LORDS OF THE EARTH CAMPAIGN 54

Alas, the good queen herself did not live long enough to see the effect of her royal orders.  She died in her sleep in 2921 at the age of thirty five.  Her husband had been leading a diplomatic expedition to Saltholme when he received the news and returned home immediately. 

The former Duke of Antiphia was crowned king of the Skane, a people whose language he still struggled to master. Known as Madren the Boneless for his lame legs, he could lead no armies, but kept them close to him at Vanaheim.

Two other members of the ill-fated expedition to

A sly orc from some nameless hole in the hills of Maekras made a name for himself as Drangeel the Diplomat.  He laid claim to the city of Ghedrosia for the Empire in 2925.

Meanwhile, Prince Gree and Lang the Mystic assembled an army of five thousand and locked down the city of Aicherai, digging out and destroying the great central stronghold of the Cult of Malbor.  This cult was a remnant of the orcs’ ancient ally, the Iron Empire of Daerond. Apparently, their usefulness to the Empire of Edgemoor was at an end.  The orcs strung up the cult leaders in the Gardens of Pain surrounding the Cathedral of Malbor and sacrificed the rank and file to that great god of evil.

Two nights after the destruction of the Stronghold, Lang the Mystic was found dead, crucified in a secret underground grotto dedicated to Elkainak, the daimon of revenge.

As it had for more than a century, a mule train arrived from the verdant plains of the Hammersea, bringing grain and livestock from Ascarlon.

The wizards of Cadares demonstrated significant advances in the fields of evocation and battlefield prowess. When next they rode into battle, they would be well prepared.

Queen Immilia Clovenhoof died of the ague in 2921 at the age of forty-seven. She was succeeded by Klytie Tallplain, who herself died in 2925 of the same affliction.  With no extent royal family, the great herds came nearly to blows over the succession, but through deft maneuvering, Tallos Tiltstep managed to trade enough favors and threats to achieve the throne.

Queen Linet was youthful and energetic. She felt that the country had never recovered its spirit after the devastation of the plague and the Giants’ attack. She encouraged the King to do what he could to bring hope back to the people of Corland and make them look to the future instead of the past. As a result, the King ordered the construction of a new city in Corounnais, called Esperance to symbolize hope for the future. And to show that none of his people will be without his support, he ordered the construction of a new bridge over the Saronne, to be called ‘The Bridge of Remembrance”, and vowed that the whole land will soon be linked by roads.

A competition was held, and craftsmen were invited to present designs for the aesthetics (and structure) of the new bridge, so that it is planned to be truly a monument to the Corland’s fallen.

Lorraine had two brilliant diplomats, Sir Percyvelle and Sir Gawain.  Between the two of them, they returned Cassivelaunus fully into the Empire and made alliance with the wild orcs of Nabon.

King Arthur died in 2924, stricken by word of the death of his friend Bertrand of Corland.  His two spinster sisters, Ann and Isabel both died grief-stricken the following year. Arthur died without an heir, but his eight-year old daughter Gwendolyn was declared Crown Princess, while Arthur’s distant cousin Sir Gawain became Regent in Gwendolyn’s name.

Sir Dristan of Malidisant and Sir Lamorak of Persant both died in 2925, having each eaten a portion of certain shellfish at a feast day celebration.

The capital city received some much-needed attention in the form of beautiful apiaries and lovingly-grown public arbors.

King Xhantor led his entire court to Huareth, where they preached and wheedled, encouraged and threatened the nobility to give up the worship of Aeolan and convert to the Lords of the Grail.  Many in the upper classes were convinced to follow the example of the royal court.

Queen Nereil recruited six thousand elven archers, nearly doubling her troop strength.  Half of these she left encamped in and around Belfirth while the other half moved under the command of Lord Lossëhelin.  He marched through Riftmarch to the Leana border, prepared to seize that human-inhabited land.

At the very last moment Lossëhelin aborted the planned invasion when he received word from the Brown Parker and his griffon-riders. These scouts had discovered that the elves of the Whisper Wood had assumed control of the vales of Leana decades ago.  Cursing his old and inaccurate maps, Lossëhelin halted the invasion and sent back to his queen for instructions.

Meanwhile, the Queen herself moved with thousands of colonists to recolonize the ancient homeland of Neldorea, laid waste more than a century before by the dragon Urugall. Ash lay thick everywhere, but so did new growth, nurtured by the rich and renewed soil.  Dust caked the faces and hands of all who marched into that desolate land, but they swore that soon it would ring to the sounds of birdsong and grow bountiful again under their guidance.

Lord Amasel led a team of elvish missionaries in the Husen region of Har’akir, but these achieved little against the fanaticism of the Dark Court’s adherants.

The two war wizards Eoghann and Eamonn took command of the whole force of the Crusader army and laden with spells and assisted by spies, they march south into the woods of Barrandia.  There, they quickly encountered the vile beasts of the Pit of Gelorum.

But this time, something was different.  The monsters of the Pit were no longer an unruly and ill-disciplined mob.  Some hidden intelligence now guided them and they waited behind prepared defenses (though they had yet to build castles or any permanent defenses).  Moreover, that defense had been specifically directed at the Querenia border, across which Eoghann and Eamonn marched their armies.  Also, the dense Barrandia woods hampered the ability of the hippogriff riders and cavalry to function effectively.

In brooding and windswept Orodea, Baron Gauros and his unholy cadre of necromancers summoned more than a thousand shambling undead soldiers to join his wicked and depraved hosts.

Bands of goblin slaves struggled under the lash to construct roads to the north and south, while human drovers delivered grain and flesh to the ravenous orcs of the Worldspine and Edgemoor mountain ranges.

Count Bezhral forced the last of the Varakai plains tribes to recognize the rule of Denavine.  He then returned to the capital where he embarked on the Hammersea transport fleet with several thousand colonists.  These landed on the cold and abandoned shores of Ios and established a colony in the northern steppe. Many of these were natives of Ios, returning long after the second H’rethek War.

The feudal armies of Ascarlon met at Orodea and remained there until 2925, when they dispersed to their homes.

A shipment of food and livestock arrived from Ascarlon in 2921.

Blayth, allied lord of Napoca, died in 2922.  Furious at being ruled by savage and brutal orcs, the human region immediately rebelled, declaring its independence.

Lord Silverskein died in 2924 at the ripe old of fifty-six.  Lord Dregog and Oggrot Of The Cendarinnes followd him in 2925.

The Imperial Flag

Meanwhile, human, dwarven and elven slaves labored in the great prairies of Jezul to cultivate with corn and oats, while avoiding the overseer’s lash.

Lord Gottrok, with a small contingent of scouts, led thousands of hobgoblin settlers into the woods of Orodel, where they colonized the homes of their ancient enemies.  Where once stood graceful elven villages grown with loving care from living trees, now stood harsh and regimented blocks of straight lanes and broad dirt avenues.  Each drab and utilitarian encampment was exactly like the next.

A force of eleven thousand Annvar cavalry and mercenaries marched south Pukkalid and then Sauthor to help defend Carhallas against southern aggression.  They remained encamped outside Carcaroth in 2925.

The Empress-Regent hired eight thousand mercenaries, including many massive ogres, and put them under the command of Lord Puchoniax, who also commanded three thousand elite Annvar Jaegers.  This large force marched south to help defend the hobgoblins of Carhallas from any opportunistic attacks from the Grail forces south of the Worldspine mountains and Esharias river.

Emperor Palestroniax was crowned on his sixteenth birthday, to the acclaim of the nation.  Some schemers urged Puchoniax to rise up and challenge this whelp for the throne, but the aged general proved loyal, despite being stationed eight hundred miles to the south.  Puchoniax died in 2923 and was succeeded in command by his adjutant, Salamitroniax.

Sorcerers and priests summoned spirits of wood and shade in Silithos and Rainas, and bid them order all things as the elves would have them in their dark and sunless woods.

Meanwhile, rumors spread amidst the southern mountains of a powerful fire drake that burned villages and stole away maidens for its pleasure.  Panic spread in the hills, and Lord Aeliniel convinced the elves of Vethosas to evacuate, leaving their endangered homes behind.  The elves of Mornil refused to hearken to Aeliniel’s warnings and defied the fire drake, which did not come.

A corps of diplomacy, led by Aelavel Tyrnealyth, and including Rhias Of Tirielinan and Voronhad Of Finrothel, traveled to Nimbreth, Rainas and Bregil, manuevering, persuading and (where necessary), threatening the local nobility. 

While Keriadoc Stormwing ruled from the capital, Halagarde used a Vaegor Summoning Stone to create order from nature.  With it, he dug wells and canals, flooded meadows and drained fens.

Word came back from the island-continent of Permanga that Princess Lilly had succeeded in her quest…whatever that was.

While Emperor Decimus Brutus ruled from the island city of Callistus, he demonstrated the strength of the Alliance by placing half the army under Marshal-Vicar Henrikos, former Grail Patriarch and son of Conorrian Emperor Saxonius II.  Henrikos led his eight thousand men into Adoria and garrisoned the densely-populated farmlands.

Bishop Iaso traveled to the province of Faucrion and laid formal claim to it in the name of the co-Emperors.  He died of consumption in 2925.

Co-Emperor Atanius (briefly the Adorian Emperor during the Imperial War) died in Callistus in 2925 of a heart attack during a church service.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Army expanded its cavalry wing as the Emperor’s sister, Princess Valenrianna, recruited a thousand heavy clibanarii and a further thousand lightly-armed equites sagitarii. The princess was named magister equitum, in command of all the cavalry of the Empire (as well as several thousand infantry not in the Emperor’s larger army in praesentalis).  Though much reduced from its heady days of glory a half century before, the Conorrian army is still the largest and deadliest force in all of Theeurth.

Lord Pikon traveled east to the woods of Sabratha, where he negotiated the feudal submission of the civilized tribes and reopened land trade with Adamos. Despite aid from the Imperial vigiles and colleges of magic, Lord Marcus had a much more difficult time with the wealthy and powerful citizens of Eatris, who paid little more than lip service to the power of Echoriath.

When Princess Lucillia died of the red spots in 2922, Gnaeus Marcellus took command of the army.  No soldier himself, Gnaeus was a noted wizard.  He marched his army of four thousand into the wilds of Adumar and there invoked powerful magics of the Conorrians (or tried to…no one saw any obvious result).  After that, the senator marched his men back to the Ring of Karduk

While the Imperator Secundus looked to military and economic affairs, his son Calixtus administered the empire and fathered children until his death in 2924.

The Eastern Empire sent a large shipment of foodstuffs to Echoriath, receiving in payment many precious metals from the western empire.

Garag Blood-Axe died at the age of one hundred fifty-one in the hills of Gimmilzar.  He was buried on a high tor with his ancestral weapons.

King Valand II marched twelve thousand dwarves into Gimmilzar, near the Sauthor border.  Small clashes with hobgoblin patrols have been reported.

The human tribes of the Shattered Lands had long been kept in their dust-choked wastes by the power of the Conorrian Empire.  Now, with that great nation withdrawn from the upper Esharias river, the desert tribes saw their chance and struck.

A bandit prince named Jorest led four thousand horsemen out of the east and across the Esharias.  They came to the forests of Hydastes for plunder, but instead they met Exarch Voromë, his five thousand elven warriors and their new fortifications.

 There are many mistakes a military leader can make, but none more basic than to attack a superior force of elves in the forest.  The elven archers unleashed all the fury of lost Celendor on the

The Banner of Pelendur

The Shield of Pelendur

Prince Ulfast was the legitimate heir, but was severely unpopular with the gentry and the people.  Known for his enormous appetites, both culinary and carnal, the prince was an arrogant and ill-mannered boor.  His enthronement in the fall of that year triggered a widespread rebellion. 

The pacified and tributary regions of Othona, Leucomagus, Veromito as well as the cities of Magrod and Imirion immediately rebelled.  More seriously, so did the once-loyal regions of Keldior and Hidden Gate.  The allied leaders of Aquae Arnametia and Edhel Gorthas removed their support for the new king. Duke Urikson proclaimed himself in rebellion and called on the garrisons of Vigilum to rise up against Ulfast. Of all his great nobles, only Ulfast’s cousin Dunhurst remained loyal.

Constans Felesin Darovos placed many new cogs in service to the trade route to Mykele.  He died in 2423 when a rampaging troll at the Arena leapt into the stands and killed him, along with a dozen of his entourage.  He was replaced by skillful negotiator Albrecht Marova.

Admiral Sonja Nemova patrolled the waters around the Republic’s home islands, moving to intercept and check for contraband all inbound vessels.

Quentin Darovos attempted to woo the islanders of Socphares into alliance, but the distant islanders would have none of it.  Gighadran Abruzzi sailed north, trying to conduct diplomacy in the far northen cities of Cruachan and Alqualondë.  However, his visits were so short in each place as to be offensive.  In Cruachan, he met with a crude warning not to return.

Heir Rowena Montcalm and Princess Brigitte Lynxpaw both sailed to Sandrettos where they took husbands from among the local nobility and forged a treaty of alliance with the natives.  In less than a century, these ethnic Akirs have become fully Ahuran in outlook.

Gwynn Dwyer, a noblewoman from Ilmultorn, set about surveying the Middle Artaxes and Lethes rivers.  Lucky for her these were relatively placid waters free of enemies, for she undertook her survey from the deck of a tramp merchant ship with no arms whatsoever besides deck axes.  Nonetheless, she returned to Southscape in 2925 with a set of riverine charts sufficient to allow her nation’s passage up those rivers.

Most of the rest of the royal court concentrated on religious conversions in Har Mekelle and Har Jadme.  The Great Hero Mardukar of Durudin led the retinue in the Homeland and had great success, converting thousands back the Lords of the Grail.  The elves of Har Jadme were firm in their resistance to any conversions, however.

Meanwhile, the sultan allowed the Har Mekelle/Husen road to go untended and it fell into disuse.  Instead, Ahmed ibn Qadir ordered a new royal road built running into the woods of Har Jadme.

Lord Al Zed died in 2924 at the age of fifty eight, while watching boat races in Muzir harbor. Mardukar of Durudin retired in 2925, returning south to his home.

The general recruited a thousand infantry and continued to lavish spectacle and largesse on the prosperous and independent farmers of Habu. He then lounged about in Thedelos, fathering children on a captive harem.

Fanatical missionaries sent to Nedoor, Hawat and Shenth had marked success in returning the sathla of those regions to the One True Faith of Autumna. In Hawat, they received the aid of missionaries from Shulaskur. But the residents of the city of Kesydon remained sharply divided in their loyalties, with Dark Court  worshippers barely outnumbering those of Autumna.

Prince Dissyk sailed west and south, exploring the Whale Road, Mardoin Gulf and the Upper Vine Sea.  In the Mardoin gulf, his large fleet of warships fell afoul of a hurricane that lashed the coasts and sunk six warships.

Speaker Ophak and his inquisitorial troops sought in vain for evildoers, cultists, heretics and tax cheats in several Luxur cities. Captain Tressag forced a tribute from the colonists in Keferis, but found his intolerant attitude towards the Dark Court prevented him from improving relations with Kesydon.

The Redfangs, one of two Luxurite adventuring companies, traveled south to the swampy realm of Likasal, where they encountered and defeated a cult dedicated to a weird fish-god that had waylaid travelers and isolated villages on the desolate coast for generations.  They also defeated the cult’s monstrous fish-demon ally and brought its hoard back to Thedelos.

The Luxurites sent an armored caravan to Shulaskur, carrying a wagon-load of gold.

Prince Khalak Redclaw traveled to the Nineser Hills, where he sought out the beautiful and wild daughter of a local chieftain and wooed her.  He secured the Nineser Hills for his father and a bride for himself.

General Vayliss traveled to the metropolis of Merwal in Luxur and spent many years enjoying the city life. In 2922, the General was seen with cuts and bruises.  He quickly left the city without explanation and returned to Shulaskur.

In 2923, a great caravan arrived from Luxur, carrying treasure and wealth.

Lord Merecessh hired four thousand mercenary infantry and oversaw the construction of twenty fat cogs.  He also recruited two thousand Mykelean infantry.  Then he set sail into the Straits of Sandrettos with nearly one hundred ships, both warships and cogs, and ten thousand troops.  The army stormed ashore at Socphares, overawing all resistance.  Within a month, the peaceful Akir humans were under the military rule of the Serpentine.  Merecessh then entered on a brutal campaign of forced conversions to the worship of the Scaled god.  Shrines to the Lords of the Grail were looted and burned while those who resisted conversion were tortured and eaten.  The terrified survivors loudly attested to their forced faith in Autumna. Two thousand sathla took up residence in the forests to ensure the humans remembered it.

Merecessh then marched west into Kumrat, where he met a determined resistance that took three months to quell, despite his overwhelming advantage in numbers and supply.  The general was actually captured by Kumrat rebels for a brief time, but managed to fight his way clear of them and return unharmed to his command. In the end, the humans of Kumrat also bowed to the might of the Serpentine.

Lord Breen, who was to have assisted Merecessh, died at sea in 2921.

Elsewhere, the eloquent sathla named Zee the tongue and the mercenary Majid Al Muzir traveled together to the wild lands of Perpaves and after years of negotiation and bribes, managed to convince the locals to allow Mykelean troops to march through their lands.  Majid died in 2924.

Slaves toiled in the broiling sun of Haburah, finally completing the cultivation of that hard and sun-baked land. In Eumana, lictors continued to stamp out all vestiges of the Nurad language, insisting that all businesses, temples, public events and houses of prostitution spoke only pure Valesian.

Traders traveling from Dammarask to Tanthis in Kherouf were accompanied by a caravan carrying boxes of gold and precious stones sent by the Emperor. These were accompanied by fervent priests of the Dark Court who spread the fiery flavor of Accolon’s worship into the once-isolated lands of Kherouf.

Emperor Tormak took command of the main army at Dammarask and also ordered many military transport vessels into service as merchant ships at Riatus.

The return of Kherouf to the world sparked a great religious revival, aided and sustained by the monks of Accolon.  The crowds of Tanthis and Kherouf were witness to mass rituals of debasement and evil, while the worship of the dark gods became nearly compulsory. A large shipment of gold arrived from Accolon.  There was no truth to the rumor that this was a reward for Kherouf embracing Accolon’s gods.

Emperor Nepherkheres marched his army into the rich fields of Kherouf and quartered them there in camps around the capital.  His son, Prince Sesokhris, summoned the lords of the Kherouf to account for themselves and their houses, creating a census.

Lord Senedj traveled to the sparsely-populated wilderlands of Nekhen and secured the cooperation of the forest tribes.  He sealed this bargain by arranging a marriage between a local chieftain’s daughter and Prince Sesokhris.  Likewise, Lord Kaires secured the cooperation of wealthy Pelousion by promising the hand in marriage of Nepherekeres’s daughter, Nefris.

Queen Madariel

Two Maradorian armies march northwest into Zab-Kin, crossing the Mulgaunt at Jebelam and Gaja.

In 2925, Vaeril Fallingwater arrived at the head of a column of elvish settlers and colonized the region of Zab-Kin as part of the Shadowguard of Marador.

Missionaries spread out to the regions west of the Mulgaunt river.  An especially strong effort in Hecaladon paid off, and the majority of the region’s elves once again worshipped (or said they worshipped) the Lords of the Grail. Some headway was made with the elves of Indoglaurë, but the hill elves of Kalrondo were harder to convince; they remained staunch supporters of the Dark Court.

Meanwhile, Alvar Brookseeker continued to seek converts among the nobility of Dimbe, while Thingold, Prince of Gaja managed to convert a majority of the nobility in Jebelam.

While King Vraaka ruled from the bone-studded throne of Breeka, Lord Mazkal tried to entice the saurus of Munampt into a closer relationship.  Alas, Lord Mazkal died of dysentery in 2922, his mission unfulfilled.

Lord Ulsashar marched two thousand sauruses to the Weshtayo border at Darets and watched the humans with a suspicious eye.

Lord Esto*lo died of a heart attack in 2922.  Lord Taro*ko died in a duel in 2925.

Giro*ko, Lynx of the Steppes, took command of a thousand cavalry at Durudin to watch over the sathla hordes to the north.

In 2921, Fuluko’s emissaries made a final payment to the orc horde encamped in Menrat.  By 2925, the orcs had melted back into the jungles with their ill-gotten gains and the terrified people of Menrat regained their lands after fifteen years of oppression.

King Fuluko’s wife Udone gave birth to a daughter in 2921, but died during another pregnancy in 2922.

Captain Desta bravely set out to sea in a single light transport in 2921, successfully charting the Nekinet Sea and the Gulf of Qiya.  However his tiny ship foundered somewhere in the Bay of Eels and Desta was drowned.

Great Prince Shaka died in 2925 of a heart attack.  He was fifty-one years old.

Banner of Khor-Naland

Lord Gamil marched to Vipuren with fifteen hundred dwarves to monitor the safety of the Torquas colony.

Lord Blorin and Rignus of Hikka traveled to the demon-worshiping land of Shtekkten and continued to convert as many of the nobility as they could to the worship of the Lords of the Grail.  In a related effort, dwarven missionaries spread out through Llrandirla and Ssanru.

Elven engineers began a new road leading from Vanua north towards Marador.

The Emperor ordered religious festivals and enforced new religious law, but the zeal of the people for the gods of the Grail continued to wane.

The Emperor dispatched Lady Elvadriadne and Lord Talan of Mita with half the army to oversee the colonization of Kulahan and Kaidola.

In 2925, Lady Elvadriadne, disgusted by what she saw as the moral decay in Ezrand, declared Valoril to be an enemy of the people and had herself crowned empress at Kulahan.  Her vast army of more than twelve thousand elves seized control of the elvish tribes under Lord Talan’s control.  Faced with destruction, Talan threw his lot in with Elvadriadne .

After seizing the tribes under Talan’s control, she settled them in Kulahan as farmers and as the kernel of a new imperial city, Bandorian.

Aut Khaidu traveled to Tresalet and continued the reeducation of the pacified natives. Heutzin did likewise in Tsu’u, with only minimal success.

The port of New Mhynar grew into a small city, though still just a shadow of the once-great city it replaced. The city’s trade fleets grew as well, in order to keep pace with the needs of the burgeoning population.

Lords Mosqis and Kiisha traveled west to M’bwene, where they lavished the chiefs with attention, gold and offers of marriage to Zikuyu’s heir.  There were several hours of embarrassment when the chiefs pointed out that Zikuyu’s Emperor had yet produced or adopted no heirs…  Nonetheless, an alliance was agreed to and M’bwene increased its trade and tribute to Ivallkyu.

The sultan ordered missionaries to go to the land of Lumad, but the new faith of the Valraji people in the Dark Court was weak, and few heeded the call.

The sultan and the great hero Radhrir of Sartus remained in Muddakir, performing elaborate and eldritch rituals invoking various elder powers.

Lord Jalalud traveled to Torquas where he met with dwarven representatives of the king of Aurdrukar.  The dwarves paid Jalalud two wagon loads of cunningly-wrought dwarf mail and weapons, as well as jewels wrested from the bowels of the earth in exchange for a clear claim on the land of Torquas.  Satisfied, Jalalud returned to Muddakir and presented these gifts to the sultan.

Lord Firas traveled to Tanoxus, where he offered the local chieftain the hand in marriage of the sultan’s daughter Janaara.  The chieftain agreed and began paying tribute to the sultan.  Firas died in 2924 in Tanoxus.

Bhambra The Homely, general of the armies of The Valraj, led his eight thousand troops to Sola, where he watched the forest borders.  He died in 2923 of a heart attack.

Prince Nurudeen traveled to Vora, where he began to chip away at the Grailite faith of the nobility.  His nephew Prince Miir was raised to the royal counsel upon achieving manhood.

The Grand Duke attempted to increase the power of the Spirit Cult priests, but found a great resistance to his new laws throughout the nation.  So strong was the reaction that the priesthood was forced to curtail its activities in many regions outside the capital.

Lord Emmyn sailed south through the Gates of Arthys and west to the wild region of Kaderark. There, he treated with the savage elves and tried to convince them that their future lay in receiving protection from Yaz Meneen. Then the land was invaded and overrun by the men of Ukanve.  Emmyn’s ships were burned and his small honor guard slaughtered on the beach.  The lord himself escaped home in a small, open boat. 

Missionaries came from the east out of Ahum and began to teach in the province of Ongkiji Suzu.  They were mostly elves, with some halflings, and they spoke of the three-faceted goddess called Vindah. Many in Ongkiji Suzu were taken with this notion and became practicing worshippers of Nuree.

Lords Shandor and Corgian led an army of four thousand humans and allied elves from Rhundal and stormed into the elven region of Kaderark.  The primitive elves were unable to match that level of force and fled before the invaders.  Almost unnoticed in the complete route was a small force of Meneen elves who were overwhelmed and slaughtered on the southern beaches.  Having put the elves in great fear, the men of Ukanve left a royal governor and some tax collectors, then marched back north to their base at Morgania.

Meanwhile, Lord Stonaeg traveled to the jungles of Tar Lann and made alliance with the savage Iriol elves who lived among the great trees.

Young king Erik (only nineteen) tried to name his younger brother Lief as his heir and successor, but the Jarls rose up in protest, refusing to accept his choice.  They demanded that Erik provide Nikitya with an heir of his own blood. Erik then sailed to Kachka and wooed the daughter of Lord Olaf.  The marriage concluded and Olaf became Erik’s ally.

Engineers cut a narrow road through the hills of Achkain to connect to the north coast at Itissik. Itissik was the scene of much interest, as a large dwarven delegation arrived to grant full citizenship to the northern dwarves in their windswept valleys.  At the same time, the dwarves managed to cultivate those valleys with hardy crops of potatoes, rapeseed and turnips.

In 2925, King Vorin at last succumbed to Nun-gibilthar, the Petrification, decades after all his children were dead of the same affliction.  Sensing it coming, he laid himself in the family tomb and became his own effigy.

Most of the court traveled to the city of Ulaar and convinced the chief persons of that city to accept full citizenship in the Confederation.

Shanatarian missionaries continued to spread the belief that the Emperor of Shanatar (whichever emperor happened to be on the throne at the time) was a god.  Most of Eumela has now taken to worshiping the god-in-human-form in Feroe.  The current god-Emperor, Migdala, sent a haughty embassy demanding that the rest of the Confederation publicly acknowledge his divinity or face the consequences.

In commemoration of his wife and predecessor Talena, the God-Emperor Migdala caused a colossal statue of her to be erected in Rachif near the site of the former Necropolis.  By day the statue’s crown gleamed with gold, while by night its eyes glowed with an eerie and sullen light.

The Shanatarian military, previously united under the command of General Phalan, was split into two commands under the God-Emperor and General Yurin.

God-Emperor Migdala died in 2924 of consumption, leaving his wife’s distant cousin Tsephares in command of the Empire.  After a lavish ceremony,

The wealthy emirs of Farmuz expanded their mighty cities of

Lord Masket traveled to Azmani on a flying carpet and concluded an agreement with the natives to allow Farmuzi traffic and troops to cross their land when traveling to and from Accolon.

Vizier Al’Han put out to sea with the Farmuzi navy, plying the northern Blood Sea with forty warships and guarding the Emirates’ shores.

Prince Mahir, father to the Sultan, died in Navilok in 2921 at the age of fifty-six.  Emir Forin of Forecen died in 2924. His son pledged alliance to the Sultan.

King Khosrow, a tyrant, an usurper and a murderer, was a man able to think on the largest of scales. Khosrow did not see his nation as a landlocked backwater but as occupying the key juncture between two mighty oceans. With an imperious command and several bone-chilling threats, he ordered his engineers to begin the digging of a canal which would one day link the Chamir and Gardagos rivers.

Khosrow and his queen Noushin rode north at the head of six thousand infantry and cavalry and attacked the peaceful woodsmen of Saaef. The armies of Vaudan were too much for the lightly-defended steadings and hillforts, and soon the Saaefmen and their families were brought back to Chegamum in yokes and chains as slaves.

Meanwhile, Lord Tagar Zon led a strong corps of diplomacy (including Slavush Rone, Lord Orland, Princess Roksana and Payam of Parkora) to the wild regions of Ul’il, Depema, Mitme and Uttaks.  In Ul’il, Tagar Zon offered the hand in marriage of princess Roksana, and the lord of the hillmen immediately accepted and offered his alliance. Depema and Mitme agreed to recognize the Vaudan right of passage.  Tagar Zon and Lord Orland died of Yellow Fever in Mitme, leaving the others to treat with the sauruses of Uttaks alone.  Here they fared worse, for Slavush Rone insulted the son of the lizard-chief and was murdered where he stood for the effrontery. Lord Payam barely managed to rescue Princess Roksana and escape back to Mitme.

Shanatarian missionaries to Ul’il were seen spreading the faith of the God-Emperors in that hilly region.

Some built ships to trade upriver to Vaudan while others settled in to begin the slow cultivation of Imbalab.

King Olizha named General Moresko as his heir.  The General took over the daily operations of the government while the elderly Olizha traveled south to Mitampe, becoming a teacher and proselytizer for Orithia.  He had considerable success in converting the Mitampan nobility to the holy Orithian faith.

Lords Kertal and Kizil traveled to Berat to meet with Lord Rajif. Although talks were cordial, the two rather unimpressive speakers failed to convince the penurious Rajif of anything but the expense of feeding them.

Princess Miyu, however, traveled to the city of Kannguheju and began to convert the nobility to the Falesian heresy, er, faith through both inspiration and naked fear of her raw power.

Missionaries from Kasadir came to Kannguheju with startlingly persuasive words and miracles.  A great wave of belief in the Falesian heresy, er, faith spread across the homeland.

Orithian missionaries from Amantai continued to proselytize in Bennsaga, without much success.

Liao Tilan and Prince Eddard the Lame traveled to the island of Tanuan and so impressed the sauruses living there that they swore allegiance to the soft-skinned humans of the west.  Liao Tilan died in Tanuan of a heart attack in 2921.

Kal Thintal remained in his chambers in Tamiyot feverishly working on…something.

Meanwhile, the fertile land of Kasadir became even more so by an ingenious method of terracing, canals, wells and crop rotation.

Princess Tzazlat spent her time converting the nobility of Zathurrin back to the faith of Orithia, and was quite successful.  Nearly a quarter of the nobility once again acknowledged the orthodoxy. Meanwhile, missionaries moved among the common people of the city, but were roundly reviled as the Falesian heresy continued to remain strong among the peasants.

Lords Boqchicc and Quetkrox traveled to Jembahuan and continued the ministry amongst the rustic lords and chieftains.  They were very successful and the religious dominance of the region now hangs in the balance.

Lord Tepotta, meanwhile, coaxed the homeland back into a full and normal submission to the will of the king.

Xuan Li took a small force to Berpeku to accompany a landless tribe to whom the queen had given land.  They settled the small city of Santoro.

While Lady Haleth added Menytu to the royal lands, Prince Marahel and Queen Felean marched south with a small army into Adairda and settled tribes of elves where once only unlovely orcs had stalked the primeval forests.

Mardule the Younger named his son (also called Mardule) as his heir and fathered a second son.

Bastian the Bold shepherded colonists to the land of Baya, where they founded the new city of Kuantai amidst the pines and alders of the deep forest.

Lord Wang Gyon delivered the required tribute of food and obeisance to the Lichdom of Erdiyek.

Princess Chintana searched in Sedar for possible enemies to her young king’s reign.  Instead, she found the tomb of ancient sorcerer which she plundered with abandon, bringing home ancient scrolls of long-lost knowledge.

Councillor Whaung ruled the Council until his death in 2923.  Sing Sao was elected to be his replacement on the Council. Sao, meanwhile, had sailed north to explore the Sea of Frozen Stars, but returned when he received word of Whaung’s death in order to influence his fellow councilors to his own benefit.

Councillor Liang concluded an alliance with the city of Ketkume, even as allied lord Whreing of Entemal died during a fishing accident.  The orcs of Entemal thereafter refused to be as active in the kingdom’s affairs.

Giant colonists returned to Karisdu and repopulated the area after the devastation wrought by the Kitike horde. 

Lord Ul-Kador sailed west to the far distant land of Mei and there convinced the native hobgoblins to enter into an economic alliance with the Empire. The great distance (more than fifteen hundred miles) between Suru’or and Mei is likely to prove a problem for this arrangement.

Lord Zu-Rolth concluded a treaty of alliance with the elves of Kenomus.

Lord Ir-Haalko sailed south to Kenomus to retrieve a fleet of ships and return them to the Emperor at Suru’or. He then traveled west into the hills of Kitike and attempted to establish relations with the savage giants there, but these seethed with hatred of Tekume and slow the emissary, sending his body back to Suru’or in parts over several months.

Lord Ur-Pelok of Kada died in 2924. His son renewed Kada’s vows of fealty to the Emperor.

King Mardeis ruled from the throne of Belgramma and sent a sizeable treasure to help his allies in Threns.

Farmers began to till the soil and cut lumber in Rabiate and Iganchi.  Where now stand primeval forests there will soon be gentle, rolling farmland.

King Laoghaire met with the leaders of his angry and pacified capital in an attempt to calm their resentment for his past actions. Meanwhile, Laoghaire’s son Alstan did little while governor of that city but produce three daughters.

Lord Tirechan made alliance with the men of Iganchi, who included many recent immigrant farmers from Ambalas and Kibe.

Missionaries to the heretics had some small successes in Therses, but were roundly ignored in Anshuyo.

The king hired two thousand mercenary infantry and sent them into the capital of Vaayil to slaughter the demonstrating students.  He also sent in Lord Marconium to have the student leaders assassinated. The student rebellion was crushed in a bloody massacre and Vaayil was returned to the control of the king.  Both Lord Marconium and Lord Mamertonium, who commanded the mercenaries, were slain in the fighting.

Lord Cromotium died in 2922 while governing Siruvargal, and Cardo of Patsuma died in 2924. His son swore an oath of feudal allegiance, but was not the close ally his father was.

Captain Grosh assumed command of the new, smaller, Kolyut army of eight thousand soldiers and watched over the shrunken borders as best he could.

Lord Tarunk helped organize the recolonization of Aya, returning farmers and craftsmen to their former homes and towns.

A new city named Kaasra sprang up on the shores of Askapa.  King HIstro promptly ordered a stout wall built about the new city for its protection. Trade form the new city was able to reach all the way to Ukanve in the southwest.

Lady Kirra negotiated the full accession of Depoken into the realm of the Free Cities.

The Empire of Rajahdan surprised the Free Cities by sending shiploads of foodstuffs and wine.

The industrious halflings and elves of Ahum completed a thorough reshaping of the province of Satulki. New watercourses and new crops now spread across the verdant field. Fertilizer and crops both ingeniously transported by barge and wain so as to make Satulki one of the richest regions in Theeurth.

King Tedo Applebarrel named Trent Stoneberry to be his heir.  The nobility would have preferred a son of Tedo’s but acceded to his nomination.  Tedo also named Trent’s twin sisters Mary and Panka to be his advisors.

Colonists from across Ahum settled in Atruvai, building farms on the Satulki road and fishing villages on the Sudaran Sea.

A new walled city was founded in the hills of Rudhavi on the banks of the Virit river. At the same time, the population of the capital at Chharit grew to such an extent that it was necessary to reestablish its walls farther out from the palace than ever before.

The Raj and much of his court huddled in Chharit, seeking out spies and traitors, but finding few. Raj Storog named his twenty-eight year old daughter Tolax to be his heir.  This infuriated his thirty year old daughter Roxa the Red Claw, who immediately sailed east, forsaking her father’s kingdom.

Prince Axar Bloody Knife died during a hunting accident in 2924 in the offshore province of Mankund. Nonetheless, his efforts at diplomacy there bore fruit. The orcs of Mankund recognized the leadership of the Raj.

Rajahdan sent shiploads of foodstuffs and wine to the embattled men of Ruanach.

Missionaries went north from Rajahdan to Amovish, but found that the sathla of Amovish were uniformly already followers of Autumna.

Emperor Gortoc named his son Zlatec as his heir.

Lord Zzzsx traveled to Indrata, near Meneen, and tried to convince the nobility of the glories of Autumna.  The differences in race and language were telling, but a few odd elves took to worshiping the Scaled god.

Lord Norz traveled northeast and claimed the region of Amsurma for the Empire. He died there in 2925.

Tales that reached Anku Elevya from far distant Shantar filled the populace with horror over the slaying of a noble dragon. Humans in the empire were well advised to travel in groups for several years as the stories grew of their horrific crimes against the nameless dragon of the north.

Anku missionaries sailed up the Nhodras to its source, where they entranced the giants of Matap’qa with tales of the miracles of the sleeping dragons.  The religion of Zaoism spread like wildfire among the giants.

The court traveled en masse to the elven forests of Pedekha, preaching Zaoism and conducting diplomacy. The elves agreed to permit the merchants and armies of Anku Elevya to cross their land, but showed only moderate interest in their foreign religion (the Anku court being a singularly uncharismatic lot).

Co-Emperor Zao Yang died at the age of fifty eight in 2924. His son, Zao Yin II died the same year of leprosy. The remaining Emperor, Zao Yin, named Zao Yang’s son Zao Yang II as his co-emperor.  Zao Yin then abdicated the throne to live in retirement as a priest in the city of Zao.

Emperor Mei Shu married the sister of the Mayor of Kofeng, a city that now becomes part of the Empire.

Work began on the great project of improving the cultivation of fertile Bukuturru

Lord Reke died in 2921 of scale rot. He was fifty-eight.

Lord Saphyn, Princess Terysa and Princess Kalissa traveled to the human province of Mukarma and promoted the ideals of the scaled god among the nobility. It was a harder sell among the humans, but much ground was gained by the three.

Aging Queen Alvya was unable to conceive a child and when her husband and consort Massu died in 2923, she attempted to declare Lord Dao Ji Mao as her successor.  However, the nobility would not hear of such a thing, and rejected her choice for the succession.

The rest of the court rearranged the assignments of military command and took up defensive postures around the nation.

Lord Bao of Tahpqa died in 2921 of a heart attack.

Lord Boril slaved over the creation of a census of the dwarven people while King Sirom Stiffbeard rode to Kurazum and established an economic alliance with the dwarves of the east.

Isok Okori worked diligently and with the tongue of angels to soothe the anger of the capital’s barely pacified mobs.

As relief trickled slowly east towards Hitotome, elvish engineers built strong forts in Kumidor and many small villages and farmsteads grew up around these.

Overlaid with several spells and aided by the best intelligence the Empire’s spies could provide, Empress Airi journeyed to the rich and independent province of Karinoy, where she

King Galens Eagleheart concluded a treaty of economic alliance with the elves of Kiakamba and then returned to his capital.

Vallirion Sharpeye forged an alliance with the island elves of Minjiloa, securing their promise of military support in exchange for Lekandi’s protection.

Lord Elath Bloodspear and his son Valandil remained prisoners of the sathla.

Vasstex sailed north to the wild jungles of Kopera and there extracted a promise of tribute from the natives in exchange for Korodan’s promise not to exterminate the Koperans.

As King Mongok conducted a census of his people, his court traveled as one to the jungles of Ruka and extracted an oath of fealty from the chieftain, Sakav.