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

[Commodore]

What? There's a world outside the TokuZulu empire and its intended conquests?

Oh of course! That world is shaking under the mighty strides of Krill, and in distant Australia the Vikings are pushing Liberalism. I'm going to content myself with Westros + Ethiopia if I ever make it that far.

In other news, we have here an opportunity wrapped in a conundrum.



Gaspar, what's the input. We have two good options, bulb Paper (TT enabled) or academy in the actually fairly decent capital. If I was to bulb Paper, I'd ask Scooter for Education in return for Gunpowder, most likely, well worth it if it could be managed...ideally Education with a promise of Gunpowder, if I can figure out how to manage that. On the other hand, In-the-Wabe actually does have a pretty solid beaker output, an academy would be worth 10bpt at break even and that will only get better.

On the griping hand, I've begun spreading Christianity, the AP religion. The UoS would actually be fantastic if I could snag it.

[Gaspar]

Paper is generally a pretty cheap tech. How long would it take you to grab it?

[Commodore]

Paper is generally a pretty cheap tech. How long would it take you to grab it?

Um. Never mind. This is Krillmod, Literature is required for Paper. I need to make the HE and NE, so that's still a good option, but I'd rather not ice the GS for that long.

[Gaspar]

Just FYI I logged on because Mist needed me to unpause cause he was hung on a diplo window, I didn't actually do anything.

[Commodore]

On The Empires of Man
Essay by Jacob Oletomo from his Memoirs of a Merchant Prince

My cousins tell me that I am missing out by never having left the capital. They tell me that there is a great empire out there, a world I am somehow missing by never going further south than Wabebridge, or further north than Bay's Cot. I scoff at them. In-the-Wabe is the most cosmopolitan city in the world, why would I ever want to be anywhere else?



I have here attempted to collect a series of sketches and impression of the peoples of each of the Great Empires. For my bucollic cousins' sakes, I shall omitt describing our own people, for I have read many great reams of essays on the character of the Zulu people. I shall start with the more distant empires and end up with those people whom I deal with every single day, Dutch and Ethiopians.

The Vikings and Sumerians:


Although I am given to understand these two empires are often at war, to my own eye the people are more or less the same, pale, fond of long beards and with a great love of axes in their military tradition. This would of course be expected given the long period of isolation their distant southern continent enjoyed.

I have in my life met only two Sumerians, radical Hindu missionaries preaching a very different form of the religion than what we are accustomed to. This Warbird Hinduism is in its forms very similar to the more orthodox Viking version, it seems nationalistic and insular in its focus. Despite an apparent long history of bad blood between Sumer and the Viking Empire, the two missionaries were here on a caravel from the Viking lands. Our empire has no official contact with Sumer, but ever since the advent of map trading with Egypt we have known of them.

Vikings, despite how far away they hail from, are not an uncommon sight. They are great seafarers and cany merchants, and our two peoples have enjoyed much trade over the years. The Viking Empire is staggeringly advanced, although only a fraction of the size of Azteca. Thanks to their great wonders and trading posts, these sailors are able to extract more commerce from the seas that I would have believed possible. Even now there are rumors that the foremost minds of the Viking Empire are working on a great stride forward in liberalism, encouraged by their new education systems and fine philosophy. Were it not for the earth-shaking dominance of the Aztecs, I would peg them as the mostly likely people to dominate the world someday.

As a general archetype, a Viking is a strong, tall person, hair most often a curious blond or copper color. He will always wear his beard long unless his is a member of the Hindu priesthood, and although I am sure their are farmers and herdsmen among them, every Viking I have met smells of salt and looks with longing to the sea. They are an industrious and aggressive people, which translates to them dominating a large section of the distant southern seas.

The Egyptians:


Another highly advanced people of the far east, the Egyptians are hard but fair businessmen and great artisans. I am honestly unsure of their empire's station in the world, as every Egyptian I have ever met seems very uninterested in talking about home. I know that the Egyptian Kingdom is very large, and they have had little success in defending against the depredations of the Aztecs. Even so, they are smart and thriving people, although they seem to lack fire at times.

An Egyptian cares little for war or military tradition, which seems surpassingly odd to even the most urbane of Zulus like myself. They instead concern themselves with commerce, trade, and the arts of peace. In another world, I should think an Egyptian would do well, but this is a place of blood and rivalry.

The Indians:


For all the lip service we Christians pay to the Jews of India, these strange people are not actually close to us. I have met very few Indians in my time, and every one of them seemed dour and dim. They were once a happy, expansive people, if history scrolls are to be believed, but India is an empire on its way out. Originally Indians tames the first elephants purchased for our armies, but not we reply on Aztec suppliers. The hot, dry core of India breeds hard men, and I have seen their ambassadors futilely begging for intervention as the slow, grinding wars give them less and less land. They are right, they are a doomed people. But we cannot help them, and it is frankly depressing to spend any time at all with an Indian diplomat.

The Aztecs:


The so-called Lords of the World, to know an Aztec man is to know arrogance. There are actually some four or five different sub-peoples within Azteca, but the only ones you will ever deal with are the pure Sons of the Krill.

Now do not mistake me, Azteca is the largest market in the world, and almost half of all the imports that come through my warehouses are from Azteca. We cannot afford to avoid trading with the rough quarter of all the world's people that hail to the Green Throne. I am drinking a fine wine from the vinyards of Darrell's Fault right now. But these men also consider themselves to be our masters, and I am not so citified a Zulu to be comfortable with that.

A typical Aztec is short, brown, and wiry, prone to violence and proud. Almost to a man they are devout Buddists, but hardly meditative or enlightened like the Brilig mystics we all know. Despite slavery's importance in their culture, they tend to not actually employ heavy slaving in their empire, and as a result the Aztecs have the largest cities in the world. And those cities are constantly sending out armies to harry the Indians, Egyptians, and Ethiopians. Even the Vikings warred with them in the distant seas, although I know of no details of their conflicts. We receive many luxuries from Azteca, but that is because in all the world they have very few trading partners, they need the Zulu people. And so, for now, we'll still trade with them.

The Dutch:


Quiet, unassuming, and friendly, I know of no gentler-natured people than the Dutch. They have vast tracts of fertile land within their empire, with bountiful resources and well-educated, healthy people. And yet for all that, the Dutch are no threat to dominate the world long-term. There are several reasons for this:
-For one, they are at odds with Ethiopia, a long-term animosity that can only grow stronger with time. I have heard reports from some of my merchant contacts that Ethiopia is planning something, although it is hard to be certain.
-Secondly, and most importantly, the main issue the Dutch have is in their leadership. I truly wonder if their Emperor Yuri looks at the affairs of his state for more than ten minutes at a time, for all that he is an able and intelligent man.
-Finally, we are a problem for them. The Zulu will not be tied down forever with Byzantium, and when the dust settles we all know the Jabberwock Clan shall not rest until all of Westros is under our dominion. So we trade with the Dutch for now, but I never hold their contracts to anything long term.

Physically the Dutch are fine specimens, tall, light-skinned, and powerful. They are very fond of axes in the battalions, although longbowmen are ubiquitous in Dutch cities as everywhere else. I would love nothing better than to sit with a fine, intelligent Dutchman to haggle over dyes or gems, although most of their traders work with the River Cities. Predominantly Christian, the Dutch government still proclaims allegiance to no god in particular.

The Ethiopians:


Ah, Ethiopia. Site of the Holy See, birthplace of the faith, death-place of our early history, competitors, cooreligionists, enemies, and friends. Needless to say, these people are very closely intertwined with us, in all the good and bad ways that means. In my day-to-day life I deal with as many Ethiopians as all other foreign nationals aside.

An Ethiopian will look about as dark as one of us Zulus, although they tend to have distinctly sharper features. They tend to be talkative, ebullient, and effacious, although at times sloppy in their speech and actions. Their warmer lands mean that Ethiopian fasions tend towards lighter silk shirts and trows, and they tend to wear their hair short.

The Ethiopian empire has a long and troubled realationship with our own, as we all know, but of late we have been more trading competitors than foes on the field. The worldwide spice trade has only one other player, with the lower riverlands of the southern counties rife with plantations. I hope to be able to out-compete with them soon, but if those massing armies are going for our own riverland holdings then it might be a very different story. Still I shall remain hopeful that the traders are being honest.

The Byzantines:


The long and storied history we share with Ethiopian is also tied to Byzantium, who supported them greatly in the Old War, not to mention countless barbarian incursions throughout our history. It has been clear ever since that anicient trechery that our two empires were destined to collide. Now even as I write this a great campaign is rolling towards battle in the city of Ware Jabberwock and the Dryplain Holdings. This war has lasted many generations, and will last until the Byzantines fall before us.

For all that, individual Byzantines are a part of our empire and the individuals can be quite fine. I trade with men from the Blood Road Holdings almost every month, and a plan to outfit a colonization fleet to embark from Jubjub Bird's port counts me among the investors. The southern Byzantine cities are very much a part of the empire now, as their Hindu faith is persecuted most fiercely by the Buddhist government. With proper administration, the newly captured Byzantium shall be a fine addition to our empire.

As to how that should happen...well, that is a task for the generals, not for mere merchants like me.

[Commodore]

Honorable Commo-san has requested that I tell the story of the Great Siege of the Dry Plains. I shall now do so. I was recalled from retirement to command the Second Army. It is a most impressive force!



A most honorable battle it will be, as well, for the forces arrayed against us are most powerful.



Even after many catapults suffered glorious deaths, the finest macemen of our great Zulu nation did not seem to have good hopes of victory.



Nevertheless, we struck! Many died with honor, and many killed with great strength.



The first battle for the city drew to a close without clear victors, as our tired men rested from the killing and the vile Byzantines huddled wounded behind their dishonorable walls.



For all this, the Zulu had killed many more than we had lost. The question is: would it be sufficient.



The vile Byzantines fought with craveness. They did not leave the walls to attack out. More catapults hurt them further as they cowered; again we attack.



The battles continue for many years. The spirits of the defenders are broken by the death of their dishonorable general, who died running away after his axemen guards were destroyed. Many things occured in the greater world, but for us, there was only glorious and honorable battle.



All of the warriors who had good chances of victory had fought, but there was still one battalion of unhurt, veteran axemen who promised to slay even our best knights, for all of our knights bore great wounds. Yet another battalion of longbows were soon to gather and the walls unshaked, to lengthen the siege once more. The honorable impi of the 9th Assegai volunteered to strike them down. The entire battalion was annihilated, but not before inflicting losses most greivous upon the axemen over the wall.


Our wounded knights struck once more, and the defenders died before them. At last, only the remains of the axeman battlalion that destroyed our impi brothers were left defending. The honorable knights of the Shining Path company charged the walls, though only one man in five of the company was still able to keep to his saddle.


Victory!


Defeating the Byzantine army within the walls of 'Ware Jabberwock, our great warriors have broken the back of the vile Grey Emperor's military.


Now the way lies open for the Zulu into the core of Byzantium. My Second Army shall heal for a time, and more knights and catapults shall be added to our strength. But soon, we will be ready to face the last of the longbows and axes and spears of our dishonorable enemies. Soon they shall face defeat. For the Zulu of the Jabberwock Clan do not forget, and do not forgive.

[Merovech]

An excellent two reports, as always. The international overview was exceptionally well done!

[spacetyrantxenu]

And there was much death and carnage, and the lurkers did rejoice. Verily, the greater was the wailing and gnashing of teeth of the slaughtered masses, the more did the hedonistic lurkers rejoice in their suffering. And there was much suffering, and for it much rejoicing." . Book of Lurk, Ch. 5 Verses 85-88

Was there any temptation to raze and resettle to at least eliminate the city tile culture in case CH somehow retakes it? Or is the notion of possible defeat offensive to a Zulu general's sensibilities and therefore ignored as impossible? (Even if it has already happened once?)

[Commodore]

Was there any temptation to raze and resettle to at least eliminate the city tile culture in case CH somehow retakes it? Or is the notion of possible defeat offensive to a Zulu general's sensibilities and therefore ignored as impossible? (Even if it has already happened once?)

Well, I'm going on an anti-road jihad now, and I will not be making the same mistake of making peace with Mr. Heard again, which is why he was able to strike first last time. We're moving into the Final War stage, massing up another ten catapult run and going to town against Lafayette. We will not be abandoning 'Ware Jabberwock again.



I'll admit that culture mechanics have me officially buggered, though. Why did these two, but only these two, tiles declare for Ethiopia?

[Commodore]

So, good news. Here's Cyneheard's land: Notice a lack of an extra hammer anywhere? Looks like Iron Working came up empty for him. I'll steal the tech soon and look for mine. Need to cut off any foreign routes for iron.



Working on it! Oh, and I'm also about to have six triremes. Might as well make three more, eh?



Catapults and knights, with a side of maces, are most important right now though. We're a little light on forces after that battle, although I think I cut Cyneheard's power in half in that battle.



So here's this terrible, terrible land working to conquer slightly less terrible land!



Such an awful starting location. I love it.