HRE NES

[Cyclotron]

Yeah, your editing... sheesh. Alright, I'll see what I can do.

[Cyclotron]

Okay, that makes a bit more sense. At least the numbers add up. I am assuming Vizegraf Magenhard von Linz is with the 4th Regiment on the Bohemian border.

Does this mean that all Bavarian and Carinthian chivalry (knights, sergeants) is under your personal command?

To all: That update was very drawn out, and I apologize, it's been a busy week. I believe everything is ready for your orders at this point. Appleciders, I'll just update your stat block after the next update. Casualties from the Vienna campaign will also be factored in on the next update. Thanks for participating, it should be even more full of German goodness when our 4th duchy is taken up in a week or so.

[Micha]

Duchy of Saxony - Orders

As much as the people of Saxony mourn the death of Otto, their beloved duke, they have a great deal of respect for his son Heinrich, his successor. After the failed attempt on his life, for which the very old bishop Hatto is responsible, rumours of Heinrich´s destiny to do great deeds in the future are spreading among the peasants.

Heinrich, not wanting to waste more time on the matter, has sent a message to Hatto that the failure was a sign of god that the great lord doesn´t want him to die yet, so any further earthen interference might be dangerous in regards to the ascension to heaven... With this, the case is closed. Hopefully this gesture of goodwill is received as that by Heinrich´s opponents...

When the new duke was back at Magdeburg, the scout parties had already returned. Their reports were promising, so Heinrich held a war counsil with his generals and they decided to move out this winter. The Duke has spent 400 denarii on blankets and tents for the army, as there didn´t seem to be enough for the levies.

The Duke himself will be commander of the army, with Vizegraf Widukind von Hildesheim as his replacement. The knights and Seargants have been warned about the Wendish tactic of fleeing and ambushing, so they should behave somewhat more disciplined.

Followed by several hundred supply wagons, cooks, performers, singers and less devout women, the Saxon Peacebringer Army left Magdeburg after the Christmas celebrations. Two and a half thousand men at arms are approaching Lipsk when the new year begins. Scouting parties are advancing in front of the army, recruiting local guides and auxiliary forces as well as bribing chiefs to surrender (in exchange no harm is to be done to them, their people and their villages!). Some 400 denarii are brought along for this purpose.
The generals are to chose the tactical details based upon the maps, the guide´s advises and their own knowledge. There are four principles that have to be followed:
- Stay together!
- Capture or kill the chiefs if they don´t surrender!
- Send scouts in all directions, to not get ambushed too easily!
- Stick to promises! If a chief surrenders, leave his people and possessions unharmed!

Zcwickaw shall be reached after Lipsk has fallen, so the troops can rest and regroup. Johann of Zwickau shall swear the oath of loyality to the Duke, after that he will be titled "Count of Voigtland".
Zwickau, as the town will then be called, will be the winter camp for the army. 550 Denarii are to be spent on a fortification around the town and a chapel.

Meanwhile to the north, 150 denarii are to be banked in a Viking Watch Fond. One denari goes to any peasant who spots and reports a raiding party. If the Viking Slayers can counter the raiding based on this information, the spotter will be rewarded an extra 2
denarii, while his lord will get 7 denarii.

Order Summary:

• Train 150 Medium Guards (polearm, light) and 50 light bowmen (bow, cloth) for the Viking Slayers
• forge 120 heavy armour pieces [600d - 600d (iron) = 0d]
• Bank 150 denarii in a Viking watch fond
• Send 400 denarii with the Saxon Peacebringers to bribe local chiefs and recruit Wendish auxiliaries and guides
• Spend 550 denarii on building a ringwall and a chapel in Zwickau
• Unleash the dogs of war onto the Wendish chiefs!

This will cost 950 denarii (+ up to 150d for Viking Watch)

[Cyclotron]

One problem here:

forge 150 heavy armour pieces [300d - 300d (iron) = 0d]

150 heavy armor pieces would be 750 denarii. You have 400 denarii of iron from Swabia. This is enough to cover the armor production in full, so that 750 denarii of armor will actually cost 375 denarii. This is because every denarius of iron counts as 2 denarii for making arms and armor.

Besides that, great.

[Micha]

That´s a thing I didn´t find when browsing the stats page... Where does it say I have 400d worth of iron? During the past updates I had 300d only.

Anyway, I want to make as many heavy armour pieces as my iron supply pays for.

[foolish_icarus]

Rename "New recruits" to "Eastern Battalion" and put them under the command of Bishop Roricus von Worms.

Landgraf Abelard von Bernfeld will be attached to my knights and seargeants.

Vizegraf Waldibert von Speyer is free to attend to his own wants, be they inspiring his attendents with his glory, traipsing through the countryside and "saving" damsels, or whatever else it is a dandy in medieval Germany does.

King Conrad to Duke Heinrich of Saxony:

Rejoice! Your good father is undoubtedly in heaven, and the people of Saxony have a great man, son of a great man, to lead them. May Heaven continue to protect you, as it has turned the daggers of your fiendish assailants, and bless you with long and fruitful reign. Also, congradulations on the birth of your son!


King Conrad to King Rudolph of Upper Burgundy:

My sympathy is with you for the death of your father. We will, of course, maintain the most peaceful of neighborly relations with your good kingdom and her pious people. We gratefully accept your prayers, and my court wishes you the best of reigns.


Send an official to the court of the new Doge to convey my kingdom's desire for continued friendship with Venice.


King Conrad to Emperor Alexander III:

Greetings. My prayers, such little things as they are, are for your health and the continued well-being and piety of your people. I humbly ask that you reconsider your request of us, as the Magyar have shown to us with fire and steel that they desire no peace with Christian kingdoms. Every Magyar action and word that I have seen or heard is a blasphemy to Christ, and for us to let down our guard would be to allow our people to suffer slavery and death, and worse, forbidden to practice the Faith, at the hands of these pagans. I very much hope that with the aid of the Almighty you will succeed in showing the Magyar the light of God and turning them away from our borders and towards the Bulgars.


(A private discourse while on campaign)
Arnulf,

I trust your judgement on the battlefield. So long as you desire to continue setting up the tactical orders of battle, you have my support to do whatever you deem necessary with any forces in the campaing not expressly given other orders.
Also, I can trade you a higher quantity of silver to pass on to Berengar. Say, 300 d.?

-Conrad




Begin to train 300 new levy men (to become the Rhine Levy). Last turn I began the training of 300 levy men. Will they be ready this turn or the next?
-300 d.

Put in my armory:

200 Shields, 200 d.
200 Light Armor, 175 d. (with iron)
50 Pavises, 50 d.

50 Bows, 50 d.
100 Javelins, 100 d. (how many javelins can a soldier carry?)
100 Spears, 100 d.
100 Polearms, 100 d.

Total cost: 1075 d.

I'm interested in learning about the numbers, prices, and travel times in hiring any of the following mercenaries: Frieslanders, Slavs, Franks, Croats, and any Bohemians who managed to escape the Magyars.

[appleciders]

Originally posted by Cyclotron
Okay, that makes a bit more sense. At least the numbers add up. I am assuming Vizegraf Magenhard von Linz is with the 4th Regiment on the Bohemian border.

Does this mean that all Bavarian and Carinthian chivalry (knights, sergeants) is under your personal command?

To all: That update was very drawn out, and I apologize, it's been a busy week. I believe everything is ready for your orders at this point. Appleciders, I'll just update your stat block after the next update. Casualties from the Vienna campaign will also be factored in on the next update. Thanks for participating, it should be even more full of German goodness when our 4th duchy is taken up in a week or so.

Re von Linz: Yes.
Re chivalry: Now that you mention it, put them under the command of Landgraf Fridebert von Meran. I have some plans here.
Re updating stat block: Sounds good.

Private discourse to Conrad:
I will continue to defend our borders from the Magyar infidels. My thanks for your support and trust, and for pursuing every line of support with the Byzantines. I will enter negotiations with Berengar for the purchase of silver; my own coffers run dangerously low, and I will try to show a significant profit that I might avoid the indignity of asking you for a loan.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Emperor Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy
I have access to sufficient quantities of silver to interest you, but I do not particularly desire the items you listed for trade. Most helpful to me would be a supply of potash or salt, especially the latter. However, I would likely be able to trade you silver for cash if all else fails- say 300 silver for 500 denarii in cash? Iron is a more ticklish proposition, considering the war I'm fighting with the Magyars, and I would be loath to trade it away at the moment.


Cyclotron, what would the benefits of trading for glassware, cloth, leather, or olive oil? Just the regular trade benefits, or something else too?

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Micha
That´s a thing I didn´t find when browsing the stats page... Where does it say I have 400d worth of iron? During the past updates I had 300d only.

Anyway, I want to make as many heavy armour pieces as my iron supply pays for.

Gah, blasted typos. You have 300 from trade, not 400. That means your iron discounts up to 600 denarii worth of arms, or 120 heavy armors. Would you like to stay at 150 or downgrade to 120?

Begin to train 300 new levy men (to become the Rhine Levy). Last turn I began the training of 300 levy men. Will they be ready this turn or the next?

The levy men are now in the process of training. They will be available to command next turn, so you can't give them orders this turn except to do things like move around your own Duchy.

how many javelins can a soldier carry?

Typically 5-6, carried in hand or behind the shield. Archers usually carry 10-15 arrows on their persons at one time. Javelins thus provide fewer shots than bows, but are better at penetrating armor and more damaging generally when the enemy is in range. Also, in a pinch, javelins can be used in melee (with about the same effectiveness as a spear, though without the anti-cavalry bonus), while bows and arrows are useless at close range.

Ordering "javelin" for your troops doesn't mean just one javelin, it assumes a supply of them. It costs one denarius to equip one man with javelins, and it is henceforth assumed that he is provided with ammunition from your supply trains; you never have to buy him more. The same is true of bows and arrows.

I'm interested in learning about the numbers, prices, and travel times in hiring any of the following mercenaries: Frieslanders, Slavs, Franks, Croats, and any Bohemians who managed to escape the Magyars.

Travel times for these mercenaries are dependent on where you want them to go. For campaigning in Vienna and its environs, Slavs, Croats, and Bohemians would be ready immediately, and could be ordered around this turn. Franks from Italy would take one turn, and Frieslanders would take two turns.

The following mercenaries are available currently:

Slavic Warriors (spear, shield) - These lightly armed pagan warriors are tough but ill-disciplined. They are best suited to being a mobile reserve to fend off light cavalry. Cost: 1d per man per turn. 4,000 available.

Moravian Veterans (light, axe, javelin, shield) - Once soldiers in Bohemian or Moravian armies, these men have been forced into mecenary bands by the destruction of their homelands at the hands of the Magyars. They have some military training and are better equipped than militia, and they are largely Christian. Cost: 2d. 2,500 available.

Dalmatian Cavalry (lance, shield) - These spirited Croatian (and mostly Christian) light cavalrymen are light lancers suitable for flanking and screening duties. They will not fare well in a heavy melee, however. Cost: 2d. 1,500 available.

Croatian Men-at-Arms (heavy, shield, mace) - The lesser nobles of Croatia often sell their services to the highest bidder when their own country is at relative peace. They are tough, well-disciplined, Christian, and equipped with good quality armaments, though they are not rich enough to own horses. Cost: 3d. 1,000 available.

Frankish Chivalry (light, sword, lance, shield) - Sergeants from Italian cities, these minor nobles are desperate to prove themselves on the field, and willing to do so for other Christian princes. They are excellent soldiers and medium cavalrymen, though sometimes too aggressive for their own good. Cost: 3d. 800 available.

Frieslander Raiders (polearm, light) - These fierce Frieslanders fight with only the massive double-handed Danish Axe and stout leather armor. They are war-hardened Christians well suited to brutal frontal assaults, and more disciplined than Vikings. Cost: 2d. 1,500 available.

Cyclotron, what would the benefits of trading for glassware, cloth, leather, or olive oil? Just the regular trade benefits, or something else too?

"Luxury goods" work in much the same way as trading metals, except that they have no special functions (i.e. iron or stone being useful for making some things), but generally create higher profits than metals and minerals. You also don't get money for things that you produce; if you produce wine, you can't trade with somebody for more wine and expect a profit.

The further away the good comes from, the more profit potential, but the riskier the trade - if the Genoans lose a convoy of your goods to saracen pirates, the Italians will shrug and continue taking your metal.

Diplomacy: All other diplomatic requests given to my characters will be resolved after the next update, unless you ask me to answer back now. I am starting work on the update, so send in any last orders to me soon.

Emperor Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy, to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
His Imperial Majesty is uncertain why a Duke with a city in his Duchy called Salzburg would lack for salt, but a trade could be arranged. His Majesty is not interested in paying denarii for silver, and has no potash to trade - potash production and metal mining are what you Germans are for, anyway. His Majesty is still willing to trade the items he mentioned before.

[appleciders]

Salzburg, huh? Well, maybe there's some benefit to speaking German. Details... I assume this is in the form of salt deposits that can be mined, so I will be making a quick change to my orders above to exploit this. Also, please respond to the below diplomacy before the update.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Emperor Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy
I would accept a trade of 400 denarii worth of leather, wine, and cloth for 300 denarii of my silver.

[Micha]

Originally posted by Cyclotron
Gah, blasted typos. You have 300 from trade, not 400. That means your iron discounts up to 600 denarii worth of arms, or 120 heavy armors. Would you like to stay at 150 or downgrade to 120?

Neither nor. If I got 300d worth of iron, that means I would get 300d cash and 300d worth of weaponry for free. So if I was forging 120 heavy armour pieces, that would cost me 300d + the 300d from iron bonus. So all my iron would be gone.

Right now I need every small budget surplus I have, so even the 300d from iron are needed. That´s why I have edited my ordrs to their current (final) wording: Forge 60 heavy armour pieces, which costs me 60*5d=300d which is covered by my iron bonus, so the usual mining income is still there.

Confused? I sure am.

[foolish_icarus]

cyclotron, orders will be updated shortly (edited portions will be in bold)

appleciders, are you mounting an assault this turn? I want to know whether to hire mercenaries.

[appleciders]

I am not mounting an attack, I am consolidating the Wachau valley with a very high probability of being attacked by the Magyars, and so am preparing for a defensive. Don't spend a lot on mercanaries, but if you feel like hiring a few, archers or some other ranged types might be prudent.

[Cyclotron]

Emperor Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy, to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria

While His Imperial Majesty is pleased to see that you have come around to His offer, He would appreciate a volume of silver great enough to suit his similarly large scale projects. His councillors inquire as to whether additional sources could be mustered on your end to make this trade worth the Emperor's concern.

In the meantime, however, realizing that the poor and backwards German people require his urgent aid, he will accept a trade of an equal value of leather, wine, and cloth for your 300 denarii of silver. Perhaps he will be inclined to give you your suggested "discount" if your offer rises to something more substantial.

Confused? I sure am.

I'm sorry, Micha. Perhaps the system should be simplified, I'll look into it. For now, it works this way:

Every denarii of iron counts as two when spent on arms. Thus, when you buy 100d of armor, you can spend 100d, or just 50d of iron. The iron doesn't give you "bonus denarii," it just doubles when used for arms.

If you made no armor, you would receive 300d from your mines.

If you made 10 armor pieces, that would cost 50d, which you could cover with only 25d of iron. Thus, you would receive as income 275 out of 300d of iron.

If you made 60 armor pieces, that would cost 300d, which you could cover with 150d of iron. Thus, you would recieve as income 150 out of 300d of iron.

If you made 120 armor pieces, that would cost 600d, which you could cover with 300d of iron, which is exactly what you have. You wouldn't get any income from the iron because it would all be spent on arms.

If you made 150 armor pieces, that would cost 750d, which you could partially cover with 300d of iron. It would cost you 300d of iron, plus 150d from other sources (iron doubles to 600, with 150 left to reach 750).

I hope the examples help clear it up...

Note on Mercenaries: I'm going to use one of the starting posts of this thread to serve as a mercenary billboard, updated with each update. That way, all you have to ask me about is how long it would take them to reach you.

edit: The new mercenary billboard will supercede the list I just posted, so please refer to the billboard once posted instead of the post above.

I will start the updating process tomorrow. I have friends coming over Saturday night until Tuesday morning, so if I do not finish the update by Saturday night it will not be out until Tuesday or Wednesday. We'll see. I may do something like last update and post the update first, then do the stat block and other dirty work after the weekend.

[appleciders]

I might suggest that in addition to a mercenary billboard, a general billboard might be in order, so that we can see in one place what each of our current generals are like.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Emperor Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy
The most I could offer would be 425 denarii worth of silver. For that, I feel that the equivilent of 600 denarii worth of wine, leather, and cloth would be fair. If that's not acceptable, then I accept your offer of an even trade at 300 denarii for each side.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
I might suggest that in addition to a mercenary billboard, a general billboard might be in order, so that we can see in one place what each of our current generals are like.

I will consider that. If I do that, I'll do it with the next update.

edit: mercenary billboard is up. Some cool dudes for your perusal.

Emperor Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy, to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
His Imperial Majesty notes that you haggle like a Venetian Jew. His councillors would be scandalized by such an outrageous theft that your larger offer amounts to. He is willing to trade 300 even, or graciously provide you with 500 denarii of goods for your 425 denarii of silver. He regards this as his final offer.

[foolish_icarus]

Complete revised purchases. Edited orders in bold. If it's too late, no big deal.


Begin to train 300 new levy men (to become the Rhine Levy). 300 d.

Put in my armory:

200 Shields, 200 d.
200 Light Armor, 175 d. (with iron)
50 Pavises, 50 d.

50 Bows, 50 d.
50 Javelins, 50 d.
100 Spears, 100 d.
100 Polearms, 100 d.

Send a sneaky mission to Bohemia and Magyar lands to find out what they’re up to. The amount not used to furnish the expedition will be used to bribe people into telling us or putting us in a position to know what’s going on.
60 d.

Hire the following mercenaries:

200 Moravian Veterans, 400 d.
200 Dalmation Cavalry, 400 d.

Total cost: 1885 d.

appleciders, just so I'm clear on what's going on, I'm not giving the silver to you for free, I can't afford that. I'm passing the silver onto you to trade to our good friend Berengar, and I get the goods that he sends, and you get the profit from the exchange. Did you have something else in mind?

By the way, I'm just getting bad vibes from this Berengar of Friuli fellow.
If the German duchies are a crime-fighting team of superheros, (With Franconia as the virtuous but uninspiring by-the-book leader, Bavaria as the hot-headed but driven rogue with a tough past, Saxony as the quiet, independent minded, born-to-be-leader-someday lone wolf, and Swabia as the quirky, eccentric, but crucial behind-the-scenes team player and cohesive element of the group), then the Magyar are our first trial, the monster we destroy in our first tough-but-inevitably-victorious battle shortly after forming our team that cements our coming together; and Berengar is the criminal mastermind, the arch enemy whom we can temporarily defeat but never destroy, and who we are unwittingly partly responsible for bringing to power in the first place.

[Micha]

Originally posted by foolish_icarus
By the way, I'm just getting bad vibes from this Berengar of Friuli fellow.
If the German duchies are a crime-fighting team of superheros, (With Franconia as the virtuous but uninspiring by-the-book leader, Bavaria as the hot-headed but driven rogue with a tough past, Saxony as the quiet, independent minded, born-to-be-leader-someday lone wolf, and Swabia as the quirky, eccentric, but crucial behind-the-scenes team player and cohesive element of the group), then the Magyar are our first trial, the monster we destroy in our first tough-but-inevitably-victorious battle shortly after forming our team that cements our coming together; and Berengar is the criminal mastermind, the arch enemy whom we can temporarily defeat but never destroy, and who we are unwittingly partly responsible for bringing to power in the first place.

Hehe, nicely put!

[Cyclotron]

Alright, starting work on the update now.

...and at the superhero psychology. You might think you're hot stuff, but to everyone else the Germans are just the hicks of 10th Century Christendom.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Emperor Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy
I accept your offer of 500 denarii worth of goods for 425 denarii of silver. I appreciate your compliment; the Jews of Venice are world-renowned for their negotiating abilities.

I hope that one's not too late, Cyclotron. Anyway, Foolish, I knew you weren't giving me the silver flat out, but I'd assumed you were selling it to me at 1 denarii silver for 1 denarii cash. How about this: I'll pass on 300 denarii of the cloth and wine I recieve, and then you're even, or rather a bit ahead because of incidental trade benefits? In any case, I accepted the deal with Berenger because we can work this out amongst ourselves.

As to superhero psychology, this is especially appropriate with Bipolarbear being "Swabia as the quirky, eccentric, but crucial behind-the-scenes team player and cohesive element of the group" because that's the person who provides comic relief.

Editing here to avoid posting in the middle of the update: Cyc, I will be sending Franconia 300 denarii cash as compensation for the 300 denarii silver I'm recieving. If it wasn't already clear, I'm trading that 300 denarii of silver and the entire production of my own silver mines (125 denarii) to Italy. But if you've already handled this bit in the update or don't notice this for a while, please don't undo any of your updating work; I'll go with however you already worked it out.

[Cyclotron]

You're not too late. Berengar's councillors thank you.

[foolish_icarus]

I'd assumed you were selling it to me at 1 denarii silver for 1 denarii cash.

That's fine too. Do whatever trade is most beneficial to you as long as I come out at least even.

[Cyclotron]

Anno Domini CMXIV

This year’s Pope: Lando
This year’s Emperor: None

Successions

O faithful flock of Christ, let the heavens hear your prayers! Our beloved Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father Anastasius III, has died of an illness. In an astounding development, Roman families opposed to the iron fist of Theophylact, Count of Tuluscum, have used the backing of the Venetians and certain other forces in Italy to secure the election of a new Pope, Lando, who has chosen not to assume a new name upon his accession. Let God guide us through this troublesome time!

The Emperor of the Romans, Alexander III, crowned for less than a year, has already passed away. He has named his nephew Constantine, son of his predecessor, as the new Emperor, but the boy is only seven. The regency has been taken up by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nicholas Mysticus, who is rumored to have been plotting the downfall of Constantine’s father, Leo VI, for nearly his entire reign.

Family Business

King Conrad of Germany, who has been so far without an heir, need not worry any longer. His wife, Kunigunde, pregnant last year, disappointed the royal house by bearing her lord a daughter, who was named Kunigunde after her mother. This, however, did not stop our most virile King, who had his wife pregnant again shortly thereafter – by the end of the year, she dutifully bore him a son. The young boy has been named Hermann. The Queen, her duty to her lord and country done, however, did not fare well through both pregnancies – it is rumored she is in very ill health, and even the King’s doctors do not hold out much hope for her recovery.

Land und Leute

The winter this year was not nearly as merciful as it was in previous years, and like most winters it has been a tough and dreary one. The peasants will make do, but there is no windfall for the lords of Germany this year.

Krieg und Frieden

The ruler of the Bulgarians, Simeon the Great, has responded to the “provocations” of the Roman Emperors by invading Thrace and Macedonia. He has crushed every Greek garrison in his path, and his forces now camp in the shadow of Constantinople’s mighty walls. The effective ruler of the Empire, the regent and Patriarch Nicholas Mysticus, has – against the will of many of his people – concluded a peace with Simeon by recognizing him as “Emperor of the Bulgarians.” Simeon has begun referring to himself as “Emperor of the Romans,” but Mysticus has yet to recognize that, likely fearing that the mob of Constantinople would respond to that indignity by taking his head.

The devilish Saracens of the Adriatic Sea have taken the Italian city of Brindisi by storm, and put it to the sack! The Greeks, nominal rulers of southern Italy, seem powerless to stop their predations. The raiders have sold many good Christians into slavery, and now use the city as a base for their nefarious voyages of plunder.

Other News of Christendom

Berengar of Friuli, having reinstated the age-old trade in German metals (practically abandoned since the time of Charlemagne) has begun printing denarii bearing his image. Perhaps this will give him some monetary independence from the Eastern Empire, whose gold solidi still rule the Mediterranean shipping lanes.

Several barons of Franconia have taken advantage of Duke Heinrich’s Thuringian adventures to “appropriate” some land in Saxon Thuringia that they have claimed belongs rightfully to Franconia. With their retainers largely away on campaign, however, they found even this effort beyond them – the Saxon peasants were stirred to revolt by indignant Saxon priests, and the Barons were forced to relocate themselves to their estates in Franconia, though they have not yet relinquished their claims. Oddly enough, the much maligned Archbishop Hatto of Mainz has sent word to the Franconian barons in question imploring them to cease their aggression during a time when Germany must be united against its enemies.

Some barons southwest of the Île-de-France have rebelled against King Charles III. The revolt might have been serious, had the King not been able to convince his Norman vassals, still Vikings at heart, to take up arms with him and crush the rebels. For now, the situation appears to be in hand.

Saxony

Saxony has taken off the kid gloves this year, with battle on both its eastern and northern borders. Because this part of the update is about non-battle events, however, there is precious little to discuss.

The Saxon Peacebringers under Duke Heinrich have fought a series of battles in Thuringia. These will be detailed in a separate post.

Saxon forces and militia in the north have fought a battle with the Danes near Hamburg. This will also be detailed separately.

It has not escaped the notice of Saxon leaders that the new and unexpected movement of the Magyars has placed their mighty army close indeed to Saxon land, and even closer to the Duke's battered army that takes shelter at Zwickau.

Despite the violations of its borders in the north and south (by the Franconian nobles), Saxony has remained quite stable though its lord is away. Though the moderately successful Danish raid near Hamburg has cost the Duchy no small amount of raiding damage, corruption has remained constant at 14%.

Franconia

Franconia’s territory continues to be predated upon by the ferocious Magyars, though in slightly lowered numbers from last year. The duchy breathes easier, but just barely. Though the recent events with Hatto and the Thuringian Barons have revealed some dissention in the Franconian ranks, for the most part the Duchy has remained stable during the King’s nearly two year long absence.

With the sudden change in course of the Magyars towards Franconian lands, however, this may change - the peasants are already beginning to panic from news that the Magyars and Bohemians are near at hand.

Franconian merchants on the Rhine have seen increased traffic as a result of the Swabian-Frieslander trade detailed below; a wise leader could exploit this opportunity for much needed denarii.

Corruption in Franconia has remained stable at 10%.

Swabia

Swabia has spent lavishly to expand its iron mines, and as a result is becoming something of a regional arms dealer – its has added to its iron trade with the Saxons by concluding a deal with the free people of Friesland, whose struggles against the Vikings are ongoing. Frieslander and Swabian boats now ply the Rhine, dropping off iron at Utrecht and picking up salt fish to take back to Strassburg. Both Cologne (a Lothairingian city) and Mainz (a Franconian city) see modest windfalls from this new trade passing through their ports. The Duke of Swabia still seeks a trading partner for his newly developed wines, however.

Swabia has also seen a modest fall in Magyar raids, and its merchants consider themselves doubly blessed for it.

Corruption within Swabia remains constant at 15%.

Bavaria

Bavaria continues its struggles against its regional enemies, the Magyars, who are now allied with Arnulf’s former Bohemian friends. In the environs of the Wachau, the local Magyar forces continue to shadow the combined German armies, avoiding combat but preventing the army from moving too quickly. Nevertheless, the Duke of Bavaria has urged his forces westward to reinforce the Fourth Regiement and meet the Magyar forces. The local Magyars broke off their shadowing of the German army just past the Bavarian border, apparently to turn about and better loot Carinthia. The German army managed to reach Regensburg after a hurried march, and now the nobles of Germany discuss their next action against the common foe.

Vizegraf Magenhard von Linz, with his forces on the Bohemian border, has been hard pressed to stem the tide of refugees, though his efforts have not entirely been in vain. He was forced to turn from his efforts early on, however, as a host of Magyars under Hadúr Zoltán, along with a sizeable number of Bohemian auxiliaries, crossed into German land northwest of Prague. Without any manner of forts or observation posts, this movement caught von Linz totally unawares. Without the forces to engage the enemy, von Linz has positioned his force 50 miles to the north of Regensburg, in an attempt to guard the Bavarian city should the Magyar host turn south against Bavaria.

Duke Arnulf’s approach to the Bohemian refugees, combining offers of settlement with actual material aid, has yielded some positive results. Though many native Germans are upset at the newcomers, some of whom follow pagan gods, most have proven to be relatively peaceable. While the eastern half of Bavaria is still reeling from the influx of poor Slavs, Arnulf’s efforts have kept the situation at least partially in hand. This is much more than his orders to close the border have achieved; with von Linz moving his troops to deal with the new Magyar threat, the Duke’s commands have been obeyed by precisely nobody.

The natives of Salzburg, who have long mined salt locally, were rather mystified at the inquiries of the Duke’s men as to whether there was any salt there, but were happy to accept his money for the construction of larger mines to more effectively utilize their resources. The Duke’s effort is already paying off, laying to rest any speculation that he would be seeking salt in foreign lands.

Corruption in Bavaria has lowered by 1%, owing to the settlement of many Slavs. Corruption is now at 22%.

Carinthia, spared from the damaging Slav invasions, has yet to be truly tamed, but the sudden relocation of the imminent Magyar threat to the Bavarian border has reigned in some of the more blatant sources of corruption. The Duke’s reeves still find it difficult to enforce Ducal will in the trackless wilds, but with new Slavic peasants moving in with official sanction this may improve in the future.

Corruption in Carinthia has decreased by 3%. Corruption is now 23%.

NOTE: I owe players the following PMs:
- to appleciders, re: the Magyars
- to foolish_icarus, re: Hatto and the investigation

NOTE: Stat blocks not yet updated, nor will the map be until Saxony’s battles have been decided and posted.

[Cyclotron]

Battles of 914

Danish Raid

Danish Raiders (Ingjald "the Tall") – 600 men
500 Viking Warriors (light, polearm, shield, sword)
100 Viking Archers (light, bow, shield, sword)

Viking Slayers (Landgraf Theodoric von Norden) – 400 men
150 medium swordsmen (sword, shield, light)
100 light archers (bow)
150 Medium Guards (light, polearm)

No sooner did the tributaries of the lower Elbe thaw in the Spring than the Vikings sailed on an ambitious raid on the environs of Hamburg. Ten longships filled with Danish warriors from the western Danemark, hearth warriors of the local warlord Ingjald (known as “the Tall”), made their way up the Elbe towards the farms near Hamburg, likely in search of pillage. This part of Saxony has only recently begun to recover from massive Viking raids that killed one of the previous Dukes, the danger only alleviated temporarily by the “civilizing” of many Vikings in Normandy under the uneasy eye of the King of France.

Apparently wise to the creation of Viking watchposts by the new Duke of Saxony, Ingjald pulled in his longships about halfway to Hamburg, hiding them in a secluded cove. Their entry into the river, however, was not missed by the local peasants, who passed the word quickly up towards Hamburg. Given advance warning of the raid, Landgraf Theodoric von Norden gathered his 400 men and set out along the southern bank of the river to try and gauge the threat posed by the Vikings. Theodoric was already alarmed – knowing well that the Vikings carried around 60 men on each longship, and hearing of ten ships being sighted, he assumed that a force of 600 Vikings had landed. His guess was not far off – Ingjald, perhaps fearful of losing his ships while they were hidden, left 100 of his men with them while 500 Viking warriors, including 100 archers, marched towards Hamburg.

Outnumbered (so he thought) by 3 to 2, and with half his forces brand new recruits, Theodoric opted to not take the offensive. He posted his men on a sparsely wooded hill once he heard reports of the Vikings nearing, and observed the situation. The Vikings, not expecting resistance, were advancing in a loose column near the water’s edge. Theodoric, believing that all 600 were here, decided that making a stand would be suicide. He divided his forces, sending the 200 newest recruits back to fortify Hamburg, while the rest – still unseen by the Vikings – passed right by them, heading down the river while the Danes headed up it.

Practically running his men, Theodoric reached the cove where the Vikings had hidden their ships, having been tipped off by a local peasant. Ironically, the ships were only visible because of the 100 men Ingjald had left to guard them. Taking them by surprise, von Norden’s 50 archers fired on the Vikings and retreated into the woods. The Vikings pursued, but were unable to catch the unarmored archers; when they turned to return, Theodoric and his swordsmen charged their flank. Both sides formed shield walls and hacked at the other, but without sufficient time to organize and with the German light archers (now returned) shooting arrows into the Viking rear, Theodoric’s men battered the shield wall into disarray and eventually scattered the 20 or so Vikings that remained. His archers hunted the survivors down as they made for their boats, and none survived the skirmish. Though Theodoric had lost around 50 men to the Vikings, he pressed on to the boats and soon had all ten rowing up the Elbe towards Hamburg.

Theodoric reached Hamburg and rendezvoused with the rest of his force, which reported to him that the Viking raiders had turned south and were pillaging nearby villages and towns. Having just lost a quarter of his veterans and still outnumbered, Theodoric was convinced that his men would be destroyed in a pitched battle. Thus, he and his men waited in Hamburg. When word came that the Vikings were heading back, laden with plunder, Theodoric and his men sailed in their boats back to the cove and waited in ambush. He gave the arms and armor from the 100 slain Vikings to his light archers, so they could act as melee troops. When the Vikings arrived, they had little time to wonder where their 100-man guard had gone when the “Viking Slayers” poured out of the trees – and the Vikings’ own boats – and gave battle to the Vikings. Pressed on two sides and staggered by loads of pillage, the Vikings were severely disadvantaged, but still were superior fighters and outnumbered the enemy. The fight was particularly brutal, with both Ingjald and Theodoric fighting at the front. Both leaders being particularly brave – Ingjald, reportedly, to the point of fearlessness – it was inevitable in such a small battle that they would meet at the front line, and indeed the two recognized each other and clashed swords (technically, Ingjald had an axe) amid the melee. Ingjald, a fiendishly tall Viking measuring in at three inches above six feet (his axe thusly named “Himintelgja,” or “Heaven-scraper”), had the stocky Frieslander on the ropes, but in the end it was Ingjald’s famed brutish stupidity that decided the battle, not his height. Ingjald buried his axe deep in Theodoric’s shield, and when he moved to wrest it free the Frieslander slew him. The Vikings fought on, but close-packed as they were, they were unable to keep any kind of formation and had little room to even swing a weapon. With heavy losses, Theodoric’s men put the rest of the Vikings to the sword.

The Viking slayers took 270 casualties, of which 30 recovered – they lost, in total, 240 of their 400 men. 50 Light Archers (bow), 80 Medium Swordsmen (light, sword, shield), and 30 Medium Guards (light, polearm) survived the battle. The Vikings were fierce fighters, and none were left standing, though 80 of the Danes later recovered from their wounds and now languish in a Hamburg jail. The reeve of Hamburg waits only for the order of the Duke to execute them for murder and piracy, not to mention the desecration of churches that they, as pagans, have no doubt participated in at some point in their lives.

Because the destruction of the Viking raiding party was total, so were the spoils: Though much was damaged beyond repair, Theodoric was able to account for 300 sets of light armor, 400 swords, 100 bows, 300 shields, and 200 polearms. Also added to the spoils are ten Viking longboats in excellent condition.

Significant additional raiding damage was incurred this turn – after all, the raid was successful in hitting Saxony – but some of the goods could be returned, so all was not lost.

Among the people of Lower Saxony, the Frieslander Landgraf is developing something of a name for himself, as the tales told by the surviving soldiers multiply and become exaggerated in barracks and taverns. In Hamburg, certainly, he is more often than not called “Theodoric der Riese Erschlager” – Theodoric the Giant-Slayer. Theodoric has only heightened the rumors by remaining rather secluded after the battle, supposedly troubled by the great loss of life on the part of his small army.


The Thuringian Campaign

Saxon Peacebringers (Duke Heinrich) – 2,500 men
300 Knights
650 Sergeants
200 Saxon Raiders (polearm, sword, shield, light)
500 Medium Swordsmen (sword, shield, light)
250 Light Archers (bow)
110 Skirmishers (sword, bow, cloth)
275 Medium Axemen (axe, light)
215 Medium Guards (polearm, light)

Wendish Forces (Torbin) - Unknown

On the other side of Saxony, the Saxons also turned out to fight their pagan neighbors. Two days after New Year’s Day, the Saxons crossed the border into the Thuringian wilds. Turning south from the Elbe, the army made its way along pre-scouted passes and frozen rivers towards Lipsk, a settlement-turned-raiding camp ruled by the pagan Wendish chieftain Torbin.

The winter was mild at the beginning of the year, and the Duke’s preparations for this and his purchases of good winter gear for the army ensured that casualties from the cold weather were fairly minor. During the march to Lipsk, in the dead of January, fewer than 100 men were put out of action by frostbite or hypothermia. In good spirits, the small army drew closer to Lipsk, acquiring local guides to keep itself out of the most dangerous of ambush zones. Without encountering the enemy once, the army drew up to Lipsk.

It soon became evident that there was no battle to be found here. The hilltop village surrendered readily to the Saxons, along with around 150 Wendish spearmen under the command of Ladoz, a young warrior who informed the Duke and his commanders that Torbin had heard of their advance and fled with his warriors, hoping to reach Misni and gain the support and alliance of Jarogniew, arguably the most powerful of the Wendish leaders. Ladoz told the Duke he would join with the Saxons to overthrow Torbin, and even offered to convert to Christianity once in Zcwickaw. Ladoz, however, was unable to tell the Duke exactly how many men Torbin had with him. With Ladoz, his 150 men, and around 100 other Wendish auxiliaries attached to the army, the Duke and his men continued southward towards Zcwickaw.

The army had been gone from Lipsk only three days when troubling reports came in from the army’s scouts. The ridgeline that they had hoped to take was made unfeasible by the snows this winter, and the army would be forced to take the somewhat less defensible frozen river that wound its way south nearby. Though an ambush was certainly a possibility, scouts were out for miles in all directions, and after listening to their reports it was concluded by the Saxon high command that a transit could be made through quickly. The Duke, however – still wary of an ambush – had his men prepare for battle, and the march down this nameless river was done in a state of military readiness. It was likely this alone that saved the army from utter destruction.

Just before noon, a sergeant riding on the eastern flank of the army cried out a warning, and had only a minute to gallop towards the army’s center when cries rang out from the eastern shore. A force had, somehow, penetrated the army’s screen of scouts and reached the Saxons. Turning his men to meet the opposition, the Duke’s swordsmen met a fierce attack by several hundred Wends on his flank, and after a brief battle turned the Wends back into the forest. The Wends rallied and fired arrows back into the Saxon lines, but this made little impression on the shields of the Saxons and the Duke kept his men from giving chase.

As the Wends withdrew, the scouts on the western flank with two more pieces of bad news. For one, they had spotted a large Wendish host moving in from the west, numbering at least two thousand. Secondly, Ladoz and his men were nowhere to be found – during the skirmish, he and his force of 150 had melted away into the trees. Sensing betrayal, the Duke resolved to hurry southward; leaving this river valley was essential to preserving the army. As they marched, they were constantly harassed from both sides by light Wendish woodsmen, shooting arrows anonymously from the forest. By sunset, the army had managed to extricate itself from the valley, but the ordeal was not over yet.

At dusk, the Wends attacked from the north, forces on the east and west having apparently drawn together. Unable to move faster than their pursuers, the Saxons were obligated to turn and face the enemy. Out of the trees came hundreds of Wends, their faces painted with woad. The Saxons put two volleys of arrows into the Wends before the lines of Saxon swordsmen and Wendish axemen crashed together. The Wends fought fiercely, but the solid formation of the more heavily armored Saxons proved too difficult to break. As the Saxon sergeants, divided between the flanks, threatened to encircle the Wends, the pagan warriors broke off their assault. More Wends behind the host of axemen showered the Saxons with more arrows, which the Saxon archers and skirmishers returned in full. This continued for several minutes, until it became clear to the Duke that this was only cover while further Wends infliltrated around the Saxons to either side. Scouts came back from the flanks, and told the Duke that his army was encircled by a force that was potentially just as large. Rallying his knights, the Duke decided to take the Wends by surprise and lead a charge against the Wends coming around on his western flank. The Wendish light spearmen and axemen, unprepared for this development and laughably ill-equipped to fight armored knights, were crushed. Through this hole in their encirclement marched the Saxon host, and – though attacked on both sides – the army managed to retreat out of the entrapment and found itself in a snowy clearing on the side of a low hill just west of their previous position.

By this time, the sun was gone entirely, and the clearing was illuminated only by the moon. The night was clear enough – and the moon full enough – to see fairly well, and it was quickly decided that a stand should be made here. The army would surely not be able to fight a running battle all the way to Zcwickaw.

Prisoners taken by the Saxons now revealed the extent of the treachery. Ladoz, it seems, was actually named Korzin, and was in fact the warlord Torbin’s son. Torbin, rather than fleeing to Misni, had instead rallied the troops he had prepared in advance – Torbin, as a known raider of Saxon land, was apparently the Wendish leader in the best position to know about the troop buildup at Magdeburg, and guessed that he was the likely target.

The “battle of the clearing” raged for about an hour, with Saxon troops holding (barely) at the front, while the Saxon chivalry made repeated charges and counter-charges to try and drive off flanking maneuvers by the Wends. It was clear that the Saxon forces were being ground down gradually by the Wendish warriors, and Heinrich’s archers were long since out of arrows. Wave after wave of Wends, carrying only an axe or spear and a shield, battered the lines of Saxon swordsmen. The lines thinned, and losses began to mount. Left without much choice, the chivalry under the Duke’s command mounted a countercharge against the Wendish center through their own ranks, and broke the entire wave, giving the Saxons a minute for a quick decision. The situation was increasingly dire; the 100 or so fairly loyal Wendish auxiliaries left over had panicked and abandoned the army already.

Vizegraf Widukind von Hildesheim proposed that he command a rearguard action while the majority of the army again withdrew from the battlefield. As this seemed the only way to salvage the army at all, Heinrich agreed. Together with the loyal Saxon Raiders, many of the Guards, and 100 or so knights and sergeants, von Hildesheim fought off the Wends while the rest of the army beat its way southward.

The army heard no further of Widukind for three days of near continuous marching. It was only after they stopped to rest for the first time in half a week that a handful of riders arrived from the rearguard – Widukind’s men had been annhiliated, and Widukind himself had been slain and his head taken by Torbin. Only about a dozen sergeants on the southern flank, seeing that the day was lost and that no further use could come from fighting, survived and reached the Duke’s camp.

The Duke eventually reached Zcwickaw – renamed Zwickau – and found a much relieved Landgraf Johann von Voigtland. He told that Torbin had been drawing near Zcwickaw, apparently blaming the Christian Johann for the Duke’s intervention, and had only called off his attack upon hearing news that the Saxons had crossed into Thuringia, months sooner than Torbin had expected. The town had thus been saved from destruction, and with the help of the Saxons a stout stone wall was built around the trading village, and the wooden chapel built by Johann replaced with a humble, but more permanent stone one. Torbin’s army, which must have taken heavy casualties, was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the year. The troops faced a rather harsh winter towards the end of the year, but with ample shelter and blankets the morale of the army remains fair – despite the damage done to it by its grueling march through the Thuringian woods.

Overall, the Saxons lost:
60 Knights
140 Sergeants
200 Saxon Raiders
30 Skirmishers
200 Medium Swordsmen
40 Light Archers
110 Medium Axemen
160 Medium Guards

For a total of 940 deaths out of 2,500.

As the Saxon host was unable to return to the battlefields, there was no plunder from this campaign.

Both the numbers of Wends and the number of their casualties is impossible to guess, though they certainly lost more men than the Saxons. The night and the long and running nature of the battle make even estimates futile.

[Cyclotron]

The Map has been updated and will be uploaded soon. The changes:

- Saxony has a tentative area of control around Zwickau.
- The Fatimid-Sicilians have taken Brindisi and its environs.
- The Bulgarians have devoured quite a bit of Byzantine territory in europe.

I'll be offline until Tuesday, so no stat block changes yet. Have a good weekend!

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Conrad I of Germany and Duke Erchanger of Swabia

One particular detail of a report regarding the Magyar army in particular struck me.

Originally posted by Cyclotron
...as a host of Magyars under Hadúr Zoltán, along with a sizeable number of Bohemian auxiliaries...

Now, these Bohemian auxiliaries, while likely poorly trained and equipped, are no doubt numerous, and so pose a threat. But we may be able to use this element of Zoltan's army to our advantage: These Bohemians have only recently sworn loyalty to the Magyar Horde, and are, if I recollect, partially Christian. It might be feasible to bribe them to betray the Magyars and fight alongside us. If they are indeed Christian (or even some of them), we might even be able to work with the Church and get an interdict threatened on all soldiers in the Magyar army, which might drive even more Bohemians over to our side. In fact, should the Church agree to assist, they might even allow fighting against the Magyars to serve as penance for swearing allegiance to a pagan leader! This is a possibility that I believe to be worth pursuing.

[foolish_icarus]

In Reply,

Indeed! Every effort should be made to turn the Bohemians against the Magyars. I will speak to speak to our church leaders about their support in such a matter.
I must also inform you confidentially, that Franconia's coffers will soon be exhausted from the exertions of the present conflict.
You certainly also know that the danger of a Magyar army riding unopposed somewhere along the borders of Germania is unacceptable. We must find their army, meet with it, and defeat it in battle, starve it, destroy it through skirmish, or compel its elements to desert and disband. Brigade by dirty stinking Magyar brigade, we must hunt them down. Every town with a stable to harbor them must be made to swear allegiance or alliance to us, every field with a patch of grass or grain to feed them must be denied to them. If I had my choice as a man I would not suffer their presence within a thousand miles of any German or any man who knows the name "German". As a king I must content myself with breaking the back of their army for a generation of a half of a generation. They'll come back and we'll have to kill a whole mess of them again. But I want a bit of time to teach my son to hold a mace so that when those pagans come back, he can kill some of them.


King Conrad of Franconia to Duke Heinrich of Saxony

I've heard reports of battles, some confused news, both fair and foul and generally conflicting in its summary of your warfare. How lies your kingdom? Fair, I hope. I send this message to wish you God's speed in your campaign, tell you that we heartily wish your men were here, fighting boldly beside us, and to tell you that I'll get those barons clamoring for land under control right away.

[Micha]

Originally posted by foolish_icarus
King Conrad of Franconia to Duke Heinrich of Saxony

I've heard reports of battles, some confused news, both fair and foul and generally conflicting in its summary of your warfare. How lies your kingdom? Fair, I hope. I send this message to wish you God's speed in your campaign, tell you that we heartily wish your men were here, fighting boldly beside us, and to tell you that I'll get those barons clamoring for land under control right away.

Waldemar, vice-regent of Saxony, to King Conrad of Germany

My liege, unfortunately we haven´t heard of Duke Heinrich for months, though we know there´s been several battles in what we call the Mark Meissen. As soon as he returns, I will forward your message to him.
Be assured of our appreciation for your sympathy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the good German men fighting against heathens in the savage lands to the east, both in the Mark Meissen and the Ostmark (Vienna).

If this campaign comes to an end, Duke Heinrich will look into the possibilities of a Saxon force to fight alongside your men against the Magyars.

In deep respect,

Waldemar

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Conrad I of Germany
I fully understand your situation. I, too, am running low on saved funds, although I hope that the new salt mine and trades may leave me at a break-even point by the end of this year. The Duke of Swabia has a large treasury- perhaps he can furnish the lion's share of the bribe, while you and I deal with the church? I have also heard tell of a new way to raise funds being employed in far-off Britain called a "tax". With the Rhine now a major trafficking route for trade goods, you might charge merchants a small fee for passage rights. This fee would be far too small to hurt them, but could make a significant dent in your financial gap. I hope the addition of this trade I've engineered with Italy may also help to mend these difficulties.

I would also like to wish you my condolences regarding the condition of your wife and my mother. I hope she survives long enough to allow me to visit her after the conclusion of the Magyar campaign. I would also like to congratulate you on the birth of your first son.

[Cyclotron]

Alright, I'm back online and I will attempt to finish the update today. In the meantime:

King Rudolph II of Burgundy to King Conrad of Germany
Greetings, King of Germany and Duke of Franconia -
It is with great trepidation that I have witnessed your campaigns against the Magyars, and I have more recently heard of an army approaching the lands of you and your vassals that poses a threat not just to you, but all of our Christian lands. I would like to offer you the assistance of my forces in repelling this force, if you are willing to accept my aid.

Emperor Simeon of Bulgaria to King Conrad of Germany
The Emperor of the Bulgarians and Romans, heir to the Caesars, sends his greetings to the rex germanicum Conrad, and sees fit to advise you that a new power is rising. He knows of your struggles against the Magyars, long an enemy of the Bulgarian people as well, and requests that you declare your alignment with the Bulgarian-Roman Empire. Who now will be the bulwark of Europe against the infidel? Your friends, the Greeks, conspire with your enemies for their own gain. Show your wisdom by declaring your solidarity with the new Emperor.

Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
The Most Serene Republic of Venice sends its greetings to the Duke of Bavaria and Carinthia. I have noted your new trade with the Kingdom of Italy, and feel I must inform you that your possibilities of profit would be greatly increased were you to trade with us instead. Venice poses no military threat to you, unlike Berengar - you need not worry that silver traded to Venice will be used to buy weapons that will one day be turned against you. We can offer you a much more favorable deal. Consider your position, good Duke.

[foolish_icarus]

Mmm, diplomacy. Off to wikipedia to find out just who these fellows are (or could be, at least)!