New Civilizations Rome ( IC, OPEN)

[Republic of the Cristo]

Jerusalem, Temple, 101 A.D.

The boy looked the man up and down. He didn't recognize him, so he was most likely from out of town. He pointed near the back of the temple, " Rabbi Gideon is preparing tomorrows sermon. I am sure that he would not mind if you were to ask him some questions. If I may ask, are you from another temple? If so, we have not received any information regarding your arrival."

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

Samantha's looked around her new room and the grin on her face widened a small bit. "Hmm, well, this is nice." She commented in English as she looked around for some writing materials. She needed to tell Alexander that she'd be gone for a while, and probably tell him he was also in charge for the time being. Someone needed to rule the island while she was gone, and Alexander was the best man for the job. But she needed to find something to write with...

After finding exactly what she was looking for after a few minutes of searching, she began to write the letter to Alexander. It was basically just to say that she was still alive and until she comes back, or until further notice, Alexander would be in charge. After that letter was written, she needed to figure out how to send the letter. ...well, she'll figure that out latter, actually. Until then, she'll just relax.

[Cuprum]

''They are the Four Dogs of Shizu (世祖). They have foreheads of brass, their jaws are like scissors, their tongues like piercing awls, their heads are iron, their whipping tails swords . . . In the day of battle, they devour enemy flesh. Behold, they are now unleashed, and they slobber at the mouth with glee. These four dogs are Zheng Qing Li, Kublai, Orqina, and Hōjō Masako. They will ward off his enemies as felt cloth protects one from the wind"

The sections of the Grand Canal in Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu provinces were in large part a creation of the new Ming dynasty, a result of the migration of China’s core economic and agricultural region away from the Yellow River valley in the north and toward the southern provinces. Its main role throughout its history was the transport of grain to the capital. The institution of the Grand Canal by the Ming also obviated the need for the army to become self-sufficient farmers while posted at the northern frontier, as food supplies could now easily be shipped from south to north over the pass. There were major build ups of silt on the bottom of the Hong Gou canal, obstructing river barges whose drafts were too deep for its waters. The chief engineer of the dynasty, Yuwen Kai, advised the dredging of a new canal that would run parallel to the existing canal, diverging from it at Chenliu. The new canal was to pass not Xuzhou but Suzhou, to avoid connecting with the Si River, and instead make a direct connection with the Huai River just west of Lake Hongze. With the recorded labor of five million men and women under the supervision of Ma Shumou, the first major section of the Grand Canal was completed and called the Bian Qu. The Grand Canal was fully completed first by linking Luoyang to the Yangzhou and the Yangzi valley, then expanding it to Hangzhou, and to Beijing. This allowed the southern area to provide grain to the northern province, particularly to troops stationed there. Running alongside and parallel to the canal was an imperial roadway and post offices supporting a courier system. The government also planted an enormous line of trees. The dyke-building project along the Yellow River—overseen by engineer Liang Rui—established canal lock gates to regulate water levels for the canal. Double slipways were installed to haul boats over when the difference in water levels were too great for the flash lock to operate.

The Emperor ordered a number of canals be dug in a ‘Y’ shape, from Hangzhou in the south to termini in Beijing and in the capital region along the Yellow River valley. When the canal was completed it linked the systems of the Qiantang River, the Yangtze River, the Huai River, the Yellow River, the Wei River and the Hai River. Its southern section, running between Hangzhou and the Yangtze, was named the Jiangnan River. The canal’s central portions stretched from Yangzhou to Luoyang; the section between the Yangtze and the Huai continued to the Shanyang River; and the next section connected the Huai to the Yellow River and was called the Tongji Channel. The northernmost portion, linking Beijing and Luoyang, was named the Yongji Channel.

[Heidelski]

Henry jumped off the boat as soon as the captain was not looking. He did not want the emporor to find him. He walked back through rhodes and rented a tavern for the night. He then looked through the record books to see who was associated with this govornor Samantha.

[Reatra]

Riley was proud. He had saved thousands so far. If he had done nothing then almost up to 70% of California would have died out! That would be up to two million people dead! Now, a million deaths is still horrid, but there is little that can be done. Now, up to a year later, the problem of the native persisted. The Bay Area tribes were now almost completely free of these incredible death rates, and Riley looked to bring them into the San Franciscan fold. So far some hundred and twenty thousand people were on the continent under Riley’s control. Eighty thousand in San Francisco, twenty thousand in the Central Valley, ten thousand in modern Los Angeles, five thousand in Seattle, and five thousand in Sonora, including six hundred in Hawai’i to act as a nice port for ships making the journey across the Pacific. Connecting them are hundreds of barges and ships, a watery highway that Riley’s incredible mind organized with utmost efficiency. He now had a true bureaucracy, a class of educated officials. He had taught almost a hundred men the ways of the future, and they were to teach it to a hundred more each! Soon the nation would be educated and wealthy and happy! But natives were an issue. The scribes had transcribed all of their languages and noted every aspect of their culture, these records were continually copied at Riley’s orders to ensure the information would survive forever. Riley now wanted to assimilate them into his nation, and in order to do so he needed to earn their trust. He had already done that part, and now needed to convince some tribes to enter into his realm as protectorates. We first offered to integrate the villages on the San Francisco Peninsula, and, since they were effectively surrounded by Riley’s influence anyway, they all accepted. Quickly Riley made laws pertaining to the treatment of the natives, saying that all men in the Impirrenship are equal and that discrimination based on race is illegal. But most of the men of the Impirrenship already had experience working with the natives during the epidemics, so that was only a small issue. The first natives’ joining and being treated will showed the others that the Impirrenship was a nice place, and they had many abundances (evidenced by their reaction during the epidemics). So many other villages joined too, and their people were forced to move around (which was not wanted by many, but Riley’s speeches, shows of force, and general mutual benefits overcame the ancestral connections. All people were allowed to travel to their homeland once a year, but otherwise had to go where the government told them. So, these roughly thirty thousand people were put to work. Obviously not as hard work as the rest of the population to make a good impression, but still, they labored. Interracial marriages were encouraged, as was learning the Californian language, and soon the people even stopped dying of disease! … as often…

In Seattle the natives were more of a problem, with Haida raiders coming down and attempting to attack and enslave some of the new migrants. When Riley heard of this he immediately dispatched a large vessel full of machine guns and ammunition to the Haida island. The vessel was more than a match for the entire fleet of canoes, and soon the Haida retreated from both Seattle and the places that Riley’s ship met them at. Otherwise the natives were relatively peaceful and attempts were made at assimilation. In Los Angeles the Chumash with their own naval tradition were amazed at the advanced ships of the Californians, and many voluntarily entered into the Californian culture in order to learn more. In Mexico the natives were more aggressive, but a few key skirmishes and some diplomacy resulted in a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the village and the surrounding tribes. In Hawai’i Pearl Harbor was turned into a nice place to live, with the natives and their peaceful ways being welcomed into the new dominant culture… after some months of showing supremacy. The constant stream of ships to and from California in Hawai’i meant that the natives were always seeing a vessel of Riley’s, and therefore were always in the shadow of the technologically superior people. In the Central Valley the depopulation of the local tribes and the aggressive assimilation policies meant that the land was ripe for the taking. The Central Valley is the most fertile land east of the Mississippi, and with Riley’s steam and diesel-powered technologies to dig canals and pave roads and primitive fertilizers made in steel reactors meant that the region flourished. There was more than a surplus for both the people of San Francisco and the natives still in need of supplies.

Over the past two years since Riley first arrived he had been taking immigrants from China and encouraging large families among them. He planned to fill up California quickly, so that any other opportunistic time-traveller couldn’t conquer him. He had created a completely planned economy, a socialist dream, except for the monarchy part. There was no money in his realm, something which was alien to the immigrants and natives alike, but his quickly planned administration and effective policies meant that most accepted the prospect. Nobody was starving, everybody saw these great public works, the San Francisco Bay Area was covered in primitive railroads and highways and canals and farms and ranches, the hills were cleared of trees, the beaches turned into harbors, horses and cattle and swine and chickens roamed free. Riley had made a point to disallow hunting bears unless the bear was endangering many people, as to save the California Grizzly from the fate it held in his own time. Other animals, like turkeys and asses and oxen, were brought over from other parts of the world too. The City of San Francisco had grown immensely. The Palace of The Impirren had grown into a true fortress, one with machine guns and cannon on every tower. The rapid development of San Francisco and her colonies meant that Riley was now in control of a very confused populace. Not only were the natives confused at this transition but even the Chinese were unable to truly react to a situation before that situation changed due to Riley or one of his students inventing something “new”. So it was up to the government to administer labor and other necessary things, otherwise the populace would fumble and everything would fall apart. Therefore a class of incredibly skilled bureaucrats was needed, and that led to Riley constructing a new building in The Palace of The Impirren, the University of San Francisco. Here the most skilled teachers and most intelligent of Riley’s former students would teach as many as possible about the wonders of technology and administration. One wing of the school was completely dedicated to administrative education, and it became wildly successful.

So, Riley entered the third year of his control of San Francisco with hope. Fortresses were popping up along the rivers and around the region, mines and wells were being dug and drilled, and farms being planted. The Impirren stood at the top of this pyramid with control over it all.

[Republic of the Cristo]

San Francisco, Impirrenship, 101 A.D.


A few weeks ago, the Miwok people, under the guidance of chief Kampowing, joined the Imperriship under the invitation of Riley. Hundreds of his people had died, even his own sister. However, his tribe had been lucky. There were dozens of stories regarding how some entire tribes were decimated by the plagues. Riley's magic, or what ever he chose to call it, had managed, as he claimed, saved many in his tribe.

Chief Kampowing now traveled, with only his personal escort to San Francisco, to meet with Riley. He had requested a meeting with Riley several days ago, in regards to trading between the two nations. He would await in the place where they had first met to meet Riley.

Japan, 50 miles east of Kyoto, 101 A.D.

Yamatai Fujiwara had kept a careful eye on the war between the foreign invaders and the other clan leaders. The other clan heads in his triumvirate would send dozens of spies over to watch battles unfold and to see what weaponry and tactics they would use. While not in battles, their, girls, would find out troop and supply movements. Yamatai was smart enough not to intervene during the war. He would watch what the foreign Han would do, and how they would do it. All the while, preparing his own forces for war.

His army that had only previously been 2,000, now bolstered to 5,600 men. After the Shogun ( it is extremely historically inaccurate, but we are too far into the story to turn back) had been defeated, many of his men chose to join the Triumvirate. In addition to this, during the war, much of central Japan had been divested, leaving a populace with few employment opportunities outside of the military. However, even with the intricate spy network, and even with the well trained army and the frustrated populace, Yamatai held back. He knew that in an extended campaign against the Han, his army alone would be defeated by their sheer size in force. 5,600 men was impressive, but nothing compared to the tens of thousands the Han had. To solve this problem, however, he need only look to the emperor.

The Han had created the means to their own downfall. The Emperor was to be the supreme ruler over Japan, under the Han boot of course. This boot, however, was more voluntary than what the average peasant may realize. This emperor, served his Han masters, because they have gave him power and protection; something he would not have had before the war. Because of the Han guarantees, he now controls japan with an iron fist, bending the great families as he wills. If such a force, as Yamatai hypothesized, were to craft a union of Japanese families against the Han invaders, than Japan may yet be free of the savages.

Yamatai knew for a fact that most Japanese hated the emperor and the Han, seeing them as a puppet and barbarians respectively. If Yamatai, or another member of the Triumvirate were to claim the throne of Emperor, they would posses the power and influence necessary to craft such a union. Now, the only question was how? How to claim the throne? Yamatai, had crafted an answer for this as well.

Yamatai gazed out on a map of Central Japan. He was standing in a generals tent alone. He peered out of the front entrance of his tent at 4,600 soldiers. The other thousand were with the Hidaka clan, whom would begin the first stage of the Take over.

Maru Estate 95 miles east of Kyoto, Japan, 101 A.D.

The pot bellied short man rode atop his white pony, prancing about the courtyard of his estate, with his family banner in his hands. It was a small courtyard, but over 300 people had managed to gather in it. Behind him stood a cherry blossom tree, and hanging from it's branches were three dead imperial officials from the supposed current Emperor, and a single dead Han soldier. " We refuse to acknowledge," Maru shouted out to the crowd, " any foreign slave as our ruler. The Hidaka clan waits no longer, we declare war against the barbarians!" A cheer goes up through the crowd. Maru is silent as they cheer. He kicks out a shivery breath, knowing full well what awaits him; but he does not do it for himself, he does it for Japan.

Rome, Imperial Palace, 101 A.D.

The Praetorian peered into Samantha's room, with his dead and dull stare. " Samantha?" He called out.

Rome, Port of, 101 A.D.

Four ships had been prepared in the port of Rome. The first three ships were of the common military officer class ship, with gilded sterns and family markings making up the outer parts of the ships. The sailors themselves looked of a healthier state, and the wood was nice and lacquered. Then there was the fourth ship. It was slightly longer than the other three ships, and it too possessed gilded sidings. This ship , however, also held at it's front a figure of Prometheus, chained to his rock. The sails were red, with a black fire in it's center. This was the ship for the general of the Army of Fire. The other three generals were already peeved as it was as to their serving under, what they considered, an inexperienced commander. Now, they had to reside in inferior accommodations. The generals had spent the last three days planning the campaign in Rome. Such campaigns did not need much strategy: 1. barely anything was known of the northern lands, 2. the generals were all certain that they could defeat any army in their path, 3. the model had already been laid out in countless previous attempts by former emperors. The greatest logistical problem was coordinating the 6 legions that would be invading and the supplies needed for them. Needless to say, they would be making excellent usage of imperial taxes.

The three generals stood on a near by hill side, starring down at their boats being loaded. Maximus could feel his comrades animosity towards him, and he was somewhat worried. Still though, he would not dare show it to these old war vets. Gabbi pursed his lips together for a moment in thought before speaking over to Maximus, " Weren't you supposed to escort that lunatic Celt girl to the northern lands with us?" Maximus kept on looking at the ships in the water, " Yeah, but, I was told there was a change in plans. We will be going without her.

Temple of Mars, Rome, 101 A.D.

" They are leaving." Commodus looked over at consul Marvic, whom in turn looked down at a basin of water, set down in front of the grand statue of Mars. " I know." The two men were alone in the large and long room of the temple. It was eerily silent. These two men, and many more had been meeting together off and on for several months now, plotting the downfall of the Divine-Emperor, the self declared titan. Marvic continued to look down into the pool of water. He was feeling, anxious. What he was doing was treason beyond all compare... but, how else was one to make it in Rome? Besides, half of all other emperors made their way to power in this manner.

While Marvic kept his feelings inside, and quiet, Commodus couldn't stop moving around the room. Butterflies tickled his stomach and he had to move around to keep them from tearing him up from the inside out. " Aw, I have prayed for weeks to the gods for such a moment, something so perfect as... where is that damned praetorian?"

" Here, Commodus!" Marvic and Commodus shot their heads up to look down the far end of the hall of the temple. Approaching into the temple was a purple clad and dark armored soldier. He held himself in such a manner to suggest, even from afar, a soldier of great prestige. Praetorian Captain Adrian Cornelius of Milan, head of the Praetorian guard, has now engrossed himself into this den of conspirators and vipers. " I hope you have not started the meeting without me?" Adrian seemed amused at the current situation. " Oh no Adrian, we were actually just waiting for you. Marvic, care to go over it again?" Marvic had finally tore his eyes away from the basin and towards his two co-conspirators. " Gentlemen, the, Divine-Emperor, has sent his most beloved Army of Fire out on Campaign. He will attempt to take the north, whilst not know what occurs underneath his own seat of power." Adrian seemed amused at Marvic's summary. " Once his army has landed in the midlands, the senate, under the directive of my faction, shall vote to impeach the, Son of Fire, from the imperial throne and call for his arrest. This, all being on grounds of heresy of course." He nodded towards Commodus. Adrian picked up where Marvic left off, " And once the order is given, my Praetorian will storm the palace and nab the fool. And when senate gives the order... we shall see what a titan's blood looks like." All three men looked quiet amused. Commodus finished it all, " And I shall calm the people down, by denouncing, his holiness, as a blasphemer and a mad man. Telling, of course, as to the virtues of his consulship and his quick and decisive actions against the mad man whom once over our empire, and how he should be crowned the new emperor." Marvic nodded, " And once I am Emperor, the Army of Fire shall be dissolved, and the Praetorian guard will be second to no one once again." Adrian nodded with approval.

The vipers were ready. Their planning and contrieving had worked itself up, all to this moment. They were coiled... ready to spring... ready to kill!

[The Olog-Hai]

Aryeh
Temple, Jerusalem, Israel
101 CE
Hm. Pretty accepting. Hopefully, they'll accept my proposal.
"I did not come from another temple. I didn't even come from within the city." he replied. "I'm not really from around here, but I come bearing important news that can be used to change the current situation. I know about what you're planning, or what you will plan. I will say more to your Rabbi."

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

Samantha, who had been laying down on the bed, looked at the guard and raised an eyebrow. "Yes? What is it?" she asked

[Reatra]

“Chao, hand me the copper wire please.” Riley asked of one of his students, who complied. “Thank you, Chao. Okay… now the nail. Alright… got that around… now the pen and the other copper wire. Thank you. And with this turbine here we should… oh yes… Chao, please take this and carry it to the other side of the courtyard until the wire is taught. Alright! Everyone! Come around me! Except for Chao, he’s going to be showing off the invention. Okay. Chao! I want you to press on the metal bit that extrudes out until it touches the copper! And do that several times as much as you want.”
Chao obeyed, and his touching of the metals completed the circuit and had the energy travel along the length of the wire until it reached Riley’s part of the machine.

Dk.

“Keep going, Chao.”

Dk. Dk. Dk.

“Keep going, it’s not going to hurt.”

Dk. Dk. Dk. Dk. Dkdk. Dkdkdk. Dkdk. Dkdkdkdk-dkdk-dkdkdkdk-dk.

The rest of the group was interested and impressed, although not entirely sure how this was supposed to help the Impirrenship. Chao rushed over to see what was happening.

“Now, this may not look like much, but I can assure you, this is revolutionary! Chao was causing the electricity to reach my side, where the electricity was into movement! Into information! Chao was able to send information across the courtyard instantly!” Riley exclaimed. Now people were interested. “As long as I have the copper wire to extend the distance, we can relay information anywhere instantly! Meaning that if the Haida were raiding Seattle, well if we had a thousand li copper wire connecting the two, they could instantly warn us!”

“And, Impirren, how could we make such a long wire?” A student asked.

“That is the issue, isn’t it? Until we can figure that out we must be satisfied with instantaneous communication within a hundred miles or so.”

---

“What are you doing, Riley?” Heng asked.
“Oh, something you may not like… Heng. I am… simplifying the written language so that it is easier for everyone to learn.”
“You’re… simplifying…?”
“Yes, come look at what I’ve made. It’s a syllabary. The symbols on the sides represent different basic sounds that we make when speaking. I want to turn our language into a far simpler one so that everyone can learn it. Because when the entire population is literate our technology will benefit, because more information will be saved and more information spread.”
“I can agree with the latter part, Riley, but I’m afraid I don’t quite approve of changing our entire language…” Heng said.
“Oh it’ll still be spoken the same, but it’ll be made different in writing so that literacy can improve. But, for now, I’ll not encourage this syllabary, instead I’ll try to make the different strokes simpler. That way it is easier to learn. But it will still be recognizable to those back in the Middle Kingdom.”
“I suppose. Well, if you need help, I’m available.”
“Oh no, Heng, you’re needed as an engineer.”
“Oh, well, I came to let you know that the chieftain, Kampowing, is back. He wants to talk.”
“Ah, well send him in.”

[Cuprum]

''Love as a principle and order as the basis; Progress as the goal'' - the Emperor's Emancipation Manifesto

The legal basis of the reform was the Emperor's Emancipation Manifesto of 19 February, accompanied by the set of legislative acts under the general name of Regulations Concerning Population.

This Manifesto proclaimed the emancipation of the serfs on private estates and of the domestic serfs. Serfs were granted the full rights of free citizens, gaining the rights to marry without having to gain consent, to own property and to own a business. The Manifesto prescribed that peasants would be able to buy the land from the landlords.

The communities had the power to distribute the land given to newly freed serfs by the Central government amongst individuals within the community. Due to the community's ownership of the land, as opposed to the individual's, an individual peasant could not sell his portion of land in order to work in a craftmanship in the city. A peasant was required to pay off long term loans received by the government. The money from these loans was given to the primary landowner. The land allotted to the recently freed serfs did not include the best land in the country, which continued to be owned by the nobility.

The implementation of land settlement varied over the vast and diverse territory of the Chinese Empire, but typically a peasant had rights to buy out about half of the land he cultivated for himself. If he could not afford to pay it off, he would receive a half of the half, i.e., a quarter of the land, free.

Household serfs were the worst affected as they gained only their freedom and no land. Many of the more enlightened bureaucrats had an understanding that the freeing of the serfs would bring about drastic changes in both society and government. However, their idea that these changes would affect only the "lower stories" of society, and would strengthen the autocracy, rather than weaken it, were wrong. In reality, the reforms created a new system in which the monarch had to coexist with an independent court, free press, and local governments which operated differently, and more freely, than they had in the past. This new form of local, centralized government was referred to as the Municipalities. More specifically, in regards to new localized government, the reforms put in place a system where the landowners were now able to have more of a say within their newly formed "provinces." While this was not the direct intent of the reforms, it was evident that this significantly weakened the idea of the autocracy. Now, the "well-to-do" serfs, along with previously free peoples, were able to purchase land as private property. While early in the reforms the creation of local government had not changed many things about society, the rise in capitalism drastically affected not only the social structure of China, but the behaviors and activities of the self-government institutions. With new, capitalistic ideals, the local government was not responsible for the rules and regulations that would dictate how the new market would operate. If there was a positive of this movement towards localized government, from the autocracy's point of view.

The uneven application of the legislation did leave many peasants in China and his protectorates both free and landless, with only their labour to sell, while in other areas peasants became the majority land owners in their province(s). The Emancipation Manifesto affected only the privately owned serfs. The state-owned serfs were emancipated and were given better and larger plots of land. Lastly, the reforms transformed the Russian economy. The idea of the reformers was to promote development and encourage private property ownership, free competition, entrepreneurship, and hired labor. This they hoped would bring about an economic system with minimal regulations and tariffs, thus a more "laissez-faire" economy. Soon after the reforms, there was a substantial rise in the amount of production of grain for sale. Because of this there was also a rise in the number of hired labor and farm equipment. The reforms were multifaceted and introduced the Development of large-scale individual farming, Introduction of agricultural cooperative, Development of agricultural education, Dissemination of new methods of land improvement and Affordable lines of credit for peasants, freedom of religion and guarantees of many civil and political liberties, Secular public education, civil registry for births, marriages and deaths. Elimination of all forms of cruel and unusual punishment, including the death penalty and the Elimination of debtor's prisons and all forms of personal servitude.

[Brazil Pedro V]

Hafeez was quite excited to go back in time. Finally a challenge. Finally something to work towards. He walked through the facility casualty waved at the technician who was a family friend. It was amazing what his family connections could due. All it took was a few phone calls and he had forged paperwork for historical research. Hafeez walked through the machine and gave the all clear. Suddenly he materialized in Socotra with a flash of light. He looked around and noticed he was on the beach. Great thought Hafeez sand just what I needed. He heard running behind him and much to his surprise he shall two men running at him. Shit thought Hafeez just what I needed people already. The men started talking to him so Hafeez turned on his translator. Who are you angel spirit? Shit thought Hafeez they shall. Hafeez started to improvise taking out his tablet. The fishermen started to look at him strangely. And said with the aid of his iPad. " I am no mere angel nor shaman, I am Jehovah son of God and I am here to turn you away from your heathen ways." The two man looked at him and the taller one stated, "I do not know what to believe but I can not doubt what I have seen with my eyes come back with us to our village and you can talk with our ruler."

[Republic of the Cristo]

Aryeh
Temple, Jerusalem, Israel
101 CE
Hm. Pretty accepting. Hopefully, they'll accept my proposal.
"I did not come from another temple. I didn't even come from within the city." he replied. "I'm not really from around here, but I come bearing important news that can be used to change the current situation. I know about what you're planning, or what you will plan. I will say more to your Rabbi."

The boy raised an eyebrow, not sure what he meant. Nevertheless, he escorted him to the rabbi's quarters. " Rabbi Abraham, sir, a man from out of town wishes to see you." From around a corner in the small room, shuffling of feet could be heard. It was a medium sized room, with a cot on one end, and scrolls lining all over the floor and in shelves on the walls. From around a corner stood a short, gray haired man in black and white robes. He held the wrinkles of a man whom had been in old age only shortly. His voice was raspy, " And who might you be?

[G-Tech Corporation]

Forsaken Cave, Slopes of the Himilayas
Early Morning, 11th of March, 101 AD

With a languid motion Winthrop rolled out of his bed, enjoying the soft caress of smooth synthetics even as he left them behind. It had been a busy week, but that did not trouble the Scion of Eddleton; time enough for leisure after his plans were set properly in motion. Almost silently he passed across the gleaming stone floor, polished and reinforced in blastcrete bricks by his now six fabrication drones. With the mouth of the cave properly delved and chiseled, rebar holding her erect against even a staunch earthquake, the Brit had a proper base of operations.

Under the shower he stepped, and the automatic nozzle began to soak him in clean rainwater, coursing down from the plassteel cistern fashioned in the cliffs above his dwelling. Out over the valley Winthrop looked as he scrubbed away the night's sweat, enjoying the beautiful vistas of the foothills of the Mountains of God even as his mind whirred in to action. His cybernetics still functioned as the primary command node for his drones, a state of affairs which was unfortunate, but for now unavoidable. As he dried off in the warm morning air, Winthrop slipped on his stillsuit, and inspected the small datapad he kept next to his bed for a full accounting of the production during his REM cycles.

Nearly three hundred alumite ingots cast, three tons of bauxite ore rendered, and reconnaissance Servitor was almost complete. It had taken days of searching for the rare earths to make the unit's gelcircuitry, but Winthrop smiled, and padded over the launch bay near the entrance to his compound. High on the wall docking ports for the fabrication drones stood unused, the machines busy at work down a nearby ferrous shaft recently sited. But that was not why the sojourner had smiled- at the mouth of the bay, nearly flawless in its metal form, stood a vaguely humanoid figure. It had no facial features, but as Winthrop reached out through the uplink it stepped forward, and slowly colors washed across its false face. From the reactive metal a nose extruded, a copy of his own, and after a minute of minute adjustments the Progenitor was satisfied.

The first Servitor bowed slightly, and laughed as Winthrop guided its actions like a marionette.

It was an extension of his awareness, an instrument of his will, and with a flick of his hand the machine turned, loping away to the south. A village the man out of time had seen there, black smoke rising from her cookfires, and it was about time he determined how malleable men were in this part of the world. On his back the A/M matrice hummed softly, and Winthrop reminded himself of one of his goals for the day.

Across the bay he walked, coming to the primary fabrication chamber. Under her conduits an ingot of forged milisteel was taking place, but Winthrop impatiently paused the cycle, and stepped beneath the throwprobes himself. The schematic he uploaded was somewhat complex, and the device whirred a moment in contemplation, before the solid light began to manifest about his waist.

It was a curious sensation, almost a tickling, as the fabber built a synthmuscle suit about Winthrop's body, implanted neutronium units at strategic intervals to lend it the necessary power. Over it all the man commissioned a final reactive polymer layer, waiting patiently and motionless for more than an hour as the machine carried out his bidding. Walking outside at long last, Winthrop felt the cramps in his muscles subside as his nannies converted the lactic buildup to more useful organic compounds. Then, with a sudden motion too fast for a human eye to follow, the sojourner punched the tree next to him. Polymers flexed with energy, synthmuscle following real flesh molecule for molecule, and in an instant the forest giant gave way. Through the trunk his fist passed, and Winthrop felt nothing.

He smiled, the smile of a predator.

[Republic of the Cristo]

Chief Kampowing was escorted to meet Riley. He was dressed and looked very similar as to the first time they had met, only now, he held wrinkles underneath his eyes. The passing of his sister had been quite hard for him. He strode over and smiled and Riley, " Hello." He said in Mandarin. He had made a point to learn a few phrases. " It is fine to see you again Riley."

[Reatra]

"And you too, chieftain. I would like to say that the last year has been difficult, I know. I have tried to do as much as I could, but, alas, people have still died. While perhaps fewer passed on to the afterlife than would have had the proper steps not been taken, it truly is tragic, this whole mess... Anyway, chieftain, is there a reason for your journey across the Bay? I am always willing to help a protectorate."

[Republic of the Cristo]

Kampowing turned towards the translator. After a moment, the translator turned towards Riley, " As the last of the sick in my village die off, things begin to become... normal, again. Many in my village would like to begin trade again, this includes with your people. However, the last time we traded with your people, was how our crisis had began. I must know, before I let my people trade again, what caused our plague? Where did it come from?"

[Reatra]

"Where did it come from? Huh. I suppose it is possible my people may have brought this disease. Although I highly doubt it, none of my people got quite as sick as yours. It is known that diseases can spontaneously erupt in certain politicians due to the migration of birds. Or perhaps it was a different animal? Or maybe it was a disease that your people already had but it evolved into a new deadlier plague. There are many possibilities. But, the I don't believe that truly matters, does it? It would be good information to know, but now that your people have experienced to plague the deaths will drop off significantly, as that is the nature of these kinds of diseases."

[Republic of the Cristo]

As the translator relayed this to Kampowing, his face took on a more concerned look. He spoke his response back to the translator. " The first time we had ever seen this plague was from the men whom had traded with your people. You are saying, that your people, may have unwittingly caused our suffering?"

[Reatra]

"The key word is "may", chieftain. Because I think that was a coincidence. We had been trading with other tribes near you before my men ever set foot in your village, and they had no plagues until far later. As I have said, chieftain, there are many ways that diseases begin. In fact, most diseases begin with animals. And my people may be different than yours, but they are no animals."

[Republic of the Cristo]

Kampowing looked at Riley as he spoke to the translator, " It was only after my people began extended trading with you that my people... that thousands of people became sick. What's more, you knew how to cure this. As if though you had dealt with this in your homeland before coming here. We have never seen anything like this before, especially not on this scale." Kampowing stood up now and faced Riley.

[Reatra]

Riley, now too standing, towered over the man, at least six inches separated their heights, due to Riley's formerly futuristic diet. "Kampowing," He said, green eyes shining with ego and visions of the future, "with respect, I simply dealt with this plague the same way I would deal with any disease that I do not know how to cure. My people did not experience death as yours did, so this must have been a plague that only affected the natives of this land. I attempted to help your people in their time of need. I saw people dying. I hate death, and will do anything to avoid as much death as possible. Because when people die it means families are broken and societies destroyed. This is exactly the fate I tried to avoid by bringing my people from this Western Land to this area. If you are accusing me of not helping all I could, or, god forbid, purposefully trying to kill of your people... then... I cannot tell you how wrong you are. Your plague is done. I did what I could, and people still died. It was sad. And yet here we are, both alive. Here I am, trying to lead my people and bring the wonders of my technology to you. If you came across the Bay to imply that I did not do all I could... to help men and women and children survive... Then..." Riley sighed. "It is not my fault that this plague only seemed to kill your people in great quantities."

[Republic of the Cristo]

Kampowing spoke to the translator again. " I know you may not have caused it on purpose, but may very well have done so on accident. I do not resent you for simply being..." The translator paused before speaking again, " but with the threat of future plagues, posed by your people, I must withdraw my people from the Impirrenship." The translator looked back at Kampowing, whom nodded in turn to the two men, before storming out of the area.

[Heidelski]

Henry ran into a man named alexanderthe next day who claimed to be close to samntha. Henry asked if he would help him rescue her.

[The Olog-Hai]

Aryeh
Temple, Jerusalem, Israel
101 CE
Hm. Pretty accepting. Hopefully, they'll accept my proposal.
"I did not come from another temple. I didn't even come from within the city." he replied. "I'm not really from around here, but I come bearing important news that can be used to change the current situation. I know about what you're planning, or what you will plan. I will say more to your Rabbi."

The boy raised an eyebrow, not sure what he meant. Nevertheless, he escorted him to the rabbi's quarters. " Rabbi Abraham, sir, a man from out of town wishes to see you." From around a corner in the small room, shuffling of feet could be heard. It was a medium sized room, with a cot on one end, and scrolls lining all over the floor and in shelves on the walls. From around a corner stood a short, gray haired man in black and white robes. He held the wrinkles of a man whom had been in old age only shortly. His voice was raspy, " And who might you be?

Aryeh gazed at this tiny room. This is the room of a rabbi? But shouldn't the people give him at least a bit more as a sign of respect?
"My name is Aryeh. I come bearing grave news, or news that will be grave soon. Tell me, do you believe in the future? That what will happen has already been decided?"

[Cuprum]

The Central Goverment obligated king Keikō of Japan to abdicate and enter into buddhist monastic community. After that he became a Cloistered Emperor under the surveillance of Chinese butlers. They crowned Princess Ionono no mikoto as Queen Jingū of Nihon to satisfy their aims of domination.

As they reached the Japanese coast, The Chinese fleet began it's journey to Maizuru, whilst most of the Emperor army split off back to the Mainland for a future war. The Emperor, however, had other business.

They landed on the coast, where Maizuru was slowly being founded. The harbour was busy, but no one would call the strange settlement a city yet. Barely fifty buildings stood as yet, and all of wood cut from the surrounding forest. It was however, a start, and they had cleared a path to the main road.

The Emperor took five hundred of the Mangudai, along with various retainers and servants. They rode through the small settlement, drawing some ragged cheers from the smallfolk. The sail up the coast had been good for the Chinese Emperor's chest. The four dogs were at his side for the weeks ride. The Emperor had grown fond of the awkward group of women. It amused him how someone so experienced at fighting still blushed through her scars when he had her change his poultice.

The King of Korea and the governor of Vietnam had come too, making up the Emperor's command in the company. The governor of Vietnam had never been to Japan, so the Emperor hoped it would be quite a trip for his young ward.

Eventually, they came in sight of the walled city. With a horn blow from a butler, The Emperor called his forces into position. They approached the walls bearing his banner: A blue dragon on plain yellow, with a red pearl at the upper left corner..

"Open for the son of Heaven." the Butler shouted up to the gates.

The gates are opened and they hear a guard shout Welcome to the Great City of Maizuru, My lord! The Mayor waits for you in the main square! Members of the guard, still with their armor arrive to guide you.