HRE NES

[Cyclotron]

I should note that, as years go on, things will become less and less historical, so don't assume that people neccesarily die at the same time or that battles end the same way. This is especially true of events that you are a part of; the more influence you have, the less likely events are to follow a historical course.

That said, I've no problem with historical research - I encourage it, as you as a leader would certainly know more about various leaders than I tell you in this thread. Just don't count on history turning out the same way - say, Simeon dieing of a heart attack in 927, for example.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice
Your offer is intriguing, but as I have no ports and no borders with you, I am wary of inefficiencies and lost cargoes, especially with the Magyars infesting so much of the wilderness today. However, I am not a man insensible to profit, so by all means, make an offer.

[Cyclotron]

Still working over here. Again, in the meantime...

Saxony's acquisition of 10 longships begs the question of navies. They work in essentially the same way as armies; you can send your recruits to be soldiers in your ships, and arm them appropriately. They can be commanded by generals in the same way as armies, but because naval battles rely much more on the weather and happenstance, generals have a lesser impact when fighting at sea.

The main difference is that the number of soldiers in a navy group is limited by the amount the ships can carry. For instance, longboats carry 60 men per ship, so a navy with 10 of them could have a maximum of 600 men in it.

Having (well manned and armed) navies stick around in rivers and oceans helps decrease piracy and makes sea trade routes more profitable. Otherwise, you can order them around like any army.

You are limited in what kind of ships you can build. Germans, for example, cannot build longboats, but Saxony could invest in looking into the captured longboats it has to try and figure out how they're constructed.

For low tech ships, like Roundships (what everyone can build) and Longships, it doesn't matter too much what the kind of ship is - more numbers of soldiers will usually be the deciding factor. Some ships (usually ones with weapons, like galleys or byzantine dromons, do actually convey an advantage over other navies.

[appleciders]

How much can we expect ships to cost?

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
How much can we expect ships to cost?

I'm not sure, I'll give it some thought to make sure it's balanced.

New Stat block is up. However, the trade routes need to be updated/modified, and casualties from battles have not yet been deducted - this will be done first thing tomorrow. Besides that, they're ready.

PMs will also be sent out tomorrow.

Chancellor of Saxony to Duke Heinrich
My Lord, your treasury runs perilously low. A positive flow of denarii is predicted for next year, but I must advise that you keep your expenses in check this year so that we may continue to compensate our soldiers and creditors in full.

[Cyclotron]

All updating of the Stat block is done.

I have added "The Marketplace" right above the Mercenary Billboard, where you can see all trade routes in one place and see what your profit is from trade.

PMs will be out shortly.

Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
I understand your concern - as a merchant of no small means myself, I can sympathize with the problem of lost cargo and piracy. I respect your decision, but know that - God willing - Berengar's hold on northern Italy may not be as long lasting as you think. Should a more opportune time arrive, please reconsider our offer.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
How much can we expect ships to cost?

Roundship: 50 denarii
Roundships are the merchant and transport ship of choice ever since the fall of the Roman Empire. They are flat-bottomed and wide ships, not very large but with a good cargo capacity. They typically have one or two masts, but also have oars for when these are needed. They can navigate rivers with ease, but are not seaworthy away from the coast. They can carry 50 men.

Longship: 75 denarii
Longships are expertly built ships used by the Vikings on their raids and voyages. They have somewhat deeper keels than Roundships, and so are far more seaworthy without sacrificing much ability to traverse rivers. They can be either sailed or rowed, with equal effectiveness. They can carry 60 men.

So, you see that for transporting troops, Roundships are more economical (more men per denarii), but Longships are more seaworthy, able to go farther and better survive storms. Currently, all German Duchies with a port city can build Roundships.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Erchanger of Swabia, Duke Heinrich of Germany, King Conrad of Franconia, Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice and King Berengar of Italy

I have recently completed a salt mine which has vastly exceeded my expectations for productivity. I am pleased to be able to offer salt for trade. Any takers?

[Cyclotron]

To Micha: Scouts from Franconia and Bavaria have made contact with Duke Heinrich and his forces at Zwickau. They inform him that a sizeable Magyar army is less than 40 miles south of his position, but it appears to have no knowledge of your position here. They do not know where the next target of the Magyars is.

[appleciders]

Bavarian Orders (Complete):

50 denarii to "special projects".

Continue encouraging displaced Slavs who are already in Bavaria to either settle on my demense in Bavaria or Carinthia or work in mines. Allocate 100 denarii to help these Slavs get settled and become productive members of society. Use that money to purchase plows to be shared by whole communities, improve roads, provide cheap or free lumber for house building, that kind of thing.

Put 150 denarii towards building a stone mine in Carinthia. If any money is left over, improve the roads running to the mine and build a decent town for the miners to live in.

Hire 200 Thuringian Woodsmen, and add them to the Fourth Regiment. Use them to scout ahead of the Magyars, and report back regularly.

Forge 400 sets of light armor and 100 javelins using 450 denarii from iron. Also make 100 sets of light armor from the 100 denarii of leather. Equip every Light Spearman in the Fourth Regiment with a set of light armor, and turn 100 Light Spearmen in the Third Regiment into Angonmen with the new javelins. Leave all regiments organized the way the are for the moment.

75 denarii to hiring agents to slip amongst the Bohemians and talk as many as possible into leaving the Bohemian army and, if possible, fighting on my side.

Instead of purchasing Foolish_Icarus's silver with cash, trade him 300 denarii worth of salt. I hope that'll bring the silver-salt exchange to the point where we can get trade benefits.

Call up some new generals. Keep von Brenner in the mix; he's worth having, but I need two new generals, smart and with high mathematical skills.

Call up 200 more men to begin training for the army.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
If the leather being purchased from Italy can be used in making light armor, use that too!

That's a good idea, but on second consideration I'm wondering if it could make things too complicated. Thoughts?

Instead of purchasing Foolish_Icarus's silver with cash, trade him 300 denarii worth of salt. I hope that'll bring the silver-salt exchange to the point where we can get trade benefits.

Yes, it will. Marketplace and Stat block updated accordingly.

[appleciders]

Your call. I kind of foresee myself making a heck of a lot of light armor in the future, since heavy armor is just ridiculously expensive, but it could possibly tip the game balance. I sincerely doubt it will make the game much more complicated, but if we add too many of these special benefits, maybe. On the other hand, different special benefits can make things lots more fun. In other words, I have no clue. Make it 2 leather counts as 3 denarii in reference to light armor, maybe?

[Cyclotron]

I'd rather keep the 2:1 ratio for simplicity's sake if I do decide to use leather for this purpose.

Alright, then, I'll add this in for now. Leather now gives the same "double benefit" for the production of light armor only as iron does. These stack; 200 iron and 200 leather together can be used for up to 800 denarii worth of light armor.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Spytihnìv I of Bohemia
My friend, I see the havoc the Magyars have wreaked on your duchy, and I understand your surrendering out of a desire to save your people. But dragging them into a war against your Christian neighbors is wrong. Come back to the Christian way of life, and leave these pagans behind. King Conrad and I will seek to defeat these Magyars and put you back on your ducal throne where you belong. Come back to us, and bring your army with you so that we can defeat these pagan Magyars permanently.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Archbishop Hatto of Mainz and His Holiness Pope Lando
Reverend fathers, I humbly request your assistance in a dire matter threatening much of Christendom. A pagan army, assisted by a subjugated Christian Duke and his Christian army, are marching on Germany. I urge you to place this army and its commander under interdict unless they come to fight against the heathen for the Lord. I have returned all the Church's land I wrongfully stole and have given nearly one-third of the conquered Wachau valley to the Church as well. I beg your aid in this vital matter threatening Germany and all of central Europe.

[Cyclotron]

Ducal Herald to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
My Lord, my men were unable to deliver your message to Duke Spytihnìv, though we tried. He is ever surrounded by the Magyars and their guards, and we lowly heralds cannot hope to deliver anything to him - if we are even spotted near the Magyar camp, we are shot or captured and subjected to harm most grevious, as we are taken to be my Lord's spies.

Ducal Herald to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
My Lord, my sincere apologies again at the failure of my men - we waited long to have an audience with His Holiness, who finally had one of his cardinals see us, who expressed some degree of confusion as to where Bavaria was and why exactly my Lord's most pressing matters were the concern of the Papacy. He bid us return home, telling us that perhaps a goodly donation to the coffers of the Roman Church would give us the ear of His Holiness.

Archbishop Hatto of Mainz to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
Good Duke, it surely pleases God greatly that you have reconciled yourself with His Church, and it pleases me that you have likewise reconciled yourself with our noble and righteous King.

Unfortunately, though I would surely put the Bohemians and every other enemy of Christendom under censure, this is not within my power. As Bohemia does not fall within my purview as the Archbishop of Mainz, I simply do not have the authority to excommunicate the Bohemian army.

Those who could perform this act are the Pope himself, a general Church council with the authority of the entire Church (which could take years to convene, if it could be done at all), a Bishop or Archbishop with authority over Bohemia (of which there is none, unfortunately) or a provincial council of the clergy of Bohemia. I hope this information will aid you, disappointing as it must be.

[foolish_icarus]

What would it take to create a Bishopric of Bohemia?

[Cyclotron]

A bishopric can only be established by papal edict. Because it grants much prestige and a certain amount of "civilization" to a nation or city, Kings and Dukes often petition the Pope to do this, meanwhile showing through their aid to the papacy or their good Christian deeds how deserving and meritorious they are. It helps if you are on good terms with the Pope.

Once a bishopric is created, it is usually filled by a Papal appointee, though the Pope may acquiesce to the wishes of the local secular authorities if they have someone suitable in mind.

Edit: And, technically, it would be the Bishopric of (insert major city here, probably Prague), not of Bohemia.

[foolish_icarus]

Goddamn Popes.

How much of a "gesture of Christian goodwill" are we looking at here...
To just get an audience?
To get a reasonable chance of Mr. Authority creating the bishopric?

forget it, I don't have the patience or the money to handfeed some illegitimate Roman toddler bribes and compliments. When German soldiers have hewn through the ranks of the barbarian rogues, then our friendly Duke Spytihnìv will know whom he should be swearing fealty to. In not more time than it takes our troops to pour the Magyar blood out of their boots the Bohemians will have reconsidered their position in this war, and they won't be needing any epilectic child hanging off of a whore's teat to tell them who God favors.

[appleciders]

Originally posted by foolish_icarus
Goddamn Popes.

How much of a "gesture of Christian goodwill" are we looking at here...
To just get an audience?
To get a reasonable chance of Mr. Authority creating the bishopric?

forget it, I don't have the patience or the money to handfeed some illegitimate Roman toddler bribes and compliments. When German soldiers have hewn through the ranks of the barbarian rogues, then our friendly Duke Spytihnìv will know whom he should be swearing fealty to. In not more time than it takes our troops to pour the Magyar blood out of their boots the Bohemians will have reconsidered their position in this war, and they won't be needing any epilectic child hanging off of a whore's teat to tell them who God favors.

Subtle. Very subtle. I almost didn't catch that you're annoyed here
Well, that's another 200 denarii I won't have to spend in bribes.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Archbishop Hatto of Mainz
Does your authority pertain only to people born in Bavaria or only those currently in Bavaria? Because these men are most definately within your realm at the moment.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Soldiers of the Bohemian Army
Good soldiers, do you really believe that the Magyars have your best interests at heart? These pagans want nothing more than to destroy the Catholic church, and by marching alongside them you are helping them do it. Return to your homes and refuse to further this unjust cause, or, better yet, come fight alongside fellow Christians against heathen opressors! If you fear the reprisal of Magyars after the battle, I offer each and every one of you a piece of land on my own estates that you may farm as one of my subjects. Please reconsider your devotion to a pagan cause.

[Cyclotron]

Archbishop Hatto of Mainz to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
My Lord, you hust have me mistaken. I am the Archbishop of Mainz, in Franconia. I have as much jurisdiction over Bavaria as I do England - that is to say, none. Perhaps you mean to inquire with Archbishop Pilgrim of Salzburg?

Ducal Herald to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
My Worthy and Most Sovereign Lord, we shall try our best to give your message to the soldiers of Bohemia, though it will be most difficult. Perhaps this - dare I say it - "propagandizing" would best be done by my Lord's more specialized agents, or perhaps those of my Lord's King.

[Cyclotron]

Goddamn Popes.

How much of a "gesture of Christian goodwill" are we looking at here...
To just get an audience?
To get a reasonable chance of Mr. Authority creating the bishopric?

I catch your annoyance here, though for future reference - i.e., when the Pope is a little less "worldly" - it usually only takes a personal visit from a King or Prince. He'll usually receive people of that station automatically, Dukes are too common for him to just let them in.

Of course, more may be requested by the Pope. It's really his call.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Archbishop Pilgrim of Salzburg
After much chasing around, I've been informed that you are the man I should be asking help of in this time of dire need. Please consider throwing the weight of the Church behind my campaign against the heathen Magyars and the treacherous Christian Bohemians by placing an interdict on the Magyar army and their allies in Northern Bavaria.

[foolish_icarus]

I'm fine, but Conrad, a fairly pious man, is a little piqued. Plus, it was a chance to say 'Goddamn Popes', which is an opportunity which should never be passed up

I just love reading about the history of this time period. Pornocracy

How much would it cost to hire a really good doctor and get him adequate supplies to take care of Kunigunde?

I'll be doing no more until I get back to school on Sunday.

[Cyclotron]

Archbishop Pilgrim of Salzburg to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
Though I am uncertain of how much good this will do, I would be more than willing to pronounce an interdict.

Archbishop Pilgrim of Salzburg, a general pronouncement
In the Name of God most high, who punishes the wicked and rewards the virtuous in his infinite wisdom, I, Pilgrim I, Archbishop of Salzburg and Primate of the Allemanic Duchy of Bavaria, do place all those within the Duchy of Bavaria under censure and interdict who fight under the banner of or in alliance with the Magyars in Bohemia. Henceforth, let no priest of God deliver the sacraments to any who are subject to this interdict, under penalty of eternal damnation and excommunication, such that any who fall on the field in service of the heathen will do so without the blessings of the Holy Communion nor the absolution of their sins through Confession.
In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti,
Archiepiscopus Peregrinus

How much would it cost to hire a really good doctor and get him adequate supplies to take care of Kunigunde?

As King, you pretty much have this already, but "really good" in semi-barbaric Germany - where physicians educated in the Greek tradition seldom go - is not terribly good compared to, say, Italy, Greece, or the Islamic world. You can seek out foreign doctors if you believe it will help. It may not cost you anything, because other friendly Kings may be more than willing to loan you their personal doctors, but a French doctor may not be any better than a German one. Perhaps their expertise may be more valuable, but perhaps not. Your court doctors and priests will do the best they can, but at this point her survival may simply be up to chance.

Your best doctors cite the new Low German translation of the Anglo-Saxon Leechbook, pointing out that the illness is likely the cause of Kunigunde eating things too salty or sweet during the pregnancy, or perhaps it is just God's way of humbling you. As for the cure, they are trying many things, but seem stumped at the moment.

[Cyclotron]

I'll be out of action for a few days due to schoolwork. If his PM was any indication, bipolarbear should be showing up soon. Thus, I will attempt to delay the update until he shows up, assuming he shows up this week. I'd like to aim for a next-weekend update, though it could come sooner if all orders are in earlier.

I will also be putting up a board will all the active general descriptions in a few days. That should make things easier for everyone.

King Rudolph II of Burgundy to King Conrad of Germany
My fellow Christian monarch,
I am ready to render my aid to your stalwart soldiers should you require it. To this end, I have assembled a force that, while small, represents some of the best of my soldiery. I apologize that I cannot do more, as certain problems in France, Italy, and Provence require the attention of my generals and men. If you request it, I shall at once send:

100 Knights (heavy, lance, sword, shield)
300 Sergeants (light, lance, sword, shield)
500 Medium Swordsmen (light, sword, shield)
500 Medium Spearmen (light, spear, shield)
300 Italian Urban Guards (heavy, spear, shield)

My trusted commander and envoy, Count Odo de Neuchatel, will be available to command them. Unfortunately, it will take some time to reach you; I should think they would be able to reach Regensburg by early fall, though the actual time is unfortunately quite unpredictable. Whatever the events, I wish you godspeed and good fortune in your endeavors.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Heinrich of Saxony
Will I be able to count on the stalwart Saxons in this campaign against the Magyars?

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Archbishop Pilgrim of Salzburg
My thanks for your support in these troubled times.


Cyc, does the Archbishop actually have leverage over these priests accompanying the Bohemian army? What are the chances of these priests actually following the interdict?

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
Cyc, does the Archbishop actually have leverage over these priests accompanying the Bohemian army? What are the chances of these priests actually following the interdict?

Bohemian priests, if they are actually ethnically Bohemian (most would be), are probably more loyal to their people and leader than to some german Archbishop on whose territory they happen to be trotting on. Even if the clergy aren't fans of the Duke's new allies, they are probably going to do their duty to their lord, like any good vassal would.

[bipolarbear]

The Sultan of Swabia, Erwin "Freeman" Rommell, wishes to make his presence known. The Schwabians currently only seek peace and freedom for every man (Freeman's cornerstone). We found ourselves on strength through unity of a common idea and under a common man.

Currently we seek tade and allaince; aside from the obvious values of freedom, morality, low taxes, and lastly peace.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke "Freeman" of Swabia

You seek trade, do you? I have recently acquired a large salt mine, and I seek to trade as much as 200 denarii worth of salt for other goods your duchy may produce.

[bipolarbear]

"Freeman" Rommel of Swabia to the msot esteemed Duke Arnulf of Bavaria

of course I'm sure we can work something out.