HRE NES

[Micha]

Duke Heinrich of Saxony to all German Dukes (and Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia)
Of course I will attend the Reichstag, and I do agree with it being held at Augsburg, though it seems like a waste of ressources to devote that much money to the construction of a facility that will not directly contribute to our war effort.
As a close friend of Duke Vratislaus, and owing him more than can be paid for, I will support him getting voting rights at the Reichstag.

Duke Heinrich of Saxony to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
My friend, I come to ask you a favour, although I know you are in quite a struggle yourself. With the Vikings to my north and west I need to secure my borders, thus lowering the extent of assistance I can send to you in the quest against the Magyars. Thus I am very interested in purchasing the light armour pieces you have recovered from Regensburg for 1 denarius each, as much as you´re willing to sell. The more armour I can aquire, the less troops I need to send to Friesland, the more troops can march south...

Duke Heinrich of Saxony to Count Dirk of Friesland
My friend, I have not forgotten what has been promised, and I am indeed looking forward to the campaign in Friesland that will restore the souvereignity of Christianity in the middle of Western Europe. Saxony will send as large a force as can be justified given the threat of the Magyar invasion, and the Frieses that have found shelter in my lands have been trained well and even been paid and fed out of my treasury, so they are well prepared for battle. I am sure you will also ask for Burgundian assistance, so that together we can muster an army that will show the Viking scourge whom they have messed with!

OOC
Hey Giovanni! Great to have you here! It´s been a long time since I was playing in your NESes...
Hey Nimitz, good to see you in command of the Bohemians. I´m sure we will have a lot to discuss soon
I´m really sorry having missed this update, it was just so busy over here that I forgot composing my orders. Thanks Cyclo for not ruining the Saxon Duchy because of this. If there´s still time for orders for this last update, I´d like to have my Thuringian army called home, allowed to dissolve and use the entire treasury to call up new recruits and three new generals. If not, I will do that this turn...

[Cyclotron]

I´m really sorry having missed this update, it was just so busy over here that I forgot composing my orders. Thanks Cyclo for not ruining the Saxon Duchy because of this. If there´s still time for orders for this last update, I´d like to have my Thuringian army called home, allowed to dissolve and use the entire treasury to call up new recruits and three new generals. If not, I will do that this turn...

Don't worry, Micha, I wouldn't "ruin" you just because you weren't here for an update.

Because I have not completed the update, I have no problem with retroactively dissolving the army and calling up generals.

I hope to complete the update this weekend.

[foolish_icarus]

Can we vote in the reichstag before the next update, so we know who is king before we make orders?

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by foolish_icarus
Can we vote in the reichstag before the next update, so we know who is king before we make orders?

I was thinking about timing, and I think that this would be best as soon as we know who is and is not attending. With Micha's post, that has now been completed.

Augsburg Reichstag of 918

Welcome, Dukes. All Stem Duchies (Franconia, Swabia, Bavaria, Saxony) may vote on all issues. Failure to vote will be interpreted as a vote to abstain. The following are the votes to be voted upon:

1) Vote to grant Bohemia full voting privileges
2) Vote to elect the King of Germany

Bohemia may not vote on the first issue. If the first issue passes, Bohemia may vote on the second issue.

Please respond to yes or no votes with a Ja, Nein, or Enthalten (abstain). Please respond to election votes with the name of the Duke you wish to elect. You may vote for yourself.

If no Duke wins a majority of votes, successive votes will be held until either a Duke wins or the Reichstag is pronounced dissolved.

Duchy of Swabia
1) Ja
2) Duke Heinrich of Saxony

Archbishop of Mainz
1) Enthalten
2) Duke Eberhard III of Franconia

Current Tally:
1) 4 Ja, 0 Nein, 1 Enthalten with all votes cast - this vote has passed 4/4
2) Duke Heinrich (3), Duke Eberhard (2) - a majority (4) has not been reached yet

[foolish_icarus]

Duchy of Franconia

1. Ja
2. Duke Eberhard III of Franconia

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to All German Dukes
My brothers, I am formally declining any nominations to the crown of Germany. My unruly noble class demands my full attention right now, as does the looming Magyar threat in the east. I will cast my vote for King to the Duke who can promise me the most assistance in reclaiming my Duchy and defending it from the Magyars.

I cast my vote "Ja" in favor of full voting rights and privileges for Bohemia.

[Cyclotron]

Though the first vote now has enough votes to pass, those of you who still have yet to vote should still cast your vote so you are on the record.

[foolish_icarus]

Eberhard of Franconia speaks:

Good Dukes of Germany!

I cast my vote for myself because with your shields beside my own I can guide our peoples to prosperity and security. I know well the concerns that a Duke of our lands must boldly face. Though I am new to the title of Duke, and indeed received this power unexpectedly, may God rest my brother's soul, I am not new to the demands placed upon a leader.

We stand together now in this reichstag because our ancestors saw the wisdom of brothers holding together in strength--and we shall need every ounce of that strength that runs through our vains and the blessing of God Himself to weather this storm of threats to Germany.

Heathens across the plains to the East, heathens across the sea to the north, rebels within our own lands, and so called civilized folk who invade our lands under the pretense of peace--Each must be dealt with, but there are no simple answers for any of these problems. The eye must guide the hand, and I would be that eye for Germany.

Why does Germany have a king? Because the world is a dangerous place, and we must be dangerous back to it! But being dangerous is not enough--we must be wise and courageous, not foolhardy, we must be pious and just, not cruel. Those who would harm us must know and feel that we will not submit to any man but Jesus Christ Himself.

We must be many hands swinging in unison a single righteous axe--brothers, place your trust in me, as I will in you. There is work to be done, good men of Germany, outside the walls of this hall. Let us strive together to do it!

[Micha]

Duchy of Saxony

1) Ja
2) Duke Heinrich of Saxony

[Micha]

Duke Heinrich of Saxony speaks:

My esteemed brethren,

as Duke Eberhard of Franconia pointed out, our very existence is at stake in these times of trouble. Our enemies are numerous, and they seem to be everywhere, even within our own lands.
But we are not some decadent, incompetent whiners, we are men. And proud men at that, and as the recent campaigns have demonstrated we are fierce fighters and will not bow to some arrogant horsemen or coarse savages.
In order to survive we will have to grow, and this will consume either them or us. Our ancestors will guard us from above, they will strengthen our arms and their blessings will shield us in battle. We are warriors, and we are strong if we stand together. Our unity is our trump, and we will have to use it to overcome this test of time.
Divide and conquer, this is what I belief to be the only way through this all. Get rid of one enemy at a time, swallow him up and be stronger in order to face the next one.

Our stance towards our neighbours will be a second trump we´ll have to play. We know that many of them look upon us with envy, others look down on us in arrogance. For now we have enough enemies, so it´s neccessary to secure alliances abroad. Our beloved King Conrad, may he rest in peace, has paved the way on the diplomatic side, so we have a fine base to build upon.

It is time to remind Emperor Berengar of his duties. He has pledged to defend his vassals, and this is what he needs to do now. With imperial help, allies from all over Christian Europe and our own fearsome armies, we will face the Magyar scourge and bring them to their knees. But we will need money, stable borders and new friends to accomplish this task, so my approach will involve a quick campaign in Friesland to bring them into our boat and to secure valuable trade routes to Britain. Of course the defence of our lands is the most imminent task, and we can not afford to neglect it now. But remember one thing: The defence of Germany begins way beyond its borders. We cannot afford a second - or even third - front either.

I do trust Duke Eberhard to be a fine leader, a worthy successor for his brother as Duke of Franconia and a man true to God. But I do think I can forge a stronger alliance to confront our enemies, I do believe that with your help, I can strengthen Germany to fulfill our duty - for we are the last stronghold of Christianity, we are Rome´s last line of defence against the heathen hordes. We are the German Kingdom, and we shall no longer be looked down upon by other Kings!

[Giovanni Wine]

Count Dirk of Friesland to King Rudolph II of Burgundy

My King, we humbly ask for your assistance against the Viking barbarians who invaded our land, your forces together with Duke Henrich's armies and ours we are sure we'll net us a great victory against the Danes and we'll free our land once and for all.

I hope you may answer positively to our request and we hope this to be the beginning of cooperation and friendship between us.

In faith
Count Dirk of Friesland

[foolish_icarus]

ooc:

An excellent speech, Duke Micha
It is interesting and good to see that our characters' hearts are in the same place, yet a few important policy issues divide us.

[Cyclotron]

It would seem that the vote is evenly split between Saxony and Franconia, with two votes each. Only Bavaria and Bohemia have yet to vote.

It is possible to change your vote. If agreement cannot be reached among you and no Duke can garner 4 votes, the Reichstag will be dissolved and the issue postponed for the next year.

[Cyclotron]

King Rudolph II of Burgundy to Count Dirk of Friesland
Good Count, I am always troubled by the affronts of pagan barbarians against Christendom, but I am afraid my help will not be so effective; my first priorities are to the Germans, whose own foes are closer to my own borders, and whose crown I have lent my forces to. I plan on providing a much larger army to them against the current threat. I would gladly send you a small force to assist you, but I am afraid I am not on the best terms with the King of France, and I do not believe he would allow my men to use the Rhine through the Duchy of Lothairingia, which is under his control. I will attempt to see what can be done about the situation.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Dukes Heinrich of Saxony and Eberhard of Franconia
My brothers, I have heard your flowery speeches attempting to garner votes for the throne, and I must say that neither of you have offered me direct help in my situation. I stand directly in the path of the Magyars' wrath, and I need help immediately. Duke Eberhard offers only rhetoric, and Duke Heinrich's plan will take too long to implement. Indeed, King Rudolph of Burgundy has offered me more direct help than either of you. For the moment, I must abstain from the vote, unless either of you can offer me more direct, substantial help.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Heinrich of Saxony
Unfortunately, I doubt I will be able to spare any armor at this stage. My entire army has dissolved, and I will need to re-equip replacements. I might be able to sell you weapons, but armor is not an option, at least until I have regained control of my iron mines in Carinthia.

OOC: Cyc, can I get stats for Bavaria again?