HRE NES

[appleciders]

Missed the change; I was still going by the 120 d. Yes, that's better for me.

[Cyclotron]

Anno Domini CMXIX

This year’s Pope: John X
This year’s Emperor: Berengar I
This year’s King: Heinrich I

Successions

The duly convened Reichstag of the German duchies has elected Duke Heinrich of Saxony to be the next German king. All hail King Heinrich!

King Edward “the Elder,” the ruler of Wessex, has managed to add the dominions of Ethelfleda (the “Lady of the Mercians”) to his domain after her recent death. The Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, now that they are united, may give the people of England some fresh hope that the fierce Vikings can be resisted through unity at home.

Family Business

Friesland has ample reason to be proud. Elske van Egmond, wife of Count Dirk of Friesland, has borne her lord a healthy daughter. The child has been named Swantje, and surely the addition of a daughter to the Count’s household will only strengthen his rule.

Adhela, the young wife of Duke Eberhard III of Franconia, has borne her fortunate husband a healthy boy, named Gerhard. The Duke now has a viable heir to take his place upon his majority.

Land und Leute

The peasants breathe easily; no famines or plagues of note have taken place this year. While not particularly mild, the winter was bearable and unremarkable. Throughout the realm, farms and villages are struggling to recover from the virulent plague and burdensome famines of the previous year.

Krieg und Frieden

The new King of Germany, Heinrich, has marched troops into Friesland, claimed formally by the Danes. It is widely rumored that King Hardeknut of the Danes has dispatched raiders to Friesland to combat this Saxon intervention in “Danish affairs.”

The Magyar Horde, under the commanding presence of Gyula Levente, has made its presence known in Germany. The vast army has devastated Carinthia and Bavaria in a wide swath, and now seems poised to move on into Swabia. Who will face this great threat?

Other News of Christendom

Emperor Berengar I, functioning in his role of King of Italy, has instituted a feudal call-up by fiat, commanding the various cities of Tuscany and Lombardy to render to him forces and funds to ostensibly deal with the Magyar threat once and for all. Though apparently deeply unpopular among the nobles of Italy, the command has resulted already in thousands of mercenaries and levies being drummed up and moved eastward towards the Emperor’s training grounds and rallying fields in Friuli. Some estimate the strength of the Exercitus Imperii Romani Sancti, the Emperor’s personal army, to be nearly 20,000 men with the new auxiliaries coming in – and the army continues to grow.


So begins the update! For those of you new to this, I will (hopefully soon) add specific updates for each Duchy, and then proceed to update the stats and map (on the first page) and send out any PMs neccessary. Battles, should they occur, will be described in separate posts following the update.

[Cyclotron]

Foolish has contacted me about getting in some last minute orders. Additionally, I am preoccupied with my senior thesis proposal, due on friday. What this means to you is that this update will be resumed on friday, with much action and excitement.

[Giovanni Wine]

Don't worry thesis is way more important.

On a side note I finally managed to get my things on a good start for this september so I should be able to partecipate a bit more in this NES

Saluti

[appleciders]

In the extremely unlikely event that anything happens here in the next four days, I'll be out of town and tough to get a hold of.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
In the extremely unlikely event that anything happens here in the next four days

Du bist nicht richtig!

Here are the updates for each Duchy. Stats will be updated soon; I do believe the map already is.

Franconia

The death of the King and the loss of the Kingship to Saxony, combined with the unstable nature of Franconia’s current political situation, have not been helpful to the new Duke. Though his efforts with von Ingelbeim and von Mellrichstadt have failed to end the feud between them, they have at least agreed on the more pressing nature of the Magyar threat and seem willing to cooperate with the Duke for now.

The Franconian army, returned from foreign service, is still intact – though some have deserted now that they are back on home soil, the efforts of the Duke to provide for them and keep their morale up have not gone unnoticed. A new army is being raised with a mind towards the Magyar Horde, and the nobility of Franconia have also been mustering for a new campaign. War seems to be the motivator that has kept the Franconian state from coming unglued.

Corruption in Franconia has remained constant at 15%.

Bavaria

Bohemia, ravaged by war and rebellion, is beginning its process of recovery despite the threat still looming over it. The rebellion has been thoroughly seared from the country, with the Duke’s secret agents propagandizing for the Duke and “disappearing” those petty nobles still believed to have connections to the old von Nordgau party. The dispatching of Bavaria’s nobility to their estates has also helped this process, as nobody has more of an interest in restoring land to productivity than its baron.

The Duchy has been busily setting up fortifications; the walls of Regensburg have been repaired, Salzburg has been fortified with a palisade, and Passau’s new ring wall is under construction (though not yet completed). A network of wooden motte-and-bailey forts has been erected in record time along the border with Bohemia, though some wonder if that is the border the Duke should be worried about.

With the evacuation of the Duke’s soldiers from Vienna and its subsequent sack by the Magyars, Carinthia is no more – all its sizeable towns are in ruins, its noble class is almost entirely gone (though many of the Normans maintain their claims, including the new “Donaugraf”), and no soldiers patrol it for the Bavarian ducal seat. While it may be reconstituted in the future, for now Carinthia ceases to exist – it has been lost to the Magyars, taken from Germany and Christendom.

But the Bavarians have not given up on their lost land. The Markgraf of Carinthia in absentia has permeated the lands to the south with his scouts and spies, and can report with reliability even the most minute movement of the Horde. Though raids against such a force have proven to be ineffective, he has organized the systematic clearing of farms and collapsing of wells in the face of the Magyar advance, slowing their progress through Carinthia and likely causing some damage to a force that depends on great quantities of forage and water for their tens of thousands of horses.

The Horde has moved north through western Bavaria and despoiled the land in its wake, though through the efforts of the Duke and Markgraf order has been maintained in the area. Surprisingly, the Horde made no attempt to attack any major cities, and so remained unchallenged by the Bavarians. Many wonder where they are headed...

Corruption in Bavaria has decreased by 1%, to 19%.

Saxony

The new King, the Saxon Duke Heinrich, enjoys a great deal of popularity among his subjects and immense respect among his nobles for his election to Kingship. With the extension of Saxon military power into Meissen and Frisia, Saxony appears to be a power to be reckoned with in the north, giving pause even to the King of the Danes, who continues to press at Saxony’s northern border but holding back from any serious invasion.

Meissen, with its new Saxon garrison, seems to be stable for now, though it is well known that the Wends to the north are not peaceful and have ambitions to reclaim their lost land from the hated Christians. It remains to be seen whether they will move to take advantage of Saxony’s preoccupation with the Viking and Magyar threats.

Corruption in Saxony has decreased by 5%, to 9%.

The March of Meissen is not feudalized, and thus has no corruption.

Swabia

Swabia, having pursued the arts of trade and peace for some time, has turned its strong economy and extensive treasury to war. With new weapons and two thousand new recruits, the Duchy seems to be preparing for a defense of its territory against the coming Magyar storm.

Corruption in Swabia remains constant at 16%.

Bohemia

The Magyars’ emphasis on Germany proper has given some respite to the defenders of Bohemia, who continue to make progress on bringing the country back under their rule in its totality. Though some areas continue to be out of the Duke’s control, this is more because of local chaos and the immigration of foreign Slavic peoples unacquainted with the Duke’s rule than it is to any foreign interference. The Duke’s scouts were unable to find much in the way of Magyar presence, save for the irregular raids that affect nearly all of the Kingdom. The road building efforts of the Duke have been meager in their effects, but still noticeable in helping to alleviate the corruption and chaos in the land.

To the east, a worrisome new force is rising. The Polans, once simply another one of many Slavic tribal confederations, has recently been gaining power and influence, and now controls land all along Bohemia’s eastern border. Although no hostilities have yet occurred, many Polans have been moving westward into Bohemian lands, and the chiefs of the Polans are powerful men – possessing growing stockpiles of good iron weaponry supplied by the Saxons. Few now know whether relations between the Polans and the Bohemians will produce peace, or gradually fall into conflict.

Efforts to expand Bohemia’s iron production have met with fantastic success; not only have the mines been expanded and output increased, but several new productive veins have been found (increasing Bohemia’s iron from High to Very High). Bohemia now stands as Central Europe’s largest producer of iron, something that has not escaped the notice of the Italians and Venetians, always interested in the metals trade. As for flax, the Duke’s baronial advisors have reported that the plant has many possible productive uses – principally among them, the production of linen, no doubt a source of steady income. However, the lack of funding for this project has made anything other than speculation impossible.

Corruption in Bohemia has decreased by 1%, to 17%.

Friesland

The situation in Friesland has remained in a tense standoff between the rebellious Frisians and their foreign overlords. The Danes, outnumbered and possessing the superior defensive position, have opted to remain near their fortresses. The Frisians have moved forces close to Groningen and even made small-scale raids on foragers outside the city, but little fighting of much note has occurred – the Danes are more than capable of replenishing their supplies by ship, as they retain undisputed mastery of the seas. The Vikings, for their part, have made few moves out of their domains.

Reinforcements have been called in by both sides. The long-promised Saxon army, under the Frisian von Norden, has arrived in Norden much to the delight of the local population. In cooperation with Count Dirk, the Saxons have joined up with the Army of Norden and await Frisian orders. The Danes have requested aid from their kinsmen across the sea, and it is known that the Danish King has dispatched a fleet of longboats to Friesland, with an unknown complement of soldiers. As of winter, they have not yet arrived in Friesland.

Encouraged by the support of the Saxons, 300 more free Frisians have taken up arms and joined the Army of Norden.

The Count has also begun the construction and improvement of roads around Deventer and the Rhine valley. This is difficult in areas of wet and sinking marshland, but the generous budget supplied by the Count has secured progress. The movement of both armies and trade in southern Friesland is sure to be aided.

Corruption in Friesland has remained constant at 13%.

[appleciders]

It's hard to talk with my foot tickling my uvula, but I'm glad to see this is up and running! Diplomacy sometime today, I hope.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Burchard II of Swabia
My friend, can I expect the support of your armies this year? My brother, the displaced Markgraf of Carinthia, has pinpointed the Magyars' movements, and a rigorous defense of Bavaria might help help protect your borders from incursion.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Markgraf Eberhard of Carinthia
A good use of the money alotted, my brother, and the information gained from. With the army raised and, God willing, the help of the Saxons and Swabians, we stand a good chance of holding firm against the Magyars this year. Next year we may even defeat the Magyars more solidly, with the Emperor's help.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Heinrich of Saxony
My king, what are the chances of recieving aid for Bavaria this year? With Saxon help, I might be able to break this Magyar advance.

Duke Arnuf of Bavaria to Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia
My friend, I congratulate you on your recent acqusition of even more iron mines than before. Might I be the first to offer you a trade for this iron? I would be willing to regularly purchase 150 d. of iron for 200 d. of other goods.

[Nimitz]

Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia to Duke Arnuf of Bavaria
I have but one question first is this in addition to the 100 d. iron trade we agreed to or a revision to a higher amount?

[bipolarbear]

Duke Bruchard II of Swabia to DukeArnulf of Bavaria
We shall stand united against the unyielding savagery of the Magyars. What shall I send?

[Cyclotron]

King Rudolph II of Burgundy to King Heinrich of Germany
My congratulations on your election. As promised, I have assembled a larger force to aid the Bavarians and Swabians against the Magyar threat. They are now ready to move against the Horde. What is your plan of action?

Emperor Berengar I to King Heinrich of Germany
The Holy Roman Emperor, long may He reign, has seen fit to inform you that His personal army will be ready to move against the heathen enemy next year. As this attack is for the safety of the Germany people, He expects you to graciously provide him with the German strategic plan, and total access to both the number and composition of all German forces and all intelligence you have on the Magyar horde. Through cooperation, He expects total victory.

Emperor Berengar I to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
The Holy Roman Emperor, duly chosen by Christ Himself, wishes to inform you that, as a result of extensive consultation with his ministers, your contestation of the Imperial Magistrate's claims on the Mark of Carinthia are valid and sensible. Graciously deferring to your judgement, the Emperor hereby rescinds his earlier (but equally gracious) offer to bring Carinthia under His personal protection. This land thus remains your responsibility to keep in good order and free from heathen raiders.

Pope John X to All German Dukes
It is my sincere regret that I am unable to aid the good Christians of Germany in their noble struggle against the fierce pagan hordes. These devil-spawned barbarians have insulted our Lord and his Son through their mere presence on Christian soil. It is imperative that they be sent swiftly back to the hell from which they came, and that the relics in their possession be liberated and sanctified; I thus formally announce a 2,000 denarii reward for bringing the Holy Nails to Rome, a 250 denarii reward to the brave soldier who by his own hand relieves the heathen general of his head, and a 500 denarii reward to his liege.

Know that God guides every hand that wields a blade in His Name!

[appleciders]

Arnulf of Bavaria to Vratislaus of Bohemia
That last trade was merely a one-shot deal; this would be permanent. Might we say 150 d. of iron for 200 d. of leather?

Arnulf of Bavaria to Burchard II of Swabia
That giant 2,000 man army you just formed would be a good start. Your treasury is also among the largest in Germany, and could easily hire some mercanaries or purchase excellent armor for your troops as well.

Arnulf of Bavaria to Emperor Berengar I
I thank you for your decision to let Carinthia remain under my command after its liberation from the Horde.

[Nimitz]

Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia to Duke Arnuf of Bavaria
That Trade would be agreeable we shall start shipments right away.

Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia to Emperor Berengar I
Your Grace as I am sure you have heard the Duchy of Bohemia has been graced by finding large new deposits of iron. As it has come to our attention that you are largely increasing your armies and have increased need for iron to arm them and protect them we are wondering if you would have any interest in trade of our iron?

[Cyclotron]

All updates have been completed.

[appleciders]

Before you put Swabia too firmly in that "completed" column, didn't they buy some spears and shields from me? There's nothing in their inventory.