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A number of excavated early Sabaean clay tablets
"Alhom the Poet, the priest of Ilmaqah, protector of Marib has decreed that all men should contribute an extraordinary tax this month, so that the walls can be restored before winter. The tax will be enforced by the personnel of the temples, and all those who evade it shall be punished by men and gods alike."
"Yaroh the date merchant has dedicated three slaves, three camels and chests of treasures to the great lord Dag. May these gifts bring joy to him, and may he protect Yaroh on his trips through the deserts and mountains, and may the great lord provide Yaroh with a pleasant life and a fortunate crop."
"About two and a half-moons ago, the cloth maker Garma and the warrior Yahiz had a dispute regarding the sewage water from the house of Garma. This water was thrown out by the wife of Garma, so that it flew to the backyard of Yahiz, causing nuisance to the whole house. And a few nights later the son of Yahiz fell ill and died. Enraged by this, Yahiz went over to the house of Garma, and a fight ensued between the men. The Great Council had to solve the dispute, and degreed that in compensation Garma had to hand two small chests of silver to Yahiz, and pay a fee to the temple of Ilmaqah. This has been recorded by Yajoh servant of Ilmaqah."
"Eleven moons ago the great merchant Hana from west entered our city, with a caravan of over one hundred camels. The council of priests allowed him to enter, after paying a tax of 5 Hamite slaves and 5 Sabayin slaves, 3 jars of spices and two handfuls of silver and gems. The great merchant and his family were given a permit of residence and allowed to settle in a house in the merchant district. At first the merchant Hana had to pay a tax twice larger than the tax payed by citizens, but due to his invaluable service to the city, he was granted citizenship, alongside with his family, two months ago. This report has been written by Zabin servant of Ilmaqah, on the request of the great council."
"Yakrib the son of a potter and a potter himself, agrees to sell his two sisters to eternal slavery to Great Goddess Allat. In return the Temple of Allat will provide him with four camels and two months’ worth of grain. The High Priestess Shaqila shall be the guardian and owner of these two slaves in the realm of the mortals."
(Mark of the potter)
(Mark of the temple of Allat)
The Day of Dawn and Dusk
A celebration of the New Empire, and the Gods it follows, the Day of Dawn and Dusk is a day long celebration, happening once every Decade from now on. There are many events, one of the major is Mingle of the Sun, where the Emperor as the sun reached the Highest point in the castle and Pray to Aninua, and the Mingle of the Moon where the same thing happens during the darkest point in the night, just towards Patinoa.
It is said that it is there blessing that has kept the young City-State running even when surrounded by much larger neighbors. With the Emperor, Juan IV Disacus , entering into his forties his hair is starting to grey and seems to be becoming weary. His son Alfons was reaching his great years, about to turn 19, and has been trained to lead the kingdom. When the Mingle of the Moon was about to begin an Assasin, snuck into Emperor Juan's chamber and slit his throat. His unappearence was noticed when the Mingle of the Moon was about to begin. The population of Gibraltar was at the doors of his palace waiting for it to begin. When he didn't show up Alfons went to investigate and found his father dead in his chamber with the murdurer long gone. Alfons continued the ceremony but there was a grim atmosphere over the city. Who would have ordered the Assassin, and why, would never be found out.
A celebration of the New Empire, and the Gods it follows, the Day of Dawn and Dusk is a day long celebration, happening once every Decade from now on. There are many events, one of the major is Mingle of the Sun, where the Emperor as the sun reached the Highest point in the castle and Pray to Aninua, and the Mingle of the Moon where the same thing happens during the darkest point in the night, just towards Patinoa.
It is said that it is there blessing that has kept the young City-State running even when surrounded by much larger neighbors. With the Emperor, Juan IV Disacus , entering into his forties his hair is starting to grey and seems to be becoming weary. His son Alfons was reaching his great years, about to turn 19, and has been trained to lead the kingdom. When the Mingle of the Moon was about to begin an Assasin, snuck into Emperor Juan's chamber and slit his throat. His unappearence was noticed when the Mingle of the Moon was about to begin. The population of Gibraltar was at the doors of his palace waiting for it to begin. When he didn't show up Alfons went to investigate and found his father dead in his chamber with the murdurer long gone. Alfons continued the ceremony but there was a grim atmosphere over the city. Who would have ordered the Assassin, and why, would never be found out.
The First Farmers
Long ago, before the time of my father, or the time of his father, or the time of his father's father, lived the shaman Bakh. Bakh was the wisest man in his tribe, sound of mind and strong of body, but he was cast out of his tribe by a Council of old and jealous men. "You are banished from our lands, Bakh," said the eldest Councilman. "Leave for the mountains far to the east. Leave here, and never return to the valley." When Bakh protested, all five men of the Council rose in anger. "You will obey our judgment," said the eldest, "or you will face us all in combat, here and now!" The eldest drew his fishing spear and pointed at Bakh's throat. With little choice, Bakh agreed. He filled a basket with all the shells he owned and strapped it to his back, and left his village for the great mountains to the east.
Bakh journeyed for two full moons, hunting and eating what he could, until he reached the great mountains. Here, he thought, he could make a new home for himself. But though Bakh was strong and wise, he knew nothing of the mountains. He knew not the strange beasts that called it home, nor did he know what plants were good to eat. No matter how many times he tried to trap the mountain creatures, they would escape, and eating the fruits and nuts only made him sicker. Soon, Bakh was growing very ill. He began to fall deeper and deeper into the world of dreams. At his lowest point, when he thought himself on the brink of death, the great god Iltheus appeared to him, in all the radiant splendor of the dawn.
"Iltheus, be merciful to me!" said Bakh. "I have come to this strange land as an outcast of my tribe, forsaken by the Council who could not match my efforts. Yet this land is unknown to me, and I have no food to eat. Please, take pity on me!"
"Worry not, child," replied Iltheus. "Take these. From them great and mighty plants shall grow, and they shall sustain you. Place them in the ground, water them well, and take care of them as you would your children. They shall nourish you and keep you. All I ask of you is that you bring my gift to your fellow people, so that they too may prosper and be well."
Bakh did as he was told, and lo and behold, when summer turned to fall, great crops appeared in the makeshift fields he had dug out in the forest. He had never seen so much food in his life! He feasted and feasted for days, gorging himself until he could eat no more, and fell into a deep slumber. When he awoke, he remembered the words of Iltheus. He thus began the long trek home to return to his tribe. When he arrived, he found them starving and in ruin. The fish had not come in any great amount this year, and he found his fellow tribesmen wasting away. When he told the Council the story of what had happened, they were skeptical, but his old friends stuck up for him, and he planted a new harvest for them. And so the tribe never went hungry again.
- from "Myths of the Ohlone," compiled by Kabazalus, 1856
The Division of the Vernacki Peoples
The division between the Vernacki who followed Uganimu and Jalevuni became increasingly severe as the distance between them increased, and the inland followers of Jalevuni became increasingly sedentary. After centuries of divergence, they were effectively two different peoples. Though both continued to see themselves as the "true" Vernacki, outsiders began to refer to them as the Ugavernacki and Jalvernacki respectively. Despite each group being heavily associated with one god, neither group stopped believing in both gods. Indeed, part of the internal opposition to the outsider labels was that each group believed itself the true followers of both gods, and that their chosen god was simply more deserving of worship, while the other was rightfully secondary. In other words both groups considered themselves the true followers of both gods, while the other group was perverting the intentions of both gods. To the Jalvernacki it was natural that Jalevuni was the greater god, for his stability made their lives easier and safer, and Uganimu's place of lesser importance made sense for the need to prevent stagnation by changing failed systems. To the Ugavernacki it was natural that Uganimu was the greater god, since his emphasis on change was what created the world and kept them strong as they moved from fertile lands to fertile lands, with Jalevuni earning his position as lesser importance by providing the stability for plants and animals to grow and sustain their semi-nomadic lifestyle.
Ironically enough, the Uganimu focus on change in terms of location and settlement result resulted in a far more stagnant and unchanging culture than the increasingly developed Jalvernacki. The development of sustained inter town trade was a boon to the development of a unified Jalvernacki culture, and allowed for the widespread adoption of the Talicke system, where wooden blocks were used as tokens of value to exchange for goods. While many were skeptical of something that had no value itself, but could be exchanged for something of value, the support of the priests and priestess of both gods for its role in changing the way trade was carried out and its method of stabilizing value of goods allowed the Talicke system to be widely adopted several decades after its invention in the 174th year of Jalevunastil ((1826 BC)). With a primitive system of currency established and agricultural production increasing, some residents in the larger towns began to become traders for a living, accumulating wealth and power by controlling goods and information between settlements. Due to the power involved in trading, many traders became priests or priestesses, and conversely many priests and priestesses became traders to control all aspects of town life. The traders who remained independent from the rulers of the city, often found themselves run out of town or worse, since the establishment hates competition. Traders often sought new and exotic goods far-afield, and while they often never returned from such endeavors, rumors abounded of vast and advanced nations far to the south, and there were many men, and a few women, who were willing to risk their lives on such travels. By the third centennial of the found of Jalevunastil, none had reached these fabled empires to the south and returned, but perhaps that would change one day.
((Resigning. Was really looking forward to this, but for some reason it hasn't held my interest. Maybe that will change as the timeline progresses?))
The Zenith and Downfall of the Great City of Qussa
The Golden Era
The greatest prosperity was experienced by the triple cities right before their end. With the establishment of the cities of Euxin and Tassala and the shift from the power of the nobility towards the power of merchants and private property owners, the city of Qussa was transformed from an archaic relic of the past to one of the most modern institutions in the world, with an advanced economic and democratic system. The majority of the populace was still under the boot of an organized oligarchy, but some mobility between classes was made possible by the wealth now flowing into the cities.
The previously small riverside harbours were turned into sprawling masses of docks, boats and men. Each of the ports would have its own walls to protect the wealth within, and on each corner would stand a single tower, overlooking the neighbourhood. These towers were of small military significance but were more of a political tool, serving as a reminder to the nobles and the princes of the Augsbur Palace that they do not have sole reign. Each port would have its own garrison. In most cases these garrisons were illegal; the authorities were however kept out of the people’s business with large bribes. The ports would also have an enormous cadre of people tasked with administrative duties. These men were usually hired from the common people; this meant that soon enough most of the people within the city were employed not by nobles but by merchants and producers. This put the loyalty of labour more at the feet of the rich than those who were noble.
Most of the money coming into the city was never properly taxed. Income taxes were of course unheard of, and most merchants paid the same measly taxes as poor commoners, as technically in the eyes of the law they were classified as the same. With the money not monitored but apparent to anyone who had eyes, it soon began causing strife between the different classes.
The lowest of the low were often angry at being excluded from the stream of wealth. People like farmers and shepherds were often times forbidden to sell food above a certain price, and the price very rarely changed. This meant that whilst the cost of everything, particularly land, increased due to inflation, their income did not. Many nomads thus switched from farming to outright raiding and robbery. Many boats were raided on the rivers, and sometimes angry mobs tried to besiege the ports, which allowed the merchants to justify the garrisons.
None would however be as angry as the nobility. Slowly wrestled out of trade, the nobles had to rely on taxes and harassment to supplement their decreasing incomes. With the merchants becoming more armed by the day, the nobles found it hard to bully them for their own financial gains. It was becoming clear to the ruling classes that if they let the current trends continue, soon their rackets would be made entirely unprofitable and they themselves would be wiped out as a ruling class.
The Reforms
The first reforms designed to address this would be introduced under the rule of Lhisseus. Lhisseus, a relatively young prince, would be elected to first prince primarily on the promise of addressing the issue and bringing back noble power. With him at the helm of Qussa, a great army was assembled in the city; two hundred men, mostly angry tax men with knives, were gathered and organised into a force meant for dispensing with the merchants. The ports alongside the river were occupied in rapid succession, and the merchants that survived the brutal assaults were jailed. This caused an immediate economic crisis, and the relations between the three cities to sour. Euxin and Tassala were both ruled by the merchants more than by the Princes (who rarely actually ventured there) and as such they managed to take over the cities before the great mob of Qussa could even react.
Lhisseus gathered the nobility and merchants of the city into the hills surrounding the Augsbur palace, and from there he gave his lecture. Some of the rare written accounts state that he spoke for four hours straight, calling for all men to unite and forge an eternal city. His reforms were met with loud cries of joy from the aristocracy and boos from the merchants. A whole new slew of laws were introduced:
1. The city was to be divided into administrative regions, each one headed by a noble. The four largest ports were a joint area from which wealth would go to the Princes and then be shared amongst the aristocracy.
2. For every eight animals imported into the city, one would be tax. For every six jewels, one would be tax. These type of taxes would be extended to every good imaginable, and at the end it would roughly translate to 1/7th of all wealth being levied as tax.
3. The illegal garrisons would never be re-established and nobles would instead provide protection to the ports from the mobs and nomads.
4. The merchant class would be given their own distinction in law as to bypass them being classified in the same way as commoners.
5. The ports would go from being owned by the merchants to being owned by the Augsbur Palace.
The Rise of the Merchants
With the nobles placated and the angry merchants dismissed home, the First Prince went to drink over the occasion. Whilst the nobles drank, however, the remaining merchants worked hard. They immediately re-garrisoned the forts. Seeing as they were about to lose most of their wealth to unfair tax practises, they spent a lot of it on hiring commoners to be their arms. The three forts were all closed off, and when the next day the tax rackets turned up, they were not let in.
The situation was complicated further by large armies coming from the cities of Euxin and Tassala. With the forts inside the city under siege, there were not many noble men to man the walls of Qussa itself. After three weeks of sporadic fighting, with other factions coming in and out, the merchants prevailed. The First Princes head was taken as tax and put up on the city gate, whilst the rest of his body was thrown into the river. The remaining princes were hanged outside the ports.
However, with this primitive revolution over, the old system was quickly re-established. The merchants would simply form the new noble class. The rule of the Augsbur Palace was also replaced by what could be called anarchy. The bonds between the three cities were severed, and competing merchants would simply fight it out until the very end.
The Golden Era
The greatest prosperity was experienced by the triple cities right before their end. With the establishment of the cities of Euxin and Tassala and the shift from the power of the nobility towards the power of merchants and private property owners, the city of Qussa was transformed from an archaic relic of the past to one of the most modern institutions in the world, with an advanced economic and democratic system. The majority of the populace was still under the boot of an organized oligarchy, but some mobility between classes was made possible by the wealth now flowing into the cities.
The previously small riverside harbours were turned into sprawling masses of docks, boats and men. Each of the ports would have its own walls to protect the wealth within, and on each corner would stand a single tower, overlooking the neighbourhood. These towers were of small military significance but were more of a political tool, serving as a reminder to the nobles and the princes of the Augsbur Palace that they do not have sole reign. Each port would have its own garrison. In most cases these garrisons were illegal; the authorities were however kept out of the people’s business with large bribes. The ports would also have an enormous cadre of people tasked with administrative duties. These men were usually hired from the common people; this meant that soon enough most of the people within the city were employed not by nobles but by merchants and producers. This put the loyalty of labour more at the feet of the rich than those who were noble.
Most of the money coming into the city was never properly taxed. Income taxes were of course unheard of, and most merchants paid the same measly taxes as poor commoners, as technically in the eyes of the law they were classified as the same. With the money not monitored but apparent to anyone who had eyes, it soon began causing strife between the different classes.
The lowest of the low were often angry at being excluded from the stream of wealth. People like farmers and shepherds were often times forbidden to sell food above a certain price, and the price very rarely changed. This meant that whilst the cost of everything, particularly land, increased due to inflation, their income did not. Many nomads thus switched from farming to outright raiding and robbery. Many boats were raided on the rivers, and sometimes angry mobs tried to besiege the ports, which allowed the merchants to justify the garrisons.
None would however be as angry as the nobility. Slowly wrestled out of trade, the nobles had to rely on taxes and harassment to supplement their decreasing incomes. With the merchants becoming more armed by the day, the nobles found it hard to bully them for their own financial gains. It was becoming clear to the ruling classes that if they let the current trends continue, soon their rackets would be made entirely unprofitable and they themselves would be wiped out as a ruling class.
The Reforms
The first reforms designed to address this would be introduced under the rule of Lhisseus. Lhisseus, a relatively young prince, would be elected to first prince primarily on the promise of addressing the issue and bringing back noble power. With him at the helm of Qussa, a great army was assembled in the city; two hundred men, mostly angry tax men with knives, were gathered and organised into a force meant for dispensing with the merchants. The ports alongside the river were occupied in rapid succession, and the merchants that survived the brutal assaults were jailed. This caused an immediate economic crisis, and the relations between the three cities to sour. Euxin and Tassala were both ruled by the merchants more than by the Princes (who rarely actually ventured there) and as such they managed to take over the cities before the great mob of Qussa could even react.
Lhisseus gathered the nobility and merchants of the city into the hills surrounding the Augsbur palace, and from there he gave his lecture. Some of the rare written accounts state that he spoke for four hours straight, calling for all men to unite and forge an eternal city. His reforms were met with loud cries of joy from the aristocracy and boos from the merchants. A whole new slew of laws were introduced:
1. The city was to be divided into administrative regions, each one headed by a noble. The four largest ports were a joint area from which wealth would go to the Princes and then be shared amongst the aristocracy.
2. For every eight animals imported into the city, one would be tax. For every six jewels, one would be tax. These type of taxes would be extended to every good imaginable, and at the end it would roughly translate to 1/7th of all wealth being levied as tax.
3. The illegal garrisons would never be re-established and nobles would instead provide protection to the ports from the mobs and nomads.
4. The merchant class would be given their own distinction in law as to bypass them being classified in the same way as commoners.
5. The ports would go from being owned by the merchants to being owned by the Augsbur Palace.
The Rise of the Merchants
With the nobles placated and the angry merchants dismissed home, the First Prince went to drink over the occasion. Whilst the nobles drank, however, the remaining merchants worked hard. They immediately re-garrisoned the forts. Seeing as they were about to lose most of their wealth to unfair tax practises, they spent a lot of it on hiring commoners to be their arms. The three forts were all closed off, and when the next day the tax rackets turned up, they were not let in.
The situation was complicated further by large armies coming from the cities of Euxin and Tassala. With the forts inside the city under siege, there were not many noble men to man the walls of Qussa itself. After three weeks of sporadic fighting, with other factions coming in and out, the merchants prevailed. The First Princes head was taken as tax and put up on the city gate, whilst the rest of his body was thrown into the river. The remaining princes were hanged outside the ports.
However, with this primitive revolution over, the old system was quickly re-established. The merchants would simply form the new noble class. The rule of the Augsbur Palace was also replaced by what could be called anarchy. The bonds between the three cities were severed, and competing merchants would simply fight it out until the very end.
The World: 1,700 - 1,550 BCE
The Americas
The Ohlone peoples continue to thrive, populating further up the coast and spreading their culture. Most migration comes the lesser fishing tribes, as those who live in the more fertile lands see less need to move. In their wake can be found quaint structures, the first Ohlone foray towards construction with stone blocks. More durable, these stand the sands of time, and even today some may be found as artifacts.
Europe, Africa, and the Middle-East
Through methods of trade, the Jalvernacki, the now distinct descendants of the Jalevuni sub-culture of the Vernacki, adopt the art of metal-working will full force, and soon copper spears and coinage is spread across the various settlements. Accompanying this invention is language, originating from the priestly class who now may put into writing their religious tales and various records they deign to keep. Their cousins - the Ugavernacki - find themselves successful as well, and actually find power through the subjugation and subsequent enslavement of the few descendants of the destroyed Vorenn.
The maritime Nexus civilization during this time faced a sharp decline, its origin most commonly pointed to great in-fighting from a rising force of noblemen and advancing warriors. Anarchy reigned and by the end of this period, little remained of the past order, with petty rulers controlling cities and lands, always at war. The trade posts and lands not on the island of Nexus proper (Crete) fell as well, replaced by divergent cultures or subsumed by neighboring civilizations.
In the wake of Nexus collapse, Traikosian merchants filled the void, finally connecting the markets of the east and west mediterranean through sea. Trade flourished and so did the wealth and influence of the merchants of Traikos. Outposts could be found on Nexus itself, while links could be traced from Corazia all the way to Millara.
Such success does not translate into successes against the Latin tribes of the north however. Constantly Traikos finds its plan foiled by skilled Osci leaders, internal incompetence or strife, or apathy to expanding northward when trade fills the coffers of the elite. If anything, the Osci has been strengthened in face of a common and meddlesome enemy.
As could be expected, the First Ishin Empire was quick to subjugate northern Mesopotamia, and the Qussan city-states were no exception. Weakened by internal strife, Euxin and Tassala were the first to fall. These cities were absorbed into the personal influence of the First Dynasty of Ishin, but Qussa itself bore a different fate. When Ishin marched on Qussa, a merchant-turned nobleman capitalized on the situation, ousting the defiant First Prince and usurping the title for himself. When the time for siege came, Ishin found submission, and in exchange, this nobleman was allowed domain over Qussa as First Prince, his post made hereditary in exchange for lasting loyalty.
This period of the Sabaean civilization is perhaps one of the most fascinating due in parts to the emergence of vast catacombs of Sabaean artifacts. Centered around the city of Marib, the largest sites were typically adorned with an entrance monument which led downward into carved chambers with signs of wealth and prosperity. Perhaps even more astounding is that these same styles could be found, to a lesser extent, in Ethiopia and upper Egypt, as evidence shows the adoption of coastal trade by certain Sabaean groups. This represents a large change in Sabaean society as one of its first and most important connections with outside civilizations, with the cultural exchange oftentimes going both ways.
GM NOTE: Basically everyone minus Aedan, RopespierreReborn, XVG, Shynka, Arrowfiend, and Scrapknight are gone. Furthermore, Ekon/Ranger900 shall be stepping down as co-GM. This means that I am reforming the capacity of this game to fit only 9 people, all of which will send orders to me.
Deadline will be weekly, every Sunday, including this one, until otherwise stated. ICs and orders still mandatory for staying on.
GM Note: With zero participation this turn, I announce the game formally concluded. Thanks to everyone who participated prior, and for getting us this far.