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«12. . .3,3093,3103,3113,3123,3133,3143,315. . .8,7238,724»

Here is a dispatch about Ancient Mzeusian pottery.

Here's a link to the Mzeusian Library which has every dispatch.

Here's a link to The Dispatch Writing Guide to help you write a good dispatch.

This is not a guide to making pottery, but just a dispatch about pottery usage and evolution in ancient Mzeusia.

Humans have known how to make pottery for thousands of years, but in ancient Mzeusia, pottery making was not just something one had to do when they wanted to store or cook something in.

The earliest known pottery in the region comes from before the unification of Mzeusia, when the eleven tribes that would unite to make Mzeusia still lived apart and under Thoonian rule. Pots made by the ancestors of modern day Mzeusians are rare in this area, just like primitive pots being made in other parts of the world at that time. More often then not, these would bear no design on them. A few pots were however, and some have been found painted, and there are others were the designs have been etched into the clay. They tend to depict the various deities of the different tribes, as well as simpler patterns like flowers or standing figures.

Remains of many other pottery pieces have been recovered from the same time bearing designs that could not have been made in Mzeusia. They come instead from all over the Thoonian empire, and even a few from Gartunia, the country on the northern border of present-day Mzeusia.

These foreign pots are more advanced and more brightly coloured and when compared to later pots made when Mzeusia was independent, it is clear that the Mzeusians absorbed a few of these pot designs.

With Mzeusian independence a growing pottery industry gave a canvas upon which Mzeusians depicted many a patriotic tale. At this time, the ability to read and write was very rare, so pictures were used to convey information. The first pots that we know of to be produced in Mzeusia were not much more advanced that those produced in the decades before Mzeusian independence. It was only with the expansion of Mzeusian borders under the second king of Mzeusia, Holsikas Hyrasa, that Mzeusian pot making began to see rapid improvements.

Potters workshops that have been found, date from around the time of the first campaigns undertaken by Hyrasa, and the art of pot making seemed to have taken on a new image. It was seen as a noble skill and a good job. Under influence from the designs found in the newly-conquered lands, both the pots themselves and the designs painted on them became more complex and intricate.

Both the pinch and coil method were used throughout Mzeusia, with help from potter's wheels (originally flat stone disks which the pot-to-be would be placed on and spun) and these methods remained unchanged for many hundreds of years. The paintings on the pots however, evolved greatly. With the establishment of Mzeusism almost immediately after independence, the more united religious imagery found its way onto pots. Before, the various gods and goddesses of different tribes were depicted on pots, but when the religion became more solidified and understood, the religious iconography was made standardised. Images of coronations, battles, traders and many more significant events were depicted over time. Pots specially made for festivals became increasingly common during the later ancient period, and these pots would be maintained and used for years at the festivals they were intended for.

There is a story that was told during the beginnings of pottery in independent Mzeusia that goes as follows: In a village in northern Mzeusia, an old man decided to give his two children something to remember him by. He has been a skilled potter in his youth, but age and disease had taken a heavy toll on him, and making pots took a lot longer than it once had. Despite this, the man set to work with grand designs. He would work tirelessly and would accept no help from anyone be else. His attempts would always bear no fruit however. I've day he fell asleep during the middle of the firing of the clay, the next day his hands were too shaky to form a shape that he was pleased with. The day after saw the man struck down with a fever which almost killed him and prevented him from working. He was approaching his last days in earth and he had still not created a pot.

He prayed to the gods for help, told them how disappointed his children would be if he failed them, and went back to work. He did not have the time to create something very impressive but say the end of the day he had a basic pot with a basic design.

The old man then presented this pot to his children who wept when they heard about the hardship he had gone through in order to make the pot. They promised to treasure the simple item for the rest of their lives.

A passing merchant was walking by and he scoffed at the pot. "Why, that is a crude thing not worthy of a final gift. I could order ten pots, twenty plates and thirty jars which would each be far more beautiful than that."

Unbeknownst to the wealthy merchant, the god of determination, Berus, had been following the old man's labours with interest. Upon hearing the merchant, Berus came down before the old man and the merchant. "You who are rich'" he bellowed at the merchant, "may well be able to order your own pots, but they will mean nothing to you and nothing to those you give them to. This old man has a pot which is the result of months of labour. The pot of not only made of clay from the river, but the love he has for his children. Despite his ailments, he made this pot. It is a noble thing for a man to work on his own pots and I therefore declare it to be far better than anything you could order."

With that, the god blessed the pot so that it would never break and its paint would never fade. He then condemned the merchant to work forever on a single pot, but that pot would always collapse before it could be finished.

The story explains the Ancient Mzeusian obsession with crafting ones own items, be that pots, plates, chairs, clothes it anything else.

Pot were commonly commissioned by men with power who wanted more. Governors (men in charge of running the counties in the Mzeusian kingdom) and and the kings themselves were the most prolific people who ordered pots. By seeming to be closely involved with those making the pots, the men who commissioned them avoided the wrath of the gods.

The commissioned pots would be painted to remind the user (or observer if the pots were purely for decoration) who had gifted then to the people. Many famous men and women won popular support by commissioning hundreds of items to give to the poor, or a few highly decorated ones to give to other influential people.

It is with the invention of faster pottery making methods that the art of handmade pottery lot its glamour, and the skill fell into decline. Today, there are still workshops bring held throughout the country were one can make and decorate their own pots in the traditional ancient Mzeusian style. Sadly however, the art of pottery making is known only by a very small percentage of population.

Read factbook

Treadwellia, Your imaginary friend, and Loftegen 2

Kappan wrote:While preaching the good word of the Lord is typically commendable, teaching it to animals is an indication of insanity questionable.

It sounds perfect, where do I sign up?

erm we can employ u as a sunday skool teacher on the moose farm >_>

Sneyland wat u think? He looks legit? I meanz he just has to read bible stories to little meece...

Treadwellia and Loftegen 2

Kappan wrote:While preaching the good word of the Lord is typically commendable, teaching it to animals is an indication of insanity questionable.

It sounds perfect, where do I sign up?

Do u know about noahs ark?

Treadwellia, Kappan, and Loftegen 2

I'd like to invite those of you who are into Minecraft to join my just established LazWorld Minecraft server for Lazarus!

Hello everyone,
In September 2019, I created a Minecraft Realms server for Minecraft Java Edition, for all of Lazarus to enjoy. The server runs as an unmodified Survival mode server, currently in Version 1.16.3.
The server is called LazWorld by Leonism.

The original map was replaced by me in October 2020, to enable everyone to try out the 1.16 update, which gives a major overhaul to the Nether, among other things. The old map is still cached and can be reinstated if so desired.

Rules

  • Only players of nations based in Lazarus may take part

  • No PVP unless specifically agreed between the participants (Warning: PVP is by default set to "on" in case you want to duel while I'm offline)

  • Absolutely no griefing (= destroying other people's structures)

  • You must send me (Leonism) a telegram or discord (Leonism#9218) message with your Minecraft user name for me to invite you to the server

  • My word is law on the server, as I pay for it (ingame Name: Ewok0rn)

I am looking forward to having fun with fellow Minecraft players from Lazarus!

List of Lazarus nations who already take part (Minecraft username in parenthesis):
Perchan (HPGuardian)
Denado (Fudzie)
Your imaginary friend (Trifire)
Kappan (Pedrolover)
Custadia (McChimp)
The Sigometh Dynasty (KevinGrzyb)
Glorious society (Jadter)
Yubel (tkoutn)
Aflana (Aflana)
Makdon (tobiDaTurtle)
The illusian empire (lyricgrr)
Aeisonia (somelemonpls)
Tolfaer (Taikaviita)
United States of Canaidia (Somebody6000)
Domais (MyNameisSpawn)
Leonism (Ewok0rn)

List of former players who have been removed because they no longer have a nation in Lazarus (You are elegible to return to the server upon return to Lazarus)
Hycronesia (kiuyenne)
Neo-cambria (thelwe)
The copper states (HeroKP)
Hrathgar glacier (SurvivorType)

Read dispatch

Galiantus iii, Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and Kappan

Adelsin wrote:Do u know about noahs ark?

Of course! I know Noah's Ark, Abel and Cain, to the Good Samaritan!

Leonism wrote:
Hello everyone,
In September 2019, I created a Minecraft Realms server for Minecraft Java Edition, for all of Lazarus to enjoy. The server runs as an unmodified Survival mode server, currently in Version 1.16.3.
The server is called LazWorld by Leonism.

The original map was replaced by me in October 2020, to enable everyone to try out the 1.16 update, which gives a major overhaul to the Nether, among other things. The old map is still cached and can be reinstated if so desired.

Rules

  • Only players of nations based in Lazarus may take part

  • No PVP unless specifically agreed between the participants (Warning: PVP is by default set to "on" in case you want to duel while I'm offline)

  • Absolutely no griefing (= destroying other people's structures)

  • You must send me (Leonism) a telegram or discord (Leonism#9218) message with your Minecraft user name for me to invite you to the server

  • My word is law on the server, as I pay for it (ingame Name: Ewok0rn)

I am looking forward to having fun with fellow Minecraft players from Lazarus!

List of Lazarus nations who already take part (Minecraft username in parenthesis):
Perchan (HPGuardian)
Denado (Fudzie)
Your imaginary friend (Trifire)
Kappan (Pedrolover)
Custadia (McChimp)
The Sigometh Dynasty (KevinGrzyb)
Glorious society (Jadter)
Yubel (tkoutn)
Aflana (Aflana)
Makdon (tobiDaTurtle)
The illusian empire (lyricgrr)
Aeisonia (somelemonpls)
Tolfaer (Taikaviita)
United States of Canaidia (Somebody6000)
Domais (MyNameisSpawn)
Leonism (Ewok0rn)

List of former players who have been removed because they no longer have a nation in Lazarus (You are elegible to return to the server upon return to Lazarus)
Hycronesia (kiuyenne)
Neo-cambria (thelwe)
The copper states (HeroKP)
Hrathgar glacier (SurvivorType)

Read dispatch

Cool! I might join under the name of Pedrolover.

Galiantus iii, Treadwellia, Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and 1 otherLoftegen 2

90s Music Tournament continues with:

Pulp vs Chemical Brothers

page=poll/p=146648

The History of Loftegen 2

Part Five

War and Death

In 1078 CE, Empress Mara Anzjana appointed a Prince Regent to rule in her stead, and disappeared from public view for over a year. Despite the fact that she was in her eightieth year on the throne, and looked no different than she had when she first arrived in Altenburg, some discontented nobles took up arms and rebelled. Ancient grievances, it seemed, had only been sleeping, instead of forgotten.

The Prince Regent, with the support of the majority of the nobility and the people, rallied the army and marched against one foe after another. Without the empress on hand to end battles quickly, the Wars of the Absence were quite bloody. None-the-less, the Prince Regent was triumphant, and following the empress's lead, he turned the rebellious states into elective principalities, as a punishment, and a warning.

Not long after, the empress returned from wherever it was she had gone, and laid her seal of approval on the Prince Regent's deeds.

Around the centennial of her rule, the word zaharra, meaning old woman, was first used to refer to Mara Anzjana, which amused her greatly, as her new name meant the exact same thing as her current one, and all but one of her older ones.

A couple of decades later a great comet appeared in the night skies. It was known that comets often came at predictable, if sometimes long, intervals. This one had never been seen before, not even in Empress Zaharra's long life. It was, as much to her as anyone else, a terrible omen.

That winter was the harshest in recent memory. Spring came late, and there was no summer to speak of. Crops failed, and famine spread, followed by disease. The next winter was no better, nor the following spring. Finally, as Midsummer's Day drew nigh, the Elves came swarming down out of the Iron Mountains...

Treadwellia, Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and Leonism

The copper states

I am going to write an issue about an asteroid covered with alien shrooms crashing into your nation. Wish me luck everyone! :D

Aigania, Treadwellia, Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and 1 otherLoftegen 2

Your imaginary friend

The copper states wrote:I am going to write an issue about an asteroid covered with alien shrooms crashing into your nation. Wish me luck everyone! :D

Good luck! Don't forget to include the perspective of the small green alien-shroom-dwellers... :D

Perchan and Loftegen 2

The copper states wrote:I am going to write an issue about an asteroid covered with alien shrooms crashing into your nation. Wish me luck everyone! :D

I'll have a look at the draft once it is posted on the forums.

Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and Loftegen 2

The copper states wrote:I am going to write an issue about an asteroid covered with alien shrooms crashing into your nation. Wish me luck everyone! :D

The New California Republic wrote:I'll have a look at the draft once it is posted on the forums.

I'll be in the back and hold up the sign saying "Repent, the end is nigh"

Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and Loftegen 2

O___O ur hired. Your first bible reading is this sunday. Make sure you start of with the basics inthe bible.. noahs ark and adam and eve and stuff then head into the complex stuff later Kappan.

Sneyland, free moose stews for mr Kappan over here . He is an employee so he goes under employee moose stew benefits.

Treadwellia, Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and Loftegen 2

Adelsin wrote:O___O ur hired. Your first bible reading is this sunday. Make sure you start of with the basics inthe bible.. noahs ark and adam and eve and stuff then head into the complex stuff later Kappan.

Sneyland, free moose stews for mr Kappan over here . He is an employee so he goes under employee moose stew benefits.

Lady Zaharra, subbing for Kappan:

A Reading from the Book of Armaments, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 20:

Then did he raise on high the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, saying, "Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy." And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the lambs and toads and tree-sloths and fruit-bats and orangutans and breakfast cereals ... Now did the Lord say, "First thou pullest the Holy Pin. Then thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the number of the counting, be reached, then lobbest thou the Holy Hand Grenade in the direction of thine foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it."

Aigania, Treadwellia, Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and 3 othersKappan, Mzeusia, and Leonism

Loftegen 2 wrote:Lady Zaharra, subbing for Kappan:

A Reading from the Book of Armaments, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 20:

Then did he raise on high the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, saying, "Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy." And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the lambs and toads and tree-sloths and fruit-bats and orangutans and breakfast cereals ... Now did the Lord say, "First thou pullest the Holy Pin. Then thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the number of the counting, be reached, then lobbest thou the Holy Hand Grenade in the direction of thine foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it."

Neee.

Aigania, Treadwellia, Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and 1 otherLoftegen 2

Mzeusia wrote:Neee.

I can face the peril!

Aigania, Perchan, Mzeusia, and Leonism

ROMANES EVNT DOMVS!

Aigania, Perchan, Loftegen 2, and Leonism

Adelsin wrote:erm we can employ u as a sunday skool teacher on the moose farm >_>

Sneyland wat u think? He looks legit? I meanz he just has to read bible stories to little meece...

Ok. He seems good.

Perchan and Loftegen 2

Adelsin wrote:O___O ur hired. Your first bible reading is this sunday. Make sure you start of with the basics inthe bible.. noahs ark and adam and eve and stuff then head into the complex stuff later Kappan.

Sneyland, free moose stews for mr Kappan over here . He is an employee so he goes under employee moose stew benefits.

Ok, I will write it down.

Perchan and Loftegen 2

Denado wrote:ROMANES EVNT DOMVS!

What's this then? "People called Romanes they go the 'ouse?"

All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

Treadwellia, Perchan, Your imaginary friend, Kappan, and 2 othersLoftegen 2, and Leonism

Aigania wrote:All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

Brought peace?

Perchan, Kappan, and Leonism

Loftegen 2 wrote:Brought peace?

Oh, peace? SHUT UP!

Perchan, Kappan, Loftegen 2, and Leonism

Aigania wrote:Oh, peace? SHUT UP!

Ha! Now we see the violence inherent in the system!

Aigania, Perchan, and Loftegen 2

Kappan wrote:Ha! Now we see the violence inherent in the system!

Bloody peasant!

Aigania, Perchan, and Kappan

Popping in to leave a cool link I discovered today, in case anyone has ever wondered how their flag would look in actual motion:

https://krikienoid.github.io/flagwaver/

Perchan, Your imaginary friend, and Loftegen 2

«12. . .3,3093,3103,3113,3123,3133,3143,315. . .8,7238,724»

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