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

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

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It would be much appreciated if when sending in edits, you include the whole turn. The reason for this is because I delete old turns sent in, and then I might discover that the edit contains a single line.

[QUOTE=YogiTheWise;41871715]I can't picture you dedicate so much time and effort to making dozens of different samurai models just for me, though. Or some Incan-like dudes for Crossu. Or zebra cavalry.[/QUOTE] Zebras I can do. Incas and Samurai are already available from the Modding Forums. I just have to put them into the mod.

That would be epic if you could do that, I would get the game just to do that.

If we go through the modding, it might be a few days at the very least. First off, I actually have to modfolder it so it doesn't overwrite Rome because I still want to play Rome. Secondly, I will have to replace the faction logos and names with relevant ones from the series. IF you don't plan on participating, please tell me and I won't include your faction which will cut down extremely on the amount of work and therefore time I have to spend (especially the Japanese guys and the Incas. I could make both in about a days worth of coding but I have to download the mods they are present in first than add the material.) Speaking of which, here is the lengthiest part: skinning. Skins in Rome usually either have to be recompiled into the base game or using a much simpler but equally time consuming strategy in which I need to re-direct the skins of every single modified unit while allowing them to retain the original model. The hardest part is editing the skins in Gimp to change the colors. It doesn't take that long individually but there are [B]lots[/B] of units to reskin. So here is what I am going to do. To cut the process down to maybe a couple of days I will relegate some of the existing factions to ours. If you don't plan on participating, please tell me and you won't be in the game. Below are the factions I will use. Spain - Spanish Tribes. The only change will be some small bits of red sprinkled on the lapels. No change to roster. Laubergia - Gaul. Almost entirely unmodified. The colors already match and the faction is similarly barbaric. Empire of Dagger - Not sure yet. I will probably overwrite Thrace since it isn't an NPC faction and use the Persian roster from Alexander. Might just recolor the Parthians but I think my other option was more fitting. Phoenicia - Reskinned Carthage with the blue and red. No other changes. Slavic Factions - Retrofitting the Slavs from Barbarian Invasion. Colors are similar so no other change. Ruskie/Swede/All Europeans are the same to me faction - Really undecided here. Might be barbaric but it seems like this would have to be a [I]very[/I] time consuming original roster. Zulu's - Nubian units galore. New Zebra texture should also be easy to make. Weaboo's - Using Ran no Jidai's Japanese roster with no other change. Xerxes - I'll try to find a mod but I can substitute some reskinned Egyptians since they are similar (hell, they are all brown to me) Portugal - Recolored Spanish roster. Whatever the hell the purple guy is called - Numidian roster with some Carthage units sprinkled in to make it more civilized. All recolored Purple. Delian League - Greek city states with pretty blue skins. Ibolozi - Recolored Germania. Yes I get berserkers. Deal with it, I'm breaking my ass for you people. Baltic Entente - Depends on civilization level. Might retrofit a semi-barbaric faction from Barbarian invasion like the Slavs. Romans - Roman Julii Family. Western Persian Kingdom (whatever it is called) - Seleucids Those are the only 2 NPC factions I'm including because adding them all will be a pain in the ass and they won't serve a purpose since they are unlikely to come into conflict with the PC factions anytime soon. So yeah, I will do this. Once again, please reply if you don't want in. It will save me a lot of time and means we can do this sooner. Also tell me if you don't like the roster I have set up. For those unfamiliar, I will give a run-down of each roster above: Spain - Mildly civilized roster sharing a great deal with Carthage. Good on everything but Heavy Cavalry. Carthage - Civilized roster with lots of light infantry and light cavalry with Elite Sacred Bands and Elephants. Good on everything but cheap heavy infantry. Persians - Civilized with many weak spear units but strong pikemen and other core infantry. Slavs - Semi-Civilized barbaric roster with a focus on infantry. Gauls - Barbaric roster with weak core units but strong elite units with an infantry focus. Zulus/ - Barbaric roster with a heavy focus on skirmishers and light cavalry. Ruskies - Probably will be Franks from Barbarian Invasion. In that case, Semi-Civilized roster with a focus on infantry and some good cavalry. Weaboos/Japan - Strong infantry focus but weak in cavalry. Civilized. Xerxes/(Possibly) Egypt - Good all around military with a lack of heavy armored infantry. Numidians - Semi-Civilized like Spain. Will probably add more civilized units to flesh it out. Greek City States - Civilized with a very heavy focus on heavy infantry. Useless cavalry. Ibolozi - Barbaric roster with a focus on heavy infantry. Baltic Entent/Visigoths - Probably retrofit the Visigoths of Barbarian Invasion due to similar color scheme. Semi-Civilized with a heavy focus on infantry.

Do you think you might use Macedon for the Delian League rather than the Greek City States? Reasons being that I've been using my turns to try and utilize more Macedonian strategies (pikes, companion cavalry, etc.). But this seems awesome, I was actually just messing around on Rome a minute ago.

Can I get the Egyptian camel archers in my roster?

[QUOTE=Mackalda2k6;41876122]Do you think you might use Macedon for the Delian League rather than the Greek City States? Reasons being that I've been using my turns to try and utilize more Macedonian strategies (pikes, companion cavalry, etc.). But this seems awesome, I was actually just messing around on Rome a minute ago.[/QUOTE] Greeks generally use pikemen anyways. I'm afraid to let you use Macedon because, while not unbeatable, that Companion Cavalry fills in the only real major weakness. Also the Greeks will be easier to recolor because black isn't picked up by Gimp well and messing with it's hues causes lots of artifacting. I may consider it, but don't count on it. Also, I will probably give you the hoplite model from Alexander to get you a proper Corinthian. [QUOTE=Kamikaze]Can I get the Egyptian camel archers in my roster?[/QUOTE] Maybe. I don't play Egypt much but I am going to assume that is not a unit in the vanilla game. They should be easy to mod in, but you will already have missile cav in the form of some Numidians anyways. I think instead I will give you Numidian Camel Archers. Maybe I will give them to Phoenicia as well. Speaking of which, barring slingers and Sacred Band they are almost done! I will move on to Spain and Portugal next as they are marginally easier to make than most of the other factions.

i may just buy rome for this

[QUOTE=BananaFoam;41876449] Maybe. I don't play Egypt much but I am going to assume that is not a unit in the vanilla game. They should be easy to mod in, but you will already have missile cav in the form of some Numidians anyways. I think instead I will give you Numidian Camel Archers. Maybe I will give them to Phoenicia as well. Speaking of which, barring slingers and Sacred Band they are almost done![/QUOTE]I don't have Rome, but I checked and they are apparently in the game. [url]http://www.g-unleashed.com/index.php?cat=34&pid=359[/url] In the cavalry section, 6th unit.

I'm somewhat confused but intrigued as well. This has become a Rome Total War modding thread as well? I am most intrigued. Meanwhile I am working on the turn itself. A lot going on with Rome.

[QUOTE=kamikaze470;41876508]I don't have Rome, but I checked and they are apparently in the game. [url]http://www.g-unleashed.com/index.php?cat=34&pid=359[/url] In the cavalry section, 6th unit.[/QUOTE] I'll be damned. You're still getting Numidian versions though. They look more civilized anyways. Anyone who owns the game and knows their way around Gimp want to help? This will take a while being just me. Still, Phoenicia is done and I am working on Spain. Next is Portugal then I will do Dagger. Also, Dagger will now be Armenia with slightly modified textures and some pike units to even the score (because Armenian infantry is shit)

[QUOTE=BananaFoam;41876634]Dagger will now be Armenia with slightly modified textures and some pike units to even the score (because Armenian infantry is shit)[/QUOTE] b-but i require elephant archers :'c

[QUOTE=KingArcher;41876737]b-but i require elephant archers :'c[/QUOTE] You can hire them as Mercenaries. So can pretty much every other Mediterranean faction.

[QUOTE=BananaFoam;41876449] I'm afraid to let you use Macedon because, while not unbeatable, that Companion Cavalry fills in the only real major weakness. [/QUOTE] It's all good. I just need to start practicing with the Greeks again. :v:

Hey Banana, if you need help with textures and all, I might be able to assist when I get Rome: Total War.

It would be nice. I'm going to run my first test of it shortly. As of now, the rosters of Phoenicia, Spain, and Portugal should be working. I am also trying to get Dagger working but I don't know if the Alexander textures line up with the vanilla models, meaning I may have to edit them by hand. [editline]18th August 2013[/editline] Well fuck. It doesn't work. Custom Battles, for whatever reason, doesn't load. It isn't a crash or anything, it just doesn't load. Maybe I don't have all the necessary components.

Thanks for trying to get them working. Good luck with the custom battles loading issue! However, My current army roster (In the RP) is a bit different than Carthage in RTW. Namely, these guys: [QUOTE]-A cavalry force is established for protection of the city states. With equipment (save for the horse and bow) paid for by the government, this means that anybody who owns a horse can join the army. Soon enough, this new force becomes the cream of the nobles and sons of the wealthy who prefer war to trade. Traveling fast and lightly, they decimate armies with hit and run attacks.[/QUOTE] I haven't been really focusing on Infantry that much as well. Especially, I don't have anything really equating to the Sacred Band, since the nobles who are fighting are mostly the Seher'Seher (That cavalry force). So, If you can fix the custom battle issue, and find the time to alter the army list, here are some changes. - You can get rid of the Skirmishers and Sacred Band Infantry. - Get rid of all the cavalry and replace them with Seher'Seher. For the bodyguard, maybe a better Seher'Seher? You could probably reskin and nerf the Hunnic Horsearchers from Barbarian Invasion. - Keep the Elephants. I'm getting them next turn. Even if you aren't able to do this, thanks for taking the time to give us these units!

I shall join this turn as the Germanic migrant people of the Arhonics! (now Rhine River!)

[QUOTE=Salricci;41878599]I shall join this turn as the Germanic migrant people of the Arhonics! (now Rhine River!)[/QUOTE] Join as something in Asia pls I am so ronery :'(

[QUOTE=Mallow234;41878371]Thanks for trying to get them working. Good luck with the custom battles loading issue! However, My current army roster (In the RP) is a bit different than Carthage in RTW. Namely, these guys: I haven't been really focusing on Infantry that much as well. Especially, I don't have anything really equating to the Sacred Band, since the nobles who are fighting are mostly the Seher'Seher (That cavalry force). So, If you can fix the custom battle issue, and find the time to alter the army list, here are some changes. - You can get rid of the Skirmishers and Sacred Band Infantry. - Get rid of all the cavalry and replace them with Seher'Seher. For the bodyguard, maybe a better Seher'Seher? You could probably reskin and nerf the Hunnic Horsearchers from Barbarian Invasion. - Keep the Elephants. I'm getting them next turn. Even if you aren't able to do this, thanks for taking the time to give us these units![/QUOTE] Sacred Band cavalry seems similar to Seher'Seher, and I will remove Sacred Band infantry from your roster. However, that said, I am not going to redo your entire cavalry force when I can just rename your existing cavalry. Yes, I will give you horse archers, since [I]everyone[/I] apparently wants horse archers. But redoing the whole thing is just too much work in too little time. I want to get this done before this thread dies or we move into the Medieval Era. I'm not trying to be a dick or anything. I will certainly personalize the factions more as time goes on, but right now it is just about getting the mod working. Thankfully, I did get Custom Battles working by copying my Rome data folder into the modfolder. I do get some weird errors when it loads (something about trees) but it doesn't cause me to crash and nothing seems broken so if you play without -show_err you should be fine.

Only really the Phoenicians, Empire of Dagger, Tellhezzerhollenfuckermegub, and Greeks have access to horse archers in the RP in sufficient quantities. Even then, the Phoenician/Greek/Dagger ones are imported mercenaries.

I don't particularly need horse archers so don't struggle over it for the Greeks. The Greek city state roster as it is will be perfectly fine. I wish the cav was a little better but that will just have to be my drawback.

Well turns out you guys might not have to worry about it because the damn thing broke again. It is unstable as all hell. Some battle maps load, some give me errors on trees, some just CTD with no crash dump. I'm going to copy the files over an existing mod instead and see if that helps.

I wonder if anybody is going to invent the floating arm trebuchet.

Well, I got it working, finally, but it isn't modfoldered, meaning it overwrites the base game. I cannot for the life of me get the modfoldered version to work but right now I feel like pulling my fucking hair out so I think I'm done modding for today. Also, there appears to be an issue with the textures where they are slightly off center, which is weird because all I did was recolor them, not move them.

Turn incoming soon ya'll

[t]http://static.dyp.im/afl1xeXYOj/34400ba0e5be2c85bb481ef8acae7c2e.gif[/t]

Probably a bad time to tell you guys I sold the coalition out to the Romans. [sp]Just kidding[/sp]

READ ME, SEND IN TURNS AS TURN 11. [img_thumb]http://i.cubeupload.com/PnRD3R.png[/img_thumb] Cultural map: [url]http://i.cubeupload.com/qAKk0z.png[/url] Religious map: [url]http://i.cubeupload.com/rdA95d.png[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLDviRIvE5Q[/media] Events of the years 250 BCE to 1 CE: -Two new small civilizations sprout up in the New World, located in Mesoamerica and the Mississippi respectively. They are the first to engage in significant volumes of trade, with trade routes stretching from the Honduras to the Bay of Fundy. Maize farming is also spreading out of Mesoamerica on a large scale, and the collared Peccary has spread northwest into Mesoamerica. Increasing sophistication is also now evident with the rise of bronze/copper trading routes over long distances and increasing adoption of agriculture. They both possess knowledge of basic metalworking, agriculture, and writing. -The annual worldwide output of iron has hit 100,000 metric tonnes for the first time in human his-tory. 80% of this figure is produced by the Romans and Chinese respectively. -A great coalition of disparate countries, tribes, cities, and Empires combine to invade the Roman Republic and destroy the threat that they pose to the Mediterranean order. It is not lead by any particular state, and is even composed of countries hostile to one another. However, they all intervene with the Roman Republic at various stages in order to arrest its expansionary vision. -A counter coalition is created to combat this. Composed of the Romans themselves, the Mrvian Empire, the Kingdom of Laubergia, Macedonia and several Greek cities including Sparta, they are incredibly lacking in naval forces, but have significant land forces. Attempts to build a large navy are thwarted consistently, meaning that until the collapse of the war effort from Spain, Portugal, and Dagger, there is little gain made in the wars. -During the first war, the forces opposed to Rome quickly win naval supremacy, blockading their ports. Laubergia, Mrvia, and parts of Greece are blockaded, with trade coming to an end for much of the war, or heading overland instead. One of the biggest losers was the Phoenicians, crippled so much by the cost of the war and decline in trade that it allowed Egypt to take Byblos without much of a fight. -The war of the first coalition had 3 broad theatres. In the Iberian theatre, Spanish and Portuguese vessels destroyed the Roman navy and prevented them from moving overseas, but religious turmoil at home combined with the exhaustion of war brought the campaign to a stalemate. -In Italy, the Phoenicians and Arhonians invaded Italy, forming the Kingdom of Tuscany as a client state before trying to take on the Roman armies. Denied battle, they were worn down by attrition until the arrival of the Mrvian and Laubergian armies forced them to retreat. Promised reinforce-ments from the Empire of Dagger were delayed and eventually had to retreat as the Mrvian Empire and Macedonia burned the great city of Istanbul to the ground. Hannibal, realizing that his men are demoralized and that the Romans are closing in, makes a hasty retreat. The Romans and Mrvians managed to copy their riverboat design, and quickly mass produce them for a quick and cheap crossing into Sicily, where they established a foothold. After a gruelling cam-paign of 10 years, they brought the island under Roman rule, and also reconquered the Kingdom of Tuscany. Tuscany survives as a rump state in Corsica. -In the Greek theatre, the Greek city states are embroiled in effective civil war, spilling over into the Roman wars as a whole. The Spartans are destroyed with the help of the Empire of Dagger and the Phoenicians, whilst the King of Epirus manages to invade Italy once more, but he is forced to retreat when the Macedonians return. -As the period later continues, Rome manages to extend their possessions in Northern Italy and Gaul. They invade Epirus and Dalmatia, plus expand into Northeast Iberia. The Corsican rump state is eventually made a client state of the Roman Republic, and after a series of military reforms and campaigns puts control in the hands of the army, generals fight for control of Rome itself. The win-ner declares himself an Emperor, ruling over a considerably sized Roman Empire. -The Maurya Empire in India falls apart, with the arrival of the Indo-Scythians. Former rump states and new dynasties and kingdoms carving out new lands pop up throughout southern India in a bid for power. -The three kingdoms of Korea form, but because I can’t be arsed to fiddle around with extra colours and the constantly shifting borders between the Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, they are represented as a unified Korean polity. It is at least unified enough to prevent outright conquest by Han China or Wapan. -The Qin dynasty falls, and the replacement Han dynasty expands the borders of the Chinese Empire significantly, along with building a great wall to deter the Xiongnu nomads. The Xiongnu later develop into a considerably powerful empire, sitting on top of the Han. However, given their societal structure, these empires often collapse within a few years of the death of a powerful ruler, waiting until another competent and ruthless warlord emerges. -Kingdoms and polities on the Arabian and Somalian coasts are appearing with the rise of trade there. Profiting well by it, they develop into wealthy and stable kingdoms, with a great deal of cul-tural influence from India and Egypt, and by extension from the Hellenic world as well. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=432426&dateline=1372642293[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/V1shHE.jpg[/img] [b]Mr. Face – Spain Capital: NaN Culture: Spanish (Iberian) State Religion: Four elements (De facto Christianity)[/b] -With large scale engineering works being by the state for civilian and military use, there is a rising demand for trained engineers capable of designing and building these feats of engineering. The first professional academies are established in Spain, using geometry and specialized tools along with drawn plans. There must be order when building, for mislaid bricks are home to nothing but strife. Roads are cut to be well drained, smooth, and to efficiently move people from one location to another. This period sees an exponential increase in the number of bridges built, with many old designs little changed since the Neolithic replaced with fine carpentry or masonry work. This knowledge can also be applied to city walls, with many extensions being made during this period. Towers are now also built large enough to fit siege weaponry or cauldrons of boiling water, a sure deterrent for an attacking force! -Construction of a large navy is now underway, as the Spanish state realizes it is horrifically vulnerable to maritime powers. A great deal of land is allocated to forestry, much to the annoyance of the peasantry who go into them to collect firewood. The cut planks are then stored in large warehouses and seasoned before being built into a fleet of impressive galley ships. Filled with many Spanish soldiers and many convicts or slaves to row them, the Spanish manage to rectify their naval weakness. Unfortunately, this doesn’t keep cheap, and compensating the owners of the land for the new forestry was troublesome as well. Another problem is that populations and by extension navies and armies tend to inflate over time, necessitating more land to be used for forestry or attempts to grow trees closer together. The price of timber also begins to rise, and whenever fires happen, it’s a huge disaster. -The Spanish state forms a military alliance with the Portuguese on the condition that the Portuguese assist the Spanish in the training and use of the Sarissa. Soon enough, the Spanish army quickly adopts the pike, and soon the fighting style of the Portuguese as well. Stalemates are grisly to observe. -Before the famous battle of Formentero, the King of Spain makes a stirring speech: [i]“You all know the mission, and what is at stake. I have come to trust each of you with my life -- but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns. We are trained for expansion; we would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way. Think of our heroes; the Silent Step, who defeated a fortress with a single arrow shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts. These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are. Before the coalition, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers! Our influence stopped the barbarians, but before that we held the line! Our influence stopped the Celts, but before that, we held the line! Our influence will stop Rome; in the battle today, we will hold the line!”[/i] -At the battle of Formentero, the entirety of the Spanish navy from the western Mediterranean assembles to beat off the Roman forces and to assert naval supremacy. A long and bloody battle ensues with the Portuguese using scores of longbowmen to rain arrows upon the Romans. The Roman navy itself is well organized, but the ships are poorly built, with many of them rammed or set ablaze during the battle. The Romans are eventually crushed, and the joint Spanish, Portuguese, and Phoenician navies start to blockade Roman ports. -Wine begins to be made in increasing quantities in Iberia. Vineyards are steadily increasing in number, and require large numbers of slaves to tend and pick the grapes. Once pressed and fermented into alcohol, it is sold for domestic use or exported north. The inhabitants of the Isle of Man are particularly keen on importing it, with many Mannish men sailing over to load up on cheap wine, so termed a “Booze cruise”. -The proliferation of Christians throughout Spain, along with their annoying tendency to convert people to their religion, has finally reached breaking point. Riots are frequent in the streets, and the use of Mannish tongues (the language in which the liturgy is written) is another cause for concern. Rival sects frequently fight with one another, and the old four elements religion begins to show fanatics and extremists turning to violent methods as they feel that their gods are threatened. Many nobles are also divided over the issue, and the inability of the King to control the situation or even favour one party is leading to more factionalism. -A civil war breaks out, when a nobleman following the old ways attempts to visit the king in person. He brings soldiers with him, fearing attacks by Christians. A guard sees this as an attempted coup and raises the alarm. A Christian mob assembles and begins to attack the old believers, burning down and looting their temples. It spills out into general violence, and the country fractures. The Portuguese manage to help restore order for much of the south and the west, with many Christian nobles flocking to join their Kingdom. The old believers flee north and settle the homeland, seeing the King as too favourable towards the Christians. -The navy and army of the Spanish begin to collapse when news back home arrives, and it is forced to retreat. The Portuguese are also forced to pull back to defend their homelands as religious strife spills over. It is revealed that the policy of impressing children rapidly spread and mutated as a rumour, until it was viewed as an attempt to kill children and drain their blood for Christian rituals. This makes defusing tensions considerably more difficult. -A rival Spanish Kingdom now exists in northern Iberia. It has rejected a great deal of the Hellenising influences to the east, and the Christianizing influences from Mann and Portugal. It declares itself the true Kingdom, and calls the other to be corrupted. They then proceed to violently chase out or kill many Christians in the north, before trying to emulate their forefathers. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=306346&dateline=1371857910[/img][img]http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy221/Goji-man/FlagofAncients_zpsa1f4ba74.png[/img] [b]Zillamaster55 – The Kingdom of Laubergia Capital: Viikuru Culture: Laubergian (Germanic) State Religion: Worship of the Great Eagle [/b] -As extracting metals is becoming more difficult, shafts often have to be sunk deep underground to reach the sources of mineral being extracted. To help, water pumps, horses, drainage channels, platforms, ladders, cranes, pulleys, wagons, and doors to regulate airflow are introduced into mines, so as to make it possible to mine deep underground and move the ore to the surface. Trying to regulate airflow also makes it slightly safer, although not much any more pleasant. Large smelters and blacksmith shops are built on site to process the ores into ingots or finished goods. -Laubergian traders and farmers continue to spread north and east, mostly following the rivers and trade routes leading towards the Mrvian Empire. The land between them is becoming increasingly valuable, as trade and populations grow in the as of yet unclaimed land. -Many priests, having lost a lot of former state support, are encouraged to travel east to spread the good word. Seeing that there is little else to lose, they eventually do so, covering much of the lands between them and the Mrvian Empire. -The guild of goldsmiths is given increasing favour and protectionist measures for their trade and some of them begin to put in harsh currency controls. Good news for them, as they can profit by speculating on metal prices, but bad news for somebody who may find one day that the buying power of their money has dropped significantly. Many poor people are hit the worst as their wages often lag when prices change. -Laubergian warriors posted at the borders disperse gradually, as Rome is less of a threat now that an alliance and trading treaty has been signed with them. The Roman senate is not composed of fools, and sees the aid of Laubergia will be useful in the upcoming wars. Over the next few years, the Romans and Laubergians slowly partition the Estrucan Laubergians between themselves, adding cities their respective countries every so often. They are stopped with the advent of the war of the first coalition. -In this war, Laubergia mostly participates with the invasion of Tuscany, executing most of the major instigators and rebel leaders, before re-establishing control of their lands and then sending their armies south to force the Phoenicians to retreat. Later on in the campaign, they assisted in the invasion of Sicily and later the conquest of the rest of Tuscany, helped considerably by Mrvian reinforcements. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=555043&dateline=1374907474[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/WBt1ET.png[/img] [b]KingArcher – The Empire of Dagger Capital: Istanbul (burned lol) Culture: Turkish (Altaic) State Religion: Islam[/b] -A type of crossbow introduced from Greece is redesigned and improved upon. A trigger mechanism is attached, and the wooden bow is made short, but sturdy and powerful. Wooden bolts with iron tips are used. This is perhaps the first weapon that can be mass produced for common soldiers without requiring very much training. Whilst it has a shorter range than longbows or composite bows and a slower rate of fire, it can pierce most armour and is cheaper to field. The Empire of Dagger takes to them more readily than the Greeks, mass producing them for military use. -Dagger goes to war with the Pontic Empire, hoping to capitalize on their weakened state. However, given that they also sent their navy to fight Rome and her allies, it leaves them vulnerable to a sneak attack by the Mrvian Empire. The Mrvians sail to Istanbul, push their riverboats over the banks blocked by the reserve navy, and then raid the city. Much of it is looted and then carried off back in the very same boats, and large sections of the city burn down. -The Pontic Empire gives a good fight, but eventually, incursions by the Armenians and Parthians, followed by the Kingdom of Egypt, eventually bring the aged Pontic Empire down. The Empire of Dagger is exhausted however, and is unable to offer much resistance when a joint Macedonian-Mrvian force burn and loot the capital again before capturing many of their European holdings. Forced to sue for peace, the Empire is embarrassed and erupts into civil strife again. Their Anatolian holdings rebel and the armies are soon overstretched. The army sent to attack Rome is brought back to the capital to mount a desperate attack on Macedon, but the Mrvians and Macedonians burn down the entire city when meeting their enemy on the field. With the clouds of smoke billowing over the Daggerian army, their morale breaks at seeing the city aflame, and they are soundly routed. The Emperor dies in the battle and his family is reduced to holding Crete and the Balearic isles. -In the power vacuum, a new Empire rises after the Macedonians (who conquered much of the old Pontic and Daggerian Empires) split apart. The Seleucid Empire is formed by the family of a rogue Macedonian general, taking power in Syria when Macedon was embroiled in a war with Epirus. It remains reasonably tolerant of foreign ways, allowing their cultures and religions to exist with one another. Zoroastrianism begins to go into heavy decline anyways, with people switching to favour the Hellenic pantheon instead, mostly for political advantage. [img]http://imageshack.us/a/img832/6236/ko5b.png[/img] [b]Mallow234 – Phoenician Federation Capital: Malta Culture: Phoenician (Semitic) State Religion: Canaanite[/b] -As woodblock printing is ever more popular, somebody comes up with the idea of cutting individual letters onto tiny blocks of wood or making small lead versions. These are then arranged on a board, fitted into a frame, and then has a piece of paper lain on top. A press then presses the paper onto the negative to reproduce a perfect copy every time. Of course, this also necessitates a standardized type being used, so a new version of the alphabet is also introduced. Finally, the first printer’s workshop is established in Byblos, slowly printing books and maps. Costs are still high due to the low production of paper itself, but the price of a book has now dropped down to a year’s wages for a clerk. -Cotton seeds are imported from the Indus, and the first cotton plants are introduced. Spinning them is difficult, along with growing the cotton in the first place, as few places are suitable for the task. Since the work is menial, slaves are used to grow and pick the cotton. -Hannibal is made general of the Phoenician armies. At around the same time, imported elephants from Syria or North Africa are tamed and used in the army. Of course, the Romans want to expand their influence at around the same time, prompting growth in the army. -Working together with Spain, the Sicilian Greeks, Portugal, and Dagger, the Phoenician navy blockades Roman ports and tries to prevent their invasion of Sicily. The Romans respond by building a large fleet, but the fleet is crushed at the battle of Fermentero. The Phoenicians are unable to aid in the west however, due to the arrival of opposing Greek and Macedonian fleets. Large battles and skirmishing actions happen along the southern coast of Italy and Sicily, aided by the naval superiority of the Phoenicians and support from the Empire of Dagger. Greek fire is introduced, and some ships are braced with iron and bronze. These are the main capital ships, designed more to destroy ships outright instead of capturing them. -The Spartan/Macedonian fleet is eventually destroyed, leaving naval supremacy to Phoenicians. They blockade the Spartan and Macedonian ports, followed by the Roman ones. This is later essential to the later outcome of the war, mostly involving the unification of the Greek peninsula. -The capital is moved to Malta, with the island being rebuilt and a large senate constructed. The senate is now given control over all cities in the federation, with the power to raise taxes and soldiers without consent of the cities. The appointment of independently minded people to the Iberian cities was a bit of a mistake as well, as they declare independence after the senate moves to Malta. With the Phoenicians unwilling or unable to reassert control over them, and the collapse of the Spanish state during the religious wars, they end up developing into their own state, with the capital city of Barkeno. The senate begins to steadily raise taxes and trade duties, in order to pay for the costly military campaigns of the Republic. -A vast army is assembled, and marches through Gaul and then the Alps, collecting many barbarian tribes along the way including the Arhonians. High attrition rates are a menace however, and then the army manages to march straight into Estrucan Laubergia. Many of the people there, recently conquered but still angry at betrayal by the Romans and Laubergians, take up arms and murder the Laubergians or Roman. A state erupts into existence named the Kingdom of Tuscan, which also sends significant armies to aid in the invasion of Rome. -The Roman general Fabian is called on to lead the Romans against the invasion. He invents a strategy called the Fabian strategy. In it, direct attacks on the enemy force are discouraged, and instead their smaller skirmishing units are attacked and wiped out. Food is removed and bridges destroyed to slow down and starve the enemy. The avoidance of pitched battles by both sides, save for the siege of Rome itself is crucial in this strategy. When Hannibal arrives, his promised Daggerian reinforcements never arrive, and naval support begins to wither away. -The Laubergians and Mrvians manage to collect reinforcements, and march into northern Italy before conquering the Tuscan state. They cut off the supply lines to the Phoenicians and then eventually, with supplies and troops dwindling, the Phoenicians are forced to make a hasty retreat with the Laubergian, Mrvian, and Roman armies slowly battering them down. They retreat by sea, leaving Italy in ruins in the process. The Romans spend the next few centuries going to war on and off again. The Phoenicians are never able to launch such an invasion ever again due to the increasing power of the Roman coalition and relative decline of the Phoenicians. Eventually the combined forces of the Romans manage to not only invade Sicily, but to conquer it in its entirety as well. The Romans and Laubergians also manage to expand into the rest of Italy, and Rome ends up adding southern Gaul to their conquests. -Having lost the war, they also lose the ancestral capital to a resurgent Egypt. Egypt profits from the demise of Byblos, and manage to conquer much of the Levant. When Hannibal returns to Malta, he sells off his lands and titles in shame in order to help raise money to pay the war indemnities of the Phoenician. The Phoenician state goes bankrupt soon after, and it takes some years for the finances to be back in order. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=462795&dateline=1358155119[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/jILvcy.png[/img] [b]Damian0358 – Velkij Donaljea Capital: Velehrad Culture: Mrvian (Slavic) State Religion: Apatheism (Unofficially Pržk)[/b] -Improved architectural design is now spreading in the Empire. With Hellenic influences brought over by traders, the Emperor has commissioned the construction of new large walls around the cities of the empire, and the construction of more isolated forts garrisoned by professional armies. Granaries are also constructed for the storage of food during sieges, and large towers are built into the already significantly tall and thick walls. Nobody but a madman would dare to assault them. -A settlement policy is declared, whereby the banks of the Danube River are to be settled so as to bring the river in its entirety under control of the Empire. The Phoenician city remains mostly to itself, but immigrants often tend to come into it and then sail up the river, looking for a place to settle. A great deal of land is already owned by existing peoples, but military force along with forest clearing, marsh draining, terraforming, and new farming methods manage to stretch out and increase the amount of land under cultivation, along with improving yields. -The nobility are pressuring the Emperor to close the gap between themselves and Laubergia. The increasing value of that land is becoming too tempting, and many see the establishment of control over them as paramount to the success of the Empire. Trade is very much indeed prospering in that area, along with agricultural output. Some areas are even building urban settlements and becoming more protective of their independence as well. -Merchants, traders, ambassadors, travellers, and varied other sorts are increasingly bringing back innovations from the south, and with them, Hellenizing influences. Wine drinking, the wearing of Greek and Roman clothing, their varied philosophical musings, and architecture along with machinery and metallurgy are spreading into the Empire. Latin and Greek texts are being translated into Mrvian for posterity. -Diplomats are sent to Rome and Macedonia to negotiate trade treaties. They also establish military alliances, with Rome and Macedonia spurred on by the Mrvians to ally with one another. The Spartans later join in the coalition with several Greek cities. -In 12 BCE, the emperor, Alkse IV Otradovec, announced that he (together with his son, a cartographer who is also skilled in geography, his military captain and two other soldiers) would attempt to find the source of the great Danube river. And so, they spent years searching for it, while the cartographer maps it, before in 6 BCE they found it. However, while making their way back to the Empire, the group was attacked by an unknown amount of animals. Only the emperor's son and the cartographer survived, barely. When the two came back 6 years after discovering the source, they showed evidence of where the source is. Everyone was amazed that the mystery of the source was over. This event was so important that it is year 0 in the Mrvian calendar. -The Mrvians become crucial in the war of the first coalition. Joining Rome, two armies are formed. One is to head to Greece, and another to Italy. In the Italian campaign they make good progress, recapturing Laubergian/Roman lands and then assisting in the ousting of Hannibal from the peninsula. Their attacks on the Empire of Dagger are also crucial in shifting the balance, especially with the sack of Istanbul. A second siege with Macedonian assistance destroys the city entirely, and their combined forces manage to rout the Daggerian army. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=23000&dateline=1370465049[/img][img]http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/109107273/RP/Icons.png[/img] [b]Ruskie – Valittu kauppias mailla Capital: Juutalainen kaupunki Culture: Taputtaailainen State Religion: Palvonta ja sitä hampurilainen, kauppias, vapaus ja taputus[/b] -With copper working spreading throughout North America, rising populations, and increasing demand for improved materials, somebody has the bright idea of melting copper and mixing it with arsenic to create a type of bronze. Whilst making it is dangerous, it is useful for weapons and armour. The nobility and warriors start to frequently carry bronze weaponry when going to war, and sometimes people carry bronze or copper axes for use when out and about. Of course they require sharpening a lot of the time, and many native deposits of copper lying around are being exploited to their full potential. Eventually, the first shafts and pit mines are dug to extract copper. Trade routes to the south eventually introduce tin, which helps to improve the strength again, although it is still a costly material. The bronze trade route (heading from Mexico to the Mississippi, then up to the great lakes, travelling east down the Hudson) is especially critical. -With the development of trade routes and increasing wealth, some regional administrators have been trying to run their regions like petty kingdoms with the erroneous idea that they can assert political independence. A series of informal and often shady laws allows these bureaucrats to be booted out of office whenever they step out of line, often violently. Understandably, this does not please them, and many simply line their pockets instead and start to build rather luxurious villas for themselves. Living comfortably, they see no reason to rebel, although tax revenue is down. -With trade routes to the south opening up, more plant varieties are being introduced from the south. Among them are maize, and a type of cereal recently domesticated, the so called “little barley”. Whilst maize is very popular, it does not displace rice farming or barley, and is instead grown alongside them. Agricultural production continues to steadily rise during this time, with the risk of famine reduced somewhat by the use of multiple crop types. Eventually, alcohols start to be brewed, with rice wine and a type of weak barley beer being favoured. -Vines began to be deliberately grown for their grapes now, with the juice crushed and then fermented to create a strange new beverage called wine. Raisins are also made from the dried up skins, and are a treat amongst the people of the eastern seaboard. It is around this time that the population begins to seriously grow, with the number of inhabitants in Valittu exceeding one million. Ceramics are improving in quality, becoming thinner and stronger, partly due to the pottery wheel. -The rising population begins to slowly settle the Great Lakes area, pushing out the old hunters and foragers. The forests are cleared, fields tilled, large wooden houses built, waterways diverted or dammed, and the landscape tailored to fit the needs of the farmers. Fights often break out, but the agriculturists win out in the end. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=243999&dateline=1355864069[/img][img]http://i44.tinypic.com/mj1hfb.png[/img] [b]Satansick – Zulu Kingdom Capital: Bulawayo Culture: Zulu (Bantu) State Religion: NaN[/b] -The King of the Zulu, sitting on his throne, is discovered one day that he wasn’t sleeping, but was actually dead. It is unknown how this turn of events came about, but for his subjects who peacefully farm and smelt metals and trade, they care little. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=130431&dateline=1373926878[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/n7ubaD.png[/img] [b]YogiTheWise - The Weeaboo Empire Capital: Akihabara Culture: Wapanese (Japonic) State Religion: Waifuism[/b] -With fortified houses being a staple of the nobility (it isn’t as safe anymore to own a mere fancy house), there is a great demand for competent engineers who can design and build fortifications capable of withstanding long term sieges. Granaries are added to allow for extra storage, armouries for weaponry and armour, thick and tall walls to prevent use of rams or making it difficult to climb, ledges, battlements (which require a license to build), massive gates , even drawbridges and ditches. A class of professional engineers appear as a result, all offering their services to the highest bidder and establishing guilds. -With much Wapanese culture and technology having been imported from China (although some may deny this), they are very quick to adopt something new if the Chinese already had it first. The Chinese crossbow is introduced. However, making the more intricate parts requires careful work, and mass production capabilities are limited by the little availability of extractable iron and generally low population and industrial capabilities relative to mainland China. However, it is eventually integrated into most private armies and that of the Emperor within a few centuries, although replacing lost or damaged ones is costly. Much larger versions are built to be used in sieges, but again they are so costly that the private and varied craftsmen whom must be used to build one means that the price tag is rather large. As of now, no large scale or integrated production facilities exist. -After centuries of being killed by tribals and being pushed around by the Chinese, the Nice Guy missionaries invent martial art styles that use either a wooden staff or bare hands. This is considered both a martial and spiritual practice, and many people from all walks of life are eager to learn it, though few people outside of nobility, soldiers and the Nice Guys themselves get anywhere far in their training. On a side note, missionaries tend to die a lot less now. -Emperor Gendo II Moefaggu does away with the double capital concept, leaving Akihabara as capital, and installing a loyal daimyo as the lord of Konata and the surrounding areas with the gift of the Winter Palace. Very quickly, this office becomes the most prized in the whole of Wapan, and whichever dynasty happens to be pulling the strings at the time tends to reside inside the Winter Palace. -With missionaries and traders going back and forth to China, many new innovations and inventions are introduced. Among them are mathematics, the calender (with Wapanese religious festivals now marked on them), a grammar system, a table for the language (based upon Chinese calligraphy), the wheelbarrow, paper, crossbows, bells, forks, lacquer, silk, cast iron, pig iron, wrought iron, chain drives, simple chemical warfare, chopsticks, canals, hand operated looms, the mouth organ, drilling, heavy iron ploughs, ink, kites, the seed drill, natural gas as a fuel, pinhole cameras, pontoon bridges, the rudder, tea, tofu, trebuchets and nail polish. -There is a rumour that the Emperor has secretly built hidden training grounds for an order of spies and assassins called “Shinigami”. These are supposed to be so secret and inaccessible, that finding one is in itself part of the initiation trials. Existence of these was not confirmed for quite a long time. It is said that the bulk of the organization consists of master thieves that were finally caught and spared by the Emperor if they agreed to serve him with utmost loyalty. It is rumoured that the organization encourages snitching and its members are rewarded for finding traitors. -Quickly, a lot of daimyos begins dying for unknown reasons, although the people of Wapan all know who’s responsible. The families lose some power over the Emperor himself, but they still fight over the prestigious political offices. -An embassy is established with the Han Dynasty, but the new Emperor declares that the Wapanese religion is undermining Chinese society, and thus he bans missionaries from preaching in China. -Cats, brought from China are instantly an overwhelming success. People can’t stop repeating how “kawaii” they are, and many nobles start adding “~nyaa” at the end of their sentences. Cat ears made out of silk are now a popular accessory among richer women. Waifus with slight cat-like features first appear in art and literature around this time. Some samurai are even adding cat ears to their helmets. Cats are rare and expensive though, and so many people, particularly the poorer ones, resort to domesticating foxes for their slight resemblance to cats and similar ear shape. -As the daimyos continue to expand their holdings to the west, there is increasing pressure to expand north nearby the capital. The Emperor declares war against the Ainu tribes, and with the use of cavalry and crossbowmen, plus fortified houses and towers to establish control, the Wapanese push north, establishing villages, clearing forests, and removing the tribes. The Wapanese have also managed to adapt to the cooler weather to the north, and slowly but surely the Ainu are pushed to the northernmost point of the island of Honshu. The farmers are still unwilling to settle further north for the time being however. Meanwhile, many captured Ainu are forced to work as slave labour to build rice paddies, houses, and fortifications. -Expeditions to the islands north of Wapan reveal several with extensive iron ore deposits. They also find hostile tribes that know how to work native metals and have sailing rafts. The Wapanese send several thousand people to these islands over the course of a few centuries, wiping out the tribe and colonizing the islands. They set up extensive iron mines and a fishing industry. They are mostly dependent on importing their staple foods from Wapan, given that the climate here is too poor for traditional agriculture. These islands are also tenuously held, with the residents often surviving on the edge. Ainu raids are also a constant menace, along with rebellions by enslaved ones. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=161518&dateline=1271152744[/img][img]http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/379/cp8b.png[/img] [b]Crossu88 – Xerxes Capital: Ulysses Culture: Xerxes State Religion: Titus [/b] -Preserving food is a real challenge, especially when wishing to build stockpiles of it. Unless one has stockpiles of food that can be kept in storage without rotting, it is difficult to build a civilization. Three main techniques emerge during this time period, applied to as many foods as possible. First there is smoking, in which meat or fish is immersed in smoke so as to prevent attack by microbes. Drying is another method, in which the food is dehydrated and kept in a dry location. Finally, is to salt the food. Collecting salt is difficult, but with sea access, pots, and a fire, one can collect enough to preserve meat. These methods are often used in conjunction, and peccary jerky becomes popular. Manioc meanwhile is pulped and separated into two parts whilst also being dried, and then kept in longterm storage. This also goes a significant way towards solving the problem, and the first tapioca pudding is eaten. It is nicknamed frogspawn by children. With food processing now in place, and the protein issue resolved along with preservation, food surpluses are being traded for other important goods and services. Free time can also be spent working on projects of significant size. -A new ideal in the religion begins to spread. Having one person in your family out of all of the children to serve honourably will be able to bring honour to your family. Therefore, when that person dies in service of Titus, it will help to bring the rest of the family up in his eyes, and allow them to enjoy the afterlife. Consequently, many families start to prepare their selected soldier for war, giving him weaponry and enough food that he can spend more time fighting than farming. Soldiers now begin to be trained specifically for the purpose of warfare. They tend to be the younger sons of people, where they are taught how to maintain themselves on long marches or wars. They must know how to salt and preserve their own food, and often hunt or forage along the way to add to their existing ration. -Expansion is now undertaken by these new soldiers. Well trained and able to live off the land much of the time, they can go on lengthy campaigns with little logistical support. They can even surround a village, and if it refuses to surrender, do hit and run attacks or sneak in and murder key people. They also tend to capture peccary livestock or drive them away. Many of these domestic peccaries begin to migrate northwest towards Mesoamerica as a result. The soldiers also manage to bring these villages under rule of the Xerxes, and some even begin to put themselves in as petty rulers. Tributes begin to evolve into taxes, and the flow of wealth to the capital means that the first permanent buildings are now steadily rising, with markets being established as well. -As the soldiers tend to conquer the wealthier villages, made so due to the number of Peccaries they keep and development of trade, they are also simultaneously following trade routes or introducing new ones. Salt is incredibly valuable, and one way of producing it is to dig large salt “pans”. Separated by small dykes (named for somebodies sister), they allow the large scale extraction of salt from the sea. Finding enough suitable locations to do it however, is a problem, and often it tends to be exported as well. -Maize is introduced to Xerxes from the west. In some ways a superior staple plant, it is readily adopted and farms begin to grow it. Surplus food and labour can now be employed for an increasing number of uses, and villages begin to quickly expand during this time. This is the decline and fall of the hunter-gatherer, as trees are cleared to make way for tilled fields. [img]http://i.imgur.com/Ah1JmKa.png[/img] [b]Chevelle – Kingdom of Portugal Capital: Lisbon Culture: Portuguese (Iberian) State Religion: Christianity[/b] -Paper is either introduced or independently invented in Portugal during this time. Whatever the origin, it does not diminish the importance of this invention, as now a whole manner of records can be kept and stories written down for posterity. Rags are bought up in considerable volume and then pulped in paper mills throughout Portugal, before the book is tirelessly copied out by hand. Only really the rich can afford them however, whilst wax tablets tend to be used by everyone else. Merchants sometimes buy the paper on its own, often to write contracts on. -The Portuguese state forms a military alliance with the Spanish on the condition that the Portuguese assist the Spanish in the training and use of the Sarissa. Soon enough, the Spanish army quickly adopts the pike, and soon the fighting style of the Portuguese as well. Stalemates are grisly to observe. -When the Spanish go to war with the Romans, the Portuguese send significant numbers of men to help with their campaign, along with some ships. After the breakup of the Spanish state and the civil war however, the Portuguese also manage to take some cities and nobles under their wing during the confusion. Most nobles joined out of wishing to place security as a high measure, given the chaotic situation in the rest of the country. Religious homogeneity and proximity were also other key factors. -As for the rest of the Portuguese, they expand southwards towards the Pillars of Hercules, crushing the unfortified or smaller settlements whilst besieging the larger towns and cities. The use of the Phalanx and longbows makes them devastating on the field, although much less is to be said for their prowess in sieges. As long as one can break up the Phalanx formation, their army is slaughtered. This happened in a town where the soldiers marched down a street and were pelted with rocks and javelins. A cavalry charge from the garrison down the street managed to scatter them. -With the southern coast now strongly under their control, the Portuguese are in a suitable position to profit from trade heading in and out of the Mediterranean. Of course, the lack of developed civilization in northern Europe means that most of this trade is small scale and not very profitable, although trade from Gaul and Britain is steadily rising. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=177457&dateline=1373912913[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/y8h3cpD.png[/img] [b]Kamikaze470 – Tefullmorostan dol el Wizterbien Capital: Al-Cido Monts Culture: Tozholleronese State Religion: Sfplazoro Ecekdorisim[/b] -New mining and quarrying techniques are introduced as demand for minerals rise and the economy diversifies. Clay, lime, flint, and many other types of rock are extracted and then used to make bricks, mortars, and concretes so as to allow for stronger buildings, although the mortar sets slowly. Meanwhile, the mines begin to extract considerable volumes of the usual metals such as iron and copper, smelting them, and then casting them into ingots before being used domestically or for export. Mining or quarrying by-products also have a place in the pottery industry, which helps with marketing the product. -The Tefullmorostanis stop raiding villages, instead doing full scale conquests. The former leader is removed and a soldier or noble is made ruler of the village. The raids start to die down, and as expansion gets underway, raids penetrate less deeply and become more of a distant memory. Outposts are gradually fortified so that they can stand prolonged attacks until reinforcements can arrive. -Prisoners from these wars are sold into slavery, many of them going to the Greek cities or Rome. Some of them are able to assist with the taming of elephants, and although their numbers are low and they are difficult to train and breed in numbers, a sizable force of elephants is created. Small wooden platforms are built on their backs for archers and skirmishers to use as a firing platform. Many of these elephants are bought from Numidia, and a breeding program is underway to maintain stable populations. -With the expansion of trade, especially with the Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans, the Tozholleronese profit well from being well suited for a middleman role. However, with the coalition wars breaking out every few years, they suspend trade with Rome for the duration of the war. Whenever it was due to hostility towards Rome or fear of foreign retribution is a matter still argued over by historians. -The clergy is reeled in to prevent them from preaching in countries with considerable military or political leverage. Instead, the clergy are redirected to the new conquests to the south, where towns and villages captured by Tefullmorostan are converted. To show that control is complete, a temple is constructed in every new town, along with a money lender. They introduce the new currency, which can only be minted in the central mint, with denominations in tin and gold. Tin is dropped due to its fragility and alloyed with copper, whilst silver eventually comes into use as well. No matter their metallic composition however, the people now must use those currencies, printed with the image of the Kings head. -Very often, when it comes to subduing a raiding force or capturing a village, even a single elephant can terrify their enemy into surrendering. Since they tend to travel in groups with infantry and cavalry support, they become all the more terrifying. -The economy often goes into severe depression whenever a war is on, since the market effectively dries up for their fancy pottery. Only Egypt and Phoenicia are willing to buy their pots, which have to travel overland on the backs of camels. [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: Greek Pantheon[/b] -With siege weaponry becoming ever more important, somebody takes a crossbow and makes it significantly bigger, putting it on a stand and using it as a heavy piece of artillery. They are made to support both armies in the field and can be used on ships during naval battles. Firing large darts that can skewer multiple men and smash through a ship’s hull, they become an essential addition to any armies’ arsenal. This comes just in time too, for the wars of the first coalition have begun. - The army is re-assembled at Athens and bolstered with mercenary units from across the known world. It is sent to Sparta to destroy its army. Of course, since Sparta is allied to Rome and wishing to use the war as a pretext to re-establish control of Greece, they come out in force, bolstered by some Macedonians. -To prepare for the war, the phalanx is adapted under the teachings of Epaminondas, with the hoplites receiving heavier armour, smaller shields, and longer pikes. They are also professionalized and wage earning soldiers, to spend their time in the military instead of farming or crafting whenever wars are not ongoing. Young noblemen are selected for new heavy cavalry regiments, being the only people with the money to afford the horses and materials. They are gathered from across the League and trained together to fight as the heavy cavalry of the Delian league. Their low numbers make them of limited effectiveness however, especially as imported horses rise in price due to trade blockades. -The Delian League takes steps to implement a universal coinage, starting with the major city-states and slowly branching out to the smaller ones. The other cities, which would normally be hostile to such a subtle attempt to bring monetary control under Athens, are forced to agree in order to protect themselves from the Spartans. Realizing this, the Athenians move the bureaucracy and congress to the island of Delos, helping to defuse tensions somewhat. Once established, the first census is recorded, revealing Athens to have a population of 300,000 (including slaves, foreigners, and women). The congress also becomes more involved in economic matters, fixing trade prices and maintaining the flow of goods throughout the League. The merchants are very happy at this state of affairs along with the nobility, who profit from this and support the state. The bog standard freeman farmer or slave is still at the bottom of the heap however. - As the army moves on Sparta, the League dispatches diplomats to Argos and Corinth to convince them to leave the weak Spartans and join the Delian League. They agree to do so only after hearing of the army of Hannibal crossing the Alps. They collect their arms and march on Sparta. The King of Epirus is also willing, sending an ambassador to the Delian league to announce their intentions and their plans to invade Italy and Macedonia. -When the Athenian army sends a diplomat to the Spartans, saying that if the Spartans do not wish to lose their independence, then they best lay down their arms. The Spartan king replies “You are in the wrong court”. -Sending their armies out to meet each other, the Delian Greeks, supported by some Daggerians and Phoenicians, manage to defeat Sparta with the clever use of siege artillery. A group of men with large staff slings, crossbows, and ballistae rain down heavy bolts and lead balls upon the enemy forces. The Spartan lines are broken, and then the offensive based Delians break the Spartan lines. Cavalry is used to cut down the survivors, although their strategic usefulness has been exaggerated. -The naval battles proceed just as fruitfully. With extensive support from Dagger and Phoenicia, they manage to destroy the Spartan and Macedonian navies, before blockading their ports. The Spartans continue to fight on, and when the Delians arrive at their city, siege weaponry is used to light the city ablaze. Amazingly, the Spartans force slaves to put out the fires whilst they defend the city. Prolonged skirmishes eventually whittle them down and their families are forced into the centre. Only after their wives and children are hit by artillery fire and their great city has burned to the ground do they surrender. They are sold into slavery and the city falls into ruin, becoming abandoned by about 20 BCE. At the congress in Delos, the Republic is announced as having triumphed in uniting the Greek peninsula for the first time. -The wars against Macedonia are more difficult, due to their support from the Romans and Mrvians. Only the timely arrival of the King of Epirus (who had been preparing his army for some years) manages to split their forces and to deny them entry. The Roman coalition instead marches on the lightly defended Istanbul whilst the Daggerian forces retreat. The city is burned and the Empire lost, but the Macedonians are unable to progress any further south. The King of Epirus meanwhile, manages to launch a successful invasion of Southern Italy, but is forced to retreat when the Macedonians return. [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=258151&dateline=1370986149[/img][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/Km7glV.png[/img] [b]BananaFoam – Ibolozi Tribe Capital: Ibbus Sieciwiz Culture: Siberian (Uralic) State Religion: East Medith Pantheon[/b] -Throughout the American Northwest, the first sources of native copper and iron from meteorites are extracted. Cold worked and used mainly as a replacement for flint, it increases the efficacy of most weaponry and tools. Finding enough of the materials is difficult however, and most sources tend to be extracted from over long periods of time as opposed to being deliberately mined. -Uglik's people continue their fierce conquest of the North. Some tribes, hearing tales of their exploits, surrender. They are forced to pay tribute and commit to military actions against the Ibolozi's enemies. Using their sailing ships from their heritage, the Ibolozi forcefully annex the sparsely populated islands, such as the Aleutians, in the region. However, Uglik does not stop there. He puts his people to work finding ways to producing new weaponry. The newly annexed Northern tribes, surprisingly benefiting from the increased trade and expansion under Ibolozi rule, teach them the secrets of armour. They know very little, but they show that bones can be strung together to make coverings that protect the wearer from weak wooden and stone weapons. Most armour is costly in terms of the amount of time it takes to make, plus it tends to be more ceremonial than actually useful. When bone cannot be used, some people substitute it with wood. -Uglik's conquest brings increased revenue from which to buy from the tribes of the south. Though many people are content, some still oppose his warlike nature, particularly the oldest of the Elders. They believe that Uglik leads them on a path of doom. They claim to have seen a vision in a great seance together, where the Ibolozi fight a war against enemies with vastly superior weapons of meteoric iron in great formations and by the thousands. Eager to prove that the Ibolozi can defend themselves and procure superior weapons, Uglik leads and expedition to the Northlands to find the fabled Snow Beasts. He finds a fully grown Snow Beast and after a great deal of hardship, some wounds, and one expedition member's death, he tames the beast. He then finds a clutch of its offspring and takes them to train them as well. He leads them south, back to his home. He shows the Elders that their land is filled with many resources from which war can be waged. However, 2 weeks later the captured Beast kills one of its caretakers and it is sentenced to death. For the first time in tribe history, Uglik overrides the Elder's decision to kill the offspring and allows them to stay and be trained, 2 by his children, and the other four by village caretakers. -Although this is the official reason given by the oral tales, we do find increasing evidence of polar bear skeletons and humans buried together at this time. Whilst taming them is one thing, domestication is much more difficult. Dogs already existed and were fairly competent enough at hunting already, plus they competed with polar bears over meat. We see that the number of dog and polar bear reminds often fluxed over this period, and that the polar bear became “semi-domesticated”. Tame ones would be kept separate from each other, and the ones less aggressive towards humans were selected for, until eventually the breed could walk around settlements and interact with humans without causing alarm. They would go into the nearby waters to catch seals with human assistance. Unfortunately, they cannot travel much further south, for it is too warm for them and another bear is already occupying the area, which has the subtle difference of being coloured brown. -One of the Elders, Orcemun, proposes that, since better weapons and tools come from the south, they must have greater resources of copper and other material. An expedition is sent south on the new sailing ships. Not only do they find some meagre amounts of copper, but they find that the land is warmer and far more varied in plant and animal life. After returning with the news, the Elders decide to send colonists to expand into the territory and build permanent settlements. The largest, over the course of years, becomes nearly a full-fledged settlement (about as much of a city as the Ibolozi can make) called Ula Borgium. However, the Native Tuca tribes, those that trade weapons with the Ibolozi, don't like the settlements being placed in their lands. Small skirmishes erupt between the tribes but it hasn't reached the level of full scale war. Though war can net the Ibolozi valuable weapons, tools, territory, and copper, but there is always a chance that this will disrupt trade with other southern peoples, or that the Ibolozi could lose the war. In the meantime, traders from lands even farther south arrive bringing shiny items that look very appeasing, along with bags of a “yellow seed”. It takes much negotiating, a dog, and several seal pelts to "seal" the deal, but one of the governors of the region gets his hands on large amounts of the stuff, spurring Uglik's interest in the southlands. -Maize is introduced in small quantities to the Northwest at this time, mostly by traders plying the coasts and keeping in contact with Mesoamerica. With the development of the bronze trade spurred on by people to the Far East, trade routes are also heading up the west coast when it is found that people there are also interested in trade. We find the first evidence of maize cultivation throughout California and the Pacific coast in general during this time. As far north as their homelands however, growing maize is impossible, and can only really be done in the warmer lands to the south. The lack of knowledge about agriculture makes it worse, with the maize crop failing often and only improving after decades of experimentation. However, as fishing is rather rich, most of these settlements can treat a river itself like a farm or land, even splitting up parts of it for ownership and the fish being smoked or bathed in a seawater solution to keep it from spoiling. [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] -The Baltic Entente came about as the idea that if the peoples of the Baltic Sea stood together under one flag that they would be able to stand up to raiders menacing the region and protect themselves from foreign armies. As time went on, this idea began to appeal to the Latvians in particular, who sought to turn Riga into a trading hub. Jiri, leader of the Latvians, sent envoys promoting unification to the Lithuanians, fellow Balts, and to the Finnic Livonians, who spoke another language, yet shared close ties with the other two peoples. As a show of his commitment to the cause, Jiri led a mixed force of Lats and Liths to victory over foreign pillagers at the Battle of Tallinn, driving the invaders from the Estonian hub. Shortly after this, the three peoples united, placing their hopes and dreams of prosperity on the chance that the Entente would succeed. Jiri appeared to have made his point, and the people put their faith in him as king. -Deism emerges as a fusion of native pagan ideas and Germanic mythology, and is adopted as the state religion. -The use of ironworking technology has spread from southern and central Europe well into the Baltic now. The Baltic peoples add their own refinements, such as building small bloomeries to smelt iron in, along with training professional blacksmiths to work iron into tools, weaponry, and armour. A type of nail is invented in the process, allowing for the advent of timber framed buildings. Using planks and logs, a stronger house with more room inside can be built. Stone is also used in construction, and turf roofs are popular as well, for one can graze sheep on them. Eventually, iron mines are dug and a domestic ironworking industry is born. -Looking to strengthen their position in the region, the entente sends troops to seize the island of Saaremaa at the mouth of the Gulf of Riga, in order to make a statement to the Germanic peoples of the southwest. Small wharves and docks pop up throughout lands held by the Entente, which are just as much used to resupply patrolling longboats as trading ones. During this time, the first stages of Riga castle are built, with the king seeing it as vital for controlling trade routes in the area and to help protect the town. Scouts also travel into central Europe with the intention of announcing the establishment of the Entente, to which the many varied chiefs and lords of Europe say that the event little concerns them. -The integration of the Baltic and Finnic people in the region is going well, taking in Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, as well as Finns and a tiny number of Northern Germans looking to abandon the raiding life. With King Jiri in charge, the country begins to take shape, and early laws guaranteeing basic freedoms in all lands under the crown are declared. The Entente also fans inland from Riga in all directions, the idea of a stable kingdom appealing to many in the region who have long felt threatened by frontier raiders and wild animals. [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] -The Arhonics were an ethnic group native to Sweden originally, but have since made the journey to the Rhine River and settled down. Their name now reflects their new homeland, as the river is now named "The Arhone". -Their religious beliefs, Hutonism, believes in the worship of a god known as Huton, who is responsible for all fortune and good in the world, as well as the creation of the human race. Another god exists in Hutonism, Hutons brother, Ruton, who causes all misfortune and bad. Prophecy states that Ruton and Huton will have a battle to end all battles, it will end with Rutons destruction and the end of pain, suffering, and misery. -The Arhonians begin massing grand raiding parties and raid small and weak neighbouring Celtic villages for loot. Their proudest and bravest warriors tend to go on these raids, with them boasting of their bravery as they cut down defenceless women and children. -As the Arhonians settle the banks of the Arhone and push out the old inhabitants, they are mutually supported or meet varied other Germanic tribes, who moved south from Scandinavia to settle Germania over the past few centuries. One notably curious invention of the Arhonians is a heavy iron plough, with wheels attached to help guide it. Pulled by oxen (horses are a rarity), the new invention helps to break up the heavier soils of northern Europe and plough deeply to bring forth rich nutrients for the crop. This invention allows for improved agricultural output, more land to be put under the plough, and the increased speed also saves time for other jobs. They quickly displace the Celtic tribes and settle the flat low lying lands and peat lands. The latter is gradually shrinking in size due to human activities, forcing a movement every few decades as the sea claims the sinking land. The innovation is also spreading to their neighbours, helping to make their arrival distinctive. They trade frequently with their neighbours, and also tend to be as decentralized as them. Raids on each other are common. -When the coalition declares war on Rome, a large army led by the king links up with the Phoenician army near the Alps, from then on, following and supporting the Phoenician army on the path to Rome. Supplied with heavy clothing and as much food as possible, they cross the Alps. Many Gallic and Germanic tribes and mercenaries join them on the way, crossing over the Alps and marching south into Italy. They recruit from neighbouring barbarian villages, promising them gold and riches once they loot the city of Rome. -Due to the Fabian strategy of the Romans, the barbarians are quickly thinned out, and the Arhonians start to desert. When the news of Hannibals departure arrived, the Arhonians tried to flee as the advancing Mrvian and Laubergian armies came towards them. Many soldiers were captured as slaves, and the King himself had to hide in a dung cart in order to travel north back to his Kingdom. On the arrival home, he and many other soldiers managed to loot the bodies of many dead people and loot a great deal of villages on the way back. They end up bullshitting to their families that they burned Rome to the ground and stole all of its gold. [B]Current player List:[/B] Mr. Face – Spain Zillamaster55 – Tribe of Laubergians KingArcher – The Empire of Dagger Mallow234 – Phoenicia Damian0358 – Velkij Donaljea Ruskie – Sitä rohkea hampurilainenkunta ja läpättääistan Satansick – Zulu Kingdom YogiTheWise - The Weeaboo Empire Crossu88 – Xerxes Kamikaze470 – Tefullmorostan dol el Wizterbien Mackalda2k6 – The Delian League BananaFoam – Ibolozi Tribe StaleRye – The Baltic Entente [b]If you haven’t already done so, please join our group. There will usually be people chatting in the chat room after each turn is posted, so pl

so im guessing the next coalition is against Damian? also rip anatolian dagger, welcome crete dagger

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