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[NUKE9.13]

Hi there!
This here thread is not for discussion of the game, it is just for walls of text!
Thank you for not posting anything 'Out of Character' in this thread!
Status of the world:

Various armies are known. I'll get those up in a minute.
Many a minute has passed!
Celtice fields two major armies, both on mainland Celtice:
A 2000 man 'New' Army (mostly modern troops) and a 3000 man Regular Army (mixed troops)

Northland fields one major army and one major fleet, both at the capital. In norway or something.
A 3000 man Regular Army (mixed troops, little cavalry) and a 50-ship fleet of Longboats.

Gaulland fields three major armies, each positioned near one of Gaulland's major cities.
All three a 1000 men strong and mainly consistent of knights and their servant warriors.

Iberia fields two major armies.
A 2000 man Regular army (mixed troops) in the south of the country which is ready to strike at north africa, and a 1000-strong Ex-Crusader army (crusader troops), on the Mediterranean coast

The HRE fields two major armies (both hanging around throughout the empire):
A 1000-man Ex-crusader (crusader troops) army and a 3000-man 'New' army (mostly modern troops)

Latinia has two armies and a fleet:
One 2000-man Combined army (mixed troops, including modern) and one 1500-man Combined army (mixed troops, including modern), and a 50-vessel Vinetian fleet, currently being repaired in Vinece.

The recently independent city state of Galadien fields a 1000-man strong mercenary army (mercenaries)

Igit has the 3000-man Reme Sacking Army
Other stuff will come here as it necessary.

PS: All single charecters have 1 minor action. All organisations have two, and all countries have 3

[Jetsquirrel]

(Where does my king live?) A young guy runs up to lord (dunno),"Milord! what are your actions? or your plans? he king stood up and thought something, He said "Boy, of what does our army consist off?"The boy said it and the king said then"Hmmm.... interesting ,we cant conquer yet because we need to know our neighbourers cities and so on. I suggest that we explore south.""Which troops are you gonna choose?""Pick 100 men 50 swordsmen,and 50 musketeers""Yes milord,any other commands?" The king was thinkign again "Yes, i demand that they design new kind of ships that are fast and can carry much cannons""Yes,milord" The guy ran out of the room to the 2 couriers gave them a piece of paper with the commands and they quickly ran to the commanders\
is this fine?

[Emperor_Jonathan]

Jereg stood in the assembly. Speaking in front of the highest nobilities of Spain, from the Dukes to the King they were all intent on his every word.

"Great leaders, as you all know recently there have been reports of a land to the west, a new world for us to rule. But we cannot run blindly into this strange new world. Thus, I propose, I will lead an exploration party in the name of Iberia, once there we will explore and bring back all the wealth for the glory of Iberia!"

The gathered leaders murmured at the mention of wealth. Ah, they were easy manipulate, caught in their own little happenings they were concerned for nothing but themselves and their wealth.

"But. This cannot happen if I can not get some small donation for our expedition to the new lands."

The gathered looked at each other and murmured more. One thing they hated more than they like to get wealth, was giving it away. One of the less greedy members of the government stood up,

"I will support your expedition!"

At this first notion of support, the floodgates opened - so to speak - soon most were standing up, pledging their support. Jereg thought to himself.

"Excellent."
Jereg was one the dock, looking out upon all the ships in that large harbour. From pleasure vessels to warships there were a huge variety of them, but Jereg had come down to buy one.Talking with the main seller of ships, Jereg hoped to find a tough, long range ship capable of going on the high seas and transporting a lot of goods.

"Aye sir, so what do ye' need?"

"I plan on setting sail to the west, to the New World."

"Aye, I have just what ye' need."

The merchant ushered him over to a large wooden ship, it was long but wide, it sat high in the water.

"This ship is new, it was designed for crossing the wide ocean to the new world."

"Hmm.. Excellent."

Jereg looked all in and around the ship, mentally taking measurements of all the rooms and the holds. It was perfect. Finally Jereg finished and went to deal with the merchant on the pier.

"I'll take it."

The Merchant murmured a price and Jereg took a sack out of his cloak and dropped it in the merchants hands. His eyes lit up and they went to finalise and legalise the transaction.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Gain Funds For and Expedition to the New World (Major Action)
Buy Sturdy Boat for Expedition (Minor)

[Armok]

(This is a place holder post. My action this turn is to publish a book (About religion, making arguments to promote atheism) and really nothing else, details and RP will (hopefully) follow tomorrow.)

EDIT
My action(s) this turn:
During this turn, one of Julius  mayor occupations is studying anatomy, even once or twice stealing corpses from graveyards but mostly dissecting animals. Focusing on embryology.

In the spring of the year of the lord 1502, Julius Galivinci published and printed in several hundred copies a book that would change the world forever. Distributed in various cities in the holy Remen empire and Galadien, to both people  studying privately and organizations such as The Universal Congregation (for discussing it), the Dithsmarsch Liberation Front (for swaying masses), The Eyes and Ears Society (for manipulation stuff), Häkkäpeliitat (for excusing anti-religious behaviour), etc. And proved useful in swaying masses for any cause resisting the power of the Unifist church.

The book was a humorous work of fiction called Celestial Barbarian, and was about a group of pagans (lead by a Norse religious leader) who got bought out of Hell by their Unifist relatives, but then committed crimes in Heaven. The book made comparisons between almost all mayor faiths, parodying them and pointing out their flaws and inconsistencies with sharp logic, the book ended with a civil war in Heaven and a strong case for atheism.

[Katsuun]

He stood between the rows of the church, looking up at the figures of stained glass which cast their iridescent shadow of vibrant blues and greens over the pews that stood before the altar. His eyes flickered over each window, each story depicted in the windows of the altar. The doors of the church were thrown open, the townspeople nervously milling about outside. He couldn't face them , he couldn't show his face before them. What was in front of him drew his gaze, away from the others, into the darkness.

Blood and flesh. The blood and flesh of his once living parents, now mutilated beyond recognition. He coldly stared at the grisly sight, wanting to tear his gaze away, back to the light, but at the same time unable to. Nicclo Uherlin could only stare at the broken bodies of his parents, discovered earlier that night by the town guard. The western hill, where the church had stood over, was in ruin. The Igitians, most likely. The style of attack was theirs exactly. They had left half the town in ruin, most likely to taunt and terrorize the populace. And they would strike again.

Outside, he heard the guards shouting, townspeople crying, animals shrieking, all sounds blending into an odd sort of roaring. Most likely, him being the only confirmed survivor of the once great Uherlin that had once led them, they looked to him for guidance. He turned the quill over in his hand, which was warm from only an hour ago, when he had been writing a letter to his cousin in nearby Vinece. The messenger had confirmed him dead shortly before the discovery of his parents. He dropped the quill, the tip still blood red from the ink he had used. The metaphoric blood of his family, now left only in him.

No. He could not help them. They were doomed to their fate.

"I must escape... somewhere to evade those who despise us... me..." His family had most likely drawn ire because of it's great wealth, which the vandals had most likely heard of. They would be after him, after those who had his blood. He couldn't help his kin, they were doomed anyways, since the Igit rampaged through most of the peninsula by this point. No, best to save himself, consolidate his resources.

He crept from the door, through the deserted pews, and into a small side chamber which led into the church catacombs. From here, he navigated the dusk tunnels until he found the entry into the Churches garden.

"I will survive."He thought as he made his way out of the ruined city. Behind him, the cries of his once great city in it's death, the screaming populace, shouting guard, shrieking animals, faded into the distance.

Action:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Escape Filorene, into The Holy Remen Empire.

((I hope thats correct.))

[Heron TSG]

Grmerisiuss Ormaelku was walking through the War Academy of Spearta, and noticed a trail of blood leading off into a side corridor. Following the trail, he happened upon the cadaver of Prince Propp de' Vise of Gaulland, who had been there on a mission of diplomacy. Seeing a chance for his first quest, Grmerisiuss decided to go to Gaulland and find out more information, in order to solve the mysterious murder case.

tl;dr: going to solve a murder!

[Digital Hellhound]

EDIT: Oops, somehow posted before I was ready. I hate when that happens.

Lord-General Kall stepped out of his tent, into the cold coastal air of northern Holy Remen Empire. Two hundred men of the Phoenix Guard stood before him, their suits of red-blue armour gathering every passer-by's attention. That was good, since that was the effect they were aiming for.
The men stood perfectly still, a fact that made Kall proud. They were on the path to perfection, and even though that path was long and full of dangers.
He had chosen these men personally. The rest of the army was stationed in their headquarters in the south.
He marched towards Valik, the leader of half of these men and a brave fighter. Valik, seeing him approach, made a complex sign with his right hand
to the Guard. They turned left all at the same time and saluted. Kall nodded his approval.
' What are your orders, Lord-General?' Valik asked. He was wearing the same suit of shining red-blue armour, though he wasn't wearing his helmet.
' Any news from the Fortress?' Valik meant the headquarters of the Guard. He understood, missing the impressive stone towers and the Hall of Legends,
a hallway decorated with the statues of old Guard heroes. The azure walls of the Inner Sanctum, where he had fought his last battle as a Knight,
before arising to the rank of Battle-Captain and from there to Lord-General...
He snapped out of it. Their mission here was important too.
' No, I'm afraid. We...' he paused. ' We will ride up north and cross the border to the Northlands. The pagans there are corrupting the minds of the Northland's brave citizens. We must put a stop to this.' And strenghten their influence in the region, but he didn't need to say that aloud.
' Yes... of course. I will ready the men. Those... heretics..' he spat out the word ' won't stand a chance against us, my lord.'
Kall nodded. Northland was full of pagans and followers of this new... 'protesting' religion. It was time for that to change.
They would take the pagans competitely by surprise and crush them once and for all.

((I hope I was clear enough on what I'm trying to do, which is raising Unifist support in the Northlands region.))

[Istrian]

In Galadien things were bustling as always since the declaration of independence. The strategic importance of the city had not yet reached the minds of most neighbors, therefore Galadrians were enjoying a few months of peace and quiet.

Things were not as calm as they appeared on the surface though. In Seigneur Baudriac's (recently self-promoted to Duke) manor many men were meeting. They were people of influence, thinkers, rich men, politicians and other kinds of intrigue-seeking self-rewarding people.

"Now that we have enjoyed our food, we might as well move on to the matters of importance," said Duke Baudriac.

"Certainly. First we should take care of our safety," said one of the guests who was known to be an advisor to the ruler of the city. "We may have acquired independence thanks to the Sealed Orders but now we must protect what we have. Our strongest opposition will no doubt come from Gaulland. After all, we used to be their loyal subject". That comment got a chuckle from the audience, a strained chuckle as everyone knew what was at stake.

"Iberia is our solution to the problem" said a dark person hidden from sight. "They have long wished to take a bit of Gaulland. And since we are such nice people, we will certainly make it known that Gaulland wants to take the same from Iberia. A few rumors here and there to keep hostilities to a maximum and some armies from Gaulland will be very busy on the border. Our agents in the field will certainly know what to do to achieve that."

"Now, Latinia, the Holy Empire and whoever lives overseas. What shall we do about them ?"

"Latinia is a nonexistant problem. They have lost Reme a long while ago and are still trying to rebuild that. We should have a bit of peace from them. The Holy Empire is something else entirely. Though I think when the Gaulland army will move towards Iberia, they will try to move some armies on the Gaulland-Holy Empire border. That should keep tensions to a maximum. If it's not enough, we will see if we can't give a bit of help here and there. Our greatest weapon for now is to appear inoffensive. And remember we still have two Sealed Orders just in case."

"Shall we speak of more pleasant topics then ? How go our investments ?"

"We hold a bit of land and prosperous enterprises here and there, but nothing major. The Medicce family of Latinia, the Lombaros in Gaulland and the Fugher in the Holy Empire have thwarted our attempts at establishing any kind of banking system that would benefit to us. We do have merchant guild investments around."

"It seems nothing can be done in that field for the moment. However... yes. I have an idea that will not bear fruit for a while but is likely to profit us a lot. If I am not mistaken, the authority of our favorite religious figures has been declining, right ? Right. Therefore, true trade with our neighbors, while not going unnoticed, will bring in a lot of exotic products that many will come to buy. For now it would only benefit the city, but on the long run, we should have our share. Eventually."

"For now it is all we can do, but it should be enough. What shall we do about the New World ?"

"Our resources are already stretched thin. Any such risky venture will have to wait."

Once everyone was gone, Baudriac looked at the two sealed scrolls he had hidden in his study. These were orders from the Founder, to be opened only in certain conditions. The third scroll had already been unsealed and said to declare independence. By sheer luck, or something that the High Masters of the Society could not foresee, the declaration's noise had quickly been covered by the sacking of Reme. That had given the right diversion. The second scroll would soon be unsealed as well as the right conditions were approaching.


Meanwhile, in the Far East, a lone rider was moving through the desert, heading west.


Turn's Minor Actions

Cause trouble between Gaulland and Iberia to force both to move troops to their common border. Best not to overdo it however, we don't want open war.

"Encourage" trade between Galadien and the nations south of the sea. Mostly by having the "right" kind of merchant (that is, some of the privately owned ones, no need to mention who owns them) ships travel to trade, as well as lowering commercial taxes.

A few "continuous" actions as well, if allowed.

Keep an eye out for any nation threatening Galadien.

Look for new merchant ventures.

Try to get more information about the New World.

[NUKE9.13]

NON PLAYER ENTITIES:

Spoiler: NORTHLAND (click to show/hide)

"Gentlemen"
Prince Eric tapped a little hammer on the table. Instantly the room fell silent.
"Firstly, we will say our oath"
The men around the table bowed their heads as if in prayer. Which they were.
"Great Thor, we humble mortals gather here today to rectify the heathen scourge of Luthianity from your holy lands. We serve you and your fellow gods only, and may you strike us down if we should try to betray the council or any of it's members"
"Very well", spoke Eric, "The council of Thor is opened. As we know, Thor has brought his hammer down upon the center of the heathens, Reme. This is a sign. A sign that it is time to act! The Unifist church will crumble, and Thor will rise to take it's place! No longer will their churches stand on the ancient sites!
But we must be careful. The unifist church still has influence, and there are many who would oppose direct revolution. Instead, we the council, will fund the efforts of those like Brother Olaf here, who spread the word of Thor amongst the general populace. Olaf has already converted many northern villages back to the old ways. With more resources the south too can join them in proper religion.
All in favour?"
There were a few simple questions, and then all members voted in favour of providing Olaf and the hidden priesthood with 3000 kronen with which to spread the word. Prince Eric ended the meeting, saying;
"Very well. The meeting is over, the council closed. This never happened and none of you have seen this room. I have been reading and the rest of you drinking in various taverns. Good day"
King Eric sat hunched up on his throne. A messenger was trying in vain to get some message across to him.
"My lord, sir, excuse me?"
"Hmmn?"
"I was talking about Reme, sir"
"Hmmn, Reme, yes, wonderful place. I went there to see old, hmmn, thingy, the, ah, pope. Great big arches and stuff, huge white buildings everywhere, and wonderful churches, yes, wonderful churches. Nothing like the ones here. We should build more churches, I think"
"That is Reme, yes. I was saying that Reme has been sacked, my lord!"
"Sacked? Reme? No, you must be mistaken. Reme was, hmmn, very well defended. Besides, the pope would be quite mad if you sacked Reme. He had a terrible temper, I remember that, oh, one time, a servant of his dropped a towel, and he was quite livid! Hmmn. Yes."
"The pope is dead, sir. And Reme has been sacked. I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Hoho! You are quite wrong, dear boy. Reme could never be sacked. No, no. Sack Reme, the very though, hmmn?"
The messenger looked around the court in desperation. The various courtiers looked at him with pity, but none stepped to his aid. He caught the eye of the Prince, who made a face saying: it's no use, just go.
The messenger bowed and left, and the prince stepped towards his father.
"How are you feeling, father?"
"Oh, quite fine, son! Ha, did you hear that man? Thought Reme had been sacked!"
"Ludicrous, father. But I do hear that there some political upheaval in Latinia"
"Oh, of course there is! Why, those Latin princes can't sit still for an instant!"
"Indeed, they are quite foolish. Do you think, perhaps, that we should take the opportunity to strengthen our own political position? Make it clear that we are more of a rock than a flighty bird when it comes to politics?"
"Yes, yes. We should do that. Those silly Latinians... hmmn."
"And that, whilst the attention is to Latinia, we should strengthen our trade with the cossacks?"
"Oh, certainly! I don't see why they complain, cossacks are Luthians too, hmmn? I do like the cossacks. Yes. Hmmn, we should strengthen trade with them, seeing as all the priests in Latinia are too busy to complain!"
"A brilliant idea, father! We could buy blackpowder weapons from them for our armies to use like you said, too!"
"Yes, blackpowder. I don't approve of it, but as they say, we must drag ourselves into the 15th century whether we like it or not!"
"Exactly, father. Exactly."
MAJOR ACTION:
Lots of money is spent on converting the populace from unifism to Norse religion.
MINOR ACTIONS:
-Northland strengthens its political position, to prevent people messing with them in the current crazy political climate.
-Trade between Northland and the Cossacks is encouraged
-Some of the Regular army is equipped with muskets.
PS: it is the 16th century.

More NPEs to come, including: All non player countries and some non player guilds (two trading guilds at least)

[Kashyyk]

Spoiler: Adrien Blanchard, Master Artisan (click to show/hide)

Adrien's father was a blacksmith, and was well versed in the art of forging steel and other lesser metals. From an early age he learned his father's trade, and became fascinated with the new methods of tempering and forging steel. After joining the Guild as a smith, he later became a full time inventor creating both new weapons and improvements on old ones. Now, Adrien Blanchard is a 'Master Artisan' the title awarded to him by his friend, the 'Smith of War', Clara Arroyo Ramírez.

Adrien was in his laborator workshop. He knew that Black powder used incredible amounts of smoke when lit, which made it impossible to see after a few shots had been fired. What was needed was a powder for guns which did not create smoke. A smokeless gunpowder.
He had large stocks of Charcoal, Sulfur, Potassium Nitrate and other explosive or flammable material, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before he got the right quantities of these substances and got the correct proprtions of ingrediants.

Spoiler: Clara Arroyo Ramírez, Smith of War (click to show/hide)

Clara was the only child of Juan Arroyo García, who was a skilled Infantry Officer. Since he did not wish his family traditions to die with him, he trained his daughter in the Art of War, and specifically, leading it. Her father died attempting to hold the North Africans at the Lake of Dar Ben Sadouk, when she was 17. She claimed command of the remains of the legion and marched them back to Iberia. There she was court marshaled when she declared her legion as mercenaries. The Spanish army confiscated all arms and armor, claiming it to be the property of the state, and therefore it would be illegal for her to possess it. At this time the Guild of War was in an upheaval. One of the possible inheritors of the title 'Smith of War', the ceremonial title given to the Guild leader, requested her assistance in exchange for Superior Guild made Equipment. With her aid he was named guild leader, but following a sudden and mysterious death she replaced him at the tender age of 26.

The council members finally got to their seats, the hubbub of noise falling to a minimum as Clara stood up to speak.
"You all know that I am the youngest Smith of War this guild has ever known." She she stated. There was no need to answer it, everyone knew it was true. "Some of you wish me to reclaim the place of power our guild once held. I do not intend to do this. Some of you wish me to maintain arms and armour production. I do not intend to do this. Some of you wish me to restore the influnce of the guild acropss every country in our known world. I do not intend to do this! I will surpass all of these! The Guild will hold more power than any single organisation of people has ever held. The Guidl will produce enough military equipment to out supply even State smiths! The Guild will be world renowned as the the greatest Guild ever to have existed!"
Where there was once stunned silence there was now a tumult of applause. Some even stood up ifrom their seets clapping and shouting.
Clara knew her work was done. The Guild would follow her in any decision she made, and her decision was to spread the word of the Guild to the four corners of the world.

Spoiler: Summary (click to show/hide)

Major:
Expand influence into the Holy Roman Empire, North Africa and Latina.
Minor:
Research into a smokeless gun powder
Increase influence in Iberia, Gualland and Celtice.

[Wimdit]

The inn was quiet in the village of Neufeld. Most of the villagers, instead of heading there at dusk as was their habit, had returned to their homes. The reason for this became apparent as soon as one entered the inn. Inside, barely illuminated by several sputtering tallow candles, were ten men seated at a circular table. Nine of them were representatives from each of Dithsmarsch’s major settlements. The tenth was Markus Karlen himself.

‘Gentlemen, I am honoured that you have chosen me to lead you. Our goal is distant, but with faith and courage, we will reach it. Already much of this province’s population supports us. However, do not make the mistake of thinking our task will be easy. The Holy Remen Empire is strong indeed, and there may well be a time when we must face the full might of its armies.’ Markus looked around the table, gauging the rest of the council’s reactions. Some looked uneasy, while others looked determined. He went on. ‘Naturally, if at all possible we should avoid such a situation. No doubt many of you are eager to liberate this province.’ A murmur of agreement went around the table. ‘However, if we took direct action now, we would only bring the Empire’s wrath upon ourselves. We must consolidate our position, and consolidate it well, before we act. Ideally, we should wait until the Empire is engaged in a war. No doubt the present religious turmoil will soon lead to conflict. We must work quickly to be in a position for revolution when war comes.’

The table was silent for a moment. Finally, Berthold, the representative from Hennstedt, spoke. ‘Wise words, Markus. But they are useless without a plan of action. Our first priority, I believe, is making sure our ideas reach people elsewhere. Word of mouth will be our best ally, but our leader should be able to convince more learned people through the written word. This is not a matter of choice: even during a war, one province against the rest of the Empire is poor odds. And there is no guarantee that the Northmen will not take advantage of the confusion and try an attack; they are isolated, and will probably be out of the way when the spark reaches the powder. So that we are prepared, we should also make sure we have an adequate communication system. Lack of information could be our downfall if – when – we are attacked. I recommend employing and equipping messengers, and organizing those in the Front so that each man can receive orders quickly. We will have to devise a proper system for that.’

Eugen of Arschulen was the next to contribute. He had a habit of interspersing various noises and nonsense words into his conversation. Frequently. ‘Hrrrm. I don’t like this waiting. But I suppose it’s, lurg, necessary. Rarm, but we can still implement part of that, harg, system you devised, Markus. What was it-’
‘Socialism.’
‘Arrr, that’s the one. There’s no reason, hssh, we can’t implement that now. Nobody needs to know, and the, gurr, duke probably wouldn’t care if he did.’

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Major action: Spread the word. Employ activists, and get some written works on the subject going.

Minor actions: Implement a limited form of socialism and set up lines of communication. Messenger relays, centralized organization and membership hierarchy for each town, et cetera.

Better late than never...

[Armok]

My action(s) this turn:
During this turn, Julius mostly study mechanics and optics, both doing experiments and studying texts by Arkymedos. He publishes a book about his mechanical findings, but it contains no or very litle of the optics.

In the spring of the year of the lord 1505, Julius Galivinci published and printed in many copies a book that would change the world forever. Distributed in various cities in the holy Remen empire and Galadien, to both people studying privately and organizations, and it helped the development in several areas of technology.

The book was consisted mostly of many separated and anecdotal accounts for various mechanical experiments and systems, these included water clocks, more efficient sawmills, but perhaps the one that would prove the most influential in the long term was an account of how a cylinder with a spiral ridge around it when fired from a musket would start to spin, and archive much greater accuracy than a simple round bullet.

[Istrian]

"Excellent" proclaimed Baudriac to the assembled people after reading a report. "No one wants to trade with Islemics except our people. Do you know what that means ?"

"More money for us." said a voice "and Galadien too of course."

"Let us keep investing more and more in importing their rare spices and other exotic products. Of course, no one must know the products actually come from that far, so disguise them as necessary. We can always forge shipment orders from more liked nations that Islemics."

A hand was raised with uncertainity.

"Umm. Isn't it the right time to open the second scroll ?"

"Indeed it is," said Baudriac.

He took a scroll out of his sleeve and after showing to those near him that the seal was still intact opened it. After reading it he became extremely pale and said nothing, handing the scroll to the man next to him. Thus the scroll quickly made its way across the large meeting room, changing hands dozens of times.

"That is... suicide." said a shadowy someone with a small and hesitant voice. "If we do such a thing, we may as well give our city to Reme."

"Yet the previous scroll was right. It gave us peace. This one will certainly give us prosperity."

"Fine. Let us not question it and follow it down to the wording. We will see where this leads us."

"Let us take some insurance however." said Baudriac.

Many people murmured consent as Baudriac exposed his plan. Especially Tairic, a minor military official in the Galadian court who was quickly going to gain in importance.


The following weeks a proclamation was issued. The mercenary army protecting Galadien would be given a special offer. Any of its members who asked would be granted nobility within the city, a manor, and a yearly stipend high enough for a rather luxurious life. Baudriac's reasoning was simple : Mercenaries like gold, so they will betray for gold. They like fighting, so they are good fighters. When they would become nobles, things would change a bit for them. With wnough gold to line their pockets they were not going to betray. With a land to protect, they would not abandon such a gift to invaders. With a military title, they would still be able to fight, therefore they will come to like their title.

To make up for the loss in manpower, the government of Galadien gave the order that one member of every citizen family of the city would have to serve the city in military duties, once a month every year. In exchange they would get reduced taxes and increased privileges within the city. In addition anyone who asked for it would be granted citizenship. The expected effect was simple : a double population boost from increased family size and from increased number of citizens. In turn that would bring a manpower boost, which would bring in many profitable industries. In time that would cause an economic boost, allowing for more projects to be funded easily.

Of course these were only minor changes. The biggest one was a proclamation that was sent to every academy, every city, every village where the Eyes and Ears had agents. This is what it proclaimed :

Men of Enlightenment

Hear this call. The darkest hour is now upon us. Reme fell years ago. Now dark clouds are storming over the world.

Wars will come. Strife will come. The plague will come. Dark waves will seek to engulf us.


Yet it is not the end. We can overcome these difficulties. What with will you ask ?

Your Mind. Your Intelligence. Your Imagination. Your Inventiveness.

You O Engineer. You O Sage. You O Mathematician. You O Physician. You O Alchemist. You O Philosopher.

The world will be saved through learning and knowledge. You will save the world. Through your works you can make the world better. You can make the world live anew.

Enlightened Man, Galadien recognizes you for your ability. You have skills. You have knowledge. You have vision.

In these dark times Galadien will fund the construction of the greatest academy the world has ever seen. The Great Library of Alexiender will be nothing compared to the knowledge you will bring.

All Enlightened Men of ability are welcomed into Galadien.

In much smaller print and in languages often spoken by the learned and seldom by anyone else : "If you are bound by duty, by fate, or by law, contact the one who gave you this pamphlet and your passage will be assured by people of lesser ability but higher discretion."

---------

Turn's Actions :

Major :
Initiate Enlightenment and distribute the pamphlet. Eyes and Ears agents will help wise savants come to Galadien when necessary and where possible. This should take a lot of time. Begin building the huge Enlightened Academy of Galadien (let's begin small though). As a side-effect, it will probably invite spies and agents from other nations. Well, that means they will be closer to me and under constant scrutiny. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" they say.

Minor :
Reform the Military of Galadien. Create the Order of Galadien (nobles) as well as the Galadien National Guard (citizens). The Order's members should have enough stipend to provide their own equipment (only the best though). The citizens will be equipped with whatever available if they can't provide their own equipment. Tairic is of course promoted to Field General of Galadien.

Invest into semi-secret trade with Islemic nations. Hiding the origin of the rare exotic products on Galadien's markets comes first of course.

And if diplomacy counts as a free action :

If I heard about that new Thor trend in Norseland, then let's invite some of their priests to build a small shrine in the city. Of course they must comply to the laws and regulations.

[Armok]

Julius moves to Galadien in the beginning of this turn, and the book mentioned is distributed to those first.

[Little]

Horace stood outside his newly-rebuilt church. The local peasants had been glad to curry favour with the Ruler by helping rebuild the sacred building. The sermons inside were slowly growing smaller and smaller, people no longer attending and holding their own sermons of rebellion in places they thought were safe. He knew who they were, and had marked down their names for later considering, a vengeance to be led by him and his flock. Rebuilding had been proceeding, but there was still much to be done. The town hall was still a cinder, the local merchants had fled and it was a bleak scenario for his little town, but he knew the Ruler would protect him. Heresy was cropping up everywhere, and the Inquisition was weakening. How could they be losing faith at a time it was so desperately needed? Anger flared within his soul as he thought of all of those who would abandon his church, and his fist clenched with white-knuckle fury as he thought about those who would willingly plant the seeds of evil.

 His brother had fought as a commanding general under the watchful eye of the Ruler in the mighty Crusade, but he had been fighting against his will, too eager for the Crusade to end so he could return to his estate in Reme. The Ruler humbles the haughty, and so his brother had been slew by a commoner with black powder. Horace had slain his kin's murderer in return, but justice had been dealt and Terrance had fallen from his mighty steed with blood upon his bosom. That was a noble death, dying in the service of the faith, but he had been felled by his own flaws. The death the Church appeared to be suffering was a slow and undeserved one, splotches of faithlessness appearing like growths in a healthy man’s body brought on by the vicious plague of heresy. The best way to clean a blemish from the soul of his faith was with fire, and Horace had plenty of faith that the Ruler would rain down divine retribution upon those who soil his name.  However, the Ruler helps those who help themselves, and he did have that list...

Minor Actions
Gather the faithful of the town around him and reunite those who had strayed from the flock back into his fold.

Major Actions
Gather the faithful and cleanse those who have been tainted to the depths of their souls with fire! Mass burnings of the heathens!