Post Archive
Region: The Roleplay Chessboard
The sultanate of rum
The imperial book
For law, states and religious management and rules for the imperial province of the mengujek
This law book has been wished by the sultan reinforced through the nobility and has been declared right by the hocas of the sultan. Oh highest of sultans you a merciful leader of rum you're tung has given us a beautiful dream and the hands of your servants have woven it into reality truly you're lands have been blessed by Allah, ah Rahman, errahim, Al haliq. And shall spread the word and laws of Allah
first page written in the imperial law book.
In the lands of the mengujek far away from the decisions of the Sultan lived a man named karagliz he wasn't rich or a soldier he was just a middle-aged man that had a face always looking like he was angry with a wife and 5 kids living on his farm He was 1.5 meters tall with a small black beard above his lips. His wife had brown hair and was 1.4 meters tall and their 5kids were all mix of brown and black hair.
But he also had a friend hacir that he would meet on his weekly visit to the city.
And as he went their With the wood that he chopped and he his fruits and vegetables
But he had a surprise this week that he wanted to sell. And of course, he wanted to showed it too hacir first. After going around with his escheck (word for donkey in Turkish) but he couldn't find him so after a while he just gave up opened his stand and sold his wood and fruit to buyers but when it came to the honey he got he just couldn't sell it no matter. What he tried he shouted he screamed he marketed he gave a better price for it but no matter what nobody wanted to buy the honey of him buying the much worse tasting honey of another seller. And after he almost gave up his friend came and asked him: why the long face karagiz?
Karagiz: if you would know my dear friend I found honey that tastes beautiful but nobody buyes it from me they buy it all of the other salesmen even if it tastes much worse
Hacir: Of course my friend look at the man's face do you see something
And so karagliz took another look a the man's face and found him smiling and laughing at his customers.
Hacir explained: while you sell sweet honey your face sells crap
And while your face sells that his face is as sweet as honey even if his honey is not.
Roma invicta
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Romisches Imperium
[pre] 一个最幸运的事件[/pre]
[sub]An Incident Most Fortunate[/sub]
1204
Fortune smiles upon the Middle Kingdom with a fortuitous occurrence leading to an expansion of its glory. News comes to Kaifeng of the sudden death of the King of Dali, Duan Zhilian, has led to a power struggle in the vassal state of the Great Song that lies to the southwest.
The absence of a suitable heir outside of the generally ill-liked Duan Zhixiang is an occurrence most fortunate for the Emperor, whose policy of vassalisation dictates his ability to appoint the next ruler of the kingdom due to these unforeseen circumstances.
In an act that has surprised few who have been keeping up with events in the region, the Emperor has elected to further integrate Dali into the Empire, appointing Governor of Sichuan Province Wu Xi vassal-regnant of the Dali Protectorate. An event sure to further add to the glory of the resurgent Great Song Dynasty, this move introduces a region of great natural wealth into the Song Empire.
Dali has long been on the periphery of Chinese affairs not particularly relevant to them although managing to stay on the fringes of relevance in the Chinese world, since its inception in the 10th Century AD. However, with the newfound expansionism of the Song, it is clear that this signals a political pivot to a policy that will see the Emperor actively growing the borders of the empire, rather than embracing the passive isolationism that has characterised Chinese policy in Asia for years now.
The next target of expansion seems to be the untamed lands to the northeast, with the Emperor mobilising 3 Banner Armies in the Northeast of China to launch a campaign of expansion into the lands of the Manzhou. Staffing and defensive preparations in the north, including along the Great Wall, have been also increased after skirmishes with the Mongols to the north. Fortifications along the border bristle with fire lances, huo pao (massive gunpowder bombs) and hundreds of thousands of troops, potentially in response to increased Mongol raids into Song lands. The effectiveness of the Mongol cavalry over the open plain of Northern China is undeniable, however, so is the viability of a Song counteroffensive, with the Empires massive fortifications providing a staunch redoubt against any force that should dare to threaten the empire.
Institutional reforms are also aplenty in the Empire, with generals being reshuffled amongst the upper imperial armies and the armed forces being expanded to over 2,000,000 from its present figure of 1,750,000. Tribal auxiliaries (fanbing) from the Tibetans and recently-annexed Tanguts shall be used in conjunction with a Han force, to form a new and separate cavalry force of at least 600,000 in addition to the imperial armies, using the prized horses of the newly-incorporated Dali Kingdom. In response to Chinas new primary threat, the old doctrine of massed cavalry and crossbowmen will be used as a counter to horse-based forces, in addition to the infantry being equipped for and instructed in anti-cavalry warfare, using the renowned horse-butcherers, battle axes, and pikes and following the battle square doctrines outlined by Yue Fei.
The first test of these new armed forces will be the suppression of the rebellion in Sichuan, which is undoubtedly something they will be eminently well-equipped to do.
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Zanbala Prz, Romisches Imperium
DEUTSCH REICH | HEILIGES RÖMISCHES REICH
[list]1204 | Magdeburg, Germany / THE GREATER CASTLE[/list]
| Glory to the Reich! Kaiser Otto IV has appointed Maria as crown princess, one of the only ever. Stability was prominent at the Empire. With the guidance of God nothing shall go wrong under his blessing. Since his coronation Otto has brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire and Germany. Currently the Kaiser is looking for opportunities for economical expansion and trade. Otto IV is currently overseeing the construction of the new castle at Magdeburg. Until then he is resting in a guarded tent at the river island of Werder. |
MUSIC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nQTc1G2kW0
| Imperial Knight Conrad was riding in his horse, through the woods of Cracau, crossed the Elbe river over the Anna-Ebert-Brücke. He felt the wind push against him while riding at speed. His older brother, Herzog Bernhard III was beside him, they both were reporting to the king about the progress in Dresden. Both men slowed as they crossed the Anna-Elbert Bridge. |
[sub]| Imperial Knight Conrad Albert | It is a perfect evening, the warmth, the breeze, its all wonderful.[/sub]
[sub]| Herzog Bernhard III von Saxony | Oh common Conrad, we must report to the Kaiser immediately! No Distractions! [/sub]
[sub]| Imperial Knight Conrad Albert | Bernhard, you are no fun, what would it take just to stop and feel nature.[/sub]
[sub]| Herzog Bernhard III von Saxony | We have no time Conrad, follow me.[/sub]
| As they approached the island of Werder, Workers has already started construction of the new castle. The Imperial tent was surrounded by smaller high ranking and royal tents. The Kaiser was overseeing the construction of the castle, so far they have finished the front wall and gate with the south tower halfway built. Many other nobles and dukes has arrived to oversee the construction. As both men arrive at the gate, they see the Kaiser walking with multiple royal architects, they immediately approach the Kaiser and take a respective bow before him, when both stand up Conrad begins... |
[sub]| Imperial Knight Conrad Albert | Kaiser Otto, my highness, the port is compete at Dresden[/sub]
[sub]| Kaiser and Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV | Wonderful, now boats with rescores can travel from the dense forests of Dresden to our construction site here, I expect a another port to be built at Riesa and Hamburg.[/sub]
[sub]| Imperial Knight Conrad Albert | Yes my highness, that shall be done.[/sub]
[sub]| Herzog Bernhard III von Saxony | Kaiser Otto, my highness, how much boats should be sent to the construction site? [/sub]
[sub]| Kaiser and Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV | The architects recommend 10, this castle will be glorious so it will need a lot. [/sub]
[sub]| Herzog Bernhard III von Saxony | Yes my highness, that shall be done, they shall arrive as soon as possible. [/sub]
| Bernhard tips his hat and gets on his horse, rides back to Dresden. |
[sub]| Kaiser and Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV | Conrad before you go I want you to also oversee the mines, I am getting reports of stolen horse. [/sub]
[sub]| Imperial Knight Conrad Albert | Will do my highness.[/sub]
| Conrad once again bows to the Kaiser and leaves. |
| The Kaiser has been very ambitious the past few years. Economic and Trade expansion is what is currently focused on, Military improvements is what's next on his list. A "crown princess" was not an expected thing, and most nobles opposed it, but Otto claims she will have the capability to rule just like anyone else. |
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Zanbala Prz, Gaia Major
The sultanate of rum
The year is 598
Ambitious. One word alone and it would describe how the current sultan Suleiman the second felt after the sack of Constantinople. Attacking a state that was only now created by the sack of Constantinople what could be better this situation is a beautiful one.
Joy could also not describe the feeling of Suleiman when he got the news of the sack he had a bitter feeling on his tongue since the sack had probably destroyed old artifacts and jewelry. That he wanted to sack himself. Nonetheless, the sultan started the warlike every other. He would increase the raids near the coastline and would ready his troops. Anatolia would become a part of his empire if not what else? So he sent out letters after letters to raise an army to march into the new territories while also increasing the raids near the southern border one near the coastline to disrupt trade and take control of some border parts.
He had planned to go conquer the coastline a long time ago and it was one of his main goals but now with nobody to stop him, it was sure to be an easy target what could stop him?
And as the letters were sent out and the new post office could show its use and faster delivery time. It would still take until the end of the year to even have 50.000 men ready. But he had planned for this he would mobilize the first half and if the war dragged out the new soldiers would Slowly trickle in surely. And so his ministry of war had to deal with not only supplies but 50.000 thousand men until the end of the year.
It would surely handle it what other choice did they have?
And so the letters went to the aristocrats to get ready for War the cost would be high but a coastline and glory would overshadow the costs and doubts or at least the sultan hoped it would. The no led themself weren't sure they already fought a minor conflict they fear if the sultan takes this land and coastline and would administer it like the mengujek region that one day they would all be removed. And again the drums of War let the people dance to its rhythm.
a few weeks later
In a plain field, a few horses went to the Border Region to scout and prepare a raid and see how it is they couldn't find anyone it seemed like the few guards that defended this part wasn't there for reasons like not being paid or just going home or even just being Confused on what is going on.
And so they raided the local village and disturbed local trade waiting on routes and streets to steal what they could.
And now with the sultan seeing a way to take what he thinks is his and more raiding commencing Anatolia would be the next chance for the heart of humanity to bleed itself out.
Roma invicta
Otsla, Zanbala Prz, Gaia Major, Romisches Imperium
What year is the RP
[pre]The Big News
April | 1205 CE [/pre]
[sub]Oslo[/sub]
| King Sverre of Norway had a major announcement to make to the people. He had many runners ready to declare the news throughout the Kingdom. He invited the nobility to attend the nobility and many Norwegian bishops to Sverre Keep to announce the news. He hosted the event on the front lawn of the keep in order to also allow others to observe the proceedings. He made the event a big deal for the locals, who ceased work for the day of the celebration. He hosted a major jousting competition. As it started to get late in the day, the dinner tables were set and dinner was prepared. Once everyone was seated at one of the many tables, King Sverre made his announcement. |
"Attention to all here and throughout the Kingdom of Norway, I have great news in two parts! First of all, the Queen has birthed a new princess for the Kingdom, Princess Astrid of Norway, my second daughter. Princess Astrid shall, upon her majority, be granted the title 'Dutchess of Midtlandet', the middle region of the Kingdom. She was born yesterday at mid-day. In addition to that, I will finally reveal my plans for a University of Oslo. While some of you already were aware of my plan to build the University, this is the first time I shall reveal the details of it. Norways needed a place to centralize the education and learning of the skilled workers of Norway. As a result of this, I have decided to set up the University of Norway as place for guilds to recruit and educate students. While exceptional scholars may be offered scholarships to attend, most attendees shall be required to pay a 100 Mark per year fee for admittance. This University shall also teach politics and military strategy and training, as a means of also centralizing training for the Kingdom's soldiers. It shall also contain a guild for the training of persons for the Clergy. Unlike many institutions, we shall not restrict attendance to male students. As long as one can pay the tuition fees, anyone can attend. Allowing women and girls admittance shall also increase the value of women for the benefit of her future or present husbands. The University shall offer special courses for housekeeping and other tasks one would find within a home. I have decided to announce this because major progress has recently been made in the construction of the University of Oslo. The University of Oslo shall be the sole and official University within the Kingdom of Norway."
| After his announcement, King Sverre allowed everyone to eat their meals. The rest of the celebration went by quickly. What King Sverre had not said during that announcement as that the University of Oslo was largely planned in order to make sure that the Peasantry would see the Sverre family as 'on their side' and as a reward for their support of his regime during the civil war. It also pushed the role of the Church in education to the wayside, as education was normally the prerogative of the Church, which normally prohibits women from receiving such an education. King Sverre felt that a decently educated skilled workforce would ensure his legacy continues on and prevents future attempts by those like the former archbishop Eirik Ivarsson, who supported the Baglers in opposition to his rule. |
| The day after the celebration, he began training the Swedish princes in the art of warfare, using mock battles and referencing records from historical battles. King Sverre wanted his investment....the princes....to be successful in the seizing of the Swedish throne. The Princes wanted to go later this year, but King Sverre had managed to convince them to wait a bit longer in order to ensure numerical and tactical superiority over Swedish forces. Spies had already been sent in order for the planned invasion to have knowledge of the areas needing to be traversed to attain the goal. Many naval warfare excercises were also conducted to ensure that the naval forces would dominate any sea-based aspect of the upcoming invasion. What comes next is yet to be known.|
Val Verde-, Otsla, Zanbala Prz, Romisches Imperium
1205, you can join our discord for more information.
Rutenija
Post self-deleted by Zanbala Prz.
[list][list][list]𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐑
ʜɪꜱ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛᴇᴍÜᴊɪɴ![/list][/list][/list]
Years after the defeat of his former blood brother Jamukha, Temüjin alongside his Khan Toghrul had dedicated themselves to intense military campaigns. Fighting a multitude against various enemies, the most recent to be defeated is the Taichiud's, a tribe who had resisted fiercely during the conflict. Temüjin while chasing after fleeing Taichiud's into a river crossing, was ambushed by a sudden counterattack that wounded him with an arrow to the shoulder. Forcing Temüjin's men to withdraw from the river crossing and return to camp. Toghrul attempted to retaliate against the Taichuids but was also driven off when he was injured after his horse had knocked him off the saddle, injuring his back and with cracks to his rib cage, leaving him effectively incapacitated. Both men injured they'd have to withdraw from the battle, however, Temüjin despite his injuries would take back to leading his troops and alongside Toghrul's son, Senggüm, he returned to battle the next day and during the whole day clashed until finally the Taichiud's had been bested and defeated. But not long after plundering and dividing the rewards, a coalition army of Khadagin's, Salji'ut, Dorben's, Tatar, and Khongirad tribes was due to arrive soon, being spotted by some of Temüjin's scouts. Still injured, Temüjin would fall ill due to his wounds leaving Senggüm and some of his officers to lead the battle against the coalition. Despite the competence and experience of his officers, Senggüm unwillingness to listen leads the army to a disastrous defeat, forcing Toghrul and Temüjin to retreat alongside the army. Senggüm not wanting to admit to losing the battle would put the blame on Temüjin and his officers, something Temüjin would never forget or forgive for that matter. After resting and recuperating from his wounds, Temüjin would quickly resume his military campaigns against the Tartars without Toghrul as he still remained bedridden from his injuries. Senggüm ever fearing Temüjin's rise takes to whispering tales of conspiracy and betrayal to his father. Warning him that Temüjin continual rise in power will only end in his overthrow. The night is cold and Senggüm steps into his father's yurt, he motions to the slaves to leave them be. They comply stepping outside, Senggüm quickly kneels to his father's side, Toghrul still inured is bedridden and he merely tilts his head to meet his son's gaze.
[list]{ 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐥 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐧 }
Senggüm my son, what troubles your mind?
{ 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠𝐮𝐦 }
Father...it pains me that you are still like this, but what pains me more is the fact that Temüjin does not respect you enough to stay by your side.
{ 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐥 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐧 }
What do you speak of Senggüm? Do not come into my yurt to speak ill of Temüjin, he has proven to be an honorable warrior, something you should probably seek to imitate.
{ 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠𝐮𝐦 }
Father do you not see? While you lay here, Temüjin is out there claiming more and more victories! His camp grows ever larger with these...these lowly goat herders, he has no respect for customs of old. A man like him will never be content with what he has.
{ 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐥 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐧 }
Silence your tongue Senggüm! Not another word, for I tire of you slandering Temüjin. He is like a son to me and a brother to you, he's been nothing but exceptionally loyal to me.
{ 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠𝐮𝐦 }
Father, you must realize that Temüjin's allegiances are changing, his band grows and grows while ours remains the same. Once he grows to a point he will have surpassed us and throw us to the side.
{ 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐥 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐧 }
That's enough Senggüm! I will not have you disturb me any further, leave my yurt and let me rest![/list]
Senggüm would stand up and leave the yurt, clearly bitter that his father would not see to reason. However, Senggüm would not be deterred, if his father could not see to reason then he looks elsewhere for allies to deal with Temüjin. For Toghrul, despite not listening to what his son said. Still, deep in his mind, Toghrul did unconsciously fear Temüjin's rise in power for if one-day Temüjin decided to leave Toghrul to the side, it is the end for the old Khan. No matter how hard Toghrul attempted to suppress this feeling, it was not one he could bury for each that passed only made him more and more paranoid. In the end, the steppe is unforgiving and one only need to make one mistake to loose everything.
Valijun, Val Verde-, Zanbala Prz, Rutenija, Romisches Imperium
Kievan Tsardom
[list][sup]April 17, 1205[/sup]
Long live Tsar Daniel Romanovich[/list]
___
Kiev, the royal court of His Majesty Tsar Daniel
___
| "Your Majesty ..."
A envoy ran into the throne room where the Tsar was seated and bowed deeply.
"... You have a letter from the Grand Duke Fyodor Mstislavich."
The Tsar stretched out his hand forward, and the envoy handed him a cover with a letter.
Even from a distance, through the window, Daniel Romanovich saw a long red jacket and a black-and-red hat, and even then he felt disgusted. This was the personal envoy of his uncle, Fyodor Mstislavich, Grand Duke of Suzdal. The Tsar, of course, did not know his name, and it was useless - it was, after all, not his servant. But what Daniel knew for sure was the character of this man. He was an ignorant and cunning man, a sneaky sycophant, very hypocritical. An unpleasant and dangerous person whom Daniel met more than once while he was Tsarevich. In other matters, like his overlord, Fedor Mstislavich. The people tell the truth, what kind of master is, such are the servants. |
| Daniel Romanovich opened the cover and took out a letter.
[list]My dear royal nephew, Daniel Romanovich, I was sad to learn from you that my dear brother Roman Mstislavovich died in Bose.
We will pray to God for the peace of his soul.
I also happened to learn that when dying, my late brother on his deathbed gave you the Tsardom of Kiev.
There is no doubt that Roman Mstislavovich wanted only the best for his state, but you are not even twenty-five years old. You are young and inexperienced in government affairs.
And there is nothing shameful that at times you will rely on the advice of more experienced ones. I am always at your service and ready to help you in everything. But we will talk about this personally when I come to your coronation. Until then, accept my condolences.
I bow low to you.
Grand Duke Fyodor Mstislavovich of Suzdal." |[/list]
| Daniel pressed his lips together.
"Here is a snake!" he thought "He wants to rule with me! He does not care about his brother. Their relationship is known - eternal enmity, and nothing more. He was offended, I suppose, that father left to me an inheritance, not to him. Well, that won't happen! I will crush the head of this snake while it is small. "
The Tsar sent the envoy away with a gesture, and thought about something, looking out the window. |
Teujira, Valijun, Otsla, Rutenija, Romisches Imperium
WATCH EITHER ON LOOP TO SET THE MOOD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVtr0eXfm0Y
OR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tjny7-mO6A
[list][sup]SUMMER OF 1201 TO SUMMER OF 1202[/sup]
UNITING THE TRIBES: THE PRUSSIANS, CURONIANS AND LIVONIANS[/list]
___
[sup] Curonia, Prussia and Livonia[/sup]
___
| The unification of the baltic wasn't over, not yet, the Curonians, Prussians and the Christian Livonians still stood in opposition to Lietuva and they had to be conquered for Lietuva to truly stand a chance against the Eagle and the Bear. The Rus might be fragmented but it is still a formidable opponent, and the HRE is even more of a threat. This isn't even mentioning Poland who perhaps is the most immediate threat to Lietuvos independence. First the Curonians would be targeted for conquest, it was a land split in two by Duke Sabe IV of Kurs and Duke Dabrielis VII of Vanemi. Duke Sabe was an all around able warrior and efficient ruler and Great Duke Algimantas ideally would want Duke Sabe IV to just submit so he can make him the duke of all Curonia under Lietuva, but Duke Sabe was a notoriously stubborn man so he'd have to defeat his forces in battle first. The Duchy of Kurzeme had a pitiful amount of soldiers but they were masters at proto-guerilla warfare, better than the Lietuvos themselves reportedly. High Duke Algimantas' plan was simple. He'd get his army into a series of ambushes intentionally and brutally crush the forces attacking every time with every trick he had in the book, and it worked eventually. the Next phase of the plan was simple, he'd send a messenger to Duke Sabe IV to offer him the entirety of Curonia and an end to the war if he would submit as a vassal to Duke Algimantas. But he made sure to threaten the destruction of his entire family if he refused the offer. Luckily he came to reason and submitted to High Duke Algimantas' offer however with great reluctance. Duke Sabe IV didn't trust this so called "holy warrior" and his supposed visions from the gods. |
| The next enemy to conquer was the second Curonian Duchy lead by Duke Dabrielis VII of Vanemi. He was by all accounts an awful ruler and a horrible person as well. He was a coward, a well known deceitful liar and an impulsive tyrant who abused the rights of his vassals. It wouldn't be very hard to defeat him as he had an even smaller force than Duke Sabe and no impenetrable forests to hide in, his entire realm was in the plains around the gulf of riga directly south of Saaremaa. His family was the oldest in pagan baltic and streched back to the 800s when Curonia was unified by his family. They have since then fallen on hard times and Algimantas plans to extinguish their 300 year old family as a statement to everyone else: Do not submit and everything you have will turn to ash. Grand Duke Algimantas easily crushed his force in battle and pushed towards the capital. It was a moderately sized settlement surrounding a modest wooden fort. It wouldn't even be very hard to assault the settlement as it was made of wood. They could knock down the gates with battering rams or burn down the walls. Ultimately they chose to do both. Once inside the settlement it was entirely razed to the ground and looted. Such is war, not even the Family of Duke Dabrielis survived. He had two adult children who joined him in the fort fighting for their lives, His son Kulewene and Imetra fought valiantly but were killed in the chaos. the Duke was found in his personal quarters, and was locked inside the fort as it was burned to the ground. |
| Next on the targets for conquest would be the numerous Prussian duchies. They were incapable of standing a chance against Lithuania as they were very fragmented and bickered amongst each other constantly. There were eight major Duchies, Pomesania, Pogesania, Warmia, Natangia, Nadruvia, Bartia, Galindia and Sembia. Sembia was by far the most important and powerful among the Prussian tribes. It was lead by Duke Runkym Semba. A zealous, cruel but just leader. He was also the most ambitious among the dukes of Prussia so Algimantas sent an offer to him at his capital of Krantas. Submit to Grand Duke Algimantas Palemonaičiai as a vassal and be granted the entire Duchy of Prusa post-conquest. All he would have to do is kneel to Grand Duke Algimantas and assist in the war. The war would be long and grueling with the Prussians being masters of their heavily forested and marshy home but the Lietuvos and Sembians would win through the sheer size of their armies. Prussian raids into Poland would be one of the main catalysts for a Polish invasion of Prussia so Grand Duke Algimantas had to end the raids through conquest and build up his forces before opposing the Poles and Rus'ians. The only way the old ways would survive is if the ENTIRE baltic was united from Pomesania to Tālava. |
|One state stood in the way of total Lietuvos control of the Baltic, the Arch Bishopric of Livonia lead by Albrecht of Livland. Despite the small size of his Archbishopric it was the greatest threat to the eternal independence of Lietuva. They could rally the dreaded Poles and Germans to their cause through the so called virtuous mission of Crusading. They had to be made an example of. Thus Grand Duke Algimantas once again raised his troops and spread news around the country that they were going to destroy the Christian interlopers at the mouth of the Daugava River. This would drastically increase Grand Duke Algimantas' already famous reputation as a warrior fighting for the continuation of the Old ways in the Baltic. All six thousand of Grand Duke Algimantas' troops would march to the Arch-bishopric. The first target would be the stone castle of Üxküll. It was far away from the Daugava but it was by far the most fortified Castle in the Baltic, being stone. The Lietuvos do not know how to make stone castles so kidnapping the architects in the castle and forcing them to teach Lietuvos architects how to make stone castles would be essential to Lietuva strengthening itself. The Seige would be short in time and the period of looting even shorter. A small force would be left in the Castle to man it and redesign its inside to better fit pagan Balts. |
| News in Livland of the desecration of Üxküll Castle would spread quickly and Albrecht of Livland would intentionally go out with his mere 1700 Westphalian Crusaders to fight Grand Duke Algimantas' 6000 strong army. The battle would be a complete slaughter but Albrecht's army stood valiantly for hours and hours, much longer than Grand Duke Algimantas expected. If Christians were anything they were persistent. Arch-Bishop Albrecht of Livland would be captured after the battle along with his commanders. Albrechts Commanders would be tied to rocks and drowned and Albrecht himself would be tied to a post and beaten to death with clubs, like the old romans did. His bones would be sent to the Vatican in an ornate chest with a short handwritten message meant for the Pope himself: |
| "Your Supreme Unholiness
Pope Innocent III,
You seem to have misplaced your man Albrecht here. he
and others were found trespassing in the sovereign lands of
the Grand Duchy of Lietuva. Your kind should do well to stay
out of Lietuva or more will come to your doorstep.
Worst Regards,
Grand Duke Algimantas Palemonaičiai" |
___________________
| "tvirtai stovintis prie netikėjusius" |
___________________
Teujira, Val Verde-, Otsla, Zanbala Prz, Rutenija, Kiewan Rus
sorry but the mod team has to vote on your app for you to be accepted as the Kievan Rus
don't worry ive already put a vote up
Rutenija
Thank you.
The sultanate of rum
As the country finishes to ready for war border raids become more and more frequent some towns have already been taken over and some have just been laid to waste. But now it is no time to raid but to conquer.
Suleiman the second is getting ready for war some troops are undersupplied but they will just be the second army that will reinforce the first one during the war if something happens. But this new state he figures is not gonna put up a fight that he can't handle. His plans are simple he planned them with Yusuf and advisors and aristocrats and finally agreed to. Something.
A terror campaign a march to the coast to the south and then slowly work their way up while in the north raiders would go behind the border and destroy equipment and disturb troops. The sultan himself also Planned routs and fortresses to take before any further qonqest into the region was possible but a campaign planned this quick and the equipment still arriving and beeing given troops is risky. Just because of the sudden and unprepared strike beeing against the new state West of them didn't mean the sultan himself wasn't unprepared either but he needed this qonquest and he needed it fast another chance like this wouldn't happen again in a thousand years
Roma invicta
Teujira, Valijun, Otsla, Rutenija, Indril, Romisches Imperium
when I tried the discord invite it didnt work
1205
The King Returns Triumphant
| King Joshkar I finally returned home as the triumphant conqueror of the northern lands. He freed the majority of his serf soldiers and allowed them to settle in the north founding a new powerful and loyal support base in the northern territories. Once he returned to Yalenzhou he found a region in disarray. The nobles now having lost a large working base were furious and beginning to plot against King Joshkar, especially through supporting his brother Joshkir. The plan for the nobles was to assassinate Joshkar and pin the blame on the northern nobles while elevating his brother to the position of King.
| King Joshkar; however, had become aware of this plot and set to deal with it. He invited all nobles in the realm and his brother to a feast. After a night of partying and drinking King Joshkar strangled his brother Joshkir in front of the entire crowd of nobles. His brother died thrashing and crying having never known his crime. Then Joshkar had the leaders of the plot executed by strangulation, and he allowed the remaining nobles in the plot to kneel before him and beg for forgiveness which many threw themselves down before him immediately.
| Secondly, King Joshkar would set about fixing the economic woes in the south. A poor harvest and an empty treasury would prevent his campaigns against the Malians in the coming years. To increase revenue within the royal treasury he increased taxes on the south with mere grumblings from the nobles, while also asking for donations from his new nobles and landowners of the north, who happily obliged him. Finally he bolstered the treasury with captured loot from the villages sacked in the Selingue campaign.
| Thirdly, the King would begin preparing his Kingdom for a war against the small and bickering Mande kingdoms to the north.
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Indril, Romisches Imperium
OOC: I'm really sorry I haven't posted more recently, I've had a lot going on, with exams and work, but now that it's all over, I should be able to post more frequently.
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[list][sup]NOVEMBER 1205 AD[/sup]
THE HOLY EMPIRE OF VOLGA-BULGARIA[/list]
[sup]The Antipapal Court of Bartholomew Svinos, The City of Bulgha, The Holy Empire of Volga-Bulgaria[/sup]
The flames twisted and danced upon the altar as the Bogomil priest stared into the fire. The Temple of the Shepard was nowhere near finished, yet he had insisted on the altar being put in, so that the bishops and priests may begin the ceremonies. It was coming along nicely, and although the Temple Tax was somewhat unpopular at first, it was surprising how much people would go through for their Pope. And God of course.
"It is true, Your Holiness, that you are the chosen one of God above, destined to bring his fury and might upon the heretics. If you strike now, surely our Lord and Saviour above will favour our sword and bless us with victory."
Bartholomew only nodded grimly. There would indeed be a reckoning and the unbelievers would learn to believe. The best lessons were learned in blood, and his army would bring it wherever they went. His army was now an iron core. Although the initial hordes were untrained and unskilled, like flint, the weak had been chipped away. All that was left were veterans, cold and ruthless. The Khazarian Khanate had fallen, but they had taken a godly escort of with them. Now he was raising another army, and leaving the veterans to defend Volga-Bulgaria. The Kipchaks and Cumans were always a pain, terrorising and raiding Volga-Bulgaria. They were tribal though, and would provide little coordinated resistance, and the veterans should be able to deal with them. Kievan Rus. They might be a problem. Best to to keep an eye on them for now. Until a way could be sorted to deal with them, of course.
It was time to continue west. With the Khazarian Khanate out of the way, though the last remnant still gnashed and bit at the Bogomil heels, they could at last return to Europe and bring the Catholics back to the light. They were not as lost as the Islamic heretics of course, for they still believed in the Son of God, but they were corrupted and must be shown the truth again. It was up to him, antipope Bartholomew Svinos, may his name be blessed in the light, to lead the Bogomils to victory. He felt old, old to his bones, yet not so old as to not follow this through to the end. The world must stand united under heaven once more. After he had purged the sin from the world, he would lead humanity back to Eden. Fervour burned in his eyes, smouldering.
The west. Yes. That was it. They needed to go west. Unfurling a map, he began the preparations. Rearmed, and trained, this army would be no rabble, no mob of devout Bogomils. Poland and Lithuania first, then the rest would fall before his onslaught. A proper army, well equipped and loyal only to the antipope, and none else. They would be unstoppable. He smiled grimly. Even the most powerful king relied on vassals to provide troops, but the head of the Bogomil church would have his own. A fine joke. This hammer of an army he was building would be the greatest joke the world had ever seen. It was just a shame he would be the only one laughing.
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Jasumaa, Romisches Imperium, Kiewan Rus
Kievan Tsardom
[list][sup]May 18, 1205[/sup]
Your worries [/list]
___
Kiev, the royal court of His Majesty Tsar Daniel
___
| The day turned out to be very warm, a light breeze gently sways the green leaves of oak and birch trees, which stood under the window of the Tsar's Palace. Nightingales and sparrows chirp merrily somewhere on the roofs of houses, and the wind carries their songs throughout Kiev, the most beautiful of cities, the center of the lands of Rus. And there is no equal to this city, neither in the west nor in the east. Now all this, all this beauty will belong to him alone. |
| From this, Daniel Romanovich was even more overwhelmed by the excitement of the upcoming ceremony. The young Tsar, as the boyars call him, who are skeptical about his age, was only twenty-three years old. He was very young and did not have enough practical experience to run a huge country. No, he had enough theory: from a young age he was taught by the best teachers, theologians, military leaders, the highest aristocracy and boyars. He repeatedly watched and accompanied his father, Tsar Roman Mstislavich, when he was engaged in state affairs. But was that enough? |
| This day is important for him, very important, it is necessary! Today's coronation will legitimize his claim to the throne that his father left him, and make him a full Tsar.
"How are you feeling, your Majesty?"
Daniel turned around. In his chambers stood Pavel Olegovich, the chancellor of Kievan Rus, a close friend and ally of Roman Mstislavich. For the young Tsarevich, he was a mentor, strict, demanding, but fair and kind, for which Daniel Romanovich was very grateful to him.
"Great, Pavel Olegovich! I hope you are in good health too?"
The Tsar said, going up to the chancellor to greet. He nodded in the affirmative.
"Good, God grant. And you, Your Majesty, do not worry so much about the coronation, you will certainly cope, there is nothing that could go wrong! Better let's go, breakfast has already been served, you will need a lot of energy today."
Daniel Romanovich smiled, he patted Pavel Olegovich on the shoulder, and followed him into the dining room, where a long table with many dishes had already been laid. There was everything one could wish for: quail, turkey, caviar, pike, pancakes, dumplings, kvass, beer and foreign wines. |
| Over the sounds of beautiful music and cheerful and casual conversations with Pavel Olegovich, breakfast passed, and the Tsar's anxiety subsided a little, and it became easier to breathe. He was lucky to have such a wonderful faithful person as Pavel Olegovich nearby. Despite the fact that the chancellor will soon turn seventy-first, he still retained his clarity of mind, and in his mind and wisdom, he probably surpassed all the sages living now.
"He's right." thought Daniel Romanovich "Today's coronation will be successful, and yet, I need to repeat the speech from the throne again. There is not much time left until noon." |
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| "Від Господа дана вам держава, і сила - від Вишнього, Який досліджує ваші справи і випробує наміри". |
____________
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa
Kievan Tsardom
[list][sup]May 18, 1205[/sup]
Coronation [/list]
___
Kiev, Saint Sophie Cathedral
___
| The ringing of church bells spread throughout Kiev at noon, but today he did not announce the beginning of the service and did not invite believers to the church. Today he announced that the coronation of the new Tsar of Kiev and Galicia-Volyn, Daniel Romanovich, was beginning. On such days, the people did not work, they gathered at the gates of the Cathedral of Hagia Sophiе, wanting to see the Tsar with their own eyes. They also wanted to be the first, at the holiday in honor of such a significant event, large tables with white tablecloths were laid, on which there were so many different foods, which on other days the common people did not even see, much less knew their taste. And the gifts from the Monarch are very generous: gold, jewelry, fabrics and much more were laid out in bags, which, without looking, were handed out to people.
True, this usually led to a crush, sometimes even to death. People are in such a hurry to receive gifts and get to the table that they do not notice how they are knocking down the person in front. |
| The Tsar, astride his horse, nicknamed the Arrow, rode up to the gates of the Cathedral of Saint Sophie, and dismounted. With all the desire, he could not jump off the horse, as he always did, since his long golden ceremonial caftan with all the decorations and regalia strongly constrained Daniel's every movement, so he had to do everything very carefully so as not to fall in front of the public . Entering the open gate of the temple, he crossed himself three times, as required by the church law, and bowed, saluting God. He climbed the steps to the gilded doors of the temple, which were immediately opened to him. After hesitating for a second, he went inside. |
| With a confident step, Daniel walked forward, on his right and left hands were people invited to the ceremony: boyars, officials, nobles, landowners, clergy and military aristocracy - all looked at the Tsar, bowing to him. How many people were here, yes, the cathedral was also not small, the largest in Rus, but even so. How many are there, a hundred? He had seen this only once, when his father was crowned, but then he stood in the front row, admiringly watching the magnificent ceremony. Now his era has begun, now he will do what his father could not do - to unite all of Rus. All Rus, from Kiev to Novgorod and to Ryazan. |
| The ceremony began with a universal prayer for the "repose of the soul" of the deceased Tsar and for the "health" and "long years" of the current Monarch. At this time, Daniel Romanovich was thinking about his current position, about his future role in this world. How can he rule this country, how to unite it? Does he have supporters among all those people who came here today? And among those outside?
Will he be popular with the people or will he be overthrown and another will rule over these lands?
He sighed heavily.
The singers and reciters fell silent, and Daniel knelt and bowed his head, Patriarch Athanasius of the lands of Kiev and All Rus, whispering a prayer on the head of the Tsar, loudly said
"With God's mercy, for the glory of Kiev, the son of God Daniel is henceforth and for the ever time the Tsar of the lands of Kiev, Galicia and Volyn. Tsar and Sovereign over all of us and God's anointed one. Amen!"
"Amen!"
The people present in the temple repeated and bowed to the Tsar. |
| Going out into the street, Daniel Romanovich took a deep breath of fresh air. He was finally able to breathe deeply, and the point was not even the smell of incense, which soaked all the air in the cathedral, from the high concentration of which he was dizzy. He felt free from something, perhaps for the first time since the death of his father.
Immediately after him all those who were in the temple began to go out and congratulate the new Tsar, assuring him of their loyalty and endless devotion. Daniel just smiled and thanked. |
| After the last person came out and this whole "ceremony" was over, Daniel Romanovich went out to the people who had gathered at the gate. It seemed to him that during this time there were even more of them. After the cheers of the cheering crowd, "Long live the Tsar!" and "Long years of life!", he thanked all those present, and offered to go to the main square, where the ceremonial distribution of gifts and a feast would begin.
However, as soon as the people, like a wave sweeping away everything in its path, went to the square, the Tsar saddled his horse and left for the palace. Arriving, he ordered to prepare the carriage and collect his things.
He was not up to the holiday and fun, he leaves for Galicia. |
___________
| "Досягни того, чого хочеш, або доведеться задовольнятися тим, що маєш" . |
___________
Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa
LISTEN TO THIS TO SET THE MOOD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVtr0eXfm0Y
[list][sup]1204[/sup]
THE NORTHERN CRUSADE: THE DESECRATION OF ROMOWE[/list]
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[sup]Romowe Temple, Western Sambia, Duchy of Prusa, The Grand Duchy of Lithuania[/sup]
___
| A boat filled with 500 men would land on the Shores of western Sambia under the cover of night. It was lead by a certain bearded and balding man named Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheimm, the grandmaster of the Teutonic Order. The majority of the Teutonic Army would be invading western Prussia through poland, but the smaller force had a much more important task. They would travel to Romowe, one of the most important Temples in the Baltic Pagan faith and burn it to the ground. At Romowe stood a small wooden temple built around what was certainly the oldest and tallest Oak tree in all of Europe. The Pagan balts from the Prussians to the Lettigallians considered it the World Tree of their religion, an important religious center to be sure. It was named the Auros Medis or the Tree of Dawn. The Tree of Dawn was supposedly meant to be "a powerful tree with widespread branches and strong roots, reaching deep into the earth" and this tree fit that description perfectly. The Teutons assumed the destruction of such a site would be a heavy blow against the pagans in the region. A crushing blow to their beliefs.|
[list]The small army reached the Temple. It wasn't very heavily guarded as it was assumed no pagan would target such a holy site, and Christians usually weren't knowledgeable about the more important temples in Baltic paganism. The Priest in charge of the Temple would walk outside with two dozen armed guards protecting him.[/list]
[list]Priest ygimantas of Romowe: "Why do you trespass in this holy place, Infidel?"[/list]
[list]Hochmeister Heinrich Walpot would stand there silently, the moon gleaming off of his intimidating winged helm. He did not understand the language of this man, he didn't need to. He didn't see the point in knowing a language he assumed would be dead come a generation after the Teutonic conquest of the Baltic. The balts were pagans, and leaving any alive would be a slight to God, surely. the Hochmeister would shout a command in Low German to his troops.[/list]
[list]Hochmeister Heinrich Walpot: "Leave the Priest alive, Kill only his bodyguards! I have need of this dry soul'd heathen."[/list]
[list]The 500 soldiers easily slaughtered the 24 lightly armored bodyguards, however ygimantas managed to slip away into the temple in all the Commotion. A small portion of the 500 Teutons would break into the open roofed Temple and slaughter the other priests within the temple, all except one who was injured and pretended to be dead to survive. The Teutonic knights would begin packing timber and hay all around the wooden structure. the Hochmeister would appear from a separate room with rope over his shoulder dragging the baltic Priest ygimantas by the hair out to the World tree. ygimantas was screaming and cursing the entire time. He handed the rope to one man and the priest to the other. [/list]
[list]Hochmeister Heinrich Walpot: "You take rope, and you take this beast here and tie him to that accursed tree."[/list]
[list]ygimantas would be tied onto the trunk of the tree, doused in oil and set on fire along with the rest of the tree. The Timber and hay would also be doused in oil and set alight. The small troops inside the temple would leave the burning structure and travel back to their boats to eventually meet up with the main Teutonic Force. They had only just barely entered Prussia and haven't gone very far.The injured priest that managed to survive would only just barely escape the collapsing temple with his life. By the time he left the temple was nearly entirely alight. He would struggle onwards to a local village and steal a horse. From there he would ride as fast as he could to the capital to warn the Grand Duke what had occurred.[/list]
[sup]Vilnius, the Court of Grand Duke Algimantas Algimantas Palemonaičiai, The Grand Duchy of Lithuania[/sup]
[list]The ragged, bloodied priest would barge into the main throne room of the Fort. He looked barely alive, hanging on by a thread. He would collapse onto floor repeating something under his breath over and over. the Grand Duke's bodyguards would pick him up by his shoulders and drag him over to the Grand Duke.[/list]
[list]Grand Duke Algimantas Algimantas Palemonaičiai: "Why are you here, priest?"[/list]
[list]Injured Priest Skirgaila: "Christian infidels destroyed the temple at Romowe, th-th-they burnt down the World tree and slaughtered everyone. They tied Priest ygimantas to the tree and burnt him alive. I only survived by pretending to be dead, you have to do something"[/list]
[list]The Grand Duke was shocked by the news, for a minute he sat there in silence. Thinking of what his response would be[/list]
[list]Grand Duke Algimantas Algimantas Palemonaičiai: "The man leading these christians, what did he look like exactly?"[/list]
[list]Injured Priest Skirgaila: "He was wearing armor covered by cloth, adorned with a black cross on a white field. His helm was entirely closed with great curved wings protruding from the sides. He was speaking a peculiar language that I didn't recognize. "[/list]
[list]That information hit him like a charging horse. It was the man from his vision four years ago. The one that was helping a Ruthenian Warrior and a Pole murder A baltic man carrying a shield with a tree painted on it. The Germans were invading, no doubt aided by the Polish. He would turn to the soldiers carrying Skirgaila[/list]
[list]Grand Duke Algimantas Algimantas Palemonaičiai: "Get this man medical attention immediately and send couriers to my vassals, tell them to ride to the capital as quickly as possible, I won't take no for an answer."[/list]
| The Grand Duke knew exactly what was going on the moment Skirgaila described what the Hochmeister was wearing. That prophetic dream he had 4 years ago was coming true, or at least had the possibility to come true. The Grand Duke needed to rally the support of his vassals to war, and to prove to them the religion needs to be reformed or the Christians will wipe out the baltic. |
___________________
| "tvirtai stovintis prie netikėjusius" |
___________________
Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
[pre]Prelude to a War
August | 1207 CE [/pre]
[sub]Oslo[/sub]
| King Sverre had sent out a call to arms against a foe that was not specified to the masses, as to keep the plans secret from the target of the invasion. A Norwegian Legion was being raided as levies. The invasion was planned for next year, so King Sverre planned to have the levies trained in the standard swordsman, archer, and pikeman roles. Thousands of levies arrived in Oslo by mid-August. The Forge, recently completed, began churning out large quantities of steel and providing them to the Blacksmiths Guild to be forged into weapons and armor. Many logs of wood were transported to the harbor of Oslo, where the Shipbuilder Guild is building a number of ships that will be used to blockade the coast of the target nation. King Sverre dd not want to risk a loss, so he spared no expense in the preparation, even to the point of demanding his nobles to provide a tithe for the war effort. This upset the noble, but they could do very little to protest the tithe. They knew very well that King Sverre hired assassins to deal with nobles who oppose him. In fact, King Sverre had paid off the entire Assassins Guild to be his own group of enforcers in case any of the nobility 'crossed the line'. They knew very well that King Sverre would not hesitate to end them, especially after making a big how out of killing off the entire Bagler leadership to end the civil war. While they had not seen it, it is rumored that the desecrated body of the archbishop that took the side of his enemy in the civil war, currently lie as ashes, somewhere within Sverre Keep. The replacement archbishop is extremely loyal to King Sverre, whereas many suspect King Sverre that the current archbishop actually studied at the same school where Sverre was originally studying to become a priest, long before he even was considering gaining the Crown. King Sverre was already somewhat famous among the peasants for stripping the titles from the families of those who supported Sverre's rival in the civil war, and giving those titles to his most loyal supporters. |
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa, Romisches Imperium, Kiewan Rus
[pre]Swedish War
January | 1208 CE [/pre]
[sub]Oslo[/sub]
| The Norwegian forces, along with the Swedish princes decided that now was the perfect time to reclaim the Swedish throne from the usurper, Sverker II of Sweden. As a result of this, all of the prepared forces were now marching from Oslo. These forces quickly butchered defending Swedish forces who were not expecting such an attack. After the first week of fighting, the Swedish were able to organize a defense. The Swedish were fierce in their combat against thee Norwegian forces, but the Norwegian forces vastly outnumbers the local resistance and the smaller forces from the nobility. The Norwegian forces knew that the only major force that could cause issues would be the main fighting force under the usurper King Sverker II of Sweden, who had the bulk of Swedish forces, now under his command. The Norwegian forces began to head northward towards Gamla, Uppsala, the capital of Sweden. Heading north, the Norwegian forces, led by the four Swedish princes, and the Swedish forces, led by the King of Sweden, began battle near Kungslena, Sweden on January 31st, 1208.|
[sub]Kungslena, Sweden[/sub]
| The battle battle began with Swedish forces charging the Norwegian front lines, under heavy arrow bombardment. The Swedish knights had many casualties, as they ran directly into a line of pikemen, who made short work of the Swedish horses. The Swedish foot soldiers also suffered heavy casualties. The Norwegian forces did not come out of the fight without casualties, as three of the four princes died while fighting on the front lines. The battle soon became a repetitive set of Swedish retreats and Norwegian pursuits, until the Norwegian forces managed to surround the Swedish forces and force them towards Lake Vattern. At this point, the Swedish forces were pushed into the lake, as those who did not, fell victim to the Norwegian troops surrounding them. The battle resulted in a near total loss of Swedish forces and only light casualties for the Norwegian forces. Many Swedish nobles died from the battle, as did the former King of Sweden, King Sverker II or Sweden. What few survived the battle, fled Sweden entirely. After the battle, the Norwegian forces continued north, until they reached Gamla Uppsala, the capital of Sweden. |
[sub]Gamla, Uppsala, Sweden[/sub]
| The remaining prince of Sweden now awaited his Crowning. King Sverre and the Archbishop of Norway were in attendance. With the Archbishop presiding, King Erik X of Sweden was crowned, followed by King Erik X swearing his loyalty to King Sverre and his dynasty in perpetuity, declaring the Crown of Norway being the liege of the Crown of Sweden, and declaring that the Crown of Sweden shall be perpetually under the rule of the Crown of Norway. No one knew at the time, but King King Erik X did the oaths of loyalty out of both reverence to the King who showed kindness to him and his cause, as well as fear, as to how powerful Sverre's influence was. King Erik X also feared that if he refused King Sverre, King Sverre would execute him, before claiiming the Swedish Crown for himself, through his wife, who was once a Swedish princess. After the coronation, King Erik X declared that he could be moving the capital to the east, along the coastline. The declaration was made as travelling by a sea route would allow easier access to the larger town and villages of Sweden. |
Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
Kievan Tsardom
[list][sup]Summer, 1205[/sup]
Military training [/list]
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Galich, Galicia-Volyn Principality
___
| A richly decorated and painted carriage, accompanied by twenty mounted warriors, entered the city of Galich, which is the capital of Galicia and the Galicia-Volyn principality. She drove along small narrow streets, where it would be difficult for two carriages to pass. Then she drove to the central city square, which is always, at any time of the day and at any time of the year, full of a lively crowd, bustle, and the aromas of various spices and pastries, meat, fish and vegetables in the air. On this square there are trade shops where not only merchants from all over Rus sell their goods, but also from neighboring countries such as Poland, Hungary and from North German cities.
The carriage swept across the square and rode out to the outskirts of the city, climbing a mountain, along a road led by masonry, it stopped near a large castle, lined with white stone with a triangular roof of black tiles. The fortress was so large that at the same time there could be about 1000 soldiers, several dozen cannons and a myriad of firearms. It served as a bastion in case of invasion from the west by the Cotolics or from the south by the Polovtsy and Tatars. |
| Daniel Romanovich got out of the carriage and stretched his shoulders. They traveled here for several weeks, drove almost non-stop in order to get here as quickly as possible. Now he desperately wanted to lie down on a soft comfortable bed and fall asleep soundly.
The gates of the castle opened and from them, to meet the Tsar, the courtiers, guards came out, and in front of everyone was Princess Anna, Daniel's mother, the second wife of his late father Roman Mstislavich. She went to Daniel, greeted him and hugged him.
"It's so good that you finally arrived! When I received a letter from you, I was very happy, now you, like your father, God rest his soul, reign in Kiev."
"Yes, mother, I'm glad to see you too! How are you doing here, are you healthy? I am here for a long time, so we still have a lot to talk, but now I am tired, and I will go to my chambers." |
| On the morning of the next day, Daniel was already sitting in the throne room of this castle and received the Galician and Volyn nobles. Before becoming the Tsar of Kiev, he, on behalf of his father and by his appointment, began to govern the patrimony in the Galicia-Volyn principality. Now, after he became Tsar, Daniel Romanovich needs full control over these lands, so he gathered all the noble nobles, boyars, landowners, wealthy merchants, and demanded that they swear allegiance to him, and, as a result, to Kiev.
The whole procession went on for a long time, towards noon, the Tsar's body began to ache. He just arrived yesterday after a two-week ride in an inconvenient carriage, and here it is again! He really wanted to jump up and start walking around the throne room, and it would be better to gallop on horseback to the Dniester River and swim. But he had to endure. By two o'clock in the afternoon everything was finally over - the last man, bowing before him, took an oath of allegiance. Daniel Romanovich rose from the throne so that all those present could see him. Immediately, the servants gave the princely crown of Galicia and Volhynia, and the Tsar personally placed it on his head, and addressing all those present said
[list]"I accept your oaths and your loyalty! Thus, I proclaim myself the Prince of Galicia and Volyn, the Sovereign of these lands, and this people. I swear before God that my rule in these lands will be honest and just, and my reign in Kiev will not force forget me about my homeland.
However, even uniting the Kiev and Galicia-Volyn principality is not enough!
To the east of us, in the steppes, Tatars and Polovtsians live, who constantly raid our lands, rob and burn cities, kill men, and take women and children into slavery. In the west, there are Catholic Kings who wish to increase their influence by capturing our lands. Both those and others rule on small lands. So why are they so strong that they can threaten us?
The answer is absurdly simple! They are united in the face of a common enemy. Yes, they are at war with each other, but only someone else appears, threatening Europe, they immediately forget their grievances and unite, calling these alliances "Crusades".
So why didn't we do it ?! Why are we fighting instead of uniting? We have enemies in the east and west.
The first Kievan Rus was wrong. It was a free federation of equal Princes, because of which there was no end to strife. However, now there is Tsar who stands above all the Princes and Grand Dukes. Therefore, our future diplomatic and military victories will only strengthen the new Kievan Rus under the rule of a single Ruler with absolute authority and power. " [/list]
Daniel Romanovich finished speaking, breaking his voice. The entire throne room burst into thunderous applause. |
| Tsar Daniel determined the future goals of the war, namely: the Principality of Polotsk, then Smolensk. And the Principality of Turov will surrender on its own if, after a demonstration of force on its neighbors, vassalization is required.
Now, until April 1206, he will gather troops from the lands of Kiev and Galicia-Volyn.
This is how Daniil Romanovich, the son of Prince of Kiev and Galicia-Volyn Roman Mstislavich, will begin to realize their common ambitions and dreams. |
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| "Час любити і час ненавидіти; час війні і час миру" . |
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Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Jasumaa
[list][sup]MARCH 1208 AD[/sup]
THE HOLY EMPIRE OF VOLGA-BULGARIA[/list]
[sup]The Antipapal Court of Bartholomew Svinos, The City of Bulgha, The Holy Empire of Volga-Bulgaria[/sup]
A messenger arrives in Kievan Rus, bearing a letter addressed to Tsar Daniel. The messenger's horse seems exhausted, and it is clear that the man has ridden hard and fast to get here as quickly as possible.
The envelope of the letter bears a seal with a running wolf with three arrows in the background. A cursive and ornate style of writing labels the letter for the Tsar. Inside the the stylised script continues:
I greet Daniel Romanovich, may his name be remembered in the Light forever, Tsar of Kievan-Rus and all the subsequent counties and realms inclusive,
It is my belief that we, at least in part, share goals and aims. Neither of us desires war or violence between our nations, and therefore I offer a proposal to you, most illustrious of leaders. I seek an alliance, militarily and economically, an alliance that will unite our countries stronger and better than before. Together, with the might of our unified nations, what can we not do? Or, failing that, merely a truce would suffice, open borders and assurance of peace between us. We ask humbly that you consider our request, for we seek to root out infidels, heretics and traitors in the West. We look to rid the Kingdoms of Poland and Livonia of evil and enlighten them to the glory of God.
I await your reply, and encourage you to consider our request seriously.
Yours under the Light most Holy,
Pope Bartholomew I
On behalf of the Holy Lands of Volga-Bulgaria
[spoiler=Countries Tagged]Kiewan Rus[/spoiler]
Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
[list][list]Spring of 1206
ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴅᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴘᴏᴄᴀʟʏᴘꜱᴇ!
𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐔𝐉𝐈𝐍
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥[/list][/list]
[pre]"For a thousand generations, this land has remained the same with little to no change besides the rise of many would-be clans seeking to become rulers of the steppe. But from this moment forward, that all changes today, for I Temüjin will forever change the land. For I am not contempt to simply rule in my dominion like many others before me, this world is too large for a man to be contempt with one small space. My ambition knows no bounds and my horizons are endless. Oh great world, soon you shall witness me for I ride with a thousand men and will bring unto you my wrath for those who dare resist. This world and its riches will soon be my epitaph. But first, to the south, we must go to rid ourselves of the poison that is the Song dynasty. They seek to keep me contained but the fools shall soon know my name and they will regret the day they dare raise their hand to me. For my name is GENGHIS KHAN"[/pre] [list][list][sup]~ in the mind of the sublime lord Genghis Khan[/sup][/list][/list]
[sup]At long last the time had come. After years of strife, hunger, and frustrations, Temüjin has at long last reached heights unimaginable in his youth, but now a reality in his adulthood. His enemies laid wasted and defeated, their blades at his feet. His greatest rival Jamukha at last defeated. The cowardly Senggum forced to take his own life, and his foolish father Toghrul killed in a most pitiful manner. Without a single doubt, Temüjin had consolidated power and was now the de facto ruler of the steppe. But the road to glory was not easy, and great pain was endured to achieve this ultimate victory. The old lord had become physically weaker and senile in his old age. No longer able to ride or lead his armies into combat, the role of commander was increasingly relegated to Temüjin who gained more fame and power with each victory. Toghrul's eldest son, Senggum, had grown jealous and fearful of Temüjin's rise, thus he began sabotaging Temüjin whenever he could. Senggum even went as low as to make contact with Jamukha, secretly meeting with him and plotting together to rid themselves of Temüjin. For Temüjin represented not just an obstacle to power, but a threat to the very traditions that tribes had lived by for thousands of generations. Temüjin's new manner of doing things drew fear into the minds of old conservatives who only sought to continue their status quo. This would not stand and Temüjin was to be destroyed. Thus when the time came for Toghrul to make a decision on who would be his heir, Temüjin attempted to press Toghrul to marry his granddaughter to his eldest son, Jochi, to which Toghrul agreed as doing so would make Temüjin next in line. Senggum however was quick to put pressure on his father to cancel the marriage. But Toghrul was fearful of Temüjin's reaction as canceling marriages was often a reason for wars amongst the tribes. Despite that fact, Toghrul bent the knee and canceled the marriage during a meeting with Temüjin, during said meeting Senggum would openly berate Temüjin and his son, causing them to leave inraged. At that point, Senggum took the opportunity to further influence Toghrul. Telling him that Temüjin would betray him and seek to overthrow him as Khan. Too paranoid and old, Toghrul fully sided with his son and began plotting to eliminate Temüjin. Toghrul devised a deadly plot to kill Temüjin, he sent a letter receding his original decision, even having a date for the wedding picked out and an invitation for Temüjin to attend a feast alone. Temüjin would fall for it, convinced that Toghrul would never deceive him and that the marriage was now a secure matter. However, after one day's ride, a follower of Temüjin would tell him of a great plot to kill him. The follower told Temüjin that Toghrul had amassed an army, waiting for Temujin and his small band to kill him. Temüjin was trapped, with his camp too far and outnumbered his only choice was to command his men to split up and flee. Temüjin despite viewing Toghrul as a father felt nothing but pain that day, but nonetheless, he vowed to destroy Toghrul and Senggum. After escaping Toghrul's territory, only 10 men of his original group had managed to escape. Temüjin had little time to mourn and he quickly sent messengers to tell his thousands of followers to prepare for war against the treacherous Toghrul. Temüjin feared that his followers would not appear, but to his surprise they did, proving his revolutionary policies effective. Linking up with his forces they rode day and night without rest towards Toghrul's camp. In the middle of the night, while Toghrul, Senggum, and Jamukha feasted believing they had beaten Temüjin, Temüjin's army would completely surround the camp. Temüjin's forces would raid the camp and cut down Toghrul's army in mere minutes. Senggum and Toghrul would escape to the Naiman tribe, but the fate of Senggum was imprisonment. Captured and humiliated, Temüjin simply gives the prince one option, that being to take his own life, as Temüjin said quote, "I will not let my men sully their blades with the blood of a coward! Take your own life with this dagger or I will trample you to death!" end quote. While Toghrul had managed to escape his fate was even more pitiful than his son, as a Naiman soldier killed him after not believing that this old man was a mighty Khan. Jamukha however, had escaped and now allied himself with the Naimans.[/sup]
[sup]Now Temüjin had but one last obstacle to consolidate his rule and its wan nonother than his lifelong rival Jamukha. The final battle at long last came, as both warriors faced each other at the Battle of the Thirteen sides. For three days Temüjin's army would clash with Jamukha's coalition. Despite being outnumbered, Temüjin's army compensated by simply hitting and running, cutting down Jamukha's forces. By the send day, the armies were matched and the third day would be the last stand. The Naimans would attempt to form a large thin line to counter Temüjin's hit and run tactic, but Temüjin's forces quickly reacted by forming a straight line, crashing into the line and encircling them and dealing the final blow. After three days of battle, the fighting comes to an end. Temüjin, the future Khan is victorious. His former lord Toghrul is dead and Jamukha is on the run. Escaping to the hills with a small band of survivors. He who once commanded tens of thousands of warriors now has to hide in the mountains with a handful of followers. For a short time, Jamukha tries to find allies against Temüjin, he even joins with former enemies and attacks his own clan. Disillusioned, his followers turn on him to hatch a desperate plan they believe will save their own lives. They tie up Jamukha and turn him over to Temüjin. Bound Jamukha is delivered to Temüjin by his former comrades in arms, the men expect gratitude and reward, but Temüjin orders their execution as he finds their actions disgusting and ordered their executions. Temüjin proposes to Jamukha to bury their rivalry and return to his side. But Jamukha refuses and only seeks an honorable death. With a heavy heart, Temüjin delivers his former blood brother his request. With his wish granted, Temüjin last great enemy is defeated. In 1206, Temüjin receives the greatest honor, at age 44 he is declared supreme commander and Khan of all Mongols by the grand assembly of tribes. A veteran of many battles, he accepts the homage of his tribal leaders. They swear an oath to Temüjin, "We will make you Khan; you shall ride at our head, against our foes. We will throw ourselves like lightning on your enemies. We will bring you their finest women and virgins, their rich tents like palaces. If we disobey your command during battle, take away our possessions, our women, and our children. Leave us in the dust, cutting off our heads where we stand and letting them fall to the ground!". He is given a title no one has ever been awarded before...𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐧, the impetuous ruler.[/sup]
Valijun, Val Verde-, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Indril, Jasumaa
1 2 0 8
[pre]Year of the Fire Rabbit[/pre]
西进扩张
[sub]Westward Expansion[/sub]
The lands to the West of the Middle Kingdom have ever been on the periphery of the Sinosphere: not quite Chinese, but simultaneously not quite NOT. Inhabited for most of living memory by nothing more than nomadic tribes from the mountains to the south, these are lands far from the lush paddy fields and forests of China itself: lands cold, dry, and yet fertile.
The enlightened rule of the ageing Emperor Ningzong has overseen a period of unprecedented prosperity and growth following the unification of China under his august guidance in the year Qingyuan 6 (1200). The cities and villages of China have seen populations rise dramatically to an estimated 150 million souls in the present year of 1208. This drastic rise has placed undue stress on existing dense population centres in the traditional Sinosphere, leading to heightened risks of famine and shortage that already plague Chinas neighbours to the south.
As such, the Emperor in his infinite wisdom has issued a mandate for the expansion of the Middle Kingdom westward and southward, into such lands as are presently occupied by miscellaneous riffraff and which would be put to much better use under the dominion of the Middle Kingdom. The plan, called 一千个新城市 or One Thousand New Cities, is ambitious to say the least, outlining the annexation and incorporation of some 300,000 qing of land.
Under the plan, which resembles strongly that adopted by the Great Tang in ages past to push Chinas frontiers westward, households currently resident in China proper but without actual land/houses in which they reside will be incentivised forcibly to migrate westward and settle the virgin lands that lie there, through information that will be spread to them of the vast mineral and natural wealth of the region, and opportunities that it presents to them to make their fortunes in these new lands. A population of no less than 20 millions is expected to migrate over the coming decades, occupying and Sinicising these lands to be worthy domains of the Middle Kingdom. Army detachments of more than 40,000 men and 4,000 cavalry is set to accompany these settlers westwards, in order to wage wars of conquest against the fragmented tribes of Xizang, which posed such a threat to Chinese power in ages past.
With the express goal of subjugating these tribes, this campaign is expected to take years to complete, with the generals of the western armies establishing bases of resupply and replenishment in the newly-settled Chinese colonies and maintaining operations in accordance with the Imperial directorates.
Chinese colonists will also be directed to reintegrate and re-Sinicise the oasis cities of the Silk Road, historically under Tang dominion and which have since eluded the Chinese fold. A mighty army of more than 120,000 soldiers and 50,000 horsemen in addition to implements of siege warfare such trebuchets, siege towers, catapults and gunpowder bombs to wage a war of conquest against the Western lands: doubtless a bloody war, but one necessary to remind the unruly Turks of who the true master of these regions is. The campaign is expected to proceed westward from Luoyang across the steppe lands and into Dzungaria potentially even as far east as Ferghana, if the armies are sufficiently successful in their conquests. These are lands which are controlled at present by a mixture of independent oasis city-states and the Qara Khitai empire: pretenders to being a legitimate Chinese dynasty, whose insolence must be resoundingly punished. This mighty army of the Song will push westward from Qinghai and will aim to subjugate first the independent city states of Dunhuang and Karashahr, and then wage war against Black Cathay, with the object of their vassalisation as well as the exertion of Song dominion over traditionally Chinese lands up to Lake Balkhash, lands which are rightfully Chinese by virtue of Tang conquests in ages past.
Additionally, an envoy shall be despatched to the court of the newly-crowned Mongol Great Khan, with the object of opening trade relations and exploring the possibility of entering into a military alliance, an expedient considering the Songs designs on large parts of Central Asia: lands also rumoured to be coveted by the Mongols, leading the Emperor to believe that an alliance with the Mongols would suit China satisfactorily in order to facilitate expansion into these lands.
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Miwok-, Rutenija, Indril, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
Kievan Tsardom
[list][sup]March 1208[/sup]
Reception of the envoy of Volga-Bulgaria [/list]
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Royal Palace in Kiev
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| The envoy, having finished reading the letter, looked at the Tsar and saw his thoughtful expression on his face. He was clearly thinking about the offer that Pope Bartholomew had sent him. This letter surprised Daniel Romanovich very much, because he did not expect that the first letter with a request for friendship would come from the east.
The Tsar thanked the envoy and directed him to the Ambassadorial yard, a huge guest house where foreign ambassadors and envoys can live without needing anything while awaiting a reply letter. |
| Daniel did not sleep all night, he wanted to deal with such an important state matter as quickly as possible, even before any of his confidants and advisers knew and began to give advice.
Early in the morning, when the sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon, Daniel had already finished dressing, and, calling the guards, ordered the clerk to immediately appear in the throne room. When the clerk came, the Tsar began to dictate a letter in response. |
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Content of the letter:
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[list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]"To His Holiness, the pious Pope Bartholomew I, Suzerain of the Holy Lands of the Volga-Bulgaria,[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]
I was sincerely glad to receive your letter with such warm and kind words.
Do not hesitate, your envoy will be given the most cordial welcome.
We are glad for your friendship, with such a pious state, and its same leader, may the mercy of God be with you!
With this letter I want to assure you that from now on your traders and merchants can freely move and trade in all my lands. Also, I want you to know that from now on our borders are open for your people, and the minds and hearts of my people are open for the sermons of your missionaries.
Unfortunately, I cannot accept your request for the alliance. You are the enemy of the entire Catholic Europe after you have declared them all, and including the Pope in Rome, by heretics and apostates. Of course, our opinion about them coincides, however, the lands of Rus are now fragmented and weak.
I am convinced that if we become military allies, then the entire Catholic Europe will unite against us. We border on the Kingdom of Poland, which my Galician lands already want. Everyone knows how fanatical the Poles are in matters of faith.
There are also Hungarians on my border. They were defeated by you and now they are unlikely to miss the chance to take revenge on you. It costs them nothing to destroy the numerous Principalities of Rus, and then they will march on you with a crusade.
Let me, for a start, unite Rus under my banner and power, but for now let our partnership be economic, and the lands of Rus will be a buffer between you and the Catholic West.
With great respect to you. [/list]
Tsar of the lands of Kiev, Galicia and Volyn,
Daniel Romanovich"
[spoiler=Countries Tagged]Indril[/spoiler]
Valijun, Val Verde-, Otsla, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Indril, Jasumaa
The Sultanat of Rum
The year is 1209
The sultan is ready and his plan is put into action to secure the city of Xanthos and cut the new state in half but before he could take this city he would first need to take other cities first he needed to take the cities of zorlar,bekciler, and bazkoy to secure his logistical supply and cut off the city from its supply lines and slowly move up the road.
"we march for our dear sultan against the enemy and we do it hopefully that what he creates will not die in a hundred years" unknown quote of an aristocrat.
The sultan is on his horse they cross the vaguely known border raiders and scouts already informed him that they won't meet anybody until they are closer to the cities but they would be cautious for any surprise attacks.
Part 1
we have marched from sögüt we are on the way to the cities of bekciler we will be there in the next few days until now we have seen no enemy forces except small raids i can fell that they are preparing .
20th day we are halfway there we had an attack of a peasent group of 15k it was just two rows of peasents and a few nobles in the thenths that made up their cavalry core of 50
it was a desperate way of trying to stop the sultanat army or even discourage them
*The situation: near the road to bekciler it was on a field that was completely plastered by holes left to the road the farmers were lying in those holes whith swords while the cavalry covered themselfs in the forest right to the road ready to surprise the sultants army and showe them into the holes. a small part of the seljuk forces walked directly into this trap they were cavalry who was ordered to advance at breakneck speed they were lead by yusuf riding down the street the sultan ordered them to be as fast as possible
and try to cut of this part of the country. and then it happend
"klak kluk klak kluk. "O nedir/what is that" said a man and looked at the direction where the sound was coming from he could see a cavalry charge he screamed "aman tanrim hayir/oh god no". yusuf looked at what the person was screaming at. From all directions other then their left side they were charged at he had no choice but to march into the trap to try to save his small cavalry unit. they fled through the forest and into the trap he saw the holes his horse broke down he could see the face of a man and then black.
a few miles down the sultan gets the information about the death of yusuf the sultan outraged at this screamed and tore and destroyed in his sight he made a small speech
Suleiman the second: My soldiers today yusuf died,he died not for me or for you but for god and he did so thankfully if you men can even be half the man he was no army will beat us.
the soldiers looked at him the sultan that made long lasting and speeches full of glory just said to them be a good soldier they knew he was pissed and they knew they couldnt fail and the nobles knew that more then all.
this was a blow but after that incident the army marched down and after the peasents saw the army marching they pulled back to the city of bekciler
Part 2 the south
the south had a way better time under the leadership under Ibrahim
the state pulled out of the part he was invading yso it left itself open to the invasion but it still took an immense amount of time because of the logistics werr always arriving late.
they arrived at the city of bazkoy that was protected only by a few nobles and peasants ibrahim promised amnesty if they would hand over the aristocrats and wouldn't kill any of them.
the peasants did so and the aristocrats got execute one after another. this victory would overshadow the news of the death of Yusuf but Ibrahim knew losing such a skilled man was gonna hurt them.
*in the night as he was looking at the plans and at the supply routes, he saw that before another march to Xanthos could happen the city of bekciler needed to fall and it needed to happen now so that they could dig down in the winter as the rushed supply wouldn't be able to catch up in the winter if it barely could in the summer.
at the fort of bekciler to the west of Ibrahim the enemy completely retreated into the fortress which was quickly surrounded by Seljuk troops the leading noble gave them the chance to surrender o get killed the forces choose to not surrender
this splinter force sends most of their troops to Xanthos which would prepare troops to face the Seljuk army to beat them and push them out.
But of course, the current leaders of the first army didn't know that they cut off the supplies and of course waited for the garrison to starve.
*2 Months later
The situation is that the enemy garrison has nothing every bird has been shoot down rats killed and sometimes the seljuks fired a rain of arrows, the arrows of the garrison already ran out a few weeks ago and so couldn't answer back.
The sultanat already scouted out the areas near and occupys all streets that lead to the city but then it happens the sultan gets information about an army of maching his own in size of about 50-60k marching to the city to relieve it the sultan was shocked he wrote for the reinforcments that he kept always a littel bit behind the front to come but they were likely gonna be late he quickly messaged his brother ibrahim so he would return and help him in the upcoming battle
but that too would take time.
*meanwhile the garrison surrendered and plans were made to use it in the battle to the advantage of the seljuk armies the plan was that the army would attack the larger army with gurrila atacks and draw them closer to the castle slowely and keep the going into one direction rather then encircling the castle while in the castle archers would shoot from the top.
The sultan looked at these plans it wasnt much but it was all he had right now.
may god help him for nobody will
Part 4
IT WAS TIME
the enemy is slowely advancing the armys as well as the reverses are rushing to come in time
A week before salvation
The army of the enemy is before me a block of bodies coming to crush me said the sultan leading the army from the top of the castle
the army of the enemy charges like a tide it rushes through the rain of arrows shielding themselfs the sultan could hear them shout battlecrys he could not understand.
the tide reached the army fighting began and the army of enemy got pushed back high casulties for the enemy. like a wave they pull back and attack again and again they crash like a wave against the seljuk line trying to outflank and encircle them
and then it happens on a knifes edge the seljuks barely hold the line waiting for reinforcments to arrive.
3 days before the reinforcments
The sultan was estatic over the holding of the line and day for day the troops became more and more hopefully but then it happend the enemy also filled their ranks in manpower
The final battle happend this army used all of its reinforcements to cut the losses and now attacked with a new tactic. they send out their cavalry behind the castle and flanked the defenses then answering the rain of arrows with their own
and then sending 3 armys one after another on the forces
and it crashed into the line the seljuks were pushed back with every CRASH going back to the entrance of the castle the sultan himself fighting while barely holding on men fighting looking into the eyes of each other while slaughtering themselfs screams of rage filled the air weapons bouncing of each other. the seljuk army was filled with rage against these as they called the other "infidels" The second army tried to push it was a slaughter on both sides no man giving up an inch without paying in blood the battles took until the night almost as if death was working in shifts cutting down both armys as they where cycling out men, a grouesome picture of exhausted men fighting in the blood of friend and foe for the next 2d days
and so it happened until
at the early morning of the next day when the reinforcments were supposed to arrive a last push happened but before the line finnaly broke the showing up of the ofcourse undersupplied troops that were exhausted from the long march broke the spirit of the attacking army and pulled back beeing completely demoralised while the seljuk army was on an emotional high point.
the Soldiers cheered even if it wasnt the clear victory the sultan would have wanted the only thing he know needed to do is feed his soldiers rest and the catch up to the retreating army before they reach xanthos.
The year is ending and after the Gigantic battle the road is open for xanthos to be taken will the sultans army be fast enough?
Starting army:100k
Casulties:17k
remaining:83K
ROMA INVICTA
Valijun, Otsla, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Indril, Jasumaa
Mandé Unification Wars
(1210-1235)
King Joshkar I Nixsum had finally unified the southern pagans under the banner of Jasumaa and the religion of Bidaism. The sudden rising power of Jasumaa had not gone unnoticed to the north where the other kingdoms had slowly been unifying. It seemed inevitable for the Kingdom and Sultanates in between the rising Sosso Kingdom in the north, The Kingdom of Jasumaa, and Malian Sultanate which had been growing, would need to choose a faction to fall under.
Kingdoms of the Mandé:
Kingdom of Takrur: Islamic, Non-aligned
Rule by Emperor War Jabi III
Kingdom of Jolof: Islamic, Non-Aligned
Ruled by Emperor: Ndiadiane Ndiaye
Kingdom of Yaresna: African Tribal Religion, Non-Aligned
Ruled by King: Nar Yare
Confederation of Diafanu: Tribal African Religion, Sosso Alligned
Ruled by: Lama Secka
Sultanate of Ghiryu: Islam, Mali Aligned
Ruled by: Sultan Abu Sowe
Sosso Kingdom: Traditional African Religion
Ruled by: King Soumaoro Kante
Djenne-Djenno: Bidaism, Jasumaa Aligned
Ruled by: King Jabril Turray
Kingdom of Sama: Bidaism, Jasumaa Aligned
Ruled by: King Sama Koli
Sultanate of Wagadugu: Islam, Non-aligned
Ruled by: Sultan Ebou Kerr
Sultanate of Songhay: Islam, Non-aligned
Ruled by: Sultan Sonni Ali I
Sultanate of Mali: Islam
Ruled by: Sultan Naré Maghann Konaté
Kingdom of Jasumaa Bidaism
Ruled by: King Joshkar I Nixsum
Valijun, Otsla, Gaia Major, Indril
Can someone dm me the invite Nomercy#2600
LISTEN TO THIS TO SET THE MOOD AND TO HEAR WHAT THE LITHUANIANS ARE CHANTING IN THE RP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVtr0eXfm0Y
[list][sup]1204-1205[/sup]
THE NORTHERN CRUSADE: THE COUNCIL OF DAINAVA,THE BATTLE OF THE MARSH AND FIELD AND ITS AFTERMATH[/list]
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[sup]Vilnius, the Court of Grand Duke Algimantas Palemonaičiai, The Grand Duchy of Lithuania[/sup]
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| Grand Duke Algimantas stood in his Throne room with his Vassals. He had to make a case for fighting against the invaders. It wouldn't be hard at all but he still needed to. Duke Sabe Kurs IV of Curonia, Duke Druvārs Kresliņ of Lettigalia, Duke Atvars i Selija VI of Semigallia, Duke Butvydas i Suvalkija of Yotvingia, Duke Runkym Semba of Prusa, Duke Jorûnas i emaitija of Samogitia, Count Irmantas "the Negotiator" Alenikis of Galinda and Count Vaiks "Forktongue" of Skalvia all sat in at a table facing Grand Duke Algimantas Palemonaičiai's Throne.|
[list]Grand Duke Algimantas Algimantas Palemonaičiai: "As I said in my letter to all of you, a week ago, Christian Infidels have begun trespassing in our lands seeking to conquer us and force us into their faith. They attacked the Tree of Dawn and burnt it and the entire temple surrounding it to the ground. Even now these so called 'Teutons' are defiling our land, our sacred forests and marshes."[/list]
| He raised his hand, pointing to the ceiling authoritatively. |
[list]Grand Duke Algimantas Algimantas Palemonaičiai: "I foresaw their invasion years ago but I did not know the cost it would have. We need to raise all the levies and Retinues and stand against these Christians united as one. I command you to as the rightful lord of all Lietuva. We will not bow down to these invaders.[/list]
| The Grand Duke stood up from his throne. |
[list]Grand Duke Algimantas Algimantas Palemonaičiai: "In ancient days the Greeks and Romans had their faiths, they attempted to copy the advantages of Christianity to destroy it but were converted through force. Then came the Germans, who abandoned their old ways to control the former lands of the collapsing Roman Empire. The Slavs tried to preserve their old ways, attempting to unify their religion and centralize it to stand against the Catholic and Orthodox menace. But all that reform did not matter if the lord of their lands did not care for their religion. The Prince of Kyiv converted and made their attempts useless. Then even the mighty Northmen converted. It is clear to me now that our faith cannot stand against Christianity in its current form. It needs to change, to strengthen itself against the Christians. We need to copy their successes and create a codified religious text with our ancient stories written down and officially canonized deities with official attributes and names shown, a Priestly hierarchy with a singular ruler of the religion. We need to learn from the mistakes of the Slavs, a faith cannot stand if the liege of the lands it resides in does not care for it. the new temporal leader of the religion is to be the Grand Duke of Lietuva, for only the leader of the country can protect the true faith's continual growth."[/list]
| No one responded, out of fear of retribution. Baltic societies have always been lead by stratocratic Monarchs who would be considered tyrants by western european feudal standards. However that was just the way things were in Lithuania. Someone entered into the Hall in the middle of the meeting. Technically this wasn't allowed but it was a Priest, who apparently had a very important message for the Grand Duke. She knelt down and presented something to the Grand Duke, it was wrapped in fine furs. |
[list]Mysterious Priest: "Oh Grand Duke of Lietuva, I present to you the Axe of Perkūnas, found within the Ruins of Romowe Temple in a smoking crater. It bears incredible physical and metaphysical similarities to the axe of Perkūnas. He who wields the weapon feels supernatural bravery and strength. It surely must be the Axe of the Thunderer."[/list]
| He picked up the Axe and felt what the Priest was referring to.. Instantly he felt a surge of bravado and strength enter his body. It really did appear as if it were the Axe of Perkunas. This was an omen that he was right. |
[list]Grand Duke Algimantas Palemonaičiai: "As you can all see, even THE THUNDERER HIMSELF agrees with these decisions. This is a good omen! Let this be known to all men on this earth. Lithuania will be standing firmly against the unbelievers!"[/list]
| His vassals rallied around him and they were off to war. |
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[sup]Weeks later, in the Marshes and Fields of Prussia, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania[/sup]
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| The Teutonic Knights are trudging through the mud of the Prussian marshes in the middle of a raging Thunderstorm, cracks of lightning struck nearby and the boom of thunder was heard constantly. They've left behind all their heavy armor and horses and are lightly armed and horseless. The reason for this is that they would move much too slow in the muck if they took their heavy armor with them, and their horses are incapable of trudging through the marshes without getting stuck. The Marsh is thickly wooded with twisted and gnarled trees all around, a perfect place for an ambush but the Hochmeister and his men do not worry, they think God will provide them a victory, armor and horses were not needed when they had the Lord on their side. Their troops numbered at roughly 9,000 men, a numerical advantage compared to Lietuva's 6,000 but they were out of their element, the terrain was unfamiliar and they were better suited to using heavier armor. |
| The Lithuanians were lead by Grand Duke Algimantas Palemonaičiai, Duke Butvydas and Duke Sabe IV, with the other vassals also leading but not taking full command. all three are able warriors and skilled commanders. They knew the terrain of their homeland well and knew the best way to exploit the Teuton's glaring weaknesses. The army was split in half with 3,000 on either side of the Teutonic force. A significant portion of the Lithuanian Army consisted of Javelin throwers, who would be able to easily exploit the lack of heavy armor on the enemy army to annihilate them. Near the Marsh sat a field that the Lithuanians could herd the Teutons towards like cattle. There the Lithuanians could position themselves on the hill above the Teutons and charge down it to slaughter them. The surprise attack was sounded with their Gyvatė-Ragai or Snake Horns, they beared much similarities to the Carnyx's of the ancient Celts except being in snake form instead of Boars. The javelins began flying at the Teutons as the attack was sounded and they were slaughtered attempting to muster a response. Many died but not all. they attempted to attack back but were pushed back with volleys of arrows and the slashing of swords. The Teutons fell into the trap and four two hours they fought until they decided that escaping to the fields nearby was the best way to organize themselves into something that could beat the Pagan Balts. As the Teutons escaped into the fields 3,000 of their 9,000 strong army lay dead in the chaos of the marsh attack. The Teutons now numbered at roughly at 6,000 men, nearly equal with the Lithuanian troops. The Lithuanians themselves speeded across the marshes and into the fields faster than the Teutons and managed to situate themselves on the top of the hill looking over the field the Teutons sat at. |
| For 30 minutes they sat there, staring at each other. A horn was blown and the entire army began chanting a war cry from their native home. The meaning of the chant is lost to time but half of it means "ye dear hill!" so perhaps it was referring to highland Lithuania, or the hill they stood on. As they continued chanting War drums were banged and the Snake-Horns were blown as loudly as they could in tune with the deafening chanting. It was a impressive, terrifying chant that shook the Teutons to their cores and filled them with terrible awe, surely the sound of 6,000 people chanting before a battle would scare any man christian or otherwise. |
[list]The Army of Lithuania: "Kalnuti Ritato, Kalnuti Tatato! Kalnuti Ritato! Kalnuti Ritato Tatato! Kalnuti Ritato, Kalnuti Ritato Tatato! Kalnuti Ritato Tatato! Kalnuti Ritato Tatato!"[/list]
| The legends of the battle would state that immediately after the chanting, Grand Duke Algimantas raised his Holy axe given to him by Perkunas himself and lighting would begin striking the ground in between the Christian Teutons and the Baltic pagans, showing the gods themselves were standing alongside the Lithuanians. These were not written as historical accounts but religious mythical propaganda justifying the existence of Lithuanian Paganism. Regardless if that happened or not the Lithuanians charged shortly after a few minutes of chanting. Barreling down the hill at the terrified Teutonic Knights, and soundly crushed them in the war. Legends also tell of Grand Duke Algimantas slaying Hochmeister Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim in single combat however its unclear what exactly happened to the Hochmeister. It is definitively known however, that he shortly dissapeared from history around that time so it could be assumed that the Hochmeister was killed in that battle or in one of the numerous later battles during the Northern Crusade. The war would not be over but with that single battle the war was mostly decided in Lithuania's favor. The next target would be the Polish who invited the Teutons into Lithuania in the first place. This war was FAR from over. |
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| "Lietuva tvirtai stos prie netikinčius!" |
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Val Verde-, Otsla, The Reunified German Reich, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
DEVASTATIO CONSTANTINOPOLITANA: VOLUMEN UNUM[/B]
[sub]24 Maius Quintilis 1203 | Zara, SclavoniaConstaninople, Eastern Roman Empire[/sub]
Having rested out the remaining Winter months moored at Zara after it's capture by forces of the Holy Crusade, the fleet set out from Zara of Sclavonia on the eve of Pentecost, 24 Maius of the year 1203. The galleys, transports and warships were now accompanied by many merchant vessels, making use of the protection offered by the grand fleet while exchanging their services in way of supplies and other goods in lieu of mutually beneficial exchange, among those hoping to profit from the embarked excursion proudly bearing for Constantinople. The Navy made for Corfu, uneventfully, and even more so when it sailed past the islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos, just before beginning to round the Peloponnese peninsula to Methoni of Messenia in the southwest and thence to the eastern Peloponnese region at Cape Malea, taking in the wild beauty of the cliffside beaches there.
[List][sub]"The entire fleet assembled, onlookers gazed in awe as it seemed, indeed, that here was a fleet that might well conquer lands, for as far as the eye could reach there was nothing to be seen but sails outspread on all that vast array of ships, so that every mans heart was filled with joy at the sight."
Geoffroi de Villehardouin, On the Conquest of Constantinople[/sub][/list]
Upon the voyage reaching the Aegean, there at open sea the massive fleet encountered two vessels commandeered by fellow Christians as they bore sigils and ensign of the Holy Cross, however, these men had embarked from Marseille directly to the Holy Land during the summer of 1202, spending the following autumn and winter upholding their vow to the Crusade and bravely campaigning across the Levant under the command of John II of Nesle, burgrave of Buges. The vessels under John's liege conveyed soldiers, clothing, food and other supplies for the Flemish contingent joining the Fourth Crusade and once diverted took all of it with him. Though angry, a diplomatic Count Baldwin of Flanders grew increasingly curious of their ordeal, sending a boat over to learn of their experiences in the Saracen heartland, each Crusader able to vividly recall his personal accounting. They had not lost many, though it was clear casualties were sustained throughout and ultimately the outcome of their campaign was not what they had envisioned it to be. Additionally, they had gained word from the south of another fleet of Crusaders intended for Venezia instead diverted to Apulia, and then to Acre, just the same in the summer of 1202.
These Crusaders, made up of Vilain of Nully, Henry of Arzillières, Renard II of Dampierre, Henry of Longchamp and Giles of Trasignies, including their retinues, amounted to some 300 knights and accompanying infantry. They approached King Aimery of Jerusalem, encouraged him to break his treaty with the Ayyubid so that they may go to war and fulfill their vows. However, their force proved too miniscule, and King Aimery refused to break the truce, even after the pleas and bribery funds offered by Renard II of Dampierre. Subsequently, Renard II, accompanied by some 80 Crusaders, decided to instead journey to the Principality of Antioch, which did not possess any standing truce with the Saracens. King Aimery advised strongly against this, though his warnings were forelorn and ultimately the expedition was assaulted on the road to Antioch, leaving all but one dead or captured in the process. This harrowing news reached John II and company in the Levant, quickly realizing there was no reinforcing contingent of any kind making it's way to them, and by winter's end decidedly left the Holy Land from Tartosa. In light, a majoral cadre of the Crusaders under John II offered themselves and their retinues to Count Baldwin of Flanders, many of them believing that there was still some glory to be won under service of the main Crusade, though not all joined and those that did not simply continued on home.
From Cape Malea the ships turned northwards, past the Athenian peninsula to the large island of Euboea. The leaders conferred and decided to divide the fleet, Boniface and Baldwin were to sail southwards to the island of Andros, while the remainder of the ships headed north-east across the Aegean towards the coastline of the Eastern Roman Empire, where they passed the ancient city of Troy before entering the Hellespont. The Crusaders attached to the minor fleet swiftly overran Andros, a wealthy commerce hub, proving otherwise successful despite the death that resulted, Guy of Coucy, a wealthy French nobleman having provided much of the Crusade's revenues up to this point and received a burial at sea. Meanwhile, the major fleet made it's way to the ancient city of Abydos, striking deep into the heart of the Byzantine Empire as Constantinople now lay a mere 150 miles away down at the end of the Sea of Marmara and into the Bosphorus Strait. Abydos prudently surrendered to the Crusade Army, mindful of their image and impression as they neared Constantinople, the leadership of the Crusade organized a secure force to prevent looting by the Army as they had done so ill-disciplined in Zadar. However, as the winter corn crop was soon due for harvest, the Westerners asserted control over the city's resources as their own began to dwindle through the campaign. Weather permitting, the clear skies allowed Boniface I and Count Baldwin to reunite their minor fleet with the majority of the fleet in Abydos within the week and now returned to it's maximum strength, the Holy Fourth Crusade's Fleet prepared for the final approach on Constantinople.
[List][sub]"...the full array of warships, galleys and transports seemed as if it were in flower. It was indeed, a marvellous experience to see so lovely a sight."
Geoffroi de Villehardouin, On the Conquest of Constantinople[/sub][/list]
The skill of the Venetian sailors saw the Fleet through the virulent and experience-trying Bosphorus Strait, and sailing up toward the Byzantine capital city, the fleet gleamed in radiance. From the battlements and towers of Constantinople's exceptionally high city walls, however, the Fleet in all it's color posed the greatest atrocity to their morale as the city's defender's. On the Day of St. John the Baptist, 24 Iunius, hundreds of vessels littered the sea below, and as they drew closer to Constantinople, banners and pennants were hoisted onto the ship's castles and the knight's shields were hung from the bulwarks. The fleet transformed itself into the same colorful spectacle that had left Venice almost nine months earlier. The ships made their initial pass of the walls of Constantinople, the transports appearing first, followed in tow by the infamous war galleys. Thousands of Greeks took to the city walls, filled with trepidation and the curiosity of seeing their enemy, their demise sailing in unhindered. A brisk following wind that morning took the fleet past their planned stop on the Isles of the Monks and the sailors steered as best they could towards the mainland, where they made harbor at the imperial palace of Chalcedon, opposite the main city and situated two miles across the Bosphorus. The nobles, naturally, took their quarters inside the palace with Knights and foot-soldiers pitching their tents and making up encampment all while the horses were brought ashore and carefully reacquainted with land after the weeks at sea. The woefully inept Emperor Alexius III left the Crusade readily stocked with food to last within reach of the city they were soon to besiege. Two days later, the Crusade relocated it's forces three miles up the eastern shore of the Bosphorus, gathering up as much food supplies as possible in preparation for the siege before eventually reaching a secondary imperial palace situated in Scutari.
Inside the city, Alexius III organized and prepared his forces, moving them out of the city and setting up a formidable defensive position upon the European shore, opposite the Crusaders, in effort to resist a landing. By the early morning of 29 Iunius, after days of organization and strategization, both armies stared each other down on each opposing shore of the Bosphorus Strait, poised for war. Over the course of the next five days, the Byzantines employed varying levels of diplomatic solutions to avoid the war waiting at it's doorstep, all of which ended up in pure travesty. By 4 Quintilis, the leaders of the Holy Crusade attended mass, determined to fortify themselves and secure spiritual guidance in face of what they were soon to accomplish. With little doubt in their minds that war was imminent, the nobility began drawing up their battle scenarios for their respective contingents, and breaking the Army into seven Divisions with Count Baldwin of Flanders annointed as presiding General, possessing the largest density of seasoned knights, sargeants, and bowmen within his contingent, now including those they had met and repatriated to their cause in the Aegean Sea. Command of the second division was appointed to Henry of Flanders, the third division command to Hugh of Saint-Pol and Peter of Amiens, the fourth division to Count Louis of Blois, Matthew of Montmorency, Geoffrey of Villehardouin and the knights of Champagne formed the fifth division, Odo of Champlitte commanded the Burgundians in the sixth division, and finally, there was the rearguard of Lombards, Tuscans, Germans and Provençals, all under the leadership of Boniface of Montferrat, while the doge himself took charge of the seaborne part of the operation and his men staffed with looking after the Fleet.
As evening slowly turned to night, weapons and equipment were polished, sharpened and fettled one last time, horses were girded for their knights, and ammunition was gathered for the bowmen. At dawn on 5 Quintilis, the crusaders made their final preparations for the largest amphibious invasion yet attempted in medieval Europe. Hundreds of trumpets, drums, and tabors were beaten, sounded, and with a tirade of noise, the siege of Constantinople commenced. The Horse transports were first to launch, each pulled by a galley across the narrow Bosphorus, and aboard them, Knights saddled and decorated their mounts in ornate, bright-colored caparisons. The crusaders, charging at sea, were faced with a mass of armed Byzantines lining the shores of the Bosphorus. In face of this, archers and crossbowmen were strategically moved toward the bow deck of the vessels in order to provide suppression as the transports cleared several sandbars, plowed unto the beach head, doors opening and landing bridges lowering as mailed, mounted Knights sprung to shore invoking absolute terror in the Byzantine militiamen lining the inner shore before them. The Galley's following closely in tow, also crashed onto the beach with foot-soldiers and bowmen jumping down as soon as the vessles came to anchor. With Sargent-at-Arms shouting orders, the first of the mounted Knights morphed into tight formations, lowered their lances to charge, but were met only by the enemy's cowardice as the Greek levies broke formation and retreated without objective or coordination, men merely running out of fear of their own individual lives.
[List][sub]"...all the Greeks, who had assembled for the purpose of preventing our crossing, by the grace of God, withdrew to such a distance, that we could barely reach them even with a shot arrow."
Hugh of Saint Pol[/sub][/list]
Bodies laden with missiles littered the beach, a show of good work for the Crusade's assaulting bowmen during the amphibious landing, though much of the Byzantine militia retreated further in to the Tower of Galata, being pursued closely behind by the landing forces as more Crusaders pour out from the ships and draw up into their organized regional contingents with Count Baldwin of Flanders leading the advance guard towards the now abandoned imperial camp, turning up plentiful supplies woefully left behind as Alexius III had retreated so quickly that he had left his tents and pavilions standing, the Crusaders happily taking possession of these and much other booty. The Crusade faced a formidable obstacle, the Tower of Galata, a solid defensive complex that held one side of the great iron boom-chain that stretches across the Golden Horn inlet to the main city and cut off the invasion's crucial sea access to the harbor. Laying directly upon the other side of the chain boom, a defensive line of Byzantine ships bobbed in place, Navy and Merchant vessels alike, even ferries and barges participating in the blockade, forming yet another obstacle to the western fleet.
The Crusading Army made up it's encampments just outside the Tower, but before noon the next morning, 6 Quintilis, were met by an impromptu attack staged by the Greeks, Emperor Alexius having sent a company of men across the Golden Horn by barge and reinforced their comrades trapped within the tower, both forces equally descending upon the Crusade's encampment to effect, catching most of the force entirely off guard in a surprise raid. Golden haired and blue eyed Norsemen donned scale armor, kite shields, and ornately decorated one-handed battle-axes and fought side-by-side with the Greeks, serving within the elite mercenary unit of the Byzantine Army, the infamous Varangian Guard. Their axes devastatingly cleave off heads and unarmored limbs alike, allowing fresh, agonizing screams to fill the air alongside the sounds of combat. Before long, the Greek raid was routed, forced yet again to take to retreat. The Flemish Noble, Jacques of Avesnes, who had been in charge of the planned siege of the Galata Tower, was nearly taken prisoner-of-war as a result of delirium set in by injuries sustained during the brief skirmish. However, Nicholas of Jenlain, charged toward his lord, lain surrounded by the enemy whom planned to make off with him, and the arrival of a mounted soldier, at speed and with all the impetus of a fully armed knight, was enough to burst through the Greeks who surrounded Jacques. In face of such a formidable opponent, the Byzantines were forced to abandon their potential bargaining token and flee back to the safety of the Tower.
Almost immediately following the Greek raid, the Crusade mustered it's forces to mount a counter-attack after the foolish, inept Emperor Alexius rattled the beast. To effect, the Byzantines were driven back in disarray, some ran to take shelter in the Tower, others tried to escape back onto their barges. Many were caught by arrows as they attempted to board the vessels, ran down by mounted horses, and others drowned in the harbor waters as they struggled to save themselves. The Crusaders gave hard chase after those who fled towards the Tower, grimly closing down upon their enemy. The first Greeks began to pour back through the entrance gate, propelled by the sensation of having to run for their lives. They thought they had won at least a temporary respite, but this was not to be. The fastest of the pursuers had caught the slowest of the Greek soldiers and managed to stop them from closing the gate. Realizing a potential breakthrough opportunity to take the Tower now in a quick skirmish, as opposed to days or even perhaps weeks of tedious siege, the Tower gate erupted into all out brawl as warriors of the Fourth Crusade clashed with it's for, as equally determined to defend it's position as the Crusader's remain determined to have their way through. Norse, Danish, Angevin English, and Genoese mercenaries fiercely repeled several attempts to take the Galata Tower alongside their Greek paymasters, and as the battle to secure it's boom-chain controls raged on, Crusaders poured in from the ground level and forced their way up the winding stairs. What was witnessed inside the tower could only be described as Hell upon Earth. Men were slashed open and hurled from the staircases above, mid-battle bodies would plummet after being thrown from several flights up, blood raining down after them. Most of the Knights pushing up Galata's stairs were covered with the blood of other men. The struggle ensued in this manner all the way up to the point that the defenders realized the futility of their position and surrendered, but not before those arduous hours of combat.
Shortly after securing the Tower of Galata, Crusading Knights watched from the spire of the tower as the war galley, Aquila, using it's forward ram ripped through the harbor chain and spearheaded a full frontal assault on the sea against the woeful Greek blockade. [I]Aquila pressed onward, crashing through the light vessels positioned in it's wake, serving as a physical barricade. The harbour and the Byzantine vessels lay at the mercy of Venezia's Grand Fleet, daunting almost double the size of the naval invasion force that befell Constantinople during the brief Byzantine-Venetian War of 1171. The war galleys moved into position, encircling the most unfortunate of enemy vessels and pelting their crews with flaming missiles, annihilating the sorry remnants of the Greek fleet, sinking some and capturing others, while a few chose to scuttle their ships rather than have the Crusade take them. Men hit by arrows fell limply overboard from the bulwarks of their ships with splashes into the harbor's breakwater as the Western Fleet seemingly obliterated the impotent Byzantine Navy. Elite mercenary crossbowmen under the service of la Forza Sussidiaria suppressed enemy crews as boarding parties, largely made up of militia and oarmen comprising la Forza Ordinaria, climbed aboard their incapacitated vessels. Aboard, the famously rumored Byzantine Marines put up formidable attempts at defense, but were routinely defeated despite the 'elite' caricature portrayed by the tales of old seafarers. From the high, defensible walls of the Queen of Cities, helpless Greeks watched as their pitiful harbor defense fleet was solemnly laid to waste, yet again her citizens observing the failures of those responsible for their protection and the reality of such only serving as a horrifying reminder that they pay their penances to an Emperor who is rapidly losing grip. To see the enemy ships enter the citys harbour and then to watch them pass by in their dozens must have brought home the grave and imminent danger. On the other hand, the walls of Constantinople had successfully withstood many invasions over the centuries.
The following day the full crusader fleet sailed around from its mooring on the Bosphorus and up into the safety of the Golden Horn, a practical move that could have been expected from La Serenìsima. Once forward encampments were constructed in place, the armys leadership had to decide on its next move. After an initially stressful deliberation between French and Venetian leadership on how about to direct the assault, the two prevailed on working in tandem, Venezia by sea and the rest by land. Aside the Venetians, who preferred to assault the city by way of scaling ladders by sea, while all the other contingents preferred to make most use of their land-based fighting skills practiced on the tournament grounds of Europe. Over the course of the next four days, the Crusaders rested and set their weapons and equipment in good order and on 11 Quintilis, again in proper formation, they marched two miles along the shore to the Blachernae bridge over the Golden Horn, taking up a position outside the Blachernae palace in the northernmost corner of the city, posing a direct threat to the imperial residence and with almost minimal resistance. The Doge's Fleet stationed itself opposite the waterbound side of the palace and so the crusader forces formed a hinge around the northeastern edge of the city. From here, on top of the hill, the French had their first real view of the city's land defenses, most notably the three and a half mile stretching Theodosian Wall. The Fleet set up mangonels and catapults on their transport ships, bristling with menace as it carry a lethal cargo of men and weapons. The Venetian sailors also took the cross-spars from the ship's sail mast, and lashed enough of them high up on the masts to form a makeshift bridge to dispatch up to four Knights at one time onto the city battlements.
On land, the French and Flanders contingents constructed, emplaced their siege engines, excavated trenches, and constructed a strong palisade of planks and crossbeams to increase the security of the Crusade's forward encampment. Over the course of the next six days, a succession of sallies, counter-attacks, bombardments and cameos of individual bravery or tragedy poached any notion of a comfortable siege as the Crusaders hastily constructed more siege ladders. On 17 Iulius, the Crusade divided it's troops and prepared for the assault, leaving the Marquess, Boniface I in command of three divisions to stand guard of the encampment, while another four divisions headed by Count Baldwin of Flanders made for battle. The attack began by sea, with the Venetian fleetmen subjugating the defenders to a two-pronged assault. Though, on land, yet again behind the sound of the mighty war trumpets the French contingents made a bold, daring attempt at the city walls with teams of foot-soldiers rushing in scaling ladders as a hail of enemy arrows and rocks pelted the brave siege teams to great effect, but a group of four men managed to duck and weave through the deadly storm to place two ladders against a barbican close to the sea. Struggling up the ladder and made enough of a bridgehead for another handful of men to join them. Atop, the fearsome Varangians swung their heavy battle-axes and the Knights tried their best to swat away danger with their swords, though many were forced off the summit of the ladders and to the ground, leaving half-dead men in shock and grieving their horrific bodily injuries, one man holds his limp legs with snapped femur bones protruding out, another gargled for breath as the collapsed lungs struggled to cling them to life, wheezing to their slow ultimate choking death as more bodies pile on top of them with crushing force, enough to kill men as easily as a stone boulder thrown from high battlements.
Death rained down with the warmth of fresh blood, the Frenchmen heaving up the siege ladders were laden in the blood of their compatriots as they climbed, their mouths stained and tainted with the metallic taste. It burned their eyes with an intensity far greater than sweat and despite, Christ's warriors attempted, time and time again to scale the walls. In the sheer devastation and chaos of siege battle, the Byzantine regular infantry and accompanying Varangian units battered the French contingents of the Crusade back down their ladders and accounted for their first true 'victory' event. Despite digging another siege mine and successfully collapsing a tower, th walls of the Queen of Cities would not be breached. It seemed that the French forces might be contained, although on the sea, the Doge's fleet posed a different, more unique threat having drawn up the formation of his ships in a huge line facing the northern walls of the city. From the castles at the top of each ship crossbowmen sent their stubby, lethal bolts fizzing across the water as archers shot their slender arrows soaring higher and all while down on deck the crew released the mangonels that hurled stones towards the crowded walls of Constantinople, the fleet battering the enemy with a triple barrage of firepower. Once again there was stern resistance from the battlements, where a group of Pisans, determined to protect the commercial interests of their home city, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a contingent of Varangian Guardsmen. In some areas the walls came almost to the sea and the ship-mounted scaling ladders periodically lurched close enough to attempt a climb, leading to small skirmishes and exchanges that were also ultimately unsuccessful but amplified the strain across both pressure points.
[List][sub]"...the creaking of the timber ships, the slap of oars as rowers held their boats steady, the shouts and screams of war and the sharp ring of metal on metal. In one area a group of heavily armed knights managed to land and bring a battering-ram to bear against the wall. The dull, rhythmic thud of the machine announced its presence and soon smashed through the stonework. Yet the Pisans, Varangians, and Greeks resisted sternly and the attackers were forced out."
Geoffroi de Villehardouin, On the Conquest of Constantinople[/sub][/list]
Standing at the prow of his vermilion galley, Doge Dandolo sensed that his men were making too little progress and he needed to inspire them. With the winged lion on the banner of St Mark flying in front of him, he threatened dire punishment for any shirkers and demanded that the sailors land him on the shore. The crew immediately obeyed and propelled the galley forwards with a series of vigorous pulls on the oars. The rest of the fleet saw the Doges ship move ahead and land their banner and just as the charismatic Dandolo had calculated, they were shamed by the old mans bravery, they could not abandon their venerable leader and rushed to join him. As soon as the first vessels reached the shallows the men didn't wait to touch the shoreline, but jumped down and waded to land. The bigger ships with their deeper draught could not risk disaster by getting so close, but their crews let down smaller boats and raced for the shore. The onslaught that approached the second line of Byzantine defenders upon shore was so great, so filled with charisma and fervor, the defense cut and ran while they still could, before the enemy's sword was already on it's back swing. In their haste, the Greeks left city gates open and inadvertently granted the Venetian men-at-arms a clear streamline into a section of the wall comprising some 25 towers.
With most of the Varangian Guard mercenaries posted opposite of the French contingents positioned at Blachernae, an utterly regrettable decision that underestimated the ability of La Serenìsima to deliver a serious attack against the sea walls and to land their troops. While the defenders on the walls of the Golden Horn had been content to bombard the Venetians from the comparative safety of the battlements, the prospect of hand-to-hand fighting was enough for most to lose their heart and abandon their posts. The breakthrough opportunity asserted by the Doge's Fleet was immediately made word of to the French forces across the Golden Horn at the hillside palace, attentive toward their needs and losses, Dandolo ordered some 200 captured horses ferried to their encampment to alleviate the casualties sustained. With the reality of the situation at hand starting to slowly set into effect, Emperor Alexius III ordered a concentration of Varangian mercenaries to assist local forces in expulsing the Venetians. The arrival of these elite forces began to dramatically turn the balance of the struggle and Dandolo's men began to swiftly route, spurning the Greeks to give chase. In effort to hamper the enemy's advancing gain, the retreating Venetian foot-soldiers began to indiscriminately set buildings between the two forces ablaze and, whether by sheer chance of luck or by witting calculation, the wind blew from behind them and into the faces of Byzantines, high winds also fanning the flames heavier as the Venetians escaped into a dense cloud of smoke acting conveniently as a protective screen. The breeze continued to take the fire towards the Greeks, allowing the attackers to consolidate their hold on the walls and towers as the flames grew unchecked, burning unrepentant while swallowing homes, businesses, and other institutions before ending only at the open cistern of Aetius. In the aftermath of the blaze, it was estimated some 120 acres had been razed, displacing more than 20,000 Byzantines as the the billowing clouds of smoke from the burning metropolis made for an aesthetic of pure doom, the skies took on an orange ray, intertwined with black smoke funneling to the air, and ashes rained down upon the masses as if to be mistaken for snow, only for the speckles of ashes to dissolve to dust in their hands.
[spoiler=THE VENETIAN VANITY AND THE FOURTH CRUSADE][/spoiler]
Valijun, Otsla, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Indril, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
[pre]A New Era of Expansion
February | 1209 CE [/pre]
[sub]Oslo[/sub]
| The King of Norway, Sverre of Norway, has decided to implement his plan for future territorial procurement. He ordered the establishment of the Order of Northern Knights, a semi-religious order, chartered by both the Archbishop of Norway and King Sverre of Norway. This order has two functions, to convert tribal populations to Catholicism and to conquer and civilize those tribes. Half of the organization was made up of priests and other certified Church officials, while the other half consists of knights and elite infantry soldiers. King Sverre assigned the new organization with the task of expanding the control of his country. The order began to plan out strategies and tactics for use in the upcoming 'crusade' against the areas, just to come under Norwegian control in Fennoscandia. The Order of the Northern Knights decided to prepare on a plan that has been referred to as the Baltic Blitz, where the first targets for the crusade would be those tribal settlements along the coasts of the Baltic Sea. After the Baltics become Norwegian, the next step was to be to go inland. As the plan was to begin the expansion in 1210, the main aspect being acted upon at the moment is to recruit and train anyone who wants to join in on the conquest. The initial plans called for a legion of soldiers to be involved in the conquest. Initial plans called for 500 heavy cavalry, 500 light cavalry, 1,000 archers, 6,000 swordsmen, and 2,000 pikemen; however, most of the forces would have to be from levies from all across Norway-Sweden. The King of Norway, planned to expand both Sweden and Norway, as well as add a new 'Kingdom' in order to make ruling the new areas easier. King Sverre and the Archbishop of Norway has offered the Order of Northern Knights and anyone volunteering to join the levies, an official pardon for any past crimes. |
Valijun, Otsla, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Indril, Jasumaa
LISTEN TO THIS TO SET THE MOOD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeCI9cGmDzU
[list][sup]1205-MID 1206[/sup]
THE NORTHERN CRUSADE: THE HARRYING OF MAZOVIA[/list]
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[sup]Mazovia[/sup]
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| The Teutons might be defeated but the source of this war still sat unpunished. Duke Konrad of Mazovia and the rest of Poland. Konrad had invited the Teutons into Prussia to conquer it after multiple failed campaigns into the land. Duke Konrad might not be the High Duke of Poland he was still the Vassal of High Duke Władysław III by law and the high duke was responsible for his actions. The invitation of the Teutons was an insult against all of Lithuania, a slight against her honor and strength that the entirety of Poland would pay for. Grand Duke Algimantas would see to it that the rivers of Poland would run red with blood and the fields would be blackened by fire. This phase of the war would not have any specific goal besides causing as much destruction as possible to send a message not just to Poland but all enemies of Grand Duke Algimantas. All of Europe would know and fear the name LITHUANIA. The 6,000 strong Lithuanian Army would have no trouble destroying the 2,000 strong Mazovian army in the field. It would be the castles and cities of Mazovia that would be the main problem. The Lithuanians are used to sieging wooden forts, not stone castles. However they did know some ways that could work but it would take a very long time. Specifically burning great fires around the foot of stone walls. After a long, long time the walls would collapse. In that time psychological warfare would be used to degrade the sanity of the defenders. Snake-Horns and drums would be blown constantly day in day out, as well as the Lithuanian army hidden from view, with fires made to greatly exaggerate its size. This in total would be used against the Poles to great effect. |
| There was but a single pitched battle during the Mazovian phase of the war. It was a complete slaughter, the 6,000 strong Lithuanian army suffered little casualties fighting against the 1,000 strong Mazovian Army. Grand Duke Algimantas simply used the numerical difference to his advantage, instead of masterful tactics. The center of the Mazovian army would be destroyed first and the left and right flank would then quickly fall. A small force would escape out into the wilds of Mazovia, later going inside the capital of Plock. Most of the Mazovian phase of the war was spent sitting around waiting for castles to surrender and be destroyed. the Grand Duke would not be idle during this period however, his goal for this war was to cause as much destruction in Mazovia as possible, and destruction he did bring to the countryside. Sections of his army would be sent out to steal as much food and supplies as they could carry from the countryside and burning down the empty fields that remained. They were also tasked with destroying every town and village they found sparing no one, with the Mazovian army crushed there was no-one who could stop the Lithuanians from punishing the Polish people for the mistakes of their leaders. In the end most Poles would be sent off to Lithuania as slaves but a very significant amount of people would also just be put to the sword.|
| Eventually after months of waiting, and burning down the countryside castle after castle would fall and with each castle's fall they would spare only any architects and siege engineers they could find to be put to use back home and on the battlefield. They would begin to learn more advanced siege tactics to use against the Poles, and by the time these siege tactics were fully engrained into the mind of the Grand Duke and his commanders only the Capital of Plock remained. It was one of the largest cities in Poland, it was very wealthy and prosperous and hosted many noble families large and small. The most significant of these families was of course the ruling Mazovian Piasts, a rather prestigious branch of the ruling Piast dynasty of Poland. Despite Konrad of Mazovia's earlier failed expansions into Prussia he still had prestige and influence and Grand Duke Algimantas of the Palemonaičiai sought to destroy this symbol of Polish arrogance forever. No one would be spared after the siege was over, not a single soul would survive. He would not give them the luxury of becoming slaves, that would be too good for them. The Lithuanians would make use of their newfound siege knowledge in the Siege of Plock. Ladders, hastily created siege towers, sappers digging underneath the walls to collapse them, even small trebuchets would be used but eventually the city would fall. |
| Despite the breach of the cities defenses the Poles would make a valiant effort against the Lithuanians. Not just the troops on the walls but the common folk would rise up and attack the Lithuanians as best they could. They stood no match for professionally trained soldiers but they did delay the balts some. It would only increase their hatred of this place and its people. the 6,000 man Lithuanian army would sweep through the city as quickly as they could, killing mob after mob of commoners and armed soldiers fighting side by side. But as the Lithuanians advanced block after block they'd set fire to more and more of the city. Eventually when they reached the wooden Fort that Duke Konrad of Mazovia sat within the entire city was up in flames. The wooden fort stood no chance in the long term but it stood valiantly for 4 hours against Lithuanian arms. Eventually Grand Duke Algimantas would lead his soldiers into the fort personally, at the head of the army. They would begin setting it ablaze but the Grand Duke had one more thing to do, he had to kill Konrad himself. He wouldn't give him the blessing of dying in a fire surrounded by his family.|
|The Grand Duke forced himself into the throne-room of the quickly burning Castle. He would be leading dozens his best soldiers, while the others were out destroying the city and killing any stragglers. What he'd see is Duke Konrad standing in full polish armor, surrounded by dozens of his own personal guard. Words would not be exchanged by either party despite Algimantas himself knowing polish fluently. There was no need, both knew what had to be done. They charged at each other and a battle ensued inside the building. Duke Konrad would eventually cut his way to Algimantas and both men of famous reputation and prestige would personally duel amidst the chaotic throne-room brawl. Both men were very capable fighters and seemed to be each others equal, neither gaining the upper hand for a long time. Eventually after an undetermined amount of time most of Duke Konrad's men were gone and only Konrad himself and a few stragglers were left standing and the two Dukes were still dueling, with the fort quickly collapsing around them. Finally the Polish duke fell, but not to Algimantas' Axe blade. Instead the collapsing roof of the Castle would topple onto him, killing him instantly. A final defiant act against the ruthless Lithuanian Grand duke that was destroying his home. This would later be known among Lithuanian scholars as "the Battle of the Burning Castle". The Lithuanians who split off to kill Konrad then rejoined the rest of the Army. The city would burn for 17 days and 17 nights but eventually the fires would cease and the Lithuanians knocked down any existing structures, levelling the once proud city of Plock for good. The destruction of Plock and the genocidal rampage of the Lithuanian army would be burned into the minds of the Polish people, and a great blood rivalry would be born in the burning city of Plock, one to last for generations.|
___________________
| "Lietuva tvirtai stos prie netikinčius!" |
___________________
Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa
Kievan Tsardom
[list][sup]July 1206[/sup]
Military campaigns. North direction. Polotsk [/list]
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Troop camp near Polotsk
___
| The sun had just risen over the horizon, and its warm spring rays covered the entire earth. The land, which a week ago was drowned in blood, which, like a river, flowed along a green field, from the edge of a dense forest to the very fortress of Polotsk. Now it is gone, not a single drop can be found. She went into the ground, along with the buried bodies of the dead soldiers. She went down to germinate with grass in a clearing or a tree on a hill to give new life, in the hope that this life will be peaceful and calm. |
| In mid-April, as planned by Daniel Romanovich, his troops entered the lands of Prince Vladimir of Polotsk. The initial goal for the conquest according to the Tsar's plan was the fortress city of Gorodna, which was not only an important trading city on the Neman River, along which the merchant fleet entered the Baltic Sea, but also a key fortress, without which it would hardly be possible to persuade Prince Vladimir to peace. The calculation was made that the commandant of the fortress Yaroslav Kuznetsov would surrender the fortress without a fight and swear allegiance to the Tsar.
And so it happened, when in May the Tsar's nine thousandth army surrounded the city, the commandant was asked to lay down his arms and surrender the fortress, in return it was promised not to touch either the defenders or the property of the population of the fortress. Yaroslav Kuznetsov swore allegiance to Tsar Daniel, and from him received the title of Duke of Gorodna.
Initially, the new Duke did not want to participate in the war in order to save his soldiers and the gonizon of the fortress, but Daniel said that now Yaroslav is a traitor, and if Daniel does not win the war, then the commandant will lose not only his title and positions, but also his head. So the army of the Tsar was replenished with a thousand more soldiers. |
| The Tsar's army approached the city of Minsk, the next goal of Daniel in conquering the Principality of Polotsk, in early June and tried to take it outright. However, the low but solid city wall of thick tree trunks with pointed upper ends, and a small ditch filled with greenish water, full of reeds, and ferns blooming nearby, was enough to prevent the army from breaking into the city. It became clear that it would not be possible to take the fortress quickly, so Daniel tried to repeat his success in Gorodna, called the commandant of the fortress to his tent, offering him the title and gold, but he did not even come, he just threw a leg of lamb from the wall towards the tents, saying that they have a lot of supplies, and they can hold out until help arrives.
Thus, the Tsar with his army stood under the walls of the city for three weeks, but they could not achieve the surrender of the fortress. Until one dark night, when the moon was just at its zenith, from the dark forest, which was behind the tents of Daniel Romanovich's army, an army of six thousand people, led by Prince Vladimir, came out. Catching the Tsar's army by surprise, Vladimir with a swift blow tried to break through to the fortress and lift the siege. A half-thousand garrison of Minsk came to his aid, trying to break through to the Prince's army through the swords and spears of the enemy.
The battle lasted until dawn. The tsar tried to surround and seize Vladimir so that the war would end at the walls of this fortress, by his order, the army began to bypass the prince's army from the right and left flanks, taking it in a vice, but Prince Vladimir was a skillful warrior, and realizing the trap that was preparing for him, he hastened to retreat into forest to regroup the army, and with a single blow to defeat the invading army. But he did not calculate the strength of the enemy army. When Vladimir began to retreat, they began to follow him, forcing him to go further and further, suffering huge losses, so the Prince decided to return to the capital and give battle after additional replenishment of the ranks of his troops.
Left alone, surrounded by the enemy, the garrison of Minsk was destroyed, and Daniel entered the defenseless city victoriously, having lost less than a thousand people in this battle. |
| However, the Tsar did not stay in Minsk for a long time, a day after replenishing provisions and after resting the soldiers, the army moved towards the fortress of Polotsk, the place where the last decisive battle would take place, and where the success or failure of the entire campaign would be determined, and whether they would be implemented ambitions of Daniel Romanovich.
Daniel's army overtook Vladimir when he and his army were crossing the Western Dvina or Daugava river. This time, the Tsar unexpectedly attacked the Prince's soldiers crossing the river on makeshift rafts. Archers fired at the rafts leaving the coast, on which the soldiers in panic were looking for something to hide from the endless hail of burning arrows. The soldiers who remained on the shore, who were ordered to detain the enemy as long as possible, were completely destroyed.
Having crossed the river, and having surrounded Polotsk, with Prince Vladimir who had settled in it with the remnants of his troops, Tsar Daniel began to wait, not wanting to spend more soldiers.
So twenty-nine days passed, and the city ran out of food, water and fighting spirit, because of which a rebellion began to brew in the city with the aim of overthrowing and killing the Prince and surrendering the city. Realizing this, Vladimir came to the Tsar's camp and surrendered, and Polotsk was surrendered. The Principality of Polotsk, divided into the Duchy of Gorodna and the Grand Duchy of Polotsk, became part of Kievan Rus. Vladimir was stripped of all titles and property and was put in prison. |
___________
| "Війна дає завойовникам право диктувати завойованим будь-які умови ". |
___________
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa
1209-1210
Twins Born Under a Black Sky
|Queen Adalia, has blessed the Kingdom and the King with two twin sons. The oldest by a few minutes being named Darvirr and the youngest being named Dahlari.
King Joshkar would name his eldest son the new heir to the throne, sending his final remaining brothers daughters to the Kingdom of Sama, and the Kingdom of Djenne-Djenno thus tying these Kingdoms and their dynasties permanently into Jasumaa. King Sama Koli, leader of Sama became King Sama Koli-Nixsum, and King Jabril Turray became King Jabril Turray-Nixsum integrating the Kingdoms of Djenne-Djenno and Sama into the Kingdom of Jasumaa proper.
The Unification Wars, An Opening Game of Chess
|The Unification wars would not begin in an immediate all out war but instead a game of diplomacy.
| Response from the northern kingdoms to Jasumaa encroachment had been exponential. The Kingdom of Sosso has already begun to prepare for a massive war against the Muslims and Bidaists. Shaman King Soumaoro Kante began mass sacrifices, prisoners, children, virgins, Buffalo, even the rare horses, none were spared as mass burnings took place. The Shaman King would have his empire or burn everyone in West Africa down with him. Sosso itself had begun sending envoys, and putting pressure on the Tribal Federation of Diafanu. The head of the federation, King Lama Secka was open to the idea, but powerless to the Council of Tribes, which the heads of each of the tribes held all actual power.
In the city Niani in the Malian Sultanate, Sultan Naré Maghann Konaté had been seen his southern neighbors being destroyed and converted by the Pagan Bidaists. In order to protect itself and increase power the Malian Sultanate would annex Ghiyru incorporating the state into the greater Malian Sultanate, while increasing pressure on the tribal Yaresna.
As the Chessboard is Being Set, One Can Only Wonder What Happens When These Three Kingdoms Meet
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril
[list][sup]OCTOBER 1209 AD[/sup]
THE HOLY EMPIRE OF VOLGA-BULGARIA[/list]
[sup]The Antipapal Court of Bartholomew Svinos, The City of Bulgha, The Holy Empire of Volga-Bulgaria[/sup]
Pope Bartholomew looked around at the encampment. Men grunted with exertion and groaned from minor injuries and fatigue. The training regime was harsh, but it had to be. The army was just rabble otherwise, with no direction or aim, just wandering from battle to battle. No, discipline, however harsh, was necessary. To the left of him, the heavy cavalry were making passes at a dummy stuffed with straw, jabbing at it with the long spears they used. One of the horses skittered and threw his rider to the floor, winding him severely. Even so, gasping for air, the man staggered to his feet, and ran to catch his horse, before rejoining the others, and continuing the exercise. To his right, the infantry practiced their manouveres. At the front, men with heavy shields of oaken planks strapped together knelt, with their shortswords strapped to their belts. Behind stood men wielding long pikes, forming a bristling hedgehog. Then, at the back, men with bows, raining down a hail of arrows, a terrifying torrent of lethal spikes. The men marched forward in unison, approaching while maintaining the precise positioning and formation. Impressive. They had been well-trained.
Further ahead, a mock castle of hastily cut stone blocks was assaulted by those using the siege weapons. Among battering rams, towers and trebeuchets, were some more unusual siege machines. A reconstructed Boeotian flamethrower, with a few touches added by the alchemist who developed it, sent huge gouts of flame at the wooden door. It used molten, blazing tar held in an iron cauldron, using a large bellows to send a spray out of the end of a pipe. The burning tar would then stick to whatever it touched, scorching wood, stone and people alike.
Bartholomew grinned, his teeth baring in a wolfish snarl of pleasure. It would be a long road, round Kievan Rus, and into Eastern Europe, coming down from the north into Poland and Lithuania, but he would make it. The wrath of Heaven would fall upon these infidels, like a nut caught between a hammer and anvil. The army was nearly ready. The last few preparations were being made, and then they would be off on the crusade. 9000 men, trained and armed, and more coming everyday. It was expected that by the end, 14 000 could be marching into battle under the Bogomil banner. Easily a number to make their enemies quiver. He saddled his horse, and returned to his tent. But at last, at long last, the war was truly underway.
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Jasumaa
[pre]A New King
April | 1210 CE [/pre]
[sub]Oslo[/sub]
| The King of Norway, Sverre has died, leaving his beloved son, Haakon III Sverresson. King Haakon III of Norway was crowned on April 15th. At his coronation, he declared that he shall continue his father's efforts to consolidate the entire north under the Crown of Norway. His first order was to send missionaries ahead of the forces his father planned to send to unite Scandinavia. He sent many missionaries northward and eastward in order to convert the pagan tribes as the crusading forces marched slowly up the coastline. The missionaries, riding on horseback, would guarantee about six months before the crusading forces began the main campaign of the 'crusade'. Meanwhile, King Haakon III had to deal with a new development to the south. An upstart foreign nation was beginning to threaten the balance of power in the area just to the south of the Baltics. Rumors of a 14,000 strong Volga-Bulgarian army marching eastward, caused great concern in Scandinavia. Haakon reckoned that such a force could destabilize and interfere with the plans of his family. Thinking for the best interests of his country and his dynasty, he had written two letters. The letters were exactly identical. As a precaution, 500 heavy cavalry, 500 light cavalry, 1,000 pikemen, 2,500 swordsmen, and 500 archers, mostly levies, were being rallied in case Norway would need to actually send forces to fulfill its obligations under the proposed temporary alliance. |
(ooc: Below are the letters. Only read the spoiler if you are one of the nations mentioned in the spoiler label)
[spoiler=Letters to Lietuva and Kievian Rus]From His Majesty, King Haakon III Sverresson of Norway, King of Norway, Liege of Sweden, Rightful ruler of all lands in the North, and High-King of Scandinavia;
To the King of Kings of Lithuania and the Prince of Kiev;
I propose to you a temporary alliance, a truce to any disagreements and differences. There are rumors of a Volga-Bulgarian army of 14,000 strong, marching eastward. The Volga-Bulgarians need to be stopped before their volgar and barbaric influences contaminate our nations. I thusly, propose that if any of our lands, our fiefs, or our serfs come under attack or siege or threat of Volga-Bulgaria, its troops, its missionaries, or its merchants, all of us shall, together, eliminate the threat that is Volga-Bulgaria. This 'alliance' shall exist in such a way that all of us shall protect each other from any threat or influence from Volga-Bulgaria. Together, we can stand against the menace that is Volga-Bulgaria.
I await your response.[/spoiler]
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
Kievan Tsardom
[list][sup]April 1210[/sup]
Triumvirate [/list]
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Royal Palace in Kiev
___
| The Tsar walked thoughtfully through the throne room, frowning and clasping his hands behind his back. In front of him, on the floor, was a large map of the entire known world from France to the Ural Mountains, from the deserts of Egypt to the snowy mountainous north of Norway. Numerous morning sunbeams, penetrating through the windows of the palace, illuminated a spacious room, the main part of which was the majestic throne of the Tsar, decorated with gold, made by the best craftsmen, and the gloomy face of the Tsar. Near the other edge of the map were the best men of the state: the chancellor, the treasurer, the military leaders. Daniel gathered them all in order to finally find a solution to the problem that has recently occupied the mind of the Monarch.
Pope Bartholomew gathered a huge army, his goals have long been known and understood by everyone. And even though we once agreed on peace between our countries, I have no guarantees that the Bulgars will not enter our rich and fertile lands with the aim of plundering them. " pronounced Daniel Romanovich, "Today I received a letter sent by the new king of Norway, Haakon III, from which it clearly follows that in Norway they also fear the Bulgarian army, and offer us and Lietuva a pact to protect our countries. So I wanted to know your opinion on this matter."
The treasurer and Tsar's financial adviser, Yevgeny Stepanovich Myshin, a tall and thin middle-aged man with a wedge-shaped beard, who could be described as a scrupulous pedant, spoke up:
"My Tsar, I see no reason to worry about this. We just need to send envoy to Bulgha with confirmation of our neutrality. We have letters from Bartholomew himself, who in these letters assures us of peace between us. It makes no sense for us to waste money and soldiers on meaningless confrontations. "
Pavel Olegovich Drozdovsky, the old chancellor, a very experienced person in matters not only of politics, but also of military strategy, who was highly respected by everyone, including the Tsar, said:
"Not at all! The army, forgotten by God, essentially isolated from everyone, a piece of land was able to assemble an army equal to ours. This army will go a long way before reaching at least the Dnieper and Kiev. Just think how long it will take so many people to go, and How to supply such a crowd? What will these people eat? What they will find along the way. And certainly not in the wild fields belonging to the Polovtsy and Kypchaks. "
"And our troops alone won't be enough to stop them." said the military leader Alexander Olegovich Bondarenko, the most skillful commander and the first strongman in Kiev, "The help of the allied forces will not hurt us!"
"This is ridiculous! Orthodox, pagans and Catholics. Is this some bad anecdote?"
"Enough!" The Tsar said in a calm but imperious voice, which forced the speakers to stop the discussion and turn their gaze to the Monarch, "I listened to you and made a decision. Listen to my order!
Treasurer, immediately allocate the necessary amount to collect the army.
Commanders, start training troops. Even if we do not have to fight the Bulgars' army, we will prepare the army for the conquest of the lands of Rus.
Now go."
With a gesture the Tsar showed that they could go. Towards evening, two messengers with two letters left the Tsar's Palace, one went with a letter to Vilnius, the other to Oslo.
[spoiler=Letter to Norway][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]"To His Majesty, King Haakon III Sverresson of Norway, King of Norway, Liege of Sweden,
Rightful ruler of all lands in the North, and High-King of Scandinavia,[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]
[list]I accept your proposal to create a tripartite defensive pact against the intervention of the Volga-Bulgarian Holy Empire.
We are aware of the threat posed by a huge uncontrolled army in the vastness of Eastern Europe.
In case of a threat from the outside, we are ready to come to your aid, and we hope that you will not leave us in difficult times.
With great respect to you.[/list]
Tsar of Kiev, Prince of Galicia-Volyn, Grand Duke of Smolensk, Grand Duke of Polotsk, Duke of Turov and Gorodna,
Daniel Romanovich" [/spoiler]
[spoiler=Letter to Lietuva][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]"To His Grace, Grand Duke Algimantas Palemonaičiai of Lietuva[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]
[list]By the will of fate, you and I found ourselves in this difficult situation together.
Our sovereign interests are threatened by the Bulgar army, a huge fanatical horde.
I sincerely hope that we can forget the unpleasant moments of our neighborhood in this difficult world, like, for example, the raids that you and we made on each other.
And together we will confront the threat that looms over Eastern Europe.
With great respect to you.[/list]
Tsar of Kiev, Prince of Galicia-Volyn, Grand Duke of Smolensk, Grand Duke of Polotsk, Duke of Turov and Gorodna,
Daniel Romanovich" [/spoiler]
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa
[list][sup]1957[/sup]
Goloborod'ko V. A. "The origin of Dike Pole Cossacks. Part four: The first Cossak Rada"[/list]
4 years after his election as the Hetman of Zaporozian Army, Juri Patc decided to retire in the spring of 1206. His named successor, Dmitri Putiachich, ran for the post of Hetman the same day and won with an almost absolute majority. As the legend goes, Bogdan Glinski was furious about this. He served in the Izum Sich for four years as its protector and Koshevoi Ataman. The fact that anyone that lived outside of Zaporozie was not able to elect a new Hetman was enough to raise a host of at least two thousand Cuman horsemen and four thousand Sevruk(1) infantry. The host of Glinski had besieged Hortitsa island from both sides in early August.
Dmitri had arranged negotiations on one of the barkasses(2). We don't know much, but the verbal stories of the event description that two pretenders could not reach an agreement for three days, but neither wanted to draw a sword and kill a fellow cossack. Guests from Lithuania were present at a meeting, as well as retired Patc. The first hetman of the Army was the one who resolved the conflict. Patc had suggested a simple idea. One single representative from every single village arrives at the Sich and gives their vote for a candidate they like.
And so, the messengers were sent. The planned meeting happened in mid-September. With more than five hundred people, the vote began. Glinski won by a majority of a single vote, with four people giving their votes to the third, yet unknown, candidate- Senko Polozovich. This event is described in a famous book written by Panteleimon Kulish in 1845, called "First Council". As the name implies- this tradition continued. Every year the council gathered in Zaporozie for the entirety of spring to consult with the Hetman and bestow their wisdom on him.
(1)- Sevruki. North-eastern Slavic tribe with close ties to Cumans.
(2)- Barkass. Huge ship for troop transportation.
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
| The King of Kings of Lithuania, Algimantas Palemonaičiai would respond to both men. He would accept to the alliance but stress it wasn't permanent, that Norway and the Rus would be destroyed if it was a plot to decieve Lithuania. This would be a temporary agreement born out of necessity. |
[spoiler=Response Letter to Norway][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]"To His Majesty, King Haakon III Sverresson of Norway, King of Norway, Liege of Sweden,
Rightful ruler of all lands in the North, and High-King of Scandinavia."[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]
[list]The Goddesses of fate have brought Lithuania together with Norway and the Rus against these Bolghars.
I am no fanatic nor fool, I am capable of pragmatic action and so for now I shall forget about the slights your
people have levelled against mine. One needs only to behold Mazovia to know
what might happen if this were to be a deception born out of low cunning.
With Regards.[/list]
The Divine King of Kings Of All Lithuania, The Reborn King, Dispenser of Justice and The Holy Sword of the Baltic Sea. " [/spoiler]
[spoiler=Response Letter to the Kievan Rus][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list]"To His Majesty, Tsar of Kiev, Prince of Galicia-Volyn, Grand Duke of Smolensk, Grand Duke of Polotsk, Duke of Turov and Gorodna,
Daniel Romanovich"[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]
[list]I am willing to put aside the differences between our realms temporarily to deal with the larger issue of a Bolghar
invasion, but do not misunderstand this as a permanent change. Once these Bolghars are defeated Lithuania will go
back to regular slave raids. If this is a plot formed between Norway and the Rus, one needs only to behold the fate of
the Duchy of Mazovia to see what the results of such a deception would be.
With Regards.[/list]
The Divine King of Kings Of All Lithuania, The Reborn King, Dispenser of Justice and The Holy Sword of the Baltic Sea. " [/spoiler]
Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
LISTEN ON LOOP TO SET THE MOOD:
https://baltictribes.bandcamp.com/track/lustrum
[list][sup]NOVEMBER 25TH, 1206[/sup]
LONG LIVE THE REBORN KING, THE KING OF KINGS OF ALL LITHUANIA[/list]
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[sup]Kernavė, the Court of Karalių Karalius Algimantas Palemonaičiai [/sup]
___
| Algimantas' return to Lithuania would be long and arduous, just to get out of Mazovia and back into Prussia. The Dievturyba Chronicles (the future religious text for all Baltic Paganism) state that the moment the Grand Duke stepped into his own lands again, he slipped from his horse, fell into the marsh and entered a catatonic trance. He was stiff as a board, his eyes looked vacant and empty and his skin grew white as bone. According to official legends he wasn't even breathing the entire time, he appeared dead. It would take a month to reach the capital with the Grand Duke being pulled by cart the entire time. Next to him would sit Antlers taken from deer nearby, Algimantas would be covered in flowers and branches woven together into bands, taken from the holy forests across the lands they entered. He did not exit from his trance the entire time they were travelling, however curiously he was speaking under his breath in a language no men knew the entire time they went, not even pausing for breath, it was not latin, polish, any baltic language or anything any interpreter could recognize. By the time they would reach the capital of Kernavė, it looked more a somber funeral procession than a victorious army returning from war. Algimantas was growing thin and pale like a dead man and indeed most of his soldiers assumed he was dead or dying and planned to burn his body in accordance with proper Baltic funeral customs. Grand Duke Algimantas' wife Kersta would be hysterical when she saw the sight of her seemingly dead husband. She was the deaf daughter of a Selonian duke, married to Algimantas for an alliance but the two quickly became very fond of one another after a year or two after the marriage was made. |
| However, despite what everyone believed, the Vaidila or Priest of Kernavė, named Rimas refused to believe he was dead. He knew better when he saw the Grand Duke's body. Rimas would reportedly say the Grand Duke was experiencing divine inspiration or "Įkvėpimas" and was not to be disturbed. He would be taken to a holy grove and given what would be described as a "potion of herbs" which likely contained extremely hallucinogenic mushrooms like Liberty Caps, Fly Agaric Mushrooms and other herbs. The Recipe was to be written down but its contents would be a sacred secret. Shortly after imbibing the drink the Grand Duke would stand up and was semi-conscious. He was able to communicate in Lithuanian what he was seeing but was still in the trance. He described seeing ghostly men and women that were not there from Rimas' perspective. Both would identify these as the multitudes of Gods, Goddesses and Ancestor spirits of the Baltic Religion. Once that had been revealed to the two the Grand Duke would only respond sparsely as he seemed to be in council with the Divine. Algimantas would write down extensively what he saw and said during this "Holy Council" in the Dievturyba Chronicles. |
| The Gods would tell the Grand Duke a great many things. The first thing he was reportedly told was that Syncretism was abhorrent in the eyes of the Gods. They were the only gods in existence and the act of accepting a foreign god into the faith was one of the gravest insults against them, any who accept foreign Gods alongside the true Immortal Gods would be put to death. The gods awarded and protected those that did great deeds, protected the holy forests, marshes and fields of Lithuania and Algimantas had done one of the greatest deeds a man could do. He made sure the true faith was secure and safe from Christians long enough to strengthen itself. Now the most important thing to be done was to mold the religion into its true form, the ones the Gods would surely smile at. The Gods said that the Grand Duke becoming the leader of the religion was indeed the right way to go about reforging the religion but it was not going far enough. The authority of the Gods would not be respected or feared that way, there needed to be a physical representative of the Gods on earth. Algimantas needed to take the title of the Divine King of Kings. The ability to see the Gods and hear their commands was a gift bestowed upon Algimantas and everyone that would share his blood. He was now a holy being himself, deserving of worship. Another thing to change was the nature of slavery. The Gods despised the enslavement of the Faithful and commanded Algimantas to end the enslavement of those that follow the true faith. A balance existed between the gods, an equality and such a thing needed to be present in the faithful on earth. All slaves that follow the true faith,are to be given freedom. All freed slaves are to be given land grants in the newly conquered land of Mazovia to colonize it with faithful balts. The Gods also smiled on those that gave up their material possessions and pleasures in dedication to them, from then on the religion would be an Ascetic one. After his return Algimantas will always be seen wearing a simple white cloth robe, and would take all the wealth in his personal treasury and melt it into golden statues of the gods at a new religious site, A stone circle that has been under construction for the better part of a decade. His wealth was considerable so there would be enough metal to create the numerous statues necessary. |
| According to legend, this holy council would be held for a week until Algimantas was commanded to return to his people. A final command by the gods was given. He was to take the Antlers laid next to him during his return to Kernave would be fashioned into a new crown to symbolize the new holy title he held It would have no finery on it, no gold nor gems, symbolizing the new anti-materialist Asceticism the religion would adopt. He would need to be coronated to officially become the King of Kings however, so messages would be send to all of his Vassals, so they can swear fealty to him individually. Most vassals would be confused by the meaning of this coronation, however once it began it became much more clear what was going on. It looked like a much more religious ceremony than before, with Vaidila everywhere. They already knew Algimantas' intentions to change the pagan faith of the baltic, but it was surprising it was going this far. The Crown of Antlers as it would come to be called was sitting on an altar at the end of the Throne Room, with his vassals sitting on benches on either side of the wall. Algimantas would walk into the room wearing a simple white wool robe with a belt holding it and leather shoes. He would walk up to the Crown, surrounded by Vaidila. Algimantas picked up the Crown and sat it on his head himself. The Vaidila would all shout in unison "Long Live The Divine King of Kings Of All Lithuania, The Reborn King, Dispenser of Justice and The Holy Sword of the Baltic Sea!" and his vassals would immediately shout the same, also in unison. Algimantas would explain in a long speech what happened to him, how he met the gods, how he himself is a god, and all the changes to the religion the gods themselves commanded him to make. His vassals wouldn't dare oppose him, most vassals would cautiously accept his new status, not fully believing his story. However it would be trivially easy to convince the common folk of Algimantas' new status as God King as they already revered Algimantas for his actions as the unifier of the Baltic. |
___________________
| "Lietuva tvirtai stos prie netikinčius!" |
___________________
Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
[list][sup]AUGUST 1210 AD[/sup]
THE HOLY EMPIRE OF VOLGA-BULGARIA[/list]
[sup]The Antipapal Court of Bartholomew Svinos, The City of Bulgha, The Holy Empire of Volga-Bulgaria[/sup]
The Crusade has begun. The armies of Volga-Bulgaria make a sound like thunder, 12 000 men marching in synchronised order. Short of what had been hoped for, but still a more than respectable amount. Each man had been trained hard, a few harsh months to bring them up to scratch and make them tougher, harder, more disciplined. They could wait longer, gather more troops than even the seemingly endless legions already trailing behind, but as they gathered men, so did their enemies. As they grew stronger, the enemy had more time for defence. The balance had to be perfected, and Pope Bartholomew believed that now was the time to strike. Of course, ultimately it would not matter how strong the enemy were, with God on his side the infidels stood no chance. Their sword was the sword of God, and the heretics would be struck down. But it was best to be certain. That was Bartholomews motto. It made him a good general, because he would always strike when it was certain of victory and not before. Where others gambled in battle, he preferred sure chance. And now, he felt the certainty of victory.
Into Kievan Rus the men marched. He dared not stop though, knowing that no mercy could be expected if he did. There was no avoiding a battle or two here, but he had to have an army when he reached Eastern Europe, and the only way he could achieve that was to avoid as much conflict as he could. He had given strict orders: loot and pillage only if we have nothing, when our supplies are down, and camp only when we cant march any longer. Every night, before camping, a guard of a quarter of the total force would be set. The troops on guard duty would be on a rota, a different quarter each night. He had to reach Poland, and then Lithuania, and he had to have an army when he got there. He was Hannibal, the great Carthaginian leader who had led the men across the Alps. He was Alexander the Great, invader of the known world.
As he marched, he saw a flock of horsemen, light cavalry armed with long spears and bucklers galloping towards him. He had set them far out on the flanks to scout for any sign of the enemy, and by the speed at which they were riding, clearly something important had been found.
Your holiness, we have found reports that the Tsar Daniel of Kievan Rus has increased their armed forces drastically ever since you sent the letter to him suggesting a military alliance. And worse, there are rumours tenfold flying around of... of a triple alliance between Norway, Lithuania and Kievan Rus. Your Holiness, if this is true
Pope Bartholomew cut him off.
If it is true, it makes no difference. We will crush them all, alliance or not. Do you doubt our strength, the strength of heaven? The man merely nodded resignedly, before giving an order to the other riders. They galloped back to their positions.
If it was true.... Pope Bartholomew highly doubted that there was any truth behind the rumour, but if there was, it was disturbing. Was he making a mistake in doing this? Too late to turn back now. Besides, those three hated each other with a passion. The very idea of them coming together was laughable. No, each would fight against him, for sure, but just as much as they fought each other. Behind him, the sunlight gleamed on a thousand steel helmets behind him, glinted off their polished weapons. He smiled. This is what he had been born to do. This was his purpose on earth. He would be remembered as the Saviour of Mankind. At last, the war was on.
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
Kievan Tsardom
[list][sup]August 1210[/sup]
The enemy is at the gate [/list]
___
Neighborhoods of Kiev
___
| From the lands of Ryazan, merchants began to bring disturbing news, telling about an army that had come from the east, advancing westward day and night. The huge horde of Bulgars, led by the fanatical Bartholomew, according to various sources, numbered about twenty thousand people, but there was no more data either about the condition or the quality of the equipment of the soldiers.
This was a signal for Daniil Romanovich. For almost five months the tsarist army trained hard to repulse arrogant enemies. In Kiev, provisions were prepared, which would be enough for all the townspeople and the army, in case it was necessary to hide behind the city walls for several months. |
| The Tsar's Council was again assembled, which was attended by Chancellor Pavel Olegovich, Treasurer Yevgeny Stepanovich, Voivode Yaroslav Kuznetsov and other military leaders. Tsar Daniel sat majestically on his golden throne, however, instead of the usual everyday royal attire, he was already wearing armor, chain mail, and with the family coat of arms on his chest, and only a marching helmet with gilded lines and a royal two-headed eagle, which symbolizes succession Rus over the extinct Byzantium, hung on the handle of the throne. All this testified to the complete readiness for war.
"My loyal subjects," Daniel began to say, "Bartholomew dared to an unheard-of insolence. Without receiving any permission from me, he entered my lands with his horde. You cannot close your eyes to such a thing, because it casts doubt on my authority over these lands. I am the sovereign of this country, and if someone considers himself right, not paying any attention to me, walking on them, then he should be punished!
How are things with my army, pan Voivode? "
"I wish to inform you, my Tsar, that the army, in the amount of fourteen thousand people, consisting of twelve thousand infantry and a thousand and a half cavalry, and half a thousand archers, is fully trained, equipped and stationed on the outskirts of Kiev, and is ready to go."
"Great! And what will pan Yevgeny Stepanovich say, how are things with the budget?" said Daniel, addressing the treasurer.
"Not everything is as good as we would like, Your Majesty. We were able to fully cover the costs of equipping the army and made large reserves of food and water, but our treasury is practically empty, and during the war it will be impossible to replenish it, so it will be impossible for us to buy mercenaries or somehow recruit other shelves. Besides, a long hike can deprive us of the last hryvnia."
"Well, that's depressing, but we're not going anywhere!" said the Tsar, not hiding pride from the plan, which he himself had come up with, "We have no place to go anywhere, we will stay in Kiev." said Daniel Romanovich to everyone's surprise, from which, it seems, the whole world came to a stupor at that moment.
"There are two reasons for this.
The first is that here we will await the arrival of the allied forces of Lietuva and Norway in order to destroy the aggressor together and capture Bulgha.
The second is the Dnieper. This river is very long and extremely wide, so Bartholomew will either have to go around it, which will stretch his campaign for several weeks, or try to break through in the narrowest place, that is, where Kiev stands, with its thick and high walls. And he will not take this city, we will do everything to make the Dnieper a grave for a thousand Bulgars.
We will do the following: my spies will drive around the entire Dnieper so that we know where the Bulgars will strike, and when they come to Kiev we will give them a battle, and in case of failure, we will close ourselves in the city until the allies arrive, thankfully we have a lot of supplies."
The councilors began to applaud in agreement and admiration for the plan. After they left, Daniel Romanovich sent letters to the allies.
[spoiler=Letters to Lietuva and Norway] [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list] To the Divine King of Kings Of All Lithuania, The Reborn King, Dispenser of Justice
and The Holy Sword of the Baltic Sea and to His Majesty, King Haakon III Sverresson of Norway, King of Norway, Liege of Sweden,
Rightful ruler of all lands in the North, and High-King of Scandinavia. [/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]
[list]Our common enemy, in the person of Bartholomew, invaded my possessions, moving towards Poland and Lithuania, wishing to establish their own order in all of Europe.
Our army is strong and ready to repulse the aggressor, but a war with a fanatic is dangerous, because such people will fight to the last man and are unlikely to retreat, so I ask you to respect our agreements, and, as you promised, come to our aid.
We will be able to gain time before the cold weather arrives, and there the Bulgars' army will begin to endure a great need for food and a place where they can survive the cold winter, losing their soldiers without a fight.
With great respect to you.[/list]
Tsar of Kiev, Prince of Galicia-Volyn, Grand Duke of Smolensk, Grand Duke of Polotsk, Duke of Turov and Gorodna,
Daniel Romanovich" [/spoiler]
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa
[pre]A Move to War[/pre]
[sub]Baltics[/sub]
| The King of Norway, Haakon III Sverresson of Norway has put his invasion of the Northern Scandinavia on hold while he sends forces to deal with the Volga-Bulgarian menace. He figured it would give more time for the missionaries to do their work. He then reallocated the forces so that the forces he was sending to was a full 10,000 soldiers strong. The forces now allocated were 1,000 Heavy Cavalry, 1,000 Light Cavalry, 2,000 Pikemen (Hoplite style), 5,000 Swordsmen (of various armor and types), and 1,000 Archers. He had a massive fleet of his ships guard the shis being used to transport the soldiers to the Baltics. A emissary from the fleet goes ahead of the fleet and asks for permission to land the soldiers and set up camp. The King sent a few of the nobility to lead his forces, while he was needed to deal with some issues on the mainland. The King of Norway had to deal with several headaches, the first being over the sheer amount of supplies needed to move a force of 10,000 soldiers into a foreign land to defend it. While willing to cooperate, he held little trust in the supply lines of his temporary allies. At the same time, he had to deal with the efforts to ensure Sweden was loyal, a great affair that was progressing very slowly, aided only by the fact that he was now their liege. The only other affair he had to deal with was the constant issues brought upon the nation of Norway for increasing its taxes so that the massive Castle of Oslo could be built. It also came to his embarrassment, when he realized that in all the planning for the Castle of Oslo, his father forgot to include the plans and location for the Basilica of Oslo, so he had to spend many hours trying to fix that problem before construction got too far along to just add it in. The King, while unable to directly lead the troops, wanted to ensure the defeat of Volga-Bulgaria. |
Valijun, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa
ပါဝါပြောင်းလဲမှုများ CHANGES OF POWER[/B]
[sub]10th waxing of Tawthalin 573 ME | Bagan, Core Region, Bagan Empire [/sub]
Upon the death of his father, heir apparent Zeya Theinkha Uzana, known officially throughout the realm as Htilominlo, ascended to the throne of the great Empire of the Bagan Dynasty. Unlike his father, Sithu II, the 36 year old Htilominlo couldn't be bothered with the stresses of great leadership. In the wake of his ascension to the throne of Bagan, His Excellency established privy councils headed by appointed senior ministers to address the everyday affairs of the Kingdom. A dedicated Buddhist and educated scholar, Htilominlo even relinquished command of the Royal Armed Forces leaving the helm of Commander-in-Chief to his most trusted General, Agzawthawdamin, so that he might focus his energies on theology and temple construction, aiming to complete the majestic Gawdawpalin Temple begun in 565 ME (1203 AD) under Narapatisithu's edict.
As the new King lessened the haste of his responsibilities, the Hluttaw increased it's role and power, consolidating control over the military, political, and economic affairs of the Empire. Ultimately, the Chief Minister Ananda Thuriya, a man of valor who often hunts down bandits, presenting them alive to the king, and General Agzawthawdamin, a man bent on superceding his predecessor, Aung Zwa, in military victories and expansion, serving as Commander-in-Chief formed a shadow duumvirate alongside the Hluttaw with Htilominlo acting as figurehead, and the Royal Palace Guards as the central node of the Kyi (Army).
The Tatmadaw Kyi was organised into a small standing army of a few thousand, two companies inner and outer, keeping watch in ranks one behind the other which defend the capital and the palace, though fields a much larger conscript-based wartime army. The Palace Guards, a trained, professional force, ultimately form the nucleus which the mass levy assemble around during war time under the kyundaw conscription system, similar to the feudal military structures present in Europe. Most of the field levy serve in the infantry but the men for the elephantry, cavalry, and naval corps are drawn from specific hereditary villages, each taik-thugyi responsible for recruiting experienced soldiers that specialize in respective military skills within their local garrisons.
Under the command of General Agzawthawdamin however, the Royal Palace Guards and the Tatmadaw as a whole was set on course to be expanded, and as a direct result, would begin a gradual integration campaign bringing the local garrisons of the naingngans, or tributaries of the Empire's peripheral regions, into the standing army. Additionally, this meant the arduous process of integrating the tributaries into the Empire's Core region, a mighty task but necessary nonetheless as tax-free religious holdings expanded and initiated the growing calamity of reduced tax revenues. Tributes from the naingngans would have to be doubled to make up for the plummeting defecit, though only force could ensure that they fall in line and pay. The autonomy enjoyed by the tributaries and lands outside the Core region was now coming to an abrupt end with the new leadership envisioning a united Bagan Empire claiming suzerainty from the mountain passages of Assam to the shores of the Malay Peninsula. Prior to Htilominlo, 150 miles from the Core regions were considered beyond the direct control of Bagan with these regions subsequently enjoying a fair range of autonomy, such as the freedom to appoint local governors, which was soon about to change. Within the course of a few months, the hereditary rulers of Tenasserim, Lower Burma, and Upper Burma were systematically replaced by court governors, appointing senior princes of the Royal family in governorships especially along the Tenasserim coast to closely supervise revenues at several key ports such as Prome, Bassein, and Dala.
Far off and further flung naingngans including Arakan, Chin Hills, Kachin Hills, and Shan Hills, tributary lands the Kingdom has only held in largely ritual or nominal sovereignty in recent history, would now be forced to accept the imposition of the Crown's will and adhere to it's laws, while retaining their ethnic identities. This did not come with out it's promises of benefit, however, as almost two-thirds of all arable land in the Empire belonged to tax free religious holdings, stumping any possibilities of agricultural expansion or land zoning for appanage grants, the promises of territorial expansion to come out of the endeavor are uniquely promising and economically auspicious, even in the face of integration and centralization.
[spoiler=THE ERA OF INTEGRATION, CENTRALIZATION, AND EXPANSION][/spoiler]
Otsla, Gaia Major, Indril, Jasumaa, Romisches Imperium, Kiewan Rus
[list][sup]SEPTEMBER 1210 AD[/sup]
THE HOLY EMPIRE OF VOLGA-BULGARIA[/list]
[sup]Kievan Rus, the River Dnieper[/sup]
The men of Volga-Bulgaria have finally reached the River Dnieper, blocking the advance. The last month has been a gruelling march, day on day, to try and get across to Eastern Europe. Hundreds of men dropped out from exhaustion, left behind, or just unable to carry on, but others took their places, adventurous young men, with no loyalty to the throne, or simply just thinking it would be fun. Raids by local lords and their men have lead to a constant state of hyper vigilance, guards and sentries constantly on the lookout for trouble. Now they have come to a river blocking their path, too deep to wade across, and too far to swim, even if any of the men could swim. The only bridges are in cities, Kiev the nearest of them.
It was a problem, but Bartholomew soon hit on the solution. Taking Kiev was obviously too difficult, and crossing the mountains too risky. Instead, the men would build massive rafts from wood in the nearby forest, in the valley nearby. While some, about a quarter stood guard with weapons, the rest would build the makeshift boats, some large enough to even carry the cavalry horses. Any boats owned by fishermen were, of course, commandeered for the operation. Although this endeavour would add about a week onto the time taken to get to Poland and Lithuania, it was unavoidable.
Bartholomew was restless. He knew the longer he waited, the bigger and better defended and trained his enemy would be. They had to get moving soon. It was too long, he thought, always too long, too slow. He watched the men at work, using their sharp blades to hack wood for the rafts and sighed. Smiling encouragingly to the workers, he set about trying to rally their spirits, whilst hiding a grimace inside. They had to work faster. By rote, he reassured himself. God was on their side. They would win in the end. They had to. God was on their side.
Otsla, Shamalistan, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Lux Lumen, Jasumaa, Kiewan Rus
Can somebody just give me the server invite every time I try it says it was old
WW2 time
Czabalkia, Areuloia, Indril
[list][list]1932 - 𝕬 𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝕴𝖓 𝕮𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖎𝖘
1 January 1932 - Berlin, Free State of Prussia, German Reich[/list][/list]
| Disaster after disaster has struck Germany since 1914. In 1918, after four years of bitter, stagnant fighting, the pressure of the Great War had proven too much for the German military and political institutions, resulting in the end of fighting. In 1919, the fighting's end gave way to the humiliating Treaty of Versailles, a slap in the face to the German spirit, German honor, and German prestige. As objectively humiliating as the Treaty would be imposed upon any nation, the morale of the German nation was shattered especially hard by this Treaty which so utterly neutered the great German identity which had been forged through fire and flames since the days of Frederick II of Prussia. 1919 was also accompanied by the beginning of revolutions, coups, putsches, and other such civil conflicts destabilizing the central government of the German state. With Kaiser Wilhelm II gone and a weak new Republic left to govern the entirety of the land in his absence, all across the land the instability has been felt. |
| While, in the mid-1920s, the Weimar government had seen some improvements made to its ability to properly govern, all of this was brought to a halt in October of 1929, when the global economy was tanked due to a variety of factors. Germany, war-ravaged from the Great War and the subsequent stripping and occupation of territory, was hit especially hard by the economic collapse. Inflation in Germany, already a problem in the aftermath of the World War, has stayed at all-time highs. Unemployment has soared to over thirty percent, and growing quarterly. Factories and farms have been left barren, homes unoccupied, and banks emptied. In the wake of these tragedies, Germans have become lost, disillusioned, divided against one another along political, ethnic, religious lines. A total breakdown of the great national sentiments of the past two hundred years which had turned Germany from a jumble of various duchies and fiefdoms into a world power rivalling the best. Hope has gone out the window. |
| With a government incapable of providing for its citizens, and an economy completely ravaged by war and economic disaster, the German populace has increasingly turned to extremes to cope. In any city today from Frankfurt to Konigsberg, the average person can expect to see daily protests, demonstrations, speeches, and street battles by and between various disenfranchised political groups. Representing the whole gambit from monarchists to Marxists, the battle for the hearts and minds of Germans has left little hope of political unity in the future. Of particular note has been the National Socialist German Worker's Party which, through the use of its paramilitary groups, has caused the most violence in the streets, going out of its way to harass, attack, and even kill communist demonstrators and activists. In the last year alone, nearly 47 Sturmabteilung members had died in these street battles, while the communist Rotfront had suffered somewhere in excess of 80. Such levels of violence, though not totally alien in the collective subconscious of Germans across the nation, has not been seen since 1919 on such a nationwide level. |
| With a year of various national elections upcoming, and with the National Socialists continuing to pick up steam, the fate of Germany hangs in a very tediously maintained balance. With the communists holding no hope of meaningful victories in the elections, it will fall to the centrists and moderates in government and running for office to somehow counter the spread of Nazism. Whether this will happen, only the passage of time will tell. However, for Party Furher Adolf Hitler and other party leaders, total control over Germany is all but assured by year's end. |
Valijun, Val Verde-, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa, Romisches Imperium
Hello there
Czabalkia, Areuloia, Volcanlandr, Jasumaa
Hello I am new
Czabalkia, Jasumaa
hi
Czabalkia, Areuloia, Jasumaa
https://discord.gg/KbmBwaxC
| AN INVITE TO THE DISCORD WHERE ALL OOC CONVERSATIONS ARE HELD. JOIN THIS IF YOU WANT TO START THE PROCESS OF JOINING RP. |
Areuloia, Indril
In A Quiet Bar in Badojaz: A Spark
1932
José Antonio Primo de Rivera had spent a lot of time and energy in setting up this meeting. He hoped for a final appeal with other anarchy-syndicalist, moderate syndicalist, and trade unionist leaders in a united front against both the republic and the growing militarist factions. He hoped this one final hail mary that would bring these disparate factions together.
Rivera himself represented the National Syndicalist/Falangist faction, a long-time agitator for the far-right, recently Rivera had seen many of the so-called fascist movements drift away from syndicalist economics to more state capitalist, and military control which he wholeheartedly rejected. He knew; however, by working with the moderates and leftists a degree of democratic workplaces and councils would be expected, this would be a sacrifice hed have to make in order to not be bulldozzed by the other factions.
The second member to show up was Francisco Largo Caballero leader of the Workers General Union as well as having close ties with the National Confederation of Labor, one of the most powerful factions in Spain. Caballero while in his elderly year's still represented a powerful fighter for workers' rights, emphasizing Cooperatives, Workers Self Management, and Workplace Democracy. He however rejected anarcho-syndicalism seeing it as impossible and overly naive. His faction would represent a centre/left wing perspective on Syndicalism.
The third and final member to show up would be Buenaventura Durruti representing the Iberian Anarchist Federation, as well as having close ties with the National Confederation of Labor. His group would argue hard for anarcho-syndicalism, arguing for a loose confederation of workers unions, and workers councils, with a voluntary and powerless central government. He; however, remained pragmatic realizing the anarchists alone, whose support was mostly based in Catalonia, could never stand alone, instead, he opted to join a United Syndicalist Front.
The group argued for hours, pouring over theory, idealisms, and a copious amount of alcohol. In the end; however, a final decree was made The Unification Decree, by which the disparate factions would be welded together. This act would be the thing that carried the Syndicalists to victory while the other factions would divide and collapse. The most important thing for the group now was to prepare, they needed allies especially in the military, and government apparatus.
Teujira, Czabalkia, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Areuloia, Indril, United Liberian States
--- Ajuda Palace, 1st of January 1932 ---
The King had just finished his afternoon tea, and was getting ready to attend a meeting about the celebrations on the 28th of May. 6 years had passed since the return of the monarchy, and things were changing quickly on the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves.
The new monarchical government contrasted sharply with the unstable old republic. Having lived in Austria for most of his life, he brought to Lisbon new and modern ideas of ruling the land, which he had learned from the monarchies and republics of Europe from before and after the Great War. Along his advisors and governors, he had devised a series of reforms that ranged from the economy to education, passing through the military, internal administration and the overseas colonies and territories. In fact, the colonies were fundamental, working as a source of reliable income to kickstart an industrialization process back at home. Exploration and exploitation was the law for many unfortunate natives of those lands...
Despite his efforts, censoring the news that came from the colonies was no easy task, and every day that passed, the awareness of the general public about what was happening in them grew. Some accepted it as a necessary sacrifice for progress, others saw it as a ruthless and unnecessary act. And amongst the public discussion, a group rose to proeminence: The People's Initiative (Iniciativa Popular, or IP), a communist-oriented organization that aimed to overthrow the monarchy and bring communism to Portugal. They cited the end of colonial exploitation as their main driver. The IP's methods of action had become increasingly more violent last year: terrorist attacks had become more frequent, and their main target were government buildings and officials.
And it was obvious that they would strike once again during the celebrations on the 28th of May...
Teujira, Czabalkia, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa, Romisches Imperium, United Liberian States
[pre]The United Kingdoms of Scandinavia
January | 1932 CE [/pre]
[sub]Scandinavia[/sub]
| It is a few years after the 'Unification' as it was called. While many were satisfied by the arrangement, some felt betrayed and made lesser by the UKS hoarding the majority of the power. The feeling, mostly felt in Sweden, was amplified by the fact that Norway seemed to benefit most in the new government. Most of the strikes and protests were put down harshly by the military, who had orders to ensure that no 'trouble makers' hurt the nation during its time of economic crisis. It was to this extent that any 'worker revolts' failed within hours of starting and revolutionaries 'disappeared'. The military also had standing orders to execute communists on site upon the discovery of support for communism or being in possession of communist paraphernalia.
Fearing the Soviets to the East, much of the time, the Ministry of War spent most of its time building up defenses and training its military in preparation for a potential invasion by the soviets, something that was used as an excuse by the government to justify increased military spending during the economic crisis. Five ship classes were planned and were being built for use in one of the two planned Fleets. Many of the military R&D and construction had years till completion, under the current resource and budgetary constraints. One of the biggest Expenditures for the government was earmarked as Valhalla, a planned city within Oslo for the wealthy elites of society. The UKS sold a massive quantity of Anti-Communist Bonds with no intention of ever paying them back. The Anti-Communist Bonds were given a 30 year maturity rate and were not able to be cashed out until they were mature.
The UKS had a high 10% unemployment rate, due largely from the economic crisis causing many businesses to go under. What many did not know was that those businesses were being bought up en-mass by other companies, all owned by the elites of society. The status quo was low wages and long hours for minimal safety. During this time, industrial production expanded to account for products that were affected by the economic crisis. The government generally did not care about the normal citizens, leaving that up to the individual kingdoms to figure out. The Kingdoms themselves had problems with their financing, as much of their funds were going towards keeping people fed and housed. Several attempts at marxist uprisings have already failed, and many 'stories' of the horrors of communism were used to keep the vast majority of the population from joining the communists.
The United Kingdoms of Scandinavia believed itself prepared for war against Communism, the only enemy it feared, but little was it aware of the brewing war on the horizon that caught, even Scandinavia by surprise.... |
Teujira, Czabalkia, Shilb, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
Post self-deleted by Reformed Qing China.
𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚
[pre]ᴊᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ, 1932[/pre]
𝐀 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝
[sub]History and summary of events in the United States leading up to and including January, 1932.[/sub]
The United States of America in the year of our lord 1932 sits astride the Western Hemisphere like a colossus: a colossus beset, beneath its surface, by problems both economic and political.
Incumbent United States President Herbert Hoover is a good man. There is no disputing that he is the face of humanitarianism in the United States and across the Western World with his work with the American Relief Association and other related organisations after the Great War. But is he a good politician? Given his handling of the Depression since 1929, many would disagree.
The United States is perhaps hardest hit by the effects of this economic recession, being the linchpin of the global economic system and the bank of the world. With more than 25% of the labour force rendered unemployed by the contraction of the burgeoning American economy, the financial sector has been devastated and more than a third of banks have shut their doors.
Wall Street, the financial yardstick of the world, has plummeted 90% in value as stockbrokers and small-time investors have lost confidence in the bullish market of the 20s. What used to be its gotta go up has become a hodgepodge of mistrust and doubt that has crippled not only Wall Street but the financial institutions of the USA at large.
Needless to say, this has devastated President Hoovers credit with the nation, with the public and the press publicly lambasting the hapless and out of depth Hoover by calling the vast shanty towns that have sprung up across the US as Hoovervilles unpopularity of the President and of the GOP is at an all time high, and one is more likely to run into an outspoken critic of the government than a supporter.
Hoover and the GOPs advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism has also been shaken to its very core, with the American public questioning the effectiveness of an ideology that has so evidently driven the US into catastrophe. Political threats have begun to emerge against the legitimacy of the Hoover government from both left and right, with one man emerging as Hoovers clear rival and likely opponent in the upcoming elections of 1932.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a man of contradictions: a New York aristocrat like his famous cousin the Bull Moose, he is nonetheless about as far from the traditional patrician beliefs of that social class, going so far as to even throw his lot in with the Democratic Party.
Roosevelts advocacy of government intervention in the American economy has been divisive to say the least. Many on the right accuse him of socialism quite a serious insult in the USA and of pandering to the masses in an unsustainable and foolish way. On the other hand, he has won tremendous support among the common people of America, with his bold promises and charismatic speeches, and his ability to relate his own struggle with polio to them as a means of identifying himself with them rather than with the upper crust of US society.
Closer to the man in the street of the 1930s is the Dust Bowl ravaging the Great Plains Americas agrarian heartland. With so much of the population currently engaged in one way or another in agriculture, the devastation of such a large area of fertile land has meant crisis after crisis for the beleaguered American farmer, who seems simply unable to catch a break. Agricultural yield has fallen by nearly 17% since 1927, and many farmers have chosen to simply abandon their hereditary landholdings to pack it up and head west, or to seek employment in the big city: an unprecedented amount of urbanisation, which has meant further strain on the already over-budget and under-employed cities of the United States. Droughts since 1930 promise to increase in severity, and the heat and dry conditions of the summer of 1931 are a far cry from the lush, mild weather of the 1920s. Many in the government call for Hoover to implement some legislation that will assist with soil conservation, but the President is plagued by the same inaction and ineffectiveness that has characterised his tenure so far.
Abroad, different problems arise with the overseas territories of the Philippines and of Cuba. Both of these exotic isles very nearly were given independence, with the failed attempt to constitutionalise Cuba and grant it protectorate status under the McKinley administration falling through due to the Presidents vocal opposition to Cuban self-rule. In the Philippines, the independence lobby has grown much weaker after the depression, with many calling for greater US involvement in Philippine government and in some cases even direct self-rule from Washington. Both territories have become increasingly integrated with the continental USA, with many Cubans and Americans intermarrying, and large numbers of settler colonialists emigrating the Depression-ridden mainland US to start new lives in these lush tropical islands. There are strong movements both in these territories and in Washington to initiate proceedings that would bring both Cuba and the Philippines into the fold as the 49th and 50th States of the United States of America: movements which are understandably picking up steam given the dire economic conditions in both of these territories, the increasing number of born Americans living there, and their complete reliance on the US for finance and imports of essential goods such as food.
The Manifest Destiny Lobby, as these campaigners call themselves, are a group of people whose influence in mainstream American society is beginning to grow. Counting among their number such luminaries as Presidential hopeful Franklin D. Roosevelt, it seems practically assured that both of these territories will be fully incorporated into the US by the end of the decade. Not all are happy about this however, with many in the Deep South resenting what they see as the miscegenation of white Americans with the Hispanic and Asian populations of these islands. Although they are at best a vocal minority, they are active in American politics. But further integration of majority non-white territories and the resultant intermarriage of such an action is extremely likely to spell the end of Jim Crow legislation, as large populations of Cubans in particular are expected to inhabit the South should Cuba be incorporated into the US.
Amid all these problems, it seems unclear what course America will choose to chart over the upcoming years in a world darkened by the shadow of fascism. Certainly the next few years will be some of the most difficult in American history. But what is for sure is that although the American Dream may be down, it is very, very far from out.
Teujira, Otsla, Miwok-, Rutenija, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
Post self-deleted by Areuloia.
Royals Arrive at Summer Palace in Punta del Este, Cisplatina Province
PUNTA DEL ESTE- After a long train ride and short car ride south, the Royal Court had finally arrived at the Summer Palace. The temperature was a mild 77°F/ 25°C compared to Rio de Janeiro's hot 95°F/35°C. The sky was a blue with clouds, white and grey off in the distance to the south. It was slightly windy, the sea air refreshing at last.The ocean was mystical blue, clear and cool to the touch. The Palace built in a Italian style with it's structure standing tall and magnificent. The Palace Gardens surrounded the Palace.
A limo would come to a stop in front of the Palace. A servant would open the door and the Royal Family would step outside and walk through the Palace doors. The servant would close the limo door and walk into the Palace and closing the doors behind them. The entire time the press snapped pictures, and filmed the event. The members of the press silently did their jobs. Mara DeSantos a young woman about the age of 24, with a fair skin complexion, she wore a pink dress with green poka dots. DeSantos just got out of University with a degree in Journalism. With in moments of the Palace doors closing the press began to pack up and quickly. Mara would hold her camera waiting for something else to happen. She would look around for a couple of seconds to see the last of the press surrounding her leave. Within a span of 5 minutes Mara was left alone.
The next thing Mara knew there would be a loud crack of thunder then a flash of lightning. Mara would immediately begin running to her car. She would rush puting her camera in the back seat. Then she would get into her car and turn the car on. Within seconds of her turning the car on, Mara would hear a another crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. Rain would pour down upon the Earth. Mara would drive her car slowly out of the driveway to the main road. The cool rain pouring down all around her as she drove. The drive back to her hotel in town only took 5 minutes but because of the heavy rain it took 10 minutes.
Arriving back at the hotel in town. With the rain pouring heavily, Mara would sprint inside to the lobby and upstairs to her room on the third floor. Mara would set down her camera in its case she mistakenly left behind. She would sit down in a chair facing a desk with a lamp, typewriter, and a box of paper. The desk faced the window which the rain continued to fall though no longer pouring. It was a steady but moderate rain. Surrounding her was a bed, bathroom, closet, and a dresser. Mara would put a piece of paper in the typewriter and begin typing.
**
A few days later her latest article about the Royal Family's journey from Rio de Janeiro to Punta del Este hit the news stands. As part of the Metropolitan Magazine's weekly publication. The Metropolitan Magazine is a tabloid. Her article would be a major success and she would feel proud of herself. This was Mara's first big hit. There were to be more days like this in the future.
Teujira, Otsla, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Rutenija, Areuloia, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
سلطنت په انتظار کې ناست دی
Muhammad Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan, walked down the halls of Darul Aman Palace, he looks around as the project finally completed while the conservatives had tried to block his reforms personal wealth and some corrupt deals allowed him to silently complete the project under their noses. The lavish and vast palace was a testimony to his dream of a modern and strengthened Afghanistan albeit, one that had a long way to go before that dream could ever be realized. As he enters his bedroom he sits at the table in front of him looking over the many issues of state plaguing Afghan territories and goals.
اقتصاد او د هغه اصلاحات
While the conservatives oppose Muhammad Nadir Shah at almost every move he tries to make one thing is clear, both Liberals, Conservatives and Theocrats alike support a modernized and strengthened economy. Afghanistan lacked many modern factories, manufacturies and in general heavy industry common throughout the rest of the world, even a service economy was lacking as the nation primarily relies on agriculture and mining for its output. The reformist King however, sees a wealthy Afghanistan if the economy can be centralized even greater and be governed directly at home from the palace and loya jirga. Therfore a meeting has been set up for all branches of parliament and chieftains of Afghan tribes to meet, talk & discuss the future of the economy of the country.
نظامي چمتووالی لري
The Afghan military, also needs major reform as well as modernization. But being a buffer state between both the British & Soviet empires Afghanistan views itself as being in a relatively stable position. Despite this, moves must be made to ensure Afghan defensive positions within the region. And so, the King has enacted a modernization program for the armed forces. Who's aims will be to bring Afghanistan into the same league as secondary European powers. For now a series of fortifications and defensive installations will be erected along the Afghan and British-Soviet borders. While such a plan is being set up, funds will be slowly allocated towards this program.
For now, a series of scouts and reconnisance groups will patrol the borders watching for any potential buildup over the near future while the main investment in spent in modernizing Afghan weapons and equipment. Therefore, diplomats will be sent out to the world powers in Asia, Europe and the America's for deals regarding acquiring new weapons and blueprints for the modernization program.
ډیپلوماتیک پروسې
The King of Afghanistan has sent diplomats to the British, French, USSR, Germany, Italy, United States & Japan for talks regarding diplomatic & economic agreements between said countries and Afghanistan. The primary goal being to establish relations and contacts with nations outside of Central Asia and form long-lasting bonds and friendships between nations. This goal is set for long-term results but those in which benefit Afghanistan and potential allies alike.
Teujira, Otsla, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
Hi everyone im néw here. Wich year is it in the roleplay?
Areuloia
1932
The Wisconsin Rhineland
https://discord.gg/KbmBwaxC
This is where submit a claim and see the
map
I dont use discord. I already sent my history and will then send my map claims.
Areuloia
And isnt tat the map from 1200
Areuloia
Got to sleep?
that map is innacurate. the updated map is on discord. you cant rp here if you dont use discord.
Areuloia, United Liberian States
LISTEN FOR MOOD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4zDhmQq-JA
[list][sup]26 February 1932[/sup]
AN OVERVIEW OF THE MANCHURIAN WAR. [/list]
___
[sup] State of Manchukuo [/sup]
___
|The 5th Month long war in Manchuria has finally ended. It was a war not planned by japan itself but by its officers and carried out by its military independently. Thinking that a conflict with the Fengtian Clique in Manchuria would be in the best interests of the Empire of Japan. Kwantung Army Colonel Itagaki Seishirō, Lieutenant Colonel Kanji Ishiwara and Lieutenant General Nagata Tetsuzan, acting in the Japanese Concept of gekokujō independently devised a scheme to provoke Japan into a war with Manchuria by setting up a false flag attack for pretext of invasion. These three men are a perfect example of the military had produced in the last few decades. Hostile towards the west and democracy, expansionistic and believing in the military as a solution to the so called moral and societal decline of Japan brought about by westernization. They all differed in their ideology however. Kanji Ishiwara was a fanatical Nichiren Buddhist, who was driven by a sacred religious quest to bring about a holy race war with the west to destroy all of western civilization and bring about a new united Asian civilization. Nagata Tetsuzan was an anti-democratic authoritarian. A true believer in Erich Ludendorff's book "Der Totale Krieg", who wanted to implement a plan of total war across all of Japan and Manchuria with the help of the Zaibatsu mega-corporations. Itagaki Seishirō was a simple militarist who wanted to exploit the coal and iron of Manchuria to build a massive armaments industry for the Japanese army by annexing Manchuria. All three were believers in the idea of Total War, and keenly interested in the book "Der Totale Krieg" |
[list][sup] Together with Itagaki and two other officers we drew up our battleplans today in the Evening.
We will use the soldiers of the railway guard. Our plan to blow up the railroads has to be kept
a strict secret from high command. No soldier except for those directly involved should ever find out
- Excerpt from the Diary of Ishiwara Kanji.[/sup][/list]
|The intentional mixing of these individuals by Nagata created the Mukden Incident, a secret plot to start the Manchurian War. Lieutenant Suemori Kawamoto of the Independent Garrison Unit of the 29th Japanese Infantry Regiment was to detonate a small quantity of dynamite close to a railway line owned by Japan near Mukden. The explosion went off but it was so weak that it failed to destroy the track entirely, and a train passed over it minutes later. The Imperial Japanese Army accused Chinese dissidents of the act shortly after and the Manchurian War had begun. Lieutenant General Nagata Tetsuzan would return to Tokyo before the act began, to pretend as if he had no idea what he had just intentionally put into motion, no clue what his officers were about to do. On the morning of September 19th 1931 two artillery pieces started firing on a Chinese garrison nearby in response to news that the Chinese attacked the railroad. The small air-force of Zhang Xueliang (the leader of Manchuria was destroyed in the attack and the soldiers in the garrison fled as 500 Japanese troops started descending on the 7000 Chinese in the garrison. They were no match for the experienced Japanese soldiers and quickly fell. By the evening, the fighting was over, and the Japanese had occupied Mukden at the cost of 500 Chinese lives and only 2 Japanese lives, thus starting the greater invasion of Manchuria. |
| A local farmers dispute indicent occurred shortly after the Mukden incident. On 18 September 1931 the Japanese Imperial General HQ decided to follow a policy of localizing this incident and told the Kwantung Army Command. However commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army General Shigeru Honjō decided to order his forced to expand across the entirety of the South Manchurian Railway, Under orders from Lieutenant General Jirō Tamon, troops of the Kwantung Army's 2nd Division moved up the rail line and captured virtually every city along its 730-mile length in a matter of days. Alongside this the Korean based Joseon army under General Senjūrō Hayashi ordered the 20th Infantry Division to split itself and form a separate brigade without Permission from the Showa Emperor. These forces then proceeded to occupy the cities of Yingkou, Liaoyang, Shenyang, Fushun, Dandong, Siping, Jilin, and Changchun, also on the 19th. On the 21st the Japanese captured Jilin City and on the 23rd the Japanese took Jiaohe and Dunhua. On the 1st of the month of October the Fengtian General Zhang Haipeng ceded the Taonan area, shortly after Ji Xing ceded he Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture area and on the 17th, Yu Zhishan surrendered Eastern Liaoning to the Japanese. All without permission from their quickly dissolving clique government. |
| The civilian government in Tokyo was very shocked by the news of the Army acting on its own accord in Manchuria. The Government was thrown into chaos and disarray by this gekokujō insubordination but as the Army delivered victory after victory the government felt incapable of doing anything to stop them. Instead of bringing the army back in line the Government decided to go against its better judgement and send three more divisions to Manchuria. beginning with the 14th Mixed Brigade of the IJA 7th Division. From now on the government answered to the army and not the other way around. This was a path the civilian government in Tokyo would not be capable of coming back from. Using the repair of the Nen River Bridge as a pretext, the Japanese Army sent a repair party in November under the protection of Japanese Soldiers. Fighting began between the Japanese forces and troops loyal to the governor of Heilongjiang. The governor was Muslim General Ma Zhanshan, who chose to disobey the Kuomintang government's recent ban on further resistance to the Japanese invasion. Despite his failure to keep the bridge he would become a martyr symbol for the continuing Anti-Japanese Guerillas. The war would continue on schedule in the north until the 26 February 1932, when the north would be fully conquered by Japan. Despite the successful conquest of Manchuria significant numbers of Guerillas would exist in the country.|
| A government would be formed after the invasion, one that is ultimately subservient to Japan and Japan Alone. The Region of Manchuria would forever be separated from China. In recognition for his efforts in organizing the events of the Mukden Incident (publicly for his administration DURING the war) he was selected to lead Manchuria as its first Prime minister. Ishiwara Kanji would however decline and instead reccomend his loyal protege Masanobu Tsuji for the role. Which he would be given. For an air of legitimacy the former emperor of China Puyi would be invited to Manchuria to lead as its Emperor. Instead of immediately giving him his title as Great Qing Emperor he would be coronated as the Emperor Kangde of Manchuria. The Japanese would promise him his throne but he would never get it back. The city of Mukden would be selected to be the country's new capital as it was the former Capital of the Qing before their conquest of China. Again to establish legitimacy. Despite his position as Emperor, Puyi would be a virtual prisoner in his own palace, never being allowed to leave on his own without permission from the new Manchurian government. |
___________________
| "Gokajō no Goseimon" |
___________________
Val Verde-, Otsla, Czabalkia, Autumnberg, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
1932
The Long Denied Arrival
| Marcus Garvey stepped off, of his boat. After the opening up of the Port of Monrovia to foreign trade and businesses, he was finally able to restart his business, the Black Star Line, or the Black Star Line II, was back and better than ever. With him was his entourage of loyal followers and several black ex-pats, many of whom were down on their luck from the Great Depression had joined him on his journey. Garvey stepped off the boat onto the dock and looked around, a mixture of surprise, disgust, and hope-filled him. This was no great equal land as he had expected, indigenous dark-skinned natives worked on the docks, many with barely a shirt on their back, while mixed African American descendants looked on from the top of their balconies barking orders. Garvey grumbled Looks like the white man gets to live on. before continuing to walk down the dock, into his new life in Liberia. |
| President Barclay had signed the papers allowing known black nationalist, and agitator Marcus Garvey to step onto his soil. It had been part of Barclays campaign to open and facilitate trade with outside foreign nations. Not only agitators like Garvey had come, but obvious known spies for Mr. Firestone had come as well. Barclay sighed and sat back in his chair. Congress had been circling in the water, his planned reforms had pissed off half his party while the Republicans were mad he hadn't gone far enough.
He read his mail, throwing out another thinly veiled threat from the Freemasons he knew he couldn't keep ignoring them forever. Soon theyd strike politically, or physically, hell, knowing them probably both. Barclay picked up pen and paper penning a letter, he addressed it first to the judge in the Monrovian court, and secondly to his former adversary, Thomas J. Faulkner, and man who was more hated by the political establishment even than Barclay himself. Faulkner had seen fit to expose Liberian slavery and even led to the universal condemnation of the state by nations across the world. In his letter, Barclay officially pardoned Faulkner, as not a traitor to Liberia, but a necessary evil. While the harm would be great in the short term, Faulkner had exposed a great evil, and one Barclay would combat even at an ever-increasing risk to his own life. Barclay sealed and stamped the letter, handing it to his political protege the native-born Thomas Kollie, born to a Krahn family, Kollie had excelled in school and ended up hand-chosen by Barclay to serve as his political protege, in attempts to bridge the increasingly radicalized divide between the indigenous Liberians, and rich Americo-Liberians. |
| Kollie woke up, the sun was barely peaking through the curtains of his dingy apartment, while not large it was far better than the one he'd previously shared with 4 families. Kollie quickly got ready and made his way to the Executive Presidents Mansion. Inside, Kollie dodged through the lobby of the Presidents Executive Mansion, receiving the same glares from members of congress, masonic lobbyists, and disgruntled secretaries as he always did. Kollie didn't let it bother him, they were jealous of the unfettered access he had to the president, maybe even more jealous of how incorruptible he was because of his lack of ties to any political families. Kollie was ambitious, and goal-oriented, determined to one day be the first native president. He had already begun making ties with reformists, and republicans, and then to solidify his support he had attended some dinners of the Peoples Party, rubbing shoulders with Thomas J. Faulkner. Kollie had even penned some of the reform bills passed by President Barclay, through Executive Order. While Louis Kollie trusted and respected Barclay he thought the man was a fool. Why not prepare to strike against the Masonic Temples, did he not see they were going to come for him, maybe even kill the President? Kollie didn't know but either way he would serve the president until the end. President Barclay handed him a letter telling him to make sure it reached the office of the Judge presiding over the Faulkner Trial, Kollie nodded and continued out of the office, making his way to the Court building. |
Xaverium, Teujira, Val Verde-, Czabalkia, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Jasumaa
The Federal Government of the United States of America issues a condemnation in the strongest possible terms of this act of blatant Japanese aggression contrary to the principles of peaceful interaction between nations. The US simultaneously calls for action by the League to officially issue punishment for Japanese actions, and warns the Empire of Japan that it is prepared to implement much more stringent actions should the Japanese take further acts of aggression in China.
In light of Japanese actions, the US government extends a hand of friendship to the fledgling Republic of China and invites its Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek to Washington, in order to cement this friendship and begin the supply of US aid with which China can resist Japanese aggression.
Teujira, Val Verde-, Czabalkia, Areuloia, Jasumaa, Reformed Qing China, United Liberian States
Post self-deleted by Areuloia.
[Washington D.C.]
Chiang Kai-Shek sighs in his room in Washington D.C. Aid had finally come. 20 long years the National Republic had resisted on its own, may it be through famine, civil war, or Japanese/Russian aggression. It took the brutal war in the North for international aid to finally arrive. The country, brutalized by inept rule, foreign exploitation, and civil discourse will finally stand on its feet again. The wounded dragon is not dead, China continues on. While the US plans on sending arms and logistical supplies, what China needs now is industry and infrastructure. While the industrialization projects have been making great progress, China is still not at any capacity to wage war against even a regional power like Japan. The Manchurian Invasion cemented this. While in that invasion the local Cliques were the ones fighting and not the National Republican forces, even if Chengdu had gotten involved the war wouldn't have gone any better. The Japanese were simply better equipped, had better-motorized divisions, and complete supremacy in the skies. If the Dragon is to swallow the Sun, it must control the sky.
@The United States of Gaia Major
Teujira, Val Verde-, Czabalkia, Areuloia
[list]A NATION IN CRISIS[/list]
[pre]MONDAY, 4 JANUARY 1932 A.D.
(Gregorian)
[/pre]
[list]Plazza di Onorei, il Palazzio Bianco, Cartago, Principato di Vijia
Court of Honor, the White Palace, Carthage, Principality of Viyia[/list]
| The Principality of Viyia was gripped in the midst of the global downturn which had plagued almost every nation on the globe since 1929. A bank run had occurred in mid-1930 which absolutely devastated the countrys industrial base, which was already underdeveloped in comparison to its European allies across the Mediterranean. The collapse of the nations private banks would result in international financial divestment and the rapid deterioration of the royal treasury as the country scrambled to protect the value of its currency and prop up heavy industry. The government would print millions of Sesterceis (the national currency) in order to pay for imported goods which could no longer be domestically produced in any large capacity. Runaway inflation would result in a near collapse of agriculture, as the operational costs to farmers began to dramatically increase alongside a global drop in food prices. In order to prevent famine, the Viyian government continued to print new currency and secure loans from France to pay for an increasing number of agricultural imports.
Unemployment has hit catastrophic highs in the major cities (Utica, Cartago, Sancta Monica, Sfax, Tebessa, Capsa, Tataouine, and Lepti) as industrial and service workers find their places of employment almost entirely closed down. The wealthy landowners and nobility lived along the Mediterranean coastline in fortified villas, often times employing bands of WWI veterans and local organized criminals to defend their estates from the hungry masses. The greatest example of this contrast could be found in the White Palace of Carthage, a massive palace complex stretching over 690 acres and heavily fortified and defended by the Princes Carabineers. The complex included all of the countrys administrative buildings, surrounded by lush gardens and a public square from which vagrants and other undesirables were excluded. The administrative buildings as well as the cascading columns and neoclassical statues were all crafted from Carrera gold marble, with a massive golden statue of Saint Monica standing in the middle of a massive pool which served as the center of a grand plaza. The plaza itself was kept in immaculate condition, tended to daily by groundskeepers and cleaned every 2 hours throughout the day.
The historical millet system of the Ottoman Empire had resulted in a country which was deeply divided along ethnic and religious lines. The subsequent ascendency of the Catholic population through the Francophile Mercantillo dynasty helped to exacerbate this. Urban and coastal Catholic Viyians formed the elite, rural Apostolic Orthodox Viyians largely formed the peasantry and mountain people, and Muslim Berbers, Arabs, and Viyians lived as nomads and pastoralists in the countrys southern deserts. These religious groups represented the countrys three distinct communities. The Catholic population, though only 26% numerically, maintained a parliamentary majority through an electoral system heavily weighted in favor of the coastal and urban electorate. Catholics were traditionally represented by the right-wing "Anti-Revolutionary League / Ligo Contrarevoluzionarijo" and center-left "Social Democrats / Democrateis Sozial", Apostolic Orthodox by the right-wing "Atlassian Party / Partito Atlasatano" and far-left "Communist Party / Partito Comunisto". Muslims could not vote, despite making up more than 34% of the population. Orthodox Viyians, also referred to as Atlassians or Auresians because of the Atlas and Aures Mountains, were 40% of the population. Taxation and public affairs within the principalitys Muslim-majority areas were handled through religious clerics as intermediaries, very much an adaptation of the Ottoman system.
The countrys economic decline had exacerbated tensions between the three pillars of Viyian society. Orthodox peasants had fought in the name of the Prince throughout the Great War and yet all Viyia received in return was independence. The countryside was rife with conspiracies stating that the Mercantillo dynasty and Catholic elite had sacrificed masses of Orthodox soldiers to ensure their dominion over the land. The failure to secure more of Tripolitania and Numidia following the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire was infuriating for many Viyian nationalists, but even more specifically the mountain peoples who had fought Ottoman incursions for centuries. Their final triumph over the age-old enemy was plundered by far off imperialists, disconnected to the centuries old conflict. Many of these nationalists had coalesced around the leadership of active army general and epic poet, Tomassei Porfirijei Xovardillo. Xovardillo, a Catholic but deeply nationalistic veteran of the Great War. He created a name for himself after penning "The Duke on the Devils Hill", a widely-read spiritual successor to the 18th century national epic: "Prince of the Mountain". Whereas the original deals with Prince-Bishop Flavijei Buligans efforts to unite the Catholic and Orthodox populations to thrust out the Ottoman invaders, Xovardillo told the tale of a disloyal duke who ruled over a small mountain during the 12th century. Jealous of the luxuries afforded to the Muslim viziers in the lands surrounding his mountains, he hatches a plan to gain independence from his prince and swear fealty to a great Muslim Caliph. In order to do so, the duke allows thousands of Muslim conquerors to pillage his peasants land in exchange for a personal fortune.
The poem, written in the rural Atlassian dialect, was a smash hit throughout the country. Xovardillo used it to launch a political career, starting his own fascist-inspired Buligan Party in 1931. Buligan deriving from the House of Buligan which dominated the position of Prince-Bishop of Africa from the 14th until 19th centuries. Xovardillo advocated for a radical and revolutionary form of romantic nationalism which put Viyians at the forefront of the battle between savagery and civilization. An outpost of the Roman Empire on the dark continent, Viyians had been clearly tasked by destiny to civilize the great masses of African people. He, though incorrectly and ahistorically, connects the Viyians to both the Punic settlers from Phoenicia and Roman settlers in order to manufacture a spiritual destiny for Viyians to found their own great civilization. His second poem, the Caesarid, was a Homeric and Virgil-inspired epic in which Caesarion was not killed by Octavian by instead exiled to Carthage. There he would become a great warrior and the first King of the Viyians. The Great Depression had made Xovardillos Buliganists skyrocket to popularity, taking 13% of the vote in the 1931 elections. The party was able to capture a sizeable portion of the peasant vote, whos desire to increase their standard of living while rejecting many of the social policies of the left-wing contributed to a rapid rise of fascist politics in the countryside. In order to prevent a left-wing government from forming, the Anti-Revolutionary League and Atlassian Party have chosen to include the Buliganists in their 1932 - 1936 government. As a condition for throwing his weight behind the right-wing coalition, Xovardillo demanded to be made Minister of Defense. This would be the first time an active general had served as minister of defense, and was completely against the traditions of Viyian politics.
And so on 4 January 1932, the Buliganists entered parliament for the first time as part of the governing coalition. The elitists in the Anti-Revolutionary League and regionalists in the Atlassian Party believed they would be able to control the ambitions of Xovardillo and his party. Only time would prove how wrong they were and how disastrous the collapse of their ossifying society would be. |
Teujira, Val Verde-, Czabalkia, Zanbala Prz, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
Hi im a bobbersonian puppet, oh where are my manners privyet comrades I am zio emperor of bobbersonia ruler of waterbears and master of steaks *slides a perfectly cooked seasoned and seared steak onto a table along with a bobbersonian alcohol replacement called micho* if you conduct yourself well you can consider us friend
Areuloia, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
[January 2nd, 1932. Chengdu, Sichuan, National Republic of China]
{State of the Republic Address}
Sun Yat-Sen:
To the people of China, I have come again to address to you the state of our country, of our dear republic. It has been nearly 20 years since its founding, and today, on the 2nd of January, 1932, we have once again stood up! While we have suffered through many trouble, trials, and tribulations, we have come through. The road ahead is long, it will be rough, and we are certainly not done with our mission. However, the time where we had to fight to survive is over. The dying dragon is dying no longer! It is simply wounded, and it is recovering! Our economy has never been stronger! While we have yet to fully industrialize, we are closer than ever! We will waste no time in developing industry, infrastructure, and embracing modern agricultural techniques! We cannot let China fall behind in the eyes of the world. We much catch up to the developed nations! This is the only way to keep our sovereignty! We will unite the country! The warlords will bend the knee!
The state of the republic is stronger than ever. We cannot waste any time utilizing our new position. We will subjugate the remainder of the warlords that have rent our nation asunder! We shall defeat the scourge on our country that is ignorance, arrogance, and corruption! This is a new age that we are entering! While the French Rooster and the British Lion focus on the German Wolf and the Russian Bear, the American Eagle eyes the Japanese Sun, we shall clean up the mess that our country has become! We will prevail! Long live the National Republic!
Xaverium, Czabalkia, Zanbala Prz, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
[pre]The United Kingdoms of Scandinavia
January 15th | 1932 CE [/pre]
[sub]Scandinavian Military HQ[/sub]
| The Scandinavian Military Officers began showing signs of fear of a possible invasion by the soviets, who espouse a ideology so vastly different from their own. The Marshals of the Navy, Army, and Air Force were is a deep discussion with other officials within the military command. The Navy wanted to enact the 'Odd Plan', whereas, on top of building five dreadnoughts, they were to build three cruisers, five destroyers, and seven submarines per dreadnought built. While simple enough, the Marshal of the Navy also requested that the number of drydocks be increased to provide for more simultaneous constructions. The Marshal of the Army wanted new guns, ammo, and vehicles. The Marshal of the Army requested a number of artillery, anti-aircraft guns, vehicles, and tanks be built to secure the lands from potential soviet invasion. The Marshal of the Air Force wanted a modernized air force, instead of aircraft reminiscent of old Great War technology. the General of the Coastal Defense Force, requested the completion of a line of naval defenses against potential soviet naval invasion, fearing that the Soviets may attempt a naval invasion instead of a land-based invasion. Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief of the Military, the King of the United Kingdoms of Scandinavia, approved all of the requests, predicting that the requests should be fulfilled by 1938, including his own project of Valhalla, a complete redevelopment of the defenses of the Oslofjord and the city of Oslo. He allocated a budget of billions of Krona for the project, and formally attained approval from the legislature to issue Anti-Communist Bonds to raise money for the constructions. he made sure that the bonds would have to be matured over thirty years before being able to be cashed out. He began advertising these measures and projects as "For the Defense of Scandinavia" in order to sway support towards the expensive projects. At this point, the King planned to also triple the amount of industry in Scandinavia, but he only informed his associates in the corporate side of Scandinavia. |
Xaverium, Czabalkia, Zanbala Prz, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
Post self-deleted by Areuloia.
10th of January 1932 - Portuguese Parliament
The session of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, had just finnished. Armando Manuel Marques Guedes, President of the Council of Ministers, was walking at a fast pace through the Parliament. The session of the Chamber of Peers, the upper house, was about to begin. His footsteps echoed throughout the empty corridor.
As he entered the room, he could see the members of the chamber getting ready for session. The noise of papers being picked up and moved, the small talk and ramblings of the people, and the small crowd of spectators contributed to an atmosphere of expectation and debate about the future. After the usual beginning procedures, debate about the state of the nation ensued.
The upper chamber was made up of representatives of each province. Each province had the same number of representatives: ten, which were chosen by the Provincial Governors. These provinces were grouped into three Kingdoms, that worked as a kind of federal states: The Kingdom of Portugal, the Kingdom of the Algarve and the Overseas Territories.
King Duarte I stood up, and asked Guedes to present the latest news on the Mining Reform Program. The MRP was an economic and developmental plan that aimed at discovering new ore veins and exploring them. Guedes picked some papers, and stood up. He spoke:
"Gentlemen of the Chamber of Peers, I am about to present you the latest developments regarding the MRP:
- In Mozambique, we have found a large coal deposit in Tete. The proximity to the Zambezi River allows fast and efficient transport of the mined coal to larger ports.
- In Angola, we have found iron deposits in Malanje, Bié, Huambo and Huíla. To transport these ores into the Port of Namibe, we would require the construction of a new rail line.
- In Portugal, we have found that the Panasqueira Mines have Wolfram deposits larger than we previously thought, as well as Tin deposits. Expansion of the mining operations is expected, as well the construction of a rail line connecting it to the Port of Lisbon.
- In Portugal, we have also found a new Copper vein in Neves Corvo, Alentejo. Due to the proximity to the already existing São Domingos mine, and it's already existing connecting infrastructure to the Port of Lisbon and the Port of Pomarão, we can use said rail line to transport ore from this mine too.
- There's speculation about the existence of oil in Cabinda, Angola, but until now, no definitive conclusions have been achieved."
A peer from the Province of the Azores rose his hand to speak: "What will we do with these newfound mineral deposits?"
Guedes answered: "We are studying it's prospects for exports. We already have foreign governments interested on these exports. It's expected that the necessary infrastructure to start extracting the ores will be ready by 1934, but the infrastructure to transport it will only be ready later. The money will be used to develop our industry."
Another peer rose his hand. António Salazar, from the Province of Beira Interior, and leader of the National Union Party (PUN), spoke: "We don't need to invest in industry! We are destroying our very own identity. We need to preserve our religion, our rurality and our way of life!". Initially seen as a good alternative to the newly established constitutional and parliamentary monarchy, the corporativist dictatorship model proposed by Salazar had been loosing supporters as time went by. The industrialization and education efforts by the new government soon begun to become clearer and clearer. Now a party fighting for a relevant political presence, their only supporters came from more rural parts of the country.
Desperate and willing to do anything, the PUN took inspiration from the IP and engaged in minor terrorism. Initially concealing their identity through recruitment of small street gangs, it soon became clear to the public who was behing the attacks. Now, their very presence on the General Courts was being disputed, with a high possibility of expulsion.
Things took an unexpected turn when, 5 days after the session, a street fight between the PUN sponsored "Matadores" street gang and a small militia of IPs broke out in the Pena neighbourhood in Lisbon. 10 dead, 7 injured, and a growing problem on the hands of the government.
Xaverium, Val Verde-, Czabalkia, Zanbala Prz, Miwok-, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
1932
Canada has been in the grip of a Great Depression, strangling its economy. The year prior, as the unemployment rate hit 40%, and the economy, which had just begun to move away from it's primary sector and towards manufacturing and production, was crushed, leading the United Kingdom to give up its claim over it and grant it independence. The Prime Minister, Mackenzie King, is currently trying to patch the boat while it is sinking. He desperately needs assistance now that Britain has withdrawn, and is currently searching for foreign allies to strike up a deal with. It his hope that not only will greater international trade lead to faster recovery from the Depression, but would also prevent another Great War from occurring. Noting the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and the fascists in Italy and Spain, he is attempting to enforce the League of Nations, and keep it from being just a name. Embassies and diplomats have been sent out across the seas to Europe, Asia and, just below, to the United States. Together, united, the world can rise from the heap of rubble that the last war and depression have left it in, and reach greater heights. But divided, he fears a world dominated by extremism and fear.
Newly released from the claws of colonialism however, he has to balance his loyalties carefully. Over reliance on foreign countries will leave those who demanded and fought for independence infuriated by the lack of independence. Yet Canada would need allies to pull itself together. Therefore he hoped to strike up deals, trading the raw resources and power of Canada for more direct aid, machinery and military assistance. His hope was to use foreign aid to make Canada more autonomous, leading to a self perpetuating cycle of growth, by using investments to develop the infrastructure and capabilities of the country. He has asked all countries to a Toronto Conference in September 1933 in order to discuss the future of the world, and hoping to build up a chain of interdependence.
Xaverium, Val Verde-, Czabalkia, Zanbala Prz, Miwok-, Areuloia, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
Post self-deleted by Areuloia.
[list]MORNING AT VILLA PESCO[/list]
[pre]4 MAY 1932 A.D.
(Gregorian)
[/pre]
[list]Villa Pesco, Punta Bonna, Principato di Vijia
Pesco Villa, Good Cape, Principality of Viyia[/list]
| The Pescos of Punta Bonna are the epitome of Viyias elite, a Catholic family of the lower nobility whos fortune is tied to the export of agricultural goods. The Pescos are specifically involved in the production of 'passita', a sweet white wine famously produced in the Punta Bonna region. The current head of the family is Count Jovanei "Jove" Pesco, a 36-year old local senator for the right-wing Anti-Revolutionary League. His political career has been defined by his devout Catholic faith and traditionalist conservative philosophy - deeply influenced by Augustinian, Hobbesian, and Neoplatonic thought. His father had served as Foreign Minister for several years, also holding the mostly ceremonial title of Magister Equitum / Master of the Horse under Prince Filipei III. His maternal grandfather had served as the appointed Pretorei / Governor of the Aures and Aedilei / Mayor of Utica. His blood was as blue as the countrys flag and it showed in his dialect, his mannerisms, his clothes, and his estate.
The Pesco Villa sat right at the edge of a cliff above a private cove. The shimmering waters of the Mediterranean constantly lingered in the background, and an expanse of immaculately kept shrubbery and gardens surrounded the main house and Olympic-sized swimming pool. In the valley on the opposite side of the cliff one could see the expansive Pesco vineyards, on which roughly 2,000 people lived and worked. The main house was a neoclassical villa in Mediterranean-style, finished with a white stucco exterior and terracotta roof. The property had twelve gardens, including a "Oriental Garden" for imported plants and a rose garden. Having previously included two detached homes for house keepers, the property also had recently added a new accomodation for 25 "security personnel". Wearing tan army uniforms from the Great War, these "security personnel" were common among the wealthy in the rural areas of the country. Consisting of bands of war veterans, these men were organised by local crime bosses in order to provide security in regions plagued by communists and bandits. Despite the ties to organized crime, many of the elites still preferred to hire armed thugs rather than rely on a national police force which couldnt adequately protect rural areas.
The guards could seen littered throughout the property, seen carrying Mannlicher M1895 rifles and swaggering about with rolled cigarettes hanging out of their mouths. Many wealthy Viyians felt uncomfortable around them, but Jovanei Pesco had served in the war and served with distinction. While he believed that the soldiers were most certainly below him, he felt an affinity toward them and felt at home with veterans alongside him. So while he sat in the courtyard of the home this morning, directly opposite the pool, he was accompanied by two guards. He sat at a white-painted iron table, with a large umbrella stretching out from the center of the table and providing shade over him. He sported a white polo shirt tucked into light beige linen slacks, wearing a pair of worn brown leather loafers. At 36, his dark brown hair had begun receding and he was developing some noticeable smile lines and wrinkles along the forehead. A French cigarette hung from his mouth as his eyes fixed at pages of todays Carthage Gazette, the countrys largest newspaper. His breakfast remained on the table, scraps of an omelette and a mug nearly emptied of espresso. |
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"I certainly think things have gone too far with this Xovardillo. I get it, I really do. People are unhappy, Im even unhappy, BUT, the mans a poet and nothing more."[/list]
Cornelei "Nelo" Sullo:
[list]"You know those people in the hills are a bunch of donkeys. Theyll vote for whoever their Patriarch tells them to, only we vote with our heads."[/list]
| Pesco chuckles when he hears Sullo insult the Atlassians, the rural people of Viyia who traditional professed an Oriental Orthodox faith and thus were excluded from high society. Many stereotypes and jokes existed among the Catholic population regarding the supposed ignorance, bravado, criminality, and general backwardness of Atlassians. |
Onoratei "Ono" V'Zama:
[list]"Honestly Id vote for the guy if he didnt want to abolish the Ascendency. I agree with almost everything he says, but Ill be damned if we let those sheep-shaggers take over the government."[/list]
Cornelei "Nelo" Sullo:
[list]"How many Atlassians does it take to make a cup of coffee?"[/list]
Jovanei Pesco and Ono V'Zama:
[list]"How many?"[/list]
Cornelei "Nelo" Sullo:
[list]"Who knows? They still cant do it."[/list]
| All three men laugh like hyenas for several moments. Men like Nelo and Ono had been raised from childhood to feel an undying loyalty to nobles like Pesco, the nobility were historic defenders of Catholicism and had secured the independence of Viyia first from the Ottomans and then French. More than that, Pesco himself was an accomplished veteran of World War Is African and European theaters and enjoyed the mutual respect that Great War veterans had for one another. Suddenly one of the glass sliding doors to the patio opened slowly, and Jovaneis wife Elisa emerged from inside the house. Elisa was 15 years the junior of her husband, though she had a sophistication beyond her years. Her hair was a raven black, her eyes a greenish-blue, and her skin was an alabaster white from many days spent in the comforts of her estate. Thanks to the fantastic wealth of her husband, and her own family for that matter, she was always dressed in the finest fabrics from the finest fashion houses. She wore a pair of loose fitting white linen pants, and a silk halter-neck shirt with ornate paisley designs in various shades of blue. She was noticeably tall for a woman, standing at eye-level with the guards. As she closes the distance, Pesco looks up from his paper and turns around. He smiles as he sees her coming his way. He had developed a taste for beautiful women as a young bachelor touring Europe, and he had made sure only to settle down with the best looking woman hed met. It was more than fair to say that he had achieved his goal with Elisa. |
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"Youre certainly awake earlier than usual, Princess."[/list]
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"Does a woman need an excuse to have breakfast with her husband?"[/list]
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"Im sure the ones who dont look as good as you do."[/list]
| He reaches out and takes her hand before pulling her into him. She giggles and kisses his balding head before taking a seat across from him at the table. He folds his paper before leaving it on the table, turning his attention toward his wife. He adored the woman, but he was completely certain shed woken up this early to ask something of him. |
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"How was your breakfast?"[/list]
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"It was to absolutely beautiful, Jean-Claude was the best expense you ever sold me on. How was your sleep?"[/list]
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"Perfect because Ive asked for the same. I feel rested, but I kept having night terrors."[/list]
| Pescos face shows concern. His wife had not been sleeping well for several weeks now, it was beginning to worry him. |
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"What about?"[/list]
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"I cant seem to stop worrying about the future, Jove. I have these dreams that were being surrounded by the peasants, theyve killed you and I have to run for safety with the children."[/list]
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"Nonsense, darling. I promise you if the Ottomans failed to take this land from my family, we certainly wont let these communists take it away."[/list]
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"Do you not read the papers, Jove? These people are fighting daily in the streets in almost every city. I received a letter from my sister in Sancta Monica, her house was bombed by these radicals."[/list]
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"Oh Nelo! What will you do if communists come here to throw bombs?"[/list]
| The Pescos both look over at Sullo, who begins to grin. |
Cornelei "Nelo" Sullo:
[list]"Well kill them and hang them, Don Jovanei"[/list]
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"Theyll kill them and hang them. Whats to worry?"[/list]
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"Jove, I dont want to argue about this. I need you to bring my sister and her children from Sancta Monica so they may live here with us. We have enough room, and as your wife I demand it."[/list]
| Jovanei rolls his eyes and exhales hard before responding. |
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"First of all, I will not be spoken to that way by my wife, but I will help your sister. If you inform Antoni of the situation, Ill see to it he makes the necessary arrangements for travel. I expect her husband to get the situation settled so that they may return in a timely fashion, understood?"[/list]
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"Oh, I do truly adore you, Jove. The children will be so excited to have their cousins stay for a while."[/list]
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"Well, Im certainly happy that youre happy. But if youll excuse me I have to head down to the vineyard for a few hours, if youd like to continue spending our money like sand."[/list]
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"Well have lunch then?"[/list]
Jovanei "Jove" Pesco:
[list]"Count on it, its just an inspection of a new batch."[/list]
Elisa Mactamoro Pesco:
[list]"Dont get too drunk."[/list]
| They both smirk as Jovanei stands up from the table and runs a hand through her long black hair. He turns on his heel and one could see the Mother-of-Pearl pistol grip on his M1911 pistol, tucked into the back of his pants waistband. He pats both Sullo and V'Zama on the back and they follow behind him and he slowly struts off back into the house behind them. |
Miwok-, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa, United Liberian States
The year is 1932 January
Manchuria a place wich had newly been qonquered by the Japanese is now calling former Emperor Pu yi to become its ruler.
The former Emperor currently on his way to manchukou with his loyal friend Zheng Xiaoxu disgusses what is gonna happen.
Puyi: Finnaly I shall be elevated again to the status of Emperor
Zheng Xiaoxu: I completely trust your decision puyi and you know that I would follow you even to death but don't you think you should have went to the British Embassy you could have lived an easy live sir as former Emperor of China.
Puyi : No the Japanese wrote me this letter promising me to elevate me to an Emperor again
Zheng Xiaoxu: Sir Puyi The Japanese are snakes they clearly only want you as their puppet
Puyi: We shall put our heads into the mouth of the Tiger I trust that this new government in Manchuria shall be the starting point of my Restauration as Qing Emperor. And you shall help me by my right side my loyal friend now instead of talking about a decision we have decided.
Zheng Xiaoxu: Ofcourse Sir Puyi forgive me.
And so the former Emperor makes his way to manchukou to reclaim what he thinks will be his old title but the Japanese are not stupid Mr. Pu yi will. Ofcourse be more of a dog on a leash then a sepperate king. But Mr Puyi will not know what chaos and destruction he will truly bring China.
Xaverium, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, Jasumaa
Post self-deleted by Miwok-.
Post self-deleted by Areuloia.
1932
Liberian Year in Review: 1932
| President Barclay approached the podium, another year had passed under his tenure his second year as president since the political exodus of Charles D.B. King in 1930. Barclay had dealt with the effects of the Great Depression and begun exposing the corruption and power of the secret societies a move not only dangerous to his political life, but his actual life too.
| President Barclay began his speech, he discussed the passage of several acts against the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. The first act Plantation and Transportation Taxation Act increased taxes on the Firestone Rubber Plantations, including higher taxes on shipping and using Liberian roads and refineries. The second act The Land Usage Act seized local plantations and refineries that had been left by Firestone to rot during the onset of the Great Depression. These plantations would instead be turned over to local businessmen, or into an employee cooperative farming effort. These reforms had only been passed through executive order and substantial executive power. Firestones Lobbyists left the government in disgrace, and protest, with even Firestone himself vowing he would return to Liberia triumphant.
| The next act passed by President Barclay was a relatively easily through Congress though with some grumbling as the money would be used through the increased tax. The Federal Railway Act would expand the major Monrovia railways into the Hinterland further, allowing for new cities to be connected to the overall Railroad system.
| Following the Railway Act, a few new acts would come out that would not only appease average citizens, but more importantly would aim to get the League of Nations from looking at Liberia again. The Anti-Slavery, and Force Labor Act would see the Liberian government put harsh fines on any and all businesses found to be conscription natives into their workforce, through force, coercion, or deception.
| 1932 also had seen several new boomtowns on the coast as natives from the hinterlands, these natives were often rejected by city officials so small shanty towns developed near cities, Jenkinsville named after the first president of Liberia was established across the bay from Greenville. Cessnia was founded by natives along the River Cess. Finally the City of St. John was founded near to Monrovia. While these cities were not entirely viable, President Barclay commented on the native's desire and eagerness to become Liberians the same as any Americo-Liberian.
| In his final section of the speech, President Barclay went on a scathing tirade about the corruption and internal politics of his own party, denouncing the secret societies that had manipulated the future and destiny of Liberia for their gains. He in a passionate demand, he said that it was time for the secret societies to come out into the light and face justice for their crimes. This sent congress into an uproar, with cheers from members of the Radical Republicans and People's Party Members, but scathing yells and attacks from the True Whigs. Many members of his party including his own Vice President James Skivring Smith II declared he had crossed the aisle, and doomed himself.
Miwok-, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, The Myceane Of Oddisside, Reformed Qing China, United Liberian States
1932 on the way to Port Arthur
Mr. Puyi who finnaly is almost save from the Chinese government is on his way to Port Arthur by sea He and his friend Zheng Xiaoxu
His wife saying that his actions are treason didn't follow him for now atleast into manchukou. There he would meet Masahiko Amakasu a Japanese army general which puyi would soon begin to dislike.
After some time they arrived at port Arthur
Puyi and his friend go down to the port and into the city's but before any of that can happen
A rather bald looking man with glasses it was
Masahiko Amakasu wich would take Puyi to a resort owned by the southern Manchu railway company.
They would soon take a train for the former Emperor to their destination and while Mr. Puyi sat in this new wagon he couldn't belive how fast everything was already going. But before he could sink into his thoughts if he did the right thing
Mister. Masahiko Amakasu was already wanting to have a small talk with the emperor.
The emperor reaches the door two Japanese soldiers at his side one going and opening him the door. He went inside looking around thr office in this train. There was a Japanese flag on the table small arrays of books on both sides and a picture of hirohito on the wall right behind the seat where mister Masahiko Amakasu was sitting.
Masahiko Amakasu: mister puyi please take a seat
Mr. Puyi beeing pushed into the room by the Japanese guards Slowely let himself down onto the wood seat in front of mister Masahiko Amakasu now sitting in front of him was a rather very concentrated Masahiko Amakasu
He opend his mouth
Masahiko Amakasu: Guards get out of here.
The guards left the room.
Both men waited for a minute after the door got closed. Then once again he started speaking
Masahiko Amakasu: I killed a father a mother and a six year old child
Puyis face immediately lost colour fear began to mount.
Masahiko Amakasu:mister puyi you wanna know why
Puyi with a dry mouth answered yes
Masahiko Amakasu: they were traitors to the emperor one a anarchist the other a feminist and the child was simply a mistake. So Mr puyi if I hear plots against our emperor and against his will you will be the next one on the list Is that clear
Mr Puyi :y-yes ofcourse I would never try to go against your emperor with your help I have another chance as emperor of perhaps even China again.
Masahiko Amakasu had Slowely gone closer with his face to puyi and was looking into his soul while puyi was looking on the floor to avoid. Eye. Contact With a voice as if Mr. Puyis propositions had been a joke he replied.
Masahiko Amakasu:Sure sure you will I am happy we came toghether and had this talk now you can once again go back to your friend.
Mr. Puyi: Ofcourse yes I shall go back now
Masahiko Amakasu: Yes you shall, goodbye
Mr. Puyi: Goodbye
Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, Reformed Qing China, United Liberian States
[April 19th, 1932. Chengdu, Sichuan, National Republic of China]
{General Staff meeting}
The past couple of weeks saw great gains. Former CPC vice-chair Grand Marshal Mao Zedong's Army of the Yellow River finally reached its namesake river. Now begins the march to Lanzhou and the stamping out of the northern warlords. The army of 500,000 supplied with western weapons and ammunition has made great progress in clamping down on the Xibei San Ma who have refused to submit under the rule of Chengdu. Grand Marchal Mao's latest report is as follows:
"The latest movements of the Horse have been erratic. It seems that the three warlords have been utterly surprised by the swift and efficient response by Chengdu after the 1931 proclamation. Their forces have been crushed near Tianshuicheng. I count 9,400 lost against about 47,000. There have been recent attacks by guerrillas that I can only assume are from the forces of the Xibei San Ma. They have taken about 1,800 as we march to Lanzhou. I expect to be there by the 25th."
Meanwhile, the Eastern and Southeastern campaigns have gone less smoothly. Crossing into the heavily populated southeast, Zhang Xueliang's Army of the East China Sea got bogged down in urban fighting. While massive portions of the countryside willingly joined the National Government, the city areas have stood their ground and bogged down the 760,000 strong Army of the East China Sea. The Battle of Shanghai was particularly rough, and only with naval support from the NRoCN Ning Hai, Ping Hai, and Chongqing were the 9 divisions of the Anqing clique finally removed from the Pearl of China. This took massive losses from the Army of the East China Sea, with nearly 360,000 losses in Shanghai alone. However, in the 6 months of the campaign, most of the Anqing clique and Jiangsu clique have been defeated, save for some cities along the East China Sea coast. Zhang Xueliang remarked:
"Never in my life have I ever seen a slaughter like in Shanghai. Every building, or rather ruined husk of one, every factory, every little warehouse, took more lives than in some battles alone. I can never live in that city. If I did, I would continuously hear the screams of the dying, the moans of the injured, and the horrified voices of those who are still living."
Even with these costs, the reunification of China is going very smoothly. Only the recent annexation and further expansion of Japan into Manchuria worries the Parliament. A conflict with Japan is inevitable. The questions are: When will it happen and Are the west going to help?
Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril, United Liberian States
Post self-deleted by Areuloia.
[April 21st, 1932. Tokyo, Empire of Japan]
Tai Wencai sits in a chair in Toyko. He is the Ambassador from the National Republic of China to the Empire of Japan. He had only been in this position for the last 3 years seeing the state that his home country was in. He really never got used to Tokyo, with its massive European-style buildings. He was shoved into a rough situation following Japan's invasion of China. In fact, he learned of the invasion after Chengdu did, which was all the more horrifying. He was tasked with signing a peace with the Japanese government, but he doesn't even know who to talk with. The civilian government says they're sorting it out on their own, but the military one only gave even more veiled threats. He really couldn't keep up with this any longer. He could only get contacts with minor officials and never a full-on ambassador, and yet Chengdu wants him to be able to conduct peace talks? He quietly takes out a pen and paper and starts writing. Caligraphy helps him calm his nerves. It was already 4 months since Chengdu told him to make peace, but not a single person in Tokyo has responded to his calls. He couldn't keep going much longer. What is Japan doing?
Gaia Major, Areuloia, United Liberian States
|Kai-Shek is welcomed into the office of Secretary of State Stimson, who sits at his desk smoking a cigar and motions for the Generalissimo to take a seat at the table.|
STIMSON: Good morning, Generalissimo and welcome to the United States of America. Let's get straight down to business, since the US is very eager to offer support for your nation in return for financial and economic concessions. I'd like to hear your end of the deal first: what would China be interested in receiving from the United States?
Czabalkia, Areuloia, Indril, The Myceane Of Oddisside, United Liberian States
[May 8, 1932 - Buenos Aires, the Free Argentine Republic of Buenos Aires and the Lands of the Buenos Ríos]
The late fall air is unusually warm and mostly still in the wealthy [I]barrio[/I] of Recoleta, in the grand city of Buenos Aires. A soft breeze dances through balcony windows left ajar, and billowing white curtains stretch out to join in the tango. The quiet streets occasionally see a chauffeured car imported from Europe glide down them. Its noon and the women of Recoleta are at the ateliers, the men in their offices at banks and bureaus and corporate boards.
Making its way from the Plaza de Mayo, a small black materfer limousine toots along. Down Calle de Florida, it picks up a vase of roses from a favored Florista. Down Calle Esmerelda from Maipú park, the limousine encounters traffic, and makes it onto Calle Arroyo later than expected. It speeds down Avenida Alvear faster than it should, crossing Avenida 9 de Julio in just a flash. Just two manzanas later, the car slows and turns onto Calle Montevideo, which forms the border of Recoleta. Stopping at the gates, the President of Buenos Ríos steps out, and walking with a small entourage that had been waiting into the gardens of Palacio Fernandez Anchorena. The executive row - three palatial mansions serving as the center of the executive government - seem normal in Recoleta. Across the street is the mansion of the Salvis, a rich Italian Buenoriense family that has made millions building appliances. Next to it is the International School of Buenos Aires, an exclusive collegio for the children of foreign bankers working in the city. Behind the gardens are city summer residences of the Ríoriquenses, the colloquialism for the business people who have gotten rich from expanded mineral extraction in the Río Negro region. The quiet in the area once known for lavish all-day parties is normal now, ever since the credit crisis. Financially, the Barrio Alto is doing better than ever, but in a time when everyone eschews ostentatious displays of wealth, as they read from foreign presses, the Barrio knows to go about its business with
In 1915, the nation experienced a credit crisis which ended forty years of an economic boom. Before the boom, the nation was doing moderately, but had deep corruption and unstable governance. One constitution, the population of the southern territories, wide scale industrialization the rise of a thriving middle class, and six major economic and political reforms later, Buenos Ríos is one of the worlds richest countries. And while the current economic situation has hit everyone, the credit crisis of 1915 put Buenos Ríos in a good place to weather the depression. Since the 1892 constitution, Buenos Ríos had been reducing corruption in all parts of society, especially in business and business regulation. Good economic governance by the Banco-Hacienda Nacional had encouraged diversification and combatted anti-rent-seeking regulations. Industrialization and education programs that were set up in the 90s were showing efficacy, and the nation was even reaching a net balance in investments, with the countrys growing industrial base attracting interest from abroad and eager investment from within. Buenoriense Bonds had even reached record low interest rates, thanks to the 1915 banking, monetary, and fiscal reforms, which ended up pushing even lower as many foreign investors set their eyes on Buenos Ríos following the stock and credit crashes. The President sits in his office, below a grand painting of Patagonia. In his hand, a report on the efficacy of pre-emptive interest rate cuts from 29.
A faint chant can be heard through his open window. A small group of workers have formed a protest outside his building - protests against meat industry layoffs. It's a week after May Day, which understandably had attracted bigger crowds than usual. But while new labour regulations protecting workers and the middle class had been in place for decades now, and while workers and employers had developed a strong and healthy relationship, it was still good to see the interest and passion in civil society in the mind of the President. Buenosrienses have seen the news and they know it could be worse - they could be in America or in Europe, where the depression has been much worse. This country at the south of the world, rich by natural resources, a diverse and skilled workforce, and an unstoppable drive for development and innovation, has kept its people fed and its banks stable. Yet the small group of picketers still picket - it is their right. And the President sighs, and the breeze begins again, off to wiggle the rose in a young lovers hand, to cool down a freshly made empanada, or to steal away the hat from an old ladys hair.
Life in Buenos Ríos is good. Neutral, open to all, the people of The nation are warm and loving, and want nothing more than to improve their neighbors world.
Miwok-, Gaia Major, Areuloia, Indril
[list]Breaking News: Revolutionary Deal Between Canada and Scandinavia Paves Way for Better Relations[/list]
A meeting has occurred between Canadian and Scandinavian diplomats. After much back and forth an agreement has been reached, with which both sides are relatively optimistic about. In exchange for annually receiving 100 000 tons of copper, 5 million tons of coal and 30 million barrels of oil, the Nordic government agreed to supply the Canadians with 10 million machine parts, and 1 million tons of steel a year to help build the economy back up, and allow Canada to move into the manufacturing sector. Each side also signed a non-aggression treaty, ensuring peace and prosperity between the two nations. The Canadian Prime Minister, William Mackenzie King, told us today that he believed that this was a groundbreaking deal that would show the world real peace. The Scandinavian Kings were unavailable for comment.
Our reporter, John Baxen, was there when the deal was signed. He told us that the atmosphere was one of decisive and fortunate change. However, there was been some criticism that the deal is representative of Mackenzie Kings liability for over reliance on foreign powers, and that the deal is not as good as it could have been. Two MPs have resigned, although they have neglected to comment on whether the cause was due to the agreement made. Others have voiced their comments publicly, which leads to some concerns that Mackenzie King is no longer commanding the respect of his party. However, he has reaffirmed his loyalty to first Canada, then world peace. The Cabinet has also released a statement of support for the Prime Minister, and emphasising that there was no split in the Liberal Party over this.
In other news, the stability and safety is at an all-time low after tensions across the Pacific have been raised between Manchuria, Japan and China. These three groups are....
Miwok-, Gaia Major, Areuloia
Hi! I new to rpc
Areuloia, Chicken Town
Post self-deleted by United Liberian States.
the year is 1932 march
After Puyi had been kept captive in the Manchu resort for some time. the Japanese leadership actually acting on Puyis word Made Mukden the Capital of the New Manchukuo Empire Where he will be Coronated the Emperor of Manchukuo or rather the Title of Emperor Kāngdé. Of course, the Capital being made Mukden is just to keep up the illusion of Puyis say in the Government. But then the next problem came with this Puyi himself wanted Manchukuo to be the starting point of the Reconquering of the Qing Empire and also wants to base his rule on the Mandate of Heaven. The Japanese government however doesn't want Puyi to get a title that could even hint at or get him a claim other than the newly made state with the 5 Equal races
that being Manchu, Koreans, Russians, Japanese, Mongolians, and with that He was Not allowed to coronate Himself with traditional Manchu robes wich as Puyi saw everything else would be an insult. and so both Parties agreed to let Puyi be Coronated in Western Military Clothing and so with Puyi and the Japanese agreeing over the last small parts The Coronation was now planned to be held at Mukden.
Puyi with his uniform declared his ascension as Emperor of Manchukuo at the Temple of Heaven Speaking a pre-made Speech by the Japanese saying it to the crowd that was there mainly stating that his role is now that of Kāngdé
Then he was escorted in a Lincoln limousine with bulletproof glasses followed by Nine Vehicles.
Finally, at the Coronation, the holy wine was given out, and as Puyi was what he thought would be his happiest moment in the last few years at least was just thinking about how almost all guests were Japanese.
and so while the Holy scripts were read and the wine was given a Reign of tranquillity and virtue Hopefully begins.
Indril, United Liberian States
Post self-deleted by The Myceane Of Oddisside.
Chaing Kai-Shek: Good morning to you as well. I am happy to come to the heart of democracy, the system that has so radically changed the lives of so many back home. There are 2 main items that Chengdu has sent me here for. If you are so generous as to offer them, the 2 are weapons and training. While Greek help is much appreciated, Grand Marshals Mao and Zhang informed me that they would like to fight with modern equipment, not leftover Lee-Enfields from the Great War. The second is training. While some men from Berlin showed up in 1930 to train and supply us with weapons, they soon left and many of our newer units cannot stand a candle against the ones trained by the Germans. If possible, I would like volunteers to come and help train our nation. Also, again if possible, I would like to licence produce equipment from back home.
Areuloia, Indril, United Liberian States
Assembled with Dot's Region Saver.
Written by Refuge Isle.