1500-1509 (Principia Moderni IV Map Game)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: exploration of the western landmass continues. David Lauwens returns from his second voyage, and leaves for his third by late 1502. Ships also begin to leave on the newly found route to India, causing the Kaapstad layover port to be expanded with the increase in traffic. During this time, the situation with the Bini petty kingdom on Cape Charles becomes known.


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


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


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


 * When did Cahokia move from Illinois to Florida? -scraw
 * Bahmani Sultanate: The defeat of Majapahit interests Muhammad Shah, as he hopes that soon, the Bahmani navy will be strong enough to allow an expulsion of all remaining Gunturists in India. Though the gross number of ships is not increased, more infrastructure and recourses are devoted to the navy. The reconstruction of Lanka continues on schedule. The new Burgundian expeditions are welcomed.
 * Pegu: A remarkable event occurs: when traveling between Pegu and Taungoo, the royal convoy is attacked by bandits. Most are driven off easily by the well-trained armed forces, but Dhammazedi, now 13, is cut off, along with a dozen soldiers. To the great surprise of his parents and grandparents, he effectively takes command of the small force, and not only does he drive off the brigands, but he captures their leader.
 * Maldives: Nothing of note.

1503
'''North America will be called Arcadia and South America will be called Laurentia due to overwhelming support for these names. These names will not enter the parlance in game for a few turns, but feel free to being using them OOC.'''


 * When are we going to be aware that it's a new continent, and not just Asia? ~Cal
 * Burgundy already reached India (by sea) so shouldn't be long -Rimp
 * In OTL Vasco de Gama reached India in 1498, but America didn't get named until 1507, and Columbus wasn't associated with the discovary until at least the 1530s, just for clarification -Nate


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: David Lauwens continues his third voyage, exploring the coast of OTL Guyana and Brazil. The port of Kaapstad is further expanded as the Indian trade route becomes used more. Among the ships that arrive at Kaapstad is a detachment of the Burgundian navy, on a test of the long-term seaworthiness of the navy's large, gun-heavy carracks. Among them is Sovereign of the Seas, the sole copper-sheathed ship in the world, although only a select company know of it, on its own test. Exploration into the East Indian Ocean begins. In light of Benins domestic turmoil, an offer is sent to let it out of its lease of Flores Island thirty years early (thereby returning it to Burgundian sovereignty). (Mod response please)
 * Augsburg: The year of our Lord fifteen-three the economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. The stockpiling of textiles continues for Operation Blue Lily. Business evictions continue. The opening of the Augsburg military academy at the University of Augsburg occurs. A promising young pupil, Hans Hohenzollern, the son of peasant enrolls hoping to become one of the greatest mercenary generals in the history of Europe. In other news the University of Augsburg expands its economics department in order to help the Fugger family in its price fixing. The prices are fixed by looking at the nearest competition, the demand, and regional supply. The price fixing also involves the continued stockpiling of metals.
 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph and Muhammad Mu'min Khan as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36.4 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were being made use of, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish in the Sultanate, and had resulted in the promotion of science, poetry, arts and philosophy. By now, the heretic Mu'tazilite groups had essentially been eliminated and replaced with the moderate groups, a task the Sepah-e-Najaf had completed successfully. Meanwhile, work continued on the implementation of the 1501 Military Reforms with matchlock rifles swiftly being replaced by the wheellock models. Simultaneously, the Sepah-e-Najaf oversaw the massive production of gunpowder at the depots at Isfahan, Tabriz, Baghdad and Herat. Along the same time, work continued on the development of the Ormara port with major shipyards being constructed to facilitate the docking of merchant vessels. Similarly, efforts to further expand and fortify the Kerch Fortress continued Finally, in around September, the Caliph Al Mu'ayyad died of natural causes. Following consultation with the Council of Religious Affairs, an-Nasir al-Hassan was appointed as his successor.
 * Sultanate of Bengal: Work continues on the fortifications of Chatagon, which are expected to finish in 1510. 20 ships are built this year.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.
 * Oman: The kingdom expands further north from Bahrain along the Arabian coast, and construction of the road continues throughout the year. A pearling expedition is funded in Manama. Oman becomes involved in the ivory and slave trade of the Swahili Coast, and many Omani traders venture south to the market towns. To influence trade in Africa, King Suleiman orders the construction of eight new ships to replace the older ones in the fleet, all of which are built within the year. Three additional ships are purchased from Kerala. The trade fleet is placed under the charge of Captain Mu'tasim, and sets sail in August, arriving at the ports of Mogadishu, Kilwa, and Mombasa. A detailed record of the expedition and geography of the region is written by Captain Mu'tasim, before the fleet returns to Oman. An envoy is sent to the Emperor's court in Ethiopia, offering to open trade relations with Ethiopia. The flag of Oman is changed to include the traditional khanjar dagger on a red background Kingdom of Oman (PMIV).png, though the trade fleet will retain the former plain red design Flag of Muscat.svg. King Suleiman makes plans to marry next year.
 * Gurkani Diplomacy: In an effort to improve relations, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent has offered his daughter, Maham Shah Mirza in marriage to the Sultan of Oman.
 * Oman Diplomacy: King Suleiman bin Mudhafar accepts the offer.


 * United Crown
 * Ten of the Atlantic ships returned in January last year, carrying Captain Ferrera's report, which was written prior to his death. The King responded immediately, ordering the construction of thirty more ships to send to the New World, and also orders the observance of a mourning period for the fallen Captain. Six of the ships have been completed at the end of last year; three will carry colonists, while another three will carry cargo including most of the food, farming tools and construction materials that will be needed to establish the new settlement. The ships set sail, and though they are a little off course, in December they end up on a charted island named Hispaniola. There, they establish a new colony, which is christened Ferrera, after the Captain who first charted the region.
 * Homeland activities continue as per last post.
 * NOTE: I will not be able to post for some time, and cede control for the time being to Cookiedamage, or IATG if Cookie isn't up to the job. Please see my announcement on the talk page for details.
 * Due to other obligations, I will not be able to post for you. -Cookie
 * Papal States: The Papal Nuncio to Iberia selects a hand-picked team of priests to send to Ferrera (some of whom were on the initial voyage), as well as appointing an Apostolic Prefect to serve as the Ordinary for the new colony. Their purpose will be to minister to the Iberians, as well as make contact with and evangelise the natives if possible. The Pope is kept informed of the situation, but His Holiness, whilst interested, does not think that the new colony is of much more interest than, say, the Canary Islands. Scholars at the university of Bologna are somewhat confused by the success of the Iberian expedition, since their account of the location of their landfall does not fit with the scholars' knowledge of the circumpherence of the Earth and the size of Asia. However this confusion is only discussed by a few doctors, and is not of general public interest or concern. In other news, the Inquisition's Contra errores Zink appears to have done its job, with the troublemaking Zink seemingly disappearing from the face of the Earth. He is on the blacklist of the Inquisition, however, and should he stir up more trouble then far worse things than a mere refutation would be in order.
 * The Caliphate continues to support the ancient Islamic school of Mu'tazila, once popular throughout the Islamic world during the earlier days of the Abbasid Caliphate. This school of Islam preaches rational thought and has differing thoughts to the Qu'ran than traditional explinations. Jews and Christians alike are accepted throughout the Caliphate as People of the Book, and are encouraged to become scholars just as Muslims are. The Caliphate reforms taxing, returning to the ancient way. Zakat, the 2.5% tax only Muslims pay, are spent directly to charity. This tax provides a number of services such as shelter, food, water, and other services to devout Muslims who are undertaking the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. In our capital, Cairo, it provides charity services to the needy, widows, and orphans. The second tax, the Jizya is a tax paid by non-Muslims used to sustain the Caliphate itself, and all of its structures. It excludes the poor, women, the elderly, and children. In the deserts of Egypt, the Caliphate attempts to colonize oasis such as Faiyum or Siwa. In the Arabian peninsula, we do the same, incorporating the Bedouin tribes of the vast Arabians deserts into the Caliphates as faithful followers of the Caliph. In addition to this, the Caliph encourages Muslims in Europe to escape the intolerant rulers present there, and to settle in the vast, safe, large cities of the Caliphate instead. The Caliph also continues to implement a standing military: in return for joining the armies of the Caliph, an individual will gain money, land, place in society, and honor bestowed upon them. These men are stationed on the corners of the Caliphate, on the border with Iberian-controlled lands in the Meghreb, below Nubia, we station troops on the border with Ethiopia, and in the east, we station troops on our border with the heretic Gurkani, albeit much less. We finally phase out the centuries-old practice of Iqta in the Caliphate, as the old order has been restored.
 * Khmer Empire: Sadly, our beloved king Sutkan dies this year. Because he died with no apparent heir, there is some confusion as to who will secede him. Eventually his nephew Indra, an accomplished general, is chosen. Wanting to avoid more succession confusion, and possibly even conflict, the first act of our new king is to establish The Imperial Council. This is a council of nine members, each one chosen by the current Emperor ans serves until the end of their life. Their sole duty is to collectively vote on the next Emperor every time the current one dies. However, in almost every scenario, they have no option as to who to vote for, While in the few remaining scenarios their options are limited to various nobles. Indra hopes that this system will prevent any succession crisis, even ones like the relatively small one he experienced. With his power secured, Indra starts on several major projects. The first is the redevelopment of Khmer's water mange,net system, something that was largely neglected under Sutkan's rule. Most of this development will be focused on Cambodia and nearby regions, though it is also extended to Ayutthaya and Malaya. In particular, these efforts are focused on Angkor, a city that now houses as many as a million people. It is hoped that these water management developments will help to increase crop yields, leading to an even higher population growth rate, though the current rate of around 5% per decade may be hard to pass. The other major project Indra embarks on is the reorganization of the army and navy. Three major Naval bases already exist - Oc Eo, Kedah, and Vijaya. While Oc Eo is technically the center of the Navy, Kedah is by far the most developed base due to its proximity to our long time enemy, Majapahit. The base at Kedah is thus given a permanent garrison of 5,000 soldiers while the other two bases receive 2,000 each. Sawni, the Captain who scored a victory over Majaphit in 1502, is given control of the base at Kedah, and is told to start a plan to invade Majapahit. Meanwhile, Indra redoubles our efforts to equip our entire navy with cannons. So far, about 600 of our 1,200 ships are equipped with cannon, with 40 or 50 being upgraded every year. Our army is also starting to make more use of gunpowder, with about a third of the army made up of troops using firearms, and all units having access to cannons. Indra also increases trade with all our current trading partners, notably increasing our trade Japan.
 * One does not simply defeat the Majahapits at sea. ~Wolves
 * Oh, for Christ's sake. Come on, it was a mod event last turn. Is it really that much trouble for the mods to keep up with the mod events? Is that too much to ask? It's things like this that make people complain about the mods in this game. ~Fires
 * This one is my fault. My stance on you defeating the Majapahits at sea stands though. Consider it me oweing you one. ~Wolves
 * I literally have screenshots of Feud admitting he'd make Khmer establish naval superiority because he wanted Gunterism to die lol so I honestly won't be surprised if Feud was the one who made that event -Rimp
 * Bulgarian Empire: In order to further solidify the empires alliance with Poland, Boris requests a polish noblewoman for his wife. Tsar Simeon continues to embark on various projects throughout the empire and now with decent backing has managed to fund the construction of the next level of Road networks to the province of Vlach. The Roads are expected to snake into Oltenia, Tirgoviste, and coastal Vlach. The Empire also sees a the further arming of its armies with guns holding steady to their ratio as the highest in europe and beginning to add moveable artillery pieces into the military. The Banking system of the empire suffers a devastating setback as the new banking families lack the effective practice to keep the systems running perfect all the time. Regardless of this banking setback the empire is not particularly slowed down, just that the current loan systems is put under review to prevent another banking issue like this. Estimates put the bank slowdowns and issues to last a few years while accounts among other things are rectified. The Wealth of the Royal family however is known to be entirely untouched as the banks were deathly afraid of meddling or using the family wealth for loans among other things. The Population of the empire reaches 4.84 million and growing ever more.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: The King in court at Winchester hears strong reports from bother returned sailors and discussions at courts of returning Spanish and Burgundian fleets from either India or a whole different continent. The King is fascinated by the prospect of a western continent or a trade route and starts discussing the possibility of sending out his own expedition to explore the west lest he be left behind. Meanwhile with the completion of a road from London to Bristol the King takes a break from his road building works to spend time with his family and not strain the treasury any more.
 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * Chinese Empire: Islam continues to spread. The colonies continue to grow, and the new Princes home on Taiwan is completed. More workshops for gunpowder are produced around the Beijing region, and fortifications continue to be built in northern and western China, as well as roads to keep the parts of the Empire securley intertwined.
 * Sicily: We build 20 ships this year. Our population hovers near 7 million. Nikifor I continues to rule.


 * Bahmani Sultanate: Naval construction starts again, with 5 added to the fleet this year. Rebuilding in Lanka continues. The economy improves as trade with Oman increases.
 * Pegu: Nothing of note.
 * Maldives: Feeling outcompeted by the Swahilis and Omanis, the Divehini people ask that some sort of trade treaty be implemented.


 * Cologne: Pupils continue to graduate under the Neuss plan and both trade and royalties from the printing press continue to bring Cologne into prosperous times. However, Archbishop Emmerich becomes very old and weak and eventually passes away. He is honoured by his Chapter, who host a short commemoration in Kolschberg, the land he fathered, with the now properly established Cologne Militia and the first few years of pupils graduating under the Neuss plan. Paintings of him are hung in Wuppertal, Kolschberg. Meanwhile, the Chapter gather to elect a new Archbishop: Rhoderich de La Mark. Unlike his predecessor, Rhoderich knows less about money and more about bargaining through the use of words. He too has big plans for wider Cologne.
 * Essen: Abbess Meina continues her lectures on discipline and personally oversees the implementation of a stricter set of rules in abbeys throughout wider Cologne. She congratulates Archbishop Rhoderich on his ascension to office, and mourns the admirable Archbishop Emmerich, but is not distracted from her rapid lecture-giving. Further, Ulrike the anchorite is watched closely this year, for Abbess Meina is afraid that she will finally become completely insane.


 * Tsardom of Russia: We rejoice that our neighbour, Poland has finally resolved its crisis after its turmoil, and we use this moment of triumph to reaffirm our friendship with Poland. Similar to Poland, Russia tries to shift the focus of the nobility from maintaining nobility rights to maintaining a strong Russian state as Russia still has not fully recovered from the killing of many of its nobles in the White War and tries to centralise. We also offer trade deals to for the furs found in Siberia and offer trade agreements. At this point, most of our country is rural with poor transport links and so we begin to build schools. In order to encourage  innovation and academic learning in our country, we sponsor and build the University of Novgorod and Moscow as well as sponsoring other universities in other cities as well as grammar schools. We also establish a printshop in Moscow and Novogorod to produce printers, and print books/broadsheets.We begin building a state road network connecting major cities and towns as well as linking them with courier stations/ messenger bird posts to connect the country and facilitate trade. Due to its immensity it is expected to take 10 years (finished in 1512). Due to increased enthusiasm for Siberian colonisation, we sponsor trading companies to help colonise the area. We send a large military expedition to pacify the area, and we invade the Yugra area and attempt to take over the Ostyak and Vogul towns, we outclass them heavily as they are primitive compared to us. This year we have subjugated many of the towns, and overrun most of the area. We begin colonising the Yugra area, and sending missionaries to convert the natives. We talk to Poland and offer to take in disgruntled Kievan Cossacks and send them to help colonise Siberia (Poland Player Response). We also absorb Smolensk into the Empire. We also begin heavily fortifying our lands as well as the border with Astrakhan. Due to our lands being ravaged in the White War, we begin investing in cottage industries in order to increase productivity in our lands, while we also begin to set up a national bank called The Bank of Russia to inject funds into the economy. Hospitals and sewage systems are also being built in our main cities and towns. We celebrate the marriage of the Tsar and the Bulgarian princess Daniela. We also begin to advertise Siberian Colonisation with broadsheets in order to get more colonists. We also plan on holding a census to tell us our population.
 * Cleves-Mark:We upgrade our military.We propose and sign the Treaty of Cleves.We are now the Rhenish States.We request Berg and Trier join the new Rhenish States and request an alliance with Jülich. (mod and Jülich responses needed)Our national flag is now Flag of Mark (The Kalmar Union).svg.png
 * Berg and Trier reject. Julich accepts. -scraw
 * Weighting his options, Maximillian of Austria decides to go to Berlin to treat with the Holy Roman Emperro and prepare for a possible second Italian War. This propaganda oportunity does not go unoticed, however, as everuywhere he stops, Maximillian and his troops boast about how he, the Head of Habsburg, has convinced the Emperor to act. In any case, more troops are trained as they prepare for perhaps a second Italian campaign, as well as fortify the borders of Cities like Lienz, Linz and Stuttgart. Bavarian Merchants, as part of an economic integration campaign, set up and fund an iron foundry in Vienna, while Austrian merchants are convinced to fund a weapons and firearms foundry in Munich. With this, the nation's two centers of economic activity are intertwined, more at least thatn before, but not as much as would be wanted in the end.
 * Veneto continues to prosper economically, as their overlords, the Habsburgs, do not interfere with the free market. Venetian banks, wanting to capitalize on the new markets, begin issuing promisory notes to customers, wanting to attract new people by promising to give reciepts and promises to pay back any gold or silver given to them, as was done many years before when the Italian banks were more free to do so.
 * Hungary continues its recovery from its civil war. While it is nearly done, there are still some small things that need work. The Duke of Hungary, Ernst, continues to monitor the training of the Royal guards, who are becoming armed with different types of firearms, as well as begining experimentation with said firearm formations.
 * South Australian Civilization: Fishermen from Noongar, traveling around Kangaroo Island, discovered the land to be rich in bees, which is very valuable in Noongar's trade in honey. So five huts were built on the island, used when traders come in to extract the honey twice a year, and bring it back to Noongar. Meanwhile, Lord Wulluwaid discovered he was tricked by Waku to taking the wrong soul, so returned to Nukunu to demand Waku's actual soul. Thinking quickly, Bakan Waku enticed Lord Wulluwaid with the prostpect of gambling, weighing years of his life against the god's in a game of odd-or-even. Wulluwaid could not pass up the opportunity, but miraculously Waku beat the god out of several decades of life before the god was forced to return to the underworld. Other versions of this myth have Waku gambling with loaded dice, thus originating the term "Waku's dice", although it is unlikely Australia had developed dice at this time. Meanwhile, Kaurna had perfected ornate styles of clothing out of diamonds and leather.


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. Areas interior to Mobassa and Malindi is colonized. With our relations with Sofala, we begin to influence their nation, asking to rent their port facilities if we have a war against Mutapa. Our merchants begin to trade in Oman for spices.
 * Swahili Diplomacy: We welcome the Omani merchants and present many wares, as well as showcasing the royal trade fleet.

1504
''' Notable merchant proficiency is noticed in the nation of Oman as favorable dealings begins to steer a decent amount of sea trade through Omani ports. '''

''' Due to the vast seperation of markets in Europe due to varying political landscapes, the Fugger family is less than successful in attempting to achieve a monopoly in various goods, with notable trade families across Europe becomming noticeably resistant to Fugger imposition into their turf. '''

''' One of the larger Iberian exploration fleets is wiped out during a storm in the Atlantic crossing, severely reducing Iberias ability to explore. '''

''' A notable rebuild of Poland continues in earnest with the Renaissance coming out of its Center in the Balkans putting noticeable pressure on King Sigismund to attempt to make concessions to the large amount of freemen within the Eastern Commonwealth. '''

''' Khan Tsetseg makes a few noticeable raids into China, however the local authorities dismiss the raids as just that, not a sort of invasion prelude. To the West however a large raid into the steppes brings Khan Tsetseg to Astrakhan causing major damage in the East of their holdings. '''


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph and Muhammad Mu'min Khan as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36.4 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were being made use of, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish in the Sultanate, and had resulted in the promotion of science, poetry, arts and philosophy. By now, the heretic Mu'tazilite groups had essentially been eliminated and replaced with the moderate groups, a task the Sepah-e-Najaf had completed successfully. Meanwhile, work continued on the implementation of the 1501 Military Reforms with matchlock rifles swiftly being replaced by the wheellock models. Simultaneously, the Sepah-e-Najaf oversaw the massive production of gunpowder at the depots at Isfahan, Tabriz, Baghdad and Herat. Along the same time, work continued on the development of the Ormara port with major shipyards being constructed to facilitate the docking of merchant vessels. Similarly, efforts to further expand and fortify the Kerch Fortress continued Meanwhile, the newly appointed Caliph Al Mansur (correction from last turn) died and was subsequently replaced with an-Nasir al-Hassan.
 * United Crown
 * The development of our new settlement at Ferrera continues, and our large maritime presence in the region compared to local powers means that we can effectively explore the West Indies undisturbed. We continue charting the various islands of the region as well as the Mexican and Fernandian coasts, and the camp in Fernandia is moved to Hispaniola. We continue to make contact with the native peoples, and volunteers begin to learn the native languages so that they may act as our translators.
 * Back home in Iberia, we begin replacing our military fleet with new models capable of traversing the ocean in the hope that we will eventually be able to create a strong Iberian military presence in the West Indies. Efforts to repel the Fuggers and Weslers also continue, as does the drive to modernise our cities and the nation's infrastructure.
 * NOTE: I DID THIS POST VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE IATG HASN'T SAID THAT HE WILL POST ON MY BEHALF. IF IATG ISN'T WILLING TO DO SO EITHER, I'D LIKE CALLUM TO POST FOR IBERIA UNTIL I RETURN. THANK YOU. ~Tim
 * do you just want me to copy-paste this? -Guy
 * I'd prefer it if you actually wrote turns for a while until I come back, as if you were the player of Iberia. But if you don't have the time for that, copying and pasting with some changes to respond to the current events will suffice. Please see my talk page announcement for more details. Thanks Guy! ~Tim


 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: With news of multiple returns from somewhere across the sea it is concluded that there must be something large possibly continental only a few weeks west. The King orders an expedition consisting of a carrack, Dauntless and 2 caravel's Mace and Axe supported by an unnamed supply ship. They are captained by experienced sailors and the fleet overall is commanded by John Alkston an experienced merchant trade and astrologist with over 20 years of sailing experience. He knows that trying to sail directly west from England is folly but from trading up north with Norway and Iceland that past a certain point the winds change to push west and he also knows that as the earth is circular further north the longitudes are smaller giving less distance to sail and so after setting off from Liverpool on April 29th and then sails to Greenland where the supply ships restocks and repairs the main expedition ships before returning back to England while the other ships once repaired and restocked continues west hoping to find new lands and pushes out expecting to still have a good distance ahead of them but see a landmass to their south west after only a few days at sea and directs their ship towards it and lands on (OTL Labrador) on what the fleet's captain believes to be Markland from old Icelandic tales as the captain being a north sea trader is well aware of Nordic tales of foreign lands but he names where he lands the Cape of Edward in honour of the King and after him and an expedition briefly explore a couple of miles inland they decide it is to dangerous to go deeper into the forests and so they allow the current (Labrador current) to push them south to see how far the island stretches for and after some time they see a new island across a narrow strait (Newfoundland) which they explore most of the island as well as restock fresh water and then returns to Labrador to continue sailing west with the coast in sight before they pass an island to their south (llé d'Anticosti) and past there they encounter fresh water telling them their must be a river of some size and so the expedition continues until it reaches a point where he can see the other bank of a river (OTL Les Mechins) and so takes measurements of the width, depth and velocity then does calculations concluding that the river has a discharge at this point of over 22,000 cubic metres per second ( I know it's not entirely accurate but this guy is making real rough guesses here) and so with that much water flowing in he concludes that he has in fact reached a new continent of some considerable size considering the amount of water flowing in and so rather than explore further up the river with what are relativity heavy draft ships designed for ocean exploration he leaves to return to England to reequip and receive a reward from the King so he sets of to return home on the Westerlies hoping they should push him back to England and on October 4th he lands in Ireland although during the Atlantic crossing Mace and Axe were sunk in storms though Dauntless returns battered but alive and proceeds back to London where the King is fascinated by what he believes to be Avalon and after heavily rewarding John Alkston he commissions him to send out a second expedition next year. Meanwhile back in England work on modernising and updating the navy is taken while the King remains healthy.


 * Oman: The road-building project is abandoned as the focus of Oman shifts more to seabound trade than overland trade, and resources required to maintain the road are in short supply. However, the project is a success in bringing merchants and settlers north, closer to the borders of the Gurkani Sultanate. At first the native tribes along the Arabian coast are displaced, but as new settlements spring up, the cultures of the original inhabitants and the settlers merge. This also facilitates the spread of Ibadi Islam to other regions of Arabia. The borders of Oman are expanded as more areas are settled, and overland trade with the west is bolstered. Historically, there has been a distinct separation between the interior of the country — where the government resides — and the coastal regions, such as Muscat. The coastal regions prospered from Indian Ocean trade while the interior suffered from isolation and intolerance to other cultures and religions. At times, the government only controlled half of the country. This separation was largely abolished after the rise of Suleiman bin Mudhafar, who established direct authority over all regions of Oman. However, the Jabrid dynasty of al-Hasa, Qatif, and Bahrain once held dominion over much of Oman during the 15th century, ruling from their capital in al-Hasa. It was only until the reign of Sultan Omar bin al Khattab that Omani lands were liberated. Later rulers of Oman continued to drive out their Jabrid overlords. Now the Jabrids only cling to the border of Oman, directing expeditions and raids into the kingdom and halting Omani expansion and settlement of Arabia. Realizing the threat of the Jabrids, and seeking to expand further into Arabia and protect Omani settlements, King Suleiman orders the integration of the Jabrids into the Kingdom of Oman. The Sunni Jabrids are at war with the Shiite Al-Muntafiq tribe of southern Gurkani origin, who have expanded past their borders and into Arabia. The oasis of al-Hasa is of particular strategic importance. While the two warring powers are occupied, an Omani army is raised to drive out the Jabrids. The army reaches al-Hasa to find it has already been sacked by the Al-Muntafiq, leaving the Jabrid kingdom in disarray. After a losing battle with the Omanis, the Al-Muntafiq loot what they can from the Jabrids and retreat from Arabia, leaving the rest of the Jabrid realm to be plundered by Oman. After the capture of al-Hasa, the Omani army invades Qatif, the sister oasis of al-Hasa and a major port city in the gulf. The city is taken without much resistance; the Omani army remains there for some time. The king of the Jabrids, Ajwad ibn Zamil, was reportedly killed by the Al-Muntafiq invaders. His grandson Muqrin ibn Zamil has taken over what remains of the Jabrids and retreated to the desert. Oman is victorious. The Jabrid dynasty's territories become part of the Kingdom of Oman. Work now begins on restoring the Omani navy. A second expedition is sent to the Swahili coast, bringing goods such as coir, tobacco, ivory and gold back to Oman. The fleet touches at Mogadishu, Melinde, Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Kilwa, which Captain Mu'tasim regards as the capital of the sultanate. The fleet also visits the Island of the Moon (Madagascar), which is home to dozens of Swahili trading posts. Captain Mu'tasim examines the plausibility of establishing an Omani presence on the island, and writes in detail about the geography of its western coast. The Swahili coast proves to be an excellent source of shipbuilding materials: coir, timber, and sails all from Kilwa coconut trees. Oman is no longer solely reliant on the Bahmanids for their dhows. Eight new ships are added to the fleet this year, each large enough to transport a sizable amount of men. Maham Shah Mirza arrives in Oman during this time. In celebration of his victory over the Jabrids, King Suleiman holds the wedding early. A feast is held within the palace at Muscat. Relations with the Gurkani Sultanate are sealed by marriage.


 * Swahili Diplomacy to Oman: We're capital is in Mogadishu and its controlled by us so you can't just cut down wood to build ships.


 * I think you misread this: "The Swahili coast proves to be an excellent source of shipbuilding materials: coir, timber, and sails all from Kilwa coconut trees." Omani traders are purchasing or trading for materials that you produce, made from coconut trees that grow in your lands. We are by no means going in there and cutting down your trees, a small trade fleet could not manage something like that without attracting attention. From Wikipedia: "Grown all along the coast, the coconut palm was the mainstay of Kilwan life in every way - not only for the fruit, but also for timber, thatching and weaving. Kilwan merchant ships - from the large lateen-rigged dhows that plied the open oceans to the small zambucs used for local transit - were usually built from the split trunks of coconut palm wood, their sails made from coconut leaf matting and the ships held together by coconut coir." Being the successor to the Kilwa Sultanate, you are heavily involved in the industry of shipbuilding. -General


 * Please format your turns correctly. -Feud


 * Bahmani Sultanate: The Compact of Kolon-Thota, regulating the spice, coir, and diamond trades, is now available for signing. Muhammad Shah asks Delhi, Bengal, Oman, the Gurkanis, the Abbasids, Ethiopia (if they have had contact), the Swahilis, Burgundy, Khmer, China, Japan, Korea, Tondo, Sofala, Taungoo, any other nation which has overland trade with us, and all their vassals to sign. (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED FOR THE LAST TWO) .
 * Cologne: Archbishop Rhoderich de La Mark congratulates his brothers in Cleves-Mark for uniting into the Rhenish States, and offers them a formal alliance, noting their very similar goals and opportunities as they share similar homelands. Meanwhile, Rhoderich decides to promote population growth in wider Cologne (including Kolschberg and Westphalen) through a series of family-oriented pastoral letters on the subject of the importance of children to the future of Cologne and Essen.
 * Essen: Abbess Meina’s lectures on discipline continue, to wide acclaim, and the stricter set of rules in abbeys start to be implemented, in order to increase piousness and devotion amongst the religious. The people increasingly take this as a show of integrity, like they did at the turn of the previous century. This year, Ulrike the anchoress is monitored closely by her favourite canoness Anna (the one who heard the previous prophecy) and spurts out several prophecies about “The One Who Would Build A Terrible Wall” and “The One Who Convinced England to Leave”. After these prophetical encounters, she seems incredibly distressed and needs much calming down – she fears for the state of the world in the future - what with the Great Plague of Perfume and all, and now these terrible men!
 * Swahili:  Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. Areas interior to Mobassa and Malindi is colonized. With our relations with Sofala, we begin to influence their nation, asking to rent their port facilities if we have a war against Mutapa. We also send out conquistadors to expand northwards into more northern Somalia.
 * Calm down, Satan. -Feud
 * Bulgarian Empire: The Empire is put under a tragic situation this year. Unrest in the Greek population causes a massive outpouring of support for a man claiming to be the new emperor of Rome. an army of nearly 20,000 made up of some well led nobles, but made up almost 75% of armed peasants, rise up and form around the nation of Thessaloniki. Unwilling to let this go unchallenged Tsar Simeon raises the full strength of his army standing at nearly 49,000 with another 11,000 Moldavian troops arriving in earnest being armed by their Bulgarian overlords in an attempt to bolster an effective and well unified military force bringing the forces to nearly 60,000. The Tsar absolutely locks down his country manning his border fortifications and accelerating the finishing of the Gallipoli fortress. The Greek forces instead of riding out to meet the Bulgarian army, strategically mans Thessaloniki in an attempt to outlast the Tsar and fight after he has exhausted his forces. However the Bulgarian army surrounds the city, and sends loyalist Greek forces with some Bulgarian detachments to man the revolting portions of Greece and hold down the territory. The Siege however turns into a mass bombard, as Bulgarian forces deploy nearly 150 cannons and begin to shell the city attempting to keep a continuous barrage. This revolt while unexpected and relatively scary for many Bulgarians which have settled in historically Greek lands are noticeably safe as the reputation for challenging one of the Bulgaro-Vlach Tsars has a history of a direct move to execution of those who challenge his authority. Despite the revolt, various infrastructural expansions continue their work in earnest and in particular the movement of the Bulgar royal army has not only begun to build up the infrastructure leading into Greece but has also expanded the road systems in Greece to accomodate the Bulgarian army. The Bulgarian banking system remains in a woeful state as the revolt in Greece cuts off a few branches of various banks from their banking families. This begins to force direct intervention by the Tsar who takes control of multiple banks in Greece when he can and leveraging them against the banking families in order to regain some semblance of control over the banks. (More to come later.)
 * Augsburg: In the year of our Lord fifteen-four economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. The stockpiling of textiles continues for Operation Blue Lily. Business evictions continue. Hans Hohenzollern, now 17, continues his dramatic rise and is now employed as an agent for the Fuggers providing mine security. Hohenzollern continues to experiment with new tactics known guerilla warfare. Hohenzollern also expresses the need for technology and traps in army stating “you are only as good as your surroundings”. Price fixing continues based off the large amount of raw materials. The Fugger family offers to buy the iron mines at Elba offering the Lords of Piombino a large portion of the profits (Mod Response). The Weslers continue to be involved in the European trade market.
 * The Prince of Piombino declines, looking for capital elsewhere. -scraw
 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * Tsardom of Russia: Similar to Poland, Russia tries to shift the focus of the nobility from maintaining nobility rights to maintaining a strong Russian state as Russia still has not fully recovered from the killing of many of its nobles in the White War and tries to centralise. We also offer trade deals to for the furs found in Siberia and offer trade agreements. At this point, most of our country is rural with poor transport links and so we begin to build schools. In order to encourage  innovation and academic learning in our country, we sponsor and build the University of Novgorod and Moscow as well as sponsoring other universities in other cities as well as grammar schools. We also establish a printshop in Moscow and Novogorod to produce printers, and print books/broadsheets as well as to distribute knowledge.We begin building a state road network connecting major cities and towns as well as linking them with courier stations/ messenger bird posts to connect the country and facilitate trade. Due to its immensity it is expected to take 10 years (finished in 1512). Due to increased enthusiasm for Siberian colonisation, we sponsor trading companies to help colonise the area. We send a large military expedition to pacify the area, and we invade the Yugra area and attempt to take over the Ostyak and Vogul towns, we outclass them heavily as they are primitive compared to us. This year we have subjugated many of the towns, and overrun most of the area. We begin colonising the Yugra area, and sending missionaries to convert the natives. There is a wave of colonists due to advertising and we begin to pacify this land. We also absorb Smolensk into the Empire. We also begin heavily fortifying our lands as well as the border with Astrakhan. Due to our lands being ravaged in the White War, we begin investing in cottage industries in order to increase productivity in our lands, while we also begin to set up a national bank called The Bank of Russia  to inject funds into the economy. Hospitals and sewage systems are also being built in our main cities and towns.. We also begin to advertise Siberian Colonisation with broadsheets in order to get more colonists. We hold a census for a population and find that e have around 5-6 million people. We attempt to rebuild the towns and cities razed during the war and hire numerous craftsman to help rebuild these ruined cities.
 * Papal States: The Pope begins asking bishops and cardinals whether they think changing the rules of the Papal Conclave would be a beneficial thing to do. Ignazio d'Iasso, a former soldier who took part in the Bulgarian Crusade and curretly a scholar at the University of Bologna, comes together with a small group of friends at the University's chapel. The group of seven make private vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Pope. Ignazio, having experienced the Crusade, is convinced that the Infidels can be converted, if only people try, and he and his companions promise to journey to the Holy Land as soon as they can.
 * South Australian Civilization: Frustrated and enraged, Lord Wulluwaid tried once more to claim the soul of Bakan Waku. Waku responded with one last bet: If Lord Wulluwaid could pronounce a curse on him that is ultimately fulfilled, then he will go willingly to the underworld. Otherwise, the demon would leave him alone. Finding this an easy challenge, Lord Wulluwaid prounounced a curse on Waku, that the next person he says "yes" to will die. For the next seven days, Bakan Waku tried his hardest to stubbornly disagree with everyone in the city, including his wife, children, and clerics. The result, as no one else was aware of this curse, was that all people in the city began forsaking the Bakan. Dejected, miserable, and feeling defeated, Waku was ultimately visited by the ghost of his dead nephew Adoni, who said "now you see the misery that befalls those greedy of heart and stubborn for life. Do you not see that this is fruitless?". To which the Bakan gently spoke "yes". Wulluwaid appeared, now more angry than ever, because he could not take the life of a person who was already dead. And so the city was saved once again, with Bakan Waku as it's sovereign ruler. Meanwhile, pottary begins to be perfected by several cities in Adeleid, mostly around the city of Ngarrindjeri.

1505
 Sorry for lack of events guys, i will be posting good ones for the 1506 turn tonight i got caught up super late at work last night -Feud 


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: David Lauwens returns home after his third, and so far longest, voyage, mapping the coast of what would come to be known as Lauwentia. As he prepares to depart on his fourth voyage, in a sow of appreciation, King Robert III makes Lauwens a Count. Benin is again offered a cancelation of the lease on the Flores island, returning it to Burgundy, so they can focus on their domestic situation (mod response please)


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with an-Nasir al-Hassan as the Caliph and Quli Khan Zangana as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36.4 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were being made use of, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish in the Sultanate, and had resulted in the promotion of science, poetry, arts and philosophy. By now, the heretic Mu'tazilite groups had essentially been eliminated and replaced with the moderate groups, a task the Sepah-e-Najaf had completed successfully. Meanwhile, work continued on the implementation of the 1501 Military Reforms with matchlock rifles swiftly being replaced by the wheellock models. Simultaneously, the Sepah-e-Najaf oversaw the massive production of gunpowder at the depots at Isfahan, Tabriz, Baghdad and Herat. Along the same time, work continued on the development of the Ormara port with major shipyards being constructed to facilitate the docking of merchant vessels. Similarly, efforts to further expand and fortify the Kerch Fortress continued. Meanwhile, Muhammad Mu'min Khan was replaced with Quli Khan Zangana as the Grand Vizier.
 * Oman: The King's marriage is initially well-received, albeit with some doubts concering the wife's denomination of Islam. However, the Ibadi sect is much more tolerant to cultural and religious differences than other sects. Rebuilding of the navy continues from last year. Many ships that began construction in 1504 now enter completion. 26 ships in total are built this year. Despite the recent Indian Ocean trade agreement, Oman is still able to use its central position on the Strait of Hormuz to influence trade from the Red Sea, the Swahili Coast, and the Gurkani Sultanate. King Suleiman hopes to use the the unregulated nature of his trade policy to attract merchants to Omani ports. Largely due to the Compact of Kolon-Thota, Omani traders now venture further beyond the Indian subcontinent, eager to trade with eastern powers such as the Bengal Sultanate and the Khmer Empire. Interest in the Majapahit Empire increases as a source of fragrant spices, cloves, pepper, and tortoiseshell, desired by the wealthy of Oman. With the signing of the Compact, Oman now has a secure source of timber, coir, and sailcloth from Kerala. This, however, does not diminish Omani interest in the Swahili coast. Captain Mu'tasim, on behalf of King Suleiman, sends a letter informing the Swahili Sultanate of the King's intention to build a trading post on the Island of the Moon, and awaits their response. Hundreds of settlers also arrive in Bahrain (Eastern Arabia), mainly the city of Qatif, which has become a more prominent trading port in the Persian Gulf since the arrival of Oman. Farms and infrastructure in Oman are modernized. The palace at Muscat is restored. The Bahla Fort, Nizwa Fort, and forts at Qatif are expanded upon. The oasis of Al-Hasa is also one of the few areas in Arabia to produce rice, which becomes popular throughout Oman. An expedition is made to the island of Socotra near the Horn of Africa, often passed by Omani traders during their journeys to the Swahili coast and rumored to be inhabited by Christians. The expedition is led by Captain Taimur. After a brief survey of the island, the small fleet lands at the port of Suq. The sailors are greeted by the natives, some of whom speak a form of Arabic intelligible to the Omanis. Among the crew of the Omani fleet is Faatin Al-Din, an Arabian botanist. He is fascinated by the strikingly alien plant life of Socotra, and collects dozens of samples to return to Oman. A detailed record of the island and its inhabitants is written by Captain Taimur. Two months later, a larger fleet is sent to claim the island. After a short battle with the natives, the Omanis manage to capture the port of Suq, bringing the island under Omani control. Soon after the capture of Socotra, disease spreads to the garrison. Faatin Al-Din, in his obsession with the island, is among the first to become ill. Food and supplies run low, and the natives are unwilling to assist the Omanis, instead retreating to the caves or the mountains. Nearly half the Omani garrison succumbs to disease or famine. By the end of the year, the Omanis abandon the island. Faatin Al-Din dies on the return voyage, and is buried at sea. The Salidiyah and the Kabria both wreck off the coast of Yemen during a storm. The fleet is steered off course by high winter winds. The Kashaf wrecks somewhere off the coast of India, but the survivors are rescued. Captain Taimur's own ship, the Muraqib, is severely battered from the storm. Desperately in need of food and supplies, the Omani fleet lands near a village in Gujarat. With the help of the locals, the Omanis are fed and pointed in the right direction. In December, the fleet finally sails into Muscat. Socotra is returned to the natives. King Suleiman also strengthens diplomatic ties to the Gurkani Sultanate and considers them a close ally.
 * Swahili Diplomacy: We allows Oman to build a trading post on the Island of Moon and also access to our outpost in Socotra.


 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 more ships are built and work continues on the fortifications of Chatagon.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.


 * United Crown - Still Tim
 * The fleet that was destroyed last year in the Atlantic has proven to be a small, yet significant setback, as we lost a few good men in that incident. As a result, the navy scrambles to recruit new sailors to join what has become known as the Atlantic Armada. More ships are completed this year in Europe and are deployed to our new territories in the West Indies. We hope that by the middle of the century our settlements will have developed enough to permit the establishment of new ports and shipyards in which new vessels can be built in the Indies themselves. We complete the charting of several other islands, and name the largest one Cuba. Others include Arianna (St Martin) and Santiago (Jamaica). Plans are made to create new settlements on all these islands, to ensure Iberian dominance in the region. Back in the homeland, policies continue to institute preference of local businesses over foreign ones, specifically to keep the Fuggers and Weslers out. We implore European governments to continue to resist Augsburg's advances, as an Augsburger monopoly will not end well at all for anyone else. Revitalisation of our cities continues, and it has been confirmed that Royal Universities have been established in all the major cities in the Union. The King announces the birth of his second son, also named Ferdinand.
 * At this point its a curiosity thats practically operating off of the personal finances of explorers with limited state involvement. state colonization is not a big thing and itll be awhile before you can claim the enthusiasm you are currently -Feud
 * Oh, I see. Apologies. I will be more careful in future. ~Tim


 * Bulgarian Empire: Unable to secure a wife for the crown prince from the royal families of Europe, the Tsar is married to a noble from a prominent Vlach noble family being recognized as a high noble family in the empire. The marriage of Crown Prince Boris to Alina of the Dumitru family solidifies yet again the union of the Bulgar and Vlach peoples who many bulgarians have ceased to even recognize as a seperate ethnicity. By this extention some new names for the Bulgar empire begin to emerge as the Vlach Empire, and the Bulgaro-Vlach Empire. The significant integration of Vlachs into the empire mostly from the nobility begins to influence lower classes as some begin to adopt a more bulgarian form of custom and in some cases due to mixed families the bulgaro-vlach language fusion becomes more and more prominent as the settlement of the Vlach Province is expanded as well. The disturbance in Greece continues as the Bulgarian army under Tsar Simeon and his son Boris looking to gain a more hands on war education finally mount a direct assault on the city after nearly 8 months of seige and bombardment. All that remains of the Greek forces are the starving 8000 man remnant of the 20,000 strong force which challenged the Bulgarian royalty the previous year which are slammed into by the Bulgarian army which in a wave of absolute unbridled violence wipes out nearly the entire city with all the revolters being impaled and killed in the purest form of Bulgarian capital punishment. Of the city's population of roughly 40,000 the city nearly half is killed and the other half scatter to the countryside. One of Greeces last majority Greek cities now ceases to exist as the Tsar departs leaving 10,000 troops to occupy southern Greece while the area is transformed from an autonomous group of territories into a full scale province of the empire. With the deaths of nearly 20,000 people the other ethnicities in the empire considering any attempt at a revolt are put to rest as it becomes readily apparent what happens to those who revolt. The Tsar himself is known to have claimed that "The Ottomans were beat by my father at land, and by me at sea, What made these Greeks think they could beat the Lion of the Balkans in a stand up fight". The various settlements of Bulgarian throughout northern Greece and the province of Vlach continue to expand with the city of Thrakiya beginning to take off as its surrounding communities begin to produce more food per capita than their rival city near by of Adrianograd.
 * Principality of Moldavia: The principality continues to expand its economy and population with a population now reaching roughly 770,000. Outside of this the border forts guarding the flank of its overlord are continually built up.
 * Chinese Empire: Islam continues to spread. The colonies continue to grow.. More workshops for gunpowder are produced around the Beijing region, and fortifications continue to be built in northern and western China, as well as roads to keep the parts of the Empire securley intertwined.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: The King after reading through the log books of John Alkston he orders a second expedition to be commanded by the newly promoted Admiral Alkston. The Dauntless is repaired and is to lead the expedition while 4 new caravels Halberd, Pike, Flail and Javelin are commissioned for the expedition and they set off in late April again and take the same route going to Greenland and then going across to Markland (Labrador) and following the current south towards the island of Vinland (Newfoundland) and entering the gulf of the great river where 5 ships advance up to the mouth and halt. Dauntless and Javelin hold at the island near the mouth of the river while Admiral Alkston transfers command to the Flail and with the 2 other ships starts sailing down the river. The three ships push down the river coming to an island in the centre of the river (lle de Orleans) and just ahead they discover a village of natives to the area. A small party goes down and gives the tribes gifts and explains through hand signals and the like that they want to continue down the river, the natives are small in number and kind of peaceful so they allow the 3 ships to pass. They continue up to the river until they reach a larger village and again the natives are quite peaceful after Alkston gives them gifts and is peaceful. His way after this is blocked by rapids and so after exploring the native village he turns his ships around deciding he can go no further and plans to return to England with his news hoping to receive another reward and get more resources for possibly a third expedition which he hopes can last for longer. On his way back in an attempt to give him something to study and learn from he conducts a raid under the pretence of freindly communication of the first native village (Stadacona) and kidnaps the chief as well as some other natives. Then returns to his ships waiting at the mouth and then returns to England where the King is again impressed with his work and the possibility of vast unexplored lands with people in it. From the reports of Admiral Alkston he claims the people posses no horses and no iron forged weapons or good fortifications and that given a small force he could rule over the land. Admiral Alkston begins to try and learn the natives of the land's language and their culture so he can understand them. The King is against the idea of attacking in general and wishes for more exploration rather than violence but he is pleased. Meanwhile in England another 10 ships are built while the rest of the fleet is kept up to date. The King and his 2 daughters remain healthy. We offer Burgundy, the Duchy of Brittany for 600,000 Florins. 
 * Burgundian Dip: agreed
 * Bahmani Sultanate: 10 warships are built. Taungoo is offered a tarriff rate equivelent to the Khmer if they sign the treaty of Kolon-Thota. (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED) .
 * Taungoo accepts. -scraw
 * Sicily: 15 ships built. Nikifor I rules, his wife dying in 1505.
 * The Kingdom of France finds itself diplomaticly isolated on the European continent. In an effort to end this diplomatic isolation, King Louis XII reaches out to his holiness, The Pope, to re-establish the friendship between the two nations from the earliest part of the century. In an unexpeced twist, Louis XII also reaches out to Iberia to mend the fences between the two nations and re-establish some sense of normality between the two nations. Burgundy is also a target of this attempt to mend relations France also reachs out to establish an Alliance with The Kingdom of Two Sicilies and Russia.  France also continues to build its navy up, reaching 200 naval vessels. more later maybe
 * Iberian Diplomacy: We are open to gradually resolving our differences and restoring relations, though full normalisation will take some time. The King, however, remains on his guard, lest Iberia be betrayed again by the French who without a second though switched allegiances half a century ago and fought against us, despite being our ally for sixty years beforehand.


 * Rhenish States (aka Cleves-Mark):We ask an alliance with Brabdenburg-Luxemburg.The State-Count hears about new lands across the sea but says he wishes for more land but will wait for a foreign power to fund us and wil wait until 1550 at the earliest to colonize.
 * Cologne Diplomacy: Archbishop Rhoderich offers his brothers in Cleves-Mark or the Rhenish States a formal alliance, noting their close ties and the need for stability and unity amongst comrades in this region.
 * Rhenish Dip:The Count accepts
 * Cologne: Whilst waiting for his brothers in Cleves-Mark to respond, Archbishop Rhoderich of Cologne continues to write pastoral letters emphasising the importance of family and distributing them to the parishes in all small towns. Meanwhile, Emmerich’s Neuss Plan continues to yield graduates and young people flock to lead either a life dedicated to honing their skills in the battlefield or a life dedicated to God. Several young women inspired by Abbess Sophia’s lectures on women’s role in academia join the Church in Cologne as well, in the relevant abbeys, as nuns. By this stage, a significant percentage of young people are going directly to the Church.
 * Essen: Abbess Meina continues her lectures of discipline to wide acclaim and an increase in satisfaction amongst the people. She also begins to hold monthly town meetings, to which all people are invited, which ask the people about their opinions on what the Church is doing. These are very informal but Abbess Meina has dreams of institutionalising them one day. Meanwhile, Sister Anna reports that anchoress Ulrike has spent most of the year sleeping and praying and has not uttered anything of great import; she grows weary.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: Princess Arianne returned to Iberia this year, and she reports feeling clear-minded and newly enlightened, "as if I were born anew, but with the wisdom and grace of God having found its way to my heart, and not just my head." She thanks the Abbey for their kind hospitality and guidance, and in response the King, impressed, eagerly goes about improving relations between Iberia and Cologne-Essen, proposing a new trade agreement to stimulate both our economies
 * Swahili:  We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. Areas interior to Mobassa and Malindi is colonized. We also send out conquistadors to expand northwards into more northern Somalia. Our population increases. With information from Omani traders, we also land on Socotra, and set up a small outpost on a good natural harbor.
 * Augsburg: In the year of our Lord fifteen five economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. The stockpiling of textiles continues for Operation Blue Lily. Business evictions continue. Hans Hohenzollern, now 18, continues his dramatic rise and is now employed as an agent for the Fuggers providing mine security. Price fixing continues based off the large amount of raw materials. The city of Augsburg begins a great deal of modernization with the hiring of Bulgarian engineers in order to set up an engineering school at the university of Augsburg. Many of the rich patrician families begin investing in artists and art throughout Augsburg. Secular humanists began to rise at the university of Augsburg. The Weslers continue to be involved in the European trade market.
 * I dont remember sending you a single engineer, specifically when literally all the engineers have been employed in my own country between my own projects and the siege of Thessaloniki. Kinda hard to hire engineers when they are getting paid vastly better to help me take a city during war time -Feud

1506
''' In a shocking display the Kingdom of Cuzco absorbs two of its neighbors with little conflict and defeats a punitive coalition of forces from the Qulla confederation. Atalhuasca is known as the "Sapa Inca" and is worshipped as a literal divine incarnation of the Sun. '''

''' The Civil war in Benin finally ends with the reconstituted nation of Mali coming to head under Mansa Mahmud, various other small taifa kingdoms and sultanates spring up in the northern and northwestern portions of West Africa as the Defeated Benin begins to fight among itself over the true thoughts of the theocratic government back in the capital. '''

''' Khan Tsetseg openly defeats an army from Astrakhan and rallies the remainder of the hordes of Central asia. however territory is not seized from astrakhan, only a large portion of the warriors from Astrakhan leave fully respecting the leadership of a powerful new Khan. some even liken him to Genghis Khan in his effectiveness to Corral the hordes into a powerful cohesive fighting force. '''

''' This arising Khan to the East even gives some pause to many of the remaining nomad lords in Persia, to the mongol horse lords in China. His effective use of Gunpowder remains one of his most prominent influxes into the horde military system. '''

''' Tensions in the HRE begin to flare up as its three largest states begin to see competing levels of political and economic influence into various smaller states which puts them directly at odds, severely straining their alliances to the point of nearly breaking. '''

''' Austrian and Brandenburgian nobles call for the submission of the Italian states and for them to be put back in the Holy Roman Empire, and for the Emperor to take back the title of King of Italy. '''


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: David Lauwens returns from his fourth voyage. He tells King Robert that it's his conclusion that the western landmass is not India, comparing latitude calculations from his own voyages, and those taken by the users of the Cape Charles sea route, as well as the descriptions of Indian architecture and dress to those of western natives. In his own words "Put frankly, your highness, that I wasn't spice tasting with Master Ramaaker is probably the strongest evidence in this regard." Faced with a now unnamed landmass on the maps, it's decided to name it Lauwentia after the explorer.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with an-Nasir al-Hassan as the Caliph and Quli Khan Zangana as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36.4 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were being made use of, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish with science, poetry, arts and philosophy rapidly spreading as fields of extreme importance. In particular, the Mutazila had successfully introduced printing press to all corners of the Sultanate, having established print shops in the capitals of each of the 16 divisions, effectively producing hundreds of copies every day. Simultaneously, the Imperial Council ensured the protection of the Sultanates by deploying artillery units at the borders to ensure the destruction of any invading force. These units would further be supported by infantry and heavy cavalry units, supported by brigades armed with wheellock rifles. By now, the Sepah-e-Najaf had essentially been transformed into the Sultanates peacetime standing army, responsible for the protection of its citizens and the defence of its borders. The Sepah was primarily composed of Persians and Arabs, and were the first corps to make extensive use of firearms. Around the same time, gunpowder depots at Isfahan, Tabriz, Baghdad and Herat were expanded. In particular, numerous cannon-foundaries were constructed at Isfahan, with a major foundry producing bronze cannons (for siege purposes) built in Central Isfahan near the Golden Fort. Meanwhile, the Imperial shipyards at Iskenderun and Gamrun were vastly expanded to facilitate the docking of more ships and ensure naval superiority with the newer artillery pieces being placed on the Gurkani navy. Finally, the development of Ormara was completed with the port being declared open for trade purposes. Meanwhile, work continued on the expansion of the Kerch Fortress.
 * Bahmani Diplomacy: Muhammad Shah has heard of this strange new printing press and inquires if Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza would agree to sell one to the Bahmani Sultanate.
 * Cologne: Archbishop Rhoderich welcomes the new allegiance with the Rhenish States and proposes that they establish a free trade agreement to increase prosperity and camaraderie in the region. This free trade agreement will allow the two states to together increase trade along both the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, making trade with Burgundy/Holland more efficient for both nations. The importance of family firmly established with Rhoderich’s pastoral letters, there is an increase in the population for the first time this year. There is also an abrupt increase in marriages. The culture of education continues to be fostered, and Archbishop Rhoderich sends Vicar General Wikbold III around to the nobles again this year, to ensure that they are happy with the way the Neuss Plan is progressing.
 * Essen: On behalf of wider Cologne, Abbess Meina of Essen commends Princess Arianne of Iberia as a confident and independent young woman and agrees to her brother’s new trade agreement to improve relations. Abbess Meina personally prays for the swift journey of the first traders bringing coal and silver to Iberia, before returning to her lecturing, which continues to increase satisfaction amongst the people. The people hear stories passed down from their ancestors about the true piousness and dedication of St Adelphina, and the miracles she did, and many start to flock to pray at her tomb in Essen Abbey.


 * United Crown
 * We watch the events in the Holy Roman Empire and in Italy with interest, but are disturbed by Austria's and Brandenburg's calls for a new King of Italy. While this would be purely titular, the Iberian King, Ferdinand I, feels rather uncomfortable with the potential revival of the title, and so suggests the less provocative Duce of Italy. In Iberia, the cities continue to be modernised, and municipal defences are revitalised. As the threat of the Fuggers and Weslers are still prominent in Europe, for the entire continent's sake the King decides that Augsburg must be somehow undermined and/or eliminated. He begins considering secret plans to infiltrate Augsburg and destroy it from the inside out. If all else fails, he also formulates a plan to invade and destroy Augsburg completely. He decides to put out his feelers first before acting upon them, so he asks the Archduke of Austria regarding the latter's opinions on Augsburg. (AUSTRIA RESPONSE PLEASE)    In other news, the settlements in the West Indies continue to be developed, and the name Arcadia begins to surface as a possible new name for the region. (Please feel free to cross the last line out if it's not yet an appropriate time.) The population of the settlements are still small, but appear to be growing at a promising rate. The establishment of new farms around the colonies in combination with their small populations allow the colonies to function effectively on their own, as there is not yet a readily accessible way for authorities in Iberia to control and supply the colonies; it is hoped that the colonies behave themselves in the meantime. We begin charting the coasts to the south, and it seems to run for an eternity. This land is most definitely not India. Fleets have returned to Ferrera with reports of vast expanses of forests, with tall canopies. The person who has gradually become the de facto leader of the colonies, a certain Enrico Martinez, takes great interest and deploys more ships to improve maps of the area.
 * QUESTION: Has the Renaissance hit Iberia yet? I would expect it would have by this point, but just to make sure. ~Tim
 * I'd say it would have ~Cal
 * Please format your Turns correctly Tim. -Feud
 * Yes the Renaissance has hit Iberia, this happened when I was Castile. ~Edge
 * Your colonizing way to fast. your claiming roughly half the west indies. figure out realistic colonization goals. -Feud
 * I agree that he should slow down, but considering that Spain otl colonised essentially the entire West Indies, most of South and like 90% of Central America, his goals are probably 'realistic'. ~Cal
 * they didn't do this all in 6 years tho.
 * Hence why I said goals, not actions
 * I only have a couple of colonies, guys, calm down. I'm just charting the surrounding area and making plans for future colonies. ~Tim


 * Tsardom of Russia: Similar to Poland, Russia tries to shift the focus of the nobility from maintaining nobility rights to maintaining a strong Russian state as Russia still has not fully recovered from the killing of many of its nobles in the White War and tries to centralise. We also offer trade deals to for the furs found in Siberia and offer trade agreements. At this point, most of our country is rural with poor transport links and so we begin to build schools. In order to encourage  innovation and academic learning in our country, we sponsor and build the University of Novgorod and Moscow as well as sponsoring other universities in other cities as well as grammar schools. We also establish a printshop in Moscow and Novogorod to produce printers, and print books/broadsheets as well as to distribute knowledge.We begin building a state road network connecting major cities and towns as well as linking them with courier stations/ messenger bird posts to connect the country and facilitate trade. Due to its immensity it is expected to take 10 years (finished in 1512). Due to increased enthusiasm for Siberian colonisation, we sponsor trading companies to help colonise the area. We send a large military expedition to pacify the area, and we invade the Yugra area and attempt to take over the Ostyak and Vogul towns, we outclass them heavily as they are primitive compared to us. This year we have subjugated many of the towns, and overrun most of the area. We begin colonising the Yugra area, and sending missionaries to convert the natives. There is a wave of colonists due to advertising and we begin to pacify this land. Due to several years of pacification the land is nearly subjugated. We also absorb Smolensk into the Empire. We also begin heavily fortifying our lands as well as the border with Astrakhan. Due to our lands being ravaged in the White War, we begin investing in cottage industries in order to increase productivity in our lands, while we also begin to set up a national bank called The Bank of Russia  Hospitals and sewage systems are also being built in our main cities and towns.. We also begin to advertise Siberian Colonisation with broadsheets in order to get more colonists. We hold a census for a population and find that e have around 5-6 million people. We attempt to rebuild the towns and cities razed during the war and hire numerous craftsman to help rebuild these ruined cities. The marriage between the Tsar and Daniela has resulted in a boy who is named Ivan Romanov.
 * ​Just an FYI before you joined as Russia there were multiple pretty high level burnings of Moscow as well as a higher than normal death rate from the wars with Gurkani and Astrakhan. Population is going to be somehwere in the high 4 millions to low 5 millions. My estimate is somewhere between 4.6 and 5.1 due to the divergence Best wishes. -Feud
 * PS: im not giving you any strikes for some of the things ive had to go on cause you didnt know the starting situation with Russia very well -Feud


 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 more ships are built this year, and work continues on the fortifications of Chatagon. In other news, road networks are improved throughout the Sultanate.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.
 * Khmer Empire: Wanting to avoid more succession confusion, and possibly even conflict, the first act of our new king is to establish The Imperial Council. This is a council of nine members, each one chosen by the current Emperor ans serves until the end of their life. Their sole duty is to collectively vote on the next Emperor every time the current one dies. However, in almost every scenario, they have no option as to who to vote for, While in the few remaining scenarios their options are limited to various nobles. Indra hopes that this system will prevent any succession crisis, even ones like the relatively small one he experienced. With his power secured, Indra starts on several major projects. The first is the redevelopment of Khmer's water mange,net system, something that was largely neglected under Sutkan's rule. Most of this development will be focused on Cambodia and nearby regions, though it is also extended to Ayutthaya and Malaya. In particular, these efforts are focused on Angkor, a city that now houses as many as a million people. It is hoped that these water management developments will help to increase crop yields, leading to an even higher population growth rate, though the current rate of around 5% per decade may be hard to pass. The other major project Indra embarks on is the reorganization of the army and navy. Three major Naval bases already exist - Oc Eo, Kedah, and Vijaya. While Oc Eo is technically the center of the Navy, Kedah is by far the most developed base due to its proximity to our long time enemy, Majapahit. The base at Kedah is thus given a permanent garrison of 5,000 soldiers while the other two bases receive 2,000 each. Sawni, the Captain who scored a victory over Majaphit in 1502, is given control of the base at Kedah, and is told to start a plan to invade Majapahit. Meanwhile, Indra redoubles our efforts to equip our entire navy with cannons. So far, about 600 of our 1,200 ships are equipped with cannon, with 40 or 50 being upgraded every year. Our army also is improved, notably by increasing the role of firearms and artillary. Indra also increases trade with all our current trading partners, notably increasing our trade Japan.
 * Papal States: After consultations with the bishops and cardinals, as well as much personal thought and prayer, Pope Leo X publishes a decree entitled Ecclesiae cardinalibus, which lowers the number of votes required for a College to elect a Pope from 10 (a 2/3 majority) to 8 (a simple majority). Meanwhile, Ignazio d'Iassi and his young companions continue their university studies, and more young men have joined them in taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Pope. In other news, taxes are raised slightly.
 * The Kingdom of France yet again reaches out to his holiness the Pope in hopes to re-affirm the sacred relationship between France and the Church.
 * Papal Diplomacy: His Holiness affirms the bonds of friendship existing between the French crown and the Papacy, and hopes that trade between France and the States, as well as joint efforts to halt Muslim piracy, can be forged. However he is also keen to maintain a healthy distance, remembering with discomfort the days of the Avignon papacy.
 * Swahili:  We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Areas interior to Mobassa and Malindi is colonized. We also send out conquistadors to expand northwards into more northern Somalia. Some plantation owners develop 4 field rotation in more mountainous areas, which is quickly noted by the Madrassa of Mogadishu and spread throughout suitable locations in the nation.
 * **Buha Diplomacy to Swahili: Due to our Kuzirist ally, Benin being thrown into chaos, we offer a conversion to Islam in return for military support and diplomatic support. We propose creating an East African Alliance, and we could perhaps purchase weapons from Swahili.
 * Oman: A son is born to King Suleiman and Maham Shah Mirza, named Numair bin Suleiman. 23 ships are built this year. A trading post is established at Vohemar on the eastern coast of the Island of the Moon, opening a permanent trade route between Oman and the Swahili Sultanate. The Arab inhabitants of Vohemar coexist with the Omanis, even adopting some of their language. Omani goods such as pearls, pottery, frankincense, and rice are introduced to the region as merchants are drawn to the Swahili ivory and slave trade. Oman also claims the area of coastline bordering Yemen, home to scattered populations of the Mehri people. Irrigation channels and bridges are built in Qatif, while a new mosque begins construction in Muscat. King Suleiman also works to improve relations with the Abbasid Caliphate and its vassals.
 * Brandenburg-Luxembourg: Tragedy strikes the House of Brandenburg as Otto the Younger falls ill. With his son now age 17 he is placed under the strict tutalage of his grandfather, Emperor Otto the Older. Freidrich is enrolled in the University of Berlin in philosophy and theology. He also endorses the reformed Catholic church. more to come later
 * Bulgarian Empire: With the end of the siege and Greek revolt, the Bulgarian population stands a 4.62 million. The death of thousands of people in one of the largest remaining Greek cities shocks the Greek population but also divert their attention elsewhere starting to realize the price of revolt for their people. The Tsar specifically brings many of the surviving women of the now rechristined Thessograd where many of the soldiers of this army agree to settle down and rebuild Thessaloniki as the city of Thessograd. The population of Thessograd stands roughly at 12,000 as major reconstruction begins, with much traditional Byzantine-Bulgar architecture. This marks the first major push into the newly minted province of Greece and with the male population of the city being mostly settled troops, this new push also marks a significant amount of cross culture assimilation as a new generation of greco-bulgars are born. The Tsar following the revolt of the Greeks attempts to bring in a new angle to handling their minority problem. The various priests are replaced with bulgarian ones who take over in giving sermons to the Greek people. The sermons are mostly propagated in bulgarian which forces many to learn some bulgarian in order to get in touch with and learn the language a bit. Tsar Simeon begins bringing the imperial beraucracy into play he he begins to attempt to get a sort of city census on ethnicities in order to find out the major population differentials. It is mostly aimed at getting accurate numbers of Bulgars to minorities in various cities. (More to come.)
 * Bahmani Sultanate: With trade revenue increasing thanks to the Compact of Kolon-Thota, a three-year naval modernization program is begun. In Andhra, a few Hindus try to replicate the sucess of the Lankan rebels, but their lack of planning dooms them to a quick defeat by local forces. With relations restored with Oman, many Omani merchants return to Gujarat.
 * Pegu: As trade increases, so does support for the Bahmani Crown.
 * Maldives: Trade increases. A major project is started to improve the natural harbors of Addu.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: The King offers his 13 year old daughter Anne to heir of Brandenburg. The King also commissions a third expedition to the west in which to take a different route with this time the English plan to see if their discoveries in Vinland are connected to the Spanish discoveries of Ferrera and so ships the carrack Courageous and caravels Crossbow and Flail are sent to sail south to Morroco in late march (30 degrees north) then sail along the trade winds until they reach the West Indies in mid april and while trading with people if they can to resupply they are to avoid threatening the Spanish presence before turning north swiftly and sailing into the gulf stream pass the Spanish settlement of Ferrera and going into the unknown north hoping to either find a path through the continent to India or Vinland. As there is little to no exploration of land as they want to get this down with speed until they come to a point where 2 lands are separated by water (Cheapsake Bay) and after briefly exploring up it discovers it an estuary due to the fresh water and bays on both sides and so doesn't explore further and turns back continuing on where he discovers another estuary (Delaware bay) smaller in size this time and again avoids exploring it so continues on before coming to an island off the coast (Long island) and after landing encountering some natives and departing without making real contact and pushes north and west further before coming upon their final new discovery (Bay of Fundy) and then moves around a penisula before sighting Vinland. They briefly land on Vinland to definitely confirm they are where they believe they are. Having gone from Ferrera to Vinland and finding no obvious route through the continent with a number of bays but since they were all found to contain freshwater and in some considerable amount Admiral Alkston concludes that therefore the best way to reach Asia must be through a northwest passage. Meanwhile back in England with his new wealth from the sale of Brittany. the King orders another 400 Arqebus for his personal storage and another 5 ships to be added to the navy while work on the current navy is continued.
 * The Kingdom of France continues Louis XII's "pivot to the exterior", focusing on trying to find France new alliances. France again offers Sicily and Russia an Alliance. As part of his pivot, Louis XII orders to continue the expansion of the navy, which grows to 210 ships this year.
 * Kingdom of Sweden: Sweden goes into mourning as Olaf IV Vasa, King of Sweden, Lion of Midnight and Emperor of Scandinavia dies. We call an election in Riksdag for the new Emperor and we vote for the King's grandson, Karl, to be crowned Emperor of Scandinavia. We await the other two nations' responses (MOD response). We begin to distance ourselves from Poland and Burgundy, feeling that we need new allies. We ask to ally Russia. 
 * ​Denmark votes for Karl. -scraw
 * Augsburg: In the year of our Lord fifteen-five economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. The stockpiling of textiles continues for Operation Blue Lily. Business evictions continue. Hans Hohenzollern, now 19, continues his dramatic rise and is now employed as an agent for the Fuggers providing mine security. Price fixing continues based off the large amount of raw materials. Secularists, Humanists, Individualists, and Skepticism rise. Rich patriarchal families compete for sponsorship of artists, philosophers, scientists, and engineers. They do this for a form of bragging rights when they have a more beautiful piece of art, or they have a nicer estate, latest scientific discovery, or they reap the profits. The Fugger family begins reserving the Fuggerei for prominently for skilled artisans and smiths. The Fuggerei also expands. The Fuggers also begin investing in the rifling industry for barreled muskets.
 * IN Austria-Bavaria, Maximillian's gambits pay off. He begins training more troops and declares the border with the italian states fortified borders. Worried about the red lion pact breaking up over ambition-based tensions, and realizing that the pact led to the relative stability of the region for the past fiftyyears (i.e. no major internal HRE wars in about five decades), Maximillian throws another gambit. He realizes that the best way for a group of people to overcome their differences is to have a common enemy. In that Enemy would lie the italian states that had broken from Holy Rome. Calling on immediate Imperial action, he mobilizes his own forces, sending threats to the Italian states. Rejoin, or face potential war with Austria and the rest of the Holy Roman Empire. He is especially cruel to the Milanese, calling them to fall back into their place. Maximillian also sends out letters to many of the smaller Holy Roman States, asking which of them is willing to join a military campaign to retake italy, who have usurped the Kingdom from the Empire itself. MOD RESPONSE PLEASE . As well, maximillian sends letters to Despot Aleksandar in Serbia and Duke Ernst, his pelnopotentiary in Hungary, to ask if they are willing to contribute troops to a potential military campaign. In this way, Maximillian hopes to set himself up as the guardian of the temporal power of the HRE, as opposed to the more theological guardianship the Brandenburgers have espoused. Meanwhile, in an effort to further integrate the formerly seperate Bavarian and Austrian territories and economies, further efforts are made to encourage merchants of one to establish trade in the other, as well as encouraging the use of Austrian-made products in Bavaria and vice-versa. Munich's thirst is being quenched, for example, by the finest Beers of Austria, while the Austrian army has shifted much of its production and main foundries of weaponsmiths to Munich, for its better foritifed position, and larger economic potential. Austrian craftsmanship increases as many people go to the cities to witness the art and cultural booms of the renaissance, especially with increased funding to the University of Vienna and Munich. Small additions are made to the Austrian navy, which boost trade by making traders feel safer, in the arsenals of Ernstberg.
 * Duke Ernst, after recieving his cousin's letters, calls the Diet of Hungary together, and presents this message to them. After some debate, and in recognition of Maximillain's status as King of Hungary, and greatful that this is worded as a request instead of a command, but unwilling to commit many troops in Italy, have pledged two thousand men if the situation requires, and perhaps more if it is so needed, although they are reluctant to say how much that will be. Meanwhile, Hungary continues its slow recovery from the civil war, and looks to expand its trade and other capabilities. The relative period of peace has allowed more renaissance thinking and other such economic projects to appear in Hungary. the peacefulness of the land can hopefuly reap good rewards in the future.
 * Despot Aleksandar of Serbia, when he recieved the letter of maximillian, pledged ten thousand men to his overlord's cause, as he is greatful for him retaking serbia from the clutches of Corvinus. More effort is put inot building a Naval power base, effectively becoming the focus of the Serbian state, as they wish to protect their trade.
 * The Doge of Veneto focuses on working on and rebuilding the venetian navy, especially the trade fleets. hearing of the possible warfare in Italy, the Venetians do not promise troops in the conflict unless it becomes necessary to defend their territory(given their rather meagre army), but instead offer to provide ample economic assistance to the endeavours of their sovreign, Maximillian von Habsburg-Wittelsbach. Whatever they say, it is most likely that this lack of physical assistance is more due to wanting to maintain friendly trade relations with the various Italian states moreso that it is about lack of army, but we shall never know...ok, who am I kidding, this is venice, they love their Ducats, and would gladly risk being seen as cowards if they walk away with a fatter purse...
 * South Australian Civilization: Allira begins to be quite charmed by the mysterious man from above, now identified as Guwingkwop. Guwingkwop would bring the lady all maners of honey and flowers, courting her as a prince from a distant country. Meanwhile, seeing the growing power of Noongar over the sea trade [still very large canoes near the coast], Ngarrindjeri begins to more aggressively send their warriors to take part of Kangaroo Island, setting up wooden fortifications [mostly fences, manned part of the year with a few huts] against the expansion of Noongar. More elaborate jewelry starts eminating from Kaurna, including earings and necklaces made of iron, dyed in ochre and other paints.

1507

 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with an-Nasir al-Hassan as the Caliph and Quli Khan Zangana as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36.5 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were being made use of, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish with science, poetry, arts and philosophy rapidly spreading as fields of extreme importance. By now, both Tahmasp and Abbas had become important members of the Mu'tazila community, having been introduced to the movement by their mother. Meanwhile, the Sultan commissioned the construction of a massive shrine at Karbala at the burial site of the Shia Imam. Around the same time, gunpowder depots at Isfahan, Tabriz, Baghdad and Herat were expanded. In particular, numerous cannon-foundaries were constructed at Isfahan, with a major foundry producing bronze cannons (for siege purposes) built in Central Isfahan near the Golden Fort. Meanwhile, the Imperial shipyards at Iskenderun and Gamrun were vastly expanded to facilitate the docking of more ships and ensure naval superiority with the newer artillery pieces being placed on the Gurkani navy. Meanwhile, work on the Kerch Fortress was finally completed.
 * Gurkani - Bahmani Diplomacy: Shahzada Abbas Shah Mirza visits the Bahmani Sultanate in hopes of persuading the Sultan to promote the Mu'tazila Movement.
 * Bahmani Dip: Muhammad Shah recieves the envoy and decides to also promote the Mu'tazila Movement, though he reminds Abbas that it will take time, and that not overturning India's delicate religious balance is his priority. He also asks if the Gurkanis would be willing to sell a printing press to us.
 * Tsardom of Russia: Similar to Poland, Russia tries to shift the focus of the nobility from maintaining nobility rights to maintaining a strong Russian state as Russia still has not fully recovered from the killing of many of its nobles in the White War and tries to centralise. We also offer trade deals to for the furs found in Siberia and offer trade agreements. At this point, most of our country is rural with poor transport links and so we begin to build schools. In order to encourage  innovation and academic learning in our country, we sponsor and build the University of Novgorod and Moscow as well as sponsoring other universities in other cities as well as grammar schools. We also establish a printshop in Moscow and Novogorod to produce printers, and print books/broadsheets as well as to distribute knowledge.We begin building a state road network connecting major cities and towns as well as linking them with courier stations/ messenger bird posts to connect the country and facilitate trade. Due to its immensity it is expected to take 10 years (finished in 1512). Due to increased enthusiasm for Siberian colonisation, we sponsor trading companies to help colonise the area. We send a large military expedition to pacify the area, and we invade the Yugra area and attempt to take over the Ostyak and Vogul towns, we outclass them heavily as they are primitive compared to us. This year we have subjugated many of the towns, and overrun most of the area. We begin colonising the Yugra area, and sending missionaries to convert the natives. There is a wave of colonists due to advertising and we begin to pacify this land. Due to several years of pacification the land is nearly subjugated. We also absorb Smolensk into the Empire. We also begin heavily fortifying our lands as well as the border with Astrakhan. Due to our lands being ravaged in the White War, we begin investing in cottage industries in order to increase productivity in our lands, while we also begin to set up a national bank called The Bank of Russia  Hospitals and sewage systems are also being built in our main cities and towns.. We also begin to advertise Siberian Colonisation with broadsheets in order to get more colonists. We hold a census for a population and find that we have around 5 million people. We attempt to rebuild the towns and cities razed during the war and hire numerous craftsman to help rebuild these ruined cities. We respond to the requests for alliances and accept the alliance offer from Sweden and France, while we also cancel the alliance with Norway due to their inactivity, and their relatively smaller geopolitical status compared to the other countries. 
 * Youve exceeded your three alliances. you can have Poland, Bulgaria and Sweden. Your limited to roughly 3 major alliances at any one time and they need to be plausible. Russia and France are not plausible allies for eachother by any stretch at this point -Feud


 * As Korea recovers from the chaos the dynastic change, the fledgeling Kim dynasty establishes a largely isolationist pacifist foreign policy that is oriented on defence. The caste system is revised into its four-caste old form, and social strata is enforced. Confucianism is once again enforced with Buddhism being the scapegoat for Korea's problems. Blast-furnaces, for decades inactive, are restarted. Ships are discarded for scrap material as the navy begins to be neglected. Gunpowder and weaponry workshops sprung across the country, with metals mined in North Korea used to reinforce them. An envoy is sent to Khan Tsetseg, requesting collaboration between the hordes and the Korean royal army, and for him to teach Korean levies proper tactics and strategies. Scholarly works and artistry are promoted, with several academies and universities being built and many elite partaking in education.
 * Papal States: In the universities, a distinctly Christian humanism has developed, building from the greats like Dante and Petrarch. Pope Leo, still somewhat peeved that the Fortebracci family has such a beautiful chapel in the most modern style, begins thinking of ways he could renovate the Basilica of St Peter's in order to make it clear to all who see it, that it is the Mother Church of the whole world, and the final resting place of Saints Peter and Paul. In other news, England and Burgundy are requested to take numbers of friars with them on their expeditions around the world, so that the knowledge of the Christian Faith might be propagated ever-further. Meanwhile, Ignazio d'Iassi's band of vowed young students continues to grow, and Ignazio, drawing on his military experience, decides to call it the Company of Mary Immaculate. He goes to his local bishop, who allows the group to continue under his protection (and watchful eye). The group also decides to add a vow not to seek high rank in the Church (i.e. above the normal priesthood).
 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 ships are built again this year, and work continues on the fortification of Chatagon. In other news, Jalaluddin Fateh Shah dies peacefully and is succeeded by his son, Sikandar Shah III. After ascending to the throne in mid-1507, Sultan Sikandar Shah III has an idea. He suggests the creation of a standing army as a rapid response force if war is declared and there is not enough time to mobilize the main army. Despite some opposition among the main generals of the Bengali Army, the proposal passes and a standing army will be implemented starting in 1508. The Sultan also spreads the idea to the Ava and the Ahom. The Sultan also decides to send his son, Ilyas Shah II, to China and Korea to discuss trade and bring back any technology of interest.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Suhenphaa sees the merits of the standing army idea proposed by Sikandar Shah III and approves it. The standing army will be implemented next year and it will consist ot 2 divisions of 1,000 men each.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Binnya Kyal II sees the merits of the standing army idea proposed by Sikandar Shah III and approves it. The standing army will be implemented next year. Binnya Kyal II also orders the organization of the Army of Ava to be done by the decimal system, as the Bengali and Ahom armies have done.


 * Swahili:  We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Areas interior to Mobassa and Malindi is colonized. We also send out conquistadors to expand northwards into more northern Somalia. The plants critical in the four field rotation system (alfalfa, millet or sorghum, row crops (such as vegetable, spices or fruit), beans, wheat, barley and onion, garlic or other root vegetables) are collected by the Madrassa of Mogadishu and planted for their seeds, which is then distributed around the nation.
 * Swahili Diplomacy to Buha: We accept Buha's offer of converting to Islam and sends scholars, missionaries and advisors immediately.
 * Oman: The population of Oman rises by 4400 as living conditions improve, workers emigrate to Oman, and Arabian tribes come under Omani control. 19 ships are built this year. A band of Bani Khalid raiders led by Jabrid warlord Muqrin ibn Zamil make several raids into Omani Arabia territory, armed with matchlocks. The raiders are repelled, but only after inflicting significant losses. Morale drops among the garrisons. Recognizing the advantage of gunpowder weaponry, King Suleiman turns to the Gurkani Sultanate as a potential source of guns, gunpowder, and artillery. Oman requests some sort of agreement in regards to the trade or purchase of these weapons. Envoys are also sent to India, offering to normalize diplomatic relations with the Delhi Sultanate. King Suleiman approves the construction of three new schools in Oman, teaching primarily mathematics and medicine. Some merchants of Oman call for an official currency to be established. Various Indian and Persian currencies are considered.
 * Delhavi diplomacy: Sultan Harshal, following through with his diplomatic policy, agrees to normalize relations.
 * Bahmani Diplomacy: Muhammad Shah would be willing to share the Bahmani rupee with Oman.
 * Bulgarian Empire: With the extreme veterancy, power, and investment put into things such as the Bulgarian army, the Tsar meeting with various nobles confers the advantages of a standing army. However with the ratio of power between the Tsar, and his lower nobles, and the high nobility, the institution of a standing army is personally undertaken by the Tsar. The standing armed force strength is evaluated at being able to consist of roughly 15-20,000 men and is made up of Bulgarias significant freemen population. Being portrayed as not just a levy system but a paying profession the Tsar and his beraucracy is able to attract roughly 10,000 men mostly men trained under their fathers from the Italian war and older veterans of the Italian war. In many cases to organize the older veterans the Tsar personally pays off nobles to free them of their serfdom and bring them to a freemen status. This force while something to be admired draws from not just the freemen but also brings in nobles of all classes acting as cavalry with nearly 2000 nobles and knights joining the army. The Bulgarian army specifically begins to call itself a legion under the Tsars personally preference and extreme interest in Roman military history. This force consisting of roughly 12,000 men if the noble/knight cavalry contingents are included are organized into the 1st and 2nd Legions. While it is considered somewhat appalling by nobles worried about their money going to some uneeded standing army, the Tsar moves the tax burden specifically to the major banking and merchant families noting that the Bulgarian nobility and the Tsar himself has notably paid for and facilitated every single military action since the Empires re-constitution. This is met with some resistance however with the first years pay being paid right out of the personal treasury of the Tsar the Legions are noted to be fiercely loyal to their Tsar and one is marched into Vasiligrad and another in Tarnovo. The Merchant and Banking families immediately cave under the preassure and the higher taxes put on these usually lowly taxed classes are paid. The Finances in general in the Empire are notably improved as the movement of the Fugger cardinal into a senior advisement position in the empire begins to noticeably improve the financial assets of the high nobles, the Tsar, and the highest classes of merchants and bankers. This more than makes up for the Tax increae on the more powerful families.
 * Just a note to other players standing armies under the right system are allowed. But keeping extensively large standing armies at this point remains an issue.  I figured under renaissance changes, and the vast archive of knowledge of rome and its organization could allow the organization of hardened permanent forces. The Ottomans, English, and French all for a fact maintained standing armies by this point in time. Any other players wishing to embark on standing armies must allow for enough time for the idea to spread for its new origin territory -Feud
 * Delhi Sultanate: The year is quite uneventful. We continue to improve relations with Tibet. More ships are built in Puri. Another expedition is sent to explore the lands around Swahili.
 * Himalaya: Nothing of note.
 * Ladakh: Nothing of note.
 * Marwar and Mewar: Nothing of note.
 * Chinese Empire: Islam continues to spread. The colonies continue to grow.. More workshops for gunpowder are produced around the Empire. We move troops west to defend against any potential Khanate interventions, deciding to hold the border and little more. With the Koreans changing a dynasty, the Emperor urges caution, increasing the amount of troops on the Manchurian-Korean border, and an envoy to the Koreans states "Stick to your penninsula"
 * Brandenburg-Luxembourg: 'Tragedy strikes the House of Brandenburg as Otto the Younger falls ill. Fredrich continues his education at the University of Berlin. He also endorses the reformed Catholic church. Otto's court continues to be one that promotes tyhe arts, sciences and military expansion as firearms become more common in the armed forces. Lorraine,Luxembourg and Silesia continue to enjoy an expansion in their mining and metyal smithing activities while Silesia, Prussia, and Brandenburg see an expansion of the Manorial system as larger estates are developed. Otto continues to reign in the nobility. Freidrich is sent to London to meet his betrothed for the first time and it is requested that the Marraige occur next year.  decommissioning of old and outdated fortresses continue as the military power of the nobility is reduced in favor of impowering the royal army. Otto continues to expand the economic ties of Brandenburg with the interior of the HRE. 
 * ​Maximillian of Austria sends a letter to the Holy Roman Emperor (or other dignitaries since his illness) when the forces bound for retaking the Italian States are set to be mustered and ready for war?
 * Bahmani Sultanate: Muhammad Shah asks Delhi and Bengal if they would like to cooperate on a project to build a road through Orissa. A few gun manufacturers are hired to add more gunpowder weapons to the Royal Armory. More government money is diverted towards diamond mining.
 * Pegu: Nothing of note.
 * Maldives: The Maldives adopt the Bahmani rupee as their currency.
 * Delhavi dip: Sultan Harshal agrees, as it will further help trade increase in the area and improve relations.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: John Alkston decides to embark on a fourth expedition to find the fabled north west passage to Asia and this time plans to sail north of Markland. He takes his first ship the Dauntless and 2 other ships Dagger and Lance. They set off and believe that the northern seas will be unfrozen for 3 months in the summer and has his ship cross the straits from Greenland to the new continent in late June and sails north around Markland. He sails directly west rather than hugging to the coast as he is trying to break past the continent and after going out to sea for a while he comes back to land which from his sight he believes to be a bay. As he keeps pushing north and west past small islands he comes to a larger island which he suspects may still be part of the continent (Southampton island) and decides to head north believing he is rounding the continent and pushes north following the coast until he sees a break in it and moves forward to see narrow straits (Ormonde island) and decides to push forwards and runs straight west and Admiral Alkston believes he has broken through until he sights land (Talyoak roughly) and after landing discovers it is not Siberia as he hoped and so turns the fleet back despondent although on his way back after crossing through the straits (Ormode island) and in the middle of the sea his crews goes to sleep one night and wakes up to find their ships surrounded by ice. Try as they might to escape in early September the sea holds them from going fast ad they are forced to try and cut their way very slowly to the east to the nearest landmass in hope they can find food before they die of scurvy. The ships almost make it to landmass but are stopped with Admiral Alkston's death from scury and much of the crews being incapacitated. One by one the crewmen die off until there are only 3 ghosts ships left being held in by the ice. Meanwhile in England the Kings' brother Richard of Shrewsbury passes away. The King agrees to Frederick being sent to London to meet his betrothed and it happening next year. The King and his family continue to grow healthy and excited by the upcoming marriage.
 * Maximillian of Austria, worried about his succession and not having any sons, issues a succession act, outlining the official line of succession, and allowing women to inherit "as stipulated under the privilegium Maius", under the condition that no eligible male two generations removed from a reigning monarch are alive (i.e. firstborn daughters before fourth cousins). Meanwhile, The drums of war beat in the heart of Munich. Blacksmiths' and gunsmiths' bellows and foundries run round the clock to arm the new men with newer muskets, and enlarge the Tormenta's stock of large guns. Some experiments are made into fortifications resembling star forts, as to better arm the military. Seeing the effectiveness of matchlock in the Italian and Hungarian wars, Maximillian commisions a large portion of them, hoping to arm and drill one quarter of his troops to fire in volleys as a military tactic. Other preparations for war with the Italian states are made, as well as large investments into science and technology, especially engineering are made, in an effort to find a better way of, well, building military hardware. The University of Vienna is given an engineering grant, for those who wish to specialize in military engineering, including the production of better cannon or other such materials. In essance, they used it to furhter their own goals as well, as they got a small funding bonus when a young Austrian student made a slight improvement in the matchlock mechanism, erasing five whole seconds from loadtime! Needless to say, this new design was given to the smiths of Munich to incorporate into their work. The Archducal guards, once a de-facto mercenary force with an exclusive contract with the Austrian Archdukes, and similar organizations in Habsburg Hungary, are now becoming much more professional, and are becoming more and more integrated into state systems. Following on Roman books translated by the university, a comprehensive table of ranks is published to govern the force consisting of almost ten thousand de-facto permanent troops (with the many others that are part of the Guards coming and going as they sell their sword). For the first time, restrictions on joining the guard, much like it was in rome, is limited to Subjects of Austria.  On a more diplomatic side, Maximillian reaches out to the rulers of Numburg, Saxony, his (claimed) co-dynasts in Pfalz, Wurzburg, The Three Leagues,  and Bohemia, in an effort to explore all avenues and many other in central Germany (south of Turingen), asking who will answer the call to bring the Italian states, such as they are, back into their righful place in the Holy Roman Empire, making it quite clear that the incorporation of Savoy was a crime of the highest order, and the independance of the Italian states threatens the office and legitimacy of the Imperial Crown Itself. MOD RESPONSE NEEDED A letter is also send to Thuringien, trying to get support from that state 
 * Augsburg Dip: Hans Hoehnzollern and a company of 500 men offer themselves up in service as mercanieres.
 * The Diet of Hungary, under the push of Duke Ernst, not wanting possible future succession crisies, convinces the Diet of Hungary to (albeit reluctantly) approve of the Succession law recently passed in Austria, and agree that it does, indeed, posess the same legal value in Austria and Hungary. Meanwhile, work on the recovering economic prospects of HUngary continues. With more and more trade, the population grows as towns become more and more popular places to live for the vast majority of people. The Royal Guards, a group considered the Hungarian "branch" of the exclusive mercenaries of the Habsburgs, is underogint he same professionalization as the Archducal guards in Hungary, with Duke Ernst, the Captain General-Lieutenant, amends their charter to include a more rigid rank structure, and restrictions on those joining being subjects of the King of Hungary (Archduke of Austria-Bavaria).
 * The men of Veneto, ever so skillful in shipbuilding, begin developing new types of naval cannon. Meanwhile, the economy of Venice grows as it slowly regains the prominence of its glory days.
 * The Iberian Ambassador to Vienna expresses his deep concern about Austria's aggressive stance against the Italian states, and, on behalf of His Majesty the King himself, demands the word of the Archduke that Iberia's ally Sicily remains untouched by German forces in the event of a war with northern Italy.


 * Cologne: The population in Cologne continues to increase, thanks to Archbishop Rhoderich’s pastoral letters. Meanwhile, the nobles seem mostly happy with the system as it stands, with a culture of friendly competition beginning to rise between nobles whose peasant children (whom they have taken responsibility for) are graduating and finding themselves in higher religious institutions. When this year, the first Neuss plan graduate, from Neuss itself, finds himself in the abbey near the University of Cologne, the nobles in Neuss are delighted. The nobles in other places are thus encouraged to do the same. Rhoderich reiterates his offer of 1506 to the Rhenish States. He also begins to construct a more centralised road system not just through Cologne but through Kolschberg and Essen.
 * Essen: The lecturing by Abbess Meina continues to increase satisfaction amongst he people. She emphasises the importance of paying respects to one’s predecessors and elders, and personally walks from the far side of Essen to the Abbey itself every day at sunrise to pray at the Tomb of St Adelphina. A few months in, other people have joined her. By the end of the year, there is a solid group of people making the daily pilgrimage.


 * United Crown of Great Iberia
 * The Colony of Ferrera, under the leadership of Enrico Martinez, continues to develop. The colony's population stands at around 200 men, women and children – some 10 kids so far are native-born. We attempt to mingle with the native peoples of the region, continuing to make contact with those of the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mexica people. Some of our men have grown attracted to some of the local women, and we send ambassadors to the Mexican government to help our men negotiate a few marriages between them and the women. (MEXICA RESPONSE, PLEASE)
 * Back home in Iberia, the King notices that he is beginning to run a little short on funds, given that his treasury has such a vast empire to support. He is becoming concerned that his empire may over-expand and face financial collapse and unrest. He thus decides to once again let go of Athens, offering to sell the territory to Bulgaria for a sum of one million florins. ($1 m)
 * Bulgarian Dip: We agree to the sale and begin our assumption over Athens and the many islands it controls

1508
Sorry for the late turn
 * Kingdom of Burgundy: in a test of Burgundys naval strength over distances, Admiral Albert van Slyke, cousin of David Lauwens, leads an offensive operation against Iziu. Thirty warships, including the copper-sheathed Sovereign of the Seas, and four thousand marines successfully take the African city. As opposed to enslaving the populace, they are allowed to stay and work the harbor facilities while they're brought to Burgundian standards. Iziu is renamed "Nieuw Kaapstad" to distinguish it from the Kaapstad layover port.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with an-Nasir al-Hassan as the Caliph and Quli Khan Zangana as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36.5 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units such as Cannons, Bombards and Superguns were being made use of, having been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rather rarely. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish with science, poetry, arts and philosophy rapidly spreading as fields of extreme importance. Meanwhile, with the permission being granted by the Bahmani Sultan, Mutazila groups began spreading across to the Indian subcontinent. Meanwhile, the construction of the massive shrine at Karbala was completed and later inaugurated during Arba'een.
 * Gurkani - Bahmani Diplomacy: Shahzada Abbas Shah Mirza gifted a printing press machine to Sultan Muhammad Shah of the Bahmani Sultanate.
 * United Crown of Great Iberia
 * With the huge amount of fresh capital flowing into the coffers of the government following the sale of Athens to Bulgaria, the King considers investing more in the West Indies. In the meantime, the Royal Bank of Barcelona is instructed to establish the West Indies Company to act in lieu of the central government. The Company will be partially state-owned, but businessmen are encouraged to invest in the venture. The West Indies Company is set to take over for the provisional administration under Enrico Martinez next year, and its mission is to develop and enforce Iberian interests in the New World. The settlements of Ferrera and Havana continue to grow, and ambassadors to the native populations attempt to improve relations between them and Iberia. As some of our men have grown attached to some of the native women, these same ambassadors also attempt to engage in marriage negotiations.
 * Back home in Iberia, the King begins to hear rumours about possible unrest building up in Portugal – apparently the nobility there are still cheesed that Portugal is now one of Great Iberia's core constituents. The King instructs the Governor General of Portugal to deploy agents to gather intelligence regarding the nobles' intentions, and he prepares for a possible future rebellion, quietly mobilising for such an event.
 * Iberian Diplomacy to AUSTRIA-BAVARIA: The Iberian Ambassador to Vienna again expresses his King's concern about Austria's aggressive posturing, and continues to seek confirmation on behalf of the King that a German attack on Italy will not touch Sicily, one of Iberia's closest allies.
 * Maximillian of Austria, while somewhat annoyed at the crude manner upon which he was asked last year, expressing his distaste of having anything "demanded" of him "as though he can be commanded like an Iberian Vassal". He nonetheless, in the spirit of good faith, announces that "even under the yoke of Milan, the Neapolitans, now Sicilians, were never Holy Roman Subjects, and thus cannot be accused of treason".
 * Iberian Diplomacy to AUSTRIA-BAVARIA: The King personally thanks his Austrian counterpart for his reassurance that Sicily will not be attacked, and apologises for the rude manner in which his ambassador worded his lord's request; the ambassador is duly replaced.
 * It wasnt that much money, and Spain is incredibly racist. The majority of mixed race children were born out of post conquest rape among other things. Marriage is not something i feel like would happen so quickly when you more than likely have barely overcome the language barrier. -Feud
 * Actually it was a huge ammount of money above 7,500 pounds of Gold. This is during a time period in which Kings would pawn thier crown jewels just to pay for raising a army for war. Also isn't Feud crossing it out a violation of modding in a issue directly related to him. -Oct
 * One i entirely doubt your economic calculations wholesale. And apprently it was abandoned due to lack of mods, but for the most part i check all my major strikes with another mod before/during my deliberation on it. Also the issue is not directly in my camp and more with the deliberation of how huge this cash sum is. Considering the standard of currency is not really the same. that much in what he proposed could be a manageable sum for someone that can just bring up coins of a lesser metal and send them his way. -Feud
 * If it wasn't huge you would gain from it. A florin was consitently 3.5 grams of gold, the ammount never changed, so just calulate from there. The ammount of a florin was based off the value of the gold. If we went back into this time period all currencies are based off of the liquid value of the element it represents.-Oct


 * Korea: The Kim monarch creates the Ministry of Reconstruction, intended to be temporary, and creates a fifteen-year plan for national reconstruction. Seeking to repair the once warm relationship it had with the Ming, an envoy is sent to the Ming capital, proposing that Korea becomes a protectorate (under Chinese suzerainty and protection) and that Manchuria is given back to Korea in exchange for that Korea will send a yearly tribute of five hundred concubines and eunuchs, give two hundred Korean ships (since the Korean navy will be dismantled and rendered to a coastal defence force), and that Korea will give the Chinese control of Sakhalin. However, Manchuria's status after integration with Korea is discussable–with Korea willing to make it an equal-power state under a two-state union. The metallurgical sectors continue to be augmented with the construction of blast-furnaces. Weapons and gunpowder workshops, as well as mines are built. Confucianism begins a process of re-entrenchment into Korean ethics and culture, with Buddhism being suppressed. Confucian temples are built, especially in Gyeonggi and Gyeongsang. Scholarly works and artistry are promoted as "core values", and several academies and universities are built with many of the yangban elite partaking in education.
 * Chinese Diplomacy: We refuse all offers sent by Korea. Manchuria is now and forever an independant state and free of Korean rule. The slaughter that was inflicted upon the Manchurians was disgusting, and its blame not limited to one dynasty, but all of Korea.
 * Papal States: Leo discreetly hires a few architects to look at potential ways the Basilica of St Peter's could be modernised and beautified. News of Austria's posturing about the North of Italy is troubling to Leo (who has become known as 'the Warrior Pope' due to his involvement in the Great Mediterranean War and his calling of the Bulgarian Crusade), and he calls on the Nobles and Legates of the States to be on their guard, and ready to call up the militia. The Pontifical Guard and the Castilian Guard are meanwhile drilled in Rome, just in case. England and Burgundyare requested to take numbers of friars with them on their expeditions around the world, so that the knowledge of the Christian Faith might be propagated ever-further. The Nuncio to Iberia asks if he can purchase some shares in the West India Company on behalf of the Church, given the latter's interest in the missionary potential of these "West Indies". Ignazio's Company of the Immaculata continues to slowly attract members, now boasting twenty.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: We are happy to sell some of the Company's shares to the Nuncio, as it will not only inject more capital into the West Indies' development, but will also provide a check and balance in the form of the Papacy to prevent the Company from engaging in immoral activities. We also offer to provide an Iberian military detachment to protect the Papal States from Austria's aggression.
 * Oman: Oman accepts the Bahmanids' offer. The Bahmani rupee and its denominations are officially adopted as legal currency in Oman. A daughter is born to King Suleiman and Maham Shah, named Hayat bint Suleiman. 21 ships are built this year. From the trading post at Vohemar, Captain Mu'tasim leads an expedition to the islands of Dina Arobi and Dina Morgabin. Some of the large, flightless dodo birds of Dina Arobi are killed or captured to be traded with the Swahili Sultanate or transported to Oman. The rest of the year is mostly uneventful, with expansion and settlement continuing along the Eastern Arabian coast and close to the borders of the Gurkani Sultanate and Yemen. An effort is made to centralize the Omani government and decrease tribal authority in the interior.
 * Oman-Gurkani Diplomacy: King Suleiman again asks the Gurkani Sultanate for an agreement regarding the purchase or trade of guns, powder and artillery as Oman lacks the resources to produce these weapons. Additionally, any other country offering to sell muskets or artillery will be considered.
 * Gurkani - Oman Diplomacy: Shahzada Tahmasp Shah Mirza sailed to Muscat, being escorted along the way by 75 ships including the largest Gurkani vessel, Mahmudiye, each ship having been decked with cannons and guarded by the Sepah-e-Najaf. After arriving at the city, Tahmasp met with the King of Oman to discuss terms.
 * Bulgarian Empire: The sale of Athens and its constituent islands to Bulgaria leads to a special situation being undertaken with the inclusion of Athens. With its massively existing port facilities, Athens is named the Primary port of the Empire outside of Vasiligrad which remains the largest city by far. Of all the islands secured in the purchase as well, the projected population integrated into the empire is roughly 65,000 which combined with the nations natural population growth, reaches about 4.95 million. The inclusion of this territory now officially seals off the majority of the Aegean to anyone that isnt a Bulgarian or Ottoman power. With islands extremely close to the Asia minor coast, a few well garrisoned forts are set up as a watchful eye in the case of further Ottoman Aggression. The Athenian city as well as its component islands are re-organized into the Province of Athens and in this regard the remainder of Greece is split apart as well. Greece is split between West Macedon, Epirus, Sparta, and Morea. The revival of the name Sparta comes mostly from the town which has begun to grow around the recently Raised Third Legion which bases itself out of the former city and brings many of their families or begin building many of their families here as well. The Population de-facto stands at 6000 due to the strength of the legion but an estimated 3000 civilians are to be moved into the area as well as the families and issues of the Legion. Rudimentary walls are built around the settlement, placing a large, heavily militarized settlement in the only remaining populous part of Greece. A census is finally finished and the ethnic map begins to be constructed with a large spread of Bulgar population having noticeably settled in Thrace, Macedon, and Vlach.
 * Principality of Moldavia: The Bulgarian establishment of a standing army to the south puts the Moldavians in an extremely disadvantageous position which detracts from the few thoughts of revolt. The raising of a professional army is something that could very well easily crush the Moldavian army. However, with such autonomy almost to the point of non intervention being practiced the Moldavians remain strong defenders and a buffer bridge to the east.
 * Buha: The Emperor, now that he converts to Islam, proclaims himself Grand Sultan. Seeing that the majority of the population at this point are Kurzirists, he begins a campaign to promote Islam. Kurzirism will be tolerated, however, Christianity is currently outlawed. The Sultan promises he will devote his military of some 100,000 troops, some of them equipped with the latest weapons from pre civil war Benin, to helping Swahili expand it's coastline. We work on modernizing our architecture, agriculture, and most importantly, the Grand Sultan has a vision that Kongo must be overthrown, and in return a nation, the Islamic Emirate of Zaire shall be formed. Although that will happen latter, the Sultan hopes he can employ Swahili's help in establishing Zaire. The Grand Sultan has a vision of a new Islamic Pan Africa.
 * South Australian Civilization: In Ngarrindjeri, the lady Allira was betrothed to a prominent clan member within the city-state, in an attempt to further solidify the rule of her father, Bakan Djalu, as monarch of the state [Bakan can be read as 'Duke']. Allira was horrified at this thought, and refused to marry any man other than her true love Guwingkwop. Frustrated, Djalu had Allira locked in a prison until she would accept the clan elder as her husband. The next day, Guwingkwop appeared before Allira within the prison, the room illumated by his pressence. Confused, but willing to accept her rescue without question, Allira embraced the shining man, and he took her out of the prison to another part of the city. Seeing Allira escape from her father in the arms of another man, the clan elder demanded she be arrested immediately, and charged with adultery according to the laws of Tjilbruke. Forced in this situation, Djalu permitted the people of the city to put his daughter to death. But just before the execution could be carried out, Guwingkwop appeared before everyone, revealing his true nature in a cloud of blinding light. As it turned out, the mysterious stanger was the Sun itself, taken human form for the love of this mortal woman. And so, seeing this spiritual authority superseded the laws of Tjilbruke, Bakan Djalu permitted his daughter to marry this deity, and all the people of the city accepted.
 * Bahmani Sultanate: The Bahmani Crown officially endorses the Mutazila school, though Muhammad Shah makes it clear that other opinions will be respected. With this, more nobles send their sons to university. Naval modernization continues. The printing press from the Gurkanis arrives, and the Holy Qur'an is the first book printed on it. The University of Gulbarga and the Crown have control over the new device. The royal mints are expanded, as Oman adopts our currency. (OOC: I will talk about my road offer from last time when Bengal gives a response.)
 * Pegu: Another rebellion breaks out in the east of the country. A noble assembles nearly 4,000 troops, and others pledge more, but Prince Dhammazedi, now 17, manages to prevail with a force of only 1,000, and the conspiracy falls apart. Surprised by his great tactical ability, Binnya Kyal informs Muhammad Shah of the boy's prowess.
 * Maldives: 1000 people now live on Addu.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland: The return of Admiral Alkston is awaited though he is not expected back for a while as he is supposed to be sailing to Asia. We make no other explorations to America this year. Meanwhile in England everything goes well and we start building a new road from connecting Norwich to the London and Edinburgh road. Fredirch of Brandenburg and Anne of England are married this year.
 * Chinese Empire: Islam continues to spread. The colonies continue to grow.. More workshops for gunpowder are produced around the Empire. We move troops to the Korean-Chinese border in order to provide an effective defense line in coordination with the Chinese border forces in Manchuria, we tell the Koreans that we will accept no deals, Manchuria is now and forever independant of Korea and the barbarism its military and people inflicted on Manchuria. After these events, we once more begin to shun Korea, The Empire begins replacing older ships in the fleet with new ones, using the old ships for scrap or some, like the flagship of Admiral Zheng He the Second, being placed in museums or monuments. We continue to eduacate the Manchurian populace, as teachers and professors have this point established a semi decent school network in the major Manchurian cities, helping to aid and teach the Manchu people. (I asked scraw before posting, he said it was ok.)
 * Since when was China granted the right of way in Manchuria? Manchuria fought for independence from Korea, which, until it rebelled and massacred Koreans living in Manchuria, promoted Manchu culture and education; only to be subjugated as a subject of the Ming? Assuming the Manchu's interest is to stay culturally independent, that would conflict with the historical Chinese interest in assimilating non-sinicized peoples in its periphery and under its control. And, Manchuria does not have cities (nor would likely lack an organized government), and have not been sedentary until the late 1500s/early 1600s, being hordes up 'til that point.
 * Maximillian of Austria-Bavaria continues to beat the war drum. And this year goes one step further. he sends an ultimatum. He sends letters to Milan and Florence, Demanding that they either return into the Holy Roman Empire in an official capacity, or face war by the end of the decade. MOD RESPONSE PLEASE . The Durms of war beat, as Maximillian attempts to gather even more support from the Holy Roman States. More letters are sent, and many propaganda pieces showing Maximillian as the Defender of the Holy Roman Empire, some asking that title be granted to him by the Emperor Himself...Munich's bellows continue to produce more and more arms for the Archducal Guards. Further proffessionalization efforts are underway, and an official code of conduct is published, outlining propper conduct and forms of adress. The leader of the troops, the Lord Captain-General, is an office now tied to the position of Archduke, just as the position of Lord Captain-Lieutenant is not by law tied to the position of Herroberkommandant von Osterreich (Lord High Commander of Austria). Below them, the two Captain-Generals command groups of men around 10 000 in size, aided by their General-Lieutenants. A distinction is officialy made between the enlisted men and their seargents, detailing how any man, by merit either in battle or in skill, can attain a rank of seargent. In fact, Maximillian begins working on a military treatise, based on his work with the guards, and taking inspiration from the old Roman legions, while tweaking their structures, improving them, in his eyes, to the new realities of the world, of cavalry and other such things. In order to keep interacctions between nobility and the peasantry to a minimum (with the few incidents that occured in the past when an officer from the nobility was less-than-competant), he endeavours to keep a seperate structure for his cavalry and infantry, with both under the command of a single Captain-General in a mixed-formation unit, with a Capain-Major of the Equestrians actin in the same role as a Captain-General-Lieutenant. IN any case, a rigid rank structure is established, with strict rank equivelances, Maximilian knowing communication is key and is seen on multiple occasions noting that "on the field of battle, there is only chaos in a leadership squabbling over pimacy", intends to enforce these new ranks to the letter. The economy, as it is, improves as the GDP ends up growing with this increased production and farming due to the need to support more troops, and the government ends up in the end, with slightly larger coffers. Maximillian, knowing the economic boon that Venice may bring, Pledges not to interfeer with Venetian internal affairs, so long as taxes are paid on time, and all reasonable requests are accepted, including the movement of troops. He declares that it is in the interests of "all the realm" that Venice returns to its former trading glory.
 * Milan and Florence refuse. -scraw

1509
'''Burgundy: I'm vaguely concerned about your having a copper-sheathed ship already. I could well be wrong but I thought that was a 1700s thing otl. ~Cal'''

'''1708.. 300 years early. Consider that a strike Burgundy, dont post about copper sheathing again -Feud'''
 * Its only the one ship, and I was going to have a conclusion suggesting it'd prove uneconomical, despite its benefits, to copper sheath the whole fleet (battle and merchant), so Burgundy would sit on this knowledge until a later, more OTL date. It would've never become widespread until then. Also, sheathing is nothing new, as people have been trying to find effective anti-fouling measures fore close to two thousand years (the Roman Navy sheathed their ships with lead, and it's not exactly a big leap from using one to suggesting the other). -Guy


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with an-Nasir al-Hassan as the Caliph and Quli Khan Zangana as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36.5 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, sword and in some cases, rifles. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers, swords and pikes to be utilised in close combat against the enemy with camels, and horses being utilized for the transportation of supplies. Artillery units, particularly Bombards, Superguns and Bronze Cannons were primarily be used for defensive purposes whilst lighter cannon units and volley guns were maintained for offensive operations. The artillery/cannon units in essence had been well-assimilated into the army given their effectiveness in battle and massive destructive capability. In some cases, infantry units primarily utilizing only rifles also existed albeit rarely, with the Sepah-e Nejaf being the primary one. Meanwhile, naval bases at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun were expanded and fortified were to ensure the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets and armed the navy with artillery units. Meanwhile, agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish with science, poetry, arts and philosophy rapidly spreading as fields of extreme importance. By now, the Mu'tazila had built hundreds of thousands of Madrassahs throughout the Sultanate, each promoting their progressive and reformist idealogy; practically stamping out on extremism. Nonetheless, the Mu'tazila ensured that their policies stayed in line, not keen on espousing any action deemed as heresy. Meanwhile, Tahmasp and Abbas returned to the Sultanate, with the former leaving behind an envoy at Muscat. Despite both being brothers and well-reverred members of the Mu'tazila community, they were extremely different in terms of personality. Tahmasp had extremist views, considering himself as far superior to others in terms of intellect. Moreover, he was extremely proud and arrogant. In contrast, Abbas had more Sufi views and was amazed by the beauty of the world, its diversity and all the cultures inhabiting it. Ignorance of all the lands he had not seen espoused curiousity in him. As such, keen on visiting far-flung Kingdoms and expanding his knowledge, Abbas set out to sail towards the Swahili Sultanate. Meanwhile, the Imperial Council addressed issues relating to the management of the artillery ratio. Heavy artillery units such as Bombards, Superguns and Bronze Cannons were restricted to being utilized primarily for defensive operations and for conducting sieges. In contrast, light artillery units and volley guns would used for offensive operations, generally being easier to move and transport to the frontlines. About around the same time, the Amir of Çukorova, Ibrahim Hadad began establishing opium plantations, primarily relating to the trade of opium to the Ottoman Turks and the Abbasids. Nonetheless, the narcotics were also sold to European merchants at Iskenderun and Adana, being seen as easy targets.
 * Oman Diplomacy: Although Oman has obtained matchlocks and hand cannons via trade with Persia and the east, we received word of a new design said to be far superior to the matchlock being produced within the Gurkani Sultanate. We offer 3400 rupees for 400 of these wheellock muskets. We also offer 31,000 rupees for 38 light ship-mounted guns for use by our fleet. Finally, we propose a non-aggression pact as a promise of lasting peace between our kingdoms, that the reign of King Farhad might never be repeated. (OOC: Sorry I wasn't able to respond to you within the same turn yesterday.)
 * Gurkani Diplomacy: The envoy stationed at Muscat agrees to the request, informing his Omani counterpart that the required firearms will be transported to Oman over a period of four years. The request for a non-aggression pact is also accepted. Secretly, the envoy also informs that in response to these actions displaying goodwill and generosity, the Sultan expects Oman to act against Sunni Arab tribes in Al Hasa and Najd.


 * The Caliphate continues to support the ancient Islamic school of Mu'tazila, once popular throughout the Islamic world during the earlier days of the Abbasid Caliphate. This school of Islam preaches rational thought and has differing thoughts to the Qu'ran than traditional explinations. Jews and Christians alike are accepted throughout the Caliphate as People of the Book, and are encouraged to become scholars just as Muslims are. The Caliphate reforms taxing, returning to the ancient way. Zakat, the 2.5% tax only Muslims pay, are spent directly to charity. This tax provides a number of services such as shelter, food, water, and other services to devout Muslims who are undertaking the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. In our capital, Cairo, it provides charity services to the needy, widows, and orphans. The second tax, the Jizya is a tax paid by non-Muslims used to sustain the Caliphate itself, and all of its structures. It excludes the poor, women, the elderly, and children. In the deserts of Egypt, the Caliphate attempts to colonize oasis such as Faiyum or Siwa. In the Arabian peninsula, we do the same, incorporating the Bedouin tribes of the vast Arabians deserts into the Caliphates as faithful followers of the Caliph. In addition to this, the Caliph encourages Muslims in Europe to escape the intolerant rulers present there, and to settle in the vast, safe, large cities of the Caliphate instead. The Caliph also continues to implement a standing military: in return for joining the armies of the Caliph, an individual will gain money, land, place in society, and honor bestowed upon them. These men are stationed on the corners of the Caliphate, on the border with Iberian-controlled lands in the Meghreb, below Nubia, we station troops on the border with Ethiopia, and in the east, we station troops on our border with the heretic Gurkani, albeit much less. We finally phase out the centuries-old practice of Iqta in the Caliphate, as the old order has been restored.


 * Norway: Economic growth within norway continues with grants being granted to various artists and scientists. Specifically increasing infrastructure within southern norway and increasing trade with burgundy and Brandenburg along with other countries. Seeing Sweden distancing itself from burgundy and a potential friend we ask for an alliance with Burgundy. Specifically increasing our Merchant guilds hold over the north sea trade becomes the first priority of the Guilds in Norway. We begin to use the burgundian ship designs to improve our navy using our lumber to create more ships. In Oldenburg we begin to use our economic reforms hoping to get trade through Oldenburg acessing the rich German trade.
 * Kingdom of the Isles: Most of the isles remain trading centers and farmlands due to the little value they hold besides such the capital city of hafiðfjall being completed. The current ruler Haakon of Faroes. Begin building fortifications to protect the islands. Farming begins to increase as settlers begin to move here from mainland norway. Scots are now a Minority in Hebrides due to substantial norsefication.


 * Papal States: Pope Leo is impressed with the work of his architects, and he shows their sketches to some of his close advisors and friends. In other news, the Nunio to Iberia purchases a decent number of shares in the West India Company, with the Pope's blessing, hoping that having a stake in the company will allow the Church to ensure that missionary work is given its properl important place in Iberia's dealings with the "West Indies". In other news, Cardinal Markus Fugger, who has spent several years in a strict monastery, is recalled to Rome, where he is made Secretary of the part of the Inquisition which deals with laxity in monastic discipline. Draing on his experience in the monastery, he swiftly uncovers a number of luxurious priories in Southern Germany and punishes their Priors with utmost dispatch. In the Universities, the physical sciences become more popular fields of study, with optics and astronomy becoming especially popular. The Immaculata grow in number, with 25 vowed young men. Ignazio d'Iazzo is almost ready to receive ordination, and considers travelling to Rome to receive Papal approval for his small 'Company'.


 * United Crown of Great Iberia
 * The development of the West Indies continues under the guidance of the West Indies Company, and the settlements of Ferrera and Havana grow gradually but steadily. Exploration of the surrounding region, including Mexico, Fernandia and what has been dubbed the Amazon is also underway. As our presence is not yet strong enough to overpower the native peoples, we continue to make peaceful contact with them, especially the Mexica, who appear to currently be dominant in the region.
 * Back home in Iberia, the King continues to watch Portugal closely for signs of unrest. He also warily observes unfolding events in the Italian peninsula, and though he personally would prefer it if the Italian states were permitted to stay out of the Holy Roman Empire, he chooses not to intervene, instead restricting military movement in Italy only to protecting the Papal States' borders with northern Italy. The military continues to quietly mobilise in the event of unrest in Portugal.
 * Iberian Diplomacy to the PAPAL STATES, BURGUNDY, ENGLAND, AUSTRIA, SWEDEN, BULGARIA AND SICILY: We cordially invite dignitaries from the aforementioned nations to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of the United Crown's foundation and the Unification of Iberia, to be held in Madrid next year.
 * Sicily: Regent-General Henry and his wife, Duchess Selena DiLauro will be in attendance.
 * After consulting with his advisors, Maximilian von Habsburg-Wittelsbach, King of Hungary, Archduke of Austria-Bavaria and Duke of Veneto, has cleared up a good chunk of his schedule, and thus is able to be in attendance.


 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 more ships are built this year, and work continues on the fortifications of Chatagon. The Sultan also authorizes the building of a road through Orissa.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.


 * Oman: A bit of a succession problem emerges in the interior. Although Numair bin Suleiman is heir apparent to the throne, a religious leader by the name of Nashat gains support from several of the tribes for his radical views. He wishes to do away with the kings of Oman and form an Ibadi state similar to the Abbasid Caliphate. Trade with Africa is slow this year due to storms passing by the African trade routes. 17 ships are built this year. The adoption of the rupee has proven to be a success, bringing more convenience to Omani merchants on the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, the royal house and the nobility of Oman begin to amass their own wealth in gold and silver. More focus is put on expanding the pearling industry and the wealthy port of Julfar, birthplace of the great navigator, cartographer and poet Ahmad ibn Mājid, whose whereabouts are unknown. A collection of his works on the art of navigation are discovered in Julfar. Among them, Kitab al-Fawa’id fi Usul ‘Ilm al-Bahr wa ’l-Qawa’id (Book of Lessons on the Foundation of the Sea and Navigation), detailing a variety of sailing terms, guides to navigation, locations of ports from East Africa to Indonesia, accounts of seasonal winds, and other topics. These books are meticulously copied by hand, and the knowledge within them spreads to all places in Oman, revitalizing the subject and inspiring explorers and merchants to venture far beyond their traditional boundaries, bringing Omani goods with them. In particular, Omani traders become more involved in the Red Sea and the Far East. Ahmad's books become the standard for Omani navigators, and many experienced seamen carry a copy.
 * Gurkani Diplomacy: While stopping at Muscat on his way to the Swahili Sultanate, Shahzada Abbas purchases five copies of Kitab al-Fawa'id.
 * Bahmani Diplomacy: Hearing of the Kitab al-Fawa'id, Muhammad Shah enquires if the Omanis would be willing to sell a few copies to the Bahmanis, though readership will be limited thanks to the language barrier.
 * Swahili Diplomacy: We purchase a few copies of the Kitab al-Fawa'id and add the information to our book of maritime trade in the Indian Ocean.
 * Sicily: Nikifor I dies this year of cancer. The Kingdom mourns for three months as a new Regent-General is elected. Henry Trastamara, Duke of Calabria, is elected Regent-General in a bitter election against the Duke of Basilicata. He won by only a few votes, mostly coming from counts and barons. As soon as he gets in office, he names his wife as Regent-Consort an his son Rodrigo as Prince of Sicily. Again, many nobles are angry at the actions, which closely mirror the controversial actions taken by Nikifor earlier in the decade. However, the anger subsides as Henry makes it known that he has no intention of turning the regency-general into a hereditary position. We build 15 ships this year.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: The King congratulates his younger brother following the latter's election to the Regency-General. The Iberian Diplomatic Legation to Sicily attends his inauguration on the King's behalf.


 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland and Ireland: Work on the road from Norwich to connecting with the road from London to Edinburgh is finished this year. The King and his family are happy and continue to be healthy although the King mourns the loss of his brother. Anne now of Brandenburg goes back to Brandenburg with her husband. They await the return of Admiral Alkston though little do they know he is dead.
 * Chinese Empire: Islam continues to spread. The colonies continue to grow. The Empire is now tightly interwoven, with fortresses and roads spanning across the nation, ensuring that China will remain safe and secue. The Emperor suggests the mixing of troops from different parts of the country, in order to help any issues that may exist between local cultures throughout the Empire. Though the north-south division has been greatly reduced due to the fact that soldiers from both sides have settled and made families far from there original homes, it is hoped this will eventually meld the Chinese variations of dialect, no matter how small the differences, into one unified language, constant throughout the Empire.
 * Bahmani Sultanate: With Delhavi and Bengali permission, construction on the Odissa road begins. The Mutazila school of thought spreads, but slowly. With the return of the Omanis, and increased trade with the Gurkanis, Diu starts to become a more cosmopolitan city and starts to eclipse Karachi. The year's major event, however, comes when Muhammad Shah elevates the Razas, a prominent Diu merchant family, to the low nobility, citing their descent from the Holy Prophet to be his reasoning. (OOC:@ mods: I'm not 'opening' the nobility by any means-only a few families might get this over the next couple centuries, and even then with a ton of controversy.) Nonetheless, there is much anger from the nobility. In Sindh, a local religious leader, Sheikh Abbbas, raises a small army in revolt, mainly citing the spread of the Mutazila, but also helped by the economic decline of Karachi and the Raza affair. Navid Shah manages to convince Shaikh Abbas to stand down, reminding him that unity among Muslims must be paramount.
 * Pegu: To learn about things that might improve Pegu, Binnya Kyal and Dhammazedi decide to visit the Bahmani Sultanate.
 * Maldives: Work on the port of Addu continues.


 * Tsardom of Russia: Similar to Poland, Russia tries to shift the focus of the nobility from maintaining nobility rights to maintaining a strong Russian state as Russia still has not fully recovered from the killing of many of its nobles in the White War and tries to centralise. We also offer trade deals to for the furs found in Siberia and offer trade agreements. At this point, most of our country is rural with poor transport links and so we begin to build schools. In order to encourage  innovation and academic learning in our country, we sponsor and build the University of Novgorod and Moscow as well as sponsoring other universities in other cities as well as grammar schools. We also establish a printshop in Moscow and Novogorod to produce printers, and print books/broadsheets as well as to distribute knowledge.We begin building a state road network connecting major cities and towns as well as linking them with courier stations/ messenger bird posts to connect the country and facilitate trade. Due to its immensity it is expected to take 10 years (finished in 1512). Due to increased enthusiasm for Siberian colonisation, we sponsor trading companies to help colonise the area. We send a large military expedition to pacify the area, and we invade the Yugra area and attempt to take over the Ostyak and Vogul towns, we outclass them heavily as they are primitive compared to us. This year we have subjugated many of the towns, and overrun most of the area. We begin colonising the Yugra area, and sending missionaries to convert the natives. There is a wave of colonists due to advertising and we begin to pacify this land. Due to several years of pacification the land is subjugated. We also absorb Smolensk into the Empire. We also begin heavily fortifying our lands as well as the border with Astrakhan. Due to our lands being ravaged in the White War, we begin investing in cottage industries in order to increase productivity in our lands, while we also begin to set up a national bank called The Bank of Russia  Hospitals and sewage systems are also being built in our main cities and towns.. We also begin to advertise Siberian Colonisation with broadsheets in order to get more colonists. We hold a census for a population and find that we have around 5 million people. We attempt to rebuild the towns and cities razed during the war and hire numerous craftsman to help rebuild these ruined cities. Due to the subjugation of the Yugra area, we send diplomats to neighboring areas to request that if they accept us as their overlords and convert to Christianity then we will not invade their lands, and promise invasion if they don't (mod response).
 * They refuse. -scraw
 * Austria-Bavaria continues to beat the drums of war. The refusal of the Italians is used as further proof of their treason, and the Emperor's inaction used as to try and incite him to contribute troops or at least award Maximillian the title of "Imperial Defender" and sanction an IMperial invasion of Italy. The Archduke's agents uncover documents from the French Crown, promising twenty thousand men if the HRE decides to invade the Italian States. This is used to further enrage the populace, to show them that foreign powers are trying to interfere in the Holy Roman Empire's rightful territories, and to further try and incite the Imperial Princes, if not the Emperor Himself, to action, citing that this would constitute an invasion of the HRE by a foreign power if it happens (considering, of course, that those Italian States "rightfuly belong and are a part of" the Holy Roman Empire). Meanwhile, the bellows of war continue to transform the economies of both the former Austrian and Bavarian States. With more money poured into engineering and other assorted materials, Austria-Bavaria begin renaisances of such things. Renaissance Ideas continue to spread, with many painters experimenting in Vienna and Munich.
 * Swahili:  We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Areas interior to Mobassa and Malindi is colonized. We also send out conquistadors to expand northwards into more northern Somalia. With information from the Kitab al-Fawa'id, we print our own book Alaabada iyo Ganacsiga ee Badweynta Hindiya (Goods and Trade in the Indian Ocean), a revised version of our previous handbook on Indian Ocean Trade. It is printed in the Madrassa of Mogadishu using our printing presses and merchants are encouraged to purchase a copy.
 * How did you get a printing Press.... -Feud


 * South Australian Civilization: By now, various sorts of paints are diversified to create more meaningful stories depicted on walls and caves, now with a more stylized, geometric form of art. Art is also being produced on pottary and other wares sold between city-states, usually depicting the great deeds of legendary heroes, such as Tjilbruke, Djalu, and the Bunyip. Seeing the agression of Noongar into the fishing trade of Ngarrindjeri, Bakan Djalu declares war on Noongar. All the strongest males of Ngarrindjeri are fitted with the finest metel spears, boomerangs, and arrows, sent in a haphazard sort of strategy against the forces of Noongar near Kangaroo Island. Meanwhile, Allira is impregnated by the Sun, and gives birth to a powerful child, who she names Kinieger.