Bastions
Prologue Two: The Saxons
Part 17
se hánd uv fat vilináţ nai netziţ næ inin.
The hand of fate is never to be tempted nor denied.
In 1177 an unexpected fleet of ships sailed into Memelgrád under the white flag of truce. The fleet was lead by Jordan de Normandie, former Duke of Normandy, son of a deposed King of England. He came not seeking blood or vengeance, but a home. Normandy was lost, the Muslims overpowered the already beleaguered Normans and sent them fleeing. But they had no place to flee to. Barred from Germany and England, they sought refuge with a group of people who knew what it was to be without a homeland, they turned to the Prussians. King Gunvald was initially distrustful, but when Jordan and his people pledged to leave behind Catholicism and fight for Prussia, the King gave them a simple offer: keep what you take. The rule was that the Normans would get to settle the depopulated land of Azov, but if they conquered other lands, those lands would also be open to Norman colonization and rule, so long as they were vassals of the Prussian King. The Normans were not many, and they were soon joined by Russians and Ruthenians, together they would create the Azovians, a masterful race of horse lords and a powerful ally of the Prussian King.
The war to claim the Crimea began in 1178 and was headed by Prince Sviendorog and Jordan de Normandie. Sviendorog led a Prussian army, while Jordan led a rag-tag group of Normans, Russians and Georgians. But together they were able to quickly defeat all those who stood in their way but one: the Roman Empire. Rome also took an interest in the Crimea, formerly a colony of theirs. The two groups met inside a region known as Taurica. The Romans, under Grand Prince Michael Palaiologos, were refusing to budge and claimed that the Prussians had raided too far south. Sviendorog knew very well what he was doing, hoping to confine the Romans to just a few southern cities on the very edge of the peninsula. The two princes were both heirs to their Kingdoms and second cousins. But in the end, Sviendorog stepped down, letting the Romans have Taurica for now. However, Roman rule did not prevent the Normans from settling the region like any other.
Back in the capital, King Gunvald was looking to the future of Prussia. Sviendorog had two sons who were going to co-rule the Kingdom. Gunvald was not happy with this plan, so in order to ensure one had leverage over the other, planned to wed the eldest, Valikaila, to Bozislava. Upon his return, Sviendorog was unhappy, but had to live with his father's decision. In the background a bigger issue was being circulated. Many in the court feared that Valikaila was gay, given his disinterest in Bozislava. Meinekinus, the younger of the two sons, was already being educated by monks so was often thought of as the lesser of the two sons. Sviendorog was bent on protecting the honor of both of his heirs, so when he heard a Prince telling others that Valikaila was gay, he challenged and killed the Prince in a duel.
But no sooner than the blood of the duel had dried than Sviendorog was headed to Finland to stop a pagan rebellion. The Finnish were protesting taxes and starvation brought on by Prussia's rule over the region. At the time Prussian Finland consisted solely of the southern shore. Despite Eadbert and Gunvald's attempt to move Prussians into the area, the Christians were heavily outnumbered by pagans. Ziemelængrád was the capital of the region and had become a besieged city. Sviendorog had no choice but to bring up the Prussian Guard, an elite force dedicated to fighting pagans and Catholics. Part priest, part soldier they were a force to be reckoned with. After the city was saved, he was called back to Memelgrád in an urgent letter from his father.
Arriving in the capital, Sviendorog found that Gunvald had pushed up the wedding between Valikaila and Bozislava. The Prince was very unhappy with the move but had little power over the situation. In fact, as his father grew ill, Sviendorog felt more and more powerless. in 1180 there was no question that King Gunvald was coming to the end of his life. Many turned their eyes toward Prince Sviendorog who had taken some time to retreat into solitude before he would inevitably be the sole focus of the Prussian nobility. When King Gunvald did die in 1181, Prussia went into a state of morning. It was up to King Sviendorog to guide Prussia into a new century, but the old general knew where to start. He declared peace, no less than fifteen years of constant peace. Prussia's golden age was built on the foundation laid by King Sviendorog.