The first day\n\n§(#1,50,20,320,160)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLike many others you want to try your luck and build an empire in these days. For many years now, there is no ruler over Tamar. Chaos and anarchy rule the lands. Everybody wants to rule over everybody else, but there is nobody who is able to unite the lands and become supreme ruler.\n\nA hard life awaits you and you will face death more than one time, so do you really think that you are able to rule the entirety of Tamar? Will people look up to you or will they drive you from the land in dishonour and shame because you failed? It is up to your skills alone to build a huge and mighty empire from the few things that are at your disposal.\n\nRight now you don't have any fame or fortune. Everything you have is a small village and some acres of land. The village consists of some small huts, two old mills and a half degenerated granary.In the middle of the village\
there is a slightly bigger hut which houses the local tavern. This building seems to be the hub of the city because news travel very fast in the tavern and it is the first place that a stranger to your town will visit. §($1,>) §§But don't lose faith at this pathetic sight. You can already imagine how it could look like in a few years. The first things you are going to build are probably a sawmill and a blacksmith shop. Both buildings will be very helpful when you want to erect other buildings. You can also imagine seeing the marketplace, right next to the tavern, in your mind. Maybe you are going to build a markethall later on and a residence for yourself, so that you have a proper place to live and work in. From there you can rule your expanding empire.\n\nYou should seek the aid of wise men who will research in various fields of knowledge. And you should also hire local guides and let them scout the surrounding countries, so that they can give you informations about villages and\
other lands they will discover. Then it is also possible to contact your neighbours, trade with them, or even launch a war against them.\n\nSooner or later, the few acres of land that you possess will not suffice and you will have to expand your realm. For that you need soldiers which you have to equip with weapons and armour.\n\nBut you should also do something for the simple peasants of your village, like building a school or a chapel. Soon the village will grow into a little town and someday maybe into a big town. People from all over the country would like to settle, live and work here. And maybe, someday, in the far future, you will be able to build new settlements in your realm.\n\nAll roads are yours for the taking. You can try your hand at diplomacy or on the battlefield. Or maybe you will be a smart merchant. If you are a vassal or a feudal lord, each way has it's ups and downs.\n\nBut keep in mind that you should not betray the people that you are dependent on. If you fail,\
you will be cast out or even be killed. But if you rule wisely, then statues will be erected for you and the bards will sing about you and your wise rulership in years to come. §($2,<,-1)\n§§
BT_SAEGEWERK (//)
The sawmill\n\nNot long ago, there was a little forest in the place where the new sawmill is now. You had choosen this place because this was a good location next to the river. On behalf your orders, the trees were cut down and used directly as building material for the sawmill. The current of the river is quit strong here, so this makes it an excellent place for the water wheel, which is now powering the saw-frames.\n\nAn ancient oak tree is just beeing cut into identical boards with the monotonous up and down movement of the saws.The smell of fresh wood is filling the air and a thick layer of sawdust is on everything inside. Each day the workers work until deep into the night because they have problems with keeping up with all the fresh orders that arrive from all parts of town. Since there are different types of saw-frames, different types of work can be done at the same time. Beams for roofs and floorboards are needed as\
well as furniture. Parts of weapons are also made from the wood from the sawmill.\n\nA new load of trees just arrived on a horse drawn carriage. The driver stands next to the carriage and is about to deliver the oakboards to a building site on the outskirts of town. He will also take some big beams to a nearby place, where the blacksmith is going to be build.§($1,-1)\n§§
BT_MARKTPLATZ (//)
The marketplace\n\nThe newly opened marketplace lies in the middle of the city. Shortly after the opening cerenomy by your administrator, there is already hustle and bustle going on. There are offers of various goods from all over the country. You can see big warshields next to a carriageload of building-material and heavy artillery next to some sacks of corn and rare herbs. Sometimes you can even see a placard which offers ships for war and trade.You can always look at the various offers and place your bid. But other lords may also want to get their hands on various goods and thus not every bid you place will be the high bid, but you shouldn't let that get to you. Of course you can also sell goods from your storage. If other countries are interested in your goods than gold will soon fill your treasuries.\n\nThe goods that your craftsmen and blacksmiths produce are also not to be neglected. Those goods are also offered here.\
Due to the respect, that comes with your position, you are sold these goods at a good price because they know that you are in a much better position to sell these goods to other lands. Depending on how capable your craftsmen are and what skills they learned in the past, you will come upon goods ranging from simple daggers up to heavy war catapults.§($1,-1)\n§§
BT_SCHMIEDE (//)
The Blacksmith\n\nThe new blacksmiths, which has just been erected on your behalf, already serves its purpose in assisting the further expansion of the settlement. Basically everything a new realm needs is produced here, from metal fittings and construction material to sword blades and armours.\n\nYou can hear the characteristic sound from far away, when the heavy hammer hits the anvil. As you enter the smithy to get a first hand look at the progress, the blacksmith is already at work and, despite the cool early morning air is sweating heavily. You were really lucky to get this master craftsman, because even though he comes from the race of dwarves and therefore is rather small in size, he knows how to work the hammer and the glowing metals like no other. Right now he is relying on the lad who operates the bellows at the back of the room that heat the furnace, and soon the steel is white hot again. Then he takes a pair of\
large pliers to pick up the piece of metal that will soon be the blade of a battle axe.\n\nWith a power you wouldn't expect from this dwarf, he forms the blade with the typical bent form. He controls the hammer very well, each of his blows hits exactly the right spot and soon the blade is finished. He carefully inspects his work, makes a few corrections with a smaller hammer and then puts the blade back into the fire. When it is glowing red again, he takes it out and drops it into a tub of water. This will make the blade strong and enduring, and soon it will be put to good service on the field of honor.\n\nIn the background you can see an assistant who finishes the blades, cleans and sharpens them. Next to him are a few already completed axes and a basket of spearheads which are already finished and await their shafts and fletching.§($1,-1)\n§§
BT_HANDELSREG (//)
The trade registry\n\nUlrich is up early today. He received orders to take care of the new trade contracts for his Lord. For many years Ulrich was responsible for the administration of grain reserves and thus also for all contracts regarding grain shipments. He isn't young anymore, but he has a lot of experience in distributing the grain properly. From his looks you would hardly think that he has such an important position. His runty shape is clad in simple clothes and his thin hair is hidden under a felt hat. Only the large bunch of keys on his belt for the grain storages, and the bag with writing materials in it that is on his shoulder distinguishes him from the simple peasants on the streets.\n\nBustling activity greets him as he opens the door to the trade registry. Several scribes, sitting behind their desks, are writing out contracts. One of them has just finished a contract for delivery of weapons to a neighbouring\
realm, and takes it - the ink barely dried, to the senior storekeeper who has his desk on a pedestal in the back part of the hall. Only he is allowed to sign contracts in the name of his Lord. He is checking the text thoroughly and signs it, but not without first looking through the inventory and the price list to confirm the values. As always, he places the official seal on the contract with an air of solemnity about him. He then calls over one of the waiting messengers, gives him the contract and a bag full of small coins for expected expenses and sends him off to the neighbouring country.\n\nUlrich is directing his steps towards the senior storekeeper as well. After the last two harvests, which haven't been too good, the reserves of grain are nearly used up.\n\nThe country needs grain badly, so they had sent out riders to ask for grain shipments from friendly neighbouring Lords. So far they have had no success. Today he seems to have no more good news than before. Wungart, the\
storekeeper, is shaking his head as he sees Ulrich approach him. 'No new offers, Ulrich. If we can't get some contracts, this will be a hard winter for the people.'§($1,>)\n\n§§ At that very moment, the front door bursts open and an exhausted messenger, from head to toe covered in dust, comes in swaying. He is hardly able to stay upright, but his eyes are shining. He shouts: 'Grain, finally! I have a grain contract!' He opens his bag, which is covered in dried mud and pulls out a leather sheet, from which he carefully, as though it was very fragile, extracts a parchment. Wungart hardly believes his eyes as he reads it. An offer for grain - even more than they need, and for a very good price! One of the allies of the realm had a rich harvest and is now offering the grain in return for the help he has received from this realm in the past.\n\nUlrich doesn't waste any time and rushes back to the residence with the good news. His lord skims over the contract and then signs it immediately.\
Then he calls over the best messenger available and sends him on his strenuous journey.\n\nNow that grain deliveries can be expected before the start of winter, a lot of work is waiting for Ulrich. He has to take care that it will be alloted justly.\n\nMeanwhile, everyday life has returned in the the trade registry. The messengers are waiting for work, scribes are bustling over documents while Wungart watches over them eagle eyed. §($2,<,-1)\n§§
BT_HAFEN (//)
The port\n\nWith a loud BANG, the box crashes onto the quayside street and its contents, many full bottles of wine, spread out across the ground. Soon a puddle of fine Port wine covers the street. The young worker who was supposed to load the box into the the ship with a pulley system looks bewildered at the end of the torn rope. Before he has the chance to wonder what happened, the loud and angry voice of the Captain is calling out from the ship: 'By the Gods! What is it now? Am I surrounded by idiots? Who sent me that useless pile of kettlefish of a worker? Not only did it take ages before I could dock, but now this scurvy dog breaks my best crate of Port! I just bought it, dammit, and it wasn't cheap either! Where shall I get a new one now? I want to set sail in two hours!'\n\nThe worker quickly cleans up the pitiful remnants of the skippers beloved wine supplies while other workers load the last supplies on the ship.\
The cargo was already loaded in the early hours of the morning. It is weapons and armour for a neighbouring country. The sea route is not without dangers, but is the only way to reach that country. So the merchant has no other choice than to entrust his supplies to the cargo bay of the small trade ship.§($1,>)\n\n§§ Fortunately, the captain is a very able man, who knows how to keep his vessel on course even in bad weather and who has always reached his destination. If you see him standing on his bridge, he resembles a feared pirate more than a trade skipper. His face and arms are tanned by the sun and salt water and look like well-worn old leather. He's wearing black trousers and a simple white shirt whose sleeves are almost always rolled up, even in the worst of storms. A large sabre is hanging from his broad leather belt. It looks like it could split a man in two with a single strike. His captains jacket, a gift from the trade guild, is hanging in a closet in his cabin and looks\
like it was never worn. Which is probably very close to the truth.\n\nFinally, after all is aboard, the still angry captain gives the order to weigh anchor and set sail. Slowly the large canvas, in the colors of the Realm, unfolds and the 'Sea Goose', as this ship was recently christened, is picking up speed. It always fills the captain with pride when the wind bulges the sails and soon the 'Sea Goose' is plowing through the water. He watched it being built and now it is his small domain. He's the one in command here, and everyone in his crew knows that.\n\nWith the farewell wishes of the dock workers she is leaving behind the 'Sea Goose' majestically glides out onto the open sea. The wide horizon is very still today, and there is hardly a cloud in the sky. As the captain looks back to where the town is slowly dissolving into the horizon, his mood gets better by the minute. Here, out on the open sea, with only waves below and sky above, he is truly at home. He lights his pipe and\
leans relaxed on the cabin wall. You can even hear him humming along with the song his sailors are singing while they fix the last crates onto the deck. Once again he will deliver his cargo safely and neither rain nor storm will stop him.§($2,<,-1)\n§§
BT_LEITFADEN_1 (//)
'A Guide for new sovereigns'\n\nYour settlement has only existed for a few weeks when one of your advisors comes across an interesting book. It is quite old, but contains advice for building a new realm that is still true today. The book is called 'A Guide for new sovereigns' and describes in several chapters the things an aspiring Lord should keep in mind.\n\nTo make your life easier, you will find some excerpts from this here now and then.\n\nPrologue\n\nNow that we may look back upon many years of a successful and adventurous life, we want to give you, dear reader a few insights from our rich experience. Many years we have spent waging numerous wars, and now that we rule a large realm and enjoy the peaceful aftereffects , we want to pass on some of the knowledge that has made our realm what it now is. Before you will be able to live through only one war, you will need a calm mind and a strong hand to rule your land.\n\nSo shall these\
pages help you to build a strong and lasting realm.\n\nKar Enil, Count of Storowo anno 3810 (ca. 470 years before King Abanor - Remark of the chronicler)§($1,>) §§Chapter 1 'Agriculture'\n\nAgriculture should always the center of our attention because grain is the main source of food for our people. Never forget to keep enough to sow the next spring. But the resulting harvest also depends on the size of your country, the number of mills to process the harvest and, last but not least, the weather. Even the most perfectly planned crop season can be ruined by a lasting spell of bad weather.\n\nThis is why we always keep a reserve of grain in our storage. This also allows us to help others who were not as lucky or as anticipatory as we were.\n\nJust as important as sowing and harvest is the distribution of the grain afterwards. If you keep your people going hungry, they will quickly lose any kind of confidence in you, while a rich meal attracts new immigrants.\n\nThe general rule is: If\
you give more grain to the people than they need, then confidence in you will increase and the number of births will go up; If you don't give enough, confidence will drop very fast and people may even die from hunger.\n\nThe worst thing to do is to not give anything in a quarter. This is why our last advice of this chapter is: It's better to tighten your belts twice in a row than to go entirely without grain only once.§($2,<,-1)\n§§
BT_LEITFADEN_2 (//)
'A Guide for new sovereigns'\n\n'Chapter 2 'Tax'\n\nEspecially in the first years of your rulership, taxes are the most important source of money. They also have a huge influence on the confidence of your people in you as well as on immigration and emigration. The base tax is the most important of all taxes and will produce the most income for you over the years. Set it to high, and people will try their luck somewhere else. If you need more people, then lower this tax. The news will quickly spread and people will literally come flocking in.\n\nCustoms duty is charged on all goods sold, not just those of foreign traders. So if you set it too high, your craftsmen will rather sell to another merchant instead of you.\n\nThe judicial tax is the hardest to manage, since it directly influences how hard your judges will be in their decisions against felons. We remember how we took over the reign from our father when we were still young men. Some\
of the richer noblemen saw this as a welcome opportunity to raise up against us and demand more land and gold. We quickly sent off troops to their lands and, to make an example for the other nobles, we had the leaders convicted and be-headed, and their possessions confiscated. This gave us a rich income of gold, but the displeasure of the common people grew. Many left the country because of our hard hand against the rebels and general confidence was very low. We barely managed to avoid open rebellion. Only with drastic tax reductions and great loss of money were we able to keep in power. The setting of taxes is always a tightrope walk between a filled treasury and a happy population. Try some variation, but always be careful and choose your steps with caution.§($1,-1)\n§§
BT_LEITFADEN_3 (//)
'A Guide for new sovereigns'\n\n'Chapter 3 'Production'\n\nFrom the very beginning, a large assortment of artisans and craftsmen will settle in your country. They will produce the weapons, armours, ships and whatever else you will need sooner or later. But of course they need some prerequisites for their work. First of all, you should build a blacksmiths and a sawmill.\n\nBlacksmiths produce a lot of goods or at least important parts thereof. The part of the production that your people don't need for themselves will be offered to you. You cannot directly control the type of goods that are produced, but there are some influences which you can control.\n\nMost important of all are the natural resources. When we took over the land form our father, it mainly consisted of grassland and deserts. The few mountains hardly produced any resources and we had to buy most goods from our neighbours for lots of gold. The little ore that was hauled was\
needed by the people themselves, and so we had nothing left with which to produce weapons and armour. But then the ruler of a neighbouring country died unexpectedly without an heir. We took the chance and gained control over a larger mountain area. We found large deposits of coal and ores. The more our miners hauled from the depths of the mountains, the bigger our production grew. The assortment of goods was very diverse and the prices low.\n\nBut we also noticed that our blacksmiths had quite limited abilities in the beginning. They only produced simple goods, like daggers, short swords or leather armour. Only after we improved our knowledge in the areas of technology and in the art of battle could they produce better weapons, like claymores, and better armour such as plated breastplates. Alchemy helped us to produce better and stronger alloys.§($1,-1)\n§§
BT_LEITFADEN_4 (//)
'A Guide for new sovereigns'\n\n'Chapter 4 'Trade'\n\nTrade with other countries will always be an important part of your daily duty. Be it that you sell goods yourself or that you have to buy things that you need but can't produce yourself. First you will need to find some trade partners of course. You can send out scouts who will tell you about the countries they find, but you should also keep an eye out for scouts from other countries visiting you.\n\nWe always employ some men to look out for messengers from other countries and to get some information about their Lords from them. We even had some visitors from overseas when we hadn't our own fleet yet. We always like to talk to them and get some profitable trades through them. We also have some men looking out for ships on the horizon. When we signal out to them, they usually send over a small boat and we have a new trade partner already.\n\nYou have to find ways to trade. The first is\
the free market: all goods offered here can be bought by anyone who is willing to pay your price. Of course this includes potential or actual enemies to whom you don't want to sell. So if you want to sell only to certain Lords or for a special price, you will want to use contracts.\n\nIn our youth, when we were fighting many bitter battles against Sigurd The Black, contracts were our only means to get supplies from our allies. This also had the advantage that nobody else knew of the transactions. For a long time, Sigurd didn't know how well we were supported and by whom. When it dawned on him how powerful our allies were, he was already done for. Use these possibilities wisely!§($1,-1)\n§§
BT_LEITFADEN_5 (//)
'A Guide for new sovereigns'\n\n'Chapter 5 'Foreign affairs'\n\nSooner or later you will notice that no country is an island. Your relationship to your neighbours is important and should be groomed accordingly. More than once, only our good contacts with another Lord has saved us from being thrown from power. If gold is scarce and trade is low or if grain is running out then you would be well advised to be on good terms with another Lord who may lend or trade you something.\n\nDon't forget to pay them back of course, or your next call for help could be answered by armies, not help. If you want to expand your realm but all surrounding land is under the control of your neighbours then you shouldn't begin by sending a call to arms. Maybe one of your neighbours is short of cash and would sell you some acres of land, or you could help him in a battle against his enemies and accept a few acres of pasture as a reward.\n\nOne of the best ways to\
make a name for yourself is to support small and weak countries in the everlasting fight against the orcs with your armies, or to lend your sword to your allies to defeat a common enemy. If you have the chance to join a formal alliance with other Lords, check carefully if the arrangement would benefit your country. If it indeed does then don't be hesitant to join in with other realms.\n\nA large part of Tamars' history was carved out by strong alliances. We have some trusty allies ourselves and fought side by side with them in numerous wars. In return, we are supplied with the finest weapons and armour that their blacksmiths produce. Finally, we want to remind you of another option. If you think your country needs permanent protection from a bigger power or if you see no other way to avoid ruin, you may choose to submit to another lord as his vassal. This is not necessarily disgraceful and humiliating as vassals are usually rewarded for their good service with land, gold or goods from\
their feudal lords. And they enjoy the protection of their Lord in a war.§($1,-1)\n§§
BT_LEITFADEN_6 (//)
'A Guide for new sovereigns'\n\nChapter 6 'The future'\n\nNow that we have shown you some important things needed for a lasting rulership in the past chapters, we won't forget to turn our gaze to the future.\n\nYou have many ways open to you in which to succeed on Tamar. It is your choice and your responsibility, no matter if you choose to be a merchant, a conqueror, a mercenary or a diplomate.\n\nFor a long time, we chose the path of the warrior and the conqueror. We fought countless battles and many realms crumbled to dust under our attacks. But even though we emerged from all this as a great power, this way isn't the only one or even the right one.\n\nWe were reliant on smaller countries that were able to produce many weapons because of their rich resources, combined with a small population and on others who mainly produced grain for export. In short, all the things that we couldn't produce in our own economy because it was so focused\
on supporting our wars. We bought from the small trader nations and they made a living from it.\n\nSometimes we had to take help from neutral countries who acted as mediators in difficult negotiations. In the beginning of our rulership, we were glad to have the help of mercenaries to save us from the orcs. This help wasn't for free, but it was better to buy help than to perish.\n\nWhile our power grew, some smaller countries submitted themselves to our reign and became our vassals. In return, they received from us land and other gifts. Most of these lords came to us freely, because life as a vassal isn't the worst option after all. They always enjoyed our protection and thanked us with their unbroken loyalty.\n\nOnly you can limit what you can achieve, if you fight the battles or try to end them, if you carry the sword or sell it. You are the master of your fate. Prove yourself worthy!§($1,-1)\n§§
