LORDS OF THE EARTH CAMPAIGN 54
"LORDS OF THEEURTH"

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Honor to those who in the life they lead

define and guard a Thermopylae.

Never betraying what is right,

consistent and just in all they do

but showing pity also, and compassion;

generous when they're rich, and when they're poor,

still generous in small ways,

still helping as much as they can;

always speaking the truth,

yet without hating those who lie.

And even more honor is due to them

when they foresee (as many do foresee)

that Ephialtis will turn up in the end,

that the Medes will break through after all.

- C.P. Cavafy, Thermopylae (1901)

 

1. Just about everyone had the number of Wizard (wiz) units adjusted.  Nearly none of them were correct.  It's easy to forget one's own house rules!

2. An early heads-up.  At some unknown point in the future (somewhere between Turn 15 and 20, I'd guess), this campaign will be transitioning from LOTE 5.10 rules to LOTE 6.0 rules.  For most of you, there will be little change.  Unit costs (particularly ships) will be the most complicated change.  But colonization will become a -lot- more expensive.  If you wish to colonize now to get ahead of the game, you have now been warned.

3.  New House Rule - All Have Children orders will fail if you have not named your current children.

4. PLEASE NOTE: Many troop and ship types require Yard Costs.  That is, there is a limit to how many you can build at any given spot.  Several of you fell afoul of that rule this turn.

MEDARHOS -

North-Western Medarhos -

The Skane Jarldoms -  Ruler - King Bjarnalf Capital - Vanaheim Dominant Race - Human

The Kingdom of Tirgonia -
Ruler - King Gareth
Capital - Tirgon
Dominant Race - Human

In 2836, a fleet of ten black Daeron galleys entered the waters of Ben-Thael uncontested.  They raided the shores of Sothwall, the Greenwood and even the Crown Lands!  Although the grim men, orcs and half-orcs of Daerond were able to land unopposed at Sothwall, they could not reach the inland valleys where lay the rich farms and towns.  The local militia, backed by the many fortifications of Sothwall drove back the invaders with little loss. In the Crown Lands, Gareth's mighty army met the tiny force of raiders with overwhelming numbers at every beach and headland.  But in the lush forests of the Greenwood, the raiders looted farms and hamlets all along both coasts, leaving the undefended region in flames.

The Iron Empire of Daerond -    Ruler - Empress Melisandre von Landegol Capital - Aicherai Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - The Hills of Terror [-]

Delion Danaur, liegeman of the Empress, took command of the Daeron navy as his personal force and went to sea, where he immediately encountered the smaller force of Harkorian ships under the command of Maradoxus III, Councillor of Archameos.  The Harkorian ships were far better crewed, but Delion Danaur was a wily commodore, whereas Maradoxus was a preening fop who had never bothered to differentiate the requirements for a naval action from those of a race about the harbor.  In a brief, decisive action, Danaur dispersed the Harkorian fleet, capturing two and sinking two.  From there, he went raiding on the Ben-Thael coast.  (See The Skane and Tirgonia, above).

In 2837, the tubers and wheat grown in the Great Rift began to blacken and rot.  Angry shamans pronounced this to be the work of some evil spell.  Already only barely able to feed her multitudes, Daerond began to starve...

The Harkorian League -
Ruler - First Councillor Azazel
Capital - Cadares
Dominant Race - Human

reported that men clad in black, accompanied by weird bat-like creatures who appeared to control the assassins descended on the important houses and slaughtered chief scribes, engineers, priests and noblemen.  The result was a devastating blow to the bureaucracy of the League.  Only Azazel's energetic rule managed to keep the nation from flying apart into civil war.  No proof of guilt was ever found, but all fingers pointed north towards Aicherai.  Many demanded to know why no one had been guarding the bureaucracy after the many previous attacks.

The Edgemoor Orcs -
Ruler - Corash the Brave
Capital - Zaramaka
Dominant Race - Orcs

South-Western Medarhos -

The Brythnian Confederation -  Ruler - Queen Rhea Capital - Carrenthium Dominant Race - Taurid Diplomacy - Orosel [NT], Unialus [NT]

Queen Coeus ordered the settlement of Bodhria, Hailh Endhor, Vilayan and Cerintum with centaur encampments and trading villages.  Coeus died in the Dacian Hills in 2837.  She was succeeded by her heir, Queen Rhea, six weeks later.  Rhea and her nobles waited and watched the borders for any incursion, but none came. Lady Kore, a persuasive and attractive centaur, traveled among the centaurs of Unialus and the Minotaurs of Orosel, convincing each to allow Brythnian armies free movement over their lands. As they had for so many decades, farms and villages were slowly cultivating the Great Meadow. The ten thousand Aelissian halflings guarding the Dacian Hills shifted east to the Brythnian Hills while the Order of the Dawn, which had been guarding the Brythnian Hills, shifted eastward into the Conorrian Empire. Missionaries from the Great Church spread amongst the tribes of the Great Meadow, and converted many of the province's most influential citizens to the worship of the Lords of the Grail. As a result of this break with the ancient traditions of their ancestors, the centaurs of the Great Meadow also began to fall away from the Confederation.  They still sent taxes and support to Carrenthium, but paid little further heed to the political or religious influence of the Queen.

Aelissia - Ruler - King Marvin Fatfish Capital - The Great Delve Dominant Race - Halfling

Corland - Ruler - King Armand Capital - Khairais Dominant Race - Human

King Armand named his eldest son Tancred as his heir and his second son Bohemund Prince of Tullieres. He ruled from Khairais and had a postal road built through Andelais, considerably shortening the route to Niance and Mauredoc. Lord Balgar meanwhile traveled to Mauredoc and convinced Lord Guiscard to become the vassal of the King as his ancestors had been for so long.

 

Lorraine - Ruler - King Artorius Capital - Armorica Dominant Race - Human

Old King Artorius, now in his seventies, invested in public works and field forts across his realm.  Prince Mordred, as bitter as ever, guarded the seas from attack with a large new contingent of Lorraine Marines. Sir Morgan and Sir Boru governed in Cassivelaunus and Meergeld, the former with little energy, the latter with great energy.  Meergeld, though tiny, was becoming a popular trading station within the Valesian Sea because of its good harbor and fine amenities. In 2837, a horde of orcs boiled out of the forests of Dines and attacked Lynet, even shooting at the watch on the walls of Lothian. The orcs, numbering more than sixty thousand strong, rampaged through the forest hamlets, slaughtering and looting to their hearts content.  Mordred and his fleet, backed up by Sir Thark of the Closed Helm, lord of Persant and Sir Cathal of Meliodas, attacked the orcs.  Though the marines fought well, they were not well-suited to combat on land, and were driven back into the sea by the orcs, who then sent a demand to Prince Mordred to ransom his father's kingdom.

The Neldorean Wood - Ruler - Queen Nereil Capital - Elenuil Dominant Race - Elf

Queen Nereil withdrew into the palace at Elenuil and saw few of her counselors, but a great many scribes, librarians and wanderers, whom she quizzed at length about conditions in the far south. Lord Taralom and Lady Senelra returned from their time away, and immediately left again.  Senelra took command of the Neldorean army, sixteen thousand strong, and marched into Ianthe, conquering the Riftmarch and driving the Aeolan-worshiping humans before her in vengeance for old wars that no living man remembered. Thousands of refugees fled east into Ianthis and Halianis.  The cruelty of the elves did not stop there, for they looted the lands and killed any human who remained after their warnings to leave.  Tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children were slaughtered.

Queen Nereil

The Exarchate of the Great Crusade - Ruler - Queen Ava Capital - Pontezium Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - South Akasia [A], Maicutis [-HS], Ianthis [-HS]

Queen Ava	The Crusaders completed their cultivation of South Akasia, an event celebrated by the local priests with a ceremony to Calandra, goddess of the Earth and fertility.  Even as that project was finished, another was begun.  Queen Ava broke ground on a large royal palace in Pontezium with facilities for the royal family and much of the government as well. Bolstered by little magic to make a persuasive woman even more arresting, Queen Ava herself held talks with the Lord of South Akasia and convinced him to enter into an alliance with the Exarchate.
The Queen's brother and heir, Gauter, died in 2839 while in the Ianthan region of Maicutis, attempting to forge an alliance. As if the differences in language and religion weren't enough, Gauter's abrasive and demanding personality (to say nothing of his famously fetid breath) were enough to anger the Maicutans, who would have tossed him out had he not had the good grace to die on them. Such was also the fate of the expedition of Lord Yaral to Ianthe itself.  There, the locals chased the unlucky lord out of the region with bricks and stones. In 2840, Ava's sister-in-law Princess Tertia (the wife of Prince Candos and daughter of the Conorrian Emperor Constantikos) died in childbirth.

A terrible series of winters has struck the Crusader States, dumping up to eight feet of snow across the entire region, and pounding the Exarchate with repeated ice storms well into spring.  As a result, crops are killed by the frost and cattle and sheep die of exposure.

Worse was to come (See The Holy Order of the Dawn, below).

The Holy Order of the Dawn -
Ruler - Grand Master Lactantius
Capital - The Akasian Hills
Dominant Race - Human

Though the Order was not to learn Gnaeus's true fate for many a long year, they learned of his failure all too soon.  On a foggy spring day in 2839, Urugall the dragon appeared out of the mists and began to lay waste to the Akasian Hills, burning all around him in a devastation that promised to rival that of Neldorea.  Then came a stroke unlooked-for.

Grimly, and without hope of victory, Lords Roger of Pomarche and Charles of the Salt Shore, two barons allied with the Crusader States, rode to give battle to the fearsome dragon.  With them marched a mere four thousand light infantry.  But these marcher lords were crafty and awaited the dragon in a rocky defile where they set upon it in ambush, raining stones and arrows down upon the astonished fiend, and striking upwards from hidden pits in suicidal valor.  So sudden and fierce was their onslaught that the dragon was taken unawares and wounded.  And so it halted its destruction and took to the skies, fleeing and wailing curses of hatred behind it!

Rhanalor -

The Worldspine Orcs -
Ruler - Regent Jortak Bloodhelm
Capital - Mount Kauroth
Dominant Race - Orc

The Worldspine Orcs cried out for war.  Jortak Bloodhelm and Worg the Unwashed led a "reconnaissance in force" into the Southern Worldspine mountains at the head of fourteen thousand troops. These included a thousand mercenaries hired by the king of the Meledrian elves and two thousand Ascarlon troops under General Mazdak. Gulgash the Rude, still wounded from battle, led a force of two thousand orcs into the Blue Peaks to watch for any dwarven incursions.  Gulgash, to whom even walking or riding was brutally painful, had constructed a mobile War Altar, astride which he rode, grimacing in pain every time the bulky Altar bounced over some stone or rut in the primitive path.  Luckily, his warriors took these grimaces for fury or religious fervor and few perceived how weak their leader was. Word came to Gulgash that an army of dwarves and men was slaughtering the orcs of Orodh Dhorn, but unwilling to travel further, he dug in and held his ground at the Blue Peaks. Mendak Half-Goblin rode with a thousand goblin cavalry first east and then south down the eastern bank of the Phaedon river, intending to strike into the heart of the troubled Empire.

The timing of this expedition was exquisite.  It occurred just as the Conorrian Empire was pulling its troops back to guard against the Airnim.  The stealth used by the orcs eluded both the Order of the Dawn at Lenicum and the dwarves of Dhûnazhar., Then the orcish army broke into the Empire just as the Empire was tearing itself apart in civil war.  Mendak raided with impunity. From their encampment in rebellious Lidhinos, the orcs raided the wealthy lands of Adoria, Faucrion, Anicium and Boenia.  Anicium was effectively closed to them by its great number of field forts.  Boenia was relatively poor.  Faucrion had been thoroughly raided by the Airnim five years before.  But the wealth of Adoria lay open to the goblins, and it was far, far more than they could take with them.

Having heard of a stirring among the elves of Celendor, the hobgoblins of Carhallas turned from their hobby (killing humans) to their true avocation (killing elves). Emperor Maugroth ordered the entire force of Carhallas to assemble at the fortress-city of Gothmaur in Elsend.  Within two years there was assembled a dutiful and orderly army some twenty-six thousand strong, eager to do the Emperor's bidding. General Skarkug had brought his huge army out of the Worldspines to face this new threat closer to home. The majority of them were disappointed, for it was the will of the Emperor that they remain in defensive positions around the city.  Only a small raiding force of some fifteen hundred goblin cavalry was released to beard the elves in their lair.  Maugroth's vassal, the Lord of Zhagon, had this honor.  In 2838, his troops raided into Orodel.  The fast-moving raid encountered no defenders, and so after having stripped what few portable goods the small forest hamlets had, Zhagon remained to conquer the elven province.  This turned out badly for the goblins, precisely as the Emperor had foreseen.

Out of the summer woods arrived a huge force of elves, some ten thousand strong, led by Lord Voromë, a cousin of King Elorian.  The elves crushed the goblin force, which, despite orders to flee at the first contact, had realized that contact too late to flee effectively.  A few hundred goblins did make it back to the hobgoblin lines, but the elves did not pursue.  They had learned the lesson of that particular trap when Maugroth's grandsire sat the throne fifty years earlier. 

The Great Kingdom of Annvar - Ruler - First Councillor Laskal Capital - Varthane Dominant Race - Human

The Standard of Annvar

entire stretch of five years.  It was a period of unparalleled corruption and mismanagement, as Voriax deftly diverted vast sums of the public purse into his own treasuries.

First Councillor Torund died peacefully in the winter of 2840.  Though contentious, the debates in Council were brief.  Laskal was the clear favorite to succeed Torund, and was acclaimed by the Council only two weeks after Torund's death.

Celendor -
Ruler - King Elorian Mistmantle
Capital - Ennilas
Dominant Race - Elf

The Forest Realm of Meledrian -
Ruler - King Eldareth Hammerhand
Capital - Laurelindë
Dominant Race - Elf

King Eldareth Hammerhand

As Nightrunner scouts prowled the western border for signs of any Celendor armies, the elf-lords of Meledrian summoned a host of infernal powers to augment the power and majesty of the realm.  The Circle of Dusk summoned forth dark and heady wines and the sweet fruit of the darkraven vine to feed the armies of the king. Other sorceries were less obvious, but no less potent. King Eldareth Hammerhand and his kinsman Lord Balan interviewed the chiefs and princes of the realm, that they might know exactly what resources the god Malbor had placed in the hands of his mighty regent, Eldareth. Lord Cerelindas marched into Mithelan at the head of an army of craftsmen and settlers and founded the port town of Narbyndahl on the waters of the Lower Wolf River. Soon, traders from Annvar and Nikitya were flocking to purchase the wares of the elves. Prince Namardil, son and heir of Eldareth, governed the capital at Laurelindë.  Under his stern and farsighted guidance, the capital experienced a renaissance.  A great triumphal road was driven through the city, slave markets expanded and war cisterns established.  The Great Cathedral of the Final Dissolution was founded at the city's center. Lord Aeliniel was governor at Dalariadh.  There, the tensions of war and the shortages in nearly every important material made any real progress difficult, but Aeliniel cajoled, commanded and drove the locals as best he could.

The Ur-Vath Horde -
Ruler - Saarpinal
Capital - Wellamo
Dominant Race - Human

The mighty Ur-Vath Horde traipsed around Wellamo, looking for something to do...

The Conorrian Heartland -

The Conorrian Empire - Ruler - Emperor Saxonius I Capital - Echoriath Dominant Race - Human

Princess Anna was sent to meet with the Airnim leader Tarl Wolf's Paw and brought him a payoff of two hundred talents of gold.  The barbarian king contemptuously took the tribute as his due and, good to his word, rode off east towards the Shattered Lands.

In the winter of 2835, the Emperor suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of fifty-three.  Thus began an extraordinary passage in the bloody history of the Empire. Within days of the death of her father, Princess Anna moved to take control of the Phoenix Throne.  Her first act was to order Saxonius to turn over command of the armies directly to her.  The young general and war wizard refused, instead surrounding the royal palace with his troops and seizing hold of the Senate houses.  Within weeks, Anna capitulated, agreeing to marry Saxonius and place him at the head of her armies. Saromanios, Consul in Echoriath, supported Saxonius and ruled the city in his name.

Prince Arcalas, resident in Faloricum, arrived to contest the coup, but after an impassioned speech to the gathered armies failed to find favor, he was captured and consigned to the dungeons.  A faithful servant helped the Prince escape what would have been certain death, but Arcalas was badly injured during a struggle with his guards before he escaped into the night.

A great many provinces of the Empire declared their independence at this time.  Aelendaris, Aquae Albanesis, Caprera, Crisias, Eatris, Ganthus Longa, Hydastes, Isurium, Lauriacum, Liburnum, Lidhinos, Medensus, Mogentianae, Mynos (and the holy city of Conorr), Naxartes, Neander, Olicana, Pedrosus, Quaethos, Ratiara, Sexaginta, Sissicus, Zenoton and the cities of Colanum and Flavium all broke away from Imperial rule.

Meanwhile, Prince Varantius commanded a sizeable army and was encamped for the winter in Acaris.  He now hastened to confront Saxonius and seize command of his father's crumbling Empire. With him went the Llyran skyships under the injured Bishop Ayld. Saxonius marched out to meet them. The battle took place at a small village called Modynus, and was ever after called by that name.  The two armies clashed in the old Conorrian way, with heavy infantry at the center, supported by light missile troops and cavalry on the wings.  Saxonius had by far the heavier troops.  Though Varantius's light limitanei were well-suited to fighting in the Worldspine mountains, Saxonius had a great mass of cavalry and elite Conorrian legionnaires. Varantius and his legions fought well, but the outcome was never in doubt.  The Prince died like a Conorrian, however, taking his own life when the defeat of his forces became evident.  Before he died, he sent a messenger to Saxonius acknowledging his defeat and bidding the de facto emperor to rule with honor.

While all this was happening, the Worldspine orcs had marched an army into Lidhinos and were raiding the rich lands nearby.  By the time Saxonius could turn his attention to these dangerous pests, they were swiftly retreating back to the mountains. (See The Worldspine Orcs, above).

In 2840 the Mercenary leader Angamon joined the Conorrian service at the behest of the Grail Patriarch.

The Great Church of the Lords of the Grail - Ruler - Patriarch Calidonus Holy City - Conorr Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Belfirth [MN], Querenia [CH], Tathlann [CH], Ninos [CH]

The Patriarch's Standard

Bishop Hermetus, after blessing the efforts of Bishop Telerus, passed away at the age of fifty seven.

When civil war broke out amongst the Conorrians, the Patriarch took no side, deeming it his duty to remain aloof from such contests, so that the Church would continue regardless of who sat on the Phoenix Throne.

The Dwarven Realm of Dhûnazhar - 
Ruler - King Valand Dragonsbane
Capital - Khelem Vala
Dominant Race - Dwarf
Diplomacy - Jaelitus [EA]

hilly land, to allow Khelem Vala to collect and distribute taxes in the region.

The Warded Realm of Pelendur -
Ruler - King Gregor
Capital - Naugrias
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Iaurinum [-]

The Warded Realm remained quiet, unknown to most even of its neighbors.  But within its guarded mountain walls, changes were afoot. A small collection of houses and farms became the new town of Keldior Hall.  An irrigation project in Naugrias made farming there far more attractive, and many peasants moved into the area seeking a plot of land for themselves. King Gregor convened representatives of his noble houses and conducted a thorough census of his realm.  Meanwhile, his heir and cousin, sir Ulfast ruled the realm in Gregor's name.  When Sir Illidor failed to obtain a wife for Ulfast among the women of Iaurinum, Ulfast married a fine woman from a local family and started to raise a family. Lady Chanrey governed the city of Eidolon, proving to be farsighted and deft at handling the many bureaucrats and noble families of the city.  Under her administration, a new market was built and several thoroughfares widened.

VALES -

North-Western Vales -

The Llyran Republic -
Ruler - Constans Emratur z'Accotto Marova
Capital - Tarrentica
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Halianis [C]

Bishop Ayld Flewelling commanded the Republic's airships in the Worldspine mountains.  When Conorrian prince Varantius returned to the Empire, so did Ayld.  When Varantius confronted the Conorrian usurper Saxonius, the good bishop lent the aid of the Llyran Sky Forces to the man he saw as the legitimate heir to the throne at the battle of Modynus.

Foreign observers have noted small groups of Llyran soldiers flying near Tarrentica, riding upon the backs of griffons.

The Speaker of the Senate announced that the inquiry into the death of Senator Dieter Laroved is closed.  Dietr was lost somewhere near the ruins of Jarlhaven when looking for an artifact known as the Purple Tome.

The Holy Matriarchy of Ahuran -  Ruler - Queen Rhia Moonshadow Capital - Sedeskan Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Naidhan [-]
Rhia Moonshadow assumed the crown of her mother's kingdom, elevating Regent Yvonne to the status of Princess.  Rhia immediately declared a competition at the Grounds of the Royal Consorts to find her own replacement.  Given the dire situation in the Matriarchy, Rhia commanded that the competition be one command.  Each of her lieutenants competed in three events to determine who would be the heir to the throne.  The first was a direct test of leadership where they had to direct a small team in a mock battle.  The second was a test of oratory, in which each competitor declaimed her choice of ancient poetry or history.  The third was a logic puzzle; each competitor had to solve a complicated logic puzzle to retrieve a golden apple from a sealed room. The charismatic and beautiful general Karyn Tremorlyn won the second and third event, coming in third in the first event.  Rhia named Karyn her successor. Rhia then took a Royal Consort from a good noble family and proceeded to rule her shattered realm.  She gave birth to a son in 2839.

Rhia launched an effort to rescue her aunt, Trianna Copperblade, but when most of the search party went missing, the queen sadly declared her aunt to be dead. Most of Ahuran's efforts were spent tracking down and attacking the Cult of the Fleshweavers, whom the Matriarchy blamed for awakening Sirrush the Terrible.  Thus, much of their work was done in secrecy.  But the exploits of Karyn Tremorlyn were no secret.  With two thousand troops, including five hundred Knights of the Ring of Gold, descended on the estate of one Rhiannon Mournvale, a wealthy merchant of Sedeskan, and uncovered the secret shrine to Andobulos, Lord of Corruption, and the cultic lodge of the Fleshweavers it housed.  Mournvale and her acolytes were summarily executed, their heads set upon the city gates as a warning. Then Tremorlyn led an inquisition in Sedeskan, questioning thousands and torturing any who seemed to know something they were not telling.

It was not long before a second cultic lodge was uncovered in the small Ilmultorn village of Veddan.  It's adherents suffered the same fate. Landress Lucille of Haalthor launched a similar pogrom in Haalthor, Rarram and Ilduskan, but uncovered no such cultic sites.

Miranda Foxglove traveled to Naidhan, where she entreated High Witch Elahtiel to join that region with Ahuran.  Independent and stubborn, Elahtiel refused.

Jenna Storm, Landress of Ahristhon, died during childbirth in 2836.

Sirrush the dragon did not rest quietly.  In 2837, he flew into Ilmultorn and burned several villages, carrying away a great number of slaves and livestock.

Har'akir - Ruler - Sultan Shazanon Alouda Capital - Mar Awas Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Dikhil [EA]

What if you threw a revolution and no one came? Har'akir got to answer that question.  In the summer of 2836, Sultan Socacia was enjoying a rousing game of polo (his team was winning 8-4) when an errant ball struck him in the throat, crushing his windpipe.  He lingered for five days, but finally died in bed at the age of forty-eight.  Socacia's eldest son, Shazanon, was only fourteen, and had not been declared his father's heir.  There were loud protests in the market squares of Agazier and Mar Awas that the country needed a strong leader. Prince Munsif loudly claimed the throne, but he was in far-off Kumrat with no army, and no one paid him any attention.  Kumrat followed him, but more out of antipathy towards Har'akir than with enthusiasm for his cause. Mountainous Makhat tossed out the Sultan's few representatives, but all the other regions of the realm carried on as before. All of Sococia's followers closed ranks behind Shazanon and crowned him their sovereign. The revolution ended with a whimper. Ahmeer, Emir of Dikhil and ally of Har'akir died in the same year, having drowned during a boating accident. His heir continued to pay tribute to Mar Awas, but took a much less active role in the realm at large.  The Emir of Damo died of the flu the following year.  His sons coordinated the province's economy with that of the sultan, but likewise sent no armies to his aid. Lord Nooldor, traveling to Dikhil after the death of Ahmeer, coaxed his heir to agree to closer economic ties with Mar Awas.

Lord Bajid and his navy served the interests of his Red Pact ally, the Llyran Republic when, in 2838, the newly-strengthened Akir fleet traveled to Nasilia on the Lorraine coast and helped to ferry the Llyran army back to Tarrentica.

Almost lost in all this activity was the expansion of the port of Agazier, according to plans laid down by Sultan Sococia in his last year.  The former frontier town was now a small city and an important destination for anyone traveling the Valesian Sea.

The Valesian Empire - Ruler - Primarch Centorius II, Euristis Capital - Centauris Dominant Race - Human
Centorius II ordered an impressive scheme of shipbuilding and the recruiting of armored soldiers.  Unfortunately, the capital could produce only so many heavy units, and the plans for a second Valesian fleet remained just that: plans. Despite that setback, an impressive force of hoplites, with their impossibly long sarissas was raised to defend the capital.  Because of this lack of available ships, the Primarch had to shelve his plan to support the Primacy against possible barbarian hordes in Conorr. Tempus, brother and heir to Centorius, governed the capital for five years.  As governor, he saw to the building of a temple to Fargalann, Lord of Victory, but was widely believed to have lined his own pockets with a fortune skimmed from the temple's sizeable budget.

Prince Achmaenus, a cautious, almost ascetic man who disapproved of nearly every vice popular among his fellow Valesians, was governor of Vales.  Despite his monkish outlook, he was nonetheless very popular, and his reputation as a philosopher-soldier was second to none.  He struggled almost in vain against the rampant crime for which the ancient city was known, but did manage to break the power of Polyphoros, the eunuch moneylender who was one of the most powerful and corrupt of the city's elite.  Several days of rioting broke out after Polyphoros was arrested, orchestrated largely by his clients and family, but Achmaenus calmly sent in his trained bucellarii, and after several broken bones, the crowds dispersed.

Luxur -
Ruler - General Lyansys
Capital - Thedelos
Dominant Race - Sathla
Diplomacy - Aysira in Sekhem [F]

Finally, Speaker Gozbul managed, through skillful negotiations, to convince the city of Aysira to rejoin the kingdom at last.

The Holy See of Udjo - Ruler - Arch Priest Pysus Holy City - Merwal Dominant Race - Sathla Diplomacy - Habu [MN], Sia [AB]

The increasingly doctrinal Holy See concentrated on improving the Holy City of Merwal, installing a grand avenue and clearing away jungle vines from several older parts of the metropolis. Arch Priest Pysus, known as Pysus the Pious, personally canonized a monastery in Habu, about thirty miles upcountry from the great holy city. In Sia, the Mykele homeland, the Church established an abbey. Emissaries arrived from the Grail Patriarch to speak with the Arch-Priest at Merwal.  What was said between them is not recorded, but it is certain that many, if not most sathla still hated and feared the Grail because of the Keferis conquest of the holy city.

The Serpentine of Mykele -
Ruler - Sauressh Sishtreth II
Capital - Oroyon
Dominant Race - Sathla

THE SOUTHERN PIRATES

The pirates shifted south to the Straits of Sandrettos and awaited their payment from Mykele.

North-Eastern Vales -

The Kingdom of Thariyya - Ruler - King Mogrihan Vahdin Capital - Uls Fakhar Dominant Race - Halfling

King Mogrihan was nothing if not far-sighted.  The diminutive monarch easily foresaw what would happen if the Empire did not fight the Airnim horde - they would move southeast towards Thariyya.  The King had many eyes watching the Esharias river, in the form of spies, scouts and even the Thariyyan navy.  When the massive horde crossed the Esharias into Kildaruensis in the Spring of 2836, Mogrihan knew within days that his nightmare was coming true. While the Airnim were still in the deserts of Kildaruensis, Beneasis Al-Oghram and the Thariyyan navy raided and looted the desert tribes of Shai in an attempt to limit the supplies the horde would have. Sezir and Relequa Vahdin, cousins of the king, led a team of assassins into Shai where they

 lay in wait for the passage of the horde, hoping to murder Tarl Wolf's Paw as he passed.  But Tarl's guards were far too vigilant for that, and the cousins only narrowly escaped death themselves.

All other Thariyyan leaders concentrated on defending UIs Fakhar, but it seemed that the horde had little interest in the halfling capital...for now.

The Airnim Horde -  Ruler - Tarl Wolf's Paw Capital - None Dominant Race - Human

Satisfied with the Empire's tribute of two hundred talents of gold, Tarl roused the horde to rise up and ride on.  He crossed the Esharias river at Autricum, not raiding more than a token amount, and traveled south across the deserts of Kildaruensis and Shai.  In the latter desert, his guards dislodged a band of fanatic halflings who had been set to ambush the khan.  These he crucified in the desert and rode on.

The thirty-two thousand Airnim easily seized the province of Naushqa after a battle so brief it barely merited the name. They then garrisoned it with twenty-five hundred troops and went on to seize the desert of Habel with its ancient ruins and the trading posts around them, also garrisoning it.  They did not try to seize the walled city of Sarascius. The horde ended its wanderings in the Naushqa steppe.

The Warlocks of Accolon - Ruler - Emperor Jozan North Capital - Dammarask Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Mitan [F], Eumana [+4 YfC]

The Shadowguard of Marador -  
Ruler - Queen Madariel Shadowfoot
Capital - Lantar
Dominant Race - Elf
Diplomacy - Balan [F], Laikwalambe [NT]

The beguiling Vaeril Fallingwater completed her negotiations with the princes of Balan, and brought the region completely into her cousin's empire.

Lord Ebabarear Darkblow traveled to the shadowy foothill forests of Laikwalambe, there to reestablish relations (and thus trade with the wealthy dwarves of Aurdrukar).  The elves of Laikwalambe agreed to allow Madariel's armies to traverse their land, but not her merchants.

South-Western Vales -

The Steaming Kingdom of Drormt -
Ruler - King Braa'k Tlazolteotl
Capital - Breeka
Dominant Race - Saurus

Tlazolteotl continued to look to the defense of his swampy realm.  He named his queen, Huitcozetl, as his heir in an elaborate and savage ceremony on the Great Rock of the Sun above Breeka. Tlazolteotl recruited one thousand Saurus Elite warriors as his personal guard while Lord Gu'lomp collected the various garrisons together at Breeka, creating a single unified command. Several sathla monks entered Breeka and preached to the noble sauruses of the city about the great truths of Autumna and the love of Udjo for all her scaled children.

Sendahl -
Ruler - King Askaldor
Capital - Nyange
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Durudin [+7YfC]

Mekebele - Ruler - Emperor Gwarkem Capital - Awayal Dominant Race - Human

Gwarkem's Empress gave him a daughter in 2838, then died in childbirth in 2839.  Most shamans believed she was killed by evil spirits because she had never been named.  They predicted the same fate for the Emperor's unnamed children. Prince D'Hargi raised a huge force of leatherwing riders at Menrat.  He loved to take to sky astride the immense flying reptiles, but the died before putting them to use in battle. He suffered a stroke in 2837 and died later that year. Warleader B'set governed the city of Kaznuma well for three years before his death of the green fever in 2838.

South-Eastern Vales -

The Dwarven Realm of Aurdrukar - Ruler - King Norrim Forgemaster Capital - The Brass Tower Dominant Race - Dwarf Diplomacy - Ordla [F]

Banner of Aurdrukar

Banner of Khor-Naland

The dwarves tended to their kingdom and rested their weapons and armor for a time.  Dwarves and gold poured across Ulhiya, building sheep ranches and alpine fish ponds.  Colonists marched into distant Vipuren and settled the region, trying to expunge the stench of orc from the many caves and passes. Prince Belak Shieldbreaker and four thousand dwarf warriors went with them to ensure against any orcish or elven raids. Lord Thulnor traveled to Ordla. There, he offered the hand of Annwenn, daughter of the king, in marriage to  the chieftain of that land.  Elevated to royalty, he readily accepted..

The Kingdom of Weshtayo - Ruler - King Piccarome, Red-Feathered Lord Capital - Khulank Dominant Race - Human

Lady Siemarra, mother of Piccarome and Rikorious, died peacefully in 2837 at the age of sixty-one.

Lord Askend of Siruvay died at the age of sixty-three in 2840.  On his deathbed, he swore allegiance to Piccarome and gave Siruvay into his care.

The Imperial Realm of Zikuyu -
Ruler - King Mwa'q Kashk
Capital - Ivallkyu
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Urrides [FA]

The Valraj -
Ruler - Sultan Khalood
Capital - Muddakir
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Hajaxtas [+5YfC]

The sultan continued to add to his family, fathering a daughter in 2838 and a second son in 2839.

Prince Bharjas rearranged the scattered garrisons of Hajaxtas and Shenthalass while the Lord of Valraj traveled to Hajaxtas and labored to establish order and stability in the region.  He arranged marriages between local lords and the sultan's two sisters Halah and Hasnah.

The Grand Duchy of Meneen -
Ruler - Grand Duke Salene
Capital - Yaz Meneen
Dominant Race - Elf
Diplomacy - Urvupal [T]
 

The Grand Duchy turned from raiding The Valraj to looking after its own meager resources.  Many elves began to question the Grand Duke's choice in voyaging so far from the elves ancestral home in Deja and Ayma Vas.  But, doing the most with their new central location, the elves expanded trade with many partners, especially Farmuz and Shanatar. Grand Duke Salene personally visited the elves of Urvupal and convinced them to pay tribute to the Grand Duchy.

The Kingdom of Ukanve -
Ruler - King Valoss the Just
Capital - Ukanve
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Hydrsha [C]

King Valoss spent these years attempting to strengthen the sinews that bound together his nation.  The spirit priesthoods provided little in the way of support, though a newly-founded college of scribes held the promise of future national stability. The circle of wizards whom Valoss kept employed were made to summon spirits of the earth, who moved hillsides and caused fertile meadows to grow in Yezhu'u. Lords Irithul and Deron returned to the  jungles of Hydrsha (with a thousand infantry and a thousand cavalry for protection) and there worked to soothe the angry jungle tribesmen who were so infuriated just five years before. With significant bribes of steel, sheep and woolen goods, they assuaged the hurts of the past and perhaps established some possibility of closer relations in the future.  This was good enough for Valoss, who had the scribes add Hydrsha to the map of Ukanve.

The Shanatar Empire -
Ruler - God-Emperor Nivraan III
Capital - Feroe
Dominant Race - Human

The northern plains region of Nimaht came under cultivation as thousands of farmers and hundreds of talents of gold poured into the region from Chamir.  The God-Emperor also decreed that the regions of Soqand and Leilan would be next, and sent the fragrant mahda-wood oils to lay out the divine precincts of future towns. Missionaries of the God-Emperor pushed even further north, recruiting followers from among the devotees of the Dark Court in Eumela. Nivraan III returned to Chamir, from whence he ruled his empire and fathered a baby girl in 2838.  The birth of the princess was attended by announcements of joy and celebration across the Empire. The God-Emperor also summoned his angelic servants to improve the storage of water across Chamir. Nivraan's brother (the brother of his mortal body) and heir, Nivarnaan also returned to Chamir, where he served as an administrator and fathered three sons.  He summoned fire spirits to clear away dead wood in Goldpardin. Lord Uruk governed the city of Nystalma, but spent most of the time holding vast, sybaritic orgies of sex and food and art, and so accomplished little of lasting value. Lord Banar died of a heart attack after governing the capital for a single year.  Lord Zhayene continued his exemplary service as governor of Huzzein, but also died of a heart attack in 2840.

The wealth of the Emirates poured forth into many places.  Most notably, a chain of strong fortifications in Belamel, Forecen and Jahali.  These regions also benefited from much irrigation and the creation of central market towns. Lord Sioun al Amakhar raised four thousand troops and distributed most of them into garrisons of these same three regions.  He kept a thousand House Troops with him as he returned to govern Amakhar.  Sioun proved to be a loyal and conscientious emir. Prince Aouda "Gullwing", heir to the throne, died in Azhkatûm at the age of fifty-

five while governor of that city. His wife died of a broken heart in the same year.  He left only a single young daughter.  The seventy-three year old Sultan suddenly had no heir.

Lord Makreb al Mukatir traveled to Navilok and convinced the Emir of that region to allow the sultan's troops to travel across his lands.  Makreb then returned to Mukatir, where he died in 2840 at the age of sixty-nine.

The Sylvan Realm of Hecadia -
Ruler - Emperor Vataun of the Eight Ports
Capital - Belgramma
Dominant Race - Human
Diplomacy - Ugash [-], Emawan [EA], Embulum [A], Amoka [FA]

The last great orders of Emperor Salasc III's life was to greatly strengthen the garrisons of Kebe, Rumavat and Rundur with castles and troops.  The old man died of pneumonia in 2838, leaving his son Vataun of the Eight Ports Emperor of Hecadia. Vataun meanwhile was busy riding around the northwest intriguing with marcher lords.  The Ugashi had no interest in joining Hecadia, seeing themselves as too far from Verifar and too close to Chamir.  Vataun had more luck in the forests of Emawan, where the woodsmen agreed to economic treaties with Hecadia. Prince Avedis, one of the most charming and convincing fellows ever to stride the Hecadian stage, performed similar duties in the northeast, convincing the lords of Embulum and Amoka to ally with the Sylvan Realm despite their religious

 dedication to the God-Emperor just across the river Chamir. 

Lord Haig, assisting the Emperor's rule as a Thakore, died 2839 after eating a bad bowl of turtle soup.  Lord Nairi, Councillor of Emawan died the following year of consumption.

The Kingdom of Kerendis - Ruler - King Voidan Makkure Capital - Orbelain Dominant Race - Human Diplomacy - Anshuyo [-FA], Epirvur [-NT], Nisvet [-UN]

During his daily prayers to Evaless, Mother of Monsters and patroness of the house of Makkure, King Voidan praised the mother goddess for the fecundity of his son's concubine and the grandson it had produced.  After this, he strode into his audience hall and issued a flurry of proclamations.  The formerly close ties with the forest halflings of Anshuyo were proving unprofitable, so Voidan granted the land as his personal fief to Sorin Albardes, sending Sorin home to take a more active role in the governance of the stiff-necked halflings.  Sorin died there of intestinal parasites in 2837. King Voidan also released the woodsmen of Epirvur from their feudal bonds, deeming the region more trouble to administer than it was worth. The King gave the governance of the capital into the hands of his close friend Mairadh Varantis.  Varantis immediately tore down the old city walls and used the raw materials to help build a large new quarter of the city.   Mairadh was an excellent administrator, but died in a duel with a jealous husband in 2840.  The famed Varantis tendency to bed anything in a skirt had once again cost the family an influential member.  Though his battle-kite project had never become practicable, the halflings of Anshuyo breathed a collective sigh of relief at the quiet shelving of his plans for an Observation Kite.

Meanwhile, in the countryside of Ambalas, irrigation and drainage projects consumed much of the wealth of the nation.  Voidan cashiered the royal cavalry (who were, in all honesty, never particularly fearsome) in an elaborate ceremony at Orbelain.  He gave them land grants in Ambalas on the condition that they raise the labor for the region's new irrigation and drainage projects. Prince Harako traveled to Methedras where he governed the city while nursing his wounds from the ill-fated expedition to Emparar years earlier.  Harako worked diligently but without much imagination to bend the city to his will.  Lord Estaldan Nereeko stood guard over the nation as general of the armies at Ambalas.  The general died of an infected weasel bite in 2837.Curiously, his sister, the Empress Valenthe, died of an infected stoat bite in 2838.  Voidan mourned, and had a large number of terriers brought into the royal palace to root out any remaining mustelids. Dremeko Camard, halfling lord of wealthy Nisvet, choked on some roast vole in 2839.  Immediately after the funeral, his sons repudiated the alliance with Kerendis and vowed that Nisvet would remain free of the rule of Orbelain.

The Emerald Realm of Lekandi -
Ruler - King Galens Eagleheart
Capital - Suwelho
Dominant Race - Elf

Lekandi's peaceful years stretched on.  A final wave of farmers and settlers arrived in Fikosha to wipe out the last vestiges of sathla rule and bring the land under the gentle, guiding hands of the elves.  Rumors of sathla assassins lurking in the hills and shadows caused many of the settlers to band together in small fortified settlements.  None of the serpent-men were ever seen, but it was common knowledge that they prowled the dark just beyond the fragile reach of elven civilization, waiting to wreak a bloody and primitive vengeance. Prince Bloodspear governed in the city of Suwelho, where his martial nature chafed at the sonorous pronouncements of the interminable city councils and courts. Lord Juelans traveled to the ancient homeland of Lekandi and immersed himself in study and research of an unknown subject.

War has arisen between the Kolyut Hegemony and the nation of Threns.  The hobgoblins of Kolyut are threatening to overrun the lightly-defended Threns frontier.

Travelers to the far north have seen from afar a huge city rising in Airnim.

Each turn, I will use this space to present a useful rules hint.  Eventually, all of you will know what LOTE GM's and experienced players know.

THE USE AND VALUE OF PUBLIC WORKS -

One of the most important investments a nation can make is in Public Works (often abbreviated "PWB" for Public Works Bonus).  Public Works are the various improvements one can make to a region or a city, including irrigation, clear-cutting, sanitation, housing, and an almost limitless variety of other man-made artifacts of civilization. There are two distinct types of Public Works - those built in regions and those built in cities.  Public Works of either variety will increase your economic strength and in conjunction with a census can increase your available NFP.

Information on Public Works can be found in the 5.10 BR at sections 2.3.8 and 5.3.3.  Information specific to the Lords 54 campaign can be found on the CHARTS page of this website.

The Costs of Public Works -

The cost of producing Public Works varies according to terrain and the culture producing them.  See the CHARTS page of this website for specific information on the cost to build Public Works.

In addition to their initial cost, all Public Works require upkeep, paid for as part of the "Project Support" costs. A Religious Primate or Secret Empire does not pay Project Support for Public Works in provinces in which they have either a Religious Control status or a Secret Empire control status (even if they built the Public Works in question). They do, however, pay project support for Public Works in provinces they directly control. 

As can be seen from the PWB support cost formula: (PWB / ((IS+2)x10))², the upkeep cost for a large number of Public Works is actually less for larger nations (IS = Imperial Size).

Building Public Works -

A nation can build Public Works in any region or city it controls simply by spending the required gold.  NFP can be substituted for gold at a rate of 1 NFP = 2 GP.  If the controlled region does not have a controlled land route to the capital (that is, if a contiguous chain of regions controlled by the owning nation does not exist between the target region or city and the nation's capital, then the GP and/or NFP used to build the Public Works must be accompanied by a leader, and possibly by ships to carry the NFP.

A Religious Primate or Religious Order may build Public Works in any region in which they have a Religious Control status, and need not move either GP or NFP by leader.  A Religious Primate or Religious Order building Public Works in a distant region they control directly must still move the GP or NFP by leader.

There is a maximum number of Public Works allowed in a city or region, as determined by terrain, race and culture.  See the CHARTS page of this website for specific information on maximum Public Works.

Destroying Public Works -

Public Works points in a location (region or city) may be destroyed by the following circumstances, depending on the severity of the event:

• Battle between armies in the region.
• Siege of the city.
• Raids against the region.
• Civil unrest.

Public Works points in a region or city will be destroyed by the following circumstances:

• Sacking or Burning the city.
• Regional Genocide of the region.
• Scorched Earth action in the region.
• Looting the region.

Regional Public Works -

Regional Public Works in a Friendly cultivated region are arguably the best investment a nation can make in its future. The primary effect of increased Public Works in an increase in income.  But Regional Public Works have two other benefits: 1) Regional Public Works in a Friendly cultivated region add to Agro production at a rate of 1 Agro per 5 Public Works, and 2) Regional Public Works in a Friendly region will produce additional NFP if the nation also has an active census. 

City Public Works -

Like Regional Public Works, City Public Works do increase the city's income.  And it can increase the available NFP (if the city is Friendly and the nation has an active status).  But unlike Regional Public Works, which can increase Agro, City Public Works increase the city's population and actually consumes more agro.  For that reason alone, Regional Public Works in a Friendly Cultivated region are just a flat-out better investment than City Public Works.

Page Completed 23 December 2006