Throne of Heaven - the Story thread

[RedPhoenix]

WHERE IS MY HEAD????


Reoyl awakens the next day after completing the ritual, yet surprisingly it is allready coming evening as he looks forward. Then his gaze turns left, passing a mirror. He pauses... looks back at the mirror... in an instant his hand reaches out to feel his head... but ... there is nothing there. WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON he exclaims, as his servant walks to the doorway. He turns to face the servant and questions him: "Where is my HEAD servant, answer me or feel this blade in your heart!"

The servant trembles, and slowly begins to speak: "But sire, you... you... You cut it off your self, it is there in that golden box next to the table."

Reoyl turns, looks at the golden box... there is a blood head in it. Indeed it is his own.

Ahhh what is this madness! You have done it again!!! He shouts out and punches his left arm with all the force he can muster. This time you have gone too far!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!


(As a bystander one might begin to wonder how Reoyl actually sees and speaks, or hears anymore as he has no head to do those things with.)

 

[Peter Ebbesen]

The Hour of Power
1664-1692
​

The runners enter the final kilometre of the marathon. The best of a generation, they represent the best and brightest of their nations. Not for petty money, not for t-shirt contracts, not for crass commercialism do they compete, but for the glory of humanity. Little do they know that landmines are emplaced along the last stretch of the road, but they will learn…

[Sports announcer] Welcome… To the Hour of Power.

[Tortured Scream] SPECIAL REPORT!

MEPHISTOPHELES: We are honoured to bring you the news from the trial of Garglefloggah, Spawn of the Seventh Pit, Human Resources… And pleased to inform you that it was due to the incessant efforts of Infernal News Network operatives that he was brought low.

ASMODEUS: Lower.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Human Resources have been busting their budget dealing out power to mortals like there is no tomorrow -

ASMODEUS: A clear fallacy given the current schedule for Armageddon as according to the Infernal Clock.

MEPHISTOPHELES: And yet, this power does not show up in their quarterly reports. Poof, magic power from NOWHERE? Can such exist?

ASMODEUS: So we asked ourselves, and as the loyal servants of his Dark Majesty, we had to – for the good of the realm – bring it to the notice of those wonderful people, those truly spectacular beings, who enjoy asking such questions..

MEPHISTOPHELES: The Infernal Auditor Corps.

[canned ooohs]

MEPHISTOPHELES: Garglefloggah is currently attempting a plea bargain. He wants to plead guilty to Gross Misuse of Power, Unsanctioned Intercourse With Humanity, Sexual Stimulation With A Reinforced Guitar, and Impersonating a Duke of Hell, while pleading innocent on the greater charge of Attempting To Open The Gates Of Hell Not On Schedule.

ASMODEUS: I didn’t know we had such a charge on the books?

MEPHISTOPHELES: The Devil’s advocate thinks of everything.

ASMODEUS: In the fair and unbiased view of INN, we wish Garglefloggah the best of luck in his trial. He is going to need it since he is obviously guilty as hell. Not that being guilty is anything to be ashamed of.

MEPHISTOPHELES: It is merely terminal if you are guilty of the wrong things. E.g. grand treachery towards his Infernal Majesty – not that such a charge has been levelled against Garglefloggah yet – is always punished most severely. But enough about Garglefloggah, he is yesterday’s news.

ASMODEUS: And yesterday’s news is no news!

MEPHISTOPHELES: Right you are, Asmodeus. More interesting is the question of where he appropriated the power he gave out so freely and the Auditors are on that case. I am sure we will know of it soon. Going to Earth #29, there was fighting in India and Siberia…

ASMODEUS: As always...

MEPHISTOPHELES: The only unusual thing being Reoyl of Mataram’s participation on all sides. First he fought with Amzad against Bistami, and conquered Ceylon, then with Bistami against Amzad, and conquered Quetta, then alone against Qutb of Nippon (which drew in Alesso and Gothmog), ending with the occupation of Enkan and the Near Opening Of The Gates Of Hell.

ASMODEUS: Reoyl obviously being a pawn of Garglefloggah, what did he expect to gain from this?

MEPHISTOPHELES: Did you see the mushroom clouds above the heartlands of Vientiane? Did you see the destruction in the capital of Brunei? Both spells trace clearly back to Reoyl. War has never been so much fun.

[Chorus] War has never been so much fun.

MEPHISTOPHELES: STOP IT!

[Chorus explodes]

MEPHISTOPHELES: Regarding Reoyl’s plans for domination, we have yet another sign that Qutb is mad as a hatter. In his secret diary, he made notes that Reoyl’s attack on him was really a cunning plan by Qutb, that by appearing vulnerable he would suck in Reoyl, who would then be cut down.

ASMODEUS: A sad case indeed. The worst is that he possible even believes it.

MEPHISTOPHELES: Of more interest is the development of Mughal/Chagatai relations. Alvaro and Amzad have been bosom buddies for so long and have carefully avoided planting their knives in each others back despite awful temptation.

ASMODEUS: Of course, they have been plotting against each other and have occasionally sent dark magic to harm each other, but, in public, they have indeed behaved themselves.

MEPHISTOPHELES: We are now facing the end of an age of amity. According to several highly placed sources, Amzad is planning war against Alvaro at the earliest opportunity, and he has gained Qutb and Bistami as allies in this cause.

ASMODEUS: According to other highly placed sources, Alvaro is planning war against Amzad at the earliest opportunity, and he has gained Bistami as an ally in this cause.

MEPHISTOPHELES: All the highly placed sources agree that Alesso has been tricked, placated, or bribed, into not interfering in the matter. As such, there is really only one thing to say… Alesso, we salute you!

ASMODEUS: All hail Alesso! Death and dishonour should be your watchword!

 

[devil]

Economic Development in the Period 1664-1692​

- Muhammed releasing his economic report from his sanctuary in Tibet -​

 

[ForzaA]

I like books
This time, I quote and/or use ideas from "the Years of Rice and Salt" by Kim Stanley Robinson- hope I won't spoil anything for someone reading the book

The collisionary theories of Ibrahim al-Lanzhou, for instance. No doubt they're just they're just yin and yang again, but they make it seem pretty clear that much of what we call progress comes from the clash of two cultures.​

The betrayal
Bistami was very frustrated, Lanka had been lost to Mataram, Quetta, formerly Mughal land, was Reoyl's now too, and he was yet again at war with Mataram, not to mention Alesso and Alvaro had chosen Amzad's side too..
Yet nowhere were there complete records on what did happen.. And so, he yet attempted to carry victory, but the enemies were too many even for the Deccan's valliant warriors. And so, Bistami had to accept the loss of Lanka..
And so, Bistami set to having Vijayanagar recover from this loss.

But, it seemed, Reoyl's betrayal was not just a betrayal, no it served a deeper, darker, purpose, as reports came seeping in of atrocities untold done to the good Hindus of Lanka...It seemed that Amzad faced a similar crisis in Quetta, and so the first, fragile understanding between Bistami and Amzad came to happen, who knows what might become of it..

The Zanj

Years later, a scholar arrived with some old notes regarding an Idol, which he believed was in the lands of the Zanj.. Bistami arranged for an expedition there, and indeed, a remarkable Idol was found.. Despite Bistami's best efforts, he was not able to understand fully what the Idol could mean, so he decided to leave it where it was, and in cooperation with local Shamen he made sure that the Idol would be well protected.

A God in panic?

'Where is the Temple? a voice cries in your mind, the voice of Kartikeya.
"Be warned my servant", the voice shouts, "others look to India now and search for the sacred site, other who do not follow the ways of my people. Do not fail me Bistami!"

"Gain yea the Heart of India without delay and dedicate the ancient site to my name before another desecrates it! Fail and I foresee great suffering for you and your people."'

But the voice didn't sound as confident, as clear as last time, could it be that Kartikeya, a God, could panic?
Bistami pondered what he should to fulfill Kartikeya's wish, for surely, for years without end he had tried to find the Heart, but Reoyl's betrayal had meant a major setback..

On the other hand, what could Bistami do if even the Gods panicked? Sure, he had some powers, but nothing compared to the powers of the Gods.. He yet hoped to fulfill Kartikeya's wish and grant him some confidence, some power.. But if he failed to find the Heart, what could save his people, if it wasn't the gods?


[hurrah! it's there]

 

[ForzaA]

The Heart
Suddenly, one day, Bistami felt something.. it wasn't pain, nor pleasure.. it was an indescribable sensation. But somehow he knew it had to do with the Heart. He felt, clearly, the direction in which to go. And so, together with a small group of the best of the Deccan troops, he headed north. Like an arrow, Bistami headed through jungle, across river, along cliffs and passes. When he arrived at the Mughal border, , he still felt that he had to go north. A simple spell made sure no Mughals would see him. Except, ofcourse, if , in a twist of very bad fortunate, Amzad happened to be present. But fortunately, Amzad wasn't present, and Bistami and his guard moved farther north. And then, one they, they arrived at a construction unlike anything they had seen before. Instantly, Bistami knew that Amzad had found the Heart, and he assumed that this was some sort of Temple.

Bistami hoped that, whatever Amzad had planned for the Heart, that it was not yet complete, for that would surely mean disaster. Quickly, he and his guardsmen moved back south, across the border, and as soon as possible, Bistami sent out messengers to arrange the troops for war, for he feared that would be the only solution to prevent Amzad from completing his plans. All that was left to do now was keep the Mughals away from the site as much as possible, and hope, hope that it was not too late, hope that Kartikeya could still be honoured as he should, hope that all was not lost.

 

[smn_]

The Rage of Reoyl

OOC: This was something I was supposed to post on Friday, but due to unforeseen happenings I didin't manage to get online before the actual game. So consider this as something that happened before previous session, somewhere in January 1692.

I woke up.

I rose on my feet, and looked around. I felt pain. Like millions of needles were stinging my body. Everything felt more difficult than it had. The Spell had been cast, tremendous forces of energy had been unleashed .. And I felt damaged. Yet still, I felt power. I felt both victorious and slain. Devastated.

I looked out from the window. The Chinese fleet was still there. They were preparing yet another attack. This had to stop.

I went to the mirror and uttered the word. Soon I saw a hazy image of Alesso watching me in it. I said to him:

"Brother, I know when I've lost a war. Let us have peace."

And peace we had. I would cede Quetta to Amzad, Mekong Delta to Gothmog, Timor to Alesso and Samar to Qutb. It was a dear price, but I now felt I had powers, hidden powers so great I felt the bargain was good.

I smiled.

Then, the tiniest of insignificant thoughts started to surface. I remembered something. A detail, perhaps. But I remembered it now. With my newfound power, I was sure. It was Him. He was behind my Dark Quest, He was behind my Pain and Agony. He had betrayed me when I was so close to completing my quest. He had cost me the victory in the war and the partial failure of the Spell. He was there, laughing. I could sense Him, even with all the sea between us.

I felt the anger brewing in me. I cursed, I screamed. I raged. I took the Mirror and smashed it. The table flew against the wall, the bottles, the door, the books, the chairs, the ink, torches, lamps. I whirled around the room like a dervish, cursing His name, smashing the walls, tearing the armours in pieces, twisting the swords. Him! Why! Why! He will, he must, he shall suffer! The room was spinning and I felt a voice in my head.. "Feel the Power of Hatred, Embrace It, Extend It", I remember hearing. I killed the two guards sweeping into the room in one punch fuelled by my blind rage, and felt a surge of power. I screamed:

"Curse you Alesso, may you never lead your armies to victory no more! Curse you Dai Shi in your navy! May your senses dry dull, may you suffer a lone death!"

And beams of dark power erupted from me, as if my curse was hitting them hard, and the more I gave into the rage the more I felt powerful.

"Curse you Gothmog!, May Death and Fire rain on your lands!"

I screamed, and ripped apart every object getting into my hands. And I ripped loose something round and heavy, and threw it against the wall, feeling a mighty surge of power, while the room was suddenly spinning furiously.

The last thing I remembered was sensing a fiery firestorm raining down somewhere in Vientiane, and then with a smack, it all went dark.

 

[Swuul]

Amzad was using dark powers. Amzad had stolen the Gem of Wisdom. Alvaro was still shocked from these news when Amzad released his fiend-turned Mughal hordes on Horselords lands.

To Alvaros memory came a similar scene, when he had rescued Amzad from a like predicament at the last moment before the final attack of Gothmog would have ended his sufferings. Who was there now to rescue Alvaro? In all the world there was none able to save him, but Alvaro had to once again fight alone.

The thought that these human fiends would devour his lands when their work was done caused him not a single qualm of horror or disgust. It did not add to his sufferings as it would have to those of an ordinary man, for lately Alvaro had seen his brothers turn to beasts, devouring the flesh of their kills. Gothmog had killed BrotherX, Confucius had slaughtered masses of humans to build the Castle of Bone, Reoyl had released some immensly evil forces in now deserted Enkan, Kraunak had boiled humans, and even Qutb had lately been more mad than usual.

Had Alvaro not himself battled for Delhi, when he had slain Confucius? Had Alvaro not himself defended Siberia against Qutb and slain him? And had Alvaro not himself once before already slain Amzad when he tried to rip the lands of the Horselords?

The Mughals marched closer to Kirgistan, and they left the landscape burning and in havoc. Alvaro was scouting himself, and saw the spears were commencing to find bodies of the people of the Horselords.

Alvaro rode to full sight of the Mughals and shouted "Back you fools, if you do not wish to recieve the wrath of Alvaro the Horselord!"

For several minutes the Mughals hesitated; then, at the urging of Amzad and his lietenants, they surged forwards. Like an ustoppable wave of rodents they advanced.


---


Delhi had been lost to Amzad. There was not much Alvaro could do, no matter he was winning battle after battle against the hordes of the Mughals, their shere numbers proved to be too much. Amzad was now ruling Delhi, and an unsure peace was settled between Amzad and Alvaro.

But Qutb had reached one of his lighter and sane moments, and had ratified the pact with Alvaro. Now the realm of the Horselords reached from Qinghai to Obdors, from Turkmenistan to Enkan. New weapons were being produced in the five new manufactories, and governors were assigned in all lands.

Now was time to get compensation from Amzad the Evil. Quickly Alvaro arranged a pact with Gothmog and Bistami, who also had been targets of Amzads evil plottings. Alvaro, Bistami and Gothmog unitedly expressed their ultimatum to Amzad, and moved in.

The Jewel of Alvaro, Delhi, had been lost for ever. But compensation would be found, and the Gem of Wisdom would have to be removed from Amzad. Alvaro is lenient, but not even he will tolerate everything.

 

[Wyvern]

The Temple

It had been a holy place for aeons though most in the world had forgotten; the God's and spirits of this world have longer memories though and Kartikeya had implored her follower, the brother known as Bistami to raise the Temple in her honour and so reap strength and power beyond reckoning. With the rumblings of the God's though others were awakened to the power of the Temple and they wanted the site for their own ends.

Amzad in a feverish dream had seen the Temple raised up in majesty to his name, and also foreseen his own downfall in India were Bistami to do so first. Bistami for his part realised that perhaps he had waited just a little too long to take action when Kartikeya warned him others were searching for the Temple too, yet even with this warning he let Amzad make the first move.

In a bold war against Alvaro Amzad snatched Delhi, the site his studies had hinted the Temple might reside in and set about construction on what he hoped was the ancient site. Yet even when he had raised up a holy building in full majesty still something seemed missing and he felt no call from the spirits of India, no increase in power.

What must I do he wondered? Desperately he set about excavating the ancient ruins upon which he had built his grand temple, and in time his people discovered clues.

As the years passed and still Amzad's studies produced no final answer Bistami acted. Perhaps it was the proding from his God who couldn't have been happy at Bistami's so far wooden footed approach, or perhaps he finally developed the courage or indeed the simple desperation to act. Who can say other than Bistami himself and yet much can be read from the fact he invaded with support from both Gothmog and Alvaro. Were they aware of the power of the Temple too?

Within Delhi, before the Temples altar the High Priest Al Kazar knelt and prayed for deliverance. He had poured over the scrolls desperately these last few days, hoping beyond hope that somewhere within lay deliverence, and yet fearful all the same of what he actually might find if he performed the rites as detailed. The scrolls had been found some years earlier and from then to this day studied intensively by the best and brightest acolytes from across the land, all sent to Delhi with the objective of cracking the hieroglyths. At last they had accomplished this but only recently, and now the High Priest was desperate enough to put the new found knowledge to use!

Calling his fellow priests to him he began chanting from the scrolls, each priest in turn taking up the chant until the temple was filled with the voices of a towering crescendo, the sound amplified a hundredfold by the buildings accoustics. A change could be felt in the air as before a storm, the building began to shake and the sound of the chanting priests took on a new otherworldly timbre that continued to grow stronger even as individual priests stumbled and went silent at this new phenomena. The Spirt of India had been released!

Storms shook the countryside outside the city the like of which had never been seen. Brave men and cowards alike fled and Major Kuo had no option but to withdraw his army to Gondwana. A darkness passed over the sky flooding out in a beam from the site and passing over northern India and where it passed people fell into a dreamless sleep, at peace with the spirits that had been released and subtly changed.

Amzad, camped with his army at Sindh could feel the changes taking place to the land as could Bistami who cried out in horror to Kartikeya yet recieved no answer. The God of war does not answer failure.

When the darkness passed much had subtly changed. People woke up with a new feeling of peace within their souls. Old ideas were cast aside, allegiances severed. Amzad should be the Lord of India a voice whispered in their mind and they would help make it so. And of the spirits freed from the Temple, they had coalesced into an ethereal army of guardian horsemen, and stood before the gates of Delhi now together with their leader.

[OOC: Amzad completes the Heart of India Temple quest with the following in-game effects:
Major Kuo retreats in disarray to Gondwana (552).
Amzad gains a new leader - Spirit General 6/4/4 (no upkeep - lives till killed) and 80,000 horsemen.
Delhi (543) gains +1 fortification level and conscription center.
All neighbouring provinces convert to the state religion of Amzad - Rajpuytana (542), Malwa (546), Bundelkhand (545).
Amzad gains cores on all neighbouring provinces to Delhi if he doesn't already have one, and others lose such cores if they have them.]

 

[smn_]

Mataram AAR 1692-1721

Alessos punishment was harsh. He did not listen to my pleadings of insanity, not even showing him my head I teared off and threw against the wall in my madness would change his mind. He raised the stakes in the peace offer by getting both Flores and Timor from me, and he prevented me from destroying the filthy Vientiane hordes occupying Java before his slow sieges were done.

Such a humiliation. There would be revenge.

But revenge would not happen quickly. I would have to build a new fleet andraise new armies. I was weak and needed allies.

I allied Confucius, the new Master of Brunei.

Together, we raised a mighty fleet and prepared to act. A total of 900 warships was more than Alesso could ever handle. We also needed to lure him into war, with a move that would give us the maximum gain with minimal prize, and make him attack us instead.

There were two choices. Nippon or Manchu. Nippon would yield higher gains, but with Qutb leading their troops, they would be a harder target, and could pose a bad problem for us. So Manchu it was.

With a surprise strike, we landed our troops, 100k each, in Manchuria, and overrun this poor country forsaken by every single god. The trick worked like a charm, and Alesso was unable to send his armies in time to protect Manchuria. We got our war with China as aggressor, and we got several provinces 'free' from Manchu.

Then we attacked China. Alessos fleets were forced to hide after a few heavy battles, and his islands were occupied one by one. Unfortunately, my fleets suffered heavy casualties in the battle of the Taiwan straits. Alessos unearthly luck on the seas would have given him upper hand on the seas again, if Brunei had not forced him to hide again.

The war still rages on, but the result is inevitable. China will lose. Mataram and Brunei will rule the seas, and there will be nothing to stop us. Never!

 

[Wyvern]

Spell Effects 1721



Reoyl raised his hands to the heavens and let the red fire streak across the ocean from his base in Manchuria and striking at Qutb who sheltered with his army in Yaku province and out of the shelter of the shield which he always cast over Japan. Reoyl watched no doubt with glee as thousands upon thousands died numbering perhaps in the region of 20,000. His glee however was soon tempered as his mind rang to the sound screams and pleas for help – his port city of Jakarta was under attack!

The city of Jakarta was struck as though by the wrath of an angry God. Madness reigned. Local government practically evaporated (tax collector, legal counsel, governor GONE), the shipyard was burned by looters, and fully one quarter of the population died during those days of madness. The spirit of the people had taken a hard blow (base MP -2, base tax -2), but in the end order prevailed and after a few weeks the shadow dissipated. At the height of the troubles the rebellious populace threatened the master himself, but his wrath and the valour of his chosen guard defended his ultimate fortress. Only minor damage was suffered in the defense [fortress -1]. Reoyl swore revenge – although the person responsible had tried to hide it he had detected the purpetrator and tracked the spell back to its source – there was no doubting it now what so ever and the culprit was Gothmog! Gothmog who had clearly tried to pin the blame for a similar catastrophe on Reoyl himself not so many decades before!

Jakarta was not the only disaster to befall the Kingdom of Mataram, with the after-effects of the attack upon that fair city still fresh, aggitators infiltrated the capital insiting the populace to revolt and generally spreading unrest wherever they went. When order was finally restored it was clear more than one power had been behind the unrest though exactly who it was hard to say.

Brother Confucius had escaped India. His fortress of Bone was left as a monument to folly yet Confucius in his mad quest for power was not to be kept down and with Muhammed’s retirement from the world a vacume was present in Brunei which Confucius had quickly filled. With the power of the dark forces still behind him Confucius didn’t pause in his endeavours but instead built up a great reservioir of power which he poured out across the world but especially at Alesso who saw thousands upon thousands of his soldiers consumed in multiple dark fireballs from the sky. Casualties were estimated at over 30,000 in Shaanixi where Alesso himself was present and another 20,000 in Guangdong. Only Lin Chung sheltering beside the temple holding the Throne of Heaven itself was safe from the fire, the protective sigils and glyths that protected the Throne also lending protection to Lin Chung’s army.

Yet it was not only Alesso that Confucius struck out at, Gothmog in the province of Bangkok suffered nearly as much watching over 20,000 men be consumed with fire despite the shield he hastily cast which negated half the damage. Dark fire reigned down on Kabul, Delhi and Bombay, each attack killing from 10,000 to 15,000 men though in none of these was the culprit clearly Confucius. And Confucius wasn’t the only one using this dark form of sorcery as Alvaro experienced when his army in Tadjikistan came under attack. Though his detachment was small allowing half his force to escape, still over 10,000 men and perhaps more were killed or fled to the hills.

With so much dark sorcery taking place one would hope for a lull after the storm yet Brother Amzad was not done. Calling on the spirits of India once more he sent shadows racing through the cities of Heart, Surkhandarya and Samarkand, driving out the occupying soldiers who fled in terror during the night.

Alesso watched the destruction taking place, feeling Confucius reach into the darkest places of the world and tapping into some hidden well of power. He watched as he reigned down fire on Brother after Brother and knew he must do something to stop this madness for he had not forgotten what Confucius had already done to his former people in Egypt and Bengal. Calling upon the light of Heaven he focused the beam in his mind eye until it was a scourching pinprick that he directed across the sea to the island of Brunei with such intensity that nothing would stop it. There in a merciless rage he focused it on one shipyard after another, burning, burning. He may not be able to destroy Confucius but he could certainly restrict him to his island and so limit his evil. As the third shipyard went up in flames Alesso fell to the floor gasping, his powers spent. The yard in Kalimentan would have to wait yet there were more conventional means to deal with Confucius still and Alesso would pursue them.

And what of Qutb? Did he remain silent whilst fire reigned down upon the world? Whilst much of what he did went unnoticed by the world his enmity towards Alvaro was still clearly present and despite Alvaro’s shield spell Qutb still somehow managed to cast a curse on his nemesis (-1 MIL to Alvaro for a session).

[OOC – Alesso is now free to take any province including cores from a player clearly identified in his mind as a follower of the dark path – you have been warned.]

 

[unmerged(18425)]

The Mughal Empire 1721

The Enemy was Smart. Smarter then Amzad could imagine.

It all started very good. With a swift blow Amzad overwhelmed his opponent and the mighty Mughal army broke all resistance. Alvaro was within two years forced to cede the jewel of his empire, Delhi. Alvaro! One of the most stubborn fighters, he who never gave up. He who fought till his country lay in ruins and then some more, HE was forced to give up Delhi.
No one could imagine the Mughal army was that strong. Friends and foes ware surprised by the quick victory.

Some friends did not like surprises. Those grew jealous. Other friends had certain psychic problems, which made them believe very strange things.
Alvaro used this to his benefit and he did this very cunning.

First he made sure that Alesso would protect him. Alesso, who only saw the total defeat of the Chagatai Khanate and not the reasons behind it, was misguided by Alvaro's image of a defeated ruler, who needed protection to survive.
Alesso, in a neverending desire to do good, wanted to protect the Chagatai from Mughal agression. not knowing that the Mughal Empire was the one who needed protection.

Alvaro went futher. He knew Bistami was searching for the heart of India. He also knew that Amzad found the heart. He told Bistami that Delhi contained the heart and that he had to strike quickly.
Alvaro, that deceptive fiend, whispered in Bistami's ear that Amzad would betray him and use the powers of the temple against Vijanagar. Bistami, who never wondered how Alvaro could knew all this, was persuated to break a deal with the Mughal Empire. His fear for the Temple made him overlook facts, made him break a treaty and made him lose the last bit of honourability he had.
Sadly, Bistami's paranoia was the prime reason his worst nightmares became true, Amzad would now use the power of the temple against him.

Alvaro went even more futher. He contacted Gothmog of Vientiane. He whispered even in his ear, whispered to Gothmog that HE was the only one who should have access to the power of the Gem and the Heart of India. Alvaro made a call to Gothmog's burning ambition, his hunger for power. Alvaro even made it so that Gothmog choosed to concentrate on an imaginary enemy far away, instead of very, very concrete enemies in his neighbourhoods. Gothmog forgot about the real crimes done by Reoyl of Mataram and Confucius of Bengal. Gothmog forgot about the invasion by Vijanagar in his heartland.

And so a large coalition was formed by Alvaro. Vientiane, Vijanagar and the Chagatai Khanate formed an alliance, against the Mughal Empire. Against a nation who did never harm one of the three and who had a treaty with one of the three.
And so it happened that at a sunny day, without a warning, without a formal declaration of war, the Mughal border was crossed by large armies.
Half a million men invaded at a time when the only one able to withstand the evils of this world, Alesso, was under heavy attack.

Perhaps Alvaro had?...But it makes no sense to imagine more crimes done by Alvaro. Those which can be proved are already large enough.

War raged in the Mughal countryside. Once again. But this time the Mughal troops were well trained and excellent equipped. With superior military technology the enemy invasion in the east was grinded to a halt. The combined armies of Vientiane and Vijanagar had to face defeat upon defeat.
Alvaro's small progression in the north was ignored. Amzad would take care of this by other means then military power.

The Heart of India granted Amzad the necessary power, the Gem gave the necessary wisdom to defeat his enemies. And his enemies will be defeated.

At this crucial crossroad in the Mughal history, Amzad held an inspirating speech for a large crowd in Kabul:

Muslims, soldiers, commanders and clerics, men and women workers, men and women farmers, intellectuals, brothers and sisters who have temporarily fallen under the yoke of the Vijanagar and Chagatai brigands, our glorious men and women guerrillas who are disrupting the rear of the Hindu invaders!

Mughals! Today we must face difficult conditions. The Vijanagar, Vientiane and Chagatai brigands' treacherous attack and the war that they forced upon us have created a threat to our country. We have temporarily lost territory, and the enemy appeared before the gates of Kabul.

The enemy calculated that our army would be dispersed at the very first blow and our country forced to its knees. But the enemy wholly miscalculated. Despite temporary reverses, our army is bravely beating off enemy attacks along the whole front, inflicting heavy losses, while our country - our whole country - has organized itself into a single fighting camp in order, jointly with our army, to rout the invaders.

There was a time when our country was in a still more difficult position. Recall the year 1664. At that time a quarter of our country was in the hands of Vijanagar. We had temporarily lost everything east to the sacred Indus river. We had no allies for a ver long time, we had no large and well equipped army - we had only just begun to create it - and we experienced a shortage of bread, a shortage of arms, a shortage of equipment.

At that time a technological superior and stronger army was arrayed against our country, but we did not become despondent or downhearted. In the midst of the conflagration of war we organized the army and converted our country into a military camp. Allah inspired us at that time for the war against the invaders.

And what happened? We defeated the invaders, regained all our lost territories and achieved victory.

Today our country is in a far better position than it was 57 years ago. Today it is many times richer in industry, food and raw materials. Today we have a better equipped army who form a front against the invaders. Today we enjoy the sympathy and support of all the peoples of Asia, fallen under the yoke of the invaders. Today we have a splendid army, defending the freedom and independence of our country with their lives. We experience no serious shortage either of food or of arms or equipment.

Our whole country, all the peoples of our country, are backing our army, helping them smash the invading hordes. Our reserves in manpower are inexhaustible. Allah inspires us for our patriotic war today as it did 57 years ago.

Is it possible, then, to doubt that we can and must gain victory over the invaders? The enemy is not as strong as some terror-stricken pseudo-intellectuals picture him. The devil is not as terrible as he is painted. Who can deny that our Army has more than once put the much-vaunted invading troops to panicky flight?

If one judges by the enemy's real position and not by the boastful assertions of propagandists, it will not be difficult to see that the fiendish invaders are facing disaster.

Hunger and poverty reign in the Chagatai Khanate. In three years of war the invaders have lost three hundred thousand soldiers. The enemy is bleeding white; her manpower is giving out. A spirit of revolt is gaining possession not only of the nations of Asia under the invaders' yoke, but of the invaders themselves, who see no end to the war.

The invaders are straining their last forces. There is no doubt that they cannot keep up such an effort for any long time. Another few months, another half year, one year perhaps - and they must collapse under the weight of their own crimes.

Muslims, soldiers, commanders and farmers, men and women guerrillas!

The whole world is looking to you as a force capable of destroying the brigand hordes of the invaders. The enslaved peoples of Asia under the yoke of the invaders are looking to you as their liberators. A great mission of liberation has fallen to your lot.

Be worthy of this mission! The war you are waging is a war of liberation, a just war. Let the heroic image of our great ancestor - Genghis Khan - inspire you in this war!

Let the victorious banner of the great Amzad fly over your heads!

Utter destruction to the invaders!

Death to the armies of occupation!

Long live our glorious motherland, her freedom and her independence!

Under the banner of Amzad - onward to victory!

 

[Wyvern]

1721 - The Gem and Amzad​

​

Amzad had learnt much from the Gem. He had tracked down all references to it, discovered how his brother Alvaro had used it before and hastened not to make the same mistakes. And yet. And yet still he had not learnt.

Alvaro had used the Gem in selfish greed and paid the price and so Amzad made to use it with more thought to benefit both Bistami and then more recently Qutb. Yet even so he did not understand and the old man sighed ever more sadly at this latest failure. He had hoped so much to find someone worthy, someone who could learn, yet Amzad did not learn and continued to try and play with powers beyond his ken, powers that tainted his spirit and made him totally unsuited for the task that lay ahead. Should he try one last time then? Look for one last apprentice? Who though was left, certainly not Qutb, Confucius or Reoyl? He would have approached Bistami long ago but Bistami was wed to his God Kartikeya, yet Kartikeya had recently become silent abandoning her servant – perhaps now was the time to see if Bistami had acquired or wished to learn true wisdom. It was worth one last try.

Back in the lands of the Mughals Amzad tossed and turned, his dreams blackened by ambition and the slowly creeping decay that was all but invisible except to those with the eye to look. In his hand he clutched the Gem never letting it out of his sight these days nor away from his person. Slowly it began to pulse, a red glow getting stronger and stronger yet still Amzad slept on. Outside Amzad’s tent the two guards snapped alert at the sudden sound of a terror filled shout coming from within the tent. Dragging back the flap they watched in horror as Amzad struggled half on his knees beside his cot, his arm held high clutching a great ball of firey red light. His features were clenched in agony yet still he refused to release his grip instead cursing and screaming ever more loudly as his obvious agony increased. Only when smoke and the faint smell of cooked flesh began to fill the tent did he toss his head in one final deep throated snarl and release his hand tossing the Gem away.

The two sentries stared at their lord in horror, his former immaculate figure was now twisted and deformed and where his right arm had been was left a blackened withered stump. Never would he hold a blade and lead quite so convincingly again. [Amzad loses –1 MIL permanently]. Of the Gem though, when Amzad searched there was not a trace to be found.

 

[Wyvern]

View From the Throne 1692 – 1721


What began with war ended with war. Alesso should have known that what began with force would end likewise. Reoyl had been defeated and Timor and Flores occupied and held against his future good behaviour yet such things could not be expected to last.

Even so Alesso was lulled by the years of peace that followed though clearly he should have been forwarned when Reoyl and Confucius formed an unholy alliance that was set to dominate the seas. Alesso could only hope that Reoyl wasn’t walking down the same dark path Confucius had trod. And how had Confucius gained control of the Kingdom of Brunie? Alesso was sure there was a tale there waiting to be told.

Despite his earlier victory Alesso did not sit back but instead plowed the whole economy into his navy – a conflict was looming and he needed to be strong enough to combat not just Reoyl again who himself could support as many ships as Alesso, but Confucius too who could build even more and had the riches to do so. Yet it would be more than another 20 years before war finally did break out when Reoyl and Confucius invaded Alesso’s vassal, Manchuria, and Alesso was forced to act.

The war machine of these two however was now too well honed and before Alesso could even march troops from China into the icy Manchu lands Manchuria had been overrun and forced to make peace. This left Alesso however now at war still with Reoyl and Confucius, a war that would not quickly end. Over the next few years a game of cat and mouse took place on the high seas. Reoyl and Confucius took care to keep their fleets combined and when they did the 800 warships and more that their combined forces totals were too much for Alesso’s admiral Dai Chi, yet when they split and especially when Reoyl – the weaker of the two – was left on his own Alesso pounced. 500 warships, perhaps a few more on the Chinese side took on the 300 to 400 strong Mataram fleet with no sign of Confucius’ fleet in sight, and Reoyl under the leadership of the mighty Kraken desided to stand toe to toe with admiral Dai. It was a mistake Mataram would regret when little more than a hundred ships limped away for minor losses to China. Yet even so the Brunei fleet still outnumbered China and in any engagement there Alesso was always forced to withdraw quickly lest his strength be spent.

Baring luck or divine intervention Alesso knew that this war was unwinable. The enemy had numbers, wealth and no obvious enemies elsewhere. In the end they would occupy all of China’s islands even if Mexico and the substantial force Alesso always maintained there would prove too much for them. And there were other concerns not least the renewed fighting taking place in India with Alvaro, Bistami and Gothmog all fighting Amzad. Why did Gothmog concern himself so? Alesso could see no rhym or reason to his involvement.

Then whilst the war at sea was still going on Dark Fire streaked across Asia, hammering into many of Alesso’s armies as well as others too and Alesso knew only too well the source. Yet the dark sorcery didn’t just come from Confucius, there were traces of foul humours emanating from out of Vientiene too and Alesso was deeply troubled. Had he been wrong to trust Gothmog? What did he know of this creature after all? He vowed to discover more about his neighbour but not from Gothmog himself. If Gothmog was trying to hide something from Alesso then Alesso was not the one likely to discover the truth, he would engage therefore someone else, someone who perhaps Gothmog was more likely to trust, and if there was nothing to discover well then nothing would have been lost.

As for Confucius ever since his expulsion from the Fortress of Bone and the subsequent discovery of the foul deeds done to his populace both there and in Egypt it had been clear what he was. Yet whilst there he was no longer a threat to the world, alone and without allies. With Brunei behind him and with Reoyl’s strength and willforce Confucius could do incalculable harm and Alesso could not in concience allow that even if he had to make hard choices. Confucius must be restricted to the Island of Brunei whatever the cost and his fleet sunk. No other recourse was open. And so knowing this Alesso called upon all his power and for the first time struck out at the holdings of one of his brothers destroying Confucius’ ability to quickly reinforce his navy. Burning his docks and shipyards in a firey inflamation of heavenly fire. Now there just lay the small matter of his fleet…

 

[ForzaA]

Delhi
It had taken some effort, but finally, it seemed, Amzad had given up trying to disrupt the siege of Delhi, and the construction site. Major Kuo hoped they had been in time, and judging from the construction tools still lying around the site, they could well have been. It would take time to breach the walls of Delhi, but he was confident they would eventually succeed. Entrenchments had been built, and sappers had begun digging towards the walls. Supplies were on the way to construct siege engines on the spot.
But then one day, a panicked messenger arrived from the battalion guarding the construction site at the Heart. He looked haunted, and all he would say was “the wind, the wind”. Kuo didn’t hesitate and sent an extra battalion to the site. No more panicked messengers arrived, so he assumed the site had been secured. Then, one day, a high-pitched wind rose, slowly gathering in strength, but then faster, and faster. Until, after a few hours, the sound was deafening, and men had trouble standing up. Some men, admittedly the latest recruits, began to run away, away from the wind, away from Delhi. Yet, the same fear was in the eyes of the veterans, and Kuo was forced to call the retreat.

Ujjain

The campaign had been difficult and tiring, so Bistami slept whenever he can, as all the veterans did, aswell. Then again, there was hardly anyone in the army who could not been called a veteran, they had all faced the Mughals’ new rifles, and they yet lived…

Suddenly, a loud, anguished shriek woke Bistami. But, judging from the faces of his guards, he had been the only one to hear this shriek. That could mean only two things. Either another of his brothers had died despite their immortality, or he had been too late, and Amzad had completed the temple… Reaching out through the ether, he could not sense a brother missing, so it must’ve been Kartikeya’s shriek…
Perhaps, Bistami thought, perhaps I can undo some of the damage, if only I can take the temple. Even if not, Delhi was a magnificent city, and it would certainly grant significant income. Yet, first things first, if he was ever to take Delhi, Vijayanagar would need to acquire significant amounts of weaponry of the same quality as the Mughals, but that would take a while. Bistami could only hope the rifles would reach the army in time, for the Mughals had been relentless. However, Bistami was sure that, even if he would be able to convince Amzad, by force or otherwise, to give up Delhi and the Temple, he suspected that it would only be a small step to secure the future of Vijayanagar and the Hindu faith. He could not hope for help from Reoyl, for even if he was still Hindu in name, his actions were certainly not becoming of a Hindu, and they certainly did not help the Hindus. It was clear to Bistami, something stronger than the Heart, stronger than the Idol, would have to be found to really secure the future of the Hindus. The Throne of Heaven would certainly do, but Alesso guarded it well, Bistami would look elsewhere first, and so he set out to read every scrap of paper he could find that would, perhaps, hint to sources of power that would be strong enough.

 

[Peter Ebbesen]

The Hour of Power
1692-1721
​

10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..0…

[Cranky beurocrat] Welcome… To the Hour of Power.

[UPSIDE DOWN SIGN] OUT OF ORDER

[RECORDED VOICE OF MEPHISTOPHELES] Due to a temporal attack on INN headquarters, the Hour of Power is temporarily off the air while I try to find my limbs.

[RECORDED VOICE OF ASMODEUS]Anyone who has seen my head, please contact the HoP c/o INN. I have grown rather attached to it… Or rather, I had.

 

[Wyvern]

Reoyl’s Head

Confucius cackled madly to himself. His fortress of bone was regained and with it the source of his power. Not only now did he now rule Brunei but he had retaken what remained of his old Bengali lands. Clearly fate favoured him. Only one thing gnawed at him, well two things perhaps but the other could wait. No first he would exact his revenge upon Reoyl and his treachery! Together they had had Alesso beaten, the craven coward fearful to leave port and so mastery of the seas was Confucius’ and with such mastery the Throne would only have been a step away! But then Reoyl had abandoned him and Confucius’ fleet against just Alesso alone had been unable to stand and had been humiliatingly defeated. Yet that wasn’t the worst of it! Oh no to be abandoned was one thing but to then have Reoyl later turn on him and slay his mortal body and rip away ancient Brunei lands that was an insult Confucius would not, could not forget, and in his newly discorporal state he had learnt Reoyl’s weakness!

Why the fool had done it who could tell? Immortality grants many things but to willingly dismember ones self takes a special form of insanity. Yet when Confucius discovered Reoyl headless bleeding state he had been quick to realise Reoyl’s vulnerability; for what would happen to Reoyl if he wasn’t just headless, but also literaly lost his head as opposed to just well having lost it? Confucius shook himself, he knew what he meant!

Confucius saw that Reoyl kept his head in a special gilded box that he carried around with him. Strange enchantments emanated from it which together with Reoyl’s immortality maintained the link between body and brain and kept both sustained. Yet Reoyl never presumed that this lent him a strange vulnerability, a danger he needed to guard against, and so he was totally unprepared for Confucius’ sorcery.

Having regained his bodily form Confucius gathered all his power together for this one great spell, the spell that would see him avenged on Reoyl! Reoyl was so confident, so full of himself and so clearly not fearful of Confucius. Well he’d show him, yes he Confucius! Let him beg, let him crawl. Confucius would show the worm what power really was! Confucius was almost drooling now in anticipation as the power built up within him and the gateway slowly formed. Yes there it was – the box, sitting on a pedastel and unattended! Ideal! Reaching a spectral hand through the astral window Confucius made a quick grab and was already pulling it back through the window before the harsh almost unendurable pain registered on his nerve endings and continued to sweep over him and up through his arm and from there his whole body. Yet somehow by willpower and desperation alone he held on only dropping the box finally once the window flickered closed. And there he lay panting, his power spent yet the prize his! And he began to laugh again, a mad hacking sound that rattled throughout his castle for hours and hours until all mortals cowered in fear.

 

[unmerged(11031)]

Rejecting the Darkness

Qutb hung motionless in the void. Once again he had lost his mortal form, killed by the armies of brother Reoyl and Sui combined. No man could have stood against them, their forces were just too vast, near 200,000 men had caught Qutb and his small army of 40,000 unaware and had killed him and his men to a man. Then in a lightening war, they had devastaed his land, taking Korea and Manchuria away from him. Had it not been for the intervension of Alesso, Qutb would have been forced to bend knee and call Sui, Lord when he took physical form again. But Alesso had intervened and that option he had not been forced to take.

'Time and time again you have died Qutb. Have you not learn anything?' A voice suddenly spoke to Qutb in the void.

'Who are you? Who speaks to Qutb-din-Aibak, Lord of Nippon and the North, Ruler of The Far East, former and future Master of Manchuria and true ruler of Delhi and Korea. Name yourself? Are you one of my brothers? Speak I demand it!'

'Time and time again you have turned to the Darkness Qutb. You have made pacts with the demons and creatures of the night in order to further your dreams and each time you end up back here.... back in the void. Are you so slow witted that you learn nothing?'

'You dare speak to me so, nameless one? Coward, I am Qutb! I am Master of my own fate and Lord of the destiny of the Brothers. I am blessed! The darkness has no power over me, I use it to further my aims and let the others fear my mastery over it! I will not fade away like Drake, Mohammed and Kraunak. I and I alone will hold the Throne. Not Alesso, Not Bistami, Not Amzad, not the Serene one, not the weakling Alvaro, not even Reoyl can stop and Sui above all others will not set one eye on the Throne! Now name yourself Spirit!!!'

'Is that truely what you think Qutb? You poor fool, you of all the brothers have a gift, for how many others have been here, in the Void and escaped? How many of the others have managed to find new Kingdoms to rule? Only you, yet the darkness drags you down. You could have made Delhi a wonder, a Garden Kingdom where all could have lived in peace and plenty, a Utopia on Earth. Yet what did you do? You threw it away when you gave into Hate and Darkness against Sui. And what happened to you in Manchuria? You could have brought that Kingdom into a Golden Age, but look at it now? Destroyed by Reoyl and Alvaro, it's time passed. And you lead Nippon down the same road. The darkness misleads you, you think you control it, but you do not, it's master is not you, nor is it ever going to be you, or any other of the Brothers. Learn from your mistakes Qutb! Everytime you draw upon the darkness, you lose more of yourself! And what have you gained from using these powers which you claim you are the master off? Nippon is weakening, Reoyl and Sui have greater might then you. Reoyl may ally with you now, but what is to stop him from turning on you like he turned on so many of his allies! Remember what he did in Enkan, he almost opened the gates to hell itself! He has taken the better part of Sui's strength for himself, he can swallow the rest at any time and then he can kill you. And what will aid you? The Darkness? It cannot save you, it responds only to it's true Master. Repent Qutb, Repent!'

Qutb hung there, shocked by the Voice. For it spoke the truth to his soul and Qutb finally knew it. The Darkness had not helped him, it had cost him greatly, time and time again he had used it and time and time again it had failed to bring him what he needed. His only aid had come from Alesso, he had supplied him with financial support, had aided him when his foes had threatened to destroy him and had brought Alvaro to the peace table more then once. And in the deepest corner of his soul, Qutb wondered how many more times could he survive a trip into the Void.

'Tell me who you are! I must know who you are, you could be one of my Brothers trying to trick me, to giving up the source of their defeat. Please give me a sign!'

'Dear Qutb'





'I am you'

And with that, the light came rushing back.

 

[Peter Ebbesen]

...Meanwhile in the nether realm...


Lord Baal. Thy unwitting servant has rejected the darkness.

I see.

He has discovered his conscience.

About time.

Lord? I fail to understand...

Servitor... He may have rejected the darkness, he may believe it heart and mind, he may truly believe that he has left the dark behind as he embark on a bold new path into the light...

...Don't puke.

But mark my words... The Darkness has not rejected him

 

[unmerged(18425)]

The Mughal Empire 1721-1744 Part One

Victory! Victory! Victory!

The Mughal Empire crushed the invaders! The erected temple in Delhi awoke the sleeping Spirit of India and brought Amzad victory, the opportunity to strike back against his enemies. The Spirit of India appeared in the Mughals darkest hour with an enormous army of 80,000 cavalerists. When the Mughal Empire was running low on manpower reserves, those 80,000 came exactly at the right time, at the right place.

With superior technology and morale, the Spirit of India defeated every opposing army it met, including a 100,000 men strong army led by a Balrog, including numerous smaller Vijanagar armies. Bistami himself did not dare to cross the border.

Alesso pressured Gothmog in leaving the theatre shortly after the appearance of the Spirit of India and thus gave Amzad the necessary breathing room to regroup his army fighting in the cold north. Without the pressure of Gothmog and his Balrog, Amzad could withdraw soldiers from the Eastern front towards the deceptive Alvaro.

Alvaro, that coward. His forked tonge made the rest invade the Mughal Empire. He thought it would be an easy victory and he was under the impression he could snatch a few Mughal provinces. He thought Alesso could do nothing to undermine his masterplan.

But Alvaro vastly underestimated both the strength and the superior numbers of the Mughal Empire. Amzad himself marched with 150,000 soldiers towards the Chagatai Khanate. When Amzad began leading his soldiers, within a year all but one Chagatai core province was in Mughal hands. Alvaro was driven back all the way to the Chinese border.

Despite Bistami of Vijanagar besieging countless Mughal provinces, Alvaro had to accept peace, the alternative would be the total destruction of the Chagatai Khanate.
Bistami was forced to accept the one province peace and the war thus ended with Uzbek ceded to the Mughal Empire.

The celebrities in Kabul lasted for weeks and the inhabitants watched a spectacular show of Chinese Fireworks, send by Alesso.

And the good news does not end here! Bistami saw the errors of his ways. He understood it were not the Mughals who were his enemy, it was Alvaro and his fiendish horselords. And could Gothmog really be trusted? Did Gothmog not show in the recent war he was weak of mind and quick with anger? Wasn't Gothmog acting without any responsibility?
Bistami deep in his heart knew it was wrong what he had done, attacking an opponent with two other nations was shameful. That he broke a treaty in the process was adding injury to the pain. Yes, Bistami's good conscience won in the end.

And so the years of prosperity began for the Mughal Empire. In an alliance with Vijanagar and with a twicefold defeated, weak, foe in the north, the future looked bright.

A bit too bright, one would say. And he would be right.

Alesso, who helped the Mughals to win the war, who clearly was at Amzad's side once again began supporting Alvaro. Before the war, Alesso demanded a promise from Amzad. He asked Amzad to not attack Alvaro again.

Amzad gave his word.

When Alesso was otherwise occupied, Alvaro invaded. Alvaro got defeated.
So, what did the good Alesso after the war? Did he tell Alvaro it was his own problem, did he tell Alvara that he was reaping what he sew? Did Alesso tell Alvaro he misused his protection the last time and that Alesso would never protect him again?
NO! Alesso, for reasons only he knows, vowed to protect Alvaro again!

One would expect Amzad to be filled with rage. One would expect Amzad to immediately invade the Chagatai, to prevent a horrible invasion again.

But Amzad was wise. He knew Alvaro's deceptive powers were formidable. If Alvaro could make two other countries to invade Amzad, who never did them any harm, surely Alvaro could whisper his words of intriguity in Alesso's ear too?

Therefore, Amzad send a letter to Alesso. An attempt to make Alesso to see the errors of his way.

​

Dear Alesso,

Brother!

As you should have noticed, Alvaro the deceptive is not happy with your protection. He pictures you, probably the most honorous of us all, as one who easily turns coat.
His deceptive talks almost made me misjudge too, dear Alesso. He made it look as if you supported his invasion of the Mughal Empire.
For Alvaro's lies are very, very persuating.

As you might have noticed, the last time you protected Alvaro, he used that to invade us. He will do this again, for Alvaro cannot be peaceful with us.

I, Amzad the Great Mogul, send this letter as a desperate last attempt to withdraw your protection of the Chagatai Khanate, your protection of one who does not seem to want it, your protection of one who is bound to misuse it.

Please allow a one on one war between the Mughal Empire and the Chagatai Khanate.
We will then promise you, it will be the last war between us. Should the Mughals lose, the Chagatai will get Uzbek and the Mughals will withdraw all demands on a land access.
Should the Mughals win, we will have land access and then we will be satisfied.

Sometimes, war is the only way to secure peace.

Sincerly yours,

Amzad, your brother.

And Alesso responded with:


Brother Amzad,

I have poured over your letter for many days now hoping against hope that my initial interpretation had somehow been wrong, that I had perhaps misunderstood your intent.

Yet at the end of this period of study I have had to conclude that no, there has been no misunderstanding and that there can be no misunderstanding. Your intent is clear and brutal for any to behold who read your words with no room in them for pleasantries, negotiations or mischance. You wish for nothing but the destruction of your brother and will put forward any platitudes or arguements that come into your head to make your position seem reasonable, blaming others for past aggression when it has always been your own actions that have brought it on.

Learn Amzad and learn now for your time is running out and know that my mind is set in this thing.

Alesso
Guardian of the Throne.


Sigh.
How misled can one be? How wrong can one interpret a honest letter?
"Studied for days" Pah!

A weak monarch would send an insult at this time. Or claim a throne. But not Amzad! Amzad arranged a meeting at a secret place in Afghanistan and spoke directly with Alesso!

After a few introducary words, Alesso and Amzad came to business.



Alesso:
I simply state you are a warmongering firebrand who looks to continue to destroy his brother.
Amzad:
nonsense, Alvaro is the agressor.
Alesso:
nonsense. Your letter clearly shows you are the agressor and what's more I now have it in writing!
Amzad:
You clearly interpreted it wrong. I tried to point out Alvaro wasn't content with you and misused your protection the last time by invading us.
Alesso:
and you want to use this flacky arguement to invade him. Clearly an act of aggression.

Think Amzad. Already you began the process of fire and destruction by invading Alvaro in the first place. That deed culminated in Alvaro's retaliation and yet now you want to continue the cycle until the world drowns in blood and conflict. Well you will do it without my help!
Amzad:
Alesso, you supported Alvaro when he wanted to attack me! You demanded a promise from me to not attack Alvaro. I, Amzad, gave you my word! You did NOTHING when Alvaro attacked me.
Why did you demand a promise if you knew Alvaro would attack? Why did you support Alvaro?

That's not even the worst. When Alvaro's invasion (together with THREE others) failed, you again protected him, You honoured his agression.and you continue to do so.
Alesso:
Huh? You seem under a sevear misapprehension, but then that is no new. I NEVER supported Alvaro in attacking you and could do nothing in that conflict whilst at war with Reoyl and Confucius. Once that war ended did I or did I not send you both financial aid and get Gothmog off your back?
Alesso:
However - as I must note - you brought that conflict on yourself by attacking Alvaro in the first place and ripping Delhi from his pocession. Conflict breeds conflict as I keep saying and if you continue down this path then one day you will rue the day.
Amzad:
Alesso, you indeed send financial aid and pressured Gothmog. So at *that* point you were at my side! You, at that point, supported my cause.
But when the victorious Mughal troops ended the war (remember what Alvaro's demand were!) you immediately supported Alvaro!

You supported Alvaro while he was STILL in the alliance which just invaded, including Gothmog!
Alesso:
I support who is in the right at any particular time. Learn that and you will have learnt well.

Now your aura of aggression gives me a headache and I must retire. Follow the path of peace and we shall speak again, follow the path of war and I fear I have little to say to you.



And with that, the tetchy Alesso departs. He is weak, both in mind and body.

Alesso joined Alvaro, he could not be persuated. And Amzad knew what to do.

 

[unmerged(11031)]

The Rebirth

And so Qutb returned to the Mortal plain and breathed deeply. Taking in his surroundings, he saw that he was in one of his hidden mountain strongholds, and so the war with Reoyl and Confucious had gone badly indeed if he had been taken here. Summoning his ministers to him, Qutb asked to be brought up to speed on the current situation.

'An Alliance with Reoyl? Strange, I thought he was allied with Confucious. You say he backstabbed him in order to destroy him? Thats fine with me, the Whole World knows that Confucious is evil and must be destroyed. Yes you were right to ally with him, we must do what we can to make sure that the alliance remains intact, for it is of vital importance to us. Now, what avout domestic policies? How goes the rice harvest? And the colonies in the Far East?' And so the meeting went on for many hours, as Qutb learned what had happened to his Empire and his People.