[spoilers]Commodore is Tokugawa of Zulu, or, playing for second place.

[Commodore]

For want of a nail, two chariots were lost (Pingo had enough money to upgrade a spear in BB)
For want of the chariots, pillagers were lost (didn't pillage copper mine or cow-road)
For want of the pillagers, the battle was lost (came about two chariots short of killing the capital)
For want of the battle, the great general was lost (Pingo got a GG, I didn't)
For want of the GG, the defender axe was lost (Pingo's Morale axe, moving on the unpillaged cow road, killed my axe)
For want of the defender, the city was lost (they walked in, retook Manxome Foe/Blues Brothers)
For want of the city, the war was lost (crippling blow to all trade routes, IC-TR gone).

Or, if you prefer a simple haiku exploring the other issue:
Cyneheard gifted:
Copper, metal, hope, all aid,
Vengence, for this, sworn.

[oledavy]

For want of the city, the war was lost

Fwiw, I've loved your reporting this game. You've definitely managed to spice things up.

[spacetyrantxenu]

Cyneheard gifted:
Copper, metal, hope, all aid,
Vengence, for this, sworn.

If only they hadn't sunk your galley carrying the other pair of axes!

What's the plan to make Cyneheard's rivers run red with blood?

[Commodore]

If only they hadn't sunk your galley carrying the other pair of axes!

What's the plan to make Cyneheard's rivers run red with blood?

Commo-san has made many mistakes, mark well. We will avenge this humiliation with an assault as swift as it will be simple.

Yep, but for now, I just winced and took the peace with each empire. Need to rebuild and lose some of the whip anger for a while. The next settlement will the Brilig in the northeast for those juicy IC-TRs again, and then for Calendar we'll settle Gimble in the south for cows/shared FP/more spices, and Jaws Bite in the north for marble. The MoM would do a lot for my hope here.


The next war shall be a simultaneous assault by land and sea upon the vile and dishonorable Cyneheard. The icy settlement of Jaws Bite will enable movement from one side to another, while Claws Catch builds us a great navy. Truly, this cold and barren land is a most excellent breeding ground for great warriors.

For now, we rebuild, but vengeance shall not be delayed for long.

[Commodore]

So Krill had a mystifying offer this turn:



I think I'm going to use Mardoc's image for an accurate translation:



I am so completely stratospherically screwed. GNP is an ugly half of the next lowest, while Krill has four times my GNP. Am I really considering Calendar before Currency?



At least trade route income is about to double in six turns or so, when I settle the frigid little tundra isle of Brilig.



It's hard out there for a [strike]pimp[/strike] Zulu.

[Square Leg]

So did you accept the trade?

[Commodore]

So did you accept the trade?

Of course! I'm a tattered ragamuffin, not some sort of proud man of pride. Plus, well, I suspect that it is Ceil or Pingo that would suffer the most from Krill knowing my map. Coupled with a silver/ivory trade with Pingo, I actually have a semi-decent happy cap now.

[Commodore]

...aaaand using my map, Krill opted to hit not Pingo nor Ceil but Azza. Dunno why, but I'm sure he has his own reasons. I appreciate the wines at least, nice to be able to grow a little bit. One of these days I'll actually be able to to have towns here.



Not a spot on Krill's growth, of course. Holy crap, you guys. That's...crazy-big, no wonder he has wines hooked. Hum. I notice something missing a bit, actually. Odd given our no-limitations game...



You know what's going to happen in five turns, then? Item one: Krill is running away. Item two: Barbs are being annoying still.



Hrm...I'm okay, no real worries from the barb, getting an extra archer even if the RNG screws me.



Hum. So there's this:



And this:



Why not this?



Whadaya think?

[Injera]

Whadaya think?

I think it would be interesting simply for the aesthetic appeal. Your borders are sort of unusual.

[Commodore]

"If it wasn't for bad luck you'd have no luck at all" -Gaspar

Despite the northern clime and shelter of Cape Wuffle, occasional hurricanes still lash In-the-Wabe and its surrounding plains. In the fall of the year 400, the worst regional hurricane on record smashed into the Jabberwock Clan capital city.



The members of the local ikhanda worked tirelessly to erect berms and dig channels in what folktales called the "Battle Against the Sea". Through their efforts, the loss of life was negligible amongst the civilian population and the critical city granary was preserved. However, the military quarter was wiped out in the storm surge and most of the military instructors and trainees lost their lives, effectively ending the In-the-Wabe ikhanda as an institution for years.

I understand the temptation to not take these events now, but it is what it is. The RNG gives and the RNG takes away. There's a decent chance the RNG is about to take out more.

Armed by Byzantine agents still prosecuting a proxy war against the Zulu, northern barbarian tribes became increasingly restive and better-armed. In the the spring of the year 399 with the capital's military command structure still a shambles the local governor of Claws Catch authorized the nearby battalions to move forward and engage barbarian raiders threatening the empire's sole source of copper. A company of chariots from the regional command center of Mimsy Borogoves was dispatched to deal with any of the barbarians that remained.



Of course it wasn't really Cyneheard that had the barbarian spawn axemen, but he would have if he could.

The famous Byzantine Double-Movers, a woodcraft-trained axe battalion, continued their hostile maneuvers in the wilds west of the Silver Hill Mines. The 2nd Assegai impis carefully tracked the Byzantine force as it maneuvered, but as long as they stayed in the neutral valley areas, the impi regiment was under strict orders to not cause incident.



Historical records of dispatches and letters from around the turn of the fourth century show that while the Zulu Empire was still strong and active, a definite zest for life was missing relative to the heady earlier war years. The regrowing population was beginning a new phase of expansion, pushing south down the Great Northern River and colonizing the cold Briling Island in the north-east. For all that, and the active northern border fighting, the hope of the Jabberwock Clan seemed diminished.



Phew. Not really sure where to go from here.