I have finally resumed employment, so the pace of updates is likely to slow down again as I get back into that rhythm. For now, here are the results for the third idea group. As we won't be able to pick Economic next time, Quality will get the bonus for second place.
Economic +5 – Total 19
Infrastructure +5 – Total 23
Trade +1 – Total 9
Court +2 – Total 13
Defensive +2 – Total 3
Quality +5 (+2 +3) – Total 19
Chapter Seven: Spreading the Word
1513-1528
Archaeological Enchantment Laboratories, Apaškumar, Kumarkand, 1528
Minxi took the stairs one step at a time, almost needing to clamber up each of them. They were built large for a human, never mind a person of her own stature. So much of Kumarkand was built with taller types in mind. As she passed a window climbing up the tower, she could see the looming edifices of the palace quarter of Yesd Apaškumar standing beyond the city walls, further demonstration of how monumental these humans liked to build things.
It reminded her of home, one she never expected to see again. The lofty marble gates of the hold, the shining new libraries of Aqatbar, and the once-ruined villages rebuilt in marble where human, elf and goblin could live together. That there were more humans deeper in the flatlands who held the same ideals was a relief, one she was glad to offer praise to their sun god for.
The sound of a hammer made her freeze on a step. It brought back bad memories, but she would not let it stop her. She'd come here for a reason, to demonstrate to the nice bird lady that she would regret her decision to let them in. A heavy door stood on the next landing marked with a wooden sign.
'Helm Studies, Lab Fifteen'
She pushed on the door and the sound of hammering grew louder, along with a wave of hot air that rolled out into the staircase. The laboratory was heavy with the heat of a glowing forge, which caught in the corner of Minxi's eye as she focused on the others present in the room. A human and elf were crouched over a bench, their eyes focused upon their investigations under the harsh glow of a magelight.
"Lord szel-Azamezan?" Minxi squeaked as she leant against the door to close it behind her.
The human looked up and smiled at her. He didn't look much like an important lord, being barely an adult and dressed like a soldier in camp rather than a magi or researcher. His clothes were far too loose and common, though earrings that didn't quite fit him and a necklace that was a little too tight adorned his head.
"You've arrived," he said with a smile, "praise Surael."
"Yeah, praise to Surael," she replied, nodding her head rapidly.
"Parfiz, this is the specialist?" the elf asked, giving her a more sceptical look.
"Why wouldn't she be, Elanil?" the young lord, Parfiz, said.
The elf, Elanil, continued to look at her. He was far more fitting for the part of a magical researcher, clad in gilded robes of fine silk that were tied up tightly to keep from disrupting the work on the bench.
"I've read books on runic magic in Shazstundihr and the magical properties of silver in Aqatbar," Minxi spoke up, "the Akali thought those might be useful to help you."
"Well, what can you tell me about this?" Elanil said. He held out a piece of paper with a complex magical array printed on it.
She scampered over the bench. Parfiz offered her a stool, which she hopped up onto and stood on, for once putting her on nearly the same height as the other two. They spread the paper out onto the bench and her eyes flickered rapidly as she took in the image. It was exactly as she had been told. There was a mixture of dwarven runes and something that looked like ancient Bulwari script carved around the edges of the array. Both were from times so long ago that she could not fully understand them, but she could catch the gist of it from pieces here and there.
"It's interwoven a bit," she said, pointing out the points where the two scripts intersected, "but there's a clear delineation overall. The runes are for outward protection, making the silver as strong as steel and redirecting magical energy, I think. The text is doing something else. It mentions echoes, but I've got no clue what of."
"Great! You're already caught up!" Parfiz said, tapping her on the shoulder. She even earned a smile from Elanil.
The discussion continued from there, delving deeper into what each aspect of the array meant, how it provided the helms with an incredible resistance to magic, and how they were still not sure how to fully replicate it. The greatest issue was that there was no internal magical supply, so it was unclear how the array was meant to be powered. Throughout this, the sound of the hammer continued and the forge remained in the corner of Minxi's eye. No matter how engrossed she became, she could not put the fear out of her thoughts.
Then, the hammering stopped.
"Alright, cleaned it up for the greenskin," a sour voice spoke up from direction of the fiery glow.
The dwarf who had been in the room the whole time stepped forward with a faintly glowing helmet held out at the end of a pair of tongs. His eyes were buried beneath thick auburn yebrows, but Minxi could feel them boring into her. There was something unspoken there, something both ancestral and recent. She had been driven from her home by his kin, but she had read the histories, read how her people had contributed to the fall of his people in turn. She swallowed her fear and spoke up.
"Thank you, master smith," she said, bowing to him.
"I didn't do it to get your thanks," he said, "we're both working on this project for the Akali."
The other two quickly made space on the bench and set out a charred and warped wooden support. The helm was placed upon it, and Minxi was able to get a closer look. It was silver, with bronze ornamentation. It looked similar, though less ornate, to the one the feathered queen had been wearing when she had met her. Most importantly, the array she and the other researchers had been studying was carved into the interior of the helm. It was incomplete, with some of it looking like it had been melted off. She looked at the dwarf.
"Cleaned it up, like I said," he said, shrugging, "these two said it was too damaged illegible, so they wanted to re-do the carving."
Minxi peered at it, then back at the entire magical array laid out on paper. If it was partly unreadable, then was the diagram even accurate? She focused on the ancient text, as it was the part of it was least clear. It flowed upwards through the helm to the silver spike that poked through the bronze decoration at the very top.
"Echoes," she said to herself, getting lost in thought for a moment.
Then it struck her, just as a bolt of lightning would strike the peak of a tower.
"It's a magical receiver!" she exclaimed, "the power comes from somewhere else!"
In a fit of excitement, she grabbed the helm, ignoring the near-painful warmth still in the metal, and held it before her. They only needed to make it ready, to rebuild the array. Finding the power source was a different matter, but she suspected it would be coming from another helm. Magical defences that could be shared among a large number of people, even those without their own magic, was an amazing innovation for something so old.
As she stared into the empty helm, she thought she could hear stuttering and disjointed whispers leaking out from within, but she dismissed the concern. She had found her place among these people, working for the furtherment of magical knowledge. With a grin, she handed the helm over to Elanil, who held a damestear-tipped chisel in his hand. Together, they would learn from the past and build countless magical gadgets for the future.
Excerpts from Musings on the First, Second, and Only Empire, retrieved from the Panu Karqašlu Archives in 2025 After Ash
The era of Irrliamic dominance of Bulwar had come to an end. Not only had Kumarkand surpassed them, but they faced invasion from the dwarves and their allies. Taking advantage of this by attacking the gnolls that they had deigned to protect was a brilliant idea that would see both the old order and the demon worshippers crushed.
As I continued to talk to Farana, she grew increasingly isolated and reticent. Not so far as to jeopardize her rule, but enough that she found herself devoting herself to books on ancient magic while relying on a network of informants to keep her appraised of the situation. At my advice she began dispatching spies into the dwarven nations that were invading Bulwar, for I could foresee the great threat that they would pose.
I was surprised to learn that the EaNasir family still existed. The were peddling substandard goods even during the reign of my forebears, only escaping righteous execution through bribery and discounted cheese. However, the fools that fell for such trickery also deserved punishment for failing to heed history. They were not be compensated, and had no choice but to eat the cheese they were given.
That damn Ea-Nasir, you can't even escape him and his poor-quality goods in another world.
The expansion of dwarven control was not unexpected, after all the wars they had been conducting in Bahar. What was not expected was the expansion of their holdings not just from the foot of the mountain but also deeper into the western fringes of the Šad Našratu and onto the Drolas Peninsula. It was clear now that Ovdal Tûngr sought nothing less than complete dominance of the seas, which would inevitably throttle Karqašlu if allowed to succeed.
Though I advocated for more devastating terms, to see our long-time rival driven into the sand, the Akali settled for the city of Harklum, the last of the Upper Suran River still under Irrliamic control, and the contents of their treasury. She invested the money into reagents and laboratories for the magi, seeking more of the secrets of the ancient world. This adherence to the past mollified my annoyance, for I was curious where she intended to delve.
Money and mission targets are more efficient here. As they are a non-cobelligerent in this war it was far too expensive to take more territory.
As to the remainder of the war with the gnolls, it was a straightforward affair. Without the raw power of a Xhazobine, they were crushed under the weight of the armour and magic of the Ituqattar. Horses charged beneath Surael's gaze, driving the Darkness from the lands and into the deeper desert of the south.
The Šad Sur was freed from the depths of demonic depravity, and the Lightbringers were invited in to begin sweeping the land clean of any remains of the Xhazobkult. Those gnolls who turned away from the Kult and into the Light would be welcomed, while those who held tightly to the abyssal abominations would face judgement by fire and blade. From a more strategic perspective, these mountains would serve as the bulwark against further invasion from the desert or from Kheterata once the region was pacified.
Under Farana, the Šad Našratu saw a blossoming of prosperity and peace. Roads weaved across the hillsides, patrolled by noble Sahiru to deter raids from bandit flocks. Roost-spires grew from the villages and towns of the human population, linking the old, isolated roosts with these communities. Haqharias became the centre of human-harpy cooperation in the north, a city that challenged some of those found on the plains of the great rivers.
By the end of the decade, just forty years after their foundation, the Ituqattar made up the majority of the nobility within the nation. Ruling from horseback, enriching their fiefdoms with the wealth of their enemies, and swearing their loyalty to the Akali, they proved their value to the rising Second Empire. In some instances, they raised additional taxes from their population for the sole purpose of proclaiming their loyalty and advancing the interests of Karqašlu.
Though Apaškumar remained the political centre of Kumarkand, it was inevitable that Bulwar would once again arise as it rebuilt from the devastation wreaked upon it. Its strategic position straddling the closest pass of the Suran and Buranun Rivers meant that it would always remain one of the greatest cities in the region that was named after it. Goods from as far away as the new Aelantiri colonies flowed up the Suran, travelled overland beside the ruined canals that once linked it to the Buranun, then travelled back downriver to Apaškumar.
Avamezan, the last independent Akalate east of Lake Naza, fell without much fight. As with most of the Upper Suran, its lands were passed to Akalšes to administer. The nation was famous for its horse races, which drew crowds from across Bulwar. Now they would benefit Akal Kyruš in the form of taxes and tolls on the vast sums of gold gambled away in its stadia.
It was a moment to be celebrated, as the heartland of ancient Karqašlu, the lands of the Zanites descended from my people, the warm and fertile lands of Surael, were united under a single banner, that of the Second Empire. Or, that was how it ought to have been. The dual Akalate, the supposed partnership of Akalšes and Kumarkand, was soon to be tested to its limits. A great celebration was to be hosted in the palace of Yesd Apaškumar, where the nobility of both Akalates would join hands in triumph.
What occurred there was far worse than I could ever have expected. The Akali was late to the party, too distracted by her studies. When she arrived and I saw through her eyes and heard through her ears the jeers and insults of the Akalšes delegation I was incensed. I directed her to Kyruš and the two rulers engaged in a vicious argument in which Kyruš insisted that he was the rightful Akalunakal, Akal of Akals, or Emperor as the Cannorians say. To imagine such insult on the soil upon which Panu Karqašlu was founded had been beyond my own imagination. With both of us in a rage, Farana cast out the delegation with a demand that they understand their place.
It was all a ruse, of course. Kyruš was not so foolish as to believe that Kumarkand was the junior partner in actuality. It had all been in the interests of laying the groundwork for their own rebellion, one that I had not seen coming. I had thought them cowed, but their own heritage as the legacy that had even given us the word 'Akal' had convinced Kyruš that he could ascend as Akalunakal. As thousands of nobles defected and the war began, Surael's grace saw the Ituqattar remain loyal.
Led by a skilled planetouched warrior, the mass of rebels first advanced against Nanšalen to cut off any possibility of their capital being flanked. However, they had made the mistake of abandoning their capital to the mercies of the Sarraka, who would not take treachery lightly. Their magic would bring down the walls far more quickly than a harpy roost could be breached.
The Age of Monsters had passed. Those who still clung to the old ways would be burned out, while those who embraced civilization would be welcomed. Now was an age where the existing order was questioned and torn down, be that the Cannorians engaging in mock battles between equally dead gods, the High Philosophy being questioned from within, or Karqašlu arising from the fires of war and strife to claim its rightful place.
The cowardly rebels continued to strike at the weak, aiming for the main force of harpy auxiliaries that had scattered from their initial advance into Nanšalen. In the tight valleys below Ayarallen Roost, they were caught and cornered by the heavy spears of the Ituqattar and a full half of their number were annihilated. The Šad Našratu were spattered red with the blood of traitors, and those who fled did not make it much further before they too were put to the blade.
Akalšes gets a decent stack of troops when they rebel, but against our quality they don't stand much of a chance.
Once it was over, Farana departed for Arašbar so that we could survey the damage. The city had been abandoned by most of its defenders in their mad harpy chase, and so it had not been totally sacked, but the Ituqattar had still claimed their due. Kyruš had been burned alive to cleanse the obvious influence from the Malevolent Dark within him, while other swathes of the city still smouldered. I implored to not tear her eyes from the sight, so she might remember the fate of traitors, and with my guidance she marked down the words that ended Akalšes forever. All nobility with ties to the rebellion were executed, their lands were parcelled among the Ituqattar, and all reference to their imagined Akalunakal were scrubbed from history. Karqašlu is the only legacy worthy of remembrance.
This is why I was silently glad we didn't actually pick a diplo idea. We'll be underwater for a while. The other option keeps them as a vassal with an LD and annexation cost reduction. If we'd taken Influence earlier I would have picked that instead.
With Akalšes eliminated, the state of Bulwar became far starker. The clear divide between the Jaddari controlling the eastern reaches, Kumarkand arising in the centre, and the remaining elven states sandwiched between the Second Empire and the dwarven incursion demonstrated that the age of minor Akalates and squabbling kingdoms had ended. The unravelling had not yet ended, but when it did there would only be one power remaining in Bulwar.
The Sahiru were changing. Just as the Sarraka and other heavy cavalry came together into a single overwhelming force, the light cavalry delved more into skirmishing and harassment. Those platforms for raining death upon the foes of Karqašlu were decent enough, but I still yearned for weapons that could shatter a cavalry charge from a distance and not just pepper infantry with shots. The guns that were filtering into Bulwar seemed to be the answer to that, but they remained too unwieldy to use on horseback.
After the near-disaster of Nanšalen, their flocks were integrated directly into the armies of Kumarkand as auxiliaries. A force of harpies caught on its own was simply too vulnerable. However, backed by cannons and heavy cavalry they could fall into other roles. Fortresses could be stormed by air, and supplies could be lifted over natural barriers with little issue. The elven commanders within the Ituqattar protested, insisting that they could provide greater benefits, but the fact remained that they were far too few in number to provide benefit to a growing army.
Human military is fairly dull, but it does have one major upside. If you get another race to integrated you can add them as a bonus to your military, to help minmax your strategy. Elves aren't too bad, 5% discipline is nothing to sniff at, but as I am starting to transition away from mercs (besides the Sarraka) the manpower hit would really hurt. Harpies on the other hand give much-needed siege ability, which is far rarer than fort defence that we can find other sources of.
As sprawling farm estates spread across the rural landscape, they began to touch upon the arid outskirts, further from the life-giving waters of the rivers. Through extensive local infrastructure development, new canals and irrigation networks were built that fed into orchards and sparser farms allowing even further expansion of fertile land across Kumarkand. No person would go hungry, and the population boom would serve the military well.
While rule of Azkabar had been handed to Akalšes, they had failed to take advantage of the treasure trove of talent that dwelt within its darkest cells. Those magi who had been freed in the initial capture of the city had scattered to their own ends. By bringing them back together and having them serve as the backbone of an expanded Sarraka, its numbers would grow and so to would the power of the Ituqattar that they formed the backbone of. The infrastructure for this would take time to develop, however.
While we are here, we get a brief update on the state of the mission tree. We are roughly halfway through the first half of the Kumarkand mission tree. Now that we have made some progress I can go into some more detail on the five tracks, from the left: integrating harpies, pushing towards the coast, going eastwards towards Rahen, economic/military developments, and religion. They converge towards the end, but we are still quite far away from that.
A grand celebration of horseracing was something that I had much enjoyed in my time, though those had been chariot races of a far more destructive and entertaining sort. The simplicity of horse and rider does have its own allure, one that the Akali indulged on occasion. She was not a great judge of horse capability, not being a rider herself, but it took her mind away from darker memories and deeper secrets.
In the interests of brevity I only showed the outcome. You pick a horse, pick a bet amount, and see what happens. There are more interesting interactions with this event we can look at later, as it recurs roughly every 30 years.
The dwarven expansion into Bahar brought with it oppression on a massive scale. The Marbleheads had demonstrated a great deal of forethought in their conquest, attempting to integrate with the human and elven populations, and that soon undone by dwarves bearing grudges from beneath the mountains. Surael does not turn any away, and these unfortunates were welcomed into Kumarkand as valuable citizens bringing interesting knowledge and ideas.
Their expansion continued at the expense of the elven kingdoms, with the Drolas peninsula and the coastline of the Gulf of Glass falling to their invasion. It was clearer than ever that they intended to dominate the trade flow between Bulwar and Cannor to fund their deep delves into the Darkness that lies below their holds.
In a grand ceremony before the obsidian walls of Azkabar, the Akali gave a grand speech regarding the Sarraka as the guardians of Surael's Garden and as her weapon against those who still threatened it. As she spoke, I made sure to remind her that for all their power the Ituqattar remained mortal and fallible, and prone to corruption. If their loyalty ever waned, it might spell disaster. To kill two phoenixes with one spell, I suggested that she delve deep beneath the soil and uncover more of the relics of old, so that they might be distributed among the noble warriors. In their hands, upon their heads, they too would learn of the power of Karqašlu.
Increased to 16 regiments, the Sarraka are now actually useful as a standalone combat force. The war wizard gets a +1 to all stats (and +2 to siege!).
Farana had other concerns, ones that she had delved deeply into both Bulwari magic lore and ancient harpy mysticism. She had become very interested in tales of eggs being cultivated to produce mighty shaman with mightier voices. When her daughter and heir fell in a very strange accident, having ridden a horse on a hunting trip instead of flying under her own power, the Akali had the opportunity to put her thoughts into practice. Her next clutch of eggs would be doused by the finest potions and kept within a mana-gathering magical circle until the moment they hatched.
We didn't get to show off rite of conception in the past, so here is a good chance to try it. For some cash up front you the mage estate makes an attempt at giving you a mage heir. The chances of a good outcome are random, varying based on mage influence, whether your ruler is a powerful mage, and a couple of other parameters. As I allude to, the harpy religion has an interaction that does a similar thing to this.
While she worked, another quick campaign against Irrliam saw more territory along the Suran fall, finally giving the Second Empire a coastline as well as full control of both rivers from the Jaddari border to the city of Medurubar, where they finally met. The end of the Drolas Peninsula was also seized to halt the dwarven advance further into Bulwar Proper. Between two ancient civilizations, the kingdoms were shattered, with no hope of restoration.
The Qašnitu grew in numbers, forming a network of scholars, magi and wealthy philanthropists who were highly interested in the history of Karqašlu. Elevating them further as the intellectual core of the Second Empire would be exactly what I needed to see my own ideas fulfilled, with the backing of ancient texts and long-lost artefacts that were collected in their new institutions.
Dimuzi came far after my time, and yet I have heard his name spoken than more any other hero of the ancient world. As a half-elf of Precursor, not Sun Elf, heritage, he guarded Panu Karqašlu for centuries and ensured that the city was not erased by the coming of monsters. His legacy was nearly erased by the Cult of Jaher, that sought to ban any acknowledgement of half-elves, but his story was so ingrained into the cultural tales of Karqašlu's descendants that it could not be stomped out. The Qašnitu Society saw a renewed interest in his story, and began sending expeditions to seek his legacy in particular.
Two eggs hatched from Farana's clutch, one of which produced a hatchling with clear deformities but around whom magic swirled incessantly, and the other of which produced a child with bright eyes and a clear mind. The Akali was pragmatic enough to not leave the nation in the hands of one so powerful but incapable, and embraced the non-magical child as her heir. The unfortunate invalid was sent to distant roost in Ayarallen, where she would eventually become a seer of minor renown, her prophecies limited by her inability to act upon them.
This is not quite the worst outcome but it is pretty close, offering us a 0/0/1 powerful mage heir. Since in the interim I got a decent new heir anyway, I decide to ignore the poor thing.
She threw herself back into her other magical studies, collaborating with the Qašnitu Society to bring thousands of helms together, restore them to the same state as the Master Helm, and outfit the Ituqattar. An incredible investment in time and money was poured into the magi's laboratories and the university in Apaškumar, and thousand of volunteers were conscripted from across the nation to test the helms without the more valuable warriors being placed at risk.
Expense did not matter; lives did not matter. All that mattered, as I drilled into the Akali's mind, was that the soldiery of Kumarkand was outfitted with the relics of Karqašlu. Through intense examination and repeated experiments, the magi were able to rebuild the damaged helms and also start manufacturing new ones. Never again would foreign enchantments fall upon the minds of the army, their thoughts guarded by the voices of the past.
A tomb was located in a sheltered and uninhabited valley at the base of the Serpentspine, upon which Surael never shone His Light. Rather than deal with the arguments of scholars I ordered, through the Akali, that the entrance be torn down by hand. Its secrets would be made of use to the Second Empire.
Inside, they found flourishing gardens lit by complex mechanisms that drew light from the height of the mountain all the way into the depths of the valley. A magical creature, a homunculus, watched over the gardens and allowed entrance to the expedition. In the heart of the tomb lay Dimuzi's mother, a Precursor Elf. Her legacy had all but crumbled, forgotten in a hidden corner of Bulwar.
It was perfect. Just as the members of the expedition broke down in sorrow at their understanding of their failure to preserve the location or exterior of the tomb, so too was her story a means to demonstrate to the people of Kumarkand that it was their duty to restore and preserve the garden of Karqašlu. A grand funeral was held at the tomb, celebrating the elven woman, her son, and the future of Surael's Garden.
And as for Dimuzi himself, his legacy was just as important. He was the exemplar of everything that Jaddar had spoken of, that all races had their place and could serve Surael and Karqašlu both. With a harpy Akali, a growing population of goblins, and deserts filled with pacified gnolls the Second Empire had grown into a tapestry of civilization. Even as it took the fight westwards against the dwarven interlopers, it saw only their empires as enemies, while their populations were citizens in waiting.
You get different benefits from Dimuzi's legacy depending on which religion you follow.
To be continued…
Vote
Just as we are reclaiming the legacy of Karqašlu, the dwarves are rebuilding their mythical empire of old. It is a noble project. However, they have grown greedy and arrogant in their tunnels and now spill out onto the surface as though that is also their birthright. We need to punish them and ensure that they no longer present any threat to the burgeoning Second Empire. I command it of you and your descendants.
(This vote does not decide anything specific, but rather the standard policy regarding our dwarven neighbours. Ovdal Tûngr in particular will be dealt with directly regardless of outcome.)
Bottle them within – Once they are driven back into the mountains, they are of little concern to Karqašlu. We are a nation of Light, while they are nations that dwell in Darkness. Wall up the entrances and let them fester there.
Shatter their unity – However, a powerful dwarven nation under the mountain might yet pose a threat. In the words of Jaddar, we must take the fight to the Darkness and see it vanquished. The holds must be divided from one another, so no empire can arise that challenges us.
Establish marches – To go one step further than that, we could bring Light to the underground, just as Jaddar did to Verkal Gulan. The unfathomable depths of the Serpentspine will be guarded by dwarven fortresses following the Jadd, and their wealth will flow to Karqašlu.
Vote for an option by clicking on the below image.
Voting will remain open indefinitely, as I will not need to take concrete action on this in game for a while.
