. He explains to the half empty council that he comes from Cymru and is trying to apose English centralisation and oppression, that he had to flee Wales so he could assemble an army. Mortimer told he want the Help of Lotharingia to free his Wales from the English Dictator and Tyrant Edward II of England. While the Council does hear his pleas it does admit it cannot help him yet much, although the Council does offer Roger Mortimer the Lordship of Horn and John by letter offers Mortimer to take his Soldiers in duty to become the Lotharingian guard. (Mod response). This is offered so he can train his troops and give a place to his troops to live for a couple of years, and for John to gain a base of foreign apolitical guards to defend in John's time of need.
 * Roger Mortimer accepts the offer to train his troops in the Lowlands, and the title of Lord of Horn, but insists that he doesn't want to stay too long
 * Papal Diplomacy: After hearing about the efforts of the armies of Lotharingia, Pope Gregory XI gives his blessings to the good men that are fighting against the deranged Louis, especially to the men from the Bishopric of Verdun.
 * Papal States: Pope Gregory XI welcomes the royal family of Navarre in Rome and gives to them an estate in Ostia, there they can settle and live. The pope is saddened with the death of patriarch Goikoetxea and he promises to help patriarch Loren Velásquez the priests of the Western Church. With Aragon now having conquered Navarre and fearing for the life of the innocent people if the war continues, the pontiff agrees with the Aragonese proposal to mediate in Rome talks about the resolution of this conflict. However, he will only accept the validity of these talks if all beligerents are present [Players response needed, please]. The pope continues to live a humble live and to use the money that before was used to pay for the luxuries of the papal court to help the poor. Pope Gregory creates as cardinals patriarch Loren Velásquez (Navarre) and Nicholas Dörögdi (Hungary). The hospitals of the Papal States continue to train physicians and the Hospital of Rome is the more wanted by the aspirants a physicians. After hearing about the plans of king Wenceslau to create hospitals in his kingdom, Gregory offers to send some of the physicians of the Papal States to help in these new institutions. With the invitation of the king of Bohemia-Poland to the Order of the Divine Mercy, a group of monks and nuns is sent to there by Matthias and Catharina. The monks are leadered by the monastic priest Lorenzo Borrelli and the nuns are leadered by Evangelina Derico. They plan to establish the Order in Bohemia-Poland if king Wenceslaus allows [Bohemia-Poland response needed, please]. The construction of the Church of the Divine Mercy continues and the agriculture and handicraft continues to be incentived. The prison for the simonists, named as Prison of Saint Peter, receive a new prisoner. He is a priest that demanded money to give the Anointing of the Sick. After an investigation and judgment, he was declared guilty by the Ecclesial Tribunal and sentenced to prison. With Louis of Bavaria ignoring the decision of his deposition and declaring war on those who wisely accepted, Pope Gregory decides to make a drastic decision. Reunited with the cardinals in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, in the same place that Louis was deposed last year, the pope performs the Formal Rite of Excommunication. He proclaims: "By the judgment of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and of all the Saints, and by virtue of the power which has been given us of binding and loosing in Heaven and on earth that which was divinely entrusted to us, we deprive him, Louis of Wittelsbach,  with all his accomplices and all his abettors of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Our Lord; we separate him from the society of all Christians; we exclude him from the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church in Heaven and on Earth; and we declare him excommunicated and anathematized, as well as judge him condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels and all the reprobates. So long as he will not burst the fetters of the Devil, amend himself and do penance and make reparation to the Church which he has offended, we deliver him to Satan for the perdition of his flesh, so that his soul may be saved on the Day of Judgment". And then the cardinals answer "Fiat, fiat, fiat", that means "So be it". After ending the ceremony, Gregory writes to all of Europe telling that Louis of Wittelsbach and all of his supporters are now excommunicated and that the Holy Father is placing over Bavaria an Interdict that will only be lifted when Louis abandon his stubbornness and accept the judgment of the Church.
 * Milan response: Milan agrees with the papal idea of peace, however, states that the only way they'd be willing to accept peace with Aragon is if Corsica and Sardinia are returned to their rightful ruler, Genoa.
 * Navarrese response: King Louis I in Rome suggests to the Pope to wait with treaties since the Milanese and Venetian armies are still making progress against Aragon and might be able to secure a more favourable outcome for Navarre.
 * Republic of Milan: The victory on the island of Corsica brings even more motivation to the large Milan force and as such it begins to move out to Sardinia with a force of 8,000 being left behind to help garrison until a later time where we can actually set up a normal garrison on the island. The navy is ordered to continue their same patrols and continue to keep Aragon and its allies out. The force of 35,000 attempts to land in Sardinia, (Algo needed) a messenger is sent to Aragon with the outlines of a peace treaty in which Aragon would give both the islands of Sardinia and Corsica back to Genoa in exchange for a ten-year guaranteed peace. This treaty is proposed to be signed in Rome in front of man and god. (Aragon Response needed). Messages are sent to the Rhine states as well as Bohemia and the Hanseatic League with opportunities for 1.2 percent interest rate bi-yearly (Player and Mod responses needed). Should Aragon decline this offer following the capture of Sardinia, We will have no choice but to take the fight to Naples.
 * Aragonese Response: the messenger stands before the council where he is told that the agreement will only be truly considered if the fall of Sardinia comes to pass.
 * Crown of Aragon: With the fall of Navarre, some relief efforts resume in the region with James and the Council of Aragon sending assistance in the means of food and various other supplies that can be used. Anyone and everyone related to the Navarrese Crown are arrested including the royal family while the Western Chruch leader is given protection and is secured by James II after the surrounding and fall of Tudela. In the meantime, with the evacuation of Corsica, The men land in Sardinia with the already active force and assistance from Castile and mercenaries from the Catalan Company totalling 40,000 men comprised of mercenaries and various other groups of Moroccan, Sicilian, and Aragonese troops including Castilians. With a much more sustainable focus in the mediteranean with Castile agreements of support and cooperation as their future claims may be under threat also set eyes on the reconquest of Corsica with the assistance of other forces and mercenaries alike gathered from cooperative forces across the realm taking a landing in Ajaccio consisting of 25,000 men. Naval harassments persist further with investments and the treasury being used to follow through with war assistance as another 100 ships are built. In the landing at Corsica, Sicilian Admiral Carusso leads the way with small ships including floating debris sent forward that are set ablaze to create haze and smoke with the landing of the men led by one of the Aragonese Generals and various officers using cavalry and charges with lances and swords to break through the haze and surround the men and take back the island. Meanwhile, unrest is sparked in Corsica following the fall of the government present as the liberties granted for the Corsican People are left once more insecure. This is fueled by agents in the island stirring up allied support allowing for those municipalities who had supported the administrative head to rise up against "occupiers" who they had abandoned just some time ago. With much expense being used by the treasury, gold is resupplied through the valuable North African Trade and from Mali. Funds are raised from across the entire realm to fund this effort against an enemy who threatens the Aragonese Realm in her entirety. As much as peace is desired, these goals can't be met until Milan withdraws as sent by an envoy to the Holy See. Admiral Carusso issues the lead of targeting Genoese and Pisan ships while patrol vessels lay in use. Pirates continued to be hired and bring back some positive results in exchange for their duties. In Sardinia, the men sent to defend take the time to develop defenses and entrench themselves on the island using the natural topography and the already present defenses. Tactics of archers and siege weapons are used while Cavalry and ground men are supplied to enclose on the men in a pincer like movement coming in from both flanks as defensives hold in from the shore. The "Spanish Armada" as referred to by Carusso and recognized name by the Council of Aragon unofficially and the king himself is used to block the escape of any men that land ashore while naval dominance of the islands are being secured, Naval vessels continue to be a target set by the Spanish Forces with areas of supply being targeted for raids and disruption of trade out at sea hoping the mess in the HRE may destabilize the Milanese Economy and their system of budgets to fund the war. A functional Police force in the absence of many men in the army to assist in the sustainment of law and order is established with the La Santa Hermandad. Local people from various municipalities rather than relying on direct nobility are hired by and paid for by regional municipalities with the tax of 850 maravedis on every 100 households. Another envoy is sent out delivering a message directly from King James that if the fall of Sardinia is to come to pass, the terms of peace shall be worked upon and settled in Rome.
 * Iceland “Atli”: Some Icelandic Goðar get together and discuss the future of Iceland, the head of the Sturlunga clan; Ólafur proposes that Althingi would be reinstated and be able to control the Islands money for development.
 * Kingdom of Sweden-Norway: Iceland's proposal is accepted.
 * Republic of Venice: Since the pope refused to give his blessing for the Venetian incorporation of Florence, the Venetian delegation that is permanently in Florence is given a new order. The Venetians invited a Florentine delegation, where they are offered a new system: a system called “two republics, one Doge”, under which Florence would have a say in who can become the Doge in Venice, while remaining independent within the Venetian sphere. Furthermore, a Florentine could technically be elected  Doge as well. Doge Baiamonte even indicated that a Medici could follow him into the office. MOD RESPONSE NEEDED The preparations for the war with Aragon are finished, an armada of 450 ships with 30,000 men are sent to show up near the Balearic Islands, to cut off access to the Western Mediterranean, and to interrupt the supply lines for the theatre in Sardinia and Corsica to aid Milan. SECRET Invasion plans for Mallorca are developed even since 1323, with a smaller force capturing the ports of the Island, while others siege out the island itself. A backup force of around 10,000 men would be used to secure the routes to the islands. The plan is to be executed in early 1325. SECRET END The ideas of Marsillius are embraced in secular Venetian universities, as they largely support the republican ideas. However, to not sour the relations with the Church once again (the embarrassment of the bribery scandal are still fresh memories) the government does not accept the ideas officially and “only” lets them remain in intellectual circles. Marco Polo's death is mourned all over the nation ago and is given a state funeral. Something that would further mythologize him and support his rule as a national hero. Scientists begin to gain more interest in the mysterious matter of gunpowder. They begin to develop early fireworks who are fun to look at but not as useful. As a deep apology toward the church and to repair relationships, the pilgrim sights in Venetian lands and the roads to Rome are modernized, so that pilgrims and merchants (and military units) could travel safer, quicker and easier through Italy. the textile industry of Crete continues to grow, wheat is increasingly cultivated in teh Emilia-Romagna while the wine production, though fairly large on Crete, has been massively increased in Istria and Padua.
 * Aragonese Response: The fleet are spotted by patrols and the newest ships and portions of the Sicilian and Moroccan fleets are routed to defend against the Venetian fleet with a pincer formation being applied out at sea to overwhelm the ships on both sides engaging on tactics using flamed arrows and ramming while civilian merchants ships with naval captains are applied and ordered to be used to increase numbers of Spanish ships at sea to outdo the Venetians now being stretched and cutting support off. These strategies are advanced further of flammable material usage with oils and fluids that are also flammable being launched and used to deliver heavy hits to galleys carrying men. In the defense of the Ballearic Islands, mercenaries and other forces are dispatched to the islands numbering 20,000 with dugouts and areas of defenses built up even using high terrain and supplies from the cities. Troops needed to be redirected from Corsica with a possible landing failure would be applied in the Ballearic Islands.


 * Kingdom of France: Charles I sends a formal letter to Edward II, requesting that he stop the buildup of forces in Gascony, as it is percived as a direct threat to France. 15,000 troops from the crown lands are raised and positioned in France bordering Gascony. Additionally, help is sent to Scotland, in the form of 5,000 french troops, to aid in their struggle. Philip VI is now three years old, and is already proving very bright. He is the talk of the court. All of France watches, for Philip is the hope of France.
 * Kingdom of England: Victory, with the Marcher Lords defeated and the Earl of Lancaster captured, Edward II orders the execution of the Lancaster as well as having the Despensers returned to England and their lands returned with Edward II restoring their status as Royal Favorites. With the Socttish Invasion of England halted, the English Army presses forward in a counteroffensive with an entire Army of 10,000 men launching an invasion of Scotland with Edward II finally seeing the chance to subjugate the Scottish. Meanwhile, with Roger Mortmier and the other Marcher Lords fleeing to the Lowlands, Edward II deploys the Bristol Fleet (90 ships) along with an additional 30 ships to defend the mainland in the scenario of an Invasion with these ships scouting the English Channel and parts of the North Sea in preparation for the return of Roger Mortmier. With the French sending support to Scotland, Edward II states that England shall continue its buildup until the French stop sending support to Scotland (French Response Needed) with the English Fleet being sent to prevent the French Forces from arriving to Scotland. Meanwhile, the Fortifications along the French border continues as English Volunteers from Aragon (3,000 men) return to Gascony and are incorporated into the English forces there increasing the size of the English Army in Gascony to 13,000 men. Meanwhile, Edward II sends a message to James II of Aragon proposing an Anglo-Aragonese Alliance as Edward II is willing to aid James II in defeating his rivals of Milan and Venice (Aragonese Response Needed.)
 * The English navy isn't that large at this time. No other Atlantic nation would have close to that.
 * Kingdom of Sicily: Frederick III assista a tea discusion with his noblemen and discused it about Holy Wpirit and origin of Christianity but later after his whole discusion he confessed in the royalty of Roman's Sicily in a law they explained how the end of a war works he proposed to continue fighting his role in the crusade he send 13,000 man army on the basin. Meanwhile, after the return Frederick III help the people building those fortification, new church establishement after a while he released an old man who work hard so he told 'you're okay?' so he proposed peacefully a money to him his graceful thanks it the noblemen warn to the king that some spy were on the country so Frederick II said take care of it so after a while he is in the senate discusing about some strategy of this ongoing war basin with along 20 ships and ten Gregorian fire gun. The senate liked this idea so the troops were ready in this settement strategy fight on the basin against the enemy.


 * Yuan China: With the lands conquered last year now mostly secure, the armies numbers replenished and the supply lines now caught up, a major new offensive is launched into the territory of the Yuan in an attempt to reach Beijing and hopefully secure the capital. Resistance is fierce but little can be done to stop the advance, as much of the Yuan's armies were broken after Jinan, and they are able to successfully begin besieging the city in April. However, this does not mean that things are easy, and although a large garrison remained in the city and continues to defend it against the Song forces, many of the rest have retreted farther north, out of reach of the armies, to prepare a counteratack to drive the song back and prevent the fall of the capital. This also means that the Song are overstretched due to advancing far faster than expected, leaving them vulnerable to a counterattack. The Koreans, meanwhile, are continuing to push forward in Manchuria, and continue to occupy much of the area. However, just toward the end of the year, when it seems likley that Beijing will soon fall, a major counterattack is launched south by the Yuan, which catches the Song by suprise and manages to push them back and out of much of their recent gains, although they are stopped from advancing too far into last years gains by a defeat at the battle of Shijiazhuang, they have managed to push the Song back slightly, and retake some of the land lost last year. Although they are still most likley going to be defeated. this major reversal for the Song may have now delayed their victory by several years, and it remains to be seen what the consequences of such will be, although few doubt they will be benifical for China.
 * Jarldom of Greenland: The Royal furneral of the last jarl of the Eric the Red dynasty begins this year with the new jarl declaring it shall be the grandest furneral ever held. The funreral procession begins in the capital of Nuuk and then heads toward the other settlements until it returns to nuuk where she is laid to rest in the royal mausoleum which is being built as it happens. The battle between her and her half sister and her act of sacrifice is recorded in the natinal newspaper. The funeral is even atteneded by as many as 1,000 natives who showed up to pay their respects.
 * Japanese Empire: The empire continues to recover from its devastating civil war. Various cities continue their rebuilding with some such as Hiroshima beginning to make a full recovery under the very favorable development policy implemented by Emperor Daigo. The emperor while letting more of the policies take effect more passively now still continues to see favorable results from the national development specifically in regards to the more efficient tax system. The Imperial treasury continues to fill and the first steps in a more thorough transit system throughout the empire begin. The first stones in a maintained imperial roadway are begun with intent to link all the major and moderate settlements in Japan via this network. This is to be done piecemeal so as to not take away too much labor needed for other projects going on. The Enclosure movement continues. However, some livestock farmers agree to share land for grazing and hence more "grand enclosures" are made for this purpose in order to stimulate the livestock market and allow them to operate in relative peace and stability. The expansion of the fleet continues with a focus on patrolling trade routes specifically the developing ones comming out of Korea and China. The expansion into Hokkaido continues with now much of the island comming under some sort of Imperial control. Sapporo and Hakodate continue to see growth in settlement with Sapporo now becomming first in line to eventually become the Capital of an entirely new Imperial province. Seeing as there was Hokkaido to the north a few opportunistic traders send exploration ships north discovering yet another distant land and charting it. Some trade is conducted with natives and the Traders begin the return journer with the idea to establish a trading post in the future in this land (Sakhalin).
 * Bohemia-Poland: Reconsturction in eastern Poland continues. Henry of Wroclow leads the Knights of St Wenceslaus meet the Brandenburg forces along the border engaging them in the Silesian hills. Supported by local levies 15 k troops are mobilized. Henry and his knights attack the flanks of the Brandeburg forces while mass crossbow formations reign fire onto the enemy from behind portable wood barriers. The papal offer to send doctors and priests of the order of divine mercy are accepted by Wenceslaus III who goes about building new hospitals and churches in eastern Poland, and also in Western Poland and Bohemia.

1325
''' The Wittelsbach Dynasty finds themselves vastly outnumbered and without much support now that Bavaria is under the indictment of the Pope. Louis IV falls back to Regensburg, althoug much of eastern Bavaria has been overrun by Austrian forces led by Frederick the Fair. Brandeburg focuses on defense forces consisting of 6,000 in Pomerania and 5,000 on the border with Silesia, from counter-attack by Bohemia. Saxe-Lauenburg surrenders to the Hanesetic League. '''

'''After the military state of Cilicia is established by the coalition forces of Egypt, Mosul, and Baghdad, the Shah of Tabriz formally recognizes it as a vassal within the realm of the Persian Shahdom, although it is effectively decentralized and more of a formality. The Mamluk soldiers thank the Imamate for their holy mission, and are inspired to return to Egypt to make their own pilgrimage to Mecca and Media, in the footsteps of Mansa Musa.'''

''' The conflict between the Houses of Barcelona and Visconti have left the island of Corsica desolate and near starvation. The expenditure of large manpower and mecenaries causes a temporary debasement of currency on the Bank of Milan. '''

''' In a far more minor conflict in Italy, the County of Urbino launches an attack to attempt to conquer the Republic of San Marino, located within the borders of the Papal States, on the pretense that San Marino should be governed by the Bishop of Urbino. The Captain-General appeals to Pope Gregory to mediate the dispute. '''

''' Finished with their work for Aragon, the Catalan Company proceeds to invade the Byzantine Empire around Thessaly, and establishes a new Latin State called the Duchy of Neopatria. '''

''' The City of Tenochtitlan expands greatly in size and population, constructing a series of canals and aquaducts over Texcoco Lake, all while being a vassal of the Azcapotzalco Empire. '''

''' John Maunderville leaves Pisa and stays for a few months in Florence, breifly visiting Venice to pay homage to the crypt of Marco Polo. The Muslim world has its own explorer, as this year Ibn Battuta heads out from the Maranid Sultanate in an attempt to make pilgrimage to Mecca. He passes through Tlemcen, Tunis and Tripoli, arriving at the city of Alexandria at the end of this year. '''

In Hungary, a commoner dies after meeting the King, due to a sudden heart attack which came from shock of seeing the king's face.

'''Mansa Musa's extended trip to Baghdad ends this year, but not before he establishes a mosque in the city, funded of course by his extreme wealth. This mosque is to be an opulent wonder on a scale not seen in the region since the Hanging Gardens. Though he has made a number or trade deals extending to the Imamate and the Mamluks, the economies of some towns he reaches see marked inflation due to the sudden influx of gold. The price of gold in parts of Egypt through Baghdad falls.'''
 * Tarascan State: Tariácuri, with the second message from Curicaueri, continues to urbanize Tzintzuntzan and Angamuco. With the aid of Urichu, Erongarícuaro, Pechátaro, and Jarácuaro, expansion is halted in the west while settlements are further built. In Tzintzuntzan, military barracks are installed under a new philosophy meant to minimize the total numbers while maximize strategy and efficiency. With this, it is decided that roughly one-fifth of all male adults at the age of 14 must begin militant training, spending upward of 12 years in a faction of 25 before they are able to retire to a live of serenity before reaching the skies. The coast is finally reached and settlements are established. With this, fishing is established as a form of gathering food, while the major agricultural and cattle regions in the former Xalisco are absorbed and owned by warriors and nobles. Tariácuri's sons, Hiripan and Tangáxoan, are installed as lords of Ihuatzio and Tzintzuntzan, allowing domestic rule while maintaining military alliances. Mining occurs in the recently conquered Jalisco region, which produces large obsidian deposits. While iron and bronze had been used primarily, the creation of obsidian spears, short swords, and knives occur. A new faction in the military is created by Citlali called the "Chicahtoc Tlacatl", who dress in all black linens and carry these obsidian weapons to attack in the night. They number roughly 3,000, and consist of harshly trained militants in an effort to help produce savages. Although Citlali was the only savage, Itotia of the Xilotan becomes the second-in-command after leading the occupation of Xalisco alongside Citlali. To help create a more mainstream and easier means of production for amate, Tariácuri begins writing a language script for the Purépecha so as to end the over-usage of pictograms and make the understanding of text much easier. The occupied region is annexed, being controlled by military advisors who are installed into the Assembly of Pátzcuaro. Tariácuri, having united much of the region as Curicaueri stated, receives another dream about an empire, a Tarascan Empire, that spans from the western sea to the eastern coast. Tariácuri, with this new dream, sends an envoy of gold and the severed heads of the former city-state confederation that was conquered earlier to the doorsteps of Matlatzinco city-state. The envoy wishes for Matlatzinco to join the Tarascan State by entering the confederal system, through having seats in the Assembly, unimaginable wealth, and of course, the promise of conquering their rivals. (Mod Response Needed).
 * Matlatzinco agrees to enter a confederated alliance.
 * Republic of Venice: In a daring maneuver the shortly trapped Venetian vessels flee from the Balearic islands back to Livorno, focusing on closing off the Thyrrenean Sea and securing themselves. the flammable projectiles used by the Aragonese ships proved to be successful, and are quickly reported to the command and adapted officially to the navy. SECRET An envoy is sent to the Aragonese, proposing that Venice would aid Aragon in the Thyrrenean Sa, especially Corsica, with the promise of being able to keep the city of Bastia and the surrounding lands (to feed the city). A mock-battle would be set up under which the Venetians capture the city and an area of around 50 KM inland. After this, the Venetians would pull completely out of the war as an independent party, under the pretext of economic restrictions on the arms industry. (ARAGON RESPONSE NEEDED) SECRET END The Doge continues his good personal relations with the mighty families of Florence, and influences them toward the “One Doge, two republics” system. The bankiers are promised unimaginable wealth under Venetian rule, as the Venetian republic has been run more effectively and brought greater wealth than any other Italian city-state. Venetian influence has started an age of prosperity back to the war torn Florence as well, and the Venetian elections are fair and even, so that the Florentines could have a say in political matters as well. So, once more the Florentines are asked to join Venice in a political union (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED) Venice offers to be a mediator in the San-Marinese-Urbinian Conflict. (more to be added later, maybe)
 * Florence tolerates retaining its vassalage to Venice but does not accept a personal union.
 * Aragonese Response: James agrees to the proposition seeing as though cooperations with the Venetianswould brin much benefit to the Crown.
 * Mali Empire: With the full reformation of agriculture and infrastructure across the whole empire, the standard living conditions of Mali have improved far beyond the days of Sundiata. The flow of trade across the sea through the Gorgades islands, up from the Iberian kingdoms, all the way across the caravan trade through Fezzan and Egypt, have made the economy of Mali more stable than its entire history. Now that Musa established trade relations through Baghdad and Tabriz, the exports of Mali's resources connects fully to the silk road of far eastern goods all the way to the empires of the Great Khan. As a result of this, Mali is able to import finer goods from the far east in exchange for gold and copper, such as embroided silk, purple dye, and incense. With the settled feudal nobles in the south beyond Wagadugu, local rulers begin hunting wild elephants and rhinos in order to extract and sell raw ivory abroad. However, noticing the resulting inflation of his gold exports, Musa decides to limit the amount of gold being exported to the Middle East from now on, and retain a minimum of ten percent annual income for the royal treasury, while giving an additional two percent to the poor. This contact with the Middle East also proves instrumental for importing large amounts of Arab books and manuscripts from Baghdad and Alexandria back to the Mali Empire, and continues to import these materials from now on. The Djingarey Mosque continues to be constructed, using a blend of Sahelian and Moroccan architectural styles. In addition, Musa commissions the construction of a university in Sankore, for the purpose of housing and interpreting the materials imported from Baghdad.
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: The Sultan begins maintaining the works of Islamic scholars and Indian scholars in the Bayt-al-Hikmah. The Madrassas of Kara and Delhi are also open to non-Muslim Indian scholars, this leads to an inflow of great amounts of Ayurvedic knowledge including the compilation of  a book on the medicinal uses of Indian plants which is copied and sent to the libraries and Bimaristans across the Sultanate. A new form of medicine begins to develop with Graeco-Arabic and Indian influences. With Alp Khan’s focus on trade, he begins expanding Cambay and Thatta and begins attracting peasants from the surrounding areas for labour. Waqf institutions continue to spread and with the benefit of receiving the Zakat taxes from the Bayt-al-Mal are able to maintain and expand such institutions as hospitals (Bimaristans), pharmacies. The Sufi institutions, patronized by the state, have opened up a school in Delhi to educate Muslim children, teaching them about Islam. The Sultanate declares war on Bengal, the invasion having been planned and discussed by the Sultan and the Chalisa. Malik Kafur with the help of Ghazi Malik and Mubarak Shah leads a force of 18 tumen into Bengal and meets the Bengali forces at Rajgir.
 * Zimbabwe: The expansion of the royal roads in Zimbabwe continues at the command of the king, who travels frequently throughout his realm to inspect the cities and bomas and ensure that the quotas of the districts are being met. Several of the mutariri who serve in the districts under their princes, bring in the ledgers and their reports on the annual taxes collected by the king, who uses this information to decide what his plans for the future will be. With a rapid increase in the population and the introduction of horses into the society of Zimbabwe, the king orders the construction of a new gold mine near Mapungubwe, where a large influx of trade with the Arab population in the city growing helping to fund the resource extraction industries of the kingdom. In the city of Mapungubwe, at the personal request of Zimbabwe's heir apparent, the Arabs increase their import rate of horses into the country from five per month to twenty a month, ensuring that there is enough stock for the needs of the prince and his desire to build up his personal herd of horses in his new home of Mapungubwe. In line with his aim of establishing a domestic herd for his homeland, Akashinga funds the passage of several Arab horse breeders to Zimbabwe, as well as specialists in the care and arming of horses for war. The prince has likewise taken to traveling on horseback with his entourage as a sign of prestige, and mandates that all of his bodyguards do the same so as to keep pace with him during his travels. The sight of the prince aback a tall and majestic creature from a foreign land instantly endears Akashinga to his people, who take his past accomplishments as a warrior and conflate it to near legendary status as the young heir rides into the cities to survey the progress of his subordinates. Along the coastline, several Shona fishing vessels have been constructed, and nearly all of them are manned and captained by Shona fishermen, who have grown more accustom to living at sea. The Shona who have left the kingdom to serve aboard Arab, Swahili, and Indian seafaring vessels frequently return home with their pay and belongings to share with their families and communities, and take their free time to teach their children the various trades they have discovered across the Indian Ocean. Many of these children seeking to follow in their fathers' footsteps, have themselves begun apprenticing under the foreign merchant captains in the port city of Muromo Wenyika, which has grown to become the second-largest city in the kingdom with a population in excess of 20,000 inhabitants. Within the interior of the country, the production of rice as the primary crop of the inhabitants has become more commonplace in various locations of Zimbabwe where sorghum has been displaced. The farmers have become more effective in the handling of the crop, and have come to understand a few more of the foreign grain's properties and needs when used in the Shona homeland. Many families which have abandoned the use of sorghum as their primary crop have brought in so much food that the threat of lean times have been dispersed in the minds of the people. Indeed, so bountiful is the rice harvested that several communities have grown in size as they find themselves with more than enough food to care for more children, who in turn can be used in the field as extra hands as the amount of rice grown in Zimbabwe increases. King Katonga investigates the use of rice in the fields of the kingdom, and witnesses that the amount of rice grown per hectare far surpasses that of the amount of sorghum grown in the same area of land. So as to preserve the use of sorghum and ensure its continued role in the diet of his people, Katonga decrees that in the more arid regions of Zimbabwe in the southwest, sorghum and its companion crops shall not be displaced and will remain the sole source of food in such regions, thanks to its drought-resistant properties and it not requiring high amounts of water to grow. However, in the east where the climate is more humid and similar to that of India and Bengal where the rice was initially imported from, rice is free to be used as the sole stable food of the inhabitants there. In Mombasa, Munashe's journey from India two years ago and his focus on the study of the foreign cultures of the world, have inspired him to put his energy and youth to something that he can use in the future for the benefit of his people. He meets with his master at the end of his work day, and pleads with him to release him from his service, stating that with the wealth he has accumulated in the years Munashe has served, he desires to become a merchant in his own right, and settle down and build a family who will one day return to Zimbabwe with him. Feeling pity upon his servant, the merchant lord agrees, and places into Munashe's possession a large baghlah which Munashe served upon in the past. The merchant allows Munahse to keep his wages and whatever wealth he earned in his own time, and pursue the life of a sea merchant and pass his name down to whatever family he shall establish in the future. Bidding his farewells, Munashe departs to begin his work in the Indian Ocean, armed with knowledge of the people he shall soon interact with.
 * Kingdom of Sicily: The Roman Sicily's as such huge respect to Frederick III, one of his comarades send most of soldiers with 15,000 against the pagans anyways Frederick III discused in the senate of Palerme on the Roman Sicily and confessing he meet his new student who work in the Church of Sicily so he glady welcomed the student on the scholar Christianity most of people written poem in Latin or Mozarabic for chant a day Frederick III continue fighting the pagan and controlling south Italy border anyway back to home Frederick III told to the student about the 'Holy Spirit' and the student look fascinating so Frederick III feel kinda nice of what he told to child but meanwhile, Frederick III were in a union on the Roman's Sicily talking about the war whos ongoing the nobleman and the general show him the plan of the attack later the army push it back all of pagan the result which is finish the war since that the pagan crusade is over, the army establish some port and fortification on the southern Italian territory, Frederick III insista in a ceremony of baptism of newborn.
 * Iceland: The Government puts some funding into Akureyri, but the National University starts some building and it will focus on engineering research. A professional division of 100 men is put together for self defence. During annual Alþingi meeting Ólafur Sturlungur decides to requests for Alþingi to handle the Islands Domestic affair, Sweden-Norway will control Vík í Mýrdals port. [Swedish-Norse Response needed].


 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": His Majesty John III Archduke of Lotharingia and overall comander of the Rhenish army wins the Battle of the Moselle. This was the first battle that was directly headed by the  Emperor and those who wish to remove him. This victory over the Emperor comes due to Supperior numbers, tactics and strategy, As it was not the emperor who chose the grounds but His Majesty John III of Lotharingia who did. His actions preventing the fall of the County of Luxembourg, troops of which now join the Army of the Rhine. They do so now that their Independence and defense is guarenteed, and that the emperor is no danger no more. This increases the army of the Rhine to a size not seen since Charlemagne and the Romans a total of 22,000 troops. These troops are varying from infantry and pike men to Cologne and trier Knights, and offcourse the Archers from Brabant. The course of the army is decided to be to just prepare and build heavy defences at the Moselle river, so the Emperor can never cross the river ever again. Ditches and slopes near the which make is easier to how archers fire at any upcoming attack of the emperor. [secret] While there is civil war in the empire, We send the orders to the Bishop of Verdun to secretly attack the city of Verdun. This is done as Verdun city is not part of the Bishopry, this is done by the 3,000 troops most of from the bishop himself. As John III send his troops home just before the luxembourgers came to make the victory on the Moselle seem bigger, and to aid the Henri. This attack is not done my means of hard war, but by bribing guards and looting some of weapon stacks in Verdun. A Clerical Verdun guard even being able to take the keys of a guard that opens a small gate. At the same time the Clerical guard ends any suplies to the City. [End Secret] The location of the Council of Heyst is changed from the Small towns of Heyst to Malines, this being done due to Heysts inability to house and feed all members of the council easly. The Building chosen being the Schepenhuische in Mechelen. Which is bigger and more centraly located on the Isle formed by the Dyle. Which makes the now Renamed Parlement van Mechelen, due to its location and growth in member size. This also makes it possible to have a mass procession before each sesion of the Council. The Parliament inviting Roger Mortimer to talk about his desires once more, Where he and the council members pray together in Latin on the Lord. As a gift the Council gives the Lord of Horne a banner of yellow on which a red Dragon stands, this now being called the Kyrmnien bandier. The council now Promises the Lord of Horne to help him and his forces with some brantine soldiers if he is patient to wait until 1326. This would allow John III to either come with him or send his highest noble with Roger Mortimer, this would give the army even more experienced. Only there are is an issue with the navy, it being to small to be able to send soldiers and fight the English ships. As the English navy is of a bigger size than the Lotharingian due to the Lotharingian. With this Issue a lot of ships are being produced for the Navy of His majesty a totalor 11, this making the Total 13 ships directly under His majesty. With double digits of Merchants ships able to be converted when needed being owned by the Merchant class.
 * The city surrenders to rule under the Bishop without a fight.
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich dies and is succeeded Dmitry the Terrible Eyes after an election by the Prince of Novgorod. He sends out marriage proposals to marry himself to a daughter of Duke Gediminas of Lithuania and his brother to Princess Ingeborg of Sweden (MOD and SWEDEN response). In addition, he instructs Novgorod to build a fort at Oreshek, to support both Korela and Vyborg. The veche sends an embassy through Mongol territory across the Silk Road, hoping to arrive in China. In secret, the veche (government), headed by the posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Ostafiy Dvoryaninets, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, discuss plans to expand the role of Novgorod on the Northern Silk Road, including embassies further away from the Mongols into other territories, and an expansion into the White Sea trade. They support Prince Dmitry, but they want to expand their powers in Novgorod and elsewhere, Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The Archbishop sends some monks to the Karelians, hoping to convert them, and to mend the relations between the two groups. Otherwise, we continue developing Mikhailov on the Neva, and build a makeshift bridge across it, and build several roads connecting Novgorod to Mikhailov, Staraya Rusa, Vologda, Vyborg, Pskov and Tver. 
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): Tver becomes a leading power in the Russian states, and as a grand road from Novgorod passes through Tver, becomes a leading center in the economy of the Rus'. A grand road is built to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Murom, as well as to Smolensk, in order to facilitate trade with Bohemia. Supported by Novgorod, the merchant elite starts secretly plotting to align itself with Novgorodian ideals, and begin scoffing at a Russian prince. An offer to connect the trading routes is offered to Bohemia-Poland and Hungary (BOHEMIAN and HUNGARIAN response). 
 * Principality of Kiev: Kiev begins rebuilding its lands long destroyed by the Mongols. It establishes a new river market, and hope to be able to trade with the Black Sea downward from the Dnieper. Towns such as Pereyaslavl are rebuild, with the hope for them to become trading towns. A road is built toward Chernigov, in hope to be able to trade with the west. An embassy is sent south toward the Venetian and Trebizondian holdings in Crimea, hoping to foster good relations with them (Venice and MOD response). We also send emissaries to Great Perm, hoping to establish further trade with them (MOD response). 
 * Republic of Pskov (Novgorodian vassal): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and builds a fort near the village of Narvia called Reya, and one further east and inland called Yama. In addition, the Pskovians elect Prince Dmitry as their Prince. Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.
 * Duke Gediminas offers his daughter Maria to marry Dimitry.
 * Perm agrees to trade, but Trebizond is not interested.
 * Papal States: Due to the constant wars in Europe, Pope Gregory XI decides to do something to help the people that are suffering in the war zones. With the help of Matthias and Catharina, the pontiff creates the "Army of Mercy". Instead of being an army with soldiers, the "Army of Mercy" is an organization formed by physicians, priests, monks and nuns. This organization is directly controlled by the pope and their mission is to go to war-affected areas bringing supplies and helping the wounded and sick. As a test, Gregory asks Milan if a group of 20 physicians and 20 priests of the "Army of Mercy" can go to Corsica to help the people that are suffering with the war. They will arrive in a ship of the Papal navy and will bring some supplies [Milan response needed, please]. Seeing no reason for San Marino to be ruled by the Bishop of Urbino, the pope proposes to the Captain-General that the Republic of San Marino be placed over the protection of the Holy See and that their independence will be ensured by the pope himself. If any state try to conquer San Marino, they will be excommunicated [MOD response needed, please]. Thinking about the defense of the Papal States, 500 archers are trained for the Papal Army and Gregory sends letters for the Catalan Company and the Swiss mercenaries asking if any of the two groups would be interested in help organize the army of the Papal States [MOD response needed, please]. The hospitals continue to treat the sick and a new one start to be built in Ostia. In the hospital of Rome, the physicians start to separate the sick, those with more serious diseases are separated from those with less serious ones. Pope Gregory writes to Louis of Wittelsbach saying that his excommunication and the interdict over Bavaria will be removed only if he accept his deposition and come walking to Rome like a penitent [MOD response needed, please].
 * Milan Diplomacy: Milan is very grateful for the papal help and happily accepts this Galleazzo sends multiple bankers to assist with anything they could need.
 * Swiss and Catalan militaries are willing to help train to improve the Papal army
 * The County of Urbino accepts the offer of peace with San Marino
 * Republic of Milan: With the end of the war finally occuring the banks of Milan look to reorganize themselves in order to avoid more currency issues. Stricter laws are put in place on the regulation of currency and the extra mercenary groups are all dismissed and they look for opportunities for work beyond. The other conflicts in Italy are met with a lack of care from the Milanese bankers. Venice’s proposal to personal union the Medici is met with a large number of jokes from the Milanese bankers who know just how upstuck and self motivated the Medici. In smaller quieter places jokes are made that the Medici and Florentine bankers are losing power and growing weak. The people of Corsica are sent some of the best builders as well as convoys of food people from the island are encouraged to move to Milan and Genoa as well as Pisa for the time being due to the desolation. Venice's alignment to Aragon is viewed as a sign of weakness of Venice for there need for there former rival as an ally. A messenger is sent to Mali upon hearing rumors of gold being found and traded there with which to establish a trade deal between Mali and Milan. (Mali response needed)
 * Mansa Musa, the Lion of Africa, Emperor of Mali and Bornu, King of Mali, Songhai, Waalo, and Ghana, graciously accepts the offer to trade
 * Yuan China: The Yuan counteroffensive continues for four months, pushing the song back a significant amount. However, due to stretched supply lines, the large amount of devastation left by the constant back and forth fighting over the region, and the many people starving, much of the population in the area rises up in a significant rebellion which succeds in overwhelming much of their forces and siezing a large amount of terriroy behind Yuan lands. Although this rebellion has no individual leader and is very disorganized, the distraction it provides and the damage it does to the Yuan's supply lines and morale allows the Song to defeat the Yuan once more at the battles of Jining, Tai'an, and Tanjin, decisevly defeating the Yuan armies and wiping out most of their forces. This allows the Song to sweep into Northern China once more, quickly capturing the major cities, including Beijing, and securing the region once more, with most of the population welcoming the invading Song forces, being tired of fighting and knowing that their attempts at resistance would most likley be easily crushed, with many of those who had fought in the revolt against the Yuan joining up with the advancing armies to further fight whatever is left of the Yuan forces. The Taiding Emperor, upon hearing of his armies defeat and most likley knowing what was going too happen to him now that he was defeated, fled into the Manchurian wilderness with a small detatchment of his most loyal men, and was never heard from again after this point, with many legends and theories about what happend to him continuing to be debated up to the modern day. With the Yuan now finnaly defeated and the civil war finally (mostly) over, the now teenage Zhiyěmán officially takes the role of Emperor with some actual say in how the Empire is run, with the generals and nobles who led the rebellion to put him on the throne suprisingly actully giving up much of their power and returning it to him now that they have defeated the Yuan and he has ascemded to the throne. The Emperor immediately sets out a proclimation promising leniency to those who fought on the side of the Yuan if they surrender now, and promising greater autonomy to the Mongol and Manchurian nomads if they give up their rebellion and acknowlege their rightful Emperor as their soveriegn and the one who holds the mandate of heaven. With the Yuan now defeated, Koreas old lands are returned too it, and they are also promised great rewards for their service to the Emperor at a latter date, once the Emperors authority as overlord of all China is fully secured and they are in a position to do so. (BOLDED) To mark the begining of a new era in Chinese history, the Emperor declares the founding of a new dynasty as the successor of the old Song, to mark the new era China is transitioning into, declaring himself to be the first Emperor of the Tian dynasty, and this to be the era of Heavenly Restoration. He also begins preparing his armies for campaigns into Manchuria and Mongolia for once he receives the responses of the various nomads in the areas leaders, as he wishes to punish those who would refuse the authority of the Celestial Emperor and to demonstrate his power to those who have agreed to his offer, to ensure they will be wary of ever trying to defy him again. This era also marks the beginning of the large scale persecution of the once prosperous Christian community in China, which, due to its assosiation with the old Yuan dynasty and its oppression of the Chinese people, has begun to be hated by many of those in power, and the Emperor, raised to hate the Christians by his very anti-Christian mentors, makes this persecution official with the authority of the Son of Heaven behind it. Posts from now on will have the title of Tian China, rather than Yuan China, in order to mark the founding of the new dynasty and end of Yuan rule.
 * Jarldom of Greenland: The coronaation of Jarl Anders III takes place this year which is attended byu the entire population and over 1,000 natives who are beginning to integrate with the Greenlandic people. After being crowned the new jarl,The jarl releases a book hes been writing on for two years called: the chronicles of Jarl Brunhilde II which becomes the most popular book in all of Greenland with some copies even reaching Sweden. An expedition to the abandoned Norweigan colony of Winland (OTL Newfoundland) lands there and rebuilds the outpost and begins emigrating there. The jarl renames the twon to Brunhildetown.
 * Crown of Aragon: Peace! King James returns to Barcelona after years of battle to finally rest. The members of the House of Barcelona and generals and of the admiralty celebrate with a banquet and feast. Soldiers are given honor and personal respect by James the Great in a ceremony held in Barcelona. Funds from the Royal Bank of Barcelona are pushed toward funding of reconstruction efforts across portions of Navarre and Sardinia. The Naval Fleet continues to remain active with a new division established for patrols and trade route securance. Gold from Mali and the North African Trade continues to come into the treasury where they are secured for purposes of minting coins but also for expenses of the crown this distribution rate is secured by the holding of gold to ensure that minting doesn't devalue the currency. La Santa Hermandad proceeds to be successful in maintaining law and order. The Cathedral of Barcelona, the largest cathedral in all of Iberia and the rest of Aragon sees renovations and expansion. With ideas inspired from the works of what James had seen in Mali and elsewhere from architects who have gathered at the University of Zaragoza, large expansions of the Cathedral are made to secure it as the greatest holy site in regards to architecture in Europe. Seeing the need for more defenses along the mediteranean, Sardinia, The Balearic Islands, Morocco, and Sicily-Naples see investments for fortifications and walls built around key points such as Ceuta and Melilla while in Sicily, Palermo and Catania see fortifications being advanced to secure the population centers while in Taranto and Bari, the Sicilian Banks take charge in funds for further defenses there as well. The Administrative branch of Corsica and Sardinia combine and have a new capital of Cagliari. With the most secret of intents, the design and tests of the most powerful flamethrower in Spanish possession is completed using various oils and a mixture that is kept highly secret due to its effectiveness displayed in practice. This flammable mixture begins to be used in grenades as well to be able to assist in future Spanish Combat. Following the war, demand for physicians soar resulting in a rise of people taking up the medicinal profession. Meanwhile, experiments with a substance recognized as gunpowder results in a spectacular display of fireworks before the king in Barcelona. This doesn't prove to be so resourceful just quite but experiments continue. Ship Growth is slowed to account for the expenses made this year especially in efforts of recovering expenses in the treasury only having 44 ships produced. Arsenals see expansion though for more efficient supply production in Barcelona and Valencia though. A direct road connecting Zaragoza to Pamplona begins. Alfonso XI begins considering his options for a bride. With the call for action against Granada blessed by the Holy See, the Council of Aragon weigh their options for looking south to rid the Moor Menace and an Islamic State in Europe once and for all but remain free of any course of official action just getting out of a war they have settled with accepting their victory in Iberia inching closer to the ideals of a united Iberian people pushed on by James. James spends his days helping the poorest of citizens throughout the country giving supplies and produce from royal estates to those that may be in need from potential shortages created by the war and trade disruption. He does this meeting with the people he had served and protected for most of his years. Alfonso XI under the footsteps of his father, established the regional Council of Castile in Madrid.
 * The Imamate: While on our with Mansa Musa to Tabriz the Imam writes "The Defense of God" in response to "The Defense of Peace", finishing it in the Great Mosque of Baghdad,  proclaiming that only those who serve God have the right to rule, and those who don't serve God have no right to rule, being rulers of a fraction of the false reality of the world. The Imam uses the example of the Holy Roman Empire, stating that the Holy Roman Emperor no longer has the right to rule due to being removed from power by the Pope, a servant of God, thus the Emperor is illegitimate for he is acting against the will of God. Though the Pope is serving God in a misguided way, he is still serving God, and thus has the right to be Holy Roman Emperor through Divine Right alone. While on Tour with Mansa Musa, the Imam rode with a small number of elephants, and was immediately captivated by these magnificent beasts, saying that if man ever fell, the elephants will rule the world in man's place. The Imam became so fascinated with the elephant that the elephant was put on the green standard of the Imamate. Local documents throughout the Imamate and the writings General Gawdat Abdul-Hamid Al-Amin confirms the Imam's accounts of elephants in Mansa Musa's caravan, who was with the Imam and Mansa Musa before setting off on Hajj with his Mamluk soldiers as Soldier King of Cicilia. The Mamluk Hajj leaves no one to run the Soldier State of Cicilia for a time so Aleppo naturally seizes control of it, expanding Aleppine Cicilia. The sailor from Aleppine Cicilia, Yaser Nurullah Nagi, sets sail to Rome from Alexandria, sailing the Mediterranean and crossing the River Tiber with publications of "The Defense of God" (that have made their way to Alexandria) to give to the Pope and his cardinals, which argues for the Pope's Divine Right to rule the Holy Roman Empire as Holy Roman Emperor. Wiith the completion of the Great Mosque of Baghdad, comissioned by the vast wealth Mansa Musa, and the subsequent end of the Age of Chaos, the Imam of Baghdad invites Caliph Al-Mustakfi to the Great Mosque of Baghdad, which shall serve as his eccesslesitial seat of power, where he shall rule via Divine Right, being God's ultimate servant. (Mod Response Please) Mansa Musa's massive influx of gold causes the value of gold to go down massively in Baghdad, where the Imam proclaims "Even the riches of the richest king are made worthless, but the things of God will remain worthy forever." Reffering to the Great Mosque of Baghdad, which quickly becomes the cultural center of Baghdad and all of the Islamic World, ushering in a new Golden Age of Islam as many surrender their newfound gold to the Great Mosque. Even when not surrendered directly, the gold still ends up in the hands of the government via taxation on gold, and are collected and stored in the Great Mosque of Baghdad. This massive collection of gold not only adds to the Great Mosque's beauty, but it also removes the gold from the economy for the time being, leaving the remaining gold to be valueable once more, with everyone at least having a little gold left, raising economic equality and the overall standard of living. The massive quantities of gold shall be used to help the people in times of future crisis, to expand and grow the vast infanstructure and houses of learning and healing throughout the Imamate, and to improve trade along the Silk Road for decades upon decades to come, even for centuries, God willing.

1326
''' With the Duchy of Brandenburg at war with Bohemia-Poland, the Duchy of Lithuania siezes the advantage to invade Brandenburg and raid across the contriside, ravaging many forts and villages. Subsequently, Emperor Louis is captured by Austrian and Rhenish forces and brought to Rome for judgement. The unconditonal surrender of the House of Wittelsbach leaves the end of the war by a treaty of the victors (to be included when those players post). As Frederick the Fair was already elected as Co-King with Louis, he automatically becomes recognized as King Frederick III of Germany. '''

''' A large-scale peasant revolt takes place in Flanders against the tyranny and neurotic actions of Count Louis of Nevers. Nicolaas Zannekin, a wealthy farmer and landowner, leads this revolt in Bruges. Count Louis warrented these actions after he had executed several local Burghers and two knights that did not follow his orders. '''

''' Gunpowder technology becomes well known across the eastern half of Europe by this point, with early forms of black powder hand cannons now being possible. The word "cannon" is first coined to refer to firearms in the eastern Holy Roman Empire. '''

''' With the Civil War in China over, the remnants of the Mongol Empire has been pushed back to a single box of latitude and longitude across Central Asia. The Mongol court relocates back to Karakoram safely behind the mountainous regions of Outer Mongolia, establishing the "Northern Yuan Dynasty". Tibet breaks off as well as a new Tibetan Empire, led by the Phagmodru Dynasty. In addition, some pockets of Mongol administration remain across much of China, particularly the states of Yunnan and Sichuan. '''

''' Ibn Battuta arrives in Alexandria at the beginning of this year, and journeyes first to Cairo and from there south across the whole Nile Delta as far as Nubia, intending to cross the Red Sea. Unable to do so due to a revolt, Battuta goes back north and crosses into Palestine where he visits Damascus and Aleppo, then turns back south and visits Jerusalem and Bethlehem. He proceeds into the Hejaz and completes his pilgrimage at Mecca and Medina. However, Battuta is curious about the various wonders and legends of Baghdad and Persia, particularly the stories of the "Sword of Baghdad" and other great heroes of the Shahdom of Tabrz. So he joins a caravan crossing the desert toward Iraq at the end of this year. '''

''' John Maunderville leaves Venice this year and proceeds to visit the Papal states, paying homage to Holy Sites in Urbino, Arezzo, and Rome particularly. '''

''' The Republics of Modena and Bologna go to war in Italy over a misplaced bucket (this is OTL). '''

''' Caliph Al-Mustakfi is still uncertain on whether to return to Baghdad, but decides to send a group of emissaries and members of his family to visit Baghdad along with the same carvan as Ibn Battuta, to see how the conditions of the city are. '''
 * Tarascan State: Tariácuri, with the second message from Curicaueri, continues to urbanize Tzintzuntzan and Angamuco. With the aid of Urichu, Erongarícuaro, Pechátaro, and Jarácuaro, expansion is halted in the west while settlements are further built. In Tzintzuntzan, military barracks are installed under a new philosophy meant to minimize the total numbers while maximize strategy and efficiency. With this, it is decided that roughly one-fifth of all male adults at the age of 14 must begin militant training, spending upward of 12 years in a faction of 25 before they are able to retire to a live of serenity before reaching the skies. The coast is finally reached and settlements are established. With this, fishing is established as a form of gathering food, while the major agricultural and cattle regions in the former Xalisco are absorbed and owned by warriors and nobles. Tariácuri's sons, Hiripan and Tangáxoan, are installed as lords of Ihuatzio and Tzintzuntzan, allowing domestic rule while maintaining military alliances. Mining occurs in the recently conquered Jalisco region, which produces large obsidian deposits. While iron and bronze had been used primarily, the creation of obsidian spears, short swords, and knives occur. A new faction in the military is created by Citlali called the "Chicahtoc Tlacatl", who dress in all black linens and carry these obsidian weapons to attack in the night. They number roughly 3,000, and consist of harshly trained militants in an effort to help produce savages. Although Citlali was the only savage, Itotia of the Xilotan becomes the second-in-command after leading the occupation of Xalisco alongside Citlali. To help create a more mainstream and easier means of production for amate, Tariácuri begins writing a language script for the Purépecha so as to end the over-usage of pictograms and make the understanding of text much easier. He is helped by Citlali's son Tenoch and various mathematicians, who helps him flesh out a Duodecimal numerating system, partially inspired by the earlier Vigesimal system developed by the Mayan peoples. The rough alphabet is formed, featuring twenty-two differing symbols, while the numerating system has up to twelve differing numbers. Tariácuri, having united much of the region as Curicaueri stated, receives another dream about an empire, a Tarascan Empire, that spans from the western sea to the eastern coast. After incorperating Matlatzinco into the Assembly of Pátzcuaro, various anti-Tarascan Matlatzinco priests and nobles within the Assembly begin to object the Tarascan faith by stating that the Purépecha don't have clear evidence of their god's existence. Tariácuri responds, stating that "if Cuerauáperi somehow does exist, then we all stand to gain nothing, but if Cuerauáperi does exist, of which it does, then believes like I are assured infinite wealth in the afterlife, and yet you, still not believing in such, will stand to be killed an infinite amount of time at the hands of Auicamine." Expansion is made eastward.
 * Kingdom of Sicily: Who ever, that Frederick III in the Roman's Sicily after the battle is done the noblemen produce some food on the village Sicilians the senate would likely that Frederick III goes to have an pilgrimage at Jerusalem anyways Frederick and his noblemen come to occupied some vassal on the Mediterranean they over use the language Latin for understanding one of his book that he write the noblemen occupied the army to occupied the south territorial of Cagliari many of Catholics in the role of Roman's Sicily goes in Pilgrimage with Frederick III the military forces developed some fort and border wall to sardinia and Sicily or else Southern Italy various, some people who were in Roman's Sicily rest and other leave most of noblemen take of it Frederick III dream to his homestate to be nice to everyone and with other nation an army of sardinian who against it to Sicilians tries to push it back the occupations force but the Sicilians quickly defeat them with among 1,000 cavalry Frederick III likely first to pilgrimage in Europe to Alps (And Holy Roman mpire territory).
 * Kingdom of Sicily: Frederick III of Sicily, would like a pilgrimage to Flanders. (Player Reponse)
 * Mali Empire: General infrastructure continues to be improved this year, particularly the cities of Dakar and Timbuktu. Mansa Musa finances the construction of a complete road system across the empire, to connect various cities and local towns and depots from Waalo all the way to Bornu and their connections with Darfur. This ambitious project of a road system would take a few years to even gather the logistics to begin construction. Knowledge and trade continuse to flow from Iberia by sea to Waalo, as well as from Morocco and Egypt by caravan across the Sahara Desert. The far eastern trade has fully connected Mali to the Silk Road, wlloing traded goods to come from China and the Middle East to flow down through Egypt and Baghdad. This knowledge is particularly collected and perscribed at the University of Sankore that continues to be constructed, where hundreds of Arabic manuscripts are carefully translated into Tameshq and Manding. Construction of the Djingarey Mosque continues as well using the Moroccan style of architecture. Elephant hunting south of Wagadugu helps to create raw ivory production that is exported to both Egypt and Aragon, in addition to new trading partners of Genoa in Italy. Mansa Musa pushes the boundaries of the empire further south, and personally leads an expedition of 20,000 to conquer the Kingdom of Moss. This uses improved siege weapons to take the capitaly city quickly, dividng the forces into two groups to flank the city on two sides. With the improvements to the Mali military equipment, makes Moss vastly less advanced in their armaments. [Algo requested]
 * Papal States: With the capture of Louis, Pope Gregory XI preside over his trial in Rome. After much deliberation, Louis is setenced to live as a monk of the Divine Mercy until his death with Matthias and the other monks being responsible for watching over him. Then the pope removes Louis' excommunication and the interdict placed over Bavaria. The pope crowns Frederick the Fair as Holy Roman Emperor. The organization of the "Army of Mercy" continues, their works of relief in Corsica proved to be proved to be very important to the people living there. Gregory lent two ships of the Papal Navy that are in the port of Ostia to be used by the Army to bring help to war-affected areas. A flag is created for the Army, with the symbol chose being the Merciful Heart of Christ and the flag is placed in each of the ships. Due to necessity of the organization of the political structure of the Papal States, the pontiff creates the postition of Cardinal Secretary. This cardinal will be appointed by the Pope, and will serve as one of his principal advisors. His term will ends when the Pope who appointed him dies or leaves office. The first Cardinal Secretary is Alessandro Guidi. Gregory also start to make plans to create the position of Papal Vicar and the Regional Council. The Regional Council will be formed by representatives of the nobility, clergy, merchants and farmers and their leader will be the Papal Vicar. Each region of the Papal States will have a Council and a Papal Vicar. The Vicars will be a member of the Council that is appointed by the pope. In the end of each month, the Vicars will come to Rome and have a meeting with the pope to show the situation of their respective regions. In other matters, Pope Gregory writes to Grand Duke Gediminas asking if he allow that new monks ans priests of the Order of the Divine Mercy go to Lithuania [MOD response needed, please]. Gregory have a meeting with John Maunderville and gives to him the papal blessings, may God protect John in his travels. The Swiss mercenaries and members of the Catalan Company arrive at Rome and start to help train the Papal Army. The pontiff is surprised to receive from the Imam a copy of "The Defense of God". He then send to the Imam a copy of a manuscript made by himself named "Mercy of the Lord". In the manuscript the pope talks about the importance of a leader to reflect the Mercy of God when ruling his domains. [Imamate response needed, please]. The Holy Father creates as cardinals Omar Candela Carrera (Aragon) and Matteo Orsini (Papal States).
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": The Bishop of Verdun Henri is able to succesfully take the City of Verdun which he surrounds, As the citizens of the City surrender to The Bishop and Our Archduke without any resistance. This is due to the single fact that the whole city is surrounded by the Bishopric which causes that the bishop can fully end any materials from reaching the city. So the city is directly annexed into the bishopric, the city now through this Being indirectly under the Archduke of Lotharingia. While this is all happening the troops of Lothharingia who were stationed in Gulik, this Force Totaling 10,000 troops. As the other 2,000 are sent to Horne. The reason for the attack on the County being the Distrust John III has in Gerhard, as the Count seemed to be neutral with quite a lot of tendencies toward Louis VI. So his Majesty John Decides to Attack Julich's army at the town of Düren which is on the Rur river. His majesty using the Roads and general infrastructure of the County to move his forces to near the town, When the force is near the Town they attack Julich from the North and south to force the soldiers to either go into the Cold may river or surrender and get Mercy. Mercy which is being promissed to any who surrenders and gives up his arms, this mercy is hoped to increase defection and decrease resistance. While this all is happening John III Archduke of Lotharingia Recognises Frederick of Austria as His Majesty, Emperor Frederick III, King of the Romans.(Mod Response?) Roger Mortimer the Lord of Horne togheter with the Lotharingian of 2,000 combined with a force of around 5,000 French soldiers Navaly invade England. These man landing in The mubles a small town near the city of Swansea, This location is chosen due to the fact is close to Welsh Motherland. The Blue capet and Yellow and Red Welsh lion fly for the First time once more, Roger Mortimer has landed in wales. Their first actions being the securing of Resources and keeping a connection with both france and Lotharingia, as this is needed to do anything against the English. The Duke openly writes to the English king that, Lotharingia does not realy disire a war with his kingdom but that he has to due to its Obligations to Roger Mortimer. Lotharingian Archduke asks the English king if talks could be held regarding the Issue of Roger Mortimer. (English Response)
 * Frederick III formally recognizes Duke John III of Brabant as Archduke of Lothraingia.
 * Zimbabwe: The cultivation of rice in the north and eastern districts continues, with many of the farmers reporting a successful second and third harvest in some regions. Their families celebrate the occasion by inviting many of their leaders to their homes and feeding them the crops brought in during the year, thankful that the rice harvest is slowly but readily coming into its own as a major force in the diet and culture of the Shona people. Many of the newly-minted rice farmers in Zimbabwe have begun to have more offspring to assist with the cultivation of their growing rice fields, all of this made more than possible by the natural abundance of the crop itself and its ability to be harvested three or even four times in a year in good terrain. Though the Shona have yet to master the art of terraced farming in their country, their great architectural works in terraced cities and enclosures gives the overseers of the land the belief that within a few years, the Shona will naturally pair their terrace-building architecture with that of terraced rice farming in the hilly lands of Zimbabwe. The increase in harvested crops in the more humid regions of the kingdom has seen the king increase the quotas for food from those lands to add to the storehouses of their local stone enclosures for times of lean. Much of the extra food is redistributed to other parts of the kingdom, namely in the far west, where the arid conditions of the land have made farming difficult and the use of pastures for livestock limited. These towns benefit greatly from the importation of food, made much easier with the increase in wheeled transportation in the manner of the Arab and Swahili traders of the coastal region. Having witnessed the use of carts and wagons for the movement of trade goods and supplies to the ports and the mines of Zimbabwe, several of the Shona in Muromo Wenyika have taken to adopting and adapting the use of wheeled items to make the movement of food and items easier for themselves in their work and homelives. Indeed, due to the growing influence of Muromo Wenyika within Shona culture and the economy, the role of wheeled transportation for goods has spread as merchants from Muromo Wenyika travel to the interior to sell their goods, showing off the uses of wagons in everyday life for the Shona. Over the years, more and more members of the population engaged in outdoor labor have adopted the wheel for their own uses, and consequently, the farmers of Zimbabwe and the traders of Lusvingo, Muromo Wenyika, and Mapungubwe have spread the use of the cart and wheel throughout significant portions of the kingdom. With the spread of rice crops, wheeled transport, and horsemanship in the country, several advisors close to the king have stated that many districts are reporting a population boom, with more women from the farming and fishing classes having as many as five, six, or even seven children over their lives. While the infant mortality rate claims as many as half of those newborn within Zimbabwe, the role of the agricultural and infrastructural advancements within the kingdom cannot be dismissed as irrelevent in the growing population of the land. Based on this knowledge, Katonga enlists additional members of the mutariri to prepare for the third census conducted under his reign in 1330, so that he can prepare his court for the future domestic policies to be pursued. In Mapungubwe, Prince Akashinga has formed a three hundrded man strong cavalry force loyal to him and his family, a band of warriors who will accompany the young heir throughout Zimbabwe as he tends to his official duties in the kingdom. Christened the vakapika, or "those sworn (to the king)", an elite bodyguard unit formed by Akashinga under his command, and now tasked with serving the royal household in Lusvingo for life or until their deaths on the field of battle. Having been trained under the Arab equestrian experts brought into the kingdom, the vakapika are a fully mounted unit which accompany the king and his household wherever they go in Zimbabwe and beyond. Feeling bold and seeking to put these troops to the test, Akashinga mounts an invasion of the Nguni lands in the south, going as far as Crocodile River and sweeping west to clear the sparsely-settled lands of its inhabitants and setting fire to the homes and fields of the few Nguni they encounter. The survivors are divided into groups, with all of the men and boys put to death and the women and girls carried off to the north to serve as wives and slaves for their new Shona masters. The Shona rapidly move into the south aback their new steeds, wiping out several Nguni bomas which had not expected such rapid movement of the Shona warriors into the land. The sight of the Shona warriors on top of their horses charging into the lines of their soldiers terrifies countless Nguni men, who scatter in the face of their implacable for. Brushed aside with ease, the inhabitants of Zimbabwe quickly filter into the former Nguni lands, and settle the conquered regions claimed by Akashinga, building several new settlements in his honor. The largest stone settlement in the newly-conquered lands is that of Kuputsa (OTL Polokwane), built on the site of where Prince Akashinga and his warriors slaughtered the largest number of resisting Nguni warriors and their families to a man. Administration of the new territories passes over to the king, who travels to the south to meet his son and his men, and congratulate them on their victory. He takes note of the 15,000 women and girls claimed by his son, and begins to the work of distributing them across his troops as a reward for their vicious tenacity and valour. Many of these warriors are resettled in the conquered region with their new wives and children, building several dozen enclosures across the land and herding the captured livestock taken from the vanquished Nguni in the area. In the east, several Shona working for the foreign merchants have come to be literate as a part of their role as dockworkers and record-keepers, many of whom have learned the Arab language to facilitate trade with the Arabs, as well as the script of the language needed to manage transactions with the merchants. However, one of these locals, a man by the name of Shohiwa waMugabe, believes that his people ought to have a written script of their own that would honor their nation and culture, while likewise giving his people something to be proud of. On this basis, Shohiwa begins the long and laborous process of drafting a written script for his native Shona language, which he intends to show to the king one day. Several of his colleagues are fascinated with the endeavor, and offer to assist him in his work, to which he agrees. In the far east, Munashe's work as a merchant captain find him in the lands of Southeast Asia, trading with the local Majapahit peoples and their neighbors in the northwest, such as the Thai, Khmer, and Vietnamese, all of whom are welcoming of trade and travelers. During his stay in the lands of Khmer, Munashe finds himself awed by the use of elephants for warfare, as well as the large crossbow contraptions used by their riders in battle. He had recently witnessed the use of these beasts in war while in India, and was likewise startled by the exotic weapons and armor used by the Dravidian peoples of southern India. He hears of the use of gunpower weapons in the land known as China, and the use of single-edged blades in a land farther afield known as Japan. Indeed, on a less militant front, Munashe during his stay in the far east, also comes to learn of Chinese printing blocks from the Chinese merchants residing in Java and Vietnam, giving Munashe the thought that so many other lands have ideas and technologies that one another lack but could no doubt benefit from. Likewise, he understands that too many lands lack goods and wares that merchants refuse to trade due to cost, as well as due to the time spent trying to move the goods from one land to another by sea. Munashe decides that he will mull over the prospects of using this knowledge in the future, but must first establish a base from which to operate from, as well as a fleet that can be used for his ends.
 * Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht: Prince-Bishop Jan III van Diest is deposed by the ecclesial chapters of Utrecht and promptly imprisoned on charges of corruption, including nepotism and other financial abuses. His general incompetence in managing the finances of the Prince-Bishopric also did not help him, as he accumulated a debt to other nations, particularly the County of Guelders. The ecclesial chapters elect Otto IV van Kampen (b. 1283) as the new Prince-Bishop. Otto IV immediately announces reforms against corruption in Utrecht, including the imprisonment of Jan III. Otto IV is privately critical of the Count of Guelders, as he had contributed to the corruption of Jan III van Diest, used Jan III's incompetence to bring Utrecht into financial trouble and had previously tried to interfere in ecclesial elections. Additionally, the County of Guelders creates logistical difficulties for the Prince-Bishopric because Guelders' Veluwe Quarter divides Utrecht into two disjoint portions, the Nedersticht and Oversticht, which can only be travelled between by crossing Guelders land or the Zuiderzee. For these reasons, Prince-Bishop Otto IV sends an envoy to Pope Gregory XI, asking him to approve of an invasion of Guelders because of the Count's corruption and interference in ecclesial matters in Utrecht and to improve the infrastructure of the Prince-Bishopric by joining the Nedersticht and Oversticht together again, and for the Papal States to provide some troops for this mini-crusade. (Papal response) In the city of Utrecht, construction is underway of the Dom Tower, the bell tower of St. Martin's Cathedral, the see of the Bishop of Utrecht which is slowly being rebuilt in a grand fashion after the previous cathedral was destroyed in a fire in 1253. There is also construction work done on Utrecht's wharves on the Rhine-connected canals to improve opportunities for shipping trade in the city.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Gregory XI approves the invasion, saying that those who encourage the corruption in the Church must be defeated. To help in this mission, the pope send 2,000 men.
 * Lotharingian Diplomacy:Our Great Parlemment of Malines informs Utrecht, that there is a standing alliance and friendship between Guelders and Lotharingia.


 * Tian China: With the Emperor now entirely engaged in the long process of establishing his authority over the lands of the celestial empire, and more than a year having passed since the war to depose the Yuan has ended, the Emperor begins to feel safe engaging in foreign policy with his rule now having somewhat stabilized, although the process of consolidating power will take a long, long time to fully complete. This leads to him beginning to search for a wife, and sending an offer of a royal marriage to Korea, our trusted ally (Mod response needed!) while also officially recognizing their territorial gains in the conflict against the Yuan, since they aided us in overthrowing the Mongolian Tyrants and we have no meaningful control of any part of Manchuria at the moment, and thus don’t really have any reason to care what they take from the Mongols. This also leads to the imperial government finally taking note of the increasing amounts of trade that have been occurring between us and the Japanese since the beginning of the conflict to overthrow the Yuan, and thus we decide to send a diplomatic mission to Japan, to officially establish relations with them, and formalize our trading relationship in a way that benifits the celestial empire and suits our values (Japanese response needed!). We also begin formally dealing with the famines that have been ongoing since the civil war began, providing the peasantry with as much food as can be readily distributed to deal with these issues until the next harvest, and allowing the majority of our soldiers to return home to their families and farms, so that they are not absent during the next major harvests of this year and thus restore stability too the food situation. However, this does not mean we are blind to the threats that surround us or the necessity of establishing our authority over the upstart breakaways in the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, and thus we begin readying ourselves for a major campaign to hopefully subjugate them within the next seven years, which will begin early next year, and will hopefully require far less forces than those we used previously. In addition to this, it is decided, after observing our new borders with the officially unrecognized Northern Yuan, to move the capital of the new dynasty from Beijing too another major city, in order to provide the emperor with a residence that is less vulnerable to future attacks by the enemy to the north, and which is in a better position to rule the often fractious Chinese Empire from, with Luoyang, the seat of several other past dynasties and birthplace of the original Song Dynasties founder, eventually being selected as the new residence of the son of heaven, and capital of the vast celestial empire. This is just the beginning of the many new actions taken by the Tian dynasty over this long period, but they are majorly important ones in solidifying the new dynasties control over China and rule of the empire, and thus are considered notable by latter historians.
 * King Chungsuk of Joseon offers marriage to his half-sister, Suchun
 * The Zhiyěmán Emperor accepts this offer.
 * Japanese Dip: Emperor Daigo of the Empire of the Setting Sun agrees to this trade agreement and sends a tribute of Japanese women, cultural effects from Japan, and most importantly a finely crafted Gold seal bearing the Yamato crest to be personally given as a token of friendship to the Tian Emperor
 * Republic of Milan: Galleazzo looks to other Northwestern Italian states to better consolidate and prepare Northwestern Italy for future conflicts. Demands are sent to Como and Brescia demanding there Vassalization to Milan. (Emperor Approval) (Pope Approval) (Mod Response). As for the economy the addition of the Mali trade agreement vastly increases the bonds between Genoa and Milan. Milanese bankers look for work and the Mercenaries as well continue to look for opportunities to make money. Should either group decline Galleazzo is prepared to force their vassalization. The integration of Genoa into Milan begins as well as the integration of Pisa.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Gregory XI give his blessings to the vassalization of Como and Brescia.
 * Como agrees to be a vassal, Brescia appeals to their relationship to the King of Arles for protection
 * Arles does not want directly protect Brescia, but lends them 5,000 retainers for their military defense
 * Iceland: The Government puts some funding into Akureyri, but the National University starts some building and it will focus on engineering research. A professional division of 100 men is put together for self defence. During annual Alþingi meeting Ólafur Sturlungur decides to requests for Alþingi to handle the Islands Domestic affair, Sweden-Norway will control Vík í Mýrdals port. [Swedish-Norse Response needed].
 * Bohemia-Poland: Wenceslaus III offers peace to Brandenburg following the Lithuanian sacking of the region. He requests that the Margraive refrain form involving himself in Bohemian or Polish affairs, and also demand the concession of Neumark in Eastern Bradenburg. Reconstruction in the east continues. In an effort to improve agricultural output and improve taxing a consensus is ordered across his domains, and plans to begin implementing a uniform tax system across his estates are laid out. More German and Jewish merchants and bankers are invited to settle in Poland and Bohemia. Wenceslaus III travels to Rome to request a meeting with the pope and to present the Chronicles of the Polish-Mongol war and the Personal philosophical and religious works of Wenceslaus II and his own to the pope (to be described in a secret page).  more to be added later
 * Japanese Empire: The Imperial government this year tells tales of opulent and massive cities on the mainland. It is beyond the wildest dreams of many in which only Kyoto is of any compare and even then only to the shortest degree. This signing of a trade agreement shortly there after prompts the Emperor to sent a tribute of a few women of the court, some cultural effects, as well as a finely crafted gold seal bearing the Yamato crest as a personal gift to the Tian empror. Made by the finest goldsmith in all of Japan this is looked to be a solidification of Sino-Japanese relations and the Emperor seeing this as the perfect state to truly strike back at the dastardly Mongols for their previous invasions of Japan prepares to offer support to the Emperor in any way he sees able. The agreement with china sees noticeable a validation of the trade relationships between Korea and Japan as well which sees notable trade traffic between the two nations increase as well. The development of the Ryukus as a trade region continues with the Port at Okinawa becomming one of the busiest in the region as it becomes a clear stopping point between the Southern regions of China to the Tian controlled northern regions. The rebuilding of cities continues with most of them having seen a clear rebuilding and restructuring. The Emperor also solidifies his own lands in every province in Japan specifically placing his castles and securing settlements in strategic locations. The cities of Sendai and Kumamoto are also placed under direct Imperial control placing the furthern north of Japan and the further south of Japan under direct imperial overwatch. The increasing tax bas continues as more efficient and surplus producing farming methods continue to advance with the enclosure movement and rising of livestock farming as well. The Imperial family has also seen notable expansion as Emperor Daigo welcomes his third trueborn child - a daughter - into the world. However, with the expansion of the Imperial harem as of late, the Emperor has sired multiple children of the Yamato line hoping to repopulate the family following the brutal deaths of so many during the civil war. The Grand Temple of Amaterasu is completed with fanfare and is opened to the public with one day a week scheduled specifically for the Imperial family. The Navy continues its expansion as trade routes need to be secured and a series of small raids are conducted on the Manchu coast.
 * The United Jarldoms of Greenland and Vinland: Permission granted by Nate) on the 21st September of this year representatives of the natives in Greenland and Vinland meets with the jarl to discuss the creation of a unified state for them all. After many days of negotiating it is decided that the province of Vinland sjall be the home of the natives an shall be an equal partner in the union but with the jarl as their head of state. The natives language is to have an equal status as the Greenlandic one and shall be treated with as much respect as the Greenlandic one is. The jarl declares September 29th the Unification holiday and declares that this day shall forever be known in the history.
 * The Imamate: As The Caliph's emissaries and Ibn Battuta enter the Iraqi desert they are told the story of Öljaitü, "The Sword of Baghdad", by a few of his former soldiers who now dedicate their lives to studying the Stars. During the Mongol Crusade many Muslims were slaughtered senselessly, so to end this depravity the city of Baghdad and its Muslim people rose up and declared a Jihad against the Ilkhanate, who promptly set out to destroy Baghdad and its people to end the Jihad within what was the Ilkhanate's borders. It is here that Öljaitü, brother of Ghazan, (who was to be the rightful Ilkhan before being murdered) took up arms against the advancing Ilkhanate in defense of Baghdad, where he lead the defenders of Baghdad against the advancing army of General Qipchaq, Baydu Khan's son. It is here that Öljaitü demonstrated his God given strategic and tactical brilliance on the battlefield, stonewalling the enemy at the walls of Baghdad, inspiring and rallying every soul of Baghdad to the just cause of the Jihad to take up arms and defend Baghdad, making sure not an inch would be given to the beseigers, that they would die at the place they intended to take, and died they did, for the Siege of Baghdad had failed, the Defense of Baghdad had succeeded under Öljaitü who drew out his sword and took the lives of those who were seeking to take the life of Baghdad and its people, and for this Öljaitü is named "The Sword of Baghdad." Upon hearing of Öljaitü "The Sword of Baghdad", the Caliph's emissaries and Ibn Battuta enter the city of Baghdad after some traveling, arriving to the city recently told to them in stories. In Baghdad, they are shown a city full of awe and wonder, one of fruitful and blossoming population, rapidly recovering from the horrors of war. Recovery is not even seen, but fruition, for the population of Baghdad is not only excelling expotentially in growth of numbers, but in knowledge, wisdom, and faith as well, most of the population being at least somewhat educated and treating the guests with respect. The last time this city has seen war is during the Jihad, and the Baghdadi people have abstained from war since, embracing peace (with most of the military being trained and based in Aleppo) as their way of life. Hospitals across Baghdad are used to extend life and the quality of life, with libraries, mosques, and observaties used to enrich life to get closer to the true reality of God. At the center of it all, in the center of the city is the Grand Mosque of Baghdad, truly Heaven upon Earth, no words can describe its pure power upon the spirit and the soul, moving even the most proud of men to tears, its beauty unmatched, surely God's intended seat for the Caliph for the Caliph to serve and submit to God and bring God's will upon the Earth. The city of Baghdad is in mass resurgence and restoration, already the 2nd largest city of the Islamic world and soon to surpass Cairo itself in time, on its way to becoming the largest city in the world and its most important once again, this is the rebirth of the Islamic Golden Age. "The Defense of Mercy" is received by Pope Gregory XI and codified into law.
 * Crown of Aragon: With a new cardinal and the first Moroccan one, Catholic zealots in Northern Morocco celebrate. The Library of Zaragoza sees the addition of multiple works of poetry and the addition of chronicles of war and philosophical takes from the University. This results in what is labelled as "The Hispanic Harvest of Knowledge" by later historians due to labels given to the event by scholars of the time in which writers and thinkers contribute massively to the library and its archives as a result of crown funding and purchases as some of King James last courses of action under his rule. As Ivory arrives in the markets of Aragon, the quickly demanded items have prices soar but then begin to fall into equilibrium as more ivory is brought in with merchants outcompeting rivals for trade especially between Mali and Iberia with a personal relationship established. The men that had served in the army find plenty of work in the cities where infrastructural development and expansion of ports and industry have taken hold with massive industrial growth in regards to distribution of goods and harvesting and expansion of arsenals for supply buildup for the crown and selling of ships. The Walls of Barcelona now complete stand firm as Cagliari in Sardinia see expansion of her defenses as well. Pirates that had served to work for James are pardoned and many of the groups are disbanded or join and take part in the Aragonese Navy. King James writes an autobiography of his life and his work. He finally writes his will and continues to rest and look upon the nation he had made great. Roaming the streets of Barcelona, despite his advisors and guards concerns, takes part in daily outings in the streets of Barcelona and wherever he travels. Children and locals greet him as he tends to bring gifts on these outings from his personal fortune. Ships continue to be built while in Malta, a base is established for specific use of the Naval Fleet. More Spanish Settlers are encouraged to settle in Sardinia and Sicily as land cleared from battles and conflict are made cheaply available with investments from the crown to build structure in Spanish Architectural appeals are made.

1327
With the end of the Imperial Civil War, Brandenburg cedes the Neumark territory to Bohemia, and some smaller states had been annexed by Lothraingia and Lubeck, which also confirmed Lothraingia as an Archduchy over the territories of the House of Brabant.

''' After giving homilies at a local church near the Via Sacria in Rome, a building suddenly gives way and collapses on the Papal procession, killing Gregory XI and three of his entourage. A new Papal Conclave is held to elect the new Pope. '''

''' Roger Mortimer, along with 1,500 Welsh miltiary and 2,000 Dutch and French mercenaries, invades England from the eastern coast landing in the Fen country. Queen Isabella leaves Edward's court in London to take command of local defenses in the area, allowing Mortimer free passage to land and regroup his troops. The invaders seize control over Cambridge, and from there march south toward Oxford, attempting to cut off Edward's retreat from London. Their goal is to ensure that the Despenser's are executed and Edward abdicates as King of England. Most of the more powerful nobles in England side with Mortimer and Isabella, due to the recent actions of Edward II to call back the Despensers against his word '''

''' A local Tuscan poet named Petrarch, an impressionable young man, meets a young woman named Laura while attending mass at the Sainte-Claire d'Avignon. He falls immediately in love with her, and begins writing many sonnets of professing his love using modern conventions of Italian. This becomes a turning point in European literature. '''

Speaking of romance, the regent Ingeborg of Norway-Sweden falls in love with the local count Knud Porse, causing scandel in the court and calling for her removal as regent.

''' Ibn Battuta arrives in Najraf in Iraq, and from there visits various cities across the cenentralized Persian domains, including Baghdad, Mosul, Tabriz, Basra, and Shiraz. He writes extensively of the beauty of the Great Mosque of Baghdad, as well as the great feirce command and majesty wielded by the Grand Imam. Afterward, he returns to Mecca and Medina, where he stays for the rest of the year. His companions from the Caliph return to Cairo to relay all they found in Baghdad, and allows Al-Mustakfi to decide whether to return to Baghdad or not. '''

''' Eternally grateful for the honor of meeting Pope Gregory so shortly before his death, John Maunderville continues south to stay in the Kingdom of Sicily, visiting the towns of Amalfi, Calabria and Messina. '''

''' English historian Richard of Wallingford relates the story of the Greenlandic Civil War for the first time in print. Jarl Bruhnilda II is regarded in his work as a kind of epic hero and example of piety for the Christian world. '''
 * Iceland: In an effort to increase relations with the Papacy so the construct the St. Þórláks Cathedral in Central Reykjavík. The Arch-Bishop Ari Guðmundsson traveled to the Vatican in hopes of obtaining a relic from the Pope for the Catherdral (Papal Response needed). Alþingi takes full control over the Icelandic Domestic affairs with the Regent scandal, but Sweden can still control Foreign affairs. With the Church decorated with St. Thorlak and St. Helen the people of Iceland become more religious and start a monastery. With Icelandic self-governance almost achieved Alþingi declares Iceland a sovereign state and waits for a Swedish response (Swedish Response Needed) of its own making Ólafur the first President. Arch-Bishop Ari visits England to improve relation between the two nations, Ari requests a guarantee from England for their independence (English Response Needed). Ólafur tries to establish relations with Greenland by commissioning a Portrait of Brunhild II to hang in the Great Church’s lobby and it will be the third biggest portrait in the Church behind a Portrait of Arch-Bishop Ari and the biggest portrait is of St. Thorlak (Greenland Response needed). Ólafur groups together towns in certain regions together and tries to unite them in an effort to increase population, now the smallest populated town has circa 760 residents. Ólafur decides to take a forces of 2500 men and sail over to invade Greenland, Ólafur leads them himself to Greenland (Mod Response Needed).
 * Papal Diplomacy: As a last action before the Conclave, Cardinal Secretary Alessandro Guidi gives to archbishop a relic of Saint Helen.


 * Papal States: The sudden death of pope Gregory XI causes deep sadness in the inhabitants of the Papal States. Every person remembers how he helped the poor during the Famine, how he created hospitals and how he started to combat the corruption in the Church. From the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Gregory's body is carried in a procession, which is accompanied by a large crowd. Matthias and Catharina are following the procession, together with other members of the Order of the Divine Mercy. The procession ends in the Basilica of Saint Peter, where the pope's body is buried. For nine days the cardinals celebrate masses in suffrage of the soul of Gregory. As the Cardinal Secretary of the deceased pope and Camerlengo, Alessandro Guidi is responsible for the administration of the Holy See until the election of a new pontiff and for the preparation of the Conclave. It was also him who destroyed Gregory's Fisher's ring. While the cardinals enter into the Apostolic Palace to start the Conclave, the people of Rome start to pray to God that the new pontiff continues the works of Gregory.


 * Tian China: With trade with Japan officially opened and increasing amounts of goods being exchanged, the imperial treasury continues to grow this year, with much of the money gained being invested back into the imperial countryside or continuing trade, with the rest of it being invested into continuing to improve the fledging imperial army, with a personal letter of friendship and thanks being sent too the Japanese Emperor (although he is not addressed fully as that, not sure what the ruling dynasty of China would cal them) for his gift, which the Zhiyěmán emperor is greatly touched by, expressing a desire for greater ties between them and hope for continued good relations in the future. (Secret) he also assures the Japanese Emperor that he is indeed planning to attack the Mongols once more once his flanks are secured by the reconquest of Yunnan and Sichuan, and that he is grateful for the offer of assistance (end secret, JAPANESE RESPONSE NEEDED!). In addition to all of this, the Emperor is inspired by the previous efforts of the Yuan too take advantage of their cavalry's inherent skill in warfare, and begins attempting too recruit members of the many Mongolian families which had previously been moved south into China during the reign of the Mongols into the imperial army, promising land, fortune, and freedom from discrimination to those who enlist in the imperial army and agree to serve the Emperor as warriors and cavalry against the traitorous forces of the Sichuan and Yunnan warlords, with estates and lands to be handed out in the lands of the traitors to those who serve the emperor with the most distinction and effectiveness once these wars are over, in exchange for their service. Although many are understandably quite hesitant to enlist in the armies of the people who had just a few years before driven out their fellow Mongolians and kinsmen, many are enticed by the offers of land and wealth to those who enlist, and join up as cavalry serving in the armies of the Celestial Empire. They are organized into a series of special units known as the Imperial Steppe Archers and the most skilled among them are given command over large groups of other cavalry in the hopes of passing on their many skills to them and in the hope that their leadership and skills with cavalry will help too ensure triumph over the traitors. Although many of the imperial Han elite are resentful of Mongolian steppe barbarians being given command over elite Chinese forces, they are somewhat placated by the fact that the Emperor, himself a very devoted man of Han Chinese heritage, will be personally leading these forces against the traitors in Sichuan and Yunnan, and by the fact that this is meant to be a temporary measure in order to hopefully pass on their great skills to those they are serving with. This is also hoped to speed up their assimilation into traditional Han chinese culture and ensure their loyalty to the emperor, as serving alongside their fellow Chinese and being rewarded by the imperial throne will likely do much too ensue their loyalty. However, in addition to this the emperor does make sure to prepare large amounts of Han infantry and cavalry in addition to this, in order to ensure that his armies are not commanded solely or largely by forigners and placate those worried about foreign influence. The Emperor also orders the construction of many temples and Buddhist monasteries throughout China at the beginning of this year, wehilealso continuing to persecute the Christians and drive them further underground in southern China, hoping that by promoting traditional Chinese culture and Confucianism to an even greater extent then before, he will be able to drive them underground even further and silence the increasing but not widespread rumors of him being influenced by foreigners, an effort which is largely successful. The Emperor’s first son, Tian Xuanye, is also born this year.
 * Republic of Venice: Modenas attack on the Venetian vassal Bologna can not be tolerated. The Bolognese army is enforced by 15,000 men, a third of that cavalerists. An attack is launched first to three surrounding fortifications with a combined force of 35,000 men at night. The technology of the cannon, meanwhile, hasreached the Venetians through trade with Lübeck and smaller German states. The technology was immediately adapted in the siege of one fort. Though not as strong as hoped, the psychological effects of these new seemingly unstoppable siege weapons have had a great deal in the surrender of the Modenese forts. A force of approximately 40,000 men, armed with 30 cannons and 30 trebuchets to lay siege to the city of Modena (ALGO PLEASE). The city is to be put under Venetian influence and beaten into submission. The developments regarding Milan’s expansion into the lands around Lake Garda are seen with concern, since Brescia is technically under Venetian rule (due to its status of former Paduan rule). The Papacy is asked to allow the Venetians to incorporate Manuta into Venice, as a sort of compensation. The other option would be a negotiation with Milan itself, which would define clear borders for all eternity. (PAPACY/MILAN RESPONSE) The solution would be then found, when the new pope is elected of course, so that the matter can be resolved properly. Economic wise the textile and glass industry keeps booming, and the influx of Jewish immigrants is only helping. A large increase of the manufacturing sectors in the colonies of Rhodes and Kerch is planned, while the technology of the cannon begins to be produced in the Arsenali of Ravenna and Venice. To help out the Papal States, Venice is willed to fund a large portion of the new Papal Army, donating equipment for over 20,000 men and 300 experienced officers to train the soldiers.
 * Kingdom of England: With Roger Mortmier invading England, Edward II attempts to rally his forces and defeat Roger Mortmier in Oxford with his Army of 10,000 Troops. However, 60% of his forces defect and join Roger Mortmier and Queen Isabella increasing their forces to 10,000 while Edward II only has 5,000 men to spare. However, still willing to crush his enemies, Edward II arrives at Oxford where he engages with the forces of Mortmier who wins a minor victory against Edward II failing to crush his forces decisively but cutting off any attempt for Edward II to escape. Edward II - now left with 4,500 men - moves South in an attempt to flee to the South East but is again defeated by Mortmier this time losing 2,000 men while Mortmier loses only 750 men. Eventually with Mortmier’s Forces closing in on London, Edward II’s commanders turn on him and eventually capture him in a revolt along with the Despensers ending the conflict. Edward II is forced to abdicate with his 15-year-old Son Edward III being crowned as King of England with Mortmier as his Regent. Meanwhile, the Despensers are put on trial and are executed while Edward II is thrown in the dungeon where he dies shortly after possibly having been murdered at the orders of Roger Mortmier. With all of this happening in two months. Mortmier now the De facto ruler of England sends a message to the Scottish requesting a Truce and the end of open hostilities once and for all. With Mortmier in control, the English Fleet is demobilized and the number of troops present in Gascony are reduced to 5,000 men with the regions being placed under the personal command of Roger Mortmier. Meanwhile, with Iceland requesting a guarantee to independence, Roger Mortmier declined stating that England has no interest in Iceland and has other things to do then to defending a small island with little importance. Meanwhile, with the Lordship of Ireland seeking to secure all of Ireland and defeat the remaining Independent Irish states, Roger sends a force of 4,000 men to aid the Lordship of Ireland.
 * Mali Empire: Trade and revanue continue to flourish across the empire from one end of the known world to the other. Salt and ivory are exported by sea from the flourishing port of Dakar up through the Gorgades Islands to the nations of Iberia. Coffee and palm oil are sold in greater quantities to the middle east, in competition with the coffee trade from the Empire of Ethiopia. The adminsitration reforms of the beginning of Musa's reign took on a more effective form at this time, as Musa partitioned the agricultural regions of Mali to individual noble families related to the princes of the Gbara. The Mosque of Djingarey continues to be constructed with Moroccan style architecture. The University of Sankore in Timbuktu continues to be constructed, importing more books in Arabic from the middle east and translating them into Tamashq script. Special focus on these works is given to translating the Quran and Hadith, along with the works of Al-Khindi, Avicenna, as well as Plato and Aristotle. With the conquest of Moss, Musa grants the land as a new feudal title to his cousin in the Keita family, nephew of the Farima of Wagadugu. The families of those that resisted this conquest are sold into slavery, and the rest are made peasant subjects of the Mandike nobility. Mansa Musa continues on his conquests further south against the Kingdom of Bono. 20,000 troops are used to flank the two sides of the capital city of Begho, sacking the towns of Ejura and Agona along the way. Siege weapons and other vastly advanced equipment are broght over from the surpluss of taking Moss, with Mansa Musa himself leading the campaign. 
 * Lordship of Ireland: Aware of the events in England and Roger Mortimer's commitment to help finish the conquest of Ireland we plan to start conquering some of the remaining Gaelic countries next year. Plans for the use of Sudis and Irish hedgehogs are planned. As things return to normal after the famine people begin to sell wool again and whisky makes some of its first sales overseas.
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": The war with the County of Julich continues, But his Majesty John III Archduke of Lotharingia prepares. The 10,000 troops army moves from Düren where they defeated the small Gulikan forces, His Majesty Marches further to the City of Jülich. The loss of Düren being a heavy hit as it is a major city of the county, Once more does His majesty decide to only attack the parts of the City West of the Rur river. His majesty building the siege weapons like big Trebuchets and even some Balista's and even one big Hand cannon with Blackpowder are built, this combined with a lot of Brabantine archers and Knights causes the Army to be greatly feared and adored. So the Archduke attacks with his 10,000 soldiers from everyside west, a sweeping serounding move. This is done while some guards of the army prevent material reaching the city from any road in the west. While the battle is going on, John III receives a letter from the Roman emperor Frederick informing John that he's now formally recognised as the Archduke of Lotharingia, this news being spread by Archduke to his men. This is to show Julich and lotharingia his Legitimacy. The black powder being used in the Hand cannons being imported from the Orient, as Brabantine Alchemists even though they're trying to find the right mixture to make this strange explosive powder work. This powder coming due to the power of Lotharingian Mercantilism. The traders mostly trading in Brabantine textiles in exchange for Gold, Spices and Blackpowder. As it has been known that the Brabantine textile halls and the Aalster halls as they Produce the best textiles in the whole of western Europe, the issue being that for this textile they rely on English and Welsh wool. English wool supply which is slightly disturbed by the Rebellion of the Lord of Horne Roger Mortimer. The rebellion who gains a lot of forces due to Edwards II soldiers defecting to the lord of Horne, the Lord of Horne arriving in London and having Edward II even abdicate. Edward III becoming new king and Roger Mortimer becoming Regent of England, Even if Roger Mortimer is still being vassal of the Lotharingia crown and specificly Archduke John III.
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Dmitry the Terrible Eyes and his wife Princess Maria of Lithuania have twins, whom they call Rostislav and Vsevolod. In addition, he instructs Novgorod to build a fort at Oreshek, to support both Korela and Vyborg. The embassy to China moves through Mongol territory across the Silk Road, hoping to arrive there. In secret, the veche (government), headed by the posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Ostafiy Dvoryaninets, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, discuss plans to expand the role of Novgorod on the Northern Silk Road, including embassies further away from the Mongols into other territories, and an expansion into the White Sea trade. They support Prince Dmitry, but they want to expand their powers in Novgorod and elsewhere, and they send agents secretly to Smolensk, Rostov and Yaroslavl, Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The Archbishop sends some monks to the Karelians, hoping to convert them, and to mend the relations between the two groups. Otherwise, we continue developing Mikhailov on the Neva, and build a large port, and build several roads connecting Novgorod to Mikhailov, Staraya Rusa, Vologda, Vyborg, Pskov and Tver. 
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): Tver becomes a leading power in the Russian states, and as a grand road from Novgorod passes through Tver, becomes a leading center in the economy of the Rus'. A grand road is built to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Murom, as well as to Smolensk, in order to facilitate trade with Bohemia. Supported by Novgorod, the merchant elite starts secretly plotting to align itself with Novgorodian ideals, and begin scoffing at a Russian prince, and they send agents to Kiev and Chernigov. An offer to connect the trading routes is offered to Bohemia-Poland and Hungary (BOHEMIAN and HUNGARIAN response). 
 * Hungarian Response: We accept.
 * Principality of Kiev (PU with Novgorod): Kiev begins rebuilding its lands long destroyed by the Mongols. It establishes a new river market, and hope to be able to trade with the Black Sea downward from the Dnieper. Towns such as Pereyaslavl are rebuilz, with the hope for them to become trading towns. A road is built toward Chernigov, in hope to be able to trade with the west. An embassy is sent south toward the Venetian holdings in Crimea, hoping to foster good relations with them (Venice response). We also propose making a marriage between Great Perm and the Grand Prince of Kiev by offering to arrange a marriage between a suitable member of the Prince of Great Perm and Prince Dmitry's brother Alexander [MOD response].
 * Courtier Anastasia of Perm agrees to marry Aleksandr Mikhailovich
 * Republic of Pskov (PU with Novgorod): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and builds a fort near the village of Narvia called Reya, and one further east and inland called Yama. In addition, the Pskovians elect Prince Dmitry as their Prince. In addition, they ask to build roads to connect the Pskovian fortresses of Yama and Reya to Reval [TEUTON response]. Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.
 * The United Jarldoms of Greenland and Vinland:with the Natives joining the jarldom as an equel partner,Tje jarl orders a nationwide census to be held all over the two jarldoms.Moreover the jarl announces a competition for a new flag for the Jarldoms to represent their unification.In a lavish ceromony in vinland,Jarl Anders is crowned jarl f Vinland and takes the name Anders I.
 * Crown of Castile and Aragon: After an evening with his children and family, the King of Aragon and leading head of the House of Barcelona dies asleep with a smile upon his face in his bedroom in Barcelona. The Aragonese region falls into great mourning with the death of their king. In his will, his personal savings are to be donated to the nation's funds to assist the poor and also a portion is donated to the Papal States to continue their humanitarian efforts in the name of the almighty. Furthermore in his will, he requests the invitation of Mansa Musa, a man held with high respect by the House of Barcelona and King James especially is sent. If unable to come personally, a person may take his place to leave Musa's last wishes  (Mali Response). Crowds from across the nation attend his burial in the Cathedral of Barcelona where flowers and prayers are made as the great king is laid to rest. Following the ceremony and burial, the Crown of Castile and Aragon are united under James son, Alfonso XI of Castile. This ushers in the question of the futures of the respected divided councils of Castile and Aragon for several months. Following this, with administrative support from the King, a new council, the Council of Hispania is established in Toledo. Here, the new bonding constitution and reforms are established with the new composition of the reformed Council having a president, a treasurer, a church prelate, three caballeros (often minor nobility), and between eight and ten letrados. Continuing the efforts of his father in lowering the major noble families influence especially more so in Castile, non-appointed nobles were allowed to attend Council meetings but were given no vote. The first policy adopted is the universal adaptation of what had begun in Aragon with La Santa Hermandad policing. This regional and municipally funded act resulted in a lowering level of crime rates across Castile. In the renamed Library of Great James in Aragon, with the collection of works of literature and study being brought from across all of Iberia at the University of Zaragoza, scholars and writers begin rewriting the works of literature to simpler forms to be universally understood across the Iberian Region. This "Hispanic" Translation results in more interests in the library as a whole. The Aragonese and Castilian Admiralty unite to reform the unit. The result is the Hispanic Admiralty with its head stationed in Toledo. These terms used to redefine portions of the Crown's claims are made by the Council following it's decided name by members and the King believing in the return of the title of Hispania once more. The Admiralty establishes the naval station of A Coruña in the northern coast of Castile and another in Bilbao. On the southern shore, the port of Cadiz stations the other portion of the Hispanic Atlantic Armada. The construction of new ships now with the shared and unified treasuries results in significant increase of funds for construction in the new arsenal in southern Castile. The Royal Bank of Barcelona relocates her assets to Toledo with addition of the Castilian Assets. Aragonese Architecture continues to be built in Morocco and the Italian holding of Sicily and Sardinia. Hospitals using the funds of James wealth and the funds of the now new Royal Bank of Toledo are constructed in various regions and urban hubs. Gunpowder and "cannons" see practice and experimentation after being brought from Lubeck and other portions of Europe. The shock factor and its impact in practice grasps interest of the Generals. The methods of Aragonese Fire in the Navy is adopted in practice as well in Castile.
 * The Mansa's son, the Prince Abu Bakr ibn Musa visits Aragon for the funeral 
 * Teutonic Order: With the the war in the HRE our troops come back home and a hailed has heroes.great celebrations and a parade occur in the capital with the victory against Louise.Shortly after voting for the Cardinal of his choice Jens Grand of Riga dies and a period of mourning occurs in Riga. With the crisis in our nation between Divine Mercy or killing in the name of God escalates with a riot in Clemno damaging the city. We hear of a new type of weapon being made in eastern Europe called the cannon so We ask Bohemia to sell us some cannons to be used in our army(Bohemian Response Needed)  Werner von Orslen is deeply saddened by the death of his good friend Pope Gregory XI and in remembrance of him he names the Cathedral which is still under construction in Memel the Gregory Cathedral. We ask the Livornian Order to allow its nation to be fully incorporated into the Order to unite the Baltic coast under one great Order(Mod Responds Needed). We set up a fund to the poor in the Courland region to help poor settlers do better in the developing region. To follow the footsteps of Gregory IX, Werner von Orslen starts to expande the Grand Palace in the capital to facilitate poorer people. The port in Altstadt is compleated and opened for trade with all Hansetic League nations. Marienwerder Castle is built. We build defensive walls around Malbouk. We start a campaign of Divine Mercy of teaching tribals in our nation about the peaceful nature of God and his mercy.the town of Stoltenhagen is founded.
 * Livonia accepts.


 * Japanese Empire: The escalation in trade between the Chinese and Japanese homelands sees a big influx in the treasury as taxes are applied to the trade this year. The amount of trade increasing in such amounts amazes the Japanese merchant families who are in total awe in the size and scope of the Tian emperors holdings, a vast untold region of wealth ripe for trade. The Imperial expansion into Hokkaido continues as a near accurate map of the island is completed and it becomes clear that about 75% of the island is under imperial control. The previous years explorers returning with knowledge of Sakhalin sees the Emperor authorize a charter to the explorers tagging along the Minazuki trade family to finance the effort to establish a small trade settlement hoping this time to be on more amenable terms with the locals. Later in the year the small fleet of five ships arrives and immediately begins assembling a small fort and a settlement inside for the 300 men with a replacement crew ready to take over for the next year. The trade with natives is resumed in earnest as furs, food, and some other trade goods are given in exchange for tools, some weapons, and other trinkets that are wanted by the native Sakhalin Evnihs and Ainu. Centralization efforts in the home islands continues as well with imperial decree and law beginning to more accurately dictate how Japan operates rather than the nobility and aristocrats. The laxing of the imperial army to maintain funding for various othe projects is implemented with just a mandatory training period for recruits before being allowed to return home and work other jobs as freemen unless a call up of troops is needed. Seeking to maintain the growth of the Imperial capital region permits and developments are authorized for both Osaka and Nagoya looking to expand living space and artisan workshops within the two cities. Osaka and Nagoya notably also both begins heavy development of further docking and shipbuilding facilities. The population of Japan noticeably show recovery as local census records show jumps in population growth. Reformed farming methods and a surplus of food are notable reasons for the population growth as many farmers are successfully moved off of subsistence and into profitable farming methods. Emperor Daigo officially elevates one of his sons - Katsumoto - to the place of Imperial heir following an accident which rendered his first some infirm and bedridden. This is hard for him to do but the young child seems to take to his position of crown prince with some affinity and requests the Emperor take him on a tour of the country. Daigo, unable to refuse his beloved son sets off with an Imperial retinue across the country and begins tourcing central japan with plans to head towards southern japan next year and northern japan later the next year. Having a lack of resources previously under the shogunates rather decentralized policy, the digging up of Hand cannons taken following the Yuan invasions sees their superiority established and some japanese prototypes are built. Their performace is better than expected and the Yamato council this year with written consent from the emperor after informing him adopts the new weapon to replace firelances opting to replace all current stock of the firelances with the new hand cannons. A new tactic is adapted into the naval forces with the primary short ranged shock factor being the Hand cannons being used to target personelle and key pieces of the ship with the large ball of iron or lead being used to take out chunks of wood and possible demast a ship or punch enough holes to immobilize or sink it.
 * Republic of Milan: Once again prepared for war the forces are dispatched to siege Brescia and Vassalize it once again. The forces number 18,000 naturally plus 50 newly produced and purchased cannons which are being experimented with as well as Trebuchets and other siege weapons such as battering rams and a bunch of ladders. (Algo needed) The mercenaries are once again put on standby. Venice’s claims of protection and requests are viewed as laughable and long stretched and nothing more than claims to gain more power in the North of Italy. The Mantua request is declined as Milan already has to fight for Brecia. The two Arsenals are pumping out more and more ships. The fleet is set on patrol patterns around the Western mediteranean with orders to report any unusual sightings or unusual nations with presences in the Western Mediteranean. The banks incomes begin to return to normal as they stop having to pay for mercenaries. Corsica is continually supported and those citizens who have stayed are provided with annual Stipends for the issues caused by the wars which they had no part in. A message is sent to the Pope calling upon the built up relationship to support their original decision of allowing the vassalization of Brescia. (Papal response needed)
 * Zimbabwe: The economy of the Shona continues to grow under the careful guidance of the king and his advisors, who encourage the development of the land and urban centers of the kingdom to improve the lives of the people. After several years of state construction and investment, a sophisticated road network by the standards of the region has been developed, and has grown enough to support the regular movement of people, livestock, and trade goods throughout the central parts of Zimbabwe. The increased usage of carts and wagons has likewise encouraged settlement of new lands, with Shona citizens migrating into the south and taking up residence in the lands surrounding the new city of Kuputsa, whose population has expanded to some 6,000 individuals and 1,500 head of cattle. In the southeast, the Shona have begun pushing south of the Crocodile River and establishing boma enclosures throughout the region, pushing the numerically inferior Nguni peoples further and further into the south, and establishing a dominate Shona culture in the region. Rice and sorghum farms are built on the settled lands, and new families formed in the wake of the agricultural revolution gripping the kingdom. Indeed, most nuclear families in Zimbabwe have grown from five or six individuals to some ten to eleven by the reckoning of most government officials. While the king and his court have attempted to encourage the inhabitants of the kingdom to remain within the existing boundaries of Zimbabwe and help contribute to the existing network of farms, towns, and mines there, many families have banded together and ventured into the largely unsettled lands south, which are only sparsely inhabited by the San and Nguni peoples who living in small and isolated encampments which consist of only a few dozen individuals. The concept of kutawala, or "dominance", begins to spread throughout the Shona population; a belief that the kingdom of the Shona holds the torch of civilization in the largely uncivilized lands of southern Africa, and that it rests upon them to bring the light of reason and civilization to the rest of the land. Many of the Shona moving into the territories south of the Crocodile River have established several large enclosures, with the largest and most powerful of these being the settlement of Akashinga, named in honor of Prince Akashinga, who made Shona expansion into the region possible by wiping out most of the Nguni resistance in the land. This town (located in OTL Pretoria), rapidly swells to a population of some two thousand individuals, most of whom are recent arrivals, Shona warriors, and their recently captured Nguni and San wives and children. In the capital of Lusvingo, King Kutonga embarks upon the task of monetizing the economy of the kingdom, introducing a new currency known as the sarafu, which by royal decree shall be denominated into three units of coinages; the elongated diamond-shaped dhahabu made of gold and weighing a total of five grams, the square-shaped fedha minted in silver and weighing five grams, and the triangular shaba coins produced with copper and weighing approximately 2.5 grams. A single dhahabu shall be valued at one hundred fedha, which shall in turn be valued at one hundred copper shaba. The entire system (abbreviated as "Dfs"), is slowly introduced in the major economic centers of Zimbabwe to help control the flow of wealth in the kingdom and ensure that the state and profit from the increased trade and finance its subjects are benefiting from. These developments are introduced on the heels of the Shona residing in the great port of Muromo Wenyika adopting the coinage practices of the Arab, Swahili, and Indian merchants visiting the city, who have become increasingly hesitant to bartering with the native inhabitants of the land, and have begun demanding payment for services rendered in some form of precious metal, the sort that Zimbabwe seems awash in as their mining industry continuously grows to meet the demands of the foreign traders visiting the country. With the rise of the sarafu at the call of the king, the Shona merchants of Zimbabwe are finally able to trade with the foreigners on equal footing, though the minting process has yet to catch up with the trade in Muromo Wenyika and Lusvingo. In the great port city itself, Shohiwa continues his work to develop a written script for his people, who are becoming increasingly literate as dealings with the foreigners demand a measure of education to ensure a fair trade. Shohiwa has sought to make the script itself easy to learn and understand, as well as invocative of the local Shona culture which dominates the region. Seeking to ensure the script is distanced from the Arabic and Devanagari scripts of the foreigners which dominate the Indian Ocean, Shohiwa tactfully excludes any and all of the abjad and abugida structures used in the languages of the foreigners, but instead adopts an alphabetic system for his script, which he christens Nhema, meaning "black" in the Shona language. With his two years of work completed, Shohiwa departs for Lusvingo to present his work before King Kutonga, and hopefully encourage his monarch to adopt the script into general usage throughout the kingdom. Shohiwa's colleagues likewise begin promoting the script within their own circles and trades, teaching it to their literate friends who as a necessity had become fluent in Swahili and Arabic to work with the merchants of the north. One of these men is a local mutariri official named Farai waRutendo, who quickly accepts the script into his work and begins to use it to document his quota reviews. Prince Akashinga continues to expand his personal army of mounted warriors, who are slowly growing in strength as more and more men are trained in the art of horsemanship in the city of Mapungubwe, where the largest equestrian training site in Zimbabwe is located. An additional five hundred men have been sufficiently equipped to ride a horse in Zimbabwe, using horses who have grown in number within the kingdom through the direct insight and management of the Arab horsemen who oversee the massive stables in Mapungubwe. A total of 558 foals were born in the kingdom, and will be ready for training in two to three years, once their bones have become strong enough to support the weight of an adult human male and his equipment. A new stable is constructed in Lusvingo at the request of the prince, though this time with a large Shona staff in place of the Arab one operating out of Mapungubwe. In his ventures throughout the Far East, Munashe comes to find that several of the agricultural fields in Java, Malaya, and Siam produce crops of exquisite properties and beauty, and takes to trading in the goods with the merchants of East Africa and Arabia. Seeking to increase the turn-away in trade within the Indian Ocean, Munashe hires a great deal of men from his homeland through his Swahili contacts to serve in several small enclaves across the ocean, where goods will be stored for transportation to new locations once a sale has been confirmed. This helps to cut down on the long transit time for goods, allowing Munashe's vessels to sell vaulable products before his competitors, and cut them out of the market in many locations by ensuring his stock of supplies never run out. This tactic, while dealing largely in non-perishables and goods with long shelf lives, helps to make Munashe an immensely wealthy individual, permitting him to expand his fleet of baghlahs and increase the number of crew and dock workers. While visiting China to examine a number of goods to sell in the Middle East, Munashe comes across a bureaucrat managing a large number of printing blocks for the local magistrate in the rebellious south of the empire. Seeking to expand his stock of foreign goods and relics, Munashe pays a great sum of money to get his hands on a moveable type system for study, along with several great works of literature produced in the country to read on his way home to Mombasa. Upon his return to the city, Munashe encounters a fellow Shona merchant visiting the city, who informs him of a great number of developments in Zimbabwe, one of which being the attempt by a local overseer to create a written script for his people. While still somewhat fearful of returning to his homeland, Munashe decides to have a copy of the movable print blocks carved by a local artisan in Mombasa, which he present to the Shona merchant to take with him back to Muromo Wenyika, and present them to Shohiwa to use along with his new script, and determine how best to use the foreign technology in Zimbabwe.
 * Free City of Lübeck: It has been two years since the end of hostilities along the border of Lübeck, and Saxe-Lauenburg is still under occupation from Lübeck, as is Ratzeburg. Early this year, the Archbishop of Ratzeburg signs an oath of allegiance to Lübeck and Hansa. Hanseatic guilds have entrenched into the Archdiocese, and Lübeck holds nominal control of the city. Lauenburg, however, is a different case entirely. The Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, who was arrested for his aggressions, is forced to relinquish the Lordship of Ratzeburg, which is returned to Ratzeburg. Otherwise, he is given the same offer: live as an ally of Lübeck with full economic yield to her guilds and an annual tithe of soldiers. It seems merciful on paper, but effectively places Saxe-Lauenburg under the control of Lübeck. This strengthens its presence along the Old Salt Road dramatically. The Hanseatic League now has control over the movement of salt along the Elbe River. Lübeck's monopoly on salt on Baltic Sea trade now expands to most of Northern Europe. Economies with a Hanseatic presence begin to see a swell. Non-aligned cities see a marked decline. Guilds led by the Von Bardewik family lead a plot to cause an economic meltdown in Denmark. Offers to join the guild are sent en masse throughout non-aligned northern Germany. Loans are offered to war-torn Europe at a 1.3 percent interest rate. (Mod response needed). In the meantime, the roads from Lübeck to Hamburg are now completely owned by the Hansa. Work begins on updated roads along this salt route, with heavy emphasis given on the construction of offices in Lauenburg. With Guilds setting up shop along the region, the savvy Von Wittenborg family become the largest trade presence.
 * Bohemia-Lithuania: The Bohemian-Polish cardinals vote for the favoured successor of Gregory due to close ties with him and his administation of the church.  The trade deal with Novgorod is accepted. Reconstruction and exapansion of infrustructure in Eastern Poland continues. The construction of chutchs and hospitals continue. The university of Krakow grows in importance as does the patronage of the crown towards alchemists, engineers, painters, and scholars. gun smithing slowly improve. HOWEVER, THE WEAPONS ARE EXPENSIVE, CUMBERSOME and for the most part remain a novelty though Wenceslaus III sees potential for their shock value on the battlefield. He also gains a curiousity about the practical usage of gunpowder.
 * The Imamate: The year is spent awaiting the Caliph's response and final preparations are made by the Imam in Baghdad for the Caliph's arrival, with final touches being made, mainly in the roads as that will be the Caliph's means of transport, they are swept and renewed, with any weak point being repaired to ensure the Caliph's safety and the people instructed to clean the city and their souls of anything broken, leading a massive campaign of purification in Baghdad, cleansing the spirit of the city and the people in totality from the destruction of the past. As the Imam purifies Baghdad, his attention solely is among it,  local Imams of every mosque lead their own communities, with the legal and cultural center of society being the city mosque, where God and his creation, the stars especially, are studied. The Imam of Baghdad writes "The Defense of Defense" in reply to Pope Gregory XI's "The Defense of Mercy", where he highlights the importance of defending the land and people of a ruler's realm, and how God assigns each ruler to defend their land and people. Later in the year, the Imam learns of Pope Gregory XI's death, and prays to God for mercy upon his soul, for he is a servant of the Lord. The Imam simaltenously prays to God for the Caliph to enter Baghdad next year each night (Mod Response, Please.)

1328
'''Habemus Papam! Cardinal Alessandro Guidi, another Roman citizen, is elected by the Papal conclave, taking on the Papal name of Pope Sixtus IV.'''

''' King James II "The Great" of Aragon has died, having a legacy of spanning the power of Aragon across the entire Mediterranean Sea in rivalry to other Mediterranean powers that exist such as Milan and Venice. His son, who is already King Alfonso XI of Castile, is now crowned as King Alfonso IV of Aragon, placing Castile and Aragon in personal union through his marriage with Queen Eleanor of Castile. James the Great's legacy also created a number of enemies to Aragon from both Italy, France, and the Holy Roman Empire in the wake of his expansions. '''

At this point, the Samotigian lands are fully absorbed into the State of the Teutonic Order.

'''After much arguments presented against him, and against his better judgement, Caliph Al-Mustakfi finally agrees to at least visit the city of Baghdad himself temporarily, and moves some of the Abbasid royal family to the Imamate of Baghdad. Meanwhile, the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah grows in prominence across Damascus and Jerusalem, expounding his philosophy of complete iconoclasm against veneration of Islamic tombs.'''

'''In the Christian world, a Saxon theologian named Meister Eckhert begins preaching sermons based on Neoplatonic theology. In his view, God the Son was begotten eternally from God the Father out of his overflowing love and fertile nature, which boiled over analogous to water tipping from the edge of a boiling pot, and also he insists a distinction between "God" the Creator and the "Godhead". He encourages people to do good by finding God's presence in each of their souls. After publishing a few short pamphlets on this theology, many German bishops begin writing complaints to Rome about this clear act of heresy.'''

'''Ibn Battuta decides to stay in Mecca for the time being. John Maunderville, however, leaves the Kingdom of Naples from Tauranto, and visits the Despotate of Epirus. From there he travels through the islands of Cephalonia and arrives in the Principality of Achaea. He writes extensively of the various sites across the Peloponese archipeligo, noting all the sites of legendary heros ranging from the time of Herecles all the way to the time of Peter and Paul.'''

In congratulations of the successful invasion of England and deposition of King Edward II, the Count of Hainut offers his daughter, Philippa of Hainut, to marry the young King Edward III, for which he asks both the Heyst Council and Regent Roger Mortimer for approval.

France crushes the Flemish peasant revolt at the Battle of Cassel, where Nicolaas Zannakin dies.
 * Mali Empire: Infrastructure and cultural developments continue across the Mali Empire. The complete trade across Africa from the Silk Road of Tabriz and Egypt all the way to the sea trade to Aragon and Morocco is a full complete circuit, and carries with it a steady stream of knowledge of Islamic schools of thought and science. The feudal nobility firmly settles down their individual land titles from the powerful princes of Gbara, using hosts of slaves and concubines to adorn their courts with the finest works of gold, ivory, silk, and manageries of wild animals. The University of Sankore and the Mosque of Djingarey continue to be constructed in north African styles, where texts of Arabic are translated into Tamashq and Berber scripts. The Akan people have now been fully subjugated as citizens of the Mali Empire. Those that resist the conquest are made slaves and sold to other provinces. Those that remain are placed as peasant workers of the Farima of Moss. Both Moss and Bononam are made large agricultural spheres, growing the same staple crops of sorghum, millet and rice known throughout Mali. While administrating in Bono, Musa leans from a group of the Ga tribes of the Empire of Benin to the south, teeming with riches of their own. The clan leader of the Ga people, named Abroni, agreed to become a vassal of Musa and his descendents, and allowed his daughter Abi to marry Musa as his third wife, in exchange Musa helped him to size power over Benin and placed in charge as its viceroy. Eager to sieze control of the entire Niger River, Musa leads a new expedition of 40,000 troops with basic siege weapons to surround the city of Edo, capital of the Benin Empire, divided into two flanking groups of 20,000 each. This uses hundreds of ships of the Mali navy sent down the Niger River to carry more supplies and troops, using the banks of the river near Benin as a high ground position. After displaying his vast armies on either side of Edo, Musa orders that Udagbedo, the Oba of Benin, should immediately surrender the city and relinquish the title of Oba to Mansa Musa, who has the whole world at his feet.
 * Tarascan State: Members of the Chicahtoc Tlacatl are capped at 5,000. The official army is capped at 14,000, being strung together from forces of all allies. After the language script for Tarascan is finished, it begins a societal transition into the Empire, which will occur until the next Cazonci is crowned. Tariácuri, having united much of the region as Curicaueri stated, receives another dream about an empire, a Tarascan Empire, that spans from the western sea to the eastern coast. Expansion is made eastward to fulfill this prophecy, which happens to cause settlers and members of the military to stumble upon another civilization, who self-indentified as Culhua-Mexica, descendents of the Toltec. After the message of descendents of the Toltec settling the valley is sent to Tariácuri, he advises them to continue expanding along the eastern land, avoiding the Culhua-Mexica people. After rumors that another empire exists in the south reach the Assembly of Pátzcuaro, they collectively agree that the empire is in the position of blocking Curicaueri's prophecy, therefore they must be removed from power. With this, spies are sent into the valley to study their location, their military, and their religion. After these spies discover such, they report back to the Assembly, which advise that Itotia and 240 Chicahtoc Tlacatl's invade during the night to effectively burn the city of Tenochtitlan. Traveling via long canoes that can carry 12 men, they are dressed in all-black and carry obsidian weapons (Mod Response Needed). After not hearing a response back after the passing of the moon, a force of 3,500 men aided by another 500 Chicahtoc Tlacatl's launch an invasion through the northern city-states surrounding Tenochtitlan, while 2,500 men aided by 1,000 Chicahtoc Tlacatl's invade through the west. Unless the city-states surrender via paying tribute and providing their military forces for further sieging, this is committed to. They are led by the honorable Citlali as they burn city after city, pillaging every which way.
 * Iceland: After that loss in Greenland Ólafur Sturlungur caught pneumonia and died, he was succeeded by Arnar Sigurðsson. Three small ships are constructed for future purposes and the University starts to take shape. Fishing becomes the nation’s main sources of income with the Urban areas growing though Egilsstaðir is the nation's farm producer. I estimate an extra 500 kids were born this year. The government adds funding to Reykjavík and pulls some funding out of the now stable Akureyri. The Church builds a four-room nursing and clothemaking school for Women, and it’s run by the monastery. Arnar Sigurðursson builds the first public School named “Arnarskóli”. Iceland wishes to honour the new pope by commissioning a portrait of him by Giovanni Bonini and give to him as a present (Papal Response needed). A Church in Akureyri is built that seats 200, and it receives the leg bone of St. Thorlak and a portrait of Ólaf Sturlung. Arnar’s son Róbert falls very ill and on his last expected day his father took him to the great Church to say his prayer and when they are suppose to leave Róbert fell asleep on top on St. Þórláks tomb and a day later he was completely healed, we wish that the church investigates the miracle (Papal Response Needed). An emergency draft is made putting 1,000 extra men in the military bringing the army count to 2,800. The population rises by 700 and seven families are paid by the state to move to Seyðisfjörð. A road is built from Reykjavík and Akureyri and all towns between. Gaining the troops back from Greenland the the army count to 3500,
 * Papal diplomacy: Pope Sixtus IV thanks the people of Iceland for the portrait and says that a commission is now analyzing the miracle of Thorlak.
 * Papal States: Alessandro Guidi, now pope Sixtus IV, is crowned in the Basilica of Saint Peter. The papal tiara used is the same with which Gregory XI was crowned, the tiara was a donation of the Huber Family of Trier and have three diadems. The first act of Sixtus IV is to order the reparation of all building that are falling apart in the Papal States, he don't want that other people die in the same way that Gregory. The new pope reaffirms the policy of charity and humility of the Church that are started by his predecessor. In his first consistory, pope Sixtus create as cardinals Pierre Bertrand (France), Benvenuto of Montefeltro (San Marino), Johann I von Pfefferhart (Switzerland), Bartholomaeus Bardi (Papal States) and Ari Guðmundsson (Iceland). He chose as Cardinal Secretary Angelo Tignosi, since this position requires the cardinal to reside permanently in Rome and since Tignosi is Archbishop of Viterbo, he don't need to abdicate form his position due to Viterbo being close to Rome. Sixtus creates the function of Lawyer of the Holy See, to defend the rights of the Church. Pierre Betrand is appointed by the pontiff to this position, due to him being a highly competent lawyer. The political organization of the Papal States started by Gregory is officialized by Sixtus with some changes. The Papal States is divided in five provinces: Spoleto, Ancona, Romagna, Patrimony of Saint Peter and the Campagne and Maritime Province. Each is governed by a Papal Vicar appointed by the pope and each Vicar will choose seven people to form his Regional Council. The actions of the Vicar and of the Council will be monitored for any sign of corruption. The pope choses Louis Capet (ex-king of Navarre) as the Papal Vicar of the province of the Patrimony of Saint Peter. In the end of each month, the Vicars will have a meeting with the pope to show his works. After receiving the complains about Meister Eckhart, Sixtus writes to him saying that Eckhart must come to Rome to defend himself of the accusations of heresy [MOD response needed, please]. The construction of the Church of Divine Mercy continues and the hospitals across the Papal States continues to train physicians. The hospital in Ostia is finally finished. Due to the loss of contact with the Maronite Church since the fall of the Latin Kingdoms in the Levant, Pope Sixtus sends an expedition to search for the Maronites in Lebanon. The expedition carry a letter from the pope to the Maronite patriarch of Antioch asking for the reestablishment of communication and to some Maronite priests to come to Rome [MOD response needed, please].
 * Eckhart comes to Rome to defend his case.
 * Marionite Patriarch Sham'un V of Antioch comes to visit Rome.
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: With the spread of the scholarly movement across India, carrying with itself new ideas from the West, Greek classical knowledge begins to spread into the libraries of India via trade with Arabia. Greek fire is introduced to the Sultan and is immediately put into service with the Navy and the Army. The governor of Gujarat Alp Khan tries to establish olive farming in Gujarat with the help of the Arabic books on agronomy, but his efforts fail. Sufi Islam of the Chishti Nizamiya order begins spreading in the Muslim population of the country. A decree is issued by the Sultan and the Chalisa on the regulation of the Pharmacies in the cities. Books on Agronomy begin being composed by Indian scholars especially in the Madrassas of Delhi and Dholka using Indian agricultural knowledge and techniques and those discovered from the Arabic texts on agronomy. The growth in cultivation of flax in crop rotation with wheat spreads. The cultivation of barley also spreads in crop rotation with flax. Because the crop rotation is beneficial to the farmers, after an initial effort the Diwan-i-Amir-Kohi did not have to do much as the practice spread through word-of-mouth in the wheat growing regions of India. As a result, flax is introduced into the diet of the Indians. Alauddin Khilji’s tomb is completed. The Eastern trade road is completed. The Trade road is a bustling road full of bullock carts, camels and horses lined by numerous Sarais. The newly crowned Sultan Khizr Khan Khilji orders the construction of the Western Trade Road running from Kabul to Delhi via Peshawar and Lahore and an auxiliary road connecting Multan to the Western Trade Road at Lahore (this I will call as the Western Road Network). Having consolidated control over the Bihar region, the Sultanate’s armies now numbering 16 Tuman strong lead by Malik Kafur, Ghazi Malik and Mubarak Shah march towards Gauda to siege the city.
 * Republic of Milan: With Brescia vassalized the forces are then mobilized eastward to vassalize the areas of Savoy. Demands are sent forth and Emperor and Papal approval is once again asked for. (Papal response) (Mod response.) (Algo needed should Savoy decline). The banks continue to gain money from increased trade as well as loans made to many of the Shipbuilders as their construction demands increase. Francesco Bellinari dies this year at the age of 68. He is given an appropriate Catholic Burial and Funeral. A request is sent to the newly appointed pope that a new Archbishop and Cardinal be assigned. (Papal Response needed). Venice’s actions with Aragon are viewed as potential violations to the treaty which was signed between Milan and Aragon. As such Venice and Aragon are both sent demands that they do one of two things, Venice stop expanding or Aragon and Venice break their alliance. (Aragon response needed) (Venice response needed). Galleazzo Dies this year and in the newest election Patrizio Colombo is elected a long time banker and a famous one at that he won by a narrow margin over Galleazo's son Azzone.
 * Papal diplomacy: Pope Sixtus IV give his blessing to Milan and assign Aicardo da Intimiano to the position of Archbishop of Milan. The pontiff says that Intimiano will be created cardinal in the consistory of the next year.
 * Mod Response: Frederick the Fair condemns the invasion of Savoy and orders the Duchy of Milan to stand down at once. Furthermore, Arles and France both pledge armies to the defense of Savoy.
 * Milan Response: Not wanting to anger the emperor the Milanese stand down.
 * Zimbabwe: As a wave of migration from the Shona-dominated north continues into the southern reaches of Africa, a new road leading from the city of Mapungubwe to the growing settlement of Kuputsa is constructed to support the movement of people into the area. Many of those migrating south are sorghum farmers from the far north of Zimbabwe who sold their lands to the more productive rice farmers of the kingdom, and left for the more arid south where sorghum cultivation would be dominate. Likewise, several warriors and their families have settled into the land as a method of defending the new inhabitants from raids from the San territories to the northwest, as well as suppress any Nguni attempting to attack the enclosures as they are being established in the region. By royal decree, two new royal districts are founded in the south by King Kutonga, so as to manage the resources of the land and ensure a proper exploitation of the resources. Warriors of Zimbabwe are sent into the southeast to push the borders down to the Maputo River, east of the recently conquered lands of the Nguni (in the OTL Transvaal Basin), establishing boma enclosures as the move deeper into the region. Elsewhere, the monetization of the kingdom's economy continues, with all merchants required to deal in the new currency of Zimbabwe with foreign traders, as well as with one another so as to ensure an identifiable movement of goods based on their values. To supplement these developments, King Kutonga's chief economic advisor introduces as standard system of weights and measurements as based on his interactions with the merchants in Muromo Wenyika, though making several broad alterations to adhere to what he deems a "rational system of scales", with each divided neatly into a thousand units. His system of measurements are organized as follows: the smallest unit is known as a chidimbu (c), a thousand of which comprise a zviuru (z), a thousand of which in turn comprise a jumla (j). A similar system for lengths is introduced as well, and a strict punishment is instituted for failing to adhere to these measurements or attempting to cheat buyers based on deliberately faulty weights for trading. In Lusvingo, Shohiwa and his compatriots are granted an audience with the king of Zimbabwe to present their work on a written script to him. They explain that the preservation of the Shona culture and identity in the face of so many powerful foreign kingdoms requires the documentation of Shona traditions and practices, and the promotion of shared ideals through the medium of the written word. Though intrigued with the idea, Kutonga being illiterate himself, does not see the value of a practice that he has never needed to rule nor his father or his fathers. However, several of his literate advisors stop the king to point out the benefits of having a written script of their own, one which represents the language appropriately, and allows them to maintain accurate records of their work and quotas of food and warriors. They likewise point out that as the population expands, they will need something to share in common with one another to remind them of their heritage and loyalties, which can easily be forgotten if left in the hands of elderly men repeating somewhat inaccurate oral histories. Shohiwa also presents the copy of the Chinese movable type blocks Munashe gave him to Kutonga, pointing out that great foreign empires have long since adapted their cultures to accommodate the written word, and have benefited from this action. Indeed, Shohiwa states that should the king permit his script to be used, there also exists a large number of literate Shona in the capital who are ready to begin printing their own texts in Nhema for distribution throughout the kingdom, namely to honor the king and his household for being the open-minded and intrepid monarchs of Zimbabwe. King Kutonga, ever mindful of his own legacy, relents in the face of opposition, and decrees that Shohiwa's Nhema script shall from the present day onward be the sole medium of written communication throughout all of Zimbabwe. With this development now cosigned by the king himself, Shohiwa returns to Muromo Wenyika to begin the long task of promoting the script throughout the city and encouraging its growing literate population to write in the language of their people rather than that the Arabs. Using the Chinese movable type blocks gifted to him by Munashe, Shohiwa pays a group of artisans in Muromo Wenyika to craft several copies of the blocks with Nhema characters, and has approximately a dozen copies sent to his friends in Lusvingo for distribution throughout the interior of Zimbabwe. In the south, the expansion of the Shona population in the regions beyond the Limpopo and Crocodile rivers continues under the direction of the princes of the districts established by the king. These settlements thrive on the cultivation of sorghum and millet, with some rotational crops such as mungbeans and sourplum used during other times of the year. While the overall population of the southern territories numbers less than sixty thousand inhabitants, nearly all of them are Shona with those Nguni residents being the ones captured and pressed into marriage with Shona men. In the capital of Lusvingo, the king establishes an oversight body responsible for managing the resources of the kingdom to help secure its economic development, naming it the "Ministry of Land", and appointing an elderly official once in charge of several Shona gold mines as its head. It is hoped by the king that the experience which served the official well in his young years will benefit the kingdom as a whole in the present. Prince Akashinga continues his work in establishing a mounted force of warriors in Zimbabwe, with his two royal stables turning out an additional five hundred horsemen for the growing flock of horses in the land. Through careful breeding and intervention on the part of their keepers, as well as the continued importing of horses into the country, there exist some 2,200 horses in Zimbabwe as of 1320, though with most of the mares giving birth and being cared for by the Arab specialists hired for the role, there have been many successful pregnancies within the population of horses in Zimbabwe, and their count shall be included within the coming census of the kingdom in 1330.
 * Merchant Fleet of Munashe: Seeking to profit from the conflict in China which he has been informed of, Munashe begins to smuggle weapons and armor into southern China from India and other regional powers opposed to a resurgent China. At great personal risk to himself, Munashe personally pays the Japanese pirates operating out of the Ryukyu Islands a visit to convince them to work for him as smugglers to the southern Chinese provinces, moving his goods into the region and receiving a share of the profits earned from the venture. After concluding his business on the islands, Munashe later leaves to visit the Chinese merchants residing in Indochina to contract them for their services in selling goods and supplies that will be sold to the pirates and smuggled into southern China through the rebel ports there. Within the course of several months, Munashe's goods are slowly filtered into the hands of the southern rebels who pay him generously in their time of need. Curious as to his intentions regarding their nation and its future, Munashe bluntly states "it's just good business", disavowing any stake in the future of China as a whole beyond its wealth. Upon returning to Mombasa to review the report of the profits obtained by his men after paying the pirates and merchants in the east, Munashe finds that his fleet has reaped a significant sum of money from their ventures. Highly pleased with his actions, Munashe decides that the life of an amoral "merchant prince" of the high seas suits him better than his former life as a warrior, and commits himself fully to the expansion of this lucrative business of smuggling. In other locations of the Indian Ocean, Munashe's men establish contacts with locales in southern India, Arabia, and Indochina for the transportation of goods under the noses of authorities in various parts of the globe. Seeking to streamline this growing industry for his own benefit, Munashe establishes a network of spies to pay corrupt officials to look the other way when his ships sail into port, as well as give them a cut of any profits made while working in their cities, tying them into his system of black market operations. To accommodate the new smuggling network in the Indian Ocean, Munashe expands his fleet of ships from 20 baghlahs to more than 50, paying a fair sum of his new profits into the construction of these vessels as a way of preparing for the future of his business.
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": Archduke John III and his army is victorious at the battle of Julich, this victory being caused by superior numbers, stragety and technology. One of these weapons being the arrow shooting hand Cannon, which makes use of blackpowder which is a combination sulfer, saltpeter and charcoal. The exact ratio's not being figured out yet by the Lotharingian Alchemists, one of the reasons why founding the ratio is hard being the fact that these materials are never +90% pure. This impurity combined with the bad ratio's make the blackpowder very slow to burn, which is good for basic fireworks but not the hand cannons. While in England the daughter of the Hainaut Count marries the current king of England, thus connecting England and Lotharingia once more. While due to peaceful earth of the overtrow no Lotharingian ships are damaged. In Antwerp and Amsterdam new ships being build of three kinds, the trade ships these having big bows and a lot of storage space. Fishing ships smaller ships that are more stable and have a lot of room on deck for movement and nets, and Warships which have big rams and a lot of movement space for having a lot of archers and also some regular pike men.
 * Swiss Confederacy: Johann I von Pfefferhart, Bishop of Chur and newly created cardinal, praises the late Pope Gregory XI, the Western Patriarch and the Bishop of Utrecht for their efforts in protecting the Church from corruption. The burgomasters of Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden agree to create a central council for the confederacy to resolve disputes between the cantons and to decide foreign policy positions, though the individual cantons will retain autonomy ovr their domestic affairs. The Canton of Schwyz sends an envoy to the Canton of Zug, proposing a trade agreement/alliance between the Swiss Confederacy and Zug involving wool, linens and potentially ores. (Mod response) Meanwhile, wool and linens are traded between the Swiss Confederacy and the Free City of Bern per their existing trade agreement.
 * Zug agrees.
 * The United Jarldoms of Greenland and Vinland: With the victory over the Icelandic forces, the jarl offers a status quo peace to Iceland in return for their prisoners of war. (ICELANDIC RESPONSE NEEDED). Meanwhile, to prevent being taken by suprise, the royal cavalry is expanded to 300 troops which are assigned to the various cities. The parliament is expanded with 20 seats for the Vinlandic population bringing it to 40 seats in total. Jarl Anders III and I personally oversees the defenses of Nuuk and begins fortifying it for any further attacks.
 * Kingdom of Hungary: During the year of our lord ____ with our victory secured over the Mongol hordes, we have freed the brave Christians living the lands of Carpathia and secured our borders. In recognization of our hegemony over the area, the king claims the title King of Dacia, although without papal recognition it is but an empty title. He begins to organize the land that has been evacuated under various lords both of the native Vlach and Transylvanian Lords from across the mountains, noticeably in order to better govern the area he appoints a Palatinate to rule in his stead chosen from among the native lords ruling over them to govern and provide defense against the Mongols, the one who had chosen to fight alongside the hungarians is Giula of Giulești is chosen as the palatinate to rule in the King's stead. Most noticeably within his lands he sees the growth of his personal demense as further territories pass to the King's hands as a result of the death of various dynasties during the war with the Mongols. Notably he has a son with his wife Joanna of Flanders who they name Ladislaus. The rebuilding of the lands with a continual investment in the trade of Croatia. Meanwhile, in an effort to build up the lands of Dacia, they offer the lands of Novgorod a trade deal to funnel trade through the lands since they will be guarded and safe.
 * Kingdom of England: With the coronation of Edward III, Roger Mortmier gives his approval for the marriage of Edward III and Phillippa and awaits the approval of the Heyst Council as the Regent is willing to establish an alliance with the Archiduchy of Lotharingia. (Lotharingian Response Needed). Meanwhile, with Edward II’s forces defeated and the Despensers and the former King dead, Regent Roger Mortmier sends an additional force of 2,500 Men to assist the Irish. Meanwhile, Roger Mortmier moves forward to restore the status of his fellow supporters, primarily those of the Marcher Lords and set’s forth to begin making hundreds of pardons to those formerly persecuted by Edward II. Meanwhile, Roger Mortmier continues to increase his power and influence over England with Roger being made the constable of Wallingford Castle and gaining the title of Earl of March a title recently created by Mortmier himself. In addition to all of this, Mortmier is granted the Marcher Lordship of Montgomery by Queen Isabella who then convinces Roger Mortmier to increase the size of the English Army in Gascony to 10,000 once more. With the death of James II and the rise of Alfonso IV as King of a Unified Spain, Roger Mortmier sends agents to Spain to increase relations and to open up the possibility of a future alliance between both nations (Spanish Response Needed).
 * Tian China: With all of his forces now finnaly prepared, the supply lines secured, and the army fully prepared for war with the additional advantages providedby our elite cavalry, We declare war on the usurpers in Sichuan near the beginning of the year, launching a quick invasion into the southern areas of the provincebeneath the Yangtze river, with 70,000 troops personally led by the Emperor himself leading the charge. A smaller force of 20,000 also leads a major incursion into the north of the country, which advances too Huanglong before digging in and fortifying themselves, planning to use it as a base for further attacks. After these are suprisingly succesful and secure southern Sichuan, the campaign continues into the North, succeding in reconquring all of Sichuan by the end of the year. With Sichuan now secured, we begin looking hungrily at Yunnan, planning a campaign to reestablish Imperial authority in this wayward Province early next year. Meanwhile, trade links with Japan continue to deepen, as we also begin seeking to reastablish relations with Vietnam after their previous conflicts with the Yuan (MOD RESPONCE NEEDED) and to establish relations and trade with Tibet, who we recognize we most likley wont be able to bring back under imperial authority for a long time, and therefore dont see the point in fruitlisly isolating ourselves from them when we could both benifit instead (MOD RESPONCE NEEDED). The campaigns of persecution against Christains continue, as the Bible is officially declared a banned text and the few remaining Christain nobles are either stripped of their titles or arrested (often being forced to renounce their belifs through torture before being executed), and several churches are destroyed. However, although this does cause a certain amount of unrest, the relatively small number of Christains and the fact they are so spread out continues to make persecuting them reletivly easy, as organized resistance to imperial rule becomes increasingly difficult. At the same time, a large scale infestructure project begins in Luoyang in order to expand the city and add too its grandeur, to ensure that it continues being worthy of being the seat of the Son of Heaven. Well the Emperor is away leading the campaign in Sichuan, his trusted advisor, mentor and general, Mao Xieren acts as regent, running the affairs of the city and managing the day too day affairs of the Empire in the Emperors abscense. Although the Emperor would perfer too apoint a family member to this position, the fact that the Imperial Dynasty is currenttly so small and that his son is so young makes this impossible, and as one of the Emperors closest friends and earliest supporters, Xieren is decided to be trustworthy enough too maintain this position in light of the lack of a sutible member of the Imperial Dynasty. The efforts to repair the damage caused by the previous civil war and famine continue, as the country continues to recover from its previous devastation.
 * Vietnam and Tibet affirms their tributary status to Tian
 * Merchant Fleet of Munashe: Thousands of suits of armor and pieces of weaponry are smuggled into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan through the rebel-controlled ports of the south through the use of pirates and merchants residing outside of China. The merchant fleets of Munashe set up the connections necessary for the smuggling network to be established, reaping the profits from the rebellions in China. Likewise, several bibles produced in the east are smuggled into the country at the request of several persecuted Christian hiding in the disputed southern territories. Though the religion is unknown to Munashe, he abides by the orders for bibles, and organizes the smuggling of literature into the country to profit from as well. (SECRET)
 * OOC: BRUH. There are no rebellious ports in the South, the rebellion against the Yuan is already over and the Tian control the south. Yunnan and Sichuan are both completely landlocked, there is no way you could smuggle any kind of weapons too them.
 * Crown of Castile-Aragon: Alfonso continues his duties as King and with the massive amounts of wealth coming into the crown, the nation focuses on internal development and locations of educational sectors such as the newly centered royal capital of Toledo, south of Madrid. To efficiently capitalise off of newfound wealth from the Middle East and North Africa through the silk road, roads continue to be developed from coast to coast, port to port liking the major cities with one another over time with a solidified road stretching from Madrid to Toledo and Barcelona in the works. In light of this prosperity, Castile and Aragon equally experience a period of population growth with larger families and households. The selling of goods such as Silk, Ivory, Salts, and even Gold spread across European Markets signifying the valuable trade of "Hispania" as people begin to refer to the states as a result of renaming of institutions of the Crown. Lands in the plains and valleys are cultivated and irrigated for the further spread of crops with wheatfields. High Grade Wine as well becomes popularised throughout the markets. Aragonese and Castilian Architecture spread continue to spread into Sardinia and Sicily as the cities grow. The peasant class manage even with taxation to keep steady harvests and offer opportunities for different works of labor. New scholars gather in the newly established Library of James in Toledo and archive more works of literature. Alfonso looking for a wife finds a suitable partner, Maria of Portugal. Though their family relations remain present, they believe in god's will and request dispensation from the Holy See to proceed with a wedding (Papal Response). Renovations of the Cathedral of Barcelona continue with it becoming even grander in scale as the best architect in all of Iberia gather to speed the renovations and expansions. In Cordoba, more churches are established. Muslim and Jewish communities with Aragon and Castile continue to be confronted by missionaries sent by the clergy and Crown to unify the National Body of Castile and Aragon under one faith, the Catholic Christian Faith. Alfonso ignores the Milanese requests seeing them as nothing more than nonsense with the council criticising the demands as they see nothing broken "except the minds of those banking fools" as the President of the council described in later writing uncovered in the Library of Toledo holding records of meetings from Nobility non participant representatives. Toledo and its metalworks continue crafting find swords for the army. The yard of production is increased for shields and swords and other materials of metalwork required for the "Hispanic Army" as Alfonso labels the army on land as well. The Council officially gives him recognition as "Emperor of Hispania" but remains a title not used officially for he himself would not accept this title "until all of Iberia is free of islam". With that, the plans for the crusade is set in motion. Already taking in what the papacy had issued and his ancestors had fought for; The end of the Reconquista. Supply buildup is made and materials for siege weapons are ordered to be made. The flow of trade and traffic sparks piracy around the waters of Castile and Aragon more than before relying on even more continued activity of the Navy brought upon by ruthless and experienced Sicilian Admiral Carusso who sparks fear into the eyes of Pirates and even fleets who have encountered him ordering several dozen ships to be used to continue proper patrols. The legend of fire that burns on even water and sticks to ships spread across the Western Mediteranean waters and that of the Bay of Biscay and Strait of Gibraltar. Carusso becomes "The Inferno of The Sea". Heavily guarded. In a years time, the high levels of piracy cap and fall by half. Christmas comes along and Alfonso brings about the tradition of coming out on Christmas Morning gifting and visiting the poor and ill offering food and gifts of wealth, wealth that the king nor treasury had no reason to horde due to the large and expansive amounts of it. A new place of residence is ordered to be built in Toledo. Peasant families now raised out of their lower status proceed to be merchants and quite good at it in fact that it becomes the most common group of work outside of farming seeing how much more profitable selling and distribution of goods from the nation has become in the last few years. Mali becomes a hotspot for Sicilian, Moroccan, and Aragonese Merchants alike.
 * The Imamate: Upon the arrival of the Caliph to the Great Mosque, the Imam of Baghdad dies in excitement, his lifelong dream achieved. The Caliph takes power in his eccesslesitial seat in The Great Mosque of Baghdad, transforming the Imamate into the Caliphate. The Imams across the land pledge their allegiance to the Caliph. The Caliph calls upon all the Muslim world to unite with the Caliphate, the Mamluk Sultanate and the Shahdom of Tabriz especially. Each Muslim ruler will maintain their rule over their lands, they will just be united under the Caliph, increased in strength, power, and peace among each other
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Dmitry the Terrible Eyes and his wife Princess Maria of Lithuania have a daughter, whom they call Tatiana. In addition, he instructs Novgorod to build a fort at Oreshek, to support both Korela and Vyborg. The embassy to China moves through Mongol territory across the Silk Road, hoping to arrive there. In secret, the veche (government), headed by the posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Ostafiy Dvoryaninets, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, discuss plans to expand the role of Novgorod on the Northern Silk Road, including embassies farther away from the Mongols into other territories, and an expansion into the White Sea trade. They support Prince Dmitry, but they want to expand their powers in Novgorod and elsewhere, and they send agents secretly to Smolensk, Rostov and Yaroslavl, Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The Archbishop sends some monks to the Karelians, hoping to convert them, and to mend the relations between the two groups. Otherwise, we continue developing Mikhailov on the Neva, and build a large port, and build several roads connecting Novgorod to Mikhailov, Staraya Rusa, Vologda, Vyborg, Pskov and Tver. 
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): Tver becomes a leading power in the Russian states, and as a grand road from Novgorod passes through Tver, becomes a leading center in the economy of the Rus'. A grand road is built to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Murom, as well as to Smolensk, in order to facilitate trade with Bohemia. Supported by Novgorod, the merchant elite starts secretly plotting to align itself with Novgorodian ideals, and begin scoffing at a Russian prince, and they send agents to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Smolensk. A great road is aldo built towards Galicia's capital Lviv. 
 * Principality of Kiev (PU with Novgorod): Kiev begins rebuilding its lands long destroyed by the Mongols. It establishes a new river market, and hope to be able to trade with the Black Sea downward from the Dnieper. Towns such as Pereyaslavl are rebuilt, with the hope for them to become trading towns. A road is built toward Chernigov, in hope to be able to trade with the west. An embassy is sent south toward the Venetian holdings in Crimea, hoping to foster good relations with them (Venice response). Prince Alexander and his wife Anastasia have a daughter they name Anna.
 * Republic of Pskov (PU with Novgorod): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and builds a fort near the village of Narvia called Reya, and one farther east and inland called Yama. In addition, the Pskovians elect Prince Dmitry as their Prince. In addition, they ask to build roads to connect the Pskovian fortresses of Yama and Reya to Reval [TEUTON response]. Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.

1329
''' King Wenceslas III of Bohemia suddenly dies of illness, and his younger son Gregorios dies a month later from fever. The fragile state of the Premsylid Dynasty rests on his 12-year old son, who is crowned King Conrad III of Bohemia in Prague, with his uncle Ottokar as regent. This causes a crisis in the Kingdom of Poland, whose nobles have grown weary of the Germans sacrificing their people to the Mongols as pretense for stealing their lands. A rebellion in Poland is headed jointly by Duke Henry VI of Wroclaw and Casimir of Krakow, with support from his father Wladyslaw the Elbow-High. '''

''' The Habsburg Emperor Frederick III, hoping to use his claim for the Bohemian crown to gain political leverage, supports the rebellion in Poland and raises an army from Austria to invade Bohemia proper, while negotiating a secret deal with Henry Wroclaw. Meanwhile, Duke Gediminas of Lithuania supports the cause of his son-in-law, and raises his own army to invade Poland to fight Wroclaw and Casimir. '''

''' After the seat of the Caliphate left Cairo, the disciples of Taymiyyah move into the city and quickly spread in popularity across the Mamluk Sultanate. Many liberal denominations of Sunni Islam become ostracized from public discussion across Damascus, Medina and Alexandria. Moderate Islamic scholars that support Neoplatonic philosophy are ridiculed by these disciples. '''

'''Michael of Cesana, Captain of the Franciscan Order, begins preaching that Jesus and his Apostles all had no physical possessions, and so sets an example for all clerics to practice extreme poverty. People complain to Rome that this is also heresy.'''

''' Having recovered from their previous instability, the Sultanate of Osman manges to conquer more ground from their neighboring nations of Kastromou and Byzantium. After the decisive Battle of Pelekanon, most of Bythinia falls under their control. '''

'''Louis Capet, claiment to the defunct throne of the Kingdom of Navarre, dies when a ball strike shis head while playing tennis with his son, Frederick. His last words were recorded as "not again..." His older son assumes the title of King Victor of Navarre, while still living in the Papal states in exile. Frederick Capet goes on to relinquish all titles and become a monk.'''

'''Ibn Battuta still stays in Mecca after his Hajj. John Maunderville leaves the Principality of Achaea and visits through some of the Venetian colonies of Greece, particularly the regions of Negroponte, Crete, and Rhodes before arriving at the city of Halicarnarssus owned by Achaea. He takes note of various sites of ancient wonders, and spots known to both ancient philosophers and Biblical figures. He also passes through the Duchy of Athens on the way.'''

King Stephan IV "the Mighty" of Serbia begins a wave of expansion by invading the Kingdom of Bosnia, with ambitious goals of dominating the Balkans.

Emperor Amda Sayon of Ethiopia begins expanding against Muslim states in the south.


 * The Alaafin Of Oyo has sent a convoy to the lands of the Imale. This convoy is to ask the Mansa for mercenaries. These mercenaries will assist in the Oyo war against Owu. Besides this the Alaafins men are trained in small unit combat similar to that of the more southern Yoruba Kingdoms. Specifically those who prove the best at small unit fighting are being requested to join a special unit whose first task will be saving Sangos brother Ajaka from the Owu Obas captivity. This special unit will train with machetes and practice daily training in knowing your surroundings, hunting, communication. At the end of the training members will be sent out into the Wild with nothing but a machete to truly test the metal of the training. To fund all these military moves, the Alaafin suggests a five percent tax raise to the nobility.
 * Mansa Musa, the Great Lion of Africa, receives the emmisaries of the Alaafin of Oyo. He agrees to supply the Oyo with Mandike mercnearies in exchange for a profit of cotton and glass.
 * Tarascan State: After the language script for Tarascan is finished, it begins a societal transition into the Empire, which will occur until the next Cazonci is crowned. Tariácuri, having united much of the region as Curicaueri stated, receives another dream about an empire, a Tarascan Empire, that spans from the western sea to the eastern coast. Expansion is made eastward to fulfill this prophecy, which happens to cause settlers and members of the military to stumble upon another civilization, who self-indentified as Culhua-Mexica, descendents of the Toltec. After the message of descendents of the Toltec settling the valley is sent to Tariácuri, he advises them to continue expanding along the eastern land, avoiding the Culhua-Mexica people. After rumors that another empire exists in the south reach the Assembly of Pátzcuaro, they collectively agree that the empire is in the position of blocking Curicaueri's prophecy, therefore they must be removed from power. With messengers coming back saying that an equality in power has emerged, the campaign is re-enforced with armies from tributaries and the Xilotan, making up 15,000 troops split into three divisions that will assist in encircling the city-states surrounding Tenochtitlan, while another 2,300 troops from the homeland use bows and arrows to 'block out the sun' and kill everything that moves. Citlali continues to lead the forces, certain about his cause and instilling zealous morale about the invasion into the military.
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: Dates are now widely grown across Sindh and is introduced to the Indian ruling classes in Punjab, Nagaur province and Gujarat. Many of the irrigation projects in Awadh are successful and the efforts are expanded to the Indus valley. The Sultanpur Fort is completed. The Sultan’s efforts to patronize the Sufi saints leads to the expansion and renovation of the Shrine of Baba Farid in the town of Ajodhan. The Chalisa orders the construction of a canal system in Kara. Having conquered Gauda, Malik Kafur leads his army of 15 Tumans to attack Sonargaon.
 * Mali Empire: Having sacked various tributary states of the Benin Empire, Mansa Musa returns to his court in Northern Nigeria to rest from his campaigns, and administrates the vast and diverse realm. The Mosque of Djingarey is completed this year, as is the initial form of the University of Sankore in Timbuktu. With the vast infrastructure and agricultural basis across the Sahel and Kanem fully reformed, Musa focuses his attention towards construction of a complete road system connecting various major cities within the empire: Dakar, Timbuktu, Niani, Sosso, Gao, and Njimi. This project requires the cooporation of various feudal states within the empire, so Musa appeals to the Nyamakala princes of the Gbara to enforce these regulations. The standard military of the empire continuse to be centered around the imperial demesne forces of Mansa Musa, now strong and large enough to enforce his will upon even the strongest Tontigi princes. Chainmail armor and steel swords becomes more standard, as well as larger siege weapons. Musa uses this to push through new reforms for enforcing the imperial tributary system as well as the Mansa's direct control over feudal titles. With the university of Sankore completed, a great Library is constructed in Timbuktu, housing thousands of books and manuscripts collected across the various trading partners and tributaries of the empire. We invite any or all nations that we trade with to supply books or manuscripts to be supplied for the great library. Many of these books retain their original Arabic or Greek language, but most of them are translated into an Ajami script of local languages such as Tamashq. The scholars of Sankore devises a specific Ajami script for the Mandinke language as well, and translates many Islamic works of the Hadith, Al-Kindi, as well as Plato and Aristotle into the Mandinke language. In Nigeria, having secured Kano as a feudal vassal of the empire, Musa establishes a series of forts and fortifications to create a secure border across the Niger River, paritucalrly near Kanji Lake. Farther south than this, Musa sends smaller expeditions to explore and make contact with nations in southern Nigeria. Mansa Musa requests the Oyo Empire to become a close trading partner, selling their cotton, glass and textiles to Mali in exchange for silk and copper, with many other Eurasian treasures offered as well. 
 * Venetian Dip: Since the new Doge is a man of the arts and admires literature, he sends several copies of ancient Roman and more recent Italian texts regarding history, the sciences and philosophy. Furthermore it is requested to increase the trade with glass in exchange for Malian gold.
 * Iceland: The cross country road is expanded to the East Fjörd, and the army grows to 3,500 men. President Arnar builds two extra schools; one in Akureyri and another in Seyðisförður. An extra 1,500 children are born this year and ten families are moved to start a new town called Arnarbær. As an apology to Greenland Arnar would like to donate some money to Greenland for them to build a public School (Greenland Response Needed). 12 cannons are requested for sale from The Papal State (Papal Response Needed). The University is finished with the Archbishop receiving the title of Schoolmaster. An extra two ships are built for the Icleandic Navy.
 * Kingdom of Sicily: Whoever, the Sicily's Roman are actually writing in Latin, for chant a moment students writing Gregorian chant for loyalty most of army Frederick III continue to pelerinaging himself as the government monarchist is in his place to take of it in addition,the senate send among 1,000 builders to build a fortification wall for pushing back the enemy territory. Most of pagan people control already the south basin on the coast likely the Roman Catholic people establish an another law rule from the state which is from the latin language, partiuclarly the Sicilians sending a ship of cannon for pushing it off with among 10,000 men so anyway. In addition, the people of the north tolerate opening a trade route with every nation who welcomed and translating book in Greek at eastern and Latin in west, the Arabic to orient.
 * Republic of Milan: Following Austria’s actions to counteract Milanese moves in Savoy as well as their actions against Milan’s number one client Bohemia. Discussions begin to be put in place to assist the Bohemians by declaring war on Austria. Other options are put forth including taking advantage of Austria and Bohemia’s war to declare war on Savoy and capture Savoy but there are worries of France getting involved should the Milanese take this route. A long discussion takes place between the parties of Venice and Milan to settle a deal that would be beneficial for both sides. Eventually a deal is settled on which becomes known as the Treaty of Florence. This opens up major opportunities for Milanese dominance of the banking world as well as allowing Venice to have domain over the Adriatic and more power in the western med. An alliance is also founded in this treaty. The pope is requested to be an observer to this treaty. (Pope response needed).
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Sixtus IV accept the request to observer the Treaty of Florence.
 * Tian China: With Sichuan now secured and the situation in the province stabalized, we declare war on Yunnan and launch an invasion of their territory with 80,000 troops, led by the Emperor himself. This invasion is well organized and planned, and although the mountinous terrain of the area does provide some difficulty, we are ultimately well prepared for it and were ready too fight in these enviorments. The fact that we launched this war as a suprise attack with the decleration of war occurring a few days after our troops first entered the province also helps us due to us having the element of suprise and thus being able to catch them off guard, as they were expecting too have longer too prepare for our inevitable attack after we just took over Sichuan. In addition too this, the increasing prominence of smuggling networks, bandits, and piracy following the civil war finnally begins to be dealt with as Xieren, still leading the Empire as the temporary regent well the Emperor is away leading his troops in Yunnan, increasingly becomes worried by these issues and upon investigation discovers a smuggling network of people who had been smuggling many weapons and suits of armour to the enemy in increasing amounts. This absurd boldness shocks those investigating this to the core, and although many of those involved are arrested, it just goes to show how incompetent the Government has been in enforcing its rules on trade. This leads to a massive crackdown on smuggling and piracy, and when investigating the sourse of these weapons and suits, it is linked back too several pirate groups based on the island of Taiwan. This leads to an invasion of their strongholds, as navy patrols and operations are increased with the intention of hunting down the remaining pirates in the area. Knowing that the pirates will most likley just return once we have left, we begin the construction of several forts on the location of the former pirate hideouts, planning too use them to keep watch for future smugglers and pirates and guard the island, which is so near the Chinese coast. The persecution of Christains continues, and we begin offering large bounties to those who can capture a priest and bring them into imperial custody as an incentive to get our citizens to participate in this persecution, a tactic which is suprisingly successful.
 * Papal States: Meister Eckhart arrives at Rome to defend himself before the accusations of heresy. He is judged before Pope Sixtus IV, the cardinals and members of the Inquisition. Eckhart's teaching are considered heretical and he is asked to abjure them. Meister says that he will not do it, because his teachings are true and if they are not, may God strike him down. After saying it, Eckhart's face twitches as if he were in pain and puts his hand on the chest. Then he falls in the floor. The pope sends a priest to bring a physician of the Hospital of Rome, but Eckhart is already dead. Seeing this episode as a signal of God, Sixtus declares all texts written by Eckhart as hereticals and its distribution must be prevented. After receiving the complains about the teachings of Michael of Cesana, the pope writes condemning his vision of the poverty of Christ. He says that the clergy must have a humble life, but is allowed to have physical possessions. The physical possessions of the clergy must be used to help the people, by using money to buy food for the hungry and by using Ecclesial lands to produce food to the poor. The pontiff demands that Michael abandon this heresy [MOD response needed, please]. The Holy Father welcomes patriarch Sham'un V to Rome and the two make plans for the creation of a Maronite community in the Papal States. Sixtus IV creates as cardinals Aicardo da Intimiano (Milan), Sham'un V (Lebanon), Pierre Roger (France) Andrew Corsini (Florence). After the results given by the commission responsible for investigate the miracles in Iceland, Sixtus proclaims Thorlak Thorhallsson as Saint. As requested for king Afonso, the pope gives dispensation for the marriage of the king with Maria of Portugal [Response to Aragon's request of last turn]. A mass is celebrated in memory of king Wenceslaus and he is praised as a great Christian hero that saved Europe from the hordes of the pagan Mongols. The death of Louis Capet saddens the pope and him start to make constant visits to the Capet's estate in Ostia. Sixtus takes the young Victor Capet as a protégée and fearing for the future of the young men, the pontiff makes a decision. (Secret) The Holy Father writes to emperor Frederick the Fair asking for the hand of his daughter Anna of Habsburg for Victor Capet. He says to Frederick that this marriage will allow the House of Habsburg to have interests in France, due to Victor being grandson of Philip IV, thus having a claim to the French throne. The pontiff says that the future of France is uncertain with a regency and England is showing signs of a invasion by moving armies in Gascony. If the English dominate France, they can turn their eyes to German territories. The marriage between Victor and Anna can be a safeguard to the Empire if this scenario occurs, a France aligned with the House of Habsburg. Sixtus says that if the emperor allows the marriage, he will personally make the ceremony and the couple can live in the Papal States due to the ongoing war between Austria and Bohemia [MOD response needed, please] (Secret).
 * Michael answers the request to come to Rome, but refuses to comply on the account of being sick.
 * Frederick agrees to allow the marriage.
 * Swiss Confederacy: The canton of Unterwalden sends an envoy to the city of Lucerne, which they know has been trying to achieve independence from Habsburg rule/influence. The envoy explains to the burgomaster of Lucerne that with the Habsburg Emperor and his armies occupied with Bohemia the time to declare independence is now, and also suggests that Lucerne join the Swiss Confederacy afterwards to have the benefit of the mutual defensive alliance against the Habsburgs. (Mod response) Construction works take place at Chur Cathedral, with a small chapel being added to the church. Bishop of Chur Johann I von Pfefferhart publicly criticises the preachings of Michael of Cesana, saying that clergy require a certain standard of living to be able to perform their duties; living in extreme poverty would cause their health to suffer and leave them unable to act effectively as Servants of God.
 * Lucerne joins the confederacy.
 * Republic of Venice: Doge Baiamonte Tiepolo dies of a heart attack this year, and with this a change of winds occurs in the Senate as well. The newly elected Doge, Francesco Della Scala “Can Grande” becomes the first Doge to not be originally from Venice proper. However, he embraces the Venetian culture, language and law fully in order to be a proper ruler. One particular policy he begins to implement is that of finding diplomatic solutions for regional conflicts in Italy and elsewhere. The Treaty of Florence is such a measurement. Though highly controversial as this would cede Florence to Milan, a very beneficial trading deal, clearly defined spheres of influence and access to the western Mediterranean. Furthermore, being a man of the military, Can Grande establishes a conscript professional army, so that the cost for mercenaries can be reduced. The Army would have a permanent size of 30,000 men, who would have strict and extensive training and returning to their normal lives. Every three years conscription will take place, so that experienced soldiers and fresh forces mix, and the green soldiers are not as concentrated. Another trait of the Doge is his admiration of the arts. In his first year in office he already funded the universities of Venice, Padua and Bologna, as well as several artists. SECRET Before Milanese forces can enter the region around Florence, every notes of Venetian merchants having debts in Florence accidentally disappear, or entire archives have the problem of water damage either through water getting into cellars or damages. SECRET END  The Doge begins to be seen as a popular figure in the non-Venetian regions, tying the Emilia-Romagna, the alpine regions and parts of Tuscany closer to the republic. Furthermore investments in infrastructure increase, solidifying the Venetian hold over said territories.
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Dmitry the Terrible Eyes, without his wife Princess Maria of Lithuania make a tour of the lands of the Rus', including Moscow, where they visit Prince Yuri in a motion of peace. In his stead, his brother Prince Aleksandr is left as regent along Princess Maria of Lithuania. The ambassador to China arrives in China after several arduous years and pays tribute to the court of the Chinese emperor. They wish to establish relations between the Tian and the Rus' (CHINA response). In secret, the veche (government), headed by the posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Ostafiy Dvoryaninets, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, discuss plans to expand the role of Novgorod on the Northern Silk Road, including embassies farther away from the Mongols into other territories, and an expansion into the White Sea trade. They support Prince Dmitry, but they want to expand their powers in Novgorod and elsewhere, and they send agents secretly to Smolensk, Rostov and Yaroslavl, Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The Archbishop sends some monks to the Karelians, hoping to convert them, and to mend the relations between the two groups. Otherwise, we continue developing Mikhailov on the Neva, and build a large port, and build several roads connecting Novgorod to Mikhailov, Staraya Rusa, Vologda, Vyborg, Pskov and Tver. While Princes Dmitry and Aleksandr give some small support to the cause of Conrad III, in secret, many traders from Novgorod and elsewhere in the Rus' send monetary support to Henry VI and Casimir of Krakow. 
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): Tver becomes a leading power in the Russian states, and as a grand road from Novgorod passes through Tver, becomes a leading center in the economy of the Rus'. A grand road is built to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Murom, as well as to Smolensk, in order to facilitate trade with Bohemia. Supported by Novgorod, the merchant elite starts secretly plotting to align itself with Novgorodian ideals, and begin scoffing at a Russian prince, and they send agents to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Smolensk, as well as Chernigov and Kiev. A great road is also built towards Ruthenia's capital Lviv, and Prince Dmitry offers protection to Prince Michael Komnenos, as long as he recognizes himself as a vassal of the Grand Prince of Kiev (MOD response). 
 * Principality of Kiev (PU with Novgorod): Kiev begins rebuilding its lands long destroyed by the Mongols. It establishes a new river market, and hope to be able to trade with the Black Sea downward from the Dnieper. Towns such as Pereyaslavl are rebuilz, with the hope for them to become trading towns. A road is built toward Chernigov, in hope to be able to trade with the west. An embassy is sent south toward the Venetian holdings in Crimea, hoping to foster good relations with them (Venice response). Prince Alexander and his wife Anastasia have another daughter they name Olga, after the legendary Olga of Kiev.
 * Republic of Pskov (PU with Novgorod): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and builds a fort near the village of Narvia called Reya, and one farther east and inland called Yama. In addition, the Pskovians elect ambitious and vain Gleb Romanovich as their posadnik. However, he is in secret a puppet of posadnik Osatfiy Dvoryaninets of Novgorod. In addition, they ask to build roads to connect the Pskovian fortresses of Yama and Reya to Reval [TEUTON response]. Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.
 * China Dip: We agree too establish relations with the Rus, and send a diplomatic expedition to their lands. We also agree to open trade, in light of their tribute.
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": Archduke John III of Lotharingia finaly maries Margaret of Luxembourg, Which finaly conects the house of Luxembourg and the House of Reginar once more together. This wedding being held in the still under construction saint Rombouts church in Malines only 300 feet from the Parliament of Malines, most members of the Malines Parliament joining in the festivities. While the Archduke write a letter just two weeks after the Mariage to Gerhard of Julich, where John III requests that he step down, and accept John III as the Count of Julich (Mod response). This offer being made after the two devastating battles of Julich and Duren, where his army far firmly crushed. So this request is made to prevent further war, half of the Lotharingian army even moving back to Brabant. The troops in England refusing to go back to Brabant yet as they are unhappy with the deal the English king gave them, they demand to be paid by the English king for helping him get installed into power. (English response). Archduke John III having send this army to help the Lord of Horn, in his desires for English reforms, His majesty informs him that he will first of all be a subject of Lotharingia first and formost. While the ships which were planned to be build during the possible war with England, are finally built bringing the Lotharingian navy to a total of 15 warships which have rams, throwing stars and archers. These ships combined with the Lotharingian Merchant fleet gives a lot of possibility for trade, trade mostly comming for the former kingdom of Navarre. This trade being mostly being trade coming from even further like Mali and Delhi, the materials Mmstly being Malian gold and Indian Spices although Asian Blackpowder does get imported quite often, too. Demand of it lessening as the Ratio of Blackpowder is improved more and more by Brabantine Alchemists Such as Hendrickus Piscator, who is a Brabantine Alchemist and Merchants who started his life as a lowly fisherman in the Town of Hilset. This being a small town near Heyst and being a town with a lot of Brown coal which he usses for making his Ratios.
 * Gerhard abdicates as Count of Julich in favor of John III.
 * The united Jarldoms of Greenland and Vinland:With our victory in the icelandic agression of Greenland,the captured icelandic soldairs are sent back to iceland.The parliament expansion finishes this year with the second session opening its doors this year.Meanhile the vinlandic citizens helps improve insulation and fur jackets for all citizens which keeps the warmth even longer then before. eports from the city of Brunhildeville in Nyfundaland(Otl newfoundland)Indicate that other people have been sighted near their position.
 * Kingdom of France: Charles de la Marche contests any claim to the throne by a hapsburg or anyone else. He states that France is very much capable of defending against any aggression.
 * Kingdom of England: With Roger Mortmier continuing to abuse his power crushing an attempt to overthrow him and even executing the half-brother of Edward II, Edward III summons the English Parliament in Nottingham and just at 17 years of age has his men seize Roger and Isabella who are then locked up by the orders of the King who himself takes supreme control of the nation. Roger is Accused of assuming royal power and of other various misdemeanours including the abuse of his powers and the use of his position as Regent to increase his own power. As a result, the former Regent is sentenced to death by hanging without trial while Isabella is placed under house arrest by her son. However, with Edward’s coup, the new king already faces rivals in Europe as well as a major threat in the Holy Roman Empire as the Holy Roman Emperor seeks to increase his influence in France threatening the position of Edward II and his plans regarding France. With the marriage of Anna Haspburg and Victor Capet, Edward II moves forward to secure an alliance with Lotharingia and pays the Barbant Mercenaries double the amount that was originally promised as Edward II seeks an Alliance with the Duke of Lotharingia sending a message to the Duke proposing the Alliance between England and Lotharingia. (Lotharingian Response Needed) (Secret) Edward III sends a message to the “Emperor of Hispania” proposing an alliance between England and the Crown of Castile and Aragon as he states that if Victor Capet can gain a claim on the throne of France through the fact that he is the grandson of Phillip IV and can secure the French throne then he will be an instant threat to Castile and Aragon and states that an alliance between England and Spain can prevent such an occurrence. (Hispanic Response Needed) (End of Secret)
 * Japanese Empire: Emperor Daigo and his son Katsumoto finish their tour of the lands of Japan returning to Kyoto early in the year. The tour has been successful and the now 12-year-old heir to the Imperial throne is noted by his Father Daigo to have fully understood the gravity and scope of the country he will be ruling. The boy is consequently thrilled to be brought into academic program designed by his father to attune the child more accurately to the scope of the duties he will be inheriting. He takes notably to the military and administrative tasks but his ability in diplomacy seems somewhat lacking. In relation to this in order to secure both the boys future spouse and a key alliance with the Niryu who maintain their status as the Kampaku to the emperor a 10 year old wife is selected for the boy. Accepted as Princess Hinata and betrothed to the emperor the two take a quick liking to each other and outside of each other respective lessons they spend much time together. The cities and countryside of Japan for the first time in years begin to show serious signs of prosperity as the rebuilding efforts on many areas finally begin to reach their culmination. A clear issue arises, however, over lands left barren from the civil war which have yet to be rehabilitated. Imperial administrators are sent out to conduct a land survey finding that thousands of plots of lands and hundreds of Shoen have yet to be claimed or rehabited for use. The emperor consequently instructs these administrators to sell the land away rather than parcel it out. Some plots of land adjacent to Daimyo or existing enclosure farms are sold in order to give some lords a little more to call their own and also expand the profitable farming enterprises now starting to take off. Other plots of land further away from established enclosures and sold to well off freemen, and well off aristocrats. The Emperors iron grip over all things nobility begins to wane as he sees the necessity of allowing various nobles a tad more freedom and allowance in terms of how they run their lands, and more importantly the allowance of the noble class to more effectively prosper. However, in order to prevent the previous issues like under the Shogunate to crop up again, a clear basis on maximum land ownership of the noble class is established as well as the ban on fortress construction outside of mandated imperial garrison forts. This is met with approval from the nobility to are able to expand their land holdings through purchases of various plots of land surrounding their current estates and once again gain serfs to work the lands for them. However, with a new form of social mobility in the form of the apprenticeship and the new examination systems does limit the ability of the Nobility to notably abuse their serfs. The arrival of Imperial administrators every few years to conduct land surveys and another arrival of census administraors every five years puts a watch over abusive nobility. While much to the chagrin of former daimyo who have were spared following the civil war, it becomes clear that currying favor with the emperor does allow for some laxing im Imperial oversight. While this has been going on it has become clear that Japan is experiencing a boom in a new and notable social class in Japan. Previously negligible as artisans and merchants, the expansion of freemen following the reforms of Daigo has put their labor at a premium and clearly diminished the power of the nobility. Feudalism as Japan once knew it has been curtailed severely and the expansion of a wealth generating and ever growing freemen estate puts Daigo in a position of expanding the Yamato courts to include the most influential of this class. This expansion chaffes against the nobility and established aristocrats forcing these new court members to seek allies from the Imperial administrators sitting on the court as well. The Imperial army led by Tetsuo Ashikaga (the most favored son of the Ashikaga and gunning as the replacement for the Kampaku for the current Niryu) arrives in Hokkaido at the head of the Imperial army. 20,000 strong the Imperial army looks to put its new organization and tactics to the test against yet another Ainu revolt. The Ainu revolt consisting of nearly 10,000 warriors has fought a brutal assymetrical warfare with the Tachibana who has been tasked with attempting to bring the remainder of the island under Japanese control. While having fought valiantly Tetsuo is able to corner the Ainu army late in the year after yet another season of revolt and raiding and the two aries give battle. The new tactics focusing on dscipline, morale, and most specifically shock combat are put to the test as the battle hardened Ainu forces slam into Tetsuo's army. The front line holds clearly as the naginata wielding forces are able to lock a large amount of the Ainu warriors. The light screening cavalry are able to discovery clearly a waiting ambush and reinforcement group attempting to flank the army as a group of light swordsmen and heavy samurai continent are sent to engage them. Most notably, however, is the deployment of the Hand cannons on the flanks of the army. With the majority of the Ainu forces locked into pier with the front lines of the Japanese army the Hand cannon achieves its desired effect in disorienting and crushing the morale of the Ainu. The Ainu army disengages and tries to reform only to be met with the core of the Light swordsmen and the Heavy shock infantry of the Samurai. The army is finally decisively crushed as the Samurai Heavy cavalry sweep around and crush the Ainu forces. 2,000 prisoners are taken as the army collapses and Tetsuo proclaims victory in the name of the emperor. His army spends the rest of the campaigning season raiding and securing the final holdouts of Ainu resistance. This final campaign effectively puts all of Hokkaido under Imperial control. This new conquest brings great glory to the emperor as many of the Ainu are given to nobles and lords as serfs and a large group of them are sent to the Tian Emperor in China to do with as he pleases. With the conquest of Hokkaido complete and his military reforms having proven more than effective, the Emperor looks hungrily to lands across the coast and looks for an opportunity to curry favor with the Emperor of China to fight the Northern Yuan and avenge the two separate invasions of Japan by the cursed Mongol dynasty.
 * Merchant Fleet of Munashe: To the most magnificent and enlightened Lord of Nippon, the Merchant Fleets of the Honorable Munashe waTafadzwa bid you greetings and blessings for the next thousand years. We present to His Most Imperial Majesty gifts of the west, in particular zebras, giraffes, several lions, and a hippo for the pleasure of His Majesty the Emperor. We come requesting access to the markets of Japan and a port of rest for a respite from the tumultuous seas we have traveled just to trade with your most verdant and fertile realm. We offer in return for your more merciful hand in these dealings, access to our vessels for trade with the western ports of the Indian Ocean, as well as access to our regional storehouses to ensure a rapid supply of any goods and treasures we deal in. It is in the best interests of His Majesty and his court to permit our stay, as we can offer you access to exotic goods and delicacies the likes of which these islands have not tasted since the age of the Heian period. We shall leave a representative of the merchant fleet in your capital to treat with and call upon with your answer. We look forward to a most positive response for the opening of a mutually beneficial arrangement.
 * Japanese Response: Emperor Daigo personally meets with the representative of the trade fleet from this far off land. He arrives fashinably late and and flanked by his personal guards. The gifts are accepted and the man is wined and dined his ego stroked, and much knowledge is gleaned from him including the knowledge of lands far to the south of China below the south china sea.. The man is offered to be kept in one of the imperial guest residencies in Kyoto and told to stay for a period of five years to learn of japanese customs and culture. The products will be evaluated for a period of one year to see if your trade ships cannot offer what Japan can possibly already produce or trade for itself.
 * Empire of Ethiopia: Amda Sayon continues his drive south against the Sultanate of Ifat. The Ethiopian army of 14,000 men, (6,000 royal guards and 8,000 levies) drives south and carries the Cross against the Muslims, with the Imperial forces planning to march on the Sultunate's capital of Zeila. The Ethiopian Army marches against Zeila, aiming to either meet the Sultunate's forces in battle or to besiege the port city [MOD RESPONSE]. 
 * Bohemia-Poland: The sudden death of Wenceslaus III leads to a crisis in Poland with both Henry and Casimir leading an uprising. Ottokar who assumes the regency for the still minor Conrad sets about organizing the forces available to the crown raising the Bohemian levies alnog with those of the still loyal polish vassals. Ottokar also goes about requesting aid from his father-in-law. He moves to secure Krakow closing off the gates while loyalist forces are mustered. The Bohemian levies and the Knights of St Wenceslaus that remained loyal are organized to protect the borders of Bohemia. Gdansk, Poznan, and Warsaw are also fortified. A request to contract the Long Lances is also made to Milan. more to be posted later
 * The Caliphate: Caliph Al-Mustakfi I secures control of the lands previously held by the Imamate, from beyond Baghdad to Aleppo in a natural succession of power, his transition into power being blessed by God as one of peace and security, for the Imams have sworn their allegience to him. Last year was a year of great mourning and great celebration, the people mourning the loss of the Imam of Baghdad during his burial and celebrating the return of the Caliph to Baghdad, now ruling from his eccleastial and soveirgn seat of power in the Great Mosque of Baghdad. Now in the present, all the Abassid royal family has been transfered into Baghdad. To ensure the security of himself and his family, Caliph Al-Mustakfi forms The Holy Guard, acting as the personal guards of the Caliph and the Abassid royal family, comprised of the top elite soldiers throughout the land, numbering 10,000 in total and comprising of Arabs, Mamluks, and Mongols, all sworn to guard and protect the Caliph from all physical and spiritual threats. Caliph Al-Mustakfi prays to God for what he is meant to do with his newfound power, how he can submit to God. The Caliph recieves an answer via news of Ethiopian Emperor Amda Sayon comitting vast horrific violence against Muslims to the south, specifically the Sultanate of Ifat. Enraged at this violence against Muslims for the sake of Imperial conquest, the Caliph calls a Jihad against Emperor Amda Sayon of Ethiopia, calling for all the Muslim World to unite with the Caliphate under one banner, serving one God, united in faith and defending the Muslims of the world from evil, submitting completely to God. United in faith under God, each ruler shall maintain rule and dominion of the land they already hold. This declaration is especially made to the Mamluk. The Jihad not only calls upon the rulers of the world, but also the common Muslim faithful, the people.  General Gawdat Abdul-Hamid Al-Amin, Soldier King of Cicilia, is declared Guardian of Aleppo by the Caliph, the same General (who conquered Aleppo from the fallen Armenian Cicilia years ago). so the claims of Aleppine Cicilia and the Soldier's State of Cicilia don't conflict, both being ruled by General Al-Amin. This shows that the Caliph respects the rule of those who rule, and is the primary example of how the Muslim world will operate under the Caliphate. Each ruler still ruling their land, just united under the service and submission of God. (Mod Response please) General Al-Amin answers the call of the Jihad and is given command of 20,000 soldiers, who arrive in the port city of Zeilia and defend it from the Ethiopian Emperor's forces using the Caliphatean navy from the Persian Gulf. The fleet being commanded by Yaser Nurullah Nagi. (Algo addition needed)
 * Zimbabwe: The king of Zimbabwe continues to organize the development of the kingdom's economy, focusing on the expansion of the existing gold and copper mines of the nation. Mines near Danangombe, Naletele, Lusvingo, and Domboshaba are visited by the king to assess their productivity, and hand down new instructions for the men in charge of managing the operations. Under the direction of the recently established Ministry of Land, the body of overseers responsible for the management of the agricultural fields and resources of Zimbabwe organize the territories into tracts which are assigned to bomas and then to families based on geography. This radically alters the structure of the nine princely districts in the kingdom, but gives the princes a much better idea of what their lands look like and how to best meet the quotas assigned to them by the king. Using the new system of measurements introduced by Kutonga's advisors, the fields worked by the subjects of the king are allotted based on the number of household members within a boma, who are bound to the land and required to work it until their deaths. The land is then returned to the state for distribution to another individual as required, with individual families moved from one location to another as required to work the fields of a boma lacking the manpower to exploit particularly fertile lands. The measure proves to be successful and somewhat popular, as it ensures that the families have a line of work regardless of where they live, and they are not personally responsible for the land as it is overseen by the boma's local administrators who report to the district's prince. In the east, the work to expand the use of the Nhema script to produce written documents is growing, as pride in the kingdom and the heritage of the Shona people encourages many of the literate elite in locales such as Lusvingo, Muromo Wenyika, Thulamela, and Mapungubwe, to begin writing even if just for writing's sake. The Shona official Farai waRutendo takes to writing an extensive treatise on philosophy and his observation of foreign cultures and religions during his time as a port overseer in the city of Muromo Wenyika, and what the Shona and learn from and improve as a matter of developing their own civilization in Africa. Papers written by Farai become popular within the circles of literate individuals in Zimbabwe, who take to calling Farai's collected writings the Ukuqonda, or the "Understanding". Having personally interacted with foreign merchants visiting his homeland to trade, Farai has come to learn a lot about the world beyond the borders of Zimbabwe, such as the religious wars, the political intrigue, the constant rebellions and civil strife, the horrors of the Mongol invasions, the destruction of entire nations and extermination of countless millions of people. The constant flux and irrational behavior of man based on many bizarre or outright barbaric ideas disgusts Farai, himself never having been that religious of a man in his life. Observing the behavior of his fellow countrymen, and looking at the advent of new technologies that could benefit them in terms of education, Farai decides that he is duty-bound to uplift his people and instruct them in the proper manner of living, and begins to expand the Ukuqonda for the benefit of Zimbabwe's tens of thousands of inhabitants. In the city of Mapungubwe, Prince Akashinga continues to expand his host of mounted warriors, with many of those educated in equestrianism hailing from the newly built stables in Lusvingo. The Arabs who had arrived in the country to serve as instructors for those Shona nobles seeking to ride a house as they did, have now been dismissed from their posts and sent back to Arabia, their roles now taken by Shona horsemen competent in the riding of horses. The only Arabs tied to the stables to remain are those breeders who have been brought in on a permanent basis to help educate the members of the royal families personal guard how to maintain their stables and care for the horses, as well as how best to breed new generations of horses trained for the climate and geography of Zimbabwe. In the south, the expansion of Shona lands continues, with the addition of several new territories into the kingdom's domain as more and more Shona migrate southward, displacing whatever remaining Nguni still reside on the land. Having only been present in the region for less than a century, the Nguni have not managed to establish strong enough of a presence to prevent the expansion of the better-equipped and feed Shona from the north into their lands. As was the case for the San bushmen who came before them, the Nguni have been thoroughly displaced by the Shona in most parts of the region, and are now fleeing into the arid lands of the southwest, where they hope the Shona will not follow them. The monetization of the economy continues at the direction of the king and his body of advisors, who are preparing to take the first royal tax in the following year. To accomplish this task, a new office is established within the body of mutariri officials within Zimbabwe, that of muteresi or "collector". Each of the nine districts are assigned sixteen of these individuals, who will spend their time next year moving from boma to boma along with their body of warriors to collect coin rather than food, which shall be collected by representatives of the district for storage in the district's centrally-managed granaries. A system of generalized price controls are introduced as well by the king to regulate wages in line with the work and resources of a particular district for a total of ten years, so as to ease the populace into a system of wages that will make the collection of taxes easier to manage. The princes are authorized to make slight changes to these controls as needed, but are not to deviate from the overall vision of the system. By law, a farmer of any crop and their farm hands are to be paid no less than ten copper shaba per hour of work, or one silver fedha a day, with the limit on work be that of ten hours per day. Out of the seven days of the week, one day must be set aside for rest and to care for the livestock and supplies of a boma. Overall, this means that a Shona worker has a total of 312 days of work per year, or a theoretical salary of 312 fedha per day. Of this, 10-15% of all wages regardless of social status is to be paid to the government through the body of tax collectors instituted by the king, with failure to pay to be supplemented with military or civil service, or some form of physical payment in the form of livestock, such as a sheep or a cow depending on the amount ion delinquency. The tax collectors themselves are to be provided a daily wage of ten silver fedha, while their warrior bodyguards are to be paid three fedha per day. These price controls and wages are to enter into effect on the following year, once all of the taxes have been collected and the extent of the state's abilities to pay out these expenses assessed. Elsewhere, the expansion of the road network continues, as well as the use of wheeled items to move from one location to another. Many Shona have developed somewhat interesting ideas for the use of wagons, such as wheeled transportation for long distance travel, a novelty for the locals though common elsewhere in the world. As the population and its trade with the world expansion, the king and his men lay out plans for the construction of a second major port to the north of Muromo Wenyika, which is to be better placed than the southern port city relative to its proximity to the capital city of Lusvingo, and the direct route to the capital from the sea, making it a vastly more valuable center of trade to the kingdom.
 * Merchant Fleet of Munashe: Munashe continues to expand his trade connections within the Indian Ocean, catering to various peoples and nations as per their unique traditions. His unique concept of using a network of warehouses to stock goods and supplies for sell in nearby locations via sea allows him to corner the market on rare or exotic goods that would require a wait of several months to obtain. Though Munashe's network of storehouses and personal ties, a client of his merchant business can obtain dragon-fruit in Yemen, dates in Malaya, saffron in Vietnam, and peppercorns in Mombasa, as long as they are willing to contract with Munashe's fleet. Following the example of the Chinese, Munashe takes to using the set of movable print blocks he obtained to create copies of the Quran and Bible within the walls of Mombasa, where he can sell the books overseas for a profit due to the slow method of book production in the region. Hearing of the persecution of Christians in China, and the rumored hunt for Christian leaders through his Chinese merchant connections in Majapahit Java, Munashe decides to take advantage of the status quo in China, and sell some of his Bibles in Vietnam to be smuggled into China through the mountains of northern Vietnam and into the rebellious province of Yunnan. Bitter about the imperial Chinese government's interference in his profitable trading operations in the South China Sea, Munashe uses his contacts in Indochina to obtain a series of connections with Vietnamese and Lao bandits in the mountains to buy his goods for sale in the Chinese territories. Collecting his profits from the venture, Munashe turns to the Middle East to see what profits are to be made there through his contacts with Arab merchants in Mombasa and Zanzibar, who he works with by offering them access to his exclusive storehouses, allowing them to cut time off of their travels overseas, and return to port with their requested goods without having to make the trip to the actual destinations in the far east.

1330
''' The War of Polish Succession continues to heat up, more will be added when the player posts for it. '''

''' Emperor Frederick III "the handsome" dies, and is succeeded as Duke of Austria by his younger brother, Albert II "the potatoe-faced". Abert continues the war against Bohemia leading the Habsburg realm. Meanwhile, an Imperial Diet is called to elect the new King of Germany. Most support currently favors John the Count of Luxembourg, son of the more favorable Emperor Henry VII. '''

''' Around the world, temperatures continue to fall at a noticably rapid pace, with winters lasting much longer and crops becoming harder to sustain. During Easter this year, the holiest day in Christendom, all of central and western Europe experiences snowfall. Famines appear in parts of Mesoamerica and Peru. '''

''' The  Taymiyyah  sect of Sunni Islam rapidly spreads in popularity across much of the Mamluk Sultanate, and moderate schools of thought begin to be violently expelled by local mobs. The disciples of Ibn Taymiyyah declare that the Caliph spends too much time focusing on external threats, and fails to properly cleans the House of Islam of impiety and apostasy. '''

''' Interested in the lands of the Horn of Africa, Ibn Battuta travels south from Mecca and Medina to visit the port of Jeddah, and from there continues to explore the Sultanate of Yemen in southern Arabia. He passed through the cities of San'a, Taizz and Zabid, where he met the Sultan of Yemen himself, and settled the wintenr at the city of Aden. Meanwhile, John Maunderville travels around the lands of Anatolia, exploring the various provinces of the Byzantine Empire as well as the Osman Sultanate, and briefly passes through the Empire of Trebizond before moving south. '''

''' The Kingdom of Serbia expands rapidly eastward, taking lands from Bulgaria in a decisive victory. '''

''' King Edward III and Philippa of Hainut begin a career of fertility by producing their first son. '''

''' James Douglas is elected as speaker of the Parliament of Scotland. '''


 * Mali Empire: The internal infrstructure of Mali continues to be reformed and expanded. The conquered regions of the Bonoman help to create a large supply of ivory and coffee that is exported along with the usual supplies of gold and salt. The great road system of Mali continues to be constructed, to connect the various individual oasises and supply depots together across the empire's variety of climates. The military cultivates more tactics of infantry and skirmishing training, relying less on Mali's traditional cavalry and focusing on infantry lines of javalins and spears. Cavalry are still heavily used, however, in conjunction with Arab siege weapons. With the private army of Musa's demesne fully supplied, he pushes through further reforms to keep the feudal nobility of Mali in check. Musa implements a system of tributaries across the empire that requires a hefty amount of income from the nobles to be relinquished to the imperial treasury, along with similar regulations that prevents individual nobles from monopolizing local economies on their own. At the Library of Timbuktu, the Latin manuscripts supplied from Venice and Genoa help fill the halls of the library with a variety of works on European mathematics, geography, and theology. A great body of gramarians form at the University of Sankore, that finally creates a fully standardized ajamic script for the translation of Tamashq and Mandike languages. With this script fully devised, the Library works daily to translate the tens of thousands of books from Arabic and Latin into the local Mandinke and Berber tongues. At the same time, Musa supports the construction of smaller schools at various metropolitan areas of the empire as well, modeled after the success at Sankore. The navy goes through its own reformation at this time, utilizing techniques studied from the European visitors. Each ship of Mali at Dakar is expanded for larger hulls, with larger sails attached for quicker navigation along the Atlantic coast of Morocco. With these advancements of Mali's navy completed at this time, some scholars have debated whether the stories of Abu Bakr crossing the Atlantic decades earlier could have actually taken place. Still, this mostly helps to resupply the thinly-populated colonies along the Gorgades islands, which mostly benefit as a supply post between Mali and Europe. In the south, Larger fortifiactions are built at the Lake Kanji to create a secure border in Nigeria from the more unfamiliar nations in the south. Fascinated with the cultures south of the empire, the Islamic cleric named Ibn Tulun is sent as an emmissary of Mansa Musa to explore southern Nigeria, arriving at the court of Oyo, now a closer trading partner with Mali.


 * Georgia: King David VIII dies at the age of ~60, Crown Prince Anastasius, aged ~34, succeeds him to the throne. The death of his elder brother allows Prince George to broaden his influence within the royal court. His marriage with Mongol princess Altansarnai ends due to her succumbing to the flu. Nevertheless, the pair had been infamously cold with one another (possibly stemming from the arranged nature of their relationship), and as a result, the union bore no children. George vows not to remarry, and instead, he dedicates himself to Georgia. With his sister-in-law Oljath – now the Queen dowager (the mother of the King, not the Queen regnant) – also suffering from advanced age, George covertly works to dismantle Turko–Mongol influence within Georgia. As the Lord High Constable, he prohibits the usage of any language other than Georgian within either the Naqivchaqari or the Monaspa. This is done to reduce the former body's historical origins within the Georgian–Kipchak minority. He also stipulates that each battle will commence with a mass (thus garnering favor from the Orthodox Church), though it remains nominally religiously-tolerant with Muslims and religious minorities allowed to abstain. This will also promote camaraderie and heighten morale while pressuring the religious minorities within the bodies to convert to assimilate. After a long period of trying, Anastasius bears a child with his half-Mongol half-Georgian wife, Rusudan. He names the child Tamar – after his distant forebearer Tamar the Great, who had led Georgia into a period of prosperity. As part of his reforms, he sets aside a portion of the tax revenue for the patronage of the Gelati and Ikalto Academies – the premier medieval universities in Georgia, and a center of learning within the Orthodox World. To encourage the establishment of such educational institutions, he codifies a standard curriculum, consisting of: law, philosophy, medicine, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music, rhetoric, and Greek – though the most important subjects are rhetoric, philosophy, and law. He also promotes monastic life in general and philosophy such as Neoplatonism and scholasticism (reconciling the concepts found within pagan Hellenic thought and the Christian worldview). To procure more high-quality military equipment, the government grants contracts to private workshops in Tbilisi and its vicinity. The manufactured equipment includes lances, bows, arrows, and plate armor. Similar to this, the royal stables are expanded. Horse-breeding is encouraged, with larger horses (above the height of 16 hands) being preferred. Fortifications are maintained in Tskhumi, Sumqayit, Yerevan, and Batumi. Silver and copper are mined from Imereti and Kartli and are turned into coins – thus underpinning the economy. Under the encouragement of the Crown, commerce expands. Merchant and artisan guilds thrive in Tbilisi, Ganja, and Batumi. Cotton becomes the main export; wine, wool, and enamels are also traded. o increase agricultural productivity, three-way crop rotation (in which fields are split into three sections: grain, legumes, and fallow) instead of two-way crop rotation. Irrigation becomes more used.


 * Oyo Empire: With horses secured the Alaafin uses the mercenaries to train his forces into a true regular cavalry. The infantry, however, is trained for using crossbows and arrows dipped in poison. Of his elite soldiers being trained about 15 are sent to spy on Owu. But besides all that the Alaafin uses his extra revenue to fund a few plantations that will feed his army. The islamic scholar is accepted to the capital of what they call “Katanga”. After passing the first wall it is a rural area where farmers work on plantations and all the roads lead to the inner city. Past the city’s great imposing walls a city of thousands could be seen, with courtyard styled houses everywhere and large alleyways in between where children would play. Craftsmen making steel glass pottery and all of Oyo’s goods. After passing the market where a flurry of traders at the market they finally reach the courtyard palace of Alaafin IShango himself.
 * Mali dip: The Mali Empire provides the Oyo with plenty of horses and armor in exchange for their exports of glass and cotton, and establishes closer diplomatic relations
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: The Sultan focuses on developing the region of Kabulistan. The Governor of Kabulistan develops horticulture in Kabulistan focusing on fruits such as melons, grapes, pomegranates and dried fruits. The Sultan orders the construction and renovation of fortifications of the towns of Ghazni, Kabul and Bamiyan to protect against the Mongol invasions. The Sultan also orders the construction of a fortified wall around Balkh and also the reconstruction of the city of Balkh. The Sufi Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya passes away. The Sultan, who was a disciple, orders the construction of the Shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi. Bengal is annexed. Malik Kafur returns to Delhi and is bestowed with many gifts and monetary rewards. The Sultanate focuses on securing control of the vast region, officials are recruited and appointed but the feudal system of Bengal and Bihar is left as it is.
 * Iceland: The Government buys out many fishermen and pay them a monthly salary as along as the give them their fish and the Government redistributes the fish to inland towns. The population rises by 2,000, the population reaches 55.500 and the government buys to families to live in Arnarbæ in Heimey. 2,000 soldiers in the command of Róbert Arnarsson is offered to be sent to the papacy for the Crusade (Papal Response Needed).
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Sixtus IV thanks Iceland for the soldiers and gives to the people his apostolic blessing.
 * Lordship of Ireland: Following on from the sound victory as Aasleagh, Aodh mac Domnhall Ó Neill the Duke in Eiru and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland offers to the remaining two rebel Kingdoms under Ualgarg Mór Ó Ruairc (King of West Brefine) and Maelruanaidh mac Diarmata (King of Magh Lurig) the opportunity to bend the knee in exchanging for maintaining their lands and way of life.
 * The rest of Ireland submits to vassalage.
 * Papal States: With the bad crops of this year, Pope Sixtus IV repeats Gregory's actions during times of Famine. Money of the Fund of the Poor is used to buy any food available and grains stocked in the Barns of the Poor are taken. All these things are used to help the poor. The religious orders returns to distribute food. The Order of Divine Mercy being the first to offer help for the people, with Catharina and her fellow nuns distributing nun's bread for the poor. Once again, the pope asks Michael of Cesana to come to Rome to renounce his teachings and if he don't come this time, Michael will be excommunicated and considered a heretic. [MOD response needed, please]. After making contact with the Maronites, Sixtus write letters to the Nestorian Patriarch and the Pope of Alexandria asking for dialogue between the Christians [MOD response needed, please]. With the approval of Emperor Frederick before his death, Sixtus celebrates the wedding of Victor Capet and Anna of Habsburg. At the request of the bride, the pope writes for Anna's uncle Albert II asking him to visit the couple in the Capet's Estate in Ostia [MOD response needed, please]. After hearing about this kingdom named Mali, the pontiff asks Milan to help make contact with these people and to offer a trade agreement in the name of the pope to their king [Milan and Mali response needed, please]. The Ecclesial Tribunal continues to do a great work monitoring acts of corruption by clergy and the Holy Father makes Pierre Roger the cardinal responsible for the Tribunal. Cardinal Roger send a letter to the cardinal-bishop of Chur and the leader of Switzerland asking for the implantation of the Tribunal in their lands to investigate cases of misconduct of the clergy there. Sixtus reminds all kings of Europe that there is a call for a Crusade against Granada. The construction of the Church of Divine Mercy is coming to a end and will end in the next three years. The repairs of buildings continue across the Papal States.
 * Lordship of Ireland Diplomacy: Can Aodh mac Domnhall Ó Neill the Duke in Eiru be named the Duke of Eiru and named holder of all of Ireland.
 * Papal response: Pope Sixtus IV allows Aodh mac Domnhall Ó Neill to be named Duke of Eiru and holder of all of Ireland. Sixtus also give his blessings to the new Duke.
 * Swiss diplomacy: The cardinal-bishop of Chur and the central council of the Swiss Confederacy support the Tribunal taking place in Switzerland.
 * Michael of Cesena complies to come to Rome, but brings William of Ockham with him, who nominally supports his position
 * Pope Benjamin II sends a minister to visit Rome, Marinus of Damietta. Nothing is heard from the Nestorians
 * Duke Albert II agrees to briefly meet with the Capetians and the Pope in Ostia
 * Mali dip: Desiring to have a direct trade relationship from one Emperor to another, Mansa Musa asks to create a trade agreement with the King of the Romans, whoever that may be
 * Republic of Milan: With the treaty of Florence finished Milanese forces bolstered by the money gained from now having Florentine banks as well as the Milan banks. The forces numbering around 20k walk to Siena and prepare for a siege. (Algo needed) Early in the year a new book is written by Patrizio Colombo, the art of the deal. A second version is later written by a de-medici and then a third is written by Azzone Visconti all three copies set selling records throughout milanese controlled land. The election in the republic this year is won by Azzone Visconti and he immediately continues to support the expansion of Milan and the treaty of Florence. With Bohemia’s struggles the long lances are ordered north being commanded by Galleazzo’s brother and his second in command Luchino Visconti.
 * Swiss Confederacy: A small disaster occurs in the Confederacy as the wooden bridge over the Schöllenen Bridge in the canton of Uri collapses after heavy snowfall, cutting off the main road between the Confederacy and Italy through the Gotthard Pass. However, with contributions from the cantons of Schwyz, Unterwalden and Lucerne the route is restored by the end of the year by a new, sturdier wooden bridge. With colder temperatures in the region, wool and linen garments are sold to surrounding states at higher profits, though the trade partners of Bern and Zug receive favourable rates. The Canton of Schwyz sends an envoy to their eastern neighbours the canton of Glarus, proposing a trade alliance/agreement between the Swiss Confederacy and Glarus which would benefit Glarus in this time of famine. (Mod response) The Confederacy's central council closely observes the situation unfolding immediately to its south with the tensions in Milan and Venice over the Treaty of Florence.
 * Glarus joins the confederacy
 * Republic of Novgorod: Prince Dmitry the Terrible Eyes, without his wife Princess Maria of Lithuania make a tour of the lands of the Rus', including Moscow, where they visit Prince Yuri in a motion of peace. In his stead, his brother Prince Aleksandr is left as regent along Princess Maria of Lithuania. The ambassador to China, Fyodor Dvoryaninets, a nephew of the posadnik of Novgorod, seeks further good relations with the Emperor of China, citing the enmity of both the Rus' and China to the Mongols. In secret, the veche (government), headed by the posadnik (mayor) of Novgorod Ostafiy Dvoryaninets, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Novgorod David, discuss plans to expand the role of Novgorod on the Northern Silk Road, including embassies farther away from the Mongols into other territories, and an expansion into the White Sea trade. They support Prince Dmitry, but they want to expand their powers in Novgorod and elsewhere, and they send agents secretly to Smolensk, Rostov and Yaroslavl, who instigate the traders to demand more authority in the form of a local veche. Otherwise, Novgorod exports fur, salt, hops, timber and tar to the rest of Europe, making profits. The Archbishop sends some monks to the Karelians, hoping to convert them, and to mend the relations between the two groups. Otherwise, we continue developing Mikhailov on the Neva, and build a large port, and build several roads connecting Novgorod to Mikhailov, Staraya Rusa, Vologda, Vyborg, Pskov and Tver. While Princes Dmitry and Aleksandr give some small support to the cause of Conrad III, in secret, many traders from Novgorod and elsewhere in the Rus' send monetary support to Henry VI and Casimir of Krakow. 
 * Principality of Tver (PU with Novgorod): Tver becomes a leading power in the Russian states, and as a grand road from Novgorod passes through Tver, becomes a leading center in the economy of the Rus'. A grand road is built to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Murom, as well as to Smolensk, in order to facilitate trade with Bohemia. Supported by Novgorod, the merchant elite starts secretly plotting to align itself with Novgorodian ideals, and begin scoffing at a Russian prince, and they send agents to Yaroslavl, Rostov and Smolensk, as well as Chernigov and Kiev. A succesful appeal is made for the Prince of Tver to have a veche assemble, but no posadnik to be elected. A great road is also built towards Ruthenia's capital Lviv.
 * Principality of Kiev (PU with Novgorod): Kiev begins rebuilding its lands long destroyed by the Mongols. It establishes a new river market, and hope to be able to trade with the Black Sea downward from the Dnieper. Towns such as Pereyaslavl are rebuilz, with the hope for them to become trading towns. A road is built toward Chernigov, in hope to be able to trade with the west. An embassy is sent south toward the Venetian holdings in Crimea, hoping to foster good relations with them (Venice response). 
 * Republic of Pskov (PU with Novgorod): Pskov continues helping Novgorod in its endeavors, and builds a fort near the village of Narvia called Reya, and one farther east and inland called Yama. In addition, the ambitious and vain Pskovian posadnik Gleb Romanovich sends secretly, at the behest of Ostafiy Dvoryaninets an agent at the court of Yuri of Moscow to spy on the Prince. In addition, they ask to build roads to connect the Pskovian fortresses of Yama and Reya to Reval [TEUTON response]. Exports of lard, mead, timber and fur continue.
 * Tuetonic Diplomacy: We Accept the building of roads to Reval


 * Tian China: With our crushing victory in the Battle of Dali in November of last year against Yunnan, their armies have been annihilated and we are easily able to sweep into the country and secure control over the majority of the area by the end of April, with most resistance being swiftly crushed and control being swiftly asserted over the majority of the populace. The Christains of the province, which had been a large part of the administration despite much of the population disliking them, either flee the province or are driven out after the Confucianist leaders of the province, who had previously rebelled in order to resist the Yuan's attempts at Christanizing the area, eagerly welcoming the invading Tian forces and encouraging their followers to do the same, while happily leading our forces to the hideouts of those Christains who hadn't already fled the country. We reward these men for their loyalty to the Empire and the teachings of Confucius while also siezing the lands of the Christains and distributing them to loyal Confucians and Han people, with many of those Mongols who had agreed to serve in our cavalry being given lesser land grants of siezed christain lands throughout the province. The provinces Churches are also demolished and rebuilt into Confucian temples, or if they were previously such merely reconverted to such, while those who resist are slain. In the process of siezing control over the province, we also discover large amounts of materials smuggled into the province, similar to those previously found in Chinese ports, and raids are launched over the Laotian and Vietnamese borders to destroy the bandits who had been distributing such materials to our rebelling subjects, successfully destroying these areas bandits before returning them to their rightful owners in Laos and Vietnam. With the seizure of Yunnan now completed, and with Sichuan having been successfully reconquered over two years ago, the Emperor is now free too return to his duties of ruling in the capital of the Empire, returning to Luoyang in September and taking back the reigns of power from his regent, Mao Xieren. As a reward for his exempliary service in running the Empire in the Emperor's absence, he is given command over all forces in the prosperous northern provinces above the Yellow River, while also (SECRET) being given the order to begin preparing his forces in the are for a campaign against the Mongols to the north and west, with the campaign planned too take place in 4 years, and with his position as one of our best generals he is selected to be the leader of this northern expiditon. (SECRET). Our efforts to destroy piracy in the East China Sea continue, as we further expand our bases on Taiwan and increase their garrison to 4,000 men. We also begin to consider laying a permanent claim to the island, in order to prevent Piracy from ever taking root in the area again and secure our hold over the region of the East China Sea, which we hope will also allow us to more easily deal with smugglers. We also welcome the first Novogrodian Ambassador this year, and welcome him into the Imperial court, although many are suspicious of him due to him being a foreigner. The Emperor also receives the Ainu prisoners sent as gifts by the Japanese, and although he takes several as concubines or sells them off as slaves, many of the rest are offered lands in the just reconquered Yunnan in exchange for swearing an oath of loyalty to the Emperor and renouncing there claims on Japanese land. Although many refuse this offer, many others accept this and are sent to the area to settle it, helping to increase the population and ensuring there are even more loyalists in the region to help secure our rule of the region.
 * Archduchy of Lotharingia: "Harba Lorifa": The count of Julich accepts peace, John III Archduke of Lotharingia asumes the tittle of Count of Julich. This ads to all the titles of Lotharingian Realm, the Parliament of Mechelen discussing how many representatives to give Julich. The Parliament knowing that represenatation is needed to keep the County happy but at the same time knowing, that julich should be punished for its treason. Although most believe the only punishment should be either money from the cities and nothing more. While in Malines the Parliament of mechelen is debating if the Council should swear loyalty to the Archduke or not. As some believe that the Parliament should Lotharingia and itself first and then the Archduke, while some mostly the Nobles believe that Loyalty to John III and the house of Reginar is most important for the Parliament. They believe that the only duty of the Parliament is to represent the Archduke and his autority, as they believe the power of the Arduke comes from God trough the pope and Holy Roman Emperor. While those who do not desire an oath to the Archduke, believe that the duke is just a representative of the state a figurehead. They believe that the people's will and idea's are what should be implemented, that God does not need a Noble to be with Lotharingia. In The habours of Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam begin an enormous boost in the Building of Both Merchant and war ships. For these Merchant ships they have small surface area but a lot of sail area, this making the ship very quick in movement. The Movement being quick compared to the warships as these Merchant ships still have a very big bows, these big bows allowing the carrying of a lot of cargo from far far away. While the military ships are made with Big rams and bigger surface area to carry more men on the Deck as to be able to have a lot of Archers and other footmen, as even now Naval warfare is more of a sub dicipline of Naval warfare then its own form of war. This is due to the lack of weapons that are easy to use by ships. The only real naval weapon being trowing stars and cheap oil-fat fire bombs, although this combination needs an actual spark making it only being used in times of desperarity. His highness the Archduke John III and his Parliament ordering 25 more warships to be build in total 10 of which to be completed before the 30th of May 1331 AD. The Other ships having a completion date of December 31st 1334 AD, the ships that need to be buil with the lesser completion time being due to the Foreign treats Lotharingia fear of war. Hendrickus Pisacus Begins his Duty by Lotharingian ships, his aim being to find the source of the african Gold in Lotharingia. The items he carries being books on Alchemy, Latin, Arabic and history as these are believed to be the most important of information. His plan being to first go to Castile by boat and then study in their lands and go on foot from former Navarre to the south of spain, where after he will take the boat to Norocco. As he believes Morocco could give the needed information on the Land of Gold. In England John III sends them a message telling them to move to The Mumbles which they Humbly do to be farther apart from London and its Madness. The Soldiers Carrying the Flag of Cmyru the Red Dragon of Freedom, as they want to show the Path they have gone togheter with Mortimers troops. The English king Edward III unjustifiably killing Roger Mortimer the Lord of Horn and Military adjutant of the Duke, John III asking the English King for compensation and the Release of the Heir of Horn and son of Mortimer (English Response).
 * Teutonic Diplomacy: we ask the Lotharingian government if we can join the expedition to the land in Africa
 * Edward III refuses to give any sort of compensation but agrees to allow the Edmond Mortmier to head to Lotharingia to succeed his father. 
 * Tibet: As a tributary state, the people of tibet are going to come at building their homeland and border behind Mongolia and China Possibly we are going establish our state in built fortification people are writting in chinese on the wall, in the north territorial many of mountain tibeteans are building wall border and is being organized due to development and starting building budha's status local Chinamen are selling some rock to built town and territorial.
 * Crown of Castile-Aragon: The year before, with the Royal Wedding, a public event made for the eyes of all of Toledo to see was arranged and Maria of Portugal becomes Maria, Queen of Castile and Aragon. Plans for Toledo are made for expansion in a different fashion than usual cluttered cities. This design is adopted by various municipalities where city centers would be designed with more so square communities to optimise traffic and community localisation. Physicians and areas where the sick may receive remedies for treatments are expanded upon, especially in the territories in Sardinia but also abroad in the realm of the crown. Ships continue to be built up further as the Sicilian Fleet expands to be a key base within the Mediteranean and as a result, illegal activities at sea continue to diminish mainly by Carusso and his brutal tactics. Maria bares the king's first child, Francisco a year prior. This secured an heir to the throne of Castile, Aragon, and claim to the Crown of Portugal. Celebrations are held with various festivals across the nation. Vibrance in an age of increasing wealth and prosperity amongst urban living. These new block areas built by various spanish architectural designers account for the Tagus river which using water account for stream use for waste disposal as by orders of Alfonso to find better means of maintaining the city sanitation. As a result, streets are relieved of clutter and any waste which becomes so frowned upon that municipalities and cities adopt laws to institute fines and charges for lack of proper waste disposal. This new law is popularised and appealed to the Council of Hispania. The council agrees to institute the law across the minor courts to regulate and enforce. The new grand home of the King of Castile and Aragon and the royal family in Toledo sees further layout and construction. Groves are made and expanded to account for its scale with the Council Office also having a new grand building for itself as well. In Cagliari, an influx of Aragonese and Castilian financed migrants begin to settle across Sardinia and the city. The same thing occurs in Sicily but this is relatively limited. In newly financed institutions in Sicily and Sardinia, the language of the Aragonese and Castilians become the base language spreading it beyond being the base language of trade and spread throughout communities. A slanged mixture begins to take hold slowly to make communication easier. Stockpiles of materials to supply in the "Imperial Defense" as labelled in the latest documents made by the Council, are expanded upon by royal decree. Longbows begin to be adopted outside the standard crossbows as the Castilian and Aragonese Arching groups while being reformed to adopt longbows as a standard for higher levels of professionalism. With higher level of cannon adoption and hand cannons, the military's use of gunpowder is raised to be standard in these uses of practice seeing its success against reinforced and stone structures. Trade continues to prove to be highly profitable as cities continue to grow through profit. A formal alliance is offered to the Portuguese in hopes of uniting the Iberian Peninsula under one united region of mutual support, trade, and protection (Mod Response). With preparations for the crusade set in motion years prior, the armies and generals of Castile and Aragon with an invitation extended to the portuguese (mod response), ready for war next year; The blockade of Granada begins.
 * Portugal agrees to an alliance
 * Teutonic Order: While attending a charitable event in Balga a mad knight who was angry about the lack of crusades kills Werner von Orslen. Heinrich Dusemer becomes Grand-master.his first action was to take a Pilgrimage to Rome to meet Pope Sixtus IV and tell him that the Order will participate in the crusade against Granada(Papal Responds Needed). We see the war in Bohemia but we can not do anything about but we will allow some refugees and donate food to poor people in Bohemia who are not doing good in the war.We ask Bohemia to sell us some cannons to be used in our army(Bohemian Responds Needed). We start building a port and a fort in Reval,the port will be complete in 2 years and the fort will be complete in 3 years. the cathedral in Memel is complete and is open to poor and all people to worship and house themselves if need be. Heinrich Dusemer merges the towns of Altstadt and Lobenicht and calls the new city Koningsberg. in celebration the older smaller cathedral is demolished and a larger and more holy and will take 3 years and it will be named the Koingsberg Cathedral.the winter is colder than usually so we house poor people in churches and taverns and some in castles to survive this winter.the food problem in Europe do to the winter does not effect us do to fishing in the Baltic.We ask Sweden to allow use to create a Hansetic trading post in Helsinki(Mod Responds Needed). We ask the Archbishop of Riga to be fully Incorporated into the Order(Mod Responds Needed). By now the Samogotian tribes are fully Catholic and integrated into our society. we create the county of Livornia and the first Landmeister is Burchard von Dreileben who starts to focus on infrastructure in and around Reval.
 * Sweden allows a trading post.
 * Riga would agree if the Pope permits it.
 * Empire of Ethiopia: Amda Sayon's outnumbered army meets the forces of the Sultanate of Ifat outside the walls of Zeila. In a heated and intense battle the Sultan is struck by an arrow in the eye and killed. The death of the Sultan causes panic to spread throughout his embattled forces and they begin to flee the field. The Ethiopian soldiers pursue them closely and are able to capture the gates of Zeila, left open as the soldiers attempted to flee into the city. With the gate captured, Zeila's remaining defenses quickly falls and the city is captured. Ethiopian soldiers loot much of the city but the citizens are ordered to be spared and respected by Amda Sayon. With the Sultan dead and Zeila captured, Amda Sayon declares victory over the Sultanate of Ifat. Amda Sayon appoints a local Christian noble to become a vassal king of, which is renamed to the Kingdom of Axum. The Empire annexes the northern half of the former Sultanate of Ifat, taking everything north of the Awash river. The Emperor also demands that the new vassal Kingdom of Axum pay an tribute of gold, silver and other valuables. This tribute is paid directly to the Emperor, who uses this new source of revenue to continue building up the Royal Guard. New men are recruited to join the guard and are armed and trained. Fresh from his victory over the Muslims, Amda Sayon returns to Ethiopia a hero, triumphantly marching through the country with his army laden with loot and slaves. Capitalizing off his support following the successful campaign, Amda declares that God has appointed him the warrior to defend the Christian faith. To better defend the faith, Amda decrees he shall build a permanent capital of Ethiopia. After inspecting several possible locations, Amda Sayon finds a suitable spot on Mount Entoto, and declares: "Upon this rock, I shall build my Church." Amda Sayon begins building a new permanent capital city on Mt. Entoto. Additionally, rumors begin reaching Ethiopia of traders who have sailed the oceans and beyond, finding new and exotic lands to trade with. Emperor Amda Seyon sends a trade and diplomatic envoy to these traders at Mombasa, offering to formalize a trade alliance with the merchants there [MOD RESPONSE]. The Emperor also hears of a vast power to the West from several Ethiopian coffee farmers who claimed to have done business with merchants from a great golden kingdom in the West. The Emperor sends a delegation of nobles and diplomats westwards to attempt to make contact with this mysterious new power [MALI RESPONSE NEEDED]. 
 * Mansa Musa, the Great Lion of Africa, Emperor of Mali and Kanem, King of Mali, Waalo, Songhai, Bononam, and Ghana, greets the envoys of Ethiopia at the summer palace in Daura. He offers to make trade deal with the Emperor, to buy his exquisit horses and steel in exchange for his supply of ivory and salt
 * Mod Response: A group of Mombasas trade groups agree towards further formalizing trade agreements with the Ethiopian Empire.
 * Japanese Empire: The empire this year consolidates firm hold over its new conquest to the north and a small port is set up on the northern portion of the island with clear intent to use this to foster trade, development, and most important a clear port for explorers to use in the movements north. The mapping of an island now known as Sakhalin continues with parts of the southern coast being more completely and clearly mapped. The small trade outpost set up in southern Sakhalin in the previous years has led to an influx of trade from the native Ainu and Evnikhs on the island and an information gathering campaign is launched. The Emperor knowledgeable of some of these exploits charters a trading company in Sendai to sent a small armed force of about 50 men to establish further contact and try to see how far the island goes. The famed Ronin Akihito having retired from combat to take a more laid back lifestyle acdepts the call of his emperor to lead the expedition alongside a young man Gaku looking to make his fame and fortune on this expedition. The Expedition arrives in Sakhalin in the middle of the year at the trade outpost with various traders, explorers and Ronin guards who are to act as security for the expedition. They then set off north into the unknown. The Japanese navy begins to clamp down heavily on piracy along its trade routes using Okinawa as a major base to set forth and patrol known trade routes. The expansion of the fleet has been notable and as the trade income from China becomes a clear driving factor in the ongoing boom in the Japanese economy. The notable trade in furs is able to procure a serious influx of bullion into Japan as it becomes clear that many in Korea, and China will pay dearly for high quality furs comming out of Japan, particularly comming from the rather virgin lands of Hokkaido and the influx of furs comming from Sakhalin as well. It is noted that some of these furs come from "the mainland" which spurs many trade families to begin pressuring the government to allow further expansion into Sakhalin and with clear attempts to find more virgin lands to the north untouched by civilization to help procure more furs. The Japanese army having performed rather proficiently in the conquest of the Ainu is expanded to add another 10,000 troops. The army itself is used to help construct various public works projects in Japan focusing heavily on the japanese roadway system. The establishment of Quarries and other engineering projects to procure materials for the road sees the roadway system having gone from just a few roads of dubious quality running from Kyoto to Osaka and Nagoya into a clear and well maintained system which now crisscrosses across central Japan. The roadway network linking the major cities stimulates a much easier routes of intercity trade. In response to this however groups of disgruntled war veterans have taken to banditry on some of these new routes forcing the Emperor to tackle these outlaws. However with the mountainous terrain it becomes clear this may take more than a year to put down. With the demand in Japanese product clear, the Artisans continue to export product to China with the demand for unique Japanese goods driving growth in various artisan industries. After over a decade the Imperial Palace in Kyoto is completed and the Imperial family takes full residence inside the complex. The first true noble revolt against Emperor Daigo takes place this year. A collection of northern Daimyo having not truly tasted defeat following the collapse of the Tetsuko clan revolt against the emperor in response to perceived slights to honor, and the curtailing of noble rights. This brings the Imperial army back up to the north in which they face off against a well armed and organized noble army of roughly 20,000. The Emperor sees this as the final challenge to his reign and the 30,000 strong Imperial army is sent in its entirely to test the new tactics against a more powerful and more professional and organized force. The two armies meet outside the ruined Tetsuko capital  and once again the new form of shock related warfare is tested. This time however a new tactic is tried. The Ranged units attempt to skirmish with the Daimyo army by harassing them with arrow while a much thinner than usual line of frontline naginata infantry gives enough space for the Hand cannon regiments to unleash a barrage before a general charge is called. The Noble army slams into the line attempting to break it only to be met with a hail of Hand cannons. The second line of Naginata infantry move up to reinforce the main line as the Shock cavalry meet with the Samurai cavalry in the field. The battle is much more indecisive however with Daigo in command of the army the Imperial army holds and then progressively gains ground throughout the day of the battle. As multiple high level officers are killed the Daimyo officially offer their surrender and many commit Seppuku in order to regain their honor. The noble army is disbanded and the survivors are granted a pardon by the emperor himself wishing for the killing to truly end. The propogation of Japanese "warrior monks" is also noted as they fight some of the modest attempts at banditry as they move from temple to temple in Japan.
 * Zimbabwe: Having fully investigated the terrain to the direct east of the capital city of Lusvingo, it is decided that the location of the kingdom's second port city shall be placed at the mouth of a natural harbor to the northwest of Sofala, a Swahili port city beyond the control of the King of Zimbabwe. The site itself is designated Muromo Weshiri by the king, who declares that it shall serve as the primary port of entry into his kingdom, with the goal of surpassing that of neighboring Sofala. Many of the Shona fishermen of the coastline begin to flock to the new city for work and to residing within its future walls with their families, hoping that the city's completion in the near future will serve as a source of additional income as they sell their stock of fish to the new population of urban denizens. The census of Zimbabwe is concluded by the censors of the king, who report a total population of 802,196 people, along with some 120,000 head of cattle and 8,200 steeds both wild and domesticated (a third of which are mature). Lusvingo's population itself has expanded to more than 40,000 inhabitants, with the stone enclosure of the king extended to support his larger flocks and personal servants, his household, and the royal bodyguards who residing with the enclosure itself. The details from the census are used by the state to organize a series of new domestic policies to direct the expansion of the state and its resources in line with the needs of the known population. For the first time in Zimbabwe's history, the records of the census and other vital information to the state are documented in writing and stored in a specially-built library in the manner of the Arabs, with the documents themselves written in the recently-introduced Nhema script. With regards to the demographics of the nation itself, most of the subjects are employed as farmers and fishermen on grounds owned by the state and administered by officials assigned to the bomas by the king and his court. With their wages largely centralized by the state, a royal report is presented to the king with an estimate on the overall salaries of all subjects of the realm based off of their theoretical wages. In the city of Muromo Wenyika, Farai completes a number of his writings based on his personal philosophy on regarding humanity and the nature of god, as well as on other topics such as the behavior of a noble citizen of the realm, and the role of faith in the lives of men. Some of his colleagues are fascinated by the non-theistic teachings of Farai's latest work, which advocates for the use of rational thought in a world plagued by emotionally-driven behavior that blinds the eyes of men to the right way to think and act when considering the needs of their fellow people. He denounces the predatory behavior of the various shamen of the kingdom, who worship numerous gods but fail to properly "predict" the future of their countrymen, praying for rain and receiving droughts, blessing warriors for victory and receiving the dead and defeat, cursing those who do not bow to them and expecting anything other than scorn. He states that as long as the kingdom remains bound to antiquated beliefs and traditions, then it will never claim what he calls igunya, or "dominion", something which empowers a people to obtain that which is unattainable to the backwards and superstitious. Though few of the rural Shona are literate, those selling their goods in the port city become interested in Farai's fiery speeches on the matter, and take what they learned home with them to spread word of the cruelty of the shamen and the oddity of their religions. Some frank discussions are held while in the fields away from their overseers as to the honesty about religion. Some state that they don't know which god or gods to worship, while other voice their fears of superstitious, and yet others seem to accept wholeheartedly the idea that religion as a whole does nothing to improve their lives. Whatever the argument made, all agree that Farai is stating points that may establish him as a contrarian that opposes the traditions of his people, and could result in his death. In the same city, Shohiwa continues to promote his script throughout Muromo Wenyika, with many of the city's literate population abandoning the use of Arabic for Nhema. Shohiwa travels to Lusvingo to assist his colleagues in the capital educate members of the royal court on how to read and write, and move to petition the king on establishing a network of literate individuals who can assist with the documenting of information in written form, as well as educating members of the government to ensure their ability to better govern the kingdom on Kutonga's behalf. The king agrees to Shohiwa's request, and places him in charge of promoting a royal literacy campaign for all of the officials working for the king. In the northern districts of Zimbabwe, copper mining is expanded to accommodate the increase in trade taking place with the Arabs and Swahili, who frequently arrive for raw materials to be exported to other nations along the Indian Ocean. Roads are extended to the mines of the northern territories, and infrastructure put in place to assist the workers in extraction of the copper ore from the sites. In the southern districts of the kingdom, the expansion of the population continues to fuel migration into the region, now supported by the introduction of drought-resistant crops and significant numbers of livestock. The move to settle the south is spearheaded by Prince Akashinga, who with his personal army of mounted warriors, raid Nguni kraals and pillage the land of its livestock and crops, reducing the Nguni population throughout the region. Indeed, due to the lack of mobility for the Nguni warriors combined with their fractured nature, the Shona sweep them aside and inadvertently conduct a massive campaign of genocide as they kidnap and rape Nguni women and put the men and boys to death to prevent them from posing a threat to Zimbabwe. As the Shona bands return to their homes in the north, they leave entire tracts of land devoid of any human life.
 * Merchant House of Munashe: Leveraging all of the contacts made in Mombasa during his early career there, Munashe establishes a working relationship with many Arab traders who agree to an exclusive contract with Munashe and his request to bring him goods from various locations throughout the Middle East, which he will then resale to the Japanese and his other clients in the Far East through his network of storehouses and ports facilities as per the corrupt arrangements between his enterprise and that of various port officials across the region. The profits from the sales will then be distributed across the various hands hired by Munashe, with the largest share going directly into his pockets for use in the expansion of his merchant business. In the region of Indochina, Munashe's coordination of smuggling operations in northern Vietnam and southern China continues, with the movement of Bibles, weapons, armor, food, and raw materials sent into the country at the request of those persecuted by the new Chinese dynasty in Beijing. In Japan, the merchant house moves to set a good reputation for themselves, bringing in goods and services unknown to the local Japanese people and their imperial court. Of the goods imported into the country are silken fabrics and exotic animals such as tigers and the occasional elephant from India, tongba millet beer from Nepal and bugnay wine from the Philippines, poetry and artwork from Persia and Arabia, and watermelons and cotton fabrics from Egypt. Dancers from Egypt, musicians from Mesopotamia, and warriors from East Africa, are paid a fair sum of money to entertain the Japanese court officials and entice them to continue their trade with the merchant house of Munashe. The expanded trade with Japan comes just as the first few ships ordered by Munashe to expand his fleet are completed, allowing him to focus on trade lanes with other major powers in the region such as Hindustan and the Majapahits. A series of storehouses are built in the Indonesian islands to help Munashe maintain a stock of western goods in the far eastern regions, allowing his traders in the South China Sea focus on their work in the region, while another set of ships resupply that location with goods and material for sell in the east. Seeking to access new markets beyond the Indian Ocean, Munashe organizes a trade delegation to depart for the Suez region of Egypt, and work with the government and merchants there to obtain transit access to the kingdom and allowing their goods to move through the land without opposition, with the merchant house paying a small tariff in exchange for protection.
 * Abassid Caliphate (Baghdad): General Gawdat Abdul-Hamid Al-Amin and his army flees Zeila via ship, vowing to one day destroy Ethiopia while sailing to the Caliphate's waters. Arriving in the Caliphate he goes to Baghdad to relay the news of his defeat to the Caliph, asking why his armies lost. Upon hearing of the news of the defeat, the Caliph knows why. "The self must be purified before we defend others. As the self must be purified, The House of Islam must be purified before we help other Muslims far away. Once Islam is purified, we shall realign with the will of God, this is why God restored me to Baghdad, to restore and purify Islam." With this decree, Caliph Al-Mustakfi declares his support for the Taymiyyah sect, and orders his Holy Guard to purify Islam of apostates and the impious across the Caliphate, launching a Jihad of Purification against false believers. General Gawdat Abul-Amid Al-Amin blames the unrighteous for his defeat at Zeila, concluding that God was no longer with him and the Muslims he defended for there were those in Islam who went against God and his will, thus General Al-Amin goes into Mamluk Egypt with the Caliph's blessing to join with the Tamiyyah Sect on their righteous campaign to purify Egypt and the holy cities of the Mamluk Sultanate, becoming a leader in this internal holy war, remaking and reforming connections with the leaders of the Tamiyyah movement, stating the Caliph has now seen the light through the darkness of Zeila, the darkness he, the General, personally saw, and calls for unity between the Caliph and the Mamluks to end apostaty and impiety. General Al-Amin also asks if the Mamluk Sultan has joined the Tamiyyahs in their righteous jihad. (Mod Response Please) In a secret move, Admiral Yaser Nurullah Nagi takes control of the Soldier Cicilian fleet, blessed both by the Caliph and under orders of the Soldier King Al-Amin, goes to Venice under the guise of a trading mission where he proposes striking the Aragonese fleet together to lift the blockade of Granada, knowing that such a move will benefit Venice and ensure their naval domination in the Mediterranean with the formal request being to set up closer trading ties with the merchant republic, which also stands on the table. (Venice response please)