The Ashes of Rome (Map Game)

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

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

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

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

Rules:

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


 * Improve military.


 * Improve economy.


 * Improve infrastructure.


 * Declare war or seek peace with another nation.


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

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

The Map

 * Lighter shades of a nation's color represent occupied territory, and darker shades represent client or satellite states.
 * I’m a decent mapmaker, though I’m certainly not the best. If anyone would like to be the full-time mapmaker, please apply on the Talk page, and be sure to provide me with some examples of your work.
 * The map will, of course, be changed as more of the world becomes explored.

Europe:
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- Chairman Becket Lousean Afunnymouth

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- King Osgar Seighbert Long Dong Johnson

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- Boone5Jones

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

- TheRyderx1 (talk) 15:29, August 8, 2015 (UTC)TheRyderx1

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

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

-

-

Asia:
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- SEEING AS THE PERSIAN KINGDOM IS A MESS, I'M SIGNING UP HERE. (AH28) -
 * Egyptian Republic - snoopdigdogg11
 * Neo-Parthia -

- Zamarak500

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- Tao64

- ~Candiesrgood

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- Alynnear

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- Revolution 9

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Africa:
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- King Mayan Dyabe Cisse ~ Hddenevil

- Kruntchie

Supranational Organizations
The High Council of the Mediterranean

The High Council of the Middle East 

Archives
500-600

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vasconia again requests establishment as an autonomous Gothic province.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


 * We will withdraw all troops from Goguryeo 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Göktürk Khaganate: We improve economy to better our country which is currently doing better than Liang. We continue to enforce major conscription laws bringing it to over 2,000,000 troops, outnumbering the Liang by much. Many farmers part with their horses so they can be trained an used as cavalry. Many now believe that our religion Tengriism must spread to Eastern Asia which gets more people to fight and help with the war. Do to our recent victories in Liang Dynasty, troop morale is very high. We build large and strong fortifications on the front to stop any enemies. Now that Gorgeyeo and Silla are neutral we are able to transport all troops to 1 front. '''We attack Liang with all troops, 35,000 cavalry, and 3,000 catapults. We keep to solid flat grounds so our army can move fast and we surprise attack Liang armies with our strategic tactics and advanced fighting styles. We try to advance 2,000 px total.  The Liang people now greatly fear us as we have become a major empire. '''
 * Revolution9, you're being ASB. They're a nomadic peoples, and without permanent settlements, they'll have less trade, and a smaller economy. And plus, why would you have fortifications if you are nomadic? The Chinese economy is much, much, much larger than yours. So is their population, and their technology. Plus, you aren't a major power. China has a larger cultural, political, and economic influence than you. Your old turns are okay, but this turn is just way too implausible. Oh yeah, I believe you took only China's less populous regions, and you cannot advance anymore. If you advance more into China, I will lose my faith in humanity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Göktürk Khaganate: Revolution 9

Liang Dynasty:Tao64

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Goths cede land in western Dacia to the Gepids.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Japan: Still expanding north ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Captured territory in Egypt is ceded to the Mbalians.

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

Lombard Kingdom: (I believe that Lombardy is a Republic at this point, but the person who runs the map game has referred to it as a kingdom, so that's what I will do. If there's any disagreement, we'll pretend that there was a coup a few months ago, with the High Chief of the Republic announcing his ascension as king to the cheering masses). Johannic, the new king of Lombardia, realizes that he needs to curry favor with the masses if he wants to keep his newly-won throne. To that end, he abolishes the unpopular tax in currency, and replaces it with a tax in kind. Now taxes can be payed with goats, apples, leather, or whatever is had on hand. To this end he contacts a few refugee educated Greeks in residence, and works with them to draw up a massive price-sheet that allows easy conversion of your goods to the tax value. He orders that the prices be carved into a massive granite stone in the center of his capital, the top written in Greek, and the bottom in Lombard rendered in the Latin alphabet. A search of his palace storehouse reveals several hundred sheets of papyrus, which he has scribes copy the price-sheet onto and distribute to the various municipalities across the kingdom. A year after his ascension, after a discussion with his advisors, he orders that a new city be constructed to the west. This city is for purely administrative purposes, and by the end of that year most of the government has been transported to the new complex dominating the city. One day, during an inspection of the completed west-wing of his new palace, he notes to his chief advisor that the library seems particularly empty. In mid-autumn of 649 he sends out three missions, each bearing letters written and sealed by him. One of the missions reaches Francia and, after a formal meeting with the leader of the Franks, embarks to Britain, where Johannic hopes they will find King Osgar receptive to an exchange of knowledge, and the purchase of books. A second delegation travels to the south-west, to see what they can salvage from the ruins of the Roman Empire, and possibly hold court with the pope. Many of Johannic's subjects are Christian, and he would like to know more about this strange religion. The final embassy heads directly south, with a three-fold goal. Firstly, they have with them a skilled cartographer, and will spend several weeks mapping the mouth of the Bosporus. Secondly, they wish to travel into Greece and Asia minor, the fabled cradle of western civilization, and gather as much knowledge as they can. '''Thirdly, they will find the court of the Caliphate. The power of Byzantium seems to be rapidly waning, and from the vague stories filtering in from the south, it seems as if the Caliphate is the true power in the Mediterranean. Johannic also wishes to know more about the religion of Islam. After all, if he's considering a conversion, he should cover all of his bases.''' Finally, he sends out orders for a massive infrastructure-restructuring project. There's a lot of money to be made in taxing the Baltic-Mediterranean amber trade, so it's best to facilitate it in every way possible. As part of this, a massive, Roman-style highway will connect the great, newly-conquered cities of the coast to his old capital. This is constructed at horrendous expense, and architects have to be brought in from the south and west, but most projections show that the highway will pay for itself within 6 years. Incidentally, during the road's construction, his laborers unearth some old Roman coins, buried after the invasion and withdrawal of Marcus Aurelius. A brief fight breaks out over who will keep them, which ends when the surveyor appropriates them for the government. They're put on display in the new palace, and as Johannic passes by them one day he notices that one of them shows Roman troops marching in formation. He takes it and stares at it for a while, thinking about his tribal militia compared to the Roman troops of old, and dreaming. After a few minutes he sets it down, calls for a pen and some papyrus, and begins to plan.
 * King Osgar is delighted to see outsiders so willing to help advance his knowledge, and gladly shows the emissary records of several newer agricultural and construction techniques, and shows off a recently-unearthed massive hidden library, now made public, with decades of knowledge hoarded by tyrants of the past. The emissary is allowed two copies at most of 10 different books. They are treated as hospitably as possible.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The issue of the rapidly spreading Islamic ideology puts the empire on high alert. Representative Theudis Harentz gives his famous speech, expressing his views on the subject. He boasts the 'evils' of Islam and professes that it has been a long established Gothic belief that 'God does not speak to, or exist within, mortal man, but instead sends his sons to represent him, in a manner similar to his own representation of the empire'. Alphonso grows weary of Theudis' 'holier than thou' attitude, and gives him a vicious lashing, leaving scars on his back as to force him to never forget where his loyalties should lie.

The Kingdom of Ghana: Sadness befalls the kingdom once more, as the people bid the great king Mayan Dyabe Cisse' farewell to great beyond. He had hoped that his reign would herald a new age the Ghanan people, and while there technology now equates to those of the northern states in no small part to aid from The Gothic Empire, trade continues to grow as the Trans-Saharan trade route continues to be solidified, but still in his final hours of life he had felt that his job was unfinished, and had hoped to bring more to his people before the shadows once more took him from the world of reason. His son, the young Kaya Magha Cisse' II, assumes the throne with the intent that he may continue his fathers work, few question the authority of the king as the successive dynasty of the Cisse' family has proven capable, long lasting, and fervent in Ghanan ideals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gangas' diplomatic offer to the Hephthalites remains unanswered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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