[Numahr]

Thx for feedback Hylobius.

I think you were clear enough with BL. You had once called "what are the monkeys doing, let hem awake from their long sleep" or something like that, which convinced me that you were not to be trusted. I guess BL also got the message. It was also strategically logical that if you ever conquered Ulm, you would ally with the N°2 against the n°1, the only way to a possible victory - at least you had the research, a key success factor. That is another reason why:
1. I wanted to protect/keep Ulm as a kind of Western protectorate, hence my threat at you at some point
2. after Szivi's accident, I wanted to attack Bandar before you may take the lead on your war (and before Machaka recovers from the seemingly costly war against Ermor and finishes its infrastructure development plan). So I stroke at Bandar without further delay.

Although, before Szivi's accident, I had designed an alternative attack plan on BL. I thought, if one and only one minor nation joins him against me (not easy to achieve from a diplo point of view), so in practice either you or Machaka, then I can play defensive against Bandar with maybe 30-40% of my forces defending castles and counter-raiding and -hopefully- rush the minor nation with like 60-70% of my forces. I believed this is what I needed to conquer you or Machaka, although the challenges were very different - lack of research of Machaka made it more tempting, more lands easier to grab. Bandar would be stuck with the alliance and would not conquer much of the crumbling minor nation, maybe only at the very end when all hope had faded. The resulting strategic situation, assuming quick and clean victory against the minor nation, would have me being so much more powerful than Bandar that the war would be virtually won, without the need to attack Bandar's territory. So before Szivi's accident I was hoping BL would find one, and only one ally to give me an easy prey. When you asked him to awake against me, I was actually hoping he would accept.

Ulm: in this perspective, attacking Ulm made no sense as there was no spoil important enough to increase my power (4 provinces), Ulm was much more useful as an independent nation and skillful general defending his honor with no hope of victory but keeping you in check. Plus I kind of developed a genuine sympathy for them and attacking them would have felt like a betrayal... Pretender Gods have feelings too :-)