LORDS OF THE EARTH CAMPAIGN 54

Then up and spak an eldern knicht,
Sat at the king’s richt knee,
‘Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailor,
That ever sail’d the sea.’

Our king has written a braid letter,
And seal’d it wi’ his han’,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence,
Was walkin’ on the stran’.

‘To Noroway, to Noroway,
To Noroway owre the faim;
The king’s dochter o’ Noroway,
It’s thou maun bring her hame.’

The first line that Sir Patrick read,
Sae lond, loud laughed he;
The neist line that Sir Patrick read,
The tear blinded his e’e.

‘O wha is this has dune this deed,
And tauld the king o’ me,
To send us oot at this time o’ the year
To sail upon the sea?

Be’t wind, be’t weet, be’t bail, be’t sleet,
Our ship maun sail the faim;
The king’s dochter o’ Noroway,
It’s we maun fetch her hame.’

They boys’d their sails on Mononday,
Wi’ a’ the speed they may;
They hae landed in Noroway
Upon a Wodnesday.

* * * * *

‘Mak ready, mak ready, my merry men a’,
Our guid ship sails the morn,’
‘0 say na sae, my maister dear,
For I fear a deidly storm.

I saw the new moon late yestreen,
Wi’ the auld moon in her arm,
And I fear, I fear, my maister dear,
That we will come to harm.

They had na sail’d a league, a leagne,
A league but barely three,
When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud,
And gurly grew the sea.

The ankers brak, and the tapmasts lap,
‘Twas sic a deidly storm
And the waves cam owre the broken ship,
Till a’ her sides were torn.

* * * * *

Gae fetch a wab o’ the silken claith,
Anither o’ the twine,
And wap them to our guid ship’s side,
That the saut sea come na in.

They fetch’d a wab o’ the silken claith
Anither o’ the twine,
And they wapp’d them round that guid ship’s side,
But still the sea cam in!

O laith, laith were our guid Scots lords,
To weet their cork-heel’d shoon;
But lang or a’ the play was play’d,
They wat their hats aboon.

And many was the feather bed,
That flauchter’d on the faim;
And mony was the guid lord’s son,
That never mair cam hame!

The ladyes wrang their fingers white,
The maidens tore their hair,
A’ for the sake o’ their true loves,-
For them they’ll see nae mair!

O lang, lang may the ladyes sit,
Wi’ their fans into their han’,
Before they see Sir Patrick Spence
Come sailin’ to the stran’!

O lang, lang may time maidens sit,
Wi’ their gowd kaims in their hair,
A’ waiting for their ain dear loves,-
For them they’ll see nae mair!

It’s forty miles frae Aberdeen,
And fifty fathoms deep,
And there lies guid Sir Patrick Spence,
Wi’ the Sects lords at his feet!

– Sir Patrick Spence, traditional Scottish ballad

King Bjarnalf died of a swelling of the belly in 2863, leaving his son Yars as the sole heir to the lands of the Skane. 

Lord Matthias traveled north to the icy wastelands of Nordmark in search of adventure.  Taken unawares by a party of ice trolls, Matthias ended his days watching his companions be consumed before he, too, became a troll’s morning meal.

Prince Hanest traveled to the realm of Tigelion, long a Tirgonian bulwark against the expansion of the Skane, and sought to sway the hill-lords with promises of marriage to Loa, Bjarnalf’s daughter.  But the conservative Tirgonian lords refused to gainsay their oaths and refused to treat with Hanest.

Prince Gustav, meanwhile, sought to assuage the anger of the Crown Lands against the invader and had some success in bringing a few lords to his point of view.

His uncle, Prince Marcus, led a band of desperate and angry men north by secret paths, arriving at last in the Skane lands to seek some measure of vengeance for their losses.  (See The Tirgonian Wars, below).

Alorien, spymaster of Tirgonia, waited in hidden dells within the Greenwood with a few companions.  Their cruel Tirgonian arrows were tipped with poison and they lay in wait for the coming of the Skane army.

The regions of Aonach and Bekanor revolt from Tirgonian control. 

Then Cheos transferred command of the army to Councillor Sotoris and with Councillor Phokas, rode to Morthales to command the fifteen Harkorian Galleys of the navy.  There, he was joined by the Grail Primacy fleet under the command of Bishop Dorus, and sailed north to fight the Skane (See The Tirgonian War, above).

Ranos IV of Odomenoros and Bishop Theon both died in 2865.  Ranos died of a fever borne on a hot wind out of Daerond, while Theon passed away peacefully in his sleep.  Ranos’s son sent tribute to Cadares, but was not inclined to send forth his troops to war on behalf of the League.

Braal the Callous and Kron the Brilliant marched towards Alqualondë, coordinating their movements with the Skane (See The Tirgonian War, above). After the seizure of the Greenwood and the failure to besiege Alqualondë, the two marched their combined army south into Daerond.  Braal died along the route of march, but Kron took over the combined command of more than eight thousand orcs and seized control of the hills of Gaudhon.

Taun the Talker traveled south to the immense fortress-city of Vanuma and, with tales of the plunder of Tirgon, convinced the orcs to join the Edgemoors as feudal allies. It was there that he heard of the huge elvish army in Vaanes.

Regent Keltos gave over command of the entire army to a young and energetic minotaur general by the name of Boran Clovenhoof, and then went off to conduct dipomacy at the Great Meadow, offering his own hand in marriage.  Keltos was a capable warrior and ruler, but a pitiful diplomat, for he blustered and made demands which the tribes of the Great Meadow rejected out of hand.

Frona Quickstep traveled to the central region of Bodhria and worked long and hard to improve relations until the natives pointed out that they were already friendly to the crown. Kallos Twospot harangued the natives of the capital until they once again submitted to their ancient loyalties and  recognized the young queen as their rightful ruler.

Boran Clovenhoof took his army and won renown by quickly capturing the Brythnian Hills and subduing them.

The elvish army of Neldorea arrived by sea in 2862 and took up a defensive position around Carrenthium.  In 2865, Kallos Twospot loaned the Tablets of Varanthissa to the elves.  Then, Lord Taralom and his huge elvish army marched west into Harkoria.

In 2865, Regent Keltos retired, handing over the crown to young queen Phaidra, who had just come of age.  Seeing his opportunity, Boran Clovenhoof declared himself king of Brythnia, with the enthusiastic support of his army.  They marched on Carrenthium and the land, which had withstood the ravages of religious conflict, erupted into war over control of the throne.  Clovenhoof easily captured the capital and took Phaidra prisoner, killing her and her entire family in a brutally simple act of regicide.  Unialas, Bodhria, The Great Meadow, Vahdrian, Hailh Endhor and Vilayan all refused to follow Boran’s rule and so rebelled. Agents of the new king crushed the rebellion in the Great Meadow.

While King Kendall ruled from the Great Delve, Leo Ratcatcher visited Great Lirien and spent many a pleasant hour drinking pots of brown ale tucked in with fish sandwiches with Leo Shallowwaters.  In the end, Leo agreed to support Kendall’s policies in the Moot.

Similarly Hayden Blackkettle strove to make Zim Beekeeper amenable to the king’s wishes in the Moot, but Zim held out, unwilling to blindly guarantee the great man his unconditional support.

Clem Plowhorse was governor of the Great Delve.  During his tenure, a well was dug to provide water to the thirsty laborers struggling to erect the new city.

Sturdy men dug irrigation channels in Courronais, occasionally unearthing some remnant of the har’keen dominion.  Further south, colonists in Serry strove to build communal markets and grain storage.  Port d’Armand on the Sea of Bells was surrounded by a stout whitewashed limestone wall, while several small castles were built as outworks in the fields of Votois.

King Bohemund summoned his sorcery to aid the diplomacy of Lord Percivale.  He also fathered two daughters and a son during this time.

Princess Sirienne traveled to the Maggardh Fens where she convinced the sauruses to swear allegiance to her brother, the king. Lord Phillip likewise held talks with the sauruses of the Cavadhe, who agreed to an alliance with the humans.

Lord Percivale traveled to Lilloger and there extracted a treaty of tribute from the northwoodsmen.  He took with him Beatriz, daughter of the king, to teach her the ways of diplomacy.

Lord Gareth remained in Rhavais and convinced that city to sign favorable trade contracts with Khairais.

Lord Reginald poked about in Oulenne and the ruins of Caxonne, seeking for rare wild shorebirds.

Sir Haden governed the city of Lothian throughout 2861-62, and in the summer of 2863, sailed north to raid the lands of the Skane (See The Tirgonian War, above).

Sir Richard ferried the army of Neldorea back to the mainland in his fleet, and then turned that fleet over to Sir Haden, taking up command of two thousand troops and nine warships at Lothian.

The Emperor died of a bloody cough at the age of fifty-six in 2863, leaving his son Dindanus in possession of the throne.  When word of this reached the ears of Sir Richard, he immediately revolted and declared himself the Emperor. He immediately marched for Armorica.  At the same time, the regions of Bruenor, Malidisant and Sadok and the city of Lothian all declared for Richard. As he marched through them, he also brought Lynet, Meliodas and Howel under his banner.

At Armorica, Richard and Dindanus confronted each other with their tiny armies. There, Dindanus proved to be a masterful speaker and politician, haranguing Richard’s troops and convincing them to abandon their leader.  Richard tried to escape into the lands loyal to him, but was killed by the peasants of Andred.

Hearing of the war, Sir Haden and his fleet forswore their allegiance to Lorraine and took up the life of pirates.

Dindanus took possession of a much reduced realm.

An adventurer’s guild (The Silent Guardians) formed after long and deliberate investment in Menelcandara.

The lords of the Whisper Wood returned to Menelcandara and saw to the growth of their government and the defenses of their land.

In conjunction with the men of Lorraine, they ferried the elvish army to Carrenthium in Brythnia, where Lord Taralom and his army defended the taurid capital for several years before marching west into the former Harkorian region of Vaanes.

In Belfirth, there was great excitement at court when news arrived that the lost lady Senelra had arrived in the middle of the night with a small guard of elves. She was recognized by the priests of the cathedral and welcomed in.  She claimed to be seeking sanctuary, as she and her companions had just escaped from the slavery of a dark-elf city far below Elenuil.  Word was sent to the queen, but arrived too late for her to respond.  Before dawn’s light reached the city, the cathedral was ablaze, an inferno of wood and glass. The charred remains of a few priests were found, but no trace of Senelra or her compatriots.

In 2865, Lord Taralom and his 16,000-elf army revolted, refused the orders of the queen and melted into the Harkorian countryside.

Expensive subsidies to the nation’s merchants have succeeded in forming a powerful and lucrative trade guild in Laedrus, overseeing trade between the Empire and the western Successor States.  Meanwhile, the settlers in the Salt Shore continue to slowly hack out a civilization from the swampy pine barrens.

A flurry of magical spells invoked spirits of the unseen worlds to improve the roads and wells in Saxetus and the Akasian Hills.

Crusader missionaries to the Aeolan heathens of Mocarre were met with indifference.  The worship of the god-father is still the official religion of the noble families, even if most of the peasantry have turned to the Lords of the Grail.

Master Claudius founded an Order Perceptory in Saxetus on the banks of the Lyodan river, after much politicking and favoritism.

Young Master Giles took up command of the Order’s main army in the Akasian Hills and watched for the approach of any enemies.

Master Domitius rode forth from the dwarf-hold of Dhûnazhar to trouble the evil Ascars.  He led his three thousand light cavalry through mountains, woods and hills, dodging orcish pickets to arrive in the wastelands of Khrundu and Feghruu, whence he launched a series of powerful raids into the Ascarlon lands at the Black Forest and Vartalan. 

The more mundane economy of the Shadowed Realm was also bent to the creation of public works, adding to the wealth of Galati, Orodea, Mahant and Dhurkun.

Prince Vabanne traveled to Silvator and browbeat the woodsmen into oaths of feudal vassalage, while Vardes of the Black forest spoke with sly words to the horsemen of Edrhek, extracting from them permission to cross their lands.

Lord Mzegos traveled to Meledrian, where he presented

A timely shipment of grain from Ascarlon helps save the orcs from starvation.

Squint Honeytongue tried again to recruit the Rimehorns to his king’s cause, but the independent mountain orcs were not interested.

The Imperial Flag

While the Emperor ruled from the Vulture Throne in Carcaroth, his armies were wreaking havoc on their neighbors.  Lords Nadrauth, Grazhahk and Durthaur ceded control of Minnuin and Annathel to the elves of Meledrian.  They then marched their twelve-thousand hobgoblin army into Duinan, where they pacified and enslaved the elves after several months of battle in the woods.  Still roughly eleven thousand strong, the hobgoblins then marched on Bremenium, where by late 2863, they had done the same thing. 

Grazhahk then marched away north with the prisoners while Nadrauth and Durthaur advanced south into Othona, athwart Pelendur’s route to its colony at Magrod. There, the ten thousand hobgoblins under Durthaur ran into three thousand Othonan troops fresh from their victory over Pelendur.  Durthaur’s hobgoblins were far better trained than the Pelenduri, however, and after a hard-fought battle, defeated the Othonan attacks and established an armed camp in the midst of the fertile plain.

The slow cultivation of the Vartai fields around Bellias continued as many young Annvarites were required to settle there and break the hard soil of the prairie.

First Councillor Gudge gave command of the Celendor expedition to Councillor Sariax and journeyed back to Varthane, where he took up the rule of the Council, hoping to hold together the straining bonds of the oligarchy.

Sariax, meanwhile, set about with his two thousand elite cavalry and rangers to subdue the elvish woods of Andras.  His cavalry were ill-suited to battle in the woods, but their superb training served them very well and they surrounded and defeated the elvish militia that gathered to face them, losing only a few hundred Annvar Jaegers who fell in battle.  After securing the tribute of the elves of Andras, Sariax and his victorious troops returned to the ruins of Ennilas and began picking over the ancient libraries and temples, looking for whatever might be found.

Councillor Pataniax traveled to Marvald, trying to convince the settlers and newly-wealthy merchants that their allegiance should be to Varthane.  Despite some elaborate parties and bribes, the lords of Marvald remained committed to no more than their feudal duties required.

The feudal lords were ordered to take and subdue the elvish woods of Pinnas, but few arrived because of the revolts in 2861.  The two thousand

Ascar ships arrived at Narbyndahl and took away tons of food later distributed to the orcs of Edgemoor and the Worldspine.

Prince Namardil recruited three thousand elvish warriors and then journeyed to Dor Emmen, where he summoned another three thousand from the war garrison.  Then, joined by Rhias of Tirielinan, Voronhad of Finrothel and Cerelindas of Dor Emmen, led an army of nearly ten thousand elves into Annathel and Minnuin, accepting the control of those cities from their hobgoblin allies.  WIthin days the restless elves of both region and city were in open rebellion, and though outnumbered, they fought bravely and with such ferocity that they nearly drove the Dark Court elves from the city.  But at last Namardil had the populace under control.

Agents of the Reavers established an Order House in the eastern woods of Sarion, while Nath-Imperator Melenchlaenith made political alliances with the great families of Laurelindë and Archon Carbonelor drilled his troops in Silithos.

Misisonaries sent into Celebdilas were beaten with wooden rods and sent back to Belaira by the locals.

King Borlath ordered that the forests of Bethelas be cleared for cultivation and many halfling settlers set about felling trees (though, out of consideration and fear of the elves, they left standing those nearest to the elvish woods.)  The King spent the next several years industriously compiling lists of all that his people owned and that could be taxed.  His occasional and somewhat distracted dalliances with his young and impatient queen produced no heirs, much to the amusement of his courtiers, though they would never say so in his hearing.

The king’s friend, Tobias Bullroarer, traveled to the woods of Elrothas and convinced the halfings there to ally with Borlath’s kingdom.  The duke of Elrothas is a powerful sorcerer, said to have elvish blood in his veins. 

Continued payments were made to the Borophoros horde to buy off their wrath.

Conorrian Emperor (and famed usurper) Saxonius died in 2862 at the age of fifty-one.  He left the command of his legions and empire in the hands of his twenty-two year-old son, Saxonius the Younger. Saxonius II (still generally called “The Younger”) continued his father’s policies without much change.  He fathered two sons in 2862 and 2863.  His wife Livia died of complications with her third pregnancy in 2864.

Prince Kaius, brother-in-law of Saxonius the Elder died in 2863 at the age of fifty-six.  Prince Vargus immediately ceased his own plans to conduct diplomacy with the Mynosians and moved to assume command of Kaius’s large army at Adoria.

Solon, Logothetes per Imperium, traveled to the city of Flavium to convince the mercantile families who ruled it to submit to the rule of the Emperor.  They gave him only vague promises of future goodwill.

Lord Cyril governed the city of Eleucria for five years.  It was a tenure marked by…well, nothing, really.

The Patriarch led a vast flotilla to the aid of Tirgonia (See The Tirgonian War, above), aided by Bishops Alious and  Dorus and the dwarven mercenary, Khedem-Var. Meanwhile, Bishop Galetus marched seven thousand troops to Adoria to protect that wealthy region from the forces of darkness gathered to the north.

Bishop Agathon tried once again to establish a monastery in Armorica, but the effort failed when Agathon died of pneumonia in 2862. Bishop Altair traveled to the Valesian city of Khafour where he tried unsuccessfully to organize a church in the small seaside town, but had better luck in the capital at Centauris, where the pious Valesians built an abbey at his direction.

Attempts by lesser priests to build a church in Malidisant and an abbey in Eleucria failed.  But priests traveling amongst the taurids in Vadhrian managed to convert the populace to the worship of the Grail.

Another terrible assault on Church property and priests occurred in the west, this time resulting in the destruction of the cathedral at Belfirth. (See The Neldorean Wood, above).

King Thorin ruled from the throne of his ancestors and fathered a son in 2862 and a daughter in 2864.

His sister, Princess Thorinna, traveled to Khuruk Tor, looking for the lost artifact known as The Crystal Brazier.  She found it in the lair of a mated pair of giant mountain worms, armored monstrosities that plague the deep valleys of the Worldspine mountains.  The princess, an adventurous and brave soul, lulled the beasts to sleep with her harping and then snuck into their lair to steal the ancient heirloom.  The worms awoke and nearly slew the doughty shieldmaiden, but she fled their wrath and came tumbling and bruised out of the depths of their awful abode.

Lord Roin and the allied lord of Khuruk Tor, meanwhile, traveled to the city of Bregor and inveighed the nobles of that strong city to join their cause to that of the king, as had their fathers for ages past.  So fair and noble were their words that the dwarves of Bregor clamored for a treaty that would permit the king to se the prices of dwarven goods and so increase the general wealth of both nation and city.

The Banner of Pelendur

The Shield of Pelendur

In 2862, Ulfast and allied lord Belson of Edhel Gorthas took an army of four thousand Pelenduri into Othona, intending to crush resistance to their rule.  Their fate was to be something altogether different. Belson, a brilliant commander, was subordinate to Ulfast, a workaday general with few aspirations to greatness.  They were opposed by thirty-six hundred Othonan hobgoblins fired by a bloody determination to resist the human invaders.  The battle took Ulfast and the Pelenduri completely by surprise and Belson loudly bemoaned that the queen had not sent more of her host through the Hidden Gate to their aid.  The Pelenduri were crushed and sent flying in scattered bands, hunted across the moors by vengeful hobgoblins.  It was cold comfort to them when the armies of Carhallas shortly thereafter bested the Othonans and seized the region.

Queen Georgette never heard of the defeat, however, for she died in bed the same month at the age of fifty-seven.  She was succeeded by her son, Gregor II, in a lavish ceremony in Vigilum. 

Gregor himself tried without success to convince the men of Keldior to submit to his rule.  He greater success with his wife, who bore him a son in 2861.

Lord Forrester continued to try to convince the hobgoblins of Magrod to become the allies of Pelendur, but the Carhallas victory in the plains of Othona assured that the hobgoblins would remain noncomittal.

The only diplomat with any real success was Lady Chanrey, who convinced the mountain elves of Kiringlo to permit the transit of armies and merchants across their territory.

The Llyrans, as always, were enthralled with the study of all things, be they magical, martial or administrative.  They moved landless men and the younger sons of nobility into the open plains of Nova Valis, brining that southern province into fruitful use.

But the whole focus and effort of the Llyran government was in the exercise of its fleet, for which purpose they attached it, under the command of Bishop Boaz, to that of the Grail Partiarch and sailed into the far northwest to contest the Skane for command of the seas. (See The Tirgonian War, above)

Strategos Athelney died in 2860 when he fell off the docks at Tarrentica and drowned before his men could rescue him.  Two years later, Carnarvon Bolusova died in his sleep while his fleet defended Tarrentica. Bishop Boaz fell in battle during the raid on the Skane in 2863, leaving Pip Topkapi in command of the fleet.

Constans Hermione died of a cold in 2863 while attempting to solidify Llyran rule over fractious Maidhan. The Council waited to name a successor until they saw who should return in command of the fleet.  Upon learning that Pip Topkapi was its commander, they promptly and wisely named him Constans.

Missionaries sent to the elves of Galoins and Nevrest failed to impress that noble race with the glories of feminine rule or the stricture of parmaadan

Queen Moonshadow ruled from Sedeskan and promoted her daughter Karyn to the rank of princess in 2863 when she achieved womanhood.  Just a year earlier, the queen’s chosen successor Dawn Wolfkin died at the early age of thirty-seven of a coughing sickness.

Joyce Thistledown and Agnes Otterskin sojourned with the women of Ahristhon, convincing them to swear fealty to Queen Moonshadow, as their ancestors once had.  The noblewomen of Ahristhon gladly agreed to do so, sensing that Ahuran’s star was once again on the rise.

The colonists of Sendorin were more reticent, here where the dragon’s wrath was still so omnipresent.  The agreed only to maintain their economic treaties with Sedeskan and nothing more.

Princess Yvonne Moonshadow and her army searched through Madukkan for any signs of the hated Fleshweavers, but found only rumors.

The leaders of Har’akir gathered together in the halls of the Sultan to search out and hear every local legend, every scrap of lore, until they found a magical artifact worth searching for.  The results of their search were something of an open secret – they found something, but revealed to no one what it was.

During this search, Sultan Shazanon died while choking on a pheasant bone.  He was buried with honor and replaced by his seventeen-year old son, Qadir.  Qadir immediately married a noblewoman of Mar Awas, but alas no children were produced to continue the dynasty.

The leader of the search, Nooldor, also died.  He was sixty-four and died peacefully in his sleep.

Prince Kasim patrolled the waters around Muzir with forty ships, flying the banners of the Red Pact of Vales.

He dispatched the House of Blades to investigate strange occurrences in the land of Areon, but those worthies never returned from whatever befell them there.  It was said that they did not find adventure…it found them.

In 2864, Diomedes’s wife bore him a second son with dark hair and a healthy set of lungs, which drove Diomedes to practice at arms in the fields and forests more than had been his wont.

He dispatched Tallius and Theolus, than whom there were no better fellows for embassy in all of Valesia, to soothe the angry and upbraided souls of the men of

In 2863, a curious smell was detected coming from Mount Ryssa in Laedos, just outside of the ancient city of Vales.  Strange colors were seen in the night sky and many small birds were found dead upon the shore.  Fearing an ill omen from the gods, many of the folk of Vales fled the city.  It turned out to a prophetic move, for one day in late autumn the mountain suddenly vomited forth clouds of scalding steam and furious rivers of steaming mud that ran faster than a wild horse.  Some few of the doomed residents of Vales hoped that the city’s venerable and storied walls would hold back the mud, but such hopes were in vain.  The gates were burst asunder and the city inundated with mud, ash and burning cinders.  What was not buried was burned to 

Speaker Haasta continued to try to soothe the simmering anger of the metropolis of Merwal, where the mob still ruled and they were angry at Luxur’s seizure of their holy city.  Though the ancient heart of sathla culture in the west, the language of Merwal was now Valesian, and this caused the urban Merwalites to regard the sibilant Luxurite tongue with disdained amusement.

Prince Adnussak likewise worked diplomacy in Zorches, where a treaty of transit was signed, and in Lerope, where the locals wanted nothing to do with the slick, fast-talking Prince.

Captain Vykso, meanwhile, continued Luxur’s war on its human neighbors, marching into Kisa with four thousand troops and rounding up villagers as slaves.  He was met in the forest by nearly three thousand humans.  So sudden was their onslaught that Vykso and his sathla were driven back in disorder.  But the sathla training and discipline soon reasserted itself and in a second day of fighting the humans were soundly beaten.  The population of Kisa was marched back to Badar as slaves.

Speaker Shonyx and a large band of missionaries traveled to Drormt and there, with the help of Talo of Ikka (a Mykelean ally), converted the sauruses south of the river Ulailai in Ezkita and Hassh’Met  to the worship of Autumna.

General Adnas died in 2865 and his son Adnussak was promptly elected General by the Council.

They also sent volunteers into Naqada to break soil and dig irrigation ditches as offerings to the god.

But the Holy See was also busy far from home.  Pysus Zurthes-Li instructed queen Xochilti of Drormt in the mysteries of Autumna and when the queen accepted Autumna in the spring of 2864, he re-crowned her in the name of holy Udjo. The Pysus died in Breeka the following winter, to be replaced by young bishop Holzilz.

The reach of the Holy See was even longer than this, for they hired the mercenary Company of the Silver Axe to pursue business for them in Darbizu, south of Mekebele.

Both great priest Ssthaze and Kos died in 2862, of completely separate accidents with large river reptiles.

But the most significant development in the Serpentine was the shutting down of the slave markets in Oroyon.  The Sauressh declared that no further slave-taking was to be allowed, but that those who owned slaves (and who didn’t, in Mykele?) might keep them.  This move proved radically unpopular, especially in Sia and Kurgal, and there were many calls for the Sauressh’s abdication.

Vathek, the king’s counselor, traveled  to Mikkulizim to preach the words of Udjo.  He continued to make inroads with the ruling clans of the city, who saw conversion to Autumna as a profitable means of creating closer ties to the monarchy.

While King Mogrihan ruled from Uls Fakhar, his trusted friend Wallastre Zendowan visited Hassar and showed the Zendowan halflings the wisdom of swearing fealty to the strength of Thariyya.

Admiral Yryons put to sea with the Thariyyan fleet, flying the pennants of the Red Pact of Vales, throughout 2861-63.  He spent most of 2864-65 interviewing merchants and sailors, asking many questions about the lands they had visited.

He also gave away the hand of his daughter Kami to Lord Kalaam, naming him a prince of the realm.  When, a season later, Elijah attempted to name Kalaam his heir, the Accolon nobility was outraged.  They sensed their own chances for advancement in the old man’s lack of an heir and many would rather risk open rebellion than see this upstart on the throne.  The Emperor quietly tabled the matter for now. Kalaam continued to command the main Accolon army in Akin.

With the help of the Dark Primacy, Accolon completed its project of intensive cultivation in Akin, and the fields around Dammarask provided more fruit, grains and livestock than ever before.  Just what the hungry army needs!

Jillian Darkeyes marched her army of three thousand

Similarly, princes of the church walked abroad in the south, conducting open diplomacy in Ishi, Harrud, Teush and Sharar.  Princess Sialesse, High Priestess of Evaless the Mother of Monsters, claimed Harrud for the Primacy.  Prince Jalak negotiated a treaty of transit with the desert tribes of Sharar.

Others, such as Drel Dorath of Ascarlon and Gezz Half-Shadow were not seen at all in those years.  Both were rumored to be invoking some dire deviltry in Dammarask.

Queen Madariel

Vaeril Fallingwater married an elf-lord from Abaro and the two spent long seasons in wedded bliss before she returned to her duties to the queen. 

Ebabarear Darkblow traipsed around in Jebelam, seeking out cultic activity, but Ebabarear was a warrior, not a spymaster, and his clumsy attempts to flush out traitors narrowly avoided the angry response of the elves of Jebelam, whom he all but accused of perfidy against the queen.

In 2863, a thunderous noise echoed across Alako as the earth bucked and heaved as if riding a great unseen beast.  When the land stopped moving, much of Lantar had been drowned in mud, and what remained was now far inland, its docks high and dry.

Xochilti handled this with calm resignation, recruiting two thousand warriors and building some small villages in Drormt.

Plans were laid out for the cultivation of Mbarre, and a few surveyors were sent to make some maps of the wild and windy prairie.

Mla*tak the Shaman traveled to Desiket, where he died of heat prostration in 2862. King Ole*kus died in Nyange in 2863, leaving no heirs.  In the brief period of chaos which followed, the charismatic Lord Trist*an gathered the support of several important noble families and peacefully seized power from the eunuchs who ran the royal palace.

The Empire contstructed a new city in Eza by the name of Ushwana.  The site was quickly flooded by heavy rainfall, but as there was nothing else of value in Eza, no harm was done.

A new aqueduct was begun which will eventually bring clean drinking water into the city of Kaznuma.

Lord Tnute continued to take counsel with the sauruses of Itu and convinced them to ally with the Grand Empire.

Banner of Khor-Naland

One of Bain’s last acts was to found the Iron Hammer League, an adventurer’s guild in Khor-Nhalad.  It is to be hoped that the League will be the home of many future generations of heroes.

Many of the leaders of the realm sought in Shtekkten for giant bats akin to those ridden in Vaudan in the far north, but found no sign of them or any other creature suitable for aerial mounts. Lord Thulnor ceased his participation in this search when he was called to the Brass Tower to assume the crown, but the effort continued without him.

While the Emperor ruled, his son Namaril exercised with the army in Vanua.

Princess Gahaliel convinced the elves of Baseshu to swear oaths of fealty to the emperor. They swore to send two thousand archers to serve at his whim. Talan of Mita worked the wonders of diplomacy in Ozhayar, arranging a treaty that would allow Ezrand to control the flow of goods in and out of the region. Princess Janriel charmed her hosts at Jarende into becoming close allies of her father.  Lord Tobin hunted with the knights and squires of Sola, but they feared to create closer ties to the empire.

King Uraji ruled from Khulank and fathered a boy and a girl.

Lord Turome and allied Lord Tegus of Osaru traveled to Bedraku and with hunting and feasts gained the approval of more of the region’s influential families.

Lord Gan proved himself an able governor in Mindarie, but there were no improvements possible in the little village.

Money flowed into Urrides to build several small port villages.  Too, a postal road was driven through the countryside, connecting Ivallkyu to Weeliya, though the bridge over the Mogolla was still only partially finished.

Lord Druzhl, the chief diplomat died in 2863 and the negotiations were ably concluded by his assistant, Lord Ghakarhi.  Lord Olugbenga, governor of New Mhynar, also died in 2863 after a particularly wet and cool winter.

Lord Fakhr led The Valraj’s wizards in summoning helpful genies who bored wells into the earth and copper mines into the hills of Valraj.

Lord Bharjas traveled to Hajaxtas, where he consulted with the noblemen and merchants of the former Tas Dari province.

Sultan Khalood and his heir Aazan both fathered several children; the palace was so filled with children it seemed more of a nursery at times.

Lord Habnar continued to govern that happy city, and continued to prove himself an able and popular governor.

Lord Geneal taught the ways of spirit worship to the orcs of Torquas, slowly converting the city’s nobility.

Lord Norwalk traveled to Darja and negotiated a treaty with the elves permitting the transit of armies and goods to and from the east.  Her advisors warned the queen that the region’s remoteness from Ukanve would make it restive and difficult to manage.

Wizards, shamans, sorcerers and fakirs from all over southern Vales began to settle in Ukanve, and formed a school for the instruction of the young, promising or rich.

Dagobert the Unsteady captained a fleet of six Nikityan ships on a small but wide-ranging series of raids.  They sailed to the north, spray flying from the prows of their sleek black-sailed ships, through Rimefrost Bay to strike at the dwarven lands of Itissik and Chakachka, then back around the Bay of Whales and all the way east to Sea Dragon Reach, where they raided the hobgoblins of Muha.  Then back to Permanga Sound to raid Tyusutta, Tuanani and Kyuinachka.  Only the last, with its militia and forts, really put up a fight.  Even so it provided more than half of the loot of the entire year.  The walled city of Orodask proved far too much for the small fleet.  But the Nikityans could gaze east and dream…

King Vorin sat for many years auditing the accounts of his people’s wealth, that he might tax them fairly…and without missing a single groat.

Prince Torin traveled to the land of Achkain, where he offered his own hand in marriage to the daughter of Mogen, Achkain’s lord.  Mogen accepted, retiring to his mansion of stone and swore fealty to King Vorin.

Lord Bolan went with Torin, but bent his will to encouraging the dwarves of the city of Khond-Zelan to create closer ties with Korondor.  His crafty nature put him in good graces with the smiths of the city and they soon became allies of the king.

Now that much of his empire was connected by post roads, the God-Emperor also demanded that his engineers drive a wider, more durable royal road from Leilan to Afarees.

Missionaries continued to spread the word of the God-Emperor amongst the benighted folk of Eumela.

Princess Talena was married at the age of sixteen and declared Uruk’s heir. Within a year she gave birth to two sons and a year later gave birth to a daughter.

Lord Ferroi was governor of Naifir, and once again proved himself a venal and avaricious man. Lord Tunnivarian, governor of Huzzein, died of a coughing fit in 2861.  Prince Adnon of Afarees died in that region in 2863 when bitten by a scorpion.

The God-Emperor died in 2863 at the age of seventy-two.  Within weeks, while Chamir was still in mourning, Lord Ferroi declared himself Emperor and began to march from Naifir towards Chamir, collecting troops and supporters along the way.  The regions of An’hirz, Fakkhrem, Malil and Mandek immediately declared their independence.  Agents of the God-Emperor’s secret police attempted to quash the rebellions, but were publicly whipped (in An’hirz one agent was set upon by the mob and burned alive).

Unwilling to make war upon her own people, despite having the overwhelming

He re-opened trade with the island-continent of Kerendis, sending ships out of Azhkatûm to Methedras.  He reformed the adventuring guild known as the Gurek of the Red Stone.  They soon disappeared from the knowledge of men.

Mustafa ben Shariz and Najya al Zahmer traveled to Navilok and arranged a marriage between the sultan and the daughter of Navilok’s lord.  Navilok came to very close ties with the Emirates.

Wakil al Azkhatum governed the capital and proved an energetic leader who put down several gangs who had begun to rule the immense docklands.

When no other nation hired the Doomriders of Ul’il, Vaudan hired them, and sent them adventuring at will.

King Eldred promoted his twin sons Ashfar and Afshin to heir and prince on their birthday, and almost simultaneously fathered another son, his sixth.

Afshar was given the government of Chegamum at a very early age, and proved clever in his choice of laws.  He was quickly married to a girl of Vaklatos after Lord Merhvand arranged the marriage as part of signing a treaty of alliance with that forested region.

Lord Tahnaseb, governor of Nrinayri, died during a strenuous wrestling match in 2862 at the age of twenty-seven.

Lord Farvardin, Castellan of Nrinayri, traveled to Yezdarna in pursuit of rumors of ancient tombs high in the hills.

Lady Tarja Elsilä trained up the first thousand elves of the King’s Own guard, known as the Talons, while Lady Aila Törni traveled to the forests of Aydu to exact an agreement of tribute to the United Clans.

Meanwhile, the rest of the court searched diligently through city, field and forest…though none spoke of what they sought.

Gadai and Lord Kaidan traveled to Inni and convinced the local hobgoblins to sign a treaty of economic alliance. This time the Kasadiri did not interfere.

Uhejan missionaries traveled to the island of Tanuan with high hopes of spreading the word of Orithia, but they were killed and eaten by the natives, their skins used to cover the native shields.

His son, Prince Maejith, another sorcerer, spent the years tramping about the Kasadir homeland, looking for…something.

Young Princess Zlawa began at the age of five to tell all whom will listen about her future glory, and her destiny to rule as a god. Many thought the child was mad but others began to whisper that she had insight that no 5 year old should have. Perhaps she was a god on earth and the divine spark flowed more powerfully through her than others.

Soon she began to question her grandfather and his rule of his “backward” kingdom, and preach about the great Destiny of the Dragon Kingdom. Frustrated the King banished her from his court to a small farm near the Fivari border to live with the family of one of his retired Dragon Kaptains, where he hoped her preaching can cause little harm. In exile she began to learn the ways of the warrior, and prepare for her rule as Dragon Queen

Meanwhile, Lord Uaxgar and allied lord Chiccloq of Menjarmun convinced the far southern humans of Chojde to ally themselves with the sauruses, though many wondered how the sauruses would maintain such a distant alliance.

Prince Conquarox was made governor of Zathurrin.  Being the very image of venal sentiment and a dissipated lifestyle, the capital groaned under his heavy expenses and lavish parties for three years until in 2863 he choked on a whole live chicken and died, bringing the party to a spectacular end.

Lord Tochuan struggled with the hated administrative duties of creating a census for five long years.  But the rapid expansion of Ahandu’s territory meant that the government was not able to effectively rule it, and the census proved useless.

The Emperor then sat with his scribes, spies and magistrates and created an accurate census of the whole empire. Many of these functionaries fretted that the census would be worthless if the emperor did not soon produce an heir.

:Lord Alsaid spent five years in the city of Venil, convincing the city fathers of the wisdom of sending tribute to distant Aone.  Unfortunately, Alsaid died in 2865 during a years-end celebration when fireworks set alight an alchemical experiment in the building from whose balcony he watched the display.

There were many in Januaan who were unhappy with the arrangements made with distant Aone, and bandits harrassed the Mogodorian merchants traveling from Berpeku.

Lord Marakve governed the capital city of Aone.  His tenure was quiet.

His son, Prince Marahel, convinced Lord Vaeressë of Miyotla to retire and to deliver control of his port city to the king.  Likewise, Lord Halath convinced the elves of Galahant to swear their allegiance to the king and to Kaonayu.

The peaceful sylvan realm of Suhanir went on in serene happiness.

The king himself traveled to Baya and through wise words and good fellowship convinced the lord of Baya to become his ally.

Counselor Benelor traveled to Ijar, trying through diplomacy to create a land link between Amantai and both Mogodor and Uheju.  But the Counselor died in a babbling fit during 2863 and the negotiations came to a sudden and uncomfortable halt.

The nation’s wars proved disastrous.  Prince Mardule garrisoned two thousand troops in Haga and marched east with twenty-five hundred to invade Distiar.  They were met by the Distiar militia, eighteen-hundred strong, and soundly defeated.  Mardule narrowly escaped death in the rout that followed, managing to bring home only fifteen hundred troops.  He then became governor of Mahlish and fathered a daughter in 2864.

Allied Lord Janz of Jutuh marched north with a mere thousand light infantry to invade Keama and was routed by the local militia, also eighteen hundred strong. Unlike Mardule, Janz was unable to rescue any of his army, and came back to Jutuh in shame, his ragged cloak and worn boots a testament to his ordeal in the wilderness.

A large number of merchant ships were built and put to work servicing the port of Temanom.

Prince Arpald journeyed across the Sea of Frozen Stars, observing the twinkling lights far below, and landed at Basirzos, where he proposed a marriage between his mother the queen and the lord of that region.  The marriage was agreed and Basirzos became a fiefdom of Nuitai.

Lord Prajuk was given the task of conducting a census, but he is a spiteful and uncharismatic man to whom few wish to speak, much less reveal all that they own.  In addition, Prajuk spent no more than a year at the task, and in the end all of the queen’s gold and manpower was simply wasted on Prajuk’s halfhearted effort.

King Si-Lentir (the title is really honorary, since Choran is an oligarchy) died in 2861, and Parru of the Red Triang Pang was elected to replace him.

Nak’tor of the Lotus Pang and Lan of the Green Pang took joint command of a fleet of twenty five ships and four thousand troops, and sailed beyond distant Akagekku to land at the devil-worshiping region of Yukamoc, on the Hikubu Chi.  They stormed ashore and pacified the Yuka people, then forcibly converted them to the Serikku spirit cults through a bloody policy of murder and torture.  Then, with materials they had brought with them, they erected the walled village of Tolnek in the region.

Drofu of the Storm Pang sailed to the free city of Ketkume and claimed it for Choran.

He had built for himself eighteen sleek warships, and for his allies a total of one warship and four transport vessels. The king then sailed north, his head filled with images of conquest and loot in the far away frozen lands, only to learn that his sailors did not know how to sail past Point Tunuan.  The king lost half his ships seeking a passage north, then returned home disappointed.

Similarly, the allies An-Grothek of Taikime, Go-Batron of Tauntum and Mo-Blokreth of Kumi all raided into the western seas, but tried to go beyond the reach of their rutters into the Otorii Sea.  Nonetheless, they raided many places: Shanbao and Dehui south of Shen’xi, Bayindu, Erinden, Kur and Elera west of Choran, and Mende and Kimmaktu closer to home.  They were driven off by local militia at Shanbao and dealt a nasty defeat by the militia of Bayindu.

Prince Ar-Nampur traveled to the human realm of Chobo and convinced the men of that cultivated realm to allow the giants to station troops there.

Lord Ar-Gothten conducted a census of all the lands of Tekume.

Lord Feyd, governor of Tetomo, died in 2863 during a duel with the jealous husband of one of his many lovers.

Lord Jasil traveled to Ateside and there offered in marriage the hand of Serah, the king’s sister.  The lord of Ateside, smitten with the sweet young girl, retired with her to his villa in the hills, giving over control of his province to the king.

Elekar the Fox, mercenary adventurer, traveled on the king’s behalf to Amoka, where he peddled the hand and fair form of Serah’s identical twin sister Helena to the province’s lord in exchange for an oath of fealty.  All parties were satisfied with the agreements, though no one asked the twin girls what they thought of the arrangement.

A brief trade spat between the Kingdom of Kerendis and the Emirates of Farmuz was ended when trade resumed between Methedras and Azhkatûm.  The Kerendans announced that they and the Emirates had formed something called the Ymarian League, to ensure the safety of commerce upon the various waters of the Ymarian Sea.

And indeed trade was much on the mind of King Jorald, who spent a year reorganizing the trade arrangements and mercantile contracts of the Kerendis merchants (much to their own annoyance). The king also named his son Lochilann to be his heir as soon as the boy reached his sixteenth birthday.

Lord Karlos was appointed governor of Methedras, and at first the fat nobleman worked to improve the harbor and streets.  But soon the power of the position had gone to his head and the governor spent far too much time with the region’s wines (and it, was whispered, with the region’s halfling women).  He died in 2863 of a severe jaundice and fever.

Lord Sembis sailed south to the Gates of Arthys with five warships, but was never heard from again.

Bishop Dargune Soulhammer wandered about in the south-east of the country, poking into old ruins and troll-holes.

King Nijon ruled from Vaayil.  His wife queen Monaria died in child labor in 2862.

Lord Riakak and Zagadis of Siruvargal traveled to Artisva for two years and managed to assuage the hostility felt by the Artisvans.  But their trip was too short to really improve relations beyond that.

Riakak was appointed governor of the city of Vaayil for 2865, but died early that year in the arms of a mistress.  Zagadis of Siruvargal died within a week, and many suspicious eyes were turned towards Artisva.

The Hegemon cast his eyes north and west, marching into Phinmai with fifty-five hundred well-armed troops.  The men of Phinmai met the hobgoblins and fiercely withstood them, but their numbers and training were less and despite bloody losses, the Kolyut army prevailed.  Vor then had the spirit shrines thrown down and their idols burned, setting up a temple to Caravok the Destroyer.  At this sacrilege the men of Phinmai rose again in anger.  Moreover, this time they were joined by the men of Irnatra and Yekansi.  Of all the Indahl tribes, only Ramdegu had not marched forth to aid the folk of Phinmai.  Nearly six thousand Indahls faced off against the Hegemon’s army.  They were fierce and well-trained, but they lacked the outstanding leadership and tactical vision of Vor the Merciless and so they fell before his hobgoblins, but not without costing the Kolyuts dearly.  Vor lost nearly fifteen hundred troops in that fight, and chose not to advance into Yekansi as planned.

After spreading garrisons about, Mordo the Wort traveled to Rainda to arrange a marriage with Beekra, daughter of the old Hegemon Balegard.  Not wishing any closer ties with Kolyut (especially for a marriage which held no dynastic meaning), the lord of Rainda refused.

Kadar Stonehand traveled to the city of Komirut and consulted with its leaders, trying to remove the anger against the Kolyuts for their seizure of the city by force thirty years before.

King Maglys (the title is a formality – the real power is the Council of Captains at Fashanru) traveled about the realm readjusting garrisons and moving supplies.

Sir Verun and Lady Evris (both captains of strong repute and many hulls) traveled inland to Senkama, where the convinced the chiefs of many tribes to ally with the Free Cities.  Sir Verun died during these negotiations and was buried in the wooded slopes of Senkama.

Isumbras Lowstick sojourned in steaming Assa where he slowly began to win converts among the nobility who viewed the ancient ways of Autumna with increasing distaste. Haldred Earthcloak and Baris Dustycloak, cousins from Rusilam, did cardinal service in Amovish, convincing a full third of the nobility to convert to Nuree. But most astounding of all was the progress of Hamfast Roughbelly, who came to Sauryas (where much progress had already been made in the past) with a band of missionaries.  By 2865, nearly two-thirds of the nobility and fully a third of the peasantry supported the Three-Faced god.

Fosca Proudfield was governor of Saumya and continued to prove an able and clever administrator.  Several cool deep delves were dug to store the grain against the rainy seasons.

Queen Dahlia elevated her son Tolman to the position of heir in 2863.  It was well that she did so, for she passed away at the young (for a halfling) age of forty-nine a few months later.  There was much discontent at the accession of so young a halfling to the throne.  All eyes turned to Baris Dustycloak, who commanded nearly the entire Ahum army, down in Amovish. But the boy king proved shrewd and sent personal messengers bearing assurances of affection and respect to the general.  Dustycloak met with the messengers and kept his army in Amovish.  The crisis passed.

Despite the martial unrest, large numbers of goblins were set to work building villages and draining swamps in Randar and Hilakav.

Drendak, son of Taureg, was made a prince of the realm. Taureg tried to have other sons, but two wives died in childbirth.  Not before the first bore him another son, however.

Taureg, Gordash and Vangandek governed the cities of Chharit, Kamada and Garupal.  “Governed” for the raj

Emperor Vaasthek Blood Arrows named his grandson Zlathex of the Jungles to be his heir.  This caused some muttering at court, but none opposed the will of the emperor.  Vaasthek then traveled to Gattapal to get himself a wife, marrying Zlathex’s widowed mother, his own daughter-in-law Chiconqua, and thereby making her other heir his ally.

Vaasthek died at the age of fifty-eight in 2864.  Many of the great families opposed the accession of young Zlathex to the throne, but despite all the tension and fears of the court, the matter never came to blows and the young emperor was crowned without incident. Chiconqua retired back to Gattapal, twice widowed at the age of thirty-nine.

Before he died, Vaasthek created a merchant’s guild in Jalahl, giving them the power to decide who could hold shipping contracts and to engage in various crafts.

While King Vesileth IV ruled from the throne of Jinguir, his son Jangula and all the leaders of Anku Elevya marched south with the army, under the lead of general Hesthi.  These included Merujuk, Ketepikan, Tidak of Haruang, Oleh of Mengil, Wano of Pekesedun, Betul of Mengkua and Atasnya of Umalatida.  Together, this team of accomplished diplomats quickly concluded an economic treaty with Puntama and exacted tribute from Jugama.

Then in the fall of 2863,they marched into Lulipayat at Bukuturru and quickly arrested the various sathla administrators.  They expected to be treated as liberators by their saurus brethren, but the natives viewed them with hostility, for Lulipayat had always been very supportive of the saurus ways (it went almost unnoticed that Lulipayat had sent missionaries to begin to sway Bukuturran religious opinions). Though they had come with overwhelming force, the sauruses did not use it against the natives, save for driving off a few protesting sathla officials. 

In 2864, the Lulipayat army came calling. (See The Battle of Bukuturru, below)

Heshti and his diplomats then met with officials from the city of Banyak who agreed to give up their allegiance to Lulipayat, though they were not yet ready to declare for Anku Elevya.  That didn’t deter the Anku army from claiming the city as theirs, however.

In 2865, the feudal allies and a significant portion of the Anku Elevya national army marched back north to the swamps of home.

In Kelakuan, they built small, swift coastal ships to carry their trade along the Lulipayat Sea.

Khathros IX lay coiled in his presence chamber, slowly sloughing off old skin and growing larger each year as the old serpent heard the accounts of his kingdom and formed a complete census.

The childless Khathros named lord S’slehth as his heir and sent S’slehth and the alllied lord Fl’eljh marching into Keganga with four thousand troops (including three thousand elite sathran archers), where they swiftly defeated the easygoing saurus natives and enslaved them in a brief and nearly bloodless takeover.  S’slehth then marched his army back to Dibalam.

Of course, in the meantime, the Lulipayat army failed to notice that a huge saurus army had decamped in Bukuturru.  By the time that S’slehth  did realize it, it was late in the year.  Taking command of the whole force available at Dibalam, plus a few allies from Merhabibi and Dentu, he marched out to meet the

Prince Alycor traveled to the islands of Ushuqua, to the city of Beranud, and convinced the men of Beranud to become the feudal allies of Wayahapta.

Lord Mandrassu listened to accounts of all that Wayahapta held and created a census.

The other great lords…played at darts and ate pie.

A small port village by the name of Ungin they built in Tomarom, on the waters of the Lower Oji River.  From the single quay of this small outpost, their wares began to flow into Akagekku and even (through their new port at Tolnek) to distant Choran.

King Kodor conducted a complete census of all that his realm comprised.

Lord Sirom Stiffbeard met with Dotag Stonefoot of Tomarom, but was unable to convince him to become part of the dwarven realm.

No greater success was had by Lords Garf Ironfist and Kilor Blacklock, who tried to convince the giants of Okimo to join their ranks.  The mutual hatred betwixt dwarf and giant made this a difficult and ultimately fruitiless task.

The Emperor Shimane transferred command of his army to his daughter, Princess Kaoku.  He then traveled to the hills of Tsuko, where he negotiated a treaty with the local elves that allowed the Empire to trade through their lands to the dwarven smiths of Khudukan in the mountains beyond.

Sakurako Hideyoshi traveled to the woods of Chimiwa and also convinced the local elves to allow the empire’s troops and merchants to cross their lands unmolested.

The fields of Kenomus were enhanced by several small villages, into which the republic settled six thousand soldiers whom it decommissioned that they might begin the intensive cultivation of the homeland around the delta of the Oji river.

In addition to all that, the shipwrights of Akagekku kept the slipways busy with many new merchant vessels destined to carry the Jade Republic’s wares.

In the fields of Kenomus, the remaining army trained hard at infantry and cavalry maneuvers, while at sea the tiny navy was also put through its paces.

The king and Lord Juelans both traveled to Fikosha, seeking something.

Prince Elath trained the army in infantry and siege tactics.

Life went on in the Emerald Realm as it always had: peacefully and with little thought of the outside world.

A strange red tide washed up on the shores of the Aren sea, making the fish from the sea inedible.  The elves ate little fish and so barely noticed.