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EUROPE
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The Empire of Aragon 
Henry III the Infirm,
King of Castille, Emperor of Aragon, Restorer of the Faith
Diplomacy: Galacia(F) Bastia in Corsica(NT) Salamanca(T)
Growth: Madiera in Granada
Henry continued to invest in Aragon's growth. The port of Madiera was expanded, a royal
road built between rural Valencia and the city of Cordoba in Murcia, and a cultivation
project begun in the wilderness of Asturias.
Henry ruled, and as running Aragon was a lot of work, he replaced the inept Bishop
Francesco Sforza with Prince Don Dantae as his administrative assistant. Alas, after
several years of failed audits, misplaced supplies, unpaid workers and general chaos
it was apparent that Don Dantae was even more incompetent. Dantae's only
accomplishment was siring a son with his wife in 1409.
General Caballero traveled from Portugal to Galacia, meeting frequently with Concha,
Count of Galacia. After long negotiations - including the offer for royal daughter
Catherine to marry the Count's heir upon her 15th birthday - it was agreed for
Galacia to fully join Aragon. The Count, age 60, retired to his estate and vineyards.
However Don Sanatgo did not have equivalent success with his diplomatic mission.
For years he met with Solenzara of Bastia on the island of Corsica, hoping to talk him
into becoming closer than a feudal ally. But one night there was a commotion at the city
hall, and Don Sanatgo was confronted soon afterward by the night watch who had caught
several of his retainers in the act of searching city records, apparently for anything
Don Sanatgo could use as "leverage" in negotiating. Oops! The whole Aragon delegation
was expelled from the city, and a furious Solenzara renounced his feudal oath.
Meanwhile General Fernando, both a military man and a diplomat, traveled to Salamanca
where he met with village leaders. By the end of 1412 he'd persuaded them to become
tributary to Aragon.
Missionaries were sent to Talavera to bring Christianity to the Muslims. Despite
bringing lots of expensive sacramental cups and plates, crosses etc, to impress the
village mayors, they had no luck gaining converts. Perhaps their Faith was not strong
enough...
The Empire of Greater Britannia
Geoffery I, Emperor
of Greater Britannia, Grand Duke of Flanders, Keeper of the Irish Talisman of
Faith
Diplomacy: None
Growth: Paris in Ile de France, Ponthieu, Brittany
Geoffery ordered Paris expanded and its defensive walls made even stronger. Its
riverfront shipyards worked ceaselessly to produce merchant vessels for internal
trade down the Seine and across the Channel. Agents of the King checked the papers
of all foreigners but there were no reports of arrests.
Vast public works programs resulted in water and sewage lines, fountains, libraries and
theaters in Paris, Amboise and Dreux. In Strathclyde extensive irrigation systems,
silos and gristmills were built to assist agriculture.
Even more breathtaking in scope was the mass movement of population and building
materials into Ponthieu and Brittany, resulting in new towns, farms and businesses.
Geoffery remarried in 1409 but Death seemed to be stalking the palace. His wife,
pregnant in 1410, lost her balance coming down the steps from the battlements
and plummeted into the courtyard in the path of a heavily laden 4-horse drawn wagon
which could not stop in time. Geoffrey found comfort in the arms of the late queen's
Lady-in-Waiting. Pregnant in 1412, she got into an argument with the late queen's
sister, who accused her of pushing the pregnant queen down the steps. In anger
the Lady slapped the sister, who in fury drew a blade and stabbed her repeatedly,
screaming, "murdering harlot!" Geoffrey ordered his latest love buried next to his
previous wives. His former sister-in-law, being of noble birth, escaped the axe for
her actions but was confined in solitary to the windswept north tower.
The Republic of Sweden (prev Kalmar) 
Gudrun Ericson,
Altkansler of the Kalmar Senate
Diplomacy: Hordaland(No Effect)
Gundrun poured funds into Sweden's development. A royal road from Norway to Hordaland
was completed, and extensive aqueducts and irrigation ditches were dug. Bynnar
Gunnarson, in Hordaland representing Sweden to local leaders, was to point out the
new road and public works as reasons to become more friendly to Sweden. He was a
poor diplomat however, and stated his case badly. The locals were not moved to be
more than Allies.
Cultivation was begun in distant Estonia. Public inns, marinas and docks were built along
Musa's coastline. As Musa had become friendly to Sweden only the previous year, its
people were quickly reaping the benefits.
Gundrun and her husband produced a boy in 1409 and a girl in 1410. Both births were
marked with national celebrations with free food for everyone in Sweden!
Meanwhile work continued on a road from Lorhar Jarvi to Oulanka. The workers,
laboring northward closer and closer to the Arctic Circle, suffered increasingly from
frostbite, or had accidents when tools slipped from numb fingers. This despite layers of
clothing, gloves and boots. In the brief summer months when the permafrost thawed
slightly, the millions of hatching mosquitoes made life a nightmare.
In 1412 the ArchDruid sent a message from the Sacred Grove to the Queen: "My Lady,
it is with dismay I have learned of the suffering of our laborers as they near the
Arctic Circle. Such suffering is a sign from nature that Man was not meant to
enter such unnatural lands. I implore you to stop construction before this road to
the frozen lands disturbs things which are best left sleeping."
The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
Henry II, King of
Bavaria, Kaiser of the German Reich, Roman Emperor of the West
Diplomacy: Latium(A) Spoleto(T) Bohemia(No Effect) Veronia(EA) Liguria(EA)
Growth: St. Petersburg in Verona, Hanover in Westphalia, Tyre in Tyrol,
Florence in Tuscany, Rennes in Thuringia, Bern in Switzerland, Baden in Swabia,
Piza in Spoleto, Jutland in Saxony, Olso in Pommern, Bremen in Lausatia, Navarone in
Calabria, Bavaria in Franconia, Marseilles in Provence, Lyons in Lyonnais
Henry II continued to build all aspects of infrastructure of the Holy Roman Empire.
Surplus population from the countryside was sent to increase no less than 15 cities.
Royal roads were completed linking all southern Italy in a complex web, bringing
increased prosperity to its inhabitants. Numerous museums, opera houses, theaters,
public inns, sewage and water systems were built in Navarone, Piza, Oslo, Bremen,
Utrecht and Lyons. Everywhere one looked there was building, expansion, and optimism
for the future.
Prince Justin remained to Latium to hold talks. He formed an immediate friendship with
the count of the region, and amid banquets, boar hunting and attending theater, it was
agreed Latium would become an ally of the Empire, and the count's sister Maria would
marry Henry II in early 1410. They were wed in the great cathedral in Frankfurt.
The Emperor and Maria soon produced a sizable crop of
royal children: a daughter in late 1410 and twins (boy and girl) in 1411. Surely
thought Henry as he held court, emperess at his side and royal
children nearby, this is the best of all possible worlds.
Count Abernathy in Spoleto met with local leaders, pointing out the benefits of close
association with the Empire such as the royal road being built. Although not a good
speaker, he had moderate success.
Count Andress meanwhile was sent to Bohemia, which was tributary to both the
Germans and the Poles. Arriving late fall of 1409, he noted a number of Polish field
forts - wooden pallisades and towers behind dry moats - freshly built along
access routes and fords. Bohemia is becoming too Polish for the Emperor's liking,
he thought, and began meeting with the local nobility, German-speakers like himself.
While hunting late in 1410 he, several nobles, and
their retainers were caught in the mountain forests of the Bohmerwald by an unexpected
blizzard and lost their way. Search parties found their bodies two weeks later.
Baron Black, conqueror of St. Petersburg, was ordered into surrounding rural Verona
to confer with local leaders. He had an uphill battle since they weren't very pleased
with Imperial actions, but he gradually won them over by promising Prince Justin,
brother of the Emperor, would marry a Veronan noblewoman. By 1412 a treaty of economic
alliance was signed.
Simultaneously, diplomacy was also afoot in Liguria. Duke Rupert also faced a wary
local nobility, but he too was able to win a treaty of economic alliance.
Baron Marcus, a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, worked tirelessly to increase the
faith of the Empire. He was assisted by priests from many parishes. By the end of 1412
he could claim with satisfaction a noted increase in church attendance.
The Roman Catholic Church
Boniface IX, Bishop
of Rome, Pontiff of the Apostolic & Reformist Catholic Church, Successor of
the Prince of the Apostles, Servant of the Servants of God
Consecration: None
Boniface IX, feeling the Church was in need of strengthening, convened a Synod in
1409 to discuss matters of procedure, ceremony, and doctrine. Many points were
discussed and by 1412 a new sense of purpose and stronger Faith resulted.
There remained only the problem of John Huss1 in Bohemia. Huss - a learned
man, indeed a university rector - had been influenced by the writings of a man from
Britannia named Wycliffe. These writings were a condemnation of authoratative,
traditional, ceremonial religion. Wycliffe had argued - and Huss was teaching - that Man
could and should know God as in Biblical times, without need for layers of Church
hierarchy. Clearly such teachings were dangerous. But what to do?
1Historically the Church excommunicated John Huss
in 1412. Here, that has not yet happened.
Kingdom of Poland
Lech, King of the
Poles
Diplomacy: Bochnia(No Effect) Bohema(EA)
King Lech ordered the government bureaucracy expanded to accomodate Poland's growing
size. Sea trade was initiated with Sweden. In 1410 Little Poland became fully
cultivated and Lech presided over celebrations. Realizing Polish cities were without
defensive walls, Lech ordered walls built for each of them, and breathed a sigh of
relief when the job was completed.
Besides ruling, the King - a lusty man despite middle age - bedded many of the palace
servant women (the attractive ones at least) sometimes two or three
in a single night. This produced a daughter in 1409, a son in 1410 and another
daughter in 1411. Some of the people thought this unseemly behavior in a monarch,
whilst others felt proud to have such a virile king.
Count Grzegorz traveled to Bochnia to persuade its ruler, Baron Blasius, to join
his lands to the Polish crown. But Grzegorz was no diplomat and he made no progress
with the stubborn Blasius.
In early 1412, the King rode to Bohemia, word having reached him of the arrival,
diplomatic manuverings and eventual death of Count Andress of the Holy Roman Empire.
Insolent German, sticking his nose in where he doesn't belong, thought Lech. He
began his own discussions with the Bohemian lord Ziska, offering to make one of his
daughters his queen. A treaty of economic alliance was signed, and the now 49 year
old Lech married Breznice, the 17 year old daughter of Baron Brutno.
Shortly after the wedding, while touring Bohemia with his new queen, Lech became
aware of the teachings of John Huss. [See Roman Catholic Church.] The King had a bad
feeling that this man Huss and his followers would lead to trouble.
The Avar Kingdom of Hungary 
Stefan I, Khan of
the Avars, Lord of the Steppe
Diplomacy: Slovakia(FA) Moldavia(C)
Newly crowned King Stefan's first order of business was to bring the regions which had
revolted against Hungarian rule back into the Kingdom. To this end lieutenants were
dispatched and the army increased. The cultivation of Carpathia was finished at
the end of 1410 and he marked this with a festival.
Lord Balaton met with the angry leaders of Slovakia - recently cultivated at great
expense to the Kingdom - and offered for Stefan to marry one of their noblewomen if they
rejoined Hungary. Thus they would be assured a voice in ruling. After much argument the
Slovaks agreed to become Feudal Allies. In late 1412 Stefan, 46, married Orovska, 23,
daughter of Count Tisovec, in ceremony in the palace in Budapest.
Meanwhile Lord Csaba left loyal Bucharest to meet with the rebellious rural
leaders of Moldavia. A seasoned diplomat, he spoke well, playing on mutual Eastern
Orthodox beliefs, that it was God's will they be part of Hungary. Eventually the
rebels agreed the crown had claim on Moldavia, but would not go farther. Better
than nothing, considered Csaba.
The Byzantine Empire
Justinian, Eastern
Roman Emperor, Master of the Scholae, Patriarch of Constantinople
Diplomacy: Vasi(EA) Serbia(No Effect) Bosnia(EA) Epirus(No Effect)
Growth: Ephesia in Lydia, Volos in Thessaly
Basil oversaw the completion of the cultivation of Pontus, and continuing work in
Illyria and Vasi. The royal road linking Attica and Morea to Thessaly (and thence to
the rest of the Empire) was finished. Large numbers of statues, curbed streets,
sewers, storm drains and water systems were built in Ismootol, Ephesia, Mesolongi and
Corinth. The latter two cities were also encircled with high, thick
defensive walls with many towers.
Amid this progress, there came to Justinian disturbing reports. Annoyed citizens
in various quarters of the capital
were complaining to their priests and the city guard that they
had been approached by strangers questioning the beliefs of Eastern Orthodoxy. The
strangers were clearly trying to fill them with doubts. Several of the strangers -
having underestimated their audience's faith - had been chased. While they had evaded
capture (Constantinople being a very large city) they had dropped objects in
their flight, which were recovered - bibles, rosary beads and other artifacts of the
Roman Catholic faith. Arrogant Papists! thought Justinian.
Justinian's wife died in 1409 attempting to birth a tenth child. For a year the
Emperor grieved, then, tradition served, spent time with his concubines, siring a
son in 1411 and a daughter in 1412.
In 1407, distant Vasi, on the rim of the Empire, had ceased paying its taxes upon
the death of Basil. Justinian sent his oldest son Anastasios from Constantinople to
the steppes of Vasi, where he joined Prince Costas. Together they
negotiated with unhappy Khan Makhach. Even more unhappy when his guards caught several
of Costas' retainers ransacking his tent! Fortunately Anastasios calmed the Khan with
an offer: should Makhach ally with the Empire, Anastasios would wed one
of his daughters. With much talking and drinking, a deal was struck, and Anastasios
married Kala, oldest daughter of the Khan in 1412.
Meanwhile Prince Nikos met with local Serbian clan leaders to expand
upon the Empire's claim on that region. Nikos' command of the Slavic tongue was poor,
and he inadvertantly suggested the clan leaders were the products of peasant women mating
with goats. Enraged, they ordered a surprised Nikos and his retainers seized and
imprisoned in a remote mountain fort.
Castor, in nearby Bosnia, fared far better, but then he had the prospect of
marriage between the Emperor's brother Aggamemnon and a Bosnian noblewoman to entice
the local leaders. The Bosnians signed a treaty of economic alliance and the Lady Tisa
was sent to Constantinople.
Haphaestus negotiated with the mountain clan leaders of Epirus with no such reward to
offer. They proved stubborn and suspicious. Worse, one day in late 1410 a clan
leader said several of Haphaestus' assistants offered him a bribe to speak in favor of
the Empire. The chief added, "they no longer have tongues to make such offers."
Shocked, Haphaestus left the meeting hall and, brooding on the failure of his mission,
and drank heavily at a nearby tavern. Stumbling home late at night, he passed out and
froze to death in the bitter December cold.
The Varangian Empire of Russia
Ivan II, Tsar of all
the Russias, Kniaz of Vlatim
Diplomacy: Kirivitch(A) Daugava(EA) Muscovy(FA) Lithuania(EA)
Ivan ordered a royal road built from Polotsk through the wilderness to Kur, and
construction began. Forts were built to better defend important regions. Being rather
unorganized, Ivan was assisted in ruling by the extremely efficient Mikhail. This left
Ivan time to spend with the Czarina, who had daughters in 1409, 1411 and 1412.
The handsome, well-dressed Dimitri, favorite of the ladies of the Court, was
sent to Kirivitch to sweet talk the local boyars. They agreed in early 1411 to fully
ally with Russia. Dimitri rode on to Daugava confident of success. The local nobles
were deeply suspicious of Russia and its organized religion. Despite this and language
problems, Dimitri was able to obtain a treaty of economic alliance.
Meanwhile the warrior-diplomat Petr was in talks with the boyars of Muscovy. After a
many feasts and much vodka, they finally swore to consider the Czar their lord. Next
riding west, Petr met with Lithuanian nobles, and in time they agreed to an economic
alliance.
The White Order of Saint Demetrius
Cherina Rumitsav,
Grand Mistress of the White Order
Diplomacy:
Grand Mistress Cherina, aware of the horde-breeding expanse of Asia stretching
to the east, worked on the defenses of the Order. Walls were improved, additional
soldiers trained, and earthen field forts built in strategic locations.
Not all expenditures were military. Sewers and
water pipes were installed in the capital of St. Jean, and public inns for travelers
built in the Kuban. Cherina was assisted in administration by Lord Kalinin, who
proved average on the job.
Cherina found time amidst ruling to spend with her Consort, and she bore sons in
1409 and 1410, twin daughters in 1411, and another son in 1412. Painted wooden icons
of "St. Cherina" were bought by childless women and placed by the marriage bed.
Knowing it would be many years before her children would be of age to rule, she named
Natasha, charasmatic young wife of aged Prince Eremenko, as her Heir.
Eremenko, meanwhile, rode to the Kuban to meet with its Baron. He pointed
to the inns built by Cherina as an example of what the White Order can do for its
friends. By late 1410, after much cross-country riding, hunting and feasting, the
Baron agreed to an economic treaty. Soon afterward he died in his sleep at age 57.
His son Kavkaz followed him as Baron.
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North ASIA
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The Empire of Nippon 
Kichiro, Regent of
Nippon
Diplomacy: Edo in Kwanto(T) Kumamoto in Saga(NT) Kagoshima(NT)
Shogun Takedasan dispatched leaders in all directions on diplomatic missions.
Prince Hokkaido Najar rode to Edo where he began charming the city elders. Likewise
did Kichiro in Kumamoto, and Fujiwara in Kagoshima. All had moderate success.
The Shogun himself oversaw his project to move Nippon from a clan to open society.
Towards the end of 1410 the Shogun - an old man at 60 by the standards of the day -
died peacefully in his sleep.
The Prince, realizing Takedasan's sons were not yet old enough to rule, bid his hosts
in Edo - who by that time had been smooth-talked into becoming tributary -
goodbye and hastened back to the capital. Now, he thought, I shall restore
the clans to their rightful power. But his reign was brief, for at the
end of 1411 during a heated argument with the old Shogun's advisors he felt a terrible
pain in his chest, collapsed and died. As they had championed the old Shogun's plan
of eliminating clan structure, the advisors breathed a sigh of relief even as they
made the Prince's funeral arrangements.
When Kuchiro received the news during a banquet in Kumamoto, he ordered one of the
members of his diplomatic party to continue the negotiations while he rode at speed back
to the capital. A former tutor of the young sons of Takedasan, he solemly assumed the
job of Regent until such time as the eldest, Takeda Tamasaki, came of age.
The Glorious Empire of Bei Song 
Hun Seng, Emperor of
the Manchu, Explorer of the Northern Lands
Diplomacy: Rongjiang in Sungari(C) Khungari(C)
Growth: Kwangdu in East Kur
Early in 1409 a messenger arrived in Kwangdu at the court of the Emperor Hun Seng
with a scroll. Courtiers noted his garments were clearly barbaric,
his skin tanned from much time in the sun, and his gait was that of one who has spent
most of his life in the saddle. Palace rumor said when the Emperor read the scroll he
grew ashen and reached unsteadily for the arm of his throne, and sat heavily. He spent
all night with his advisors. The messenger left the next day with the emperor's reply
in his saddlebags.
And it came to pass within several months that the Emperor's advisor Sun Ho rode from
the capital with wagons and a cavalry escort, headed west, and it was said one wagon
in particular was most closely guarded.
Meanwhile the Emperor, energized to action, ordered defenses improved, more government
employees hired, and sent diplomats to parley with rebellious locals in Rongjiang
and Khungari. Sons by different palace concubines were born in 1409 and 1412.
The Kyzl-Kom Horde 
Khan Kzyn Batur
Diplomacy: Uigur(A) Tarim(HS)
The Kyzl-Kom patiently grazed their horses and herds in the grasslands of Helionkang
until in the early summer of 1409 word came from scouts that a force of Bei Song
cavalry had arrived at the border. The Khan, accompanied by Allied leaders and his
retainers, was led to a wagon bearing a large wooden chest carved with the symbol of
the Imperial court. It was opened for the Khan of the Kyzl-Kom, and he smiled with
satisfaction at the glitter of gold coins thusly revealed. "Your Emperor has kept
his word, and I shall keep mine," he said to the Bei Song commander. While some of the
Khan's retainers hauled away the chest, he turned to his Allies and cried, "we
leave these lands and ride back West!"
The journey west brought the Kyzl-Kom through regions low in nomadic population. Many
areas had already been swept by other great hordes and had yet to recover. At length in
1411 the lands of the Uigur were entered. "Behold our greatness," said Batur when he met
their chief Urik, and gestured at the endless columns of his followers snaking
back to the horizon, "join us and you will be invincible." And so the Uigur chief did,
thinking what enemy could withstand such a mighty force?
In the summer of 1412 the Horde turned south, crossing the Silk Route, and entered the
desert of the Tarim. The Tarim chief in turn beheld the vast host and listened to the
words of Batur, but thought if we joined with them, our people would be swallowed
up, like rain into the sands. Having less than 5,000 warriors, he knew to fight
was hopeless. But also knowing the great horde was headed northward again he simply
evaded further contact until the Kyzl-Kom and their allies crossed into the steppe
of Turfan.
The Jung-Mo Empire 
Seong-Lee, Emperor of
Korea, Protector of Northern China
Diplomacy: Yen-Ching in Yen(No Effect) Bandao(HS)
Growth: Qingdao in Shangtung
Seong-Lee saw to the rule of the empire, the hiring of more government workers,
the expansion of the capital and the building of a road from Kaifang to
Lufang, thus filling in a gap in the royal road network. He also found time to send a
message off to the Buddhist Primate, and soon afterward traveling monks began speaking
to the peasantry about the wisdom of Buddha, although without effect.
The Emperor's life was not all work and no play however, as his favorite palace
concubine bore him a son in 1411 and another in 1412.
Counselor Ching-Lang was dispatched to the city of Yen-ching to convince them to
rejoin the empire. While his charisma made him much desired by the ladies of the
Imperial court, he was an arrogant, self-centered, wine-guzzling fop whose demands
had no effect on the city leaders.
Still, he did better than Ambassador Chan-Lu, sent across the border to Bandao. When
negotiations were going poorly he thought to flatter its king as the "Beloved Son of
Virtuous Heaven" in flowery Northern Chinese. Unfortunately in the king's Mongolian
this was understood as "Bastard Son of Village Whore" whereupon Chan-Lu and his
retainers were seized by the king's guards and flung into prison. A note reached the
court of Seong-Lee in late 1412 demanding an apology. It was wrapped around what upon
careful examination proved to be a dried human ear.
The Tumet Horde
Subutei II, Khan of the Tumet
Diplomacy: Suzhou(NT)
Alliekhan, acting as Regent after the death of Subutei,
ordered the Tumet to stay in Yumen, graze their herds and heal from their bloody
repulse from the Great Wall of the Chin. In 1411 Subutei's son came of age and assumed
the Khanate of the Tumet, and Alliekhan - honest but no leader of warriors - stepped
down with relief to be an advisor.
As the herds and horses had about exhausted the Yumen steppe, Sabotai II ordered the
Tumet southeast, whereupon their outriders encountered scouts of the Suzhou
nomads. Soon Subutei II, at only 15, was in parley with Otugh, 40, thickly bearded
Chief of the Suzhou. He is but a boy, thought Otugh, younger than my own sons.
I should demand much gold for his peoples' passage... and yet, his host is vast, and
he has the look of a warrior about him. Perhaps caution is in order. "For a small
fee, your people may enter my lands," granted Otugh. Eyes of all retainers were
upon Subutei, who remained impassive. "For a somewhat larger fee," replied the Khan
of the Tumet, "your people may remain alive to witness our passage." There was a
moment of tension, then Otugh - who hadn't lived to 40 being a fool - laughed and
said, "we would be honored for the Tumet to share our steppe."
The Chin Chinese Empire
Chin Li, Emperor of
the Middle Kingdom, Master of the World
Diplomacy: Fujian(NT) Ghanzhou(No Effect) Kienchou(C)
Chin Li shook off his lethargy and ordered a vast program of building Public Works
throughout the cities and regions of the Chin. The Emperor was determined to make Chin
the greatest, healthiest kingdom in the Known World. The labor of intensively
cultivating Shentung and Shensi was completed, and celebrations held.
The reliable Chang Shi, vacationing abroad in Hopei, was ordered down the Grand Canal
and thence by sea to Fujian, Ghanzhou and Kienchou. In each he met with local leaders
to persuade them to rejoin the Empire, and had some success.
Meanwhile missionaries were dispatched beyond the borders to Yumen and Bulingir. They
found Yumen already Buddhist, and made no headway with the pagans of the Bulingir
desert. The pagans felt the missionaries not very learned, and not very zealous, in
the very teachings they were trying to spread.
The army stood ready in case the Tumet returned, but apparently the nomads had learned
to fear Chin weapons, at least when used from the parapets of a Great Wall.
The Alung-Gangri Horde
Gyanendra
Khan
Diplomacy: None
As the herds of the Alung-Gangri and their allies had seriously depleted the grasslands
of Yenisey, Gyanendra moved the huge force eastward into Angaraland. The sparse nomad
population living there scattered before the Alung-Gangri migration.
A daughter was born in 1409 to Gyanendra by one of his concubines, followed by a son
in 1410 by another.
The Celestial Realm of Buddha
Hung Lo-Chan, The
Robed Wise Man
Consecration: None
Hung Lo-Chan and those in the upper ranks about him had mostly turned their backs
upon the world in favor of lengthy
meditation common to the Ch'an school of thought. Enlightenment was sought above all
worldly concerns. Effort went into deepening the already considerable religious
strength of the older monks and priests. The thoughts of the Robed Wise Man kept
returning to the sight of a strange armored fish a local fisherman had brought to the
temple complex to show him, and ask of him what omen it could mean. He had no answer
then, but perhaps further meditation would reveal Truth.
A message from the Emperor of the Jung-Mo requesting monks to speak to his people of
Buddha was grudgingly met by one of Hung's aides by the dispatch of some young novices,
who themselves were just learning the ways. Hung Lo-Chan kept those of great wisdom
with him in holy Chang'Ling, seeking Nirvana.
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South
East ASIA
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The Khemer Empire of Kambuja 
Tran Cau, Emperor of the
Khemers, Mask of Hidden Glory
Diplomacy: Angkor Wat in Khemer(No Effect) Ayutt Haya in Siam(A) Mangfu in
Nakhon(F)
Ca Mau in Phan Rang(F) Tun Son Nha in Cochin(F) Vijaya in Champa(F)
Tran Cau reversed course on previous policy and decided to return the nation to the
Buddhist religion. Hindu priests were driven from the Buddhist shrines they had taken
in 1408 as temporary lodgings, and the former Buddhist monks returned, performing
purification rituals. In the midst of this arrived yet more Hindu priests who
had hoped to increase Kambuja's religious strength, not knowing that while they were
in transit Tran Cau had changed his mind. He had guards politely but firmly escort
them from his palace and put them on a boat back to Tanjore.
The Emperor's change of direction was also unknown - news traveling slowly - by Javan
missionaries who gained more Hindu believers in Johor, and by high priests from
Tanjore who gained Hindu converts in the cities of Paga and Mar'gu.
The Emperor sent heir Zhiang Zhou on a diplomatic tour of the cities of Angkor Wat,
Ayutt Haya and Mangfu. He made no progress in enormous Angkor but had better results
in the smaller cities. Likewise the diplomatic tag-team of Chongrak and Linh spoke to
city leaders in Ca Mau, Tun Son Nha and Vijaya and persuaded all to advance from allies
to full fledged Kambujans. Equally good news for the empire came from the regions of
Surin and Siam, where intensive cultivation projects were finally complete.
Despite this activity and the work of ruling, Tran Cau found time to marry a minor
noblewoman, and was blessed with daughters in 1409, 1411 and 1412. To further bolster
the royal family, he promoted Vu Cau to Prince. Since there were no royal sisters to
be married, Vu Cau's rise was due entirely to Imperial Decree. This breach of protocol
caused considerable grumbling among the nobility and many called Vu Cau "The
Prince of Thieves" behind his back, inferring he stole the title.
Perhaps feeling paranoid, the Emperor unleashed his agents in search of any sign of
foreign infiltration. Special attention was paid to government workers but it was in
the military that an attempted infiltration was caught. Three mid-level officers
reported being approached by a minor nobleman offering gold for "future services and
favors". Arrested, the nobleman revealed he was but a go-between, hired by those who
promised to pay his extensive gambling debts. He led police to the lodgings of his
employers whom he described as always masked and speaking Khemer with a strong Chin
accent. The lodgings - rooms in a seedy boardinghouse - had been vacated by the
foreigners in such haste that police recovered several scrolls written in Chin, as well
as a quantity of Chin coins and eating utensils of Chin manufacture.
The Khemer Empire of Burma
Rangsey Shan the True,
Emperor of the Khemers
Diplomacy: Padishan(T)
Growth: Mandalay in Burma
Rangsey ordered increases in city walls, the building of castles and public works, and
increased the size of the army, in addition to ruling the kingdom. Still grieving for
the death of his wife in 1407 and his grandmother in 1408, he found occasional solace
from his concubines. But even this led to more loss - in 1409 one bore him a son that
died a few days later. Finally in 1411 another bore him a daughter, who became the
light of his darkened life.
Perhaps in his gloom seeing enemies all about, Rangsey ordered his lieutenant Siden to
work with his intell chief to search for foreign infiltration. Beginning zealously, the
search had a setback when Siden died in late 1409 having fallen down the stairs in
his home. After much disruption of daily life for several more years, the frustrated
intell chief reported "inconclusive" results to the king.
Also in 1409 - a grim year, to be sure - Arun, admiral of the fleet, apprently fell
victim to thieves while walking home alone after an evening of drinking with his
captains in a waterfront tavern in Bassein. His body was found the next morning by
street sweepers. His senior captain received a field promotion so the fleet wouldn't
lack for an admiral should it need to react to trouble.
Missionaries were sent to Prome, where they had some small success at converting the
Buddhists to Hinduism. But similar efforts in Assam and Arakan failed when local monks
boldly condemned the priests' teachings, causing sizable numbers of locals to return to
Buddhism. Clearly the fervor of the Burmese missionaries needed to be greater to
accomplish their task.
Perhaps anticipating this, a group of Hindu priests traveled from temple to temple,
causing a general increase in religious strength among believers. In addition, several
high priests from Tanjore gained Hindu converts in the cities of Mitikaya and Xie.
The Island Kingdom of Java
Adrissa III, King of
Java, Master of the Spice Isles
Diplomacy: Matura in Sri Lanka(F)
Growth: Vapul in Moluccas, Jakarta in Timor
Additional public works were ordered begun in both cities and farmlands, thus
improving Javan quality of life. The shipyards in Pajajaran were instructed to build
great numbers of merchant shipping, and soon required double shifts to stay on
schedule. As part of a general improvement of trade runs, merchant shipping was moved
and new home ports assigned while bureaucrats and shipmasters struggled to keep it
all straight.
Meanwhile the extensive Hindu priesthood was ordered throughout the kingdom to carry
the words of the gods to every village - and beyond! To the Buddhists in Kambujan Johor
and Kedah as well!
These initiatives underway, Adrissa III boarded ship for Matura in Sri Lanka, a voyage
of a year around the Indian Ocean, the sailors keeping the shoreline in sight at all
times - a commonsense rule of the Sailors Guild that kept ships from getting lost or,
worse, eaten by sea monsters.
With the King on his long diplomatic mission were Princess Anasuya and the elderly
advisor Wahid. The party attended endless meetings and state banquets until finally the
allied city became full-fledged Javan. But the stress took a toll of Wahid, who died
at the end of 1410 in his sleep.
The heir Sudhansu, only 18 and more interested in attending parties and bedding the
servant girls than holding court or hearing petitions, was left to rule, assisted by
Manalan and Bindusara. Manalan in particular was efficient and - lucky for Java -
kept Sudhansu on track.
Leaving at the same time as the King's fleet and keeping pace with it nearly to Matura
were a pair of ships under command of Lamarasa on a mission of exploration. With
him was Kanti, an ally of Java and a skilled warrior. Parting company with the King's
fleet in the Palk Strait, Lamarasa's ships sailed along the shore of the Arabian Sea
for another year, past the isle of Socotra and along the Somali coast to the Zanzibar
Sea. "Now we sail to the east!" he ordered. The crews were horrified. "Madness!" "Out
of sight of land!?" "Against Guild rules!" "We'll be eaten!" came the cries. But he
held firm and Kanti was a very devil with the sword, and so the sailors obeyed and the
ships headed into the unknown along the Indian Counter Current.
It was a voyage of months, steadily eastward, anxious eyes scanning the horizon day
after day for sign of land. Throughout May came monsoon rains that left the men
drenched. Several crew went mad with fear and had to be locked in a storeroom. Several
others simply vanished while on night watch. "Fell asleep and fell overboard!" grunted
the plain-spoken Lamarasa. "Eaten by monsters!" muttered the crew behind his back. And
indeed there were marks on the rails in some spots, gouges and splintering, as if
something had scraped across the rail to seize a man, and Lamarasa had no explanation
for it. But Kanti kept order.
And there came a day when a lookout screamed "land!" in a voice usually reserved for a
brothel climax. Ahead were the Maldives and both crews went wild with joy. Kanti
slapped Lamarasa on the back. "You were right," he said, "I wondered myself, but damn,
you were right!" The ships hove to and took on welcome provisions.
The ships then headed east through the Gulf of Mannar. "North along the coast?" asked
the helmsman. "Not this time," answered Lamarasa, "bear south, around Sri Lanka and
then east! We shall ride the currents again!" The crews muttered much among themselves.
There were some who felt two times across vast ocean, far beyond land, was asking for
more luck than any deserved. But others had great faith now in Lamarasa, and so the
ships sailed into the East Monsoon Drift.
Luck is a fickle thing, and only a short distance out as 1411 ended sickness swept the
ships, perhaps from badly preserved food taken aboard, or tainted water casks. Men
spent agonizing hours at the rails emptying themselves, or laying weak as kittens upon
the decks or in their bunks, with few at the sails. Some, unable to keep even water
down, died, including Kanti. Others vanished from decks at night, sometimes without a
trace, sometimes with a smear of blood to the rail, itself splintered, until none could
be made to stand night watch. Lamarasa himself could barely walk or talk, only iron will
driving him.
We must turn back, thought Lamarasa, while we still can. He gave the
order to come about and head for Sri Lanka's port of Matara. The surviving crews, gaunt
and half-dead, obeyed with their last reserves of energy.
Would they have murdered me and turned back anyway? he wondered. And if so,
who could blame them? Barely in time the ships limped into Matara, docking near the
King's fleet, to the shock of the royal sailors and diplomats.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
South West ASIA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Chola Mandalam Empire
Aandeleeb, Chola Emperor
of Mandalam, the Left hand of Vishnu
Diplomacy: Madurai(EA) Anhivarta(FA) Chera(FA) Jihjhoti(FA) Gaur(-)
Maghada(FA)
Aandeleeb began 1409 by banning Cholan merchants from trade with Sheba and the
Safavid Empire, but
resuming trade with Khemer Kambuja. The traders grumbled about having to relocate
their ships from western ports to eastern ones, but at least they could still earn
a living. This option wasn't available for captains of Aksum or Comoros ships; trade
was cut with those nations as well and their ships turned away from Cholan ports. No
explanation was given.
Aandeleeb then turned the rule of the empire over to the bureaucrats as he and his
lieutenants headed in many directions on diplomatic missions. It was time to bring
former Cholan regions back into the empire. He and Durga-Das met with
local nobles in Madurai and established economic ties with a promise of a future
marriage between Aandeleeb and a Madurai noblewoman.
A large mission of Mertunga, Bhadrashree, Satvik and the king of allied Chela all met
with the leaders of Anhivarta. The overly blunt Chelan king choked to death in 1410
during a banquet before he could offend the Anihivartans too badly. No loss,
thought mission leader Mertunga. The others were able military men used to command
but not accustomed to smoothtalking. Fortunately Mertunga was reasonably skilled
and made some progress.
Seasoned diplomat Mhari traveled to Chera where he persuaded the locals to become
feudal allies. The equally silver-tongued Sukarma did the same in Jihjhoti. Radhaswami
however saw his efforts in Gaur come to nothing when several members of his staff were
asked to leave the region immediately - no public reason given.
The mercenary leader Gumbiwnanna went to Maghada on behalf of his Cholan employers and
met repeatedly with Maghadan leaders, apparently with success.
The Hindu Primacy
Balin, Blessed of Vishnu
Consecration: Sirivjaya in Palembang(CH) Soerabaya in Atjeh(MN) Medan in
Utara(CH)
Balin began an ambitious program of establishing Hindu centers throughout a number of
Javan cities. In 1409 a temple was begun in Sirivjaya, followed by the expansion of an
existing abbey in Soerabaya into a full monastery over the winter. The summer of 1410
saw the construction of a temple in Medan. Early in 1411 Balin returned to his starting
point, rural Palembang, to establish a temple there. The site chosen, on the southern
coast, was apparently a local shrine of some sort, containing an ancient stone statue
of an enormous crocodile, various altars and outbuildings, all nearly overgrown with
vines and moss. Closer inspection of the altars showed where restraints must have held
victims for sacrifice. Balin shuddered at the barbarism of such acts. What sort of
people would worship a giant crocodile? he thought with disgust.
"This place has easy access from roads and along the coast," explained
the priest who chose it as he gave long-bearded Balin a tour, "and demolishing these
old abominations will provide fill and building material for our own temple."
But the next day when workers hired by the priest arrived to begin clearing the site,
they were warned by a dozen angry locals to leave. Balin, the
very figure of spiritual power, returned with the workers the following day, hoping
to calm the locals' protests. Over a hundred peasants and villagers, in silent awe of
Balin, kept their distance for a short time, but when a worker
swung his hammer with an audible crack! against the statue's huge head, the mob
erupted with shouts of fear and fury and surged forward, throwing rocks, shouting
some madness that destroying the temple would doom them all. Sometime
during the riot Balin fell, hit by a random blow, and was fatally trampled along with
a number of workers. His final thoughts were of astonishment, that such wild beliefs
could exist in these modern times. His broken body was brought home to Tanjore by his
grieving retainers for a proper funeral.
High priests Gormadoc, Marroc, Oin and Marmadoc were sent to gain converts in the
Burmese cities of Mitikaya and Xie, and the Kambujan cities of Mar'gu and Paga. All
reported success. Additional groups of priests went to Java, Burma and Kambuja to
speak to those already Hindu, to increase the strength of their beliefs. This was
accomplished in Java and Burma, but forbidden in Kambjua by the emperor who sought
to return his nation to the ways of Buddha.
In 1412, Gandhi - a slim, clean-shaven, charismatic priest of great energy - assumed
the title of Primate.
The Empire of Sirinigar 
Vakal, Emperor of
Sirinigar
Diplomacy: Gujerat(F)
Vakal proved a far more energetic emperor than his father. Castles and fortifications
were begun in every region, the army was increased manyfold, and trade was begun with
the Safavids, Sheba and Aksum. A census was ordered to tally people, beasts and crops.
The empire fairly crackled with new energy after years of lethargy.
Indeed, long caravans of wagons and beasts made trip after trip moving both cargo and
people from Parapavura in Kashmir to Drahala in Punjab. Imperial cavalry kept the
curious away.
Nor was this activity the only mass movement. The population of
Suratjat in the burning desert
of Jats was evacuated en masse with all portable possessions and escorted by imperial
cavalry to a new site in the lush green land of Gujerat, where a new Suratjat was
built. The people were not pleased at leaving behind their homes but with so
many imperial troops about any rebellion was doomed to failure.
Though Vakal took ruling quite seriously, he found time for pleasure with the palace
concubines, one of whom bore him a daughter in 1411. Soon afterward he was off on a
diplomatic mission to Gujerat, where he offered a royal marriage should the local
Shah be more than a tributary vassal. He accepted, joining his lands to Sirinigar,
and in 1412 Vakal was wed to the sister of the Shah.
The Emirate of Turkman
Abdul, Shah of Bukhara,
Emir of Merv
Diplomacy: Kuljab in Kush(F)
Growth: Turkman in Bokara, Samarkand in Kara-Khitai, Nishapur in Khurasan,
Khiva in Khwarzim, Tashkent in Otrarsh, Termez in Tadzik
Abdul launched a massive building program. Extensive public works were constructed
in Tadzik and Uzebek, and no less than six cities were expanded. More government
employees were hired and the army increased as well.
Mohamar, already in Kuljab, conducted diplomacy with city leaders in an attempt to
bring them fully into the Emirate. By the end of 1409 they agreed, but Mohamar lived
only a few more days to savor his triumph, being crushed by a runaway wagon in the
streets of Kuljab. His chief assistant was promoted to close out the mission.
Tragedy struck again, with Abdul suffering a series of strokes in late 1411 that left
him paralyzed, then dead. With her children not yet of age to rule, Abdul's wife
Fanosh asked the general Hasim to her quarters. Abdul always thought Hasim to be
loyal, she thought, I hope my husband judged rightly. "General Hasim," she
said, "you pledged to fight at my husband's side should the Emirate be invaded. Will
you serve as Regent, pledging to step down when my eldest comes of age to take the
throne?" Hasim bowed. "I would be honored to serve the Emirate in any capacity," he
replied. And so it was done.
The Khanate of Scythia
Razuli ar-Rhani, Regent, Khan of the Scythians, Lord of Afghanistan
Diplomacy: Registan(UN)
Growth: Herat in Kash
Razuli ordered public works built in newly cultivated Dasht'Al'Kavir as well as the
city of Herat. Herat itself was expanded to be a more proper size for a capital. The
royal road under construction from Hazan, Dasht'Al'Kavir to the port of Alamut in
Tabaristan was completed. Lest his neighbors eye this progress with greedy eyes, Razuli
commanded the army be increased.
Razuli pondered on his diplomatic failures in Registan and Bauluch some years ago, and
decided to concentrate all efforts in Registan. Sanglant, a career diplomat, was sent,
to be assisted by his mentor Sharit - now nearing retirement - and the young Ibrahaim.
After many meetings the hostile tribal chiefs were persuaded to at least be neutral
towards Scythia instead of outright hostile. Half a loaf, thought Sanglant,
but better than nothing.
########################################
The MIDDLE EAST incl Nile
Valley and Arabia
########################################
The Holy Imam of All Islam
Imam Mohamad ar-Rhani, The Holy Imam of all Islam, Old Man of
the Mountain and Highest Follower of Allah, Beloved of Scythia
Diplomacy: Azerbaijan(-)
Growth: Tabriz in Azerbaijan
Consecration: Arbiliq(CH) Edessa(CH) Hassanchop in Edessa(CH) Syria(CH)
Jordan(AB) Amman in Jordan(MN) Mosul(MN)
Mohamad ar-Rhani ordered the expansion of the Holy City of Tabriz, and the building of
extensive public works to handle the annual influx of pilgrims. A royal road was begun
from Tabriz to the port of Acbreigt in Georgia, and the defenses of Azerbaijan were
strengthened.
Shiite missionaries were dispatched throughout Asia Minor, gaining additional converts
in Phrygia, Carhae and Armenia. New converts were acquired in Lazica and Capadocia. Only
in Urmia did efforts fail, thanks to a particularly active local Eastern Orthodox
priesthood which followed the Shiites and spoke against them.
Mohamad ar-Rhani was not one to simply send out missionaries - the Imam believed in
doing the work of Allah personally. He established mosques in rural Arbiliq and Edessa
and in the city of Hassanchop.
Mullah Abdul made the journey to Syria, establishing a mosque in the countryside. In
Damascus he worked to found an abbey at the site of the existing mosque, but the night
before the ceremony, as workmen were finishing the final touches, one knocked over an
oil lamp onto a pile of robes to be used in the consecration ceremony. Flames spread
quickly and although the blaze was confined to the building, the ceremony would have to
wait until repairs were made. Shaken but not harmed, Abdul continued on, founding an
abbey in rural Jordan and finally spent 1412 in Amman cannonizing a monastery.
Meanwhile Mullah Kabob, having ministered to the homeless in Selucia (where the Dubai
Horde ran wild in 1405), rode through Mesopotamia, viewing similar desctruction, on his
way to Mosul. May Allah strike down the Dubai, he thought, for truly they are
servants of Shaitan. At least Mosul was still green and prosperous, and in 1409-1410
an abbey was improved to a full monastery. In 1411 he moved on to Carhae with orders
to establish a mosque in the farmland, but noticed many Roman Catholic churches still
active. Not wishing to risk religious strife, he decided to stop and sent a message to
the Imam asking for further instructions.
Mullah Aziz, starting in distant Fez, was ordered to return home. The trip was
uneventful. Eventually he reached Azerbaijan where he spent several years
smooth-talking the local nobility, but without success.
The Safavid Empire of Basra
Nuh'a-Din ibn Nur, Shah of Baghdad, Spokesman of God, Chosen of Allah,
Guide of the Faithful, Most Learned of the Holy
Diplomacy: Syria(-)
May Allah strike down the Dubai, thought Nuh'a-Din, for truly they are
servants of Shaitan. The previous years had seen that horde sweep through the regions
of Selucia and Mesopotamia, sacking and burning the cities of Al-Najaf and Baghdad,
carrying off from city and farm alike anything of value and destroying what had to
be left behind, then vanishing into the desert of As'summan (not the Al'Nefud, as
previously reported).
But the Empire was not to be surprised twice. Extensive field fortifications were
built in Mesopotamia, Hahmar and Kuwait to block - or at least delay - another
incursion of the Dubai into the heart of the empire. Under the Shah's supervision,
thousands of heavy cavalry were outfitted and trained around Basra, swelling the
existing army, and numerous mercenary companies were hired as well. The young heir
Mufasa - at 23 already being compared to Alexander the Great - hastened from Arbiliq
to take command, arriving in June of 1409. He was joined by the much older
Kamar as second in command. They began planning how best to react to a second
horde invasion.
In April, Hazras, a charasmatic favorite of the ladies of the court despite the
onset of middle age, had departed Basra by boat and in June was ashore in Qatar
with a small band of retainers. Hazras and his men spoke cautiously with the Qatari
they met in each village. Soon he learned when the Dubai had passed
through years ago, they had conscripted the young men and taken the best horses, neither
of which had been seen again. Resentment of the Dubai ran deep, Hazras determined, and
he considered how best to make use of that.
As the work of Allah must continue despite the threat of war, missionaries worked in
Armenia in co-operation with those sent by the Imam. So must the work of improving the
empire, as great masses of workers labored on projects due for completion in 1412:
royal roads into Dasht'Kavir (linking to Scythia), Lebanon (linking to Madragian),
Ahraz (bridging the Tigris) and Carhae (another link to Madragian), as well as the
conversion of El Burz to cultivated.
Nuh'a-Din received a delegation of merchant captains who complained
Chola had banned them from trade. He promised to investigate.
Asalih, having finished diplomacy in Damascus, rode through the Syrian
countryside meeting with local nobles. They remained ummoved by his words, clearly
disappointed no gifts were forthcoming.
In late June, a dispatch rider brought news: the Dubai Horde had invaded Kuwait.
[See Kuwait Campaign]
The Madragian Emirate of Aleppo
al-Salud, Emir of Aleppo, Servant of Allah, Guardian of the Western
March
Diplomacy: Pamphyla(AW) Psidia(-) Dabik in Psidia(EA) Isauria(T)
Anamur in Isauria(-), Sancelade in Carhae(EA) Sardinia(C)
Growth: Antioch in Aleppo, Nicosia in Cyprus
Hasan al-Salud ordered numerous works in Cyprus to improve the health and welfare of
the rural population. Urban dwellers were not overlooked either as Nicosea was
increased, as was Antioch. Missionaries sent to Cappadocia reported some success.
In mid-1409, a ship arrived from Egypt, and its passengers and crew were escorted to
the emirate's university and made welcome.
At the end of 1409 the effort of turning Edessa into farmland was complete and the Emir
ordered celebrations to mark it. During them, he proclaimed his brother Salad'in to
be heir to the throne, since his own children were very young. Mourning for his queen,
he visited his concubines rarely, not siring another son until 1412.
The Emir sent Prince Turrela met with the nobility of Pamphyla, after two generations
still resentful of Madragian authority. Turrela was aging, proud, cantankerous, and
traveled with many trunks of expensive robes more worthy of an emperor than a prince.
As diplomatic talks dragged on he became
increasingly impatient and blunt, the last meeting breaking up in a shouting match.
Claiming great insult, the hot-headed Pamphylan nobles declared themselves in open
revolt. Turrela and his aides escaped back over the
border with only the clothes they wore. "Curse Hasan, sending me on a
mission he knew was doomed!" vented the Prince to one of his retainers.
Career diplomat Salam Salamma traveled to Psidia where he engaged in talks with the
rural leaders. A longtime city dweller, he made no progress. In late
1410 he went to Dabik where he and the mayor became good friends and a treaty of economic
alliance was signed. A few days later Salam died peacefully in his sleep.
Another career diplomat, Abu'Bakar, was in Isauria likewise to woo the rural
locals. While traveling through a mountain pass in late 1409 an avalanche buried him
and several of his party. The survivors chose Abu's assistant to continue the mission
and in 1410 the Isaurians agreed to become tributary. The mission went on to the city
of Anamur, but the day after their arrival a fisherman hauled in a strange-looking
armored fish in his net. The supersitious folk took this as a bad omen, and no progress
was made.
By contrast, the warrior Mourad, who only spoke middling Turkish, had better luck and
convinced the mayor of Sancelade that economic alliance was wise.
Last but not least, the warrior-diplomat Kadi boarded ship in Antioch and
sailed along the Mediterranean coast to the island of Sardinia. Despite the language
difference he made valuable contacts among the local nobles. Only toward the end of his
stay did he learn the Sardinians already were tributary1 to the Almohad
Emirate of Morocco.
1The map Kadi was referencing had not been updated
to show Sardinia in the Moroccan color.
The Mamluke Sultanate of Egypt
Uzayr, Sultan of Egypt, Ruler of the Upper and Lower Nile, Defender of
the Holy Land, Master of the Seven Seas, Sword of Allah, Invincible Overlord of the
Mamluke Empire
Diplomacy: Dongola(EA)
Growth: Al'Qahira in Mansura, El'Iskandria in Egypt, Asyut in Fai-Yum, Abydos
in Thebes, Al'Quds in Levant, Baida in Lybia, Aqaba in Petra, El'Allaqi in Nubia
The Sultan and his heir Sheik Ali ib Omar stood ready with the army should the Dubai
Horde head towards Mamluke lands. The charasmatic warrior Abu Bakr and several of his
equally hard-eyed fellows received instructions from the Sultan, then headed east in
the direction of the threat.
As time passed it became apparent a Dubai invasion was not
going to happen. Sheik Omar enjoyed his concubines, siring a son in 1409 and a
daughter in 1410. But tragedy befell him in early 1411 when his daughter Amira-Saleh,
only 9, was one of a number who drowned when a hippopotamus overturned their barge
during a Nile excursion.
The Sultan, rather old for harem pleasures, instead spent his energy on great projects.
At Uzyar's command the treasury and manpower of Egypt was poured into building the
nation. No less than eight cities were expanded. Extensive projects of irrigation,
sewage, public buildings and monuments filled the cities of Al'Qahira and
El'Iskandria as well as Lybia and the Levant. In late 1410 the Lybian steppe became
productive farmland. The Lybians, who paid no taxes to the Sultan, were puzzled but
pleased with such an effort on their behalf.
Even this feat was overshadowed in early 1411 when the Aswan Lock Project was finished,
allowing passage of the 1st Cataract of the Nile. Ships could now travel
upriver beyond Nubia, to the Aksum region of Alwa.
The vast university complex in El'Qahira was busy too. Booming sounds were heard as
Egyptian alchemists experimented with the new mixture called gunpowder, as was the
constant hiss of pouring metal and the clanging of hammers as metalworkers labored at
the alchemists' behest. In mid-1411 Abu Bakr and his cohorts were seen on campus and
around the rest of the capital, searching for something, and at one point they were
seen chasing a stranger through the crowded marketplace.
Two groups of missionaries were sent to the grasslands of Dongola to bring the word
of Allah to the pagans. One group had significant success, but the other was condemned
by a powerful local shaman. The day after, they did not return to the village to
preach, and their campsite was found deserted.
Diplomats Raisuli and Ar Raheem were also sent to Dongola. Only a few months into their
meetings with local leaders, Ar Raheem fell from his horse as the men accompanied the
Dongolan chiefs on a hunt, and he died without regaining consciousness. Raisuli continued
with the help of Ar Raheem's former assistant, and persistance paid off - the Dongolans
signed a treaty of economic alliance.
The Merchants of El'Iskandria
Jamil al Haysin, Merchant of El'Iskandria
Capitalization: Constantinople in Thrace(BO) Madiera in Granada(BO) Sela in
Danakil(MF) Mahidia in Tunisia(BO) Corinth in Morea(MF) El'Qahira in Mansura
Shipyards echoed with the sounds of sawing and hammering as
new merchantmen were built at Jamil's command. Sea trade was established with Chola,
and several existing trade routes to Europe significantly expanded.
Jamil, already in Constantinople, contended with religious hostility and a different
language but managed to expand the extant merchant factory to a full sized branch
office. The same was accomplished by Amnon Jarsud in distant Madiera despite the same
problems.
Wadid Talal and his staff, traveling by ship to Sela, met up with the company's agent
and were able to establish a factory there, inspite of
the same difficulties of a hostile religion and foreign tongue.
New hire Murad ibn Fwahid, sent to Mahidia, had an easy time expanding the factory
there to a full-fledged business office. Fellow Shiites who speak Arabic, thought
Murad, it's good to be among civilized people. And the stuffed roasted camel
is superb!
Meanwhile, Yusif ibn Nursah, known company-wide as "Silver Tongue", traveled first to
Corinth and thence to El'Qahira, establishing a factory in each city.
The Coptic Kingdom of Aksum 
Tobin VI, King of Aksum, Negus Negesti, Lord of the Coptic Wilderness,
Lion of Judah
Diplomacy: Ain Farah(F)
Growth: Dongala in Alwa, Wasan in Adulis, Bur Sudan in Suakin
Tobin VI embarked on a major round of nation building. No less than three cities were
expanded as well as cultivation projects continued in Lalibela and Kobowen. However,
the major effort of Aksum was devoted to completing the cultivation of Harar from
wilderness, and celebrations were held to mark the finish.
Not content with all the above happening, the king also directed extensive sewer and
water supply systems, parks, and impressive monuments be built in both Bur Sudan and
the holy city of Beigi. That neighbors not eye all this as easy pickings, Tobin VI
increased the size of the army, while his agents moved throughout the kingdom checking
foreigners for proper entry papers.
Two ships - one from Egypt, and another flying the flag of the Merchants of Iskandria -
docked in mid-1409 and their passengers and cargo were quickly escorted to the
capital and made welcome at the kingdom's University.
While this whirlwind of activity was underway, middle aged diplomat Showa accompanied
by Doga, Tofar and Suaks all traveled to Ain Farah and sweet-talked its leadership
into becoming friendly to Aksum. In the midst of celebrating, Doga drank far too much
of the native beverage - made from fermented sheep's milk - and passed out, never to
regain consciousness. Never the most robust of men, he died the following day.
Missionaries were sent to nearby Darounga to instruct the pagans in the ways of the
Coptic faith. Unfortunately Aksum itself is only mildly religious, and its
representatives lacked the necessary zeal for the job. Tribal shamen proclaimed
the Aksum to be evil spirits sent to confuse with false words, and only a few
missionaries escaped to return alive to Aksum.
With the completion of the Aswan Locks by the Egyptians [see Egypt], Tobin ordered
merchants trading with the Byzantines and Madragians to relocate their ships to
the river port of Dongala. This relieved the considerable congestion at the Red Sea
port of Bur Sudan. He also received a delegation of merchant captains who complained
Chola had banned them from trade. Tobin promised to investigate.
The Dubai Horde of Arabia
Dhul Fiqar al-Baith, Sword of Death
Diplomacy: None
Dhul Fiqar could contain his men no longer. In the scattered villages and oases of
As'Summan the tribesmen had used the stolen wealth of Selucia and Mesopotamia to buy
the best of everything. To live like a god in As'Summan became a common phrase.
But a desert can only support such an influx of population for so long, and the nomads
were again restless to steal from the rich lands of civilization.
"Where to, my Khan?" asked his ally Rumah of Al'Riadyh. "To the south, where the ships
of Sheba bring back endless wealth? To the west, where the treasures of the Nile await?
Or the northeast, where the Safivids cower in fear of our return?"
Dhul Fiqar laughed. "Northeast! The Safavid goat bleeds from its wounds. Let us slaughter
it for good and feast on its carcass!" A roar of approval went up from the gathered
clan chiefs, who hastened from the Khan's tent to roust their followers. In late April
1409, a river of nomads crossed the border into Kuwait.
