LORDS OF THE EARTH CAMPAIGN 54
"LORDS OF THEEURTH"

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There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail;
There gloom the dark, broad seas, My mariners,
Souls that have toiled; and wrought, and thought with me,
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads - you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honor and his toil.
Death closes all; but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with gods.

The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks;
The long day wanes; the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the western sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be that we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
       Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Ulysses
 

1) In writing the GM's Hint (Trade), I learned that a few of your routes have the wrong status.  I've adjusted those that needed it.  It was only a very few.

MEDARHOS -

North-Western Medarhos -

The Skane Jarldoms -  Ruler - King Yars Capital - Vanaheim Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Medahros Spirit Cult Diplomacy - Tigelion [-FA], Crown Lands [+11YfC]

The Kingdom of Tirgonia -
Ruler - King Merrimillien
Capital - Cruachan
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail

King Merrimillien bided his time and trusted in his co-religionists to come to his rescue.  He recruited three thousand infantry at his new capital of Cruachan and defended its impregnable walls. After the meddling diplomacy of the Skane, the far northern region of Tigelion became first a mere feudal vassal, and then threw off Tirgonian rule altogether.  The city of Antiphia remained loyal...for now. Missionaries sent into Hastaalm were beaten by the local woodsmen and sent back north with their heads shaved and wicked tattoos placed thereon. The orcs of the Edgemoors defeated, looted and enslaved Sothwall (See the Edgemoor Orcs, below).

The Kingdom of Harkoria-
Ruler - King Sotoris
Capital - Cadares
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail

The Edgemoor Orcs -
Ruler - King Hauge
Capital - Zaramaka
Dominant Race - Orcs
Dominant Religion - The Dark Court
Diplomacy - Vanuma [T]

South-Western Medarhos -

The Brythnian Confederation -  Ruler - King Boran Clovenhoof Capital - Carrenthium Dominant Race - Taurid Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Bodhria [T], Great Meadow [F]

King Boran audited the accounts of his new realm, and fathered a son in 2869. Lady Frona Quickstep, a centaur, and General Argous the Bull, a minotaur, traveled together to Bodhria and convinced the tribes of the plains to pay tribute to Carrenthium. Argous died of old age on the road to Carrenthium, but in his will he left the Dacian Hills to his friend and protégé the king. Kallos Twospot and Acton Broken horn, a second centaur/minotaur duo, traveled to the Great Meadow and spoke so eloquently that the numerous tribes of the rich plains soon swore oaths of fealty to the new king in Carrenthium. Scouts and guards watched the borders, but no enemies entered the realm.  Messengers soon warned Boran of the orc host on his borders, however (See The Worldspine Orcs, below).

Aelissia - Ruler - King Clem Plowhorse Capital - The Great Delve Dominant Race - Halfling Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - South Downs [F]

Crowley Ratcatcher marched three thousand troops to Greensaddle and governed the city for many years.  Hayden Blackkettle left the South Downs and traveled to Greensward, where he became mayor of the Great Delve.

Agatha Flycatcher traveled to the South Downs where she convinced Zim Beekeeper, the local Sheriff, to swear an oath of loyalty to the Moot and to Aelissia.

The halflings of Hardel, many months travel from Greensaddle, ignored the few messengers that did arrive from the capital and continued to farm and hunt in their own quiet corner of the world.

Corland - Ruler - King Bohemund Capital - Khairais Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Lilloger [-], Varbonne [NT]

The men of Corland began to settle in reconquered Couronnais in significant numbers, and also in the eastern trading town of Rhavais. Meanwhile, they built forts to guard the coasts in Votois in the south and Tullieres in the north. The walls of Port de Brises in Tullieres were thoroughly expanded and enlarged, forming frowning battlements looking out across the Windhaven Channel. Various half-finished roads were kept clear of weeds and beasts, but saw little improvement. At the behest of the Grail Patriarch, King Bohemund sent ten chests of gold to the Neldorean elves to aid their rebuilding of the Cathedral in Elenuil. He ruled the realm, attempting to teach something of the craft to his son, Bertrand.  Bertrand, however, was thoroughly bored with such dry stuff and dreamed of donning armor and becoming a knight. Priests of the Grail, from kindly members of Calandra's Avasian order to stern Justices of Agaleus, traveled throughout the byways of the land, helping to increase the faith of the common folk, so that their ardor for the Lords of the Grail increased to powerful new heights. Bohemund's sister Sirienne traveled to the woods of Lilloger and tried to improve the Crown's relations with the woodsmen.  She took along her niece Clare.  However, the princess's highborn ways simply confused and annoyed the rough-hewn foresters and they politely but firmly ignored her overtures. Lord Percivale took up command of a thousand men in Khairais and then spent several years asking a lot of pointed questions about the ruin of the Khairais cathedral. Lord Gareth toured the countryside, examining the new roads between Khairais and Rhavais before returning to Khairais. Lord Reginald patrolled through Serry and Couronnais with a thousand men before returning to Khairais. Prince Phillip traveled to the eastern forests of Varbonne and became very popular with

the forest clans.  At his request, they agreed to allow Corland to send troops and merchants into their woods.  Phillip also trained young princess Giselle in the arts of diplomacy, but she seemed more interested in the forests and wild places than in stuffy meetings.  Phillip died at the age of fifty-nine, shortly after his return to Khairais.

Lord Cedric of the Cavadhe married Princess Beatriz in a huge celebration in Khairais in 2870.  It was attended by all the surviving royal family and was celebrated by parties, balls and even a knightly tournament.  The Cavadhe remained an allied region, even though Cedric was elevated to Prince.

Lady Cecile, widow of Lord Tancred, died in 2866.  Hector of Lilloger, an enormously fat and decadent man, died of heatstroke in 2867.Tristram of Mauredoc died of a severe head injury after falling from his horse in 2870.
 

 

The Sea Empire of Lorraine - Ruler - Empress Ysolde Capital - Armorica Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Malidisant [NT], Lothian [FA]

Emperor Dindanus warships, transports and twelve hundred elite lorraine marines into his service.  He also sent a fleet to carry supplies to Bruyenne, his Corish colony across the straits. Stout fishing ships he built in Roldeinsport to harvest the bountiful waters of the Lyon Sea. Old Dame Letheran died in 2866, a daughter of Artorius and Gwynwhyfr.  That left only fifty-six year old Kora as the last surviving member of the house of Artorius. Dindanus traveled to Malidisant and spoke with the prideful and fractious leaders there.  He died in Malidisant during an accident in a tournament melee in 2869.  He was only thirty-one.  When the emperor died childless, the nobles of the nation agreed to return to an older line of royalty and crowned twenty-three year-old Empress Ysolde, daughter of Emperor Boru. Her advisors insisted she marry immediately. Lord Eadwyn governed the city of Armorica, and lord Stavros was Sheriff of Roldeinsport. Lord Aidan brought supplies to Bruyenne and then traveled to the northern city of Lothian, where he convinced the Duke of Lothian to swear oaths of feudal loyalty to the Empress.

The Neldorean Wood - Ruler - Queen Nereil Capital - Elenuil Dominant Race - Elf Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail

Queen Nereil ordered an unprecedented increase in the number of agents working for the crown, and a significant outlay of treasure to build and repair villages, gardens, hanging meadows and deep wells in Tiriya.  Likewise, she recruited twelve hundred elite elven archers and centralized her entire army under her own control. The queen then married Captain Golradir Elanessë, commander of her elite guard, with whom she had been friends for many years. The grand and beautiful wedding was attended by the ambassadors from Har'akir, the Great Church, the Whisper Wood and the Crusader States. Lord Kuilai, never a favorite at court, was ordered to the barren Riftmarch, where he was met by Lord Janrith Anan, who informed Kuilai that he was being retired from royal service.  He had the queen's leave to reside in the Riftmarch, but not to return to Elenuil.  Kuilai, deeply loyal to the queen, fell on his sword a few moments later, saying he died in the queen's service. In 2869, disaster struck Neldorea like a thunderbolt.  An army of giants and their lesser allies marched down out of the Stoneheart mountains and invaded the Tarwood, driving the inhabitants before them in an orgy of directed violence.  Like a great hammer, their armored columns swung west and drove from towards the Neldorean capital.  Now Queen Nereil determined not to be driven from Belfirth as she had been from Neldorea itself.  Though her numbers were just half those of the invaders, she marched out with eight thousand elven archers to confront the invaders. No force on earth can match an elven army on its own ground for ferocity and cunning, and so it proved at Belfirth. The giants and their many lesser kin numbered more than fifteen thousand,

including nearly three thousand true giants, led by a powerful warlock named Hræsvelgr, the Corpse-Swallower.  They hewed and hacked a path through the woods towards Belfirth, felling trees that were old when mankind first wakened in the ancient world. On any level battleground, they would have chewed through Nereil's army and spit out their bones, but this was not any battleground - it was the elven  woods, and as they had since time immemorial, the elves waited in silence, hidden by their own skill and the arts of their queen and watched while the invaders blundered blindly into their trap.

Hræsvelgr's troops moved in a powerful column, with human infantry in front, cavalry on the flanks, and the true giants at the heart of the column.  The giant warlord's own sorcery swept aside minor impediments and brute strength overcame the rest.  Then, in a dark vale where the riders could not spread far from the columns, arrows whistled out of the gloom, catching throats, hearts and eyes.  Bowstrings sang and giants screamed.  Horses milled in panicked confusion and men, filled with fury, blindly fired their bows at their unseen tormentors.  The battle was one-sided and soon became a rout, with the giant army fighting each other in their haste to leave the valley of feathered death behind.  The army that emerged back into the Tarwood was still much larger than that which had driven it forth, but had suffered more than five thousand casualties, dead or scattered beyond recall.  The elves, meanwhile, had lost little above one thousand of their soldiers, almost entirely due to the bravery of Hræsvelgr's giants who stood, rock-firm as a rear-guard while their fellows fled the battle.

The Exarchate of the Great Crusade - Ruler - Exarch Bradley Capital - Pontezium Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - The Black Fields [NT], Thyestes [T]

Free from any immediate threat of invasion, war or disaster, the men of the Exarchate took it upon themselves to train...for such things were never far off, in their experience.  They trained on land and at sea, but mostly they trained in siegecraft, building great engines of war and designing new and cunning ways to defeat them. The Exarch spread his wealth to his allies, sending chests of gold to the Neldorean elves and to the Order of the Dawn. Meanwhile, the slow cultivation of the Salt Shore continued. Missionaries sent into Mocarre at last succeeded in converting the populace to the worship of the Lords of the Grail.  Many of the peasants still worshipped their strange ancestor-god Aeolan in secret, or were believed to do so in popular legend. Exarch Bradley traveled eastward with his entourage into the wild hills known for some reason as the Black Fields.  He met with the fell hillmen and convinced them to allow the passage of his armies.

The old Exarch's wife, Lucilled lived just long enough to see her son Maros get married to a local girl of good family in 2866.  She died in 2867 and was buried with a solemn state funeral.  Maros had a son in 2868.

Sir Beau traveled to Thyestes and negotiated payments of tribute to the Exarchate.  Soon, trade was flowing between Exarchate and Empire through Thyestes and Isurium.

Sir Linden hired the Crusader's own adventuring company, the League of Virtue, to go adventuring.  They left in 2866 and returned in 2869 with tales of an ancient dwarf-hold and the goblins that had infested it.  Linden governed the city of Regaldros until his death in 2867.

The Holy Order of the Dawn - Ruler - Grand Master Domitius Capital - The Akasian Hills Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Calodunum [OO], Callistus [OH], Adoria [OH]

Order House in the meatpacking district, but was permitted to reside in one of the Emperor's seven palaces (not, naturally, the one in which the Emperor was currently in residence).  From one of the Emperor's trusted ministers, she received asizeable gift of gold.  She then and her retinue then marched back to the great crossroads at Calodunum and with the aid of Master Benedictus expanded the Order's meager holdings with the purchase of several excellent tracts of farmland. She died in Lauriacum in 2870 at the age of sixty and was buried in a small churchyard.

Master Giles commanded the main Order army at the Akasian Hills.

When Grand Mistress Daresia died, the Masters of the Order met to elect a successor.  The election alighted on Master Domitius.  This was no surprise, given his enormous popularity with the troops.  However, none had marked his return from the northern wars, and many in the Order were surprised to find him present at the Stronghold when the election was to be held.

Rhanalor -

The feudal lords of Ascarlon assembled their combined army of seven thousand mixed infantry and cavalry at Galati, where they patrolled for years before returning to their own lands.

Missionaries of Ascarlon successfulyy spread the word of Malbor in the swamps of Thone and in the stony lowlands of Edhrek.

The Worldspine Orcs -
Ruler - King Squint Honeytongue
Capital - Mount Kauroth
Dominant Race - Orc
Dominant Religion - The Dark Court
Diplomacy - Rimehorns [C]

The orcs "recruited" two thousand infantry to march under King Azog's banner.  Azog set off down the Lyodan river with eight thousand orcs to burn and raid in the former Brythnian region of Vahdrian. Unfortunately for the orcs, Azog was a great talker, but a feckless coward and possibly the least competent commander ever to lead troops around a stable yard. The native taurids of Vahdrian were at first terrified, then baffled by his odd lack of movement, and then furious and reckless in their attacks on his flanks and rear.  Azog couldn't even flee properly and was cut down by taurid lancers when he fled into their lines by mistake. The orcs were saved from total disaster by the staunch leadership of Mulgauth of Waertag, who led the survivors in retreat and returned them to Mount Kauroth. When word of Azog's death spread, there was much vying for the position of king, as Azog's only son was a mere eight years old.  Lord Grunch, an ambitious fat goblin slew the little heir and claimed the throne as his own.  He was able to subdue the

rival leaders by force of personality alone.  Unfortunately for the orcs (again), Grunch was not long for this life and died of a massive heart attack in 2870.  Although the remaining leaders agreed to support Squint Honeytongue for the throne, some regions went into open rebellion.  Brolok and Torokon, both on the northern periphery of the kingdom, broke away.  Squint was a heavy-lidded, sallow-skinned creature who had spent years fawning over the lords of the Rimehorns and leering at their daughters.  Yet now he was king.

The hobgoblins of Carhallas hired magistrates to help administer their sprawling empire.  At the same time, they recruited one thousand heavy cavalry at Sauthor to help enforce their iron-fisted rule. The growing fame of Carcaroth attracted numerous freebooting hobgoblins, who began to slowly form an adventuring guild. Lord Grazhahk, on his way to support General Durthaur at Lauroth, stationed troops and slaves in the depopulated forests of Naurog, and set the slaves to building a post road towards Adumar. Generals Nadrauth and Durthaur began 2866 in Othona, and immediately laid siege to the hobgoblin city of Magrod.  The city was claimed by the men of Pelendur, who spread discontent among the troops at their small pay and their great distance from their homes and families. There was much mutinous talk in the ranks, but the strict discipline of the hobgoblins and the powerful personality of General Durthaur held the army together.  Six months later, Magrod surrendered to the nine thousand Carhallas troops

that besieged it.

Othona and Magrod were heavily garrisoned.  Then General Nadrauth crossed the Esharias to take up the post of military governor of Colanum, while Durthaur marched west up the Esharias into Lauroth.  Once there, he spent a mere four months conducting diplomacy with the aid of Lord Grazhahk.  When the men of Lauroth rejected his proposals, Durthaur summoned Carhallas's allied armies (who were waiting in Laokon) and attacked.  But the Laurothi were not alone.  Their brothers in the Jurath tribe marched in from Yrineth and Jurath (those in Adumar refused to come) to oppose the Carhallas invasion.

In the summer of 2869, ten thousand Carhallas troops (including some two thousand Emperor's Oathsworn and more than three thousand cavalry), faced off against some five thousand Jurathi, nearly all of them mounted on small, shaggy ponies.  On the face of it, Durthaur's army was overwhelming.  But the hobgoblins faced many problems.  First and foremost, they had no lines of supply and were effectively isolated.  Nearly as deadly to their cause was...there is no easy way to say it...the sheer stupidity of certain of the allied commanders.  They ignored Durthaur's orders and attacked at will...or not at all.  Though their troops were superb, too many of the allied leaders were military incompetents.  Finally, it was rumored that the general himself suffered from severe pains of some sort...or perhaps it was merely an off day, but the tactics he used in the field fell right into the hands of the wild men of the steppe.  The Jurathi cavalry harassed the hobgoblins, peppering them with arrows and refusing to fight when charged.  In the end, the mighty hobgoblin army routed from the field, having suffered nearly forty percent casualties in just a few hours.  They fled to Laokon, where Durthaur had to put down a second mutiny.

No one knew why the Emperor did not exert his guidance over the Empire, but Maugroth chose instead to guard his capital.  The failure of attention to the outer provinces meant that Carhallas rule was thrown off in Forok, Gromon, Hoar, Nangoreb, Wexxroth and Zhagon.  There was panic in Elsend and Gothmaur as the road to Carcaroth was cut by the defection of Zhagon, but the city and province remained loyal.

Observers in the south continued to be amazed by the firm loyalty of the Lederata colony and its garrison.  A messenger on horseback would take a full year and a half to reach the distant colony, and as long back, but the colonists held true to their loyalties despite all predictions to the contrary.

The Great Kingdom of Annvar - Ruler - First Councillor Gudge Capital - Varthane Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - The Dark Court Diplomacy - Medinavai [FA], Marvald [A], Torava [-]

The Standard of Annvar

The Forest Realm of Meledrian -
Ruler - King Eldareth Hammerhand
Capital - Laurelindë
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - The Dark Court
Diplomacy - Vethosas [A]

The elves of Meledrian invested heavily, almost obsessively in the magics of Conjuration.  Meanwhile, they poured elves and gold into the settlement of their northwest, as Silithos blossomed (dark and glossy, but blooms nonetheless) to their presence. Gold they sent to the Emperor in Carcaroth in large barges that poled their way up the Wolf and Mandarann rivers.  And foodstuffs they gave to the men of Ascarlon, who spread them far across the continent in their small ships, feeding orcs in the Edgemoor and Worldspine mountains. King Eldareth summoned his ally Rhias of Tirielinan and Bisop Killkrantor the Remonstrator to travel with him to the hills of Vethosas.  There, they made close alliance with the native elves and began a small and halting trade over the Taklamakas mountains into the valley of Pelendur. Prince Namardil was governor of Minnuin in the west, while Taetransiss, after his visit to Carcaroth, was governor of Narbyndahl.

Lord Aeliniel attempted to convert the elves of Ithancelos to the worship of his dark and sensuous gods, but the labor was slow and as yet unrewarding.

The human mercenary Nishraan the Clever died in the service of Meledrian in 2868.

The Duskwood Reavers of Azhran -
Ruler - Grand Master Nath-Imperator Melenchlaenith the Archdisrupter
Order Fortress - Silithos
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - The Dark Court
Diplomacy - Varthane [-], Tiringol [-], Dalariadh [OH]

The Grand Master recruited five hundred new elite elven archers into the Duskwood Reavers.  Missionaries sent to Piunani found a hostile reception in the Nikityan capital. They were not killed, as certain cult priests demanded, but they were set adrift in a small boat at night and never seen again. An attempt to establish an Order House in the capital of the Great Kingdom of Annvar met with dismal failure.  The humans of the far west had little interest in hosting an elite order of foreign elves in their midst. The Grand Master traveled to the halfling region of Tiringol and was surprised to find his reception there courteous but not at all warm or friendly.  The halflings regarded the Duskwood Reavers as dangerous fanatics and were happy to see them swiftly on their way.  Only in Dalariadh did the Grand Master receive a welcome worthy of his station, and the Meledrian elves, eager for glory and their long-promised domination of the north, happily built an Order House themselves and joined by the dozens.

The Kingdom of Tiringol -
Ruler - King Borlath
Capital - The Underhalls
Dominant Race - Halfling
Dominant Religion - The Dark Court
Diplomacy - Tauronod [NT]

King Borlath ruled his nascent kingdom from the luxurious burrows of the Underhalls.  From time to time he entertained an elvish noble or one of the other big folk, but mostly he enjoyed walking about the lanes and meeting halls with his gold crown cocked at a jaunty angle and appropriating the best seat in whatever house he found himself. Tobias Bullroarer, noted sheriff and diplomat, traveled to the halfling hills of Tauronod and Tirondalas.  The Stoutheart halflings of Tauronod permitted Tiringol to send troops and merchants to their hills, but those of Tirondalas thought that Bullroarer spent entirely too little time in their hills, thus revealing a weakness of purpose. Young William Shroud, lord of Elrothas and a noted sorcerer, sailed up the Mandarann river and down the Celethil, but no one knows why.

The Conorrian Heartland -

The Conorrian Empire - Ruler - Emperor Saxonius II (Saxonius the Younger) Capital - Echoriath Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Mynos [F], Conorr [F], Sexaginta [A]

the re-entry of the holy city of Conorr into the the pomerium, or body of the empire.  Attempts by the Emperor to raise the relative value of sorcerers in Conorrian society were overwhelmed by the adulation of the gods, the Primacy, ancient heroes and anything regarded as touched by the divine. The mages and priests of the Domus Illuminatus summoned elementii, spirits of earth and water to cultivate large farms in Adoria and Faucrion.

Saxonius the Younger, Imperator of the Conorrians, ruled his realm and married a noblewoman from Adoria named Aetia Callendres.  He fathered a son in 2869. The Emperor, as always, was generous with his resources, sending large shipments of gold and silver coins to Brythnia and the Order of the Dawn, and shiploads of grain to the ports of the Llyran Republic.

Solon, logothetes per Imperium, traveled to Mynos to arrange the marriage of the Emperor's sister Septima to the strongest house in the province, thus ensuring Mynos's loyalty to the Empire.

Bishop Furius marched east to Sexaginta with nearly ten thousand men to guard the Esharias border and ensure the Desert Horde left as agreed. Melial the diplomat went with him and convinced Rufus Secundus, Comes per Sexaginta, to become a full ally of the Emperor.

The Great Church of the Lords of the Grail - Ruler - Patriarch Constantikos Holy City - Conorr Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Elenuil [AB], Quesante [CH], Eleucria [-], Centauris [MN]

The Patriarch's Standard

The dwarf mercenary Khedem-Var, who had served the Primacy for longer than any of its human bishops, sailed from Uls Fakhar to Conorria to Armorica in Lorraine, where he picked up troops for the Patriarch in Alqualondë (who was already dead, unknown to Khedem-Var).  But in the Bay of Ben-Thael his fleet encountered powerful storms which rose up suddenly and remained for years - surely a diabolical device of sorcery.  The crafty dwarf hugged the coast, but many of his ships were battered and far too many of his troops were killed at sea.  He lost eight ships and over a thousand men to the storms. The old dwarf died in 2867 in the Bardol Sea.  His fleet returned to Conorr, but did not complete the rest of its appointed tasks.

Being beyond the Great Church's ability to govern, the abbey in Pontezium decayed to a mere church. The churches in Carrenthium, Little Lirien, Ninos, Rhavais and Trolium decayed completely.

The Dwarven Realm of Dhûnazhar -  Ruler - King Thorin Capital - Khelem Vala Dominant Race - Dwarf Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Bregor [F]

Lord Roin traveled to the city of Bregor with Garag Blood-Axe and Lord Darak Iron-Helm of Khuruk Tor.  There, with the aid of the mysterious Crystal Brazier, they convinced Fundin of Bregor to swear oaths of full allegiance to the crown in Khelem Vala.

King Gregor recruited one thousand new troops at his capital, including two hundred elite Wardens of the Hidden Gate. He also ordered that hundreds of landless peasants be moved to Naugrias and put to work breaking sod and digging irrigation ditches. The king remained in Vigilum for a year and a half.  Queen Antoinette and her unborn child died in childbirth in 2867, prompting the grieving king to leave his capital and travel to Draconium. He was joined there by his friend and counselor, the elderly Lady Chanrey.  Together they turned their efforts to increasing the economic ties between Pelendur and the woodsmen of the province. Lord Forrester attempted to interest the halflings of Magrod in an alliance with Pelendur, but these efforts proved fruitless when the army of Carhallas laid siege to the city, and hopeless when the hobgoblin army stormed into the city. Prince Ulfast and allied lord Belson of Edhel Gorthas guarded the Hidden Gate against all enemies. In 2870, a tiny trickle of trade began to make its way into the Hidden Realm from over the Taklamakas mountains.  Elven merchants of Meledrian had carved a path through the mountains to reach Pelendur.

VALES -

North-Western Vales -

The Llyran Republic -
Ruler - Constans Pip Topkapi
Capital - Tarrentica
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail
Diplomacy - Maidhan [-]

The Holy Matriarchy of Ahuran -  Ruler - Queen Yvonne Moonshadow Capital - Sedeskan Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Maddari Diplomacy - Sendorin [F]
Sensing age creep up on her, Queen Rhia ordered that her court compete for the position of heir, decreeing a contest of skills that tested the noblewomen in many ways at the Grounds of the Royal Consort. To no one's surprise, the queen's own daughter, Yvonne, won the contest handily.  An acknowledged athlete and swordswoman, she bested her opponents in nearly every contest.  The timing of the contest proved well, for one year later Queen Rhia died in her sleep.  Yvonne was crowned queen. Joyce Thistledown led most of the court, including Mira Lynxpaw, Agnes Otterskin and Yvonne herself to Sendorin, where they arranged a marriage between Yvonne and the son of the only noble family to survive the reign of Sirrush the dragon.  Sadly, both Mira and Agnes died in Sendorin.  Mira, at the age of sixty-one and Agnes at the age of forty-three, of a wet, hacking cough. The province of Rarram received gold and many settlers who permanently changed the face of the once-brown hills, covering the land with rice paddies and fields of barley. Maddari missionaries sent to Kumrat and Socphares made headway with the locals, convincing many to return the warm embrace of the Mother Goddess. Ellapin Oak, Landress of Naidhan, felt that the concerns of distant Sedeskan were not her own, and ended her alliance with the Matriarchy.

Worse, unknown terrorists have set fire to the scriptorium in Sedeskan, destroying records and killing many scribes, couriers and agents.  With the government thrown into chaos, Ahristhon flew into revolt, but the queen's soldiers were ready and quickly arrested the rebellious leaders and calmed the populace.

At the same time, a horrid plague of beetles has infested the fields of Lann.  Each of these tiny destroyers has a strange red marking on its carapace that is like to the sigil of Caravok the Destroyer

Har'akir - Ruler - Sultan Qadir Alouda Capital - Mar Awas Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail
	The Akirs opened their vaults of gold and silver, letting the precious metals flow into Entelle and Akir, paying for laborers to build dikes, wells, ditches and small villages throughout.  The Sultan also sent a shipment of gold north across the Sea of Bells to the Neldorean elves. Lord Bev Bevan took command of the Akir fleet at Muzir and sailed the Sea of Bells with thirty-five ships flying the flag of the Red Pact of Vales.	Sultan Qadir
	Meanwhile Lord Isaam watched the southern border from Awas Fahan with a small mobile force. The Sultan and Prince Abu Bahar traveled to Muzir to study the local craftwork in anticipation of establishing a merchant's guild in the city. Abu Bahar died in 2868. Lord Ab Khas and Prince Kasim traveled to the West Marrakhan Hills to hunt and hawk among the windy heights. Lord Ab Khas died in 2866, so Prince Kasim was forced to enjoy the manly sports on his own. In an effort to make the kingdom more responsive to his will, Sultan Qadir gave independence to many of the peripheral regions of the nation.  Alzar, Damo, Dikhil, Har Jadme, Khars, Makhat and Socphares were all set loose.

The Valesian Empire - Ruler - Primarch Diomedes Capital - Centauris Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Phalces [A]

The Primarch directed that thousands of laborers and many, many talents of gold be directed to the city of Centauris to build public monuments and cover the brick temples in creamy white marble, creating a jewel on the shores of the Bardol Sea. Lords Tallius and Theolus, brilliant diplomats, descended on the breakaway region of Phalces and with speeches, cultural events, games and well-attended parties, convinced the Phalceans to return to the fold as allies. Lord Acastus, who guarded the coasts with the navy, died in 2867 when he fell overboard during a powerful squall. King Diomedes queen died in 2866 of the lack of a name. Diomedes's aunt Sybillia died in 2868 and his rebellious cousin Benevento died in exile in 2870.

Luxur -
Ruler - General Adnassuk
Capital - Thedelos
Dominant Race - Sathla
Dominant Religion - Autumna
Diplomacy - Merwal [+9YfC]

The Holy See of Udjo - Ruler - Pysus Holzilz Holy City - Merwal Dominant Race - Sathla Dominant Religion - Autumna Diplomacy - Patu [CH], Badar [CH], Oroyon [AB]

Grumbling could be heard in the church about Mykele's abolish of slavery, which the Pysus insists is against the Sathla Codex. Slaves must be taken "Enlighten" the heathens of the world so their souls can be saved. The holy and revered Pysus, first of his name, preached how it was the duty of all Sathla to bring the Word of Udjo to the lesser races. If they will not convert willingly then they must be "taught" the errors of their ways. Pysus Holzilz hopes the Kingdom will see the error before Udjo punishes her. The Holy See invested in Religious Operations and in setting aside a store of grain for the future. It built public works in Naqada and the cities of Merwal and Oroyon (despite the Pysus's distress with the liberality of the Serpentine). The Pysus traveled to Badar, where he established

a church to replace that lost in the pirate attacks of twenty years before.  Bishop Alimisoth traveled to Oroyon in Sia and established there an Abbey. Bishop Manzlik traveled to Ululor in Drormt, where he collected the fabulous Dragonstone and moved it to Naqada, where the people gathered and prayed, and the Holy See was strengthened.  Manzlike then began to poke into various small towns in Naqada, asking probing questions.  He disappeared.

The Serpentine of Mykele -
Ruler - Sauressh Isskor
Capital - Oroyon
Dominant Race - Sathla
Dominant Religion - Autumna
Diplomacy - Kilni [A], Ursurrnam [A]

Lord Terrel traveled to Ursurrnam and by means of fiery speeches and subtle manipulations, achieved the same in that southern province.

Prince Kae'lee traveled to the city of Mikkulizim and continued to preach the faith of Autumna to the once-wicked city dwellers.  The faith had become quite popular in Mikkulizim and throngs turned out to hear him and be converted ("re-emerge from the egg", as the saying went.)

Finally, allied lord Talon of Ikka traveled to the distant western land of Diumevet and its city of Vaasilos on a voyage of discovery.  Talon died at sea on his return voyage.  His son was no advocate of union with the Serpentine and indeed desired his own independent land.  He refused to come to the court in Oroyon.

North-Eastern Vales -

The Kingdom of Thariyya - Ruler - King Azek Vahdin Capital - Uls Fakhar Dominant Race - Halfling Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail Diplomacy - Naushqa [-]

Steady investments in siegecraft continued in invasion-conscious Thariyya, as did new investment in naval training. At the same time, the kingdom hired laborers to build wineries and olive presses in the balmy uplands of Iqbazir. In 2867, Mogrihan elevated his son Shadazar to the station of Prince and sent Shadazar and his sister Kelinas to Naushqa by a series of secretive routes. King Mogrihan died in 2868 at the age of seventy. His heir and brother, Azek, who had been away somewhere returned in 2869 to take up the throne. Lord Wallastrae attempted to conduct diplomacy in Naushqa, but by an unfortunate miscommunication, the allied lord of Naushqa had been sent with his army to defend the land of Shood, so no diplomacy occured. In late 2867, Admiral Yryons put to sea with the score of ships of the Thariyyan fleet, flying the flag of the Red Pact of Vales and patrolling the Gulf of Thariyya.

The Warlocks of Accolon - Ruler - Emperor Elijah Cuu Capital - Dammarask Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - The Dark Court Diplomacy - Unaagh [+3YfC], Eumana [-]

Erikur Even-Handed traveled to the city of Unaagh, lately gifted from the Dark Primacy, and worked there to soothe the tensions between the city's new rulers and the clerical orders which loudly demanded their ancient privileges.  Fitzroy von Jankmon likewise acted as the Emperor's envoy in pacified Eumana, but died in 2867 at the age of fifty six, his work unfinished.

The Shadowed Primacy of the Dark Court -   Ruler - High Priest Gezz Half-Shadow Holy City - Dammarask Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - The Dark Court Diplomacy - Gateway [CH], Riatus [CH]

The Dark Primacy retreated from the plains of Harrud at the demand of the Shadowguard of Marador, and turned over control of the deserts of Sharar to Accolon. Bishop Raulduin took command of the Claws of Malbor and the Lesser Claws of Malbor and marched them from Dammarask.  Dressed all in black, they proceeded only at night.  They paused for an hour each midnight to conduct horrific and terrifying rites to the dark gods.  Raulduin retired the Claws in Akin, ordering them to establish a new fortress called Ravenheart.. He then marched to the city of Riatus with the Lesser Claws and there settled them in the expanding city.  Rumors soon abounded of a new dark order...something called the Tiste Andii. Raulduin then returned to Akin, took command of two thousand desert riders and marched south to Sharar. Lady Mirryn died in the capital of Threns in 2868 at the age of sixty-three. Princess Sialesse, High Priestess of Evaless, traveled to the Blood Sea region of Had and established a church.  The following year, she was attacked by fanatic followers of Andobulos in the inland forests of Rabbu.  She survived, her beauty marred by pox and scabies.  In a fury, she resigned from the Primacy, cursing Gezz for having sent her amongst the ignorant peasants. Prince Drel Dorath, late of Ascarlon, was sent deep into the south, arriving at the mountainous orcish region of Zhutetl, not far from the borders of Aurdrukar.  He failed in his attempt to convert the Zhutetl orcs to the Dark Court, and then continued on south into far Gashantu. Prince Jalak traveled to the Ymarian coast region of Arbath and established the Primacy's claim to the region.

Too far away from any cathedral, many peripheral sites of the Primacy faded in importance.  Abbeys in Carru, Eumana and Nuradeem faded to Churches.  Churches in Ambalas and Orbelain simply faded away.

The Shadowguard of Marador -  
Ruler - Queen Madariel Shadowfoot
Capital - Lantar
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail

In 2869, a large horde of some twenty-six thousand orcs descended from the western hills as they had so often in the past, to trouble the beauty and safety of Marador. Passing swiftly over the Mulgaunt at Indoglaure, they stormed into Dimbe, slaughtering the small garrison and seizing slaves and treasure.  The horde chieftain, a great swarthy, bandy-legged beast named Othgut, demanded payment from Lantar to avoid further rapine and plunder.

South-Western Vales -

The Steaming Kingdom of Drormt -
Ruler - Queen Xochilti
Capital - Breeka
Dominant Race - Saurus
Dominant Religion - Autumna
Diplomacy - Patu [F], Ezkita [NT]

Queen Xochilti sent her numerous peasants into Ululor and Drormt to clear control channels and widen breeding ponds.  A shipment of gold received from the Holy See of Udjo paid for more public works in Drormt. The queen herself took a husband in the realm of Patu, one Yramt by name, and made him a Prince. Mudorpt traveled to Ezkita and convinced the sauruses to join the nation. The nation converted at last to the worship of Autumna, though some regions, such as Munampt and Reeka, reduced their allegiance to Breeka because of it.

Sendahl - Ruler - King Trist*an Capital - Nyange Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Valesian Spirit Cult

The Grand Empire of Mekebele - Ruler - Emperor W'tanabe Capital - Awayal Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Valesian Spirit Cult Diplomacy - Foru [A], Itu [-]

The men of Mekebele completed a mighty project, bringing clean water into the city of Kaznuma by means of pipes and troughs many miles long, ensuring adequate bathing and drinking water for the masses (although the pipes led first to the great houses).  Giddy with success, the Emperor's engineers immediately began a similar project at Awayal. The Emperor ruled from Awayal.  He married again and fathered a son and daughter (his fifth and sixth children). His brother Duzhi married a girl from Foru and convinced her father to ally with Mekebele. Lord Tnute remained on the island of Itu, trying to convince the sauruses to swear allegiance to Mekebele, but this was a step they refused to take.

South-Eastern Vales -

The Dwarven Realm of Aurdrukar - Ruler - King Thulnor Capital - The Brass Tower Dominant Race - Dwarf Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail

Banner of Aurdrukar

Banner of Khor-Naland

King Thulnor named his son Dorin as his heir and eventual successor. The dwarves labored mightily in the hills of Ulhiya, building mines and great dwarf-mansions in the iron-rich hills.

The Kingdom of Weshtayo - Ruler - King Uraji, Red-Feathered Lord Capital - Khulank Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Valesian Spirit Cult Diplomacy - Bedraku [+4YfC], Chom [C]

The Imperial Realm of Zikuyu -
Ruler - Emperor Bhekizizwe
Capital - Ivallkyu
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Valesian Spirit Cult
Diplomacy - Urrides [F]

The Valraj -
Ruler - Sultan Azaad
Capital - Muddakir
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Valesian Spirit Cult
Diplomacy - Abtak [FA]

The Grand Duchy of Meneen -
Ruler - Grand Duke Salene
Capital - Yaz Meneen
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - Valesian Spirit Cult
Diplomacy - Urvupal [EA]

Grand Duke Salene directed that the strength of the nation be spent on improving the region of Dreta with gardens, orchards, groves and fruitful meadows.  The Grand Duke himself then set course for Urvupal in the north, where he negotiated a treaty of economic alliance with the Quellende elves. As was their wont, Feantë and Gilendyl went reaving, sailing to Kanderark in the west, near to their possessions in Aclimea and Rundal and terrorizing the local elves into submission to the will of the Grand Duke. Habnar, meanwhile, governed the city of Yaz Meneen. With the Grand Duke away from Yaz Meneen, his scribes and magistrates found it quite enough to administer the local tribes.  Those far away in Aclimea, Rundal, Taswari and newly-conquered Kanderark quickly revolted, refusing to send tribute to a government so far away.

The Kingdom of Ukanve -
Ruler - Queen Eamata
Capital - Ukanve
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Valesian Spirit Cult

Prince-Consort Gean died in 2867, leaving Queen Eamata alone at sixty to rule her nation and raise her three girls. In the following year, she named her daughter Edovah to be her heir and successor. Lord Geneal was sent to convert the orcs of Nyelru to the worship of the spirits, but he died in that region in 2869. Lord Norwalk recruited nearly two thousand light infantry and marched them overland to Ayma Vas, where he oversaw the founding of a new city (Named Eamata, after the queen). The tiny port rose near to the site of the ruins of ancient Yaz Meneen.

The Kingdom of Nikitya -
Ruler - Queen Olga
Capital - Vikitana
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Serriku Spirit Cult

King Olaf ordered a complete retrenchment, a focus on the sea.  He severed the ties between his crown and the inland regions of Pyiukta, Chakkikta and Pissitka, directing instead that the nation look to the sea. Lord Dagobert the Unsteady led a large raiding force to the mouth of the Wolf River, where it was discovered that the Nikityan cogs were of too deep a draft to enter the river over the monstrous tidal bores - the fleet could not enter.  After milling about some months in consternation, Dagobert led his fleet north to assail the steppe people of Karyala.  The wily horsemen simply rode away, leading the Nikityans further inland until suddenly the hunters became the hunted.  Horsemen surrounded the northmen and pricked them with a merciless rain of arrows from horseback.  Dagobert ordered a retreat, but died with an arrow through his throat.  Six hundred Nikityans lost their lives on the retreat to the ships.  The survivors returned to Vikitana and refused to go out again. King Olaf died in 2868 at the age of forty-nine.  His heir was yet a boy, so his wife Olga, daughter of the old king, took command in the name of her (nameless) son. Missionaries sent to Piunani by the Duskwood Reavers of Azhran found a hostile reception in the Nikityan capital. They were not killed, as certain cult priests demanded, but they were set adrift in a small boat at night and never seen again.

The Principalities of Korondor -
Ruler - King Vorin
Capital - Nikkildun
Dominant Race - Dwarf
Dominant Religion - The Lords of the Grail
Diplomacy - Kyuinachka [-], Khond-Mirzar [A], Syupit [T]

King Vorin ordered a few hundred of his mobile infantry to settle down in castles spread across the peaks of Achkain for defense.  He then spent generously of the wealth of the dwarves to create villages, farms and markets in both Achkain and Innikuch. The king and his advisors moved out to seek alliances among their neighbors.  Vorin himself traveled to the shoreline farms of Kyuinachka, but the stout-hearted men of those hardy climes had little interest in owing fealty to a dwarf of the mountains and so they rejected his overtures, albeit with courteous words.  More luck had Vorin's son Torin, who visited the dwarven stronghold of Khond-Mirzar and there struck a strong alliance with the doughty dwarves of the hills.  Even the men of the woods of Syupit proved more malleable than their town-dwelling kin, and agreed to send an annual tribute to the King Under Hill.

The Shanatar Empire -
Ruler - God-Emperor Talena
Capital - Feroe
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - The God-Emperor
Diplomacy - An'Hirz [NT]

God Emperor Talena raised her Royal Consort Migdala to the rank of Prince of the Realm and put him to overseeing the construction of a royal road that ran from Feroe nearly to Naifir, six hundred miles to the northwest. Lord Ferros traveled to An'Hirz on the shores of the Blood Sea and arranged a marriage between the God-Emperor's sixteen year old sister Uria and the son of a local lord.  The men of An'Hirz recognized the God-Emperor as their rightful sovereign in name, but maintained control of their own affairs at home. Talena's father Uruk had always been fond of elves, or the Fair Folk as he named them.  But his daughter thought of them as haughty, stiff-necked dissidents.  When they revolted against her divine rule, she determined to make an object lesson of them to the whole of Shanatar.  The God-Empress sent her legions into Mandek and Malil under the command of General Sedor.  With nearly twenty thousand infantry and cavalry, Sedor set about ruthlessly destroying the ancient enclave of elves on the Chamir river, burning their homes, slaughtering their animals and enslaving their children. The elves of cultivated Malil proved easy for the army to overrun, and in mere days elves were for sale in the slave markets of Feroe.  The sons and daughters of the noble houses were shorn of their hair, tattooed as slaves and sent to serve in the Imperial Household.  But the wild elves of Mandek proved hardier and the war to subdue them lasted for months and ended only when Shanatarian assassins injured Varelle the Fey, their renegade general.  WIthout his leadership, the elven resistance collapsed and Mandek too was enslaved, though at a great cost in the lives of Shanatarian soldiers.  Varelle was brought before the throne of

Talena, where she placed a slippered foot upon his neck and commanded him to beg for his life.  When he refused, she grew bored and had him murdered for her amusement, and his head displayed on the city gate.

The Farmuz Emirates - Ruler - Sultan Yaman al Mukatir Capital - Azhkatûm Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Lords of the Grail

Wealthy Farmuz placed staggering sums of gold and the labor of thousands of men into building farms, markets, storage silos and wells in the black soil of Forecen.  The started the intensive cultivation of the same province - soon to be one of the wealthiest in all Theeurth. There were even resources left over to re-found the adventuring group known as The Gurek of the Red Stone and send them into the heart of the Anvil of the Gods, whence they returned laden with jewels and tales of adventure in half-buried cities. The king ruled in Azhkatûm, fathering a son, while most of Farmuz's leaders sedately governed her cities.  It worked out reasonably well for them.

 

The Kingdom of Vaudan - Ruler - King Eldred Capital - Chegamum Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Orithia Diplomacy - Parkora [EA]

King Eldred led most of his court to the elven forests of Parkora and with the offer of marriage to his younger son Afshin, convinced the elves to enter into an economic alliance.  Meanwhile, the elves of Vaklatos refused the hand of his daughter Delarum. On the swift, rocky banks of the Upper Gardagos river, a new town grew, named Vakla for the surrounding forests of Vaklatos. While Eldred and his court were in Parkora, his son Afshar ruled in his stead, and fathered a son of his own, thus continuing the line. Lord Mehrvand died in his sleep in 2969.  Lord Favardin of Nrinayri also died in that year, mauled by a tiger during a hunting accident.

The United Clans of Mainos -
Ruler - King Kaedhrol Greyfeather
Capital - Badmira
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - Orithia
Diplomacy - Krinra [FA], Aydu [A]

The elves of Mainos assembled to build beautiful canals in Kheleni on which floated slender phoenix-prowed boats, carrying elves to pleasant glades and cool forests. King Greyfeather ruled from the throne of Badmira, while his son Auvo governed the city in his name. Lady Tarja Elsilä sojourned with the Krina elves and by 2870, had convinced them to swear oaths of feudal allegiance to the United Clans.  Likewise,  Lady Aila Törni concluded a treaty of alliance with the elves of Aydu. Preachers of Orithia were everywhere in Mainos, spreading the faith and fostering an interest in the pursuit of the godhead.

The Dragon's Reach -

The Kingdom of Uheju -
Ruler - Regent Gadai
Capital - Shkomyemri
Dominant Race - Hobgoblin
Dominant Religion - Orithia
Diplomacy - Inni [-]

Regent Gadai swiftly moved to Shkoyemri and seized command of the national army.  Meanwhile, his allies moved to set up a defense against any possible attack from Mogodor. None came. Lord Tudun tried unsuccessfully to interest the lords of Inni in closer ties to the kingdom. Lord Kaidan traveled to the island of Tanuan and cooperated with the men of Kasadir in converting the savage islanders to Orithia. Amukar of Basok died in 2868, and his son reaffirmed the alliance.

 

The Kingdom of Kasadir - Ruler - King Maejith Capital - Tamiyot Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - Orithia Diplomacy - Tanuan [NT]

King Faren III summoned all his peasant labor and released all the wealth of his realm to enrich the homeland, filling it with markets, mines, cottages and homesteads. The Order of Havirj was hired and set to researching in libraries, forgotten monasteries and among the most disreputable sort of persons for information. Missionaries from Kasadir went among the savage natives of Tanuan and spread the word of Orithia. At much the same time, Prince Maejith was meeting with them, seeking to gain their allegiance.  What he gained was their grudging agreement that Tamiyot could send merchants to the island from time to time. Lord Thruen governed the city of Tamiyot for five years.  A well-meaning man, he found himself caught up in an endless stream of job-seekers, hangers-on and complainants. Queen Xiakwe died in 2868 at the age of fifty-one.

She who had been so lively and devilishly scandalous as a girlish debutante had not aged gracefully, and the incense and other substances she smoked with almost ceaseless habit left her once considerable beauty a hollow mockery.  She died coughing and unable to seize breath.  Her death broke the heart of her devoted husband the king, and he simply faded away, dying on a summer afternoon without uttering any final words. 

When he returned to Tamiyot from Tanuan, their son Maejith was crowned king of Kasadir.

 

The Kingdom of Ahandu - Ruler - King Staraash Capital - Zathurrin Dominant Race - Saurus Dominant Religion - Orithia Diplomacy - Pondu [T], Heblam [-]

Because the Ahandan government was stretched far beyond its means, Xholquet of Tenguan decided to take his region out of the kingdom and rule it himself. So also did distant Pondu throw off the few Ahandan tax collectors. King Staraash ruled from Zathurrin until his death in 2870.  At that time, he was succeeded by his daughter, Hexoatl, who had in the meantime given birth to two sons and a daughter by Prince Tocmazda, who was governor of the capital. In the meantime, Lord Uaxgar and allied Lord Chiccloq of Menjarmun traveled to Pondu and established a tribute system whereby the men of Pondu agreed to maintain the paths and byways free of bandits. Both leaders died of disease in 2869. Lord Tochuan traveled to the conquered realm of Heblam to try to improve relations, but his condescending attitude and frequent off-color jokes at the local's expense raised their ire and one morning he was found floating face-down in the shallows of the Dragon's Reach.

The Empire of Mogodor -
Ruler - Emperor Kaidhoor IV
Capital - Aone
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Orithia

Empress Anjae died in 2866 after eating duck that had lain too long in the sun.  Lord Marakve died during a flash flood in 2868. Jailur, lord of Tekkur died in 2869 during an outbreak of the plague.

The Kingdom of Suhanir -
Ruler - King Valiel Sunlord
Capital - Kaonayu
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - Orithia
Diplomacy - Anbarako [T]
 

The merchants of Suhanir organized a guild in Kaonayu, while the more adventurous elves began to congregae in Miyotla. King Valiel watched the borders from the capital while his son Marahel spent his days in idle congress with his wife. Lord Halath traveled to the woods of Anbarako and there convinced the elves of those woods to pay tribute to Kaonayu.

The Kingdom of Amantai -
Ruler - King Mardule
Capital - Mahlish
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Orithia
Diplomacy - Ser [EA]

Amantai founded a civil service, attempting to bring the wisest and most qualified into the king's anemic bureaucracy. Two small castles were built in the allied region of Baya, with some aid from the king. Meanwhile, settlers continued to labor in the forests to carve out smallholdings and family farms amidst the ancient woods. King Sendoor traveled to neighboring Ser and convinced the locals to allow Amantai to sell the herbs and rare pelts of the region through its port at Mahlish.  The king died in Ser at the age of fifty-two.  His son Mardule was crowned a few weeks later. Until then, Mardule had been governor of Mahlish, and fathered a daughter in 2867.  His wife Kaydan died in 2869, the same year he was crowned king. Lord Ledwick the Swift put to sea in a fleet of ten warships and slowly beat up the coast westward until he came to the unknown reaches of the Permanga Sound.  He spent years mapping the region, discovering the city of Orodask and the endless sea of grass called Targary. Ledwick returned safely to Mahlish in 2870.

The Kingdom of Nuitai -
Ruler - King Arpald
Capital - Temanom
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Orithia
Diplomacy - Erdiyek [T]

There was much activity in the capital of Temanom, as a new theater and graveyard were built to serve the city. Queen Ehlissa commanded her armies and watched the borders.  She died of a heart attack in 2867.  Ehlissa's son and heir, Arpald, was away in Erdiyek at the time, across the Sea of Frozen Stars.  Laden over with spells, he enchanted the locals, who agreed to pay the young king an annual tribute. Lord Prajuk died in 2868, falling out of a tree while hunting in Mengerehju. The kingdom had been held together almost entirely by the indomitable will of Queen Ehlissa.  Nuitai's bureaucracy was anemic, and its lands wild and trackless.  Without her strong ruling hand, rebellions began almost immediately.  Mengerejhu and Nymun refused to recognize the Nuitai overlordship any further. A strong series of gales in 2869 smashed against the rocks a merchant ship bound for Maitak in Tekume.

The Kingdom of Choran -
Ruler - King Parru the Pale
Capital - Choran
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Serikku Spirit Cult
Diplomacy - Bayindu [T]

The sailors of Choran trained hard on their warships and merchant cogs to become the best seamen in the world...but they aren't there yet. King Parru (a purely ceremonial title - Choran is an oligarchy) reorganized the trade of the Choran cities, sending dozens more ships to trade with Akagekku, Khudukan and Nuitai, and opened up trade with Mogodor.  He was less successful at organizing a census.  His people remained fractious and uncounted. Lord Naktor returned to Choran from Tolnek, but died in 2867 just months after becoming governor of Bagayu. Trelan the Bold sailed south from Tolnek with nine ships, charting the far southern waters.  He returned to Tolnek with six ships after suffering terrible storms off the Hamna Coast. Lan the Green governed Tolnek.

Lord Drofu traveled to Bayindu and arranged a marriage between Parru and a daughter of an important local family.  His diplomacy while there convinced the lords of Bayindu to pay tribute to Choran.

Mel'nar of Arkhoro died of apoplexy in 2869.  His son reaffirmed Arkhoro's alliance with Choran.

The Empire of Tekume -
Ruler - King Vo-Laareth
Capital - Suru'or
Dominant Race - Giants
Dominant Religion - The Dark Court

Tekume built up the region of Karisdu, and otherwise slept. Prince Ar-Nampur died in 2866 of an ailment of the liver.  Mo-Blokreth, Lord of Kumi, died in 2869 during a hunting accident.

The Kolyut Isthmus -

The Sylvan Realm of Hecadia -
Ruler - King Avedis
Capital - Belgramma
Dominant Race - Halfling
Dominant Religion - Orithia
Diplomacy - Evuldar [EA]

The Hecadians commissioned a number of scribes and scholars, and so expanded their bureaucracy in order to govern their spreading realm. They also added four new forts in Amoka along the post road running south from Feroe, and recruited five hundred new cavalry in Ateside, sturdy halfling ponies with which to range the long river border.  To house the new cavalry, a small village named Serah Harbor (after the governor's wife) was built on the banks of the Chamir, with a small jetty to take in supplies from the river-barges. The halflings began to build a wide royal road from Belgramma to Lepreum, but only finished it as far as the Rundar border. King Avedis was married in 2865, and his unnamed wife died in childbirth that same year.  He married again in 2867, but had no further children. Lord Tammet governed the city of Tetomo, where he built a small garden near the center of town. The mercenary diplomat Elekar the Fox traveled to the forests of Evuldar and negotiated a treaty of trade...even though the men of Evuldar traded little but lumber and furs. Ashrak of Chothor died in 2869, and his army returned to Chothor to bury him.

The Kingdom of Kerendis - Ruler - King Jorald Makkure Capital - Orbelain Dominant Race - Human Dominant Religion - The Dark Court Diplomacy - Emparar [EA]

Evil to the core they may be, but never let it be said they're racists!  The Kerendans spent most of their treasury and manpower building villages, mending fences and digging wells in the halfling-dominated region of Nisvet. A splendid parade and an extravagant ball were held in Orbelain to celebrate the elevation of Cormac Makkure to the position of Prince of the Realm. King Jorald ruled the nation from the throne of Orbelain, while he also manipulated the trade guilds to favor Farmuz and Accolon over Shanatar. Prince Lochilann and Lord Saerbrethach traveled to the woods of Emparar and negotiated a trade agreement, agreeing to reduce the taxes the woodsmen had to pay on their lumber as it entered the ports of Orbelain and Methedras. Lord Karlos governed the city of Methedras. Bishop Dargune Soulhammer died in Anshuyo in 2869 and was buried on a high cliff overlooking the Hecadian Straits.

The Kingdom of Threns -
Ruler - King Nijon
Capital - Vaayil
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Changshai Spirit Cult
Diplomacy - Artisva [NT]

The men of Threns continued to build upon the rich soil of Sukan, and villages, haymarkets, towns and cottages sprang up all across the region. So too did the slowly increasing presence of adventurers in Vaayil lead to the formation of small adventuring bands which might one day form an adventuring guild. King Nijon remarried, and in 2869 fathered a second daughter.  In the meantime, he trained his older daughter Marietta as he ruled his kingdom, and the young, bright-eyed girl paid close attention to her father's lessons. Lord Papichulk traveled to the southern border and with the aid of Savinar of Siruvagal, convinced the woodsmen of Artisva to allow Threnish merchants and troops to pass over their land unhindered.

The Kolyut Hegemony -
Ruler - Hegemon Mordo
Capital - Ketarid
Dominant Race - Hobgoblin
Dominant Religion - The Dark Court
Diplomacy - Rainda EA]

Hegemon Vor the Merciless ordered his troops to move into and settle the recently depopulated region of Aya, returning some life and vigor to that region of abundance. The Hegemon then set off into the northwest, gathering troops as he went, until he reached Irnatra.  There, with seven thousand hobgoblins, he set about subduing the region.  The Indahl tribes were incensed, and to the strength of Irnatra, they added that of Ramdegu and Phinmai, which revolted from Kolyut control just days after Vor removed its garrison. The clans gathered seven thousand of their own troops and came down on the encampment of Vor in the midst of the impenetrable forests. Though the two sides were evenly matched in numbers, and though the Indahls knew every inch of the forests, the day was won by the hobgoblins.  Better leadership, better discipline and the superb kolyut hobgoblin elite troopers made all the difference.  The Kolyuts lost a thousand troops, but dispersed the Indahls and made great slaughter of them as well.  Alas, Vor fell in the forefront of the battle, an Indahl arrow through his eye.  Leaderless, the army retreated back through unfriendly territory to Rainda. Elsewhere, the hobgoblin adventurer Mordo the Wort took the Kolyut fleet around the Shen'xi coast, discovering and exploring the Krathos sea. The dictatorship fell to Kabar Stonehand, who at the time was negotiating a treaty with the folk of Rainda.  He took command of Vor's army and continued his labors until he died in a violent night of passion, which all agreed was a very good death.  In his honor, the hobgoblins of Rainda agreed to conclude the economic treaty in his absence. Thus the office of Hegemon fell to Mordo, last of Vor's confidants.

Without the firm hand of the hegemon, the region of Muktikan ejected the Kolyut liaison and declared independence.

Content with their place in the world, the folk of Ruanach did very little of note.  Only in Angkon, where the land was slowly cleared for farming, was any real activity seen. The burgeoning size of the Ruan population began to strain the abilities of the small Ruan government. A strange, blood-red taint poisoned the waters of the Ruan Straits, killing a vast number of fish and left their stinking carcasses rotting on the shore.

The Delves of Ahum - Ruler - King Tolman Redbelly Capital - Saumya Dominant Race - Halfling Dominant Religion - Nuree Diplomacy - Vishadi [F]

The halflings of Ahum continued to make sizeable but diffuse investments in their future. Wells and several comfortable burrows were dug in Atruvai while the forests of Sukurem continued to fall to the forester's axes. King Tolman ruled from Saumya and kept his sister Poppy nearby in order to learn from the issues he resolved day by day.  It was said that Poppy was a good, if quiet, student, and listened carefully to all that was said in her brother's halls. As was their tradition, Isumbras Lowstick, Halldred Earthcloak and Hamfast Roughbelly continued to preach the word of Nuree in Assa and Amovish, while missionaries worked in Sauryas.  Halldred died in Amovish in 2868. Prince Fosca Proudfield was governor of Hishore until he died in 2869. Baris Dustybrook traveled to the border region of Vishadi and took with him the king's sister Pervinca Fastbrook.  He convinced the men of Vishadi to become a full part of the Delves. In 2869, a great rumbling in the Sudaran Sea was followed by a roaring crash as the ground shook and the land was changed.  The city of Nikitr and the region of Atruvai suffered from a strong earthquake that left the city high and dry...no longer a port.

The Orcish Raj of Virityal -
Ruler - Raj Algoz
Capital - Chharit
Dominant Race - Orc
Dominant Religion - Nuree

The orcs of Virityal cracked boulders and felled trees to clear room for new villages and slave markets in Hilakav. Prince Taureg fathered two sons and two daughters while governing the city of Chharit.  Lord Garsk governed in the city of Kamadha and until his death in 2867, Lord Vangandek governed in the city of Garupal. Prince Drendak led three thousand orcs into Utaya, where he raided the sparse jungles of Amsurma and Sapanju.  The then conquered and looted Utaya, then left the region behind.  It immediately revolted against orcish rule.

The Empire of Rajahdan-
Ruler - Emperor Zlathex of the Jungles
Capital - Jalahl
Dominant Race - Sathla
Dominant Religion - Autumna
Diplomacy - Sankail [T], Assarat [A]

The sathla of Rajahdan continued to migrate from the hinterlands to their great capital at Jalahl, expanding the city into a true metropolis.  Emperor Zlathex aided his ally Ankhac of Sugrand in the raising of two thousand heavy elite infantry, and then married his sister Tlaxii to Ankhac.  The newly elevated prince brought his province fully into the empire. The Emperor and his lieutenant Adohichii traveled to the western jungles of Sankail and there imposed a tribute on the emperor's former subjects. Lord Itzaquet, assisted by Inzixl, varron of Gattapal, traveled to Assarat to arrange a treaty.  Itzaquet died in his sleep in 2868, but the duo nonetheless managed to convince the lord of Assarat to join them in an alliance. Sathla missionaries continued to slowly work their seductive charms on the orcs of Viraben.

Anku Elevya -
Ruler - Regent Merujuk
Capital - Jinguir
Dominant Race - Saurus
Dominant Religion - Changshai Spirit Cult

The Emperor Vaasileth IV aided his allies in recruiting two thousand light elite infantry, and ordered large bands of feudal peasants to continue to improve Anku with mud islands and elaborate canals. The Emperor also dedicated the start of new national religious monument known as the Heart of the Wyrm.  Large drums pound continuously within the temple, giving the sound of a beating heart.  Vaasileth IV fathered two twin sons in 2867, then died two months later, touching off a catastrophic series of rebellions. At the time, most of the army was under the command of Lord Heshti in Juta.  Heshti immediately declared himself Emperor and marched towards Jinguir.  But his second-in-command, Merujuk, managed to convince a loyalist faction within the army to place Heshti under arrest and support the Emperor's son.  Heshti was wounded, but escaped into the jungle, vowing revenge. Many of the Empire's allies deserted it at this time, including Tidak of Haruang, Betul of Mengkua, and Atasnya of Umalatida. As Merujuk marched north to seize and protect the Capital, the Empress and the baby emperor, many of the nation's revolted around him, including Apatadu, Dakselenda, Imak, Jarimat, Macaran, Puntama, the city of Banyak and worst of all, Iapsengi. Just prior to the start of the war, Lulipayat assassins slew the leader of the Anku Elevyan diplomatic team in Bukuturru.  The survivors retreated to Jugama. In 2869, the lord of Mengil died and his province swore allegiance to the Emperor.

The Celestial Empire of Shen'xi -
Ruler - Emperor Lou Tan
Capital - Wu Lan
Dominant Race - Human
Dominant Religion - Kifan

The Empire sat in contented silence. Lord Lan Xou died in 2869. Xou Shin, Lord of Shi died in the same year.  Shi agreed to continue an economic alliance with the Empire. Emperor Li Dao II died in 2870, to be replaced by his only son Lou Tan.

The Lulipayat Empire -
Ruler - Khathros IX
Capital - Kelakuan
Dominant Race - Sathla
Dominant Religion - Autumna
Diplomacy - Bukuturru [C]

King Khathos recruited twelve hundred cavalry and bided his time, watching the self-destruction of Anku Elevya. Lulipayat diplomats claimed Bukuturru for the kingdom.

The Serenity of Wayahapta -
Ruler - Kelyor III
Capital - Keluan
Dominant Race - Halfling
Dominant Religion - Changshai Spirit Cult
Diplomacy - Beranud [A], Ushuqua [FA], Tahpqa [FA]

The halflings of Wayahapta recruited eight hundred heavy infantry into the king's army, and trained on the plains of Kumpawi. Meanwhile, a second force of some five thousand halflings marched north from Kumpawi through Kumipawat and Munkump to Tuqalashta and back, patrolling for enemies and brigands. The king himself married and fathered a daughter in 2869. Prince Alycor married the sister of Mau'tan of Beranud, thus bringing the large southern city entirely within the structure of the Wayahaptan government.  Alycor then vacationed with his new bride in the wilds of Ushuqua, coincidentally convincing the men of that island to swear feudal oaths to his father. Lord Medrassu slashed a path through the thick jungles of Waychaw to arrive deep in the thickets of Tahpqa.  Despite the differences in size and language, the little explorer impressed the easy-going men of Tahpqa and they also swore smiling

fealty to the king in Keluan.

Lord Harand searched in Keluan for dark powers not meant to breathe the clean air of Wayahapta, but found none.

Being far beyond the ability of the government to control without the king's rule, Kuwishata, Munkump and Waychaw all declared their independence (or more exactly, said nothing ignored the very small status that Wayahapta had once held.)

The Dwarven Realm of Khudukan -
Ruler - King Kodor
Capital - Nodo-Xan
Dominant Race - Dwarf
Dominant Religion - Chanshai Spirit Cult
Diplomacy - Tomarom [-], Kiwarno [C]

The dwarves of Khudukan planted hops farms high in the best soil of the hanging valleys of Makomoe.  A tiny fleet was also begun in the eastern port of Ungin. King Kodor divided half his army up between his son and his lieutenants, then retired to Nodo-Xan with the other half. His son, Xang Glitterdelve, governed the capital in his father's name. Sirom Stiffbeard traveled to Tomarom in the vain attempt to encourage the stiff-necked Dotag Stonefoot to submit to royal rule. Garf Ironfist traveled to the elvish hills of Kiwarno and claimed the for Khudukan.

The Empire of the Pearl -
Ruler - Saito Shimane
Capital - Hitotome
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - Kifan
Diplomacy - Kuemas [F], Tsuko [A], Chimiwa [FA]

The Emperor, surveying his lands, decreed a postal road to run from Hanaze to Chimika, to shorten the distance to his eastern provinces. The Emperor improved relations with Tsuko, acquiring an ally among the hill folk. His daughter Saito Kaoku, married Kozuki Hemao, the daimyo of Wanari, and the Emperor named his new son-in-law a prince of the Empire. Hitotomi Maizaku created a census of the Empire, while Sakurako Hideyoshi convinced the elves of Chimiwa to join the Empire in oaths of fealty.  In 2867, there was a diffuse but vicious attack on a number of imperial magistrates.  Investigation by the survivors seemed to suggest that the attackers were, or were hired by, sauruses of Anku Elevya.

The Jade Republic of Akagekku -
Ruler - Khoram IV
Capital - Akagekku
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - Kifan
Diplomacy - Shizuko [EA]

The sturdy Akagekkan peasants labored in Kumidor to create a vast network of interlacing irrigation canals and the impressive floodgates to control water flowing down from Akimoma.  The rich black soil of the land began to yield phenomenal quantities of grains, fruits, vegetables and roots. While Khoram IV ruled from the port of Akagekku, his son Edorel traveled to the new but important crossroads village of Habuti to govern there. Lord Faressë continued to govern the ancient city of Komotsu, and continued to be seen as a patron of merchants and of the arts. Lord Findarwin traveled to the Hamujin region of Shizuko, and arranged a marriage between the bachelor Khoram IV and a chieftain's daughter of the Hamujin.  The elves of Shizuko have long exported the exquisite feathers of the Inarimi bird, as well cloaks and arrows made with them. Akagekku acquired the rights to sell these prized goods through their merchants and contacts.

The Emerald Realm of Lekandi -
Ruler - King Galens Eagleheart
Capital - Suwelho
Dominant Race - Elf
Dominant Religion - Ukele Spirit Cult

The elves of Lekandi continued in their slow and sedate pace of life in the far southern island-continent of Ukele. They trained and practiced in forms both martial and eldritch, and learned to row their swift, light war-galleys with speed and precision. King Galens decreed a broad, paved road running nearly two hundred miles from Suwelho to New Gyanlay, lined with tall rowan trees and faced in rock-hard crystal.  By means of this tool was commerce spread from Lake Itaka to the shores of the Aren Sea, and so also was the government more able to influence distant events at its borders. Elath Bloodspear continued his age-long governance of the capital whle Lord Juelans tramped about in Unu and Kelen Farstrider visited the elves of Kishoda, Fuama and Kupendi.

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.

TRADE

There is practically nothing to be said about Trade that isn't said in the Basic Rules.  But so many people have asked questions about it, that I'm going to attempt to explain it in an organized fashion. 

The Basics -

Trade can occur between any two nations, primacies or religious orders.  Secret Empires do not trade.  The amount of gold generated as revenue by this trade is determined by the economic power of the nations (Total Trade Value), the terrain between them (trade status), the distance between them and the age of the trade route.

How it Begins -

In most LOTE games, trade routes are established only when the players so decree.  Not so in L54.  In L54, nations are assumed to trade automatically with everyone they can.  Only when a nation issues a decree to the contrary, backed up with an Intervene in Mercantile Affairs (IMA) order, does this not occur. Even then, there may well be a trade route, marked as Interdicted (essentially, some black market trade still gets through.) The "interdicted" status is actually intended for a different purpose in the Basic Rules, but serves well enough to represent Theeurth's black markets.

If there is someone you should be able to trade with, but aren't, go ahead and start the route (using an IMA Order).  The GM is far from perfect.

How Many Routes Can I Have? -

You can have no more than one route with every nation in range.  It represents all your trade with them.

Land Routes

If a trade route can proceed overland, it must do so instead of by sea.  The players have no choice in the matter. Land routes can be established when there is a link between the two capitals existing entirely of regions controlled at Non-Paying Tributary (NT) or better. 

There are four sorts of Land routes: Difficult, Hostile, Open and Road.  Hostile (LTH) routes represent the least profitable, and exist where any part of the route between capitals crosses desert or hostile terrain or an unsettled region.  Difficult (LTD) exists where any part of the route crosses mountain, jungle, forest, hill or swamp terrain. Open (LTO) routes represent a middling profitability, and exist where the entire route between capitals is steppe or cultivated land.  Road (LTR) routes are the most profitable and exist only where a royal road links both capitals (regardless of terrain) and where at least 75% of the cities in each nation are connected by Royal Roads.

River borders have no effect on trade status. 

Sea Routes

If any part of the trade between capitals must go by sea or river (not crossing a river, but along it), then the route is a sea route.  Sea routes are measured in the distance traveled by sea, regardless of the distance between capitals. For sea trade to be possible, the trading ports must themselves be connected back to their respective capitals by land routes held at Tributary (T) status or better.

The shorter the sea travel, the more profitable the route.For example, the nation of Ahuran has a port, Southscape, on the Pale Sea.  It trades with Luxur, whose capital is a port on the Luxur Coast.  The sea trade between them must travel two sea zones (Pale Sea and Luxur Coast). However, Ahuran and Har'akir both have ports on Roldein's Gate, so the sea route between them is just 1 sea zone, even though both their capitals are inland (Note that the two ports in question, Ilduksan and Muzir, are connected to their respective capitals by land regions held at T status or better.)

Each nation has a Trade Range, which expresses the maximum number of sea zones their trade can cross. Nomads have a trade range of 1.  Barbarians 2, Civilized 3 and Seafaring 4.  In addition, Seafaring nations in L54 may have one Conduit City which can extend the trade range another 4 sea zones. 

Merchant Shipping Points (MSP)

Sea trade is measured in MSP (See BR 2.17.6).  The more MSP on  any given route, the more efficient it is.  Rules for building it may be found on the Rules page. However, many trade routes are simply too weak to support more than a certain amount of MSP.

An important concept here is the difference between MSP and eMSP.  MSP is the actual amount you own on any given route.  eMSP is a measure of how effective that MSP is. As shown in BR 2.17.8, eMSP =  MSP x ( Trade Range/ Sea Zone Distance).  Therefore, the fewer sea zones the trade must cross, the more efficient the route will be. Similarly, nations with greater trade ranges have more efficient MSP.

The Trade Route Section of the Turnsheet

Here is a typical listing from the Trade Routes section of a turnsheet:

This player is a civilized nation with a Trade Range of 3.  At a distance of 3, his MSP=eMSP.  But at a distance of 1 sea zone, his MSP = 3eMSP.  So the Shanatar route will always be more efficient than the Valraj route for this player.

Note also that last entry: Free Cap.  That's free capacity, and a negative number means there's already too much eMSP on the route for complete efficiency.  This player could pull one or two MSP off the Valraj route and still be fully efficient.  But pulling one off the Shanatar route would lead to less efficiency, since it would pull off three eMSP, leaving the route at +2.

So, it's best to keep the good trade routes (ones with high eMSP:MSP ratios) fully stocked, resulting in little or no Free Capacity.  This can lead to trade wars, where one player monopolizes the route with his MSP to reap most of the benefit.  Other than talking to the offending player, the two ways of resolving the situation are pouring on your own MSP so that you are both equally inefficient, or sinking his ships...

By the way, if you see the word "No" under "Your MSP", it means that you are trading with a partner who is beyond your reach, but not beyond his.  He'll reap most of the benefit of the route, but what the heck, he's doing all the work and it's free money to you.  Enjoy!

Basing Ports v. Home Ports

If anything really confuses people about LOTE trade, this is it.  Put simply, the Basing Port is where you keep the MSP.  The Home Port is the port from which you count the sea zones to the trade partner.  They need not be the same port, and only the Home Port needs to have a clear route back to the capital.

For instance, if the Conorrian Empire wanted to trade with the Valesian Empire, it might count the distance from Benemartius to Carres - 1 sea zone.  In this case, Benemartius would be the theoretical Home Port for that route.  But the MSP itself could be in any Conorrian port, such as Echoriath or Varantium, even if that was further away.  The Distance on this route would still be 1 Sea Zone.

But What about HOT?

All you really need to know about Hands-Off-Trade is that the computer gives you new eMSP as the route ages and the economies of the two nations expand.  It also shuffles excess Free Capacity off the route and into the Basing Port. That's all -I- know.  

When do I have to use an IMA order?

Any time you do anything with a trade route. 

Are their other types of Merchant Fleets?

Yes.  If you have more MSP than you can efficiently place on a trade route, you can put it into an Internal Route or a Fishing Fleet.  Fishing fleets will generate more Agro (See BR 2.16.3), and Internal routes will trade between your own cities, generating more gold.  If you see a route listed as trading with "No one", that's an internal route the computer has created with excess MSP.  Feel free to leave it there or move it to more efficient trade routes.

Although L54 hasn't progressed to that stage yet, more mature campaigns will have all or many of the trade routes filled with MSP, and so many players will build internal trade routes.  They're like getting free city income without the additional Imperial Size (See BR 2.16.2)

Page Completed 28 August 2007