Official Account of the Military Operations in China 1900-1901 :: E. W. M. Norie

Official Account of the Military Operations in China 1900-1901 :: E. W. M. Norie

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Khemor gro-Skaven

(Portrait by @thana-topsy, full version here)

Race: Osh Ornim (Iron Orc) Sex: Male Birthdate (given): 1st Morningstar, 4E 161 (40 years old in 4E 201) Birthdate (actual): Unknown Birthplace: somewhere in the Dragontail Mountains. Places of Residence: Skaven, Hammerfell > Water's Edge, Cyrodiil > Windhelm, Skyrim

Former factions: College of Whispers Current factions: Stormcloaks, Thane of Windhelm and the Pale

Khemor’s story will be told in my Homeric Orcs Series.

Early life in Hammerfell

The Iron Orc who would eventually be known as Khemor gro-Skaven was barely five years old when he was stricken with Rockjoint. ("Common in little orc children." --Murbul) Although he survived the disease, it left one of his legs atrophied and partially paralyzed. His clan, a particularly brutal group of Osh Ornim, intended to abandon him in Dragonstar in Craglorn as they did not want to waste the resources of the stronghold raising a permanently disabled child.

Whether it was fate, the hand of the gods, or just coincidence, Khemir at-Arlimahera, a wizard from a prominent Crown family in Skaven was traveling through the area and encountered the abandoned child before any harm befell him. The wizard sensed Khemor had a deep well of magicka and even though he was completely untrained he was manipulating the ebb and flow of ambient magicka in the world.

From Nostos, Khemor's central fic, set after the Main Quest and conclusion of the Civil War:

“My master was a once-in-ten-generations intellect when it came to the ebb and flow of magicka, delving into the secrets of the arcane, and uncovering the mysteries of Oblivion. But he was at a loss when it came to choosing a name for an Orsimer foundling.”

Khemir brought Khemor up as his apprentice: while Skaven was more magically inclined than most places in Hammerfell, Khemir's studies focused on various forms of Mysticism that intersected with Necromancy. Thus Khemor learned to be very circumspect and discreet from an early age.

Because of the reputation of Iron Orcs as particularly brutal and unintelligent, Khemor views his heritage with a deep sense of shame, and was brought up almost completely divorced from larger Orc culture, even more so than most "city Orcs" as he lacks any connections to anyone living in a stronghold. Most non-Orcs or people who are not from the Dragontail mountains do not pick up on the indicators of his heritage, and most who do clock him are too polite to mention it.

However, he does have a particular fondness for unusual rocks and minerals, and picks up pretty ones whenever he finds them. He also prefers to use un-faceted Soul Gems.

The Great War came to Skaven in 4E 173 when Khemor was twelve years old:

In Hammerfell, Imperial fortunes took a turn for the better. In early 4E 173, a Forebear army from Sentinel broke the siege of Hegathe (a Crown city), leading to the reconciliation of the two factions. Despite this, Lady Arannelya's main army succeeded in crossing the Alik'r Desert. The Imperial Legions under General Decianus met them outside Skaven in a bloody and indecisive clash. Decianus withdrew and left Arannelya in possession of Skaven, but the Aldmeri were too weakened to continue their advance.

--Legate Justianus Quintius, The Great War

Despite "only" lasting two years, the Empire's abandonment of Hammerfell and subsequent Thalmor occupation of Skaven was very formative for Khemor. Both he and his master were able to weather the occupation, but it took a toll on both of them. Khemor especially was not able to recieve chiurgeons' services for his leg during that critical time, which meant that his leg was unable to make a complete recovery like they had hoped, and so he’s used a cane to walk for his entire life.

From Katabasis, the story that details Calder the housecarl's adventures alongside Khemor during Skyrim's MQ:

Khemor sighed. “To say that I was ‘in’ [The Great War] would be a grave misstatement. I was only a child. Rather, the war came to Skaven. I was living there when the…order for the Legions to abandon Hammerfell was given.” A look of immense sadness passed over Khemor’s face. “Many of the Legion, mostly Nords and native sons of Hammerfell, refused to abandon Skaven, and deserted to continue protecting us. It was futile, of course. They were overrun and the Dominion occupied the city for two years.” He looked again at Calder and said quietly, “I am well-acquainted with the cruelties the Thalmor visit upon the populace of the places where they have control.”

While Khemir's social position and influence protected their household somewhat during the occupation, it was not easy, and Khemir's health never truly recovered. Before he died in 4E 187, he helped Khemor secure a position in the College of Whispers in Cyrodiil, despite neither of them being particularly inclined towards the Empire. In appreciation for his loyal service to and care of Khemir during the final, ailing years of his life, Khemir's family gave Khemor several of his former master's magical heirlooms before he left for his new life in Cyrodiil.

One of Khemir's grandnieces currently runs the family estate, and she and Khemor are on friendly terms and communicate somewhat regularly.

Life in River's Edge

(Portrait by @thana-topsy, full version here.)

With his command of languages, he was able to perfect his chosen sub-field of necromancy: spirit-calling and speaking with the dead. After all, what is the use of summoning the shade of a long-dead person to answer your questions if you won't be able to understand each other? This ability led to Khemor rising quickly through the ranks of the College of Whispers, and his calm and pleasant demeanor meant he was often chosen to lead delegations to advise the Elder Council or other political entities in Cyrodiil.

It was because of this role that in the year 4E 201, when word came to the leaders of the College of Whispers that the Synod and the Thalmor were scheming to gain influence with the College of Winterhold in Skyrim, Khemor was chosen to travel to the far, frozen north of the Empire and attempt to establish a line of communication Archmage Savos Aren.

Because of the unstable political situation in Skyrim, once he was through the Pale Pass Khemor changed his Legion escort for one comprised solely of Fighters Guild mercenaries. His entourage left Helgen for Riften on the 14th of Last Seed, 4E 201. Khemor noted the unusual number of Legion soldiers stationed at such a small outpost, but thought nothing of it.

When the escort arrived in Riften, they learned of Ulfric's capture and escape and hear the first rumors of dragons returning. However, it isn't until a dragon is sighted flying over Lake Honrich into the Jerall Mountains that Khemor takes the reports seriously. For safety, a larger group of travelers gathered in Riften to travel to Windhelm, leading to a significant delay of Khemor's itinerary. During this time, he composes what will end up being his last piece of correspondence to his superiors in the College of Whispers, detailing what he has heard about the return of the dragons to Skyrim before the ad-hoc caravan sets out for Kynesgrove…

Hey I made an Age of Empires 2 scenario and it's good.

The Shattered Sword is a little vignette set in my In the Court of the Nameless Queen universe. Here, you play as Old Rollo Kowalski as he leads the defense of Dun Morwen against the fleets and armies of Thorkil Gothi. You’re hotseated in a strong defensive position with a small force and no hope of aid, and must hold out against wave after wave of elite enemies until the timer runs out. All have heard the songs and stories of Freydis Gothi Thorkilsdottir, the Eater of Cities, but before her great victories came an even greater defeat. Twenty years before the legendary siege of Caer Haern, Thorkil Gothi Thorkilsson raised ten thousand spears and three thousand dragon-boats and led them south to the holy city at the mouth of the river Morwen, to set fire to its holy places and carry off the great wealth of the Eglwys. The legate Rollo Kowalski, outnumbered and hard pressed with a small band of knights, have been ordered to man the walls and make what defense they can. The war-drums are sounding, the war-pipes are skirling, and the sea is churned to foam by the oars of three thousand dragon-boats. Ravens darken the sky as ten thousand grim karls march toward the gates. The end has come, and the legate of Dun Morwen has but two choices: To do, or die.

my silly new frumentarii oc and the first (even tho its a half-assed sketch) art on my new display tablet. its been pretty fun so far.

about nicodemus

Unlike other frumentarii, Nicodemus is not a fan of deception and violence. He's a noble and grand, albeit a little sociopathic, soul.

Nico's parents were Khans, and it took Legion a week of siege and 17 members just to infiltrate their house. The legate initially wanted to enslave them, but because of the absence of any cooperation and ways to bend Nico's parents will to Caesar's, they were killed, and their 7 month old baby was taken to be trained as a legionary. Nico was taunted all his childhood, called Goliath because of his abnormally big body proportions (He was the size of a teenager by the time he was 7). Nico was a perfect unit, but he had little to no interest in combat.

Instead, he was highly encouraged by his dear teacher, Aletus of the Boneyard, to study Bible. Although, Aletus introduced Bible to young Nico as a work of ficton, it inspired a true faith in the boy and by the time he was 15, he knew scripture by heart.

Teenage Nicodemus had an arranged marriage with his teacher's daughter, Inga, who was just 4 years younger than him. Nico looked forward to it, because Inga was a dear friend of his, whom he truly loved with all his child heart, but also because it was a way to connect with Aletus, who became a sort of father figure to him. After inga's supposed escape, Nicodemus went wild for a few years, heartbroken and betrayed. In that time, he worked really hard to be noticed by the mighty Caesar, and noticed he was. Caesar saw the potential in the young man, Nico had a very poetic and inspiring tongue and a very impressive and terrifying build.

Nicodemus officially became the youngest frumentarii, at just 20 years and in the time of his work, never once failed a task. His work for Caesar mostly consisted of being an ambassador and a messenger to the tribes. Nico is a soft-spoken but strangely unnerving person, which made him a surprisingly good negotiator. His last and only failed work were negotiations with the Great Khans, because KARL IS NONEXISTENT IN MY CANON, after failing which he was shamefully demoted, and sent off to Arizona. But, he never went back to Arizona.

Ex-frumentarii Nicodemus disappeared a week before the Second Battle for Hoover Dam, and was never seen by any of surviving members of the Legion ever since.

There were rumours that he reconnected with a certain childhood friend of his and found out something about his and his parents' past affilations and made a conscious decision to left it all behind, but uhmm 🥱 I guess we'll never know.

US Marine Corps captain John T. Myers, pictured sitting holding his sword, was breveted major for his bravery protecting the American Legation under siege in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion in the summer of 1900.

A more acute crisis for the British imperial presence in Asia began in the summer of 1925 as Chinese discontent about foreign rule in Western concessions and treaty ports broke into open revolt after a police massacre in the International Settlement of Shanghai. The centerpiece of this popular uprising, coordinated by the Chinese Nationalist and Communist Parties, combined in the “First United Front” and receiving Soviet funding and advisers, was the Canton–Hong Kong general strike that began in June. Owing to a high degree of local labor organization, the Canton–Hong Kong strike committee, led by the seamen’s and tram workers’ unions, quickly brought together a large coalition. Landing-stage workers, steamship repairers, construction workers, carpenters, smiths, cobblers, butchers, grocers, restaurant and tea house servers, cooks, tailors, seamstresses, maids, laundry workers, barbers, and housemaids working in the diplomatic quarter all went on strike.

. . . After Hong Kong governor Reginald Stubbs tried to punish the Cantonese supporters of the strike by banning food and gold exports to the countryside, the strike committee instituted a full boycott of the colony. The damage inflicted on European business was severe. In October, the British government extended a £3 million emergency credit to Hong Kong to prevent an acute liquidity crisis. It was, in the words of the French writer André Malraux, “a war of a totally new kind . . . undertaken by the anarchic power of southern China, against the very symbol of British domination in Asia, the military rock from where the fortified empire surveys its herds.”

The Canton–Hong Kong general strike greatly worried British and French authorities. At the CID, Maurice Hankey saw the unrest as a dangerous red barbarism fostered by Russian communism to conquer the Eurasian landmass. China, he thought, was “almost in chaos. Any day you may get some movement which compels intervention and brooks no delay—a massacre in Canton or Pekin, another siege of the legations. Xenophobia has broken out in China every 20 or 25 years for the last century. Force has always been needed to restore the situation.” Hankey’s first instinct was to break up the strike with a blockade.

. . . As long as economic counter-measures did not target another state directly, they could be cast as a legal form of reprisal. They commented that “a blockade of the port of Canton by British vessels does not appear to have to constitute an act of war; this will be a coercive measure destined to modify or remove regulations [i.e., the Chinese boycott] that hamper British commerce.” Counterrevolutionary policing could thus be dressed up as a measure to enforce non-discrimination.

. . . Stubbs and other committee members agreed that the ideal object of economic sanctions was a mercantile agent whose behavior was guided by profit and loss. However, working-class power posed an obstacle to this behaviorist logic. If Cantonese merchants were indeed in charge, economic pressure could motivate this commercial class into pushing the Nationalists to compromise. But if the working classes controlled the strike, then economic sanctions might well bolster their resolve, risking escalation into a fully fledged popular war against foreign imperialism.

As the strike gradually fell apart in the spring of 1926, so did the urgency to intervene. Leadership struggles among the Nationalists led Chiang Kai-shek to arrest the strike committee.

The Economic Weapon, Nicholas Mulder

Some illustrations of pike-and-shotte infantry that I have officially designed for “Hohenrotbart,” the reigning, dynastic household of “Das Königreich Middenland” or “The Kingdom of Middenland” in my medieval fantasy setting. Both this series of illustrations, as well as their associated faction iconography, were officially designed for a low-fantasy setting of my original conception with technology and material culture equivalent to the late medieval and renaissance periods of European history. Where formations of heavily armoured and mounted, aristocratic knights in either suits of full plate armour or heavy coats of chainmail fight alongside professional armies of pikemen and matchlock musketeers. Where medieval-style stone castles are gradually being outsourced in favour of both lavish, sumptuous country estates and devoted military fortifications, or “bastions,” due to the technological advancements being made in gunpowder-based, siege artillery. And where fledgling nation-states, most notably in the form of kingdoms and empires, look beyond the great oceans and the frontiers of “The Known World” in search of even greater wealth and territory.

In context to the canon lore of my low-fantasy world, “Hohenrotbart” or “House Rotbart” is the newly crowned and anointed hereditary, dynastic household to “Das Königreich Middenland” or “The Kingdom of Middenland” following the stunning conclusion of “The Midlands Crusade” officially preached and prosecuted by Friedrich-Albrecht Von Rotbart as Bishop-Prince of Elchingen, one of the three ecclesiastical, invested “Kurfürsten des Selbst Kaiserreich der Menscheit” or “Prince-Electors of The Empire of Mankind Proper,” and Archpatriarchal Legate to Vexillarius IV for “The Midlands Crusade.” The apointed title of “Archpatriarchal Legate” essentially denoting the official, church-sanctioned representatives to the person of “The Reigning Bishop of Romulus” and “The Current Head of The Conservative Church of The New Gods” in either foreign affairs or in “errantry wars” and “crusades” officially preached and prosecuted against the enemies of The Conservative Faith. The historic, church-sanctioned consecration of The Basilica of Marienburg over the site of the former “Godswoods” marks both the official conclusion of The Midlands Crusade and the foundation of the new “Königreich Middenland” over the bulk of the remnants of “The Former Kingdom of The Midlands.” In terms of it’s historical, cultural, and religious sources of inspiration, “Das Königreich Middenland” under the hereditary, dynastic rule of “Hohenrotbart” as “Die Könige von Middenland” draws heavy influences from medieval and renaissance Prussia under “The Monastic State of The Teutonic Knights” or “Deutschordenstaat,” as well as Ducal Prussia during the 16th and 17th centuries.” With Friedrich I’s legislative decree to officially convert to Karl Von Luxembourg’s general, sweeping, and international reformation to The Conservative Church of The New Gods on behalf of both his dynastic house and his hereditary subjects being highly analogous to the secularization of “The Monastic State of The Teutonic Knights” or “Deutschordenstaat” to The Lutheran, East Prussian Duchy during the early 16th century.

Under the hereditary, dynastic rule of Friedrich I as “Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland” und “Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart” or “The Founding Head of House Rotbart,” as the kingdom’s first reigning, hereditary, monarch and dynastic household since the untimely extinction of legitimate, male bloodline of “The Late House Bartholemew” and the subsequent collapse of “The Former Kingdom of The Midlands” over a century and a half ago. “Das Königreich Middenland,” as it has been termed since the official, church-sanctioned consecration of The Basilica of Marienburg over the site of the former “Godswoods” at the conclusion of “The Midlands Crusade,” with the subsequent investiture of Friedrich-Albrecht Von Rotbart as the first “Bishop-Patriarch of Marienburg” has officially become the first culture and state in both the recorded history, and the enormity of “The Known World” to renounce The Conservative Faith of The New Gods based on the old, Classical Romulan rite and liturgy originally formalized and decreed under The Classical Romulan Imperator “Cassadorian the Great” in favour of “The Luxembourgian Reforms” as officially preached and published by Karl Von Luxembourg, a learned doctor of theology based at Die Universität Wörtzburch as well as the leading and titular “Great Reformer” to The Conservative Church of The New Gods, with Friedrich I’s legislative decree to officially convert to The Luxembourgian Reformation on behalf of both his dynastic house and his hereditary subjects.

Long before Friedrich I’s formal coronation and anointment as “Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland” und “Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart.” Friedrich Von Rotbart was originally a minor aristocrat and mercenary captain of a pike-and-shotte infantry company known as “Die Bande Des Falke” or “The Band of The Hawk” operating within both the “Austere” and the “Frivolous” cultural and linguistic hemispheres of The Empire of Mankind. With the advent of the official, church-sanctioned preaching and prosecution of “The Midlands Crusade” under his more prestigious, prolific, and illustrious older brother Friedrich-Albrecht Von Rotbart as Bishop-Prince of Elchingen, one of the three ecclesiastical, invested “Kurfürsten des Selbst Kaiserreich der Menscheit” or “Prince-Electors of The Empire of Mankind Proper,” and Archpatriarchal Legate to Vexillarius IV for “The Midlands Crusade.” Friedrich Von Rotbart and his “Die Bande Des Falke” flocked to the banner of The Midlands Crusade officially preached and prosecuted against the apostate, Albic tribes religiously subscribed to the druidic worship of “Erdøk,” a strange, nature-worshipping faith that long predated the rise of organized worship in both The Canon Pantheons of The Old and The New Gods and remained prevalent within the confines of “The Great Bastion” or “The Great Forest of Erdøk” situated directly east of The Empire of Mankind. “Erdøk” as a unique form of religious worship had begun to spread in prominence within The Former Kingdom of The Midlands long before the untimely extinction of the legitimate, male bloodline of The Late House Bartholemew and the subsequent collapse of The Former Kingdom of The Mildands over a century and a half ago. Although both Friedrich Von Rotbart and his Bande Des Falke only fought in The Midlands Crusade as minor belligerents, despite having allegedly fought and served with such distinction so as to earn both the respect and the commendation of their fellow crusaders and the church authorities officially involved in the crusade. Friedrich Von Rotbart through his sheer hereditary ties to The Archpatriarchal Legate to Vexillarius IV for The Midlands Crusade and The First Bishop-Patriarch of Marienburg was prioritized over all other prospective candidates for the coronation and the anointment as “Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland” und “Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart.”

In joint partnership with his older brother Friedrich-Albrecht Von Rotbart as the first Bishop-Patriarch of Marienburg over the rulership and administration of the new “Königreich Middenland.” Friedrich I, in conjunction with the clergy of The Conservative Church of The New Gods, facilitated the systematic, mass conversion of the autochthonous “Albic” tribes of The Former Kingdom of The Midlands back into the fold of The Conservative Faith under the formal leadership of “The Bishop of Romulus” or “The Archpatriarch” officially seated in The Holy Sept of the old, Classical Romulan capital and titular namesake of “The Empire of Mankind Primus” that had once dominated the overwhelming majority of “The Known World” during the long forgotten epoch of “Classical Antiquity.” Alongside the gradual, eventual conversion, and occasional pacification through force of arms and military might, of the indigenous “Albic” tribes of The Former Kingdom of The Midlands. “Das Königreich Middenland” throughout the long, prolific, and illustrious reign of Friedrich I as “Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland” und “Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart” has been thoroughly and effectively resettled by colonists and settlers hailing from Friedrich I’s native “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” cultural and linguistic hemisphere within The Empire of Mankind. Most notably into the newly established, fortified towns and cities founded either directly under the official, state administration of Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland, himself, or by the newly established baronial magnates of “Junker” aristocracy in direct homage to Hohenrotbart as “Die Könige von Middenland.” In addition to the thorough and effective resettlement of culturally and ethnically “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” colonists and settlers into the newly established, fortified towns and cities, as well as the most arable rural estates of their surrounding countryside. The autochthonous Albic tribes have been gradually assimilated into both the Northern Imperial culture and ethnicity through a combination of church-sponsored dowries in order to promote intermarriage between male colonists and settlers hailing from the “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” cultural and linguistic hemisphere of The Empire of Mankind with the Albic natives. As well as the proliferation of both the oral and written “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” language and culture through the religious services and church schools officially sponsored by the culturally and ethnically “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” Conservative clergy. Although having been gradually, albeit thoroughly, transformed into a culturally “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” nation-state situated uniquely without the southernmost frontiers and beyond the official jurisdiction of The Empire of Mankind.” Thanks in full to the long, prolific, and illustrious reign of Friedrich I in conjunction with the culturally and ethnically Northern Imperial Conservative clergy over the rulership, administration, and systematic, mass conversion of the Albic tribes indigenous to “Das Königreich Middenland.” Das Königreich Middenland, based uniquely without the established frontiers and beyond the official jurisdiction of The Empire of Mankind, alongside neighbouring “Markgrafschaft Brannenborg” as the newest, most recent, constituent member state of, and historic, territorial addition to the lands of The Empire of Mankind Proper, and one oddly and uniquely situated within the southernmost frontiers of The Empire, have come to collectively form a “Teutogen” or “Southern Austere” cultural and linguistic bloc within the confines of “The Civilized World Proper” that is uniquely characterized by both it’s shared cultural heritage as the crusader states born of the complimentary events of “The Southern Crusades” and the subsequent “Sudsiedlung,” as well as their common heritage as the earliest religious converts to The “Reformed” Faith of The New Gods based on the theological reforms of Karl Von Luxembourg with his scriptural emphasis on both the vernacular translation and the strict, universal interpretation of The Holy Canons of The New Gods by all social classes outside the clergy and the feudal aristocracy.

“Das Königreich Middenland,” with it’s complimentary policies of rampant, obsessive-compulsive military fortification, most notably in the form of stone castles and city walls, with the thorough, effective, state-mandated militarization of Das Königreich Middenland were both born of the equally stubborn and violent resistance put up by the indigenous Albic tribes, who had deeply resented both their systematic, mass conversion back into the fold of The Conservative Church of The New Gods as well as the systematic persecution and marginalization of their religious liberties that came synonymously with the “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” cultural and ethnic assimilation efforts that characterized both “Die Markgrafschaft Brannenborg” since the official, hereditary, and dynastic enfeoffment of the great Imperial general Friedrich Biermann as “Der erster und herrschend Markgraf der Sudetenmark” und “Der Gründungschef von Hohenbiermann” shortly after the illegitimate successor the the last Batholemew King of The Midlands originally pawned, and later permanently transferred hereditary control over the lands of the former “Sudetenmark” to The Imperial Household based in “Der Reichstadt” or “The Imperial Demesne.” As well as “Das Königreich Middenland” since the final conclusion of “The Midlands Crusade” with the church-sanctioned consecration of The Basilica of Marienburg by Bishop-Prince Friedrich-Albrecht Von Rotbart over the site of the former “Godswoods,” and the subsequent coronation and anointment of his younger brother Friedrich Von Rotbart as “Friedrich I, Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland” und “Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart.” Das Königreich Middenland, since the official coronation and anointment of Friedrich I as Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland und Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart, has been distinctly characterized by it’s complimentary policies of rampant, obsessive-compulsive military fortification, most notably in the form of medieval-style stone castles and city walls, and it’s thorough, effective, state-mandated militarization to such a degree, that it has already become the single, most prominent, military superpower within the church-prescribed confines of “The Known World,” and perhaps beyond. Despite it’s official status as the newest, constituent member amongst the established powers within The Civilized World. Das Königreich Middenland under the hereditary, dynastic rule of Friedrich I as it’s first and reigning king has come to possess one of the single largest, most skilled, most disciplined, and most professional fighting forces throughout the breadth and the enormity of The Known World. And one whose numeric size and professional level of quality and discipline are both highly disproportionate to it’s initial and base economic and industrial yield and value. Under the personal stewardship and the direct supervision of Friedrich I as a former captain of pike-and-shotte infantry before his expressed invitation and personal involvement in The Midlands Crusade at the behest of his older brother as Archpatriarchal Legate. The professional, pike-and-shotte infantry regiments in domestic, royal, military service to Hohenrotbart as “Die Könige von Middenland” have come to unquestionably represent the most skilled, disciplined, and professional pike-and-shotte infantry armies south of Margrabia Mazowsza.

Although born out of his inherent distrust for the baronial magnates of “Junker” nobility who had recently carved out lands, estates, titles for themselves as the bulk and core of the heavily armoured and mounted, aristocratic knights who had originally fought and participated in The Midlands Crusade. The same class of Junker nobles and aristocrats who had received reluctantly, and with icy anticipation, the formal coronation and anointment of Friedrich I as their liege lord and sovereign, due to his personal background as a minor aristocrat from the “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” cultural and linguistic hemisphere of The Empire of Mankind. As well as his professional background as a mercenary captain of pike-and-shotte infantry, as opposed to aristocratic heavy cavalry as the traditionally most prestigious form of military service due to the historical precedence of the feudal, aristocratic traditions of professional chivalry. The heavily armoured and mounted, aristocratic knights compelled into domestic, royal, military service to Hohenrotbart as “Die Könige von Middenland” likewise parallel the professional, pike-and-shotte infantry regiments hailing from Das Königreich Middenland in terms of their unique, pseudo-monastic culture of strict, military discipline, professionalism, and skill at arms. Organized into distinct orders of elite, secular, martial fraternities known as “Bruderschaften” or “Brotherhoods.” Each “Bruderschaft” was placed under the personal command and direct supervision of “Ein Großmeister,” or “A Grandmaster,” who were individually appointed for life from members of Das Königreich Middenland’s great houses of Junker nobility to serve the royal, state interests of Hohenrotbart as Die Könige von Middenland over the feudal, private interests of any single, great house of Junker aristocracy. “Die Shwartzen Rieterren” or “The Black Riders,” termed for the distinct and signature colour of their armour, were elite, heavily armoured cavalrymen drawn from the second sons of Junker nobles and aristocrats in order to tie the feudal, dynastic homage of Das Königreich Middenland’s greater and lesser houses of Junker aristocracy to the persons of Der König von Middenland and all his hereditary, dynastic successors. To further assure the loyalties of both “Die Schwartzen Rieterren” and their respective “Großmeister” individually charged with the military command and direct supervision of their respective “Bruderschaft.” “Die Bruderschaften” were made completely and fully dependent on a combination of the national, state budget generated by both regular taxation of Das Königreich Middenland’s crownlands and any tariffs officially levied and imposed on Der König von Middenland’s charter companies and the local trade guilds, as well as tithes generated by both the religious services of, and donations to The Conservative Church of The New Gods in joint partnership with Friedrich I over the rulership, administration, and systematic, mass conversion of the autochthonous Albic tribes of Das Königreich Middenland, in order to effectively finance both their livelihoods and their upkeep costs as the national, professional, state-funded heavy cavalry army in direct service to The Kings of Middenland. Both “Die Großmeister” and all “Die Shwartzen Rieterren” under their respective command and direct supervision were expected to legally forfeit any landed titles, estates, and incomes in their possession, regardless of the nature of their obligatory or voluntary enrollment into their respective “Brudershaft.” While “Die Großmeister” could be immediately and unceremoniously stripped of their command and office should they show any signs of insubordination to the persons of “Der König von Middenland” or any of his official, state-sanctioned representatives. This unique, pseudo-monastic, military culture of strict, military discipline, professionalism, and skill at arms has come both characterize and engender the heavily armoured and mounted, aristocratic knights serving Die Könige von Middenland as “Shwartzen Rieterren” as some of the most feared and respected professional heavy cavalry in The Known World. “Die Shwartzen Rieterren” as Der König von Middenland’s domestic, royal, professional heavy cavalry army have come to collectively earn both a reputation, as well as a significant degree of notoriety for themselves, as some of the few heavy cavalrymen throughout the breadth and enormity of The Known World to truly impress and unnerve, in equal measure, the heavily armoured and mounted, aristocratic knights hailing from neighbouring “Le Royaume d’Aquitaine.” Who pridefully, arrogantly, and vaingloriously boast themselves to be the single greatest, most skilled, most disciplined, and most professional heavy cavalrymen throughout the breadth and the enormity of The Known World, and perhaps beyond.

With the passing away of Bishop-Patriarch Friedrich-Albrecht Von Rotbart as The Archpatriarchal Legate to Vexillarius IV for The Midlands Crusade and the first, official Bishop-Patriarch of Marienburg. The elderly Archpatriarch Vexillarius IV as the 299th and reigning Bishop of Romulus and the current Head of The Conservative Church of The New Gods formally invested in Wolfgang Amadeus Von Holswig-Schlestien, Bishop-Prince of Griffenheim and one of the three ecclesiastical, invested “Kurfürsten des Selbst Kaiserreich der Menscheit” or “Prince-Electors of The Empire of Mankind Proper,” as Friedrich-Albrecht Von Rotbart’s official, church-sanctioned successor as the new Bishop-Patriarch of Marienburg. Both this new Bishop-Patriarch of Marienburg, as well as all of his clerical and lay followers, proved seemingly antithetical to both the secular, royal interests of Hohenrotbart as Die Könige von Middenland in particular, and the national, state interests of Das Königreich Middenland at large. Stating at one point that “The Midlands Crusade was officially preached and prosecuted in the name of The Canon Pantheon of The New Gods, not in the name of the selfish and conceited interests of prospective monarchs and aristocrats. And it was by their sheer grace that The Midlands Crusade had concluded, in overwhelming triumph, for the forces of The Conservative Church.” With this new Bishop-Patriarch of Marienburg hellbent on prioritizing The Conservative Church of The New Gods’ exclusive domination over the rulership, administration, and systematic, mass conversion of the indigenous Albic tribes of Das Königreich Middenland at the expense of marginalizing the secular, royal power and authority of Die Könige von Middenland to an almost purely nominal role. Friedrich I consequently passed state legislation as “Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland” und “Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart” to become the first hereditary, dynastic ruler in both the recorded history, and the enormity of “The Known World” to officially convert to The “Reformed” Faith of The New Gods based on the theological reforms of Karl Von Luxembourg, a learned doctor of theology based at Die Universität Wörtzburch in Das Herzogtum Solingen, one of the leading centres of church-sanctioned, academic research on both The Canon Theology of The New Gods and Cosmopolitan, Classical Romulan Civil Law and Jurisprudence throughout the breadth and the entirety of The Civilized World, on behalf of both his dynastic house and his hereditary subjects. With Friedrich I’s official conversion to “The Luxembourgian Reformation” on behalf of both Hohenrotbart and Das Königreich Middenland, Friedrich I had finally assumed supreme authority over matters of religion in his kingdom. Consequently making himself the effective and virtual “Supreme Head of The Reformed Church of The New Gods in Das Königreich Middenland.” From that point on, Friedrich I as “The Supreme Head of The Reformed Church of The New Gods in Middenland” was given full control over the state investiture of new bishops and abbots within Das Königreich Middenland, including exclusive investiture over the venerable and prestigious ecclesiastical office of “Bishop-Patriarch of Marienburg” since it’s official establishment by his late older brother Friedrich-Albrecht Von Rotbart at the final conclusion of The Midlands Crusade. Friedrich I, as the hereditary, dynastic monarch of the first major culture and state in both the recorded history and the enormity of The Known World to officially convert to “The Luxembourgian Reforms,” likewise encouraged both the spread and the growth of mass literacy in Das Königreich Middenland by proliferating the vernacular translations of The Holy Canons of The New Gods printed in the “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” language using printers, church schools, and missionaries sympathetic to Karl Von Luxembourg’s theological reforms. In addition to the proliferation of both the vernacular translations of The Holy Canons of The New Gods and other religious literature and pamphlets printed in the “Austere” or “Northern Imperial” language, Friedrich I had simultaneously decreed state legislation as “Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland” und “Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart,” as well as clerical legislation as “The Supreme Head of The Reformed Church of The New Gods in Das Königreich Middenland,” to decriminalize both the ownership and the vernacular translations of The Holy Canons of The New Gods in Das Königreich Middenland. Thus officially opening both the reading and the strict, universal interpretation of The Holy Canons of The New Gods to all social classes outside of the clergy and the feudal aristocracy.

1900-55-day siege

The Imperial Chinese Army begins a 55-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing, China.

--- character list

blue - currently interested | red - not taking requests | green - no romance | pink - yandere allowed

i will occasionally write characters not on this list, that doesn't mean they will be requestable.

{...live action...}

BULLET TRAIN: Lemon, Tangerine, The Father, The Wolf

COMMUNITY: Jeff Winger, Britta Perry, Annie Edison, Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes, Shirley Bennett, Ben Chang, Dean Craig Pelton

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: ---coming soon

YOU: Joe Goldberg, Peach Salinger, Guinevere Beck, Candace Stone, Love Quinn, Forty Quinn, Delilah Alves

YELLOWJACKETS: ---coming soon

FALLOUT: Lucy MacLean, Norman MacLean, Chet, Maximus, Thaddeus, Cooper Howard, Lee Moldaver, Bud Askins, Henry "Hank" McLean, Betty Pearson

{...animation...}

A.N.) depending on the continuity, i may decline romantic requests for scooby-doo characters since they're not adults in all continuities.

SCOOBY-DOO (all except hbo velma): Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, Scoobert "Scooby-Doo" Doobert, Fred Jones, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake, Thorn, Luna, Dusk, Vincent van Ghoul

G1 MONSTER HIGH: Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Ghoulia Yelps, Deuce Gorgon, Clawd Wolf, Toralei Stripe, Scarah Screams, Abbey Bominable, Spectra Vondergeist, Operetta, Venus McFlytrap, C.A. Cupid, Nefera de Nile, Mr. D'eath, G. Reaper, Ms. Kindergrubber, Mr. Rotter, Mr. Where

G3 MONSTER HIGH: ---coming soon

SONIC BOOM: ---coming soon

LOVE, DEATH & ROBOTS: ---coming soon

{...video games...}

MARIO FRANCHISE: Mario, Luigi, Pauline, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Princess Rosalina, Yoshi, Bridette, Bowser, King Boo, Wario, Waluigi, Vivian, Goombella, Madame Flurrie, Lady Bow

CLASSIC SONIC FRANCHISE: Sonic the Hedgehog | Miles "Tails" Prower | Knuckles the Echidna | Amy Rose | Eggman | CD Metal Sonic

MODERN SONIC FRANCHISE: ---coming soon

FALLOUT NEW VEGAS: Courier 6, Arcade Gannon, Craig Boone, ED-E, Lily Bowen, Raul Tejada, Rex, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, Veronica Santangelo, Christine Royce, Dean Domino, Joshua Graham, Benny 'Gecko', Legate Lanius, Robert House, Ulysses (MORE COMING SOON)

FALLOUT 3: The Lone Wanderer, Butch Deloria, Charon, Clover, Cross, Dogmeat, Fawkes, Jericho, RL-3 (MORE COMING SOON)

FALLOUT 4: Nate, Nora, Codsworth, Cait, Curie, Danse, Deacon, Dogmeat, John Handcock, Nick Valentine, Piper Wright, Preston Garvey, Old Longfellow, Porter Gage (MORE COMING SOON)

COD: COLD WAR: Bell, Russell Adler, Lawrence Sims, Frank Woods, Alex Mason, Dimitri Belikov, Perseus, Vikhor "Stich" Kuzmin

RAINBOW SIX SIEGE: ---coming soon

APEX LEGENDS: ---coming soon

OVERWATCH: Soldier 76, Reinhardt, Sojourn, Mercy, Winston, Tracer, Genji, Mei, Brigitte, Echo, Lucio, Pharah, Zarya, D.Va, Baptiste, Bastion, Doomfist, Moria, Reaper, Widowmaker, Sombra, Sigma, Ramattra, Junker Queen, Roadhog, Junkrat, Wrecking Ball, Hanzo, Ashe, B.O.B., Symmetra, Lifeweaver, Zenyatta, Orisa, Illari , Venture

{...miscellaneous...}

---NA:

The Gospel Masterclass: Understanding the Gospels as Literature | Dr. Ro...

COMMENTARY:

Robyn  darling, bless your heart, the entire 29 books of the New Testament, including Revelation, were written before The Hewish Wars. The Christians in Jerusalem evacuated Jerusalem after Gallus ended his siege and tried to make a break out of Judea, The Cristian's took Jesus warning in Mark 13 seriously and avoided the  Apocalypse Of curse, it wasn't Mark 13 at that time,

Both the Gospel of Mark and Gospel of John begin when Jesus appears above the Roman military horizon  by taking command of John the Baptist's Followers Mark 1:4 -  8, the portrait of John the Baptist, comes from exactly the same source Josephus drew upon in the Jewish Wars to characterize John the Baptist and that source was the intelligence archives of the 10th Legion, which occupied and patrolled the Area of Operations from Capernaum down to the Mt of Olives. The Romans were in Judeah to control and parol the trade routes coming from Ieurope and Asia to cross the land bridge at Gaza into Africa. Pilate was subordinate to the legate in Syria and was responsible for the good order and safe passage through the territory he controlled, The John the Baptist Followers were a potential insurgent formation and the 10th Legion kept track of everybody within there purview.

The 10th Legion is  Quelle, And Cornelius, who was the senior centurion in Judea , and Pilates administrative head and the Roman equivaeltn of the Command Sergeant Major of the two legions in the area, was, for all intents and purposes, Quelle. he is the common denominator is the Gospels as Acts, The Gospel of Mark is his intelligence appreciation of everything they had come to learn about Jesus since Pilate sent his initial euangelion to Rome which is lost to us but referenced in Book V of Tertullian's Apology,

The Gospel of Mark was written between 37 CE and 40 CE immediately after the encounter between Cornelius and Peter described in Acts 10 as an  explication of Pilates lost euangelion  that employed Peter's )and probably John Mark's) testimony plus 51 entries from the archives of the 10th Legion,  Peter' confession in Acts 34 - 43 became the narrative trajectory of the Gospel of Mark and the references surveillance reports about Jesus after He was baptized and before He was arrested form the corpus of the narrative.

Mark 15"1 - 16:8  represent the time boundaries of Pilate's lost euangelion and are coincident to the time  boundaries of The Gospel of Peter, which, in all probability, represents the contents of Pilate's lost euangelion that Cornelius conveyed to him off stage, so to speak, of Acts 10, Pilate's lost euangelion is the basis of Peter's vetting of Paul in Acts 15:7 and the basis of Paul's theology throughout the 19 citations of the 13 Epistles. He cites it 6 times in Philologians as part of his end zone celebration of his successful defense  in Rome.

None of this happened after 70 CE. The whole post-Jewish War premise of the Jesus Seminar is Marxist driven anti-theist bull shit right out of the anti0war movement of the 6-s. and the attempts by James Tabor and Dom Crossan to right Jesus out of history, For example, in one of his books, Tabor deletes the line "suffered under Pontius Pilate" from the Apostle's Creed  in the historical revisionism to eliminate the existential historicity of Pilate out of the Creed. Tabor's entire career amounts to 30 years of academic mal practice, I mean, the whole idea that Mark is derived from Pauline theology is is a case study in the willing suspension of disbelief by anyone who endorses the Jesus Seminar

55 Days at Peking playtest

BLUF: a nice, simple tactical game of the siege of the Siege of the Legations in Peking, 1900. The most dramatic event of the Boxer Rebellion. 55 Days at Peking box As I mentioned in my post about Historicon 2023, one of my recent acquisitions is a purchase of 55 Days at Peking, from The Historical War Game Company, published by Blue Panther Games. Right up front, I’ll say I do love their…

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Legate Fasendil.

First Impression: Unfortunately for the dear legate, I ran into him for the first time very soon after completing Siege on the Dragon Cult so I thought this guy was another infiltrator. I didn't do anything about it, but I kept expecting him to give me an obviously bogus quest so he could then stab me in the back later.

Impression Now: He is one of my faves. I love that Bethesda managed to give at least one of the camp Legates an interesting backstory. And if he was a Legionary 159 years before Skyrim, that means he's probably coming up on 180 years old at least which is getting into middle age for an Altmer. I feel like he's been ready for retirement for awhile, but crises keep happening and he feels compelled to stay in the game just a little while longer.

Favorite Moment: There's a very limited number of moments for him, but this line is my favorite: "Home? Home to me is a hot cup of ale at the end of the day and five minutes without someone needing something from me... Cyrodiil is a beautiful place, full of diverse peoples and histories. But so too, Hammerfell and Skyrim, and every other place I've been. Don't get me wrong, every country has its dark corners. But that's why we're here. To bring order and civilization, and to protect the people."

It seems that here's another reason he might not be retired yet - he's been a wanderer all his life with the Legion, and has never felt any particular attachment to any one place...so what would he even do with retirement?

Idea for a Story: He will be making an appearance in a fic I'm working on featuring Hadvar's Imperial Legion officer training before the events of Skyrim! Because of his long lifespan, he has a vast amount of institutional knowledge, and he enjoys passing it along to new officer candidates. Hadvar ends up liking him very much.

Unpopular Opinion: I don't know if there's any popular or unpopular opinions about Fasendil!

Favorite relationship: We don't see any relationships in-game, but I have thought about what Fasendil's relationship is to the other Legion officers and veterans in Skyrim.

Favorite headcanon: Fasendil was in Rikke, Galmar, and Ulfric's chain of command during the Great War. I think of Fasendil as quite fond of Ulfric and views Ulfric's capture by the Thalmor as a personal failing that has had devastating repercussions.

Events 6.20

451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory. 1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan. 1622 – The Battle of Höchst takes place during the Thirty Years' War. 1631 – The Sack of Baltimore: The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Barbary slave traders. 1652 – Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha is appointed Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. 1685 – Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth declares himself King of England at Bridgwater. 1756 – A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta. 1782 – The U.S. Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States. 1787 – Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the 'United States'. 1789 – Deputies of the French Third Estate take the Tennis Court Oath. 1791 – King Louis XVI, disguised as a valet, and the French royal family attempt to flee Paris during the French Revolution. 1819 – The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, United Kingdom. It is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey is made under sail. 1837 – King William IV dies, and is succeeded by his niece, Victoria. 1840 – Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph. 1862 – Barbu Catargiu, the Prime Minister of Romania, is assassinated. 1863 – American Civil War: West Virginia is admitted as the 35th U.S. state. 1877 – Alexander Graham Bell installs the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 1893 – Lizzie Borden is acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother. 1895 – The Kiel Canal, crossing the base of the Jutland peninsula and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, is officially opened. 1900 – Boxer Rebellion: The Imperial Chinese Army begins a 55-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing, China. 1900 – Baron Eduard Toll, leader of the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900, departs Saint Petersburg in Russia on the explorer ship Zarya, never to return. 1921 – Workers of Buckingham and Carnatic Mills in the city of Chennai, India, begin a four-month strike. 1926 – The 28th International Eucharistic Congress begins in Chicago, with over 250,000 spectators attending the opening procession. 1942 – The Holocaust: Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp. 1943 – The Detroit race riot breaks out and continues for three more days. 1943 – World War II: The Royal Air Force launches Operation Bellicose, the first shuttle bombing raid of the war. Avro Lancaster bombers damage the V-2 rocket production facilities at the Zeppelin Works while en route to an air base in Algeria. 1944 – World War II: The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes with a decisive U.S. naval victory. The lopsided naval air battle is also known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". 1944 – World War II: During the Continuation War, the Soviet Union demands unconditional surrender from Finland during the beginning of partially successful Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive. The Finnish government refuses. 1944 – The experimental MW 18014 V-2 rocket reaches an altitude of 176 km, becoming the first man-made object to reach outer space. 1945 – The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip. 1948 – The Deutsche Mark is introduced in Western Allied-occupied Germany. The Soviet Military Administration in Germany responded by imposing the Berlin Blockade four days later. 1956 – A Venezuelan Super-Constellation crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Asbury Park, New Jersey, killing 74 people. 1959 – A rare June hurricane strikes Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence killing 35. 1960 – The Mali Federation gains independence from France (it later splits into Mali and Senegal). 1963 – Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States sign an agreement to establish the so-called "red telephone" link between Washington, D.C. and Moscow. 1964 – A Curtiss C-46 Commando crashes in the Shengang District of Taiwan, killing 57 people. 1972 – Watergate scandal: An 18½-minute gap appears in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex. 1973 – Snipers fire upon left-wing Peronists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in what is known as the Ezeiza massacre. At least 13 are killed and more than 300 are injured. 1973 – Aeroméxico Flight 229 crashes on approach to Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, killing all 27 people on board. 1975 – The film Jaws is released in the United States, becoming the highest-grossing film of that time and starting the trend of films known as "summer blockbusters". 1979 – ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart is shot dead by a Nicaraguan National Guard soldier under the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle during the Nicaraguan Revolution. The murder is caught on tape and sparks an international outcry against the regime. 1982 – The International Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide opens in Tel Aviv, despite attempts by the Turkish government to cancel it, as it included presentations on the Armenian genocide. 1982 – The Argentine Corbeta Uruguay base on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal Marine commandos in the final action of the Falklands War. 1988 – Haitian President Leslie Manigat is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Lieutenant general Henri Namphy. 1990 – Asteroid Eureka is discovered. 1990 – The 7.4 Mw  Manjil–Rudbar earthquake affects northern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 35,000–50,000, and injuring 60,000–105,000. 1991 – The German Bundestag votes to move seat of government from the former West German capital of Bonn to the present capital of Berlin. 1994 – The 1994 Imam Reza shrine bomb explosion in Iran leaves at least 25 dead and 70 to 300 injured. 2003 – The Wikimedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida. 2019 – Iran's Air Defense Forces shoot down an American surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions between the two countries.

she sieging my legation quarter until I intervene

[group of Manchu advisors looks at me and shakes their head in disapproval]

UK 007 GCHQ AI update

s inability to counter Muqarrab Khan’s symbolic attacks on the Estado’s dignity thus exposed the viceroy’s lack of political savviness. By negotiating during a moment of fragility in public through formal diplomatic channels, Azevedo allowed the Mughal authorities to downgrade the status of the Estado da Índia. Indeed, as the pamphlet suggests, the negotiations only progressed when the Portuguese turned to Manuel Pinheiro. The padre’s position as an informal diplomatic mediator ensured the necessary discretion to negotiate a treaty under unfavourable conditions without exposing the Estado’s powerlessness to counter Mughal geopolitical goals. As António Bocarro mentioned in his Década, during the initial stages of the Luso-Mughal negotiations, Manuel Pinheiro ensured that the ‘errands and messages’ (recados e mensagens) from both sides reached their destination.124 The mediating function of the padre seemed also to be a request from Muqarrab Khan. According to Bocarro, the Royal Confidant asked Gonçalo Pinto da Fonseca, the head of the Portuguese legation, to use only one channel of negotiation to avoid the involvement of other agents. The intention was to limit negotiations to a restricted circle of reliable interlocutors, mediated by trustworthy agents such as Manuel Pinheiro, and thus prevent a scenario in which the terms and conditions proposed by each side varied according to the different channels. Muqarrab Khan seemed not only to be concerned with the effectiveness of the negotiating process, but also in ensuring that he was able to impede the involvement of other agents with agendas that differed from his own interests. While in the anonymous pamphlet Muqarrab Khan emerges as a hostile figure who was extremely zealous in enhancing Mughal superiority, the Década of António Bocarro offers a more positive portrait of the role of the Royal Confidant. For Bocarro, one of the official chroniclers of the Estado da Índia, the Mughal grandee was still Dom João de Távora. The letters sent from him to Estado officials were extremely cordial and expressed an intention to find a balanced solution to the conflict. The delays during the negotiations were apparently not caused by Mughal hostility, but by the health problems of Muqarrab Khan’s wife. In his letter to Gonçalo Pinto da Fonseca, Muqarrab Khan insinu

The treaty established that the Mughal Empire would not have any commercial or diplomatic relations with England and the Dutch Republic. Indeed, the rhetoric of the first clause presented the EIC and the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC-Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie) as a common threat. The events that paved the way for the Luso-Mughal crisis ‘had shown that the English and the Dutch, under the cover of merchants, came to India to settle and conquer these lands, since they live in Europe in great need and poverty’.126 To deter the threat posed by the English and Dutch East Indies companies, the Mughal authorities agreed ‘to not shelter them, nor to provide them provisions or give them any other help’.127 Jahangir also consented that the Estado da Índia could intervene militarily in Gujarat to expel the members of the EIC and VOC. Similar conditions were also established by the sixth clause, which allowed

e Royal Confidant actively explored the possibility of involving the English in the conflict to put more pressure on the Estado da Índia and obtain naval resources to hinder the Portuguese fleets in Gujarat. In a letter to the EIC board, Downton mentioned that after the arrival of the new English fleet in October 1614, Muqarrab Khan, ‘our arch-enemy’, gave him an unexpectedly warm welcome and proposed a partnership against the Estado da Índia. The Mughal authorities were ready to confirm the trading privileges promised to the EIC in exchange for naval support. Both Nicholas Downton and William Edwards mention in their reports that Muqarrab Khan wanted to use English ships to support the Mughal siege of Daman and dissuade the Estado’s fleets that targeted Surat and other Gujarati ports.137 The proposal made to Downton followed a series of previous contacts between M

Tyrian 2000 backtracking

TYRIAN 2000 BACKTRACKING FREE

Pompey to laid siege to Aristobulus’s stronghold in Jerusalem: the temple. Aristobulus evidently encouraged a revolt against his brother, which Pompey deemed impudent enough that he backtracked to Palestine.

TYRIAN 2000 BACKTRACKING FREE

Pompey stalled on settling the matter and instead ventured into Nabataea, apparently free of any diplomatic pretext for the invasion. Pompey was greeted by delegates from both brothers when he arrived in Damascus. Judaea was also in the middle of a civil war at the time: Hyrcanus II was the high priest who claimed the throne, though his brother Aristobulus II, who controlled the Jerusalem treasury and had the support of Pompey’s legate Aemilius Scaurus, sought it as well. Pompey intervened in the civil war by annexing Syria as a province. Though the Seleucid dynasty had functionally ended, rival Seleucid claimants were midst a civil war despite controlling only a little land surrounding Damascus. Syria was immediately south of Pontus and Armenia. This, however, was far from the end of Rome’s campaign in the eastern Mediterranean. In 63 BCE, Mithridates committed suicide, bringing this particular war to an end. Pompey proved more successful than Lucullus in taking Pontus. By 66 BCE, it seems that troops were unwilling to obey Lucullus, so the Senate placed Pompey in command of the region. Lucullus had modest success in conquering Armenia, but his authority over his troops quickly waned thanks to major loss of life in battle, failure to capture either Mithridates or Tigranes, his inability to grant his troops plunder, and active attempts by the Roman general Pompey and his surrogates to sew dissension. War soon ensued between Rome and the Armenian king Tigranes II. The Roman general Lucullus eventually repelled Pontic forces, but instead of pursuing the enemy king, Lucullus opted to conquer the whole of Pontus, leaving the king to seek refuge among his allies in Armenia. Mithridates had no reason to honour Nicomedes’s will and so invaded Bithynia after Nicomedes’s passing, despite the fact that it had been Roman province by that time, thus inaugurating the Third Mithridatic War ( 74-63 BCE). The relationship between Bithynian royalty and the Roman Senate had been unusually close, to the point where Nicomedes bequeathed his kingdom to Rome upon his death in 74 BCE. This growth was deemed threatening to others in the region, most significantly Rome’s ally Nicomedes IV in Bithynia. As Seleucia faded from the scene of Near Eastern politics, the kingdom of Pontus quickly expanded under Mithridates VI, to the extent that that it comprised nearly the whole of Asia Minor. Though there was a nominal treaty between Rome and Hasmonaean Judaea, the first phase of meaningful Roman-Judaean relations began midst the general Pompey’s campaign in the Near East. The Military in Early Roman Palestine – Timeline