thesmellypocket
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Posts posted by thesmellypocket
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28 minutes ago, firespirit44 said:
Hey @thesmellypocket thank you for your submission. Unfortunately your submission doesn't fit in with the competition rules. The rule is to create region lore for this map, and we do not take in submissions from anything else.
Submit a piece of lore about a region in LOTC with a screenshot attached to it, and explain its characteristic or backstory of it.
We only take in lore for culture or animals if its a side effect for the region lore, rather than the main focus. It also does not have an LOTC region in it, so I'm sorry to say your submission can not be accepted. Go ahead and submit it to the lore team if you want though.
Okay, I'll withdraw then.
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Mind if I use my Akritian Culture post as a submission?
The Akritian People
The Akritians are a people much-reduced from their former status, yet are still famed for their shrewd politics, rowdy hooliganism and deep piety. Today, they live in the Archduchy of Lorraine.
History
Akritian origins are unclear, but tradition holds the mythical king Midas brought over Heartlander colonists. Arising from a harsh, mountainous island called Akritos near the Turkin Steppes, theirs’ was a realm of warring warrior-poets in small, fortified city-states. These warrior poets were and are the stuff of epic poem, almost certainly more fiction than fact and interweaved with the ancient pagan superstitions which often disgust modern eyes. However, the Plague of Eudokia wrought havoc on this early civilisation, leaving a clean slate on which to build in the so-called ‘Dark Age of Akritos.’
An ancient depiction of the legendary warrior-poet ‘Midas’ who is said to have owned a crown so heavy with jewels it had to be suspended above his neck, and is credited with both discovering and colonising Akritos.
The Dark Age eventually gave way to new, more advanced polities. Governments were one of three forms: oligarchy, tyranny and democracy. Philosophy and trade flourished despite near constant warfare, and there was no sign of the cities of Akritos uniting any time soon.
However, after a long war known as ‘The Unification Wars’ a man called Diogenes (Sometimes called ‘The Great’) , a strange philosopher-despot said to have once lived in a barrel and to have behaved like a dog, brought all the city-states under a centralised, despotic Akritian kingdom. It was during this time that an Orenian priest called Petrus made the desperate journey to the kingdom from Aegis. He brought the nation into the Canonist faith, entirely turning upside down her views on philosophy, governance and everyday life. Temples were quickly converted into churches. Over time, the Akritians developed a doctrine different to the Orthodoxy back in Oren in some respects.
A copy of a mosaic in one of Patras’ many churches, long since abandoned. Depicted in the image is Diogenes the Great, who brought not only stability and peace, but prosperity and culture, and, above all: Canonism. He is often called the ‘Second Founder of Akritos.’
After years of stability under Diogenes and his direct descendants, known as the Diogenoi, a certain heretical priest known as Michael brought terror to the land with his fiery words:
‘Diogenoi: most cowardly and effeminate of men, most shrewish and whorish of women; most impious and disgusting of wretches. I give these words unto you so that you may learn the truth of God. For I see you now worshipping at wayshrines: praying to Saints as if Gods. God spare me from such idolatry! Be ye assured that thou is of the material of the pagans, and all material may burn within the holy fire of the Creator.’
Michael was mocking the characteristic Diongenic love for the Saints and their deeds, yet also for the ‘material of the pagans’ - their love of classical philosophy. Michael even accused Dionysus Diogenes, the current Caesar (Co-ruler) of claiming that the Epic Poet Godilas was a ‘Canonist before the Canon.’ Such talk sparked civil war. After decades of devastating warfare which ravaged the countryside, the Diogenics and their Orthodoxy reigned supreme over the heretics. In order to quell any further religious disputes, they re-copied the dogma of the Canonist Church in order to follow it to the letter.
Dionysus Diogenes with his lance. Dionysus was at best a middling swordsman and a blundering tactician, but was able to defeat the heretical rebellion after an extremely costly campaign at the Battle of Lithakia, some say by a divine miracle. By the end of the war, only ⅓ of Dionysus’ troops were left alive.
Near the time when Vailor was reached, the Akritians and Turkins were engaged in warfare. In the ‘Turkin War’, when Alexios Diogenes was nearing victory against the Turkins, they suffered a brutal reversal at the Battle of Nicopolis. Alexios and his bodyguard famously fought to the last, but a certain nobleman, the respected and battle-hardened Demetrios Palaiologos was able to break the Turkin encirclement and escape the field with an invaluable body of men, including cataphracts.
What followed was the most shameful moment in Akritian history.
The capital was sacked and churches looted. Nuns were raped, and a great slaughter took place among the people there. Demetrios thought the capital was unsaveable, even with her towering walls, and so, in a controversial move, he placed all his men at the coastal city of Patras. Destroying the Turkin fleet with a masterful use of incendiaries, he was able to hold off for years until the Turkins finally withdrew due to trouble at home. After a treaty of ‘Eternal Peace’ with the Turkins, the Turkins were officially the overlords of the Akritians, but in reality, exercised no power over them.he Akritians returned to their capital determined to come back bigger and stronger, breaking out of these humiliating, if unrestrictive, conditions. But it was not to be.
The Akritians advance at Nicopolis.
Plague hit both the Turkins and the Akritians. Akritos fractured into thousand petty despots as the chariot races of each city fell into wild hooliganism, until the Pagalogoi were able to unite these and ‘Make Ariktos Great Again,’ as went their slogan. Restoring order, they took the decision to sail to Vailor and join the nobles of Oren who had brought them their faith, so many decades ago.
Constantine Palaiologos (pictured), current ruler of the Akritians, is a direct descendant of Demetrios.
Religion, Philosophy and Politics.
The Akritians are a notably religious people, yet still read the works of ancient pagan philosophers and poets. They also, despite the edicts of Dionysus reaffirming firm Canonist doctrine, “unofficially” venerate several Saints, including Saint Diogenes, Saint Dionysus Diogenes and Saint Petrus, who all, according to Akritian sources, performed miracles. Another Saint included in this category is Saint Michael of Patras, who, according to legend, was blinded by the heretics so they could not read - and whose eyes regained sight so that he might continue his workings against the heretics. There is also Saint Kassia of Volos, a female composer of hymns. Apart from this, the Akritians are relatively orthodox when it comes to religion.
An icon of Saint Peter, the man who brought Canonism to Akritos.
The Akritians had many philosophers, both before and after their joining to the Canonist family. These include Sophocles, who wrote in dialogue, Thales (of whom no works survive), who wrote works on the soul and the Gods, and Alexandros, a Canonist theologian and philosopher. Akritian philosophy is diverse, covering issues from how to live happily, to God, metaphysics and political philosophy.
In and immediately after the so-called ‘Dark Ages’, political philosophy was diverse. However, since the reign of [Saint] Diogenes, ideas of despotism and hereditary government have dominated the field. Strangely enough, those born during the rule of a despot are considered ‘Born in the Purple’ and are favoured for succession. This tradition can be traced back to the ‘Purple Room’ of Diogenes’ palace.
Cuisine
The diet of an Akritian depends on his social status and wealth. The higher orders import rare spices and sweeteners and frequently eat honey-cakes, fruits and sweetmeats. Meanwhile, the lower orders tend to eat coarse bread, salted meats and sausages, salad (which is very popular) and cereals. Olives also used to be a staple, and, whilst still present in salads, are hardly as common due to the change in climate and land. Beef is rare, and lamb and mutton tend to be reserved for the upper classes. The upper classes also eat the meats they hunt, as hunting is a common hobby among them.
Koptoplakous, sometimes thought to be the ancestor of baklava, is a common dessert, which in turn is derived from the Placenta cake, which was, by legend, invented by Midas himself.
Placenta cake.
Akritian wines are even more renowned than those of their neighbours, the Lotharingians. The wine of Commandaria is sought by Orenian nobles to drink at special occasions, but cheaper wines such as Retsina (flavoured with pine resin) are available to drink in daily life.
Fighting Style
Following the Heretic War, Dionysus Diogenes reformed Akritos’ administrative system. Dividing the island into ‘Themeta’ or ‘Themes’, he appointed military governors called Strategoi (generals) to watch over these small provinces. Whilst the Basileus could appoint or remove these governors at will, and the central government held a large central army, these Strategoi were allowed to give land to soldiers in return for military service to the Themeta. As a result, the autonomy of the Themeta increased, as did their military capabilities, and they held off the Turkins and other menaces for a long time. It was only at Nicopolis that the Themeta system collapsed.
The Themeta system changed how the military system worked. Emphasis was removed from armoured, professional heavy infantry to provincial spearmen (which in many ways was a throwback to the ‘Hoplitai’ system dating back to around Midas’ time), and it was only the collapse of the system at Nicopolis which has reserved this.
Nicopolis was the decisive moment which sparked a move back to the professional armies of old.
Demetrios Palaiologos, credited as the third founder of Akritos, brought in a set of reforms to confront the military reality. Emphasis was put on a retinue of hard, professional heavy infantry and cavalry cataphracts instead of spear-armed provincials. This solid corps of veterans was bolstered by small units of Peltastai, javelin-armed light infantry raised from levies. Armour also evolved when they reached Oren, but the Akritians have always been playing catchup to the other peoples of the empire in terms of armour development. Plate armour was adopted at this point. The Akritians have also been bolstered by access to the famous Lotharingian horses, including destriers and coursers.
Note the Orenian-style plate armour of the man on the left, and the gauntlets and boots of the Basileus on the right.
The Akritians are famous for engineering and siege works. According to some, the Akritians invented the trebuchet, which they call the helepolis (city-taker.) The Akritians have in history built some massive siege engines. Phillipos, Archon of the democratic city-state of Volos, and a rival of Diogenes the Great, was said to own a helepolis so large it had a pulling crew of 1,200 men, firing 96 kilogram stones. Great siege towers and battering rams also became famous.
The ram and siege tower christened ‘Nika’ or ‘Victory’ was stolen from Volos to bring her own city walls crashing down.
Entertainments
Whilst the nobles hunt with dogs and horses in the same way as the other Orenian peoples, and many nobles also participate in Orenian-style tourneys, the common people have a far different taste in entertainment. Chief among these fashions is the simple chariot-race, perhaps the most tribalistic sport known to man. There have been some devastating bouts of hooliganism during the chariot races of the Akritians, but this is partly because the teams are so intensely politicised. Often, the two major teams, the Greens (Prasinoi) and the Blues (Venetoi) often come to back one pretender or another, one side, one religious issue, or one faction within their polity.
During the reign of Diogenes the Great, the Blues came to represent the landed elite ,whilst the Greens soon came to represent many unlanded peoples. In addition, the Greens tended to support a strict religious orthodoxy, whilst the Blues are more divergent from the Cannon. In the city-state of Volos, which was a democracy, the two teams became akin to political parties. In one riot most of the city’s famous siege equipment was destroyed; in the aftermath the ram and siege tower ‘Nika’ was treacherously brought into the hands of Diogenes’ forces by the Blues.
Riots in Volos were brutally put down by the army. The riots there are the most infamous in all of Akritian history, and opened the door to the city’s capture by her eternal rival.
Music
Like most cultures, the Akritians have two kinds of music: the secular and the sacred. The Akritians are known to have a very distinct range of musical instruments and songs, many of which are derived from before the Dark Ages.
Secular music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_8aSrsTlCE
Akritian secular music is derived from her ancient counterparts. The Akritians use instruments including the lyra (a violin-like string instrument), the lyre, the harp, the organ (used during chariot racing), the aulos (a distinct flute), and the askaulos (bagpipes.) The Akritians record their music and composers are well-known. This can lead to a bit more orthodoxy and less change in music than in other cultures. They are slightly more prudish in their tastes, and so ballads of courtly love and such tend to be far rarer than in say, the Lotharingian culture.
Sacred music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brdhbgeGW4E&t=2389s
The chants of Akritian sacred music are sung in both Flexio and Akritian. They are often recitations of the stories of the saints, hymns to the Creator, or even of Canonist dogma. The Akritians are particularly proud of their choirs, which include both men and women.
Kassia is one of the most famous composers of both sacred and secular music. She is one of those women venerated “unofficially” as a Saint by the Akritians.
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The Akritian People
The Akritians are a people much-reduced from their former status, yet are still famed for their shrewd politics, rowdy hooliganism and deep piety. Today, they live in the Archduchy of Lorraine.
History
Akritian origins are unclear, but tradition holds the mythical king Midas brought over Heartlander colonists. Arising from a harsh, mountainous island called Akritos near the Turkin Steppes, theirs’ was a realm of warring warrior-poets in small, fortified city-states. These warrior poets were and are the stuff of epic poem, almost certainly more fiction than fact and interweaved with the ancient pagan superstitions which often disgust modern eyes. However, the Plague of Eudokia wrought havoc on this early civilisation, leaving a clean slate on which to build in the so-called ‘Dark Age of Akritos.’
An ancient depiction of the legendary warrior-poet ‘Midas’ who is said to have owned a crown so heavy with jewels it had to be suspended above his neck, and is credited with both discovering and colonising Akritos.
The Dark Age eventually gave way to new, more advanced polities. Governments were one of three forms: oligarchy, tyranny and democracy. Philosophy and trade flourished despite near constant warfare, and there was no sign of the cities of Akritos uniting any time soon.
However, after a long war known as ‘The Unification Wars’ a man called Diogenes (Sometimes called ‘The Great’) , a strange philosopher-despot said to have once lived in a barrel and to have behaved like a dog, brought all the city-states under a centralised, despotic Akritian kingdom. It was during this time that an Orenian priest called Petrus made the desperate journey to the kingdom from Aegis. He brought the nation into the Canonist faith, entirely turning upside down her views on philosophy, governance and everyday life. Temples were quickly converted into churches. Over time, the Akritians developed a doctrine different to the Orthodoxy back in Oren in some respects.
A copy of a mosaic in one of Patras’ many churches, long since abandoned. Depicted in the image is Diogenes the Great, who brought not only stability and peace, but prosperity and culture, and, above all: Canonism. He is often called the ‘Second Founder of Akritos.’
After years of stability under Diogenes and his direct descendants, known as the Diogenoi, a certain heretical priest known as Michael brought terror to the land with his fiery words:
‘Diogenoi: most cowardly and effeminate of men, most shrewish and whorish of women; most impious and disgusting of wretches. I give these words unto you so that you may learn the truth of God. For I see you now worshipping at wayshrines: praying to Saints as if Gods. God spare me from such idolatry! Be ye assured that thou is of the material of the pagans, and all material may burn within the holy fire of the Creator.’
Michael was mocking the characteristic Diongenic love for the Saints and their deeds, yet also for the ‘material of the pagans’ - their love of classical philosophy. Michael even accused Dionysus Diogenes, the current Caesar (Co-ruler) of claiming that the Epic Poet Godilas was a ‘Canonist before the Canon.’ Such talk sparked civil war. After decades of devastating warfare which ravaged the countryside, the Diogenics and their Orthodoxy reigned supreme over the heretics. In order to quell any further religious disputes, they re-copied the dogma of the Canonist Church in order to follow it to the letter.
Dionysus Diogenes with his lance. Dionysus was at best a middling swordsman and a blundering tactician, but was able to defeat the heretical rebellion after an extremely costly campaign at the Battle of Lithakia, some say by a divine miracle. By the end of the war, only ⅓ of Dionysus’ troops were left alive.
Near the time when Vailor was reached, the Akritians and Turkins were engaged in warfare. In the ‘Turkin War’, when Alexios Diogenes was nearing victory against the Turkins, they suffered a brutal reversal at the Battle of Nicopolis. Alexios and his bodyguard famously fought to the last, but a certain nobleman, the respected and battle-hardened Demetrios Palaiologos was able to break the Turkin encirclement and escape the field with an invaluable body of men, including cataphracts.
What followed was the most shameful moment in Akritian history.
The capital was sacked and churches looted. Nuns were raped, and a great slaughter took place among the people there. Demetrios thought the capital was unsaveable, even with her towering walls, and so, in a controversial move, he placed all his men at the coastal city of Patras. Destroying the Turkin fleet with a masterful use of incendiaries, he was able to hold off for years until the Turkins finally withdrew due to trouble at home. After a treaty of ‘Eternal Peace’ with the Turkins, the Turkins were officially the overlords of the Akritians, but in reality, exercised no power over them.he Akritians returned to their capital determined to come back bigger and stronger, breaking out of these humiliating, if unrestrictive, conditions. But it was not to be.
The Akritians advance at Nicopolis.
Plague hit both the Turkins and the Akritians. Akritos fractured into thousand petty despots as the chariot races of each city fell into wild hooliganism, until the Pagalogoi were able to unite these and ‘Make Ariktos Great Again,’ as went their slogan. Restoring order, they took the decision to sail to Vailor and join the nobles of Oren who had brought them their faith, so many decades ago.
Constantine Palaiologos (pictured), current ruler of the Akritians, is a direct descendant of Demetrios.
Religion, Philosophy and Politics.
The Akritians are a notably religious people, yet still read the works of ancient pagan philosophers and poets. They also, despite the edicts of Dionysus reaffirming firm Canonist doctrine, “unofficially” venerate several Saints, including Saint Diogenes, Saint Dionysus Diogenes and Saint Petrus, who all, according to Akritian sources, performed miracles. Another Saint included in this category is Saint Michael of Patras, who, according to legend, was blinded by the heretics so they could not read - and whose eyes regained sight so that he might continue his workings against the heretics. There is also Saint Kassia of Volos, a female composer of hymns. Apart from this, the Akritians are relatively orthodox when it comes to religion.
An icon of Saint Peter, the man who brought Canonism to Akritos.
The Akritians had many philosophers, both before and after their joining to the Canonist family. These include Sophocles, who wrote in dialogue, Thales (of whom no works survive), who wrote works on the soul and the Gods, and Alexandros, a Canonist theologian and philosopher. Akritian philosophy is diverse, covering issues from how to live happily, to God, metaphysics and political philosophy.
In and immediately after the so-called ‘Dark Ages’, political philosophy was diverse. However, since the reign of [Saint] Diogenes, ideas of despotism and hereditary government have dominated the field. Strangely enough, those born during the rule of a despot are considered ‘Born in the Purple’ and are favoured for succession. This tradition can be traced back to the ‘Purple Room’ of Diogenes’ palace.
Cuisine
The diet of an Akritian depends on his social status and wealth. The higher orders import rare spices and sweeteners and frequently eat honey-cakes, fruits and sweetmeats. Meanwhile, the lower orders tend to eat coarse bread, salted meats and sausages, salad (which is very popular) and cereals. Olives also used to be a staple, and, whilst still present in salads, are hardly as common due to the change in climate and land. Beef is rare, and lamb and mutton tend to be reserved for the upper classes. The upper classes also eat the meats they hunt, as hunting is a common hobby among them.
Koptoplakous, sometimes thought to be the ancestor of baklava, is a common dessert, which in turn is derived from the Placenta cake, which was, by legend, invented by Midas himself.
Placenta cake.
Akritian wines are even more renowned than those of their neighbours, the Lotharingians. The wine of Commandaria is sought by Orenian nobles to drink at special occasions, but cheaper wines such as Retsina (flavoured with pine resin) are available to drink in daily life.
Fighting Style
Following the Heretic War, Dionysus Diogenes reformed Akritos’ administrative system. Dividing the island into ‘Themeta’ or ‘Themes’, he appointed military governors called Strategoi (generals) to watch over these small provinces. Whilst the Basileus could appoint or remove these governors at will, and the central government held a large central army, these Strategoi were allowed to give land to soldiers in return for military service to the Themeta. As a result, the autonomy of the Themeta increased, as did their military capabilities, and they held off the Turkins and other menaces for a long time. It was only at Nicopolis that the Themeta system collapsed.
The Themeta system changed how the military system worked. Emphasis was removed from armoured, professional heavy infantry to provincial spearmen (which in many ways was a throwback to the ‘Hoplitai’ system dating back to around Midas’ time), and it was only the collapse of the system at Nicopolis which has reserved this.
Nicopolis was the decisive moment which sparked a move back to the professional armies of old.
Demetrios Palaiologos, credited as the third founder of Akritos, brought in a set of reforms to confront the military reality. Emphasis was put on a retinue of hard, professional heavy infantry and cavalry cataphracts instead of spear-armed provincials. This solid corps of veterans was bolstered by small units of Peltastai, javelin-armed light infantry raised from levies. Armour also evolved when they reached Oren, but the Akritians have always been playing catchup to the other peoples of the empire in terms of armour development. Plate armour was adopted at this point. The Akritians have also been bolstered by access to the famous Lotharingian horses, including destriers and coursers.
Note the Orenian-style plate armour of the man on the left, and the gauntlets and boots of the Basileus on the right.
The Akritians are famous for engineering and siege works. According to some, the Akritians invented the trebuchet, which they call the helepolis (city-taker.) The Akritians have in history built some massive siege engines. Phillipos, Archon of the democratic city-state of Volos, and a rival of Diogenes the Great, was said to own a helepolis so large it had a pulling crew of 1,200 men, firing 96 kilogram stones. Great siege towers and battering rams also became famous.
The ram and siege tower christened ‘Nika’ or ‘Victory’ was stolen from Volos to bring her own city walls crashing down.
Entertainments
Whilst the nobles hunt with dogs and horses in the same way as the other Orenian peoples, and many nobles also participate in Orenian-style tourneys, the common people have a far different taste in entertainment. Chief among these fashions is the simple chariot-race, perhaps the most tribalistic sport known to man. There have been some devastating bouts of hooliganism during the chariot races of the Akritians, but this is partly because the teams are so intensely politicised. Often, the two major teams, the Greens (Prasinoi) and the Blues (Venetoi) often come to back one pretender or another, one side, one religious issue, or one faction within their polity.
During the reign of Diogenes the Great, the Blues came to represent the landed elite ,whilst the Greens soon came to represent many unlanded peoples. In addition, the Greens tended to support a strict religious orthodoxy, whilst the Blues are more divergent from the Cannon. In the city-state of Volos, which was a democracy, the two teams became akin to political parties. In one riot most of the city’s famous siege equipment was destroyed; in the aftermath the ram and siege tower ‘Nika’ was treacherously brought into the hands of Diogenes’ forces by the Blues.
Riots in Volos were brutally put down by the army. The riots there are the most infamous in all of Akritian history, and opened the door to the city’s capture by her eternal rival.
Music
Like most cultures, the Akritians have two kinds of music: the secular and the sacred. The Akritians are known to have a very distinct range of musical instruments and songs, many of which are derived from before the Dark Ages.
Secular music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_8aSrsTlCE
Akritian secular music is derived from her ancient counterparts. The Akritians use instruments including the lyra (a violin-like string instrument), the lyre, the harp, the organ (used during chariot racing), the aulos (a distinct flute), and the askaulos (bagpipes.) The Akritians record their music and composers are well-known. This can lead to a bit more orthodoxy and less change in music than in other cultures. They are slightly more prudish in their tastes, and so ballads of courtly love and such tend to be far rarer than in say, the Lotharingian culture.
Sacred music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brdhbgeGW4E&t=2389s
The chants of Akritian sacred music are sung in both Flexio and Akritian. They are often recitations of the stories of the saints, hymns to the Creator, or even of Canonist dogma. The Akritians are particularly proud of their choirs, which include both men and women.
Kassia is one of the most famous composers of both sacred and secular music. She is one of those women venerated “unofficially” as a Saint by the Akritians.
Language and Dialect
In ancient times, Akritos had her own alphabet. However, during her rapid Canonisation in the time of Diogenes the Great she slowly adopted the Flexio alphabet, which is used almost universally among the peoples of the world. The old alphabet can still be seen in some isolated forms today, in official documents or in ancient texts, but for the most part the Flexio alphabet has superseded it.
Here are some phrases, nouns and adjectives used by the Akritians (Thanks to glocky for these):
Malista Kyrie= Yes my Lord.
Opos epithimite= As you wish.
Stis prostages sas= At your command.
Ti kanete;= How are you?
Eime (ime) kala!= I am fine/good!
Oraia (orea) mera simera= What a fine day today.
Basileus= Emperor
Doux= Duke
Count= Komes (Comes)
Baron= Varonos (Baronos)
Despot= Lord (The Akritians usually call every lord, Despot, including the Duke.)
Kalimera= Good morning
Kalispera= Good afternoon
Kalinichta= Good night
Nai= Yes
Ochi= No
Malista= Of course
Flexioi=Other Orenians
Chere= Hail/Ave
Nika=Victory
Satanikos= Someone who is evil
Kakos= A bad person
Kalos= A good person
Oraios= A handsome man
Omorfe= A beautiful woman
((Could I get a pin please?))
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16 hours ago, Aesopian said:
I enjoy that someone is keeping the Greek traditions alive. However, your rendition of a Socratic dialogue could use a bit fine-tuning. For instance, expunging it of the standard prose at the start and making sure you always label paragraphs with the current speaker. If you want guides, there's a number of online resources around, for example: http://www.socraticmethod.net/morality/page1.htm
Danke
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"Ave Lotharingia." Dionysus states.
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Just now, Scooter said:
Dionysus Thylsealaes would look over the title, shaking his head. "I don't believe I had anything to do with this."
"I shall change it to Dionysus of Metz to avoid confusion."
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The Sermones (Conversations) of Dionysus of Metz: Book I
A Work of Philosophia
All the characters of this book are fictional, besides Dionysus, who is myself.
Part I
It was a short time after Lorraine had been re-established at the great town of Metz when we begin our Dialogus. It was well-known that the Lorranians are a hospitable and friendly people to those just and honourable to them, so I found delightful times in that city in which I lived. In the docks and there busy hubbub, I met met my friend Justinian, the son of Justin, along with Alfred, a great horseman from the capital, and Guy the Savoyard, son of Petrus. These were not particularly well-educated men: for education so often leads to sophistry, yet so often is a gift, and therefore those not educated may also have wise words to say.
“Ah, Dionysus, how good it is so see you!” Justinian began. “It is indeed a busy day at the docks, but now our work is complete and we may talk.”
“That is good to hear - they often say city-folk are prone to laziness, but that is not so.” I replied. “Shall you not come to my home?”
“That is a delightful idea.”
I was never a rich man, and we sat on simple wooden furniture and drank cheap wine.
“You are indeed blessed, Dionysus.” The goodly Guy began.
Dionysus: How am I so?
Guy:Well, you care not what wine you drink or what home you live in. You are indifferent, and care only for the pleasures of conversation, God and friendship, along with Philosophia.
Ah, that is because I prioritise soul over body.
But that would presuppose body and soul are separate, and not one.
And you think this?
Indeed, it is as it is: the soul is akin to the handle and the body the blade of an axe, but both are of the same axe. Would it be possible to prove otherwise?
Certainly so. Does a man know some basic sense of morality?
Indeed.
And that sense of morality came from somewhere?
Yes.
And children have a sense of morality?
A primitive one, yes.
Then surely such ideas came from a place other than the body? Surely God implanted it into our soul and gave it to us?
But can it not be law? Or the strong arm of a father, or the loving of a mother that brings such ideas? For is it not true, as we see, that religion must be taught, and societies heathenous and barbaric and filled with immorality?
So why then, did the Turkins not tear themselves apart when worshipping their pagan God? It is clear their Bey of Beys, as he is called, had some sense of justice.
Religion perhaps not, but morality, certainly. For without law and discipline, man is akin to the beasts of the field and the fish of the sea, over whom God gave us dominion. Even a child shall know morality from his parents as he learns to speak. Virtue may be taught as a child is taught to speak: bravery, justice, generosity, these may all be observed to be taught.
But even without being taught, there is always an innate disgust when a man is harmed unjustly. When he feels betrayed, that is within the deepness of his soul, surely that cannot be taught.
“All can be taught.” He seemed firm and unwavering in that perception.
Let us move, then, to an example other than morality. Would you find a fat and shrewish woman appealing?
Certainly not.
And music played from a broken lyre delightful?
Of course not.
And a stunted speech an example of good oratory?
Not so.
And there is a general agreement as to what makes a woman appealing, a lyre delightful and an oration masterful?
That is true.
Can you explain where these came from if not implanted with the soul, separate from the body?
But there is still deviation on which woman is most appealing, which lyre is most delightful and which oration most masterful.
Yet in no culture or religion, those of degenerates and pagans, is the fat woman found beautiful or the broken lyre delightful. So, even if there is some subjectiveness, there is a universality that you cannot explain without the soul being of another realm.
That is so. I concede your point, Dionysus.
It was at that point when Alfred, vigorous man that he was, entered into the discussion.
Alfred: You conceded that far too easily, Guy! Dionysus, my friend: is it not true the causes are four?
Dionysus: What is it you mean?
Well, it is observed in nature there are four causes to all things: the material of it, the form of it, the maker of it, and the purpose of it. For instance, the universe is made of the elements of fire, water, et cetera, and has continents and sea; the heavens too, the maker of it all being God, and the purpose...Well, I am no theologian, so I am perhaps wrong in my assumption, but I presume to worship God and act virtuously.
I am not entirely sure, but shall concede to see in what direction you take your argument.
Is it not possible then that the soul is the formal cause of man?
And how does that displace the idea that the soul is of another realm?
Well, that would make it no more purposeful to ask whether body and soul are one...Than the idea that a candle and its shape are one. For that would make the soul a man’s shape, and axehead and handle entire.
Yet you cannot substantiate that idea, nor does it mean the soul is separate. The body may come shapeless and mean, and the soul may come into it. Allow me to ask you a question: Is God perfectly just?
Of course.
And the world is unjust, with just men treated unjustly and vice versa?
In some cases, yes.
And God, being perfectly just, would naturally give the just recompense in the Heavens after death?
Yes...That is undeniable.
And therefore God made an afterlife?
Yes.
But when the body dies, you say, the soul does also because they are one?
That is what I said.
And so, the essence and personality of a man must go to heaven - his ‘justness?’ Surely that must survive within the soul, or else it would die along with the body. To the Heavens your soul came, and to the heavens it returns.
You would say then, ‘that our body is a little corpse carrying a soul?’
I would indeed say that.
Part II
After a while more of small talk, in which Justinian remained, for the most part, quiet, we talked of our lives and their troubles. It was then Justinian related with some frustration of his failure to acquire property due to the absence of some ducal warrant, and so the conversation naturally devolved into that of governments and powers.
Justinian:I suppose this, this is the failure of our system.
Dionysus: Its inefficiency? Is there some better efficiency to be gained through another form of government?
Justinian:The Ancients said that there were three forms of government, did they not? Tyranny, democracy and aristocracy?
They did say that.
And what government would you class Oren as?
Tyranny, with some elements of aristocracy.
And what government would you have classed Oren as under the Savoyards?
Aristocracy.
And there was an uprising against the Savoyards?
In Adria, yes.
And God gave the Savoyards victory and therefore God favours that form of government for Oren?
Your argument is that because God gave favour to the Savoyards in the civil war, and that therefore aristocracy is preferable to monarchy?
Yes, that is so.
Then how do you explain the current peace and stability in which we currently find ourselves, and the triumph of the imperial tyranny? Surely God favours this government also?
Aye, this government has not been tried by civil strife in the same way God tried the Savoyards.
Yet is it true that the word of the law is forgotten in times of strife?
Yes.
And the word of law ensures justice and liberty?
It does.
And therefore the measure of a good government is that which prevents strife, not that which finds itself embroiled within it?
Do you think that if the current government had been faced with the crisis of Adria, it could have prevented civil war?
Perhaps so, they might never had grown strong enough, or bold enough.
We cannot agree on that point, then, so let us move. So, let us say that an Emperor is unjust. With absolute power, he will be unrestrained in his power.
Allow me to put my reply like this: Who do you trust with the art of surgery, the skilled Medicus or the common serf?
The former.
And who do you trust to captain a ship, a skilled pilot or a merchant?
Again, the former.
And who do you trust to ride a horse, Alfred or one of his burgher brothers?
I am not sure on that one! No, of course the former.
And by the same merit, who do you trust to be more just and equitable an Emperor, he who is trained to rule or a minor noble?
He who is trained to rule.
And the Crown Prince is trained to rule?
Yes. He conceded this point with some reluctance.
Therefore, the well-trained Prince is most able in the ruling of the Empire? There are bad doctors, bad horsemen, and bad captains: but certainly, on average, the trained man in all of these professions is superior to the layman.
Yet you may have a well-trained noble class, and a well-trained king regardless of the absoluteness of the monarchy?
True, but is it not that crown prince most qualified to head the empire?
Yet is that a justification for the tyrannical form of government? One may have a good king under an aristocracy.
That is so, but his full potential will not be reached.
Yet full potential for evil is also reached under tyranny. Therefore, with tyranny you are rolling dice with the empire, sometimes to the good, and sometimes to the bad of it, but with aristocracy it is constant? For both bad and good monarchs are limited by the aristocracy.
Alfred:What of the third government? Democracy?
Justinian: Most foolish.
How so?
It may work for a city-state or merchant republic, but do you truly expect serfs to vote?
I find no such thing in the law of nature that shall say: a lord shall choose 2 of his ministers, a gentleman but one and a poor man none!
The law of nature perhaps, but the practicality? What is to stop an uneducated group of peasants from voting to exile a philosopher with unpopular opinions? Like Dionysus, indeed.
Dionysus:And indeed, it is said: one may get into power in a democracy by lying and cheating. Yet, under a monarchy, such is not required. In a democracy, you are sure to get a class of weak liars ruling the empire, whilst mob rule ensues. And to reaffirm the old argument: who do you trust to captain a retinue of troops? The veteran soldier, or the man, voted by the soldiers - nay, the camp followers of the army?
Alfred: I see no fairness in your manner of things. What is to say a man is made tyrant other than his birth? And shall you have it so a lord may choose representatives, a gentleman but half of the lord’s and the poor man none. I find no such thing in the law of nature. For it is as it was said in the Annals: ‘The poorest he that is in Oren hath a life to live, as the greatest he.” And should a man die in a state for which he has no stake? That makes him a mere mercenary soldier.There is more to such bonds than mere mercenary ambition. Many of our soldiers belong to Holy Orders, fighting for God’s Peace, others fight out of obligation to their liege; a small few even fight for loyalty to their homeland alone. You may not dismiss a soldier as a ‘mercenary’ merely because he does not take part in the affairs of state. If my own son should defend my property yet have no stake in it, be he a mercenary?
That would depend on the reason he takes up the sword to defend it.
Very well. Perhaps it is of your burgher origin, Alfred, for you often vote in mayoral elections there. But even those elections have restrictions on voting, and the major is not ruler of the city in all respects. Perhaps you are misguided in your beliefs? Perhaps all of these three governments have drawbacks and we must have a ‘mixed’ government, incorporating the best of them all.
And what, Dionysus, would you call the role of government?
That is simple. To keep law and a basic degree of liberty, protect the citizen, to fight wars and to maintain infrastructure, would be the list.
On that we are agreed. And what you call this ‘basic degree of liberty.’
The freedom of conscience for philosophers, so long as it does not offend our religion, and the people not to face judgement without a fair trial.
And who, of all rulers, would be best at maintaining these rights?
The philosopher, or the theologian.
So perhaps we have added a fourth element to our mixed government - theocracy, and also that of the philosophers.
I presume you would say these theologians would have power of veto over any proposals?
Yes, they would. Or he would.
Justinian:Perhaps, in an absolute tyranny, the despotism may become...enlightened, by means of the monarch himself being a philosopher.
Part III
Guy: What think you the best way to prove God’s existence?
Dionysus: To look at his creation and see the design and inter-functionality, of course.
Guy: But this relies on the senses, which are flawed.
Dionysus: If you rely on the senses which are flawed to keep you alive, or to captain a ship, et cetera, why does it trouble you to use them in regards to the existence of things? Are they flawed only when convenient?
The reason I speak these words is because I believe there is a proof for God that relies not on observation, but on reason.
And what is this?
It is the following: God is by definition the greatest being which can be thought of. God exists as an idea within the mind, but something that exists in the mind only is not as great as something which exists in reality, called in Flexio ‘in rei.’ Therefore, he must exist in reality.
I must argue on behalf of the fool: this a foolish argument.
How so?
May I simply create a new concept, say...A perfect palace? If I give it the definition of being the greatest possible palace, I can also use it to prove the perfect palace.
But does a palace have a maximum at which we may call it perfect?
No, but there are things which do.
Such as?
Let us say an arrow: there will be an exact point and design at which it will travel fastest. That is the greatest possible arrow.
But an arrow is different. God is contingent on nothing else for existence, whilst an arrow is. Therefore, the situation is different, for God is the only such being in the entire universe. According to the doctrine of the church, God is eternal.
Then let us change the example yet again. God is all-loving - omnibenevolent - is he not?
Certainly, he is.
But could I not use it to prove the greatest malevolent being exists, adding non-contingency as a predicate? That means this argument can be used for other things than God, but a great malevolent being instead.
But, being evil, he is not ‘greater’ than that which is good and virtuous.
A plague or infection of a great many may be called ‘great.’
Yet not in the same sense.
In what sense then?
In the sense of a great emperor: powerful and merciful both.
You may keep this argument, then, but I shall still rely on my senses to affirm the obvious.
Part IV
Alfred: One may say: is it preferable to be of a pessimistic temperament, or an optimistic one?
Dionysus: A pessimistic one.
Alfred: Why?
Dionysus: To whom comes the greater shock from the death of a man? He who has never seen a man fall to his death, or a man who has killed and witnessed the killing of hundreds?
Alfred: The latter, of course.
Dionysus: Why?
Alfred: Because he is used to it.
Why?
Because he expects it, I suppose.
Therefore, him who expects bad shall not be shocked by it. He who knows that all men depart from the anxieties of this world, to go to the next, is the least likely to be shocked by death than he who knows not of death. Allow me to phrase it like this: If one always expects bad things, then one will never be shocked by evil, for he fundamentally expects bad to come from everything. Conversely, when something great results from what one expected to go badly is found, then the joy is all the greater.
Yet you assume this pessimism does not translate into reality.
What do you mean?
Well, if one thinks badly, bad will happen. For he will come into things with no enthusiasm or bravery: he will be cowed into thinking the worst of things, and never stick things out. Therefore, he will be weak.
A hope to win is not needed to fight. A general may fight out of necessity, for it is better to have a slim chance than to surrender your arms and have no chance at all.
Then the general may say, under you view: ‘O, eternal God! My chances of winning are slim!’ (Even though they are not) And he will say: ‘Surely, it is better for the men to live and to surrender than to fight a hopeless battle.’
One may appeal to that general’s sense of honour, to implore him to fall on his sword, or to fight honourably, rather than die.
Justinian: I have another question of you, Dionysus. Earlier, we spoke of three primal forms of government: democracy, oligarchy and tyranny. Well, it may be asked: as a ruler, is it better to be loved or feared?
Dionysus: Feared.
Justinian: And why is that?
You would agree, Justinian, that justice is a role of the government?
Of course.
And justice is something which may be given even to friends? To men you love, you may punish if they defy the law?
Certainly.
Then may I say this: if you are loved by a dishonourable man, and you administer justice toward him, he will become resentful and turn against you, and betray you. Meanwhile, if a man is feared, he would not dare draw a sword against you.
Yet there is one flaw with this. Let us say that you lose some foreign war or adventure. Then a man will surely perish, for his reputation of being fearful will end: he will be seen as weak. Therefore, anytime a man relies on fear, not love, and his fear breaks, then he is doomed, as none will fear nor love him. Yet, if there friendship, alliance, and support of you is out of love and voluntary, they may support you out of loyalty even when you look weak! In your own pessimistic worldview, in which the worse is expected, you are inevitable to fail and look weak in some respect.
Yet in that same view, I may say that a so-called friend - I am not talking of regular life, but in politics - may betray you, and pull a dagger on you.
There are ways to see a man disloyal before he draws the dagger.
A friend is he whom you suspect at every corner? Surely the ruler will become paranoid and punish unjustly at that point?
The fact is that fear is far less temporal than love. Love may shift at stupid and arbitrary things. Even when faced with failure, a wise ruler can always keep his aura of fear.
Guy: By God! How late it is! I suppose I shall have to go.
Realizing how long they had been talking, the others left soon after - but we would talk again of these things.
END OF BOOK I.
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Name:Dionysus
Age:37
Race: Human (Akritian)
Subject you wish to major in: History
NOTE: LET IT BE KNOWN THAT DIONYSUS HATH WITHDRAWN HIS APPLICATION. ((Mod pls delete))
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I think Vailor was Isles, and Axios was Isles. Next one should be 1 or 2 continents as we have had Isles twice in a row. Also in Athera I remember there was a pub between Savoie and Petrus along the road, and baronies too, but there is not that with this map. Fast travels have contributed to this.
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RES PUBLICA FOSSA
“We’ll defend ourselves.” Was the unanimous - and typically isolationist - reply that sounded from the four most senior men of the senate (barring the two Consuls). Consul Bedrus, the young defacto leader of the Republic, began to explode in reply in heavily accented Latin. “We need to ally with fellow Christians, aye, and fellow Romans! We have set ourselves in a strong position...Let us not give that up, noble Senators.” The Consul had always been aggravated by the sometimes dogmatic isolationism of his fellow senators.
The debate went back and forth for hours. Eventually, the Senate approved of the Consul’s measures narrowly. Leaving his fellow Consul, Constantine, in control of the home territory, he headed north with a small party of soldiers to make contact with the Northern Romani Republic, and establish relations.
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Rarely did the senate agree so fervently. Realizing ‘he who has command of the sea has command of everything’ (Themistocles) the junior Consul had quickly set about building a port in his fellow Consul’s absence. The port is to be built only a few miles from Campus Fossa, the capital, and will give them access to trade and other things that the sea and the lands beyond can bring. Near the port, he also builds a fishing village. This port and village will together be called Piraeus.
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In addition to this, he begins to build a modest church at Campus Fossa.
ACTIONS
-Sending the Senior Consul to the Northern Romani Republic. (1 point)
-Setting about the building of a port (1 point) and fishing village (1 point.)
-Begining to build a modest church. (1 point)
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Name of Civilization: Res Publica Fossa
Type of Government w/ Ruler: Senatorial Republic under Consul Bedrus Antonius, a young Armenian soldier, having received tutelage in the Platonic Academy (what is left of it), he travelled to the falling province in order to try and improve matters. With a small column of men he restored the fort along the Fosse Way, taking control of the region.
Religion/Culture: (Celtic/Roman/Britonian): Christian/Roman.
Location w/ Picture: See above.
Skype (For Updates): sam.mcmahon57
Short Backstory: Neglected by the reeling Roman troops, a young Armenian, half philosopher, half soldier, having received tutelage in the Platonic Academy (what is left of it, anyway), travelled to the falling province in order to try and improve matters, and found a ruined fort. With a small column of men he restored the fort along the Fosse Way, taking control of the region. (Modern-day Southern Devon)
Traits:
Roman Civilisation (1)
Paved Roads (1)
Medium Village Warbands (3)
Weapon Reserves (2)
LVL 1 Agriculture (1)
Isolationist (-1)
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"These hashish smokers are harmless..." Christopher d'Ibelin remarks.
0 -
6 hours ago, SaintPaint said:
"Very P O W E R F U L." Says Cullen Uhtredsson to the soldier.
"Thank you, sir." The soldier replies with a sharp salute.
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A Collection of Ballads either compiled or authored by Christopher d'Ibelin, a soldier of the Honour Guard of Lorraine.
LORRAINE
Over the Hills and Far Away
Hark now the drums beat up again
For all true soldier gentlemen,
Then let us list and march, I say,
Over the Hills and far away.
Over the hills and o'er the lands,
From d’Amaury to the Marchands,
Duke Lothaire commands and we'll obey,
Over the hills and far away.
All gentlemen that have a mind,
To serve Lorraine, that's good and kind,
Come list and enter into pay,
Then over the hills and far away.
Over the hills and o'er the lands,
From d’Amaury to the Marchands,
Duke Lothaire commands and we'll obey,
Over the hills and far away.
No more from sound of drum retreat,
While cavalry and footmen beat,
Bandits and Blackguards every day,
When over the hills and far away.
Over the hills and o'er the lands,
From d’Amaury to the Marchands,
Duke Lothaire commands and we'll obey,
Over the hills and far away.
(Sung only by common soldiery)
Old Augustus e’up and scratched his bum,
He says ‘Dreadlands ,lads, thee’s ‘ad thee fun
My men-at-arms will win the day
When over the hills and far away.’
Over the hills and o'er the lands,
From d’Amaury to the Marchands,
Duke Lothaire commands and we'll obey,
Over the hills and far away.
There’s ‘fifty minas on the drum,
For those who volunteer to come,
To list and fight the foe to day,
Over the hills and far away.
Over the hills and o'er the lands,
From d’Amaury to the Marchands,
Duke Lothaire commands and we'll obey,
Over the hills and far away.
Men of Metz
Hark I hear the foe advancing
Barbed steeds are proudly prancing,
Helmets in the sunbeams glancing
For God and my right!
Men of Metz lie ye dreaming?
See ye not their falchions gleaming?
While their penons gaily streaming
For God and my right!
From the rocks rebounding
Let the war cry sounding
Summon all at Lorraine’s Call
The haughty for surrounding!
Men of Metz on to glory
See your banner famed in story,
Waves these burning words before ye,
For God and my right!
Men of Metz! In the Hollow,
Do ye hear like rushing billow
Wave on wave that surging follow
Battle's distant sound?
Tis the tramp of enemy foemen,
Enemy spearmen, Enemy bowmen,
Be they knights or hinds or yeomen,
They shall bite the ground!
Loose the folds asunder,
Flag we conquer under!
The placid sky now bright on high,
Shall launch its bolts in thunder!
Onward! 'tis the country needs us,
He is bravest, he who leads us
Honor's self now proudly heads us,
Freedom, God and Right!
The Ramblin' Soldier
I am a soldier, blythe and gay,
That’s rambled for promotion.
I’ve laid the foe and blackguard low;
Some miles I’ve crossed the ocean.
I’ve travelled Lorraine and Crownlands, too,
I’ve travelled bonny mountains through,
I’ve caused some pretty girls to rue,
I’m a roving, rambling soldier.
When I was young and in me prime,
Twelve years I went recruiting
From crownlands to the Lorraine,
Wher’er there was no shooting.
I led a gay and splendid life,
In every town a different wife;
And seldom was there any strife
With the roving, rambling soldier.
In Johan’s town I courted Jane,
Her sister and her mother;
I mean to say, when I was there,
They were jealous of each other.
Our orders came, I had to start.
I left poor Jane with a broken heart.
Then straight to Metz I did depart,
The roving, rambling soldier.
With the blooming lasses in each town,
No man was ever bolder;
I thought that I was doing right,
As the Duke did want young soldiers.
I told them tales of fond delight,
I kept recruiting day and night,
And when I had made all things right,
Off went the rambling soldier.
Lothaire permission granted me
To range the country over,
From the Library to the capital,
From Metz down, and all over!
And in whatever town I went,
To court all damsels I was bent,
And to marry none was my intent,
But live a rambling soldier.
And now the wars are at an end,
I’m not ashamed to mention
His Grace will give me my discharge;
Minai and a pension.
No doubt some lasses will me blame,
But never once they can me shame,
And if you want to know my name:
It’s the Ramblin’ Soldier.
Lorraine's Rangers
In our army we’re the best,
From the north, south, east and west,
The best of boys are following the drum!
We’re mighty hard to beat,
I may say without conceit,
Faith, the enemy, are welcome when they come!
Be they Dwarves, Orcs or Elves,
Why, we’ll beat them ourselves!
We’re the boys to give them sugar in their tea!
For we’re Lorraine’s rangers,
The lads to face all dangers,
Gold in peace, steel in war,
Clear the way!
You may talk about your squires, boys,
Your mercenaries to hire, boys,
Your holy orders and noble Dwarves - without the forts!
The girls we drive ‘em crazy,
The foe, we beat them easy.
The rangers from old Metz....Huzzah!
The land across the sea!
Twas Barabanov who said,
As Adria he led,
“My Crows, are them the rangers, do you know?”
“Da” Says Crow “There’s no mistake! To our heels we better take!”
“I think it’s time for you and I to go!”
When friend or foe hears their step,
It makes their hearts to leap,
“Arrgh jewels, drink you to Edmond’s Day?”
For we’re Lorraine’s Rangers,
The boys to fear no dangers,
And we’re the lads who always take the sway.
You may talk about your squires, boys,
Your mercenaries to hire, boys,
Your holy orders and noble Dwarves - without the forts!
The girls we drive ‘em crazy,
The foe, we beat them easy.
The rangers of Lorraine....Huzzah!
The land across the sea!
Now there isn’t far to search for the lads who best can march,
The lads that never fear the longest day,
Faith, you easily will know, their dashing step will show,
Tis Lorraine’s boys who always lead the way.
If me words perhaps ye doubt, come join ‘em on a route,
I’m thinking you’ll not find it quite a treat!
You’ll see them in the van, you may catch them if you can,
Faith, you’ll have to travel fast or you’ll be late!
You may talk about your squires, boys,
Your mercenaries to hire, boys,
Your holy orders and noble Dwarves - without the forts!
The girls we drive ‘em crazy,
The foe, we beat them easy.
The rangers of Lorraine....Huzzah!
The land across the sea!
The Knights of Lorraine
Some talk of Saint Edmond,
And some Prophet Godfrey,
Of Ashfords and Horens,
Gallant in the Melee.
But of all the world’s brave heroes,
There’s none that can compare…
To the tow-row-row-row-row-row,
Of the Knights of Lorraine!
When’er we are commanded,
To storm the palisades,
Our leaders march with halberds,
And we with gleaming blades.
We charge for the breach,
Ever the foe’s bane,
And sing tow-row-row-row-row-row to the Knights of Lorraine!
Then let us fill a bumper,
And drink a health to those,
Who carry swords and shields,
And wear our Archduke’s clothes,
May they and their commanders,
Live happy and not slain…
With a tow-row-row-row-row-row to the Knights of Lorraine!
Chambery Lads
Away, brave boys, to Chambery jig,
The girls to kiss, the whiskey swig,
And each as merry as a grig…
Sing one and ALL!
But he that will not with us jog,
Shall kiss no girls and drink no grog,
For that he is a sorry dog…
Sing one and ALL!
Then let the bells of old Metz ring,
The Lorraine boys have come to sing,
We’re Chambery Lads, good drink we’ll bring!
Sing one and ALL!
To those who stand with sword and pike,
Around the land there’s no dislike,
From those gentlemanly and ladylike…
Sing one and ALL!
And those marines, so full of heart,
Shall be feared by those base and smart,
So we can drink, content to part...
Sing one and ALL!
Then let the bells of old Metz ring,
The Lorraine boys have come to sing,
We’re Chambery Lads, good drink we’ll bring!
Sing one and ALL!
And when these times are at an o'er,
Our services required no more,
We'll hail again our native shore...
Sing one and ALL!
And then good Chambery's volunteers,
Shall meet kind, good; hearty cheers,
Plenty of wine and good strong beer...
For one and ALL!
Then let the bells of old Metz ring,
The Lorraine boys have come to sing,
We’re Chambery Lads, good drink we’ll bring!
Sing one and ALL!
8 -
MC Name:_JosipBrozTito_
Character Name:Christopher d'Ibelin.
Race:Heartlander. (Auverginian-Lorranian)
Age:16.
Profession (if applicable):Promising Blacksmith.
Timezone:GMT 0. (London, Belfast, Dublin)
Skype (PM if you’d like):You've got it.
Do you have Teamspeak?:Yes.
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Enclosed is the work of my father, the great Suleyman, whom they called ‘Chronicler.’ Those foreigners reading the text should know Tigir simply means God, or Allah (Exalted may he be for many centuries!)
-Suleyman II
-The compiling and transcription of this work was finished by Christopher d’Ibelin.
I.The Prophecy of Ayaz Ata
I, Suleyman, have served at the whim of my lord for decades. He was the Bey of Beys, a man without parallel in bravery and skill. He invaded upon distant tribes; many thousands lay either subdued or dead in his wake. He was not a merciful man, but in the almost untenable situations he found himself in, little mercy could be found anywhere. When he was not merciful it was not without reason, not without just foundation, and when he could be so he did act with an admirable mercy. It is for these reasons that we, the Turkins, so love and strive to be more like Orhan Sungur!
For, truly, who could be so worthless or pathetic as to not want to know, by what means, and under what system of polity, Orhan, in less that 50 years, went from a commoner to master of all the Turkins, an achievement without parallel in any people’s history? [Polybius]
His background was humble. He was born to simple craftsmen, his father living an honest life as a bowyer. His mother would not give Orhan bread until he had first hit it with his sling; she exclaimed and lamented of his nature often. He was not destined for greatness at first, merely, Tigir and his spirits, in the wisdom of millennia, decided to make it so. He was absent-minded, his head ‘in the clouds’ as they say, and was of a sickly disposition. His mother exclaimed, upon every evening:-
‘Why, useless boy! Must you so constrain yourself within the absence of your mind and the weakness of your body? You are dirt, and the weakest of your father’s blood. You are alike with the asses and goats, and, therefore, should be cast aside so that you may be with them, those who are your closest kin.’
But rather than taking up his father’s craft, he took up his uncle’s. This was to great disappointment and anger, yet Orhan wished to become a shieldmaker. It was on a seemingly uneventful night, in the dead of winter, when he was making glue out of dairy, limewater, and vinegar, at age of 7, that the spirit of Ayaz Ata visited upon the ‘Orhan the Foolish’ as he was known. Orhan felt a sudden urge to go into the middle of the wilderness. There he met the great spirit; he called out to him, with a voice undescribable in authority, yet at the same time, benevolence. Orhan needed no proof - the identity of the spirit had been etched into his heart - and he knew that for a purpose he was there. He was fearful, but did not allow the fear to rule him like an İmparator. He acted true to his heart, despite his fear.
“Young Orhan!” The spirit cried out to him. “Tigir has willed something for you. He sees in you what no one else sees, that you have the heart of a lion. In his infinite wisdom and mercy, he calls out for you to seek an audience with the Bey of your tribe. He shall raise you up to the heights of glory, and a fate as high as the heavens awaits you there, in which you shall become master of all.”
“But” Orhan countered “Why would a Bey be interested in the whim of the peasant son of a bowyer?”
“I shall instill in him my gift of benevolence towards you. Do not question the wisdom of our one and true God.”
II.Household of a Bey
Orhan did as Tigir willed the next morning, entering upon the magnificent resting place of the Bey. The guards felt compelled to allow him in, and Orhan found a tall, handsome man of a kindly appearance and manner, who immediately gave the boy hospitality. Orhan fell upon the feast set between them with the speed of an eagle; within minutes he had eaten great volumes of food. The Bey, who was called Alp, took a great liking to the boy. He bestowed upon him rich silks and many a gift of sword, mount and a betrothal to his young daughter, who was called Aka. He offered to take him in and make him a noble of very high standing.
Orhan returned to his household to mixed reactions. His mother, her heart made of ice, said: “If another man wishes to take away the parasite who infests our household, let it be. I shall be in favour of it.” His father was very proud to see his son favoured by a great man, who was renowned across the land as a man of great fortitude and wisdom.
Orhan spent his next years in training as an Atlı okçu, growing massively in stature, until he was the tallest man for 100 leagues in all directions. When he reached adulthood he was a man of youthful vigor. Many grew jealous of his upstart rising, suspecting he would be appointed heir to the Bey, who had no sons. A faction drew up against him. At Orhan’s 15th year, the leader of this faction was a merchant called Suleyman, who was of such wealth that he regularly discarded gowns of silk encrusted with magnificent jewelry, and did likewise with cups of silver and even gold. Such was his desire to prove his wealth and power that he had managed to assemble in his train dozens of concubines, whom were all dressed in the finest Akritian silks as a display of wealth. Suleyman often spoke ill of Orhan and called him “Orhan the Upstart”, openly insulting him and saying onto him many horrid things [This part I have censored for the lewdness of it - translator.] He, one day, spoke against Aka, who was then Orhan’s wife, saying that she was lewd and should be disowned (which was a foolish claim at the very heights of arrogance!)
Orhan was enraged. At dawn, he stormed from his bedchambers, wielding a woodcutting axe and completely naked, frothing from the mouth and biting the wood of his axe in anger. Suleyman had his sword drawn and was speaking to some of his fellow faction members atop a camel, when Orhan charged at him and cut off his camel’s head with a single, brutal cut. He then fell upon Suleyman, beating him senseless. Such was Orhan’s ferocity that none even spoke of him, even when not his presence, for fear that he might be listening, and he might unleash an unspeakable wroth onto them. “O, Orhan, whose lion’s heart is indestructible and whose strength causes the foe’s armour to sing the song of terror!” Were the only words spoken, yet only by his wife.
Suleyman lost all his teeth on that day, thus earning the nickname ‘The Toothless.’
The Bey formally announced Orhan as his successor, and denounced his detractors with words which thrusted at them, like the iron tip of a spear! He said unto those men:-
“O, ye who doubt the greatness of Orhan! You are the ones without urbanity or elegance, whose tongues are of the serpent, whose tone positively disgusts! Vile, inhuman, savage, inhuman creatures, that did knowst the key of the tribe, and used it to full extent to destroy our most beloved warrior!” These words rung true, for those who spoke against Orhan were the masters of deceit and forgery, their petty intrigues threatening the Bey himself.
III.Heart of a Lion
But there was little time for reflection. By his 16th year, Orhan was atop his most beloved mount, a beast which only he could ride with any kind of skill, whom he called ‘Mehmed.’ Mehmed was swifter than a winged chariot and had an unbreakable bravery ; as if pattern-welded steel of the ancients he rode forth, without a hint of shattering from exhaustion or fear.
For he was at war. The insufferable and villainous Beys of the tribes of the north, who arrived in unthinkable numbers, united against the just Alp, intending to strip him of his titles and throw him into the dust.
The ground trembled as an army of over 24,000 trudged rapidly against our territory, the constant tremor of their march easily mistakable for an earthquake. Even the dead could feel their seemingly unending march. They terrorised our populace, forcing our Bey to fight in open battle.
Our Bey met them at a field which they call the Field of Nightmares. Orhan stood beside him, their force numbering but a few thousand. The cavalry were hidden beyond a hill, the levy spearmen in front to face the brunt of the attack. The enemy pressed all their might against it, till a slinger ran beyond the hill, and loosed a lead bullet, which lodged itself into the fondly-remembered Alp’s eye. Alp collapsed instantly.
He was Alp, rich in wealth and promise, father to his people and protector of Orhan. He had married a woman whom they called Isim, for whom he had sacrificed much, and kept to her with love. Now, he was but distant; dead. A lifeless shell of a man, lying pitifully on the ground near his comrades whom he would risk his very mortal soul for; they in awe of him, even in death. Yet he was dead, and his steady hand was to be replaced by youthful promise, of which we relate most gloriously now.
Orhan was Bey, and the situation was deteriorating. All around him, his fellow nobles were exclaiming at the Bey to abandon his infantry and withdraw from the field. But Orhan, his heart inflamed with a desire for revenge and his sympathy for his men overpowering his cowardly doubts, emerged from the hillside and smashed into the enemy right. Leaving his cavalry to charge and retreat, hammering at the enemy, Orhan rode with his most trustworthy soldier, Bekir Aryal, and the two of them rushed after the enemy commanders.
O, glorious God who spins the webs of fate! You made our noble Bey rush forth upon them with the fiery fury of battle, and allowed him and his companion to slay 8 Beys on their own! Surely enough, the enemy saw, and the rear ranks spread the word about that their commanders were dead. Panic shattered their line like a hammer breaking glass, and they dispersed into the wilderness, chanting of their doom like madmen. The battle, against all odds, was won.
Orhan and his companions scanned the field with narrowed eyes. Little more than a third of their men remained. The field was watered with blood, the red hue sickening to those men unaccustomed to war. They all unconditionally pledged their lives to Orhan - he was undisputed master of the tribe, and an undisputed master of the art of war. Yet Orhan wept rivers into existence for the fate of the man who had been like a father, and who had elevated him far beyond what was expected of him by the cold tongue of his mother.
It was at this point Orhan decided to relay to his tribe the prophecy of Ayaz Ata. None would have believed before, but he had arisen from nothing and scored a masterful victory; there could be little doubt now. But of course, foolish as they were, dissenters from other tribes remained. O, how foolish were they that disbelieved! There can be little doubt that by his sword he cut the enemy asunder, and surely these victories are proof of the favour of Tigir? Although no Prophet of Tigir - for the last Prophet he sent is long dead - ,surely Tigir intended (as he intends all things) for his rise to greatness.
IV.Beginning of the Journey
It was then Orhan rallied all young men of the tribe but a week after. Many were dead, and there much a strange mixture of grief and celebration. Orhan did not waver. He spoke unto them with the fury of a spirit:-
“My people,
We have suffered much in the past week. Children cry, widows shriek, and all the tribe has lost much. Youthful promise and respected eldership have been cut short by the harsh gasp of death, and, so here we lie, without these men to give direction, yet we do not remain directionless. We take upon ourselves a new direction.
These men thought us weak. They attacked our tribe, killed our Bey; killed your friends and your relatives with no justification. But we proved too strong for they. We cast aside their untold numbers, and squashed the knaves into dust, those not squashed dispersing into the forests like so many cowardly rabbits! Yet our men stood firm in incredible odds! We have strength, even in this state.
So now I beseech you, good men, what remains of Alp’s men, to become mine. For now our direction lies with revenge and the heights of glory. Our ancestors rushed upon the enemy at Nicopolis against the odds, and so can we! They always think us weak, yet we are strong, and we shall use this strength to gain revenge for our people.
Yet when they stand at our heel, dismayed and humiliated, it shall be most notably said:- we are the epitome of greatness. None shall defeat us; many peoples shall be united under a single Bey and a new age shall dawn upon us. Thus, shall father teach son the tale of I. The tale of you. The tale of we. We, good brothers of war. It is this quest, brothers, I pursue. Now I ask you to join me. Will you join me? Will you sow the seed of greatness, seek revenge and please Tigir? Well!? What say you!?”
“We shall!” Was the unanimous reply.
It was thus that the tale Orhan truly began.
V.Rulership of the Tribe
Orhan’s predictions had the accuracy of a short sling. He predicted that the enemy would not again come against him, for their levies were reluctant, yet nor would they seek a truce, for that made them weak. Thus he elected to rebuild the tribe before they could, and if they would attack. He would fight on his own terms.
To begin with, despite the nomadic tendencies of our people, Orhan was bent on establishing for himself a proper capital. He built around his walless , small (but the largest at the time) town a wooden palisade, behind which he began construction of stone walls, and he began to build a keep.
He also united the tribe completely under his rule, solving the disputes that fired up here and there. He bestowed upon the men who performed well under excercises lavish gifts, which had been seized from Suleyman the Toothless. For the deceitful merchant’s concubines he provided space in his household, and, after Suleyman died by his own hand, after a plot to murder Orhan, he gave to them husbands among the young men, and his own wife, to great jubilation of all people, became pregnant.
Thus he created for himself a new retinue, for those men who had died had sons who took up the sword in their own manner. He did this for a full year. By the next campaigning season, he still had few men, but had trained and drilled them in such a manner that it was as if they had been training throughout their childhood. He had learned this harsh manner of training from his own mother, who would beat him as a child for a slight mistake. For there were to be no mistakes. There could be no mistakes. A mistake cost a life, and each life lost on that fateful day bore the weight of lead on his heart; he confided it to me, for I then had taken up my works for him, and faithfully agreed to serve him. I know many things that were known to but a few. He had a son that year, whom they called Orhan.
VI.A New Hope
Thus one night, Orhan did rise from his bed to sort various business, his wife still asleep, until, suddenly, an enormous man of a foul and ignorant manner
stomped into the noble Bey’s bedchambers with a poisoned dagger. He thrust madly; yet even the vicious wounds could not stop Orhan, who wrestled him to the ground and stabbed him furiously in the neck with his own dagger, which was an easy task because Aka rose from her bed and kicked the assailant in the testicles. He took, amazingly, but a few days to recover - surely God was watching over him! I am also in good knowledge that Aka literally sucked the poison from Orhan’s wounds. Certainly, there was never a more universally admired woman!
The joy at his recovery was unbelievable. This was yet another sign that we were so favoured by Tigir , and soon our favour would be shown again. That day I was informed of a priest, a great learned man called Osman of a very good and fond memory. He brought with him a knot so strong and complex no man had ever untangled it for centuries; and he instructed me thus: “Bring this to your Bey, and take him out to public. It is known that whosoever can undo this knot is surely favoured by Tigir (Most high and most mighty, may he forever be praised!), and shall invade upon distant tribes and earn for himself and his descendants everlasting glory. For God informed us of the following: whoever knows the man who can undo the knot, thou standest on an exalted standard of character, and Tigir would be pleased if everyone were to act and be as he is.”
The knot was brought out to Orhan, who simply drew the axe he had used to decapitate Suleyman’s camel, and cut the knot loose in a single blow. All around cheered - there could be no more proof! O, Tigir, most wise and benevolent, who acts as the Lord of mankind and the protector of peoples, righteous, just; perfect!
That very day, I swear to Tigir, it is worth noting, a Bey from an unknown land who had heard rumours of the previous battle came. He was given good hospitality, and was a very noble man. He brought with him a large retinue of many thousands of men and their families. He was called Mesud, and swore allegiance to our Bey. Much of the infantry was actually Akritian (Many of whom are despicable but there are also those who are noble, but few are they indeed!) mercenaries as well as Turkin horsemen. One of the Akritian concubines (who was later one of my wives) told me that those people are still bitter of our glorious victory of Nicopolis, in spite of it having happened so many centuries ago, and has more folk tales surrounding it than real history.
VII.Our Heroic Action
I shall now relate to you the goings of the war. Immediately after these extraordinary events, Orhan bid the men take up arms. We then took to the River Yonali, (I followed the army) and collected whatever water we could find. We had no baggage train - each man carried his own, for it is most correct that the provision of supplies is as important as the provision of swords. Indeed, we headed north, and besieged their greatest town, a place called Kıbrıscık which was impossible to take. However, our plan was to bait them in. They came in good order to intercept us, and then our Bey withdrew to a highly defensible position far into a great valley- a place without water.
They foolishly carried on. There, they faced our army, their chief Bey, whom they called Ahmet, who was a young and inexperienced fool of a man. He marched right into our trap, his army about the size of ours, for he had stripped every guard and garrison and called upon every single one of his allies. Yet his army was destroyed, many of his troops captured as slaves. One of the enemy was able to hold off for a long time, and his troops and person were very valiant. When he was unhorsed, and brought to the Bey (He had survived the last disaster and protected his men fiercely), Orhan asked him:
‘O, Fusun, cause of much pain and heartache, destroyer of worlds and my chief enemy, if I were your prisoner at present, what would you have done with me?’
‘By Tigir’ The brave Fusun replied ‘I would cut off your head, as you have done so to my men!’
‘It is unfortunate we are foes. You are one of the greatest warriors in the world. I offer you one last chance to surrender to me. You have much audacity in saying those words…’
‘I shall suffer the same treatment I would give you’ Fusun retorted ‘I have killed your men, so, Tigir willing, you shall do as I would have done to you, for I am no hypocrite. I have lost my forces, followed a foolish man and lost lives. It shall be of no honour to live any longer.’
It was thus Fusun, the honourable, rumoured to be wise and just in governance, who cared for his people, was slain by Orhan. Surely Tigir (May he forever be exalted!) has given him a place in the heavens, and Orhan and Fusun have met - as friends - in the embrace of Tigir and his Spirits (May they forever serve Tigir).
Orhan acquitted himself well in battle. When Fusun’s troops came close to victory, he lead a cavalry charge which weakened them severely. It was said: half a dozen horses were killed from under him, and he and his men charged half a dozen times to break the enemy, which they did. (Praise be to Tigir.)
Thus was a great victory won; Ayaz Ata’s prophecy was coming true.
VIII.Subjugations
Orhan, having captured all the Beys, raced across their territory. Every tribe’s people surrendered; subordinated themselves to the new Bey. The captured men were released back to their tribes, and Orhan spent the spoils aiding orphans and widows. He was immediately very popular. By the end of the year, all the tribes previously set against him were supportive of him, and loyal to him. Those Beys who had good promise were reinstated with Orhan as their lord, and the latter became known as Beylerbeyi [i.e the Bey of Beys]. Those who were treacherous, corrupt; foul, were killed or imprisoned.
Then Orhan began codifying our customs and laws, despite our decentralised nature. He melded together distinct tribes, with distinct identities, and they prospered. For the next 7 and 7 days, there was peace, and they did exactly that - prosper with the radiance of a princess. Orhan controlled it all from his capital, which they called Konya. There was doubt to us that this was being divinely inspired, and that the hand of justice was a gift from Tigir (May he forever be exalted, he who lay the earth flat out, like a carpet.)
The punishments was harsh. The origin of the punishment ‘stakes’ [i.e kazık] came from. This involves the victim being brutally beaten, tied to a stake, and covered in honey, milk and other such things, so that they attract insects. It is done in hellishly high temperatures. Death can be from dehydration and starvation, but sometimes the life is spared - the judges secure in the knowledge the victim has learnt their lesson. However, order was restored and prosperity came to most people. It has always been the Turkin tradition to punish criminals harshly.
He also established a tradition whereby the innocent remained innocent until sufficient evidence was gathered. No man or woman, of any rank, could be harmed without proof. He said: ‘It is the will of Tigir:- it is better that the guilty remain unpunished than the innocent wrongly persecuted.’
IX.The Great Revenge
Now that Beylerbeyi Sungur had subjugated all the Turkin tribes of the north, he allowed large portions of his troops to return to their homes, and live peacefully. Of the Akritians that had served him he offered them a special quarter in Konya, promising to protect their prosperity, lives, and property, for obviously there was much hostility between the Turkins and the Akritians, for they are as two rival siblings, our little sister constantly being an annoyance to us.
On the 7th day of the 7th year of peace, a messenger arrived, telling a horrific tale: a nomadic, hostile tribe known as the Bakrids had attacked the holiest site of the Turkins, which they call the Cradle of Tigir, and slaughtered the priests. These included the brightest minds in all the known world, some said to have carried secrets preserved from the time before Nicopolis, and the most excellent science and wisdom which propelled civilisation from the dirt. O, most magnificent Tigir (Thou shalt forever be exalt’d), by thy glorious hand, empires rise and fall, and the Earth is laid out flat, like a rug, and therefore we see it was by your hand you allowed us to destroy such an insolent and foolish tribe; their transgression was beyond all bounds, and surely the epitome of barbarism, savagery, and inferior thinking. Thus did you teach us to revere knowledge and shun ignorance, for you are all-wise, all knowing, and eternally righteous!
The messenger was an old priestess. She warned of the ferocity and skill of the tribe, and prophesied the victory of the all-enduring Orhan, by the will of Tigir. She appealed to his mercy, to destroy the tribe and vanquish the evil.
After so long a reign of peace, with such an overextended empire, Orhan could only raise minimal forces, that is, his own personal retinue, which had grown to 178 of his most loyal soldiers, all atop the finest mounts; all honourable and valiant men. Thus, as I was on his train, I marched with him, and we marched up to 150 leagues ((~50 miles)) per day. After a week, I was fully exhausted, yet the men - and the most noble horses - trudged on without a complaint.
X.The Bakrids - The Ambush
After a week of futile searching, we found a village called Aksaz. Their chief informed us thus:
‘O, great Bey! We had heard of your coming with many thousands of men, but you have less than 200. Still, you are heroic to come - you must have been searching for weeks - and we desperately need your help. The Bakrids are unaware of your presence in this village. They come. They collect tribute from us, and threaten mix the bodies of our landholders with the corpses of our dogs! You have a chance to lie in ambush, and crush the threat.’
‘Thank you, noble chief. What is your name?’
‘My name is Arslan.’
‘Then you shall go down as Arslan, the heroic man who risked his own fate to aid a stranger and revive his people’s pride. Good day, Arslan!’
Thus it was arranged. The site was perfect. Near the village was a narrow corridor of a road, like that you would find in a much larger town, surrounded by buildings on all sides. This would serve to trap them; crush them, and strike a key blow - for we knew this would be a long and tiresome campaign - consigning them to the lowly status they deserve. The chief informed us that the tribute collectors numbered around 50, and the plan would go that on the flat roofs of the buildings men would throw missiles, the end of the narrow corridor would be blocked by dismounted men, and men would emerge from the hall to render them utterly surrounded.
Doomed.
For this task, we assigned 100 men. We watched attentively as the Bakrid party paraded arrogantly into our neat little trap. They were so confident. So brash. That was all shattered.
I watched with disgust to see them bully pious and good men with no remorse whatsoever. They met our chief near the village hall, exactly where we wanted. Aslan was truly of a noble and magnificent character, putting his life at risk to drive the menace from his village.
“Charge!” Orhan’s voice exploded with the fury of a thousand fires! Suddenly, we began loosing as many missiles as humanly - or divinely - possible into the dense mass of horse and man. Their lines were swept with shock and confusion, as doubt reeked across their small party. Before they could react, the infantry charged from both sides. Surrounded, stationary; separated into a million pieces, truly when a cavalryman is in that situation, Tigir himself has thoroughly plotted your end. Righteously so, for we engaged upon them a slaughter, with spear, sword, knife and dagger thrusting and stabbing madly at the enemy. The scene was horrific. No quarter was given, and the inconceivable, sheer amounts of blood was unimaginable. The old, narrow dirt track became as a row of roses, painted a bold red. The shriek of horses is indescribable in its pitch. War is pleasant to those who have never experienced it, but only the dead shall see the end of it.
The entire enemy force was dead. Their horses, too. Not a single of Orhan’s men had died, but one loss overpowered us…
Arslan. A knife thrust into his throat, his eyes still burnt with a zealous, courageous inferno even as he gurgled furiously at the blow in the heat of battle. He became a martyr. We paid our respects, drew 150 young men from the local village, and remembered. His nobility, his excellence; his death. And we carried the Bakrids’ heads like fish unto a spear, and cast them away into the dirt - where they belonged.
Now they had reason to fear us.
To fear the name of Orhan!
XI.The Bakrids - The Destruction
And not merely for our own cunning. As we spoke of our next move, remembering the dead; rejoicing for a well-deserved victory in the splendid village, many of the tributaries of the Bakrids came to us, seeking alliance. They had paid such dishonourable tributes for they thought the Bakrids an unbeatable menace. Now, they saw that notion shattered with the rightly-guided hand of Tigir. Thus, with their help, we built up a force equal to equal to one half of the menace. We gathered near the Sacred Cradle in a stunning readiness. After our elite men, the others, some two thousand, were volunteers, all of them poorly equipped and untrained; unsuited to war, the dread of mothers. However, all of them were all of a valiant heart, and, that, combined with the intercession of Tigir and the Spirits, allows the few to overcome an unending multitude.
The enemy gave us the field to choose. It was an open plain, grassy, unlike usual steppe, for it is known in this infertile land to which the Bakrids migrate, there is no agriculture, only pasture. The enemy deployed all her elite troops, out of tradition, on the right flank. Deploying their horse archers and skirmishers evenly along the line, on the left were her inferior levies. Meanwhile, Orhan, owing to either cunning or the aid of Tigir, came armed with a plan to shatter these contemptible savages. Placing skirmishers and horse archers - more densely packed than usual so as to hide the deployment of the infantry - at the front of his line, he concentrated his infantry almost solely on the right. For he knew, should the enemy elites run, their whole army would be destroyed. Therefore, despite being low in number, he outnumbered the enemy on the right flank. Meanwhile, the left would be occupied dealing with skirmishers, and, seeing the right collapse, would rout utterly.
Despite the plan, things looked grim. Our noble Bey stood with us, with the infantry, who, because of the levies of men who knew little of the horse, formed the vast majority of our army. He stood among us. With us. Not with some haughty bodyguard, but with the common soldier, encouraging him. Smiling, as if one of them, in good humour and an honourable man - although audaciously wearing a splendid, Akritian-dyed purple to denote his status to as Beylerbeyi all. His personal courage would play a large part in the battle to come. I was there. Among the infantry, although I am no fighting man. I saw the happenings with my own eyes.
We made the first move. Siting our cavalry solely on the left, they made short work of the enemy there, and soon the skirmishers harried their vulnerable infantry. It was an exercise in futility, in terms of causing high casualties, yet we watched with glee as the enemy remained completely fixed. Meanwhile, the heavy infantry on the right, led by the Bey, began their charge with a deafening howl (Having ignored the convention of skirmishing beforehand). The battle was blessedly short, we pressing against them with every fibre, and they seeing our unexpected numbers.
The rout was the time in which we inflicted the greatest massacre. We saw that our cavalry had raced across the battlefield to counter the enemy’s cavalry on the right flank, exhausted. As the enemy cavalry saw their fellows rout, they followed suit, and so the whole their army became a maze of chaos and disorder. Of the 6000 they brought to the field on that day, I have doubts 2000 trudged out alive. Many became our prisoners; others were slaughtered.
The weeks that followed saw tortuous campaigning against those who lived. Setting a deadly ambush for them at every angle, and repelling their raids on their now defiant tributaries. After the onset of the seventh week after the Battle of the Sacred Cradle, we attacked their camp. Most of their soldiers had deserted.
Orhan Sought revenge in every instance. Invading upon their camp, he torched their tents with their infants still inside. He massacred so many on that night that blood poured here and there in thick lakes; he enslaved many as well. He stacked the dead’s heads so high higher than any hill which lay closely-by, and therefore reduced their tribe to dust. The aforementioned slaves’ wails were so great in volume that they could be heard for an unbelievable distance. He said unto them:
‘You are the damned of Tigir, who states that those such as you - barbarous wretches - should be laid in blood. You have shed great store of it already. And so, you must, all of you, be faced by the same fury you have grievously inflicted upon others, so that the dregs of the cup of our fury may be poured out onto you in all its terrible glory!’
Those tributaries who had enjoyed Orhan’s aid gladly swore allegiance to him. The distance between those tribes of pastoralists and villages of farmers was very great, and so Orhan allowed them autonomy and almost complete self-governance. Many young men, hoping to become warriors, joined Orhan on the way home, forming a highly skilled band of 300. Orhan promised that at least the vast majority would return home, laden with renown, knowledge and wealth.
XII.Second Period of Peace
Orhan, along with his new volunteers and old retinue, returned home to the welcoming expected of a hero. Having crushed the tough menace with very limited resources, the people rejoiced and praised him as a great Beylerbeyi. The new volunteers were also welcomed, given sheep and cattle to their own sustenance, and entrusted with their own quarter. Next, a blessed peace emerged. With the wealth flowing in from the tributaries, Orhan concentrated on keeping the pastoralist tribes under his rule under constant readiness, as well as those who practised agriculture. Yet when Orhan returned, all was not well. His son, Orhan, had grown ill and had fallen dead. He fell into sorrow for several weeks. However, his younger son Mehmed was growing into adulthood. Orhan mentored him, making him heir apparent, as the only surviving child, until mehmed had grown into a strong and sharp boy - a worthy successor.
Orhan’s wise, harsh hand continued to reign over the peoples. He became universally loved by his own tribe and those he subjugated, and soon his own tribe were called Orhanites - the men of Orhan. After 15 years of peace, Orhan began to grow old. Yet, he was ever active.
XIV.The Tribes of the South
But after those 15 years, which come to me in the fondest memory, war came once again. The tribes of the south, having grown massively in strength and unity, under their own Beylerbeyi of the Turkins, demanded Orhan’s subjugation to his rule, recognising him as overlord of all the Turkins. Orhan responded with defiance. ‘If I answer to you’ he exclaimed defiantly ‘How will I answer to Tigir!?’ Rallying a force of 20,000, with an elite corps of 1,000 men, he, ever the man of action, decided to go on the offensive, knowing the enemy had not the ability to muster with such furious speed. Yet Orhan had assured constant readiness to war; he would inflict that readiness in every terrible aspect. With him that day (on which they set off) was the magnificent Mehmed, who was given charge of the heroic 1,000.
Attacking or gaining the friendship of individual southern tribes, he gradually sapped their strength for a full year. It took a full year for the foe to properly gather all her strength, due to Orhan’s constant raids. About their army was an intolerable group of tribes, who they called the Altai, barbarians all atop horses. At a place called Assaye, the two armies met on the field. The enemy numbered some 30,000, unexpectedly massive due to the bolstering force of the Atlai, who made up half of the enemy’s strength.
Orhan’s plan was simple. The enemy had grown confident in their numbers. Orhan placed his elite 1,000 on horseback, along with a larger portion than usual of his army, to counter the enemy horse. Mehmed would lead the cavalry on the left; the faithful arslan had come to take the right. Meanwhile, Orhan arranged his troops in the shape of a bow, with the belly closest to the enemy. There, he placed his shaky levies, and, on the flanks, his nobler and more reliable infantry. Yet it all counted on the conduct of the cavalry.
The enemy trumpets sounded. Their cavalry rushed on both sides. On the right, the battle was slow, and even, with constant charges and retreats, but not so on the left. Mehmed’s cavalry had been shocked by a surprised charge, ready to run, yet he steadied his cavalry, and, the enemy, thinking themselves the victors, were ready to plunder. Yet, leading a second surprise charge, he utterly routed them, and then moved to the right to help Arslan, routing the enemy there. He had done his work. Now, Orhan, leading the infantry, had to do his.
The enemy pressed at the weak and vulnerable centre, and the centre slowly was pushed back. Pressing their so-called advantage, they sent unthinkable numbers of reserves to crush the entre. Yet the flanks held. The bow compacted into a V, and the enemy found themselves surrounded. The cavalry charged their rear and prevented flight.
A terrible slaughter ensued. The enemy were so pressed against one another they could not draw their swords effectively, and their infantry were all murdered, one by one, over the space of several hours. Upon the field lay utter devastation. Our dead, their dead, our horses; their horses. It was a sickening sight to behold, but one above which our men stood, alive and triumphant. Praise be to Tigir!
The only enemy men who escaped that day who escaped were the Atlai. Of our men, 3,000 were killed in the heat of battle. Of that, the levies in the centre took the vast bulk of the losses. A huge loss, but the loss of the enemy was greater. Also, it was known without a doubt now that Mehmed would make more than a worthy Bey. He was laden with glory and honour, due to his personal conduct in battle, and his commanding ability.
Now all that remained was to finish off those insolent Altai.
XV.The Altai Tribes
It was hardly a glorious campaign. Pasturalists constantly on the move, it was a business of constant skirmish, attack; raid. Most of the troops returned home, yet Orhan, Arslan and Mehmed, three inseparable presences on and off the field, remained determined to destroy them. After several months, a nobleman returned with a message: the Altai were offering terms of surrender. Orhan took them, and the Altai were allowed to continue their way of life, in return for tribute and their recognition of Orhan as Bey. What sapped his determination? Many guess, but few know. I happen to be one of the few, and it was simply the death of his wife, Aka, which drove him to depression, for whom he had taken no concubines or secondary wives. Losing all fighting spirit, he praised the fighting spirit of the Altai, formed with them an alliance, and made his way home. When he returned, what was left of the Southern Beys swore to him as Bey of the Turkins. No one could challenge him now.
XVI.Foreign Expeditions
For another decade of peace, we held to our ways. Orhan grew old and contented, no longer wishing for glory or spoils. His son grew and prospered, ever-growing in character and respect. Orhan sent men across the world, and they gave rumours of a wealthy empire to the West. Incredibly powerful with the most fertile soil on earth, Orhan set up very distant relations with them. They called the land Oren, and, most well respected of all, was one of their Beys, whom they called Augustus. Distant trade became a reality. Orhan realised the importance of education, having taught his surviving son to be literate, and set up madrassahs across the various tribes. In the desert lands in the distant realms lay a ‘caliphate’ which had her own script. As one of the few men proficient in both scripts, I taught them heavily during those days, including Mehmed himself. Those days were as blessed as the days after the Bakrids.
XVII.The Rousing of the Turkins
Yet I was right to say no one could challenge him. Yet that is not say nothing could do so. Over the resulting year's, natural disasters devastated our tribes. The soil grew infertile, and even the most basic agriculture grew impossible. We knew not why, or how these occurrences happened, but, Orhan, not content to let his life’s work die, set upon a drastic and abrupt course. Gathering all the chiefs as well as his son, he spoke with a tongue of silver, never before seen of him, talking to his son, but, in reality, addressing them all:
‘Mehmed, heroic son, leave this land. This land has made us hard. It has made us strong. But it cannot support us. We must move elsewhere.
Far to the West, there is an Empire. I heard that they posses gold in such magnitude that even their serfs bathe in it. That all their wheat is golden; that all their heraldry is noble.
Go there! There is a man, whom they call Augustus. He is the Marshal of the land, whose reputation of bravery makes him nearly an equal to us. It is said as thus - that he fears spears and arrows nor more than would an anvil. He serves in the name of Tigir, like we do.
But above all, remember this. We are men of the sword. We live by it. We die by it. And never forget it.’
Thus they set out, never to return. To our despair, Orhan died a few weeks letter, happy to leave his esteemed son in absolute control. He had forged a legacy - immortal; he had made a legend - exalted.
-Suleyman.4 -
Does a Saxon like me count?
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SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Having negotiated a new trade deal with Portugal, and with machinery now entering the country from that nation in exchange for crude oil, Syria now offers to trade crude oil with:
Japan,
The United Kingdom,
The European Union (If it will lift the Syrian Oil Ban),
And France.
Syria is putting up 0.5 million barrels for sale at 56 USD each.
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In addition, they offer a gift of 0.02 million to the Kurdish State. Assad speaks of Kurdish-Syrian combined efforts against ISIS, and the fact that the SDF - a mostly Kurdish force - was some 40% non-Kurdish. Videos of combined SAA (Syrian Arab Army)-SDF actions are sent to the Kurdish State. They hope to negotiate on the Syrian-Kurdish border, parts of the latter haven been part of Syrian sovereign territory for decades, and long-considered a part of Syria’s historical territory long before the nation even gained independence. Therefore, Assad argues, open borders ought to be set up between Syria and Kurdistan. This will allow Arabs to move to the Arab Syrian state should they wish, and Kurds to move to the Kurdish State if they so wish, creating a population transfer. [MOD]
-----
Syria begins building up her textile industry. With new machinery coming in monthly, she keeps costs drastically low by using buildings that became disused as a result of the war. With a raw cotton production accounting for a massive amount of Syrian exports, it is not hard to find material and it is hoped these new investments will pay off in the long-term. [MOD]
---
Syria immediately puts the agricultural implements such as tractors being exchanged for oil to good use. With Syrian unemployment at around 10%, the country puts many of these people to work in agriculture, paying them poor wages. Those with the skills needed to maintain the machinery are given good wages, and soon it is hoped they will be able to make Syria autarkic in terms of food. The main products are wheat, olives and fruits, which are produced in the Mediterranean climate of the Western side of Syria.
---
At a conference in Damascus, Syria’s main political party’s are formed by way of popular demand. Candidates are elected by the members, with several parties prominent:
The Syrian Ba’ath Party (Formerly Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party)-The new, democratic version of the Ba’ath Party, led by the current president, Ali Al Assad. No longer Arab Nationalists as they were, they can now be described as Syrian Nationalists.
Arab Coalition-An Arab nationalist left-wing party led by former SAA general Suheil Al Hassan, a popular soldier and once the youngest Major-General of the Syrian Army. Led the elite ‘Tiger Forces.’ The party supports the new democratic model more out of pragmatism than any else.
Hezbollah-A Shia Islamist, anti-western party, led by Yusuf Shaheen. Advocates the implementation of Sharia Law in an Iran-style theocracy.
Sons of Khaleed-A Sunni Islamist Party, led by former Free Syrian Army soldier Hamza Yusuf. Advocates the implementation of Sharia Law in a way similar to Saudi Arabia or the Gulf States.
And many minor parties...
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SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Ali Al Assad, laying out his new hopes for the nation, addressed the people of Syria and foreign nations. Over the last few years, he had reduced the army to around 60,000 men; reserve forces remained at 100,000 men, with Shia and Hezbollah militias haven withdrawn, the new president disassociating himself from such organisations. He had attempted to disarm the nation, and garrisoned these forces in Syria’s major population centres. Their role now remained as much in keeping law and order as acting as a typical military force. Over time, Syria's more moderate rebels had disarmed and returned to public life, and Islamist groups had been driven underground, targeting civilians in brutal terror attacks and suicide bombings. Assad had also, with foreign aid and the money expended previously on the war, imported large amounts of grain and building materials. This was but a temporary solution. The homes and food were of poor quality, the latter in small amounts, but it has allowed the government to attempt a more permanent solution to the terrible poverty of Syria. On the positive side, with the peace many refugees, along with their skills, have returned to their homeland.
He addressed publicly the nation states of the world. Pointing out the economic hardship of his country, he appealed for the removal of economic sanctions which had heavily damaged the country, particularly from NATO countries, as well as economic aid to Syria. He said:
“Syria is one of the key fronts against terrorism - we helped in the fight against ISIS along with our Russian and Kurdish comrades. Yet, we are strangled in our ability to change. And, mistake me not, I do intend change. Those who bore my surname have attempted to form an authoritarian dictatorship, but I am not those men. I seek reconciliation with my neighbours, with Turkey, Lebanon and Israel, and seek to build a liberal and democratic Syria where all religions are welcome.
God shall help us in these goals, but the reality is the Syrian People are tired. Tired of war, and poverty, and death. Whatever you think of me: corrupt, inexperienced; dishonest, you are free to think these things. But what you think of me is irrelevant! It is the people who require your help. It is those people who are without hospitals, those without schools, and those without homes, who are needing of your help. The EU ban on Syrian oil, for instance, has destroyed the financial security of many ordinary citizens. They need your help Not I.” [Message for all NATO nations+MOD for EU reaction - seeing as most of the sanctions come from the EU]
((In short, appeal for end of sanctions and financial help))
Any money that Syria gains from this scheme, as well as the sudden influx created by the lack sanctions, would be put into rebuilding Syria’s petroleum, oil and textiles. At present, Syria is importing far more than exporting. Her trade deficit is over 5 billion USD. Syria’s oil and petroleum used to be the largest of all exports, but now remains largely dormant, at around 10%.[MOD]
He also joined Turkey's new anti-terrorist group, and asked for a Syrian embassy in Ankara. He has spoken about a new, non-aligned country with friendly diplomatic relations with her neighbours, similar to Yugoslavia in the Cold War. [@Turkey]
He expressed interest in official reconciliation with Lebanon after distrust and outright hatred between populations of the two nations since 1970. He also expresses grief at the recent death of the famous singer and actress, Fayrouz, calling her a ‘symbol of peace.’ [MOD]
Syria attempts to rejoin the Arab League. [MOD]
Syria officially recognises the Kurdish State. He attempts to form a military alliance against terrorists, such as ISIS, reminding them of how, despite having minor skirmishes against one another, they also fought together against terrorists during the Syrian Civil War. [MOD]
Assad schedules the first real, democratic election of Syria for 2025. This will be the nation’s first truly fair election, with all citizens over 21 entitled to a vote, and anyone who fits these voting parameters also allowed to run. It will be done on a first-past-the-post system, the country split into equal constituencies of roughly 30,000, which will create 600 seats for the population of about 18 million people (Population reduced from the Kurdish abandonment of the Republic). The parliamentary model is based on the British. In the meantime, the new political landscape is forming. Early predictions are difficult, but around Raqqa and in parts of Aleppo, a Sunni Islamist Party called the ‘Sons of Khaleed [Ibn Waleed])’ is predicted to do well. In Latakia, Homs and Damascus, the current government is popular, whilst more moderate opposition groups are popular in the rest of the country. It is hoped opponents of their regime will put their anger in the ballot box, rather than with a Kalashnikov.[MOD]
Former Syrian First Lady, the British-born Asma Al Assad voting...
The Syrian president requests a face-to-face talk with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. [@UK]
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Country Selected:Syrian Arab Republic
Nation Leader: Ali Al Assad - a young man in his mid-twenties, educated in the West and with Western ideals.
Demonstrate Understanding of Nation (Bio/Facts/Info):Syria was an authoritarian dictatorship under the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party under the Assad dynasty, most recently Bashar al Assad. With many loyal or more pragmatic supporters among the minorities such as the Alawites, Assyrians and Arab Christians, as well as Syrian Nationalists, the regime was able to bring peace to the country after the destruction of ISIS through sheer military force (with Russian backing). With the death of the president in 2017, a power vacuum threatened to bring the country into yet another war, but the popular Rifaat Al Assad returned from exile, along with the other Assads in foreign nations to retake control. Rifaat also died of natural causes, and, after the country once again nearly fell into war, the previously obscure Ali Al Assad, a son of Rifaat, was proclaimed president by the army, who placed him in power. Thinking him a puppet to control, he soon proved them wrong, consolidating power within a matter of months . He is willing to compromise with the Kurds and give them independence, and has made torture illegal. He intends to build a nation based on the rule of law, similar to the traditional English Magna Carta and Bill of Rights, and slowly devolve power to the people as stability and wealth rebuilds. However, as it stands, he leads a war-torn and bitterly divided nation, and his attempts at reform are being met with sharp criticism - which could easily escalate to violence, rekindling the long and bloody war. However, most are willing to accept his rule out of a grudging desire for peace at any cost, even if it means accepting the legitimacy of Ali Al Assad. He will face many challenges and threats from Islamists, foreign powers and those who insist on the destruction of the Ba'ath Party and its decades-long oppression and poor treatment of the citizens, and it will be hard - rightfully so - for the government to regain the people's trust, yet this new Assad is more idealistic than they would initially think, far from the corrupt Arab dictator many expect.Syria is a secular Arab Republic bordering Turkey, Iraq, the defacto Kurdish territories, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea. Her capital is Damascus - a city mostly intact from the ravages of war, unlike its sister-city Aleppo, - and the western side remains for the most part in a tenable long-term situation. However, in centre of the country and the east, where government, ISIL, Jihadist and other rebel atrocities as well as unintentional collateral damage from these forces has caused untold damage, the situation is far from bright.For instance, Palmyra, a once prosperous town set near its ancient ruins, is now a ghost town, her famed sites smashed by terrorists. The Assyrian population has faced near-extermination from Islamists. Shias, Sunnis, Christians and others are bitterly divided. Religious tensions and sectarianism is high. Yet, so is Syrian Nationalism. As the nation has overcome her political and military crisis, many are keen to rebuild regardless of any religious conflict - we are all Syrian, they say, and now is the time for a new Syria. Whether it will come, or fall into yet more decades of war, is anyone's guess, but at least they have the right leader to make the former happen, despite his young age and inexperience.
Pass phrase:shitshitshit
Do you understand the rules and regulations of this FRP:Ja0 -
"Elsass-Lothringen ist Deutschland." Francois d'Ibelin states plainly, as he rides to return to Lorraine.
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"Victorian Knights didn't help at Nicopolis!" Suleyman, son of Suleyman, remarks, chuckling to himself.
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Europeans can never get online for this anyways...Bugger this.
>****-tier colonials pretending to be European.
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15 hours ago, Sultan said:
Disregard of Custom and Law
When I fought under Augustus d’Amaury (May God rest his soul) and Denis de Bar (May God favour him) in Adria, I fought to sustain the laws that had been established under the King, Olivier de Savoie (May God rest his soul.)
These laws were sacred, meant never to be revoked. Yet I see them dismissed readily, spitting on the graves of their authors and their sovereigns! These laws were established for a reason, and that was to secure a balance in the realm, so that the Empire may serve as many as possible. Not a single man.
To Ser Francois d'Ibelin Greetings, we hope you are in good health.
"Let me say first of all, that the common laws of the prophet Godfrey are upheld and are practiced by the Courts of Law. Furthermore the Empire is a Feudal Monarchy of-course the noblemens rights are respected and upheld, though the good ser wishes more rights for them it seems that only lead to chaos. The ser sings praises of my godfathers reign King Oilvier De Savoie he was a good ruler a good man. But his council was unwise and did not see the future of things with a clear eye, you praise the laws that were established during my godfathers reign, the same laws that made chaos and anarchy in his realm that made him handicapped and tied his hands against men that plotted against his realm.
"Perhaps the Ser forgot but I have not forgotten, my godfather was more akin to a Duke with a crown. The kingdom was held by nothing but him delaying the inevitable, and believe me I told my grandfather this. I am not insulting the man that raised me but I told him what I am telling you now.
"He gave away his crown rights listing to bad council, bending to the whims and desires of noblemen that only saw their own glory and prestige rise while his Crowns dwindled, my Godfather had hardly any control over his vassals he was equal in power to them which lead ultimately to a civil war which I saw coming ten years before it happend."
"I for one do not want to see such a thing happen again."Warm Regards.
Duke Adrian Rothesay the Archchancellor.A few scrolls are attached to the letter.
https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/forum/521-imperial-legislation/
Ser Francois drafts a reply, publicly:
'To His Grace, Duke Adrian Rothesay, goodly Archchancellor of our noble realm,
I thank you for your frankness and your open-mindedness in considering my words. Surely, God will smile upon us Orenians seeking the best way of just and noble rulership for our realm. I also am grateful you have taken the time to respond to a minor knight, this, I am most thankful for.
However, I do not think the rights and privileges of the vassals responsible for the war. As it was said, they would have been unhappy as Emperors of the Known World! In what way would the current absolute style of monarchy had stopped the happenings? Their duke, whose misdeeds were known from Peremont to Brelus, and whose character was the subject of the plays of the ancients, was a covetous man for whom no crown and no law would have stopped. I met him personally only once, but knew many men who did, and such was his character. Had it been written and said 'The king is our law' there would have still been civil war.
Consider this. The rights guaranteed to nobles were thus:- The right for the duke to choose his own law (except for the County of Norfolk/Drusco which was free to have the Liber ex Justitia), the right of a man to form and nominate his own councils (provided they be not treasonous in nature), protection from unjust incarceration and a fixed agnatic-cognatic primogeniture from which the king received no special privileges - except inheriting heirless titles.
Explain to me how ANY one of these rights helped Adria in her treasonous and damnable acts?
There is another thing you forget, and that is that that law also reserved rights to the crown. For example, he could require any nobleman's presence at court without reason. Also, the majority of vassals remained loyal to the crown.
I shall not call them 'mere' Adrians, for I - or more fittingly, we - learned to respect our foe on the battlefield, for they dealt us many a wound, and killed many a good comrade. Such are the harsh lessons of war, the dread of mothers! I am glad you are so fixed and eager to avoid it, and had the same attitude within Olivier's (May God rest his soul) kingdom.
May you live in harmony and contentment, for I find it well to seek the counsel of another man who fought in that war.
May God favour you,
Ser Francois d'Ibelin 'Longshanks'.'
The golden cross of Ibelin is found at the bottom.
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Dionysus of Nicea
in Inactive Character
Posted
Dionysus of Nicea
Age: 41
Gender:Male
Race/Culture:Heartlander/Akritian
Height: 170cm (5 foot 7’)
Weight: c.65 kg. His build is rather lithe - he is skinny, and hardly muscled or fat.
Faith:Canonism.
Home:Nicea, Lorraine.
Clothing: He wears the clothes of an acolyte.
Position:Acolyte.
Personality Traits