NationStates Jolt Archive

late medieval period. 1450 AD

In the aftermath of his victory on the battlefield of Sekigahara Warlord Miromuta Katsushiro adressed the surviving nobles who had sided with his rival.

they fully expected to lose their heads but Lord Katsushiro surprised them all.

"Lords of the Imperial federation" he began "I'm sure you think you're going to die but it won't be today. It is our destiny to unite our provinces into a strong empire that will be worthy for the Imperial family to guide.

The nation needs you all and so does the future Empire of Kirisubo"

He lets this sink in and continues "the federation is finished but the Empire will arise. You and your descendants will built and rule it and as the Shogun I will be the public face"

Never a very good speaker Lord Katsushiro kept the rest of his speech simple publicly forgiving the Lords sitting in the hall before him and setting up the council of Daimyo's that would be the powerbase of the nation and the understanding that the divine emperor would retain his honoured place as the spiritual guardian of the nation.

He also told them that the Empire would eject all but a few foreigners only retaining the services of trusted traders and giving them an island in Nagasaki bay as their base. Never again would they set foot in the Empire without permission.

All their dreams having been realized the nobles all swore loyalty to their Shogun and the new nation.

that same night the orders were put into action and under the Emperors seal the orders went out to all corners of now renamed Empire of Kirisubo.

OOC: this is where other past tech nations come into the story. A nation will most likely have trading fleets or even a lone sailing ship plying trade. there may even be a foreign religion trying to take root.

the possibilities are endless.

The Caladonnian longship was in a desperate plight. Waves taller than an elf buffeted the clinker-built craft; though the longship was renowned for its sturdiness, a couple more hours of this and the entire crew would be in the palace of Njord.

Suddenly, there was a call from the masthead- "LAND HO!" The dazed sailors raised their heads and looked out to the land appearing before their eyes, lit up by flashes of lightning.

"Lash everything down and set a course for that land!" Captain Almakir shouted above the storm. The crew obeyed, and soon the longship was hauled up on the beach, above the worst of the storm.

"We'll have to see if there's any inhabitants, elves," the captain said. "Most of you stay at the ship. I'll forge inland with ten marines. Centurion Dalfscar, you're in command until my return."

The Captain and his escort moved inland, wondering what land they were in.

OOC: I hope this is okay; it's a good way for our races to meet each other.

the first village the party find is called Nimazu.

The arrival of the strangers attracts a lot of attention and especially from the local Samurai chief and his 20 well armed warriors.

'didn't these barbarians know about the new laws' he thinks and knowing he has to follow them he goes up to the best dressed person there (the Captain)and says in all the foreign languages he knows (a bit of spanish and portugese) "what is your business in the Empire of Kirisubo?"

the other samurai know to be alert in case the gai-jin cause any trouble

The 8 Frozopian ships rolled forwards, pushing effortlessly threw the waves. Frozopians, a well marined race, were preparing their first strike into enemy lands. Although they knew little of the Kirisubo, they were willing to explore the possibility of a potential home land.

The 8 ships were huge, each crammed full of supplies but perhaps more importantly in this situation full of armed men. Leading the expedition was the noble William. Loved by his men and an experienced warrior, he was a popular choice for this particular attack. It was not his first marine time raid.

Much to William's annoyance, he been unable to take horses unboard. This really pissed him off. It would of given his forces and edge, but then this was not too much of a worry. Because William had Longbows. Perhaps the most effective weapon of its time in any time, the longbow was an experts weapon. It could fire an arrow upto 400 meters and could even penetrate plate mail at a 100. Its users love to say that they could fire 3 arrows into the air before the first struck. A powerful weapon.

Yet it had its weaknesses. It took 10 hard years to gain any expertise in the use of Longbows, and longbowmen were forever running out of ammunition.

Which is why William had thousands of arrows unboard, plenty for all 250 of his archers. The rest of his small army consisted of 400 men-at-arms, armed with spears, swords, shields and a a mix of chainmail and leather armour. Men at arms formed tight spear walls capable of stopping both cavalry and infantry. William was personally armed in plate mail armour.

William was nervous. He needed success here, either plenty of slaves and loot or a piece of land. Since Will had no reinforcements, the first was more likely.

"Land ahoy!" Someone called.

Thank god for that. We were lucky to avoid that storm last night, but we might not be so lucky tomorrow.

And so the 8 ships threw out their ankers and prepared the small little boats used for shipping the men ashore.....

Up in the cliffs above the landing beach the pair of samurai who were looking after the signal beacon look down at the mostly unfamilar troops landing their small boats.

one lights the beacon knowing that it was an organised raid and the signal gets picked up by their neighbour 5 miles away.

Keeping hidden they know that two warriors may not prevail against a large force like that but they could still do something against them.

The men were gathering on the shore, immediatly begining to build a beach head, which consisted of a 5 ft deep ditch around the landing point. Behind the ditch was a 5 ft wooden wall. In the ditch, wooden spikes were embedded. There were 3 gates pointing up and down the shore, as well as inland. It would take time but all of troops contributed including the ships crew-members. Look outs kept and eye out for the enemy, and everyone kept their arms close at hand.

William had thought ahead. Most of the building equipment, even the building materials like ready made wall sections and the gates had been carried in the expedition. Within 2 hours everyone but for some of the crew would be ashore and the small defences would be built. Soon the Frozopians would be heading in land, with confidence that their boats were well protected.....

"A beacon, lord." Spoke the veteran captain.
"Damn. Hurry the defences. I want to be out of here within an hour." Replied Will.
"Yes, lord." The Captain replied.

Having lit their beacon the two samurai archers know they still have a duty to perform.

after commending their souls to the kami and the buddah with a simple mantra they work their way closer to the lookouts and both fire of a volley off arrows at them before vainishing into the cliffs again.

some miss and carry onto the workers, others embedding harmlessly in the sand and two hit a lookout, the man falling over with two bamboo arrows in his chest.

OOC: Shouldn't I say the losses??

IC:
The Frozopian fell to the ground, his lungs punctured by the arrows.
"ARCHERS! 2!" Roared his friend.

The remaining arrows fell inaccurately to the sand.
William swore.
"Send 10 men after them, 5 longbowmen 5 men at arms. The rest of you back to work!" He ordered.

The 10 men walked through the gate. Stopping to talk the dead sentries friend, they first helped carry the dead man into the camp and then headed towards the cliff's where the friend had pointed.

ooc : topol, sorry me bad :(

ic : the two samurai see the small group peel off and start to hunt them. they then split up and using the natural caverns in the cliffs look for hiding places to snipe from.

one sees a pair of raiders and shoots twice in rapid sucession at a 50 metre range before ducking back into the cavern.

his colleague spots another pair of raiders at 30 metres range and shoots once before looking for another hiding place

OOC: They are unmounted. Im not sure if by raiders you meant mounted, but anyways

IC: The group swore as the arrows whipped around them. One arrow pierced a mans leather armour, but did no harm. The other punched into a man-at-arms shield. The captain leading the group swore.
"They split up. Two directions."
"Then we shall do the same. Stay in pairs, longbowmen with men-at-arms, and hide in the rocks."

The group split up and walked into the cliffs. Scrambelling for cover, they carefully hid behind boulders and shrubbery....

one of the samurai smiles when he sees the barbarians hide in the rocks. Knowing he needed to get closer he also uses the cover and gets to within 20 metres of an enemy archer. he throws a rock in his direction in an attempt to draw him out and waits hidden from sight.

his colleague although had another pair in his sights. He waits until they get to with in 15 metres of him and fires once, dropping his bow and quickly draws his katana charging...

Tom ducked beneath the rock. Without aiming, one of those longbowmen benefits after 10 years of training, sent a arrow in reply. But the enemy had hiddent in time, and the arrow bounced off a rock instead. Tom knows exactly what this means. Indicating to his partner his plan, he walked into the open
Drawing me out huh? Let it be his last mistake.
With his bow at half pull, he awaits the attack of his enemy....

The arrow whipped into the men at arms shoulder, punching through the mail and into the flesh. Swearing the men at arms swung his spear at the uncoming threat, while the longbowmen sent an arrow straight at the charging samurai's chest....

the arrow pierces the shoulder blade of the charging samurai but he was too busy to notice.

A spearman he could deal with even one wearing chain mail. He closes and grabs the spear with his left hand, kicks the man at arms down and stabs hard at his chest with his razor sharp katana one handed.


the other samurai having moved slightly notices that his ploy failed. 'a cunning enemy' he thinks and keeps moving while hidden knowing theres still ten soldiers after him.

meanwhile in Yedo

In Yedo the chief city of the Kwanto the signal fires had the 500 strong garrison on alert instantly. Messengers on horseback were dispatched to other castles and 400 samurai and peasant soldiers marched out just like they did before when they fought each other. the remining garrison knew the walls would repel any attack.

the mostly spear armed and lightly armoured troops led the way. 50 mounted samurai archers followed on the flank and 100 samurai on foot advanced behind them. equiped with partial armour, swords and long spears they knew the signal only too well.

the fire only meant one thing. a barbarian attack. ever since the Mongol hordes had tried to invade the islands before the samurai had been readied for their return.

Lying on the floor, the men at arms released his spear he was dying, but just before he died he had the grim satisfaction of watching an arrow pierce the brain of his opponent......

"One down." Smiled the longbowmen. Looking at the dying James, he shrugged. He never liked James much anyways. One of the pairs stepped around the boulder and grabbed the dying man.

"We will bring him back to the ship." They spoke, beginning their slow progress back to the landing point.

Elsewhere....

The two men stepped behind the samurai. At last their prey was cornered. The longbowman drew back his bow, the noice of the wood creaking causing the samurai to turn. The arrow shot forward, nailing the samurais sword hand to the tree. The sword was dropped to the floor, where the men at arms kicked it down the cliff face. Stepping forward, the men at arms swiftly cut off the other hand of the samurai. The Samurai screamed.
The longbow man spoke.
"Bind his wounds and tie him up. We need him alive."
The men grabbed the samurai, dragging the arrow out. Quickly searching for weapons, they tossed any they found aside. Using spare rope, they tied the samurai up.
"Lets go."

even through his pain Ichiro Kage knew he had failed his forebears and his family. as they began to lead him away bound up the noticed how close he was to the cliff edge.

he kicked his way out of the group and ran as fast as he could to the cliff edge.

as he felt himself falling and seen the rocks below him he knew he had redeemed his honour by his final act.

his lifeless body lay 50 feet down on the rocks by the shore.

"Shit!"
"Ah well. Lets go. We will be moving out soon."

The 7 men caught up with the 2 men carrying the dying man, who was now dead. Carrying in his body, they realised that the defences were complete now. William was giving orders.

"We leave now. 50 Longbowmen will guard the base alongside 100 men at arms and the whole crew. The rest of us, numbering 500 will leave (OOC: 200 archers, 300 men at arms.) Today we lost two brave men. Let the enemy pay. There is a small town east of here. We should be able to leave it in ruins before the enemy arrives. Now make haste!"

The gates opened and the Frozopian soldiers walked forth.....

OOC: They should reach the town before your forces combat us. Anyways I gotta go to bed, thats my posting done for now. Could you make a map?

ooc: the 400 Kirisubans may not reach the town of Yokose in time (you have 10 miles to march and the Yedo forces have 15) but you could expect to find 100 or so defenders there. having been used to fighting kirisuban bandits and each other for a long time they're quite handy with their spears. All towns have stout defensive walls and although the town has few samurai you'll be up against very angry people. They've also seen the beacon as well and know that barbarians are around the area.

also with Kirisubans beng quite xenophobic the other visitors may not get a good reception once this news reaches their hosts.

a map isn't really necessary since any battle with take place outside the town after an a raid or at the beach head when william and his men make an escape whatever the result of the raid.

however you could raid a village or two that are only a few miles from the beach head. With most of the fighting men in the Yedo garrison a viking style raid would work very well and net slaves if nothing else for you.

(A priest named Father Amelio steps on to the beach. This is his first missionary mission and he hopes it will be a good one)
"Why did we need to bring those barbarians," he asked his deacon.
"The Cardinal siad they would protect us if any trouble arises," he looks at the untrained soldiers fighting and dunking each other in the ocean, "but I agree they may only slow us down."
Knowing that if any trouble came they would surly need to talk their way out of it he addressed the men.
"Decon Bissileo and I will go to the nearest town to meet with whoever is in charge and ask if we may stay. we place Lt. Kosh in charge untill we return, Sgt. Aurty you will escort us."
(They start to search for a town on horse back not knowing the events that are sure to come.)

ooc: lets say you land 100 miles more southernly away from Topols people. the nearest town would be Kage.

what languages do the men speak and do they have an interepreter?

IC: The march from Yedo conrinues hampered slightly by the winter weather. A faster pace is set and the cavalry scouts are sent ahead to find out the location and size of the force.

Another 200 troops will join along the way drawn from other castles nearby.

The Frozopians descended on the village without mercy. Marching into the centre of town, they immediatly began to throw burning torches into the homes of the villages inhabitants. The few men who chose to fight were cut down ruthlessly by bow or spear. After 20 minutes work the whole village was quelled and lined up alongside all the loot, including the villages crops. Food was valuable in Frozopia.

William smiled. They had done well today, and taken no losses. The inhabitants defences had crumbled within seconds, and now Frozopia had its own set of slaves. The pretty eastern women as well as the young girls would go down well in the brothels, after the men had used them. The men were impatient to start after months at sea, but William had made it clear no rape was to occur till the Frozopians were secure.

The remaining women would sell well in as house cleaners and slaves, as well as mill workers. The men who were not too old or too young would sell well as manual labour slaves.

The children and the elderly were largely slaughtered. Now the Frozopians would move on. Sending 50 men at arms back with the slaves and loot, William knew he had time for one more village today before retreating to the beach head and in all likely hood fighting this countries defenders.

OOC: Will I have time for one more village raid? I think I would if its only a couple of miles away.

"OOC: Will I have time for one more village raid? I think I would if its only a couple of miles away."

OOC: don't think so. It'll complicate the RP as well.

IC: the frightned women cowered knowing from their civil war experiences what it was like to have invaders. However one woman had another ideas.

Koiko, the courtsesan despite being unable to speak the barbarians language made a request to speak to the barbarians warlord.

she didn't fear death and knew if she didn't act there was a good chance that the surviving villagers could all end up dead. The samurai nobles didn't care about peasant villages except when the taxes were due.

She managed to make her request clear and waited under guard.

The force were now gathered around the beach head, with guards over the slaves who now sat in cages. Soon they would be transported to the ship.

It had turned out that the village was too far a distance for an effective raid. Otherwise they would have to camp out in enemy territory without fortification. They had returned to the beachead for the night instead.

William stared at the eastern women. She had been searched carefully and bound to a wooden seat, but william kept his eye on her.

"What do you want?"

Koiko, her face bruised but still proud had figured out enough of the barbarian's language to say "Kizoku Taisho*, why did you come here for? we did you no harm. If you release us I'm sure you could do a deal when our Taisho arrives"

####

General Nakamura didn't let the fall of night stop the preparations. Other castles had sent a lot more mounted samurai which now swelled their force to 1000 men and more expected by day break.

with no witnesses from the raid on the village he still didn't know what to expect apart from seeing longbow arrows not much different from the one his samurai fired.

He hoped he would have enough troops and they marched by night arriving a few hours before dawn.

He surveyed the defences from a distance and knew this would not be easy.

He send off a messenger on horse back to ride like the wind and get the local pirate vessels to Yokose bay as fast as they could manage. He knew the Wako ships couldn't match the size of the enemy vessels but their would be more of them and they were galleys. the lack of wind wouldn't stop them arriving.

* ooc: this means Lord General in japanese

the first village the party find is called Nimazu.

The arrival of the strangers attracts a lot of attention and especially from the local Samurai chief and his 20 well armed warriors.

'didn't these barbarians know about the new laws' he thinks and knowing he has to follow them he goes up to the best dressed person there (the Captain)and says in all the foreign languages he knows (a bit of spanish and portugese) "what is your business in the Empire of Kirisubo?"

the other samurai know to be alert in case the gai-jin cause any trouble
The Captain was puzzled. This tongue was like none the Caladonnians had ever heard.

However, one among their company started. He had been found by the crew years earlier, on an island. Apparently his native tongue and the language of these people was relatively similar.

Through him, the Captain was able to reply, "We are on an exploratory mission for the Imperial Caladonnian Republic. We were blown here in a storm and request to be able to stay at least long enough to repair our ship. After that, perhaps trade agreements could be found between our nations."

Omi Kasigi, the samurai in charge of Nimazu half understood the request and he asks one off his guards in Kirisuban where a gai-jin priest could be found.

"theres one in the next village" he replies in Kirisuban "maybe these foreign devils speak the same tongue"

"go now and get him" Omi orders and says in his bad Portugese "We get translator. Will take time. you can stay in village until priest arrives"

He hopes he can make himself understood.

The Caladonnians understand the general gist of it, and agree.

Omi leads the Captain and crew members to the village in and in their presence talks with the inn keeper in Kirisuban.

He tells the man to look after them until the Portugese priest arrives and the elves are guided to their rooms to rest, recuperate and get a proper meal. Bowls of fresh fruit and vegetables are also supplied.

Tea and Sake is supplied and Omi introduces himself using Kirisuban.

"My name is Kasigi Omi. Whats yours?"

"Send this women back to the cage, I have no more business with her." Spoke Will. He had absorbed what she said, but would ignore it will the enemy came. For now the Frozopians would camp threw the night....

bump

Back in the cage with the women Koiko could see her words had an effect on the gai-jin warlord.

He didn't answer her questions but she was slightly more hopefull. She couldn't understand much of the barbarians tongue but she recognised the lustful looks that the women were getting for what they were. she knew that them being raped was only a matter off time.

She couldn't see the mens cage but seeing their sullen state after the raid she knew where be no fight left in them. It was up to her and the women to do something.


###

The Kirisubans has deployed their lookouts and guards while the rest of the army got some food and rest. Dawn was still a few hours away and General Nakamura knew another 300 troops would be there by then.

He had also spied the slave cages and knew what to do. If he couldn't rescue the kirisubans he would have to kill them. Better to die than to live without honour.

some of his archers were already deployed in the cliffs ready to send down fire arrows into the camp on his command. The rest would stay together in a large group and fight together.

Unable to sleep he goes over his battle plan again and drinks some green tea. With this being typhoon season he hoped that the weather could play a part in defeating the enemy, the same way the Kami had intervened by sending a typhoon to wreck the Mongol ships two centuries before.

1 hour to dawn.

"UP!! GET UP!!" Roared William. The men had plenty of sleep last night after their earlier than planned return to the beach-head. It was time to move on. William walked around kicking men into a groggy wakeful state.

Today William hoped to raid at least two villages. It would be another profitable day with any luck.

"Sir, sir." Someone spoke.
"What is it Jenkins?" William asked.
"I did what you asked sir, I camped in the cliffs and scouted about a bit. There's a large force up there sir. Roughly a 1000."
"Damn! Why didn't you tell me earlier!?"
"It took me awhile to slip past the enemy look-outs."
"Damn!" Turning to his captains who were lined up by now. He ordered them:
"Get the men together. We assault them before dawn. You understand?"
"Yes lord."
"Move!"

Within 10 minutes a small army was readied. It was time to get the enemy.
Without bothering to hide their actions. Once again 500 Frozopians left the camp's main gate and headed towards the enemy. Outnumbered 2:1 they were surprisingly unafraid. But then they were Frozopia's finest, and battle is what they were used to.

the 50 archers up in the cliffs started to shoot fire arrows down into the camp as well as into the 500 Frozopians and their attack was brief.

As the camp began to burn the whole landscape was lit up.

The rest of the Kirisuban army was roused and formed into their blocks of spears and archers.

The mounted samurai archers were detailed the rear of the enemy formations.

The mounted samurai were the first troops the enemy would see. Shooting their longbows even at a gallop, the line of 50 calvary pouring in arrows from 20 metres away as they swung round the side and rear of the formations they broke off their attack and galloped back to their own lines. Once they had broken off the cliff top archers fired normal arrows mixed with fire arrows and continued the arrow barrage.

Then the Kirisubans advanced, a forest of spears on either side of the main group of samurai.

They advanced quickly towards the enemy they would expel from their shores.

OOC: You cant fire a longbow from horseback, its impossible. More likely would be small short range bows. Also its unlikely that your samurais would have the time to spend years training for both the longbow and the sword and the horse.

And I never knew your nation had longbows, you shouldnt really have them if you're eastern based.

IC:

The fire arrows fell into the camp, triggering nothing but a smile from William. He had made sure the camp was soaked with sea water. It was unfortunate that one of the cages only just shipped ashore was on fire (William had forgot to wet this one.) but the ships crew were rushing around it with buckets if water. The 3 slaves in the near empty cage would probably have to burn.

The Frozopians were calm as William gave the orders. The 200 Longbows now outside the base turned and unleased 5 volleys into the archers firing fire arrows. They fired them high into the air so that the arrows would fall vertically into the enemy. A 1000 arrows dropping from the sky within a few seconds, it would be slaughter for the enemy.

The mounted samurai charged forward, but the Frozopians merely swung to face them. All of the longbowmen including those within the base unleashed a wall of arrows that at such short range slammed through any kind of armour ripping open the enemy flesh. And they fired again, and again before the enemy had time to fire their short bows. The enemy fired innacurately at such high speeds, and it was obvious that the bow was not their primary weapon. The few that hit barely pierced the Frozopians armour, maybe 2 men at arms were killed. As the enemy swung to return to their lines, they returned without many of their own number.

Supporting the Frozopians, the crew men using crossbows unleashed more arrows on the enemy. William laughed. He was turning the enemies attack upon them. Then the Frozopians turned on the spears. Arrow after arrow flew into the enemy. Before the enemy had reached the Frozopians, 10,000 longbow arrows had been into the tight enemy formation, easily piercing any armour the enemy might possess. The Frozopians levelled their spears. The enemy had taken a bloody butchering before the lines at even met. The men at arms would mop up the survivors.

ooc : to answer your questions Kirisubo is based on feudal japan so they would have had longbows that could be fired from horseback. Samurai could fight with a multitude of weapons, mostly long spears, swords and longbows since they started learning the arts of war at an early age. Just like European knights did.

Also don't I get to call casualties as well. It also ridiculous to think that a piece of boiled leather would stop an arrow. Chain mail didn't stop an arrow either.

Samurai wore great armour (Oyori) which had better protection than plate ever had. I'd accept 20 casualties from the samurai archers but no more than that considering the factors involved in their attack.

IC: Even under attack the Kirisubans pressed home. Battle was now started in earnest as Kirisubans with long spears attacked the line still in their blocks. the foot samurai also joined in at the side of the Frozopian formation and the archers on the cliffs now turned their attention to the ships by shooting fire arrows in the sails. they hadn't taken many casulaties because they had used the caverns to shelter from the return fire.

Now the samurai on the cliffs were fighting back.

150 soilders lay badly wounded behind their comrades but General Nakamura knew he could not afford to lose this battle.

OOC: With some research, Ive found out that yes the Samurais were faimed for the use of longbows from horseback, but they were inefective compared to the British Longbow. Their draw weight ranged from 35 lbs to 90lbs. The English very minimum (I base mine on the English) was at 80 but easily went up to 143lbs. I base mine in the higher end seeing as this is well after crecy and the likes. At short range my 140lb longbows would plough threw any of your Oyori. I based my low losses on the simple innacuracy of shooting longbows at galloping speeds.

IC:

William swore. The two lines had met, and although the enemy spear line had taken losses due to the bow fire, they determinedly pushed the Frozopians back due to superior numbers. Looking out to sea William saw the enemy were targeting the ship, but their arrows were falling short. Still the Frozopians had taken few losses. Roughly 40 Men-at-arms and 15 longbowmen were dead with 30 injured (15 bows, 15 infantry), but they were losses the Frozopians could take.

However now the Samurai's were outflanking the Frozopian's, and this wasn't helped by the enemies line being longer. William gave the order to his bugalist to order a steady retreat. 4 Bugal's later and the Frozopians formed a tight retreating square, walking slowly backwards into one of the gates. The Longbows continued their fire, aiming solely at the enemy blocks of infantry.....

Omi leads the Captain and crew members to the village in and in their presence talks with the inn keeper in Kirisuban.

He tells the man to look after them until the Portugese priest arrives and the elves are guided to their rooms to rest, recuperate and get a proper meal. Bowls of fresh fruit and vegetables are also supplied.

Tea and Sake is supplied and Omi introduces himself using Kirisuban.

"My name is Kasigi Omi. Whats yours?"
Through the interpreter, the Captain was able to understand what the man said as he drank the strange foreign beverage. It tasted quite good, but was inferior to Golden Meade, of course.

"I am Quarion Almakir, Captain of the ICS Silver Needle. I am an officer of the Imperial Caladonnian Navy."

General Nakamura saw the enemy retreat from his vantage point and realised that his forces had held the enemy for now.

Still he had almost lost this battle and knew he needed time to absorb the lessons learned from these barbarians and to get more reinforcements. He wrote out orders to withdraw and sent messengers to his captains with them.

The withdrawing Kirisubans suffered light casualties from the final barrage of arrows but they returned to their camp as the sun rose.

His promised reinforcements also arrived but he still needed to figure out how to defeat a barrage of arrows.

While he put his mind to this thorny problem he also pondered what do do with the captured Kirisubans. They may have been peasants but he didn't want slavers taking people from his country either.

ooc: I think that 55 dead is a light butchers bill. However this encounter has left William with a lot to think about.

If he stays he's going to have to fight more battles on the beach head and eventually either see his forces wiped out or have to leave on his ships.

If he thought about what Koiko said to him he'll realise that despite his methods so far diplomacy is still possible and just maybe he could get his beachhead and trading deal. He's no mission of getting a new homeland in Kirisubo given the Kirisubans distaste for slavery but a colony is a possibility.

A compromise would save his mission and create an uneasy ceasefire between the two sides.

The MT Empire of Kirisubo simply wouldn't exist if the Frozopians took over as they planned. All a treaty would do now is stop the great peace from taking place at this time and introduce western influences a lot earlier than the history I wrote for MT Kirisubo had planned.

Through the interpreter, the Captain was able to understand what the man said as he drank the strange foreign beverage. It tasted quite good, but was inferior to Golden Meade, of course.

"I am Quarion Almakir, Captain of the ICS Silver Needle. I am an officer of the Imperial Caladonnian Navy."

Omi replies through the interpreter "Quarion san, I am the Samurai in charge of this village. I'm sure you and your people had a long journey reaching our shores.

Can you tell me more about the Caladonnian Republic?"

OOC: I was thinking of negotiating a peace, but taking the slaves. The agreement would be that we leave your island peacefully with the slaves, which saves you high casualties that would be resulted in assaulting my position. William has to bring back the slaves to Frozopia: If he doesnt then his mission will be considered a failure, something that will not help at home.
Also I never really planned to invade your whole country, just take some land (preferedly any islands you might have) for colonies. But I havent even declared war yet, so that might never happen. You are totally unaware of who is leading this raid. You can RP this meeting with my deal:

IC:
William ordered the white flag to be raised. He hoped the enemy would understand what it meant. He then sent out the assistant and 5 soldiers, as well as Koiko as a translator. The 6 men grabbed the girl and walked out into no mans land, the white flag held high......

General Nakamura knew full well what a flag of truce looked like. After all he was a Christian Lord and was fluent in Portugese and Latin.

His troops were alert as always and with a bodyguard of 10 samurai all in great armour he approached the enemy commander. He sized up the man and found him to be a lot like himself. Off noble bearing, strong and a veteran warrior.

He had left standing orders if he was killed while the parley took place that his remaining troops would continue the attack. He had also sent off messengers to Yokose so that the Bakafu council there were kept informed of developments and off the need for more troops to be made available.

with one of his samurai holding the Kirisuban standard of the red sun on a black field he stopped 5 metres short of the Frozopians and spoke firstly in Portugese, Latin and then Kirisuban saying the same thing.

"My name is Lord General Nakamura of the Imperial Kirisuban army. Whom do I have the honour off addressing?"

Koiko looked at William and translated as best she could into the Frozopian tongue.


OOC : since the map of Kirisubo is based on the main islands of Japan that would be a problem since the Empire at this stage is nothing but islands.

Their mainland colonies haven't been founded yet.

Since there is a Roman influence in the the founding of Frozopia i'd assume that Latin is a known tongue there.

as regards the rest of the negotiations we can start with talking about a colony but the slaves will be a sticking point. Historically slavery was abhorant to the Japanese. Since both nations operate a feudal system there is some common ground although.

William won't get all he wants but i'm sure he'd still be considered successful if he managed to secure a colony.

OOC:sorry to clutter the thread but i was wondering if i may enter as a small group of ships (Roman type war galleys 4 or 5 and 1 or 2 merchant vessels..passing by attracted by the ships of Topal gathered off your cost)...curious to find out what is going on on your island?

Please let me know so i may Rp or not...my ships would have been simply mapping the forgin lands and such in search of spices, and other resourses..it can move from there.

Thank you

Reallydrunk']OOC:sorry to clutter the thread but i was wondering if i may enter as a small group of ships (Roman type war galleys 4 or 5 and 1 or 2 merchant vessels..passing by attracted by the ships of Topal gathered off your cost)...curious to find out what is going on on your island?

Please let me know so i may Rp or not...my ships would have been simply mapping the forgin lands and such in search of spices, and other resourses..it can move from there.

Thank you

ooc : explorers, you'be gotta love them :)

I would be agreeable to that entry but the Frozopians mught have other ideas.

The Kirisubans although xenophobic will always welcome merchants and traders once the language barrier is crossed. since the feudal system is in place it will be other merchants doing the wheeling and dealing and foreigners will be expected to stay within the areas they are allowed to access (treaty ports for example). Leaving them without permission from the Bakafu (the shogunate civil service) will literally be a death sentence should a samurai find them there.

OOC:The Men Onboard would of course speak Latin, they are dressed as and use the ways of the Roman people of past times, i could land in a different area anyways, i am not keen on approaching an unidentifyed fleet...with fixed fortifications.

It seemed William was getting no where with the slaves. The Kirusbans would not allow their people to be enslaved, no matter the cost too the lives they would pay if they were lost. William swore, abruptly stopped the slave girl translating him. The Kirusbans were now talking about a new deal, if the Frozopians set up a colony in Kirisubo and maybe trading posibilities. William asked what kind of colony. This sounded interesting.....

Its fine with me

OOC: thank you guys :)


waves crashed off the hull of the leading War Galley, the sun shone bright and a perfect breeze filled the sails,

"Centurio! ships massed off the coast there!" A soldier reported to the Galleys commander

The Officer strained his eyes towards the shores of this forgin land, the ships were headed home from an expedition east in search of resourses and other goods that interested the emperor. There were 5 War Galleys and 2 trade/merchant ships, the War Galleys simply serverd as escorts.

"Triplicarius, we must investigate..make us a course to the north..i would like to go around this fleet to aviod hostillities..."

"yes Sir!"

The ships moved towards the north to find a decent landing spot, the troops on board were preparing for anything that might go wrong in the process, the imperial banners were raised high.

OOC: I'm assuming the romans are landing away from the conference. Lets say its a mile or so down by the coast near a little fishing village.


IC: Father Sebastio from the Jesuits frowned again as he shivered in the Kirisuban winter. Anjiro being on the coast was always colder in winter than Yokose was.

He spies sails on the horizion and gets out his spyglass. It was western ships, specially galleys which had an ancient look to them.

He continues watching these ships approach and the local samurai line up on the beach. News of the beacons being lit had reached even here and the warrior class was nervous.

'I'll better get down there before theres bloodshed' he thinks and hurries down to the beach as fast as his legs can manage.

He sees the Roman style banners and armour and taking a chance translates what the samurai chief has to say into latin.

"Who are you and what is your buisness in the Empire of Kirisubo?"

back at the ceasefire talks..

General Nakamura having made his point very clear that slavery was worse than death for his people had now moved onto a colony and trading links.

At least this barbarian knew when to compromise. At length he explained that there were recently discovered islands north of the home islands. The Kurile chain was still in the warm waters, had hot summers and slightly colder winters and even showed him on a map where to find it.

the price of a colony would be to free all the prisoners they had taken, the two generals signing of a non-aggression pact which covered unprovoked attacks by Imperial forces and likewise Frozopian attacks on Kirisuban forces, nationals and territory and any enslavement of Kirisubans. Any other people were fair game.

He also informed Lord William of the new laws which Shogun Katshiro had passed which meant that no foreigner could land on the shores of the Empire or travel in the Empire without permisson of the government. Trade links were possible if the merchants traded at one specific port near the Kurile islands and nowhere else. breaking either the peace treaty or the foreigner laws would end their co-operation.

He finished by reminding Lord William that he already had the building blocks of a colony. With his men and the Kirisuban prisoners he expected to be set free he could well set up a colony very quickly.

"Kirisuban women would make good wives or consorts for your men" he says "if they are treated with honour and respect. I don't want to have to hear reports of the men or women being enslaved or treated like slaves. that would break the treaty"

Lord General Nakamura awaits his counterparts answer.

A Roman commander steps into veiw looking very important as if he commands the expedition force, he wore white armor with a purple cape and gold designs on his chest plate, standing there he gave an arrogant smirk,

"i am Tribunus Maximus Arulius! and my buisness here is the same as my buisness anywhere..trade!

he flipped his cape to the side and held his helmet under his left arm, other hand on his sword. Soldiers stood on the ships decks watching these very professional looking soldiers communicate to a preist

"I wish to speak to some one equivilent to my rank!..i do not just speak to anyone!'

Maximus announced, the other ships slipped into place in a tight formation at a safe distance, the decks lined with archers.

"Agreed." Spoke William. "I apologise for the earlier blood shed, you have treated us most respectfully. We will begin leaving your shores immediatly."
Turning to one of his men, William ordered him to begin opening the cages. The Kirusban were to be freed. And the men began to pull down the defences. The conflict was over.
"So where is this island you tell me off......"

Reallydrunk']A Roman commander steps into veiw looking very important as if he commands the expedition force, he wore white armor with a purple cape and gold designs on his chest plate, standing there he gave an arrogant smirk,

"i am Tribunus Maximus Arulius! and my buisness here is the same as my buisness anywhere..trade!

he flipped his cape to the side and held his helmet under his left arm, other hand on his sword. Soldiers stood on the ships decks watching these very professional looking soldiers communicate to a preist

"I wish to speak to some one equivilent to my rank!..i do not just speak to anyone!'

Maximus announced, the other ships slipped into place in a tight formation at a safe distance, the decks lined with archers.

Father Sebastio bows in the Kirisuban custom to the Centurion and says quietly to him "the large samurai next to me is the Chieftain of this village and rules like a king here"

Nori Anjo, the Chieftain barks out some orders in kirisuban and his archers fan out in readiness to fire if they need to.

Nori Anjo goes over to the visitor, bows and says with the priest translating "Welcome to Anjiro, my humble village, Tribunus Maximus Arulius. If you wish to talk about trading we will always have merchants who will want to trade.

Bring along five guards, join us in my house and we can talk business"

"Agreed." Spoke William. "I apologise for the earlier blood shed, you have treated us most respectfully. We will begin leaving your shores immediatly."
Turning to one of his men, William ordered him to begin opening the cages. The Kirusban were to be freed. And the men began to pull down the defences. The conflict was over.
"So where is this island you tell me off......"

General Nakamura replies "I accept your apology William san. You could have saved yourself all this bloodshed if you had sent an emmisary ahead of you.

If you will give the Kirisubans back their food and the other things your men took, the ones who want to return home can do so and rebuild their village. Some may want to remain with you. It will be their choice but if you want it I can tell your courtesan interepreter to remain with you so your people can make themselves understood when Kirisuban merchants arrive.

If I can speak to your ships navigator, I can give him the course needed to reach to the Kuriles. If you want to wait an Imperial Navy warjunk can guide your ships there instead.

Would you also tell me about your people. What name they give their nation, their form of government and other things about your culture? I've always been interested in other nations and how they do things"

Tribunus Maximus returned the bow letting his arrogance slide when he seen the archers fan out above them,

"of course, it would be my pleasure to join you..there is no need of hostillities..as i can tell we are civilized peoples..i will bring some of my Pretorian guard ashore..may my men be allowed to disembark restricted to this beachhead?"

Maximus awaited the reply while 5 black armored Pretorian guard formed up on the beach.

The large samurai says through the priest "Your men can come ashore 30 at a time and enjoy our hospitalty as long as they stay in the village and behave themselves.

My Name is Lord Anjo and as your host we can talk business over a meal. Theres no need for hostilities but with the battle that took place a mile from here people are rightfully nervous.

Now Maximus san if you wish to follow me we can enjoy a meal and sake while we talk business"

Maximus placed his helmet on his head then nodded,

"battle?...as a sign of my graditude for excepting us..are you in need of assistance? and as for my men..they are not new to being accepted in forgin lands and thus know how to behave from lessons learned in the past.."

Maximus looked at Duplicarii and said

"bring your cavelry ashore first...the horses must stretch their legs.., lord Anjo thank you, commander and cheif of this villiage you have my graditude"

Once the Pretorians were formed up they were ready to proceed

Nori Anjo smiles and says "The battle is now over. from what we've heard from messengers the Frozopians have accepted a peace treaty.

He and his 5 samurai guards lead Maximus and his guards to his house, a large traditional affair with wood and paper walls and tatami mats on the floor. the servants bow low to the ground when their master returns with his guest and the through the priest asks them to remove their sandals before entering the house as he and the samurai untie theirs.

while they wait for a meal of rice, prawns and pickled vegetables, a pretty young maid wearing a colourful kimono serves green tea to Lord Anjo and Maximus.

She retreats out of earshot and the men begin to talk business..

Maximus was overwhemled by the generousity of these people, very civilized..a well structured empire on the rise

"i have access to many things that may be useful to your people, i can give you many samples that come from far as Egypt...fine arabian horses..silk...scented perfumes..weapons...armor..it looks as if you are in a good state with those items..your soldiers are the most impressive i have seen"

The Pretorian guards looked around in wonder..guards were not treated like this at home, these were the places of officers.

General Nakamura replies "I accept your apology William san. You could have saved yourself all this bloodshed if you had sent an emmisary ahead of you.

If you will give the Kirisubans back their food and the other things your men took, the ones who want to return home can do so and rebuild their village. Some may want to remain with you. It will be their choice but if you want it I can tell your courtesan interepreter to remain with you so your people can make themselves understood when Kirisuban merchants arrive.

If I can speak to your ships navigator, I can give him the course needed to reach to the Kuriles. If you want to wait an Imperial Navy warjunk can guide your ships there instead.

Would you also tell me about your people. What name they give their nation, their form of government and other things about your culture? I've always been interested in other nations and how they do things"

"Yes an interpreter would be useful, and I will bring up my ships navigator straight away."

"We are Frozopians, a Celtic people far to the north from here. We live and die under the rule of Kings, and are lead by nobles such as I in areas of war and politics. The lower classes act at as at best merchants, or at the very bottom farm hands, no better than slaves. All the farms, mines and a majority of our manufacturers and merchant estabilishments are run by the noble classes.
Although our actions here were inexcusable, I must explain them. Frozopia is a frozen barren land. Forever we are leading aggressive raids, if only to feed our people. There is not enough arable land nor fish off the coasts to feed us completely. These raids are necessary for allowing our people to survive.
But survival is not our only goal. We dream of migrating as a nation to a wealthy land large enough to sustain us all. I thought at first that was possible here. I was wrong.
Now, tell me of your people."

Lord Anjo replies after drinking some tea "we can always do with horses as long as they are grass fed. Silk is also required in great quantities here since we depand on Cathay for most of our supply of it.

Our ladies would also appreciate the perfumes. Your merchants would do well here.

In turn our merchants can supply items not available in the west.

Can you tell me more about your people so we can better understand each other cultures?"

Omi replies through the interpreter "Quarion san, I am the Samurai in charge of this village. I'm sure you and your people had a long journey reaching our shores.

Can you tell me more about the Caladonnian Republic?"
The Captain nodded, the word 'Samurai' not translating into Caladonnian. Nonetheless, he could deduce its meaning.

"Indeed we did, ah... Samurai. We only arrived here by chance, as a storm drove us to your shores even after we had traveled a great distance from our land.

The Imperial Caladonnian Republic, under which I serve, is the government of our land. Long ago, we were an empire, and the different cities of Ulthuan, our home, were united under the Emperors.

However, the good was followed by bad, as an evil elf, Malero, ascended to the throne. A revolution established our current enlightened government.

This year, our consuls, or heads of state, are Aramil Holimion and Falmar Corolin. They preside over the Imperial Senate, where the laws are made. The Senate is elected from the people of Caladonn.

The Elves of my homeland are a seafaring people, which is how we reached your land. Our land Ulthuan surrounds an inland sea, with one opening to the outside world at Lothern, our capital.

But enough about my country. You must tell me of yours!"

Omi replies through the interpreter "Quarion san, I am the Samurai in charge of this village. I'm sure you and your people had a long journey reaching our shores.

Can you tell me more about the Caladonnian Republic?"
The Captain nodded, the word 'Samurai' not translating into Caladonnian. Nonetheless, he could deduce its meaning.

"Indeed we did, ah... Samurai. We only arrived here by chance, as a storm drove us to your shores even after we had traveled a great distance from our land.

The Imperial Caladonnian Republic, under which I serve, is the government of our land. Long ago, we were an empire, and the different cities of Ulthuan, our home, were united under the Emperors.

However, the good was followed by bad, as an evil elf, Malero, ascended to the throne. A revolution established our current enlightened government.

This year, our consuls, or heads of state, are Aramil Holimion and Falmar Corolin. They preside over the Imperial Senate, where the laws are made. The Senate is elected from the people of Caladonn.

The Elves of my homeland are a seafaring people, which is how we reached your land. Our land Ulthuan surrounds an inland sea, with one opening to the outside world at Lothern, our capital.

But enough about my country. You must tell me of yours!"

Maxiumus sipped some tea and smiled

"yes of course, i come from a large empire of citys like the world as we know it only dream of, a stone jungle as some would call it...beautiful landscapes...many gods whom our people are loyal and look to for many things..military campains which our tactics allow us to take what we wish

Maximus looked at one of the Praetorians and said

"go immeaditly and fetch some drawings and scrolls, i must show him our greatness..please tell me of your culture while we wait on him.."

The praetorian stood and with his right arm fist clenched hit his chest plate hard and nodded making his way to the doorway to retreive his sandals.


On the beach Centurio Augstus formed some troops up to display tactics to the people who stood above curious watching the forginers, this was a good time to show off, 30 legionaires marched up and down the beachhead in tight formation sheilds locked togeather obeying every command.

"Yes an interpreter would be useful, and I will bring up my ships navigator straight away."

"We are Frozopians, a Celtic people far to the north from here. We live and die under the rule of Kings, and are lead by nobles such as I in areas of war and politics. The lower classes act at as at best merchants, or at the very bottom farm hands, no better than slaves. All the farms, mines and a majority of our manufacturers and merchant estabilishments are run by the noble classes.
Although our actions here were inexcusable, I must explain them. Frozopia is a frozen barren land. Forever we are leading aggressive raids, if only to feed our people. There is not enough arable land nor fish off the coasts to feed us completely. These raids are necessary for allowing our people to survive.
But survival is not our only goal. We dream of migrating as a nation to a wealthy land large enough to sustain us all. I thought at first that was possible here. I was wrong.
Now, tell me of your people."

General Nakamura claps his hands and two folding stools are brought up so they can sit down and talk more informally.

"Then I can see the reason for your nations need to expand. We started the same way by expanding and exploring the firstly Kirisuban Federation and now the Empire.

The Empire is now at peace after a long civil war. We are a trading nation and an Empire of islands. We have 5 main 'home' islands and are always looking for new islands to colonise just as the Frozopians are.

We have a caste system with the Emperor and the Imperial family at the top, the Shogun and the government slightly lower and it then ranks with Samurai familys just below the government, peasant farmers and courtesans below them, merchants and monks, entertainers and finally at the bottom of the pile the 'Eta', who do all the dirty jobs such as tanning leather and handling dead bodies.

The system works and although its possible to climb up classes it dosen't happen very often. A Samurai is born not made and they devote their lives to their lords even if it means certain death as many of my colleagues did today. We have a lot in common William san since we both have a warrior caste and warriors that will follow their commander whatever the cost to himself or herself"

A servant brings some tea and offers it to the generals. "Its just tea. a gift from the gods to refresh a thirsty man" General Nakamura says

Reallydrunk']Maxiumus sipped some tea and smiled

"yes of course, i come from a large empire of citys like the world as we know it only dream of, a stone jungle as some would call it...beautiful landscapes...many gods whom our people are loyal and look to for many things..military campains which our tactics allow us to take what we wish

Maximus looked at one of the Praetorians and said

"go immeaditly and fetch some drawings and scrolls, i must show him our greatness..please tell me of your culture while we wait on him.."

The praetorian stood and with his right arm fist clenched hit his chest plate hard and nodded making his way to the doorway to retreive his sandals.


On the beach Centurio Augstus formed some troops up to display tactics to the people who stood above curious watching the forginers, this was a good time to show off, 30 legionaires marched up and down the beachhead in tight formation sheilds locked togeather obeying every command.

the local children looked in wonder as the foreign soldiers drilled and quite a few samurai wondered how they would get past the tower shield each man carried if they ever ended up fighting them.

meanwhile Lord Anjo explains "we are now a land at peace and we are always looking to trade with our neighbours and with nations further away. We've just finished fighting a civil war which unified us into an Empire under our divine Emperor.

As a nation we have a structured class system with the samurai class near the top of the pile. everyone answers to someone higher up and our Leader Shogun Katsushiro answers to the divine Emperor.

We also like to keep life simple. If something is important its treated with great import. We also believe in many gods which we call kami and some of us follow Buddism.

We are a civilised people and if visitors obey our laws they can find a place for themselves here"

The Captain nodded, the word 'Samurai' not translating into Caladonnian. Nonetheless, he could deduce its meaning.

"Indeed we did, ah... Samurai. We only arrived here by chance, as a storm drove us to your shores even after we had traveled a great distance from our land.

The Imperial Caladonnian Republic, under which I serve, is the government of our land. Long ago, we were an empire, and the different cities of Ulthuan, our home, were united under the Emperors.

However, the good was followed by bad, as an evil elf, Malero, ascended to the throne. A revolution established our current enlightened government.

This year, our consuls, or heads of state, are Aramil Holimion and Falmar Corolin. They preside over the Imperial Senate, where the laws are made. The Senate is elected from the people of Caladonn.

The Elves of my homeland are a seafaring people, which is how we reached your land. Our land Ulthuan surrounds an inland sea, with one opening to the outside world at Lothern, our capital.

But enough about my country. You must tell me of yours!"

"so you were an Empire" Omi replies "my name is Omi but we add 'san' to our given name to show our noble status. San means honourable in our language.

In brief the Empire of Kirisubo has just been created after a long civil war that finally united the country. Our leader is the our divine Emperor but the Shogun rules in his name. We are a nation of merchants since we can't produce all the goods we need and also a nation of warriors.

We have a strong social system with the warrior class and other nobles at the top followed by peasant farmers, fishermen and other people who do important jobs in society then merchants, holy men and finally the 'Eta' who do jobs like tanning leather and handling dead bodies.

I don't think we have any elves in the Empire but we're always exploring the seas round our home islands looking for new lands"

Maximus was very interested in these samurai warriors he seen everwhere, they were impressive and looked fearless..their weapons looked stronger then the Roman Gladius and much longer,

"that sounds like somthing similar in our history,there is much we can learn from eachother...the ships i seen on my approach...Celts? they look very familiar to me as we have battled barbarians for as long as i can remember"

Maximus hated the Celts but respected them more than any enemy he ever engauged

The Pretorian returned with an armfull of items, removed his sandals and gave them to Maximus who put them where Lord Anjo could get them,

"that is our civilization..there.."

He pointed to a large rolled up scroll which resembled Rome in it's prime, the Pretorian looked at maximus and said,

"sir, Centurio Augstus is preforming on the beach.."

Maximus grinned,

"seems as if my officers feel they must show off...haha"

William thanked them for the tea, enjoying its taste. Tea was a rarity in Frozopia. Maybe with trade routes openning with the Kirusban, it would become more plentiful.

"General Nakamura you are a great man and I hope that we will meet once again. For now I must return to my ships, It is time to find this Kuriles. Bye my friend."

Walking towards his ships, William prepared for the final trip to the island. Two of the ships would return home with William's second in command and information of the new colony. The remaining ships would head to the colony.

The General bows to William and goes to Koiko, talks briefly to her and she joins William as he walks to his ship.

General Nakamura then talks to the kneeling ex-prisoners and most of them take a bag of food each and return with the army.

ten young women between the ages of 17 and 24 decide to stay with Koiko and they take the remaining rice and cooking pots with them as they follow her.

Koiko explains "These women lost their husbands in the attack on the village but they feel that they could have a new life in the Kurile islands. Thats if you allow them to remain William sama"

Lord Anjo laughs when the priest translates whats being said.

The meal arrives and there is enough for Lord Anjo, Maximus and the guards. The priest stays alert ready to translate.

there is also sake and the maid pours everyone a cup each topping them up from time to time.

"very impressive Maximus san" the Chieftain says "and i'm sure your Centurion is putting on quite a show"

Maximus grinned and replyed

"Augustus is a show himself haha! loves his rank very much so...Our officers are members of a Senete, they speak for the people and counsil our Emperor in his decisions"

On the beach the officers on one of the Galleys gathered watching people on the other beach move around,

"Centurio...those are Barbarians are they not!?" said a Duplicarii looking hard

The Officer watched closely, it was hard to see from that far away but they certianly were Celts with out a doubt,

"Inform Maximus we have encountered enemy troops! they are right in front of us! have they not noticed us!...i am not certian on what to do..i cannot order a march because...we are on these peoples land! dammnit! if i don't they may attack us once they see we are Romans!"

A dispatch rider took off un-armed towards some Samurai warriors to try and explain he needed to see his leader.

In the meantime 2 Galleys moved away from the beach slowly into attack position, archers lined up on the decks, the pace drum for the rowers echoed out loudly trumpets sounded the ready signal

the despatch rider manages to make himself understood and is led to where the meeting is taking place.

Lord Anjo looks up as another of the Romans appears looking very concerned

"nan-ja" he says the priest translating saying "Lord Anjo asks why your crewman looks so concerned"

The Roman soldier stood in the doorway removing his helmet to show respect to the men and women in the room,

"Sir! Antonious is attacking the barbarians! 2 Galleys are moving in now and i don't know how many more Officers will send their men!..i was sent to get your approval but they move before hand!"

Maximus lept up,placing his helmet on

"i apoligize for this! i thought this would happen!! please do not take this as a form of agression towards you and your people! i have to stop this!!"

There was no troop movement on the beach besides the 30 allowed, the officers did not break that rule but the Galleys were preparing for ramming speed, onboard catapults were being prepared and projectiles were being lit on fire.

the priest translates and Lord Anjo rolls his eyes and speaks to the priest.

The Chieftain replies in Kirisuban and the priest says "Lord Anjo says that I will go with you and get you on a small boat so you can stop this madness. Lord Anjo is not offended but says what you do in your own country is your affair but this will not be tolerated in the Empire.

Shall we go?"

The priest leads Lord Anjo and Maximus down to the shoreline where they board a small fishing boat, the fisherman sculling with the single oar bringing them out to sea and heading towards the galleys.

Maximus boards the small fishing boat and starts yelling at the troops onboard the Galley,

"STOP IMMEADITLY! NOW!" troops attention was caught and the Galley slowed after afew seconds

The second one was alerted by trumpets to slow it's speed, when the vessels had slowed Maximus went aboard one of the vessels with Lord Anjo,

"sorry Lord Anjo...excuse me for afew minutes..? feel free to inspect thsi vessel..there are no limitations to you on here.."

Maximus took the officers from both ships aside and out of veiw.

While Maximus speaks with his officers Lord Anjo asks questions of the crew genuinely curious about this vessel that isn't much different from a Kirisuban coastal galley except in size.

the priest keeps translating and the Chieftain congratulates the crew on the fine vessel they have the honour of crewing.

When the crew was being spoke to they acknowlaged by giving their salute, closed fist to the chest, they were very curious of these people for they had never seen anyone like them before..maybe in the Area..some gladiators were Asian and very ferice.

Maximus retured bowing as he seen the natives do,

"handled...fear not their will be a price to pay for this...hopefully we did not start somthing just now..i hope the Barbarian reaction is not one of agression..we can head back to shore when you are finished"

Lord Anjo returns the bow and says to Maximus, the priest translating "I am finished here and your crew brings you great honour Maximus san.

As to harm being done that remains to be seen.

Let us return and we can finish our interupted meal"

maximus shot the crew a dirty look then nodded,

"yes let us continue...NOW...be on alert in case we have upset them over there..."

Maximus climbed down into the small fishing boat, the officers and crew of the Galley let out a sigh of relief

"that will not be the end of it....." Antonious said quietly to another crew member

The boat was on it's way back to the shore so the diplomatic discussions could continue

back at Lord Anjo's house a tenatative agreement was about to be reached and a scribe was soon going to be needed.

"With the Shoguns new laws the only ports your merchants could trade in would be Nagsaki and Yokohama on Honshu Island and Hakodate on Hokkaido Island.

It will take a few days to get charts drawn up in your language so you and your men might as well have some shore leave here.

Under the standard trade agreement there'll be a 10% sales tax on all transactions payable to the port authorities and your merchants will have the freedom of the port but it is death sentence to land elsewhere without permission.

If that is agreeable Maximus san then I could send for a scribe to prepare two copies of this so we can sign a tentative agreeement before sending you onto Yokose so the Bakafu council can formalise this. Its only a 15 mile trip inland so it won't be far"

William was glad many of the women were joining him. He wondered what the island would be like, what the future would hold.....

Maximus nodded and put his hand up making a promise,

"anything we can do..it will be done, you have excepted us into your lands..given me permission to give my troops leave..aswell as new trade routes, i will go 15 miles inland to the counsil. I agree to the trade tax"

Maximus signaled one of his soldiers over,

"inform the men they may come ashore,i wanna see them march proud..as for the officers i want them all...there must me a short conferance..."

"Yes Sir! immeadiatly"

The Soldier left heading towards the beachhead

"Lord Anjo this will be a great day!" Exclaimed Maximus

General Nakamura returned to his tent in the Kirisuban camp and got out sheets of paper, ink, a quill pen and a small brush.

He scribed the ceasefire agreement in Kirisuban and Latin (on the same page) dated it at the top and wrote out an identical copy.

this accomplished he sent out mounted messengers to stop the wako before they set sail and confident that the ceasefire would hold sent a report back to the Bakafu council in Yokose.

he also writes notes in latin on the Kirisuban map he showed William. It was a generalised map only noting the location of major ports, coastal landmarks and other islands north and south of the home isalands.

He writes beside the Kuriles 'set a course of NNE for at least a day from Yokose point (where you are now) given good winds and you can't miss them'

The Kirisuban naval captain who had found the islands had used the exact same words so the course must be true.

He also adds on another page again in Kirisuban and Latin 'the initial survey as carried out by the IKS Chiang Lung shows great potential for a colony on the colony on the middle of the 3 Kurile islands. Estimates of its size show its approx 5 miles accross and 40 miles long. the southern most half of the island is heavily forested with trees and wild bamboo. the rest is good farming land. There is also a large natural harbour as well.

Fish are plentiful and our scouts also found a lot of wildlife on the island as well. Game birds such as pheasants are also plentiful.

The northern Island is mostly covered in rain forest and is still unexplored. its estimated size is 4 miles across by 10 long.

The southernmost island is also uninhabited and is also good farming land with plenty of fresh water available. it lacks a natural harbour although. its size is estimated as 2 miles across and 20 long"

This takes a good hour to write and compile and as General Nakamura rolls the papers up into scrolls he wonders if he is doing the right thing by sending William and his men to a mostly unexplored area.

The messengers ride off in haste and all he can do is wait until he can get to Yokose to lodge a signed copy of the ceasefire and colony agreement.

He brings the papers, an ink pot and a quill pen and goes looking for William escorted by a samurai.

Reallydrunk']Maximus nodded and put his hand up making a promise,

"anything we can do..it will be done, you have excepted us into your lands..given me permission to give my troops leave..aswell as new trade routes, i will go 15 miles inland to the counsil. I agree to the trade tax"

Maximus signaled one of his soldiers over,

"inform the men they may come ashore,i wanna see them march proud..as for the officers i want them all...there must me a short conferance..."

"Yes Sir! immeadiatly"

The Soldier left heading towards the beachhead

"Lord Anjo this will be a great day!" Exclaimed Maximus

Lord Anjo sends a samurai to fetch a scribe who works quickly to write the Kirisuban text of the agreement. Father Sebastio then repeats the agreement in Latin on the same page. There is also a pledge to stick to the treaty ports and the foreigner laws.

While they work together on this which takes about half an hour the meal continues with more warm sake being produced and Lord Anjo agreeing to shore leave in Anjiro for the crew of the roman ships.

"This should be be confirmed in a few days once we both sign this" Nori Anjo explains "I'm sure that you are familar with the concept of government red tape. In the meantime your men are free to enjoy the hospitality of Anjiro. Past the village is a large area where they can camp if they desire it and we have a village bath house and a village brothel for those who want to use its services"

William walked forwards to meet the General. The general had been lucky, the last rowing boat was just about to set off when William spotted the General.

General Nakamura bows and says in Latin "I have the non-agression pact and peace treaty ready for signing as well as the charts your navigator will need to reach the Kurile islands.

I've also included what is known about them. It's not much but I'm glad you're leaving on the tide. With it being typhoon season a journey won't be pleasant if you're caught in one of them.

Once signed I'll return a copy to the Bakafu council in Yokose and you can keep the other one"

While Diplomatic disscussions continue the troops disembark off the ship and form up for the march to the area designated for them to set up camp. 50 Cavelry mount their horses and canter proudly through the narrow roads of the village in a perfect formation, 200 Legionaires march smartly led by standard barrers in leopard skins followed by 100 Pretorians bearing the Emperors banner, 20 trumpets/horns sounding a march echoed through the air.

The Reserve force followed close behind, 200 more Infantry lead by their standard barrers and mounted officers. A very impressive well disiplined force was organized and welcomed by the inhabtants of this land. The officers rode by waving to the people smiling.

_____________________________

Maximus reveiwed the scrolls closely,

"i agree to these terms you have put fourth, i thank you for the leave given to my men..i will tell them you Lord Anjo have given it to them"

Maximus sipped on some Sake then said,

"who are the Barbarians on your land..they attacked you.." showing great intrest

"I haven't heard the full story yet but I know that General Nakamura negotiated a peace treaty and non-agression pact during a truce. There's nothing more to worry about" Nori Anjo says in reply "I believe they call themselves Frozopians"

"they resemble a group we have fought for years where i am from, that is what drove my officers to the descision that they must be destroyed...once again i apoligize if any complications were brought forward by this misunderstanding..i cannot stress that enough..are they staying for any period of time or.."

Maximus paused, it did not matter...what was done was done...

"i am the senior rank now due to the fact our General died of a fever, i look out for my men the best i can..pay them out of my own pocket..take care of them as my brothers.."

Nori Anjo nods and says "you have certainly acted with great honour and in the same way as a Kirisuban commander would have done.

Now you have a trade agreement what are your plans now?"

William signed the treaty, took the forms and then stepped unboard the rowing boat.
"Good bye noble Kirusbans."
The rowers set to work, pushing the boat out to sea....

"I must return to Ostia..i to have audiance with the Senete and the Emperor..inform him of Aulus Hirtius's death...it will be a dark day in our capital as it was when he passed at sea..i have to stay afew days in order to wrap things up here..my merchants and 1 escort will remain..if i am lucky i will be granted ambassitor so i may return"

General Nakamura and the his samurai guard bow and return to their camp which is steadily being dismantled.

His business now complete he gets on his horse and takes the 30 surviors of his cavalry back to their barracks in Yokose while the dead from the battle are taken away and buried in a common grave.

For now a simple wooden post stands with this Kirisuban legend engraved into it

"this is the site of the final resting place of the brave warriors of the Imperial army and the Frozopians who met briefly in battle at Yokose point in the Year 1603.

May their sacrifice always be remembered"

8 Frozopian war ships pushed into the sea. 2 Parted from the group, heading steadily north bringing some of the men and much of grain plundered in the conflict home, as well as news of the Frozopian links with Kirusban.

The other 6 headed towards the unknown. A new colony awaited them....

Reallydrunk']"I must return to Ostia..i to have audiance with the Senete and the Emperor..inform him of Aulus Hirtius's death...it will be a dark day in our capital as it was when he passed at sea..i have to stay afew days in order to wrap things up here..my merchants and 1 escort will remain..if i am lucky i will be granted ambassitor so i may return"

"If it is your karma to return after your trip home we may well meet again in Edo our capital" Nori Anjo says "but your trip home is in the future. Please enjoy the moment and the hospitality of the Empire"

8 Frozopian war ships pushed into the sea. 2 Parted from the group, heading steadily north bringing some of the men and much of grain plundered in the conflict home, as well as news of the Frozopian links with Kirusban.

The other 6 headed towards the unknown. A new colony awaited them....

Koiko looks back at Yokose point as it becomes a mere speck on the landscape.

The other women relax and chat on the deck of the command looking forward to their new life ahead of them. Koiko hopes that the colony can be sucessful and that something good can come out of the losses both sides have suffered.

Maximus bowed to show his thanks and to honor Nori Anjo,

"Anything we can do will be done, any time...i must go oversee the camp construction, feel free to ride alongside me...any questions you may have about anything do ask..."

Reallydrunk']Maximus bowed to show his thanks and to honor Nori Anjo,

"Anything we can do will be done, any time...i must go oversee the camp construction, feel free to ride alongside me...any questions you may have about anything do ask..."

Nori Anjo says "I must decline your kind offer since I need to get the agreement to Yokose. When I return tomorrow we can talk more and perhaps you can enjoy some of my culture as well"

He takes his leave and after getting into his armour he mounts up on his horse and leaves wth an escort of 10 mounted samurai.

Maximus mounted his horse followed by 12 Pretorian horsemen galloping slowly towards his troops. There was a massive line of Roman soldiers moving through the village, sun bouncing off their shiney armor,

"what a great day for a ride Brutus!" Exclaimed Maximus

Brutus looked at Maximus and laughed. As they proceeded by the ranks of soldiers they linked up with the trumpeteers,

"PLAY SOMTHING A LITTLE MORE LIVELY!" ordered Maximus

The trumpeteers sounded off changing the song, one of victory and power,

by late morning Nori Anjo and his escort have reached Yokose and while he waits for the council to finish their meeting he heads to a bathhouse and gets a bath and a massage.

When he is eventually called in he'd changed into a clean kimono and bows to the members of the council.

They examine the draft agreement and listen to his side of the story.

they apply their seal to the agreement but Lord Anjo is still required.

As a scribe makes a copy for the Shogun to see in Edo he's told the full story of the battle by General Nakamura who also is in the meeting.

"If we can absorb the Frozopian archery tactics into our own then we will be stronger" the general says "those shields of theirs also defected or absorbed a lot of arrows. Maybe we can equip our forces with something like them that won't burden them with too much weight. If that is they way all Western armies fight we will be at a disadvantage."

the council debates this next point on the agenda as the wheels of government turn slowly..


back in Anjiro the parade runs its course and fishermen start getting back to work since the fish won't catch themselves.

the Roman ships attract a lot of attention the smallest of them being bigger than a Kirisuban coastal galley.

Maximus sat in his command tent watching his troops laze around in the sun, they were so glad to be in a non-hostile enviroment. Maximus knew the Natives were interested in the massive war Galleys of the Ostian Empire..he also noted their sheilds were not up to par therefore giving him ideas of how to help his new ally improve themselfs..with the ability to ram other naval ships then board them under the cover of the mighty sheilds.

"Aid! send word to my friend Nori Anjo, i must speak with him..."

The word in the camp was that Antonious was trying to convince Maximus to presue the Frozipan's and engauge them in battle, but..this could have been just a rumor...

The ever present Father Sebastio is at Nori Anjo's house when Maximus' aide arrives asking for the Chieftain.

The Portugese man answers in latin "Lord Anjo went to Yokose on business. He left word with me that he will be returning tomorrow morning but his Chamberlain is here"

The Aid bows and replys,

"yes father..would it be possible i could speak with him please, i also require a blessing..it has been awhile"

"My son i will speak to the Chamberlain" he says and then says a blessing in Latin before he departs to speak with a small old man wearing a green kimono, black hakama and a wakizashi short sword.

He bows saying "my name is Akeichi Ichiro. How may I asssist you?"

The Aid bows,

"My Commanding Officer has a offer to make regarding certian items held by the Ostian Empire that would 'improve'...certian items you hold?that is all i know"

The Aid awaits an answear his attention drifting around the fine house.

Maximus drew his sword and stepped in a circle of 4 Praetorians, they charged swinging well cordinated blows to which Maximus blocked and countered repeatedly, the clang of swords rang out.

through the priest the Chamberlain speaks.

"Then I would like to hear what the honourable Maximus san has to say. since now is always better than later shall we go? You may lead the way"

the old man puts his katana into his belt sash which was resting in a sword stand near the door.

The Aid led the honourable Chamberlain to the camp to see Maximus had already disarmed 2 Praetorians and 2 more moved in immeaditly to be fended off aswell, with lightening speed and skill Maximus held his ground. Sweat rolled down his face, he delivered a counter which made one of the royal guard trip and fall to the ground and in a swift movement a mock kill was shown.

Maximus's attention then drifted to the Aid, he had returned with some one, the Officer then raised his left hand and the practice ended, Soldiers stood around cheering throwing coins onto a robe placed on the ground.

The Chamberlain takes in everything he sees as he moves through the visitors camp. They were relaxing as he expected them too since they had a long voyage to get to the Empire.

He bows and introduces himself through the priest also saying "your aide told me that you could improve certain items of our armoury. I would be interested in hearing more"

Maximus bows and accepted a fine cloth on which to whipe his sweat then passed his sword off to his Aid,

"yes...munifex!(private)..hand me that sheild...also i am under the impression you like our ships...your armor is as good if not better than our own..there is no problem there but your navy and defence items need some minor improvement if you are to maintain an empire?"

The gathered soldiers moved out of earshot collecting their money they had put on the fighters.

"your sword...what do you call it...?" Maximus's eyes were locked on the fine weapon

"its called a katana" Ichiro says taking the sword out of his belt sash and drawing it a few inches so Maximus can see the blade.

Maximus was amased, it looked very light weight but the lenth was not somthing the Empire was acustomed to using,

"i believe your weapon to be sacred...mine belonged to my General..."

Maximus looked over to the Ivory handled Gladius with 4 rubys encrested at the hilt, under it read S.P.Q.R.,

"It was given to me at his dying hand....may the gods bless him now.."

Maximus also wore the Generals armor of white with gold trim on the designs, 2 horses on 2 legs with many other small things were on his chestplate such as oak leaves and buttons, the stomach was formed into abs aswell. The fine helmet had a purple maine which resembled one of a horse.

"we can discuss my offers in my tent over some wine and meat??"

Ichiro puts his katana back into his belt sash, enters the tent and says "They are very special to my class. Most Katanas are heirlooms and if the sword is drawn fully it must taste blood before it is replaced in the scabbard.

Your sword is also impressive as well. it must be very strong blade.

Wine will do me Maximus san. I've just eaten"

A look of suprize crossed Maximus's face,

"thank you for not drawing the weapon haha!" he then grinned

In his tent 2 soldiers un-armored brought in wine and some salted meat and placed them on a table covered with charts and maps.

"Ships...our ships are capible of ramming others before they are attacked by a boarding party...these Galleys can be constructed by your peoples but cannot be exact to my vessels..im willing to share with you capibilities of these..they are fast and the most affective in the West...now..one of my Officers Antonius feels it is in the best intrest of the Empire to Presue the Frozipans where ever they may have went.

Maximus paused

"My intent is to allow him to return to Ostia while i remain here..for more troops..trade goods..ships...who knows the intent of the Frozipans..they may return in force to over throw your Empire now that they know the strenth of your forces...i believe i must speak with your General.."

he let his words sink in then continued,

"in my situation i can't ignore my officers in their request's...it could....cause somthing of an unwanted nature...im sure you understand"

OOC:Topia i wish to presue your ships...in the intrest of my Empire but the decision really lies with Kirisubo if he unvails the information i need..if not i will be sailing into the unknown pretty much..

OOC: ok cool. I imagine you mean the 6 ships, not the 2.

OOC: im not that dirty LOL, it's just somthing to do pretty much a little excitement! :)...it has nothing to do with your diplomatic relations...just a small inside deal for some people..it will look like an act of good will from my Officer to the natives of the Island..

ooc : The Chamberlain knows even less about the Frozopians that Nori Anjo did before he attended the meeting in Yokose.

Nori Anjo has aready said that if you wanted to fight them you needed to take the fight out of the empire and the new colony isn't in Imperial waters.

The Empire at this point in time ends at the last home island, Hokkaido where Anjiro is.

IC: Ichiro listens and replies "All i've heard so far about the battle is that it took place a mile from here and a treaty was negoiated during a truce. If the Frozopians have hostile intentions in the future we can deal with that. We've repelled two invasions attempts by the Mongol hordes even before we became an Empire.

Once my Lord returns i can tell him your concerns and arrange an audience"

The Chamberlain nods in understanding and the priest translates quietly "The Frozopians may be your enemy and the Empire does not tolerate foreigners fighting battles in our lands. However 20 miles outside Yokose point the Empire does not exist. what you do past that point is your affair"

Maximus nodded and replyed,

"you are very honorable...i understand this and have no intentions of bringing my war to your lands..the position i am in is not a good one..i am not a General but have learned how to lead men through the many battles we have faught beside eachother..i bleed with them, i sweat with them..i will die with them any day..i thank you very much..my Officers are ambitious and young as myself"

maximus lowered his head to show respect to the Chamberlain,

"i will take this matter up with Nori Anjo..as for the ships..i place 20 engineers under one of my officers a certian Salararius(Non commissioned veteran) to assist whom ever you appoint in preparing a similar model to the ones i have..."

The chamberlain bows and says "we already have a sucessful small galley design which i'm sure could take one of your rams. If you want to see it I can show you one of these craft and make a start.

I understand your situation. When I was a lot younger I was a reluctant leader but I had to do what duty and honour demanded to fight our civil war. Most samurai who are officers feel the same way as you do"

Maximus was listened very carefully, these people were very wise..most people back home were just wind bags.

"I understand aswell..our Nations sound similar to things we have went through...we can learn alot from eachother.."

Ichiro drinks some wine and nods.

"We can learn a lot from each other. Those tall shields you use for example could work for us since we are a small people as well but how do you get round the problem of needing two hands to use a long spear?"

Maximus walked over to the corner and returned with a very long light weight spear

"this is how my friend!, our spears are very light weight..some are half wood till the middle then a round shaft about the width of your finger for the rest to a wide blade at the end or a small one so to puncture"

Maximus put the spear on the table and smiled,

"our sheilds would suit you perfect...there is endless possibilities to what can be done with them..the formations...! i will show you!"

Ichiro muses and says "Bamboo's not as heavy as rosewood is.

Bamboo is a plant which grows everywhere in the Empire. it grows quickly and it a kind of wood. Its used for everything from house building to making light armour with. When you slice it open you'll see its hollow and the longer your leave it to grow the longer and thicker its gets.

I seen your men marching on the beach with the shields interlocking. I'm sure they also give very good protection against arrows"

Maximus grinned

"you are right, i have seen these..i try to notice everything..your spears with our sheilds would be very effective..we can make formations tight as a turtle hides in it's shell..with a roof and all so no arrows can get through when marching on a fortifyed position!..there!"

Maximus pointed outside to 20 Legionaires with sheilds interlocked doing drill, the sheilds formed a box with the front rows spears pointing outwards,

"when they reach the enemy they disperse...the turtle formation is undefeatable and can get much larger than that.."

"very impressive" Ichiro says taking another drink of wine and trying to picture a samurai regiment doing that.

"Obviously you need open ground to fight that way but what about if you have to fight in skirmish formation. Samurai can fight in loose and tight formations depending on the circumstances of the battle. We are also taught the longbow, the long spear and the sword as our primary arts of war.

I was only a young boy when my training started and i was in my first battle at 16 years old."

on the road from Yokose to Anjiro four samurai guard a palaquin carrying a samurai noble. a maid walks along side the palaquin.

Lady Akechi Hitomi takes the chance to get some rest while the kagamen carry her transport, it swaying very gently.

She looks over her orders again. With the arrival of two groups of barbarians, the Ostians and the Frozopoians she was ordered to Anjiro to translate the Ostians language.

At least she hoped she could. Only 25 years old Hitomi could speak portugese and latin. Like her father General Nakamura Toshiro she was also a follower of the Christian faith and the little silver cross that could be seen hanging from her neck was testament to this.

Small and slight like most Kirisuban women she was also beautiful and her long black hair was tied back with a blue piece of cord. a pink kimono with a floral design woven into the cloth completed her look.

She looks out the small window and notices the bridge which told her there was still five miles to go to her next duty which was all she really had in life since her husbands death at Sekigahara.

She sighs and tries to get some sleep.

Maximus leant forward and replyed,

"i was also 16 my first time in battle..i was terrifyed at first, then i realized i was already dead...heh..kind of strange you know?..after a while it all became natural, fight or risk invasion..then great conquest's came along..kill everyone..anyways.."

Maximus stared off in space for a moment then looked attentive once again,

"as for close combat..it's more difficult to weild those sheilds but thats why our swords are short and so light..usually we have a very large force when entering a real battle

Hitomi is woken by her maid when they reach Lord Anjo's house.

She rubs the sleep out of her eyes and gets out stretching her legs.

Taking the chance to get a meal and to settle into her assigned room she applies some perfume and goes looking for her father in law up in the Ostians camp.

She takes notice of everything as her samurai guard steers her clear from the drilling soldiers.

She can hear the father in law saying "i was in my first battle at 16 years old" and notices the officer he's speaking to along with Father Sebastio.

She converses briefly with the Priest in Kirisuban who tells her quietly "Lady Hitomi, these Ostians will certainly keep you busy"

She then joins her father in law in the tent..

Maximus all of a sudden lowered his head to the girl who had entered the room, he stared right at her,pausing in his story,

"can? i help..you?.." he said calmly noticing there was no longer a guard at his door

The guard was slacking off with a bunch of other soldiers standing by some horses,

"well..thats great sercurity.." he thought

"you certainly can" Hitomi replies in fluent latin "I'll be your translator from this point onwards"

The Chamberlain smiles slightly and through Hitomi he says "Maximus san, may I introduce my daughter in law, the Lady Hitomi. I asked for her to be your interpreter but didn't expect her to arrive so soon"

Hitomi bows in welcome.

Maximus smiles and returns the bow,

"Hello my'lady i am Maximus of Ostia, your Latin is very good..very good..may i inquire as to where you learned it?"

He studied her face, the women in this country were very beautiful..a certian glow to them.

"welcome.."

Hitomi replies in a friendly manner "my Father is a Christian Lord and I learned it from the priests in their Nagasaki school.

Welcome to the empire"

"I am honoured to be here, you have a very beautiful countryside, i am enjoying my self very much"

Maximus said making hand gestures as he spoke,

On the Frozopian command ship Koiko watches the fleet sail past the ridge of large jagged rocks which marks the northern end of the Empire.

Having seen the chart she knew it wouldn't be long until they reached the Kuriles and their new life under Frozopian law and rule.

All the women knew when they boarded the ship they couldn't return back to Kirisubo. No one except the eta and maybe some merchants would want anything to do with them.

She finds William and tells him about the womens exitement about the chance to build a new village and farm. She then asks about Frozopian law and society.

Reallydrunk']"I am honoured to be here, you have a very beautiful countryside, i am enjoying my self very much"

Maximus said making hand gestures as he spoke,

Hitomi smiled slightly as her father in law examines the spear that was shown to him earlier.

He's interupted by a samurai who says something to him. The Chamberlain listens nodding and then says through Hitomi "honourable Maximus san, Gyoko the mama san of the Lucky Carp tea house (brothel) has asked if her ladies can come up to the camp to look for business"

William smiled at the girls curiousity. He also shared her excitement.
"It is a hard land and it has created a hard law and even harder people We have no time to take prisoners, to feed them and imprison them. Break the law and you forfeit any right to live. The lords of the land maintain these laws as fair as they can, as I once did."
William stared off into space. He missed home.
"But now I will rule a new land, and dispense law as fairly as is possible. I will rule it like I ruled the Bornak estate and all its lands. The lower classes will work on the land, bringing in crops and timber and all manner of things. I will keep them well fed threw the year, protect them in times of trouble and maintain the peace."

Koiko replies "talking about feeding ourselves the women think that they'll have a farm up and running very quickly. All we'll need is enough rice to make it through to the first harvest and we can get that in Hakodate.

Azumi also wants to raise free range chickens and goats. With enough of them there'll be plenty of eggs and milk and we may even have a surplus of crops to trade with as well. We'll need a big farm to feed us all but i don't think that space will be a problem.

all the women were farmers back home and I was a farmers daughter before I was apprenticed to the mama san.

What goods do we have to trade with at the moment William sama?"

maximus grinned and raised his left hand gesturing towards himself,

"haha yes of course!, my men have been behaving...Guard inform Antonious to have sentry's posted all around the camp to keep out unwanted people from medaling with things.."

The guard saluted and left,

"Antonious will be my man to chase the Frozipans and destroy them! it's his idea...i thought like that at one point and time..now..i have no real enemies..only ones i make along the way"

Ichiro replies and Hitomi translates "I hope that your men enjoy our ladies and I'm sure they'll manage to communicate without an interpreter.

A samurai goes off and then leads an older woman and 10 other girls all dressed in flowery kimonos into the camp. The looks from the legionaires are like a thirsty man finding an oasis in a desert.

The mama san bows to Maximus and to Ichiro and Hitomi and through her she says "Greetings Maximus san. We have plenty of rooms in the tea house for any of your men who want some love however there are only ten girls. There may be quite a queue"

The Chamberlain notes the last remark and thinks that there may be trouble between the two groups of foreigners in the future.

Maximus returns the bow and smiles at the lady,

"My officers first...they are located 2 tents over from mine..with the exception of Antonious..present yourselfs there im sure they will be happy to see you"

The legionaires attention was locked on Maximus's tent, the whole camp was well aware of who these ladys were hooting and hollaring loudly,

Antonious entered Maximus's tent and stood attentively in the doorway,

"Sir 2 of the ships are ready to return to Ostia, when do we leave?"

Maximus walked over and put his hand on the officers shoulder,

"2 hours...i want some of men to have a good time before you set sail..you should be entering the empire in 2 months and approximatly 3 days after you leave..good luck my friend"

Antonious saluted and turned to leave when Maximus stopped him, he put a ring in his hand and closed it,

"The General's family ring..give it to the Emperor in front of the senete..it will look good on your part.."

With that Antonious left the doorway gripping the ring tight.

Hitomi goes with the Mama san and the ladies and a deal is struck with Hitomi translating.

Soon the officers are enjoying themselves in their tents and the mama san leaves them to it returning with Hitomi.

The Chamberlain is approached by a samurai and is called away while Hitomi is translating for the mama san.

Hitomi says to Maximus "My father in law was called away on urgent business. He asks me to apologise on his behalf and he's also invited you and your officers to dinner at sunset if you can attend then"

OOC: this is the link to the OOC discussion thread

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=463732

Back in Yokose

The gathered Lords looked over some of the Frozopian equipment that had been taken of their dead.

The chainmail and boiled leather armour attracted a lot of attention as well as the strong steel swords and axes that were recovered.

However most attention was paid to the longbows and kiteshaped wooden shields.

"Now how do we combat that" Lord General Nakamura asks the gathered members of the council.

Various suggestions are offered but most of them hinge on taking out the archers early on.

"With respect theirs only one way to handle this. If you can't beat them join them. We have to modernise our equipment and tactics starting with shields like this one. If our infantry is going to be cut to pieces before they can even charge they'll need a shield like this to protect them until combat is joined"

Lord Toshiro had suggested the unthinkable. Changing the wargear of the samurai class....

"Very little." Replied William.
"Some grain and timber. This is not a merchant ship. But many more ships will arrive in our new land soon. Do not worry yourself."

Koiko nods and says "we can forget about chickens and goats for a while. Chickens would eat up all the grain we had"

She thinks and says "we've got a koku of rice between us. thats a good trading resource and we could always live on what the hunters and fishermen bring in while we wait for more ships from Frozopia.

If General Nakamura Toshiro got his description correct theres lots off trees all over the 3 islands. We could cut some of those down and use those to trade with as well as the rice"

"Indeed."
"Land ahoy!!" Someone roared above deck.
"Seems we have reached our destination Koiko." Spoke William with a smile. Walking up above deck, he sighted the first island coming into sight.

"Thats the small southern island" Koiko says as it comes into view.

The shoreline is a long beach with palm trees and a natural harbour can be seen.

"I had a look at the charts earlier" she says "your ships pilot didn't seem to mind.

Theres coconuts on those trees. When opened and dried the fruit inside the shells is very filling. You can also drink the milk inside as well"

"Very good." Replied William. He couldnt wait to get to the island.
"ANKERS." Roared the ships captain.
The steel ankers were thrown to the sea's bottom, and the rowing boats were prepared. It was time to visit the new island.

OOC: Could I have a map of the 3 islands? Or should I make one myself with the info u gave me?

OOC: imagine 3 sausages of varying lengths and that is the Kuriles that the Empire know about.

in reality there are 56 islands of varying sizes in the chain. I'll post up a map in the OOC thread once i can find one.

in the meantime you can prepare your own map.


IC: Koiko smiled. she hadn't seen a coconut in years. the other Kirisuban women were happy to see land being unused to the sea.

Looking at her now dirty kimono she asks William "is there any other clothes I could borrow? This has seen better days"

Maximus bowed and replyed,

"we would be honoured to attend dinner with you, my men shall be informed to look their best..this is a great honor"

Antonious did not want to waste any more time on this island, in his mind he had a mission to complete and an enemy to crush..the new order was the ships DO NOT leave untill after dinner. The Frozipans had moved to the south on a good breeze, they would be far away by now. Antonious expected the Senete to agree to war, people such as the Frozipans always had been destryoed in the past...Antonious would make a name for himself this way and be greeted by high class members of the goverment upon his victory against this new enemy.

The enemy appeared as they always had before, large ships..the same equipment..the same war..that had been going on forever just this time the Enemy was called somthing different.

Hitomi smiles, bows and replies "I'll see you at sunset then"

She leaves the camp with her samurai escort and back at Lord Anjo's house the Chamberlain asks her advice.

"these Ostians seem to live for war from what i've seen. If they are correct in thinking that the Frozopians are after our lands maybe they can keep them busy while we rebuilt our armies" she says

Ichiro nods as he listens to his daughter in laws wisdom. Being the daughter of a general had its advantages and even if ther father wasn't here she was as good a source of knowledge.

OOC: even with the Frozopians leaving not long after dawn i'm assuming they've reached the first island by the evening of the same day. Topal can tell you more about his ships.

we can fast forward to dinner if you want to

Maximus stood around a table with his officers, Antonious was first to speak,

"Maximus..Ostia will send a Legion or 2! the quicker i return the quicker we have many new options open to us! clear trade routes..the spoils of these Frozipans...and removing a threat here in the East we will be thanked...honored!"

Maximus pulled a map closer till it was right under his face and studied it,

"Antonius..you are too egar for bloodshed.."

Antonious slammed his fist down on the table,

"I have been killing for 4 years! it's what WE DO! for Ostia! we are soldiers!"

Maximus waved his officers out of the tent, when they left he looked Antonious right in his eyes,

"2 Legions! that is roughly 20,000 men! what are we supposed to do with them when we win! there is 8 Frozipan ships headed South!...more are probably expected! this will be a long distance dragging war Antonious!"

Antonious grabbed Maximus's shoulder and looked him dead in his eyes,

"Have i ever been wrong before my friend....ever!we have been friends sence boys! always getting eachother into trouble but managing to find a better side of it! this is one of those times Maximus!"

OOC:i need some information on your ships Topia, also post if you need any info about my units...

As the afternoon drags into the evening and the ladies complete their business in the camp they leave heading back to the tea house.

Lord Anjo's servants complete the preparations for the evening meal and not knowing what their guests eat, fish is decided on.

The sushi chef works wonders and as the sunsets everything is ready...

ooc: the ships are actually heading north north east from the island

The Officers ride to Lord Anjo's home while the sun is setting, Maximus stands on a cliff watching the sun set over the ocean, Antonius stops beside him and the Cavelry soldiers ride past,

"come Maximus..we should not be late"

Maximus looks over at Antonious and replys

"it's been so long sence i have been home..the warm breeze..the green grass...cool lakes.."

He then urged his horse on, Antonious galloped behind

OOC:sorry, mis-read somthing along there...

Hitomi watches the Ostian officers ride up to the gate and enter. The servants bow when they see them and she greets them in latin.

"Maximus san if you follow me" she says "we can make a start"

Hitomi leads them into the main room they had sake in and the Chamberlain appears, Hitomi ready to translate while the men dine.

The men remove their headdress and bow upon entry,

"on behalf of my men we are honored to join you this evening"

Maximus gestures to the 6 officers entering the room, the escorting Cavelry units wait outside the gates dismounting.

OOC: We have landed now. You would have to fight us inland.

IC:
William stared out to sea. The men were all ashore, as well as all their supplies and the women. It was time to meet some of the natives and to base his men somewhere. William also hoped to find some horses. His men liked to ride, but that would have to wait.

"Lets march!" He roared.

The men began the slow trek inland. William had ordered the ships crew to sail up around the northern part of the island, where William would meet with them later.

It was going to be a good day.

on the south island


As the explorers continue heading inland they find plenty of thick clumps of forest, plentiful animal life (most of it edilble) and a natural clearing where they can camp.

No people or horses can be found although.

Koiko finds a bamboo grove and suggests "we can use the bamboo and those big leaves from the jungle to help build shelters if you want"

The other women had borrowed a few hand axes and were gathering coconuts from the palm trees on the shore and soon the Frozopians would discover what coconut milk and fruit would taste like. they had borrowed a few buckets from the ships and soon they were filled with coconut milk and the white fruit inside the shells.

the empty shells and the bamboo off cuts made handy firewood and soon the camp was set up.

OOC: I expected i would catch you inland...it will take some time for Ostia to send what Maximus would need to complete such a task..a new officer will be arriving aswell...Marcus Atilius Regulus, An Admerial of the fleet. He will be placed in command as Maximus as his right hand man.

Once every one was seated Maximus spoke,

"is there..any main topic on which you wish to discuss Lord Anjo? my ears are yours..."

(OOC: any room in this RP for one more? I'm a mythical race based off of Gobbos, is that alright?)

Lord Anjo having returned quickly from Yokose was glad to answer questions.

"I heard Lord General Nakamura's report on the skirmish and seen some of the Frozopian equipment. I tend to agree with him that we need to modernise our weapons and tactics.

Our forces are similiar to the Frozopians in terms of equipment but their shields and armour gave us a hard time.

Since you have fought similar armies before your advice would be invaluable"

The bowls of rice, sushi and sake are passed out along with chopsticks by a pair of pretty serving maids and they retire to a distance so the men can talk.

OOC: Toops theres a ooc thread for this which can be found at http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=463732

feel free to sign up there and i'll be able to suggest a starting point for you

"This place is a good place to settle." William replied. Turning to his men he distributed orders to begin construction. Some men would gather bamboo for construction, some would begin to dig ditches for foundations and some would hunt for food with their bows. He also gathered a couple of men to go looking for a local village alongside Koiko.

Antonious sat up and spoke with the voice of a dictator,

"Forces such as the Frozipan's are un-organized mobs...you are differnt from their ways Lord Anjo...they are barbaric..no structure..no class.."

Maximus raised his hand to shut Antonious up,

"do not get carried away my friend..those..accusations are inncorrect, the Germanic/Celtic tribes are simmilar..they have values..religion, and are very well structured, very brave! their culture is like no other i have seen.. mystic, their whole way of life in a mystery..a noble proud people"

Antonious was put in his place, therefore eased up knowing his place at this table. The other officers nodded in agreement with Maximus,

"They are hard working, almost undeafeatable people...they always come back and manage to cause chao's where ever they strike..as for weapons and tantics Lord Anjo it would be my pleasure to show you how to defend your fronts IF war comes.."

He let his words sink in then continued..

"If the Senete excepts my offer to presue the enemy, we will be assisted by roughly 10 to 20 thousand soldiers of many trades...i expect Admerial Marcus Atilius Regulus to be leading this expedition..overall a very good man..Lord Anjo i am in need of a place from which to conduct a force of this size! is it known to where the Frozipans went?"

Koiko agrees to scout ahead and she leads the small team through a thickly forested part of the island which reminds her off home.

they scout for a few miles until they find a fast flowing stream.

Koiko takes a drink and declaring it to be good water looks for a ford.

She takes off her sandals and crosses cautiously, taking care not to slip off the stepping stones.

Once over the river the forest begins to thin out and another plain can be seen, the skyline dominated by a large hill. Theres still no sign of habitations.

Lord Anjo frowns when he hears the hot headed officer but soon hides it replying "Lord General Nakamura drew up a treaty which was a non-agression pact between The Kirisuban Empire and The Frozopian force and an agreement to follow the same foreigner laws that you agreed to.

Their General also signed it and he understood Latin as well. They didn't even need an interpreter.

the last we know they were heading north north east towards the newly discovered Kurile islands. I'm not a navigator but General Nakamura gave them the known charts for that area. These islands are currently 20 miles past the northern boundaries of the empire.

we can set aside a temporary base for your troops once they land but it's preferable if you can base yourselves in a foreign trading port. You'll be able to resupply there. Hakodate is the other side of the island"

The two men stared at the plain. It was a long walk ahead.

Meanwhile back at base William sat watching the building works unfold. His men had set up a wall around the base, much like their old kirusban beach head. There was also a fire set up with stacks of fire ready. Soon they would be eating. The men were surprised by the richness of the land: there was alot of potential here.

Maximus looked at Antonious and without words they had an understanding. Maximus smiled and picked up his Sake,

"i have grown to like this..Sake as you call it" he grinned but then continued

"...Antonious will return to Ostia early tomorrow...as for the comming Legions...a staging area is needed very much so...Ostia will be informed of your kind gestures towards us in the best way..many gifts this Empire will be given to show our pact"

Maximus took a sip and continued,

"No matter the force that lands here..there will be no! i repeat no agression on your lands..The Admerial is a good man..he enjoys learning about everything he possibly can..we would be greatful!"

Koiko looks up at big hill and and the distance they need to cover.

she shrugs her shoulders and the explorers keep walking for another mile and a bit before they climb the hill.

From the top of the hill they can see where the ships left them off, part of the camp and all round the rest of the island for about 5 miles in every direction and they can also see the other coastline of the island.

"it looks like we're the only people on the island" she remarks in Frozopian "I can't see any signs of villages or buildings. The landscape looks totally untouched as well"

Lord Anjo speaks to an aide and soon a map of the northern provinces of the Kirisuban empire is produced.

the text being in Kirisuban dosen't stop Lord Anjo although.

He traces a line with a chopstick where a reef is marked.

"This reef marks the northern boundary of the empire. Beyond that a lot of it is unexplored. However i'm sure theres more islands and land north of here. Its just a matter of finding it.

Here is Hakodate, our treaty port where you'll find Portugese and Spanish traders who may have explored past the Empires boundaries and could even have charts that could help you"

Maximus studys the charts, these land masses are ones he didn't even know existed, the other officers gather around,

"Lord Anjo we are greatful for your help...some day you will join me in Ostia to watch reeinactments of the battles that will be in the future..Theater is HISTORY in Ostia, Kirisuban will be an Empire the world as we know it will remember..your names beside ours in many different scrolls and texts..the possibilities are endless from here"

Antonious thought to himself, "on my way to greatness..in those scrolls and texts will be my name aswell.."

Lord Anjo enjoys some sushi and sake and replies through Hitomi "we've been through a one hundred year civil war and the last thing we want to do for a while is fight another one. Repelling invasions is a costly business having dealt with the mongol hordes twice already.

We need to rebuild the navy and the castle and town garrisons that make up our armies. We've also got new things to learn. We already have enemies in the region particularly the Kingdom of Chosen and Imperial Cathay

Your forces may well establish a base in Kirisubo over time but if we can expand peacefully using exploration and diplomacy that would be preferable to us.

We also appreciate history"

He then tells them about Sekigahara and how 30,000 warriors fell on both sides as the two greatest warlords fought for control.

Maximus's face turned solid as stone showing no emotion,

"Anything i can do Lord Anjo, Anything...but a favor to be expected in the future...near or far..close to 20 Thousand men will be in this area in the comming months ahead"


Maximus then went on to tell a story that was very popular in Ostia, It was about the Germanic Tribes in the Rhineland and how 30 thousand Ostian troops were wiped out there,

Maximus looked Lord Anjo in the eyes and said,

"I returned to Ostia...to fight another day.."

Antonious had not known his friend was in that conflict, he dropped his mug to the floor.

OOC:sorry i pasted the wrong thing last time

Lord Anjo dosen't even flinch when he recieves the translation.

"You'll need a port of your own by the sound off it. I'll need approval from the Bakafu council in Edo to do this but if a large enough area was assigned to your forces here on Hokkaido that would suffice while the Ostians assist in the improvement of our army and navy.

My Chamberlain has told me that you mentioned that you could help us build galley powered warships in the same style as yours. would it be possible to add rams onto our own coastal galleys in the meantime"

Maximus shuddered slightly upon completing his story and looked at Antonious,

"thats why we don't let our sword speak for us anymore...the cost is more than anyone can bare.."

Antonious still sat there in horror, all along he had never known this about his friend..it was rumor that no one survived the Rhineland. Maximus looked back at Lord Anjo,

"from what i seen there is hope for your vessels, fine ships..they must be dry docked and alot of work is ahead..the hull can hold rams yes but the impact could be too much for the hull and you could scuttle yourselfs..we can work on a certian amount at a time so not to left sercurity down at all..my ships that remain can assist yours.."

Maximus let his words be translated then continued,

"My 2 ships that i send home will return with 100 or more..in the mean time i am sending scouts to cheak out the North East islands..."

"I myself will help your troops in tactics similar to ours..help conduct drill lessons...THIS MY FRIEND WILL BUILD A MIGHTY EMPIRE!"

Maximus shot some Sake back,

OOC: sorry for last post..look above

The tiny primative raft was tossed about by the gigantic waves, 20 Toop continued to row through the storm not detered by the mass volumes of water crashing over the vessel, a chest began to slide off into the sea only to be stopped by the Toop captain, he grimaced as he lifted the wooden weight aboard, his loot wasn't going to be taken from him this soon.

"Landses, I spotted landses!"

One of the Grobbles began to leap up and down as he pointed off into the distance.

"Shut him up!"

The captain shouted to one of the crew who swiftly bought down a hatchet to the eager Grobbles head, it was hard to tell if there was land out there and even if there was it was highly unlikely that the raft would make it, just as the captain was thinking this a larger wave struck the raft, it split several beams and ripped away the oars.

**** **** ****

Captain Gritsnak woke up with a mouth full of sand, he spat the grit out of his teeth and looked over to find a handful of his crew still alive and around 10 Grobbles, a few chests had survived and spilt the loot over the beach.

"Snikt! Wake up you grotty little Toop!"

Slowly the green man awoke and stood before his captain.

"Grab some of the Grobbles and look for a town, see if this place is alive!"

some local fishermen had seen the rather primitive raft crash into the shore and had gone running to get their chieftain and his samurai.

Lord Takei Hikaru was small like most Kirisuban samurai but was an experienced warrior as were his 10 samurai.

His long black hair was done up as a topknot and his unarmoured troops either had partly shaved their heads or kept their hair like their their commander.

Having never seen anyone like these shipwrecked sailors he was cautious and his troops were on standby despite the lack of obvious weapons.

"get a doctor down here" he orders in Kirisuban and also asks in Kirisuban "who are you and where do you come from"

Gritsnak stared bewildered into the eyes of the Samurai, he understood that the people may be concerned it was the usual reaction he got from Humies, the words however sparked utter confusion in the tiny mind of the Toop.

"What is this place?"

He shouted back in his native tongue, he grabbed a hold of the hatched buried in his belt, he saw the other Toop do the same, grabbing their clubs, hatchets and daggers.

Reallydrunk']Maximus shuddered slightly upon completing his story and looked at Antonious,

"thats why we don't let our sword speak for us anymore...the cost is more than anyone can bare.."

Antonious still sat there in horror, all along he had never known this about his friend..it was rumor that no one survived the Rhineland. Maximus looked back at Lord Anjo,

"from what i seen there is hope for your vessels, fine ships..they must be dry docked and alot of work is ahead..the hull can hold rams yes but the impact could be too much for the hull and you could scuttle yourselfs..we can work on a certian amount at a time so not to left sercurity down at all..my ships that remain can assist yours.."

Maximus let his words be translated then continued,

"My 2 ships that i send home will return with 100 or more..in the mean time i am sending scouts to cheak out the North East islands..."

"I myself will help your troops in tactics similar to ours..help conduct drill lessons...THIS MY FRIEND WILL BUILD A MIGHTY EMPIRE!"

Maximus shot some Sake back,



ooc: not a problem

ic: Lord Anjo listens to the translations and knows he's on the verge off a deal that could defend the Empires northern frontiers for a long time.

"we can both learn from each other Maximus san. for example would your men want to learn mounted archery on the gallop or how to create a forest of spears. We have had painful losses on the battlefield as well and it wasn't that long ago we had to abandon our campaign in Chosen because the Cathayans joined in against us. I lost a lot of good friends in that campaign as well.

we may also be able to increase the range of your swords.

Your ideas are interesting but i'm only a local chieftain with limited power. You'll need to discuss these with the local Bakafu council in Yokose or even go higher and travel to Edo. I'll go with you off course"

Gritsnak stared bewildered into the eyes of the Samurai, he understood that the people may be concerned it was the usual reaction he got from Humies, the words however sparked utter confusion in the tiny mind of the Toop.

"What is this place?"

He shouted back in his native tongue, he grabbed a hold of the hatched buried in his belt, he saw the other Toop do the same, grabbing their clubs, hatchets and daggers.

"Wakarimsen" he replies and realising he's going to be attacks barks out orders to his archers to fan out and take aim but only to shoot on his order.

Backing off slightly he tries again. "We're not here to hurt you" he says slowly

Maximus nodded and signaled for Antonious to come to him around the corner just outside the door,

"Antonious...tell my wife im alive and fine!i will be comming home soon..tell her i love her as much as i always have..i will be home.."

Antonious took Maximus's hand making a fist with a tight grip,

"my word maximus..you were not in Gaul the whole time..you faught in Germania.."

Maximus sighed and replyed,

" i faught in both.." with that he placed a flower he had picked from one of the Kirisban's beautiful gardens in Antonious's hand

Maximus turned and went back in Lord Anjo's home.

As the Ostian bound ships sailed out towards the sea Antonious watched the land mass get smaller and smaller,

"Sir we are moving along quite well, we are home bound finally"

Antonious turned to the Ocean ahead of them,

"Thank you Marcus..continue your rounds"

the maids had kept refilling the sake cups to keep the ostian officers entertained during the lull in the dinner meeting.

As Lord Anjo watches Maximus re-appear he wonders what war does to people after peace breaks out.

He still felt the humilation of the Chosen defeat personally but he knew in this life or one his next reincarnations he would avenge his fallen friends.

Maximus and Antonious were boy hood friends back in Ostia, both born of noble blood they grew up together. As the years past they spilt blood togeather, the years of killing changed Antonious from the boy he used to be..Maximus..was still Maximus..only now he was a great feared leader.

"Lord Anjo, the word to Ostia has left...the outcome will come soon enough"

Maximus noticed a hollowness in Lord Anjo's eyes, he was fearless..knew of principal and value..much like himself. Maximus tryed not to mention his wife, it had been 2 years sence he seen her..she was now 19 years of age and should be bearing him children but the Emperor always had a war some where to fight. Antonious would bring word to her he was alright.

"You will see the might of my Empire as i have been so privilaged to see yours, shall we continue?"

Maximus sensed Lord Anjo was a very good allie to have, very honorable and trustworthy.

"Captain, these aren't the fighting humies like back at home, these guys not be shootsing yet."

Gritsnak gave Snikt a wallop around the head.

"I am aware of that foolish Toop!"

Obviously these people spoke in a different language and the longer both parties stood there talking in untranslatable dialects the more embarassing the whole scenario got for the Toop, Gritsnak was busy trying to remember the languages he had found over the years, Russian, he knew how to say welcome, charge! and please don't kill me, Briton, likewise the only words he had heard was from a travelling merchant who had spoken mostly in Russian, Latin, on various campaigns he had picked up enough words to bastardise the langauge.

(In poor Latin) "Hello, I am Captain Gritsnak of the Toop Moon, we need a raft."

Lord Hikaru recognised the bit of latin easily but didn't know any himself.

"get the priest from Anjiro" he orders a samurai who makes his way from the beach.

the doctor arrives and looking over the Toops from a distance says to his lord "i'll need to examine them properly but it looks like they're fine from here"

the doctor tries his very limited latin and says "we are getting a translator. they won't be too long"

It was difficult for the small goblin brain to distinguish the LAtin which he knew little of but he got the basic jist, somthing about a translator, Gritsnak looked at his boys, they had wepons still grasped at the ready.

"Drop yer weapons boys! these people could help us!"

The Goblins had never been ordered to drop weapons before and so it came as a slight confusion to them, slowly they lowered thier weapons back into the hilts and looked back up at the warriors.

likewise the archers lowered their bows but the other samurai still had their sword hand close to their katanas.

the chieftain breathed a sigh of relief and wondered where these travellers had come from. He'd seen nothing like them before in Kirisubo but the land north of the empire was unexplored. Only the kami knew what else was out there.

Still they were warriors although barbaric and he knew about warriors.

an uneasy peace reigned while they waited for Father Sebastio to arrive..

about an hour later the samurai and Father Sebastio arrive, their horses tired from the gallop they had to get here quickly.

The Jesuit consults with Lord Hikaru and says in Latin to Gritsnak "How much Latin do you understand?"

Maximus agreed to go with Lord Anjo to see the Empires leaders and discuss matters with them. When the dinner had finished Maximus and his officers returned to the camp, tomorrow would be a busy day..lots of preperations to make and everyone had to be on their toes.

______________________
FOLLOWING DAY:

The sun shone brightly through the doorway in Maximus's tent, a cool breeze swept in. The tent was getting very warm therefore Maximus decided to get out of bed and prepare for the days buisness, he would have to match the smarts of these great leaders in order to get the co-operation. He now waited on Lord Anjo to proceed to their capital.

Gritsnak mulled the words over, he thought about his response and replied.

"Very small."

A few other Grobbles and Toop had roused from their slumber and were now moving forward next to Gritsnak, he grimaced as he didn't much like the company of his men, it wasn't them he distrusted simply the fact that he liked solitude.

The Cheiftain asks through the priest "how may we be off assistance to you and your crew"

"Our Raft was smashed, we need a replacement vessel and will be willing to exchange what little goods survived the crash and as many Grobbles as needed to pay for a raft."

After hearing the translation the Chieftain wasn't quite sure what to think.

Trading some of their crew for a new boat. That was a new one on him and it sounded like slavery.

"We don't deal in slaves" the priest translates back "what trade goods do you have in the chests? We may be able to do better than a raft"

Maximus prepared his horse for the ride to the Kurisban Capital, he was dressed in his best, everything was shined up and ready for show. He awaited word from Lord Anjo on when they would depart.

There are two chests, one is filled with silks, insence, animal hides, and a few cases of wine, in the other chest is weapons of assorted manner, battleaxes, shortswords, longbows with few arrows, a single chainmail vest with combined gauntlets, leather armour and a few helmets.

"How much?"

The chieftain looks over the goblins trade goods satisfied with the quality of the silks and the weapons.

"How about enough wood and materials to repair your raft and food and water for a week" the priest translates for the chieftain

####

Lord Anjo and 5 of his mounted samurai ride up to to Ostian camp.

"good morning Maximus san" he says through Hitomi whose also on a horse. She wearing a light brown kimino with matching hakama trousers and a large straw hat to keep the sun of her head.

"Lord Anjo says we'll be sailing to the mainland and then riding the rest of the way. the journey should take 4 days and you can also take 5 of your mounted troops as well."

"Deal!"

Grotsnak pokes out his boil ridden hand to shake with the Samurai, Snikt turns to the Grobbles and begins barking out orders.

"Alright you Grobbley little runts! Grab all the raft bits you can find and start building!"

A stray Grobble circles as he attempts to co-ordinate his efforts, Snikt gives him a swift kick to the chest and points him in the right direction with an angry grimace upon his face.

Maximus signaled for one of his officers to come over,

"Sir!?" he replyed,

"I want 5 of your finest men Agrippa..perferably ones with half decent looking armor..with no holes..scrapes.."

The Cavelry officer turned returning to the men he was talking to, with that 5 men mounted their horses and took a banner of their Legion holding it high,

"they will do Agrippa! thank you!..you there! get a weeks rashions and re-mount your horse!"

When the Soldier gathered the suppys they needed he strapped them on his horse. Another Officer approached and spoke to Maximus,

"Sir where shall we pack your personal food and wine?"

Maximus replyed,

"I eat as my men do on the feild, then i know how much they can take...MOUNT UP! PREPARE TO MOVE!"

When Maximus had organized the troops formed up behind him so he was able to speak with Lord Anjo on the ride.

the samurai shakes the goblins hand sealing the deal and soon timber, bamboo, rope, pitch, nails and sail cloth are being brought down to the beach.

Some porters also bring a large box filled with rice cakes, dried salted fish and fresh fruit and vegetables. A few kegs of fresh water are also supplied.

The samurai and the locals leave the goblins to repair their own ships but a pair of samurai keep watch over the visitors from a discrete distance.

the local fishermen get back to work curious about these green skinned people. Father Sebastio talks with Lord Hikaru as both men wonder where they came from, questions that can wait for later once the work is done.

as the party rides down to the harbour Maximus can now see a coastal galley tied up.

typical of the local design its 25 metres long with a single large sail and 20 oars on each side of the ship.

Lord Anjo barks out orders the crew leads the dismounted horses onto the deck. Everyone then walks up the gang plank.

Now on deck and the galley casting off the 40 samurai rowers cleared the harbour and headed west along the coast, assisted by the slight breeze.

Maximus examines the ship sliding his hand across the wooden sides,

"Nice ship..in Ostia citizens are not allowed to row our ships..slaves from nations we conquer do it, to be a Ostian citizen if you are forgin it's 25 years military service.."

Maximus stared out over the harbor, what a beautiful sight it was, green rolling hills, blue sky,

"What do you think will become of things we build a thousand years from now Lord Anjo?..are we making a differance?"

Hitomi replies for her Lord "these are Samurai rowers not just Kirisuban subjects. We have no slaves in the empire and we find it abhorant. that is why we would rather die than surrender"

she adds in translation "Maybe we will Maximus san if its our karma. in the meantime we do what we can"

The rowers continue to toil as the mainland harbour comes into view.

"not long to go now" Hitomi says

The Grobbles rather quickly have the base structure of a Toopish raft, it'll float but it needs pit stops between storms, the Toop had stopped at a few islands on the way here but they had no trained methods of navigation and relied on the godess Grublee to take them back, Grublee had been pretty much forgotten as many travellers got lost on journeys despite lots of prayer and sacrifice.

The Grobbleys got stuck when they came to the sail as most Toopish rafts were powered by oar, the sail had only recently come into Toopish naval designs, the Grobbleys had insted began to use the sheet to hide from Snikt and his size 8 feet, a ploy which would never have worked and resulted in a mass kicking, forced to make up for Grobbley incompetance Snikt put the sail up and gave the Grobbles an extra kicking.

Captain Gritsnak had wandered off to explore the rest of the beach, if he came back here he would like to know where the best places to land would be, it was such a sunny island that it made his eyes water, the sea was more of an annoyance to him than a calming influence, and from what he had seen of the people he did not like them, they seemed a little too good for his own personal tastes.

Maximus stood deep in thought, thinking of the comming war..these Frozipans would be a worthy enemy just as others before them. In the end they would be a statistic,no more...

"Your country is beautiful..certian allies of Ostia are granted duel citizenship, enabling them to go back and forth with a title...members of your Empire i am sure will be given such a honor"

Maximus paused for a split secound,

"People..soldiers die every day in forgin lands so that they may become citizens, for Allies it is not that diffucult"

Hitomi translates and says "Maximus san we will have plenty of time to speak on the journey and you'll be able to see more off our nation as we can share ours"

the galley docks and the horses our unloaded first. In adition saddle bag type luggage is added to the Kirisuban horses so that the natives will have enough clothes to get through the trip.

Hitomi drinks from her waterskin and mounts up along with everyone else.

the 13 riders head south east on the main trunk road to the Capital of the Empire, Edo

####


Father Sebastio finds the Goblin Captain and introducing himself in latin asks his name, about his people and where they come from.

Maximus wipes sweat from his face and replaces his helmet when he steps off the gangway plank. His men are already on their horses starting to move and he joins the group, beside him rides the cavelry soldier holding the units banner,

"higher! Higher!" Maximus gestures upwards

The soldier lifts the banner higher and canters ahead,

"..that will be the banner the Frozipans will not live to see again.."

Maximus thought to himself watching the red and gold trimmed banner flutter in the breeze,

"When my ships return they will have many things, all you have seen so far are soldiers..civilians will come...many trade goods! i have sent scouts to the North along the beaches"

_____________________________
BEACHES OF KURISBAN:

4 soldiers of the Empire of Ostia stroll down the beach and to their suprize they see small strange creatures strolling about,

"Monsters! MONSTERS!" one of the Ostian's said to the others

The stood at a distance staring at the creatures, they drew their swords but did not show any signs of hostillitys for they were rather scared of them.

Lord Anjo's own bannerman wears his Lords symbol on a bamboo pole attached to his back. its a red cherry blossom on a white field.

They canter along most of the day because of the heat. Even with it being winter some days could be warmer than others. It definately wasn't cold on this particular day with the sun beating down from a clear sky.

they stop after several hours at a stream so the horses can be watered. the Kirisubans produce rice cakes and water and they have their midday meal on the grass.

the horses also take the chance to get their lunch as well.

The Ostians sat on the grass picking through bread rashions and some salted meats. Maximus squats over by the clear water watching the fish swim by, in his reflection stares back at him, he dips his hands into the stream disturbing the image he sips out of his hands.

The Cavelry men stop and look over at him,

"Maximus is a bit strange at times..but id' follow him any day.."

The others nodd in agreement continuing to pick at their meat.

Gritsnak grumbles somewhat before starting to talk.

"Unfortunantly we Toop have only adopted the Pictogram within the past one hundred years, what we do know has been passed down from generation to another, My father tought me of our origins, we came to our land from the Golden plains seeking a rich enviroment, instead the land tortured us and sapped our natural pigment, for a while we were enslaved under the rule of the Moon King of the Golden Humies, our future was fought for and we returned to our desolate home, from there we have attempted to rebuild our shattered culture."

after the meal the journey resumes. As they travel through villages all the peasants bow low to show their respect for the nobles traveling on the road.

Hitomi rides along side Maximus for a while, the broad conical hat giving her protection from the sun.

"how are you and your men finding the journey so far?" she asks him politely.

Gritsnak grumbles somewhat before starting to talk.

"Unfortunantly we Toop have only adopted the Pictogram within the past one hundred years, what we do know has been passed down from generation to another, My father tought me of our origins, we came to our land from the Golden plains seeking a rich enviroment, instead the land tortured us and sapped our natural pigment, for a while we were enslaved under the rule of the Moon King of the Golden Humies, our future was fought for and we returned to our desolate home, from there we have attempted to rebuild our shattered culture."

Father Sebastio puzzled asked "which direction did you sail from Captain Gritsnak? The Kirisubans don't know much off the lands outside their own borders and would be intrested in information about what lies ahead of them"

Maximus smiled at her,

"A very different scene then we are used to...they love it here, some have become over taken? by the woman of this great land...a certian beauty that surrounds you.."

Maximus paused slightly,

"as in..you..your woman of this country..that is.."

He thought to himself,

"may the gods hold my tounge in the future heh..haha"

OCC:Check your Telegrams, please, Kirisubo.

"I sailed from the Black Lands, going to the Red lands, I am assuming that my mission was succsessful barring the typhoon we remained on course for the best part, the Black lands are a waste, we only barely manage to survive by looting the foolish Humies to the White Lands."

(OOC: This is important, the Toop use the steppe color-direction system; black — north, blue — east, red — south, white — west, and yellow (or gold) — center, so they sailed from the North and went South, they also conduct raids on the Eastern lands and have once been slaves of the Central Peoples)

OCC:Check your Telegrams, please, Kirisubo.

heres a link to the ooc planning thread

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=463732

Father Sebastio absorbs this information as he walks with the Captain.

"so you came from the north?" he asks remembering the occasional northern traders that the Portugese traders deal with "and you were heading south.

My people have some dealings with merchants and fur trappers up there. they keep very much to themselves but you seem to be the first people from the north to land here in Kirisubo"

####

Hitomi smiles slightly and replies "some Portugese and spanish men have taken Kirisuban wives. they've been trading with us for a long time now. Maybe your own men may find wives as well if its their karma"

Maximus knew she had noticed his slip of words,

"I think that may be the case with some already haha! from the sounds of things we will be here for a long time...wonderful country..better than fighting in Gaul or Germainia..heh..mysterious lands they are, fairys and horrible beasts it is rumored in a forest thats so dark..it's called the Black Forest..i did not spend alot of time in those woods..im rather glad"

he looked up at the banner,

"If i manage to tame the some parts of the east ahead it's a new start for my people..away from war..."

"We're the first to leave over the water, we came seeking fresher resources and a better way of life, but it seems that we are destined to stay in the Black lands."

Father Sebastio says "Captain, you'll always find trade here. I've also heard off new islands in that direction".

he points North East and adds "if you sail to those two islands on the coast of Hokkaido and sail a parallel course from the first one you'll find them. They're called the Kurile Islands and nobody yet knows how many of them there are."

Reallydrunk']Maximus knew she had noticed his slip of words,

"I think that may be the case with some already haha! from the sounds of things we will be here for a long time...wonderful country..better than fighting in Gaul or Germainia..heh..mysterious lands they are, fairys and horrible beasts it is rumored in a forest thats so dark..it's called the Black Forest..i did not spend alot of time in those woods..im rather glad"

he looked up at the banner,

"If i manage to tame the some parts of the east ahead it's a new start for my people..away from war..."

"the Black forest sounds like a dangerous place" Hitomi comments "we've barely explored the north since our civil war stopped most explorers from doing their duty.

now we've peace who knows what can happen. Maybe we can secure some northern lands for ourselves but thats going to be in the future and new Ostian colonies is a strong possibility"

Maximus sighed then continued,

"we didn't find ours by exploring..we just came across it trying to take over everything we could, we spread our supply lines out too far therefore we had to stop..not to mention the Barbaric tribes we encountered...ones that paint their bodys with pegan symbols..."

He took a good look around then said,

"Yes...thats what i am hoping for..colonies, a new hope.."

Hitomi says as they ride on at a steady pace "the Portugese have already leased the port of Macao. thats in Imperial Cathay, one of our enemies.

The Spanish took over the Philipines, a chain south of Okinoiwa province and the Dutch have some bases even further south.

someday we'll have to expand and theres not much left to look for in the south.

I assume by pagan you mean they're not Christian?"

Maximus moved his head side to side trying with a thinking face,

"yes! those are the kind..but it's more in depth than you know..when i return from the Kurlies as i will inbetween battles i will bring you back relics to study..i am sure the Frozipans practice the same religion as the rest of the Pagan bastards.."

He paused realizing he was getting upset..

"excuse me, i apoligize for my manner on which i speak.."

Hitomi didn't let her annoyance show.

"Kirisubo is not a Christian nation either. Most of our people either follow Shinto or the various forms of Buddism. We also believe that our Emperor is divine, a descendant of the sun goddess.

the line has been unbroken for 1000 years despite the Mongols attempts to conquer us after they took over Cathay.

i may be a Christian but firstly I'm Kirisuban and we owe our loyalty primarily to our Emperor and the Shogun"

Maximus could tell he had said too much,

"I apoligize for my rather harsh comment, these people..their beliefs are like no other..i cannot explain it..you will see, i will find somthing to show my words are truth..i do not fully understand them but i try"

"They are un-civilized people, live like animals but respectable at the same time.."

Hitomi nods and says gently "I accept your apology and I look forward to seeing your proof.

I don't know if you'll find me very often. I'm an translator for the Bakafu government and my work takes me all round the empire. I just happened to be in Yokose because i was visiting my father, Lord General Nakamura Toshiro"

Maximus looked suprized,

"A General's daughter...im sure you are capible of thinking like one"

Maximus smiled,

"Im almost positive i will end up all around the empire at some time aswell, im well on my way haha"

Maximus was in a great mood, he enjoyed a nice ride in the country.

increasing the pace as the evening comes the party stops at an inn for the night when it gets dark.

the tired horses are stabled and they have an evening meal before the Kirisubans locate the bath house and relax after their hard day, sharing a large sunken bath.

They chat amongst themselves, Hitomi keeping what Maximus said to herself. the samurai finish and they split the night watch between themselves.

Lord Anjo and Hitomi still have business to sort out although as he gets further impressions of the Ostians from her.

Snikt rushed up to his Captain.

"Sir, the boat is finished!"

Gritsnak turned to look at the Toop and then turned back to the priest, Gritsnak fiddled around with a leather band on his neck, it had three claws attatched to it.

"In Toop culture the claws of the Black Bear will give you luck in combat, have this as a token of goodwill."

"thank you Captain" the priest replies accepting the gift.

He says his farewells and lets the goblins get back their task in hand.

He return to the chieftain and gives his impressions of Captain Gritsnak.

"maybe he's a man we can do business with again" Lord Hikaru muses.

Maximus sat in a common room at the Inn along with one of his guards discussing the days events and the things they had seen. Maximus was very close with his men, they respected him very much,

"what do you think of them Maximus?"

Maximus toyed with his family ring then replyed,

"who..the Kirisubans?..very honorable..Hitomi is a General's daughter.."

The soldier's facial expression changed to a blanc stare and his jaw dropped,

"I know..Gerneral's daughters do not! ride all over Ostia with groups of men..haha..that just proves she is very capible of defending herself"

The soldier laughed with Maximus then the door opened to the inn. The rest of the Ostian guards came in..except one..,

"Where is caligula?"

All of the soldiers smiled then one answeared,

"Down by the river..sir..with the Inn keepers daughter hahaha"

The room exploded in laughter,

"we havn't been here for an hour!! hahaha"

Hitomi returns with Lord Anjo into the common room after their bath.

The chieftain orders a few flasks of sake with Hitomi pouring once its warm.

She declines the sake sticking to green tea.

Having caught the end of the conversation she figures that an inn keepers daughter could handle herself in those circumstances.

She drinks her tea between sake refils and ponders a future as a widow. Her infant son was being cared for back in Edo where she called home for a small part of the year. the rest of the time she was working for the government in the important task of translating speech and writing.

Maximus looked at Hitomi and says,

"so..are you married? childern?..hopes of getting married?" Maximus grinned

This conversation was none of the soldiers buisness so they stood up and headed for the door, the one who had been with Maximus all along tapped his shoulder when he was leaving and smiled...before he left he spoke in a rough sounding language, Germanic,

"Generals daughter!" haha

Maximus grinned and his attention went back to the girl.

Hitomi looks up from her tea and replies "Maximus san, I was married until I was widowed at Sekigahara and I've an infant son Saruji.

How about you?"

OOC:http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=10263648#post10263648 the war thread

Maximus felt out of place upon hearing the answear to his question,

"I am married...it has been a long time sence i have been home..i don't know if she waits for me, i never know when she could be made a widow..i don't know if i have a child..."

Maximus's body trembled slightly,

"When i have crushed my Enemy...then i have earned my right to go home..it's been 2 years, lots of enemy..destroyed..now a new one has been put in front of me.. I fight like i do so my childern will never have to"

Hitomi nods sensing his feelings.

"I too hope that my son will never have to face war. now we are unified he has the chance to grow up in a peacefull nation.

However if war does come to our shores we will fight for our right to exist as a nation. we believe in death before dishonour and all samurai, myself included will answer the call to arms"

she drinks more tea and adds "I'm sure your wife will be waiting for you. Being separated from ones loved ones is the fate off all warriors no matter what their nationality but its only for a short time"

Weeks after the Frozopians had landed on the Kurile islands......

The ambassador landed ashore, bringing his Kirisuban wife Hana. He was not so much a ambassador, but a noble warrior. One of the first nobles to rush to Williams aid, his brother. With him were 6 body guards, although Conor hoped it would be unneccary. He looked forward to meeting the General Nakamura, William had spoke well of him. He had to meet him, and tell him of the rumours that wernt really rumours at all.

The Roman threat.

Ostian soldiers standing on the cliffs watched the ship come in,

"thats a Frozipan ship!" A soldier pointed out on the dark waters

Another soldier turned to the one who had spoke and replyed,

"They are friends you dim witted fool.."

The stayed high on the cliffs watching the wind bring in their enemy, they were powerless while on this island..it was made very clear.
_______________________
At the Inn:

Maximus smiled at her,

"you are right, you are very wise Hitomi..i should have guessed you would have been a Generals daughter haha, i hope for the best...when all this is over i never want to pick up a weapon again, only to teach my young son what i know so he may defend himself in the future..if i get a son.."

OOC: Topal i am guessing Maximus will arrive at the same time when you are with the General...? that would be interesting.

on the Kuriles

The trickle of Kirisuban merchants had became a regular stream. With the Frozopian colony well on its way to being established they had done well.

Koiko's translating had made things a lot easier and now the colony was a trading hub where the Frozopian and Kirisuban merchants gathered freely.

Silks, perfumes, spices, precious metals from Cathay and other eastern trade goods were going west. Another trade route was sucessfully being established.

Merchants hear a lot of rumours, especially Kirisuban ones. Reports had reached them through Portugese merchants that a large fleet was at sea heading east.

Their destination wasn't known yet but it was sailing in the direction of the Kirisuban empire.

they were worried. War was bad for business unless you were an arms dealer..

In the Ostian camp the word was everywhere of the approaching fleet. The men trained every day working with the Kirisuban's learning how to use bows while riding horses, they picked up this concept rather quickly. Ostian archers were very skilled, other things such as catapults,bastillas and battering rams were being constructed on the beaches every day.

It was also rumored that Ostian settlers joined the fleet, soldiers wifes,sons and daughters were on their way to start a new life in the east, the morale was very high during the month.

Weeks after the Frozopians had landed on the Kurile islands......

The ambassador landed ashore, bringing his Kirisuban wife Hana. He was not so much a ambassador, but a noble warrior. One of the first nobles to rush to Williams aid, his brother. With him were 6 body guards, although Conor hoped it would be unneccary. He looked forward to meeting the General Nakamura, William had spoke well of him. He had to meet him, and tell him of the rumours that wernt really rumours at all.

The Roman threat.


this time the Frozopians were expected and since he had been asked for, Lord General Nakamura Toshiro was glad to attend and to catch up with news of the Frozopian colony.

In the same place that their forces had clashed not so long ago the two men met in the kirisubans camp near the beach.

20 Samurai were there as a precaution but also because they were expected to be see there. He also noted the mans Kirisuban wife one off the 11 women who went with Lord William's ships.

having learned from the emmisary who he would be meeting Lord General Nakamura bowed and said in latin "good day, Lord Conor. How may we help you today?"

####

likewise the Kirisubans were fast learners. They had created lightweight Ostian style shields made from two layers of bamboo and covered in leather or traded animal skins. they were slightly smaller than the western variety but were designed to grip with the arm while the traditional Kirisuban long spear was retained.

The samurai has experimented with these and were still unsure. The peasant soldiers loved them although.

the Kirisuban archers has also adjusted their tactics and were training hard so they could perfect the Frozopian tactics that were used against them.

They didn't expect to have to go to war again but it was always good to be prepared.

"Good day General. William has told me that you are a great man, and I hope I see that to be true today."

"The Romans. They prepare to destroy our colony, for not reason other than bitter racial hatred. We ask that you assist us in destroying this Roman threat, but we will think no worse of you if you were to refuse. You understand, I am sure, that this colony benefits both our peoples. Perhaps you will lend us your sword in these trying times?"

General Nakamura orders tea to be brought in and he ponders briefly as it is poured and offered.

"Lord Conor" he replies "our people are concerned about recent developments as well. We've had a century of warfare and know full well what harm it can do. We prefer peace, trade and exploration.

We're also not in a position to wage a major war so soon after the end of our own civil war.

We also have a trade treaty with the Ostians the same way we have with you and would like to see peace in the region. theres plenty of land out there for everyone. it just has to be found first.

We can facilitate peace talks so your nations can discuss a peaceful solution. I can't understand why they would want to fight your people in the first place but we'll make ourselves available as mediators if we are requested.

I've also just returned from Edo and our Shogun has an idea of establishing a trade and military alliance between your people and ours. he also wants to include the Ostians. Betwen the 3 off us we would hold the balance of power in the region and not even Imperial Cathay could stop us from getting access to trade, safe ports and colonies anywhere in the region.

However it's doubtfull if it will work without the Ostians. Since we all need trade and colonies this looks like the best way to avoid a war. Given time i'm sure the Ostians could come round to seeing you as usefull allies in the region rather than enemies"



He drinks some of his tea wondering why the Ostians had to bring their old quarrels to the Empires doorstep.

At the edges of the empire

the two Imperial navy junks risked the typhoon season knowing how important their mission was.

Admiral Ishido was given a mapping misson round the kuriles and as they set their course NNE they wondered what was past what they already knew.

The strong wind pushes them away from the empire as they sail for a full day.

They make a stop over at the central island, the Imperial Navy flag proudly flying on both vessels, the red sun on a black field with an anchor in gold.

Ravean Trade fleet-Six Merchent vessels exploring for new lands, guarded by two Frigates.

Regina Spektor stared off into the horizon of the vast ocean. Over five months at sea, and nothing new discovered, save for a few barren islands and a couple of pirates. Regina turned her head to admire Mary Anne, the well-made Frigate that, along with her own Sampson, had guarded the six merchant vessels through this long and tiring journey. She thought that it might be time to turn back to the far-away Ravean homeland; the ships were slowly running low on food, and the soldiers were beginning to grumble. This was understandable for the Yojimbo, the expert mercenaries of the Ravean army, but when the Jeager soldiers began to complain, things were surely getting bad.

Still, Regina had orders to find new land-Any new land-and she still had yet to find anything worth mentioning. She sighed, and thought about having to report to Ravea empty handed. Regina rose to tell the Pilot that it was finally time to turn back when-

LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND! LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!

Regina stated, then withdrew her spyglass and looked to the west. Land! There it was:A group of huge islands, in all their glory. She could see smoke on the beaches-a native camp? Perhaps. She could see other ships in the far distance. Regina shouted orders across the ship, telling the crew to prepare for a landing.

OCC:These should be your guys on the beach, I suppose, [NS::]Reallydrunk.

On the beaches Ostian soldiers noticed the ships appraoching, The Ostian fleet that had come for war was to the west of the incomming vessels a quarter of a mile but very visable. The fleet had arrived a short time before the new ships were seen inbound to their position, a Sentry rushed to the General,

"Sir! ships inbound!" exclaimed the soldier

The General looked at Antonious who went with the Sentry out onto the beach to see the ships aswell,

"well..it's not our island..they must not have seen the fleet..to busy at their tasks...when they come welcome them, they could be friends of our allies here"

Antonious went back in the tent with the General.

OOC:Our time frame got slightly screwed up..so i guess we can say Maximus spent some time in the capital..i still want to have the meeting with the General.

The Chamberlain and the priest spot the new sails and the Portugese man says "more traders must be hearing about the Empire"

"as long as they stay in the treaty ports I don't care" the Chamberlain adds

The pair head down to the shore and wait.

ooc :

reallydrunk, the treaty that was agreed in Edo is an enlarged version of the trade agreement that Maximus and Lord Anjo signed. This new one covers the same ground with an agreement that military training can carried out and that this can be ceased given a weeks notice from either the Kirisuban or Ostian side. The frozopians have an non-agression pact and the same basic trade agreement.

Ravea, what you see is the three islands of Hokkaido province and the Ostian fleet out at sea.

Regina hopped off Sampson as it neared the shore; the ten Yojimbo in her ship followed. Captain Syrel, the commander of Mary Anne, did likewise. It was probably wise to keep the Jaegers on board; didn't want a large amount of armed men making anyone cautious. The six merchant vessels floated in the background.

Regina was armed with two large matchlock pistols-large, unwieldy weapons that fired a metal ball and produced a bright flash of fire-and a graceful saber encrusted with a Fleur de Lys. She much preferred the sword, but she had to admit that the pistols had a good deal of stopping power, at least at close range.

Syrel carried a long broadsword and a few long knives; the twenty Yojimbo carried everything from scythes to swords to chain whips. A couple were armed with rifles-longer versions of Regina's pistols that were effective at long range, but took a long time to reload. Each one of the Yojimbo was a unique, individual soldiers, but that's what made them dangerous to try and control. They were always trying to outdo each other and try to prove themselves as heroes-which they often were-but the constant competitions made the Yojimbo very short tempered and high-strung. The only reason Regina had brought them along was because of the fact that, because they all came from different places, the Yojimbo knew many other tongues besides Ravean.

As Regina and Syrel and the rest of their company strolled down the beach and headed towards the nearby camp on the shore.

OOC: I hope you dont mean rifles like the british rifles in the 1800's, at best you got gun's like a rubbish musket, maybe accurate at 30 yards.

(OOC: make way for the King of Toops, want to secure a peace between Kiri and Toops)

This Toopish raft seemed better than the others which had rowed to the Islands of Kirisubo a while back, this Raft seemed more like a boat, a product of the infamous Toopish looting raids, it had of course been Toopified and flew the Toop Moon flag on it's sails.

King Goredash sat on his throne in the middle of the deck, he was surrounded by a guard of 5 Noomian Orcs who had armour and weapons the likes of which could have only ever been looted, these guards were surrounded by small Grobbles who were heaving with loot which could be potentially sold once the boat had arrived at it's destination.

The sky was relativly clear so the island was spotted easily, a course was "set" and the boat made it's way to the beach and onwards to meet a fellow King of another nation.

ooc - Hey Kirisubo, I've been wondering.

Is there a sign up for this or invite or what?

OOC: I hope you dont mean rifles like the british rifles in the 1800's, at best you got gun's like a rubbish musket, maybe accurate at 30 yards.

Of course. These rifles are on the extreme edge of primative. Thirty yards would be a streach for these things. Regina's pistols will hardly shoot over five.

ooc - Hey Kirisubo, I've been wondering.

Is there a sign up for this or invite or what?

this is the sign up and OOC discussion thread

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=463732

some details about your PT nation and how you got to Kirisubo would do for starters. the rest we can hammer our later