Hi all! This email begins year 1440. The actions are due on January 18th (that's three weeks, to make room for various holidays), and the next year begins in the beginning of February. ---+ Events for 1440 *Aryisa [-4]:* After 17 years of relative peace, a war again rips Aryisa. This time, the conflict is internal; although the rest of the Razanian coast is looking on with a scavenger's interest. *Ka'Shari [+3]:* A small group of Wanderers make a favour to a local leader of a band of smugglers working in the region of Talishara. Through her, they are exposed to a small, but very thriving and prosperous trade on dragon-parts. The beasts that fell in the Battle of Talishara were buried in a secret location near Talishara (after they had been cleaned of the most valuable parts: teeth, horns, etc.). The operation, that the band of smugglers is a small part of, has been robbing the graves and selling them at high prices for the past few years. It is all very, very illegal, of course. ---++ Visions, part IV The sleeping sickness had got worse and worse over the years. In the last few months it had got into a stage, where Delany could fall suddenly asleep in the middle of a conversation, while standing. His parents had hired a personal guard to watch over him so that he would not hurt himself when he fell down on such occations. Sometimes the fall woke him, but more frequently it did not. His parents took him to physicians, to priests of different religious orders (Shining Kar, Lhambra, The Numbers, Sign of Dawn), and - secrectly - even brought a magician to see him. But nobody could help. And his parents could not afford a Miracle, not with their other worries. And the strange dreams were always there. After explaining the first few to his parents, Delany had learned to keep his mouth shut about them. But the dreams were always there. And Delany did not mind, for the dreams were another world for him. An escape from his physical condition. A second reality, as it were. Today Delany had fallen asleep at breakfast table. He was carried back to his bed, a glass of water was placed beside him (for he was usually thirsty when he woke up), and he was left alone. All the while Delany dreamed... A small lizard run up a rugged hill covered in a yellow mist. As the lizard ran through it, the mist formed strange shapes and images in its wake: of places, and animals, and creatures, and symbols. The lizard ignored them, and the images dissipated soon. The lizard reached the summit of the hill, where a man was sitting, and viewing a play of lights in the distance. "Master, the Coven is now ready", it said. "Good", said the man and stood up. He was a giant, over 3 metres in height, and when he walked one could see all six of his arms. The man walked briskly down the hill, with the lizard, and the yellow mist following him. Around him, the hill deformed, slowly flowing into steep stairs under his feet, and into a large tower about him. The man, the lizard, and the yellow mist continued down the stairs. Finally, the man reached a heavy door at the foot of the stairs. Without slowing down, the man stepped towards door, which opened silently before him. The door opened into a huge hall at the center of which three figures sat (or stood, for they were covered in layers of cloth, and it was impossible to say what kind of creatures they were). In their center, an old man stood, slightly bent, and leaning heavily on his staff. On the floor beside the old man, various boxes had been carefully placed. The giant with six arms continued to walk until he stood just a little away from the circle formed by the three figures. He surveyed the old man and the objects beside him carefully. "Is everything as agreed?" he asked. "Yesssss...", hissed one of the hooded figures. "The eye will show the way to ussss... The blind king will open the lockssss... And the heart will pay the price." Satisfied, the giant gestured with his topmost hands, and the yellow mist condensed and wrapped itself around the giant. "Open the gate", the giant commanded. The three figures started a high-pitched chant. The air between them started to flicker and grow hot. The old man shifted uncomfortably, but did not move otherwise. The chant continued and with a sudden flash a bright circle opened before the old man. Although blind, he seemed to notice that something was there. He sniffed the air and with purposeful stride stepped through the circle. The giant followed immediately after him, but when he was about to step through the circle, his motion was suddenly stopped. "What?!?" the giant said with wrath in his voice, and glanced around him. "WHAT ARE YOU?" a loud voice echoed from somewhere inside the circle. The giant tried to push through but failed. "I am Therebani, the Lord of my Realm, and I command you to let me through!", the giant bellowed. "YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE. BEGONE", the loud voice said. With another flash the gate shut. The old man was gone, through the gate, and of the boxes only wisps of smoke remained. The giant grabbed one of his arms at wrist, where the gate had cleanly cut away one of his hands and cried in anguish. The yellow mist surrounded the wounded hand, and the giant turned to face one of the three figures. "What is the meaning of this!!", he demanded. "Hrrr... hrrr... hrrr...", the addressed figure seemed to laugh driely inside the layers of cloth. "We promised to find the way. We did not promise an entry. Hrrr... hrrr... hrrr... And it seems you have to find someone stronger to force it. Hrrr... hrrr..." The giant seemed poised to strike the laughing figure. Instead he straightened, shouted, and the dome of the hall exploded away, letting a furious rain in from a black-clad sky. The giant stomped away from the hall, leaving the three figures behind him. In his dream, Delany saw the blind old man cautiously making his way down the slope of a green valley. Already the landscape below him was starting to change into a mixed forest of the Onagir homelands. Delany smiled in his sleep - it was good to have company in his dreamland, at last. ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
"At the beginning of the year 1440, a major shift in Kaeirean politics occurred as a result of the events of 1439. The old triumvirate of the senior commanders of the Kaeirean Guard, headed by Lord Basiluddin, broke up. The failure of Basiluddin's strategy to defeat Czarist Taltheran was only made worse by the threat of Mirrish intervention after the Kaeirean blockade on Tal City made the mistake of turning back Mirrish merchants. The loss of status, both politically and publically, by Basiluddin worked to the benefit of the pragmatic Lord Jafaarsan. Equally republican as Basiluddin, Jafaarsan had long feared Mirrish attention, and had long campaigned amongst the Senators for a more moderate policy, inorder to ensure the survival of the Republic. And so it came to be that as the year 1440 dawned, the Senate was reconvened for the first time after the new year, though without Lord Basiluddin being present. For Jafaarsan had swayed the other two Guard Commanders, and Basiluddin's secretary, Sir Karl von Kashaar, head of the Information Secretariat, to agree to Basiluddin being removed from office. In the compromise they reached, Basiluddin was, after some earnest persuasion by Lord Fitzlyri, the Admiral of the Fleet, to take a leave of absence from the Senate. In the carefully orchestrated opera that followed, Basiluddin publically annointed Sir von Kashaar to temporarily take his seat on the Senate (so as to ensure the Guard retained their allotment of seats) whilst Basiluddin sailed to Port Tirmar to oversea the military preparations there. In reality though, Basiluddin had recognised that the political forces in the Republic had irretrievably shifted, and had agreed to an exile of sorts, returning to his original occupation of soldiering. When the Tirmar campaign later came to an end, Lord Basiluddin went into retirement, becoming the Chief Instructor of military strategy at the Academy of the Guard, in Kashaartown. Almost as significant as the exiling of Basiluddin, was the appointment of Sir Karl von Kahshaar to the Senate. Though it was publically a temporary appointment, in reality it was a permanent one, and recognition of the importance and power the Information Secretariat had come to assume in the Republic. Sir von Kahshaar became Lord von Kahshaar and adopted the title Secretariat-General, establishing the precedent thereafter, of the head of the Secretariat taking a seat in the Senate. So it was that the failure of 1439 led to the shift of 1440. The old revolutionary Triumvirate, that had given birth to the original republican conspiracy and then the Republilc, was dissolved. Basiluddin graciously stepped off the stage, and power was devolved to the Senate. The distinctions in the Guard became clearer, with authority and jurisdiction in the Guard divided between the Admiral of the Fleet, General of the Guard, and Secretariat-General. Lastly, the Republic began to evolve a new policy, abandoning the zealous expansionism of the revolution and designs on Taltheran, and adopting a new pragmatic policy, focused on upholding the sole republican government in Qaiyore, and developing the Republic's foreign and commercial ties." Maqdum Jaansan, "Origins of Modern Republicanism" (Society of Scholastics (Tirmarport: 1520). Y! Asia presents Lavalife - Get clicking with thousands of local singles today!---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
Kaeir 1440: Title: Change to standing orders for Fleet. Action 1. Weight: Single action. Description: The Senate orders the Fleet Commanders to end the blockade of Tal City, and move the Kaeirean Fleet back to the Kaeirean Strait. There, the Fleet will conduct patrols of the Strait, the Kaeirean isles, carry out commerce protection duties in the area, and continuing supplying the forces in Port Tirmar. The key question is whether the Fleet Commanders accept the change in policy and the marginalisation of Lord Basilludin by the Senate. Key Elements: Fleet, Senate. Difficulty: Easy. Factors: + Diminished status of Basiluddin (failed actions) + Untarnished status of Senate + Futility of Tal City blockade + Prospect of naval conflict with Mir + Support of the other two Guard Commanders in the Senate for the policy change + Basiluddin's leave of absence from the Senate - Loyalty of many Fleet commanders to Basilludin - Prospect of abandoning the "Revolution" Possible results: Success - Despite unhappiness with the apparent marginalisation of Basiluddin, the Fleet Commanders, of whom many had privately disagreed with Basiluddin's aggressive foreign policy, accept the new "realpolitik" approach being adopted by the Senate and comply. Mixed - The majority of the Fleet Commanders comply with the Senate orders, but several Commanders refuse to accept it, sailing westward on a single ship to Cedonia, intent on offering their services to "the only surviving true Republican movement". Failure! Realising the intention of the Senate to ultimately do away with Basiluddin, the Fleet Commanders refuse to accept the Senate's orders. They sail back to Port Kaeir, determined to unseat the "treasonous" Senate and "restore" Basiluddin. ------ Title: Delegation to Mir. Action: 2 Weight: Single Description: The Senate sends another delegation to Mir, to placate Mirrish anger and try to improve ties. The Kaeirean chief envoy delivers several symbolic and material gestures on behalf of the Senate - the lifting of the Tal City blockade, a copy of the legislation passed by the Senate entitled "Statute on the Autonomy of the Easterners' Quarter" that formalises the long-held autonomous status of the predominantly Mirrish Easterners' Quarter in Port Kaeir and invites Mir to appoint a magistrate to preside over the internal affairs of the Easterners' Quarter, and lastly, a handsome copy of the thesis by famed Kaeirean metaphysical scholar, Sir Jawziyyah, entitled "An eldritch and new history of Kaeirean folk-magicks" (one of only two copies in existence). The chief envoy also relays the Senate's offer of greater cooperation in Midsea affairs, and that Kaeir's territorial claims on the mainland are henceforth limited to the Port Tirmar district. Key Elements: Senate, Easterners' Quarter. Difficulty: Hard Factors: + Lifting of the blockade + Easterners' Quarter Statute + Benefit of Mirrish-Kaeirean cooperation + Willingness of Kaeir to heed Mir's warnings - Previous Kaeirean actions Possible results???? ------- Title: Assassination of Czar Salokin Action: 3 Weight: Single (SECRET) Description: In order to break the stalemate at Port Tirmar, the newly appointed Secretariat-General, Lord Karl von Kahshaar, orders the activation of the Secretariat cells in Tirmar, and orders these agents to assassinate Czar Salokin. Information Secretariat agents of the Tirmar cell, using the cover of courtesans in an embassy from Commander Gamar in Tal, infiltrate Solokin's personal quarters, and using a traceless poison, assassinate Solokin. As a backup plan, Information Secretariat agents, disguised as Taltherani officers, will attempt a pre-dawn raid on his quarters to assassinate him. Primary priority is given towards the assassination of Salokin and the implication of Salokin's generals, and only then to the preservation of Secretariat cell. Key Elements: Information Secretariat, Lord von Kahshaar. Difficulty: Hard Key Factors: + False sense of security created in the Taltherani mind, by the lull in hostilities. + Preparation and organisation of the Secretariat cells in Tirmar + Popularity of Kaeir in Tirmar - Czarist security - Difficulty in concealment Results???? ------- Title: Establishment of Trading Outpost at mouth of the Avaeran Rim river. Action: 4 Weight: Single Description: With the approval of the Senate, a cooperative of Kaeirean Houses establishes a trading outpost at the mouth of the Avaeran Rim river, in the wild river delta region between Milakanur and Aixelsydan. The outpost is established in a deep harbour site at the mouth of the river, and is intended to open up trade between Kaeir and the native tribes of the Avaeran delta and northern Rim range. These tribes lay outside the sphere of both Milakanur and Aixelsydan, and present both a source of raw materials and a new market for luxury and manufactured goods from Kaeir. In time, it is hoped that these tribes will be drawn into the Kaeirean sphere of influence, and that the settlement will develop into a proper port. Key Elements: Major Houses. Difficulty: Normal Factors: + Mutual benefit of new trade (native raw materials, Kaeirean luxuries and manufactures) + Neighbouring tribal chieftains keen to use ties with Kaeireans to improve their positions in relation to more distant Avaeran tribes - Native hostility/suspicion Possible results: Success: The trading outpost is successfully established, dubbed by the traders as "Rimriver-town", with a triumvirate of a Guard Captain, Secretariat Officer and a senior merchant, appointed by the Senate to administer settlement affairs. The outpost triumvirate successfully enters into trade pacts with the nearby tribes. Soon a thriving market develops at the outpost, with Avaeran tribesmen bartering pelts, spices and other raw goods for Kaeirean luxury and manufactured goods. Moderate success. The outpost is established, and relations opened with the neighbouring tribes. The suspicious attitudes of the Avaeran chieftains limit the growth of barter-trade to occasional deals for the time being. Failure. The outpost is established, but comes under immediate threat from the neighbouring Avaeran tribes. Unless the situation is resolved, the future of the settlement looks bleak. ----- Title: Eastern expedition to Celpalar Action: 5 (1 of 2 years) Weight: Single Description: Unhappy with the existing maritime knowledge of Kaeir, the Senate is determined to improve on what is already known of the northern searoutes. Utilising all of the existing knowledge of the traderoutes of the northern Midsea, and of the Celpalar traderoute, the Senate orders the Fleet to equip an expedition to chart and explore the route to Celpalark, and to survey the trading prospects along the way. The Expedition is to sail from Kaeir along the northern Midsea coast, through Strait of Anorurr, north along the Razanian and Kelshiri Coasts to Celpalar, then south to the unnamed archipelago, returning via Vraa'al and Mir to Kaeir. Key Elements: Fleet, Major Houses. Difficulty: Normal (searoute to Celpalar already known). Factors: + Most of expedition's route is well known + Maritime expertise of Kaeirean merchants and sailors - Large undertaking, with many unknown factors. Success! The expeditionary squadron successfully charts the northern Midsea and the route along the Kelshiri Coast, finally arriving at Celpalar. The first part of the journey reveals many new trading prospects for Kaeirean merchants, and several strong candidate sites for trading outposts. Mixed. The expedition completes their navigations safely, arriving at Celpalar. Though knowledge of the route is vastly improved, the difficulty of the first leg of the journey limits opportunities for investigating trading prospects. Failure. The expedition completes the navigation of the Northern Midsea, but is forced to turn back at the Straits of Anorurr by bad weather, instead sailing to Vraa'al and Mir before returning to Port Kaeir. ----- Title: Videssia research project Action: 6 (1 of 2 years) Weight: Single Description: Chief of the Information Secretariat, Lord Karl von Kahshaar, orders the Secretariat to research the history of magical and mental sciences in Videssia, following up on information gained from Eerith advisors. The purpose is to obtain a greater understanding of the history of such sciences in Videssia, the relevance of this to the Secretariat, other possible opportunities, and proof to support von Kahshaar's decision to temporarily halt the mental science project (possibly for use against Basilludin, in the Senate). Secretariat researchers therefore begin scouring the libraries of Kaeir, and non-hostile Midsea nations. Key Elements: Information Secretariat, Lord von Kahshaar. Difficulty: Hard (obscure, arcane information). Factors: + Eerith assistance + Previous research into "mental science" + Videssian trade contacts - Extremely arcane topic Results???? Y! Asia presents Lavalife - Get clicking with thousands of local singles today!---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
i wrote: >Kaeir 1440: > > I've put the actions on the web page, and put out the difficulities and extras for each. Do you want to spend fudge points? As for action 5 (sea routes) you could ask Ka'shari... in case they would be willing to help. For action 2 I'd need Mir response. Keaton? juuso ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
