At the start of the narrative posts, there is a number, like this:
2657 [1343 BCE].
This is the year in which the events happened, dated from 4,000 BCE. One of the puzzling things about cIV is that it still--in spit of Christianity occurring at many different points in many different games--observes the BCE/CE split in its internal dating. This is just plain odd.
So, 2657 would be 1343 BCE.
04 November 2008
20 October 2008
Game II: Summary
The second game featured the Americans, the Anishnaabak, and the Aboriginals.
- The Aboriginals fell short of a culture win by about a dozen turns, largely because of tactical errors early in the game. For the most part, they kept to themselves, although the force of their culture was a constant issue for their neighbors, especially the Zulus and the Americans, who both lived across a small strait of water to the West.
- The Americans were led by idiots for several thousand years, settling cities with massive production power but, you know, no food. A late game comeback wiped out their Zulu neighbors to the South, but only moved them from mouth breathing troglodytes to middle of the pack.
- The Anishnaabak were the potential victors of the game, but they got lost in a search for revenge against the Japanese. After repelling an early Japanese attack, the Anishnaabak spent two thousand years preparing for and planning a naval invasion of Japan, which, while highly successful, also allowed the Aniyonega to cruise to the victory of their choice: not only did they win by culture, but they also were leading in the race to build a spaceship.
Game I: Summary
This all started with a game featuring the Khoi San, the Germans, and the Dutch. The Khoi San were the victors, landing a colony on Alpha Centuri in the first part of the twentieth century.
This was a very engaging game: the Khoi San were the clear early heroes, and the idea of Khoi San world domination remains quite appealing. However, it was also a game that demonstrated how narrative threads can emerge: the noble empire took offense at a wayward declaration of war, and over the course of a few hundred years, began to, instead of being the light of the world, turn into its dark overlord.
- The Dutch were my first attempt at a cultural victory, and they would have had a shot if I had, you know, read the rules correctly and figured out that on Marathon, it takes significantly more culture than on Normal speed. In any case, the Dutch appropriated about four cities in the course of the game due to their ever expanding artistic sphere of influence, most of them from their Cuban neighbors to the South. They also had some brilliant encounters with barbarians, with only a desperate last stand from a group of archers preventing Amsterdam from falling to the wandering hordes.
- The Germans were swamped by jungle for much of the game, and were kept afloat only by a plethora of gems. They ran for about 1,000 years on virtually no economy at all, but were aiming directly for factories and panzers, and, once they were in hand, proceeded to exact serious revenge upon the Maori and Holy Romans to their East. It wasn't pretty, but it also was too late to be terribly effective.
- The stars of the game were the Khoi San, who started out as the true light of the civilized world, spurred by the grandeur of the Pyramids to greater and greater heights of knowledge and culture, marred only by occasional conflicts with the Zimbabweans and Aztecs to their West. But then ... something changed, something horrible slipped, and the nobility of the early years moved into an arrogance and cruelty that was sad to behold. This came out most directly in a war with the Yemeni, who shared their Eastern border. Far advanced technologically, the Khoi San pillaged Yemeni lands for hundreds of years, forcing them into their cities and destroying all of the improvements in the outlying lands. It was pure cruelty for cruelty's sake, the equivalence of a bored thirteen year old torturing a small lizard, refusing to kill it outright. When the Khoi San finally launched a spaceship to Alpha Centuri, the rest of the world could only sigh, "good riddance."
This was a very engaging game: the Khoi San were the clear early heroes, and the idea of Khoi San world domination remains quite appealing. However, it was also a game that demonstrated how narrative threads can emerge: the noble empire took offense at a wayward declaration of war, and over the course of a few hundred years, began to, instead of being the light of the world, turn into its dark overlord.
13 May 2008
The Battles for Yayoi
Year 5255
Yayoi fell easily. Too easily for my taste. As I walked the Eastern perimeter and gazed over the hills, I had an uneasy feeling. There were barely two thousand Spanish forces in the city, and they fell easily before our swords, yet rumors of the massive military force at the disposal of the Spanish Queen were rife. Something was amiss.
The city itself was quiet: they had suffered at the hands of the Spanish occupation, and had little reason to believe our being there would be any better. Even the children cowered in the doorways, clinging tightly to the long, dark skirts of their mothers, avoiding the smiles and gazes of my soldiers. We would need to do something about that, later, once this unease has passed.
I turned along a palm lined street, headed for the lookout station at the Southeastern corner of the city. Smoke appeared on the horizon, but I didn't know yet if it came from the mines behind the hills, or from destruction leveled by the Spanish in retreat. I recognized the archer stationed at the bottom of the wooden stairway, standing at rapt attention with her eyes searching the middle distances.
"Greetings, Mara." Her gaze shifted, meeting mine.
"Greetings, Captain."
"Anything?" I asked, gesturing with my chin towards the hills.
"No, Captain."
"Good."
I moved up the stairs, wincing slightly. I had been nicked by a Spanish arrow in the initial siege, it's iron tip tearing through the back of my calf, just above the thick hide boots. Stairs were a bitch.
The lookout served as a temporary command post, and there were maps spread over most available surfaces, as well as spyglasses and, most importantly, a barrel of mead. I removed my bow and placed it against the wall, massaging my breast where the string had cut across it. There were rumors of a tribe in a distant island that cut them off in order to shoot better. Sometimes, I was tempted.
Kath was there, and didn't even look up from her maps. She was the best strategist I knew, and a dear friend. We had survived a dozen years in the desert together, and Yayoi was, even in the midst of war, a break of sorts.
I grabbed a mug from a shelf, filled it with the amber liquid. "You know they're trying to replace us?"
"Ya. I don't know. Maybe." There were stories from Carthage of a new type of bow, longer, thicker, able to shoot further, but also requiring much more strength to manage. Strength that some of my troops had, but strength more readily found in men.
She looked up. "Maybe, my ass. The swords are already all men. Now this. What the hell will we do, Cap'n?"
I drank deeply, then smiled, both at her and at the hot flush spreading from my throat. "Oh, I dunno. I figure we can always be nurses." She snorted, returned to her maps. I moved over to the table, placed a hand on her shoulder, and looked. "What do you think?"
"I think for damn sure they're coming. I think here, here, and here." She pointed to three routes through the hills, all coming from the South, all offering excellent cover until the forces were virtually at our doorstep.
"And?"
"And, if they come in force, I think we will lose the village here, but can protect the rest."
"OK. We can live with that. Any news from Michael?"
She took the mug from my hands, drained it. "Not really. His troops are all walking around with raging hard-ons from taking the city, but he's keeping them sober. He knows we're not done."
"They may need to wait quite some time." Kath smirked. "In the meantime, what are we going to do with those ... creatures ... in that barn? What did they call them? Kabaiyo?"
"Something like that. You did see the wheeled carts? When they attack, I would bet my ass they'll have them."
That was a worry. "You know Mara, below? Isn't she from Hadrumetum?" Kath nodded. I reached for a pen and an piece of scrap and wrote:
Your Majesty,
Excuse the lack of formalities: we remain in a state of seige. Three pressing matters:
* The spear regiments trained in H. all those years ago are needed. Immediately, if not sooner. Mara, who bears this letter to you, has separate instructions for them.
* Yes, the legends are true. We have seen them, we have killed them, and we will soon be killing more. None of us can pronounce the Spanish correctly: the best we can do is "Kabaiyo." I will send pictures soon.
* Yaiyo is yours. We lost all but one of the seige towers and (as of now) 1,104 proud sons and daughters of Carthage. Those that survived are healing, and will be even stronger for the counter-attack when it comes.
Yours in service and triumph,
Captain Uticus,
Desert Warriors
"Mara!"
She was up the stairs instantly. "I need you to take a small group--twenty-five to thirty at most--and go, as fast as you can, to Carthage. Take this to the Queen." I sealed the letter and handed it to her. "And, Mara. After that, you'll go to Hadrumetum." Her eyes widened: she was young and new, but it had still been close to a decade since she hade seen home. "We need the spears. You'll go by the barns outside town on your way out. Take Amelyssa of the 7th--she speaks a little Spanish--and find out everything you can about the kaba ... kabai ... whatever the hell those things are. Hug your family, then get back here as fast as you can."
Eyes still wide, she nodded. "Yes, Captain."
The attack came two weeks later. Just enough time for us to hope it wouldn't come. I was in that misty space between waking and awake when I heard the bell pattern. Three quick tones, a pause, and a louder, deeper tone. Repeated. I was up instantly, dressed just after, and at the stairs of the lookout station within minutes. Kath, damn her eyes, was already there.
"What kept you?"
"You win, Kath. You ever sleep?"
She turned, leapt up the stairs. I followed, and managed, with a well-placed elbow to her midsection, to beat her across the room to the viewing platform. We each grabbed a spyglass and aimed them towards the mountains, where we could see torches dancing in the distance, and a low rumble growing stronger.
"Kabaiyo. Thousands of them. And seige towers."
Kath grunted and shook her head. "No. Not seige towers--something else. And yes, thousands. But not many thousands--see, there, just by the second ridge. The torches stop." I looked again. She was, as usual, right. And, she was humming, which worried me: she only hummed when things got difficult, but I knew better than to interrupt her. Instead, I kept searching the flow of Spanish soldiers, but all I found were more and more kabaiyo, flags, and there, in the middle, hundreds of Spanish monks in brown cloth, carrying the crosses of their odd faith.
Kath stopped humming. I looked at her expectantly.
She smiled. "We'll make it. We dig in. If I'm right, those things are going to cause some major damage. Make our siege towers look downright puny."
"OK. You tell Michael, I'll get the women ready."
They tried later to explain how the new engines worked. I never understood. All I knew was that the stones came in hard and fast and big. Damn, but they were big. I never thought something that big could be used in war. The ground shook, and we huddled in the dark of the shelters and listened to buildings collapsing in an odd pattern of incredible noise punctuated by terrifying silence.
But, it ended. And when it did, I saw mounted archers, but no swords. And too few archers. Kath wanted to stay holed up, to let them break against the city like a wave dispersing into the sea. She was right: it would work. But there are times for strategy, and there are times for madness. And it gave Michael's men something to do.
Have you ever seen a Carthaginian beserker horde? They won't even tell us what they use, but before battle they all share a meal. Shortly after, they vomit, and then, glassy eyed and foul-smelling, they start to bubble like a cauldron coming to boil. We let them out of the city gates under a full moon, and could, above their yells, hear the surpised shrieks of the Spanish as they fell under their blades.
It only took a few hours until they returned. They came back in fewer numbers than they went out, but they came back with hundreds of Spanish prisoners. Some renounced their Queen and became citizens of Carthage, some did not, and were killed. Some amused Michael's men. We sent the priests home.
Yayoi was secure.
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
Yayoi fell easily. Too easily for my taste. As I walked the Eastern perimeter and gazed over the hills, I had an uneasy feeling. There were barely two thousand Spanish forces in the city, and they fell easily before our swords, yet rumors of the massive military force at the disposal of the Spanish Queen were rife. Something was amiss.
The city itself was quiet: they had suffered at the hands of the Spanish occupation, and had little reason to believe our being there would be any better. Even the children cowered in the doorways, clinging tightly to the long, dark skirts of their mothers, avoiding the smiles and gazes of my soldiers. We would need to do something about that, later, once this unease has passed.
I turned along a palm lined street, headed for the lookout station at the Southeastern corner of the city. Smoke appeared on the horizon, but I didn't know yet if it came from the mines behind the hills, or from destruction leveled by the Spanish in retreat. I recognized the archer stationed at the bottom of the wooden stairway, standing at rapt attention with her eyes searching the middle distances.
"Greetings, Mara." Her gaze shifted, meeting mine.
"Greetings, Captain."
"Anything?" I asked, gesturing with my chin towards the hills.
"No, Captain."
"Good."
I moved up the stairs, wincing slightly. I had been nicked by a Spanish arrow in the initial siege, it's iron tip tearing through the back of my calf, just above the thick hide boots. Stairs were a bitch.
The lookout served as a temporary command post, and there were maps spread over most available surfaces, as well as spyglasses and, most importantly, a barrel of mead. I removed my bow and placed it against the wall, massaging my breast where the string had cut across it. There were rumors of a tribe in a distant island that cut them off in order to shoot better. Sometimes, I was tempted.
Kath was there, and didn't even look up from her maps. She was the best strategist I knew, and a dear friend. We had survived a dozen years in the desert together, and Yayoi was, even in the midst of war, a break of sorts.
I grabbed a mug from a shelf, filled it with the amber liquid. "You know they're trying to replace us?"
"Ya. I don't know. Maybe." There were stories from Carthage of a new type of bow, longer, thicker, able to shoot further, but also requiring much more strength to manage. Strength that some of my troops had, but strength more readily found in men.
She looked up. "Maybe, my ass. The swords are already all men. Now this. What the hell will we do, Cap'n?"
I drank deeply, then smiled, both at her and at the hot flush spreading from my throat. "Oh, I dunno. I figure we can always be nurses." She snorted, returned to her maps. I moved over to the table, placed a hand on her shoulder, and looked. "What do you think?"
"I think for damn sure they're coming. I think here, here, and here." She pointed to three routes through the hills, all coming from the South, all offering excellent cover until the forces were virtually at our doorstep.
"And?"
"And, if they come in force, I think we will lose the village here, but can protect the rest."
"OK. We can live with that. Any news from Michael?"
She took the mug from my hands, drained it. "Not really. His troops are all walking around with raging hard-ons from taking the city, but he's keeping them sober. He knows we're not done."
"They may need to wait quite some time." Kath smirked. "In the meantime, what are we going to do with those ... creatures ... in that barn? What did they call them? Kabaiyo?"
"Something like that. You did see the wheeled carts? When they attack, I would bet my ass they'll have them."
That was a worry. "You know Mara, below? Isn't she from Hadrumetum?" Kath nodded. I reached for a pen and an piece of scrap and wrote:
Your Majesty,
Excuse the lack of formalities: we remain in a state of seige. Three pressing matters:
* The spear regiments trained in H. all those years ago are needed. Immediately, if not sooner. Mara, who bears this letter to you, has separate instructions for them.
* Yes, the legends are true. We have seen them, we have killed them, and we will soon be killing more. None of us can pronounce the Spanish correctly: the best we can do is "Kabaiyo." I will send pictures soon.
* Yaiyo is yours. We lost all but one of the seige towers and (as of now) 1,104 proud sons and daughters of Carthage. Those that survived are healing, and will be even stronger for the counter-attack when it comes.
Yours in service and triumph,
Captain Uticus,
Desert Warriors
"Mara!"
She was up the stairs instantly. "I need you to take a small group--twenty-five to thirty at most--and go, as fast as you can, to Carthage. Take this to the Queen." I sealed the letter and handed it to her. "And, Mara. After that, you'll go to Hadrumetum." Her eyes widened: she was young and new, but it had still been close to a decade since she hade seen home. "We need the spears. You'll go by the barns outside town on your way out. Take Amelyssa of the 7th--she speaks a little Spanish--and find out everything you can about the kaba ... kabai ... whatever the hell those things are. Hug your family, then get back here as fast as you can."
Eyes still wide, she nodded. "Yes, Captain."
The attack came two weeks later. Just enough time for us to hope it wouldn't come. I was in that misty space between waking and awake when I heard the bell pattern. Three quick tones, a pause, and a louder, deeper tone. Repeated. I was up instantly, dressed just after, and at the stairs of the lookout station within minutes. Kath, damn her eyes, was already there.
"What kept you?"
"You win, Kath. You ever sleep?"
She turned, leapt up the stairs. I followed, and managed, with a well-placed elbow to her midsection, to beat her across the room to the viewing platform. We each grabbed a spyglass and aimed them towards the mountains, where we could see torches dancing in the distance, and a low rumble growing stronger.
"Kabaiyo. Thousands of them. And seige towers."
Kath grunted and shook her head. "No. Not seige towers--something else. And yes, thousands. But not many thousands--see, there, just by the second ridge. The torches stop." I looked again. She was, as usual, right. And, she was humming, which worried me: she only hummed when things got difficult, but I knew better than to interrupt her. Instead, I kept searching the flow of Spanish soldiers, but all I found were more and more kabaiyo, flags, and there, in the middle, hundreds of Spanish monks in brown cloth, carrying the crosses of their odd faith.
Kath stopped humming. I looked at her expectantly.
She smiled. "We'll make it. We dig in. If I'm right, those things are going to cause some major damage. Make our siege towers look downright puny."
"OK. You tell Michael, I'll get the women ready."
They tried later to explain how the new engines worked. I never understood. All I knew was that the stones came in hard and fast and big. Damn, but they were big. I never thought something that big could be used in war. The ground shook, and we huddled in the dark of the shelters and listened to buildings collapsing in an odd pattern of incredible noise punctuated by terrifying silence.
But, it ended. And when it did, I saw mounted archers, but no swords. And too few archers. Kath wanted to stay holed up, to let them break against the city like a wave dispersing into the sea. She was right: it would work. But there are times for strategy, and there are times for madness. And it gave Michael's men something to do.
Have you ever seen a Carthaginian beserker horde? They won't even tell us what they use, but before battle they all share a meal. Shortly after, they vomit, and then, glassy eyed and foul-smelling, they start to bubble like a cauldron coming to boil. We let them out of the city gates under a full moon, and could, above their yells, hear the surpised shrieks of the Spanish as they fell under their blades.
It only took a few hours until they returned. They came back in fewer numbers than they went out, but they came back with hundreds of Spanish prisoners. Some renounced their Queen and became citizens of Carthage, some did not, and were killed. Some amused Michael's men. We sent the priests home.
Yayoi was secure.
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
12 May 2008
From "A Short History of Ancient Carthage"
The Desert Campaigns
The desert campaigns began with explorations into the sandy wastes surrounding Parthian, but soon grew into the largest military expedition in Carthaginian history up to that point. In the early years of exploration (ca. year 5,000), the desert was crossed for the first time, revealing the presence of both Babylonian and Barbarian settlements on the Southern plains. Clearly, if Carthage were to grow, the desert would have to be conquered, and could no longer serve as a buffer between the emerging empire and the rest of the world.
Scouts reported that the Barbarian city fell before the fury of a small Spanish force, possessed by the zeal of religious fervor in their never-ending efforts to spread Christianity. However, over time, no Spanish reinforcements arrived, making the city a tempting target. In 5,250, seven thousand Carthaginian soldiers were poised in the hills across the river from the settlement, waiting for the official order to charge the city.
War would mean generations of enmity with the Spanish, and would determine much of the course of later Carthage. These battles--claimed by some to be wars of aggression, by others wars of liberation--mark the end of "Ancient Carthage," as with them the empire was launched into the murky waters of international relations and diplomacy.
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
The desert campaigns began with explorations into the sandy wastes surrounding Parthian, but soon grew into the largest military expedition in Carthaginian history up to that point. In the early years of exploration (ca. year 5,000), the desert was crossed for the first time, revealing the presence of both Babylonian and Barbarian settlements on the Southern plains. Clearly, if Carthage were to grow, the desert would have to be conquered, and could no longer serve as a buffer between the emerging empire and the rest of the world.
Scouts reported that the Barbarian city fell before the fury of a small Spanish force, possessed by the zeal of religious fervor in their never-ending efforts to spread Christianity. However, over time, no Spanish reinforcements arrived, making the city a tempting target. In 5,250, seven thousand Carthaginian soldiers were poised in the hills across the river from the settlement, waiting for the official order to charge the city.
War would mean generations of enmity with the Spanish, and would determine much of the course of later Carthage. These battles--claimed by some to be wars of aggression, by others wars of liberation--mark the end of "Ancient Carthage," as with them the empire was launched into the murky waters of international relations and diplomacy.
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
06 May 2008
Myths and Legends
The queen narrowed her eyes and considered the man in front of her. Her chin rested on her left hand, the elbow on the softly padded arm of her chair; not a throne, really, just a large chair, with padding covering the hard, white stone beneath. A silver cloth embroidered with golden designs was wrapped over her shoulder, obscuring her right arm from view.
He was a small man, clothed in a simple brown tunic tied around the waist with a deep red rope, attached to the end of which was a small silver medallion. He was on his knees, shaking, and she chould see the sweat on his forearms. Evidently, her reptuation preceeded her, and this pleased her mightily. She began to speak, softly at first, but growing not louder, but sterner as she went.
"You know, we hear all sorts of legends here. All sorts of fictions are brought before me. You did see the bodies that line the road to Carthage, did you not? All of them, liars. All of their blood strengthening the road to Carthage. All of them dead." Her voice turned cold, the sound of gray steel glowing in a dim light, "Are you lying?"
"N-n-no, Queen Hannah, no, please, I'm not."
"Have you seen these beasts?"
"No, I have not."
"Then how can you be so sure."
The man was silent, staring straight ahead, aware that no answer could possibly appease her. The Queen stood up, and approached him. She reached out a hand to his chin, and lifted it so she could gaze into his eyes. Slowly, she unwrapped her right arm, bringing her hand up to his cheek.
"Do you feel that? Do you know what it is?" she asked.
He fought to keep his head from jerking away, as the thick scar tissue of her right hand moved across his face. He gulped, and nodded.
"Good. Then you know we have no distaste for blood. Guards!" Instantly, five muscular figures were by her side. "Take him away to the spire. Make sure he is comfortable, and fed. If he tells the truth, he shall live. If not, the ravens will feed on his eyes."
It was, to be honest, the best he could hope for.
The queen carefully re-wrapped her arm, raising the hem to her lips as she finished, then returned to her seat and struck up a conversation, although nobody else was present. "Preposterous. Four legged beasts that can be ridden at great speeds for great distances, some with massive teeth curving out of their mouth? Absolutely preposterous. If there were such a thing, we would have heard of it--nay, we would have some." Her eyes dropped. "Still ... We cannot be too careful, can we?"
* * *
"She can't be serious."
For the fifth time, Hadrumetum's Captain of the Guard read the paper she held in her hands. She focused on the seal at the bottom, trying to find the mistake that would reveal it s a forgery. There was none. She sighed, and pushed herself back from the desk. "Ianna!"
A thin woman with shortly cropped red hair entered into the room and stood, ramrod straight by the door.
"The Queen has spoken. We are to train two thousand women as ... " She glanced down at the paper again. " ... spearwomen. They are to take five foot sections of strong wood and attach sharpened knives to the ends." Ianna's eybrows rose almost imperceptibly, but she knew better than to respond. "These are to be used to defend against large, four footed beasts, some capable of great speed, others weight as much as a dozen men."
Ianna couldn't stop herself, and turned to the Captain. "Cows, Captain? We're supposed to fight cows?"
The captain took a deep breath, and lowered her voice: "No, Ianna, not cows. The Queen has heard of beasts in foreign lands like this, and fears an invasion. More importantly, the Queen has spoken. I believe I said that once already. Do I need to say it a third time?"
Ianna stiffened back to attention. "No, Captain."
"Good. Go. We have six months to have the first five hundred ready for royal review. If they aren't ready by then, we'll both be food for the birds on the road to the palace. Dismissed."
After Ianna left, the Captain leand against her desk, shaking her head. "Cows, indeed."
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
He was a small man, clothed in a simple brown tunic tied around the waist with a deep red rope, attached to the end of which was a small silver medallion. He was on his knees, shaking, and she chould see the sweat on his forearms. Evidently, her reptuation preceeded her, and this pleased her mightily. She began to speak, softly at first, but growing not louder, but sterner as she went.
"You know, we hear all sorts of legends here. All sorts of fictions are brought before me. You did see the bodies that line the road to Carthage, did you not? All of them, liars. All of their blood strengthening the road to Carthage. All of them dead." Her voice turned cold, the sound of gray steel glowing in a dim light, "Are you lying?"
"N-n-no, Queen Hannah, no, please, I'm not."
"Have you seen these beasts?"
"No, I have not."
"Then how can you be so sure."
The man was silent, staring straight ahead, aware that no answer could possibly appease her. The Queen stood up, and approached him. She reached out a hand to his chin, and lifted it so she could gaze into his eyes. Slowly, she unwrapped her right arm, bringing her hand up to his cheek.
"Do you feel that? Do you know what it is?" she asked.
He fought to keep his head from jerking away, as the thick scar tissue of her right hand moved across his face. He gulped, and nodded.
"Good. Then you know we have no distaste for blood. Guards!" Instantly, five muscular figures were by her side. "Take him away to the spire. Make sure he is comfortable, and fed. If he tells the truth, he shall live. If not, the ravens will feed on his eyes."
It was, to be honest, the best he could hope for.
The queen carefully re-wrapped her arm, raising the hem to her lips as she finished, then returned to her seat and struck up a conversation, although nobody else was present. "Preposterous. Four legged beasts that can be ridden at great speeds for great distances, some with massive teeth curving out of their mouth? Absolutely preposterous. If there were such a thing, we would have heard of it--nay, we would have some." Her eyes dropped. "Still ... We cannot be too careful, can we?"
* * *
"She can't be serious."
For the fifth time, Hadrumetum's Captain of the Guard read the paper she held in her hands. She focused on the seal at the bottom, trying to find the mistake that would reveal it s a forgery. There was none. She sighed, and pushed herself back from the desk. "Ianna!"
A thin woman with shortly cropped red hair entered into the room and stood, ramrod straight by the door.
"The Queen has spoken. We are to train two thousand women as ... " She glanced down at the paper again. " ... spearwomen. They are to take five foot sections of strong wood and attach sharpened knives to the ends." Ianna's eybrows rose almost imperceptibly, but she knew better than to respond. "These are to be used to defend against large, four footed beasts, some capable of great speed, others weight as much as a dozen men."
Ianna couldn't stop herself, and turned to the Captain. "Cows, Captain? We're supposed to fight cows?"
The captain took a deep breath, and lowered her voice: "No, Ianna, not cows. The Queen has heard of beasts in foreign lands like this, and fears an invasion. More importantly, the Queen has spoken. I believe I said that once already. Do I need to say it a third time?"
Ianna stiffened back to attention. "No, Captain."
"Good. Go. We have six months to have the first five hundred ready for royal review. If they aren't ready by then, we'll both be food for the birds on the road to the palace. Dismissed."
After Ianna left, the Captain leand against her desk, shaking her head. "Cows, indeed."
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
29 April 2008
From Al-Jabidaya's "Les Histoires Des Infidels du Nord"
Translated, albeit awkwardly, from the original Franco-Arabic.
The Carthaginian heretics of the far Northern mountains and woodlands risked their very existence for several millenia. But for the grace of the one true God they had been destroyed by it! Their economy was drawn repeatedly to the brink of ruin, and their knowledge of the miracles of God's creation lagged far beyond the rest of the world. Expansion came through a mixture of settling new cities and conquering existing independent states, many of which resisted assimliation to their barbaric and pagan ways. We will cover those developments in later chapters, including the renaming of several settlements which are referred to here by their original designations. All glory to the one true faith!
Dates of early Carthaginian settlements
3283 AvIE. Carthage
537 ApIE. Parthian
607 ApIE. Hippo
947 ApIE. Kerkouane
1297 ApIE. Leptis
1322 ApIE. Sakae
Interestingly, Al-Jabidaya, usually the most fastidious of historians, omits the second and third cities of early Carthage, Utica and Hadrumetum. Exact dates of settlement are unknown, but both were established well before Parthian was conquered. The resons for these notable omissions remain unknown, although a close examination of the folios reveal a tear in the original ms. that may be the cause.
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
The Carthaginian heretics of the far Northern mountains and woodlands risked their very existence for several millenia. But for the grace of the one true God they had been destroyed by it! Their economy was drawn repeatedly to the brink of ruin, and their knowledge of the miracles of God's creation lagged far beyond the rest of the world. Expansion came through a mixture of settling new cities and conquering existing independent states, many of which resisted assimliation to their barbaric and pagan ways. We will cover those developments in later chapters, including the renaming of several settlements which are referred to here by their original designations. All glory to the one true faith!
Dates of early Carthaginian settlements
3283 AvIE. Carthage
537 ApIE. Parthian
607 ApIE. Hippo
947 ApIE. Kerkouane
1297 ApIE. Leptis
1322 ApIE. Sakae
Interestingly, Al-Jabidaya, usually the most fastidious of historians, omits the second and third cities of early Carthage, Utica and Hadrumetum. Exact dates of settlement are unknown, but both were established well before Parthian was conquered. The resons for these notable omissions remain unknown, although a close examination of the folios reveal a tear in the original ms. that may be the cause.
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
Year 3700: The City of Sand
It was a small group, designed to move quickly through the forests, a mixture of military and a core group of people needed to settle the new city: ironsmiths and priests, adventurous families and farmers, courtiers and courtesans. They had left Hadrumetum and its pleasant lakeside life months ago, following the maps provided by the scouts. At first, they were jubilant, singing songs as they moved through the trees, but over time the hardships of the voyage took over, and the reality of all they were leaving behind settled in.
The landscape grew more sober with them: the forests were thinning, more and more space appearing between the trees, and the ground slowly changed from the rich, familiar loam of home to a fine, brown dust. They had been warned that, just beyond the hill scattered with the reddish-orange dust, the desert would appear, but nothing could prepare them for the shocking reality of it, the vast expanse of nothingness, stretching southwards to the horizon. Dirt, dust, and sand and beyond that, more sand, with an occasional splotch of green dotting the landscape.
A tall woman at the front of the group suddenly threw both hands high over her head, her dagger held parallel to the ground in her left. Instantly, the other captains did the same, and the rest of the group froze as well, with all conversation ceasing. The woman turned, motioned to three other armed figures, and took off at a loping run towards a higher ridge to the East. As they neared the top, she turned to the other two.
“Did you see what I saw?”
The other two looked at each other and shook their heads.
“Maybe I was wrong. Let’s go.”
They reached the top of the ridge and, using a large boulder as cover, examined the valley below. They were well trained, and remained silent, but their eyes showed shock.
“There’s a city there! How?”
“No idea. But Queen Hannah will not be pleased.”
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
The landscape grew more sober with them: the forests were thinning, more and more space appearing between the trees, and the ground slowly changed from the rich, familiar loam of home to a fine, brown dust. They had been warned that, just beyond the hill scattered with the reddish-orange dust, the desert would appear, but nothing could prepare them for the shocking reality of it, the vast expanse of nothingness, stretching southwards to the horizon. Dirt, dust, and sand and beyond that, more sand, with an occasional splotch of green dotting the landscape.
A tall woman at the front of the group suddenly threw both hands high over her head, her dagger held parallel to the ground in her left. Instantly, the other captains did the same, and the rest of the group froze as well, with all conversation ceasing. The woman turned, motioned to three other armed figures, and took off at a loping run towards a higher ridge to the East. As they neared the top, she turned to the other two.
“Did you see what I saw?”
The other two looked at each other and shook their heads.
“Maybe I was wrong. Let’s go.”
They reached the top of the ridge and, using a large boulder as cover, examined the valley below. They were well trained, and remained silent, but their eyes showed shock.
“There’s a city there! How?”
“No idea. But Queen Hannah will not be pleased.”
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
From "A Pocket Guide to Carthage"
Built roughly 3000 years after Carthage's fouding, The Pyramids tower over the plains to the East of the city proper. Constructed of stone overlaying an intricate lattice of ancient wood harvested from what are believed to be extensive forests that surrounded Carthage for the first two millenia of its existence, the six four-sided structures are laid out in an inverted "L." The noted early geographer, Basil Gruene (436 - 483, NCE) was the first to point out that the pyramids exactly echo, at a smaller scale, the positions of the six peaks of the Curtain Range Northeast of Utica. Why this would be so, and the original purpose of these mammoth wonders of early engineering, remains unknown.
That hasn't, however, stopped an entire industry of speculation from growing around the site, and the street hawkers on the Avenue of Wonder will be happy to invent any answer you wish to hear--for a price, of course. For the more scientifically inclined, tours of The Women's Tomb are available each day at 10:45 AM ($6 cC Adults, $2 cC Children 4 to 14): gather by the blue obelisk in the Women's Courtyard, South of the largest pyramid (reservations recommended). Tours may also be arraned on an informal basis with the locals who hang around the Memorial Square (see map). Look for the grey scarves worn by potential guides. Prices will vary, but if you negotiate well, a group of six should receive a three hour tour for under $8 cC.
The Pyramid Museum and Research Institute of Carthage (PMRIC) (10:00 AM to 10:00 PM Daily, closed National Holidays. $5 cC Adults, Children Free) remains the best source of information on the Pyramids, and a visit to their public exhibit behind the two Northern Pyramids is strongly recommended. Here, you will find historical information on the Pyramids, as well as the requisiste gift shop. Children will find hands-on activities, including a replication of the process used to age and strengthent the wood and a presentation on the forests believed to originally surround Carthage.
(from http://civisibiles.blogspot.com/ )
That hasn't, however, stopped an entire industry of speculation from growing around the site, and the street hawkers on the Avenue of Wonder will be happy to invent any answer you wish to hear--for a price, of course. For the more scientifically inclined, tours of The Women's Tomb are available each day at 10:45 AM ($6 cC Adults, $2 cC Children 4 to 14): gather by the blue obelisk in the Women's Courtyard, South of the largest pyramid (reservations recommended). Tours may also be arraned on an informal basis with the locals who hang around the Memorial Square (see map). Look for the grey scarves worn by potential guides. Prices will vary, but if you negotiate well, a group of six should receive a three hour tour for under $8 cC.
The Pyramid Museum and Research Institute of Carthage (PMRIC) (10:00 AM to 10:00 PM Daily, closed National Holidays. $5 cC Adults, Children Free) remains the best source of information on the Pyramids, and a visit to their public exhibit behind the two Northern Pyramids is strongly recommended. Here, you will find historical information on the Pyramids, as well as the requisiste gift shop. Children will find hands-on activities, including a replication of the process used to age and strengthent the wood and a presentation on the forests believed to originally surround Carthage.
(from http://civisibiles.blogspot.com/ )
From "A Short History of Early Carthage"
The early matriarchy was, from all available evidence, a strongly controlled oligarchy, one that may be seen as brutal by today's standards. At Carthage and several other early city sites, physical evidence of mass graves has been found. Interpretations differ, but most archaeologists suspect either large-scale ritual sacrifice or the extreme and prolonged use of forced labor. Modern dating techniques reveal no steady pattern in the killings, but at least eight distinctive strata of human remains have been found, with gaps of at least two to three hundred years between. Estimates of the total buried in Carthage's mass grave alone vary widely, but even the most conservative historians estimate at least one hundred fifty thousand, with others claiming close to half a million.
It is unlikely that we ever really know what life was like in early Carthage before the widespread use of written records, as such, the mass graves remain a troubling, yet inexplicable, mystery.
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
It is unlikely that we ever really know what life was like in early Carthage before the widespread use of written records, as such, the mass graves remain a troubling, yet inexplicable, mystery.
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
Year 500: The Curtains
It seemed routine: every few months another small group of scouts would return to Carthage with news of the surrounding land. The previous group would set out to meet up with the larger scouting party, and slowly, ever so slowly, what we knew of the outside world grew. It all seemed endless: deep forests and rolling hills, the salt of the sea and winding rivers finding their way to it.
And then, a party of scouts returned, wide eyed and breathless.
"We've never seen anything like it. These are bigger than any hills we've seen, and they go on and on. We can't climb them, but we've gone around them." Gestruing to the hills to the South of the settlement, the scout continued, "They have foothills like these, but from those, towering bulks of rock and snow."
The priestess listened, nodding slowly. "What did you name them?" The scout smiled. "Our oracle climbed as high as he could, and sat all night. In the morning, he returned to camp and said their name was the Six Curtains."
"So be it. We shall settle in their shadows, and protect ourselves by their mercy."
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
And then, a party of scouts returned, wide eyed and breathless.
"We've never seen anything like it. These are bigger than any hills we've seen, and they go on and on. We can't climb them, but we've gone around them." Gestruing to the hills to the South of the settlement, the scout continued, "They have foothills like these, but from those, towering bulks of rock and snow."
The priestess listened, nodding slowly. "What did you name them?" The scout smiled. "Our oracle climbed as high as he could, and sat all night. In the morning, he returned to camp and said their name was the Six Curtains."
"So be it. We shall settle in their shadows, and protect ourselves by their mercy."
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
Carthage: Year Zero
So tired. So very tired. This will do. Lots of fish, the smell of hogs mixing with the sweet smell of myrrh. This will do.
At the rise of the full moon, the small group of nomads gathered in the valley between the the river and the surrounding hills. A woman came forward and removed a small chip of dark stone from her belt, and with her eyes closed lifted it above her head so the moonshine glowed off the jagged edge.
"Hawm," the crowd murmered in approval and assent.
The woman reached up and took one large matted dred from atop her head, and sawed at it until it came free in her hand. She then made three short cuts in her palm, letting the blood mix with the severed hair. The crowd opened, creating a passage leading to a small hole to the South. She walked slowly, blood dripping from her hand, knelt on the grass and placed the hair in the pit. Two young boys started piling the dirt atop the offering.
Turning to the crowd, she made eye contact with as many of the crowd as she could, took a deep breath, and, in a surprisingly deep voice, declared, "We are settled. Forevermore, we shall live in this valley. Welcome to Carthage, your new home."
"Hawm."
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
At the rise of the full moon, the small group of nomads gathered in the valley between the the river and the surrounding hills. A woman came forward and removed a small chip of dark stone from her belt, and with her eyes closed lifted it above her head so the moonshine glowed off the jagged edge.
"Hawm," the crowd murmered in approval and assent.
The woman reached up and took one large matted dred from atop her head, and sawed at it until it came free in her hand. She then made three short cuts in her palm, letting the blood mix with the severed hair. The crowd opened, creating a passage leading to a small hole to the South. She walked slowly, blood dripping from her hand, knelt on the grass and placed the hair in the pit. Two young boys started piling the dirt atop the offering.
Turning to the crowd, she made eye contact with as many of the crowd as she could, took a deep breath, and, in a surprisingly deep voice, declared, "We are settled. Forevermore, we shall live in this valley. Welcome to Carthage, your new home."
"Hawm."
(from http://civisibles.blogspot.com/ )
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