A Storm from the West

[Kazanov]

First an introduction.

Well, after some failed AAR due to problems with my old computer, i return to the fray with this project that i have quite advanced and for which i have read enough.

Long ago i bought the expansion that includes an invasion from the West by the Aztecs, the problem is that it is not historically viable an invasion by the Aztecs to Europe if the Vikings came much further north, etc., etc.
I always wanted to use the Sunset Invasion DLC, and reading around I found a theory about the probable Phoenician colonization in Brazil. After reading a lot about it and about all the rich history sorrounding the phoenicians (I recommend Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization from Richard Miles, it was an entertaining read) I decided to create a scenario where the invasion comes from the west and are the descendants of the settlers who arrived to Brazil those who return to take revenge after almost thousand years living in America, the invasion is justified as part of a religious belief similar to Manifest Destiny.

I'm a great admirer of phoenician history after all.

Choosing the religion of the invaders was complicated in the beginning, the same with the culture, the problem with the Aztecs are the names, they are not representative of what I wanted to achieve with the history ... and I could not arrive to choose a religion that had relationship with other faiths of the game and made it easier to create alliances and marriages, so I decided to use the Karaism as it does not have many special mechanics (like the Crusades) or alliances with other peoples (like playing with some variant of Christianity) ..

On the way I tried to create my own mod, but I failed. Maybe im too lazy to get a mod done, maybe i need a better guide, maybe i was hoping to make it easy.

Then after a long creative process and a lot of testing i decided to use some mods to facilitate the process of creating this story, the culture will be Nahua and I will start with some event troops, resources and some boats.

All the images are property of their respective owners and all that stuff. English is not my primary languaje.
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[Kazanov]

The end of the world.
Carthage, 146 bc

​

They had tried everything, but diplomacy made no sense if the enemy was not willing to negotiate, the war had been short and cruel, but the inhabitants of the city had resisted beyond the humanly possible. Now the survivors of the siege and the massacre were tied up and away from their homes on their way to the piers improvised by the bloodthirsty invaders to be sold as slaves, an humiliating fate for men and women of the nobility of the city who had not only had to see his brothers and sisters to die from lack of food and under the arms of enemy soldiers, but had been present when the general of the garrison had surrendered before the romans, making all the sacrifices made until that moment useless.

some of them killed themselves after that
​

The smoke was visible for miles and the boats carrying the newly made slaves were slowly moving away from the coast while the men and women cried of helplessness as they saw the total destruction of the legacy of their ancestors, the greatness of the city was lost forever for them as the trail of smoke disappeared on the horizon.

A man had been watching the scene from a safe distance hidden behind the ruins of a village that had been used as a camp by a group of mercenaries for months, the man had participated in the looting of the city until recently and his dirty mercenary armor rested at the foot of a bench, although he had not killed any of the inhabitants of the city and had not stained his hands with the blood of his brothers, he felt that having participated in the destruction of something so beautiful had destroyed his soul, it was so much the pain that he felt that he could no longer cry or feel any pleasure for having fulfilled his mission, and the only feeling he had at that moment was that he had betrayed his people even if it was under the orders of the Council, to himself, his actions was unforgivable. Yet he understood the importance of his mission.

For weeks, he and his men had stolen invaluable treasures from the city, or destroyed every vestige of nautical charts his ancestors had made after the voyages to the west that they had made and which represented the most hidden secrets of the cultural legacy of their ancestors, chaos and confusion had been a great ally in their work and they had set fire to the secret places where they stored the works they could not remove without attracting the attention of enemy soldiers who had hired them for the purpose of destroying everything. His companions were now ghosts preparing the caravan of camels to traverse the vast desert to the far west harbor, silent, like himself, they just wanted to end this and go to distant lands as promised by the Council or die alone in the desert.

More than two hundred years ago Asdrubal the Navigator had discovered lands rich in exotic resources to the west after a violent storm that had diverted the course of his ships in the high sea towards a great green island, since then, the governing classes had limited the expeditions there fearing that the people would want to travel there in great numbers and then they would be ruling emtied cities, but they had not been able to stop the Council of the city of Kir Chares in their eagerness to discover new sources of wealth in the other side of the world, reason why, annually expeditions were sent to the colony founded by Asdrubal after its second trip to the island. But what had begun as an adventure to obtain new resources had gradually become a form of survival for a way of life, although at the beginning everything had begun for commercial purposes. This had not only opened up a new possibility of development for the descendants of the people who migrated out there, but had also created the opportunity to develop technological advances in because all these long journeys across the sea using increasingly large and fast boats.

At the end of the First Great War, the Kir Chares Council had begun with the work of sending settlers to the western colonies, not because they thought of the approaching the end of their people and culture, but because they felt that resources would be needed to be able to fight another war of that magnitude and perhaps, if they built bigger colonies, could exploit resources of the rich lands of the other side of the sea in a more efficient form to finance the revenge on their hated enemies. All of this was made in secret, because it was opposed to the will of the ruling classes who unfortunately had not been able to see the whole picture and until the last moment believed that diplomacy against the enemy was the only way forward.

Unfortunately the time was shortened and after the failure of the Barcid invasion of Italy during the Second Great War, the Council considered that it was a priority to send as many people as possible secretly to the west in order that the cultural legacy of its people survived, artisans, priests, artists, merchants, all had disappeared from their cities without a trace in the last days of the Second Great War, the Council members sensed that the enemy's ultimate intention was the total annihilation of their culture and time had given them the reason, because of this entire colonies of Jews and Phoenicians had been fleeing across the sea, and a massive exodus of people had begun in the Carthaginian state cities, first pulling out of the war to the relative safety of the western cities , then crossing the sea to the great green island from the port of Kir Chares, this, of course, had enriched the Council and It had given great power over a people who up to that time had not known the union under one command but had remained governed within the autonomy of city-states.

But there was a problem, the city of Carthage stored great secrets in its hidden warehouses and this could give clue to the location of the great green island to their enemies, so in recent months they had infiltrated their men inside a mercenary company in service of the enemy, if the city were to be destroyed, they had to save everything they could from the foolish hands of the soldiers, and what they could not rescue was to be destroyed. And the "mercenaries" had succeeded on their mission.

As the caravan of silent men advanced through the desert and the cultural legacy of an entire culture traveled west, Carthage, one of the most important cities of its time, burned to its foundations.

 

[stnylan]

Only one phrase seems appropriate:

From the ashes...

 

[Hootieleece]

Arise Phoenix or Phoenecia!

 

[Kazanov]

Atanibáal​

905 years after the fall of Carthage, at the other side of the Big Sea (756 EC)

Two groups of young people were fighting a war outside the great city of New Gadir, They both had obtained wooden weapons from the adults and had received education from an early age in the art of war by teachers sent from the east by the Council, so this was not a strange sight in this part of the city. Atanibáal, one of the warriors who had demonstrated greater tactical mastery throughout the period, commanded one of the factions in combat using a series of whistles that he had invented to direct his companions and now ordered them to retract the center leaving the flanks in their original position, the other children, accustomed to obey their orders, ran backwards being pursued by their rivals, in a rapid movement, those of the rival team, spending years studying the same lessons, did not fall into the trap and maintained their position.

Atanibáal understood his enemy's strategy and found it predictable, the rival commander had avoided being flanked by his maneuver, but he had not realized that his center had retreated to the edge of a river whose bed was covered with polished stones by the current of water, the wooden weapons had now been replaced by stones, while the flanks of the group of Atanibáal were desperately fighting a numerically superior enemy that was confident of victory, three short whistles and the center of the group blew a rain of stones on their rivals, then charged over their rivals with fury to end them quickly. The teachers ended the fight before the losing side got more injured under the strenght of Atanibáal's kid soldiers.

Three masked adults watched from a tower, they had evaluated the young man countless times and considered that while he was prone to anger, he was able to lead by being able to innovate in every encounter. Now they were making a decision.

"He will be our general, I suppose, he is the most brilliant of this generation despite his defects and has the backing of his teachers, now we will have to train him to fulfill our will and understand the meaning of his existence." - Said the a man in the green mask, known as Master Mist looking towards the bank of the river, where now the guardians of the boys were in charge of pacifying them and protecting the defeated faction from the wrath of the victors.

"It seems interesting, but remember that this plan has already taken centuries, almost a thousand years developing, can not be risk it under the impatience of a young leader over out troops" - Intervened Master Sea, the man using the blue mask.

"His tendency to anger can be a risk for the whole operation, I do not think we can change that in his character, he needs patience, and for that he must understand that he can not rush things, and must follow our rules to succeed in life "- Replicate Master Cloud, his voice echoing in an exotic accent through his white mask -" Remember that it is not only about leading troops and inspiring men, it also has to be able to negotiate with enemy rulers, for this his anger will not serve us. "

"He is still young, my esteemed ones, they can not judge him so quickly, we can mold him to our purpose." - Master Mist replied, while inviting the other masked men into the council room.

​

909 years after the fall of Carthage, in the middle of the Big Sea (760 BC)

For weeks he had looked west from the deck of the ship, the dark blue of the waters was the only thing his young eyes could observe, but in his heart he still remembered the greenness of the forests that surrounded the old city of New Gadir and that filled him with an anguish he still could not overcome, he knew that this was a journey without return and that he would not see his family and friends in a lot of years more. But he did not cry, because he understood that his mission in the East was more important than himself, than his family or his friends.
That was that Atanibáal was thinking when his newly assigned teacher, interrupted his nostalgic thoughts talking to him.

- Centuries ago, our ancestors crossed the seas in search of new riches, but ended up building a refuge for our people, a refuge that over time became the home of several of our brothers

-But it should never have been the home of our people, that is why we have always called it "the colonies" our home is to the east, on the shores of the Sirian Sea, in the lands that our ancestors colonized- said Atanibal with a convincing tone, using the words that his teachers had repeated to him to the point of exhaustion.

- Your heart is still tied to the west, my young apprentice, your mind makes you repeat what we have taught you, but you still do not feel the words you are using, it is of no use doing this trip if you are not completely convinced of the role that corresponds to you in this story.- the theacher invited his disciple to walk on the deck of the boat making a gesture with his left hand - We do not need doubts in your heart.

- "No doubt, master, I only miss my home," replied the young apprentice calmly with a tone of nostalgia on his voice.

- At the beginning, our people reached the west and was content with only building the city of New Gadir, but as the years passed and after the Great Migration, we needed more space and resources to live quietly, as some of the newcomers decided to explore and settling north, and your Jewish ancestors, Phoeni as well as any of the others, decided to create their own colony to the south, in a matter of centuries different peoples were born of one, and although the Council had power over all of them, There is unity in the identity of our brothers, those of the northern colonies live under their own rules and worship the ancient gods of our ancestors while blending their rites with those of the natives with whom they mingled and made strong alliances, those of the south follow the ancient religious tradition of the Israelites and isolate themselves from the rest of their people, preferring prosperity and independence of the complexities of our Council policy, while those in the colonies of the center consider themselves superior to the rest and they do not know that the unity of our people is what will make the Resurgence succeed, the power of arms is not enough, we need to have only one heart, one voice. - The teacher's eyes shone with emotion as he conveyed these ideas to Atanibáal, who now felt more overwhelmed by the pressure of what awaited him once he reached the land to were they where traveling.

- But ... master ... the Council's plan states that we will continue to be under his command, it is not possible for us to live under one voice when our leaders are divided among the peoples that have been born in these centuries ... my role is simply to start this, not ....

Atanibáal was silent, he had finally understood the lesson his teacher was intending giving to him.

- Perhaps when your time comes, I will be no longer alive, since it can take many years until that moment arrives, so remember this, the error of our ancestors was to trust in democracy, the success of the Council has been deciding without asking the masses or reaching consensuses with the elites, the Council's defect has been to depend on different voices, a voice, a force, a decision, you have to become the inspiration of our people, a symbol of power, Hannibal crossed the Alps to conquer Rome, but he doubted, in Carthage they doubted the great General and for that reason they lost a war that they could have won, our exile was due to which many men doubted, many men contradictory made decisions, many men fought for power. A man, a decision, a power. Repeat it.

"A man, a decision, a power." After that, for the first time, Atanibáal began to feel certainty in the tone of his own voice.

The teacher smiled as the salty wind of the sea struck his face, the disciple now looked east, his destiny was there.

​

 

[stnylan]

There is just a whiff of Ender's game in that first discussion. Not too pronounced, but a whiff nevertheless.

 

[Kazanov]

There is just a whiff of Ender's game in that first discussion. Not too pronounced, but a whiff nevertheless.

Now that you said it, that part have it Indeed, but it wasnt intentional

 

[Kazanov]

Annex 1: Colonies of the West
​

When Carthage fell more than two hundred years had passed since the founding of New Gadir, the first colony in the new lands discovered in the west, and the largest city on that side of the world, soon, and after the arrival of new settlers, more settlements were founded and soon contact was established with the natives, this was not a conflict-free process but after a few centuries the mixture between peoples produced great prosperity for the colonies. The language of the natives became one with that of the settlers and the technological advances brought by the migrants allowed the arable land to be increased, which increased the amount of food available and the population in the colonies over time.

​

More than a thousand years after the founding of New Gadir three peoples are distinguished among the Phoeni, as they are called the descendants of the men who crossed the sea to escape the misfortune.

Those who inhabit the northern colonies identify themselves as the "Iguakaba", or men of the great river, expert navigators who have developed new technologies of ocean travel, they have been in charge of expanding in numerous city-states along of the north coast of the green island. In New Gadir is little known of its colonies north of New Hann, but they have heard rumors about the Iguakaba to have established contact with other civilizations, the extent of the territory they have discovered makes it difficult to fully know their discoveries. The capital of the Iguak-aba is Ytupa, a large city at the mouth of the Great River that receives all commerce from the interior lands, the most prominent city-state in the interior is Idasht, where are the trees with which they build their boats. They are ruled by a goddess-priestess assisted by the Miat, a council of 104 notable citizens chosen annually among the free men.

Those who live in the southern colonies call themselves the "Beraraba" or bright men, many of whom live in New Gadir, the first and largest of the Phoeni-built city-states, the resplendent ramparts of the city give the name to its inhabitants. New Tire, Obysy and Kaadasht are other of their great cities. For centuries they have been dedicated to the production of many forms of art, among them the production of light but durable metal alloys and musical instruments. The Beraraba are governed by the Council, three masked men who receive their lifelong position when one of them dies and after receiving the mask they renounce to their identity, possessions and family ties to embody the will of their people, the Council is assisted by two Miat of one hundred and four men elected every two years among the notable men of their city-states, excluding New Judea, which governs itself by directly obeying the orders of the Council.

The southernmost colony is New Judea, populated by Phoeni migrants of Jewish origin who accompanied the rest of the men in their exodus to the east in the early days, the Council of Kir Chares allows the autonomy of this settlement and all the inhabitants of this side of the world. They are the only ones that have not mixed with the natives, so they maintain cultural and religious characteristics unique to the other Phoeni.

Annex 2: Culture and Religion Phoeni
​

The "Iguakaba" are the Phoeni who settled the colonies to the north of New Gadir and mixed with the natives, thanks to this and to the prosperity produced thanks to the fertility of the grounds they multiplied their numbers. They became great navigators after designing new types of vessels and have explored large tracts of land to the north, perhaps more than they have reported to the Council, the Iguak-Aba have been governed by a long succession of goddess-priestesses who descend matrilineally from Urulai, the first woman who acceded to the position after the death of the men of its dynasty during a great plague that ravaged Ytupa several centuries ago, shortly after acceding to the power, she made a great sacrifice to the gods that appeased the wrath of the gods offering her life itself, because of that the plague ended never to return, the Iguak-aba consider that women are more apt to govern than men because they have the favor of the gods.

The Beraraba are the descendants of the men who founded New Gadir more than a thousand years ago and are governed by the Council from the earliest days,they maintain the traditions of their ancestors but have adopted several native beliefs as well as part of their language.

New Judea was built by settlers of Jewish origin who fled when the last Carthaginian colonies fell before the Romans with the citizens of these cities, have kept their religious traditions almost intact but reject the oral tradition of Judaism, despite that they are anxious for To reconnect with his brothers from the east.

The religion of the Phoeni is a mixture of diverse beliefs, during the centuries that happened to the division of the population in the different colonies and the mixture of its people with the natives the idea of one God gained force, El, father of the creation for the phoenician ancestors, with time the Phoeni began to consider the other gods of the phoenician pantheon as ancient heroes, guiding spirits, or mythological figures similar to the saints of the Catholic Church, this mixed with the ideas of the settlers of New Judea, generated a strange syncretism between the Semitic beliefs of the ancestors of the Phoeni and the natives. The strongest belief in the hearts of free men and women is the Resurgence, the idea that the Phoeni must return to their ancestral home to find harmony with God.

Democracy as a form of government is considered as the only viable way to maintain the prosperity of the people and is represented in the Miat formed by free men who are in charge of legislative power, but the executive power falls on the Council of Kir Chares, who are responsible for guiding the Phoeni people to the Resurgence. The Iguak-aba follow the Council and wait for the Resurgence like the others, but the supreme reverence for the goddess-priestess has generated problems in the past when it contradicts the will of her with that of the Council.

 

[Kazanov]

The beginning.
​

City of New Kir Chares, African West Coast, 918 years after the Fall of Carthage (769 BC)

Atanibáal arrived in the newly constructed city of New Kir Chares on the morning of the first day of the spring as the Council had decided centuries in advance. Without taking time to rest, he walked to the room where the Council's Masters were waiting for him, the meeting was the most anticipated moment for the young man from the moment in which he had been chosen for his position. As he climbed the stairs and into the room, the young man took a moment to look west and remember his home.

The three men were seated on three thrones wearing three masks in the center of the room, Atanibáal knelt before them, looking directly at their position.

- "Welcome to our city, General, I hope you like the air of this side of the world, after all, you will spend the rest of your life here, fulfilling your role in the Resurgence and leading our people to victory "- said Master Cloud behind his white mask - "now begin the times that our people have waited for generations."

"It is an honor to be here, before you, and I hope to live up to expectations,"- said the General ceremoniously as he watched the three men carefully.

- "The migration from the east has begun, in waves and in calm, our men will be arriving, the first will be those of New Judea, your brothers, followed by those of the center and finally of the north, we hope that all men and women are able to cross the wide sea, but a task as titanic as this will take at least a hundred years, too long, but the Resurgence should start as soon as possible. " -Said Master Mist with a tone of haughtiness that annoyed Atanibáal a bit and then continued.:

- "That is why we will send you to the continent and after will give you the control over two thousand mercenaries, the Resurgence needs of the conquest of great extensions of land to bring our people, we need arable land, we already have countless economic resources to finance all this, but without lands , gold does not serve for much "...

-"It is not that we need the land on its own," -interrupted Master Sea, gesturing with his hands to indicate patience to his colleague,- "but if we need to secure the trade routes to the south, and space for our brothers to live, I think that the main problem will be for people to adapt to the climate of this region, maybe the same happened when our ancestors came to the green lands of the west ... that is why our people will arrive in waves, we need to adapt well for the change of environment...and situation..

- "We have seen the division in the men who inhabit the coasts of these lands, the only risk is to the north, across the Straits of Melqart, in the figure of the Umayyads, but we are already working to make them entertained, our agents estimate that with a mercenary army of two thousand men it will suffice, under your command and ability, General, "- said Master Mist pointing westward,- " all these little kingdoms will fall."

​

The General was silent considering his options...the council was powerful, and they managed the entire resources of the conspiration, men were driven to do their will without they ever knowing what part on the bigger plans of the Council they were playing and Kingdoms rose and fell without even knowing about the existence of the men who played their cards in the shadow, he knew that he was only another tool in a vast arsenal to be used by the Masters, and that his role could be taken from him and given to another man more loyal and manipulable, he didn't despised his role only because he knew that it was for the greater good of the Phoeni.

He remembered the teachings of Amram, his teacher, about how the Phoeni fled the lands that now they wanted to take back by force and settled the west, they have always called them "The colonies" because they knew that their home was in the Sirian sea, and because of that, his people waited for generations for the precise moment to strike down the usurpers, and now the were near to accomplish what his ancestors wanted more, the Resurgence as they called it. Because of that hope they built cities on the Jungle, mixed with the natives to improve their numbers and survived many diseases and tribulations, when the Council elected him as the next General as the last died fighting against a tribe of the north, Atanibáal knew that it was a great honour, and for the honour of his ancestors, he studied every single lesson taught by his teachers and practised every skill necessary to be fit for the historic role that was to be his purpose in this life.

"When I begin, my dear leaders," finally said the General, holding his fist to his heart in a gesture as old as time itself.

Master Mist looked at the young man, as he did that, he noticed that the morning sun made the General's golden chainmail shone almost supernaturally, the old man was also excited, so he let it take a little time for his steps not to betray him , then took a parchment from a chest that was on one side and walked to Atanibáal.

- "Here are your instructions, General".-

Atanibáal received the parchment and then he walked away from the presence of the Council.

The young General had waited for years for this moment and now felt more secure than ever that his destiny was not simply to lead his people during the Resurgence, there was something else. But they were not saying it yet.

​

-----
A few months later

The horse, an animal unknown in the colonies, had become his inseparable companion during these months of war, at first he feared to ride on his back but little by little he was overcoming that fear when he considered the advantages of the use of the horse in warfare, that process had been lived by all the Phoeni accompanying Atanibal in this campaign, no more than thirty warriors who were his personal guard.

The General had divided his forces by considering the information given in the orders of the Council, his two thousand mercenaries had been more than sufficient to invade the three cities of the enemy at the same time, he estimated that attacking by surprise could conquer enemy territory without suffering so many loses, after all the men who inhabited the coast of Marrakech did not expect an invasion, so they had not built walls or palisades, and from the sea they were completely defenseless, so Atanibáal had ordered to disembark during the night and attack the berbers as soon as the sun began to light the morning sky.

Riding on his horse, wearing his golden armor and feathered helmet, he had entered the enemy capital as soon as the first rays of the sun illuminated his body, the mercenaries had followed him expectantly, soon, the few guards who at that time were protecting the entrance to the town were liquidated and terror reigned in the hearts of his enemies, not to let one escape, it was the order of the Council, and the General would follow it to the letter.

The overwhelming heat of the day made his rage increase as he pursued the enemies who were trying to flee to alert his northern Numidian brethren, the sound that the galloping of his horse when hitting the fine sand with his hard hulls was the music that cheered the pursuit and the wind that blew from the east made the sound of his own breathing insignificant, the blood of their enemies bathed the ground as their spear passed through their bodies, the cries of terror of women and children only inspired more violence In his heart, this was the design and will of his people ... after all, the hated Numidians had helped the Romans to destroy the past, now they would pay with their blood to build the future.

Large wooden crosses were installed in the central square of the village, there, those who dared to rise against Phoeni rule would be nailed, mercilessly, now the Numidians knew that all those who dared to face the Phoeni would suffer the worst of the fates.


After a week, Atanibáal sent his swiftest messengers to gather the mercenary forces and to inform the Council about what had happened in the military campaign, he had lost only eight of his two thousand men in combat against the enemies, now they would have to move towards the north quickly through the dry mountains to continue conquering territory for the cause, but would not be as easy as in the beginning, because in the north men lived in castles, not in villages and although they did not know that an invading army was on the way, probably could be prepared.

The Resurgence was just beginning.

 

[stnylan]

The greatest of endeavours often have humble origins.

 

[IagoWuzHur]

Have you made a mod with Punic culture and Canaanite religion?

 

[guillec87]

subbed!

 

[LegendaryPheonx]

Subbed x2!

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

An unique premise and a protagonist with personality. Subscribed!

 

[Kazanov]

subbed!

Subbed x2!

The greatest of endeavours often have humble origins.

An unique premise and a protagonist with personality. Subscribed!

Thanks

Have you made a mod with Punic culture and Canaanite religion?

I tried, but i dont have all the patience required to do that, but yes, i moded it a bit to get some flavor things like emblems and stuff, nothing more.

---
This week i had a lot of work to do, but as today snowed and i dont have electricity i will try to post the chapters of this week before the battery of my notebook dies out

 

[Kazanov]

Annex 3: The Resurgence
​

The Phoeni from the first days when they settled in the lands to the West knew that it was something temporary since the Council had spread the prophecy that one day they would return home, that is how the colonies did not expand as much as they could have done in the new territories and new settlements were concentrated mainly on the coast. For centuries the Council encouraged artisans, engineers and artists of the colonies to produce new technological improvements in navigation on the open sea and to build vessels of better quality , this emphasis on the development of technology produced results and after nearly a thousand years in which the Phoeni were apart from the Sirius Sea, no ships had been built in the old world that were compared with those of the exiles in terms of size, quality and design.

Each of the colonies raised by the Phoeni men and women in the West would know destruction in the days that would follow the start of the Resurgence, because each of the inhabitants of these cities would migrate towards the East and nothing would be left in the colonies, the order was to ignite what was left, this because the bet for the reconquest of the ancient territories dominated by the Phoenicians was total, every man, woman, child or elder should contribute to the cause, this was one of the most deeply rooted religious beliefs in the Phoeni faith were taught to the exiles since they took their first steps in this world.

This is why in the years preceding the departure of Atanibal to the east the extraction of minerals and natural resources in the lands surrounding the cities was intensified to be sent across the sea to New Kir Chares the city built by the Council in the Islands of the Dogs, in the western end of the world known by the Europeans. According to the Council's estimates, it would take at least seventy years to transport all the Phoeni across the sea, the first wave of which would arrive in the Melqart Fleet, a group of one hundred war vessels in which five thousand of the best soldiers of all the colonies will take the shores of Africa, and in the Tanit Fleet, composed of four hundred Kunatabakh, or transport vessels, where the first exiles would arrive from the colony of New Judea. The Tanit fleet was destined to sail the seas countless times to bring all the remaining settlers from the other side of the world.

But the origin of the belief in the Resurgence originated after the last migration to the west by those who fled from Carthage after its fall, the cultural crisis that meant the fall of the last great Phoenician city at the hands of the Romans, plus the Great plagues that devastated the colonies at that time presented a terrible scenario for the Phoeni people, so much that in those days it was considered that the green lands were cursed and that it was indeed the end of times, it was in that crisis that the Council spread the idea that the queen of the colonies from the north, before venturing into the fire as a sacrifice before the gods, had prophesied that God would once again dwell among the Phoeni and lead them into an era of absolute prosperity, once they had the resources to regain lost lands and multiply in number. From that moment, generations of Phoeni strove to make the day of the Resurgence come to be. This idea, which gave unity in purpose to the Phoeni, also gave them a renewed faith in the future and strength when they believed that they were living in apocalyptic times.

The end of the Resurgence would come when the descendants of the Phoenicians managed to nail their banner from the Strait of Melqart to Tire, at that time, God himself would dwell among them and illuminate an Empire that would last forever.

Annex 4 The Kir Chares Council
​

The three masked men have been able to guide the Miat of the Phoeni since ancient times, being an important position within Phoeni society. It is not they who decide for the people because their role consists only in orienting the Resurgence towards their end.

When a member of the Council dies, the remaining members elect their successor among the members of the Miat of the Phoeni in a conference where all representatives of the peoples can participate, from that moment the chosen person gives up all their titles, filiations, his name and privileges to become the one who guides the efforts of the Resurgence and the Phoeni people.
The current Council is composed of a member of the Iguak-Abá, one of the Berar-Aba and a newly elected representative of New Judea. There has not always been such equity in the distribution of Council members to the Phoeni peoples, there have been occasions in which one or another people has had absolute supremacy in shaping the Council which has not affected at all the form in which has worked because of the idea that a member of the Council leaves his past completely when he puts on the mask.

There are three masks used by teachers, which refers to three roles exercised by these:

Master Mist is in charge of the Phoeni Diplomacy in the colonies and with the outside peoples, as well as who is in charge of maintaining the balance between the political factions that have always existed within the Phoeni peoples, he uses a white mask that represents the mist which covers the landscape in the morning and which is cleared during the afternoon.

Master Cloud is responsible for intelligence and information for the Resurgence, is the one who analyzes situations and is helped by a significant number of people both in the colonies and in the old world. He uses a green mask that represents the hope of a prosperous world under the Phoeni banner, a world that will be achieved by obtaining absolute knowledge.

Master Sea is responsible for the economic aspect of the Resurgence, over the centuries in the colonies have accumulated large resources ready to conquer the ancient lands, is the one who manages the resources and is responsible for establishing trading positions in the world that will be conquered. It uses a blue mask that symbolizes the sea, place where the Phoenicians made their riches and the place that the Phoeni crossed to find their destiny.

For the Phoeni, the three masked men represent the virtues of their people, the personal surrender to a greater cause and the abandonment of all the earthly things in the name of something more sacred than life itself.

But what the Phoeni do not know is that their Council travels to meet other three Masters every thirty years on the other side of the world...

 

[stnylan]

A ripe setup for a conspiracy, or more than one

 

[Kazanov]

Betrayal
​

City of New Kir Chares, African West Coast, 919 years after the Fall of Carthage (770BC)
​

Atanibáal now marched towards the Pillars of Melkart with his personal guard by his side, he was followed by a mercenary army satisfied with the looting and the military victories obtained and the first Phoeni colonists: As the forces of the Phoeni advanced they were leaving the smoke of enemy castles and villages burned and captured under the banner of his people, the young General was still surprised that this part of the Resurgence was so simple because the mercenary company he commanded was unstoppable before the meager defenses of the enemy, no siege had lasted long enough to consider this a heroic campaign And the reports he had sent to New Kir Chares were usually simple:

"We continue to advance without problems"

"The losses suffered were greatly recovered among the population of the occupied territories"

"Now we march east to take the Straits."

The maps they had obtained from the Council had been of great help for the rapid conquest of the new territories, plus the help given by Ahamatu, leader of the mercenary company and local man with a great knowledge of the customs and traditions of the Numidians , had turned this part of the Resurgence into little more than a process of change of government for the conquered peoples.

Now they could observe Ceuta from a distance, the weather was favorable for combat.

Tangier, A few weeks later

For decades, the city of Tangier had been the point of passage of the Muslim forces to the rich lands of Iberia, free men, slaves, soldiers, much of the wealth of the Caliphate had flowed through the large doors that were now closed due the city was under siege.

Twenty-three days the enemies had kept the city under siege, twenty-three days the inhabitants of the city had kept the walls sheltered, supplies arrived from the other side of the strait and the morale of the defenders had not come down even a little after all these weeks, they considered the savages who had taken all the cities of the south in a rapid advance less than human, only their numbers, not their abilities had managed to defeat to the little defenses of the southerners that did not expect such a large invasion from who knows where, the inhabitants of Tangier had prepared for this moment after they received the troubling news from the south and for that reason they had not been defeated with so much ease.

The free circulation of goods across the strait had saved them from having to ration supplies and suffering all the rigors of a proper siege , the only thing that bothered the inhabitants of Tangier was having to do their daily lives without trade with the other cities of the region and the excessive dependence on the aid of the northern Ummayads, which they knew was not gratuitous, they would collect the favor in the near future and, of course, the price would be high.

Maad was on guard that night, from his tower he could see how the invaders were celebrating again, he did not understand their motives for celebration, but he liked that they were far from the wall and from his tower, the tents of the savages illuminated the distance to the desert on a moonless night, the guard estimated that there must have been at least two thousand of them out there, the garrison of the city was not even half that number, so the inhabitants of Tangier were waiting for the arrival of a considerable force of muslim warriors promised by the Sultan Abd-al-Rahman Ummayad, if they waited, they could easily annihilate the savages once and for all. Maad knew that the walls of his city could endure a long siege, and with the mastery of the sea still in the hands of his brothers, the invaders could do little until the arrival of the northern forces.

Damn those Ummayads!​

The night was ending, the stars of the firmament gradually disappeared as the sunlight began to illuminate the houses of the city and Maad was about to descend from the tower in which he was performing his guard duty to have breakfast and hurry his replacement that perhaps had fallen asleep, but looking at the next tower he saw something that made his legs become weakened by the force of the impression. While he was observing the enemies celebrating on the other side of the wall a group of them had managed to penetrate the wall, something impossible, someone must have betrayed the city and allowed the entrance of the savages, he saw stairs and ropes placed against the wall, and the doors of the northern wall wide open. Suddenly he felt the heat of his blood bathing his chest, looking at his murderer could not help trying to curse him, as he died, he wondered why his own son would betray him and his people.


The Phoeni forces attacked mercilessly upon entering the city, and with a supernatural quickness pushing the defenders towards the sea, within a matter of minutes they had completely surrounded the governorship palace, which surrendered instantly, the siege had ended in a short, decisive and bloody attack.

What the inhabitants of Tangier did not know was that the Ummayad reinforcements they had been waiting for were very close, so much so that the forces of the Sultan Abd-al-Rahman had already crossed the strait and at that moment they were within hours of getting rid of them from the siege of the Phoeni, but it was too late, there was no city to rescue.

I was too close from being obliterated by the Ummayads, but i took the city before that and gained the war before that. I losed almost all the mercenary troops accelerating that siege.​

Athanibal knew of this, and for this reason he had done everything he could to conquer the city quickly, even if it meant losing men and gold, every sacrifice was valid if he avoided confronting a superior muslim force before time, had bribed men who were now the wealthiest men of Tangier so the defenses fell, and he himself had launched with his men as the vanguard of the attack of the city, the mercenaries, inspired by the example of its leader had attacked frantically and with all the impetus that a man can have when his spirit is stimulated by the riches to obtain in the looting of such an important city.

Now he had only to wait another week for the arrival of the Melkart fleet, which would bring with him more than five thousand warriors from the other side of the sea, the Phoeni who had already reached the old world and who were following behind the mercenary force were now preparing the defenses of the city in case the Muslims of the north wanted to return to retake Tangier.

But that would not happen, Atanibal had already sent messengers to the Ummayad Sultan announcing that the city had fallen under his banner and that the rulers of Tangier could no longer reward him in any way, at the same time he offered him a payment for the transport of his troops to across the strait and back home and as a tribute of peace consisting in a vast amount of gold. Terms to which the Sultan easily accepted.

Atanibáal was forging himself a reputation, but the war was too far from ending as the Resurgence must be continued.

 

[stnylan]

And from thence eastward, towards the old home of his people, presumably.

 

[Kazanov]

And from thence eastward, towards the old home of his people, presumably.

And war with the Abbasids and the sucessors of Rome.