recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Records: Ensuring Portugal's Future

### **The Urgency of Unity**

After the dissolution of the Kingdom of Aragon into a united *Crown of Iberia*, the Kingdom of Portugal agreed to follow suit, becoming the Grand Duchy of Portugal on the west coast of now-unified Iberia. Similar settlements and recompense passed hands, and the Grand Duchy of Portugal was now rich beyond description and had ensured their future access to a magically-driven economy and common defense.

The background wasn't nearly as neat and clean, as King Fernando I of Portugal (and his wife Leonor Teles) had rocky relations with the neighbors in the original timeline, including with John of Gaunt. The political landscape was unstable enough that, in another time, Fernando's too-soon death would've led to a period of civil war and anarchy (the 1383–85 Crisis).

By now, though, the events of the day led to the evolution of significantly different personalities, interactions and outcomes. The power of magic itself affected expectations and political will, and as access was dependent on following CMC rules and restrictions, to deny that to the commons risked rebellion. Portugal was subject to these forces, especially as Aquitaine helped John build Castile (and now the rest of Iberia) into a land that could actually cure the plague and syphilis alike, win against the orks, or have night-time light that didn't risk burning down the town.

More than just an Aragon-esque "merger of crowns," Beatrice of Portugal (10) was betrothed to Henry Bolingbroke (15), son of King John, lately of Castile (formerly of Lancaster). The marriage would merge the House of Burgundy into that Iberian cadet branch of Plantagenet and ensure long-term peace.

The wedding was set for February 1387, the month and year of her Age of Majority.
Records: the Seed Drill

## **A Reinvention of the Seed Drill**

One of the major issues facing England (and the world) was a lack of labor. A lack of people, really, with plague, wars and pestilence doing a number on their number. An increase in food would bring an increase in people, and with an *illuminated perspective*, the Crown moved to spark the Agricultural Revolution  *a bit early*.

To that end, unearthing reference to it in texts imported from the Silk Road, the Royal Academy reinvented the concept of the *seed drill*. Used in Babylon as early as 1400 BCE, and in China as early to 200 BCE, this bit of agricultural engineering, however, hadn't made it as far as Europe.

A seed drill is a sowing device that precisely positions seeds in the soil and then covers them. Before the introduction of the seed drill, the common practice was to plant seeds by hand. Besides being wasteful, planting was very imprecise and led to a poor distribution of seeds, leading to low productivity. Jethro Tull is widely thought of as having invented the seed drill, though earlier the Sumerians used a single-tube seed drill, and the Chinese had also used a multi-tube seed drill. The use of a seed drill can improve the ratio of crop yield (seeds harvested per seed planted) by as much as *nine times*.

The Royal Academy brought a Mature Version to market

Early models recreated Babylonian and Chinese models. Improvements had been made for practical use, including a two row, single-horse device that could:

* Plant without tilling, preventing soil loss and protecting seed from birds and animals.
* Plant at set distances and depths, maximizing germination efficiency.

The RANP was given a patent for the device, mostly for tracking and making sure licensing wasn't throttled by a single vendor.

By the end of 1378, the impact was already being felt, with crops and livestock surging.
REO: Deep Background

This campaign incorporates most of the special systems available to *Speculation*. While it is the marquee fantasy setting, and leans on swords and horses which require no special rules, it also incorporates the magic ARCSYS and the psionic PSISYS.

Moving beyond those obvious two, it also incorporates elements of the Alt-Fantasy mechanics, including the metaphysics and divine pantheons. The warnings mentioned there bear repeating here: the *Speculation* system doesn't promote or validate any particular beliefs, and given the actual-earth setting, may offend some players.

### **Thumbnailing the Divine**

For the *Speculation* system, the default divine pantheon of earth divides "the angels" into two opposing factions, each with a different source origin. Quick primer: the 6 older "archangels" hail from one massive galactic empire (over 18,000 worlds), and they were guiding earth toward a graceful exit in the opinion that humanity was inherently unstable and this was for the greater good.

The 50,000+ "normal" angels were from a far smaller, far closer but very advanced race that disagreed. Stuck between those two Foreign elements, the earth became their proxy battleground.

Both "angel" types were essentially plasmatic Artificial Intelligence (AI). Both were fully psionic, and had the capacity to tap into zero-point energy, thus being able to channel and wield fantastic levels of power. Neither use magic, though both are aware of it. Neither have pursued it out of fear of its volatility even at very low levels of energy.

For further referee-only information, check the ***Nature of Angels***...

### **Relative Views and Divergent Timelines**

While the proxy war between the Foreign races was already at hyper-critical levels, *other* Foreign elements were bleeding into this timeline – further destabilizing it. At that point, the Foreign faction behind the archangels decided to accelerate their plan to quietly end the earth.

Neither of the factions are capable of actual time travel, but both can approximate parts of it with versions of "seeing into the future" in a way that can collect complex data. Prior to this point, there were extremely few deviations in possible futures as the "wave of time" had already passed through. The "near" and foreseeable future had happened resulting in the reality you know as you read this.

Now, from the view of 1389, the future has suddenly erupted in countless variations. That means the stream of time is now active from this point – and their future – *our past* – is forever changed.
Vegeta

## Vegeta

Special Move 1 (Mash): Energy Wave Volley

Special Move 2: Galick Gun

Special Move 2 (Hold): Final Crash

Special Move 3: Explosive Wave

### "Saiyan Spirit"

Ultimate Move 1a: Genocide Breaker

Ultimate Move 1b: Dirty Fireworks

## Awakening

Instant Awakening: Super Saiyan

Adversity Awakening: Super Saiyan Blue

## Vegeta (Super Saiyan Blue)

Special Move 1 (Mash): Super Energy Wave Volley

Special Move 2: Galick Gun

Special Move 2 (Hold): Maximum Flasher

Special Move 3: Final Explosion
Records: the Rise of MagiComms

## **Magical Communications**

The protective wards of London and Westminster were connected, and since the angelic battle, strengthened. Started as a kind of trick-spell, wizards had been able to bounce semi-guided voice spells to special destinations within the wards. The utility of this was immediate and obvious, and communcations spells alone became a specialty of some wizards.

This led to regular communications via wand, and eventually a way for every wandist to do it. By October 1382, communications crystals were piggybacked on the wards, allowing receivers to refuse calls and otherwise have a little discretion.

## Bow Shock vs Vanguard

The communications were cutting edge, and the vanguard of the OM and magically-leaning RANP claimed this communication as their own. There were, however, rumors that the innermost circle of the OM had been doing similar from the beginning. That was never confirmed, but it definitely reflected that the Ricardian OM was operating at a different level, with a different set of priorities than most anybody else...

Naturally, there were critics. As wandist commuications grew popular, there were those foresaw the death of face-to-face communications, something already enabled by *Scrolls of Communication*, and other "scope" methods of capturing and transmitting pictures.

### **London Calling**

By December of 1382, the comm crystals were in Bordeaux, York, Angers and Paris.

By January of 1383, they'd linked the crystal so somebody in London could call somebody in Bordeaux. So long as they knew the spell and had registered into the crystal, they could be contacted. It was a magical miracle, though again and in turn, this sounded the death knell of *Scrolls of Correspondence* (and very likely face-to-face meetings).
Records: Chaos of the Churches

## **Not the Reckoning We Expected**

The aftermath of the madness of Michael reverberated around Europe. The archangel Michael was identified, but considering that he'd "had many names," it threw all the world's religions into both doubt and dysphoric belief. For those who still had a place for a God of War, this didn't foster any nostalgia.

Christ had a bump in belief, especially with the angels that sacrificed themselves to banish Michael, but the raw fear in a God of War against a prophet of peace didn't look good. It was gut-check time for Christianity, officially the religion of pacifism.

### **Political Fallout**

Now roughly a month after the ***Altercation of the Angels***, there were really three spheres where the after-effects were pronounced: the church-based religious sphere, the royal and noble courts, and the meeting halls of the commons.

#### **The Commons' Sphere**

The meeting halls, and to a lesser extent the pubs, were a chance to air fears and grievances – and it often turned violent without any hope for lasting resolution. There were points of comfort, solace, even limited refuge, but there was no sense of peace: there were simply too many unknowns.

There were other points that were simply unknowable, but that didn't stop people from putting out theories. For instance, was it a benefit or a liability to have the King of Blood and Thunder as your sovereign? How is it that King Edward (IV) rated a visit, but the Magus didn't? There was no way he couldn't be important in their eyes, but the "events" didn't happen when he was nearby, and Michael/Mars never named him or anything he did.

Including re-inventing Merlin's magic...

#### **The Political Sphere**

The royal courts now had all eyes on the CMC and especially on Westminster. "The Rebuke" had been everything anybody could've hoped for, but against the influence of an archangel – or a god of war – only God knew which was more powerful or more dangerous or what the true nature of the entity was beneath that human-looking form.

With the increased fear of the King of Blood and Thunder, the Union of Britannia was further withdrawing, going into a defensive mode. Maybe Jesus was on their side, but nobody knew what a cross-angel "banishment" really meant. Prince Rick (king elsewhere) made his way back to London for closed Crown conferences but was the early definition of *Keep Calm and Carry On*...

#### **The Religious Sphere**

While the angels didn't mention magic, that was definitely on people's minds as several religions had restrictions on it. Forbidden knowledge was a common theme, from knowledge itself, to fire (see: Prometheus), and so on.

The biggest conundrum for those concerned was continued access to healing despite reaching for the arcane. After that, there were a litany of questions, including the commitment of the "common angels" to the war, could they reverse the archangels insanity, and where do they go from here?
Records: Rise of the Druids

## **Evolution of Magical Technique**

In the upper Western Hemisphere, shamans had taken to both Jesuit and Wizard training. There had been similar fusion research all over the world, with strong similarities among the Celtic tribes, particularly in Ireland, where they had fusion of both arcane and divine. The upper WestHem Druids were taking this in a significantly different direction, leaning deep into nature.

Part of this was a natural part of the culture, and part of that was a reaction against the unnatural enhancement of both the flora and fauna.

### **Structured versus Natural**

In parts of the West, there was a growing divide of this new druidic form (and a society around it), versus the "foundational" tribes (who were influenced by the Europeans). Part of this was also rooted in existing culture, like the Ocmulgee, where their structures may have often been nature-celebratory, but were estimated to be *thousands*of years old and continuously inhabited.

The Ocmulgee had already built their own structured territorial development, so the European land-stewardship concepts were nothing foreign. In fact, under the duress of the megafauna, and with new engineering and magic, the majority of the WestHem natives had found their way to similar philosophies, though most of the impetus had been defensive: it was now *all about*structures.

This flew in the face of the younger Woodland Cultures, who had perhaps only a millennia and a half of nomadic expertise, but were keenly in tune with nature's cycles. No small difference in approach, attitude and politics, this had certainly contributed to some of the intertribal warfare that had been raging before the rise of the megafauna.

### **The Focus of the Druids**

In particular, the druids developed an active communication link to the regular fauna (and even some flora), resulting in a culture that connected well to the now-venerated Saint Francis of Assisi, at least regarding the connection to animals.

This new nature-druid movement was looking for ways to induce peace in the megafauna. That wouldn't make the beasts suddenly natural within the ecosystem, but it would preserve life. When the animals were observed in stealth, their minds seemed normal – but in the presence of humanity, there was a rage switch that flipped that clouded their minds and turned focused their rage.
REO: the Angelic endorsement of Magic

## **Desperate Measures**

From the 1365 appearance of the odd events, to a mild acceleration in those events, and the F2 angels detected the F1 archangels were adjusting their strategy for this unknown turn of events.

When it seemed like the F1 angels were accelerating their timeline for the "retirement of the human race and the planet they lived on," the F2 angels knew they had to take extreme measures. They couldn't simply do a technology dump, even to save the race, as something so direct would be enough draw this proxy war into a direct war.

The alternative was *almost* as unthinkable.

### **Preparing for a Hail Mary**

By now, the F2 angels had been directly tutoring the boys and the rest of their training cadre for more than a year. This wasn't exactly classroom work, this was closer to downloading cognitive structures into their brain that built a framework of how to think rationally and logically, then layering data over that as their minds were blown, congealed and blown all over again.

From 1371 to 1372, the boys perspective had grown to a level of understanding that some would interpret as divine. Not strictly heaven-sent in the Church's definition, but given the *Foreign* source, close.

At this point, the F2 angels had to take a gamble. They couldn't bring young Edward in on it as he was first in line to the throne, and humans had proven they were likely to blow themselves up when handling magic. They could easily give a preparatory treatment to *anyone* else, but then there was a possibility that the indoctrination would fail and they would attempt to take over the earth.

That left one option: *Richard*. That was a potential plan going in, but now it was accelerated even further.

### **Preparations for the Arcane**

Even for the angels, who qualified as *ethereal* *psionic soldiers*, this was risky.

Now matter how psionically or scientifically well-trained Richard was, F2 was pointing a *young* human at magic. Humans had their historical near-misses, discovering and forgetting it on earth a few times. The simple fact was those who discovered and dabbled didn't survive.

The arcane was not in the "angelic" purview – it was known of but otherwise forbidden as it was considered too dangerous. The difference was that Richard would be armed with insights on the fundamental four forces that others did not have, including health and safety measures. Would that be enough?

Richard's psionic/angelic instructors now directed the young scholar where he could rediscover some of those lost magical insights – and learn more in that direction. It was a last-ditch attempt as the nature of the threat from F1 alone was going to overwhelm what assistance they could provide.
Records: the RA War Drums

## **Drumming Up History**

Before writing, there was the drum. A clay drum excavated in Moravia, in central Europe, is dated 6,000 B.C.E. A drum found in Egypt, 4,000 B.C.E. A sculpture of a drum found in Sumeria, where writing apparently began, is dated 3,000 B.C.E. A drum image on a temple relief in India, maybe 2,000 B.C.E.

The Bible contains several references to drumming, such as Jepthah’s daughter playing to welcome her father home from battle. An ancient Greek vase shows women drumming and dancing. The Japanese "taiko" is estimated to be well over 2,000 years old, and in recent centuries could be found in Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples as an aid to chanting. Chinese and Korean drums may be even older. Hollowed logs, their openings tightly covered with animal skin, were made by many primitive societies. Some peoples still make them this way.

This wasn't a new creation.

### **Contemporary Use**

There were already a few contemporary European infantry mercenaries who didn't always know the language of the country they fought for. The drums could give orders in any language.

Additionally, they were beginning to use snare drums, with gut or metal strings stretched across its lower drumhead resulting in a loud, rattling tone that could be heard over the din of battle.
Records: Principality of Ginestra

## **On the Shores of the Northwest Black Sea**

Joanna I, Queen of United Italy, was unassailable. This shifted alliances and allegiances in the east toward easier targets. Charles of Durazzo (duke of Slavonia, Croatia and Dalmatia), and his cousin Louis the Great (of the Poles and Hungarians) struck towards the Black Sea, looking to capture undeclared Slavic lands that might otherwise fall to Lithuania. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was regularly at war with itself, much less its Polish neighbors, so this was perfect containment.

Charles of Durazzo was looking to capture and hold former Kievan Rus territory, where Slavs were now harvested (especially since the once-Genoese market of the Crimean had dried up). Given the flow of slaves had significantly dropped, but there was still demand from Anatolia through the Maghreb, they'd make a killing. The one problem: the former Genoese castle of Ginestra was there, essentially owning the small town built on the ruins of an ancient Greek city.

King Louis approached King Rick, now a neighboring King, and offered to purchase the already-improved castle, sharing their plans to move against the Horde. This was approved and the sale made.

### **The Charles-Louis Alliance**

Given last year's defeat of the Blue Horde, the pair passed through the Principality of Moldova and conquered the land from the coastline north to marginally Lithuanian territory. Predominantly managed (and harvested) by the Cumans, the Hungarian-Croatian army went east as far as the Dnieper River and established an outpost on the mouth of the right bank, opposite of Oleshky. The former Genoese/Aquitaine Castle Ginestra became the capital, as well as the name of the city and principality.

From Oleshky, this left a thin strip of Kipchak-controlled territory between the new *Principality of Ginestra* and Aquitaine's *Principality of Crimea*. While a connection might've been handy, revealing the ongoing slave trade would been "counterproductive to relations."

### **Ulterior Motives**

Note: Louis the Great’s health was in decline. As senior Angevin male, Charles was keeping careful track. With the support of the Croatian lords, he planned to seize power once Mary of Hungary, Queen regnant of Hungary, acceeded to the throne. Similar to most of the world, the men did not want to take orders (especially military direction) from a then-10 year old girl. There was much more to this, especially given she'd been betrothed to the now-deceased Sigismund of Luxembourg and the fate of the Polish crown was also on the line...
Records: Arcane Energized Crystals

Arcane Energized Crystals (AECs) are capacitors for magical energy. They're primarily used as a modular power source for magical devices. While most think of wands, AECs are also extremely popular for energizing mechanical devices (such as horseless carriages), and have powered an industrial revolution out of England and Aquitaine, with the rest of the Commonwealth catching up quickly.

More often shortened to "Arcane Crystals," the AECs have evolved into a number of types, varing in maximum capacity, charge per hour, shock sensitivity, rechargeable, disintegrating on discharge or channeling ("perma-charge").

The appearance of the crystals varies widely depending on how they're made, though there are two common traits: a multi-faceted crystalline shape and some level of light emission from within the crystal.

### History

First created in early 1373, by a very-young prince-presumptive Richard of Bordeaux, AECs were revealed as part of an apparent princely public relations campaign. King Edward III was suffering lapses into dementia, the Crown Prince Edward of Woodstock (the "Black Prince) was suffering chronic dysentery and the mood of the English Court was in tatters. The magically-fueled antics Richard and his older Brother Edward were one bright spot – *and actual magic was a major gamechanger*.

Behind the scenes, there was major research and development of AECs on the part of the newly organized Order of Merlin. Working the in the halo of Richard, so to speak, the Order ensured rapid growth of the capacity and application of AECs to the point we are today.

### Capacity

AECs and similar magical fuel or replaceable power is considered a "**point source**" in the *Speculation* **Arcane System**.

On the low end, fully-charged AECs made from repurposed natural crystals can be safely crushed (or at least crushed without further incident). Dedicated synthetic crystals are usually self-disposing, disintegrating within the actuation chamber as they discharge.

On the high end... we can throw numbers around, but they're meaningless without context. The high end crystals power the *Aegis of Gaia*, the sky-shell shield that protected against boat-sized bullets traveling just shy the speed of a sunbeam.
Records: the Scottish A&R

## **The Caledonian Crucible**

After the late recognition of the Treaty of Berwick, the English Regiments stood down from attack mode – but they still toured the northern countryside. This was a significant symbol, but as it were, as much a curiosity to countryside as it was a warning to the Scots aristocracy.

After re-ratificaiton of the Treaty in late December of 1379, the Audit and Rectification of Scotland began on January 2, 1380. The Scottish nobility was requited to travel to London to plead their case to retain titles and properties (and air out differences with other nobles, both English and Scottish).

This was a complex inquiry, looking at the behavior of the aristocracy, both politically and personally. Members of the northern English nobility were also subject to summons, though most of them had already endured inquiry about behaviors regarding the north during the 1376 English A&R.

Like France and England before them, every lurid detail came out under the effects of *Compel Truth*, which was a hazard of living as an aristocrat. "Embarrasments" (salacious) weren't a disqualification, but major ethical breaches, applied hypocrisy or capital crimes were. As was the custom, the capital-worthy crimes of the aristocracy were punished not by execution, but by single combat with the King of England: in this case, King Edward IV as armed with Excalibur.

This not only made very short work of egregious nobility, it reinforced that throne itself needed no power behind it...

### **Scots-related Diplomacy**

With Norwegian interests so close to Scotland, the English crown arranged to purchase the Scandianavian-held Orkney Islands just off their coast. The Olaf/Margrete duo were amenable to a fair price, and looking to build good will toward the Plantagenets for assistance against the troublesome (and formerly-held) Swedish crown.
Records: Cavalon Construction Company

## Founding the *CCC*

An entirely commercial subsidiary of the *Order of Merlin,* the Cavalon Construction Company was actually the first group to monetize magic (outside of actually creating money), and did so as a construction tool.

Named after one possible spelling of King Arthur's castle, *Cavalon* seemed closer with a better English-language ring to it over "Camelot." Even Cavalon was itself a corruption of Avalon (under the influence of the Breton place name *Cavallon)*. This accounted for the confusion with Arthur's other traditional court at Carlion (*Caer Lleon* in Welsh). As neither the legend nor the spelling was standardized at this point, the Order was looking to shape perceptions – *and this would definitely do it*.

They’d been experimenting and secretly enhancing several construction projects already with such things as heat treating concrete pours, limited chemical transmutation for strength, water and rust resistance and so on – but these were small operations at critical junctures in the construction. The primary projects included the new Rainham castle.
T*hey were in on plans for the new St George castle near London, as well.*

The CCC was intended to take magical enhancement of construction methods to a whole new level.

This included speed excavation and trenching, assisted concrete pumping and curing and so on.

The CCC methods could cut construction time by up to a factor of 10, and multiply strength, weatherproofing and so on by the same amount. A massive castle that would’ve otherwise taken 20 years to complete could be finished in 2 (and potentially have walls that were 10x harder).

The CCC was entirely separate from the Royal Company – which had quickly become *the* supplier of construction material to a growing army of contractor-craftsmen in England.

The RC was incorporating their own magical division, but there were times and places the CCC specialists would be appropriate (like as an additional contractor or for alternate clients).
Records: the Duchy of Beothuk

## **The Beothuk Contact**

Some three months after establishing Kaskaskia in the middle of the upper Western Hemisphere, the OM was looking for another, closer foothold to Atlantis. This had everything to do with long-distance, large-scale magical experimentation. Right now, the distance from Atlantis to Kaskaskia was too large for [certain experiments], and that meant another citadel.

From the original mapping, retracing the steps of the Scandinavians, they'd known about the island on the upper eastern coast, not too far from the mouth of a larger river. What might've been known as Newfoundland in another time, it was the perfect placement but had a selection of megafauna that had the signature human aversion.

The dire wolves were the primarily issue, with some massive hawks, and that kept the RANP/OM settlement on their toes as they erected a reinforced stone tower practically overnight. After the first toehold for a defensible harbor, the cartography-reconnaissance parties went inward and found the megafauna combat between oversized apex predators... and also found the remains of the the Beothuk tribe.

On the entire island, there were 21 human survivors – who at this point, were astonished to see other living humans. After giving them a Book of Learning, they shared their tribal narrative: even before the monsterization of the wolves, they were unable to forage without enduring constant attack from the mainland Mi'kmaq and the Inuit. They'd made repeated escapes to the island (with attempts to return)... but the tribe was already dying due to human warfare. The mega wolves were simply fate's way of finishing them off.

### **Adaptive Colonization**

With the name of the natives in hand, as well as the approximate size of the island, the area was dubbed the Duchy of Beothuk. The tribe was adopted by the expedition, and with their survival now comparatively ensured, were educated, inoculated and integrated into the system as the regional authorities.

Given the conditions, they were admittedly rubber-stamping the CMC initiatives at this point, and their "way of life" was forever changing – but that was fairly true of the entire planet. The oldest (and luckily, the wisest) was chosen and officially elevated as the Duke of Beothuk. The rest of the native survivors were more than happy to train into new skill sets, become part of the OM semi-secret magical research colony and otherwise be granted abodes that had a level of protection and comfort that they'd never imagined possible.

While it didn't bring back lost loved ones, the revived tribe was soon wealthy beyond their own descriptions.
Records: the Death of Edward III

He had been a profoundly popular king, a definitive war hero and a man, who in his prime, had stood for the people of England. In his later years, England suffered a similar decline as her king, but this was thrown at the feet of his advisors – not at the king.

The old king, English war hero and *re-payer of debts* went peacefully.

### **Line of Succession**

The moment of the death of the previous king is the moment of royal transition – and that moment, the succession to the British throne was clear: *Prince Edward of Woodstock* became *King Edward IV*.

Likewise, Princess Joan became Queen Consort and Edward of Angoulême rose to his new place as Crown Prince of England.

Richard of Bordeaux, who in an alternate timeline might've become King of England in this moment, was comfortably ensconced as court wizard and royal advisor. Richard was recognized, however, as *the second prince*.

### **The Lineage of *Edward of Windsor***

* Edward III's mother had been Isabella of France, and was key to the claims on France placed by Edward, leading to the War for France (at this point, it wasn't a nearly a hundred years long).
* Edward's father had been Edward II of England of the House of Plantagenet.
Records: Growing Automaton Market

### **Automatons were the "Way of the Future"**

Across the CMC, the automatons were seen as the key "must have" to resolve the labor shortage. It had been three decades since the black plague had ripped across Europe, cutting the population in half, in the numbers had only begun to recover when the *Incidence of Incidents* piled on the ongoing wars already taxing the system.

The human v human wars had faded away (at least in and around the CMC), but those zombies, orks and megafauna were still tearing into human populations. Places were going into debt to buy them, but automatons were a survival necessity at this point.

### **The Edge of the CMC**

Already for sale in Aquitaine and England (where they'd been developed), the magical automatons were unveiled for sale in Zion. The northern neighbor of Israel saw this as a callback to their own protective magic: to them, this was the fulfillment of the lore of golems, a magic thought long lost.

To neighboring Egypt, suffering a loss of the slave market, this was the replacement for forced labor. It wasn't cheap, but it was industrious and dependable – and with the continued need for crystals rather than food, it kept Egypt and Zion in a close relationship.

### **The Growth of Civilian Specialization**

The military specialization was already seen, especially with the self-driving war wagons. In the civilian world, especially after the devastation of the orks, agricultural labor was one of the biggest markets. These automatons were largely anthropomorphic, essentially stepping in as farm hands where the previous hands were lost.

Agriculture, however, was blazing a trail on the automaton specialization. Mechanical reapers had just been invented (and patented), giving a clue that common engineering was *at least* four and a half centuries more evolved than it had been during the original timeline.

In this case, it had been developed incrementally and patented as a collective of contributors, and now bookended what the seed drill had done for planting. End-to-end, agriculture was automating and output was growing. The reapers increased the speed of harvesting, the far lower manpower required to do far more production, now freed a populace that such a short time ago had been having post-plague labor issues.

No sooner than the reapers patented, now the operation of them was automated as well. These initial automatons were in a range of "not perfect," but they could still create a massive amount of healthy output without the huge labor force it took previously.

Over the next several years, this mechanization resulted in a slow build of larger urban areas as the labor market started to naturally refill.
Records: Henan's Magna Carta

### **The Light in the East**

The Chinese adoption of the Magna Carta was a breakthrough that had been in the works since the Zhu Biao had taken over for his father. The king was unrepentant progressive reformer, and the same compassion that his father had worried about in his son became his own guiding light. Learning about the ethic of Aquitaine (and related) had been speaking his language, that doing the right *could work*.

### **Making it Their Own**

Henan had tremendous Chinese experience to lean on, and combined regional nuances with the core of the MC. The product was pure spirit of Magna Carta, genius enough that the Ricardian presence took the updates back with them for parliamentary introduction in the west.

### **East and West**

The adoption and ratification of a Henan Magna Carta was the next level of trust for Aquitaine. While they weren't CMC, it did open a literal portal between Aquitaine and Henan, which was now as much as portal of escape for Chinese should the worst-case come to pass in the kingdom sanctuary... as it was a portal for RANP, OM, SA, Jesuit and Sufi mystics to arrive in China and begin studying the cursed undead vector.
Records: Grenada's Assumption

## **The Completion of the Reconquista**

The Emirate of Granada was in a slow disintegration from half a dozen factors. Rick had requested the "honor" of the reconquest of King John, and was granted such. For Rick, it was because he knew if most anybody else did it, it would be a bloodbath.

Instead, it was an almost-gentle assumption.

### **After the Assumption**

Rick immediately subdivided Gibraltar away as a Barony and deeded it to the Noble Plantagenet. He was preparing the same for himself: keep Almeria as a Barony and have King John federalize the rest as a duchy. After the *Altercation*, John wanted Rick's presence in-country. He acquiesced and retained Granada as a Castilian Duchy.

The area was renamed to indicate a break, and in this case was a partial throwback to the Byzantine reach. The former Emirate of Granada became the Duchy of Spania.

The Sufi-Islam had taken hold of the vestiges where Jesuit-styled Christianity hadn't already taken over. Divisions between organized religions wasn't a major issue, given massive post-*Altercation*secularization or unification.

Locals were given the choice of deportation or swearing temporal allegiance. About half left, mostly because they were afraid of living in a place that may have upset the God of War.
Records: soap

## **Needed On So Many Levels...**

The growing mechanical engineering needed lubricants. This was especially true for large moving parts under heavy strain, like the axles and wheels of massive Royal Company wagons now hauling tons of ore, but it was also true for the tiny moving parts that were getting increased attention as *devices to do work* were invented.

There was already plenty of market-available chemistry in the world that did exactly that, though at this stage, it was rarely recogized for it and generally found elsewhere in the world. For groups like the Royal Academy, the Royal Company, the Order of Merlin... their contacts in places far distant meant that nothing on earth was truly exotic.

### **Inventing English *Soap***

With formulas for soap imported from around the world, the Royal Company cannibalized the chemistry and immediately improved upon it, creating surfactants for washing, bathing, and cleaning, but they are also used in textile spinning and are important components of lubricants.

This tied in to Richard’s drive for cleanliness, complementing the invention of toilet paper and generally helping the English smell better.
Records: birth of mass manufacture

## **The Precedent for Mass Manufacture**

It was important that the Royal Company, along with the RANP, lay out the precedent for their work. First internally, then externally, they had to give credit where it was due. This had been a long lecture from the *Foreign* *allies* regarding the source of invention: in a larger community, if everything learned is derivative, then there's no credit given for intellectual capacity, no matter what it is.

Humanity may be certifiably crazy, but they were definitely smart enough to make earning that credential worth it. This was looking the *long game*, but taking the extra time now to show progression was worth it. This brought him back to earthly precedents for mass manufacture.

Mass Production

One example was the water-mill, first made in 555 A.D. by Belisarius, although according to another they were known to Pliny the Elder and Vitruvius in the first century B.C. By the time of the 4th century A.D. mills with a capacity to grind 3 tonnes of cereal an hour, a rate sufficient to meet the needs of 80,000 persons, were in use by the Roman Empire.

Further, the Venice Arsenal provides one of the first examples of a factory in the modern sense of the word. Founded in 1104 in Venice, in the Republic of Venice, several hundred years before the Industrial Revolution, it mass-produced ships on assembly lines using manufactured parts. The Venice Arsenal produced nearly one ship every day and, at its height, employed 16,000 people. This was known enough in certain circles that Richard could use the precedent as pretext for applying the principle himself.
Records: Dual-Pathology Undead

The Westerner didn't visit in a diplomatic capacity, and little was known about his presence until the SA recognized him. He wasn't there to further relations, he was there as *the specialst*. Along with him, he brought a new wave of assistance: the Ming and liaison SA were now reinforced by a steady stream of OM, Jesuit, Sufi and RANP personnel from all over the CMC.

With a deep team, they were able to pick out patterns as their operations reached into the ruins of neighboring provinces. The orks were following pretty much was orks do, with the exception that the northern orks were now boar-origin wolf riders, while the southern orks were the shorter but nastier "pinkies." The undead, however, had a special pathology.

### **Dawn of a "New" Undead**

Unlike the direct-drive undead powered by the Devil's Teardrop, or single-wave undead that occasionally passed through Europe, the eastern undead seemed to be connected to the airborne-transmission plague. Nor was this just opportunistic undeath atop microbial infection, but rather the infection that carried vectors for both death and undeath.

Burning the bodies helped, but the vector was persistent and durable. A sophisticated, highly engineered bio-spiritual weapon, the hand of the archangels was seen here. This used China's density against them and it was a miracle that this particular strain hadn't yet made it west – it could end the world in months, just as it had practically ended China.
Records: Rise of the Sufis

## **The April Miracle**

There wasa phenomena coming out of Mekkah: mystics who could heal in similar veins to Jesuits.

There were several orders of Sufis at the time, but this particular order internalized the majority of their practices, externally emphasizing peace and equality. It was heavily ascetic in terms of worldly wealth, but otherwise emphasized sensual experience; for them, the five senses pointed to the sixth.

It was borderline heretical, but when it was found they could heal, that forced a major reevaluation of what was "holy" and what wasn't.

### **Poison Politics**

In terms of Muslim political positioning, these Sufis were *not* popular among the elite. Their interpretation of doctrine flew in the face of a great deal of established Islam, including their largely pacifist nature. Their interpretations took away religious justification for temporal expansionism, especially their clarification on the "Sword Verses" (9:5 and 9:2) as well as reinforcing the evils of *any* slavery. This impacted both the Mamluks of Egypt and the Ottoman's more recent, derivative Jannissary force.

Despite being able to consistently, repeatedly heal, their differences branded them as apostates, a crime punishable by death. Thirty of them were hunted down and executed.

Now branded martyrs, their form of sufism quickly spread among regional Sufi sects.

As an outbreak of plague passed through, common for the time and area, it was recognized that the recently-murdered would've healed them at all. Key Imams, disgusted over the affair, proclaimed the persecuted as walī (essentially saints). This incited open rebellion in Makkah, which quickly spread to Medina and soon all along the Hejaz.

### **Aftermath and Fallout**

Widely noted in the maelstrom: half the executioners died in subsequent combat, the other half contracted plague – all of whom could've lived if they hadn't murdered their own healers. Regional scholars looked at it as God's punishment, but the compassionate Sufis disagreed, simply pointing out the logical flow of killing healers when hazards were present.

They did agree, though, that it was karmic irony...
Records: Rise of the Cults

### **Psychic Scar Tissue**

It is said that time heals all wounds. Now, a month and change after the last of the *Battle of Moon's Shadow,*some of those wounds were healing. They couldn't bring back dead – *though they were working on it* – and while physical wounds could be healed exceptionally well, it was the psychic wounds, the philosophical wounds, the crushed foundations of identity that people were finding was unrecoverable.

Those wounds weren't healing. Those wounds were infected.

### **Cosmological Oncology**

While many of those true believers found something new to believe in, evolutions of their world view reinforced by the evidence of sacrificial angels and continued healing, many were more delicate. Things were "just so" in their minds, and when the certainty was destroyed, so was the foundation of their sense of self. Many became absurdists or hedonists. Many more became nihilists, ready to blow as dust.

Many more fell into a dark downward spiral of self-loathing. There was likely even "help" for this cycle of self-destruction; remains of corrupted angels or avatars. There were several groups identified that now sought to bring an end of life on earth.

Suicide cults on a planetary scale, they're looking to achieve the "greater good" and they believe they have moral superiority. Humanity, they claimed, was a tumor – and it needed to be stopped before it spread among the stars.

### **Psychopathology**

There appeared to be different flavors of this, somewhat influenced by where they were at and what foundations they hailed from.

Less direct but more insidious, they were humans with a threat level on par with orks.
Records: Surge of the Royal Company

### **The Amazing Month of May**

The Royal Company opened their doors to actual storefronts in London, York and Bordeaux.

The great majority of work was still behind the scenes, with a constant level of activity – 24/7 – at an operational pace never seen in Europe (or maybe on Earth). Even wars stopped when the sun went down, but now...? *Glow Stones* meant the process never stopped. Revealed over the course of that May were products that were going to change the nature of society.

* Paper, ***for writing*** – ***and wiping***.
* Lubricants for the growing mechanical wonders, that also ***happened to be soap***...
* ***Increase in the spectacle market***.
* ***Maritime magic***, reinforcing the connection between the RC and ROM.
* ***Carriages***, unlike any ever seen.
* ***Metal Magic***, refreshing the connection between the RC and ROM.
Records: the A&R's Continued Aftermath

### **The A&R: *Still Talked About.*..**

Crown Prince Edward's *Audit and Rectification of England*, the massive anti-corruption / anti-criminal negligence campaign from the *Long Parliament*, was still talked about on the streets. With the truth likely induced by the Order of Merlin, it seemed the public shame of the evidence disclosed was the sole factor preventing a civil war among the peerage.

There were deeper rumors, more associated with the quiet hand of the Sergeants-at-Arms and perhaps magically-binding oaths, but whatever combination of factors it was, it was miraculous that England had dodged a civil war.

### **Assertion of Royal Authority**

The A&R had definitively shown that Prince Edward was back in the saddle and a strong regent as his father further declined. He had gradually assumed full control of the Royal Court, but there were no further proclamations once the damage had been mitigated.

Most figured there was no mad rush as Prince Edward was still recovering. Not necessarily from the dysentery, but rather from visions of uncertainty and destruction – *including his own*.

### **Another Call to Parliament**

A great deal of business was taken care of in the normal Royal Court, but for some things, there needed to be legal process followed. Ideally, England should have about 25 years to digest what he'd already done, come to terms, make peace with it, get comfortable... and prepare to take the next steps.

The Incidence of Incidents, however benign they seemed to be, were pointing to something on the horizon. It was with this urgency that Edward called for Parliament again.

### **On the Docket**

* The Crown provided official notice that the treasury of England was solvent and empowered (hence the "golden" of the "Golden Parliament").
* Additionally, policy decisions were being formulated regarding the direction of a *permanent royal army*. That was a significant point of caution, especially given national revenue, and the tumultuous relationship between royalty and nobility in England.
* There were also *significant* points on tax, structure and collection, upon which parliament needed to make decisions.
Records: the NP assumes Xining

### **The Noble Plantagenet steps East**

The NP was looking for a central trading hub through inland China, and requested permission to secure territory. In this case, the area around Xining (most recently of the Gansu province when there was still human occupation). Right now, it was a living nightmare of undead and orks, but the NP saw it as geographic perfection: a regional crossroads of sorts.

King Biao of Henan gave his blessing and the NP started an independent campaign to secure Xining.

### **Another Island of Humanity**

Now closer to both the former Oirat and the Mongolian areas that had become ork strongholds, the NP Regiment made a significant statement in the clearance of the area. Pockets of survivors emerged and were evacuated to Xining. The migration made a local melting pot of refugees resettling the area.

The area would be similar to the alt-universe Chinese prefecture-level jurisdiction, the area claimed by the NP translated to a large English county roughly equivalent to Lincolnshire.

At the time, it was an independent County, and considerably larger than the usual baronies that the NP was used to managing around Europe, but this was China and everything was big in China.

There was an agreement that if Henan and affiliated kingdom spread west (i.e.; if the Chinese empire was reborn and eventually connected that far west [as it once had]), Xining County would fall under that authority. As with all NP counties in kingdoms to the east, the NP was comfortable with arrangement and readily agreed.