New Civilizations ( IC, Open )

[Speyland]

Somewhere in Manchuria
December 16, 10 DC

It was snowing and the soldiers who are being led by two military officers are on the verge of dying from starvation after very long trouble from Susan's queendom but they encountered something unusual, something that they haven't seen before.

A group of nomads especially the ones on horseback first saw them as a threat but they quickly realized that they may be related but their culture is alike. Since they don't speak the same language, the military officer uses sign language that they are familiar with and it is a sign that they requested a ceasefire.

They agreed and they gave the military officers 900 soldiers as a gift. It is uncertain what the military general is planning on what to do next.

[Speyland]

Somewhere in Southern Korea
March 4, 12 DC

The military officer has encountered a group of tribespeople whom they are aware of the fears that they have been put by Susan herself.

They agreed to subjugate them as a means to avoid fighting and they will offer them food for free. So far, there haven't been any other news about the event.

[Speyland]

Susan Park
May 3, 12 DC

Susan has heard some exciting news via the military officers. The two military officers told her that they were given free food to avoid dying from starvation while the other one has experienced the same thing via the tribespeople from the south.

It seems like the military campaign was a success but the north is little under the influence of her country while the south is on the verge of being fully occupied by it. Her path on unifying Korea (barely since the country is still underdeveloped) has begun.

Copper Discovered in the Mountains
November 25, 21 DC

The citizens of the country have discovered copper via on the ground after a child has discovered it when he was playing games with his friends until they found an orange metal-like object that Susan thought was copper.

The crowd cheered as it is a message from God that they were being guided by him as a means to continue with their progress but Susan once again denies it as it is nothing but a myth and that not every object is from god. Currently, it is uncertain about copper are being used for but hopefully, it will be used for technological reasons.

[Plzen]

Stórþingishús, Roskilde,
Year 17, 7th Winter Tuesday, late morning,
Clara "Axinite" Rose af Toronto

The dispute between Anpriúl and Hurdling, resolved - or suppressed, more accurately - as quickly as it was, pretty well characterised the state of the Commonwealth as the 34th Regular Session of the Stórþing kicked into high gear. It was pretty clear to me, from the frayed nerves and the distrustful glances representatives gave each other across the aisles, across the unfounded accusations and the ideological divisions, to the overriding atmosphere of fear and paranoia, that the state that I have forged in that cold spring season seventeen years ago was beginning to fray at the edges.

I briefly read over my itinerary again. There were quite a few significant proposals that haven't so much as gotten a first reading yet, and many great issues on which position statements still had to be made. There was a proposal to overturn the principle of free movement, a proposal to put an end to regional conscription, a proposal for the removal of raiding restrictions on Hibernia, a proposal to fund the expansion of our commercial joint settlement on the Rhine, a proposal to separate settlements to the east and south of the Baltic from Swedish authority... any one of those could easily take up a day of discussions if Raginaharjas let it.

He knew the demands of scheduling as well as I did, though, so I suspected that wouldn't be a problem.

On top of all that, of course... the remarks of the delegate from Anpriúl was quite abrupt, but quite a few delegates did properly file grievances against their neighbours for various actual or perceived violation of their rights and privileges. This wasn't in itself all that unusual - this sort of thing always happened, what with the Commonwealth's so-called "authority" stretched thinner than a drumskin - but there was so many this winter... not to mention the general increase in cultural violence between the Scandinavian natives and the Celtic captives...

This was, I reflected, obviously shaping up to be one of those extremely busy Regular Sessions. It was perhaps lucky, then, that most delegates gathered this week was at least pretty experienced. It would have been a nightmare to try and get through all of this material without a complete breakdown in protocol if this was one of those Sessions that had to entertain a dozen new settlements after a spurt of territorial expansion. The schedule was going to be quite tight as it was.

I turned my attention back to the current issue at hand.

"The purpose for the foundation of this Commonwealth," argued the representative of Skara, "and the reason which the township that I represent agreed to be a member in it, was the promise of collective security. The Commonwealth pledged itself to the defence of its constituent settlements in crises exactly like this one. None can say that Skara has neglected its obligations to the Commonwealth. Now we demand that the settlements of the Commonwealth fulfill their duty to us."

"This legislation which has now been presented before you, honourable representatives, has already been adopted within the Republic of Sweden. Now we propose that its provisions, most importantly the terms on the seizure of Moravian citizens and property until such a time as a favourable diplomatic solution is reached, the authorisation provided to the Committee to investigate all activities by foreigners, and the discouragement of south-bound commercial activity, be adopted by this Chamber for the Commonwealth as a whole. This delegation further proposes that this Chamber remove, from the list of locales identified by the Peace and Security Act in which hostile military activity is forbidden, Mara and her allied settlements."

"The Commonwealth must respond as a united nation," she concluded, "and as a collective, to this blatant act of aggression on part of the authorities in Mara. We must show that this illegal seizure of Commonwealth citizens and property will not stand, or for what purpose does this organisation exist?"

"Thank you, this delegate returns the floor to the Speaker."

The Chamber immediately erupted in dissent. Most loudly from that increasingly besieged core of Jylland Amber settlements, still trying to argue over everyone else the same way they did in the last Regular Session... perhaps quite understandable, really. They made their fortune off North Sea trade, and the recent deterioration of relations with both Hibernia and the Moravians must have concerned them quite a bit. I knew they were feeling quite marginalised in a Chamber discourse increasingly dominated by the disputes between the Reds and the Blues. I made a mental note to myself to make sure to get a few words in with them after lunch.

They did not have, even, the Skåne settlements arguing on their behalf anymore. They seemed to have largely accepted the Swedish argument that peace could not be maintained from one side alone, and that trying to maintain relations in the face of increasingly unreasonable Moravian demands was ridiculous. Of course, it probably helped that their domain, the Baltic, wasn't so heavily affected by the intricacies of Northern-Moravian relations.

But in this case, theirs weren't the only complaints. When Raginaharjas asked for speakers against, a cluster of delegates, seemingly centered around Björgvin and Stavanger, rose in response.

I mean, the Reds did come to power on a ticket of reduced central interference in the affairs of the individual settlements which... I mean, yeah. I suppose that, too, was a fairly predictable response.

I leaned back, and tried to press myself into the chair in something that could at least approximate comfort. Any hopes I had of going home early today was long lost in the fires of debate.

[Endem]

Krystyn Warecki
2980 BCE, 12 years 9 Day Since Arrival
To The Last One

My Czarts spread, soon, all was in place, and soon a torch engulfed in flames was up, and thus they moved, just as agreed, silent, Czarts were not allowed to speak when wearing their armor, this is one part of their vow, only once you reach the rank Captain you are allowed to speak from your mask, however, it needs to be kept short, and only in dire situations, only once you reach the rank of Colonel can you speak as much as you want, and obviously, Krystyn being the founder was awarded the rank of Supreme Commander over every Czart related operation.

To circumvent the ban on speech a language of hand gestures was created, left hand, combat order, right hand, movement order, while in conditions that don't allow for such communication torches are used, meanwhile, the Czarts were creeping ever closer, blades unsheathed, they were nearly there, soon entering tents, to strike the heart and the head, naturally, Krystyn taught them all he knew of biology and human anatomy, they knew poisons, they knew acids, they knew where to strike to be deadly.

They were there, Krystyn, abandoning the long extinguished torch, he walked to the camp, Czarts were doing as ordered, perfectly, precisely, Krystyn chose carefully, only perfectionists, only the calm, each was hand-selected by Krystyn's agents, who were his agents? They were bought lovers, friends, brothers, spouses, etc. Asked to screen them with Krystyn's instructions, most did their jobs, others didn't and spent their salary on whatever they wanted, they will have no place in the future.

Soon bodies piled, and one Czart brought him their leader, he was blinded then knocked out, to be carried back, interrogated with Krystyn's author method, patches of his skin will be burned with acid, cut and categorized, he will be left hanging on the edge, only to be left for a few days, weeks perhaps in a pitch-black room with only food being slid in there, to recover, and again, until he said everything, whatever he knew, they started going back when everyone was dead, they even waited for the guards.

Politics

I gathered the council, and I inspired them, they will gather warriors, they will subject with force or vassalize peacefully tribes they encountered, 5 chieftains per direction, by the coast, to the lakes of Warmia and Mazury, and down the Vistula, they will expand, and thus they will endure, with tribes that decided to join the growing nation they will form smaller councils, ruling over smaller pieces of land, and so we will spread, in the tribes subjected with force, every man over the age of 15 and women that resisted during initial assault will be separated from the rest, the first group will be killed at night and buried in a mass grave, the second group will be split further with members being sent to various other tribes, they need to be as separated as possible, to lose identity and blend in with others, and one last thing, he persuaded them to make it illegal to leave the confederation, thought, the older resisted, the younger seeing opportunity persuaded them.

[UniversalCommons]

A Trip to the Mailroom

Victor Spear went to the sorting room for mail in the House of Wisdom. As more towns, villages, and cities were interconnected in the Nestos League more mail came in by horse cart or ox cart or wagonway or ship. He sat down and went through a pile of correspondence handing some of it to scholars in the room. He would write brief notes and hand them to the young scholars in the room and they would write many of the responses according to a standard list of queries. Some of the letters he would answer personally, many were from young people who wanted to know things about the House of Wisdom, or had questions about how the world worked. There was a scholar who would go among the many books who was assigned to answer correspondence questions and even send out an occasional book for people to read. He liked the feel of rag paper, parchment, or papyrus in his hands. There was too little time for one to be dominant over the other.

He took the mail that was of special interest aside when he was done. There was a letter from Scholar Etana from Ur stamped with the seal of Oak and the Nestos Leageu that had made it back to Ur after a sea voyage. It was specifically addressed to Victor Spear.

To The Honorable Victor Spear,
I write you having met men from India. They call themselves Harappans. They seem to be civilized in their bearings much like the Egyptians are civilized. I have discussed mathematics and philosophy and building with them. Some of them are learned men. They do not seem to have written much down, however, they have a system of poetry, meditations, and hymns which strengthens the memory so they can convey much more orally than the average man. A most prominent man, Arjun who is a trader has asked some of our scholars to accompany him to India. He seems to be fascinated by our system of letters.
I have sent some pepper, carnelian, and indigo which he traded with some of the scholars. I also tasted a sour fruit which adds flavor to fish which was delicious. They have many spices and also dyes. I think we could learn much from them. They come to trade with Ur on simple sailing ships.
Arjun says he wishes to return home, but would like three of our people to come with him. He promises he would house us in a guest house. It is a long dangerous journey. I trust him, but I think he may be acting for another man who I do not know.
A few of our younger scholars wish to go with him. However, I do not think I can go. It would be a challenging journey through unknown seas.
Arjun describes the public baths, gardens, and neatly laid out streets of his home wistfully. I think we can benefit from this expedition. Two of his men wish to travel to Oak. One appears to be an ascetic of some sort. The ascetic sits in strange poses sometimes. When this war is over, we will oblige them. Right now, it is not safe to travel between cities. I have heard that caravans have been waylaid and people taken ransom. We do not wish this to happen to us.
Three of our young scholars are ready to go, two men and a woman. Arjun has asked for bronze, amber, and textiles to help defray the costs of sending them on the voyage. Once in India, they will stay at a guest house on his property.
I seek your advice and permission in this matter. It is important to me.
May the skies bring you fortune and the sun shine in your favor.

Scholar Etana.

From Victor Spear:

Learned Scholar Etana,
Be careful in Ur. I understand there is a war with Uruk. Make sure the scholars you send to Arjun leave quietly and send a hunter warrior and a hand with them. We do not know exactly what is happening. You never know what skills you may need in a foreign land. I would like you to stay where it is safe.
I have read part of your treaties you wrote on mathematics and philosophy with the Harappans. It is quite interesting. It was interesting about the concept of zero. I did not understand all of it. The Harappans are a great civilization. I think we can learn much from them. I have heard that they have cities as large as Ur.
As an aside, is it true that they have elephants in Ur? Please look into this for me.
As earlier, I had instructed when you visited Ur, I wanted you to help them. Help them in their war effort. Teach them the new mathematics of trigonometry. With this it is possible to triangulate with distance. Make better calculations of the distance of ships, measure things more accurately on maps, and measure the flight of ballistae and trebuchets. Also, use your knowledge of technology to help fortify Ur.
We need to ensure that the war effort goes well for us. I expect you will do your utmost.

Regards,

Victor Spear

[Nuxipal]

Javin Torrez
Town of Patna, Gangetic Plain, Late Summer 2980 BCE

The role of town Guard Captain had not been as easy as Javin hoped. Turns out, he had almost entirely forgotten to get them set up with a system of judges and jury trial. He was however, quite fond of the way that everything was being worked out for now. Criminals and captured bandits would be brought to him to face judgement. Today, a special event was happening. Under his command, a large contingent of town guard went out and captured a group of bandits that had been weakening their influence to the south. Several of these bandits, including their leader, were now in judgement before Javin.

A guard sergeant announced the bandits to those assembled.

"Today, we have before us, five members of the Gold Elephant Bandit organization. With them, their leader Pahal has also been apprehended and will face a separate judgement." A rain of boos and jeers at the captured bandits echos in the guard barracks, where the sentencing has been taking place. With a hand Javin quiets them down.

"Now, now. I will pass fair judgement on these criminals and see that justice is brought to our lands. Please, present evidence of their wrong doing."

There was a momentary pause. Everyone knew what they did wrong, even the bandits themselves, but several merchants came forward. Some with scars from the encounter. They explained the bandits attacked them and two of them were branded by the bandits. They showed identical scars on their left legs as evidence. Javin then looked to the bandits and said, "You have a chance to defend actions. Why was it you turned to banditry instead of following the rules and laws established in these lands?"

Each bandit had a slightly different excuse. "I was hungry" "It seemed like easy money" "My family is dead" etc. Then came Pahal, the bandit leader. He looked to Javin with some hatred. "Because Patna is why my father and brothers died fifteen years ago. The assault on Arrah killed my father and my brothers. My mother was raped and captured by a Patnan soldier. My two sisters were also carried off. I haven't seen them since then. I remained in Arrah until I decided to weaken Patna as much as I could until I could take over and punish the family of the general that led them."

Truly, the man had been harmed in the past, and quite possibly because of Javin's direct action. "I am the general that led them fifteen years ago. Your city has joined in a Federation with Patna. We are allies, united in law and purpose. Not only have you attacked and killed Patnan merchants, but you have killed and harmed Arrahi merchants." He indicated one of the merchants which had been scarred. "That man is from Arrah, I purchase grain from his farm and help support his family. Your bandit gang attacked him, burned his crop, and wounded him in the process. Not to mention the two men who were with him that died and are not here to present evidence of your wrong doing. You are a common criminal holding onto the past that you were too young to actively be a part of. For you, I sentence you to death by hanging."

Pahal looked as if he expected the outcome, but not the scolding or that there were merchants from Arrah in Patna. The guards led him away and then Javin looked to those who had the less aggressive excuses. Those who lost their family or were hungry and sentenced them to ten years of servitude to the Patnan Assembly. The other three were sentenced to hang alongside their leader. Ten years may be all those men had left, but they would be alive and could potentially marry and find happiness if they survived the punishment.

That afternoon, Javin watched as the four bandits were hanged outside of the south gate, one of the few where stone walls were completed. Once they died, their heads were removed and placed on spikes lining the wall above the wooden gate with the words, "Bandits Beware" written on a wooden sign hanging below them.

---

That evening, Javin returned home to his wife. The house was still busy with a half dozen other families. Some of his guards lived in the large stone house that dominated the eastern district of the town. Javin had accumulated a great deal of wealth and tonight was hosting a group of stonemasons with his next plan. He laid out to them how he wished to construct a large wall around his own home. The area was still on a slight hill and most of the land around his house was unoccupied. Those houses that were in the way of his plans could be purchased or the families offered rooms in his home. That would put another two families in the house, which would make it somewhat crowded, but with the space inside his personal walls, they would be able to create a couple more smaller homes.

Irra had been making suggestions that Javin take a more active role in shaping Patna now that he held military power in the area, and eventually Javin was convinced and was slowly working on centralizing military power around him and his home. The leading people of Patna already sought Javin's advice regarding nearly every new issue, and none would suspect that the large home that he was building was what he could remember about early medieval stone castles. By the end of the next year, he would have constructed a powerful castle, for this time, within the heart of the largest town in the region. Then, he would be in a better position to establish himself as a ruler instead of just the military ruler.

[Plzen]

Grain Storage, Kaupang, Republic of Norway,
Year 17, 7th Winter Saturday, noon
Ráðgríð "Sólarljós" Birgisdóttir af Skara

In retrospect, I reflected, staring into the smouldering ruins, it was inevitable that something like this would happen sooner or later.

The Committee of Public Safety upholds the Law of the Commonwealth! Or... at least that was the theory. Reality, I found, as so many people in so many different offices and situations were finding across our nation, was often messier than theory.

Aye... what a joke. The Committee of Public Safety and its all of sixty officers, half of them literate if even that, so-called “upholding the law” in a nation that had to have had at least four times that many villages, each with their own particular quirk in custom or tradition, under a so-called state with a thousand little exceptions and a thousand little privileges worked into its legal code.

In theory, since the principle of free movement was established, all citizens of the Commonwealth had the right to live in any settlement that was willing to accommodate him or her. But really... if that law just got ignored, if Kaupang chose to post guards on their Celts to “protect” them from the wilderness, then who was going to complain? Who was going to request an adjudication of their dispute by the Committee of Public Safety? Who was going to petition the assemblies for a redress of their grievances? The captives themselves - who still couldn’t speak in Northern Germanic beyond the basics necessary to make them good serfs, let alone write?

We had to be strengthened. The Committee needed more officers and more authority. We could not just continue to count on the cooperation of the local authorities.

After a day and a half of investigations, a clearer picture was starting to emerge. A case of... what was that expression that Clara favoured - the final straw that broke the donkey’s back?

The elders of Kaupang are idiots if they thought they could keep two dozen men and women contained for any meaningful length of time. I mean, just from a mechanical standpoint, how did they propose to do it? This wasn’t Moravia - there were no iron to spare for chains in this country, and certainly no way of getting some inconspicuously even if there were! But thought that, they must have.

The events of the last half year came like visions before me. An escalating cycle of desperation, fear, hatred, and retribution. A town steadily militarising just to be able to keep its own captives under control, until, one fateful evening, the donkey was stressed with one straw too far...

There was only one unsolved mystery, in the crossbow bolt expertly placed through the heart of poor... I struggled to remember the name... Jörgen? Something like that.

If the narrative I pieced together is correct, the rioters stormed the town storage, killing its guards Jörgen and Björn, then using the food and armaments of the storage to hold off the slowly waking town militia as they made their escape into the surrounding countryside.

So... from where came the crossbow that killed the lad?

[Speyland]

Susan Park
August 1, 22 DC

Susan has received a report from one of the military officers that the people from the north will be visiting the queendom soon which is this week. Susan wasn't expecting this to occur and she has a bad feeling that the meeting might go wrong.

"Who sent you into my queendom?" Susan asked angrily. One of the said something in a foreign language. "Translate please," Susan demanded. "They said that they want access to your land, your majesty." They said. "For what?" She asked as she doesn't trust them at all. They replied in a foreign language. "They're running low on food and it won't last them for a very long time." They said. "I see," Susan said as she tried her best not to say yes but she did. "Fine, you can have little access to it." She said. The foreigners smiled and they returned to their land.

Still, Susan doesn't trust them as they might go overboard as to damage the economy.

Famine in the Queendom Occurs
December 16, 22 DC

A famine has occurred in the queendom as the harvest hasn't been around for the past few weeks and the fertility rate are decreasing.

It wasn't as severe as it was now and it is possible that the famine might not happen again next year.

Stone Discovered in the Mountains
June 10, 23 DC

Citizens have discovered stone after they have entered the mountains as they were looking for some food and they used them to produce tools and weapons.

This discovery has a huge impact on the country and Susan has thanked the citizens of their discovery even though they don't know what it is.

[UniversalCommons]

The Scholars Translation Committee ( A Day in the Life)

Victor Spear had finished his morning meditation. He had sat in a courtyard garden counting his breath with a dozen other scholars. People were forbidden to speak for the brief period.
He was in a large room sitting at a long table. There were twenty scholars in the room.

Victor sat quietly at the head of the table. There were many different subcommittees that were part of the scholars translation committee. He had signed in when he came to the table. There was a record keeper who kept minutes and an agenda for the meeting which he had with him. The beginning of the meeting began with summaries from the heads of the subcommittees.

The first to speak was Scribe Hunefer who came from Egypt. He had been working with six other members on the translation of the Imperium Bible.
Hunefer, "We find this book to be both a historical document, a book of tales, and a wisdom book. It is also a religious book. There are many references to Egypt in this book, but it is an Egypt that we do not recognize. It is an Egypt of fantasy, nothing like the Egypt which I lived in. If we are to understand this book, the people in this book released several plagues against Egypt which concerns me deeply. The pharaoh in this book is not a pharaoh that I or any scribe of Egypt knows. My colleague Ishtar recognizes the tale of the flood, which is a tale of the gods of Sumer. He also wonders if these people in the book, the Hebrews are related to the Habiru. There are many questions which we must fathom in this text. It comes across as both real and fantastic at the same time. There are codes of ethics and rules which seem strange to us It is a book that can change the world. This is my experience so far."

Victor Spear had read the bible before. He kept a copy of the Imperium Bible in his house. He liked to look over the psalms. These had a calming effect on him. The feel of reading this bible was different. It had a tone which was martial.

Victor Spear, "Next speaker. Scholar Spartacus is working on a group that are a threat to the Nestos League."

Scholar Spartacus, "I am Scholar Spartacus. We have been looking over the paperwork brought back from the Kraken. We have pictures of a boat from the Kraken. It features many innovations which we do not have today, maneuverable square sails, bamboo runners, peg and sewn construction, and other features. We brought it to the boat builders and only parts of it are understandable after reviewing it. We had Victor Spear look over it and try and help with the translation, but he is not a boat builder so we could not get every feature correct. It is not easy to understand the full description. We also tried to translate some of the religious writings of the Kraken. Scribe Hunefer was deeply offended by the references to Yog-Sothoth who appears to be a perversion of the god Thoth. It was not easy trying to translate these documents. I had to go on a visit to the Temple of the Body Parts to soothe my head with herbs. The stories are full of references to sacrifice, comets, the deep old ones, and the terrible elder gods beings that will enslave all of humanity. We must hunt down the remaining Kraken, they are a threat to humanity. I understand we are securing our islands first."

Victor Spear had met with the committee and looked over the boat. Some parts of it he did not understand. He tried to be as literal as possible in helping the committee with the translation of the book. When he started reading the Kraken text, he realized the names Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, and others and told the other committee members that this was the work of a deranged soul who had turned the fantasies of H.P. Lovcraft, a writer of stories into a religion. It was head pounding material. The mad poetry was especially hard to read. It was a mixture of fear, dread, loathing, and worship.

Victor Spear, "We need to focus on the matter at hand. There is one more speaker, Scholar Alcibiades who has returned from the Cyclades to rest and recuperate."

Scholar Alcibiades, "I have something much more lighthearted to talk about. We have been doing an analysis of Star Wars by Bostwick. While the story is already translated . It has been a learning experience for me. I am just learning the Crimean language. The tale is both fantastic and exciting to see. The play is being shown in Oak. It is one of the first live performances we have done in Oak. It is done by local people with the help of a few Crimeans from the Weavers Association. I recommend that you go see it. We went together as a committee to watch the play. A lot of it we don't understand. For example, what is a galaxy?, how does one make a flaming sword?, are the stormtroopers related to the iron men?”

Victor Spear had gone with Scholar Alcibiades and several members of the Scholars Translation Committee to see the play.

Victor Spear said, “We can now open the table to questions for the Imperium Bible.”

Scholar Alcibiades, “How far have you gotten into translating the Imperium Bible?”

Scribe Hunefer, “We are translating The Old Testament right now. We have finished the Flood Myth and the Psalms. We have broken it into sections.”

Scholar Ishtar, “I am working on the story of Genesis.”

Scholar Spartacus, “Is it true that they posit there is only one god?”

Scribe Hunefer, “Yes, they claim there is only one god and there should be no other gods before that one.”

Scholar Mopsus, “What do they do when they meet other gods?”

Scholar Alcibiades, “I read that they destroy idols and deny the existence of other gods.”

Scholar Ishtar, “While I do not agree with what is written, it is still fascinating to read.”

Victor Spear, “It is time to go on to the Krakens.”

Scholar Alcibiades, “I have seen the Krakens and their gods, they are a menace to trade and religion. They kill people not like themselves. They destroy everything in their path. I have seen mass graves and people burned at the stake. What I have read puts a chill through my bones.”

Scholar Spartacus, “Is it true that they worship a giant octopuss that will destroy all mankind.”

Victor Spear, “I have some experience with the writings of the Krakens. It is by a prophet that they call H.P. Lovecraft, a writer of terror fiction who described people not like himself as degenerate. He wrote about fear and terror. The Kraken menace is a fiction.”

Scholar Alcibiades, “I disagree, I saw men and women both hanged and drowned, blood drenched altars, and writings that were enough to drive a man mad. It is hazardous to read what they have written. It is both terrible and frightening. We need to stamp this menace out permanently. The Great Bull needs to “Trod them into the Sea.”

Scholar Mopsus, “Why are we not pursuing them to the ends of the earth.”

Scholar Alcibiades, “They caused tremendous damage and we need to consolidate and protect our holdings in the Cyclades. We have sought allies in the area, Hand Diaghis has recruited Illyrians to attack the pirates near Malta who have returned to the area. The pirates use the Kraken banner to instill fear in the merchants and fishermen in the area. The pirates are not true Kraken, they do not burn and hang the men they capture. They merely sell them into slavery. Getting back to the giant octopuss. I saw a statue of a giant octopus with malevolent eyes and the wings of a bat. It was destroyed by shield maidens of the Great Goddes and its pieces tossed into the sea.”

Scholar Ishtar, “I plan on visiting the temple at Santorini and would like to read some of the writings of the Kraken. I hear they are terrifying to read. They give people nightmares.”

Victor Spear, “The writings are the fictional ravings of a mad man who needs to be brought to justice. We will make the seas safe again and hunt down the Kraken. We should get to our final piece. Are there questions about “Star Wars.”

Scholar Alcibiades, “I had a great time watching the play “Star Wars.” I can't recommend it more. I even have a mug with a picture of Lord Vader on it. I bought it after the show.”

Scholar Spartacus, “I enjoyed it as well. I wonder if we can make armor like the storm troopers. It looks like we could use something like that in a fight.”

Scholar Mopsus, “I can't take it too seriously. It was fluff to me. We should be discussing things that are a little more serious.'

Scholar Ishtar, “It is always fun to take a break. Look at my hair, “twin buns” just like Princess Leia.”

Scribe Hunefer, “I think we should show it in Nubia, they might like it. How far have we got on the translation?”

Scholar Ishtar, “I am almost done with my portion of it. I can take someone else's portion. I really like the story. I wonder when they are going to do more of it.”

Victor Spear, “Lets get on to new business...”

[Speyland]

Susan Park
June 1, 24 DC

Susan can be seen walking around the capital city to take a look at the citizen's lives and their way of life. Children are playing on the street while their parents are watching over them and nobles are having a conversation with someone about their motives and familial life. Soldiers are patrolling for any suspicious activity that will possibly threaten the city and commoners are going about their day without any problems.

This is the country that Susan has been visualizing and she wants it to stay that way. She smiled at the people who were walking by and she wants them to remain in a positive mood like herself. It is a sign that society is changing and her path of ruling a developing country is underway.


First Ship Built
September 24, 24 DC

A ship was built this month as was planned by Susan herself after she made a decision to expand farther outside of Korea to see what lies within the foreign lands that they will discover.

So far, there were no reactions to this event.

First Furnace Built
November 9, 24 DC

The citizens of the queendom have built a furnace based on the ideas from Susan that she knows it from memory before she ended up in Korea. It is made out of stone and fire as it is used to warm cold foods. She always wanted to bake something that she hasn't done it for a long time. It has also made huge progress in economic development and growing the population.

The citizens are looking forward to trying this invention out.

[Nuxipal]

Javin Torrez
Town of Patna, Gangetic Plain, Late Monsoon, 2980 BCE

As the summer and monsoon seasons were closing out, a cooler air started to come off of the Continent to the north. The winds slowly drove back the deluge which seemed endless each year. Javin had been busy laying out the plans for the walls around his home as well as upgrades for that home once the walls were completed. The Stonemasons were unsure if they would work, but with so far everything Javin had taught them had been correct. When the grounds began to dry, construction began in earnest. Large swaths of land has been readied and the stones were being brought through the city towards Javin's home. There were many families already living there, so the extra protection didn't seem to cause many to talk. Others, mainly assembly members, began looking into the possibility of having the Assembly outfitted with similar walls. What was more strange, was that simultaneous to this, Javin was overseeing the fortification of the whole city, including a large area of its farming land. With the inner wood walls slowly being reinforced with stone, Javin laid out a concept for the Assembly to approve that created a large outerwall. While most of the inhabitants of the town resided inside its inner walls, Javin felt that protecting the crops would create a region in which they could expand into as a city and before then, work the land without the worry of bandits.

When a member of the Assembly noted that the wall was too large to have an active garrison along the whole thing. Javin responded.

"That is entirely true. However, the circuit of the wall is significantly smaller than the current patrol routes of all the guards we employ outside of the town. By using the wall as a pre-constructed patrol route with built in defensive positions. We could increase the productivity of our guard in the field and provide increased security within the town without the need to increase the size of the guard by too much in the future. This would save the Assembly plenty of gold for future civic projects."

This argument seemed to win over many of the Assembly members, who were merchants and did not want to spend extra funds on the guard, which many thought was already too inflated. With the win in his pocket, his popularity among the stone masons rose and the word went out to nearby towns that a large project needed more stone and stone masons in Patna. Stone resources began pouring in, and many craftsmen arrived in the town to get paid for the work.

This created a small economic boom in Patna as suddenly all of the businesses were experiencing a minor increase in profit, but supplies were starting to run a little low.

[UniversalCommons]

A Day In The Life (February 2980)

Victor Spear sat at the table with Sitalkes. They were eating a lunch of pears, goat cheese, bread and red wine. Sitalkes was wearing a red cloak, a brown tunic, and brown pants. He poured Victor Spear a glass of strong red wine, then himself a glass.

Sitalkes, “It is good to see you Victor, I hope you are in good spirits.”

Victor Spear, “There is so much to do, that it is hard to keep up with everything.” Victor Spear wipes some crumbs of goat cheese from his beard. “I am always busy doing things.”

Sitalkes, “You don't look a day older. I sometimes think I am sitting across from a divine being.”

Victor Spear, “I have to remind myself that I am still human sometimes. I never stop learning. It does not seem I will ever slow down.”

Sitalkes, “Remember that you are here to help the people of the Nestos League. I hear that there is another Victor that does not age, Victor Nemtsov. This is the rumor that the other hands tell me that they are getting from the merchants visiting the Imperium. An unaging emperor”

Victor Spear, “You still look to be in good health. How is your family doing.”

Sitalkes, “My daughter is doing well. She is studying to become apprenticed to a weaver and dyer. My wife, she has grown a large garden and is learning to keep bees. I sometimes wonder why you don't have a family. It will do you good.”

Victor Spear, “I once had a family. It is hard to think of starting over. They are so far away. I have my dalliances, maybe I will meet the right someone eventually. I seem to have all the time in the world.”

Sitalkes, “I don't. This one of the reasons I am talking to you. There is a war going on. Actually two wars. We are being stretched. We need to figure out how to have more men in the field. In the last week, I met with veteran warriors and we formed the Oak Elder Warriors Association to help the retired warriors.”

Victor Spear, “Spending on the military is expensive. It does not have immediate benefits. We put our metals into making weapons instead of plows and saws.”

Sitalkes, “The Oak Elder Warriors Association would like to reach out to form other associations. We have been to Staro Zagora and Varna. They would train young men and women in the skills for war. Or at least we could lay the foundations.”

Victor Spear, “I cannot simply hand you money. There has to be discussion of this in the great hall. I can ask, but there are so many projects that want money. I cannot take everything for myself.”

Sitalkes, “I have some money from my pay. Also my family has been investing in olive oil which goes to Crimea and dyed hemp cloth which goes to the Imperium as well as chickens for domestic use.”

Victor Spear, “There are other ways to prepare young men and women for war. Sometimes people form scouts associations which teach woodcraft and hunting, a good place to select warriors from. I understand that unless we have people ready to train the next batch of people, we may end up with no one to defend our lands. I remember from history how the Romans, an ancient people would sometimes have to raise to three or four armies before they could defeat their enemies.”

Sitalkes, “Even merchants need protection. If we had not driven away the raiders and conquerors, we would not have so much land. I fear we must prepare for even more conflict. The Kraken have escaped. We must have more troops to fight them as well as support our allies in Ur.”

Victor Spear, “One of the ways we have been able to defer our military costs is that when the military is not campaigning, they are helping build roads, establish forts at strong points, and breeding horses and dogs for domestic use. Many of our courier horses come from the hunter warriors.”

Sitalkes cuts up the remaining breads into slices and takes a piece.

Sitalkes, “Scholar and warrior act together. Strategy and muscle go together. Much combat is won before the battle with preparation and training. We will need to raise new armies if we are defeated. The Elder Warriors Association will spread and we will work on new ideas for preparedness...”

[3rdBritan]

i felt my body slam against the Hull of a boat as i awoke into conscious thought. I could feel the Cold lapping of Water race against my chest and a cloud of water envelop my head as i sank deep into the water. i could see little petite fishes frolicking around the waves. I panicked and flailed my arms in the air. I thought all hope was lost..i would never reach the shore, But then a strong pair of arms Pulled me up. I lay on the side of the boat gasping for air like a beached fish. This man then tried talking to me in a language i never understood. I...Being shocked and stunned only uttered a faint gasp. The person made his way to the other end of the boat and waved his arms in the air. Within a few minutes a long procession of boats sidled along the medium sized craft. I begun to go to my senses and stood up. Why of all places was i here? . I turned my face to see the little armada snake along the water like fish or sea birds and beckon me over. i moved forward slowly and cautiously. He the started to talk in a strange dialect. I never understood him so i stopped. He tried again in some sort of Peloponnese speech. Knowing this we conversed a little before making my way to his craft.

[3rdBritan]

i was oddly curious as to why he of all people could seek Peloponnese...I did not know how to react. I watched as hundreds of small boats bounced across the water. All i could see was the sea the person who had led me onto this other strange boat and the Mountains. Small grey alpine outcrops jutted across the ridges like hands groping the waterside. Small cypress and pine trees Clambered on The Sides of these inhospitable slopes. The cypress tree as far as i knew was indigenous the eastern side of the Mediterranean. I sat down slowly taking it all in.
Where am i? i was in Britain less than an hour ago? Am i in some sort of dream? I went to pinch myself. No this was real. I craned my head up to see some port lined with the little frigates.
No boat bigger than a canoe except two, the mediocre sized one i had moved on to cautiously...An a giant Ark sized behemoth that dominated Stretch of beach. This was not Britan i thought...This might not even be this world....I passed out

[3rdBritan]

i woke up with a start. i was in a building with Marble walls, expensive clothes from who knows what time period and a marble floor. I was dressed in a very basic Linen Tunic .....
i turned my face to see a person standing over me, wrapped in a linen cloth and a Seal hide cloak. You never find seals normally this deep in the Mediterranean. Even the Monk seals are Rare. This man must be rich. He finally noticed i was awake
"So you are ok i hope...No injuries" the person said as he fitted on some sandles....
"you can call me Minos" he said
"The King? " i said in almost a instant
"What nonsense are you talking about." he said "I've never heard of a King Minos"
i decided to keep Quiet on that part because i must have been transported to the past...Maybe ...a work in progress
"where are you from?" Minos said as he bought me to my feet"iv have never seen anyone like you"
i explained to him that i was from Great Britain, The empire that Conquered half the World and was now in recession having lost all of its influence-The empire the sun never set on
"Sounds odd...iv have never heard of it...You know i am head of a merchant fleet..i could take you to Memphis-Someone may of heard of your country?" he said to my astonishment
i readily agreed as i let the kind merchant lead me to his ship.
on boarding the ship i saw lots of slaves toiling on the boat...Poor things i thought..And all the profits that they would never touch
"what a magnificent craft" i said
and then we went on our way to Memphis

[Cainesland]

Bostwick Pendragon
Mountains Cove (Sevastopol), Crimea
June

“Zippity do da, zippity ay. My, oh my, what a wonderful day.” Bostwick sang to himself as he rocked back and forth in his rocking chair on his porch. He looked out to the birds flying in the near cloudless sky. Things seemed to be going alright. He sat upon a pillow made from cloth packed with horse hair. Feeling the cool breeze and the warmth of the sun, he closed his eyes and relaxed in the rocking motion of his chair.

After a bit it seemed that he would need to work on the education system. As such he started thinking about what could be beneficial given the communities resources. <Let’s see> he thought to himself. <What are some strengths and weaknesses we face in education?> He considered it for some time. One drawback was manpower, something a full time education system would need. <Most people have a full time commitment already, such as farming or a trade of some kind. Drawing people away from that full time might be a hard sell.> There did seem to be the storytellers though. <The storytellers might be able to do something part time. That’s one strength. Some currently teach math classes part time. Most of them have a main job though. I might be able to run it by them to gauge interest in expansion>. Another strength seemed to be the amount of people educated in a trade of some kind, such as carpentry sailing or farming. Those people could help encourage the next generation in their education.

An idea came to mind for out of class education. They could introduce cadets. It might help to improve the guards with pre-guard training. It might also help the younger generation get a feeling for discipline, chains of command, maintenance, and camping. That didn’t seem to be too beneficial to develop at this time though. It also came with similar restrictions with manpower. Still he could talk to the chief later to see what he thought about it.

If a formal education system was to be developed it should be useful, practical, and contain topics of interest hopefully. If those weren't met it would be a hard sell to the town council of advisors. Topics that came to mind were language arts, social, math, science, physed, music, and art. They could also be taken with a home room. These would need to be approved by the council though. While they might be beneficial, how could they be more beneficial than the alternative of helping the family business? And on that note, how could people be attracted to teach classes?

The next education proposal should involve math, it was decided. That would be an easier sell, since it’s useful to the community and building on an established part time volunteer activity. Science as well could be proposed. Physed may not be priority as kids get good exercise as is. Music would be nice, but the biggest instruments are drums right now so that may need to wait for later. Language could be nice, but illiteracy is rampant. People may not see the benefit to reading considering most education is currently oral right now. <Some people may be learning to read the instructions on their board games but I don’t know how many people do that. Social could be interesting to teach, and Bostwick liked the subject of history, but people might think learning about WWI or the Aztecs kind of strange. Trade would probably interest the council though. That too might be delayed to be proposed in a future expansion.

The pick your battles approach would need to be implemented. If the council didn’t see a use it might be rejected and then there’d be no education system next year. He could always propose more for education. It was decided to propose the education system start with home room, math, science, and Language. It was decided that cadets would be proposed separately to encourage civic engagement. <I am hoping that if they accept these changes that I can come back with the other topics. Maybe I can help people with music and art on the side.> he thought to himself.

Later that week he would consult the local storytellers with the plan, and get their agreement to help teach classes, before presenting to the council that Friday. There seemed to be interest but the matter was tabled for two weeks later to allow time for further community consultation.

[Speyland]

Bamboo Discovered
January 21, 26 DC

Bamboo was discovered at the mountains this week by civilians who were looking for food. Susan quickly identified the plant that it can be used to produce a paper but there hasn't been a machine that would do this kind of thing making it impossible to create one.

So far, there haven't been any plans besides coming up with an invention to produce a paper that would take months to be invented.

Susan Park
March 7, 26 DC

Before she ended up in Korea, Susan is a Buddhist as her family followed the religion for generations until they eventually emigrated to the United States before she was born.

She has been thinking about introducing the religion to the citizens of the queendom but they don't want to abandon their own so she allows some of them to do this. She came up with stories about a prince named Kangdae who witnesses the horrors of people suffering and he wants to change that. He considers war as a cause of suffering and slaves was being mistreated as they don't belong to the aristocracy. He later became the Gujoja (구조자 "Savior") as he managed to reach enlightenment.

She came up with an idea to call the religion "Dal-ui Yeonghon" (달의 영혼) which translates to "Moon Spirits" and she considers it as the Korean version of Buddhism.

3% of the population has converted to this religion and as the result of a mistake she made to bring suffering to the ones who had committed a crime, she changes the law so that capital punishment will not be allowed. Now, the only way that criminals can be punished is by spending time in prison including the severe ones.

Susan Park
May 10, 26 DC

Temples were built in honor of the religion that Sudan has created and more people had converted. Criminals were getting arrested as they managed to survive the execution as capital punishment is illegal in the country as she changed it.

Meanwhile, 5 ships were built as they are getting ready to explore the lands that lie within their territory as a purpose to expand the queendom and to encourage more people to join her motivation to unify Korea.

[Joohan]

HIS SERVICE IS OVER

Her gaze turned upward toward the road, trying to peer over the hilly, snow covered, incline that blocked her view of the forest. At the sound of the drums, Yhorne's fidgeting with her mother's dress had ceased completely as she looked off toward the distant approaching tattoo. Her heart had lept up into her throat as she heard the distant cries of jubilation and the sound of gleeful horns, echoing across the fields. Father, the sole thought which filled the scope of her mind brought with it wonderful feelings of excitement, but more surprisingly nervousness - a new feeling which the seven year old was only recently getting acquainted with. The people around her, those honored family and guests of the returning high-commanders, wearing proudly the robes and pendents which denoted the nature and deeds of their service, maintained a dignified yet anxious silence, while the crowd of common folk, who stood separate them along the roadside leading into town, quickly began jumping and moving in a most excited fashion.

Yhorne wrapped her arms round Conwanna's leg, placing her face up against her mother's thigh, her eye's not deviating from the top of the incline - searching for the first sign of movement to top over. " Mother, "

Her voice came out as little more than a whisper, " is father home? "

Yhorne felt a warm hand place itself upon her back and press lovingly against her. " Yes child, father is home. "

Conwanna had never seen her daughter look so reserved before. Yhorne had inherited her energetic orneriness just as much as she had her fiery red hair. To see her pressed cowering up against her leg like a more demure child was certainly suprising, to say the least, for Conwanna.

Over a thousand people had descended alongside the north road that lead into Israel - every denizen of the city and dozens of clans from all across the country had gathered to witness and celebrate the triumphant return of kin returning from their campaign in the north. Servants and commoners alike crowded together upon the road, stretching out into the still barren fields at their back. An exuberant anticipation had hung heavy like fog over the crowd, for though every triumphant march post campaign brought with it an adoring crowd - this particular march marked the largest campaign ever undertaken by the Army - even larger than the one which had been sent up the Aerbaker years ago.

At the sight of feathers and preserved flowers being thrown up into the air, cresting above the hill top, Yhorne knew that the Armies were about to come into view. Her feet began to jump up and down excitedly, her face still rubbing up against her mother's dress. The drums growing louder and louder as the approached nearer, horns and other instruments played in jubilation as soldiers passed, all of it acting to crescendo Yhorne's excitement. Then, finally, she saw the blazing banner top the hill. The battle standard was held high by an unveiled soldier, leading the way in front of a high-commander, and dozens of soldiers following at his back. The crowd around them had finally broken their anxious silence, and let out ecstatic cheers of jubilation! More feathers and preserved flowers were heaped upon the path in front of the oncoming soldiers.

The North Army, Conwanna recognized the black letter N at the corner of their battle standard as belonging to her cousin's old company. Though they'd made a reputation for merciless retzov, one could have hardly told what a hard bunch they were by how freely people from the crowd would run up and begin embracing soldiers, mid march no less! The sight of more than a few slings, patches, and scars immediately caught the accant's attention though. Of course, after every campaign there bound to be a litany of injuries among the returning soldiers - she'd not seen this many since the return of the aerbaker campaign; that adventure had taken a whole year though, these men had been gone for less than two months!

Yhorne, though desperately wishing to join with the rest of the crowd in throwing her flowers to the soldiers, she held all the reserve that a seven year old could muster. Her flowers, a bouquet of preserved primroses, was reserved for father - and father alone. The whole celebration was one of heart melting warmth and affection. A man whom Conwanna recognized as the owner of the town brewery, a brutal looking one eyed veteran who still wore his hair in the fashion to that of soldiers, had tears streaming down his one good eye as he broke from the throng of honored guests and embraced a youthful looking soldier from the North Army - his son no doubt. Conwanna held onto daughter as tightly as she could, what with the child's excited bouncing. To be fair, she could hardly contain her own excitement. She'd not seen her fair Recuridan for over two months, she missed his warm embrace on chilly days, his even and gentled tone, his hardy and wonderful laugh while playing with Yhorne. She'd have to hold herself back from jumping up into his arms the moment she saw him! She held a hand to his stomach and smiled to herself, playing over again and again how she would tell him of the child that was growing inside her.

After the North Army had passed, then the West Army had come up, looking just as injured and cheerful as the North had. Finally, she saw it, the East Army's battle standard. Conwanna firmly grasped onto Yhorne's shoulder, her heart beat reaching a feverish pitch as she looked to see her beloved husband marching behind the standard bearer. Yhorne too had recognized her father's flag, a fact confirmed by her mother's touch. She began searching feverishly about the men who marched behind him, looking to every face behind the helmet and trying to match any of them to her fathers. Didn't he usually march at the front, behind the flag? Where was he? Was he near the back for some curious reason? She jumped onto her tip toes on a futile attempt to look near the back of the company, but to no avail. One man did break off from the crowd though, the man who had been marching where her father should have been, someone who she did not recognize. He'd marched right up to her mother before stopping. Yhorne looked up at the man, tightly pressing the primroses to her chest, fearing that perhaps this man might try to take them from her. He looked nothing like father; he was older, and not nearly so tall. And he looked sad too. He'd begun talking to her mother, and though Yhorne tried to hear what it was he had to say, she could hardly make out more than a few words over the sound of cheers and horns blaring. Something about: loss, honor, and fighting. Yhorne looked up to her mother, whose face was plainly confused. The strange man then held out his hand, and from his fingers dropped something - dangling by a cord. It was father's necklace! A bronze locket, containing locks of Yhorne and Conwanna's hair. She didn't hear what the man had said next, but she could have sworn she saw his lips mouth the words, his service is over.

...

Army Head, Teaghan of clan Iarren, addressing the assembled armies and crowds in the open fields around Israel

To the gods in Heaven, we give praise for victory and triumphant upon the fields of battle. To our ancestors, we give honor and respect for their guide, bringing so many of our kin back to their home's alive and whole. And to the 15, our fallen have already given everything.

The essence of Virtue, that which is core to heart and separates itself from savagery, is will! The will to revolt, to act against the depravity and shallowness which nature would seek to impose upon man; to claim from him his divine lineage and to make him like the animals of her own domain. The path of virtue is thus fraught with temptations to make man deny his own greater innate spirit: fear, greed, sloth, and apathy are as poisonous berries are to hungry men. Every man and woman shall be tested in their lifetime, and it is dependent upon their own will to action that they will determine their own nature - be it virtuous or savage.

As a single man might be tested, so too might his clan be tried. In the north lands, beyond the far Orrenoir, our test had arrived. Run upon our shores from beyond the morning sea - a wicked band of savages brought with them steel, inequity, and a desire for domination of the Virtuous Land. They had come in the hundreds, enslaving the unsworn people of the north to lies of security and wealth, intent to slave our service to their tyranny: the imperial people, Impdonia! Fear convinced the savage to turn his belly up toward his new master, greed had made him a slave to the illusion of their promises, sloth had made him abandon the virtuous path, and apathy had made him blind to his own domination.

But we, were not blind! Amidst the darkness, lit like a blazing heart, we saw the evil that grew outside our borders, wolves prowling the edge of a shepherds field! Our spirit knew neither cowardice nor apathy, but only a desire to rule over our own destiny's! Free from the tyranny of animals, and the ignorance of savages. Desire begot action, and action begot violence - the purest expression of freedom and self determination against evil. At the call of our Sevrant, the solder-servants of the North Army, West Army, and East Army bid their kin farewell and marched northward to fulfill their sacred duty: to give the whole of their beings in service to the Virtuous land.

Never have we servants of virtue battled against a foe more terrible and cunning than those invaders, and not since the first combat against the Tyerin long ago have we had to battle for the freedom of our and our kin's very lives. The toll wrought was terrible - but our victory had been preordained. Unbroken, and undaunted, the righteous spirit of the soldier proved greater than the greed of the Imp savage, and for but a pittance, the invaders were sent back to their shores - knowing defeat, and the glory of the Virtuous People!

This day, revel not in sorrow for those whom you have lost, but rejoice that their sacrifice affirmed the continued security and prosperity of this land, and that generations to come shall know of their deeds and glories. That in the forests of far Orrenoir, soldiers and servants fought and shed blood in defiance of savagery, and declared before men and gods the freedom of the Virtuous land! A destiny of blazing hearts, and righteous iron!

[UniversalCommons]

The Tower of Learning. ( A Day in the Life) After Lunch

Victor Spear Approached the Tower of Learning in a horse cart with Bassaba. The Tower was not big enough to hold all the activities inside it. The inner courtyard had filled up with smaller buildings and now there were even several buildings outside of the walls.

What had been intended to be a place for pure innovation turned out to be different than expected. It started with the Egyptian carpenter who helped build the trebuchet, who then invited an Egyptian faience maker to help Bassaba with making glass and a linen weaver. The linen weaver invited a Sumerian silversmith who invited a bronze smith who made tools. The crafts people attracted more crafts people. They coalesced into an organized group. When the Crimeans showed up with their associations, the artisans organized into the Order of Master Artisans.

Half of the tower was occupied by master craftspeople who taught handicrafts from all over the Nestos League and their allies. The latest addition was a stone carver from Santorini, some members of the Weavers and Paper Makers association from Crimea, an iron worker who had come down from Staro Zagora, and a basket weaver from Troy.

There was still innovation going on like the work with the bamboo, glass, paper, and bicycles. However, there was too much for Victor Spear to take it all in at once. Much of the work on machinery had slowed down. There was a refocus on materials like bamboo, willow, wax, and iron.

A market had arisen just for handicrafts and tools. You could buy rag paper, papyrus, carved wooden spoons and bowls, fish traps, copper fishing hooks, cordage, bamboo, beeswax candles, printed scarves, nalbinded socks, rose water, jewelry, bronze nails, small stone figurines, glue, paint, and all kinds of handicrafts in a big permanent crafts fair.

It was busy, loud, and colorful. Victor Spear had tried to introduce mass production with things all the same and people had refused to buy many of the goods. A counter movement arose to focus on "quality" and care. Basic commodity resources like bricks, bolts of cloths, iron and bronze ingots and a few things were mass produced. Most things were still made by hand or in local workshops with short production lines. Quality tools were appreciated and new technology was looked on in wonder. The common Thracians came to express the dislike of the acceleration of their lives at the open forums in the House of Wisdom.

When Victor Spear had spoken about how, “Everything in ones home should be beautiful and functional” the people in the Nestos League had taken it to heart. To have too much clutter or junk was frowned upon and viewed as not representing proper frugality.

Victor Spear got out of the cart with Bassaba and his bodyguards and entered the gate of the tower. He passed a stall where they were selling hooded cloaks, flat caps, nalbinded caps, and foxskin caps in a variety of colors.

Victor Spear smiled. He was going to visit the upper parts of the Tower of Learning. The Formulary had grown steadily as new craftsmen came in with new ways to make things. What Victor was going to see was something that Bassaba had suggested.

Bassaba, “It is a new idea, someone is categorizing substances by weight and density.”

Victor Spear, “I remember writing about how all the basic components of matter could be arranged by weight and common components.”

Bassaba, “You had mentioned something called a “periodic table.”

Victor Spear, “Yes, but I don't remember most of the components of the table, there are obvious things like iron and oxygen, but I don't really understand it that well. There are things which would be really hard to describe.”

Bassaba, “These things, they don't make sense. Sometimes, I think you are just repeating other peoples ideas. Sometimes you talk about things like you heard it from a lecture at night where they served very strong wine.”

Victor Spear, “You are right, I have only a vague idea of this part of formulizing works. I do want to see what he is doing though. I would have a hard time explaining what was taught to me. It is quite complex and I don't remember more than half of it.”

Bassaba, “Scholar Tuvarek had an idea after reading about this “periodic table”. He thought he could break down the common items and identify how they mixed together.”

Victor Spear and Bassaba walk up several flights of stairs. They are on the fifth floor. There is a room lined with ceramic jars and covered glass bowls. There are tables. Some of them have mortar and pestles on them.”

A young man is making notes in a thick book. He is writing with a quill and black ink.

Bassaba, “This is Scholar Tuvarek.”

Tuvarek does not look up. He simply says, “Oh hi” and keeps reading.

Victor Spear clears his throat, “Scholar Tuvarek, I have come to visit and wish to speak to you.”

Tuvarek, “Oh. Yes.”

Bassaba, “Scholar Tuvarek, this is Victor Spear he wants to talk to you.”

Tuvarek looks up, “Really. I never expected to see you. You don't look like in the posters, you're shorter.”

Victor Spear, “Yes, I am shorter. I am here to learn about your new project.”

Tuvarek, “I am working on identifying all of the components of stuff in the master formulary. I already have some lists of common things from Sumer, but I have greatly expanded them. I have also described many substances, trying to break them down into their original components. It has not been easy. I weigh these things, measure them and make notes on how dense they seem. It is not that exact, but I seem to be making progress. Scholar Hypatia has taken an interest and sent up a student from Abdera to help me out.”

Victor Spear, “Are you familiar with the idea of the atom.”

Scholar Tuvarek, “Atomism is unprovable. I am not sure I believe it. I do believe in the scale which I have and the lenses. They help me work on how dense things are.” Scholar Tuvarek blinks. He has a slightly montone voice.

Scholar Bassaba, “I had a chance to look at what you have written so far. The beginning has a description of how things break down into smaller and smaller things.”

Scholar Tuvarek, “I believe if we can identify the most basic components of substances and describe them, we can make predictions on how substances mix together. This way we can come up with new formulas for different subtances more easily. It is great.”

Victor Spear, “Atoms have weight and those atomic weights help identify them. At least this is what I was taught.”

Scholar Tuvarek, “I don't know anything about atoms and the weights of atoms. They seem imaginary to me. Here take a look at these. I like what I see in front of me.”

Scholar Tuvarek hands Victor Spear a set of papers, It contains detailed lists of individual components from the formulary with descriptions, weights and measurements. There are several hundred pages of notes. They are in very precise lines with precise lettering in neat legible penmanship. Most all of the papers are used up almost completely on both sides.

Victor Spear, “I believe what you are doing is very important. I am going to ask a few more scholars to work with you.”

Tuvarek, “I don't like working with too many people. A few more is all I want. It is important. I, I am good working with the right people. Not too many people. Please.”

Victor Spear, “We'll start with two people. Scholar Bassaba will be working with you. I would like you to read about atoms.”

Tuvarek, “I like scholar Bassaba, I have read everything he has written on bamboo. It is cool. I have read on atoms, I am not convinced. Not convinced.”

Scholar Bassaba, “Thank you Tuvarek. We will allow for a few people at a time.”

Scholar Bassaba and Victor Spear walk away.

Victor Spear, “Please have his notes copied for me. I have met people like him before. He might do with a visit with Scholar Lukics. I bet he works all day with few breaks and has very good concentration. He is a little different.”

Scholar Bassaba, “We have suggested it. He seems to not get sick that often and he refuses to see doctors. He thinks the doctors will kill him. People find him useful because he is meticulous, accurate, and smart. He is strange though.”

[3rdBritan]

I was soon to have arrived at Ebla,Former Syria after I had amassed a small profit from the trading industry. The Kind merchant had died now and his will gave me His property in Crete, His ship and any profits he had at that point. He had no children and as i showed him my hospitality and dedication to him in his final days, where he was diagnosed with some illness that looked very much like a internal hemorrhaging. He never told me he had no children, So it was a surprise when i legally owned right to claim his property. He wrote in his written paper from Memphis that all his friends had died and he would go to join them in the heavens.

i had a small but substantial profit in my New found business, and i went and sailed around the east Mediterranean sea. There was a land Called Indus valley where the valleys grew green and the Rivers flowed with fish...Apparently. This i concluded must be India. Some Rumors of a Trader collecting Mass profits had alluded and toyed in their minds. I would save that thought till later. I had a idea flowing through my mind..The East India Trade company! That would be useful later i reckon. I thought and so it did.

With all the assets i had loaded onto my Ark, i had sailed to Ebla and then in true defiance of my plans originally i moved a little south. I made contacts with some bandits and together we formed a master plan...

The Bandits would rob caravans coming into Ebla from Iraq and Mesopotamia. they would hand the Goods to me for considerable sums of money. I then sold them to the people of Ebla. These people paid a little to much for their share of bread and wine i must say..Though it was not wine some stale alcoholic slur that formed at the bottom of wet Grain barrels. They also purchased Luxuries at immense prices to my profits.
Then i lastly paid the bandits a lot of money supplied from my Merchant affairs at sea to raid the village. The people ran towards the Village like animals and saying "surrender now"
They then led me to the village center and pronounced me king. Everyone looked on in Horror until i lowered the prices of the food at a immense rate, i made i giant feast from the Goods the bandits had stolen and appointed the Bandits powerful positions.

And that is how i had my first conquest...Ebla For the Assyrian Empire

[Speyland]

Jeju Island Discovered (As It Seems)
December 4, 26 DC

One rainy night, sailors and explorers have discovered an island where it appears to be uninhabited for a long time and they want to investigate further into why that is the case. One, there doesn't seem to be any sufficient resources where it could potentially populate the island. Two, there is a volcano where it contains sulfur and other minerals where it would be used to create something new in the future but it would take decades to be completed.

This discovery has let to many to speculate on whether it would be a good idea to inhabit the island even though there aren't enough sufficient resources to take care of the people.

Currently, there doesn't seem to be any news in regards to their discovery.

Iron Discovered
February 9, 27 DC

Iron was discovered by civilians as they were taking a stroll alongside the mountains and it has caught Susan's attention as she identifies what it is.

So far, there hasn't been any news following its discovery.

[Nuxipal]

Javin Torrez
Town of Patna, Gangetic Plain, Autumn 2980 BCE

There had been plenty of the craftsmen who ended up outright moving into the town during the projects. As food was plentiful at this time, due to early planning on the part of the Assembly and Javin, the city experienced a large surplus this year. It was during this time however, that Javin would be notified that his wife Irra was pregnant with their first child. He knew he made the decision previously to go ahead and influence the genes of the people here this way, but it didn't take very long for it to actually begin. The news that Javin would be a father spread quickly, and soon he began being berated by families who believed that someone of his status did not have enough wives. This wasn't something he spoke to Irra about before, and they would need to have a conversation about it.

However, when he went to have that conversation, she seemed to agree. She was actually somewhat confused as to why he had only married one person before her and that typically the village leaders used to marry as many times as they wanted to. There was a story of one chief that had ten wives, and currently Sriranga, the merchant friend of Javin's had six wives. She encouraged him to go find a second wife. While he was comfortable with the concept, having been in a poly relationship in the past, it was odd to use his status as a means to get such a relationship. And he didn't want to marry just anyone, so with that he permitted himself to talk with and date other women from the town.

Besides Javin's personal life having new complexities to it, Javin turned his attention to his people once more. With his town guard now reaching 300 people, armed and armored, he had the strongest single force in the region. With the guard from Arrah, Ballia, Chhapra, and Kamalpur they numbered nearly 1000 fighting men. Not including rural auxiliaries. Javin began to seriously think about a military expansion in the next decade or so. For now, they would need to find a method for getting his army into fighting shape. One thing he hadn't seen or heard of in the wilds here were Horses. He decided to try and focus his attention on the animals which the villagers kept. The first he looked into were the chickens he started to see in larger numbers. No one in the villages remembers a time without them. However, the animals were kept only for fighting.

After some direction and instruction, large chicken coops were created and Javin taught them how to cook a chicken. They could still have their gambling, but what was once an entertainment industry turned into a farming industry with a side gambling business. A new source of food meant that his people would have an easier time surviving times of famine. He moved on to the boars which lived in the nearby woods. A few villagers already kept some swine on their farms. Not enough to be a good source of food, but Javin went to them and convinced them to construct large areas for the swine to live in the open, perhaps enticing others of their kind to live on the farm and in return, he would get the assembly to issue certain tax credits for starting up a new business with the swine.

Last were the wild elephants in the forested regions nearby. Javin had no idea how to tame an elephant, but he did know that domestication was out of the question as elephants ate too much and the simple capturing of young or adolescent elephants was the best way to get working elephants for Patna and his military. He sent several men to watch the elephants and began asking around if there were any villages that had one or more elephants working for them. As the word went out Javin returned home and sifted through the large number of requests from merchant families to marry their daughters simply as a means for them to gain power.

[Spiritual Republic of Caryton]

Marley Camdens
Summer, 2980 BC
0 days, 0 months, 0 years since arrival.
Sertig Valley, Switzerland

Marley woke up in a beautiful environment he had not recognized before. The fact that he was naked, in a place that looked straight out of The Sound of Music, incredibly far from the desert and mountains of Utah shocked him to his very core. This place was remote, yet he recognized it. The Alps? No place was this green and breath-taking. He remembered reading the book Heidi as a child, with the village of Dorfli in its main setting. It couldn't be. Marley hyperventilated, looking around him. For a moment, his body trembled in its place. There was no logical way he could have been transported this far. There weren't even any buildings or road markings, further heightening his fear. So, he did the only thing he thought possible and he sunk to his knees, crossing his arms. He prayed and prayed, five minutes going by, then ten, then twenty, then fourty-five, then sixty-five. He refused to stand until he calmed down.

"I am the Lord your God, your Heavenly Father. Hearken unto my voice and know me."

Marley either had an over-active brain, or this odd experience had thrown him head-first into hallucinations. He looked up from his stance towards nothingness. Yet to him, the sun shimmered impossibly bright.

"The answers will come unto you in due time. Keep your faith. Mark the area where you woke up in, for it shall be symbolic."

-

Doing nothing else, Marley stood up, his slender frame exposed to the coolness of the air. He grasped a large rock and made an indentation in the ground, in the shape of a circle with an X through it. On average, it had the size of about a small bedroom. He planted a circle of rocks along the circumference and interior lines, and shoved a large and prominent stick where the lines of the X intercepted. On top of that stick, he tethered some roots he pulled through a small and flimsy leaf of a bush he found, attaching it to the stick to tell the direction of the wind. On top of the stick, he laid a rock that fit to secure the tie in place and tighten it.

For all Marley knew, he could have been dropped in the wilderness like some sick reality show. The first thing he did was fashion a stone spear with an elongated and jagged rock fit enough to tear flesh. He sharpened a few lighter wooden spears for throwing, and fashioned several ties from bendable roots and plant fibers. He took the bounty of his work and placed it in the circle. Following the sounds of rushing water, he found the ice cold and stone-laden Sertig river among the densely forested inclines surrounding the valley. It was there where he drank, bathed, and luckily impaled a stray Pike fish. Starting a fireplace, he suspended the fish over the fire he tediously made with sticks and brush.

For later, he made a few crude mud and clay pots to hold his items. Leaving them out to dry, he de-boned his fish, prayed over food, ate, and sacrificed half of the flesh into the fire as a form of old testament-like burnt offering to the Lord.

1 day, 0 months, 0 years since arrival.
Sertig Valley, Switzerland

A rudimentary leaf bed shelter supported by sticks under a relatively dense part of trees and logs bore a freshly awoken Marley. He collapsed to his knees and prayed immensely. The Lord and Christ seemingly promised him with information and revelation, as an increasingly isolated Camden refused to accept that he had been stranded in the wilderness somewhere, ultimately citing God as the reason. He had no idea about the precariousness of the situation he was in. Still, he had little option left than to believe that he had been talking to something divine for it made more sense rather than to be alone. He'd definitely go crazy at this rate.

The cold had especially gotten to him last night, and it convinced him to go hunting. Carrying with him a makeshift sling and woven bag of leaves and sticks that held his miniature javelins, Marley ventured into the woods silently. Small animals like the alpine marmots were easier to slay provided he got them from behind. Of these animals, he had slain two. He had needed something larger, though. Something that could cover his whole body. The marmot fur would be easy to form collar, neck, and stuffing of a basic robe suitable for the winter, but the base hide and fabric was still needed. A female red deer trotted far from view. Marley hurried, being careful to make as little noise as possible by avoiding the brush. Storing the corpses in the original circle, he crossed the open plains, getting a harsh flank on the being. It began to stir and shift, sensing something. Now or never. He raised his first wooden spear and threw with all his might. It struck it's back left leg as it began to gallop, stumbling down. He grasped the second and aimed. He ran after to compensate, but that meant the next throw would be weaker. The stick arched and pierced the animal's back, but due to the awkward through it was only a mere flesh wound, and the stick broke in two. Still, it destabilized the animal enough to send it collapsing on its bad leg. He hurriedly moved up, raised his main spear, and mercifully ended its life.

Dragging the corpse back home was a journey to be humored, but he eventually did it. Skinning the animals proved to be quite time consuming, and as did mending the patches of broken skin with little more than root threads and green, sharpened twigs. He soaked the deer skin at the bottom of the river under a presumption that its fur would not hold up due to the coarse nature of it. This would also begin the process of firming it up while he waited for his clay to dry. Weighing it down with rocks, he moved back to the mass of flesh and bones lying in the grass. Grabbing as many bones as he could muster, he washed each one clean, set the marrow aside to eat later, and put them in the circle. Here, he made a rough choice. In an action of what he thought would please the Lord, he sacrificed the entirety of the deer's succulent flesh into his roaring fire as a ceremonial burnt offering as the prophets of old did.

He prayed over and ate the marmot flesh that he later cooked until he had been filled, throwing the bone marrow over the fire next to cook as a snack he had hoped to consume later in the day in lieu of dinner. He forged bone needles, a bone blade, bone crafting tools, and even improvised his spear a bit to be more stable and strong.

He spent rest of the day hunting for more things he could use as insulation or blankets. Sadly, he had only ended a few marmots which he sacrificed the flesh thereof, used the bones to form crude arrow heads. The fur he'd use for his bedding. As for his last project of the day, he grabbed some vegetable fibers and chose the finest and most radiant yellow flowers to begin the grinding process to forge dye for a cape to give him distinction and character, only slightly diluting it until it turned into a potent concentrate. With his new sewing tools at work, he worked into the night, preparing the fibers, spinning them, knitting as fine of a weave as possible-- even making a crude bone button to hold everything together with both plant fiber and incorporating the warm fur around important areas like the neck and hood. Knitting was a trial and error process, incredibly frustrating him as he learned by doing with the only light coming from the fire near him. Thankfully, the size of the bone needle meant you could barely see the holes in between knits. Only a tiny way into the project, he retired to bed early.

6 days, 0 months, 0 years since arrival.
Sertig Valley, Switzerland

Over the time passed by, the leather had been firmed up and treated. The cape had been nearly done and thankfully-- due to Marley's patience and dedication and what he thought was divine intervention, the cape looked smooth, fine, consistent, hole-less, and professional. Donning it to help conserve warmth rather than struggling with the blankets at night, he began a process of feeling up his body parts, making measurements in mud, and cutting matching sizes. With things like his arm or leg width, it was a simple grab-and-paste, but for others like shoulder breadth and waist size, he measured in seconds it took for his finger to come full circle. He spent the most of the day sewing, cutting, stuffing, and measuring. By the evening, he broke down in tears as he donned a long sleeve leather-and-marmot fur stuffed robe, trousers which slipped under, and even crude sandals with the waste fabric, throwing the cape over. He even forged a little yellow headband with the leftover dye and last scraps of leather left. He spent the last hour or so making a rudimentary pillow with scraps, plant fibers, and leaves.

27 days, 0 months, 0 years since arrival.
Sertig Valley, Switzerland

Marley had thought he had gotten another prompting from the Lord:

"Build a house for yourself and other guests, and make it exceedingly fine yet simplistic in nature."

He spent the first 5 days cutting and refining wood into planks and tangible logs, simply taking small sticks to his fire. He began the process of digging long holes into the ground, where the strongest of the logs were sent under and buried under mud and clay. These would be the support beams for the edges of the medium L-shaped house. There, he built a foundation and walls of wooden planks, using both a mixture of rudimentary wooden rope and bone/wooden nails to secure it. Against the walls in both the inside and outside, he lined them with various stones for extra strength and insulation, sealing them off with clay and even more support planks. By the 23rd day, a functioning chimney of clay bricks was set up. The roof of planks, leaves, fibers, and even parts of clay around integral areas remained flat, yet had a slight incline towards a raingutter system of carved wood down into a well at the side of the house he dug in his spare time. He moved his bed into the interior, fashioned a rudimentary crafting section, two private rooms, and a kitchen consisting of several clay pots, crude storage vessels, and his tools. The campfire was dismantled and the ashes were soaked in water and combined with the recent animal fat to make a crude soap. Marley knew that ash had very useful properties, knowing about the struggles the pioneers went through in olden times. Leaving a bunch of unsavory-looking blobs out in the sun to dry, he accented the soap with the scent of some wild pink edelweiss for that classic soapy feel, even if made subtle. Rolling the leftover wood into the fireplace, he treated himself to some wood sorrel soup before falling asleep.

1 month, 10 days, 0 years since arrival.
Sertig Valley, Switzerland

He woke up to some noises in the forest beyond the norm. Journeying out, Marley grasped his spear and slid his stone dagger into its sheath. He didn't bother peering out his wooden window, he merely ran out to bear witness to something incredible. Nomad travelers. Wooden spears, bows and arrows, hide shields, some metal tools, and minimal clothing. He had never considered this before. Nobody lived in this remote region, but people went through it. It all came crashing down on him. He was sent in the past. It all made sense now. Due to him not knowing that hundreds of others were in the same situation as him, this strengthened his belief that he could talk to God. He was sent as a prophet to these people-- to predict and establish Christ's church and the doctrines of the Book of Mormon and Bible... in his own way?

"Hear ye, Marley. You are a prophet of mine, teach these people what they do not know... teach them thy knowledge and bidding, for your interpretation of the things ye know lay the most supreme."

Marley hurriedly ran to the group, who nearly instantly became defensive. He was taller than them by quite a few inches, he didn't look like one of them, and he was armed.

"Hey..." he began in something other than English, pausing as he realized he could speak whatever prototype tongue they did. Whatever, just take it and go.

"Fear ye not, for I bring a message!" The group lowered their guard, looking at him suspiciously. "I have been anointed by the divine to tell you that potential lay not in your nomadic settlements, but ye can bring paradise here! Why enslave yourself to a life of moving around under the guise of a tribal chief that offers you little spiritually? I can testify that there is a Creator and that he will send his only son to die for your mistakes. He will testify across land in sea, throughout your continent and even an entirely new continent you know not of. He testifies in all languages, his love knows no boundaries, and I hold the scriptures to the foundation of a society!"

The group of around ten had been interested and captivated. He was charismatic, he was a foreigner that knew their tongue, he spoke so confidently about things they had little to know about. It may have been that he was just really good with enticing a crowd, or God really did bless Marley with luck. They looked at the near-alien house as he demonstrated further by cycling his tongue, testing out the waters. He first tried Spanish, the dreaded class everyone needed to take in high-school. Impossibly fluent. How? He couldn't even conjugate 'nosotros' correctly. Then his native English, and then, getting cocky, he set his mind on Russian-- something he knew none of. It all worked. How? Did God really give him powers? The whole crowd was startled. He clutched his yellow cape, and looked at them with a smile.

"In a book which will come to existence-- the Book of Mormon-- it declares that a very brave man named Nephi would 'go and do the things the Lord commandeth' because he 'knows the Lord will prepare a way for the things to be done.' You can be taught the ways of righteousness and do the things that I as a prophet ordain to be done, and even though building a society from nothing seems impossible-- with faith, anything can be done."

The group followed him to the valley, noting the circle marker and the house.

"The Lord tells me to send three of you as witnesses back to your respective travel parties. Bring them here, with the good news of a Prophet's arrival. The rest of you, be ordained to harvest wood, stone, clay, and various plant materials to build your own houses leading up to the marker... on a main road. On the opposite side of this empty road will be a sacred temple for our faith. Two of you may be ordained with the tools to clear the grass to form a temporary dirt road, the rest of you may build as you please. I ordain that you may pair with any man or woman of your choice-- the state of your relationship does not matter in order to form families. Make space for your families. Until your houses are built, you may sleep inside the existing one. I shall assist you with the process of which I underwent."

The group, instantly captivated, moved on and began to get to work. Three departed for their long trips back to their destinations.

"I declare this place Sariah, capital of the restoration, named after the loyal and dutiful wife of Nephi."

[Speyland]

Susan Park
June 2, 28 DC

Susan was eating dinner as she is looking forward to eating her favorite food she liked as a child, japchae (잡채). Cooked from the furnace that she had invented for the citizens to use, the chef had cooked it correctly as steam is visible from the food and the aroma has made her mouth filled with water as she couldn't wait to eat it.

"Here you go, your majesty." The chef said happily. "Thank you." Susan smiled at the chef. She picked up the wooden fork as she couldn't eat it with her hands as it is taboo and eat it slowly for the flavor to immerse. Surprisingly, she loved it.

"Wow, this tastes great!" Susan said in shock. "You think so?" The chef asked. "Of course, " she put the fork down. "Although the food seems to be in good shape there is one problem, " she said. "What will that be, your majesty?" He asked. "If you put the seasoning on the food then that would be great, " she said. "I see." He said. "Other than that, the food tastes great, keep up the good work." She said happily. "I will, your majesty." The chef said. "You may leave." She said.

The chef has left the palace while Susan continues eating the food without taking breaks from eating too fast.

Susan Park
June 3, 28 DC

Susan is taking a stroll through the city as she notices something interesting. A shaman can be seen praying as he didn't notice the queen until now. "Excuse me." She said to get his attention. "Oh, your majesty, " he said in surprise. "I wasn't expecting to see you." He said. "And now you do." She said. "Are you here to pray with me?" He asked. "Not really, I want to ask you a question." She said. "You can ask me anything, your majesty." He said.

"What do you for a living and what beliefs do you believe in?" She asked curiously. "There are gods who control the world whether it be fire, water, air, earth, and other living beings." He explained. "I see." She said. "We usually give them food as we are trying to make them happy, " he said. "Why would you do that?" She asked in shock. "We don't want to bring misfortune to the world as it would make them upset, " he said. "It's not like we want to starve to death but it is the only way to please them." He said. "I see," She said.

"There's a God that my mother used to tell me about but since they have converted to Buddhism I forgot what his name was..." She muttered. "Is something wrong, your majesty?" He asked curiously. "Oh, it's nothing." She said. "Is there anything else that you want to ask me?" He asked. "No, that will be all, " she said. "I appreciate that you have answered my question." She said happily.

"Well, I should get going then, " he said. "May the gods have faith in you, your majesty." He said before walking away. "Uh, you too?" She said awkwardly. From her perspective, it appears that she has discovered the origin of Korean folk religion and she wants to learn more about it.