27-04-2004 10:30									#1
	Brennus the Immortal Support Apolyton

My name is Brennus and I came down from the mountains 600 mortal years ago to guide a tribe of men and women to enlightenment. First I taught them how to use the land to grow food and how to fashion containers from clay to use in cooking and storing grains for the long, barren winters. For this the people thanked me and accepted me as their Guide. Then I taught them how to build houses and buildings that would last more than one season and even to the end of the world. This first city of the world was called Entremont and I took my seat in it. I also taught them that axes can fell more than trees and that they should train brave men to defend their city and their land. Then I instructed some of the people to till the land, some of the people to gather resources for construction, and others to research ways to improve their technology. I also appointed a group of advisors to help them in their times of need.

	27-04-2004 10:42									#2
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In the embrace of the Triplet Mountains the Celtic people worked diligently building roads to bring wood into the city and I instructed the wise men of the city to devise a set of letters that could be used for trade or identifying property to prevent disputes. This, I thought, would keep my people peaceful.

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	27-04-2004 11:15									#3
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The people finished sharpening enough axes to make a group of warriors they called the ¡°1st Entremont Warriors¡± and they stayed in the city to protect it in times of trouble. Some people, however, thought that more warriors should be trained to explore the lands outside the Triplet Mountains and bring back knowledge of the outside world. And so they turned their minds and their bodies to this task.

When the 1st Frontier Warriors were ready they set out from the city and followed the Jade River north. Although the people were proud of their accomplishments, they felt there were too few of them to make a truly glorious city. They came to me with this complaint so I taught them that growing a surplus of food each year and storing it in granaries would help to increase their population. I then created a day to be observed every year for the people to stop their toil and engage in rituals filled with food, drink, and coupling to ensure the descendants of the Celts would be as plentiful as the drops of water in the Jade River. These rituals I taught them by my own example.

The 1st Frontier Warriors followed the Jade River to its source in a large, solitary mountain. This mountain they named Brennus Mountain in honour of me. From the top of this mountain they could see for many miles and what they saw was not heartening. Large jungles of almost impenetrable trees dashed their hopes of spreading their civilisation quickly across the land. What the Celtic workers saw, however, was more encouraging. To the west were deposits of a clear, beautiful stone. I suggested that they build a road to these diamonds that they might be brought back to the city and made into shining symbols of hope for the people.

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	27-04-2004 12:17									#4
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One year there came a man from the east with black skin and a condescending tone of voice. Although he was polite, his promise to not wipe us from the face of the earth was laughable. Did we not have brave warriors to defend us? But then the envoy told me that his people knew of a way to send small sticks with sharpened points through the air fast enough to kill a man. I offered to teach him the proper ways to bury the dead in exchange for the secret of the arrow but he laughed at me and said it was not possible. This put a great worry in my heart. We are a peaceful people but perhaps others do not share our pacifist views . . . . . .

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	27-04-2004 12:18									#5
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While I was pondering how to deal with the black men to the east, the 1st Frontier Warriors discovered that an ocean exists to the west on the other side of a long mountain chain. This mountain chain was so straight for so many miles that it came to be known as the Great Western Wall Mountain Chain.
One day the city engineers came to tell me that they had completed the granary. I held a great fest to commemorate the day but near the end of the day my cultural advisor approached me with sad eyes. ¡°Lord,¡± said he, ¡°Do you not think it would be a good idea to have a place where we can hold these celebrations and holy couplings other than in the streets? I propose we build a temple of great standing stones where the people can gather and celebrate life and your leadership.¡± Seeing the wisdom of this man¡¯s idea, I ordered the city engineers to start building the next day. My day was finished in complete happiness as a messenger from the Frontier Warriors came to report that they had found flood plains to the south with great fields of grain growing beside them. This, I thought, would be the perfect place to build another city and spread the glory of my people.

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	27-04-2004 12:19									#6
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Years passed. My people were prospering but not as quickly as I had hoped. Thanks to the diamonds brought from the mountains my people were happy and content. But why, I asked myself, do they need shiny stones to feel better? Surely the inner peace of meditation and self-reflection is better. But I have had an eternity to become like this. They need more time and more guidance.
A group of colonists travelled south to colonise the flood plains but were shocked to find that the Zulu had already built a city to the south. It turned out that their scout came from the east the first time we met but his people are southern. No doubt that explains the dark colour of their skin. Thankfully, our settlers had enough room to build a city near the floodplains but nevertheless it was hard to accept that perhaps in the future there would be competition for the good lands. And the Zulu with their arrows . . . . . .

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	27-04-2004 13:12									#7
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Bloody Marvelous

looking forward to more of this

	27-04-2004 13:38									#8
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Thankee. I'll probably play more and write more this evening.

	27-04-2004 18:47									#9
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But my fears proved to be unfounded. The Celtic people multiplied quickly and became prosperous. My researchers invented an alphabet that would help in trade, we cultivated a new crop called tobacco to soothe our minds at the end of a hard day, and the cities of Lugdunum and Camalodunum were founded near rich trapping and fishing grounds. Entremont began to accumulate wealth to adorn its temple and pave the streets with gold and jewels. Zulu people travelled long miles to see the glory of the Celts, looked at the bows in their hands and wondered if they forsook greater goods for the sake of weapons. The 1st Frontier Warriors continued their mission to explore all the lands and find suitable places for colonisation.

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	28-04-2004 13:33									#10
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Test - Entry coming soon

	28-04-2004 13:39									#11
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You should send a stack of soldiers down south to sort out the zulu issue.

	28-04-2004 13:46									#12
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Nice work Masuro keep it coming

	28-04-2004 14:53									#13
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Thanks for the compliments As for the Zulu, I'm trying to be peaceful. But no doubt the Zulu will do something to ruin our neighbourly relations ^^

	03-05-2004 11:28									#14
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My nation was peaceful for hundreds of years. The people multiplied and became wealthy. But, as is the way of the universe, there must be a balance of good fortune and bad fortune. And as Nature gives to people, so she takes away. The good people of Alesia were stricken by diseases from the flood plains twice within a very short period of time, and thousands of people lay down never to rise again. I decided that a road to Alesia might speed aid to that city and I instructed workers to start construction. A road was also started to Lugdunum at that time.
In the year that would later be called 1575 BCE, Entremont trained the first group of spearmen to protect the city. These fighters could hold the enemy at bay with their long spears tipped with bronze. This was well and good but, my science advisor said, let¡¯s try to find a metal even stonger than bronze. I set my wise men and prospectors to doing just that.
While my warriors were to the south of my empire they discovered that the land did not extend far before they encountered ocean. The Zulu, then, do not have much room to expand. No doubt this will bring conflicts later. While my warriors were mapping the land, the Zulu redrew their borders and sent messages to the leader of my warriors saying that they were now in Zulu territory and not welcome. My warriors immediately moved, of course, but Shaka became annoyed with me and I did not receive an invitation to his birthday celebrations that year. To improve our relations, I offered him our alphabet. To my delight and surprise, he had one of generals come to my capital and teach my soldiers how to make and use the bow and arrow. The general also brought a generous gift of 3 gold. The relations between the Celts and the Zulu improved after that and I rested a little easier at night.
My foreign advisor approached me one day after my dinner and said, ¡°Brennus, our warriors have reached a dead end to the south and it is very far for them to walk through the jungles of the north. Might I suggest we build ships to sail around the world? The wind can speed our sailors around the coast and we meet other nations more easily that way.¡± I agreed that this was a good idea and commissioned the city of Camulodunum to build ships for this purpose. It was also about this time that the road to Alesia was completed. I ordered aid to be sent to the survivors of the plagues.

	03-05-2004 13:22									#15
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One day while enjoying a sunny day on one of the flowery terraces of my palace, a messenger came running to the palace gate saying he had urgent news. I met the messenger personally and invited him to take a drink while he told me his news. After recovering slightly from his exhaustion he said, ¡°My lord, prospectors in the Great West Wall Mountains have reported seeing warriors from a strange land. Their clothes are red and adorned with pictures of strange, wormlike creatures. Their skin is dark (though not as dark as the southern Zulu) and their eyes are narrow. They request an audience with you.¡± Curious to see what manner of people came from the west, I immediately ordered the necessary supplies for a long hike to the mountains. The next day we set off. Our journey was pleasant and after several weeks we met the people who call themselves the Japanese. We met them on the seashore on the far side of the Great West Wall and feasted and exhanged pleasantries as well as information for many days. They showed us their way of thinly slicing a raw fish and dipping it into a variety of sauces. We cooked several kinds of stews for them in return. I do not think they enjoyed the large amounts of meat in the stew but they were much too polite to complain or make bad comments about our food. In fact, the Japanese were extremely polite about everything and I thought that my people could improve their manners by copying these people. As the Japanese could perhaps improve their people by encouraging them to be a little more forthcoming in their opinions. During those days of feasting we learned that the Japanese military is superior to ours but they do not match us in cultural achievements. After our meeting we part ways with promises to keep in contact and to cooperate for the greater good of both our empires.

	03-05-2004 16:44									#16
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Upon returning from my very fruitful trip to meet the Japanese, I was met with the news that the Zulu were expanding to the southwest. Their new city was near their territory and not a threat to us but the news impressed upon me the importance of blocking Zulu settlements into the frontier lands. As my foreign advisor told me this news, my science advisor informed me that a metal called iron would be perfect for making sharp, hard weapons as well as tools and that useable deposits had been found on Brennus Mountain. I immediately instructed my public works manager to build a road to the iron so we can utilise it in bettering the life of our people through sturdy tools and in weapons to protect our empire.

In 1175 BCE the town of Richborough was founded. With the founding of this town, our borders stretched from sea to sea, cutting off the Zulu from the frontier. The 1st Frontier Warriors continued their exploration of the north and entered the jungles. Although travelling through the jungles was difficult, they found many things to benefit our people such as dyes to colour our clothes and bananas to eat and trade. Alesia was struck by disease several times but thanks to the fertility of the flood plains, they quickly recovered and built a city larger than before.
In 1075 a traveller from Japan told me that his people were building a wonder called the Oracle. He claimed that in this building there would be housed a woman capable of telling the future! I asked my wise men to look into it. In the same year, Zulu warriors were noticed coming up from the south and approaching our borders. They could be just exploring or . . . . . .

	04-05-2004 05:54									#17
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A little too much focus onb the timeline for my own palate, but a noble offering nonetheless.

	04-05-2004 07:08									#18
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There's not much happening in the game right now so I'm 'writing history' as it were. If there are wars later then I think it will lose that timeline feel. Thanks for reading.

	04-05-2004 07:11									#19
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awesome.

can't wait.

	04-05-2004 07:26									#20
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Once again my fears were unfounded. A single unit of Zulu warriors was making it’s way up the coast and avoiding our borders. Perhaps I am wrong to have little faith in the Zulu. Perhaps I should strengthen my ties with them.
Camulodunum builds its first ship which is named the Explorer. This is a rather unoriginal name by the people of that city but I must let them keep it to keep their spirits high. The vessel leaves port and sails to the north along the coast. While I am at the departure party, the people of Camulodunum petition me to let them build a temple where they can pray for the safe voyage and return of the ship and its sailors. I allow this and construction begins even before I can leave the city and return home. Although I cannot wait to lay the first stone, I promise to return for the first sacrifice to be held in the temple. While heading home, I hear a rumour of a people called the Portugese who have built a very large statue at the mouth of one of their harbours. They call it the Colossus and someday I expect to see it with my own eyes.
But I had no need to be envious of giant statues. The peace and prosperity of my people was enough for me. The town of Brennusfoot was founded next to Brennus Mountain to process iron, the Zulu taught us how to make the wheel and chariots, and the frontier warriors headed farther west.

	05-05-2004 14:11									#21
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Bring it on

	05-05-2004 17:17									#22
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One warm spring day as I was preparing for the fertility rites, my advisors all arrived at the same time in a state of extreme agitation.
¡°Is something burning?¡± I asked.
¡°No, my Lord.¡± they replied.
¡°Are thieves ransacking the palace? Are Japanese warriors murdering your children?¡± I asked.
¡°No, my lord. Nothing like that.¡±
¡°Then,¡± I told them, ¡°return tomorrow when the rites are finished and we are all rested.¡± My advisors bowed and went out.
The next day the advisors were at my door even before the sun¡¯s lazy eye rose blurrily over the palace walls. From my second floor window I could see the advisors gaggling nervously at the palace gates like schoolchildren guilty of breaking a neighbour¡¯s window. Opening my window I called out to them. ¡°Enter and wait for me in the dining room. We may as well have breakfast together.¡± They bowed several times and entered the palace grounds.
In the dining room we were served toast, blueberry jam, boiled eggs, ham, and sweet tea with milk. While I ate slowly and enjoyed every mouthful, my advisors looked nervous and eager to start talking.
¡°Do you know the secret to keeping your sanity if you¡¯re an immortal?¡± I asked. No one replied but they all kept their eyes on me. ¡°Doing everything very slowly. Now, you are not immortals but I really think taking things slowly will make your lives much, much more pleasant.¡± They looked at each other and then each of them picked up a piece of toast and started to chew slowly. I looked them over.
After breakfast we retired to the conference room for more tea and talk.
¡°Well, what was it that needed my immediate attention?¡±
¡°Sir,¡± said my Caradoc, my foreign advisor. ¡°A group of Zulu settlers and warrior guards have entered our territory to the south. I think they are headed for the eastern peninsula. What should we do?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you what we can do¡± said Conan the military advisor. ¡°We can send men down there to teach them a lesson!¡±
¡°Well, let¡¯s just ask them politely to go back and we¡¯ll see what happens. They¡¯ve been very understanding, you know. I¡¯m sure we can work this out diplomatically. Do you think so, Caradoc?¡±
¡°No doubt, my lord. I will send messengers right away to tell the Zulu they are trespassing.¡±

Several days later Caradoc returned to the palace and met me for dinner. After our meal of baked rabbit and potatoes fried in sage we began to discuss business.
¡°So, any news about the Zulu?¡±
¡°Yes, sire. We requested they leave our territory and go back to their own. They apologised for the intrusion and said they would immediately turn back after one of their leaders got over a slight sickness.¡±
¡°So that¡¯s it then. Crisis solved, yes?¡±
¡°Well, no. We left spies to make sure they left but they report that the Zulu have continued east into our lands. I then sent more messengers to insist they turn back but this time they sat stony-faced, said they would turn back, and, as soon as our messengers left their camp, continued on their way east. They are now not technically in our lands but I¡¯m not sure we should let this defiance go unpunished.¡±
¡°You¡¯re quite right, Caradoc. But let¡¯s not go rushing into a war we¡¯re not prepared to handle. Let us quietly build barracks in our cities, get iron to our weaponsmiths, and then head south to teach the Zulu a lesson I think they need. Tell Conan to begin preparations but warn him not to get too excited. We need to keep an eye on him. But, leave that for tomorrow morning. Another cup of tea, my dear?¡±

	06-05-2004 02:16									#23
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Awesome, let's see some more.

	06-05-2004 15:34									#24
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Great stuff Masuro, nice build up going on and Im looking forward to your recounting of the Zulu lesson giving

	06-05-2004 15:46									#25
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Thank you for the comments. A few more things to write up before I press the big red WAR button. ^^

	06-05-2004 16:08									#26
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The preparations for war went smoothly but we were struck by bad fortune several times. Our army was being formed in Alesia when disease struck that city again. Although my heart went out to the unfortunate men and women who live there, we were fortunate that none of our soldiers fell victim. In a way, I almost felt that the large number of soldiers living there contributed to the crowded conditions and filth that spread disease. Well, I thought, they are leaving for Zululand soon so that problem will be cleared up.
Our army was formed of horsemen, catapults for the sieges, spearmen to add defence, and a unit of Gallic swordsmen, the flower of the Celtic military. These warriors were extremely loyal to me and vowed they would use their iron swords to destroy any enemy I named.
During the final stages of preparation, Caradoc came to me to make her report.
¡°Brennus, my lord. I have much news to tell you. First, the Zulu have built a town they call Isandhiwana very close to Camulodunum. It is an insult.
¡°Yes, Caradoc. That¡¯s why we are going to war.¡±
¡°Second, the Zulu sent settlers and Impi warriors into our lands. This time they were heading north. We sent guarded messengers to ensure they turned back. They turned back without argument and were last seen heading back to their capital. Third, The 1st Frontier Warriors have sent back reports. They have met the Americans, the Inca, and found the Japanese homeland. All of these peoples are very dangerous and, I¡¯m afraid to add, more technologically advanced then we. The good news, however, is that none of their cities can compare to ours. Their temples are like mud huts whereas ours sparkle with jewels and have magnificent friezes. I also have some bad news, I¡¯m afraid. The Japanese demand that we teach them mathematics. Or else.¡±
¡°Well, what can we do at the moment. We only have one army. We will have to give in to their demands and hope they will eventually become our friends and allies. Send dipomats to Japan with math instructors and establish an embassy there.¡±
¡°Yes, sir. I will. And Conan reports that he is ready to march any day.¡±
¡°Very well. Tell him the glory and the honour of the Celts are in his hands. Now leave me. I have much to think about. It is a dangerous world and we must walk carefully in it.¡±

	07-05-2004 11:24									#27
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Deciding that it woud not be proper to sit in the capital while my brave soldiers went to war, I decided to travel to Alesia with Caradoc and join the army as it marched to Zululand. We missed the army by a day but the next morning strong horses brought us swiftly to the army within a few hours. Armies really do march terribly slow. We trotted alongside the main line of the army giving encouragement as we went. At last we arrived at the head of the column where Conan was riding a fine steed and singing war songs. I suppose he must have written them himself as this was our first war.
¡°Well, Conan. Are things going well?¡±
¡°Yes, my lord! Very nice to have you here with us. It¡¯ll really boost the morale of the men. Shall I report? We¡¯ll travel all today and rest just outside the Zulu borders. Tomorrow morning we will cross their border and head for the city of Ulundi. I don¡¯t expect a lot of resistance there as we are not giving the Zulu time to prepare for war. We also have a unit of Gallic Swordsmen crossing the Zulu border in the west to distract the enemy and possibly pillage some of their land. I have instructed them not to attack any cities.¡±
¡°Sounds like you have this all worked out. I trust everything to you.¡±
¡°Yes, my lord. You can count on me.¡± With that, he took a flask of whisky out of his saddle bag and handed it around to his commanders. He then started in on another song about the dark-skinned lasses who would be welcoming him in Hlobane. Caradoc looked somewhat embarrassed so we fell back a bit to have a look at the catapults that would soon be hurling stones into the midst of the Zulu cities.

	07-05-2004 12:06									#28
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The next morning the sky was overcast and a gloom hung over the army like a prophesy. Many of the men kissed holy symbols as they packed up tents, put out fires and prepared to march. Conan was possibly the only person in the camp in high spirits. He soon got the men on the move and we crossed the Zulu border after an hour or so.
¡°Just one day¡¯s march from here, me lads!¡± cried Conan. Luckily for our army, the overcast skies kept the hot desert sun from dehydrating our men and to our right was the great river that supplied us with both water and food. The troops were under strict orders not to pillage the fields along the way though they could take what they liked from the river to supplement their rations.
Just after the midday meal, a tall Zulu warrior rode into camp looking for the leader. When he was brought to me he started to speak in a rage.
¡°How dare you bring war to our land! The great Shaka demands you leave now before you are utterly destroyed and forgotten even to history!¡±
¡°Why is it the Zulu may cross Celtic lands and ignore our polite requests to leave but we may not? Shaka has overstepped the bounds of friendship and now he must be taught a lesson. We cannot let you ignore the Celts and become an example for other nations. We will teach you a lesson and then other nations will know they must respect the Celtic borders.¡±
The Zulu warrior looked as though he was about to strike me with his fist but he turned and walked angrily back to his horse. He rode off and shouted that we had not seem the last of him.
Our advance spies came and went all day. They reported that workers had been recalled to Hlobane and the gates shut tight. Some spies found tunnels that led under the city and used these to report news from within the city. By evening the army arrived at Hlobane and set up camp and defensive positions just out of archer range. Under the cover of darkness our engineers set up the seige engines and consulted with spies about where best to send boulders into the city. Late at night spies reported to Conan that the city seemed to be defended wholly by Impi warriors. Conan seemed to think this was very bad news and sat up all night pondering strategy.

	07-05-2004 12:14									#29
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wow, you have the touch

good work mate

	07-05-2004 12:20									#30
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quote: Originally posted by Paddy the Scot wow, you have the touch

Wasn't that a song from the 80s?

Thanks for the compliment.