HRE NES

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
*taps mic* Hello? Hello? Anyone here tonight?

Everyone deserves a Memorial Day vacation

Duke Tomislav of Dalmatia to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria

I must decline your offer, as my treasurers are quite uneasy about the current situation in your southern Marches, and as you likely know it is impossible to reason with skittish merchants. Once I am informed that the situation has stabilized to the point where I can reasonably expect goods to be transferred without incident, I will reconsider your request.

[Cyclotron]

I begin work on the 5th. At that point, all updates will be weekend updates. Were you to say, post orders before my work starts, I might be able to update this week - otherwise, you'll have to wait until the next weekend.

Also, get excited! Big things in the works for the next update. There's a possibility of a really big thing too, so get 'em (orders) in! Huzzah!

[appleciders]

Well, I can speak only for myself, but military orders will be coming in.

[foolish_icarus]

The King is reaching into the collective ducal consciousness to try to determine the following:

The last known whereabouts, composition, and strength of the Magyars.

Whether all the levies are war-weary, or just the ones that have been out there for a while. Specifically, did the levy under Christian von Traitorhoff fight in the last battle, did he distinguish himself, and what is the morale of that levy?
Also, how are the Burgundian troops feeling?

Are the chivalries still gung-ho to fight, or are they getting tired of this yet?

[Cyclotron]

The Magyars moved south and east away from Prague. Their current location is unknown, as are their plans, though they do not appear to be within the area of Bohemia that the current Duke controls. Their host must still number in the thousands, though nobody is sure how many - rumors fly every which way. More precise information will require reconaissance.

Most of the Bavarian and Franconian levies are suffering from low morale; low morale is infectious, and affects even those who have newly joined the campaign, though currently the newer levies (such as von Mellrichstadt's men) are not likely to desert. Von Mellrichstadt did not distinguish himself particularly - with all the generals present, he had few people under his command - but the mere fact that he was chosen and sent to battle by your Majesty has helped him politically. It may or may not have increased his loyalty to you.

The Burgundinians, after suffering significant losses, are no longer quite as impetuous as they were, but show no signs of deserting. Their leader seems well-liked, and the Burgundinian Chivalry is still ready for action.

The Chivalry of Bavaria and Franconia are getting quite upset. Despite years of campaigning, they have yet to deliver a crushing defeat to the enemy, instead fighting successive bloody and inconclusive battles. Many resent the "over-cautious" tactics of the Duke of Bavaria, and rumors of the Duke being too timid - or worse, a coward - have been circulating in the ranks. Some of this resentment is directed towards the King, whose success in the recent campaigns has been mixed. While the Magyar raids have been cut down, they have not been conclusively defeated, and the King has not been serving on the front lines as the glorious war leader that Germans expect of their monarch. The knights respect courage, victory, and leadership above all else, and when that appears to be lacking their loyalty becomes suspect.

[foolish_icarus]

Well that's better than I thought it was going to be.

Luitpold will be caught and punished one way or another. Illegal, heretical, etc...

What's the process for appointing a new bishop to replace Hatto? and what about creating new bishoprics for Bohemia? How do I get the ball rolling on that?

Saxony's still out of the Magyar picture for the time being, hmmm..

Son, I assume you are withdrawing your entire campaigning forces to deal with this upstart fellow in Carinthia?

Dear crazy Swabian neigbor, please provide and update on the condition of your forces. Also I wish to borrow a small amount of funds from your treasury, temporarily, to ensure that an increase in raiding or some such does not reduce my funds to zero and stall my intended efforts. Now that I have a positive cash flow I would be able to return it to you promptly.

[Cyclotron]

It is assumed that, in the absence of special orders, the King appoints a new bishop from among his native and friendly clergy. This means that you typically do not have to order anything special; a reasonably intelligent, and above all loyal priest will be raised to the position (actual theological expertise is really not very important). If, for whatever reason, you need to appoint somebody specific or appoint a certain kind of person, that can be done, though usually I expect that this won't be neccessary. There are a lot of bishoprics and clerical positions, and I don't want to pretend that I'm keeping track of them all - I just note when important ones die.

Bishoprics are created by the Pope, and only the Pope. Creating Bishoprics is one of the few powers that a 10th century Pope can hurl around; Bishoprics are useful and prestigious, and - best of all - give the ruler a chance to look pious by constructing grand cathedrals in celebration. Because of this, the Pope typically only grants them to his friends and those who do him services. Sometimes, a particularly great victory against the heathen may put pressure on him to create a bishopric in honor of the victory; for some of the greedier Popes, cash "donations" are in order. Others appreciate military help, and the rare Pope that is actually a faithful man of God will be inclined to favor the most pious of princes and kings. It really depends on the individual Pope and his attitudes.

It helps to send officials to Rome to flatter the Pope and personally ask his favor. The more important the official, the more favorable the Pope will be. The best way to secure a Bishopric is with a Royal visit, though this is clearly not always possible.

Other factors can also influence the Pope, because other people can control the Pope. The last few Popes have owed their office to Theophylact and his wife, the Count and Countess of Tuluscum. Theophylact is a powerful man; in addition to his Countship, he is the financial director of the Holy See (he controls the Pope's purse), the Consul of Rome, and the commander of the Roman militia. Being friends with Theophylact - and others who are closely allied with the Pope - will do wonders for your efforts. Even a very friendly Pope won't dare do favors for people Theophylact hates.

[appleciders]

Yep; I'm pulling my entire campaign force. People are tired, they're sick of fighting far from home, and with these silly "cowardice" rumors circulating, a more or less German opponent should prove an excellent target for a massed cavalry charge, something I've been unable to pull off on the Magyars. I may be able to return to the Eastern front offensively in two or three years.

By the way, I've sort of had a pilgrimage to Rome in the back of my mind for the last few years, ever since I gave that land back to the church. You know, truly pay my respects and all that jazz. If you can't make it, I just might, after I reliberate Carinthia.

[Micha]

Duchy of Saxony

With the prospect of Bohemian and Saxon reinforcements arriving soon by ship, the morale of the forces in Meissen has risen considerably. Duke Heinrich promises a swift end to the Thuringian campaign and a good share of the spoils of war for his troops. While Theoderic mans the longships, the training of additional hundred dozens of recruits is finished, and they are transported to Meissen along the Elbe river. The good thing about Viking ships is that they are made for crossing hostile waters and thus have good projectile defences built in; It should be no problem to ferry all of the reinforcements to Meissen in a short time...

Meanwhile the Viking Slayers are preparing for their campaign into Friesland. Each week new Frieslanders arrive in Saxony, where they are welcomed to rest and regroup. They shall receive free training and arms out of the armoury if they join the Viking Slayers (they are then paid as any other soldier). In two years´ time the army will march into the western plains and reclaim what is rightfully Frisian, driving the heathen Vikings back into the sea.

ORDERS

• Continue the Frisland Program, gathering troops under Theoderic in the Viking Slayers Army
• Downgrade Magdeburg Levy to light spearmen [and thus gain 300 light armour]
• form reinforcement army: 600 medium swordsmen (sword, shield, light), 10 Heavy Saxon Raiders (heavy, polearm, sword, shield), 110 Saxon Raiders (polearm, sword, shield, light), 50 medium axemen (axe, shield, light), 140 axemen (axe, light), 290 skirmishers (sword, bow, cloth)
• put Reinforcement army under the command of Landgraf Johann von Zwickau
• transport reinforcements by longships to Meissen; upon disembarking, join them with Heinrich´s main force (keep Landgraf Johann von Zwickau as a general though, especially during sieges) and lay siege on Dresden. Use any opportunity to take the town quickly. Bohemian reinforcements are expected, too, so join them in (they can keep their command structure) as well
• Should Dresden fall, strip it of any defensive structures
• Move entire army (minus Meissen garrison) towards Lipsk and lay siege on it; Beware of the rumoured heathen cavalry... Scout ahead (budget for intelligence operations: 60d) and use local enemies of Korzin as cheap reinforcements
• Use ships to bring supplies to the army [budget: 140d]
• forge 150 light armour pieces [300d - 300d iron]
• commence trade with the Polans
• refill granaries for 265d

This will cost 465 denarii.

OOC:
Cyclotron, you stated "Anticipating a German intervention, a few hundred Frieslanders have joined the Viking Slayers after being driven from their homes, and the Saxons have welcomed them as part of Ducal policy"; Did this happen in the stats? I don´t see it...
Also, can I please have a confirmation by the Bohemians regarding their promised help? Thanks!

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Micha
commence trade with the Polabians

You do mean Polans, right? Because the Polans and Polabians are two different peoples, and to my knowledge you have not had any kind of diplomatic relationship with the Polabians, save for the Wends who you are not exactly on trading terms with.

Cyclotron, you stated "Anticipating a German intervention, a few hundred Frieslanders have joined the Viking Slayers after being driven from their homes, and the Saxons have welcomed them as part of Ducal policy"; Did this happen in the stats? I don´t see it...

This has been noted and will be corrected later today.

Also, can I please have a confirmation by the Bohemians regarding their promised help? Thanks!

The Bohemian messengers have confirmed that help will be arriving, but say that the Duke of Bohemia cannot give precise estimates at this time. His messengers intend to stay in contact by river, so that your attacks may be timed correctly with theirs.

[Micha]

Ah, yes, Polans...

Orders have been edited accordingly, plus the change from "raze Dresden" to "strip it off its defences"...

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Micha
Ah, yes, Polans...

Yes, there is a bit of disagreement on terminology. I looked a bit further into the matter, and "Polabian Slavs" is really a later Slavic term, not a German one. The Franks (including the early Germans) called the slavs between the Elbe and Oder either "Wends" or sometimes "Sorbs." To avoid confusion, I will stop using "Polabians" altogether.

Polans are a proto-Polish tribe of Pagans who live east and southeast of the Oder River. They are united under a single tribal leader. They are Slavs, but they are not considered Wends or Sorbs.

The terms "Wend" and "Sorb" are constructions by the Franks, not "real" identities. The various tribes and peoples of the Wends have very little in common, save for the fact that they are all Slavs and speak somewhat similar languages. The Polans are really the only Slav group nominally organized under one leader east of Germany, except for the Bohemians.

[appleciders]

Talk about penny-pinching- I think I actually have a trade income of 80 d., not 60 d. I have a trade with Swabia that's tin-for-copper, and I don't think that's accounted for in my stat block, which lists my trade income as 60.

[Cyclotron]

Amount corrected, and orders recieved.

[Cyclotron]

A new general roster has been added on the first page, just below the update links. If you see any generals I have negelcted to put up there, or any up there that are no longer with us (God bless them), do let me know.