Bede's report

Realms Beyond Civilization - Epic Thirty-nine: Division of Labor

Victory: Diplomatic in 1868.

And now the tale begins:

The tribe of the Celts, led by a High Cheiftain named Bede, camps on the grasslands between a lake and the sea. A soft breeze from the east brings the scent of the sea as Bede stretches out by the flickering fire and dreams of the future.

A Druid interrupts his reverie, "High Cheiftain, your clan is weary of roaming. You have led us to the place promised by your ancestors where our tribe can grow and prosper. There is the sea nearby with its fish, kelp and mussels, a forest with sacred oaks, hills which we can mine for riches, a lake of sweet water to irrigate the fields to grow crops to feed your people, and grapes in abundance will supply wine for our revels and holy rites. More wearisome wandering could not find a place offering such abundance."

Bede considers the Druid's words, then nods his shaggy head in agreement. "Tell the clan we have found our home. Begin building our homes of wood and send a worker to the vineyards so that we may celebrate properly".

"We shall make it so," replies the Druid who hastens away to fulfill the High Chieftain's commands.

So in that place the tribe builds the town of Entremont.

The High Cheiftain returns to his dreams of magnificient buildings and armies which will bring glory, power and riches to his people and honor to him and his descendants.

The tribe immediately begins to train warriors to uncover the boundaries of this land. The warriors are sent north, south and west and discover forests with fur bearing animals in the south, to the Northwest a lake rich in pike, plains where sugar cane grows, a forest containing spices, to the North a fertile crescent bounded by the sea to the East and desert to the North and West, and much grassland to the West.

Then comes the morning when Bede emerges from his wattle and daub mansion in a rage. Several harvests have passed; the corn is rotting in the fields for the granary is not finished. He summons ths Druids to explain.

The eldest steps forth, trembling. "Lord, we understand your wrath, but the gods of fields and forests forbid the building of unsightly mines on our grasslands and plains. To do so would disrupt the Nyads who dwell there. They have also forbidden us to touch the sacred oaks in the forest. We may only build mines in the hills and mountains and bring water to the plains, grasslands and drylands. These Commandments delay our buildings. Thus have the gods spoken and if we wish to prosper we should heed their commands."

The Chieftain is not pleased at the Druid's words, but realizes he must adhere to the directives of the Holy Ones. His dreams are dashed; the buildings he had imagined become vague shades glimmering in the far distance, unattainable.

Bede orders the Druids to study only the arts of war, then, once those tasks are completed, to go into the fields and labor with the rest of the. If he cannot build the monuments he had dreamed of, he will make powerful armies from the bones of the Druids and conquer the monuments of others.

In the era T22 after the settlement of Entremont the High Chieftain ordains the building of another city to the west and Alesia (grasslands and forest) is founded in 2950BC, Lugdunum (spices) is built in T51 (1750BC) to the north of Alesia and by T72 (1225BC) Camuladorum (furs) to the south of Entremont.

While the warriors explore the Druids are studying the martial arts of Bronze and Iron Working and Code of the Warrior. Once these three things are learned the Druids are ordered to cease studying so that the tribe may grow rich and put to work in the fields (the First Cultural Revolution) From this point forward the Celts will take what they need to know from other tribes.

The warriors have met two other tribes to the north, the Egyptians and the Carthiginians. There are no other peoples on the Emerald Isle. After an initial period of cordial trading of knowledge, relations among the tribes grow quarrelsome as each covets the others' lands and riches. In T70 The High Chieftain sends an army of archers, spearmen and horsemen to prevent Egyptian encroachment on Celtic homelands and vows to rid the Emerald Isle of these interlopers.

In T77 (1100BC) after a short battle the army captures the Egyptian city of Alexandria. This town had been built north of the desert and controlled land rich in food and resources. After that victory the Egyptians give up all their scientific knowledge and gold for peace with the descendants of Bede.

At T88 Verulamium (iron and floodplains) is built in the fertile crescent and the heirs of Bede go to war with the Carthiginians who are encroaching to the north and east. From this era until Era T270 (1395AD) the Celts are constantly at war with only brief intervals of peace. In T270 (1395AD) Hannibal is exiled to a boat and Cleopatra to an island and the Emerald Isle belongs to the Celts.

During these eras the Celts meet three other tribes, the English and the Portugese (both are great sailors) and, through them, the Romans. The English enjoy Most Favored Nation status and become great trading partners. The Celts sell them trade goods for much gold and in return buy their scientific knowledge. During this time and until the mid Middle Ages and the acquisition of the ability to build universities, the Celts spend few resources on science, concentrating instead on the development of their economy. Once universities (after marketplaces and banks in most cases) are built the Druids are given a free rein in their investigations of natural phenomena and by the end of the Middle Ages the Celts are the scientific leader and remain in that position until the end.

For all these years of war and trading the Heirs of Bede had squabbled among themselves. No two agreed as to the proper direction of the realm. A new era is about to begin, the Industrial Age, (it is T267, 1385AD); the Egyptians and Carthaginians no longer a threat, or even any importance; a succession of indecisive Kings who had chosen to disguise their leadership failure with success in war had left control of affairs to advisors who in most cases were totally corrupt. Nearly half the realm's income passed to their purses, and the waste of precious production can not be enumerated.

Well, it took 20 eras (T287) or 100 years, but a new leadership emerged and took control. The Heirs of Bede were banished and the rest of the hereditary leadership executed. The new leadership (The Proletariat) implemented measures that reduced corruption by 50%, and ordered the Druids (now called Scientists) to study ways of increasing production and reducing waste.

By T310 (1600AD) anti-corruption measures had really taken hold as the Secret Police ferreted out corrupt officials across the state and the State Auditors looked into the books and determined that corruption was now only 5% of total income.

The leadership could now turn its attention to the future. Gradually a consensus emerged. The State can support both a large military and a world class research establishment. There is only one rival left, England, and two tiny clients (Hannibal still in his boat, and Cleopatra on her island). By offering the protection of her military to Hannibal and Cleopatra the Emerald Isle could have her leadership validated by the UN. And by funding the construction of the UN the Celts could control the timing of the voting.

So, in era T312 (1605AD) Hannibal and Cleopatra were settled into their new homes of El-Amarna and Cataractonium. Both are inland cities and have no known resources. (The gift of El-Amarna turned out to be problematic as some eras later it was learned that its boundaries included the only source of oil on the continent, so the Celts had to buy Oil from England at exorbitant prices to build the Air Force to protect themselves and their clients from the English. That problem solved itself some time later when the English were allowed to capture the city, thereby eliminating the troublesome Hannibal who kept declaring war on his foster sister Cleo and the Celts could take it back from England.)

From T312 to the second (Cleo abstained on the first vote in 1848AD) and final UN vote in T399 (1868AD) the Celts concentrated on getting the most productivity and income from the island. At T355 (1778AD) the Celts built their first Great Wonder, Hoover Dam in Alexandria and the second GW, the UN, also in Alexandria 44 turns later and their last GW, Manhattan Project, in Leptis Minor 8 turns after that. The cities were kept content by employing as many specialists (policemen, scientists, tax collectors, engineers and clowns) as the food supply could support with the assignment of specialists determined by what combination delivered the greatest income and greatest output. The city adminstrators discovered that the allocation of specialists is a time consuming task (nano-management, if you will) as the proper balance depends on what is being built, how long it is taking to build it, how much longer is left to build it, and can only be determined by inspection.

(It was deeply pleasing towards the end to look at the Domestic screen and see 0 red coins or shields in the largest cities)

These final eras were marred by wars with the English. For some silly reason the English really wanted Cleopatra's two tundra island at the NE tip of the Isle, which naturally involved the Celts as we were her Protector. The English finally took the island from her and we took it from them and held onto it.

During the end eras, the military strategy was a simple one: lots of artillery, and bombers when available, and a stack of infantry and several tanks. The English would sail across to either the east or west coasts, get bombarded by artillery, land a couple of cavalry, the cavalry would get crippled by artillery, and killed by infantry or tanks, then the English ships would sail home if not sunk by the bombers (sequence being bombard first to cripple, then bomb to sink).

The science strategy was economic advances first, then research benefits, then military. The Communist government did have a small dampening effect on the pace of scientific discovery. At the end of the Monarchy research into new technologies was in the 4-6 era range; with the advent of Communism that extended out to 5-8 (no change in budgeting or specialist assignment).

The Celts were the dominant mercantile state during the middle period. The Emerald Isle held tradeable surpluses of gems, wine, spices, silks, furs and these goods provided the extra uncorrupted income to fund technology buys and research or were traded directly for technology.