Civilization - An Epic Tale - BRONZE AGE IC

by **Transoxthraxia** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:00 pm

"Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." - Mark Twain

Humanity. The first humans started to exist in 200,000 B.C.E in the Horn of Africa, before rapidly spreading throughout the rest of the world. Despite this, however, It took them 165,000 years to truly become ready for civilization. The Neolithic Revolution, which revolutionized the ways in which Homo Sapiens acquired food allowed for the first villages and towns to be created, but it would not be about 1,000 years after this in which these towns and villages began to band together and create the first Civilizations. It is the dawn of time, where civilizations will be founded, rise, fall, fracture, and die. In the lands of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, the towns and cities that formed upon rivers begin to rise to prominence under their first politically advanced leaders, and it is now, in the twilight of prehistory, in which this RP is set.

Gameplay concepts:
(Note: For those of you who participated in my previous RP of a similar subject matter, "On a Subject of Birth", some of this may be familiar.)

Another thing that irks me in Civilization RPs is that no one ever faces collapse or failure on a grand scale, despite the fact that this was common throughout history, and most empires did, at one point or another, face said collapse, dating all the way back to Babylon, and going through all the Egypts, the Hittites, The Achaemenids, the Alexandrian Kingdoms, Rome, The Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France, the list goes on. And that's only Europe.

In this RP, there is no guarantee of survival. Unless, of course, you win it through blood and marriage. While this is all part of the historical accuracy of the RP, I do understand how it could be frustrating if you do end up losing. Thusly, I will allow those who have lost thier civilization to the sands of time to reapply, myself included.

The mechanics of said failure are fairly simple - for every predetermined period of time in each respective stage of the RP, Bronze Age to the Modern Age, (The period of time will change per stage of history, of course.) civilizations will experience what I call Decay and Deprivation. In essence, this means that your civilization is stagnating and becoming decadent. D&D will be reduced by a number of means - having a brilliant ruler (2 categories of 5+), certain combinations of policies, or certain technologies that could be researched. If none of these are employed to combat D&D, its cumulative effect will begin to cripple empires in the form of rebellions, civil wars, reduced rates of income, tech research, combat ability, and happiness, all of which are valuable to your continuation as a civilization. Eventually, if one goes through five stages of D&D without being able to reverse it, (If you reverse one, it will go back to zero. But if you have stage two D&D and reverse it, it will only go back to one - You can only reverse D&D once per ruler.) their civilization will collapse into different warring states, signalling the end to their civilization. Think of the Huns after the death of Attila - The Sabirs, Utigurs, and Kutrigurs who were all individually conquered.

On a related note - another thing that I find wrong with many Civilization RPs is the RoE - Rate of Expansion. Often in the Bronze or Iron Age people will hold empires that are geographically larger than Rome without any penalties - People often seem to forget that, despite the size of the Roman Empire, and how rapidly it rose, Rome faced rebellions and civil wars as if they were daily occurrences. Thusly, there will be a cap on the amount of provinces that one can hold based on their government type and technology. Furthermore - The amount of province acquisition will change with the ages - In the Bronze Age, each civilization will only be able to acquire one province at a time. Starting in Early Antiquity, it will change to two, then in Late Antiquity, Three, and so on.

REMEMBER! The daily year progression is 200/24 hours. Each "turn" in the tech tree will be considered a day. Decay and Deprivation will occur THREE turns in this stage. Overextension will kick in at EIGHT or more provinces.

ALSO! Remember to keep track of your technologies, statistics, etc... So that we can know your nation and calculate probabilities of events occurring.

If you have any questions, TG me.

Map

Tech tree

Required stat sheet:

Code: Select all: [b][u]Nation Name[/b][/u] [b]Number of Provinces:[/b] [b]Technology Researching:[/b] (Name of Tech/Turns left) [b]Technology Researched:[/b] [list] [/list] [b]Current Leader:[/b] [b]Actions this turn:[/b] (Conquered a province? Which one? Went to war with someone?)

by **Transoxthraxia** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:00 pm

The dawn of primordial time was one that was not lost upon the civilization of the Axartyaians. They were a strong people, but surrounded by enemies. Their civilization, their culture, and their future all revolved around their military continuation as a people. The Hattusans, the people who surrounded them to the East, provided the most immediate threat. Despite being a settled people, they were most certainly a warlike one. They spoke an Anatolian lingual isolate, but were completely unrelated to the Axartyaians, who were seen as intruders to the land. When the capital was sieged by Hattusans, the Axartyaians responded by repelling the invaders through a series of rough battles, and then plunging deep into Hattusan territory, following the retreating army. Using their copper weapons, they defeated and subjugated the Hattusan tribes, before extending their dominion over them. Despite the fact that they had been conquered, however, it would take a long time to assimilate them into Axartyaian culture, and, until they had been assimilated, the province would be considered more of a colony than anything.

At this point in time, with a few of his enemies defeated and the rest subjugated for the time being, Aigudas then turned towards the innards of his nation's life. They had begun looking into the concept of mining, which would allow them to, eventually, find precious minerals within the ground that they stood upon, allowing them to enhance their weapons and build greater buildings than before, and some even claimed that it would allow the Axartyaians to reach the center of the world that was created for them.

Aigudas was a competent ruler, if not a powerful one. He wielded the power of a desperate people fighting for their survival in Anatolia, jockeying for position between the Hittites and Hattusans. He constantly worried for his people, but his devotedness to his people and his faith allowed him to be a strong leader. His people were few in number but strong in war, and he often led the soldiers into battle himself. He had begun as a chieftain of a tribe of Axartyaians, as the legend went, but the tribe was wiped out by Hattusan barbarians, who killed all but him, and he was sold into slavery along the southern coast of Anatolia. He escaped his captivity, and made his way back to the lands of the Axartyai, where he told his story to the king of the tribe of the southern Axartyaians, who was so touched by his story that he had given Aigudas the throne. Aigudas then went immediately about unifying all Axartyaians, and was complete roughly nine years after he had started, which is where he stood now, ready to repel the invasions from the Hattusan barbarians.

Axartyai
Number of Provinces: 1
Technology Researching: Mining (0)
Current Leader: Aigudas Konnikuzas.
Actions this turn: Subjugated and began to assimilate the Hattusan tribes to the west of Axartyai.

by **Arkolon** » Tue Dec 24, 2013 3:14 am

Regica, Bronze Age, 3500 BCE - 3300 BCE

Regica was barely fortified, with piles of wood denoting the frontier between the Regican town and its agricultural outskirts. Dirt paths have been paved with time as farmers regularly commuted to and from their houses in the Regican centre. The largish marketplace was situated at the centre of this, and as such was a frequent hotspot for the gathering of Regican residents.

Around the farms, however, there was nothing of any importance to be found. Grass; mountains-- a few animals perhaps. And it was these animals that were of importance to one curious local.

This local-- a farmer, who doesn't necessarily need to be named, had noticed calves suckle a liquid from their (presumably) mother's udder out in the fields. Some sort of medicine, his primitive and uneducated mind thought. He bought a bucket from the Regican central marketplace and walked all the way back to where he found this seemingly-magical occurrence. He had this white liquid. He drank it. Disgusting. He brought it home to his wife, nevertheless. After many tries of trying to decondense this pure milk, they had finally produced Galtas: an early form of milk.

It sold out fairly quickly-- as did anything new with the label "magical" does in a Bronze Age town. After amassing a small fortune from his galtas, this man disclosed the magical secret of squeezing a cow's udder before a calf reaches for it. Witchcraft, thought some. To be fair, it did sound fairly far-fetched. Yet the odd curious citizen went ahead and tried. It was that that allowed civilization to progress: curiosity. More galtas was produced, and cows ("galtastasio"-- milk factory) became ever more popular. These milk farms quickly became part of the extraurbanic landscape featured outside of the primitive town walls. Farmers began to take care of these animals: feeding them and treating them with respect. After all, they were to thank for their fortune.

The high demand for cows enclosed most dairy cows of the region. Farms and animal pens became more common around the Regican capital. As farms began to be built further and further away, the farmers and landowners had to walk further to reach their sources of income. Eventually, these farmers built a temporary village in a forest south of Regica. As the years progressed, this farming village grew to become a proper township. Going by the name "Agrica", this small town was populated by local farmers and accepted Nicosra Paralo as leader.

The disputes between the Regican settling farmers and the natives of this region were quickly resolved as the scattered aboriginals stood in awe of Regican milk, and adapted to their civilised ideals.

Regica
Number of Provinces: 2
Technology Researching: Animal Husbandry (0)
Current Leader: Nicosra Paralo (M/D/A - 3/3/3)
Actions this turn: Completed research of animal husbandry, acquired region to the south.

by **Photana** » Tue Dec 24, 2013 9:53 am

The History of Qartha, 3500 BCE- 3300 BCE
Qartha began these two centuries as a small group of huts gathered together around a cove. The Qarthans were a people based around wealth, and they way a man showed his wealth was either by owning lands or slaves. Oftentimes, the Qarthans would raid other groups near their lands for slaves, and it is from these slave raids that the first technological development came to Qartha. Since the first men settled Qartha, the Qarthans had used spears and atl-atls to fight their foes. Both of these weapons had the downside of being rather inaccurate and cumbersome to carry around, and the atl-atl was especially cumbersome, requiring the use of many spear sized darts, which were difficult to carry around in the face paced raids and battles that were the norm of Qarthan raider groups. The atl-atl was also not that useful to the hunters of the Qartha, who were preying upon antelopes - quick-sensed and fleet of foot- and if one didn't score an immediate hit on an antelope, he was often out of a meal. The tyranny of the atl-atl came to an end around 3435 BCE, when the first recorded Qarthan Bows are found. The early Qarthan bows are primitive, as one would expect, usually being a carved piece of wood that was flexible enough to bend and not break, accompanied by a long fiber of animal sinew that would be able to hold enough energy to propel an arrow forward.

With in invention of the Bow, the Qartha become much more successful in both hunting and the tribal conflicts that surrounded them. Now, their warriors could move quickly to raids and battles, usually faster than their foes, and their hunters were more successful at hunting the antelopes. The invention of the bow also heralds an expansion of the Qarthan civilization, as with the bow, the Qarthans were able to subjugate one of the sister tribes, the tribe of Qaltha, which controlled lands to the south of the Qartha civilization.

by **Utceforp** » Tue Dec 24, 2013 12:19 pm

Nambiri, 3500 - 3300 BCE, Early Namneten 1 period

The first settlements of the Grunori people were in southern Mesopotamia near the western border of Persia. They were originally a nomadic people who had migrated down through the small Sumerian settlements also developing in the region, arriving and settling in the land they called Namviorithen in the south. Because of this, several loanwords had been given to and taken from the Sumerian language isolate. The largest of these cities, Nam-En-Then, lends its name to this period of history, as it was during this period that it began to establish power over the smaller cities and lands. Using primitive copper weapons, the king of Namneten, Nambleravera, took over the smaller villages. Many of the other villages worshipped a pantheon of many gods lead by three, Nambleravera did not attempt to convert them but instead claimed that the patron deity of Namneten, Belzu, had killed these other gods and usurped their divine kingship. Some did not believe him, but various massacres of the northern Nambiri tribes quelled them, and simple wooden temples were built in honour of Belzu on top of older shrines.

A few decades later, after the Namneten conquest of Nambirithen, priest-lords that Namblerevara had established in the farming-settlements that most Nambiri villages were at this point discovered problems. Wheat that was supposed to be sent to Namneten for storage was being stolen, but it was impossible to tell how much grain was taken from the village and how much arrived, aside from weighing each sack that passed into the city. This method of eyeballing and guessing the weight of grain was used for many years, but it was still imperfect, and the still problem plagued the newly established Nambiri state.

A lord in the small settlement of Senten, who's record in history would be severely distorted by oral history and the exaggeration thereof, found a solution. He placed each bag of grain on a plank of wood suspended on two logs, then used a copper dagger to make a mark on a plank of wood behind the bag to determine how low the bag had caused the plank of wood to sag. If, at the other end of the days long trip to Namneten, the bag did not cause the plank of wood to sag as much as it had at the start of the trip, King Namblerevara would know that some of the wheat had been stolen. It was still a primitive system, but it worked better. Eventually, administrators realized that they could figure out how much a given amount of wheat weighed using the primitive scale that the priest-lord had invented, and used a reed taken from a river to mark the weight of the grain on a ball of mud with a drawing of one or more stalks of wheat that could later be dried and preserved.

The wheat symbol slowly turned more and more abstract until it looked only superficially like wheat. Other symbols for other aspects of the Nambiri administration also developed, but they were few and far between, and never used by anyone other than tax collectors and authority figures. The development of what would later become the Nambiri alphabet started due to this.

With Nambirithen unified, Namblerevara became increasingly interested in the land to the southeast of him. The Persian Gulf was second only to the Tigris-Euphrates river system in the Nambiri religion, as across it was where Belzu was said to have lead the Nambiri from. He travelled to the cities he controlled and gathered men to fight for him and their gods. After a month, he travelled around the shore of the Gulf and into Persia, subjugating the Proto-Elamite tribes he found there. Namblerevara dubbed the province Farsithen and a mass migration of Nambiri settlers entered the region, beginning to displace or assimilate the natives.

Nambiri
Number of Provinces: 1
Technology Researching: Alphabet (Turn 1 out of 2)
Current Leader: Namblerevara
Actions this turn: Subjugated and began to assimilate the province east of the Nambiri homeland.

by **Granadeseret** » Tue Dec 24, 2013 5:15 pm

Decanesil, 3500 BCE - 3300 BCE- The Early Sailing Era

Decanes was a harbor city; the most highly regarded in the entire region, if the words of oarsmen could be believed. Pleasant, calm shallows in which low-keel boats could settle in, the combined might of the oar ships to protect against pirates, and and advantageous position between the Anatolian mainland and the Aegean islands. The buildings were built in rows running parrallel to the harbor, curving and shifting like waves along the length, her wooden palisides and earthen dykes marking off the edge of the settled area; the homesteads beyond home to the isle's farmers and woodcutters, ekking a living off the dishonorable soil rather than taking part in the civilized craft of seasmanship and craftswork.

During the beginning of their era, however, trade between the isles was a risky business; rarely could even the richest men afford more than one ship, and those he did have simply couldn't trade in bulk. There was simply too much else to carry; dozens of rowers, their food and fresh water, and enough space for them to lie down during the night. Not to mention the crippling affect those crews could have on small towns unexpectedly, emptying the food stockpile either by buyout or force, driving many of the early harbor-cities under. Yet, for the early part of this era, there simply wasn't any better way people could find to propel their ships, so merchants remained a class at the edge of society; subsisting in good years and only profitable on the richest cargo to the richest states.

It was the Decan who brought true trade to the Aegean sea, with the discovery of the principals of sailsmanship. Decan traders frequently traded with the Doris and Lycians; semi-nomadic peoples of the southern Anatolian lowlands, for food and wool. However, when Decanian traders were in the market during the later months, they discovered something very peculiar; the women of the house were often inside, spinning away at some kind of wheel even before the sheep were brought down from pasture. Many times, on a whim, the Decan merchants purchased some of the resulting fabric to bring home and produce fine clothing for the rich, but rarely ventured far enough from the harbors markets to see where exactly the strange cloth came from. During a particularly stormy season, however, when a pair of Decan merchents were forced to remain in harbor, they ended up conversing over the topic with a few of the locals, who mentioned the Cirsk plant; which was grown by some men and women in small gardens so they diden't have to wear itchy and hot woolens in the warm lowlands. Intrigued, the merchants bought sacks of the Cirsk seeds, and brought them back to Decanis. There, their own farmers began to grow some of the plants, discovering that they grew large, browninsh bulbs with fine white fibers inside; fibers which made made a cloth suitable for clothing; which became particularly popular amongst sailors, because unlike wool it diden't absorb so much salt water.

Over time, however, the strength of the garmets was also taken into notice, and how they billowed in the wind when draped to dry on the decks of ships. The way it tugged against the lines did not go unnoticed, and the higher class began to discuss the idea of how much force these cloths could really support. As it turned out, small children had been turning to using scraps of their old garments in toys, forming tiny boats which could be moved slowly by the wind in these fabrics, and many of their fathers adopted the idea for their own; using much large sheets and tying them down to masts. The results were a fabulous success; with a few men to tug and lack the sheets on the decks, the need for rowers could be removed almost entirely in open waters, allowing for smaller crews for coastal maneuvering and, subsequently, faster voyages and more hull space. The advent of these new Cirsk boats, along hybrids with the old oar-powered Isrettinn, were quickly adopted into the merchant ships and defensive boats of Decanes's harbors, their merchants growing even more prominent in the Aegean as they could carry larger loads faster and with fewer costs then their competitors. As a result, Decanes started to grow into a city of real wealth, with shipowner's families coming to be able to afford more vessels and embelish their homes with the profit from their journies. And the extra goods coming into the city's coffers was certainly a bonus too.

As a result of the advent of sails, however, a new market emerged Decanes; a market for Cirskil (Cirsk fabric), which, with the farmers more concerned with putting food on the table and tradition than potential profits, never really boomed on the island's farms itself. Instead, this hunger was directed at the mainland, where the Doris had the climate necessary to grow a fair amount of it. The various Doris villages on the coast were met with Decan trading posts; docks and small settlements where the Decans could trade with the locals and learn their language and skills. Over time, Decanesil's presence on the mainland grew steadily stronger, as merchants from the city, fishermen, and the families of both settled in at the trading posts, making them into their homes. As the presence of the locals was forced to dwindle, at least proportional to the newcomers, the Decan trading posts started making treaties with the semi-nomadic locals, promising them protection and markets if they swore to only sell to Decanesil. Some of them did so, settling in villages where they grew barley or Cirsk, or continued to raise sheep for wool and meat. Others, however, resisted, and rallied their shepherds to keep the Decan's presence bound to the coast. However, the farmers who depended or had grown wealthier on the Decans, as well as sailors who were now stranger to brawls and mercenaries hired from the Lycian tribes to the east, beat back the resisters and took their flocks, dooming them to either remain on the coast and farm, or flee inland and northward. This is how Decanesil's first foothold on the mainland; Dorlyl, was born.

Actions
-Research: Basic Sailing (Turn 1/1) Complete
-Military: Conquered mainland province closest to Rhodes.
-Diplomacy: None

Status
Provinces: 1-> 2
Leader Stats: Milt. 3 Adm. 3 Dip. 3
Diplomatic Status: Unknown

by **Transoxthraxia** » Tue Dec 24, 2013 10:22 pm

Random Events in this age

There is a larger than normal storm pattern upon the Southern Anatolian Coast, causing flooding and the disruption of agricultural processes for the entire region of Anatolia, lowering Manpower and damaging population growth.
A group of Berbers in the newly conquered Qarthan province revolt against their new overlords.
Elamites in central Persia begin to raid Nambiri territory, causing depopulation and discontent until the Elamites are dealt with. Shown here in fuschia.
A drought hits Achaea, causing widespread famine and depopulation.
Delacian tribal decadence begins to set in. (Stage 1 D&D due to inactivity)
Chixian decay has begun to set in due to hostile neighbours (Stage 1 D&D due to inactivity)

New Leaders

by **Arkolon** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 9:55 am

Regica, Bronze Age, 3300 BCE - 3100 BCE

In the two centuries following the dawn of civilized societies, Regica suffered greatly. Regicans relied too heavily on agriculture and farming, praying to their gods that the fertile land would remain fertile forever. Unfortunately, such was not the case. A severe drought in the area brought famine, death and despair to each and every Regican resident. Times were tough. The far-away town of Agrica was gravely depopulated, and most ex-farmers were forced out of their trade; relocating to the Regican capital.

Dionosra, the new Regican despot-monarch, was primarily people's man. His affection and sympathy for the victims of the severe drought aided them, as he donated time, care and spare food to those in desperate need. Despite having had its population dramatically reduced, the Regican capital wasn't too sparsely populated, and those in need were to be found everywhere. Dionosra required an efficient method to differentiate between those who needed which type of aid, so he ordered his officials to paint different specific symbols on the huts that needed different and specific goods. These symbols were the most primitive form of a Regican alphabet. Undeterred by how concise this 8-letter alphabet was, the entirety of the Regican populace grasped the concept and the form of which these symbols were inscribed.

The drought acted as a lesson for the Regicans. The future generations relied less heavily on such intensive agriculture. Instead of collecting the produce once a year and consuming it all throughout that year, Dionosra ordered for a small portion of the produce to be left aside in case of such another disaster occurred. The agricultural produce was held in large warehouses, specifically sheltered from the most common environmental impacts.

Following Dionosra's death sometime in the 32nd century BC, these symbols remained in popular use. This primitive form of an alphabet was used to transfer messages from the Regican capital and the rebuilt Agrica, as well as to keep track of trade records from the two towns. As survival was easier due to the large excesses of stored food, the population took a small rise in gradient. Both Regica and Agrica began to feel this resident hike, and smaller villages spawned in the outskirts of the two now-largish towns. The terms Regica and Agrica evolved to denote the regions in which these large towns were situated in instead of the towns themselves.

As free space grew scarce, the richer members of the community travelled eastwards from Regica. Lavish huts were constructed there with the hides and body parts of local wildlife, as well as a wooden wall that encompassed a large part of a plain. This new, smaller community of wealthy persons took the name of Veos. Essentially, Veos was the heart of the Regican wealth and riches, where lived those who bought from Agrica and sold in Regica. This created a sustainable triangle of consumption and production in the region.

Regica
Number of Provinces: 3
Technology Researching: Alphabet (1/2)
Current Leader: Dionosra (M/D/A - 1/1/4)
Actions this turn: Partially settled in the region east of Regica, commenced research of Alphabet (1/2)
Region Assimilations: Agrica (2/3); Veos (1/3)

by **Granadeseret** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 10:07 am

Decanesil, 3300 BCE - 3100 BCE: The Age of Settlement

Following their acquisition of the Dorlyl, Decanesil's presence became nearly as apparent on the mainland as it had been in the Aegean; her ships plying north and east to investigate the coastline and search for new trading partners. Though there are mostly semi-nomadic tribes, farming the lowlands and grazing on the "platue" that, according to the men who went there, existed further norther (The Decan were never keen to follow them), they also ran into several settlements much like their own to the north; fishing the rich waters of the Aegean and taking advantage of the fine soils in the lowlands. These cities, like the others before them, made fine partners for Decanes, and over time ships flying the flag of the city became regular occurrences along the Western coast of Anatolia.

This was quite important for the health and wealth of the city, as Decanesil's traditional trade partners, the Lycia, were suffering from flooding and storms which battered their coastline; forcing many of their lowland populations to flee inland and making it too dangerous for many Decan merchants to risk the journey. What ships did go through returned with meager cargoes and reported rumors of great hardship and suffering; the general agreement between the Lycian tribes breaking down as their trade connections and safe margin of food did. This naturally turned Decanesil's markets north, to the drier lands where Cirsk could still be safely grown and the population was much more vibrant.

Decanesil's position around the basin, however, placed them in the middle of a unique problem and gave them a unique solution; the Anatolian demand for liquid goods from the Aegean islands and parts of another continent they traded with. The Aegean cities, at least some of them more populace ones, had a strange sort of tree the Decans called Ullln; producing some strange, greenish seed which the cities had learned to crush into a delicious oil, and ferment into some kind of alcoholic beverage which tasted far better than the aged fish oils that were still prominent in Decanesil. Up until this point, however, the only way to trade the goods had been in treated animal organs or leather sacks; both of which could only be made in small sizes and had a tendency for leaking, making the trade impossible over long distances. The merchant glasses of Decanis, upon hearing of the high demand for these foods from their trading posts in Anatolia (and the oarsmen from there who could sometimes get samples of it in other city-states), set about trying to find some way to for a liquid-tight seal.

Many options were tried, most of which failed. Stone vessels would crack the deck of the ship under them, wood simply absorbed the oil/alcohol into them and gave the thing a terrible flavor, and putting more layers of fabric and leather onto the original containers simply became cost-prohibitive. Dorlyl, however, provided the solution; the flooding and rains had washed away a number of soil deposits and broken away at the mountains, revealing a strange, almost porous soil along with a great deal of mud. With the decline of agriculture in the region, and the desire for home strong enough to withstand the storms, may of the citizens went salvaging for whatever they could find, and discovered that, when dried and mixed with a few plant fibers, this strange mineral could keep their homes safe and dry. It could even be molded into different shapes for different homes; allowing them to keep their fires burning so they could bake their bread and cook their fish. Knowledge of this material spread by experience and word-of-mouth between the settlements of Dorlyl, and eventually into the ears of the sailors, who borrowed the enclosed fires of the locals to cook their catches. Eventually, even homes in Decanes themselves had taken up the practice, as this mineral, which was known as Okil and mud from wet fields was taken into town for molding into enclosed containers for hearths and occasionally to seal homes.

The craftsmen of the city, however, began to wonder as they looked into their wive's new fireplaces; if Okil could keep liquids out and sliding off the sides, could it not also keep liquids in? Taking the crude shapes of the ovens, several artisans of the villages started to add seals to the open areas as well, creating an crude vessel which could only be accessed from the top. It was found to prove a lovely way of catching and storing rainwater, which allowed for people to stop drinking from the streams and for ships to live less on alcohol. This same principal was soon applied to trade, as the artisans of the city sold their works to the merchant-sailors, who brought them on their missions to the other Isles and, when the water within was drunk, filling them up with Ullln and its products, cloth of wooden tops keeping them covered, safe and well-tasting for delivery to Anatolia, where the locals rejoiced at their now fairly-dependable source of drink. Slowly, the grip of the Decans over regional trade was tightening, as their efficiency started to put the oar-rowing traders from other ports out of business.

As a result, the primitive cities of the Alois tribes; a group who had recently migrated from across the Aegean, drove out the former inhabitants, and had begun to try their luck at the shipping business, found themselves caught up in trade waters with Decanesil; wars they were doomed to lose from the start. The Aegean city-states diden't want to lose access to the lucrative markets and shipping lanes of the nation, and Decanesil's ships and crews were simply more advanced and experienced. Security ships from Decanesil and the rowing boats of the Alois states struck and counter-struck in acts of piracy upon the high seas, the Decans' ability to use the winds to increase their ramming speeds proving to be decisive factor. The cost of replacement simply mounted too high for the Alois to continue their conflict, and the resulting economic decay causing their cities to fall one by one to Decanesils, who's ships occupied their harbors, took their fishing vessels, and swore to land if the Alois did not submit to Decanesil's hegemony. The inviting of the territory's old inhabitants, the Carlin, back down from the highlands and having their farmlands returned in exchange for loyalty and service helped keep stability during those turbulent times.

This era was also marked as one wher the citizens of Decanes began to spread in strong numbers to their mainland holdings; second sons of farmers moving in to take advantage of the soil, craftsmen needed to meet the demands for local naval stores, and even a few wealthy merchants who desired plots of land for their supplies. Slowly, Dic began to overtake regional dialects, as it became almost impossible to trade or do business with the city centers without it, and clashes between the Alois and Carlin over who's tongue should be spoken were solved when the Decanes suggested they both speak the language they were equally unaccustomed too. Native spiritualism started to dissipate, replaced by statues to the Three Deities, as the chants of sailors and farmer transplants started to rub off on the local residents. Even the architecture, moving to that of Decanes by default of that style being suited for Okil insulting, changed as a result of these new transplants. Over time, these regions would slowly grow more and more like those of the home island, though local influences remained rather pronounced and more defining

Actions
-Research: Pottery (1/1): Complete
-Military: Conquered Territory northward along the Aegean coast from our mainland holding via trade war and co-opting locals
-Diplomatic: Began to assimilate both mainland provinces. (1/4 both)

Provinces: 2->3
Technology Pool: Basic Sailing, Pottery
Leader Stats: Mil. 3 Adm. 2 Dip 5
Diplomatic Status: Unknown

by **Photana** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 12:48 pm

The History of Qartha 3300 BCE-3100 BCE
This period in Qartha's prehistory is noted by a revolt of the nomadic Berber peoples in the newly conquered southern province, hoping the would lead to successful Independence. This act only enraged the Qartha, and their new ruling line, the Na'ster Dynasty. This line of rulers are noted for their skill in military matters and hands-off management style. The first Na'ster to take the throne lead the Qartha warriors into battle against the Berber rebels, and while initially unsuccessful, with arrival of additional Qartha forces, nonetheless crushed the rebels, and scattered their people into the interior lands. The first Na'ster king died after a few more years of ruling, and his son, the second Na'ster, inherited his fortune and throne. The Second Na'ster to rule began an additional campaign from Qartha to subjugate the Berbers inland. He called up the warriors of Qartha, and began his campaign by attacking and destroying a Berber village near the border. His campaign continued for the rest of his life, with the last of the Berber tribesmen in the area bending their knees to him on the before he died. The Third and Forth Na'sters were noted to have very peaceful reigns, mostly due to a flint shortage that was solved by the invention of the very first pick. After the invention of Mining, legends tell of the "Solid Bloods of the World" emerging from Mines within rocks, and sometimes melting in a fire and flowing outward, to singe the toes and fingers of curious miners. The relative peace of the last two Na'sters also saw the beginning of the assimilation of the two peoples into the emerging Qartha state, with the forced promotion of Qartha values common.

by **Utceforp** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 6:27 pm

Nambiri, 3300 - 3100 BCE, Late Namneten 1 period

The end of the Namneten 1 period is defined by the retaliation of Elamite tribes against the settling of Nambiri villages in their territory. Pushing eastward, the end of Nambleravera 1's reign was mostly focused on border conflicts between the Nambiri soldiers and settlers against these displaced Elamites. During the reign of the next members of the "Nam-Bel-Ri" dynasty, these raids became a daily occurrence. However, it was only until the kingship passed to the young king Nambulrasuten that the Elamites became brave enough to wage outright war on the Nambiri. Several villages fell to their raids, but the Nambiri managed to hold them off once the Elamites reconquered the eastern half of their territory from the Nambiri.

Namblerasuten saw this as not only a problem, but an opportunity. He had vastly restructured Nambleravera's administrative network, and had declared new laws for the people to remember. He used his reforms effectively when recruiting for the war, declaring that any Elamites who lived in non-occupied Nambiri territory would be given citizenship if they fought against the invading Elamites, while the rest would be massacred by the band of men he was gathering. Future actions of Namblerasuten proved that he was telling the truth when he made both of these claims.

The Elamites that joined Nambulrasuten and his army found themselves fighting their former relatives, now enemies that they learned to hate. As enforced by Nambulrasuten, they wore Nambiri clothing, and a few started to worship Nambiri gods as friends of the deities of the Elamite pantheon. The Nambiri-Elamite culture developed, blending several aspects of Nambiri art with Elamite iconography, but they were still very distinct from their rulers in Namneten.

Given the growing size of the Nambiri realm, along with the need for more organization among the military to fight the Elamite raiders that had occupied the eastern parts of Farsithen, Nambulrasuten decided to expand upon the limited amount of symbols used by the Nambiri. He added new symbols to the alphabet that represented soldiers, weaponry and the like. This he used his network of administrators to spread around Nambiri. While this innovation, born of the minds of Nambulrasuten and several of his advisors, was started when Nambulrasuten first ascended to the throne, the majority of the Nambiri were not literate in this new alphabet until the end of his reign.

In the next one hundred years several unimportant rulers with relatively short reigns succeeded Nambulrasuten. There were two important things that happened in this period. One, due to movement of soldiers and leaders east to fight the Elamites, the most powerful and populous city-state became Farsithen, in the land named after it, in the east, starting the Early Farsithen period of Nambiri history. Before that, however, a more important things happened. The complex symbols that Nambulrasuten had created slowly became more and more abstract until they only represented sounds, not objects. The Nambiri alphabet was developed fully during this period.

Nambiri
Number of Provinces: 2
Technology Researching: Alphabet (Turn 2 of 2)
Current Leader: Nambulrasuten (3/1/5)
Actions this turn: Began assimilation of Proto-Elamites in easternmost province, (Turn 1 of 2) lack of military tech allows Elamites to occupy the eastern quarter of the Nambiri's land.

by **Transoxthraxia** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 9:32 pm

During the reign of the well-known Dirgudas Konnikuzas, disaster struck. Large amounts of flooding affected the entire territory in which the Axartyaian State controlled, damaging agriculture, and providing long-term dangers of famine. Fortunately for them, however, it had also affected their aggressive neighbours in the west, the Hattusans, and had pacified them for the moment. Dirgudas was no fool for a ruler. In fact, he had made proud his ancestors, and had proven to be a powerful king. He knew that, to blow a deadly blow to his people's long-time rivals, the time to strike would be during their weakness. He marched an army westwards into the forested terrain that surrounded the heart of his enemy's homeland, and plunged deep, like a knife, encountering fierce resistance only in the most southern regions, the rest seemingly too heavily affected by the flooding to resist properly.

It was upon this that the idea of organized mining had been completed in its fullness, and the Axartyaian mines begun to, under Dirgudas' competent administration, begin to operate with great efficiency, making even more efficient the concept of copper. However, with the introduction of this new type of mining, a new type of ore had been discovered as well. It was created when smelting tin, copper, and a few other ingredients together. Naming the new substance Akatzyr, bronze had been blessed by Dirgudas as a metal that is worth much in the eyes of the Axartyaians, however, he grieved, for Akatzyr was hard to make, and couldn't easily replace the inferior copper that was used in the daily life of Axartyaians.

While Dirgudas would never live to see it, his Akatzyr would eventually become the standard for not only his people, but all of the people of the Mediterranean, as well as becoming the name for the era that Dirgudas ruled in. It would not be until his great-great-great-great-great grandchild would rise to the throne in the most bloodily of fashions in which Bronze would become the standard use of the Axartyaian soldiers.

For now, however, most of Dirgudas' efforts were focused on two things: saving his people from the vast floods and storms that had wracked the nation recently, as well as destroying the culture within his borders in which he had worked so hard to conquer. The Hattusans would most likely be a problem for Dirgudas as they were sworn enemies to the man that they found themselves subject to.While there had been not a revolt yet - the newly conquered provinces held nothing but more Hattusans. Dirgudas had introduced a policy of assimilation - he would force the Hattusans to marry Axartyan daughters and their firstborn slaughtered, as it was believed that the firstborn was the most genetically like the father. The rest of the children would be raised by the mother speaking only Axartyaian.

Axartyai
Number of Provinces: 3.
Technology Researching: Bronze Working.
Current Leader: Dirgudas Konnikuzas.
Actions this turn: Assimilating new provinces (2/3), (1/2).

by **Transoxthraxia** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 9:59 pm

3100-2900 BCE, Middle Bronze Age.

Random Events in this age:

There is a Hattusan revolt in the westernmost Axartyaian provinces.
A highly virulent plague rips through Decanesil, originating from the Lycian lands, destroying populations and leaving towns abandoned.
A wealthy, ambitious Qarthan nobleman has ventured off into Berber lands, where he has raised an army poised at the capital of Qartha, to crown himself king of Qarth and the Berbers.
(Note: I've skipped out on D&D Inactivity today, because Christmas.)

New Rulers of this age:

Axartyai: 2 Military / 1 Diplomacy / 4 Administrative
Regica: 2 Military / 1 Diplomacy / 5 Administrative
Chixio: 2 Military / 2 Diplomacy / 4 Administrative
Qartha: 2 Military / 3 Diplomacy / 2 Administrative (OOC: Oh God, luck isn't on your side, dude...)
Decanesil: 4 Military / 2 Diplomacy / 4 Administrative
Nambiri: 3 Military / 3 Diplomacy / 1 Administrative
Delacians: 1 Military / 4 Diplomacy / 3 Administrative

Goings on in the Ancient World
- The first alphabet in the western world, Nambiran, emerges in South-Eastern Mesopotamia.
- A primitive proto-alphabet is developing independently in Regica, Greece.
- The first bronze has begun being created in Axartyai, Anatolia.
- Earliest forms of artistic pottery came into use in Decanesil, on Rhodes.
- Beginnings of Qarthan mining traced to this time period
- Proto-Elamite/Elamite invasion of Nambiri beginning to stagnate; start of turning point in favour of the Nambiran culture.
- Cultural upheaval on the mysterious northern Steppe; first Iranian polities forming.
- Rumors of a culture in western Asia Minor preparing to migrate westwards into Greece, first true Proto-Greeks.

by **Alcase** » Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:23 am

3500 - 3200 BC The Farming Revolution
In the lands east of Alexandria, there are a coalition of peaceful villages living side by side. Each village is there own autonomous region, but it's obvious that the Land of Alenz dominates over the rest. With their superior military skills and with the help of the economically successful Chioxi civilization, they plan to push their settlements deep into the desserts around them. The Nile floods periodically, fertilizing the regions, but that requires much work and sometimes predictions are not accurate, causing massive amounts of crop failures.

That's when the eldest counselor of Chioxi, Ayidahre, sets in motion a series of projects that will propell the Chi to prosperity. Chi and Alenz counselors begin huge "atleptls", or a "Round of Farmers". These organizations of farmers and laborers are put to work to dig huge canals across the Nile Delta, spreading the arable land far past its original boundaries. Over the next few hundred years, Chioxi and Alenz have subjugated their neighbors through diplomacy and atleptls and push southwards (They believe its going "up" because the Nile river flows towards the Mediterranean sea).

With huge irrigation canals distributing much needed water quite evenly, people no longer have to dedicate their lives to farming and can pursue other careers. Textile-making and metallurgy become big businesses, due to their increasingly popular and beautiful creations. Those who make textiles or metal jewelry for a living are considered the "upper class", or "Arene". These resemble the elite and gain huge amounts of influence among the counselors, funding their huge irrigation projects.

Provinces: 2
Technology Research: Irrigation
Actions:Subjugate neighboring provinces, Irrigate the Nile River, Begin an economy based on agriculture, textiles, and metal jewelry

by **Granadeseret** » Thu Dec 26, 2013 12:01 pm

3100 BCE - 2900 BCE: The Era of Troubles

Decanes had dealt with troubles in the past; its early settlers having been forced to deal with vicious pirates, harsh storms and time of famine. Often did the sky and soil fail them during their first years on the island, now surviving only in folklore; either laying their crops to the ground with heavy rains or denying them rain at all, leaving their plants to wither in the son. This had been one of the reasons they had originally turned to the sea; the one entity who had provided them with sustenance, constant power and shelter from the squabbling tribes of the mainland their ancestors had left behind. Io had certainly labeled them his favored sons... yet now the open arms of his waters and his gift of sailing had proved to be the city's curse, spreading some foul sorcery that had cursed the lands of Lycia.

It was a strange magic, certainly, rising out of the wake of the storms that had decimated Lycian society. When the great waves of storms had finally broken, many merchant families; remembering the quality of their woolens and their fine timbers, had sought to reestablish trade with their former allies, sailing their ships to where old tales spoke of their harbors. When they arrived, however, they found none of the peaceful sheepfold, warm harbors, and soft women who had been spoken of. Instead, they only found the rotting husks of stormcast villages, looking more like piles of rubble than any real settlement. Those few who still clung to the shores had splintered into tiny groups, living inside bluff caves and huts, and had greeted their arrival with fishing spears and bone hooks. Suffice to say, even after exploring inland, there was little civilization left to be found; something having decimated the already strained society of the Lycia... supposedly, the work of whatever malicious spawn of Heles had brought the storms upon them.

Yet, perhaps in spite of these men of the sea, whatever dark manifestation had taken the Lycia had clearly followed the boats back to Decanes, and from there into the Aegean Sea and up the coast of Anatolia. The trade network of Decanesil set about a chain reaction, with whatever carried the illness haunting port after port, striking at citizens and sailors alike. On the tongues of all it became known as Wosooele Arisyullnil; Of The Wind Rat, or simply The Wind Rat. Those who attracted its dark gaze would start with a simple itchiness, followed by intense chattering of the teeth and the formation of dark grey cysts; its power slowly withering the inflicted away to nothing as they could no longer manage to stomach food. Yet, despite the greatest supplications to Heles, nothing could be done to stop its spread; the curse soon becoming one of the primary causes of death in the Aegean.

Yet, there were certain bright spots to the affliction. It struck most often and hardest upon the old, people in the countryside, in particular, where unbeknownst at the time, the bilge rats who spread the plague through their parasites and droppings could be run amuck. This brought down much of the old wise men and culture bearers of the tribes on the Anatolian mainland, and many of their orphaned children fell under the charity of Decanesil's merchentile houses, who raised them in the Decans' ways as opposed to the traditions of their ancestors. Decanes itself, by virtue of depending less on grain than the mainland provinces and its religious rituals of saltwater bathing, managed to avoid a terribly crippling blow, and while the city didn't make any major expansions during the era, it did not fall into chaos and a power struggle as many of the Aegean states did, preventing any forces from being strong enough to rally against their weakness. The civilization did, however, run into a problem; with villages falling to pieces and the dead starting to pile up, there were moves to find honorable places of burial. Farmers did not wish to see their fields cursed, nor did was a burial at sea acceptable; an insult to Io as well as running the risk of the body washing back up onto shore, to infect yet more people. A solution was found in the rocky hills further inland; they didn't't have particularly large amounts of uses so far as the people were concerned, and Illlin's role as mother and curer of the sick made burial in her hands seem an ideal solution. To do so, farmers began to try to break the hills they same way they broke their soil; with hoes, stump-hooks, and shovels, along with the tools used to dig out Okil; slowly, the tools they used to dig out the hills became more specialized, as small adjustments were made to make them more efficient at digging through hard material; tools which also proved useful in tougher, more overgrown soil. This lead to the introduction of mining to the Decanes, who found that stone could be used for many of the same uses as Okil; just without the mobility and ease of production, and using it to supplement their tools. However, that still left them with massive piles of rock and minerals that would come to mark the boundaries of farms and cities, the citizens as of yet having little idea of use such a heavy material.

This era would also be largely remembered in posterity not by the Decans themselves (though it was a black mark on the nation's history that was notable) by the peoples of Western Anatolia who began the process of traveling across Aegean to the continent across; many of whom were farried over by Decanesil's ships; trading vessels who, with the mass disruption of their markets by the illness, tried to sustain their markets by hiring themselves out to the migratory tribes, turning their cargo holds into temporary passengers quarters for which they would charge small fees. These helped weather the storm for Decanes's merchents, and allowed them to cling to their ships even in these tough times.
---
Actions
-Research: MIning (1/1) Complete
-Military: None; the chaos and damaged caused by The Wind Rat made expansion during this era both impractical and dangerous
-Diplomatic: Continued to assimilate both mainland provinces. (7/12 done)

Provinces: 3
Technology Pool: Basic Sailing, Pottery, Mining
Leader Stats: Mil. 4 Adm. 4 Dip 2
Diplomatic Status: Unknown; decline of surrounding Aegean cities due to The Wind Rat are boosting importance by comparison.

by **Arkolon** » Thu Dec 26, 2013 1:07 pm

Regica, Bronze Age, 3100 - 2900 BCE

This fifth of a millennium was a peaceful one for the people of Regica. The drought that occurred four hundred years ago was long forgotten, and the agricultural methods civilians depended on were far more reliable. Coronosra, the most accomplishing leader of the Regicans during this turn of millennium and also part of the age-old Paralo dynasty, was known for his pragmatism and practicality. It was during his reign that Agrica and Veos were fully integrated into the Regican culture. Both regions became as populous as the capital, with more sophisticated villages stretching from the mainlands to the coastlines.

With the advent of the Regican alphabet, communication between regions and villages was far easier. Acronyms were given to certain important buildings and structures: for example a symbol close to theta was used for temples and religious locations; capital lambda used for the central palace where Coronosra resided; an R-shaped symbol with sharper edges for marketplaces were the most notable, yet they were found among many others.

The alphabet was only truly completed when it was universally acknowledged by the people of Regica peninsula-wide. The 25 letters of the Regican alphabet, named Favito, were accompanied with distinguishable sounds. All recognizable sounds of the Regican Glostha language were given one of these symbols. The Favito was deemed one of those things every Regican had to know to get on with life.

Religion began to play a larger role in Regican society, as the priests and temple-goers began sharing fictitious stories of the Regican pantheon. Thriseian religion, as they coined it, gradually adopted some of these stories, and as such Thriseianism became more intricate. These stories were only retold from mouth to ear as no form of writing had been invented yet. The new God of War, Olemos, step-son of the God of Death, was the most popular between the spear-bearing infantrymen of Regica.

Perhaps it was created by the Regican military themselves, but many oracles claimed that Olemos "needed" space for the Gods to relax and fornicate. Olemos judged that the final unclaimed region of the Peloponnese region, Thrisos, was perfect for this requirement. Settlers, primarily soldiers and proto-priests, began construction on this land. It was by far less dependent on local agriculture, as it heavily imported from Agrican merchants the required produce. After more oracles spread more stories of the gods, locals of Thrisos also began to follow these commands. Population grew fairly rapidly, as the deities wanted it so, and the borders were enlarged with every new birth.

Regica
Number of Provinces: 4
Technology Researching: Alphabet (2/2)
Technology Researched:

Animal Husbandry

Current Leader: Coronosra
Actions this turn: Annexed Thrisos, the final region of the Peloponnese region. (1/2)
Region Assimilation: Agrica (3/2); Veos (2/2); Thrisos (1/2)

by **Transoxthraxia** » Thu Dec 26, 2013 4:16 pm

A revolt broke out during the Age of the Quiet Kings in Axartyai. The age, named for the fact that none of the kings were able to live up to the name of their ancestor, Dirgudas, was set with cultural and military strife between the Hattusan subjects of Axartyai and the Axartyaian ruling class. Finally, in the early stages of the third millenium B.C.E, the Hattusans rose up in the provinces in which the Axartyaians had conquered. They demanded complete succession from Axartyai at any cost, but, under the leadership of the king Danilikas Rekadikas, they were able to fight back against the numerically superior Hattusans. The main battle, as recorded in the Axartyaian Literary History, written in 648 B.C, took place just outside of Axartyai, the capital of the kingdom which it was named after. The Hattusans were no strangers to war, and they had the capital surrounded with their Hattusan tribal rebels. In an act of quick thinking, Danilikas Rekadikas charged out with the entire garrison of the city, and formed into a circle. From there, the Hattusans charged the smaller force of Axartyaians, thinking that they'd overwhlem the garrison.

As the legend goes, Danilikas Rekadikas held out for two days and three nights in that circle, fighting with three thousand men, before the Hattusans gave up. [1] With this, Danilikas Rekadikas then marched south with his garrison, and rose troops further along, where he met with the Hattusans upon the battlefield in the Iagan Plains in southern Anatolia (Modern-day Dinar). Danilikas Rekadikas fought hard against his enemy, and eventually won after three days of hard fighting, and many losses. Danilikas Rekadikas knew that he had lost many, but he also saw this as an opportunity for himself to expand. Marching westwards from the battle, to where the Hattusans had retreated, he crossed into native Hattusan territory, and, according to the Axartyaian Literary History, the Hattusan chieftains threw down their weapons as the Axartyaians came through, as they feared them. Despite this however, there was still obvious evidence of resistance, as a rebellion once more broke out in the newly gained province, where more Axartyaians were killed in a large revolt in the city that would later become Isannas.

It was during all this that Danilikas Rekadikas unintentionally started the creation of an Axartyaian alphabet. Using symbols, he ordered them to denote how many men were in a military formation prior to going into battles against the Hattusan rebels, and then assigned symbols to different detachments, which would eventually set the base for the Axartyaian alphabet.

[1] It is likely that this is a hyperbole - It is much likelier that the circle held for no more than a few hours before the Hattusans withdrew.

Axartyai.
Number of Provinces: 4.
Technology Researching: Alphabet, 1/2
Technology Researched:

Mining
Bronze Working

Current Leader: Danilikas Rekadikas Kunnikas
Actions this turn: Put down a rebellion in the Hattusan provinces, and finished assimilating them. Received the province of Annunsiras as a tribute from the Hattusans. Begun assimilating it (1/4)

by **Photana** » Thu Dec 26, 2013 5:02 pm

The History of Qartha, 3100-2900 BCE
The beginning of this period started with the end of Na'ster rule in Qartha, with the pretender Yuanli the Golden marching into Qartha with his massive force of both Qartha and Berber warriors and slaves, proving his worth to the people of Qartha, who quickly named him King of Qartha and Berber. During his reign, and the reign of his dynasty, the Gilded Dynasty, was a time of syncretism between the Qartha and Berber peoples, and was known for it's complete lack of civil conflicts. This syncretism also lead to the beginnings of the more tolerant attitude of the people of Qartha, with the Gilded Dynasty being half-Qartha and half-Berber, originating from Yuanli's marriage to the daughter of the last independent Berber chief. This dynasty also saw the opening of trade ties with neighboring groups, and population boom, largely due to the inter-marriage of Berbers and Qartha in the Qarthan homelands and outer territories.

Another act of syncretism began, not with people, but with metal, in this time period. The first metallurgists in the Qartha culture began to experiment in combining copper and tin in varying amounts. Most experiments failed to produce strong enough materials, but in rare occurrences, Bronze or Brass was made. The metallurgists were employed by the Gilded Kings to find a way to make more of these two valuable metals, and ways in which to put them to use.

by **Garwall** » Thu Dec 26, 2013 6:10 pm

History of the Delacians, 3300-2900 BCE

In the deserts and wide plains of the Levant region, the Delcian tribes ruled freely, with each tribe being ever more dangerous than the last. At the top of the food chain was the Delacian tribesmen, who derived their dominance from a respect from the majority of the tribal leaders, ever since the establishment of a common trade and diplomatic language. The Delacians were also feared for their warriors, who beginning with the reign of Herod the Bold, began striking out further and further afield, warring with tribe after tribe to the west.

As the number of warriors began to inevitably slowly dwindle as a result of constant warfare, the practice of taking the infants of conquered tribes and raising them as slaves quickly evolved into custom inside the Delacian tribe. The "Sheep men" of the West suffered greatly as a result of this newly evolved practice, where raiding parties of Delacians would attack the shepherds of other tribes raising sheep and other animals. Many of the men would be butchered, the children taken captive, and the animals slaughtered for their meat and other productive materials.

Despite these early attempts at warfare, Herod's rule did not represent significant territorial growth for the Delacians. This instead came with the ascendance of his son, Lipiron the Brave. Lipiron earned his epithet when he led a band of a mere twenty Delacian spearmen into another tribe's village, capturing their Elder in his sleep and holding off nearly a hundred of the village's warriors while Lipiron extorted a peace treaty from the elder. Lipiron, ascending his father's throne at the age of twenty-five, revolutionized Delacian warfare by subjugating an entire tribe of Sheep-men. The Jaeacians ruled a rocky territory west of the Delacians, and suffered greatly under Delacian attacks. Lipiron rounded up the inhabitants of several villages, and offered protection to all the young men who promised to take up arms with Delacia. Over a hundred new soldiers pledged fealty to Lipiron. Those who did not were either slain as sacrifices if they were too old, or allowed to continue to tend their herds as long as they paid tribute to the Delacians, and in turn the Delacians protected the herds from attack.

In such manner, the years passed. The Sheep-men grew their herds under Delacian protection, and the warriors of Delacia grew fat on the meat of lamb and milk. The Delacians became decadent and their lust was sated. Of this period, many elders will say the Gods became furious: particularly Neros. Blood was no longer being spilled; instead, it became corpulent inside the bodies of men whose stomachs grew larger than their enemies. As a result, Neros cast a plague onto the warriors of Delacia. Their stomachs would swell even larger, before rotting from the inside out. In this manner, did Herod II 'The Red', an epithet which he did everything in his power to earn. Herod sent all those with the sickness deep into the mines. More tribes fell to the fresh swords of the Delacian fighters, who once again stuck out across the plains of the Levant.

Nation Name Delacians
Number of Provinces: 2
Technology Researching: Bronze Working
Technology Researched: Mining
Current Leader: Herod II the Red
Actions this turn: Two provinces conquered to the west.
**Counts for two turns!**

by **Utceforp** » Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:03 pm

Nambiri, 3100 - 2900 BCE, Farsithen Interruption Period

The end of Namneten's dominance of the Nambiri and the beginning of the Farsithen 1 Period was marked by a series of increasingly bloody battles against the Proto-Elamites. In the period of ten years, two kings of the Nam-Bel-Ri dynasty were killed in battle, despite achieving overwhelming victories. There seemed to be nobody left to claim the kingship. Thus, as the succession rules established by Nambulrasuten, the great Giver of Law, mandated, the kingship passed to a Priest-Lord, one who other Priests had dictated was most in contact with the Belzus Pantheon.

However, this method of choosing the new king had a unique problem. In the time since Nambulrasuten was king, exchanges between the Nambiri and Sumerian traders bound for the Indus river had increased. Aspects of the Sumerian character Ninshubar had been merged with the priests of the wife of the deity Belzu due to this exchange, and the story was so influential that eventually it became tradition for all Nambiri priests to be female, and thus emulate "Namsurri", the Nambiri version of the Ninshubar character. This tradition had not been established when Nambulrasuten had been king, and none had expected this problem to develop.

Thus, the next "king" after the Nam-Bel-Ri dynasty was ended was a woman who ruled from Farsithen, not Namneten, given the moniker Zusnamninamviori upon ascension. She herself was clueless when it came to the organization and internal politics of the Nambiri Kingdom, and the fact that she was not of the Nambelri dynasty did not help. This clashed with the programs that her predecessors had created to gradually erase the Nambiri-Elamite culture, as she made several unsuccessful attempts to incorporate the citizens from the eastern part of the kingdom into the Nambiri culture. Still, the fading of the Elamite culture in Nambiri was almost inevitable, and more and more Elamites lost their old heritage in favour of a new one.

Despite her lack of skill in government affairs and her general dislike amongst the Namneten aristocracy impairing attempts to create any internal progress, she had modest skill on the battlefield and at the negotiation table. Due to this, it was under her rule that the displaced Proto-Elamites were finally defeated or incorporated. Using the script that had developed in Nambiri, she sent messengers to every city asking for soldiers to fight for her. Carrying copper blades, clubs and whatever weapons they owned, Zusnamninamviori's army marched east into Farsithen as every ruler's army had since Nambleravera first decided to subjugate the region. They organized concessions for the Elamite raiders, when they did not agree, they fought them in battle. Zusnamninamviori excelled neither diplomatically or strategically, but a modest skill in both and a weakness in neither allowed her to deal with most of the raiders. That, and the fact that the raiders were losing their enthusiasm due to the generation that started the feud having died long ago, stopped the battles permanently.

With the ancient enemies of the Nambiri dead, a period of renewed creativity and art defined the period following Zusnamninamviori's reign. Various rulers, most with no known name due to the ravages of time wiping away the few records of them, followed her. During this time, the first known mythological story committed to text in the entire world was created. The Sur-Ino-O-Ri-Et-Nam-Ni, usually translated as The Queen Conquers All Inferior People, often shortened to Nam-Ni or The Queen, was a primitive story that used a more sophisticated version of the pictograms established by Nambulrasuten and his successors to tell an embellished and highly exaggerated version of Zusnamninamviori's conquest of the Elamites in Farsithen. It was the beginnings of the Nambiri's shift from a simple system of pictograms to tell messages to highly detailed stories and records.

Nambiri
Number of Provinces: 2
Technology Researching: Writing (Turn 1 of 1)
Technology(ies) Researched: Alphabet

Current Leader: Zusnamninamviori (3/3/1)
Actions this turn: Finally ended last vestiges of Elamite resistance, no expansion.
Region Assimilation: Elamite culture being sidelined in Farsithen (eastern province) (turn 3 of 4)

by **Transoxthraxia** » Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:26 pm

2900-2700 BCE, Middle Bronze Age.

Random Events in this age:

There is an increase in Mediterranean Piracy, especially in the coasts of the Peloponnese, creating instability, discontent, and increasing the risk of local rebellion, as well as plundering Regican materials.
Nambiran crops fail due to the below-average flooding upon the Euphretes, causing widespread famine.
In response to the transgression of Chixian culture into their territory, Coptic tribal raiders transgress into Chixian territory, inciting rebellion in the southern province, and burning crops as they go.
A massive invasion of Proto-Greeks occurs in Greece. The Ionian and Aeolian tribes, who would later call themselves Mycenaean Greeks, arrive in the southern tip of the Balkans, displacing and assimilating rival cultures. Upon arrival in the Peloponnese, they have begun to intrude upon Regican territory.
(Note: No inactivity! Yay!)

New Rulers of this age:

Axartyai: 3 Military / 3 Diplomacy / 1 Administrative
Regica: 2 Military / 2 Diplomacy / 1 Administrative
Chixio: 1 Military / 1 Diplomacy / 3 Administrative
Qartha: 2 Military / 1 Diplomacy / 3 Administrative
Decanesil: 2 Military / 5 Diplomacy / 3 Administrative
Nambiri: 2 Military / 2 Diplomacy / 2 Administrative
Delacians: 5 Military / 4 Diplomacy / 1 Administrative

Goings on in the Ancient World
- A massive plague ravages Decanesil, leaving the country in the darkness.
- The Regican alphabet has been completed just as the Proto-Greek migration was occurring.
- Axartyaian army denomination symbols have begun to form the basis for a third emergent alphabet.
- Yuanli the Golden, a semi-mythical ruler of Qartha, is documented to have usurped the throne at this point in time.
- First evidence of Brass employed in this period of time, starting in Qartha.
- The Tribal Delacians have begun to foray into the field of Bronze working, working off of previous discoveries made elsewhere.
- The Nambiran culture pushes back the Elamites from their territory, assimilating many of them, as well as developing an early system of writing.
- Proto-Greeks have invaded the southern peninsula of the Balkans, where they will later settle. Coming from Western Asia Minor, they seem to be unstoppable. The Regican Kingdom faces the invaders as the only solid resistance in the region.

by **Garwall** » Fri Dec 27, 2013 10:53 am

History of the Delacians, 2900-2700 BCE

The ever-expanding Delacians began to encounter the first true rebellions during the period following Herod the Red's rule. As Herod II entered old age and could no longer lead military expeditions, other tribes believed the Delacians to be weak and ripe for plunder. Other Delcian tribes attacked frequently and the Sheep-men tribes began to raise arms in revolt. Delacia was hard-pressed to suppress these incursions, and intertribal warfare once again dominated the Delcian cultural region. The peace that the Delacians had brought through bone and rock years prior was broken.

To combat this, the old practice of taking the children of conquered tribes as slaves and slaughtering the older male adults was reinstate. Even the men who did not participate in battle were rounded up and either killed or enslaved--a practice that is often considered unpleasant to the Gods. Despite this, the Delacian military might began to slowly gain the upper hand. Bronze tools and experiments in bronze weaponry and advances in metallurgy gave the Delacian tribesmen the advantage, who moved northwest, driving the rebellious Sheep-men tribes back towards the sea.

As the Delacians moved north, they encountered tribes and villages outside of the Delcian cultural sphere. These tribes employed agriculture and fishing more vigorously than the Delcians, who often supplemented their food production with plunder from other tribes. Instead of quarreling with these tribes, the Delacians began to establish trading ties and expanded the Delcian culture by spreading the primitive form of cuneiform used for trade interactions among the Delcians. The exposure to other forms of early proto-alphabets and trade techniques fuels an expansion in the early Delcian culture, serving as the basis for the expansion of the Delcian alphabet in the coming years.

Nation Name Delacians
Number of Provinces: 3(?)
Technology Researching: Alphabet (+1)
Technology Researched: Mining, Bronzeworking
Current Leader: Jeredon I
Actions this turn: Expanded one province north. Early advancements in alphabet/language. Trade ties expanded north up along the Levant.

by **Arkolon** » Fri Dec 27, 2013 12:49 pm

Regica, Bronze Age, 2900 - 2700 BCE
As Mediterranean piracy ran rampant through this time period, Regicans became terribly afraid of the waters. These "seafarers" (Palastos) didn't limit themselves to land, unfortunately, and raided the entire coastlines of the Regican region. Food, resources and women were stolen and plundered from the coastal villages to feed and please the pirates. Veonosra, the unfortunate unskilled leader of the Regicans in this era of piracy, badly coordinated defenses and militaristic deployments, rendering the coastal regions even more vulnerable to pirate raids. On many occasions did the piracy victims hold often-violent revolts in the Regican capital. Farmers paralyzed the economy by refusing to sell their produce to the capital, and if they were going to it was at a much higher price to pay for the weaponization of civilians.

Piracy wasn't the most worrying event that occurred to the Regicans. It was instead the violent Romoios, or the proto-Hellenes. These Greeks were extremely large in number and had technology vastly superior to that of the Regicans. Veonosra the Unlucky, as he was later dubbed, did have a stroke of luck when the villagers in revolt went up in arms alongside proper Regican soldiers to fight the warmongering Hellenic hordes. Despite outright refusal to obey the commands of Veonosra, the proud villager Regicans fought without cease versus the land-hungry Greeks. The war was tough, but fortunately enough the Regicans held a very defensive ground on the Balkan peninsula.

One positive feature piracy did bring to the Regican civilization is the technological advancement of maritime transportation. After the end of the wave of piracy and regional revolts, fishermen attached makeshift sails (clothes and fabric) to their boats for quicker movement; just as they saw the pirates do before. This basic form of sailing allowed for the expansion of regional trade and was also used in the Regican primitive navy (in turn used against the Greeks).

Istarios, these sailing boats, permitted Regican settlers to travel past the strait dividing the Regican region and the rest of continental Europe. Keon, the region directly north of Regica, had trade posts built there to allow business to be conducted between the more resource-rich locals and the Regican merchants. As Regican presence became more important in Keon, their culture began to spread-- albeit slowly.

The Regican civilization was the very first civilization in the world to settle in the European continent.

Regica
Number of Provinces: 5 (3 assimilated)
Technology Researching: Basic Sailing (1/1)
Technology Researched:

Animal Husbandry
Alphabet
Basic Sailing

Current Leader: Veonosra (MDA : 2, 1, 1)
Actions this turn: Now present in Keon, directly north of Regica (1/4).
Regional Assimilation: Thrisos (2/4), Keon (1/4)

by **Granadeseret** » Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:39 pm

2900 BCE- 2700 BCE: The Era of the Stone Ships

Eventually, the Wosooele Arisyullnil died down, leaving the Aegean sea free once again. However, the plague had left much in its wake; the city-states of the Isles had been torn apart, only slowly reinstating their authority over their former lands, or new cities springing up from refugees who'd fled the ruins of their doomed ports. Decanesil, despite being the main spreader of the plague, ironically emerged as the undisputedly dominate state in the region following the ruins; the new cities came with the need to build and man new ships, with many families not being able to support as many as they once did, and lacking as many exports as they used to thanks to the decline in workers. The raids by independent ships of the Proto-Greeks in the north, certainly, had not helped them much either. It became neigh impossible for those states to revitalize themselves without tying themselves to the Decanes trade routes, and accepting lees on their goods from Decanes' merchant families in exchange for assistance in building their ships. Soon, it was impossible for Decanes' flags to be not be see in any port in the area, her tongue and traders having turned ubiquitous over the years.

As a result, many of the princlings and leaders of the Aegean states found themselves in deep debt and almost tribute to Decanesil; the families growing wealth on the charges they placed and the rich markets from the mainland. While this created some discontent among the nobles, they had little choice but to comply; some decided they would take their chances, and tried to skimp on their debts, but when they did the ships and goods of Decanesil simply stopped coming to their ports, enriching their rivals and leading to the collapse of their local economies. The locals, however, seemed happy enough; Decanes's presence brought wealth, knowledge which improved their quality of life, and protection from roving pirates and Proto-Greeks, who's memory of Decanes's aid in their migration kindled mutual respect. It even helped bring peace between the warring minor states, who could call in the mighty city to mediate and prevent the lose of men and boats, who were still sorely needed for recovery.

Eventually, this friendship and respect grew firm enough that, when combined with polite complaints over the high prices Dacanesil's merchants charged for wood and the resulting profitability it brought to the locals, King Yiil Mehteh; who's name would be spoken of in lore and legend as "The Storm-breaker" (Which roughly translates to peacekeeper in other tongues) intervened on behalf of the city, calling in the leaders of the Aegean city-states to a council at Decanes to work out his great vision; A friendship between the cities of the Aegean and Decanes, a place where piracy and needless death could be a thing of the past; The League of Nixos. Its members, it was decreed, would find their debts to the merchant families wiped clean, paid for by the coffers of the King, and would swear to co-operate to eliminate piracy and keep their ports open to all the members. Decanes, as the largest state in the League and the primary fufiller of its services, was included with a special clause; it would intervene to support any attacked city in the League, and allow them to trade with reduced duties in Decanes itself, provided they sent two shiploads of their city's primary export a year in tribute, and swore to co-operate with Decanesil should their personal territories fall under attack. In essence, this deal saved the floundering economies of the isles by placing them under tribute to Decanes. The League's membership would be confined to the Cyclades states at this point, and as symbol of their promise (and a reminder of their obligations) Yiil granted a gift to each of the member cities; a guardian ship carved out of stone, to be carved out of the stone in and near their harbors.

Decanes was able to preform this major feat due to the advent of stoneworking technology in her domains; courtesy of her domains in Ionia. The great stones dug from the mountainside to make tombs for the Wosooele Arisyullnil victims remained their many years later; simple piles of rock serving to supplement the earth dykes of villages and to mark off boundaries between farmers. Wood remained the primary building material, which caused a few problems considering its relative scarcity and its need for shipbuilding. Still, though, stone's existence and durability in tools, fireplaces, and jars alongside Okil , caused some to attempt to build small homes from the material. However, they simply fell apart under their own weight, which didn't suit the situation very well.

However, people did notice, and began practicing, in their primitive wall-building that stones could be fit together to support one another, and boost their stability. And, when dirt blew into the cracks and rain fell upon it, creating hard mud, that the walls became even more sturdy. Okil and mud, when mixed to together and allowed to dry, became highly durable as a form of pottery, and when applied to stone many villages discovered it served just as well at holding together stone. This knowledge spread quickly down the coastline, and soon to Decanesil itself, where the recipe for the Meokil; Great Clay, was sent to the rest of the territory. Great Clay allowed stone walls to be built ever higher; citizens using the much-cheaper material to begin building their homes, and cities realizing that high, solid walls that diden't need replacing every few years saved them money and made them more secure as well. The art of carving stone into shapes that could be put together and bound by Meokil began to thrive in Decanesil and other cities, and the civilization and League members say this era boom with stone buildings all across the landscape; communilating in the great ships of League harbors, which served as signs to sailors and merchents that they were entering a city where they could trade and rest freely. The greatest ship of them all was carved out of the rocks of the rises around Decanes itself; The Flagship, serving as the sign that one was entering the master of the League.

Decanesil did not stop with simply the League, however; with many of the Aeolians having migrated across the sea to the continent beyond, their former lands were mostly empty and ripe for the taking. Scatterings of men from across the League and Decanesil were sent northward up the Aegean, settling in lands that were neigh abandoned by their traveling owners, building villages and beating back the tribe further inland who tried to take the space. This region, which would come to be known as Nixil in honor of the formation of the League, became another move north on the part of the Decanesil, though the mixed population would take some time to convert to the Decans way of thinking.
---

Extra: The Flagship and The Stone Fleet serve as markers and signs of agreement, since we have no written language as of yet, and may serve as monuments in posterity.

Nation Name Decanesil
Number of Provinces: 3->4
Technology Researching: Masonry (1/1) Complete
Technology Researched:

Current Leader:Yiil Mehteh "The Storm-breaker"Mil. 2 Adm.3 Dip. 5
Actions this turn: Colonized and defended yet another province up the West Aegean coast (I'm now two up from what is shown on the map) , Finished researching Masonry, Vassalized Cyclade islands as the League of Naxis via economic dominance, Continued Conversion (Mainland provinces 10/12th, New Province 1/3)

by **Photana** » Fri Dec 27, 2013 3:49 pm

The History of Qartha, 2900 BCE-2700 BCE
The Gilded Dynasty continued to reign during this period, though in a lesser form. The Berber and Qartha continued to mend their cultures together and the period is noted for it's relative lack of action. The main thing developed during this period was a confirmed formula for both bronze and brass, and the use of both of these in the society, mostly as jewelry, but warriors and metallurgists began to collaborate in making bronze and brass into weapons. They began by hammering bronze onto the edges of their weapons, hardening the points, and allowing the arrows to be used more than once and the spears and axes being able to be used for a longer time. Armor was also upgraded, with bronze links being woven into leather armor. Using these new tools, the Qartha invaded and subjugated a tribe to the northwest of the Berbers.

Civilization - An Epic Tale - BRONZE AGE IC

Civilization - An Epic Tale - BRONZE AGE IC

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