HRE NES

[foolish_icarus]

You're on! Post something to assuage our curiosity

edit.
Oooohhh Treachery inspires treachery, apparently.
My sword arm aches for killing!
I've always known that in all the world there is no shortage of heathens for God to bring low, but I am pleasantly surprised to find that I will not have to travel so far to find such an ample supply of enemies of Christ to send down to hell.
May God use me as he will, and if he has any ear for my desires, that will involve the destruction of every unrepentent sinner between here and wherever I stand when God finally takes my feet out from under me!

second edit

Oh good lord these next turns are going to be awesome

[Cyclotron]

Alright, then. This is not going to be a very "nuanced" update - it's shaping up to involve at least three separate battles, for one thing, and there's not much to look at in the family and succession sections. That means I have a lot more calculations to go through before the final update is posted, but here you go:

[Cyclotron]

Anno Domini CMXVII

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

Successions

No successions of note have occurred this year.

Family Business

No family events of note have occurred this year.

Land und Leute

The winter has been decent this year, and there are no signs of the previous year’s blight. Warm winds through western Germany have produced a great boom in grape production; Swabia will surely prosper with 50% more revenue from grapes, and the rest of Germany is content with a suitably average harvest.

Krieg und Frieden

Rebellion! The Burggraf Otto von Nordgau, once a general under Duke Arnulf of Bavaria, has rebelled against the Duke and seized Regensburg. Claiming the Duchy for himself, he has been joined in his rebellion by more than half of Bavaria’s landed nobility, and now is in possession of Arnulf’s treasury and armory – and holds Arnulf’s wife and daughter as his prisoners within the city. The infamous Luitpold von Frelsing, the Carinthian rebel, has pledged fealty to von Nordgau. King Conrad has apparently decided to side firmly with Arnulf, but a force of 500 men and supplies sent to aid Arnulf never reached him – The simpering loyalty of the Franconian general Hildebert von Weinzberg has turned out to be only a charade, and von Weinzberg has defected to the rebels (some say for a tidy portion of Arnulf’s seized treasury)! Things look grim for Bavaria as outside forces gather – though a contingent of Venetians and mercenaries has crossed into Carinthia and slain the rebel Luitpold, the Imperial Army under Emperor Berengar I himself has moved into Friuli, across the border from Bavaria, with unknown intentions. Rumors have it that the Emperor’s men number over twenty thousand!

Luitpold von Frelsing, claimant to the Margravate of Carinthia, is dead. The Norman Geffrey d’Evreux, mercenary captain under Venetian employ, has crushed Luitpold’s larger force, seized all of Carinthia from the rebels, and now camps on the border of Bavaria waiting for an unknown cue. His ambition is reputed to be great, and none are sure whether his success will translate into benefit or trouble for the deposed Bavarian Duke.

Zoe Karvounopsina, the Empress-Regent of the Greeks, has attempted to reach out diplomatically to her neighbors with mixed success. Although a stalwart Byzantine defense of Armenia against the Arabs has led to a truce between the two long-time enemies, her efforts to conclude a definitive alliance with the heathen Magyars and Pechenegs have so far met with little success. It is rumored that a Greek army has been mustered in Constantinople to deal with Emperor Simeon’s continued annexation of Imperial territory, and to relieve the besieged garrison of Adrianople.

Prince Igor of the Kievan Rus has led a massive campaign of raiding and plunder in the Arab lands surrounding the Caspian Sea. Many wonder if this was in some way responsible for the willingness of the Arabs to seek peace with the Eastern Romans.

Other News of Christendom

The beautiful and infamous Theodora, Senatrix of Rome and scandalously promiscuous wife of Theophylact, Count of Tuluscum, has died suddenly from food poisoning. The current Pope, John X, is rumored to have been only one of her many lovers, whom she used together with her husband’s political prowess to control the Papacy and all of Rome. Her daughter with Theophylact, Marozia, a young woman as beautiful and shameless as her mother, has been married off to the Duke of Spoleto, Alberic.

The young and weak King of the Danes, Sigtrygg, has been overthrown by a warlord from distant Norway, putting an end to the rule of the "Swedish Kings." This new King, Hardeknud, claims descent from the famed Ragnar Lodbrok, and has already brought the Land of the Danes more firmly under his control than any of his Swedish predecessors. Staunchly pagan and as fond of raiding as his storied ancestors, few believe his rise is anything but bad news for Saxony.

Saxony

The news of the victorious Duke Heinrich and the re-establishment of direct communication between the Duke and his duchy have reassured many who feared the Duke to be hopelessly entangled in foreign affairs. With von Mellrichstadt accompanying the King’s army in Bavaria, the nobles of Franconian Thuringia have had no way of seriously threatening Saxon territory, and though the western border continues to be constantly broken by Vikings and Frieslanders, the duchy has experienced a rather unusual calm this past year.

In the east, the Saxons have made contact with the pagan Polans, and have begun trading them weapons for various goods. Though some doubt the wisdom of giving weapons to pagan tribes, this clearly marks the beginning of Saxon influence in local Wendish politics; with the fall of Jarogniew, a well-known Wendish chieftain, Saxony has attracted the attention of major tribes all over the eastern frontier.

Saxony has begun refilling its granaries, exhausted from the previous wheat blight, though some of the project had to be scrapped because of the sudden request of Duke Arnulf for supplies and aid. Some work must still be done to bring the supplies of the duchy back to their pre-blight levels.

Corruption in Saxony has fallen 1% this turn, to 13%.
Meissen has no ducal demesne, and thus no corruption factor.

Franconia

The King, returning from a successful campaign, has had little time to spend in his Duchy – the rebellion has called him away again, with only a brief stopover at Bamberg for resupply. Even abroad, however, the King has remained active in domestic affairs, attempting to mitigate banditry through a gentle-handed policy of pardons, and appointing a new archbishop to fill the seat vacated by the late Hatto von Mainz. The removal of von Mellrichstadt from the north has kept the disquiet of the Thuringian nobles to a minimum, and Franconia’s eastern border seems largely safe with the reconstitution of the Bohemian duchy.

Though there has been one notable exception to the loyalty of the King’s men, the poison of rebellion in Bavaria has not spread northward, and the King’s stewards reign peacefully in his absence.

Corruption has decreased by 1% in Franconia, to 10%.

Swabia

Swabia’s Duke, having seemingly retreated to his estates for the past year, has had little impact on his duchy. The year has been good for grapes, and this combined with the continued growth of trade has benefited the Duke’s purse. Without orders, the Swabian army has returned to the duchy.

Corruption in Swabia remains static at 16%.

Bavaria

Bavaria is aflame with rebellion, and the peasants lay low in fear for their lives. Mines stand unworked and fields unplowed; the duchy will remain unproductive until order is restored.

Corruption in Bavaria is effectively total until order is restored, at which time it will likely return to pre-rebellion levels.

[Cyclotron]

Carinthian Campaign - Second Battle of Vienna

Venetian Expeditionary Force (Geffrey d’Evreux) – 1,470 men
120 Norman Adventurers (heavy, shield, lance, sword)
250 Frankish Chivalry (light, shield, lance, sword)
600 Italian Urban Guards (heavy, shield, spear)
500 Venetian Sailors (bow, sword)

Carinthian Rebels (Markgraf Luitpold von Kärnten) – 1,625 men
55 Knights
110 Sergeants
380 Italian Urban Guard (heavy, spear, shield)
230 Medium Guards (polearm, light)
650 Medium Swordsmen (light, sword, shield)
200 Saracen Pirates (sword, shield, bow)

The Venetian relief force under the mercenary captain Geffrey d’Evreux entered Carinthia as soon as the thaw allowed; so eager were the Normans for battle that by the time a message from Duke Arnulf warning of the rebellion in Bavaria had come, they were already deep into Carinthia and beyond the contact of the Doge and his advisors. Geffrey made straightaway for the ruins of Eppenstein.

Eppenstein remained ruined and abandoned; the gate and well were destroyed by Magenhard von Linz in his retreat to Vienna, and Luitpold had no time or reason to repair them. Geffrey thus quickly moved on, heading for Vienna, where he expected the Bavarian army to meet him and his force. As he approached the Danube, however, his scouts reported that the Bavarians were nowhere to be found, and that Vienna was left with only a small garrison – they had just missed the rebels, who had marched in force northwards. This made very little sense to Geffrey: why would Luitpold, with less than two thousand men, march against Bavaria? Either Luitpold was totally mad (something to be seriously considered) or something in Bavaria had gone terribly wrong. As an intelligent and ambitious man, Geffrey saw opportunity in either situation, and so brought his plans into motion.

His force marched to the gates of Vienna in the early dawn on May 4th. They proceeded casually up to the walls, in perfect order – save the Venetian sailors, who stayed in the nearby woods with large banners they had constructed on Geffrey’s orders. The hundred or so guards of the garrison, seeing the hundreds of knights in full battle regalia – plus the waving banners of Bavaria, Friuli, Swabia, and the personal standards of King Conrad and Emperor Berengar moving towards them from the forest – immediately surrendered. Geffrey compelled the garrison to swear allegiance to him instead of Luitpold, and placed a few of his trustworthy Normans in Vienna as their leaders.

With Luitpold only a few days to the north, Geffrey came upon a plan to catch and defeat him. A rider was sent from Vienna, with the message that a small Venetian force had come to lay siege to the city. Luitpold, alarmed at the possible loss of Carinthia, immediately turned around and made for Vienna. He approached to find the 600 Italians of the Venetian force attacking the gates with a ram. In haste, he immediately ordered an attack on the Italians, but this was to be his last mistake.

The 500 Venetian sailors, as well as the hundred or so archers of the garrison, opened fire on Luitpold and his men as they reached the walls. Surprised and dismayed, with the Italians facing them and arrows raining down upon their heads, the rebels held momentarily – until 370 Franks and Normans, armor-clad and lances lowered, charged out of the woods with a thundering sound of galloping and war-cries. Luitpold and his men were utterly crushed; the Normans and Franks slammed into their flank as the Italians charged from the front, and when they turned to face the Franks they were stuck through with arrows in the back by the Venetian archers. No man escaped – the Franks ran down every last one. Geffrey was gentlemanlike, and after Luitpold was slain by an arrow to the throat, he accepted the surrender of much of the rest of the force – save the Muslims, whom he put to the sword. The defeated force was absorbed into Geffrey’s own force, which now numbered nearly two thousand.

Now, the Norman was in command of the only force in Carinthia, behind the stone walls of Vienna, and supported by a considerable Venetian purse. His messengers to the north quickly ascertained the situation in Bavaria, and Geffrey decided to expand his original mission and derive as much benefit as possible from the situation. Though he had only been assigned to deafeat Luitpold and restore Carinthia to its rightful owner, he took his army to the border of Bavaria to wait…

[appleciders]

Interesting indeed! I see my family will have some serious issues to deal with here. Speaking of family business....

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Conrad of Germany
Father, recent events have shown me that personal control of both Bavaria and Carinthia is not workable. As such, I have decided to cede the Margravate of Carinthia to my younger brother Eberhard. I ask that you confirm this transition as soon as possible.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Conrad of Germany
Father, recent events have shown me that personal control of both Bavaria and Carinthia is not workable. As such, I have decided to cede the Margravate of Carinthia to my younger brother Eberhard. I ask that you confirm this transition as soon as possible.

Sorry to interrupt, but I would prefer that foolish not confirm this transition quite yet. I have some diplomacy to produce that involves this arrangement.

[appleciders]

Then we'll leave it on hold, Foolish, but that is my intention.

[Cyclotron]

Thuringian Campaign - Battle of the Pond

Bohemian Army (Duke Vratislaus) – 3,750 men
450 Bohemian Nobles (heavy, lance, sword, shield)
900 Medium Spearmen (light, shield, spear)
750 Bohemian Raiders (javelin, axe, shield)
1,650 Bohemian Militia (spear, shield)

Reinforcement Army and Allied Thuringians (Count Johann von Zwickau) – 2,330 men
100 House Cavalry (heavy, lance, sword, shield)
720 Thuringian Woodsmen (axe, bow)
310 Light Swordsmen (sword, shield)
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)

Saxon Peacebringers (Duke Heinrich) – 1,260 men
210 Knights
460 Sergeants
230 Medium Swordsmen (sword, shield, light)
200 Light Archers
40 Skirmishers (sword, bow, cloth)
90 Medium Axemen (axe, light)
30 Medium Guards (polearm, light)

Warlord Berstuk – Forces Unknown

Warlord Korzin - Around 10,000 men

In late January, Theodoric von Norden and 600 men – half of the reinforcements ordered by the Duke of Saxony – set out in their recently acquired fleet of ten Viking longships for Meissen. Though little risk was involved in traveling up the Elbe river, the voyage was long and upstream the whole way – with two trips required to bring the 1,200 man force to Meissen, and considering the necessity of waiting until the Elbe was reasonably ice-free before starting, the troops were not fully assembled until the middle of August. The arrival of fresh troops and supplies bolstered the morale and material situation of the Saxon Peacebringers, whose encampment within the burned-out shell of Meissen was coming under increasing threat from Berstuk, the Christian-killer of Drežďany. 50 Saxons had already perished in the previous year from constant ambushes outside the walls, as the German soldiers needed to forage occasionally to supplement their meager food supply. The walls were never challenged by Berstuk, however, whose men kept out of range and sight of the allied archers.

The Bohemians kept in constant contact by river, and after concluding a fairly routine campaign west of Leitmeritz against a few Wendish minor chiefs, crossed into Thuringia when Duke Heinrich informed them of his readiness. The general strategy was to catch Berstuk between the Bohemians, the Saxons, and the river – with over seven thousand men, this would be far and away the most powerful army to march in Thuringia since Charlemagne.

Though both armies were under constant harassment from local Wends, and took some losses in the march, no organized resistance ever materialized. Perhaps Berstuk, apparently well informed of the advance from both sides, decided he simply could not contend with this Christian force, now that numbers were no longer on his side. The Bohemians reached Drežďany first, and found it totally abandoned; though the huts still stood, all supplies and goods were gone, as well as all the people. Livestock that could not be carried off by the Wends were apparently killed in advance instead, and fields that could not be harvested were burned. Rafts on the opposite side of the river were evidence of a previous crossing; scouts aboard the Saxon longships were unable to find any further evidence of the Wends. The Saxon force, after destroying the rafts and tearing down the pagan idols of Drežďany – renamed Dresden – began its return to Meissen, with the Bohemians in tow.

The small garrison of Meissen still remained, though they reported activity in the forests to the west. Judging these reports to be evidence of scouts, the Dukes agreed to proceed cautiously towards Lipsk. Though the distance was only 50 miles or so as the crow flies, the way was difficult and uncharted. Though the force was constantly screened by scouts, native allies were near impossible to come by – it seems with the advance on Lipsk being common knowledge, all the Wends in the way of the army had either fled or joined Korzin based on the news of the destruction of Misni. Villages were found empty; the Germans and Bohemians took what food was available and moved on. The force, amazingly, was unmolested in its march; a few Wends were sighted (scouts or farmers? None could be sure), but none ever made an attack on the army.

Though the armies were at this point well supplied and with rapidly recovering morale, water was scarce and the decision was made to make a slight detour to a nearby lake that the (now Christian) Wends of Zwickau knew as “the great pond.” The pond was a long, thin, and shallow body of water about two miles long. As the army fell in to columns alongside the lake, an unseen force gathered just ahead and on their flank, awaiting the unsuspecting army. Korzin had laid a trap for the Saxons and their allies, and it was about to spring.

At least, that is what Korzin thought. Unknown to him was the fact that a Wendish scout under Johann’s command had sighted the Wends of Lipsk, and reported the sighting back to the Dukes. Vratislaus commanded his general Tomás, along with his raiders and most of von Zwickau’s woodsmen, to drop out of the rearguard to the left flank and move cautiously to encircle the ambuscade. Each side had made an error; Korzin believed he had the enemy by surprise, and the Dukes believed the Wends to only be a small ambush party like the kind Berstuk had harried them with. The small surprise force led by Tomás was about to realize that, waiting in the woods, were nearly ten thousand Wends, along with Korzin himself and his heavy cavalry.

The word was spread through the allied ranks for all men to swivel and face to the left, uphill, upon the blowing of the Saxon horns. Saxon archers gradually dissolved backwards through the ranks, so they could turn and provide a screen from the attack as soon as the Wends sprang out. Tomás lay in wait, on the rear-right flank of the Wendish force. On their flank, he guessed there were at most a thousand.

At once, the trees shook with noise. The Saxon horns sounded, and the force turned left to face an enormous volley of arrows from the trees that momentarily blocked out the sun. The Dukes were incredulous; a thousand men or so could not be firing thousands upon thousands of arrows. The Saxons and Bohemians held their ground as arrows showered down upon them. Realizing that they could not simply stand and fend off this massive assault, the Saxons charged uphill, and the Bohemians followed on their left soon after.

The charge upwards was bloody and vicious; the Wends fired right into the face of the enemy, and many soldiers fell before ever reaching the woods. Again, however, the shields and armor of the allied force proved to be worth its weight in gold for the Saxons; while the majority of the Bohemians (unarmored militia spearmen) turned back in a chaotic mass, the Germans stormed up the hill and crashed into the Wendish front. Korzin, knowing that his troops stood little chance in close combat, ordered a withdrawal.

Eager for victory and seeing the enemy fleeing before them, the Wends on Korzin’s right flank did no such thing. With the allied left flank (the Bohemian militia) collapsing before them, the Wendish right attacked and pursued them into the open – just as Tomás’s men surprised them and charged into their rear. Seeing his left flank collapse, Vratislaus disengaged his noble cavalry and galloped through his own fleeing militia to strike the enemy. Caught between Vratislaus’s cavalry and the violent surge of Tomás’s raiders, and on the open ground by the lakeside, the Wends lost their nerve and scattered. Rumor spread through the Wendish ranks that the enemy was on their right flank in force, and the withdrawal turned into a rout.

The Saxons, however, were in no position to take advantage of this. Though they had driven back the Wends before them, they saw from a distance the Bohemians swarming in panic into the lake, and concluded that they needed to break off the pursuit to keep their left from collapsing totally. Duke Heinrich soon discovered that Vratislaus and Tomás had saved the flank already, and though he was irate at his failure to pursue the enemy, he concluded with Vratislaus that the “Battle of the Pond” had been a solid victory and that the march to Lipsk should continue.

A warlord’s command on his men is always tenuous, and this was especially true for Korzin. With many of his men dispossessed members of other tribes defeated by the Saxons, the confederation he had painstakingly put together quickly unraveled after the defeat. Perhaps with his damaged force he could have set up another ambush, but with several thousand men deserting his force and melting away into the woods, he could not possibly present a threat to the Saxons and Bohemians. It is not known what became of him; he has vanished, and the allied armies found Lipsk (renamed Leipzig) bereft of defenses (though its population remained). Heinrich was this time able to restrain the men from slaughter, and raised his standard in the village center, proclaiming the March of Meissen conquered for Saxony, Germany, and Christ. His men, in the German tradition, raised him up upon their shields, cheering and shouting.

The Bohemians, eager to return, decided to brave an early winter march and departed for their home territory. As Zwickau was the largest and most secure of the villages seized by the Saxons, Johann and Heinrich agreed to winter there, establishing the village as the temporary headquarters of the army and the Mark Meissen.

Meissen has been successfully “pacified.” It will appear as a full-fledged territory on the stat block from now on. This does not mean it is civilized or tamed; a permanent garrison will probably be necessary to keep it pacified. It will not generate demesne revenue or provide chivalry, as it is not feudalized, but will provide a certain number of standing Thuringian forces (for now, under von Zwickau’s command), and income may be produced from mines, trade, or other non-demesne sources. At some point the effort to feudalize this territory may be undertaken; this is a mammoth task that requires powerful standing armies, adept administration, a good deal of money, and intensive Christianization and “Germanization.” If Meissen becomes feudalized it will generate demesne income and produce chivalry, but the standing native forces will be eliminated (as feudalization reduces free tribesmen to landless peasants).

Leaders:

No leaders were killed during this phase of the campaign. The whereabouts and fate of Korzin are unknown.

Losses:

The Saxons (Peacebringers and Reinforcements) lost 390 men.
10 Knights
30 Sergeants
80 Medium Swordsmen
20 Saxon Raiders
20 Medium Axemen
70 Axemen
110 Skirmishers
40 Light Archers
10 Medium Guards

The Allied Thuringians lost 330 men.
230 Thuringian Woodsmen
100 Light Swordsmen

The Bohemians lost about 900 men.

The Wends under Korzin lost about 2 to 3 thousand men. The remainder of the army has disintegrated.

The Wends under Berstuk are estimated to have lost around 100 men over the course of several small ambushes and actions.

Loot:

The Saxons and Bohemians were able to loot the battlefield after the Battle of the Pond, and divided the spoils equally.

The Saxons have looted:
620 Bows
200 Shields
250 Axes
140 Swords

The Saxons have also looted 140 denarii from the confiscation of goods and pagan offerings in Dresden and Leipzig.

Native Forces:

The Mark Meissen has now been pacified. It will maintain a complement of 1,500 native troops:

100 Kralkoń (horse, heavy, lance, axe, shield)
400 Tribal Swordsmen (sword, shield)
400 Tribal Spearmen (spear, shield)
600 Woodsmen (axe, bow)

These troops are composed of native tribesmen and warriors held as a reserve force, called up in times of need or for garrison duty. They are much more experienced and capable than levies, but are less loyal and less disciplined. They are handy against foreign enemies but are unlikely to be reliable if called to fight domestic rebellions - they may even join local rebels. During peacetime they live with their families. They take one turn to call up and return to readiness, like chivalry. If some are lost, they will replenish their numbers over time. Some factors may change the makeup of this complement over time: feudalization will eliminate this troop complement. These troops (when they are called up) must be paid 1 denarii per turn, like levy troops, as when on campaign or in a garrison they must be provided with food and supplies.

*Excuse my terrible attempt to translate into Upper Sorbian; "Kralkoń" might mean something like "king horse" or, in this case, a chief's cavalry.
**More updates to follow in the next few days. With work, I only have a few hours to do this each day - but I do have friday off, so at the latest everything will be complete this coming weekend.

[Cyclotron]

Before I get to bed, some diplomacy (can't do it all, as the situation in Bohemia is still unresolved for this update)

Count Odo of Neuchatel to King Conrad
Your Highness, you have my sincere regret regarding the most foul rebellion with which you must deal with. Until I receive word from my Lord, however, I must unfortunately observe my original orders; my troops will remain in Prague until Duke Vratislaus returns next year from his Thuringian campaign. Should my Lord assign me to your aid I will do so immediately.

Duke Vratislaus to Duke Heinrich
My congratuations on your successful campaign. I hope that with my northern border secured, I will be able to turn my attention fully to the Magyar threat. I will be unable to aid you any further for the next few years; may God grant you His own blessings.

Luitpold von Frelsing to Duke Arnulf
AIIIEEE! *choke* *gurgle*

[appleciders]

Well, shoot! I hoped to torture him. Maybe I can get his head as a trophy mounted over my mantle. No, that's probably not the "Christian" thing to do. Sigh. Why can't I be the Magyars!?!

[Micha]

Wow, that was great stuff! Didn´t expect things to go that smooth... Somehow I suspect Cyclo to have something really evil and sneaky in preparation for my poor Saxons...

Thank you Cyclotron for this ongoing masterpiece of writing!

[Cyclotron]

Actually, if you must know, the chance of that ambush being detected was considerably less than 50%, and I can guarantee that things would not have been so rosy had everything gone as planned. You got lucky!

I hope to complete the last battle affairs stuff today, or at least come close to completing it.

Why can't I be the Magyars!?!

You blew it, man - you were allied at the beginning.

[Cyclotron]

Bavarian Campaign – The Siege of Regensburg and the Charge of Hattenhausen

Saxony - Bavarian Rescue Force (Freiherr Heidolf von Dortmund) – 370 men
5 Knights
15 Sergeants
100 Light Archers (bow)
250 Light Spear-Archers (spear, shield, bow)

Franconia – Royal Army (King Conrad) – 1,620 men
Other Generals: Rhinegraf Gisfried von Ingelbeim, Landgraf Abelard von Bernfeld
260 Knights
690 Sergeants
380 Medium Swordsmen (sword, spear, shield, light)
100 Medium Spearmen (spear, sword, shield, javelin, light)
50 Medium Guards (polearm, light, bow)
50 Shield Guards (polearm, shield, light, bow)
50 Pavise Archers (bow, pavise, light, sword, javelin)
40 Skirmishers (javelin, shield, light, sword)

Supply Escort (Landgraf Hildebert von Weinzberg) – 500 men
100 Medium Spearmen (spear, shield, light)
400 Angonmen (javelin, shield, spear)

Bavarian Rebels (Burggraf Otto von Nordgau) – between 1,000 and 1,500 men

Bavarian Loyalists (Duke Arnulf) – 1,020 men
Other Generals: Freiherr Visloff der Kroat, Vizegraf Gunnulf von Villach
105 Knights
220 Sergeants
345 Medium Spearmen (light, shield, spear)
135 Chargebreakers (heavy, polearm, axe)
250 Medium Angonmen (light, spear, shield, javelin)

It seems disloyalty only waits for the right moment to strike. For Otto von Nordgau, this moment came near the end of winter, as the Bavarian army – en route to re-conquer Carinthia from the rebels – camped across the river from Regensburg awaiting re-supply for the next day. Under cover of darkness, von Nordgau and his men crossed the river together with many disaffected chivalry. They were let in Regensburg by the unsuspecting constable, who soon found himself (and all other officials and functionaries loyal to the Duke) thrown in the city dungeon. As word of the departure began to spread through Arnulf’s camp, an assassin narrowly missed taking the Duke’s life, and admitted to being paid by von Nordgau under torture. He was mercifully slain after his admission.

With the army’s morale abysmally low and supplies nearly gone, the situation looked quite bleak for the Duke’s army. The Duke hoped to place Regensburg under a comprehensive network of circumvallation and contravallation, totally investing the city and guarding against outside attempts to relieve the city. Conferring with Wildgraf Ansehelm von Leitbach, who had not long before arrived from southern Bavaria, earthworks were dug to this end. Ansehelm advised, however, that with only a thousand men the earthworks siege would be difficult to hold; lines of contravallation require a large force to adequately guard the length of the line. It was furthermore estimated that the rebels had at least as many men as the loyalists, considering the 500 new recruits called up to Regensburg that could now be armed by the enemy. The rebels would be well armed, and already made a close siege difficult, as their Magyar bows could hit targets far away from the walls of the city.

The army crossed the Danube three days after the betrayal, as rafts had to be constructed and readied. Seeing the movement of men from the walls, von Nordgau decided to not let the Duke and his men an easy crossing; his force marched out from the city to block their passage. His archers could easily stop any rafts from crossing; a few were set on fire by flaming arrows, and their occupants lost, before the decision was made to abort the crossing.

With both armies of similar size and strength and a wide river between them, neither got the nerve to make a further crossing. Hoping to discourage von Nordgau from following them, Duke Arnulf marched his men south for two days, crossed the river (finding no opposition here), and then marching north again. Approaching the city, however, he found von Nordgau arrayed for battle, with considerably more men than the Duke and archers safe atop the walls (not to mention every man armed to the teeth with the Duke’s weapons). An approach was impossible, and thus so was a siege. With men deserting and food nearly gone, the Duke ordered a retreat.

Hearing of the rebellion, the King immediately sent a contingent of 500 men under Landgraf Hildebert von Weinzberg to secure part of a supply route to Arnulf’s men. Weinzberg, a vacillating weakling, had no desire to seek out combat and took his good time preparing for the journey. When word came that the King was on route with his men, however, von Weinzberg grudgingly began his march towards Regensburg. He was met at Eichstätt (just inside the Bavarian border) by a messenger from von Nordgau, who is rumored to have offered him money and a considerable estate if he should switch sides. Von Weinzberg, apparently, had enough of pretending to wait on the King’s every word, and swiftly proclaimed his support for von Nordgau.

This was in contrast to Heidolf von Dortmund, a knight of only 23 years of age, who commanded the small detail of reinforcements sent by the Saxons to aid Duke Arnulf. Eager to meet the enemy and show Saxon bravery, von Dortmund led a fast march due south. He had been told of von Weinzberg’s march to Eichstätt, and – planning to catch and join up with him – proceeded there. At the border, however, he was made aware of von Weinzberg’s treachery by locals who had heard the news, and continued his march with a new purpose: destroy the traitor and his rebels.

Von Dortmund’s men crested a hill about 20 miles east of Eichstätt, and there saw von Weinzberg’s force. By a tiny hamlet called Hattenhausen, the two detachments met. Von Dortmund had his archers attempt to encircle the enemy, without much success, though their arrows took some toll on the Franconian ranks. Hildebert, thinking the King’s army was upon him, turned his horse and fled, much to the surprise of his own men. The Franconians immediately began to pull back in confusion, and seeing a chance, von Dortmund charged with all his cavalry – precisely 21 men, including himself. Twenty-one men plowed through what passed for a Franconian rearguard, and the nearly 500 men of the traitor’s force immediately surrendered. Dortmund and his men pursued the fleeing von Weinzberg, until the unfortunate Franconian found a wide creek before him. He threw up his arms and surrendered to the young general. Von Dortmund took out his sword and looked ready to kill the man, but something stayed his hand, and it is now said that instead he delivered him a savage blow in the face with his gauntlet; supposedly, when questioned on this by one of his knights, he replied dismissively, “one does not kill a troublesome hound; one simply beats him to remind him of whom his master is.”

With a prisoner in tow and over 400 men added to his force, von Dortmund continued his march to Regensburg. On von Weinzberg’s horse had been sacks full of coin – 600 denarii – that needed returning.

By this time, the King and his men had met their supply trains and arms convoys at Bamberg, and had turned south. They had reached Nürnberg at the time von Dortmund and his men arrived at Regensburg. Von Dortmund’s arrival caught the Bavarians completely by surprise, both the rebels and loyalists; the Loyalists were expecting von Weinzberg, and by the time they realized their mistake von Dortmund was already close to meeting up with Duke Arnulf in his nearby fortified camp. Von Nordgau immediately attacked the camp to prevent this rendezvous, but the camp was a well-constructed affair with strong palisades, and without his archers (whom he had left on the walls) von Nordgau was repulsed and forced to retreat back into the town.

Von Dortmund brought much needed supplies to Arnulf’s force, which had lost a third of its original number to desertion, starvation, and disease. With reinforcements, a now hopeful Arnulf moved against the town again, and this time was able to construct his circumvallations. The work went quickly, especially with the peasant labor that was readily obtained in the area; the earthworks were ready so fast that all parties involved were astonished. In the early weeks of the siege, von Leitbach seemed to be everywhere at once; the general advised the design of the earthworks and directed the harvesting of lumber. When the King’s army arrived on the opposite bank of the Danube, construction on 15 or so “turtles,” (wheeled frameworks made of wood and hide to protect advancing troops from arrows) was already complete. With additional supplies from the King’s men and the influx of more peasant labor to the construction works, the siege by October seemed quite secure.

An attempt on the town this year was deemed impossible by von Leitbach. With winter coming, the cold ground could not be easily mined. The besiegers settled in for the winter, with the King and Duke making their winter headquarters at Pentling, three miles to the west. As winter grew cold, von Nordgau was no doubt put at an ill ease – snow fell around the looming hulk of von Leitbach’s half-finished prize construction, a towering trebuchet called “der Strafer” (the Punisher) by the troops.

Leaders:

Landgraf Hildebert von Weinzberg has been captured by the Saxons and transferred to the custody of the Bavarian Loyalists.

A foul plague has been spreading in the camp of the Bavarian Loyalists; Duke Arnulf and Vizegraf Gunnulf von Villach are both terribly ill.

Losses:

The Saxons have lost 60 men:
10 Light Archers
50 Light Spear-Archers

The Franconians under King Conrad have not lost any men, as they have not engaged.

The Franconians under von Weinzberg, now under Saxon command, have lost 75 men:
75 Angonmen

The Bavarian Rebels have lost around 300 men.

The Bavarian Loyalists have lost 440 men:
30 Knights
90 Sergeants
130 Medium Spearmen
45 Chargebreakers
145 Medium Angonmen

Loot:

The Bavarian Rebels retreated in good order and did not yield any loot to the enemy in their attempt on Duke Arnulf’s position.

Duke Arnulf has recovered 600 denarii, bribe money given by von Nordgau to von Weinzberg, returned to him by von Dortmund.

Duke Arnulf has received 125 denarii from the Saxons, aid from Duke Heinrich (the rest of their aid was in the form of supplies and food).

[Cyclotron]

The veil of silence is now officially lifted. You may discuss PM matters and such to your heart's content.

King Rudolph II of Burgundy to King Conrad
I apologize that I did not receive news of this rebellion more quickly, or I would have instructed my men to join you. I will issue such orders forthwith, and hope they are not too late to assist you.

Doge Orso II Participazio to Duke Arnulf
With the Imperial Army on our doorstep, we must look to the defense of our own city. I must apologize; we cannot spare any further troops for your aid.

Fejedelem Szabolcs of the Magyar Horde to King Conrad
We are done toying with your impudent people. Agree to pay us a yearly indemnity of 2,000 denarii for your Kingdom, or you will be crushed as a beetle underfoot. Only your submission will stay our hand.

Geffrey of Evreux to Duke Arnulf
Hail, good lord of Bavaria! It is with great sadness that I hear of your misfortunes with rebels, but alas I have strict instructions to return to Venice with my forces. I have taken a liking to your fair country, however, and I have a proposition for you. My Normans and I tire of the mercenary life, and we should be willing to settle in this land of Carinthia if we can be afforded estates suitable to our persons. I offer the immediate assistance of the mercenary forces under my command, as well, if we can come to a suitable arrangement. I have heard that Carinthia lacks a Governor - or Margrave, is it?

Simeon I, Emperor of the Bulgarians and Romans, to King Conrad
The faithful spies of his Imperial Majesty, Simeon I, believe that the Magyars have turned down a proposed joint military action with the Greeks because of another military venture being mounted. We believe that venture to be directed against your Kingdom. Embroiled as he is in war in Thrace, the Emperor cannot offer you any material aid, but reminds you that once Constantine's city is his he will take action against the mutual heathen threat.

[appleciders]

Ah, the first siege of this NES! We've never had a detailed model for sieges like this. Should be quite interesting!

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Heinrich of Saxony and King Conrad of Germany
My friends and good allies, I thank you for your prompt assistance. I look forward to repaying you in any future times of need. May I assume that these forces are available this following year to continue the siege?

Duke Heinrich, I congratulate your general von Dortmund on both his victory and his superb style in his treatment of von Weinzberg. The man has balls!