Like Rain Up a Mountain, a Mildly Interactive Megacampaign
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Shame the vote is closed. Still going to keep a hopeful eye on this fascinating AAR!
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just an update, I've played up until the next vote, roughly 2-4 updates worth. However, it's currently pretty busy irl so expect the next update shortly before Christmas.
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Chapter 5: Beginnings of Colonization
Chapter 5: Beginnings of Colonization
On the word of the Bar of Judges, Hezekiah organized a grand relief effort for the Chinese people. Nearly a 800 Byzantine solidi were either directly sent to the East as gifts or used to organize grand trading caravans well stocked with foodstuffs. Additionally, a portion of all tithes paid to the Khan were earmarked for caravan maintenance until such time as the famine had passed. Several talented men within the kingdom also pledged themselves to visit and trade in China for the rest of their lives, in the hopes of fostering good relations between the Hezekian and Chinese merchantry.
Hezekiah also spent an additional 200 solidi on fostering the beginnings of an Ashkenazi immigration regime to Hezekiah. Contacts with rabbis throughout the world were established via missive and traders working in Italian ports. By contacting a rabbi in the know, hardworking Jewish families in western Europe who wished to take up residence in Hezekiah were to be granted small, state purchased plots of land and funds to book passage from Venice if they were able.
Within a month of the grand vote, news had spread to the countryside of the nobility’s plan to subsidize Jewish immigration into Hezekiah. In the southern territories, which remained stalwartly Armenian, this fostered immense outrage and barely any time had passed before the hidden loyalists and retired soldiers took up arms to liberate their lands from Ashina rule.
The rebels were quite numerous, but unable to match Hezekian numbers. The first battle outside their former capital led to their total rout by an army led by Khan Hezekiah himself.
While at this point Hezekiah was quite an old man, and nothing of the unstoppable warrior he had once been. However , his tactical mind had only sharpened with age. He engaged his troops in a pursuing action and victory was assumed to imminent and inevitable when he saw the enemy commander across the field.
His men who witnessed the event claimed the old man of nearly 60 let out one of the blood curdling cries that had instilled fear into every Armenian for a generation, and charged a man 30 years his junior.
Unfortunately, the frothing madman’s strength and cunning had long since faded. His anger and zeal had faded into a holy sage’s calm. Because of this he was all the better of a commander, but as his muscles had weakened with age he found himself forced back, his sword thrown to the ground. His wife’s imperial Chinese guard watched hopelessly as Hezekiah I, the Mad was slain.
With the death of Hezekiah the nobles of the Kingdom were shaken to their core. He had defied all odds and sense as long as he had ruled. Impossible things had been accomplished, and the Kingdom had fallen into assuming he would rule forever. Using the funds set aside by his father, as well as the prestige he had gained via several notable government positions, Hezekiah’s son Saul handedly won the election for Khan.
Where men trembled, in fear or reverence, wherever Hezekiah walked, Saul lacked any such personality. He was competent in all areas of rulership certainly, but he had no clear spark of brilliance and was secretly a coward. Perhaps the only thing of note about him was his ambition. An ambition for a powerful and unstoppable realm that was tempered by a mind unfettered by Madness. An ambition to surpass his father.
He began his reign with several small invasions of minor uncivilized territories north of the Caucasus. Hill tribes, Alans, and nomadic muslims who had once bowed to Khazaria found themselves forced out of their lands. If they ever returned to raid, they found the empty steppe replaced by primitive cities and castles, with the mild beginnings of trade roads starting to take root.
Roughly a year into Saul’s reign, news reached the Kingdom that the famine in China had caused the country to break into warring and disgruntled states. Hoping to procure some favor at the end of the calamity, Saul instructed the Jewish traders and experts in China to throw their favor and goods behind the Emperor, in the hopes he may crush this civil uprising.
For several more years Saul continued to make minor acquisitions in the North. After some time, only the lone county of Kerch prevented Hezekian Crimea from connecting with the Kingdom’s heartland. Colonization was a slow and costly process, as each newly taken county required extensive investment to make it defensible from nearby nomads. In four years’ time, the treasury was functionally empty. As a positive, these areas quickly became majority Jewish, unlike the southern conquests, as Khazars and imported Ashkenazis were set up in the nearly built villages and castles.
With steady, but unspectacular, success Saul convinced the Great Clans of the Council to increase royal power significantly. The Great Khan still had a very tenuous hold over the Clans, but he was now much more than a distant figure who they claimed allegiance to.
As the years crept on the minor conquests continued, and the Kingdom continued to live hand to mouth paying for expensive colonization efforts the Armenians to the South took notice. While they were a pale shadow of their former shelves, with their levies cut nearly in half, they nonetheless sensed weakness. Part of what had ensured the continued survival of Hezekiah was its first Khan’s prodigious military skill. This extended beyond the battlefield, as he proved an excellent recruiter and organizer, and seemed to summon large armies out of nowhere to allow the Kingdom to punch far above its weight.
Saul, while competent, did not have his ability. With him on the throne, the forces of Hezekiah had waned considerably. Meanwhile the Armenians retained their lionhearted King, who seemed to easily call outraged and displaced Armenians to his banner.
With these considerations in mind, the Armenians declared war, seeking to reclaim the wealthy and vast duchy that was once their capital.
While the Hezekian treasury was empty, its income remained prodigious due to its ingenious trader fleets. Khan Saul engaged in a series of delaying actions, fleeing from the superior Armenian forces through small and barely known mountain passageways. Soon, several months had passed and small forces of mercenaries were called to the Hezekian cause. Additionally, in a pleasant surprise, the horselords who rode in small bands north of the Caucasus rallied to Saul’s aid, citing the defense of the Jewish faith. The Armenians were engaged a small way outside their former capital and crushed utterly. Not spoken of was the Khan’s refusal to command the army from the front, as his father had.
After a half year of pursuing the fleeing Armenians across the mountain ranges, their King agreed to surrender to Saul.
By year’s end, Saul had resumed his colonization efforts in the North, and secured the entirety of the Crimean lands bordering the Black Sea. Finally, the Ashina dynasty was once again able to assert its strength and control over the Silk Road as a majority of overland trade ran through this port. The treasury’s yearly income increased immensely, as this one point was worth nearly two counties yearly tax income. Should other Silk Road posts be obtained, the realm would clearly prosper.
Once again the trading fleets of Hezekiah set out in search of profits. For many years they had openly traded in Venice and other Italian ports, but had only been able to visit Constantinople clandestinely, out of fear of the Basileus’s potential retribution. Following the war, Saul announced that the Kingdom no longer need fear the Greek, for the house of Ashina shall always keep it safe. Realistically, this was an empty and false statement. However, the merchants believed it, and the first official “Jewish quarter” was established near the Constantinople docks.
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AN: Apologies for the long delay, I've been on the job search. Hoping for another update this weekend.
On the word of the Bar of Judges, Hezekiah organized a grand relief effort for the Chinese people. Nearly a 800 Byzantine solidi were either directly sent to the East as gifts or used to organize grand trading caravans well stocked with foodstuffs. Additionally, a portion of all tithes paid to the Khan were earmarked for caravan maintenance until such time as the famine had passed. Several talented men within the kingdom also pledged themselves to visit and trade in China for the rest of their lives, in the hopes of fostering good relations between the Hezekian and Chinese merchantry.
Hezekiah also spent an additional 200 solidi on fostering the beginnings of an Ashkenazi immigration regime to Hezekiah. Contacts with rabbis throughout the world were established via missive and traders working in Italian ports. By contacting a rabbi in the know, hardworking Jewish families in western Europe who wished to take up residence in Hezekiah were to be granted small, state purchased plots of land and funds to book passage from Venice if they were able.
Within a month of the grand vote, news had spread to the countryside of the nobility’s plan to subsidize Jewish immigration into Hezekiah. In the southern territories, which remained stalwartly Armenian, this fostered immense outrage and barely any time had passed before the hidden loyalists and retired soldiers took up arms to liberate their lands from Ashina rule.
The rebels were quite numerous, but unable to match Hezekian numbers. The first battle outside their former capital led to their total rout by an army led by Khan Hezekiah himself.
While at this point Hezekiah was quite an old man, and nothing of the unstoppable warrior he had once been. However , his tactical mind had only sharpened with age. He engaged his troops in a pursuing action and victory was assumed to imminent and inevitable when he saw the enemy commander across the field.
His men who witnessed the event claimed the old man of nearly 60 let out one of the blood curdling cries that had instilled fear into every Armenian for a generation, and charged a man 30 years his junior.
Unfortunately, the frothing madman’s strength and cunning had long since faded. His anger and zeal had faded into a holy sage’s calm. Because of this he was all the better of a commander, but as his muscles had weakened with age he found himself forced back, his sword thrown to the ground. His wife’s imperial Chinese guard watched hopelessly as Hezekiah I, the Mad was slain.
With the death of Hezekiah the nobles of the Kingdom were shaken to their core. He had defied all odds and sense as long as he had ruled. Impossible things had been accomplished, and the Kingdom had fallen into assuming he would rule forever. Using the funds set aside by his father, as well as the prestige he had gained via several notable government positions, Hezekiah’s son Saul handedly won the election for Khan.
Where men trembled, in fear or reverence, wherever Hezekiah walked, Saul lacked any such personality. He was competent in all areas of rulership certainly, but he had no clear spark of brilliance and was secretly a coward. Perhaps the only thing of note about him was his ambition. An ambition for a powerful and unstoppable realm that was tempered by a mind unfettered by Madness. An ambition to surpass his father.
He began his reign with several small invasions of minor uncivilized territories north of the Caucasus. Hill tribes, Alans, and nomadic muslims who had once bowed to Khazaria found themselves forced out of their lands. If they ever returned to raid, they found the empty steppe replaced by primitive cities and castles, with the mild beginnings of trade roads starting to take root.
Roughly a year into Saul’s reign, news reached the Kingdom that the famine in China had caused the country to break into warring and disgruntled states. Hoping to procure some favor at the end of the calamity, Saul instructed the Jewish traders and experts in China to throw their favor and goods behind the Emperor, in the hopes he may crush this civil uprising.
For several more years Saul continued to make minor acquisitions in the North. After some time, only the lone county of Kerch prevented Hezekian Crimea from connecting with the Kingdom’s heartland. Colonization was a slow and costly process, as each newly taken county required extensive investment to make it defensible from nearby nomads. In four years’ time, the treasury was functionally empty. As a positive, these areas quickly became majority Jewish, unlike the southern conquests, as Khazars and imported Ashkenazis were set up in the nearly built villages and castles.
With steady, but unspectacular, success Saul convinced the Great Clans of the Council to increase royal power significantly. The Great Khan still had a very tenuous hold over the Clans, but he was now much more than a distant figure who they claimed allegiance to.
As the years crept on the minor conquests continued, and the Kingdom continued to live hand to mouth paying for expensive colonization efforts the Armenians to the South took notice. While they were a pale shadow of their former shelves, with their levies cut nearly in half, they nonetheless sensed weakness. Part of what had ensured the continued survival of Hezekiah was its first Khan’s prodigious military skill. This extended beyond the battlefield, as he proved an excellent recruiter and organizer, and seemed to summon large armies out of nowhere to allow the Kingdom to punch far above its weight.
Saul, while competent, did not have his ability. With him on the throne, the forces of Hezekiah had waned considerably. Meanwhile the Armenians retained their lionhearted King, who seemed to easily call outraged and displaced Armenians to his banner.
With these considerations in mind, the Armenians declared war, seeking to reclaim the wealthy and vast duchy that was once their capital.
While the Hezekian treasury was empty, its income remained prodigious due to its ingenious trader fleets. Khan Saul engaged in a series of delaying actions, fleeing from the superior Armenian forces through small and barely known mountain passageways. Soon, several months had passed and small forces of mercenaries were called to the Hezekian cause. Additionally, in a pleasant surprise, the horselords who rode in small bands north of the Caucasus rallied to Saul’s aid, citing the defense of the Jewish faith. The Armenians were engaged a small way outside their former capital and crushed utterly. Not spoken of was the Khan’s refusal to command the army from the front, as his father had.
After a half year of pursuing the fleeing Armenians across the mountain ranges, their King agreed to surrender to Saul.
By year’s end, Saul had resumed his colonization efforts in the North, and secured the entirety of the Crimean lands bordering the Black Sea. Finally, the Ashina dynasty was once again able to assert its strength and control over the Silk Road as a majority of overland trade ran through this port. The treasury’s yearly income increased immensely, as this one point was worth nearly two counties yearly tax income. Should other Silk Road posts be obtained, the realm would clearly prosper.
Once again the trading fleets of Hezekiah set out in search of profits. For many years they had openly traded in Venice and other Italian ports, but had only been able to visit Constantinople clandestinely, out of fear of the Basileus’s potential retribution. Following the war, Saul announced that the Kingdom no longer need fear the Greek, for the house of Ashina shall always keep it safe. Realistically, this was an empty and false statement. However, the merchants believed it, and the first official “Jewish quarter” was established near the Constantinople docks.
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AN: Apologies for the long delay, I've been on the job search. Hoping for another update this weekend.
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Hope the job search is going well.
Quite teh way for the old man to go
Quite teh way for the old man to go
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Hooray! Though the northern conquests were a significant upfront investment, they are now producing the promised returns. As that region continues to develop, so too shall the rest of the Republic.
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Always nice to see an update. And I certainly know how draining the job search can be.
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Chapter 6: Danger within the Land and the Ruler
Chapter 6: Danger within the Land and the Ruler
With a Silk Road port secured, Saul began efforts to increase the financial wealth of the Clannic Republic. A highly intelligent architect was sent across the Silk Road to Cathay as a gift for the Emperor, and a trading compact was secured in return. Wealth was of the highest priority. The structure of the Republic prevented vassal Clans and Lords from being obligated to provide vast armies. Instead they paid their tribute to the Ruling Clan in gold. While this allowed for the rapid development of Hezekiah, it also meant that the Ruling Clan could only draw upon a pitiful army relative to the Republic’s size. With the Moslems, the Greeks, and the ever-damned Armenians constantly circling, the treasury needed at least 1,000 Solidi at all times to hire mercenary forces in the case of an emergency.
Some good news was available from the South. The Byzantines had embarked upon a truly massive civil war. Most of the wealthiest coastal regions of Anatolia had risen up against the Basileus. Hezekiah could, for a short time, perhaps rest without threat of armed Christians swarming over the Western border.
Unfortunately, Hezekiah was not immune to its own domestic problems. Saul was not his father, and could not keep the Clans in line through a magical combination of fear, power, and absolute divine blessing. New Lords and minor Khans squabbled. Eventually, a few Armenian and Alan lords who had embraced Judaism at swordpoint rose up in rebellion against Saul. The rebellion was primarily concentrated in the former Armenian heartland, and included the greatest remaining Armenian lord.
With the aid of Khazar steppe mercenaries, the warriors of Hezekiah met the rebellious Armenian in the fields of a tight mountain pass. The battle initially seemed to favor the rebels, until a flanking maneuver through a little known pass scattered the Armenian line. Notably, Saul refused to lead from the front as his father did, leading to some grumbles. However, when the battle was won, most nobles seemed to accept Saul’s rule. Taking this endorsement as permission to act freely, Saul Ashina initiated a conquest of a small county in the North, inhabited mostly by Nomads from the remains of the Kuma Khanate.
Unfortunately, just as Saul began to enter what appeared to be the best years of his reign, with money flowing into the treasury, and conquests near assured, circumstances soured quite quickly. First, Saul began to suffer from strange headaches and malaise, until eventually, his physician discovered tumors throughout his torso. Saul contracted the wasting disease known as cancer.
In defiance and resilience, Saul established two hospitals in Abkhazia and Tmutarakan, the wealthiest cities in the Republic, tasking them with locating a cure. Yet more bad news was to follow. Refugees from Cathay arrived in Tmutarakan, the Emperor of Cathay had been overthrown. A great savage horse lord, in the style of Zachariah the Slayer himself, had conquered Cathay. A Mongol now sat on the Dragon throne, and Saul’s trade compact was worthless. Saul immediately began efforts to endear the Ashina family to the new rulers of Cathay.
Undeterred, Saul ordered his forces to crush the nomads in the North, and brought about victories both in his Northern conquest, and in crushing the rebellious Armenian after two years of war. Using the disloyalty of the Rebels as a pretext, Saul was able to convince the Clans to grant the Khan the authority to revoke titles. In his first act using this authority, the rebels were stripped of their land, which was promptly given to loyal Ashkenazis fleeing from Western Europe.
In the South, five years after it began, the Byzantine civil war came to an end. This was not fortuitous. The war’s original cause had been due to an Armenian claim to the Imperial Throne. Now, the son of the Lionheart of Armenia, hated rival of Hezekiah I, sat upon the Byzantine throne while the Republic’s southern border became completely surrounded by Byzantine lands. It would be remain to be seen if he harbored ill-will toward the Republic of Hezekiah due to its humiliation of his father.
Even if the newly-crowned Basileus bore no ill-will toward the Republic, his vassals certainly did. In concert, the Duke of Trebizond, and a Count of Anatolia launched simultaneous “holy” conquests into Hezekiah. Hezekiahan forces managed to meet the Duke in the highly fortified mountain pass near Parekhi. By now, Hezekiahans had forgotten their cavalry ancestry. Instead, they had embraced the shield and the pike. With the terrain on their side, the Duke’s army was scattered by the Hezekiahans.
Shortly thereafter, Orthodox peasants in Eastern Hezekiah, which, along with Southern Hezekiah, had most strongly resisted Judaism and the influence of the Republic, rose up in rebellion. The army of the Republic found itself encircled. To the West, the Duke had regathered his strength and set about occupying Western Hezekiah. In the South, a small army led by the Count of Anatolia had emerged. Meanwhile the Rebels occupied the East.
First, Saul sent orders from the capital in Abkhazia, demanding the Rebels be put to the sword. Initially, the rebels fled, but with the aid of Khazar cavalry mercenaries, they were met in the field and destroyed utterly. Without the threat of an Eastern pincer, the Hezekiahan forces were then able to quickly rout the small army of the Anatolian Count, resulting in a white peace.
With the small pieces removed from the board, the Hezekiahans could now engage the outnumbered Duke’s forces in occupied Western Hezekiah. Victory for the Hezekiahans was assured, but they lacked the numbers to successfully besiege Trebizond without running the treasury dry, therefore, a white peace was signed.
More frustrating news came from the Far East. A new vast horde of horselords had invaded Cathay. These “Jurchens” now sought to overthrow the Mongol conquerors, who had yet to stabilize Cathay. Should they be successful, Saul’s efforts would again come to nothing.
After a year of recuperation from the invasions, Saul launched another effort to conquer and settle more of the Northern lands. With the assistance of Steppe mercenaries, the conquest occurred without issue. As had, by now, become common practice, Saul began the process of constructing new settlements in the area, mostly inhabited by Ashkenazi immigrants.
While inspecting new constructing projects in Crimea, which was quickly growing into a major settlement, Saul and his forces encountered a new people. These” Northmen” were terrifying warriors. Worse still, they loved to raid and pillage as the ancestors of Hezekiah once had. In a karmic turn of justice, they began to reave up and down the wealthy Hezekiahan coast in vast numbers. Trade ports burned, and the treasury suffered heavily as the people of Hezekiah began to understand what Zachariah had once inflicted upon the Bolghars.
After a few years, merchants along the Silk Road began to bring tails of a manned called the Seljuk. Purported to be a Moslem warrior without equal, who was said to be beginning a conquest of Persia and the Steppe.
However, this was, at least for the time being, of little concern to the Clannic Republic of Hezekiah. With several years of rest behind him, and a full treasury, Saul launched another conquest of the Northern Steppe. With success, he would be neighboring another valuable Silk Road trading hotspot, the city of Atil. Overconfident from his previous successes, Saul initially launched the conquest without any Khazar steppe mercenaries. True to their horselord ancestors, Hezekiahans remained excellent warriors, but they no longer were masters of the steppe. As four thousand Hezekiahan infantry engaged two thousand Kuma steppe riders, Saul saw his forces routed utterly in a humiliating defeat.
Reluctantly, he hired steppe mercenaries. Saul watched from a nearby, and safe, distance as his forces of sell-swords met Kuma horsemen on the field. Victory appeared assured. Unfortunately, Saul’s cancer, which had been so expertly delayed by the finest doctors money could buy, chose this moment, to end his life.
Saul’s son Hezekiah II, led the Republic’s forces from the front, and brought a great victory to his people, only to return after the battle to find his father’s corpse. Saul, ever the intelligent ruler, had long ago placed the correct bribes in the correct hands. Despite his young age, Hezekiah II was proclaimed the next Khan of the Clannic Republic immediately after the conquest in the North.
With a Silk Road port secured, Saul began efforts to increase the financial wealth of the Clannic Republic. A highly intelligent architect was sent across the Silk Road to Cathay as a gift for the Emperor, and a trading compact was secured in return. Wealth was of the highest priority. The structure of the Republic prevented vassal Clans and Lords from being obligated to provide vast armies. Instead they paid their tribute to the Ruling Clan in gold. While this allowed for the rapid development of Hezekiah, it also meant that the Ruling Clan could only draw upon a pitiful army relative to the Republic’s size. With the Moslems, the Greeks, and the ever-damned Armenians constantly circling, the treasury needed at least 1,000 Solidi at all times to hire mercenary forces in the case of an emergency.
Some good news was available from the South. The Byzantines had embarked upon a truly massive civil war. Most of the wealthiest coastal regions of Anatolia had risen up against the Basileus. Hezekiah could, for a short time, perhaps rest without threat of armed Christians swarming over the Western border.
Unfortunately, Hezekiah was not immune to its own domestic problems. Saul was not his father, and could not keep the Clans in line through a magical combination of fear, power, and absolute divine blessing. New Lords and minor Khans squabbled. Eventually, a few Armenian and Alan lords who had embraced Judaism at swordpoint rose up in rebellion against Saul. The rebellion was primarily concentrated in the former Armenian heartland, and included the greatest remaining Armenian lord.
With the aid of Khazar steppe mercenaries, the warriors of Hezekiah met the rebellious Armenian in the fields of a tight mountain pass. The battle initially seemed to favor the rebels, until a flanking maneuver through a little known pass scattered the Armenian line. Notably, Saul refused to lead from the front as his father did, leading to some grumbles. However, when the battle was won, most nobles seemed to accept Saul’s rule. Taking this endorsement as permission to act freely, Saul Ashina initiated a conquest of a small county in the North, inhabited mostly by Nomads from the remains of the Kuma Khanate.
Unfortunately, just as Saul began to enter what appeared to be the best years of his reign, with money flowing into the treasury, and conquests near assured, circumstances soured quite quickly. First, Saul began to suffer from strange headaches and malaise, until eventually, his physician discovered tumors throughout his torso. Saul contracted the wasting disease known as cancer.
In defiance and resilience, Saul established two hospitals in Abkhazia and Tmutarakan, the wealthiest cities in the Republic, tasking them with locating a cure. Yet more bad news was to follow. Refugees from Cathay arrived in Tmutarakan, the Emperor of Cathay had been overthrown. A great savage horse lord, in the style of Zachariah the Slayer himself, had conquered Cathay. A Mongol now sat on the Dragon throne, and Saul’s trade compact was worthless. Saul immediately began efforts to endear the Ashina family to the new rulers of Cathay.
Undeterred, Saul ordered his forces to crush the nomads in the North, and brought about victories both in his Northern conquest, and in crushing the rebellious Armenian after two years of war. Using the disloyalty of the Rebels as a pretext, Saul was able to convince the Clans to grant the Khan the authority to revoke titles. In his first act using this authority, the rebels were stripped of their land, which was promptly given to loyal Ashkenazis fleeing from Western Europe.
In the South, five years after it began, the Byzantine civil war came to an end. This was not fortuitous. The war’s original cause had been due to an Armenian claim to the Imperial Throne. Now, the son of the Lionheart of Armenia, hated rival of Hezekiah I, sat upon the Byzantine throne while the Republic’s southern border became completely surrounded by Byzantine lands. It would be remain to be seen if he harbored ill-will toward the Republic of Hezekiah due to its humiliation of his father.
Even if the newly-crowned Basileus bore no ill-will toward the Republic, his vassals certainly did. In concert, the Duke of Trebizond, and a Count of Anatolia launched simultaneous “holy” conquests into Hezekiah. Hezekiahan forces managed to meet the Duke in the highly fortified mountain pass near Parekhi. By now, Hezekiahans had forgotten their cavalry ancestry. Instead, they had embraced the shield and the pike. With the terrain on their side, the Duke’s army was scattered by the Hezekiahans.
Shortly thereafter, Orthodox peasants in Eastern Hezekiah, which, along with Southern Hezekiah, had most strongly resisted Judaism and the influence of the Republic, rose up in rebellion. The army of the Republic found itself encircled. To the West, the Duke had regathered his strength and set about occupying Western Hezekiah. In the South, a small army led by the Count of Anatolia had emerged. Meanwhile the Rebels occupied the East.
First, Saul sent orders from the capital in Abkhazia, demanding the Rebels be put to the sword. Initially, the rebels fled, but with the aid of Khazar cavalry mercenaries, they were met in the field and destroyed utterly. Without the threat of an Eastern pincer, the Hezekiahan forces were then able to quickly rout the small army of the Anatolian Count, resulting in a white peace.
With the small pieces removed from the board, the Hezekiahans could now engage the outnumbered Duke’s forces in occupied Western Hezekiah. Victory for the Hezekiahans was assured, but they lacked the numbers to successfully besiege Trebizond without running the treasury dry, therefore, a white peace was signed.
More frustrating news came from the Far East. A new vast horde of horselords had invaded Cathay. These “Jurchens” now sought to overthrow the Mongol conquerors, who had yet to stabilize Cathay. Should they be successful, Saul’s efforts would again come to nothing.
After a year of recuperation from the invasions, Saul launched another effort to conquer and settle more of the Northern lands. With the assistance of Steppe mercenaries, the conquest occurred without issue. As had, by now, become common practice, Saul began the process of constructing new settlements in the area, mostly inhabited by Ashkenazi immigrants.
While inspecting new constructing projects in Crimea, which was quickly growing into a major settlement, Saul and his forces encountered a new people. These” Northmen” were terrifying warriors. Worse still, they loved to raid and pillage as the ancestors of Hezekiah once had. In a karmic turn of justice, they began to reave up and down the wealthy Hezekiahan coast in vast numbers. Trade ports burned, and the treasury suffered heavily as the people of Hezekiah began to understand what Zachariah had once inflicted upon the Bolghars.
After a few years, merchants along the Silk Road began to bring tails of a manned called the Seljuk. Purported to be a Moslem warrior without equal, who was said to be beginning a conquest of Persia and the Steppe.
However, this was, at least for the time being, of little concern to the Clannic Republic of Hezekiah. With several years of rest behind him, and a full treasury, Saul launched another conquest of the Northern Steppe. With success, he would be neighboring another valuable Silk Road trading hotspot, the city of Atil. Overconfident from his previous successes, Saul initially launched the conquest without any Khazar steppe mercenaries. True to their horselord ancestors, Hezekiahans remained excellent warriors, but they no longer were masters of the steppe. As four thousand Hezekiahan infantry engaged two thousand Kuma steppe riders, Saul saw his forces routed utterly in a humiliating defeat.
Reluctantly, he hired steppe mercenaries. Saul watched from a nearby, and safe, distance as his forces of sell-swords met Kuma horsemen on the field. Victory appeared assured. Unfortunately, Saul’s cancer, which had been so expertly delayed by the finest doctors money could buy, chose this moment, to end his life.
Saul’s son Hezekiah II, led the Republic’s forces from the front, and brought a great victory to his people, only to return after the battle to find his father’s corpse. Saul, ever the intelligent ruler, had long ago placed the correct bribes in the correct hands. Despite his young age, Hezekiah II was proclaimed the next Khan of the Clannic Republic immediately after the conquest in the North.
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That's not good…
Also, it looks like you've inadvertently posted two copies of the update. Each version only has some of the pictures.
Also, it looks like you've inadvertently posted two copies of the update. Each version only has some of the pictures.
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Good news from China, bad news from Persia. Potentially very bad news.
Though I must say I rather like the cyan map colour
Though I must say I rather like the cyan map colour
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Chapter 7: A Changing World
Chapter 7: A Changing World
In many ways, Hezekiah II resembled his namesake. He was an excellent military commander, a natural born genius, and proficient in most areas of rulership. He lacked the ability to inspire through sheer religious conviction, but this was more than made up for by his lack of madness and strong military achievements. Hezekiah II inherited the Clannic Republic in a strong position. While there remained continual troubles with Orthodox rebels, and the constant threat of the Greeks to the South, the Republic was the most secure it had been in its history. The rule of Hezekiah II was believed to be off to a promising start.
This, unfortunately, quickly changed. A self-styled “King” of Nicaea, answerable to only the Byzantine Basileus, declared a holy war for Western Hezekiah. While the Republic had weathered the storm of Christian invasions in the past, this was frankly of an untold scale. The King of Nicaea was able to claim lordship over roughly a third of the Byzantine Empire, and could call vast numbers to his cause. Further worsening matters, the same Duke of Trebizond of past conflicts launched a simultaneous invasion.
Hezekiah II wasted no time. He mustered the entirety of Clan Ashina’s forces, steppe mercenaries, and what little forces he could call from the other clans. In early June of 976, his forces met the Duke of a Trebizond in battle while they laid siege to a Hezekiahan keep. Disciplined lines of Hezekiahan infantry advanced supported by volleys of steppe-rider arrows. The Duke’s forces fled in disarray and were picked apart thoroughly by the mercenaries. Seeing his army in ruins, the Duke acquiesced to a white peace.
Hezekiah II led his troops to the interior of the Republic to recuperate, and received news from Cathay. The Mongol Emperor had been overthrown, now the Jurchens ruled from the Dragon throne. Hezekiah was saddened by his father’s work to win over the Mongols being wasted, but had no time to consider other measures. Instead, he took his refreshed forces and rode to central Anatolia, where Jewish traders informed him the King of Nicaea was amassing forces.
He managed to isolate and destroy a contingent of three thousand men in the deep interior of the Byzantine Empire. Hezekiah II prayed to Adonai that it would be enough to win the war. Should the Western mountain passes fall to the Greeks, they would stand on the door to Abkhazia, the financial and residential heartland of the Republic. Should Abkhazia fall, the end of the Republic would soon follow.
A month later, Hezekiah II’s scouts located what they believed to be the King of Nicaea’s main force outside a keep named Ankyra. Hezekiah II moved quickly to engage and met the Greeks on their prepared field, outnumbered and outside of his own element. Despite this, Hezekiah II fought on foot in the center of the Republic’s forces. Bolstered by their Khan, the Hezekiahan forces held the center until the steppe mercenaries overwhelmed the Greek flanks. While the Republic’s losses were not insignificant, the battle was a disaster for Greek forces, and Hezekiah II believed he was on the cusp of victory. Unfortunately, this was far from the truth.
The Republic’s forces raided and plundered Central Anatolia for three months with impunity. Soon, however, they received news. A vast Greek army was again laying siege to the Western Hezekiahan mountain passes. The Republic’s force marched and quickly moved to engage the invaders, who numbered over ten thousand strong. It appeared that what Hezekiah II believed to be the King of Nicea’s main army, was simply half of his total forces. In a battle outside a Hezekiahan keep, the wounds of the war began to show. The disciplined Hezekiahan infantry had been whittled down by battle and attrition. What remain was mostly a lightly equipped skirmishing force. Even as the Khan fought in the ranks, the center was overrun and the Greeks began to slaughter with impunity. With only steppe mercenaries available, and no way to reliably procure the required heavy infantry, Hezekiah II was forced to surrender to the King of Nicaea’s demands.
Sensing weakness, discontent minor Clans demanded a reversal of Saul’s reforms. Hezekiah II had no choice but to acquiesce, placing near complete power in the Clans hands, and removing it from the Khan.
A year of rest was declared across the Republic. While the war had been lost, the ensuing truce bought time for the Hezekiahans to recover. Following this time of recuperation, Hezekiah II launched a conquest of the city of Atil, believing its riches as a Silk Road trade hotspot may help secure the Republic’s future.
As the city was held by nomads from the remnants of the Kuma Khanate, no Hezekiahan forces were used in the conquest. Instead, steppe mercenaries quickly and efficiently conquered Atil for the Republic.
More than ten years of relative peace followed. While there were occasional small conquests of nomadic territories North of Crimea, the republic spent its years buying its time, developing trade, and investing in infrastructure. Soon, Hezekiahan heavy infantry were once again commonplace, and trade flowed freely from Constantinople, to Abkhazia, to Atil, lining the pockets of the Republic at every stop.
Strange news arrived to Abkhazia in 990. Byzantium had somehow, in its entirety, fallen to the Moslems. Hezekiah II immediately launched an investigation. Traders from the De Richmont family were able to explain. The Basileus of Byzantium, the son of the Lionhearted Armenian, known as the Usurper by the Greeks, had died without an heir. His only remaining kinsman a nomadic Moslem horselord of great renown. This kinsman was the son of a juvenile Armenian princess, captured during a raid originating in North West Persia, and a fierce Moslem who proclaimed himself Khan of the Turkmens. Said Khan had passed over two decades ago, and his son now ruled the Turkmens. After his distant kinsman the Basileous died, the Turkman Khan had ridden into Constantinople pretending to be a trader and installed himself on the throne!
Needless to say, Christendom was outraged. The Western Christians, who the formerly French De Richmonts informed Hezekiah II answered to a man known as the Pope, immediately declared an era of “Crusader Kings.” Religious knightly orders spring up overnight, all seeking to reclaim Byzantium, and the Holy Land of Jerusalem. Within a year, the Pope launched a Crusader for Jerusalem, and called all Western Christians to take part.
At the same time, the majority Christian vassals of Byzantium rose up in rebellion against their Moslem Basileus.
For the Republic, this could not be more fortuitous. The Republic’s treasury was well stocked, its forces were recovered, and its enemies were in total disarray! Hezekiah II summoned all available levies and mercenaries. Hezekiah II believed that the Moslem Basileus will likely fall, but that his vassals will remain strong, therefore he elected to invade one of the few duchies still loyal to the Basileus, a duchy in the South known as Vaspurakan. The duchy was invaded, besieged, and occupied by loyal Hezekiahan troops. The duchy was then quickly annexed to the republic.
Meanwhile more strange news poured out from the West. A pagan religion known as Romuvan, had, under the leadership of the Pagan Kingdom of Lithuania, apparently reformed itself to better compete with the increasingly powerful faith of Christianity. This was of little concern to the Republic.
Riding on the back of this untold success against the Greek, as well as 10 years of prosperity, Hezekiah II convinced the Council to allow the stripping of land from Non-Jews.
In many ways, Hezekiah II resembled his namesake. He was an excellent military commander, a natural born genius, and proficient in most areas of rulership. He lacked the ability to inspire through sheer religious conviction, but this was more than made up for by his lack of madness and strong military achievements. Hezekiah II inherited the Clannic Republic in a strong position. While there remained continual troubles with Orthodox rebels, and the constant threat of the Greeks to the South, the Republic was the most secure it had been in its history. The rule of Hezekiah II was believed to be off to a promising start.
This, unfortunately, quickly changed. A self-styled “King” of Nicaea, answerable to only the Byzantine Basileus, declared a holy war for Western Hezekiah. While the Republic had weathered the storm of Christian invasions in the past, this was frankly of an untold scale. The King of Nicaea was able to claim lordship over roughly a third of the Byzantine Empire, and could call vast numbers to his cause. Further worsening matters, the same Duke of Trebizond of past conflicts launched a simultaneous invasion.
Hezekiah II wasted no time. He mustered the entirety of Clan Ashina’s forces, steppe mercenaries, and what little forces he could call from the other clans. In early June of 976, his forces met the Duke of a Trebizond in battle while they laid siege to a Hezekiahan keep. Disciplined lines of Hezekiahan infantry advanced supported by volleys of steppe-rider arrows. The Duke’s forces fled in disarray and were picked apart thoroughly by the mercenaries. Seeing his army in ruins, the Duke acquiesced to a white peace.
Hezekiah II led his troops to the interior of the Republic to recuperate, and received news from Cathay. The Mongol Emperor had been overthrown, now the Jurchens ruled from the Dragon throne. Hezekiah was saddened by his father’s work to win over the Mongols being wasted, but had no time to consider other measures. Instead, he took his refreshed forces and rode to central Anatolia, where Jewish traders informed him the King of Nicaea was amassing forces.
He managed to isolate and destroy a contingent of three thousand men in the deep interior of the Byzantine Empire. Hezekiah II prayed to Adonai that it would be enough to win the war. Should the Western mountain passes fall to the Greeks, they would stand on the door to Abkhazia, the financial and residential heartland of the Republic. Should Abkhazia fall, the end of the Republic would soon follow.
A month later, Hezekiah II’s scouts located what they believed to be the King of Nicaea’s main force outside a keep named Ankyra. Hezekiah II moved quickly to engage and met the Greeks on their prepared field, outnumbered and outside of his own element. Despite this, Hezekiah II fought on foot in the center of the Republic’s forces. Bolstered by their Khan, the Hezekiahan forces held the center until the steppe mercenaries overwhelmed the Greek flanks. While the Republic’s losses were not insignificant, the battle was a disaster for Greek forces, and Hezekiah II believed he was on the cusp of victory. Unfortunately, this was far from the truth.
The Republic’s forces raided and plundered Central Anatolia for three months with impunity. Soon, however, they received news. A vast Greek army was again laying siege to the Western Hezekiahan mountain passes. The Republic’s force marched and quickly moved to engage the invaders, who numbered over ten thousand strong. It appeared that what Hezekiah II believed to be the King of Nicea’s main army, was simply half of his total forces. In a battle outside a Hezekiahan keep, the wounds of the war began to show. The disciplined Hezekiahan infantry had been whittled down by battle and attrition. What remain was mostly a lightly equipped skirmishing force. Even as the Khan fought in the ranks, the center was overrun and the Greeks began to slaughter with impunity. With only steppe mercenaries available, and no way to reliably procure the required heavy infantry, Hezekiah II was forced to surrender to the King of Nicaea’s demands.
Sensing weakness, discontent minor Clans demanded a reversal of Saul’s reforms. Hezekiah II had no choice but to acquiesce, placing near complete power in the Clans hands, and removing it from the Khan.
A year of rest was declared across the Republic. While the war had been lost, the ensuing truce bought time for the Hezekiahans to recover. Following this time of recuperation, Hezekiah II launched a conquest of the city of Atil, believing its riches as a Silk Road trade hotspot may help secure the Republic’s future.
As the city was held by nomads from the remnants of the Kuma Khanate, no Hezekiahan forces were used in the conquest. Instead, steppe mercenaries quickly and efficiently conquered Atil for the Republic.
More than ten years of relative peace followed. While there were occasional small conquests of nomadic territories North of Crimea, the republic spent its years buying its time, developing trade, and investing in infrastructure. Soon, Hezekiahan heavy infantry were once again commonplace, and trade flowed freely from Constantinople, to Abkhazia, to Atil, lining the pockets of the Republic at every stop.
Strange news arrived to Abkhazia in 990. Byzantium had somehow, in its entirety, fallen to the Moslems. Hezekiah II immediately launched an investigation. Traders from the De Richmont family were able to explain. The Basileus of Byzantium, the son of the Lionhearted Armenian, known as the Usurper by the Greeks, had died without an heir. His only remaining kinsman a nomadic Moslem horselord of great renown. This kinsman was the son of a juvenile Armenian princess, captured during a raid originating in North West Persia, and a fierce Moslem who proclaimed himself Khan of the Turkmens. Said Khan had passed over two decades ago, and his son now ruled the Turkmens. After his distant kinsman the Basileous died, the Turkman Khan had ridden into Constantinople pretending to be a trader and installed himself on the throne!
Needless to say, Christendom was outraged. The Western Christians, who the formerly French De Richmonts informed Hezekiah II answered to a man known as the Pope, immediately declared an era of “Crusader Kings.” Religious knightly orders spring up overnight, all seeking to reclaim Byzantium, and the Holy Land of Jerusalem. Within a year, the Pope launched a Crusader for Jerusalem, and called all Western Christians to take part.
At the same time, the majority Christian vassals of Byzantium rose up in rebellion against their Moslem Basileus.
For the Republic, this could not be more fortuitous. The Republic’s treasury was well stocked, its forces were recovered, and its enemies were in total disarray! Hezekiah II summoned all available levies and mercenaries. Hezekiah II believed that the Moslem Basileus will likely fall, but that his vassals will remain strong, therefore he elected to invade one of the few duchies still loyal to the Basileus, a duchy in the South known as Vaspurakan. The duchy was invaded, besieged, and occupied by loyal Hezekiahan troops. The duchy was then quickly annexed to the republic.
Meanwhile more strange news poured out from the West. A pagan religion known as Romuvan, had, under the leadership of the Pagan Kingdom of Lithuania, apparently reformed itself to better compete with the increasingly powerful faith of Christianity. This was of little concern to the Republic.
Riding on the back of this untold success against the Greek, as well as 10 years of prosperity, Hezekiah II convinced the Council to allow the stripping of land from Non-Jews.
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A most timely death (of the Seljuk). I am reminded a little of the impact of the death of Catherine the Great of Russia.
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Chapter 8: Consolidation and Conquest
Chapter 8: Consolidation and Conquest
More than a year after his victory against the Moslem Basileus Hezekiah II again turned his eyes toward the warring Greeks. Jewish traders in Constantinople informed him that even now loyalist and rebel armies fought on both sides of the Bosporus in great numbers.
Sensing opportunity after his successful war against the Moslem Basileus, Hezekiah declared war on the Christian rebels, seeking to seize Cherson, a wealthy Silk Road port on the Crimean peninsula.
Initially, the Hezekiahan forces were allowed to conquer and plunder as they pleased. Cherson and its adjacent lands are besieged and occupied without a fight.
However, not all things went right for the House of Ashina. Hezekiah II falls ill during the siege, and is diagnosed by his attendant physician with cancer, of the same variety that killed his father.
Hezekiah II refused to yield to the disease. His father survived more than a decade after his diagnosis, a sign that Ashina blood is strong. Hezekiah II devoted additional funds to the founding of hospitals along the coast of the Black Sea and marched his army to the Western border of the Republic. There, he met a great Greek host in battle along the mountain passes. Although the Greeks were outnumbered, their troops were much more suited to the mountain passes than Hezekiah II’s cavalry mercenaries and the battle was a close one. Fortunately, the Republic’s forces carried the day and eliminated six thousand soldiers from the Christian Rebels’ forces, likely turning the tide in the Byzantine Civil War.
Regardless of the ramifications on Byzantium, the Republic is granted a great victory! The city of Cherson and its wealthy trading ports were added to the Ashina’s personal demesne. In honor of a great, and often uncredited leader, Cherson is renamed Yabghu city.
In the next year, news arrived from the South. The Western Christians succeeded in their Crusade for the Holy Land, and now the Sacred City of Jerusalem was placed in Catholic hands. The conquering Kingdom, strangely, resembles the Republic of Hezekiah. The ruler of a Southern Italian realm by the name of the Republic of Amalfi is crowned the new Merchant-King of Israel. Time will tell if he can resist the Moslems and Greeks as the people of Hezekiah have.
In October, the Byzantine Civil War ends in a victory for the Moslem Basileus. His victory was likely only possible due to the Hezekiahans’ interference and the Republic’s destruction of rebel forces. This does little to endear the Republic to the Christian Greeks of Anatolia.
The Basileus’ peace lasts but a few scant months before again his vassals rise up in rebellion, beginning the Second Byzantine Civil War. On the advice of the Yurt Circle generals, Hezekiah II again declared war upon the rebels, this time seeking to reclaim the Western mountain passes of the Republic that were previously stolen by the King of Nicaea.
The passes were quickly seized with the aid of their Jewish populations. Large rebel armies approached the passes but refused to engage the Republic’s forces. Soon, a peace was signed, and the passes were restored to the Republic.
With Christians defeated again and again, the previously waning Jewish religion had found new strength. Across the globe, from the Carpathian Basin to Atil Jews found new strength in their faith, and hope for the future.
Using his universal authority amongst the council, Hezekiah II further centralized the Republic, allowing the current Ruling Clan to hold more territory.
In 996, the Second Byzantine Civil War came to a pause. The Moslem Basileus had been slain in battle. His son was barely out of the cradle. The Christian lords paused their war to consider if the child could be raised as a good Christian, restoring the Empire’s legitimacy.
Later that same year, Hezekiah II passed into the afterlife, taken by the same wasting sickness that took his father. His son, Yehudai was elected ruling Khan of the Republic.
Yehudai, who rules the Republic today, was a true son of Ashina even upon his initial election to rulership. He possessed the dynasty’s acclaimed military acumen, and an ambition to improve the Republic’s circumstances. As he personally possessed three Silk Road trading points, as well as an addition eight trading ports on the Black Sea, the income of the Republic became simply ludicrous. Over 150 Byzantine Solidi entered the treasury monthly.
This income was immediately doubled with the successful signing of a trading pact with the Jurchen Emperor of Cathay.
While the Byzantines pondered their new boy-Emperor Yehudai launched a successful conquest of a small isolated Greek duchy.
In the South, the nascent Republic of Israel is crushed within a year of its founding by a Moslem Jihad. The Holy Land is returned to Islamic rule.
Only 3 years into the rule of Yehudai, he is obligated to call a vote before the Councillary. The greatest minds, the strongest generals of the Yurt Circle, and the wealthiest of the Clans are called to assemble in Abkhazia to decide the course of the Clannic Republic.
Vote next update.
To anyone who somehow remembers this AAR from years ago, hello! I apologize for this long absence, I was completing graduate school and finding employment afterwards, which is now much more stable. This AAR was never far from my thoughts and I always wanted to go back to it. Due to a save corruption, my most recent save was after update 5, so updates 6-7 have been re-written and may be worth re-reading. The next update is already completed and will be released Saturday or Sunday to see if there’s enough interest to carry a reader vote. Hopefully there is still some interest in this strange concept!
More than a year after his victory against the Moslem Basileus Hezekiah II again turned his eyes toward the warring Greeks. Jewish traders in Constantinople informed him that even now loyalist and rebel armies fought on both sides of the Bosporus in great numbers.
Sensing opportunity after his successful war against the Moslem Basileus, Hezekiah declared war on the Christian rebels, seeking to seize Cherson, a wealthy Silk Road port on the Crimean peninsula.
Initially, the Hezekiahan forces were allowed to conquer and plunder as they pleased. Cherson and its adjacent lands are besieged and occupied without a fight.
However, not all things went right for the House of Ashina. Hezekiah II falls ill during the siege, and is diagnosed by his attendant physician with cancer, of the same variety that killed his father.
Hezekiah II refused to yield to the disease. His father survived more than a decade after his diagnosis, a sign that Ashina blood is strong. Hezekiah II devoted additional funds to the founding of hospitals along the coast of the Black Sea and marched his army to the Western border of the Republic. There, he met a great Greek host in battle along the mountain passes. Although the Greeks were outnumbered, their troops were much more suited to the mountain passes than Hezekiah II’s cavalry mercenaries and the battle was a close one. Fortunately, the Republic’s forces carried the day and eliminated six thousand soldiers from the Christian Rebels’ forces, likely turning the tide in the Byzantine Civil War.
Regardless of the ramifications on Byzantium, the Republic is granted a great victory! The city of Cherson and its wealthy trading ports were added to the Ashina’s personal demesne. In honor of a great, and often uncredited leader, Cherson is renamed Yabghu city.
In the next year, news arrived from the South. The Western Christians succeeded in their Crusade for the Holy Land, and now the Sacred City of Jerusalem was placed in Catholic hands. The conquering Kingdom, strangely, resembles the Republic of Hezekiah. The ruler of a Southern Italian realm by the name of the Republic of Amalfi is crowned the new Merchant-King of Israel. Time will tell if he can resist the Moslems and Greeks as the people of Hezekiah have.
In October, the Byzantine Civil War ends in a victory for the Moslem Basileus. His victory was likely only possible due to the Hezekiahans’ interference and the Republic’s destruction of rebel forces. This does little to endear the Republic to the Christian Greeks of Anatolia.
The Basileus’ peace lasts but a few scant months before again his vassals rise up in rebellion, beginning the Second Byzantine Civil War. On the advice of the Yurt Circle generals, Hezekiah II again declared war upon the rebels, this time seeking to reclaim the Western mountain passes of the Republic that were previously stolen by the King of Nicaea.
The passes were quickly seized with the aid of their Jewish populations. Large rebel armies approached the passes but refused to engage the Republic’s forces. Soon, a peace was signed, and the passes were restored to the Republic.
With Christians defeated again and again, the previously waning Jewish religion had found new strength. Across the globe, from the Carpathian Basin to Atil Jews found new strength in their faith, and hope for the future.
Using his universal authority amongst the council, Hezekiah II further centralized the Republic, allowing the current Ruling Clan to hold more territory.
In 996, the Second Byzantine Civil War came to a pause. The Moslem Basileus had been slain in battle. His son was barely out of the cradle. The Christian lords paused their war to consider if the child could be raised as a good Christian, restoring the Empire’s legitimacy.
Later that same year, Hezekiah II passed into the afterlife, taken by the same wasting sickness that took his father. His son, Yehudai was elected ruling Khan of the Republic.
Yehudai, who rules the Republic today, was a true son of Ashina even upon his initial election to rulership. He possessed the dynasty’s acclaimed military acumen, and an ambition to improve the Republic’s circumstances. As he personally possessed three Silk Road trading points, as well as an addition eight trading ports on the Black Sea, the income of the Republic became simply ludicrous. Over 150 Byzantine Solidi entered the treasury monthly.
This income was immediately doubled with the successful signing of a trading pact with the Jurchen Emperor of Cathay.
While the Byzantines pondered their new boy-Emperor Yehudai launched a successful conquest of a small isolated Greek duchy.
In the South, the nascent Republic of Israel is crushed within a year of its founding by a Moslem Jihad. The Holy Land is returned to Islamic rule.
Only 3 years into the rule of Yehudai, he is obligated to call a vote before the Councillary. The greatest minds, the strongest generals of the Yurt Circle, and the wealthiest of the Clans are called to assemble in Abkhazia to decide the course of the Clannic Republic.
Vote next update.
To anyone who somehow remembers this AAR from years ago, hello! I apologize for this long absence, I was completing graduate school and finding employment afterwards, which is now much more stable. This AAR was never far from my thoughts and I always wanted to go back to it. Due to a save corruption, my most recent save was after update 5, so updates 6-7 have been re-written and may be worth re-reading. The next update is already completed and will be released Saturday or Sunday to see if there’s enough interest to carry a reader vote. Hopefully there is still some interest in this strange concept!
- 1
Holy smokes I forgot about this one! Good to see it up and running again.
- 1
State of the World: 1000
State of the World: 1000
The assembly within the room was a motley sort, but roughly divisible into three broad categories. First there were brawny and sun weathered men dressed in horselord leathers. While the Republic’s armies had traded their steppe tactics for pikes and armor decades ago, the generals of the Yurt Circle never abandoned the garb. Now, it served as a de facto uniform for the Republic’s highest commanders. Surrounding the generals were several small groups of bodyguards. Unlike their commanders, the bodyguards were armed and armored with the best steel that could be found in the kingdom, and held pikes at the ready.
Second were the merchants. Some could claim descendance from one of the minor clans that followed Hezekiah I over the Caucuses and settled on the coast of the Black Sea, but most were immigrants from Western Europe with only a generation or two at most in the Republic. In fact, the immigration of Westerners had changed the perception of the nation itself. It was no longer seen by its citizens as a Clannic Kingdom, but instead a Clannic Republic. Theoretically, the House of Ashina could cease to rule tomorrow and life would go on. While the Ashina Clan had the wealthiest trading ports, some of the other merchant Clans, particularly those that undertook high-risk trade along the Bosporus could claim to be near equals. The wealth this brought into the Republic was untold. Whereas the first convening of the Bar of Judges had taken place in what was little better than a wooden keep, the assembly was now gathered in a vast and luxurious manse, filled to the brim with workers and clerks dedicated to keep the Ashina’s vast trading empire afloat. Coin had been needed to save the Republic before, and would certainly be needed again.
Third were the learned men of the Republic. Mostly composed of Rabbis, but also a variety of miscellaneous scholars – and – with the recent investments made by the Ashina Clan into medicine, several acclaimed surgeons. Some of the surgeons had been persuaded to leave more powerful Western Courts, knowing that the Republic would not treat them differently as Jews.
In front of all the assembly was a relatively young man in the prime of his life. His pale skin and blonde beard belied his mother’s Ashkenazi ancestry, and caused him to little resemble his father, Hezekiah II. Yehudai Ashina appeared nervous. He was an intelligent man yes, but his father had been a true genius, and likely one of the best generals on the planet. Yehudai was no coward, but all in the room knew that the Republic was fated to always balance on the edge of a knife. A failure to beat back a Moslem Jihad, or now, a Christian Crusade, and all could be lost.
“Honored Judges. You have been called her today in accordance with the Laws of our people as set by Yabghu the great. More than 50 years have passed since this body convened, and much has changed.”
“When you were last called, our people had just abandoned the saddle and the Yurt to found this nation as envisioned by Hezekiah I and this Bar. Now, our people are masters of trade along the Black Sea, and learned men from far off Germany sail to join us. Three Khans have died since this Republic’s founding, and our borders have grown every year. Know that we still face great risks, traders from the De Richmont family inform me that the Greeks can still muster nearly four times our number of men, and Northmen raiders have twice burned the port of Abkhazia to the ground. However, we have great potential. Should this Bar chart an intelligent course, and should I manage to navigate it, I believe the Republic can grow and prosper.”
“Now, before this esteemed Bar decides on a course of action I would like to provide you all with our most recent information.”
“First, our finances. The Republic, when combined with the personal income of the Clan of Ashina, generates over gold 3,000 solidi a year. Of this income, more than two thirds is generated by the trading efforts of the Ashina Clan, while comparatively little is generated by taxation. Our merchants believe that the Clannic Republic’s unique form of governance has allowed trade and other financial concerns to thrive unlike nowhere else on Earth. Our clerks believe that based on sheer revenue alone, we exceed every other known nation except for Cathay. “
“Do note, however, that income may decrease significantly. Currently, I am the only adult male remaining from the Ashina, meaning that all trade profits flow directly to me, and thus to the Republic. Should, in a generation or two, other Ashinas live to adulthood, they will be entitled to a portion of the funds. In terms of spending, my predecessors have primarily focused on the upgrading of trading docks, as well as the construction of cities in the Steppe North of the Caucuses. Feel free to review a map of our trading posts.”
“Despite punching above our weight financially, the Kingdom is relatively weak militarily speaking for its size. The genius of Hezekiah II allowed for more forces to be called than may be reasonably expected for our Republic. I likely can maintain our current troop numbers, but should a less militarily talented Khan be elected, our military strength could drop by half or more. Please look over our latest information on our military strength, as well as the strength of our neighbors.”
“We do have some concerns when it comes to succession. My heir, David, is only a boy. Should the worst happen, and I die within the next few years, the Ashina will no longer head the Republic, and the De Richmont will be elected Khan. David is a bright boy, and will likely find success whatever he pursues, but his education must be decided upon soon.”
“In terms of the Kingdom in general, our borders in the North now run with the Volga and the Dnieper, while we have gained some valuable buffer land in the South.”
“As many of you are likely personally aware, our efforts to promote immigration from European Jews have been quite successful. North of the Caucuses, the majority of our newly founded cities are populated by Ashkenazis. Additionally, the wealthy lands bordering the coats of the Black Sea have received high levels of immigration, likely due to their lucrative economies. Due to the vast number of tongues being spoken by immigrants to our land, Hebrew has undergone a resurgence in popularity as a lingua franca for our people. Unfortunately, in the Southern half of the Republic, we have had very little success at converting the Armenians, or spurring immigration. The area remains a hotbed of discontent.”
“To the Northeast, the famed Seljuk has come to border our nation, although he appears to have failed to conquer Persia. Additionally, despite near constant unrest in Cathay, the Emerald Empire has somehow managed to extend its influence further westward, even conquering part of Persia.”
“To our West, the Moslem boy Emperor still sits on the Greek throne, but we do not know for how much longer. Previously the Greeks controlled much of the Carpathian Basin, but their multitude of civil wars have allowed the Bolghars, now calling themselves Bulgarians, significant room to expand.”
“In the Far North pagan Kingdoms abound. Most important are perhaps the Kingdom of Vladimir, The land of the Volhynians, and the Kingdom of Lithuania. The Kingdom of Vladimir is ruled by the Fins, but possesses a primarily Russian peasantry. The Volhynians by contrast, are both Russian in ruler and serf. Finally, Lithuania is notable despite its small size due to its recent reformation of the Romuva religion. The Kingdom of Poland was once quite powerful, but has lost several successive holy wars in recent years.”
“In the lands of the Northmen there is some good news. Our traders in Western Europe tell me that, until recently, the Northmen were ruled by a single great King, he ruled all of Scandinavia and even conquered the British Isles. Recently, he died, and his Kingdom was split in two. His sons have both embraced Christianity and forsaken their pagan gods. It is hoped that this will lessen their raids on our trading efforts.”
“Far West in Iberia, the Christian Kingdom of Leon has held out against the Moslem Caliphate, and recently the Frankish Empire has expanded in Catalonia as well.”
“Speaking of the Franks, they are perhaps the most interesting development. Roughly 60 years ago, plagued by internal discontent, the Franks and the Italians banded together to form one great Empire, all the while claiming they were the inheritors of Rome. This, Saint Empire Romain, or "Holy Roman Empire," does not seem to resemble Rome, certainly isn’t holy and is debatably not an Empire. Allow me to explain. It appears that the position of Emperor is not hereditary, instead, similar to our system, the lords of the Empire vote on their next leader. They have faced much more contentious elections than us however, and their realm is quite decentralized by result.”
“To the East of the Franks, the Germans have founded a much more centralized and traditional Kingdom. Their current King is widely renowned as a great warrior and diplomat, recently conquering Bohemia as well as part of Poland.”
“Finally, please review the most accurate current map we have.”
“This brings us to today’s matters. With our borders mostly solidified we require new direction. It is generally assumed we will attempt to conquer the lands between our Capital in Abkhazia, and Atil, but beyond that, this Bar is entitled to choose our next direction. We have four options.”
“The pagan Kingdoms to the North are disorganized and weak. Some of our generals have proposed conquering northward. We have a recognized history and ability to settle new lands, perhaps we could civilize the Steppe? This has the advantage of ignoring the terrifying powers to our South, but the land is of much poorer quality and will likely require significant investment.”
B. South
“We have a winning military record for southward expansion, it may be reasonable to simply stay the course. Some of the particularly pious among us have even proposed attempting to reclaim the Holy Land. Such an effort would be generations away however, and place ourselves in conflict with the Western Christian and Moslems alike. “
C. West
“The Greeks are our most hated of enemies. Every Ashina who has sat on the throne has dealt with at least one Greek invasion. My father reversed that trend, and successfully added Yabghu city to the Republic. If we were able to seize the wealthy Silk Road port of Trebizond, we would not only increase our profits, but secure a buffer for our heartlands along the Black Sea Coast.”
“With honorable Judges, the floor is now yours to vote.”
Vote Closed
(vote is open to anyone, not just old readers)
The assembly within the room was a motley sort, but roughly divisible into three broad categories. First there were brawny and sun weathered men dressed in horselord leathers. While the Republic’s armies had traded their steppe tactics for pikes and armor decades ago, the generals of the Yurt Circle never abandoned the garb. Now, it served as a de facto uniform for the Republic’s highest commanders. Surrounding the generals were several small groups of bodyguards. Unlike their commanders, the bodyguards were armed and armored with the best steel that could be found in the kingdom, and held pikes at the ready.
Second were the merchants. Some could claim descendance from one of the minor clans that followed Hezekiah I over the Caucuses and settled on the coast of the Black Sea, but most were immigrants from Western Europe with only a generation or two at most in the Republic. In fact, the immigration of Westerners had changed the perception of the nation itself. It was no longer seen by its citizens as a Clannic Kingdom, but instead a Clannic Republic. Theoretically, the House of Ashina could cease to rule tomorrow and life would go on. While the Ashina Clan had the wealthiest trading ports, some of the other merchant Clans, particularly those that undertook high-risk trade along the Bosporus could claim to be near equals. The wealth this brought into the Republic was untold. Whereas the first convening of the Bar of Judges had taken place in what was little better than a wooden keep, the assembly was now gathered in a vast and luxurious manse, filled to the brim with workers and clerks dedicated to keep the Ashina’s vast trading empire afloat. Coin had been needed to save the Republic before, and would certainly be needed again.
Third were the learned men of the Republic. Mostly composed of Rabbis, but also a variety of miscellaneous scholars – and – with the recent investments made by the Ashina Clan into medicine, several acclaimed surgeons. Some of the surgeons had been persuaded to leave more powerful Western Courts, knowing that the Republic would not treat them differently as Jews.
In front of all the assembly was a relatively young man in the prime of his life. His pale skin and blonde beard belied his mother’s Ashkenazi ancestry, and caused him to little resemble his father, Hezekiah II. Yehudai Ashina appeared nervous. He was an intelligent man yes, but his father had been a true genius, and likely one of the best generals on the planet. Yehudai was no coward, but all in the room knew that the Republic was fated to always balance on the edge of a knife. A failure to beat back a Moslem Jihad, or now, a Christian Crusade, and all could be lost.
“Honored Judges. You have been called her today in accordance with the Laws of our people as set by Yabghu the great. More than 50 years have passed since this body convened, and much has changed.”
“When you were last called, our people had just abandoned the saddle and the Yurt to found this nation as envisioned by Hezekiah I and this Bar. Now, our people are masters of trade along the Black Sea, and learned men from far off Germany sail to join us. Three Khans have died since this Republic’s founding, and our borders have grown every year. Know that we still face great risks, traders from the De Richmont family inform me that the Greeks can still muster nearly four times our number of men, and Northmen raiders have twice burned the port of Abkhazia to the ground. However, we have great potential. Should this Bar chart an intelligent course, and should I manage to navigate it, I believe the Republic can grow and prosper.”
“Now, before this esteemed Bar decides on a course of action I would like to provide you all with our most recent information.”
“First, our finances. The Republic, when combined with the personal income of the Clan of Ashina, generates over gold 3,000 solidi a year. Of this income, more than two thirds is generated by the trading efforts of the Ashina Clan, while comparatively little is generated by taxation. Our merchants believe that the Clannic Republic’s unique form of governance has allowed trade and other financial concerns to thrive unlike nowhere else on Earth. Our clerks believe that based on sheer revenue alone, we exceed every other known nation except for Cathay. “
“Do note, however, that income may decrease significantly. Currently, I am the only adult male remaining from the Ashina, meaning that all trade profits flow directly to me, and thus to the Republic. Should, in a generation or two, other Ashinas live to adulthood, they will be entitled to a portion of the funds. In terms of spending, my predecessors have primarily focused on the upgrading of trading docks, as well as the construction of cities in the Steppe North of the Caucuses. Feel free to review a map of our trading posts.”
“Despite punching above our weight financially, the Kingdom is relatively weak militarily speaking for its size. The genius of Hezekiah II allowed for more forces to be called than may be reasonably expected for our Republic. I likely can maintain our current troop numbers, but should a less militarily talented Khan be elected, our military strength could drop by half or more. Please look over our latest information on our military strength, as well as the strength of our neighbors.”
“We do have some concerns when it comes to succession. My heir, David, is only a boy. Should the worst happen, and I die within the next few years, the Ashina will no longer head the Republic, and the De Richmont will be elected Khan. David is a bright boy, and will likely find success whatever he pursues, but his education must be decided upon soon.”
“In terms of the Kingdom in general, our borders in the North now run with the Volga and the Dnieper, while we have gained some valuable buffer land in the South.”
“As many of you are likely personally aware, our efforts to promote immigration from European Jews have been quite successful. North of the Caucuses, the majority of our newly founded cities are populated by Ashkenazis. Additionally, the wealthy lands bordering the coats of the Black Sea have received high levels of immigration, likely due to their lucrative economies. Due to the vast number of tongues being spoken by immigrants to our land, Hebrew has undergone a resurgence in popularity as a lingua franca for our people. Unfortunately, in the Southern half of the Republic, we have had very little success at converting the Armenians, or spurring immigration. The area remains a hotbed of discontent.”
“To the Northeast, the famed Seljuk has come to border our nation, although he appears to have failed to conquer Persia. Additionally, despite near constant unrest in Cathay, the Emerald Empire has somehow managed to extend its influence further westward, even conquering part of Persia.”
“To our West, the Moslem boy Emperor still sits on the Greek throne, but we do not know for how much longer. Previously the Greeks controlled much of the Carpathian Basin, but their multitude of civil wars have allowed the Bolghars, now calling themselves Bulgarians, significant room to expand.”
“In the Far North pagan Kingdoms abound. Most important are perhaps the Kingdom of Vladimir, The land of the Volhynians, and the Kingdom of Lithuania. The Kingdom of Vladimir is ruled by the Fins, but possesses a primarily Russian peasantry. The Volhynians by contrast, are both Russian in ruler and serf. Finally, Lithuania is notable despite its small size due to its recent reformation of the Romuva religion. The Kingdom of Poland was once quite powerful, but has lost several successive holy wars in recent years.”
“In the lands of the Northmen there is some good news. Our traders in Western Europe tell me that, until recently, the Northmen were ruled by a single great King, he ruled all of Scandinavia and even conquered the British Isles. Recently, he died, and his Kingdom was split in two. His sons have both embraced Christianity and forsaken their pagan gods. It is hoped that this will lessen their raids on our trading efforts.”
“Far West in Iberia, the Christian Kingdom of Leon has held out against the Moslem Caliphate, and recently the Frankish Empire has expanded in Catalonia as well.”
“Speaking of the Franks, they are perhaps the most interesting development. Roughly 60 years ago, plagued by internal discontent, the Franks and the Italians banded together to form one great Empire, all the while claiming they were the inheritors of Rome. This, Saint Empire Romain, or "Holy Roman Empire," does not seem to resemble Rome, certainly isn’t holy and is debatably not an Empire. Allow me to explain. It appears that the position of Emperor is not hereditary, instead, similar to our system, the lords of the Empire vote on their next leader. They have faced much more contentious elections than us however, and their realm is quite decentralized by result.”
“To the East of the Franks, the Germans have founded a much more centralized and traditional Kingdom. Their current King is widely renowned as a great warrior and diplomat, recently conquering Bohemia as well as part of Poland.”
“Finally, please review the most accurate current map we have.”
“This brings us to today’s matters. With our borders mostly solidified we require new direction. It is generally assumed we will attempt to conquer the lands between our Capital in Abkhazia, and Atil, but beyond that, this Bar is entitled to choose our next direction. We have four options.”
- Foreign Policy
“The pagan Kingdoms to the North are disorganized and weak. Some of our generals have proposed conquering northward. We have a recognized history and ability to settle new lands, perhaps we could civilize the Steppe? This has the advantage of ignoring the terrifying powers to our South, but the land is of much poorer quality and will likely require significant investment.”
B. South
“We have a winning military record for southward expansion, it may be reasonable to simply stay the course. Some of the particularly pious among us have even proposed attempting to reclaim the Holy Land. Such an effort would be generations away however, and place ourselves in conflict with the Western Christian and Moslems alike. “
C. West
“The Greeks are our most hated of enemies. Every Ashina who has sat on the throne has dealt with at least one Greek invasion. My father reversed that trend, and successfully added Yabghu city to the Republic. If we were able to seize the wealthy Silk Road port of Trebizond, we would not only increase our profits, but secure a buffer for our heartlands along the Black Sea Coast.”
- Founding Mercenary Company
- Yes, found the company
- No, do not found the company.
- Domestic Policy
- Military Investment
- Scholarly Investment
“With honorable Judges, the floor is now yours to vote.”
Vote Closed
(vote is open to anyone, not just old readers)
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