Creation of Centuries: A civilization RP. (Chronic backstabbing disorder prevalent)

[Crossu88]

I'm down for whatever.

[Sobotnik]

People who aren't playing but read or are otherwise interested can join in as well.

Any particular game we wanna do?

Informative for Minecraft, Tool for Gmod.

[YogiTheWise]

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;42240227]People who aren't playing but read or are otherwise interested can join in as well.

Any particular game we wanna do?

Informative for Minecraft, Tool for Gmod.[/QUOTE]
I can host Minecraft, if you won't mind that the server is in Ukraine, and therefore far from any of you.

[YogiTheWise]

So I'll be hosting it after all.
Say, do you guys want survival or creative? Rainbow for survival, artistic for creative.

[Sobotnik]

Yogi says he can't host til tomorrow.

Anybody else wanna host or play something else til then?

[YogiTheWise]

Server is up!
v 1.6.2!
PM me for whitelist!
Convert to Waifuism!
IP: 78.27.132.59

[Sobotnik]

At 8000 words now. The following turns are complete:

Ruskie – Valittu kauppias mailla
Satansick – Zulu Kingdom
YogiTheWise - The Weeaboo Empire
Crossu88 – Xerxes
Mallow234 – Phoenician Federation
cis. joshb - The Polochans
KingArcher – Misiryaban Caliphate
Kamikaze470 – Tefullmorostan dol el Wizterbien

The following nations left to do:

Damian0358 – Kingdom of Bohemia
StaleRye – The Baltic Entente
Mackalda2k6 – The Delian League
Salricci – Kingdom of Arhonia

The following to send in turns:

Mr. Face – Spain
Zillamaster55 – Kingdom of Laubergia
Daysbefore – Kingdom of Eoferwic
Burinn – Unified Turkish Kingdom
Gishatako – Ptolemaic Empire

Meanwhile, in Misiryaban:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCXNRCfTEvo[/media]

[CyrustheGreat]

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;42266030]
Meanwhile, in Misiryaban:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCXNRCfTEvo[/media][/QUOTE]

choo choo motherfucker

[Sobotnik]

Here's a fort I made on the server.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/lcmFlSr.png[/img]

Mackaldas busy making a slave plantation.

[Mackalda2k6]

All my slaves are dying of hypothermia because I built it in the snow :[

[cis.joshb]

the resistance against minecraft tyranny continues. we had great success in our use of TNT but were limited by greasy greeks and their traitorous diamond swords

[Mackalda2k6]

Eh hem, make more polandballs to keep this thread alive.

[Sobotnik]

At 10,000 words now. The following turns are complete:

Ruskie – Valittu kauppias mailla
Satansick – Zulu Kingdom
YogiTheWise - The Weeaboo Empire
Crossu88 – Xerxes
Mallow234 – Phoenician Federation
cis. joshb - The Polochans
KingArcher – Misiryaban Caliphate
Kamikaze470 – Tefullmorostan dol el Wizterbien
Salricci – Kingdom of Arhonia
Zillamaster55 – Kingdom of Laubergia
Damian0358 – Kingdom of Bohemia
StaleRye – The Baltic Entente
Mackalda2k6 – The Delian League

The following nations left to do:

NaN

The following to send in turns:

Mr. Face – Spain
Daysbefore – Kingdom of Eoferwic
Burinn – Unified Turkish Kingdom
Gishatako – Ptolemaic Empire

Meanwhile, in Ruskies Empire:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1CVsowJe5U[/media]

[Sobotnik]

You all have until Thursday night to send in turns.

[DaysBefore]

I'm out, sorry anybody who cares

[CyrustheGreat]

[QUOTE=DaysBefore;42298331]I'm out, sorry anybody who cares[/QUOTE]

noooooooooooooo

one of my few allies

[Sobotnik]

[QUOTE=DaysBefore;42298331]I'm out, sorry anybody who cares[/QUOTE]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE[/media]

[Sincleric]

I'd like to join in place of DaysBefore. Do I need to say where my nation will be in the thread, do you pick for me, do I pick up from where somebody else left off, etc.? Should I just send in my first turn or wait until after Thursday?

[Sobotnik]

[QUOTE=Sincleric;42298934]I'd like to join in place of DaysBefore. Do I need to say where my nation will be in the thread, do you pick for me, do I pick up from where somebody else left off, etc.? Should I just send in my first turn or wait until after Thursday?[/QUOTE]

[quote]Starting location: (You will mark down on the map where you wish to start)

Flag: (image is 250x150 pixels)
Country name:
Capital City:
Culture:
State religion:

You must also send in your commands:

Technology: (You give me 3 technologies to research, and one of them will be randomly selected to be researched)

Military: Everything involving your military goes here. Also includes expansion on the map via force.

Domestic affairs: Everything inside of your countries borders.

External affairs: Everything outside of your countries borders. Includes expansion on the map via peaceful methods.

Copypaste: Type down here what you want me to include in the turn (such as backstories, your religion/culture/lore/news/etc) that will be pasted into the turn.[/quote]

Basically you send that in to me.

Alternately, you can pick an existing nation to play as.

[Sincleric]

Thanks.

Aaaand that was in the op. I'm an idiot.

[CyrustheGreat]

[QUOTE=Sincleric;42298982]Thanks.

Aaaand that was in the op. I'm an idiot.[/QUOTE]

I, for one, welcome our new Mongolian overlords

[Sobotnik]

[img]http://gyazo.com/beb06741d1984bb61a124a69d86689b2.png[/img]

[Kaz]

So I decided I wanted to edit a bit more into my country lore, and;

[quote]The text that you have entered is too long (6091 characters). Please shorten it to 5000 characters long.[/quote]

Well fuck. :v:

[Sobotnik]

[QUOTE=kamikaze470;42312296]6091 characters[/QUOTE]

[img]http://gyazo.com/00b41b260045143bb5459fb7e02a9e05.png[/img]

[Kaz]

Actually, I'd feel incredibly bad if the turn got delayed because of my horrific writing. Just ignore the changes in Copy paste.

[CyrustheGreat]

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;42311226][img]http://gyazo.com/beb06741d1984bb61a124a69d86689b2.png[/img][/QUOTE]

actually im mackalda too

[Damian0358]

Next post is turn, you'll see.

Edit: Goddamnit Yogi.

[YogiTheWise]

No it aint.

[Sobotnik]

READ ME, SEND IN TURNS AS TURN 15.
[i]Silent and watchful,
The great mountain knows much
And sees more.[/i]

[img_thumb]http://i.cubeupload.com/CXU5qJ.png[/img_thumb]
Cultural map: [url]http://i.cubeupload.com/YZVfiK.png[/url]
Religious map: [url]http://i.cubeupload.com/Qer9qN.png[/url]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xXsuUjUqJ4[/media]
Events of the years 625 to 750:

Europe:

-Beowulf is composed in Anglo-Saxon England. Islam has also made inroads into the Mannish isles. For those of a musical bent, the harp is introduced in Pictland. In Pictland itself, the Picts are united under a new King from Ireland, an émigré who narrowly avoided execution by the Emir there. He founds the Kingdom of Alban, which is later corrupted to become the Kingdom of Albania.

-The heavy horse plough and the heavy horse collar spread throughout the Rhine valley, before disseminating along trading routes and haphazardly throughout the rest of Europe. Papermaking is also now widespread. Finally, the horseshoe is common as well.

-The Kingdom of Italy suffers from problems of stability and maintaining overseas Romania. A civil war results in the loss of Romania, the Romanian usurper declares himself to be the King of Romania. Both entities still retain close linguistic ties, although Romania has begun to drift away under neighbouring influence from Greece and Laubergia.

-Ireland is converted by Imans from Misiryaban, selling the chiefs there iron in bulk along with other metals with aid of the Caliph and merchants. This leads to an Irish arms race, and the victorious chief forms an emirate in Ireland, and then converts much of the island, save for the Arhonian holdings. As for the Isle of Mann, most of it is gradually being annexed into increasingly larger states fighting for control of the whole landmass.

-Georgia, under some pressure by their neighbours, abandons the Eastern Church to pledge allegiance to the Pope.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=306346&dateline=1371857910[/img][img]http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy221/Goji-man/LauFlag2_zps3c1fbab7.png[/img]
[b]Zillamaster55 – The Kingdom of Laubergia
Capital: Viikuru
Culture: Laubergian (Germanic)
State Religion: Christianity (Aquinism) [/b]

-The Laubergian army is more or less disbanded in the wake of pitiful military expeditions and conquests. The remaining armies are more or less tied up in personal feudal levies, used to protect the borders from raiders. Many men are broken and have lost their sense of military pride. Many weapons are melted down to make tools, and archaeologists note the widespread abandonment of many military structures during this time. However, there has been an advance in terms of agricultural equipment. The new-fangled heavy horse plough was recently made popular by the Royal family, is now widely used throughout Laubergia.

-Giving in to foreign pressure, Greek merchants begin to travel into the Kingdom, setting up trade offices and investing. Many trade deals are unfortunately in favour of the Greeks. Many Laubergians are angry whenever prices rise and recessions hit. The blame is put on the speculators who made impotent the country.

-All expansion of the Kingdom has come to an end, with borders becoming more solid on the maps. With a long period of peace and little investment into the army, agriculture has a golden age. The population booms, with many marshlands drained, watermills and windmills erected, bridges put over rivers, toll-roads built, and land put under the plough. Growing intensification of the land and lack of places to expand has resulted in a lot of old laws tying people to the land breaking down, for there is a massive surplus of labour available. Many peasants immigrate to the urban areas to try their luck there.

-The new Queen of Laubergia, declares that taxes over the kingdom are to be lowered, partially to keep the nobility happy. One of the big problems is that ever since the army was disbanded, the nobility are keen to press for benefits. One such is a flat tax, which reduces the amount of taxes that everybody pays overall. Of course, this shifts the burden onto the poor, whilst the wealthy are left content. Much later on however, the nobles are demanding the creation of a council, elected by landowners, mostly to change laws in their favour.

-With the nobility now no longer necessary for warfare, a series of reforms sees them spending more and more time in the cities and feasting halls, trying to entertain guests, seduce women, or otherwise compete for positions in government. These costly lifestyles are a menace however, for the nobility is accruing debts, seeing reduced income from their estates (especially since craftworking moved into the urban areas), and otherwise becoming slaves to the usurers. Laws are passed to try and prevent this, but by the end of this period, titles of nobility are being bought by the mercantile class, gradually growing in power and becoming more common within government.

-There is a massive focus into the improvement of agriculture by the royal authorities themselves, and begin by introducing truly massive ploughs pulled by teams of horses. Cutting up the earth, their own big problem is that most peasants’ fields are too small to allow these contraptions on. The landowners solve this problem by simply appropriating bits of land to make bigger fields. The peasantry are very displeased, and as the money economy comes into existence, peasant rebellions are all too common. Targets include nobles, clergymen, and the Greek merchants. There is a race between the farmers and population growth, each seeking to outgrow the other. For a while, one is leading in the race, but their struggle is such that they are chained together, doomed to cross the finish line in a deadly embrace, neither able to break the others will to win.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=555043&dateline=1377123689[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/gvrkE1.png[/img]
[b]KingArcher – Misiryaban Caliphate
Capital: Misiryaban
Culture: Turkish (Altaic)
State Religion: Islam (Sunni)[/b]

-As industry expands throughout the Caliphate, there is a nagging problem of how to refine the rather sulphurous pig iron. Cast iron is introduced from Arhonia, which, whilst useful to mass produce iron products with, is quite brittle. Wrought iron and steel is still processed using bloomeries, for it is difficult to remove carbon from iron. However, a recent advent is a furnace which burns so hot and brightly that iron flows from the ore as though it were liquid. Whilst it does not solve the wrought iron problem, it does make pig and cast iron extremely cheap (relative to the past), and allow for the creation of a whole variety of common iron products. Pots, pans, kettles, ploughs, and inexpensive tools for the peasantry are produced here. If they break, a blacksmith can easily repair them, and for a small free even work it to be stronger. These innovations are allowing for huge increases in agricultural and industrial output. The Arhonians meanwhile, are still leading producers of processed iron goods.

-In order to help improve industrial development, mercantile policies are introduced to protect trade at home. Foreign manufactured iron is taxed, and as prices quickly rise in Misiryaban further, more foundries are built, mines expanded, and blast furnaces built. Iron manufacturing is growing faster, and even without tariffs it can do very comfortably, for Arhonian iron (the only real competitor) is not being produced on the same scale. In order to help move iron ore, coal and processed iron, simple wooden roads are being constructed. Consisting of planks laid parallel to each other, one can drag a cart over them with ease, especially on flat land. A horse can now pull twice as much as before, allowing for “trains” of carts to be connected to each other and to be built to large sizes. There are still problems however with the concept, for the planks wear down and snap under too heavy loads, the problem of friction could be reduced if the planks were made thinner and smoother, plus the carts themselves have a tendency to break as wood by itself is not strong enough. These roads are also only useful over short distances between rivers, but there are suggestions of remaking canals like those in Crete, or even making the rails out of iron.

-As increasing coke production takes pressure off the forests, there is a massive revival in hunting and forestry. Many nobles enjoy going on long hunting trips in them, and to show their gratitude to the Caliph, they make up part of their taxes with deer, so he can have a fine meal. Timber production is also steadily increasing, with much of it for export as semi-processed beams or use domestically in construction. The increasing wealth of most people sees them gradually switching to using more stone and brick in construction as well.

-With massive amounts of money generated from iron exports and rising revenue from land rents of tenant farmers, an ambitious fortifications project is now underway, along with religious building improvements. Large walls are built around towns and cities, whilst large mosques are raised in city centres. Coastal forts (including old Celtic ones) are reoccupied and repaired or built on top of in order to deter foreign invaders. The navy is also being rapidly expanded, based off local knarrs. Of course, these versions tend to be bigger and better built, with some having small artillery pieces and towers in them so as to rain projectiles upon the enemy.

-Diplomats travel out to meet representatives of the Kingdom of Eoferwic and the Baltic Entente. They all agree to a treaty between all members, with the following conditions:
1: Mutual alliance between all members.
2: Conquest of the Saxon Kingdoms in Mann and the Baltic.
3: Eoferwic will permit Imans from Misiryaban.
4: Tolls put on merchant shipping, along with tariffs, are abolished for members of the alliance accessing the Baltic Ententes ports.

-With the treaty signed the Misiryabani army marches out to conquer effectively the Thames valley and the southern kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons. The conquest is conducted in stages, where the Baltic Entente and Eoferwic send ships to sail up the Thames to siege London and other important settlements along the south coast. Eventually these sieges reduce the fortifications and force a surrender to come about. Field battles are devastating on the Saxon heavy infantry, for the Misiryabani tactic of using massed slingers is particularly devastating. Lead mining has of course increased massively, allowing for the casting of thousands of lead bullets for slingers to use.

-With the aggressive expansion of the iron industry, merchants are setting up offices in the Mediterranean once more, selling masses of iron, lead, copper, and other metal products at low prices. Their ability to bring in shipments from the homeland quickly (by using knarrs) using small crews makes them quite economical. Archaeologists in the year 1982 discovered once such sunken ship off the coast of Gibraltar, filled with the remains of agricultural tools. Coke is exported as well, although mainly over short distances. Once the Arhonians begin production of coke, most trade is domestic.

-On these knarrs, traders are continually searching for new markets and people or land to exploit. On such trips around the North Sea, a strange island has been stumbled into. Unlike the Shetlands, this island has not been visited by any member of the species [i] Homo sapiens [/i] in the entire history of the world. The first traders to visit however, whilst not realizing this, are very annoyed to find nobody to trade with. Shepards, fishermen, and whalers eventually establish themselves on the island, even though it takes a century for the first regular merchant shipping missions to become common. Much further to the south, merchants from Madeira have set up trading posts along the West African coast. They have found that labour is in constant shortage on Madeira for the sugar plantations there (a new crop having been recently introduced by merchants travelling through the Mediterranean), and so the answer arrives when a rather fat African merchant, rubbing his hands and tapping his nose, offers to sell prisoners of war to the Misiryabanis. Within a century, Madeira is full of slaves working to produce sugar, with sugar cones being common in the homes of the wealthy now.

-Due to extensive trade and movement of people and ideas between Arhonia and Misiryaban, despite the best efforts of the Moslems to keep the secret of pig iron production, 125 years of contact eventually leaks the secret to the Arhonians (which admittedly is incredibly simple) of coke production by heating coal in an airless oven. The Misiryabani foundries still rule supreme, but if they wish to keep on top, more improvements are necessary. Madeira is a major port where merchants can stop off at on their travels, and they have a good deal of success breaking into markets that even the Phoenicians cannot fully control. Most Misiryabani merchants sell iron to middlemen or smugglers, as within Phoenician cities, the profit margins are too big to ignore.

-Finally, with the Imans able to spread their faith, they travel throughout Mann. Besides converting most of the former Saxon kingdoms, they also manage to become wildly successful in Ireland, where a minor arms race begins. Imans are able to negotiate the sales of cheap iron weaponry and favourable trading deals with the homeland. Many Irish chieftains get in on it, precipitating a temporary collapse into total war as entire parts of the country are mobilized in increasingly larger armies, armed with mass produced iron weapons and armour. Subtle influences from the Misiryabani Caliphs eventually result in one petty king declaring himself “Emir of Ireland”, forming the first unified Irish state. He celebrates by ordering the execution of all pagans refusing to convert throughout his lands and setting up a civil service to administer the country.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=462795&dateline=1358155119[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/URH5rj.png[/img]
[b]Damian0358 – Kingdom of Bohemia
Capital: Velehrad
Culture: Mrvian (Slavic)
State Religion: Christianity (Aquinism) [/b]

-In the Mrvian homeland, there is the problem of leprosy. A horrible disease, it effectively kills nerves in your body and damages the skin, allowing for infection to spread. Left untreated, it progressively spreads throughout the body, gradually, and painfully destroying it. Whilst no cure or treatment exists, the church has taken it upon itself to bring an end to this problem and to treat those with leprosy. Firstly, they issue every victim with a card and a yellow cloak, signifying they possess the disease. Next, they are taken to separate monastic institutions in the countryside where they can be tended for in hospitals there. They are to wear bells as well to warn people of their presence when on travel. Most treatments are ineffective at best, including taking disgusting oils and herbal mixtures. However, with their quarantine from the population, it eventually results in the eradication of the disease by the end of the century. To prevent further outbreaks, foreigners are often checked for signs of the disease, and people from areas with suspected outbreaks are barred entry to towns for 40 days whilst their goods are fumigated.

-Annoyed at the loss of the old lands to the Bulgars, the Bohemians build a new basilica in the city of Titshin (OTL Děčín). They still don’t get over it, and when they hear of the Greek invasion of the Bulgarians, the Bohemians mobilize to take advantage of this, and reclaim most of their lands in the west from the Bulgars as it crumbles under the Greek invasion. They do not reform the Empire however, preferring to remain as the Kingdom of Bohemia.

-Missionaries are sent into the Kingdom of Lombardy and into the recently reconquered Bulgarian lands to convert them to Aquinism. Given the recent recovery of the Kingdom and support from allies, the Kingdom of Lombardy also sees it as wise to convert if they wish to hold a stake in Christianity and form their own organized state church. The pope was incapable of convincing the Lombardians to join the Iberian church, for it was gripped by power struggles within the church as the Portuguese and Spanish slid into economic stagnation and struggled with the Frankish Kingdoms wanting control of the Curia.

-The Bohemian King decides to claim the Vistula basin and most of the lands around it for his Kingdom. Areas such as Lusatia, Silesia, Subcarpathia, Pomerania and Poland are all named and claimed, usually after a tribe living there. Poland is a curious one, for it was named after a recent group of Slavs to arrive, this group naming themselves “Polans”. The king sends emissaries to contact these tribes, mostly the White Serbs, Ślężanie, Pomeranians, Milceni, Sorbs, Slovaks, Vistulans and Polans.

-The king also discovers an interesting tribe living in the area amongst the other tribes, the Slavo-Germanic Lugiis. The king asks them to go into feudal bondage with Bohemia and for their conversion to Aquinism, which the leader of the Lugii tribe accepts. The king proceeds to grant the Lugiis a new homeland in OTL Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, forming the Duchy of Lugii. Of course, the Slavs and Germans already living there aren’t too happy with the arrangement, but a few battles and sieges see to it that this issue is resolved. The Duchy remains as a practically autonomous vassal.

-During the period in which the Kingdom and the Slavic tribes interact with eachother, the Mrvians amalgamate with the Moravians, which results in them turning into Bohemians. The Mrvian people in the former Velkij Donaljea territory in Bulgaria stay Mrvian however. When the war against the Delians ended in disaster (including the loss of the capital, Velehrad), the Emperor decided that the Empire was lost. He headed to Belhomia, where he found the wealthy Hostiv noble family, living in Praga (OTL Prague). He told them the Danube had been lost with the Empire. He gave the crown to the 23 year old Vojen before leaving Belhomia. Some say the Emperor died in modern day Schwerin, due to starvation. He seemed incapable of feeding himself or refused to.

- The new ruler declared that the Empire was a kingdom, becoming King Vojen I Hostiv. The kingdom is renamed Bohemia, renaming the region of Belhomia aswell. He also moved the capital from the fallen Velehrad to the city of Praga, renaming it Praha and changing the flag as well. He also adopts some secular policies to try and put a dividing line between the work of the church and that of the state, eventually declaring that the state ought to be neutral on religion. He still remains loyal to Aquinism in private however, and allows the church a great deal of autonomy in social organization and economic activities.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=193052&dateline=1296445519[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/rEyEn6V.jpg[/img]
[b]Mackalda2k6 – The Delian League
Capital: Athens
Culture: Greek (Hellenic)
State Religion: Christianity (Iberian) [/b]

-The School of Athens sends a delegation of scholars to Ceylon to partake in a cultural exchange with the Wapanese. They return with improved coke ovens and sailing ship designs after giving the Wapanese movable block type printing presses and other various technologies. These scholars also travel through the rest of India, bringing back many new interesting discoveries and inventions. In particular, they are interested in alchemy, and now possess the capabilities to produce acids, nitrates, and salts. Antimony is also isolated for the first time along with Bismuth. With all this in mind, the first separate school for alchemical pursuits has been established. They adhere to the theory that all elements decay into a more stable form, and that the most stable and perfect form of element is Gold. They assume that there is a way to catalyse the reaction, saying that iron tools left in copper mines gradually turn into copper. (In actual fact, this is due to ions in the Iron being leached out and replaced with copper). These alchemists also discover that by taking some copper and putting it in a vinegar and salt solution; they can dip a nail in and coat the surface with copper, which they view as success. It won’t be long till they can produce gold.

-The Greeks also manage to negotiate the introduction of Phoenician research methodology, where the Phoenicians send papers and philosophers who inform the Greeks of their new method of understanding the world. It is incredibly useful, and allows the Greeks to slim their academic institutions to get rid of non-scientists researching astrology and other magic nonsense.

-With the advent of Wapanese ship designs and the adoption of Greek firethrowers, the Greek navy is one of the most formidable in the ancient world. Their height and bulk allows them to loom over smaller ships and to spray fire onto the hapless sailors below.

-The Greeks decide that an invasion of those treacherous Bulgars who took over much of their rightful lands is in order. A third of the invading army pushes into Macedon from the Delian border, moving through the mountains to avoid the Bulgars outflanking their supply lines. The rest of the army lands at the mouth of the Danube after a naval attack burns the harbour and ships, along with their crews and some innocent bystanders. The army uses the Danube as its primary method of transportation, shipping men and supplies up the river deep into enemy territory. The Bulgars are unable to assail these ships, and getting close risks being set on fire. Specific interest is made in besieging the Bulgarian capital quickly, where upon capture they execute the commander of the garrison. The main reason for the success in the war was ready and secure control of supply lines and unwillingness to give open battle, instead besieging urban areas and forts and gradually taking more land. Bohemian opportunism also plays a key role in distracting and weakening the Bulgars.

-With the conquest of “Inner Bulgaria” (essentially all land south of the Danube) the Delians take a rest for some years to build fortifications along the river and to subjugate the people living there, most of who are annoyed about the rapid change of rulers. One man complains “I only just memorized the Khans name and then these Greeks had to show up” as he shovelled the bodies of his extended family into a cart. Fort construction also happens throughout the northwest to tame the lands far from the river and to prevent the Bulgarians flanking, although the opportunistic Bohemians decided to invade Bulgaria upon hearing of the success of the Greeks. The Bulgars are eventually crushed, or flee north into the steppes whence they came.

-With all this new land having been conquered (and the people who used to own it suddenly not owning it anymore), there is now ample room for merchants and their recently invented concept of “companies” to establish farms for the sole purpose of producing whiskey. By making grain alcohol and then distilling it to make a potent drink, they can make a great deal of money from the enterprise. By concentrating it further, they can also cut on storage and transport costs, helping to reduce prices and make it a readily available and cheap drink for the masses. The government reducing taxes on it and investing into infrastructure contributes further. Whiskey becomes so popular that many taverns start to specialize in it and it becomes a national drink, although public drunkenness is now extremely common. The church calls for banning or control of the beverage (whilst monks subtly make it) and many people view it as a moral disaster. Soldiers in the army also happen to drink it often, causing many discipline problems.

-Matters aren’t helped by the adoption of iron casting and the expansion of foundries, watermills, and the declining price of clothing brought about by the invention of the spinning wheel. Prices for cheap ironware continue to deflate along with clothing, although food prices hardly decline. With more money in people’s pockets, they can actually afford a lot of cheap whiskey and cotton clothing. At least the cotton farmers are happy, for Greece has a lot of land suitable for cotton cultivation. One philosopher becomes so drunk that he says “What is rational is real and what is real is rational.”

-After several discussions with their Turkish and Egyptian allies, a new binding agreement is made between members of the alliance:

1. All members will adopt the Greek Drachma as their national currency. As for where the mints are established and who controls monetary policy, is poorly defined.
2. Thracian lands held by the Turks are ceded to Greece.
3. All alliance members will form a multi-national company composed of merchants whose task is to make a massive profit from trade and industry, with each country holding stake in the company and sharing profits.

-The Greek capital is formally moved to Lygos (annoying the Athenians) where the city can be built into a great city opposite Istanbul. A great deal of money is spent on the city being built up, with a grand cathedral being centrepiece and towering over Lygos.

-The Delian League charters the Eastern Trading Company. The Company is granted a virtual monopoly on all trade done by the Greeks and their allies, with all merchants required to have a writ from the Company to do business in alliance ports. The Company is given substantial capital from the three countries involved and quickly begins refitting and standardizing its merchant fleet, taking Wapanese innovations into account, creating a sailing ship looking a bit like a cross between traditional Greek and east Asian design for trade. They also create their own private navy and army to protect company assets, and very quickly (with wealth gained from luxury goods trade) become extremely powerful. They control many of the trade routes to the east, charging high dues and engaging in other rent seeking behaviour at the expense of non-alliance members. The company also sends surveyors down the Danube to establish factories, trading posts, and offices in newly conquered lands.

-The Trading Company expands and opens merchant houses in major ports across the Mediterranean world. They trade with the Phoenicians, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, and Saxons. They bring whiskey, silk, iron, steel, cotton, and many other materials that they trade. They have difficultly breaking into markets in Europe however, due to the Baltic Entente and Misiyaban possessing a stronghold on trade there. They encounter similar problems with pottery from Tefullmorostan, and Phoenician control of African trade.

-As per an agreement with the Arhonians, the Company sends surveyors down the Rhine who locate potential industrial development and purchase the land from the Arhonians. Like with the Danube, industrial complexes slowly grow, these run by locals, and the iron they smelt shipped out back to the Eastern Alliance.

-Using the new ships, the Company passes Gibraltar and heads South down the coast of Africa, establishing several trade posts and setting up a headquarters on Cape Verde. These trade posts gradually expand into fortified settlements where missionaries live and spread into the various villages and goods are exchanged for gold, ivory, and slaves. Sugar is found to grow well in Cape Verde, with many slaves being imported in order to cover labour shortages. Malaria is especially a huge problem for these explorers.

-In an effort to acquire new lands, the League sends explorers down the Dneiper River and lays claim to the territory around it. They then equip two merchants to found cities, granting them a charter to settle these lands, one on the coast and the other deeper into the wilderness. The cities are founded, and the land around them and along the river is practically given away to beggars and paupers. Of course, this results in many merchants simply expanding their holdings overseas instead of developing them at home, especially as the costs are lower. One of the problems with settlement is the frequent raiding by nomadic tribes however.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=507230&dateline=1376613839[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/ijCHd9.png[/img]
[b]StaleRye – The Baltic Entente
Capital: Riga
Culture: Livonian (Baltic)
State Religion: Deism[/b]

- Livonians, aware that wind is a powerful force, figure out a way to utilize that power. Windmills are constructed in high-altitude areas, using giant cloth sails pushed by wind to grind wheat into flour and for many other tasks. This eliminates the need for an animal or a person to work the mill all day. “As lazy as a miller” becomes a popular expression in the Livonian language.

-Training and deployment of the longbow increases profoundly in the Kingdom, with the king demanding rigorous standards of being able to make at least six shots in the general vicinity per minute mandatory amongst men who seek to be in or are assigned to the position. Quivers are generally not used, as this would only slow the process of firing down. Instead, the arrows are usually stored with the head in the ground, in front of the archer. Though it is not known at the time, the act of storing the head in the ground increases the possibility of infection after being struck by one of these arrows.

-Setting their sights on Fyn and its lesser isles in the Danish Strait, The Entente studies its missteps at Zealand and decides to cut loose a large portion of pikemen save for a handful of highly trained units in reserve, hoping they will become useful again sometime in the future. The excess pikes from the cut go to use in re-outfitting the former pikemen into newer infantry roles, with most pikes being converted into flails and morningstars of both one-handed and two-handed varieties. The one-handed varieties are complemented by hefty shields, creating a new class of heavy infantry to supplement the swordsmen. This works out better than the last time, with flails and morningstars being very effective at bashing in skulls, regardless of presence of any helmets in the way. Danes present on the islands still don’t give up easily, but are overwhelmed anyway.

-Danes on conquered islands often leave behind their longboats, which the Livonians take for themselves, study and use that knowledge to improve upon their own designs. Using these new ships, The Entente attacks the Saxons on the Jutland peninsula and the continent, seeing to “liberate” the local Danes from Saxon rule. They claim that since Estonians are a part of the Entente, and Estonians can be technically classified as Scandinavians, the Danes are their ethnic “brethren”, “oppressed” by the Saxons. This provides enough encouragement for Livonian troops, but the Danes on conquered lands tend to not share their sentiments. The rest of the Saxons put up a good fight, but after the King puts all possible resources into this war, they give up and some emigrate to the isle of Mann. Most of the ethnic Danes are left behind, with the Saxons claiming that “It’s all your fault”. The Danes are at first disgruntled by such a turn of events, but, seeing as they are treated fairly, eventually warm up to the new administration. The remaining Saxons are pushed out by the Duchy of Lugii.

-In part due to the high demand for weapons, charcoal, and building materials, the need for more and more wood is increasing in the Entente. Fearing rapid forest depletion, the king sets in motion new programs promoting sustainability, expansion in search of timber, and makes heavy replanting mandatory. Timber shortages are less of an issue for the Entente. Many towns have neat rows of trees growing outside them. However, this comes at the price of restricting growth and expansion. Many farms and forests compete for land, whilst ships, houses, and charcoal become more costly as the population rises. People begin to switch to building in stone during this time, given the rising cost of wood. Imports of iron products from Arhonia and Misiryaban also lessen the dependence on charcoal, although it is still a problem.

-The game of karš (war) has been played for several centuries now throughout the land of the Baltic Crown and rules have become standardized, resulting in several official leagues throughout the kingdom being subsidized by the monarchy. Karš has become something of an official pastime of the people, and due to its strategic nature, is favoured among military officials and commoners alike, as it promotes logical reasoning and sacrifice. Due to its turn-based nature, some nobles play it long distance, with couriers delivering letters with movements of the pieces on the boards back and forth much like military orders.

-The Entente Monarchy sees itself as legally entitled to Latvia and Estonia, believing that they are destined to settle across all those lands. The country is still weary after the Saxon war though, so not much actual expansion happens. The local tribes are aware of this, though, and are on high alert, anticipating an attack anytime.

-The Livonians come into contact with Germanic tribes on the coast of Sweden, and discover that they have plenty of high-quality iron available. Wishing to have that iron, but understanding that attacking people who own a lot of iron on their hands is a bad idea, they open up trade with them, trading amber, and other goods for it. Eventually they use it to make some iron goods of their own, noting that the quality is the best in Europe. To counter the timber shortage, coke is imported from overseas.

-The Entente sends diplomatic representatives to the Misiryaban Caliphate and the Kingdom of Eoferwic, and they sign a treaty to create an Alliance. Soon after, they send longboats full of troops to assist their allies in their military pursuits, mostly with regards to the wars in Mann with Misiryaban and Eoferwic undergoing substantial expansion.

- A man walking through Riga one day notices the large amount of acorns littering the streets in autumn. He had always been aware of the wild animals eating them, and being a somewhat poor fellow, decided to take some home with him for his own consumption. Toasting them over a fire in a similar manner to other nuts of the day, he ate most of them as is, but on a whim, decided to grind some others into a powder-like substance and put them into boiling water in an attempt to make soup. The resulting liquid, while by no means appetizing on its own, was found to be quite adequate with honey mixed, and soon the man refined the method by placing the acorn grinds into a ball of wool while the water boiled in an effort to prevent them from entering the drink. While there is no name for this drink yet, the man has been sharing it amongst his friends, whom regarding it as rather stiff, alerting stuff, quite unlike the alcohol many are accustomed to. They begin to wonder what would happen if they tried this with other roasted nuts or even beans.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=405122&dateline=1362455815[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/zAG825.gif[/img]
[b]Salricci – Kingdom of Arhonia
Capital: Kraskai
Culture: Arhonic (Germanic)
State Religion: Hutonism[/b]

-A new way of processing metal has come into existence. Whilst waterwheels have been used for centuries, only recently has somebody thought of attaching a hammer to one. When lifted up, it slams back down with tremendous force and flattens the piece of iron. This helps speed up the process of making iron objects, and soon, whole mills are built where hammers of varying sizes and speeds are put to work making items out of iron. With the recent introduction of cheap pig iron, it is now easy to mass produce iron tools, weapons, and armour using semi-automated machines, but the lack of large furnaces in which to melt iron into a liquid is still a problem. These are being processed and exported or sold domestically. However, the Misiryabanis still hold a key advantage in the production of pig and cast iron in semi-processed form.

-A great deal of land is leased to the Delian Greek merchants. These men seek to develop the land, establish mines and foundries, plus develop trade and industry along the Arhone River. It is initially well received, with ports growing, people being hired to mine or smith, and money being made. The rent for the land itself is good, although being at a set sum and not accounting for the increase in the value of land, means that more relative wealth is going to the Greeks over time, even if absolute wealth is increasing.

-Expansion into Ireland is also attempted, and conducted quite successfully on the petty kingdoms to their immediate borders. However, due to increasing trade with the iron foundries of the mainland and Mann, plus fears at home, the Irish begin going on total wars of conquest and arms races, eventually ending with the unification of the island itself. The Emir of Ireland himself is very annoyed by the intrusion of the Arhonians, and wishes to push them out of the island so as to unite all the Irish peoples under one ruler and one god.

-Part of the reason for so many advances in metalworking technology is due to close proximity and good relations with the Misiryaban caliphate. Whilst coke production was intended to be a secret, the massive permitted imports eventually led to the discovery of how to make it for oneself. Casting travels in the opposite direction, and soon the Misiryabni merchants are selling cast iron pots very cheaply, much more cheaply than the Arhonians in fact. At least the Arhonian merchants take pride in selling tools, weapons, and armour to the Misiryabanis.

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[b]Mallow234 – Phoenician Federation
Capital: Malta
Culture: Phoenician (Semitic)
State Religion: Canaanite[/b]

-A momentous new event in the history of science occurred in Libya during this time. A merchant acting on recommendation of a philosopher friend of his was annoyed by the astronomical map that he was sold by a professional “astronomer”. As it turns out, the map bore no relation to reality at all. The mapmaker was successfully sued by an “Aaron Baron-Cohen”, and soon afterwards a new law was passed, punishing those who made false maps. Since this required professional astronomers and cartographers to work together for the state, a new building was constructed in Malta for the purpose of observing the stars. It held printing presses and plates for making books and prints of maps. Since paper and ink is continuing to decline in price, most merchants can now easily afford these new maps. Taken with them on ships, professional navigators are also employed, and the world is becoming mapped. One chap suggests that trigonometry could be used to make accurate maps, although his idea has found little support yet.

-The Phoenician army continues to change over time. The Seher'Seher gradually evolves into a force of lancers. Wearing armour designed to deflect blows instead of stopping them, and equipped with harnesses, stirrups and saddles. Hopefully they will be modern and effective. Even noseplugs are tried to prevent them from smelling camels, but it irritates the nostrils of the horse a great deal, and one bites a handler who goes “Wasn’t even worth the effort”.

-A curious new system of communications has arisen. Adopted from older Roman and Greek concepts, coloured flags can be used to send messages over fields, seas, and many other places. They do well to help speed up communications, although the messages are somewhat limited. The other obvious problem is that a spy or knowledgeable enemy officer can spot them and decode them, so keeping a watch out for those sorts of people is a necessity. Soldiers are also reorganized, so they now operate in a regimental system. This helps extensively with the raising of soldiers from across the seas of the Mediterranean.

-Noticing that Tefullmorostan has built a large number of forts and watchtowers in the border regions, the Phoenicians respond in kind by building forts and watchtowers of their own, complete with semaphore flags, and cupboards full of board games for bored guards. Guards often leave their posts to visit the Tefullmorostani guards and vice versa, where they play games and engage in gambling and drinking. Bawdyhouses also tend to thrive in these areas.

-The variety of courses taught at the Shekel counting colleges begins to expand now that the government has got off its backside. They include farming, natural philosophy, trading and military strategy. Agricultural and trade courses are very popular among the middle classes, whilst philosophy tends to be more favoured by the chattering classes. The increasing availability of books and rising incomes also means that libraries are starting to grow extensively, lending out books to greater numbers of the population. Of course, this means unfavourable ideas will start to spread. Many of the urban poor are annoyed with sanitation. One writer said “They do not readily drink it, because of what they call ‘Shite in the water’.” This is countered with the expansion and improvement of existing sewers, keeping the masses placated for now. It is obvious however, that this won’t work forever.

-As the merchants grow in power, using their money and education to influence the government, this has led to a mixture of good and bad things. Shockingly, they have managed to force down tariffs, allowing a lot of merchants to profit now that they don’t have to pay taxes on goods. Of course, the burden of taxation falls onto landowners as a result, driving tenant farmers out of business. Otherwise trade continues to expand. With these new navigational aids and establishment of trade routes with the polities of West Africa, ships sail to the south past the Canaries and eventually make contact with their associates there. Ivory, slaves, gold, cola nuts, salt, and other assorted goods are exported whilst manufactured goods and alcohols tend to be popular imports.

-However, the Phoenicians monopoly on iron has been broken. The Misiryabani merchants are able to sell iron products for rock bottom prices, whilst smuggling is growing as the disparity in prices becomes painfully obvious. Manufactured iron is even harder hitting, for the Phoenicians have neither large scale iron production facilities nor people to buy iron from, unless they begrudgingly accept Misiryabani iron.

-To help protect the interests of the merchants, the Phoenician India Company is founded. For the moment, it acts much like a nationalized merchant’s guild, amalgamating all of the loosely associated merchants and clubs within the Federation. The Phoenician state also cedes some lands to various nations nearby. Libya is ceded to Tefullmorostan and a defensive pact signed with them. Crete is ceded to Greece, and the Balearics to Spain.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=382337&dateline=1369791204[/img][img][/img]
[b]cis. joshb – Polochans
Capital: Polotsk
Culture: Polochan (Slavic)
State Religion: Slavic[/b]

-During the 8th century, it is thought a group of people known as the Polochans formed in Eastern Europe, forming a rudimentary state. They worshipped the old Slavic gods, were ruled by chiefs, and engaged in agriculture, horsebreeding, trade, and war in their respective lands. We are unsure as to how they formed, but the first records of historical note (mostly from the Bohemians) are written during this time.

-A man, who had been tasked with watching the tribe’s horses for a decade, noticed that foals tend to resemble their parents a lot, and have slight variations in their traits, and that these can be improved through restricting who can breed with who. He soon figures out that this can be exploited to create horses specialized for particular lines of work, and runs with his idea to the High Chief. The Chief, though not completely understanding what the man has told him, allowed him to do whatever he deems necessary if that means getting better horses. Eventually, the Polochans had plenty of horses bred and trained for certain tasks. They were cheap, plentiful, reliable, and used for everything, from pulling carts and ploughs (replacing oxen in that function) to hunting and warfare. Horses become a common commodity for these people, and each family has at least one. Excavations from this time confirm this, showing an increase in the number of horse skeletons in tips whilst other animals faced relative decline. Horses are useful for ploughing fields, so the Polochans were one of the first people to adopt horse-team ploughing.

-The Polochan military itself consists of able bodied men and horses, levied from their usual jobs (most of them being farmers) in times of war. The High Chief makes an effort to send messengers to all settlements in his lands to notify them of the arrangement. They come into contact with lesser tribes surrounding their territory and take their land, chasing them away on horseback or sometimes chasing them down and pushing them into subservience. After they establish at least some semblance of settlement, they levy some men to repel early counterattacks. Most other tribes don’t have horses as good and plentiful as the Polochans yet, so they lose many skirmishes to them and have to hide in the forests, where travel on horseback is considerably harder. In open field, though, the Polochans were often seen running circles around retreating foes, taunting them and calling them names.

-A tribal council is set up where a representative from each small village or settlement is sent to Polotsk to speak with the High Chief. Issues discussed are provided by the representatives. No power is given to them, but the High Chief listens to their suggestions if there is enough support among the others. This crude form of republic, back by expedient communication by horseback couriers, works well at first, but some elders from larger settlements end up holding most power and supporters anyways, thus ensuring their interests come first and foremost. Smaller settlements end up having virtually no power, so they end up submitting to a more influential chief or not bothering at all.

-Scouts are sent out to try to make contact with other peoples to the East. They encounter some Slavic tribes that are willing to trade with them, and horse-pulled caravans travel back and forth considerable distances carrying goods such as timber, amber, iron, gold, and manufactured goods. Most trade goes along the great rivers of the east, flowing into the Baltic (via the Baltic Entente), into the lands held by Bohemians, and into the Black sea, towards the Greeks and Turks.

[b]Afro-Asia:[/b]

-Alopen, a Persian Christian priest introduces Nestorian Christianity into China. The Chinese Emperor then issues an edict which allows for all religions to be tolerated. He lifts the ban on Waifuism as well. This allows for a brief outburst of religious expression, before controls are tightened again near the end of this period. Buddhism also enjoys a brief stint as state religion.

-The first paper money is issued in China. It is not a great success however, since due to the poor understanding of monetary policy, there is often excessive printing, leading in turn to heavy inflation. To make matters worse, syphilis arrives, and then devastates the population of China. It is named the “Wapanese disease”. It later spreads into Korea and Indochina, where is it aptly named the “Chinese disease”. The bodies continue to pile up before the mutant variety evolves.

-Rice cultivation, urban settlement, and political entities begin to grow and flourish throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia. By the end of this period, several powerful trading kingdom now exist throughout Indonesia, which are now becoming influenced by Waifuist missionaries and the Buddhists.

-Papermaking is now widespread along with the horseshoe. The Chinese Buddhist monk Yi Xing applies a clockwork escapement mechanism to operate and rotate his astronomical celestial globe.

-The Sassanid Empire collapses under severe strain from the Turks and Egyptians, with the Persian homeland being taken over by a Turkic tribe which declares itself a Khanate. They later convert to Zoroastrianism and gradually become a ruling dynasty.

-Coffee is probably invented around this time in northeast Africa.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=492439&dateline=1377307782[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/F6h48vM.png[/img]
[b]Gishatako – Ptolemaic Empire
Capital: Alexandria
Culture: Egyptian (Coptic)
State Religion: Christianity (Iberian)[/b]

-For armies and people wanting to keep their food preserved, salting, drying, and smoking have been regularly tried with varying degrees of success. A breakthrough has recently come about however as pottery and glassware becomes more readily available and of higher quality. Salty brine water is known to help preserve food, but by then storing it in an acid solution (such as vinegar). Not only does it add new flavours, but assists with preserving boiled eggs, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, shellfish, fish, and some meats. Pickled cabbage is particularly useful for armies on the move, for it helps provide vital nutrients. Of course, the problem is that nobody is really sure about how nutrition works, so food is more or less supplied depending on cost and ease of transport.

-The Egyptians invade the Sassanid Empire with unusually small armies. They mostly go around raiding villages and harassing larger settlements and trade caravans, but denying the enemy a good proper fight. This annoys a Sassanid general who exclaims “Why can’t they just stand still and die?” Of course, this was merely a ruse, for it diverted men from the north to deal with the Egyptians, allowing for the Turkish Kingdom and random Turkic tribes to sweep down into Persia and strike at the heart of the Empire. Eventually, the Sassanid armies dissolve and the Empire is divided up between the Egyptians, Turkish Kingdom, and smaller Indian and Turkic states. The Egyptians are later convinced by the Meccans to besiege Mecca and destroy it in order to subjugate the Muslims. 10,000 men march on the city held by 3000 Medinians. Interestingly, they dig a trench and deny the Egyptians battle, forcing them to return to Mecca. Mohammed later travels around Arabia rallying the tribes throughout the peninsula, He is ultimately unsuccessful. His successor declares himself a caliph and moves to the eastern end of the peninsula where he forms his own Caliphate, preying on some of the land scraps of the Sassanid Empire.

-With the introduction of spinning wheels from Turkey, and increasing demand for textiles, cotton has become a popular cash crop in Egypt. Turkey can import cotton from Egypt (which is better suited to growing the crop), meaning that most money is made from growing it. Some craft workshops do appear to cover the niches that Turkish merchants do not cover however. Of course, as prices have come down for textile and paper related products, the tiny middle class (which is growing slowly) finally can spend a fair deal of money on goods such as sugar. The Egyptians consequently expand production of this crop as well, although sugar from the Mediterranean and Atlantic isles eat into their profit margins.

-The Egyptians adopt the Greek drachma as their state currency, in order to squeeze out more of these new drachmas (conversion carried problems in that now the Egyptians have to collect old coinage and reissue them, for the silver purity is higher), they introduce a new tax for people who don’t see the pope as head of the church (which can be avoided by conversion). Over a few decades, this helps with the official suppression of the less desirable religions. Manichaeism, the Coptic Church, and Zoroastrianism all suffer during this time.

-After meeting the Wapanese in Ceylon, the Egyptians establish an embassy on the island and a trading office. Ship journeys during this time also later reveal the existence of the Maldives, beyond charting are not really explored much further. The inhabitants appear to be Dravidians from the mainland, who settled the island group within the past millennium.

[img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=177457&dateline=1373912913[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/Fr043L3.png?1[/img]
[b]Kamikaze470 – Imperija dol Witzerbien
Capital: Al-Cido Monts
Culture: Tozholleronese
State Religion: Sfplazoro Ecekdorisim[/b]

-An engineer comes up with an idea of a giant, sophisticated mechanical apparatus for moving large weights. He does the required calculations, builds a prototype and soon complex wooden cranes are introduced throughout the land in construction, allowing for the erection of larger and more magnificent structures. One notable use of a crane during this period was when a rich noble wanted the full name of the state be spelled on the roof of his mansion in giant marble letters. The sheer combined mass of all the letters was too much for the supports of the house, and it collapsed into fine rubble. Some speculate that this event was one of the reasons the country was renamed.

-The military undergoes substantial reforms. The government establishes a standing army, with its soldiers paid a decent salary and trained regularly. It also becomes somewhat smaller, but more competent. Mass production of longbows is also commissioned by the commanding staff, with many finding their way to the civilian population. They turn archery into a sport, and as such many people outside the military are competent in longbow usage. Archery ranges are now common in most towns and villages. The Shariyyah is also reorganized and renamed the Vieja guardia, composed of elite veterans of the previous Shariyahh (now reformed the Irpar imperjali).

-Landowners start using the three-field rotation system, in which the land is divided into three parts; one section to be planted in the autumn with winter wheat or rye, the second field planted with other crops such as peas, lentils, or beans, and the third field left fallow, in order to allow the soil of that field to regain its nutrients. With each rotation, the field would be used differently, so that a field would be planted for two out of the three years used, whilst one year it 'rested'.

-People who hire other people to work for them now have to pay them a wage that is equal to or higher to a certain amount, that the government deems fair. At the same time, craftsmen are allowed to pay less if their worker is also an apprentice taught by the craftsman. Landowners are upset about this, though, as they were used to mistreating peasants, but it is popular among the common folk. Major land redistributions due to reforms anger the landowners even more, and eventually the House of Snidus ends with Erdmann Snidus IV being overthrown in a coup by the nobility in 649. He is killed, and land is redistributed back to essential backers of the plot.

-The national treasury is established in the capital, handling the issues of expenditure, taxation, and also storing the riches of the state in massive underground vaults. For a brief period of time money stops slipping through the cracks, until the people working in the treasury start thinking that nobody will notice if a few coins go missing. But even with corruption financial matters are handled much better now as a centralized place to store money and to raise loans now exists.

-Wealthy merchants of the realm establish a system of collective investments to fund construction and operation of trade ships, receiving some of its profits if it’s doing well. Despite a few operations going to the bottom, both literally and figuratively, the initiative was a success and becomes used more commonly, sometimes for things other than ships. In other mercantile news, the Empire is now imposing tariffs on Greek merchants to discourage their activities in the country. Those that refuse have their goods confiscated, but this rarely happens.

-In the middle of the 660s', the Slflaplazeolo Guroinquisitios dol el Reinzta had begun to roll into a state of decline. As the causes are much disputed, many mainstream historians speculated it was because the Reinzta order finally achieved its goal of eliminating Catholic heresy for good, rendering the usefulness of the institution very much useless. Historians with more realistic views believe it was because the order later became victim to corruption and (alleged) unlawful interrogation methods, as well as the government fearing they were becoming too powerful beyond the scene politics and wealth. Whatever the reason, it would later fall into financial ruin and finally ceased to function sometime in 677. There would be no more attempts at reviving a holy order until much later in 703, with the creation of the Orden sagrada de los Weyzt (Holy Order of the Weyzt). Reflecting on the wrongdoings of the previous Orders, the position of Grand Master was established, acting as the formal and executive head of the Order.

-Three more dynasties would sit on the Witzerbien throne, the first of which was the House of Mücahit, beginning with Mehdi Iskandar Chukwuemeka Viola Mücahit (regally Mehdi Minücahit I) 650 and ending in 673 with Barthélémy Minücahit I. The second was the House of Halle with the crowning of Césaire Halle I in 673 and going defunct with Bassam Halle III in 709. And finally, the current House of Kunkel with the crowning of Florian Conrado Tiburtius Asad Kunkel (regally Conrad Kunkel I) in late 709.

-According to contemporary records, Conrad I proved to be widely unpopular with his subjects throughout his brief reign. He was tragically disposed of in a plot devised by his three sons and a close peer of his; Maxentius, Arend, Charpentier & Patricio in 712. His death immediately caused a rift within the group, as each one recognized themselves as a successor to Conrad, leading to the four vying for the throne. This erupted into a collective series of brief skirmishes and sieges categorized as the Primeiro tumulto (First turmoil, 712-713). Most of the conflict was a stalemate, save for a dramatic siege of Al-Cido Monts. The four reluctantly agreed to an uneasy peace, lasting only several months before war broke out again. During this period of peace, a council of nobles were elected as regents, but in reality held very little power given the stability of the state. The Segundo tumulto (Second turmoil, 713-715) began with Charpentier dishonouring the peace and laying siege to the capitol, then owned by Maxentius. Although he later broke off the siege after news of a relief army was on the march to lift it.

-Maxentius spent the next few weeks shadowing Charpentier's army. The two armies would finally meet in the Battle of Tozeur, resulting in a decisive victory for Charpentier. Maxemtius, having been injured during the battle, later died of his wounds (or assassinated, as some historians believe) a few days afterwards, leaving Charpentier with only the other two left to deal with. The reminder of 713 and early 714 saw largely indecisive offens-es for Chartpentier's faction, though. Dissatisfied, he sought to ally him-self with Patricio, and together the two laid siege to Arend's stronghold at Skhira, resulting in the fortress falling and Arend being killed. With another opponent eliminated, the duo agreed to a ceasefire for the remain-der of the year allowing time to absorb the remnants of Maxentius/Arend's factions.

-In April 715, the armies of Charpentier & Patricio fought in the ferocious Battle of Gafsa, resulting in a decisive victory for Charpentier. Patricio was captured after it ended and presented before Charpentier, pleading for his life. Charpentier responded he will let him go, reportedly stating " never set foot on the sacred soil of Wissbien never more, as you are a dis-grace before my very eyes and naught but a unkindly man." Patricio later fled to the courts of Europe, living and dying in exile as a poor, broken old man.

-With the end of the Turmoil wars, Charpentier did not crown himself gurji-yahh just yet. Instead, he quickly went to work on consolidating his hold-ings and eliminating potential rivals that might pose a future threat. As a showcase of his power, Charpentier hosted an elaborate ceremony proclaiming Witzerbien an empire, and crowning himself Urbenijar (emperor) "of Witzerbien and all of Africa." He manages to negotiate the acquisition of Libya from the Phoenicians and the creation of a defensive pact as well.

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[b]Burinn – Unitied Turkish Kingdom
Capital: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Culture: Turkish (Altaic)
State Religion: Christianity (Iberian)[/b]

-A most interesting new device has come into common usage. In the past, one had to spin thread by dropping a spindle and spinning it whilst feeding the material in. Now, a clever chap decided to put the spindle onto a wooden frame and use a wheel to spin it around. Whilst slightly cumbersome in that it requires one hand to spin the wheel and the other to manage the spindle, it is an immensely useful invention and makes spinning thread a faster process. Thread production increased by a factor of 5 over this period, contributing to deflation of cloth and rag prices, and making clothes cheaper as well. The other effect that it had was to make paper much cheaper. With this, the price of books begins to collapse further, and the first purpose built bookstores appear along with libraries. Literacy also finally begins to climb as now there are many things worth reading, starting of course, with the bible. There are many who fear this however, demanding control on the presses in case unpopular views spread into the open. Looms also begin to improve steadily to take advantage of increased thread production, whilst cotton farms and sheep pasture becomes much more profitable. Many noblemen are starting to encroach on common pasture lands for their own animals or crops.

-Coordinating with the Egyptians, the army is mobilized and invades the Sassanid Empire after the Egyptians lure the Sassanid armies south and push down the coast towards their Egyptian friends in Jerusalem. They push on the Fertile Crescent and eventually capture most of the major cities there, toppling the old regime. Invasions from India and Turkic raids also cause problems for the Sassanid’s, helping to lead to their demise. The Turkic tribes speak of a horde to the east who drove them here, and that their unquenchable thirst for land may soon bring them to Persia. One of these tribes establishes itself in Persia as a new dynasty there.

-Watermills begin to pop up everywhere in the Empire, mostly for the purposes of assisting with industry and agriculture. Cast iron is introduced from the west by the Greeks, and at the tail end of this period the first foundries with the ability to cast iron are constructed. Most machinery at the moment however, is being used to grind corn, saw wood and stone, or more rarely, to power cranes and silk machinery. Since a law recently passed bans production of silk outside of Antioch, there is a high demand for labour among competing artisans, with the result that some end up building mills for the weaving of silk. Of course, these specialized machines do not travel far or become widely adopted, especially as silkworms and cloth are transported under armed guard. This makes Antioch incredibly wealthy however, which eventually uses their power to control much of the silk trade throughout the Kingdom, making immense profits. The Kingdom profits immensely as well, charging high prices for high quality silk. Some merchants, rather annoyed by these restrictions, try to circumvent them by going north into the Eurasian steppes or to India to find other silk weavers. Of course, the Turkish Kingdom also has access to a great deal of coal, which in later years turned out to be roughly 2.3 billion tons of the stuff, or 0.3% of the world’s total reserves. Whilst this isn’t exactly small, most of these areas are spread throughout Anatolia. There is by contrast, a much smaller amount of iron ore for extraction as well. 86 million tons in total, again in isolated areas not near to readily available rivers or good roads. Even when both are processed, moving them overland is also somewhat difficult as well.

-The Turkish King sees to it that Thracian land is ceded to the Greeks, (despite protests by the nobility). Istanbul is also made the capital of the Kingdom, although oddly it sits on the western side on the ruins of the ancient and defunct Empire of Daggers capital, even adopting a new flag to signify the importance of the event. Istanbul begins to see some life brought back into

[Damian0358]

I finally got off my lazy ass and updated the nation lists.

[t]http://i.imgur.com/G89nCAo.png[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/1qtPQxK.png[/t]

These lists can also be found in the imgur album.