HRE NES

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Ecthy
I know it isn't around yet, but can I play as margrave of Brandenburg?

OR of Meissen maybe if you insist on avoiding anachronisms

Well first of all, welcome!

Actually, you could conceivably go for a Duchy - I don't have any particular need to keep the Duchy of Bohemia a non-player faction, and that would be an interesting (and potentially powerful) one to play.

Brandenburg, I'm afraid, wouldn't work very well at the time, as it's called "Brandisborska" now and in the hands of the Slavs. If you are set on being a German ruler, you could conceivably be the Margrave of Meissen, but since Meissen is Micha's you'll have to work that out with him.

Other options exist, though you might have to wait a bit longer. I might be willing to let you in as the Count of Holland (West Frisia), though they aren't (yet) part of the Kingdom. Depending on where the current players go and what they do, other Duchies in other places may open up.

[Ecthy]

Hmm... I'll consider it.

[Micha]

Originally posted by appleciders
Micha, does your offer of troops still stand after that update?

Difficult. This changes things a lot... Will consider it, though. Off to university

[Cyclotron]

I took a few minutes to re-update the map. No borders are changed, but the new map includes a whole lot more cities, settlements, and points of interest (particuarly to the east).

The black outline on the map indicates the "traditional" boundaries of the Duchy of Bohemia. All territory within these boundaries is claimed by the current Duke of Bohemia by right of inheritance, though the Ducal line also has claimed suzerainty (through Great Moravia) over Moravia, Silesia, Slovakia, Lower Austria, Lusatia, and most of the Hungarian plain.

EDIT: For the benefit of Ecthy and anyone else who stumbles by the thread, I've put up a more comprehensive description of open slots at the top of the first post in this thread.

You may notice that I said Margravates were open to play. What I mean by this is that, if somebody wants to play a Margrave, I'll refer them to somebody who has a March (appleciders, Micha) and they can work it out with you. It's up to the Duke's player if you want to let someone play administrator of one of your Marches. Arrangements in this regard (i.e. who gets the revenue from the March, and so on) I leave up to the Duke and Margrave.

...of course, I don't forsee many new players in this NES, so this might be spurious information. Still, keep it in mind.

[Cyclotron]

Alright, stat block should be updated later tomorrow. Or is that... today? Hot damn I'm tired.

Landgraf Theodoric von Norden to Duke Heinrich von Sachsen

My Lord, I hope this message reaches you on campaign;
As you know, my loyalty is solidly yours, as my liege lord. Still, I cannot help but grive for my native land, whose people even now struggle to expel the barbarous Vikings from their shores. Since my small victory over the Vikings, the pagans have shown that they fear to stand up to German might. I know well that you are busy with your great campaign in the east, which is why I ask that you, my Lord, should you see fit to do so, allow me to render aid with the forces under my command to the Frieslanders. No doubt they will appreciate your charity, as will I. May God bless your endeavours and smite our enemies.

[appleciders]

So, ah, tomorrow? Or today? Or two days ago, from where we're standing now? Is it just finals week and I should sit back and relax, or is the final bit coming soon?

[Cyclotron]

How about right now?

[foolish_icarus]

I'd like some generals

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by foolish_icarus
I'd like some generals

I bet you would.

Bavaria

Wildgraf Waldhar von Brenner
This man is admittedly quite brilliant, excelling in both tactics and strategy, as well as the mathematical pursuits, but almost unbearably arrogant about his abilities. The result is someone who, while noted as brave, confident, and prudent on the field, is universally despised. He seems suitably loyal; no stories of great loyalty or disloyalty stand out.

Vizegraf Hapertus von Ratzen
This nobleman has been rising recently thanks to good family connections, and can trace his family line straight to the Carolingians. He is ambitious and aggressive but seems suitably loyal to his superiors. Though brave like any good German leader, he is not known for his tactical cunning, and his popularity – while good – is nothing to boast about. His experiences in mathematics and engineering are few indeed.

Wildgraf Ansehelm von Leitbach
A noble from the untamed lands of southern Carinthia, this man spent his young years as a German mercenary lord in the army of Louis the Blind, during Louis’s eventually failed attempt to wrest the Kingdom of Italy from Berengar. Present at several sieges of Italian cities, this man has proved himself to be a brilliant engineer, admired even by the normally more proficient and numerate Italians. He is unquestionably brave on the field, but is noted as ponderously cautious and not truly outstanding in tactical matters. As a former mercenary, a few have doubts as to his loyalty.

Franconia

Landgraf Cristianus von Mellrichstadt
A popular, energetic, and outspoken noble, this man is noted as one of the leaders among the nobles who attempted to grab land in Saxon Thuringia while Duke Heinrich was away. He is immensely popular among his soldiers and people, as well as his fellow nobles, and excels at battlefield command, though he is not much for military engineering. He is a known social climber and his loyalty to the crown is highly suspect.

Vizegraf Ercanbald von Gerstun
Few men are as brave as this man, and few question their lot in life less. This noble is noted for his extreme piety, having personally made pilgrimages to multiple sites all over Europe. He is a firm believer in the divine right of his King, and has no fear of death – he knows that the Father shall welcome him in heaven. All his traveling, however, has left him little time for war, and he is known to harbor doubts about exactly how “moral” war is. As a result, he is not noted as a good commander, and his troops are not especially glad of him. He is literate, in German and Latin (the better to read the scriptures), and has a fair ability at siege warfare.

Wildgraf Gawin von der Westerwald
Noted as a superb sportsman and hunter, this man’s family has lived in the Westerwald ever since the time of Charlemagne. He is notably indifferent to the land’s current rulers, and though he has little ambition to speak of he is not known as a loyal man. Though his studies of numbers are lacking, he is a decent battlefield commander, and has little fear of taking the fight to the enemy. Despite his rank he is not well known, tending to spend much time at his secluded woodland estates.

[Cyclotron]

Truth be told, I'm still actually deep in the sh*t for work; my original estimates were shot, on account of more projects assigned. Today is truly the international day of the worker.

Later this week I'm going to make a unified Generals roster so you can see all of their descriptions in one place. That should make things easier for all parties involved.

[foolish_icarus]

These are some truly interesting generals. I shall enjoy deciding which one to employ.

[appleciders]

Damn, talk about getting it handed to me on a silver platter. More details, including this turn's orders, coming soon to a message board near you!

[Micha]

Duchy of Saxony

Duke Heinrich, listening to the messenger´s report, is outrageous. How can those filthy peasants be unhappy? They wade through pagan blood singing Christian chants and take part in the greatest glory the duchy has ever seen since its foundation. Stupid rabble! And how on earth could he send troops to Friesland with his own army decimated to a mere shadow of its former self? The Wends are watching his every move and will come to crush his forces should they leave the open flatlands and enter the forests. Heinrich is busy drawing plans on how to meet with reinforcements to survive the campaign, and those news from the homeland don´t quite help.

A counsil with his nobles at Meissen discusses the situation thouroughly, and after long hours of debating the rough plan stands:

Once the largest settlements are under control, the land will be firmly ours. So there are two targets left: Lipsk - or Leipzig, as the Saxons call it - and Drezd´any - or Dresden. With the current army it is not possible to achieve both goals, if even one. So reinforcements need to be called in. They will arrive about two years from now, so there´s plenty of time to prepare a fine strategy. The problem is, that the levies will need to fight for another two years at least, which they won´t like. Nevertheless, without Lipsk there won´t be a connection to the Duchy, which prevents desertions pretty well.

Heinrich himself will take care of the morale of his army. The levies are Christian fighters in pagan lands, so their job is to prove the souvereignity of the one and only God to the savage woodsmen. The example of Meissen should encourage them, and the Duke´s promise of both a spiritual and a worldly reward should be enough to make them stand two additional years.

The heads of Berstuk (the Christian-killer) and Korzin (Torbin´s son) will be rewarded with their weight in gold.

In other affairs, per ducal decree, each Christian not accused of a crime is welcome in Saxony. This is an island of civilization in the ocean of savagery, surrounded by pagans, barbarians and man-eaters, and as such will shelter every good Christian desiring so. This offer is especially true for Frieslanders in these times of trouble, as the Saxon people know the horror of Viking raids. Should they want to keep on fighting against the Viking invaders, they are free to join the Viking Slayers under Theoderic von Norden. In a few years this army will be sent to Friesland, so essentially this is an offer to regroup and regain strength, not to flee the invasion.

The messenger, a converted Wend, is sent back to Bremen to bring the Duke´s orders:

ORDERS

• forge 390 light armour pieces [780d - 300d iron]
• call up 1,200 new recruits for training at Magdeburg
• open the granaries for the warrior´s families in need
• Raise morale of troops in Meissen (the Duke will do that, as he supervised their training and fought with them for years)
• call up additional generals
• welcome each volunteer (with or without weapons) in the Viking Slayer army
• welcome Christian refugees and grant them shelter
• commence one-time trade with Bavaria (300 Bavarian swords for 300 Saxon axes)
• commence trade with Polans (30 swords, 20 axes for 150d hides, amber, and silver)

This will cost 480 denarii.

[Micha]

Originally posted by Cyclotron
Landgraf Theodoric von Norden to Duke Heinrich von Sachsen

My Lord, I hope this message reaches you on campaign;
As you know, my loyalty is solidly yours, as my liege lord. Still, I cannot help but grive for my native land, whose people even now struggle to expel the barbarous Vikings from their shores. Since my small victory over the Vikings, the pagans have shown that they fear to stand up to German might. I know well that you are busy with your great campaign in the east, which is why I ask that you, my Lord, should you see fit to do so, allow me to render aid with the forces under my command to the Frieslanders. No doubt they will appreciate your charity, as will I. May God bless your endeavours and smite our enemies.

Duke Heinrich of Saxony to Landgraf Theoderic von Norden

My trusted friend, I have heard of the Viking onslaught in Friesland, and I am worried about it as well. You know the duchy is preoccupied now, but the Thuringian campaign will come to an end soon, then I promise to help the Frieslanders with Saxon troops. Will they hold out for another two winters?


Duke Heinrich of Saxony to King Conrad of Germany

My liege, bad news I have to tell you. The Wends, stubborn and stupid as they are, refuse to admit defeat. The March of Meissen will not be under firm German-Catholic rule until the remaining strongholds of Leipzig and Dresden have been conquered.
As the simple folks are getting restless already, the campaign will need to come to a quick end. I can foresee Saxon troops march with their German brethren in two, maybe three years. I know this is disappointing to you, but it is my conviction that our Lord has his plans with each of us which we have to follow. Rest assured that both my troops and your share of the March´s riches will reach you, and by the grace of god will reach you soon.

Loyally yours, your servant Duke Heinrich of Saxony.

Duke Heinrich of Saxony to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria

My trusted friend, the proposed trade of Magyar bows for Saxon denarii will have to be postponed for one year because of a major shortcoming in my duchy´s finances, caused by the training of a hundred dozens of new troops for the various wars going on. Be assured that the offer still stands, just the coffers are empty right now.


Duke Heinrich to his military advisor

Where on earth is the training grounds I have ordered several years ago to be built at Magdeburg??? They have cost me 800 denarii! Should they not be listed as ducal property by next year, you and your siblings will work without payment for the next 400 years until the debt is paid!

[Cyclotron]

Landgraf Theoderic von Norden to Duke Heinrich of Saxony

My Lord, my people are stalwart and valiant and I believe they will do their best to fight off the invaders until our help can arrive. I shall dutifully await your leave to aid them.

On another subject, my Lord, have you any instructions for these ships I have captured from the pagans? I am unsure of exactly what to do with them.

Constable of Magdeburg to Duke Heinrich

My humble apologies, my most beneficient Lord. It seems that, though the facilities were constructed as per your instructions, some monk in charge of book-keeping failed to note the completion of the grounds in your reports. I shall see to it personally that he is soundly whipped for his error.