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Hour of Power: 1460-1498

[As the contestants enter the last kilometer of the race, Colonel Custer is still in the lead, riding his hobby horse for all it is worth. However, he has by no means won yet, as three politicians, a religious fundamentalist compassionate conservative, a freedom loving deficit-spending social democrat, and an euro-weenie-commie-pinko-cryto-communist keep flogging their dead horses like there's no tomorrow. Which is fair enough. As they draw shoulder to shoulder and bone to bone with Custer, the last 200 meters will determine the race. This, of course, is when the camera is cut off, and we return to the studio]

DEEPLY PSYCHOTIC VOICE: Welllllcoooomee. To theee Hour of POOWEEERRRR!

MEPHISTOPHELES: Greetings and salutations! I'm Mephistopheles, and this is the Hour of Power. Our main topic tonight is the recent dramatic, dastardly, devilish, devious, deadly, and slightly deranged actions of the escaped Eldar on Earth#5. Right, Asmodeus?

ASMODEUS: Right, Mephistopheles. Couldn't have said it better myself.

MEPHISTOPHELES: I understand that there was a considerable amount of warfare taking place?

ASMODEUS: Sure was. But before we get into this, let me tell the viewers that we have a positive id on the Eldar in Mysore.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Shoot!

[Asmodeus waves a hand and shoots a bar of flame at a cameraimp, who is instantly reduced to ashes. The old ones are the best, and this never fails to please the audience.]

[canned laughter superimposed on an insane jingle blasts the audience at 120 db]

ASMODEUS: Our intrepid journalists, or at least the one who survived, I couldn't care less about the losers, who were incinerated, have identified the Eldar as Pi-Low the twisted.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Never heard of him.

ASMODEUS: No reason you should. An abject coward, with a mean and twisted spirit, he fell from grace because it was too much hard work polishing his halo. Also known as the lazy he was suspected lost aeons ago, and little loss it was.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Sounds like a real loser, but how do you explain his apparent success, then?

ASMODEUS: While he suffers from so many of the weaknesses of the humans, there is one thing he doesn't lack. Intelligence. Make that two things, intelligence and cunning, as witnessed by his ingratiating himself with the superior Elderan. While he is much weaker than Elderan, it is not impossible that he tries to maintain a low posture in order to appear insignificant, while others waste their energies in fruitless wars. In fact, he may be lying low just waiting for his chance to go for the throat.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Scaryyyyy.

ASMODEUS: Or he may just be too scared of acting alone. While acknowledged cunning and intelligent, nobody ever said he was wise. Senior officials within the government of Mysore tell of a top-secret reinforced hideaway capable of surviving the direct impact of projectiles up to the mass of a kilo-elephant being built at ruinous cost. Sounds like somebody is playing it safe.

[canned 'Booohs!']

ASMODEUS: Meanwhile, let's talk about wars and suffering. Notice this unretouched painting of starving peasants? See the cruel oppression of the peasantry by the nobility in this state of the art wood-cut? Or how about this image of the return of the prodigal son. Notice the warmth of his parents at his return - you can almost feel their good wishes, up close - and notice his demented visage and the large and bloody cleaver grasped in his right hand, leaving a trail of blood. These pictures are only a few out of legions. Such scenes take place even as we speak!

MEPHISTOPHELES: And you can buy genuine authentic faux replicas from the official Hour of Power fanshops at the low price of a slightly tarnished soul per image.

ASMODEUS: Must you, Mephistopheles?

MEPHISTOPHELES: You wouldn't believe the overhead of this show. And I get percentages of the net.

ASMODEUS: I see. Well, these three decades were dominated by the carving up of India between Elderan and Pi-Low. Elderan got the rich and populous provinces with high manpower in the west, while Pi-Low got the moderately prosperous provinces with low manpower in the east. In addition Pi-Low took control of the centre of trade in Ganges, while Elderan took a bite out of the Timurid Empire and began conquering Oman. Together, the two Eldar waged war (unsuccesfully) on Karmulek, who also made moderate gains in China. Elderan and Pi-Low tried to force Karmulek to free parts of his conquests, but he refused outright, preferring to go down in flames rather than submit.

MEPHISTOPHELES: And did he go down in flames?

ASMODEUS: No, the dynamic duo forgot to actually fight after a few years of war, thus ending the war prematurely.

[canned 'Boooohs']

[A mighty trumpet blast shatters the air, several cameras, a dozen imps, and sets fire to Asmodeus hair. He doesn't notice]

ASMODEUS: Wait a moment, I've got an id on the Nipponese Eldar. One of my spys has infiltrated the Nipponese court, and he is returning right now

[An imp materialises in front of Asmodeus. He is on fire]

IMP: Master, it is Gothmog, the fiery one.

ASMODEUS: It cannot be! He is slain!

IMP: The High-Captain, the Lord of his Kind, the slayer of Fëanor, Fingon, and Echtelion, it is him. His touch is upon me!

[The imp is reduced to a smouldering heap of ashes in a sudden burst of flame, hot as the heart of a nova]

ASMODEUS: I'll be damned...

MEPHISTOPHELES: I believe you already are. Would you care to elaborate?

ASMODEUS: I can scarcely believe my late servant's claim. Does the name Melkor ring a bell?

MEPHISTOPHELES: Sure, I used to collect Dark Lord trading cards.

ASMODEUS: Well, before Melkor was defeated, he was served by many powers greater and lesser. After Utumno was lost, he retreated to Angband, and his High-Captain was the lord of the greatest of his servants, the Demons of Might, the Balrogs.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Ah yes, ancient history. He was slain in a Gondol, right?

ASMODEUS: Gondolin. By the blessed hand of Echtelion, who perished in bringing him down.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Same thing. So, did this Gothmog have much experience with ruling?

ASMODEUS: Some. He was better known for his destructiveness and battle prowess. It must please his malign mind no end to live in the utter chaos of Nippon. Assuming it is him, of course. However, he does not appear in any of the archives of the Eldar that we have access to, which makes the claim suspect. On the other hand, Zoryan was very thorough in erasing information on the Eldar following his victory.

MEPHISTOPHELES: I see. Does this change the strategic picture?

ASMODEUS: Somewhat. With Elderan, Pi-Low, and Karmulek at war again - this time only separated by the province of Santal, Gothmog can build his armies in peace. In fact, he has already begun doing so - notice the colonisation and conquest of Brunei. This is fully in line with Melkor's modus operandi, which was to build an impregnable defense and then strike with overwhelming force, here denying enemies vital naval bases for the invasion of his headquarters.

MEPHISTOPHELES: As far as I remember, Melkor usually struck in haste.

ASMODEUS: Well, he planned not to. Perhaps Gothmog has learned his lesson.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Yeah, right. So what is the tally, Asmodeus?

ASMODEUS: Well, Elderan controls 26 provinces and at least six outposts, including the richest parts of India and Persia. He can field large armies and support them for years on end, and controls several centres of trade.

MEPHISTOPHELES: And the lap-dog Pi-Low?

ASMODEUS: 14 provinces and 9 outposts. His main advantage is excellent defensive terrain and a fairly compact realm. Moderately prosperous, continued colonisation is expected to increse revenues. Only one province, Santal, lies between him and Karmulek's Empire - and Li-Pow's centre of trade is awfully vulnerable in Ganges.

MEPHISTOPHELES: So he's still in the running, is he?

ASMODEUS: Definitely. He is incapable of taking on any of the other three Eldar alone, but he doesn't need to. With his central position he is guaranteed a strategic alliance with somebody. Of course, should he doublecross Elderan, it might become awfully lonely there for a while.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Lonely, but certainly not dull.

ASMODEUS: As you say, Mephistopheles. Now as to our wannabe-deity, Karmulek the Slayer, he is ahead with 31 provinces. They are, however, uniformly poorer than those of Elderan. His consolation price is his many grain provinces, that help feed his armies, but decades of war have taken their toll on his economy. To safeguard his centre of trade, Malacca, from invasion, expect him to conquer Atjeh soon followed by colonisation of the Southern part of Atjeh. He will deeply regret it should Elderan or Pi-Low get a foothold from which to launch invasions in the south, given the otherwise perfect defensability of his land. Good terrain for defense, countless enemies can die while besieging fortresses in the marshs or the mountains.

MEPHISTOPHELES: And the Lord of Balrogs?

ASMODEUS: If it is he, that is, he controls 23 provinces and 7 outposts - and he has got to be annoyed by the seemingly innocent trading posts Mysore has plopped down on Brunei and Flores. Economically and militarily he is a rival even, perhaps, for Elderan, and his might clearly surpasses that of Pi-Low and Karmulek... But he has got a much larger and disjoint territory to defend, as well as near constant revolts in Nippon proper. In order to defend such a large realm, he is forced to field a huge army and a substantial fleet which cannot be inexpensive. Best bet is that he will lie low while gathering strength.

MEPHISTOPHELES: We'll be right back after this 50 minutes commercial for aftershave.

SEDUCTIVE FEMALE VOICE: If you thought war was hell, just wait for the Garrotte aftershave. That clean shave that leaves you a new man once the acid burns disappear. Why, several of my best boyfriends used the Garotte before I did them in. Garotte - because I am worth it. Now you may be wondering what I'll be doing the next 48 minutes of the commercial: And I'll tell you the dark secret: I'll be singing some of the jolly jingles, that we all love and adore. Unfortunately, the Orchestra wasn't available today, but that hardly matters since I can't sing.

Western Asia, 1498
133165970.jpg


Eastern Asia, 1498
891269815.jpg



The players for this 1460-1498 were:

Dai Viet: Karmulek (Thanak) the Slayer, the wannabe-deity
Gujarat: Elderan (Wyvern) the Lord of Lightning, Drainer of Life, Possessor
Mysore: Pi-Low (Eochaid) the lazy, mean, and twisted coward (his own description :D)
Nippon: Gothmog (Peter Ebbesen) the Lord of Balrogs, High-Captain of Angband.
 
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Perhaps it is worth mentioning at this point that reader comments and feedback on the game are welcome in this thread. Everyone's been very quiet so far.;)

Now on with the story.


Gujarat. Rich and prosperous, a gateway to the East through which all trade passes. Merchants teem throughout her many bazaars, jostling for the latest spices and pottery from China, eager to carry them west to the markets of Europe. She maintains her wealth through her stranglehold on the rich trade centres of Kutch and Isfahan, trade is her life blood and she is ever looking for ways to expand her influence, building trading posts even down into Africa and humbling her rival Oman in that region, cutting off her trade in Zanzibar. It appears there is not a pot or pie she hasn’t got her finger in.

And yet not all is as it appears. A cloud hangs over the kingdom, dark and oppressive. People cower in the streets as Priests from the new Sect of Tenebrae walk past, resplendent in their midnight blue robes. The name of Allah takes second place to that of Elderan in the Sects sermons, the people of Gujarat are the Dark Gods chosen ones they are taught, their destiny to bring his teaching and magnificence to all the peoples of the world, casting down all unbelievers. The people look forlornly to the Sultan for guidance, but the Sultan cowers on his throne, the shadow of Elderan casting a dark pallor across his back, powerless and cursed as only one who should wield power and knows it, but cannot, will suffer at their helplessness.

From his dark sanctuary, Elderan broods and plots. Pi-Low has proved an invaluable ally as he expected. There can be no trust between Eldars, it is not in their makeup to have such feelings, each always striving to attain greater power, but his arrangement with Pi-Low servers both their interests. Elderan has learnt from his downfall at the hands of Zoryan. This time he will not stand alone.

Karmulak though is a different matter. Unpredictable and chaotic, there will have to be a reckoning between them soon, perhaps this current war will decide it, perhaps not. Elderan is in no hurry. As for Gothmog, now there is a name to conjure terror in the faint of heart. The right hand of Zoryan before his attempt to betray his former master, he could prove a worthy adversary should he attempt to thwart Elderans plans. Time will tell. He has waited aeons to return to this world, he can be patient now.
 
It's almost a shame to break in on the excellent prose. However, this is one fine MP AAR. The use of separate 'gods' is a nice touch. I wish everyone good killing and wonderful deceit. :cool:
 
The third Eldar war began in the fall of 1496 and would last five years. With a large cavalry force the armies of Karmulak the slayer would initially push into India, bypassing Pi-Low’s minor vassal Arakan and start besieging Elderan at Koch. In a series of battles, the forces of Elderan would clash with Karmulak in what would turn out to be a show of near mutual annihilation, one that Karmulak was always going to eventually lose and one which would leave Elderan and Pi-Low’s lands safe from conquest.

With the invasion force defeated, retribution was on the minds of the two Eldars. Pi-Low would begin the offensive into Indo-china capturing Tarakan whilst Elderan finished defeating Karmulak on the plains of Koch. Following his victory there Elderan would lead a force of 27,000 men east in a campaign that would see Karmulaks reinforcing army of 18,000 men butchered in Tarakan the news of which would prompt China and Tibet to opportunistically declare war on Dai Viet. Truly Karmulak was in trouble.

The next few years would comprise of a war of manoeuvre between the three great Eldars. Karmulak would buy off China for the loss of the province of Sichuan-Pendi, but this would not overly help his war effort as superior resources began to tell with first Irrawady followed closely by Chin falling to Elderans forces with other provinces also under siege by the two Eldars. Finally absolute disaster would strike Karmulak when Manchu also declared war, bringing their ally China back into the conflict. Sensing that Karmulak had no real choice now but to make peace, Elderan demanded that he give his ally Pi-Low the province of Tarakan or watch his whole realm go under.

Truly one wonders why Elderan was not more ruthless in victory. Karmulak had clearly bitten off more than he could chew and was paying the price, but perhaps Elderan had an eye on Gothmog and didn’t want to leave Karmulak entirely at this Eldars mercy. Or maybe Elderan had other problems to deal with as well. His people had already been in a long war before Karmulak attacked, the eastern Eldar could not have been the only one suffering from revolt issues. Whatever the reason, Karmulak would come out of the war as the clear minor power amongst the Eldars and the two western Eldars would ever be on the lookout against his aggression in the future. After such a beating though it is debatable whether Karmulak would attempt such a venture again, his only real option now to become a vassal state to the powerful Gothmog.


###########


Elderan sat brooding in his sanctuary. Gloating would perhaps have been a more apt description for truly he was pleased at the way events had unfolded. Karmulak had been served his liver on a plate and hadn’t liked the taste of it. As a rival now he could only be an annoyance. Pi-Low had continued to prove his worth, ably assisting him in a succession of wars following Karmulaks defeat, most notably against the Timurids turned Mughal Empire. Now that had been a close call when Babur and his hordes had swept down upon Gujarat, there was truly a man he could admire. A shame he had had to have him ambushed and executed upon the plains of Herat, but he’d had this strange notion that he had a choice about obeying Elderan.

Pi-Low had seemed please anyway with that war, gaining rich Samarkand for himself, though Elderan admitted to surprise when he called upon his help almost immediately afterwards against the Uzbek Kaganate. A poor miserable land, it was hardly worth conquering. It did provide one benefit though, a doorway to the north and the open steppes. A route that could prove useful in the longer term.

Samarkand. The only blot on his thoughts. Oh Pi-Low was welcome to the province, he deserved a reward for his assistance, but extending the war to let him gain it had caused most of India to go into revolt and ended with Panjab defecting to the Punjab Kingdom. That didn’t sit too well at all, though in truth the province was dirt poor and made little difference to the overall picture, Eldars have their pride though. The thought that Gothmog had lost Taiwan years earlier to defection did little to ease Elderans spirits.

A minor blip though. The realm was once more at peace, it was time to consolidate.

The participants in Saturday Nights session were:




###########

Gujarat - Wyvern
Mysore - Prince Eugene
Nippon - Peter Ebbesen
Dai Viet - first war Natt och dag, followed by JohnMK and a few years of AI at the end which actually took something like 20% of inflation away from Dai Viet!

Interesting information taken from Jos Theelen's EUreader:
Code:
[color=white]
             Vp's    Land    Naval    Infra     Trade     Mnthly Inc.

Gujarat      922      3        2         3         2       73.6
Mysore       839      3        2         2         2       54.0
Nippon       773      4        2         3         2       78.8
Dai Viet     489      2        1         2         2       40.5
[/color]
 
Sorry I had put this in the wrong thread earlier.

I took up the reigns of Mysore from 1498 to 1528.

I found that we were in an alliance with Gujarat as we were both fighting Dai Vet. Our army was about 15k and was two-thirds infantry. After a back and forth war in southeast Asia Dai Vet cedes Tarakan to us. The dp sliders are in awful shape. We were set to become a naval power and I began to change it to land. I put us on one towards defensive to speed up the sieges slightly. I sent about 4 missionaries through the turn to no avail. I upgraded our coffers from around 100 ducats to around 1,200 ducats. I quickly snag Bengal and they are annexed immediately. During our age of reform the Mughals attack Gujarat. We take Samarkland in peace and Gujarat takes some others.

Later on our possession of Samarkland prompts an Uzbek invasion. Our allies, who have a better posistion up there ravage the Uzbeks and their allies. They take some land in peace while we take military access and force them to pay reparations. Towards the end of the turn we get some rebel problems in the eastern sector of our empire and are dragged back into a war with the Uzbeks for me ally. We take around 3 provinces when :eek: I have go to dinner.
 
1498-1560 (approximately)

He revels in the destruction as China is beaten yet again. Now China is cut in twain by Nippon, the western provinces including the rich gold mines of Lanzhou reserved for Dai Viet by agreement with Karmulek, the eastern for Gothmog's amusement.

Yet Dai Viet is in trouble so he graciously sends gifts of bright gold, for is he not the bringer of gifts like his late friend and fellow Maia Sauron who took up the Master's mantle? Of course he is, and a generous giver indeed, unlike the Eldar Zoryan, whom he served following the fall of Thangorodrim before attempting to usurp his power.

With chaos ruling the mainland of Nippon with Daimyos vying for the title of Shogun, he yet remains the servant of the emperor in name. He does not order - he merely suggests. But no one challenges his suggestions, and that is as it should be. And while the Daimyos ravage the lands of Nippon, they yet pay lip service to the emperor, for he has a most puissant servant indeed, and nobody disagrees with the annexation of Mataram to consolidate the hold on the south-east resource area or with the continued colonisation. Nobody disagrees with kicking out the Portuguese barbarians who attempt to establish trading posts in the area either. That would be to show weakness and the times do not reward weakness well.

And yet Dai Viet remains weak, though still a valuable strategic ally. He senses a disturbance in the mind of Karmulek, as if conflicting emotions rule him. The first stirrings of a multiple deity disorder or mere accident? He cannot tell. And he wants quiet on the Chinese front.

Upon his suggestion do the armies of Nippon wage war against the Chinese emperor, and soon all of the lands lies under his fiery fist, and he returns Taiwan to his fold and makes China his vassal, and this occurs in 1516. And if tens of thousands die to accomplish this, well, it will hardly be the first time. Neither will it be the first time he laments the absence of Orcs - they would make conquest ever so much less expensive. But then, he might as well wish for Dragons or better yet, fellow Valaraukar, bright spirits of fire, mightiest of the Maiar in the service of Melkor, but they were lost in the fall of Thangorodrim, slain or fled, as he himself fled mortally wounded following his duel with the blessed Elf-Lord Echtelion of the Fountain in doomed Gondolin, and they are now beyond his reach.

But something unexpected has occurred. An event he did not expect at all. After eight decades of brutal civil war a victor has arisen. A Daimyo so ruthless and politically adroit that he has managed to cow his peers, and can now take up the title of Shogun with little opposition. This delightful ruler of men removes the centre of government to his province of Kyushu, and rules the lands with an iron fist. While the civil war continues, it is much abated, and this Shogun will begin looking abroad - heeding the advice of the Emperor, of course.

And he comes before the Shogun and he abases himself, and the Shogun revels to see such a mighty demon prostrate before his own might, and he grants the demon a boon, the construction of a mighty black axe by the best weaponsmiths of Nippon, and imbued with the mightiest powers, and he thanks the Shogun profusely, while revelling in delight. Soon, so soon, he will be truly armed again, as he were in ages past.

And the new Shogun annexes China, a vassal for thirty decades, and he prepares to take the fight to the Manchu, erstwhile allies, now bitter foes, whose ambassador has publicly insulted the Shogun to his face, and even as he foments revolts in the provinces promised Karmulek decades past to induce their defection, 40,000 infantry recently in the Chinese armies are joined by 60,000 cavalry in the old Chinese Northern capital, all that can be spared from the Nipponese armies since the colonies must be defended at all times, and the Shogun declares war upon the beggars of Manchuria.

He stalks the battlefield cloaked in shadow, terror his herald, flames his gift, death the kiss of his black axe, and none can stand against him. With the 80,000 invading Manchu slain, few armies remain to oppose the ever victorious armies of Nippon. And soon, so soon, Manchuria is under siege, and though tens of thousands die in the snow, that is only to be expected, and an acceptable trade-off for Hepei, Laioning, and Liaotung gained.

Meanwhile, in 1552, the Shogun has completed his financial reforms, and all six of Nippon's core provinces sport a refinery, making Nippon the largest producer of Saké in the world. He approves mightily. With more Sak+e comes increased population growth, and that is something desirable indeed.

And the erstwhile Chinese provinces promised have rebelled according to plan and formed a new China with a capital in Guizhou. To prevent them from becoming a threat to Dai Viet, he ends in the returning Nipponese armies and vassalises China. Then he rests, and awaits the invasion of China (which is now without armies) by Dai Viet, that is sure to follow.

And he waits. And he waits. And he grows tired of waiting, as Dai Viet seemingly does nothing despite his generosity, and sends he then armies into Manchuria again to relieve his wrath. During this war the cowardly Pi-Low seizes the opportunity to annex Malacca that has somehow managed to gain its independence from Dai Viet - Karmulek must be gnashing his teeth, and his rage knows no bounds, to which the surviving Machu can attest, when they finally climb down from the trees and out of their remote mountain caves decades later.

Karmulek has proven a weak ally indeed, and now the western Eldar have a safe haven on his very doorstep.

Quickly he orders the building of an extra score galleys, and the construction of a dozen small fortresses draining the treasury considerably. While a far cry from the defenses of Utumno or even Angband, he will nevertheless ring his realm with defenses of black iron and bright steel and men as he did in ages past.
 
Hour of Power: 1498-1563

[A troop of mime-artists are demonstrating their latest mimes. Unlike most entertainments, not even Hell has found a way to improve on the art of mime. It just can't be done. As two people pretend to be locked in a cage, while a third seem to be ravishing something which, from the gestures involved, is probably an elephant, the camera zooms out]

SCHOOLTEACHER'S VOICE: Welcome, class, to the Hour of Power.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Feeling evil, deranged, or just plain bad? Then join us as in the Hour of Power. We're bad to the bone, and we're proactive, dynamic, caring, and empowering.

ASMODEUS: And.... WE LIKE IT!

MEPHISTOPHELES: Thanks, Asmodeus. Now, this night we will be taking a look into the socio-dynamic imperatives behind the recent extraordinary developments on Earth#5 where, as you no doubt recall, four escaped Eldar are on the loose from the forces of... Good.

[canned 'Booohs']

MEPHISTOPHELES: But they remain uncaught as they trail destruction in their wake across the continent of Asia. The locals never stood a chance.

[canned applause]

MEPHISTOPHELES: Well, I tell a lie...

ASMODEUS: So what else is new?

MEPHISTOPHELES: Some locals did rather well, if only temporarily. But more on that later. Asmodeus, would you be so kind as to inform us of the major events these past decades?

ASMODEUS: Of course, Mephistopheles. To begin with, the war of Elderan and Pi-Low against Karmulek went rather worse for the Slayer than he had probably expected. Despite initial advances, his forces quickly bogged down, and when Elderan threw his superior manpower into the fight it became a slaughter. His defense effectively collapsed, and the armies of Gujarat and Mysore came storming into Dai Viet, crushing his last feeble defense.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Sounds like a strategic miscalculation of the first order.

ASMODEUS: Indeed, and it is even stranger considered his previously declared goals of trying to drag this war out. I can only postulate that he invaded in a schizoid moment of either megalomania or sheer stupidity. Given his once-aspirations for Deity-hood, probably the first. Anyway, for whatever the reason, Karmulek the Slayer lost the war, and he lost bad. However, the western Eldar only took a little bit of land from him, rather than dismemberering his empire.

[canned 'Booohs']

MEPHISTOPHELES: Do we have any clues as to the cause of such timid behaviour?

ASMODEUS: Prudence would be my qualified guess. They likely didn't want to draw the attention of Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs, for the sake of a few poor provinces. Better to let the sleeping Valaraukar lie. Remember what happens to those who wake the Balrog from its slumber.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Well, it makes for some excellent imagery, that's for sure. Remember the Liberation of Moria by Durin's Bane? An entire nation of Dwarves slain or fled at the hand of a single Balrog... And talking about Durin's Bane, we've got a historical special on Durin's Bane featuring Peter the Conqueror as the Balrog coming up tomorrow, including almost-never-before-aired archive footage of the heroic defeat of the Liberator of Moria by the Maiar Olorin, cursed be his name, caught live by a courageous orcish spectator to the deed with a mini-cam.

ASMODEUS: Yes.... To return to this evening's news story rather than crass commercialism, Pi-Low continued eating his half of India and joined with Elderan in tearing up the newly formed Mughal Empire. In cowardly ambush they slew the great Mughal monarch Babûr, and after that it was a cakewalk, despite certain clandestine transfers of funds to the Mughal coffers, that kept the Mughals active in the war for an extra year or two, which cost the western Eldar both men and money.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Aha! And who might the unknown benefactor be?

ASMODEUS: Well, I'll point no fingers, but some of that money seemed awfully hot if you know what I mean, and I'm sure that you do.

MEPHISTOPHELES: I get it, Asmodeus, I get it. A gift from the giver of gifts, then.

ASMODEUS: Right, Mephistopheles. Anyway, soon the western Eldar were fighting the Uzbeks, and Elderan also fought and turbo-annexed Qara Koyunlu.

[canned 'Boohs']

MEPHISTOPHELES: That's hardly sporting!

ASMODEUS: Apparently he claimed it was a "mistake". He hadn't been following the war too closely, and, what would you know, it just sort of happened.

MEPHISTOPHELES: A most plausible story. Or, perhaps, not.

ASMODEUS: Yeah, right. Anyway it is about this time that things get interesting. Gujarat begins the colonisation of Siberia from the West, while Nippon has, slowly, begun colonising Siberia from the East. Pi-Low wants to get into the fun as well, and Gothmog is, it is said, greatly surprised when his fortified province of Enkan is visited by an intrepid conquistador from Mysore, who has walked all the way down the Siberian corridor.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Now, you mention Gothmog. Tell me, Asmodeus, has he been up to something spectacular?

ASMODEUS: Quite. Early in the sixteenth century he finally vassalised China - it had five or six provinces remaining at that time, and following the victory of the Kyushu Daimyo in the Nipponese civil war, he annexed China outright.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Smart move.

ASMODEUS: It gets better. Having earlier promised the western provinces to Karmulek, and no doubt frustrated by Karmulek's failure to act despite the gifts from Gothmog, he nevertheless encouraged rebellion in those areas to make them defect to Dai Viet.

MEPHISTOPHELES: You shitting me?

ASMODEUS: Nope, it's the straight dope. In purely strategic terms, it makes excellent sense to have a moderately strong ally beholden to him, rather than a snivelling wretch pining on his border. While rebellions blazed in his newly conquered territories, he assembled armies in the old Chinese capital, now his border with Manchuria - a long time ally - and invaded.

MEPHISTOPHELES: YES! That's the sort of treachery we all love and enjoy!

ASMODEUS: Indeed. Manchuria lost, and lost big, as their 80,000 strong army was crushed by Gothmog's 100,000 strong Northern army. Soon Manchuria will no longer be a going concern. China, however, is.

MEPHISTOPHELES: China!? It got annexed, right?

ASMODEUS: Yes. However, the Chinese, seing the losing proposition of Dai Viet, decided that they'd rather recreate China. So they did. A revolting Chinese possession of Dai Viet joined the fun, and China was back on the world stage.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Wow! That's certainly brave of the locals. Or should I say foolhardy?

ASMODEUS: Perhaps. Within two years the new China was forced to become a vassal of Nippon. Since the new China followed the border agreed on with Karmulek, decades ago, Gothmog didn't annex any territory at all.

MEPHISTOPHELES: And that's it from the plucky Chinese?

ASMODEUS: Hardly. Karmulek proved impressively inept at quelling rebellions, and soon his Northern province of Guangdong defected to the Chinese. Additionally he managed to lose Malacca - his centre of trade, and the province he should have defended above all else - and Annam, scenting freedom, declared independence as well. Malacca declared independence with one additional province, which caused Karmulek to compound his earlier mistake in not preventing the independence.

MEPHISTOPHELES: How so?

ASMODEUS: He took the surplus province for peace and vassalised Malacca, intending a diplomatic annexation. However, this left Malacca a weak and vulnerable one-province nation, ripe for annexing by the first army that happened by. Had he left Malacca with two provinces, his cause would have been as well served in the long run. As is, a foreign army did happen by: Mysore's.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Are you saying that Pi-Low managed to annex Malacca from right under Karmulek's nose!?

ASMODEUS: Yes. Having earlier managed to conquer Atjeh - something Karmulek had rather spectacularly managed to fail at - Pi-Low is now fast becoming a factor in SE Asia. With this aggressive act, Pi-Low has upset the SE Asian balance of power, since Gothmog must, for the first time, worry about a naval invasion.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Surely they can come to a mutually acceptable solution? No need for death, destruction, and utter chaos, is there?

[MEPHISTOPHELES sniggers loudly]

ASMODEUS: Yes, that sounds very likely. Oda Nobunaga (5/1/4) is said to be a great negotiator. However, there are other potential areas of conflict, and it won't do to be blinded to their inherent possibilities. Elderan now borders the Mamelukes. If he invades, he is almost certain to touch off a four Eldar war. And what about the Chagatai Kaganates and Tibet? Piss-poor provinces, but they are strategically important since they can provide a convenient shortcut between east and west, and are unaffected by fleets. And what about Zanj and Zimbabwe? Not exactly poor, they would make an excellent addition to any of the Eldar, as I'm sure you'll agree, Mephistopheles.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Right on, Asmodeus. Now, coming up: The current badboy scores. Gothmog at 92 has been a good boy compared to Elderan with 113 and Pi-Low with 118. Still in the lead is Karmulek with 161 points...

ASMODEUS: And regretting it. The Evil Geniuses For A Better Tomorrow have provided the following figures on innovativeness. The most narrowminded is Karmulek, who, at 1 point is very nearly devoid of ideas, or as they say in the military: focused. Elderan and Pi-Low are close by at 2 points. However, the brightest people are to be found in Nippon, with Gothmog at 7 points! Innovative to a fault, he would have real problems with religion were not all his people Confuscians.

MEPHISTOPHELES: To wrap it up, we've got a map of Asia stolen from the archives of Gothmog. While it doesn't show the extent of Gujarati colonisation, it is hinted at. Brought to you courtesy of the Hour of Power.

Asia 1563: Eldar on the rampage
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The players for 1498-1528 were:

Dai Viet: Karmulek (natt och dag, JohnMK, AI) the Slayer, the wannabe-deity
Gujarat: Elderan (Wyvern) the Lord of Lightning, Drainer of Life, Possessor
Mysore: Pi-Low (Prince Eugene) the lazy, mean, and twisted coward
Nippon: Gothmog (Peter Ebbesen) the Lord of Balrogs, High-Captain of Angband.

I'd like to thank Prince Eugene and JohnMK once again for picking up the gauntlet. Especially JohnMk, who managed to turn Dai Viet around and begin small-scale colonising in a single hour. It wasn't, however, to last. :) Actually, I would also like to thank the AI, which, while it didn't do anything grand for Dai Viet during its reign, did lower Dai Viet's inflation considerably.

Following this session, natt och dag has completely dropped out of the AAR, since MP doesn't really seem to suit him. ("Too slow" and "Boring as hell" comes to mind). Fair enough, I'll wish him continued success and enjoyable playing in SP.


The players for 1528-1563 were:

Dai Viet: Karmulek (Messias) the Slayer, the wannabe-deity
Gujarat: Elderan (Wyvern) the Lord of Lightning, Drainer of Life, Possessor
Mysore: Pi-Low (Eochaid) the lazy, mean, and twisted coward
Nippon: Gothmog (Peter Ebbesen) the Lord of Balrogs, High-Captain of Angband.

Messias got handed a relatively stable Dai Viet, though very weak compared to the other Eldar, with few initial revolts since Nippon had been fighting them while Dai Viet was under AI control. However, he proved rather less adept at handling revolts than was needed given the constant 2% revolt risk from The Rivalry of the Mac and Trinh Families (1525-1565), and The Revolt of Annam (1558) must have hurt as well. Under his rule Dai Viet lost some of its most valuable provinces to defections and independence movements - possibly because he forgot to ask for financial aid from Nippon, and he failed to act against the undefended Chinese provinces - probably again a lack of funds or manpower. Tough luck, these things happen. He was a pleasant fellow, whom I won't mind playing against another time. :)
 
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Ah yes Karmulak, you struggle, you writhe, your torment is a joy to watch. Your armies destroyed it takes little effort to prod your people into open revolt. I whisper the dark sweet dreams, a nudge, a gentle push, and Malacca breaks free. A few ghostly dreams and Assam follows with her freedom. Oh how marvellous it is to watch. Grovel puny deity the time of your destruction is upon you. Cower in your corner as your realm goes up in smoke. There is nowhere for you to run, nowhere to hide. Despair as your realm falls apart around you, you are truly no match for the might of Elderan.

Pi-Low, a serpent, a snake. You slither through the jungle waiting for your chance to strike, nibbling at the weak, preying on those who break away from Karmulaks claws. You gorge on yet another meal digesting Atjeh and Malacca, your eyes ever on the lookout for another meal. And yet, the eyes of the world have turned upon you now, will you evade the gaze of the Basilisk?

Gothmog, how you look on in delight as your fellow Eldars fight and squabble. Oh yes I watch you from afar, growing rich and strong off your Chinese conquests. The Manchu are helpless before your wrath, I know you will quickly consume their riches to further add to your wealth, you would be pre-eminent amongst us if you could and already flex your muscles in your feeble warnings about the Mamuleks. Hah, how hypocritical of you to send such threats as you gobble away at your own rich neighbours. As you expand, so must I, for the final showdown is not yet upon us. And what hope for Karmulak when you finally come to your power? Weak and helpless he will cower in your shadow until you pull out the knife. Will it be expected I wonder? Of course, Karmulak is no fool, but perhaps he will surprise us all yet.
 
Manpower, whispers Gothmog. Manpower is the key to succes, and alone of the Eldar Elderan can draw on manpower outside Asia, due to road access. While the acquisition of China and Manchuria brings him untold wealth, it brings not a single extra soldier under the banner, for stupid reasons of culture. Though more than 1,000,000 Chinese city dwellers are under his control, not a single one can be made to join his armies. There never were such problems with the orcs, in ages past. And that is why an acquistion of the Mamelukes by Elderan is so dangerous: Not the gain in wealth from conquering his fifth centre of trade (though that is bad news by itself), but the additional cannon fodder [once he invents cannon, that is].



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OOC: And that's the damned truth. I'm scared to death of a Gujarat that conquers its way along the southern mediterranean, and then plunges down to Songhai, and - more importantly manpower wise - Dahomey, Ashanti, Benin, and Kongo. The manpower gain from such a gambit is very considerable, the provinces are very hard for others to attack, and only Gujarat can attempt it. At 0,25 manpower per colonised Siberian province (which Gujarat is also doing), there is no way in or out of the abyss that Nippon can compete. There aren't any mercenaries in Asia, which means that the one with the greatest manpower most likely will prevail in any test of strength.
 
So Gothmog knows fear. I hear his voice on the wind, whispering, cajoling. Manpower he says, this is the key to victory. And who am I to disagree with the Lord of the Balrogs? His fears are unfounded though, for as yet he has the highest manpower of us all. The Mamulek realm is vast, yet her provinces weak, it would take many decades to reduce her to a husk, a shell, that could finally be blotted out, due to the rule of three. And her capital in Egypt blocks all road access to Africa. Truly it would take a monumental effort to bring her down one that is probably not worth the labour for a bunch of poor, wrong religion provinces. Now the rich provinces of Iraq and Syria, ah those are a different matter entirely and will amply offset some of the gains Gothmog makes in the east.



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OOC: I'm willing to leave the Mameluks holding Egypt so manpower from Africa cannot be brought into the equation.
 
Well since no one else is speaking up... :D

Great MP AAR guys, its a nice change to read the story from multiple viewpoints that change almost every post. And the commentary from the Hour of Power is hilarious, keep it up.

RJ
 
Hey everybody! We've got feedback! Bwhahahaahahha!

And Wyvern, it wouldn't take that much to bring the Mamelukes down. One war to force-convert them, one war to force-vassalise them, and then time. The rule of three states three provinces per war, or, if you will, three provinces per peace - it doesn't prevent you from gaining more from diploannexing. It just so happens that until now the most economically feasible strategy for all of us has been to chop nations to bits rather than wait for diplo-annexing - especially since others might join the fun. (Well, with the exception of the runt-state of China, which I annexed, but if I had wanted all its provinces in the first place rather than reserving them for Dai Viet, I wouldn't have gone for a diploannexation).

Actually, you *might* be prevented from diplo-annexing them if they owned a European province, come to think of it, since we have the no territory in Europe requirement :D
 
Feedback!! Yippee :)

I thought folks might like to see how the AI has been getting on in Europe without any human interference. I think France could do with some help :D Oh and Austria inherited a humongous Hungary a few years back.


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Interesting factoid: In 1557 China chose the ahistorical option B (Close China to the outside world) in event #3704 (The Closure of China), thus depriving me of an extra CoT (since I own province #658)

*Damn*
 
The First Age of the World had seen the rise and fall of Morgoth. The Second Age had ended with the defeat of Sauron. The Third Age had been clouded by the shadow of the One Ring. The Fourth Age, had seen the elder beings disappear: the elves, the dwarves and the hobbits faded away and are only remembered as myths. The Fifth Age had been the one of the Atlantide, and with its fall, men had lost what the knowledge they had inherited from the lost kins. And for the aeons to come, the Sixth Age, the one we are living in, will be remembered as the Age of the Spirits.


Some day in 1528.The air was warm and people in the streets had allready been at work for a long time when Pi-low had finally woke up. He'd indulged himself in having a nap, and after eating so many Daï Viet soldiers, the rest had been nice. It was only when he managed to have his first conscious thought that he realised in horror that his three hours nap had been a full thirty years according to human time-standards... He instantly teleported to the Throne room. That caused the King to scream like a wuss, but Pi-Low didn't care.

" - Who're you?

- I am the King of Mysore, divine Pi-Low. My father died while you were asleep and I inherited the throne.

- Well at least you know who I am.

- Of course I do: you are the divine Pi-Low, Guardian Spirit of Mysore.

- As long as you show proper respect and take no private initatives, you live. Cross me and I eat you. Understood? Okay. So what have you done during my absence.

- My lord, we carried on your policy of alliance with our neighbour Gujarat, we managed to conquer Samarkand over the Moghuls, and even make a lot of money thanks to our merchants' efforts in Gange. And of course, Bengal no longer exists.

- Excellent achievements. And what about my colonial effort in the indonesian archipelago?

- Er, we didn't send any colonists sir, we thought it was not worth the money and the effort to become a naval power.

- So you allowed Gothmog to seize the entire archipelago! I should eat you right now! You're lucky I still suffer from food poisoning. You see I had to many human flesh thirty years ago... You still have the royal harem right?

- Of course divine spirit.

- So go have some fun and let take care of the realm."

Pi-Low sat on the throne and let his mind wander.

Unlike the other Eldars, Pi-Low was a nice fella. He only ate humans when he was hungry, did not enjoy mass murder and only craved power because of the comfort that came along. Of course, according to human standards, he was still a monster. Yet, in some way the People saw him like strict tutor. A God that was at the same time useful and terrible.

Subconsciously, Pi-Low was almost "too human": he liked power, wine, food... He was coward, lazy, twisted, egocentric and greedy... Of course to tell him that would have been like signing your own death warrant, for even if he knew he was no deity, Pi-Low enjoyed very much being venerated. Yet it was very true.

Over the thirty following years, Pi-Low spend a lot of time and money turning Mysore into a naval power. Mysoran colonies in Indonesia boomed, Atjeh and Malacca were annexed, and he even managed to build a small fleet of fifteen galleys. Nothing to match the naval hegemony of Nippon, but enough to secure a fair chunk of the Spice Islands benefits.

On the mainland, Pi-Low was very careful to strenghten his realm, and fortresses were upgraded, bailiffs promoted and heretics converted. He even managed to annex Assam and gain three provinces around Samarkand. Despite his quite peaceful attitude towards the other Eldars, they started to grow weary of this unexpected wealth of Mysore. Gothmog stopped calling Pi-Low a lapdog and Elderan at last started considering him as his equal. And Pi-Low was very happy of this last improvement, for great benefits were still to be made from their priceless cooperation.
 
1563-1583

He walks the streets of conquered Hepei and inspects the army being raised by Oda Nabunaga for the invasion of Manchuria. It is the largest army he has yet assembled, though it is but a pale image of the hosts of great Melkor during the first age. On the eve of war, the commander of the eastern army in Olga, Uesugi Kenshin, dies in a rebel ambush, but misfortunes have never stayed his hand, and the hosts of Nippon invade Manchuria. Meanwhile, he has sent gifts of bright gold to the value of 900d to Karmulek, to bolster his defenses. Soon the time will come for Karmulek to retake Malacca, and he, desiring a strengthened Karmulek to balance the ever more powerful western Eldar, will stand with Karmulek in battle.

Two years of fighting sees the greater part of Nabunaga's army dead in the snows of Manchuria, but casualties never stayed the hand of the High-Captain of Angband, the Lord of Balrogs, and in the end numbers prove sufficient. The Manchu are humbled, and their ruler brought by force before the Shogun, and forced to pay obeisance. Baicheng and Heilongjiang is added to Nippon proper, and Manchuria is from this day forwards a vassal of Nippon.

Gloating in the chaos and destruction of the Manchurian war, he orders the construction of dozens of galleys. In the coming war, it is his desire to rule the seas, thus effectively preventing any attack on Nippon proper. Even as a new army is raised for Nabunaga, Takeda Shingen dies while fighting natives on the island of Samar. Enraged, the Daimyo's armies eradicate all the remaining natives.

As the storm gathers, he notices activity in the south. The small island kingdom of Makassar is under attack by combined armies from Elderan and Pi-Low. It must be their intent to gain another beachead in the heart of the Nipponese colonial empire. Raging, his fire burns brighter, blinding his guards, but he despairs not.

Quickly he orders a fleet to transport Oda Nabunaga from Kowloon to Makassar, and a few months later, while Elderan's siege is still ongoing, Nabunaga arrives. He declares war upon Makassar, and Nabunaga lands with 27,000 troops, scaring away the 10,000 troops already besieging Makassar. A few months later, Makassar is annexed by Nippon - the threat averted.

Meanwhile, the fleets of Nippon number more than 120 galleys, and they are led by admirals Murakami Takayoshi and Kuki Yoshitaka. As Oda Nabunaga and 60,000 cavalry embark in Kowloon, it is noticed that Elderan has been at war against the Mamelukes, Persians, and a few runt states for almost two years.

In this final moment, Karmulek sends a final message to Pi-Low, requesting the honourable return of Malacca in return for a goodly sum of money. Pi-Low, secure in his alliance with Elderan and drunk on his own power and strong spirits, haughtily refuses any talks on the status of Malacca, and dare Karmulek to do his worst.

Thus, with Elderan's forces tied down in the west, Karmulek declares war upon Pi-Low in 1574. When Elderan dishonours his alliance with Pi-Low, the wily Karmulek declares war upon Elderan as well, to prevent him from entering the war fresh and fit for the fight a few years hence.

The storms of war will ravage all of Asia, as the four Eldar march to war.

He rejoices for initial results are satisfactory, as Admiral Kuki Yoshitaka's fleet of 60 galleys pursue and sink a substantial part of Pi-Low's fleet, more than a score warships built at ruinours expense. He is less pleased, however, by the death of Oda Nabunaga, whose army is defeated in detail by a cavalry army belonging to Elderan. For unknown reasons his orders take weeks to reach Nabunaga, and are thus too late to save him, as orders to move become orders to retreat, and orders to retreat arrive after battle has finished. The loss of the major part of the army tasked for this war comes as a hard blow, being a full two years worth of recruitment.

But he is not beaten, and neither is Karmulek. With 50 galleys stationed off the coast of Malacca under Admiral Murakami Takayoshi for the rest of the war, and with Admiral Kuki Yoshitaka on roving patrols, the seas belong to the eastern Eldar, allowing invasion of the islands of Sumbawa and Atjeh. Soon Malacca is under siege by Karmulek as well.

But the western Eldar have not grown complacent. Elderan sends an army that takes Tarakan and Irrawady by assault, and seems poised to march to the relief of Malacca. But it is not to be. A new Nipponese army of a mere 30,000 cavalry that has been biding their time in Kwai is sent in against the urgent warnings of Karmulek. "Too late. Now, you'll be annihilated.", he cries. But despite the marshes of Irrawady, they break the army of Gujarat, and lay siege to the province, and the answer of Gothmog rings in the air "Wrong!"

Soon Malacca and the islands of Atjeh and Sumbawa are under the control of the eastern Eldar, and Irrawady and Tarakan have been retaken. Attempts to advance into Mysore are brutally crushed by Pi-Low's forces, infinitely better on the defense than they were on the offense, having learned full well their lazy master's cowardly tactics.

As rebellions every so slow heat up the conquests of Elderan, Pi-Low is still undefeated in his own territory and refuses all talks of negotiations, causing a yearlong stalemate.

His temper tested, he throws another army into the heartlands of Mysore by sea, and yet another some years later. Like the orcs he used to command, their lives are spent with nary a thought. Yet these armies are not orcs, and they do not replenish as quickly. When his siege of the capital of Pi-Low is broken scant weeks before it would fall and his army slaughtered, he regretfully realises that this strategy will fail due to lack of soldiers.

His rage is terrible to behold.

Yet something has gone before, something most unusual. Noticing that Elderan and Pi-Low are gathering their fleets in the coast of Malaya, newly built ships at the fore, united in purpose and strength for the first time since the outbreak of war, he joins the fleets of the two Admirals in one mighty fleet, five-score galleys strong, and attacks. Upwards of two dozen warships of Mysore and near on two-score galleys of Gujarat are sunk that day in glorious victory at the cost of a mere score galleys, easily replaced. Indeed, he has ordered the construction of more than a dozen galleys each year of the war, so the fleet is mightier than ever. This victory takes place in 1578, and after this neither Elderan nor Pi-Low take to the seas again.

And it is, perhaps, a contributing factor to the Eldar conference of 1578, where Karmulek makes a simple demand. Malacca for peace with both western Eldar. He supports Karmulek in this, but adds that should the war drag on, he will insist on Sumbawa for Nippon as well, this island being a hole in his defenses, and Karmulek agrees. Elderan wishes to see an end to war as well, since rebellions are no longer few and far between. But Pi-Low rejects any talk of consessions, ending up by claiming he is the king of England (yet another sign of fear-induced insanity), and the war drags on.

He laughs at the blindness of Pi-Low. Of course Mysore can withstand another decade of war as well as Dai Viet and Nippon, but that is besides the point. Elderan's Gujarat cannot stand another decade of war without being crippled by rebellions and defections as his people, weary of war, rise against him, and without Elderan as a strong ally, where will Pi-Low be? He laughs, and sends more gifts to Karmulek to fund the war effort.

As his last invasion of Mysore fails in 1581, Nippon is shaken by the mad antics of Akechi Mitsuhide who, not heeding the fact that Oda Nabunaga fell in battle six years earlier, insists on killing him again, spurring a few rebellions. Though admiring of such singlemindedness of purpose, he shows no remorse as the rebellions are quashed and stability restored. His defense forces again number more than 100,000 men, enough to quash any rebellion conceivable.

And finally in May 1582, three years after the Eldar conference, Karmulek, ignoring his earlier promise that Sumbawa should go to Gothmog in peace if the war dragged on, makes peace with Pi-Low gaining Malacca.

He is not amused. In fact, he is rather angry at this behaviour. Could Karmulek truly have forgotten his earlier promise or is this a deliberate betrayal? Is he, Gothmog, the giver of gifts, who has funded the war efforts of two realms against the western Eldar to gain NOTHING from the war. Has he been stabbed in the back by one who owes him everything?

As his fire rages hotter than the desert sun, and his shadow spreads as wings about him, Karmulek suggests that he get concessions from Elderan instead, whose realm is slowly gliding into chaos, as rebellions threaten to loosen his grip on some of his wealthiest provinces, and he, half jokingly, suggests that he might settle for the paltry sum of 200d, awaiting a real counteroffer from Elderan.

By June 1582, Atjeh declares its independence from the clutches of Pi-Low. Perhaps he coward will retake it, or perhaps Karmulek will conquer it as was the plan all along, it being clearly within his realm of influence? Time will tell.

Also by June 1582 arrives the counteroffer of Elderan. Elderan having strung a string of trading posts across Siberia killed Gothmog's only conquistador early in the war, he having only mapped the eastern reaches of Siberia for Nippon, in Selenga. And now a small army invades the Nipponese Siberian provinces, during the peace talks.

There can be only one response.

All thoughts of peace forgotten, Tokugawa Ieyasu is dispatched with a 30,000 strong for Siberia, and a reserve army is ordered raised. More than 20,000 survive the cold and deprivation to engage the enemy.

At this point Elderan makes a counterproposal: He will allow Gothmog to colonise Kalatan for peace and give 400d.

More forces are dispatched for Siberia, as he replies: "If that's the best you can offer, let's fight an extra year"

Yet the bravery of the soldiers of Elderan cannot be underestimated. Facing a superior army led by a superior general, they nevertheless manage to defeat Tokugawa Ieyasu in Selenga in December 1582, both sides taking massive casualties. Now, having not mapped the Siberian corridor previously, it will take many years to make substantive gains, all the while which his armies will be whittled down. With a heavy heart he decides to cut his losses before this turns even more unprofitable, and suggests, informally, peace for 400d and Ulan Ude. Elderan agrees, but suggests waiting for next year, citing no particular reason, causing him, Lord of Balrogs, giver of gifts, to propose the agreed on peace treaty immediately to allow Elderan to concentrate on his unruly subjects, and Elderan agrees.

But Elderan lied. He didn't have the 400d agreed to, so Gothmog receives less. Elderan apologises, claiming that he did ask Gothmog to wait with the peace offer. But if he couldn't adhere to the agreements of the treaty, why did he accept? A most dishonourable conduct indeed, which will be well remembered.

And thus ended the first great Eldar war of Asia. In triumph for Karmulek and defeat for Pi-Low. With Elderan not worse off, save for a few rebellions, and with Gothmog, the giver of gifts, carrying the largest part of the economic burden.

But something is brought to his attention, as he finally learns the reason for the success of Pi-Low on the field of battle. His infantry, much like the elves of old, are armed with superior long range weaponry, and their massive firepower was the determining factor in the battles. Ignoring the development of infrastructure and trade, Pi-Low has poured all his resources into getting the most advanced military force in Asia, and he has succeeded. This would not be worrysome if he had Orcs under his command, since their numbers would make up for any lack of technology due to sheer numbers, but alas, he does not command Orcs, but men, and they are fewer by far. While capable of defending himself against any attack by Pi-Low, he does not stand a chance of succesfully invading Mysore, should war break out again.

He retreats to his capital in the dark pits in Kyushu and ponders the consequences.

And as he rests, he remembers well that he was betrayed in deed if not in word by both his ally and his foe. Some grudges die hard, and this grudge will be remembered.
 
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Hi rage was terrible to behold seeing all his plans countered by Gothmog at every stage. Makassar, the first debacle had begun with promise when 15,000 men had disembarked onto the island kingdom defeating the 27,000 strong defenders with ease. The fleet had remained off shore to blockade the port and a long siege had set in. It had been a bold gamble that relied upon Gothmog not noticing in time Elderans plan, but such was not to be when 6 months later a Nipponese army under the command of Oda Nobunaga disembarked and stole the siege. A dirty tactic to employ indeed and one that would warrant just revenge in the future.

Cursing in frustration Elderan threw his armies against the remnants of the Mughals, an enemy he could get his hands on, giving another province to Pi-Low to expand Mysore’s enclave and vassalising the remnants of the horde for himself. Looking for riches elsewhere his eyes fell upon the prosperous provinces of Iraq and Syria, held under dominion by the Mamelukes, and so the armies of Gujarat marched once more, but this time it would cost Elderan dearly.

Province after province of the Mamelukes fell with ease, whilst their Persian ally also came under siege. Ah yes the rich Persian capital would make an excellent addition to Elderans realm once he had divested Persia of her single other remaining holding. But to defeat Persia was to take far too long, for in the last months of the war Karmulak declared war upon Pi-Low over the province of Malacca and Elderan realised he’d made a terrible mistake concentrating so long on the west.

Hoping to avoid the initial flurry of the war, he promised aid to Pi-Low in a few months time but refused to join the initial fighting. He realm had already been at war with Persia and the Mamelukes for 2 years, he desperately needed to make peace in the west before fighting in the east. But peace was not to be had in time, for immediately following his refusal to join Pi-Lows war, Karmulak issued a declaration of war against Elderan as well. Predictable, but it had been worth trying.

Switching to the east, Elderan saw that Gothmog had armies already swarming over Mysore’s lands. 20,000 were marching through the south of the kingdom under the command of Oda Nobunaga, another similar force was in the north besieging the former Bengali lands, and with joy Elderan realised Gothmog had made a terrible mistake. Combining his own forces in northern india into one gigantic host, Elderan ordered the 60,000 strong army to march against Nobunaga, and there on the Indian plains the great samurai general was put to the sword. Flushed with success the remaining forces of Gothmog were hunted down in India and the war taken to Karmulaks lands.

A bold move, but one doomed to ultimate failure as the harsh marshes of Irrawady bled Gujarats forces away. Perhaps if Pi-Low had committed his forces to the offensive as well things would have been different, but Pi-Low would only fight a defensive war and all of Elderans cries for him to march to his aid fell on deaf ears. Without help the inevitable reinforcements from Gothmog were able to destroy the invasion force, and with Gujarats manpower pool already empty from the Mamelukes war, she would never again be able to mount an offensive operation as all new troops went towards containing rebel activity.

And so the long years of rebel warfare began. Gothmog continued to send the occasional force against Pi-Low, only to meet with death and destruction. Throughout the war Gujarat carried on colonising down the Siberian corridor, placing a single colonist in most provinces, racing to stake out as much of Siberia as possible whilst building up the occasional choke point. Gothmog though had also been busy exploring the icy wastes, and around 1579 the two Eldars would finally make contact.

Discovering the Nipponese explorer approaching through territory discovered in the past by Pi-Low, Elderan called up reinforcements from the west to race down Siberia until a force of 10,000 strong, reinforced to 15,000 in the middle of the battle met the Nipponese scout force of 7000 and wiped them out. Reinforcements though would be easier to come by for Gothmog with his shorter supply lines and Elderan sensed that Siberia was going to be hell to defend against the Nipponese hordes.

Throughout the war Karmulak badgered Elderan to broker a peace deal. Malacca for peace he wined, honour would be served and hostilities could end. Ah that silvery tongue, he would never believe it again, for when finally Elderan persuaded Pi-Low to see sense and give up the troublesome province, Karmulak reneged on the agreement and refused to make peace with Elderan as well. His fury knowing no bounds, still Elderans revenge would have to wait. If peace was not forthcoming soon he was prepared to see out the war for another 5 years and a revitalised Pi-Low could re-enter and exact retribution. Pi-Low agreed to help fight the Persian rebels, it would be painful but possible to survive.

It appeared Gothmog was behind Karmulaks deceit, he wanted to take a bite from Elderan in his weakness having been unable to gain anything from Pi-Low. Zanzibar Karmulak whispered in his mischief should go to Gothmog, but Gothmog was not so crazy, knowing that such a demand could only garner one response. Still the Eastern Eldar was strangely silent regarding other peace terms and so the war between the remaining three Eldars would continue. Siberia was the battle ground and the forces of Gujarat continued to best Gothmog at every turn, even defeating Gothmogs general Tokugawa Ieyasu despite being outnumbered.

Finally following his star generals humiliation, in December 1582 Gothmog agreed to an offer of 400d and the worthless province of Ulan Ude for peace. Elderan told Gothmog to wait one month until January for him to make the peace offer, but Gothmogs greed knew no bounds and he demanded the province and Elderans treasury immediately. Being forced by ancient custom to answer all peace offers within the month, Elderan gave Gothmog what he had in his treasury, 215d and the colony, if he couldn’t wait Elderan wasn’t going to cry about it. :)
 
Hour of Power: 1563-1583

[Stock image of thousand of damned souls wearing lemming-masks jumping into the fiery pits, screaming in agony for the cameras]

GANGSTA-RAPPER'S VOICE : Wel-wel-wel-wel-come... To the Hour of Power.

DAMNED CHORUS: Special Report!

[An ugly yellow sign noting in shaky handwriting Special Report: War of the Eldar begins flashing on the edge of the images, to the great annoyance of the viewers. As desired.]

MEPHISTOPHELES: My fellow evildoers, scoundrels, knaves, and proud members of the Axis of Evil, we at INN are proud to bring you this special report from Earth#5, where the ravages of war,

ASMODEUS: The terrors of deprivation

MEPHISTOPHELES: The horrors of faith betrayed

ASMODEUS: Plus many other interesting and instructive happenings

MEPHISTOPHELES: Have been taking place.

ASMODEUS: All over the place, really.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Indeed. Quiet for so long with only minor skirmishing, Pi-Low's recent acquisition of Malacca during a moment of weakness for Karmulek brought out the worst in the Eldar. Karmulek naturally desired his territory returned - Pi-Low naturally wanted to keep it. Our spies on the ethereal plane caught the following snippets of conversation, exclusively for the Hour of Power


[A damned orchestra begins playing a march, badly, while The Road to War is briefly superimposed on the studio, upside down. Images of the four Eldar and their vitalstatistics are displayed]


June 1563

Pi-Low : Would you like to get Malacca back. We could find a deal
Karmulek :Yes hand it over or face the dismemberment of both our empirets from war exhaustion.
Pi-Low :LOL
Gothmog : That's not very nice, Karmulek
Karmulek :I'm role-playing. :)
Pi-Low :Lets say U have Malacca & I have Palembang, Buru & Kachin. Do you think the deal is OK
Karmulek :No it's highway robery.
Pi-Low :U have the CoT, I have a small colony, a trade post and a dirt poor prov!


ASMODEUS: As you can see, initial negotiations for a peaceful solution went... Badly.

[canned applause]



June, 1564

Pi-Low :What do U propose?
Karmulek :Malacca.
Pi-Low :What's your offer?
Karmulek :peace.


ASMODEUS: And here we see Karmulek in diplomatic mode. Well, once a wannabe war-deity, always a wannabe war-deity, I guess. I'm afraid that our coverage was somewhat spotty for a few months, due to the loss of one of our spies to a low-flying Albatross, but the next segment, while incomplete, is certainly revealing. We apologise for the sound quality, but we had to use a bug.


September, 1564

Elderan :<scrhhh>I hear. He'll have to take on both of <srhhh> us and he's not strong enough <chchchch> for that
Karmulek :Look, he <chchchch> took advantage of my country when it was down and weak. <scrchchch> How right is that?
Elderan :we're <chhhhkiktkik> not playing sweatheart<sscrrichch> here. You should read the aar ;)


ASMODEUS: Who is the 'he' that Elderan refers to? Was Elderan talking to Pi-Low, but forgot to keep his communication secret, or is the nefarious 'he' a reference to Gothmog? Does this seemingly innocent conversation cover a dark secret? Do bears go potty in the woods? Time will tell, as our impish investigators go where no imps have gone before.


December, 1564

Karmulek :I offer all that I can afford, <chcheiiichk> which is 280 ducats.
Pi-Low :I <schhhcc> never <chchc> attacked DV
Karmulek :You annexed Malacca. <scchchhchhchcichcichciiikkiititk>>
STOMP!


ASMODEUS: Short and succint, this is the last information gained from the Praying Mantis. However, we resumed imp coverage in short order, but the ether was ominously silent... Until March 1574, when Karmulek declared war upon Pi-Low.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Thus beginning the first four Eldar war, right, Asmodeus?

ASMODEUS: Right, Mephistopheles.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Gothmog quickly joined the war on Karmulek's side, as opposed to Elderan, who immediately dishonoured his alliance with Pi-Low.

[canned applause]

ASMODEUS: A smart move, that, considering his ongoing war with Persia, the Mamelukes, and the rest of that gang, really, but not smart enough, since Karmulek and Gothmog immediately declared war upon him as well in a separate war.

[canned applause]

MEPHISTOPHELES: We've got a report from a front line-imp coming right up.

[Barren battlefield. An imp with a rakish kevlar helmet is yelling at a parrot branded with the INN logo. All sorts of generalised medieval mayhem is going on.]

IMP: Yes, I'm standing here in the middle of the battle, on the very cusp of the brink of the descent to the abyss as warriors fight for glory and gold for their demonic masters. Notice the great general Oda Nabunaga leading the cavalry charge against the enemy? He's charging, charging, charging.. They'll never know what hit them, oh, shit! That can't have been his intention. Its rolling, rolling, rolling. And yes, its official. Oda Nabunaga's head has scored an own goal, a sad, sad days for the Nipponese army, which, Hey stay back! I'm with the Pressaaarggjjjhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

MEPHISTOPHELES: Whatever. It seems that Karmulek and Gothmog must have been preparing themselves for war in secret for some time, for no sooner had the war started than 60,000 Nipponese soldiers led by the Daimyo Oda Nabunga (5/1/4) landed in Mysore.

ASMODEUS: And got slaughtered in detail by the armies of Elderan. Gothmog was heard screaming LAG! several times, and his wrath must have been terrible to behold.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Meanwhile, an army of Mysore had begun assaulting its way into Dai Viet until it was finally stopped dead in its tracks by the Nipponese and Dai Viet armies.

ASMODEUS: Yes, that was to be the last offensive by Pi-Low. He preferred hiding at home with mighty forces, meaning, of course, that he couldn't bring aid to beleaguered Atjeh, Malacca, or Sumbawa.

MEPHISTOPHELES: And all for the lack of a fleet. Well, he did start out with a fleet, after all, and so did Elderan, but they were sent to Davy Jones by the numerically superior Nipponese galleys.

ASMODEUS: And I've got a message from Davy here: I really enjoyed the slaughter. You two are my favourite hosts. INN rocks! Well, who am I to disagree?

MEPHISTOPHELES: Thanks, Davy! We appreciate your unbiased evaluation of the network. You've won a free visit to the Succubus Parlour with service on the house, courtesy of our ethical standards advisory group. Enjoy!

ASMODEUS: Unfortunately, the war was pretty much stalemated. Elderan kept killing rebels. Karmulek and Gothmog conquered Pi-Low's south-eastern provinces and sank any western Eldar ship that dared sail the seas, and Pi-Low stayed at home. This lead to the first Parley of the Eldar. The following conversations were brought to you by fourteen frontline imps (deceased). As so often, they weren't privy to private communications. The details caught, however, suggest tantalising possibilities on that front.

[A damned orchestra attempts playing peaceful and soothing music. They fail miserably, falling into discord, warping the tune to insanity and beyond. Meanwhile The Parley of 1578 is briefly superimposed on the studio, upside down. Images of the four Eldar grimacing and shaking fists and claws are displayed]

Parley of the Eldar


Karmulek: Pi-Low, I fought a noble war because you wouldn't sell it to me. I'm not settling for less than it's cession to its rightful owners, me. And anyway, you're not the pawn in this war. It's Gujarat.
Gothmog: If you can also get Sumbawa for me, I'll be thankful.
Karmulek: I'll let war exhaustion do my work for me. Gujarat, try to convince your neighbor to be kind to me and give me my small request. You still think this is about you? It's about Gujarat.
Elderan: Is Pi-Low there?
Karmulek: Gujarat is not small and compact. He's here
Elderan: he's not saying anything

Pi-Low: rdy

Elderan: hold a sec.

Karmulek: Gujarat, your national securityi lies in Mysore ceding me Malacca.
Elderan: If Mysore cedes Malacca we all make peace?
Karmulek: Definitely
Elderan: is that the deal?
Karmulek: And your +6 WE goes to 0. Otherwise, it goes to +8, +10, etc.
Elderan: Gothmog as well
Karmulek: Yes
Pi-Low: And your anal integrity lies in you not getting anywhere near my army....

Elderan: my DP settings are excellent for WE
Karmulek: I beat you all the time, Mysore. Pi-Low, youll still get +10. I have maximally efficient WE DP.
Elderan: yeh true
Karmulek: Full decent/full narrow. I'll get +10 too. No deal, Mysore.
Karmulek: Great Gujarati Empire, your partner in arms cares NOTHING for you.
Gothmog: If this drags on, I'll have to insist on Sumbawa as well as Dai Viet's reasonable claims
Karmulek: Agreed.


Pi-Low: Rdy?
Karmulek: I'll strip Mysore of all her colonies if she keeps his this futile endeavor.
Pi-Low: Yeah right. And I'm the King of England
Gothmog: Congratulations, King of England


MEPHISTOPHELES: Take that, peaceniks!

ASMODEUS: And they did, didn't they?

MEPHISTOPHELES: Right you are, Asmodeus. While Karmulek's armies stayed within his borders, and Pi-Low stayed home decorating, the war was heating up in the frozen wastes of Siberia.

ASMODEUS: Yes, as you all remember, Pi-Low had managed to map much of the Siberian corridor some years earlier, and, apparently, he had shared those maps with Elderan, who was now busy colonising down the corridor for all he was worth.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Indeed, and what would happen, but that the first conquistador to offer his services to Nippon would do so during the war?

ASMODEUS: A remarkable occurrence indeed. Not that he lived long, that is. Hurriedly exploring down the corridor he ran headfirst into a Gujarati army, and got his sorry ass killed. No more exploration for Gothmog. Instead, a scare. Elderan would be capable of sending armies unopposed through the corridor to strike at Northern Nippon. As a result, rapid construction of colonies by both sides and marshalling of forces was observed.

MEPHISTOPHELES: I believe most men on both sides died of starvation and the climate rather than battle, didn't they?

ASMODEUS: Yes, they don't insulate people like they used to do.

[Canned laughter]

ASMODEUS: Meanwhile, Gothmog was launching futile attacks on Mysore, attempting to capture their capital. He lost more than 50,000 men over the next two years, slaughtered by the technologically superior armies of Mysore.

MEPHISTOPHELES: A blunder of epic proportions, surely, from the Lord of the Balrogs?

ASMODEUS: It might seem so, Mephistopheles, but I think not.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Yeah, right. Sending the second army to be slaughtered following the loss of the first. I have seen the light!

[Canned 'Boohs']

ASMODEUS: Well, consider this. Both times it did take Pi-Low several months to gather his troops to attack. The city might have fallen before they arrived. In fact, the city was but weeks from falling, during the second attempt.

MEPHISTOPHELES: So, he would have controlled a city he couldn't hold, and lost an army to do so. While I appreciate the destruction such action might wreak, it just doesn't seem like a smart move militarily.

ASMODEUS: While I am certain Gothmog would have gloried in the destruction both of the city and his own army, I'm willing to bet you a soul that the answer was simpler: Maps! Maps of the Siberian corridor. Maps that would have allowed him to launch a true offensive down the corridor against war weary Gujarat!

MEPHISTOPHELES: You just might be right, Asmodeus.

ASMODEUS: As usual.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Whatever. He failed. And the war dragged on with little going on save sporadic fighting in Siberia.

[Canned 'Boohs']

ASMODEUS: Yes, the peace of 1582 when Pi-Low cedes Malacca to Karmulek is hardly a surprise to anyone save Gothmog, who is rather surprised that Karmulek would make peace without getting him Sumbawa, as agreed in the parley of 1578. He is not a happy camper.

MEPHISTOPHELES: And neither is Elderan, who seizes this moment to send an army rampaging into Nipponese Siberia, thus spoiling any chances of a quick peace, although he suggests as much.

ASMODEUS: Yes, it did look as if things were really heating up, didn't it? Karmulek kept shouting that Elderan owned thousands of ducats and ought to give up Zanzibar to Gothmog for peace, egging both sides on, while Gothmog began raising fresh armies under Tokugawa Ieyasu for a counterattack.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Might have been exciting, hadn't Tokugawa lost most of his army to the brave defenders of Selenga.

ASMODEUS: Right. But he did, and Elderan and Gothmog agreed to end the wasteful war, Elderan giving up 400d and the worthless province of Ulan Ude. However, Elderan had the last laugh. When the messenger arrived to collect the money, he got a scant 200d, because Elderan had, coincidentally, used most of his money, and thus couldn't honour the agreement.

MEPHISTOPHELES: So Gothmog was cheated both by his ally and by his foe in the two peace agreements?

ASMODEUS: Yes. He's got to be pissed. But then, so has Pi-Low. His foolhardy annexation of Malacca cost him his fleet of 27 warships, Malacca, and Atjeh. But then life on the seas was tough. Gujarat lost 5 warships, 12 galleys, and 2 transports, and Gothmog lost 8 galleys sinking the 46 ships. Well, I say 8. He lost rather more to the stormy seas, but that is a different matter, and galleys are dirt cheap for a naval nation like Nippon.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Sure is. We'll continue with the scheduled programming in a moment, when the irons have been heated for Survivor!, but first a look at Asian tech, courtesy of the Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow.

Code:
[font=courier new]
[color=yellow]         Elderan  Pi-Low   Karmulek Gothmog[/color]
[color=skyblue]Land[/color][color=white]        6       10        2        5[/color]
[color=skyblue]Naval[/color][color=white]       2        3        2        2[/color]
[color=skyblue]Trade[/color][color=white]       2        2        2        2[/color]
[color=skyblue]Infra[/color][color=white]       3        2        2        4[/color]
[color=skyblue]Inflation[/color][color=white]  14.6      9.0     42.5     16.6[/color]
[/font]

ASMODEUS: Interesting. No wonder that Pi-Low won all battles within his own territory. He must have focused solely on military might at the expense of economic development. Having ingenious Muslim subjects must have helped, and he seems to have had some unexpected luck in bringing down his inflation, but nevertheless. Impressive.

MEPHISTOPHELES: And Dai Viet is skid row. Does Karmulek have any chance of staging a comeback?

ASMODEUS: Well, there still remain the Chinese provinces alotted him by agreement with Gothmog, but in the long run? Time will tell.

Peace reigns as 1583 comes around
680564689.jpg
 
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Pi-Low was lying on his bead, in the coolest deepest room of his palace in Mysore, casually chewing a few human legs. He was thinking hard and his eyes were like two small black dots on his face. His big fat chunky cheeks and his beer belly made him resemble the God the humans in the East called "Buddha." Under his bald head, it was a real brainstorming.

"- So... Before naval tech 15 galleys are more efficient that warships. That's something I didn't know and will have to remember. Those thirty warships got sunk quite easily by Gothmog's fleet. And they were really expensive. Too bad."

A messenger entered the room but was wise enough to keep quiet until Pi-Low allowed him to talk.

"- Atjeh and Sumbawa have fallen to the Eastern Eldars, but that is of little importance. Elderan has just reppeled a large army of Samurais led by Daimyo Oda Nabunga, and the general has been beheaded. My own invasion force is suffering from very high attrition losses, and it is pointless to continue in those damn mosquito infected swamps and forests. I'll call them back and will wait. Gothmog is bold enough to attack me, but Karmulek is a caveman. He's far too weak to do anything, and his pitiful armies are still using slings! HA! My new arquebuses and cannons will hack them to pieces."

Pi-Low finaly noticed the messenger and motioned him to speak. The messenger bowed deeply and respectfuly kept his eyes down while adressing the Eldar.

"- Holy Pi-Low, a large army of samurais has landed just east of here and is heading this direction. They should be here in a few days.

- Excellent! At ease man. How many samurais?

- Over 50 000 thousands.

- Wonderful! Leave me now."

Pi-Low was happy. He was gonna crush those pitiful samurais. Those retarded idiots would face his cannons for the first time... Bwuahahahahaha

A few months later

Taking enough time to do it right, Pi-Low had gathered a large army north of Mysore, being careful to provide them the best weapons available and only recuiting the best soldiers. His army was now ready to engage the enemy. Only 40 000 thousand samurais were still alive outisde the citywall of Mysore.

Pi-Low was standing on the top of a hill above his army and he could see every regiment he had called to arm, and his army made him proud.

The light muslim cavalry was scouting ahead of the army to prevent any ambush, and the six thousand men, all of them excellent riders, were ready to outflank the enemy and prevent the him from retreating.

Leading the army, Pi-Low's own herald was commandingof the huge dravidian cavalry regiment, his banner reading WE ARE LEGION. Indeed the twenty five thousand heavy cavalry men were impressive and remined Pi-Low of the Elves of the First Age. Their shining armures had been carefuly forged, and one could see that every single one of them wore a chainmail under his armor of plates. They would fight with spears and shields, and they would have to break the enemy's lines. The samurais would have a hard time stopping them.

Then walked the infantry, singing in a deep monotonous voice the song of the Mysoran Army "For you shall die with us." Their endless regiments were well organized and each regiment numbered two thousand men, twenty men in a row a hundred rows per regiment. Bangalore, Kerala, Hyderabad, Ganges... Every faithful city in the Empire had send its share of loyal soldiers. The first five regiments were pikemen, while the other regiments were equiped with arquebuses. The pikes would protect the arquebuses, and the samurais would die under a rain of lead.

Finaly, after the rain came the thunder. The Imperial Mysoran Gunners was walking at the end of the column. Fifty heavily armoured elephants, clad with leather and steal, carried the cannons on their back. Each elephant wore a reef tackle on its back, and the elite of the Mysoran army had been taught how to use those guns. Those Elephants would be walking fortresses on the battlefield and would bring chaos and mayhem into the Japanese Army.

Pi-Low was proud of his army. He pursed his lips. When he yelled the Mysoran warcry in his booming voice, the army responded perinde ac cadaver. Tomorow they would engage the enemy.

The day after, under the walls of Mysore

The Samurai besieged the great fortress of the Mysorians. The wooden battering ram-like weapons of the invaders smashed against the mighty walls of the city. For weeks, the city had been sieged. Much of the walls crumbled into dust, but they still stood. The helpless defenders, tried to attack the Samurai below, but to no avail.

The Samurai set up an enourmous camp. Tents stretched across the entire plain. Ashigaru could be seen cooking rice in their hats, while the impatient Samurai stood by, slapping their lips over the meager meal, which seemed delicious from the lack of food during the constant wars in which they had spent the last few years fighting.

The Daimyo, who was also participating in this vicious war, sat at his luxorious tent, which was defended by several highly honoured Samurai, who were armed with long yari (Spears). Months had passed, and this almost worthless base, which was the entrance to the lands of Mysore, still stood. The thousands of powerful Samurai continued the fight. They were determined to win, and would not rest until the nation of Mysore was conquered.

The Samurai all went to sleep that night, as usual, and a few hundred men were left out to keep watch. In the first watch duties, the men were on full alert. But, as the months went on, they became less vigiliant in their duties. The men passed the nights away with gambling, Go, and flute-playing.

Little did they notice the rustling in the brush, in the hills beyond the plain. The Mysorian infidels had gathered an army to try to repulse the invasion! They saw the camp, and prepared an attack. None of the Japanese guards noticed! They were all absorbed in their childish, time-wasting past-times. "Go and the bamboo flute, were the greatest enemies of a Samurai" a Samurai who fought in Hideyoshi's wars against Korea once said. And indeed, this proved it.

The Mysore army began a charge on the camp. The sounds of elephants, and the rumbling of the ground, aroused many of the sleeping Samurai, as well as bringing the attention back to the guards. The Samurai looked out of the thin sheets of the camp in shock at the massive army charging at them. One that was about equal in size to their own!

A conch shell trumpet was blown, and the camp was arisen from its deep slumber. All at once, thousands of men woke up, and hastilly prepared their armor and weapons. They ran outside and gathered with the others, and prepared to repusle this attack. The Daimyo himself awokened and peeked out of his special domain of the camp. His jaw fell in shock. What had happened while he slept? He gasped for breath and then quickly darted to his armor and prepared for battle. He ran out to the horses and found his mount.

The mighty lord charged to his well-disciplined army and prepared to command it for the battle that was about to begin. The army of Mysore stopped and faced the Samurai army on the battlefield. Both sides just looked at their enemies. The sun was only just rising, and the battle was about to begin.

Drums were beat, and gongs were sounded on the side of the Japanese forces. The mon of the Samurai waved in the slight wind that blew through the skies that fine morning. There was movement in the backlines of the Japanese army, as well as among the Mysore army.

The battle began... Arrows fired from each side, falling and piercing the hearts of the enemy infantry. The cavalrymen of Nippon charged the opponent, cutting down several hundred Mysore infantrymen, losing only a few themselves. The men continued the charge, and soon ran right into the tusks of elephants!

The Mysoran infantry had been ordered not to oppose the charge of the ennemy, and indeed the did not. The mighty samurais rode right through them, only to end nose to trump with the Imperial Mysoran Gunners. And the Mysoran fired a rolling thunder on the Japanese. Thousands of Samurais fell too this unknown thunder, and the arquebuses joined the slaughter. The Samurais retreated to their camp, and the Mysoran heavy cavalry rode after them. But the Yari broke their charge, and the Samurai cavalry managed to reform ranks and engage the ennemy.

On both sides the warriors showed no mercy. All of them knew the Eldars would not tolerate a defeat. The katanas faced the scimitars, the yaris tried to keep the spears at bay. The casualtie were heavy on both sides.

But suddenly a horn was blown and the Mysoran Cavalry broke. The samurais counter attacked, only to be turned into pulp by the Mysoran arquebuses and cannons, that had taken advantage of the fray to get closer to the Japanese.

All day long the samurais tried to break the Mysoran line, but despite their courage, they could do nothing against the cannons and the arquebuses. Thousand men after thousand men, the Japanese army shrinked and was driven back under the citywalls.
From the ramparts the defenders shot arrows at them, and boiling oil was flooding the last stand of the Japanese .

Finally, the Daymio ordered his men to flee the battlefield. With his personnal bodyguards, he would engage the enemy and try to keep them occupied as long as possible. And indeed, he fought like the samurais of Legend, for with only a hundred men he faced the whole Mysoran army. They repelled two attacks, but finally the Imperial Mysoran Gunners shot them down.

Yet the remaining samurais had managed to fight they way through the light cavalry screen, and almost eight thousand cavalry escaped the battlefield.

The Japanese had lost over thirty thousand men, their Daymio was dead and the city had been rescued. On the battlefield, the Mysoran army had lost ten thousand men.

The remaining fourty-two thousand men entered the city as heroes, and the night was one of celebration and rejoicing.

Acknowledging the courage of the Daimyo, Pi-Low told his men to bury him with the honours due to a brave. His tomb can still be seen just outside the city gates, the weapons of his foes displayed as trophies around the mound.

The other Japanese and Mysoran corpses where burned.

May 1582


Month after month, Elderan had begged Pi-Low to let go Malacca, for his over-stretched empire was falling apart. Pi-Low knew Elderan could not fight much longer, and the Mysoran armies crushing the Rebs in Persia were the only reason Gujarat was not dead yet.

But Pi-Low was reluctant to hand Malacca over to Karmulek. After all, Mysore could still fight for years, being stable and compact. Karmulek and Gothmog did occupy the colonies, but they did not stand a chance if they tried to invade the Mysoran mainland.

Finally, tired of Elderan's constant whinning, Pi-Low agreed to give over Malacca. Yet, before doing that he had secretly undertook neegociations with Karmulek: Pi-Low would give up Malacca, but Karmulek would "forget" to ask for Sumbawa for his ally, as they had planned. And this plan worked perfectly. Gothmog had it all up the a**(;)Sorry Peterr, just role-playing), and Mysore would lose nothing really important in this war.

Finally, depiste what it looked like, Pi-Low was not the one who had fought a ruinous war for nothing. His armies were almost intact, territorial loss was unimportant... Pi-Low knew the other Eldars had paid a dire cost for this war.

Being tired, Pi-Low "The Lapdog" went back to his bed and took a two-year nap after having given orders to the King.


------>

Many, many thanks to Meiji-Tenno, who helped me write this post. As you all know, he's the "Medieval Japanese Expert" on this forum, and I couldn't have done this without him. Again, thanks a lot.;)
 
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