HRE NES II: Der Aufstieg

[appleciders]

Bavarian Orders (Complete!):

With the recently-signed truce with the Magyars in full effect, Duke Arnulf has proposed a limited continuation of the expansion of infrastructure in Bavaria and other construction projects. These will include the road system, especially through the Alpine passes, and other local improvements like bridges that will encourage economic recovery. It is hoped that success in Italy will allow Bavaria to have several years at least of much-needed peace and prosperity with which to finish rebuilding and begin truly improving the Duchy. To this end, Duke Arnulf has chosen to donate the second Nail to the monastery at Regensburg. This will provide an alternative pilgrimage for Germans who cannot afford to risk a trip through war-torn Italy at this time and bring in much-needed funds to the newly formed monastery. Duke Arnulf has also chosen to begin pulling Bavarian troops out of Carinthia, on the grounds that the troops will be better used fighting Italians, at least as long as the peace with the Magyars lasts. To that end, the Bavarian armies will be organized as follows:

Carinthian Division, under Markgraf Eberhard:
300 Medium Infantry (light, spear, shield, sword) and 150 Heavy Infantry (heavy, spear, shield, sword) under von Wein.
150 Siege Archers (light, bow, Magyar bow, pavise), 100 Thuringian Woodsmen under von Leitbach.
150 Long Axemen (light, axe, polearm, shield), 60 Carinthian Knights, 120 Carinthian Sergeants under Markgraf Eberhard.

Army of Bavaria, under von Villach:
250 Long Axemen (light, axe, polearm, shield), 150 Danish Vikings under von Brenner.
640 Medium Infantry (light, spear, shield, sword) and 400 Heavy Infantry (heavy, spear, shield, sword) under von Tegernsee
400 Siege Archers (light, bow, Magyar bow, pavise),100 Magyar Raiders, 100 Crossbowmen (crossbow, pavise) under Landgraf Maganhard von Eichstatt.
400 Thuringian Woodsmen under der Kroat.
70 Bavarian knights, 110 Bavarian sergeants under von Villach.

Hire up 20 more Thuringian Woodsmen to replace the 20 that died in Italy. Call up 250 more soldiers for the next year. Retain the Danish Vikings, release half of the Magyar raiders, leaving only 100 in my service. Set an as-yet unnamed general to be in charge of the Carinthian Division's archers.

Produce 30 sets of heavy armor, 60 sets of light armor, 50 swords, 200 spears, 60 maces, and 120 polearms with 350 d. from iron.

Use 115 d. from stone and 100 d. cash to continue improving roads in Bavaria, especially those in southern Bavaria where the majority of the Venetian trade routes exist.

50 d. to keep the monastery at Regensburg progressing until the Pope's men who are stuck in Venice with me arrive. The money can also be used to create an appropriate display to house the Nail and otherwise improve the monastery- better housing, maybe purchase some land in the area that the monastery can use to make a little bit of money.

Landgraf Maganhard von Eichstatt, my new siege engineer, will rendezvous in Regensburg with the soldiers transferred from the Carinthian Division, stopping in Regensburg where the trebuchet "Der Strafer" built for the Siege of Regensburg is stored. He will then ensure its safe transport southward over the Alps into Italy, where it may find use in the Italian campaign. Von Leitbach will command the 250 soldiers transferred from Carinthia to Italy as well as the 200 new soldiers trained this year until his reinforcements reach Italy.

Altgraf Otho von Brixen should continue his bid to annex Trento into a Bavarian holding- the silver mines will provide a welcome addition to Bavaria, and even if I do not wind up with exclusive control of the mines, some of the silver will be sure to find its way into my own coffers. It is still possible that control of Trento will be lost at the bargaining table, especially if the war does not continue on its current favorable path. Still, the Altgraf should begin annexing Trento- the further he gets, the better the odds of keeping it. This should be done delicately; angering the populace and nobility will drastically increase the chances of rebellion and betrayal in the future, so gaining the loyalty of the Tridentines now will pay off greatly in the future. I also do not intend for Trento to become part of von Brixen's holdings- it would be unseemly for such a small city to control a larger one. Von Brixen will certainly get a portion of the Tridentine silver and an addition to his own lands in the area, not to mention the peripheral benefits of an increased Bavarian interest in Tirol, but Trento will remain out from under his personal demesne. Ideally, I'd like to see the Count (or whatever) of Trento being directly under my control, just as my Grafs are now.

OOC: Couple questions:

How autonomous is Carinthia? Should I put together orders for the denarii raised in that provice? Will Eberhard call up troops and equip them? Do I have that power, or is all that now Eberhard's responsibility? How much power do I have to tell him what to do? And how much of that power is legal authority as his boss and how much is just that close family tie? Also, I never intended to turn over long-term control and ownership of the Army of Carinthia to Eberhard; just that I entrusted my troops to him for the time being to defend Carinthia. As such, I'm renaming it the "Carinthian Division".

And in the nitpickity end of things, can I turn those peasant crossbowmen into other types of soldiers now that they've seen battle, or do they remain peasants limited to crossbows for good? Have they "seen the elephant" (though I guess we're either 1000 years too early for that figuratively or 1300 years too late for that literally) and are now salted veteran soldiers who could handle other arms, or are they doomed to be poorly-trained peasants forever?

And in the super-nitpickity realm, in the next iteration of the map, can I get Brixen and Trento on there? Also, what's the deal with the white lines through Italy?

Also nitpicky, can I get my son included in the stat block?

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Eberhard III of Franconia
While I will naturally defer to your judgement, my friend, I would encourage you to move eastward to Borgo this year. Remaining in the mountainous Tirol region seems prudent as long as the full brunt of the Emperor's army could be sent against us; the rough terrain will suit our forces and defensive actions well. The way eastward to Borgo should also be relatively clear following the defeat of d’Valdagno. Moving eastward would also allow a better chance for my escape from Venice, and linking our forces to those of the Doge of Venice. Naturally, however, if Rudolph's forces march eastward against the Emperor and our own forces are required to assist that move, Borgo would become increasingly irrelevant.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Fejedelem Fajsz of the Magyar Horde
My cousin, I come asking a favor in light of our recent truce and linking of families. I am trapped in Venice, against the Adriatic Sea, and have no way to escape through the Emperor's territory, which has been closed to all German travelers. The Doge of Venice has offered me sea passage to Pula or Trieste, whereupon I might make my way northward through the no-man's-land of Istria until I reached my own territory again. I realize, however, that Istria is very much under the Magyar fist at this time. I come to you requesting safe passage through Istria for myself and fewer than 100 of my soldiers. I would naturally accept any Magyar escort you might require. Should this be possible, it would stand in my heart as an affirmation of the truce we have agreed upon. However, if this seems an unreasonable request based on the decade of war that we have so recently ended, I will accept a response in the negative with the utmost understanding.

[Cyclotron]

How autonomous is Carinthia? Should I put together orders for the denarii raised in that provice? Will Eberhard call up troops and equip them? Do I have that power, or is all that now Eberhard's responsibility? How much power do I have to tell him what to do? And how much of that power is legal authority as his boss and how much is just that close family tie? Also, I never intended to turn over long-term control and ownership of the Army of Carinthia to Eberhard; just that I entrusted my troops to him for the time being to defend Carinthia. As such, I'm renaming it the "Carinthian Division".

Carinthia currently handles its own finances independently; your orders as far as their budget is concerned are really more of "suggestions." The army stationed there is currently on your payroll, however, and they are aware of it. Eberhard is capable of calling up his own troops, but has not done so yet.

Eberhard holds Carinthia directly from you as a fief, and thus you are his feudal lord. You technically have no say in his internal affairs, but he is obligated to come when you summon him to court, and obligated to provide military assistance when you require it of him, including the service of his person.

And in the nitpickity end of things, can I turn those peasant crossbowmen into other types of soldiers now that they've seen battle, or do they remain peasants limited to crossbows for good?

You will know that has occurred at the point when their name no longer has "peasant" in it. Until then, it's crossbows and pavises only.

And in the super-nitpickity realm, in the next iteration of the map, can I get Brixen and Trento on there?

Certainly. In the meantime, Google Earth is what I use to determine relative geography.

Also, what's the deal with the white lines through Italy?

They are administrative divisions between the Kingdom of Italy: The Kingdom of Lombardy, the Margravate of Ivrea, the Margravate of Friuli, and the Margravate of Tuscany.

[Cyclotron]

Fejedelem Fajsz to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
Istria is not under my personal control, and thus I cannot either guarantee your safety or provide an escort. I cannot and will not interfere in the affairs of the Magyar chiefs who may hold sway there. Negotiations with them may be more likely to accomplish your aims; I am sure a suitable gift would persuade them to let your small force through.

Markgraf Eberhard to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
Your proposals are, of course, accepted. I am ever at your service, brother.

King Edward of England to King Heinrich of Germany
I will gladly accept an engagement between our progeny. I regret I cannot assist you in Friesland at present; I too have Norsemen to deal with in my own lands at present. Nevertheless, I look forward to our long-term cooperation on this issue. As for the Longships, we have no need of them - having been a target of raids and invasions for more than a hundred years, we are well acquainted with Viking ships. I am willing to send over competent sailors to instruct your men as soon as the weather is permitting.

Count Dirk of Friesland to King Heinrich of Germany
I fear I am lost without your aid. I only hope you can return before my county dissolves entirely.

Count Herbert II of Vermandois to King Heinrich of Germany
That is most acceptable to me. God willing, our unfortunate wars will be over soon.

[Cyclotron]

Trade has been updated.

[Nimitz]

Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia to Archbishop Pilgrim of Salzburg
Having secured the area of central Moravia and the city of Brno I wish to spread the joy of our faith into the area. I wish to request the churches and your help in this matter. I am very zealous in wish to achieve this.

[Cyclotron]

Archbishop Pilgrim of Salzburg to Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia
I always welcome an offer to spread the true religion, and I will dispatch what priests I can spare to your purposes. Though many are needed to rebuild the parishes of Carinthia, a few may be able and willing to aid you. Were it in my power, I would anoint new priests in your lands, but I cannot - I have no formal authority in Bohemia, and a Bishop with such authority is needed.

I regret that my coffers are quite strained as of late, and the construction of churches may have to be funded from your own.

[Nimitz]

OCC: Is there a Bishop with that authority yet? I remember there is some fighting going on over which bishops control where right now.

[Cyclotron]

Pilgrim has informal responsibility for that area, but he can't ordain new priests in Bohemia without formal jurisdiction granted by the Pope. You need the Pope to give you a bishop, or the Pope to extend Pilgrim's jurisdiction to Bohemia.

[Cyclotron]

Okay folks, let's get those orders in! Generals have already been updated, so there shouldn't be anything stopping you.

[appleciders]

Are they? I'm still waiting on some generals to be rolled. Other than that, though, I'm ready.

[Nimitz]

Bohemian Orders

300d to the buying of crossbows

100d to the study of stone roads

Have the Part of the Army of Prague under Ondrej z Trutnov Split with the army in Brno. The Army in Brno is to be renamed the Army of Moravia while the Army under Ondrej z Trutnov will remain the Army of Prague.

Send the reformed army of Prague to the italian campain and return the native troops.

150d towards establishing the church in Moravia.

300d of iron on light armor equip the on the light spearmen split evenly.

Send an envoy to Olomouc with a 50d and two of our finest horses as a gift to ask if the magyar chieftain would be willing to let us have the city in some agreement.

100d on Wedding Preparations for my son.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
Are they? I'm still waiting on some generals to be rolled. Other than that, though, I'm ready.

Oh snap, I forgot about those. They'll be done soon.

[Cyclotron]

Bavaria

Bishop Otho von Brixen - Age 37
A staunch partisan of the Duke, this Bishop has been quick to crush the potential enemies of Duke Arnulf in transalpine Bavaria – so quick, in fact, that it has made him a few local enemies (though he remains popular among the lesser nobles and Ducal loyalists). He is a highly educated man, speaking almost every common Christian tongue and being well versed in law, theology, mathematics, astronomy, and engineering. His battle experience is rather scant, save the organization of local militias against the Saracens in years past, but if anything he is devoted enough to do gladly whatever is asked of him.

Landgraf Maganhard von Eichstatt - Age 29
A respected noble from a powerful family, this man has demonstrated command skill in battle before, and an aptitude for siegecraft that is umatched by most. His personal manner, however, leaves something to be desired; he is gruff and temperamental during the best of times, which does little to endear him to his associates. He seems an all-around capable man who works quite well with any possessing of enough patience to deal with his unpleasantness.

Freiherr Gawin von Freising - Age 24
As warriors go, few compare with this noble. A master of weaponry, his incredible prowess in every form of combat impresses all who know of him. This, in addition to his inexplicably profound charisma, incomparable bravery in battle, and evident zeal to devote his sword to God’s will, has made him the most talked about knight in the Bavarian army, and certainly the best liked among the entire host. Unfortunately, his idea of war does not go far beyond individual combat, and while his ability as a soldier is undeniable it is uncertain if this would translate into tactical ability.

[appleciders]

Wow, three solid (and well varied) choices! Thanks! I've noticed commanding one of his generals to head up construction projects- this helps significantly, yes?