EM votes aye

If we're crusadering then as a History geek allow me to throw in my proposal. However I'm not 100% up to speed on the various places as Achkaerin did all that while I was on "holiday"

1. The year is c.1090, the city of NotJerusalem is under the control of a council made up of Jewish and Islamic nobles under a "King" who believes that all "People of the Book" should be living in peace, as such for the length of his rule he has permitted Pilgrims of all faiths to enter NotJerusalem so long as they leave their weapons at the Gates. This has seen him grow wealthy.

2. Fast forward to c.1095 - The "King" dies however his eldest son is feeble minded while his second son is highly ambitious, finding support amongst extremists Muslims he begins persecuting the Jews who live in NotJerusalem and descecrating Christian Holy sites.

3. Across Mundus the power of the Catholic Church has been growing in certain nations and this has seen some royals become concerned. Believing that some nations may lead a "rebellion" against him Pope ?? determines to weaken their armies, while at the same time defending the Holy Sites. In c.1096 a Papal Bull is issued that promises any soldier who fights for the faith in NotJerusalem a place in heaven. As such thousands of potential "rebels" take up the call, including some monarchs, and head to NotJerusalem.

4. Those arriving from Albion and Eastern Ardia arrive in Mountjoy which becomes a kind of staging post for those soldiers. This helps explain Mountjoy's religious connection and it's "Order" concept. Perhaps those in Western Ardia could have gone through Neu Uburzis and then Solonia which would explain their Christian past.

5. The first Crusade lasts until around 1100 when the city of NotJerusalem falls and the Crusader Knights proclaim a King of NotJerusalem who is supported by the Pope. The King rules with an iron fist, restoring religious sites and expanding them. Pilgrims begin once more to flock and many soldiers remain taking over land from the defeated enemy.

6. In around c.1105 the King of NotJerusalem experiences a schism when the Pope refuses to appoint the King of NotJerusalems choice for Archbishop to the position. This splits the Crusaders who stayed in the Holy Land and a series of scuffles breaks out amongst the two factions. The Muslim contingent in the region see this as an opportunity and launch an offensive of their own, creating a three way battle.

7. Eventually the fighting turns into a stalemate between the three factions, The Conference of (insert city) takes place and the two Christian factions reconcile their differences coming to an agreement about future appointments and the rights of the King and Pope over the city.

8. The newly united Christian faction experiences a series of defeats and is pushed from the city. A new tolerant Muslim leader takes control and agrees to open the city to people of all faiths along similar lines to what originally existed. The Christian Knights are permitted to keep their territory in exchange for promises to not rebel. Most agree.

9. In c.1130 The Muslim leader dies and a new Pope proclaims that the Knights old promises are no longer valid. He begins urging them to take back the Holy Land and a Siege of the city of NotJerusalem begins soon after.

10. Sensing an opportunity the Jewish community sides with the Christians and within two years they have taken back the city installing a new King. The new King forbids Muslims from entering the city however Jews are permitted.

11. In c.1135 at Passover a Blood Libel is spread stating that the blood above Jews doors is the blood of children. As such a great massacre of Jews begins in the city seeing thousands brutally put to the sword, the KIng attempts to stop this only after one of the cities Synagogues is burnt down damaging a neighbouring Church.

12. The Jews now convinced they will eventually be pushed from the city begin a secret deal with the Muslims who begin raiding Christian pilgrims and trade caravans.

13. By c.1137 the Muslim army has advanced towards NotJerusalem and lays siege to the city. Three weeks into the siege a Muslim assassin is let into the city through secret paths by a Jewish rebel, the King is slaughtered without an heir leading to confusion in the Christian ranks. The siege lasts two more weeks before the city is stormed and capitulates easily. The Muslim leader executes several hundred Christian Knights belonging to certain orders.

14. Despite the brutality of the war the new Muslim leader establishes a new council made up of three nobles, a Christian, a Jew and a Muslim. Christians and Jews may live peacefully in the city so long as they pay an extra tax and refrain from certain public actions during Ramadan. This appeases most of the citizens who live happily.

15. One of the Orders whose Knights were executed however want to seek revenge and begin co-ordinating with the others to begin a new war.

16. By c. 1148 the Orders have built up their strength and funds and without the Popes backing launch a series of raids in the Holy Land.


17. The Pope sends word to NotJerusalem that these soldiers do not have his blessing and excommunicates them. In the months that followed a Pope backed Christian Army marches to the Holy Land and a stand off begins between the two Christian factions with the Muslims watching from the city.

18. The Alliance of NotJerusalem begins after the Pope backed Army arrives. This sees the Rebel Christian Armies rank and file execute their own leadership in exchange for being welcomed back into the Church. The Alliance then begins controlling the area around NotJerusalem in an uneasy peace with the city itself controlled by Muslims. This lasts for around 20 years and during this time their is the odd raid but nothing major.

19. In c1168 a new Pope is under fire for not taking enough interest in NotJerusalem, as such he orders that the city must have a Christian leader. He orders a Knight called ?? to begin negotiations with the Muslims to find a peaceful solution, however ? is killed by brigands while travelling. His body is found by Jewish traders who see a chance of being able to return to the city and so they tell the Christians they witnessed a Muslim faction do this.

20. c.1170 word reaches the Pope of ? death and in response the man is made a Saintly Martyr. A new Crusade is called in his name and thousands flock to the Holy Land once more. A series of campaigns are fought and by c.1178 the Holy Land is back in Christian hands. A descendent of ? is appointed as King of NotJerusalem and without the Pope's backing he takes a Muslim wife in order to unite the two factions.

21. In c1230 the peace is shattered when a Christian "Cult" begins in the city which the King (descendent of c.1170 guy) fails to deal with the Cult. This Cult believes the 2nd coming of Christ is close and that will happen only once NotJerusalem is only inhabited by Christians. A great slaughter takes place as a large number of the populance rise up against their neighbours and even the Christian soldiers who seek to protect them.

22. Despite the Cult being put down with a week news reaches the Muslim and Jewish leaders who both march on NotJerusalem to seek vengeance. Along the road their armies fight a small battle which ends in a stalemate, the two rulers agree to work together rather than fight and in c.1235 a combined Jewish/Muslim army have reached NotJerusalem.

23. c.1240 the city of NotJerusalem is on the verge of falling, the Pope however offers a deal. He will not agree to send further armies should the Jews/Muslim alliance permit soldiers to leave the city and never return, the new ruler permit a Christian on their council and the Holy Sites be protected by members of approved religious orders (maybe this would explain why a small contingent of the Order of Mountjoy is still permitted to stand guard in NotJerusalem.)

THE END.

"East Moreland believes this should be passed as soon as possible."

The King looked at the Pope rather surprised. "I do not know how things are done in your nation, but here an unmarried woman does not go around a market with a man without accompaniment, especially one who is yet to turn 18. I will however permit her to accompany you if take Danyal, my grandson with you. There was some commotion from behind the elegant silk screen and soon a tall, willowy youth appeared, he was dressed in a linen suit and was hastily putting on a matching jacket. 

"Grandfather" the youth bowed to his King.

"Danyal here is a good boy, soon to turn 18 just like Thelka, at that time I shall be dispatching him off to our Navy." the youth turned to the Pope and gave a swift nod of respect. "As for the treaty I shall examine it while you venture outside and have a response for when you return. As for the Iwi they are nothing but brutes, childish brutes, since my reign began I withdrew our troops there yet still they pursue my nation. My ancestors may have done much wrong, however the reasons behind it were sound. The Maori are a people who do not grasp the 21st Century, clinging to systems of tribalism that have done nothing for them. That is all I wish to say about this childish race." The King spoke briefly to his daughter Thelka who stopped playing and joined her nephew, it was a relationship that amused the Princess, they were both born within days of each other, Danyal first and then her, the pair acted more like brother and sister than nephew and auntie.

The two young royals lead the Pope out of the tent. "So what kind of thing are we looking for?" Thelka asked, "Rings, ornaments, food, drink, dancing, gambling?"

Back inside the tent, which was now fast emptying of foreigners, the King began dispensing his advice, "All the traders here are reputable, after all they are on my property and should the swindle anyone I would feel it necessary to end their business as it makes me look bad, you can rest assured that whatever you look at you will be of a good quality. If you however want extra reassurance that what you buy is top quality I can give you two tips, the first is to look for this." He held up a cushion with a coat of arms with a hawk on, "Only traders that have satisfactorily completed work for the royal family may display it. The second way is if I send my wife here Katerina with you, she has expensive taste and a good eye." he smiled, kissed his wife on the lips as she escorted Orion, Albrecht and Isidora outside. As they exited the tent she saw Artyom discussing with a stall owner, keen to ensure no foreign guests had a bad experience she made her way over and instantly snapped at the stall owner in fast paced Persian. The man placed a hand on his heart and smiled before hurrying into the back of his stall. He tapped away on a calculator before appearing with a bundle of Drachmaes, handing them over to Arytom in exchange for his currency. As the group disappeared, with Arytom having had more than a fair deal thanks to Queen Katrina, a member of the Queen's security group handed the man a note promising to pay him the difference between the value of the Cartridges and the Drachmaes he had handed over. The Queen bid farewell to Arytom and began heading back towards the tent of her favourite designer.

"Your Majesty" a bearded man dressed in a designer suit, the pin stripes made from real silver thread. "Two visits in one day, it is as though I am in heaven.....and I see you bring a beautiful guest" he took Isidora's hand and kissed it. "And a fine gentleman" he extended a hand covered in various rings, "So is there anything I can find for any of you, there is no finer quality anywhere in the camp." 

My apologise to people waiting and thanks for the patience, with me being away its been hard to sort so this week I'm going to make an effort to get as much done as possible. I have also lost track of what has and hasn't been done. These are the things I plan to do this week, if I'm missing anything you need to let me know.

1. TYP -  ARMY

2. Sirinisi - Done

3.  Nexon - Navy + Air Force done

4. Solónyan - Navy + Air Force done

5. Sutherland - Navy Done + Air Force Done

6. Artyomov - Full military - After discord discussion this is sorted.

7. The Germanic Kingdoms - DONE

Well feel free if needed to commission a REMNS drone fly over of anything and have it find whatever you guys agree between you for the needs of the story.

The Jewel of the Desert festival was always a time when business was done, for example last year the King had used the festival as a way f buying himself several new horses from various people within the country. This year he was excited because of the opportunities of working with new nations such as Lodja and the others he now saw before him. The fact that these three Lodjain women where offering him such a deal was also a positive. He was obliged however to first turn his mind to the Artyomov delegates, "The Festival is an age old tradition. In ancient times it was when the various families gathered en mass, today however that's easier, but it is still a time to celebrate, if you wander the festival site you will find all manner of distractions, feasting, drinking, gambling, whoring...." he hesitated wondering whether such things were acceptable but then shrugged their opinion of little consequences. "you'll find horse racing in the dunes as well." It would be that night that things became a little wilder after the merchants closed and began celebrating their days success or drowning their sorrows.

Unexpectedly the Pope seemed to jump in and begin talking business, the King had no issue with that, it was half the purpose of this festival. As the apparent monologue went on the King shifted, he had no idea who this man thought he was, after all Seleucid had never been under Christian influence and for this man to begin bragging was rather unseeming, it was only the King's own faiths teachings about hospitality and not insulting a guest intentionally that stopped him interrupting him. What the King had wanted to say was "you're not even the most powerful man in this tent." but what actually came out of his mouth was, "Well what you need to know here is that the gems do not come to you. Its half the fun, the haggling, the competition between them. Beside I would not begin to guess your tastes." he explained, beside by calling merchants into his Palace they would feel obliged to offer lower prices to ensure the King's guests were happy and not offend him, something the King believed would be unfair. "As for your Treaty offer it is interesting, I shall reflect on it, and have my son Hadi look into the benefits it could bring."

The King now turned his attention back to the Lodjain woman, this Ekatarina. "I am of course interested in such an agreement, however I will require some more information, perhaps you would care to dine with me this evening, and tell me more of the chances you can offer in your native home." 

It was announced today that Crown Prince Hadi spent much of yesterday visiting Coanchua. The nation has been the scene of various scuffles between rebel and government forces in the past few weeks and the visit was kept secret until the Crown Prince was out of Coanchua airspace. The heir to the Seleucid throne was acting both in his capacity as a Royal Prince but also the nations finance minister and was accompanied by hand picked members of the press, including Ipsus Newspaper. Crown Prince Hadi started his day off visiting with President Leolani discussing the current situation in Coanchua before meeting with various members of the business community.

One of the key topics of conversation was the Marigold Accord and the Royal Seleucid continued support for the long standing agreement. In a short public appearence alongside President Leolani the Crown Prince stated, "The Accord has created a stable region that has thrived under various trade routes by major business. If I was from Coanchua I'd be exceptional excited at the prospects the nation has, it stands ready under Leolani's excellent leadership to take advantage of its geopolitical position and make itself a serious global trade player. I know back home we are keen to extend our already warm relations with this wonderful nation and I hope that perhaps my visit here today could be seen as a help in that matter."

It was thought that the Crown Prince has offered a wide range of trade and economic deals to Coanchua including reduction of various tariffs and the offer of investment in infrastructure. The Crown Prince flew back in a military transport plane and spent time talking to the troops on board, when he returned back to Seleucid he said, "I am thankful for today's meeting, visiting Coanchua or any other nation is always an exciting experience, to also have a chance to spend some time in the company of our brilliant armed forces is also a privilege I'd like to thank them for their company today." Later that evening the Crown Prince attended a banquet he hosted in honour of the Coanchua Ambassador to Ipsus at which his second wife Princess Korina was seen wearing an elaborate silk Marigold head decoration, something she explained was " a kind gift made to my husband by President Leolani's wife, however he believed it would look better in my hair than his. I would like to thank the people of Coanchua for such a lovely item."

To the Men and Women of the Imperial Armed Forces.

I am regretful that this year my many duties have meant I am unable to attend this event. I therefore believed that it was important for me to take the time to communicate my nations best wishes to members of Achkaerin's military both past and present. Our nations military forces have stood side by side on many occasions and I know that many Morelanders will have mourned the deaths of Achkaerin comrades in arms, people they do not see as colleagues but as friends. Together our two nations have achieved much, often being the tip of the spear in difficult circumstances, never shirking our share of responsibility to the international community. I know in the years ahead there will no doubt be times when our forces once more go towards danger together and I will be reassured seeing the Achkaerin flag flying once more alongside our own.

Today we will conduct prayers in the Temple of Jekar for our Achkaerin friends who failed to return home, we shall ask the Gods to watch over those they left behind and ask Helus to watch over the ones they have left behind. To those who went to war and returned injured I pray for their swift recovery and that a day comes once more when they can overcome the challenges their sacrifice has created for them, they have my thanks for the service they have performed.

May The Gods Watch Over You and Your Swords Stay Sheathed.

King David III of East Moreland.

It was an annual gathering of great importance in the Seleucid calendar, each year the nations finest makers of jewellery would gather at the King's Palace of The Sands. It was an ancient tradition that on this day the King and his family would make their selections of the pieces made from this years diamond and gold mines that dotted the region near Ararak. Once the Royals had made their choices the way was open to any other customer to browse the numerous large tents that had been set up, those of the more prestigious traders closer to the Palace than the others. The King and his family attracted large crowds as they wandered the stores spoke to the traders. At times things could get heated as two or more traders competed for the royals attention or haggled, even though the King had unimaginable wealth it was part of the culture that prices were negotiable and was even considered an important social occasion.

"4,000 Drachmaes" Queen Katerina exclaimed loudly throwing her hands in the air in a show of disgust. "For this" she pointed to the delicate silver and ruby chain that hung in her hand. "I wouldn't imagine this has seen even 400 Drachmaes of metal" she said in what was a borderline insult. She began to place the item back on the traders tray. A large crowd had gathered outside Mehraiz & Son's  tent, they were a small company but their daughter Ania had taken over the companies social media and marketing and many celebrities had been seen wearing their items and now they had the youngest of the three Queen's in their tent.

"But Madam, I can tell you these rubies are nearly as flawless as your beautiful eyes" Flatter was an important tool for Akais Mehraiz as he tried to persuade the Queen to make a purchase he knew could make them even bigger. "However to see such a beautiful item grace the most graceful of necks would be a great delight to a humble artist as myself" he placed a hand on his heart, "I could not let it go for less than 3,500" he countered.

"Hmmm" Katerina hummed, "Perhaps" she looked again, it was beautiful and she really wanted it, truth be told it was a bargain at 3,000 where he imagined agreement being reached but he knew it was worth hundreds times more in the marketing. "I will give you 2,000"

"1,600 more than before" the trader smiled, "The Queen clearly recognises the effort put into making such an object, but we are not giving away today" he poured her more mint tea. "I have three children to feed and 2,000 only just covers my costs" he lied

"Ah, your daughter is a slim beauty, she can't eat that much" Katerina chuckled. "I will give you 2,800" she drained the tea in one go.

"Progress" Akais smiled, "3,200" he countered, the Queen said nothing but dabbed her lips with a napkin before standing and heading for the door clearly unwilling to meet his price, "3,000" he blurted out as she reached the tents exit.

"Diana" Katerina turned to her servent, "Pay him and have it delievered" she smiled and received Akais' bow before leaving and the crowd who had waited to see the outcome parted. Two of the Queen's security guards remained at the tent until payment had been made and then escorting Diana and the item, placed in a luxury bag bearing the companies name through the sprawling festival site. Stalls selling food, tents with musical celebrations and dancing filled the site. Back at the tent as soon as the guards left new customers flooded in all keen to be seen wearing the same brand as Queen Katerina. Inside the Palace itself various people were meeting with the King, some traders given special privilege, others merely nobles keen to present the King with their compliments. The festival was more than just a chance to trade, it was a chance to socialise, arrange marriages, gamble and enjoy life. This year however they'd even permitted foreigners to come, even a handful of Lodjain jewellers had been given permission to come their reputation having reached the King's youngest daughter, Princess Thekla. She had returned with a large collection of their work and in a way this upset her father, he knew they had to open up to the world but there was principles, Seleucid knew gold and diamonds better than most and the Lodjains may have the raw materials but they lacked the grace of the Seleucid.

The King sat reclining on large soft cushions as more people made arrangements to come and see him but his eyes lit up as his wife Katerina returned and sat next to him. He held her close as he waited for the next guests to arrive.

"I see we are already beginning to go in circles" Sir Jacob Longe began, " This conference should have been straight forward, simply put the Silverhills proposal to a vote, if accepted we discuss other issues such as how to repair issues with nations like Nya Aland, get more people to contribute to things like the refugee council and the like. If it doesn't pass then we discuss what reforms are needed. So I therefore request a vote now on the Silverhills proposal."

Country full Name: Royal Seleucid

Role Played in Coanchua's History: During the early establishment of the Royal Seleucid Empire the monarchs saw the land of the nearby Iwi as perfect for use for agriculture and taking slaves as such by around 1600 they had subjigated much of the modern Commonwealth. I suspect during this time they would have viewed Coanchua and the island as a perfect logistical point to conduct their slavery operations from and would probably have established trading ports there. By the 19th Century however the Empire was beginning to show signs of cracking as it had over extended itself and Iwi nationalism was beginning to fight back. During the "Great War" (or whatever we're calling it) RS would have been more concerned with holding onto its Empire than with actually seeing the bigger picture.

Modern Stance: The RS are pro Marigold seeing it as their last opportunity to have influence in the Channel region.


More Details/Ideas: Try and catch you on discord soon and you can fill me in with more detail etc.

David had sat quietly listening to the discussion[1] and now felt it time to give the East Moreland perspective. "Might I propose the following idea." the King began, "Everyone with the exception of Nemeria seem to be in broad agreement to the charter. I would be more than happy with a gradual reducing of tariffs if that is more useful to others but may I put a condition on that. Simply that MICA nations will pay lower tariffs than non-MICA nations unless a trade treaty exists. So for example East Moreland may charge say Mountjoy a tariff of 5% on goods but wouldn't be able to level the same tariff against say Cojotan, instead they would pay 4.9%. However we have an existing trade agreement with Ui Cenneslaig so they currently enjoy tariff free trade despite not being members of MICA. This way we promote trade between each other while protecting the economies who feel they need that support."

The King looked down at his notes, "Furthermore the idea of an educators exchange is one I know we'd be open to, sharing good practice in any profession is a good idea."

The King now looked more serious, "As to the Nemerian request for special status I share the concerns of others, if we give one person special status others will perhaps request their own, if MICA is to work it is because of it giving the region common ground. I however would not wish to see Nemeria isolated, so what I suggest is the following, we conclude our charter granting no one special status. Once we have done that we appoint a representative to meet with whoever Nemeria choose to nominate and the two conclude a MICA and Nemeria agreement. This avoids anyone getting special status and actually gives us the flexibility to conclude agreements with other nations or organisations as a collective. So if for example piggy backing off their military base at QAMB Rokkenjima tried to join the organisation they can't push for special status because none exists, you either accept the treaty or you don't, however it sets the precedent of them being able to negotiate a deal where they have to bargain with around five to six different nations. Just a thought?" David put his pad back on the table.

1.	mainly because he wasn't online much

The King sat watching Rhiannon and the other children play their game, it reminded him a little of tag rugby, perhaps it explained why the Iwi had such a decent team. He almost zoned out of the conversation as he watched Rhiannon grab one or two feathers before losing one of her own, she darted back after the child who had took hers and got one back before hurrying off. He was pleased to see she was having fun and getting to know other children, one day her and Kimo would be the two leaders of their nations and it would be nice if they were friends too, beside they would understand which each was going through. David turned back just as the game was finishing.  "We've always been happy to have More and Mundus open to all nations, I'd have no issue including The Iwi and welcome it with Neu Orbarius too if they'd be interested."