The Dragons of the North, an Estonia mega campaign

At four pages in, my computer began to die. I hastily saved my Openoffice document as it crashed but APPARENTLY openoffice has this amazing feature where if you save it and the computer turns off too fast it corrupts the file! Woopdee freaking doo.

I'll get it out, sorry for the slowness guys. Expect the beginning to skim a lot or seem weird since I'll do it all from memory. Fml.

Chapter 6: Fall of Livonia

Triinu the Bold, Triinu the Conqueror, Triinu the Bitch of Estonia. Everyone had a name for her, from the Finns to the Balts, but no matter how they felt, the effects of the death of Triinu shake the growing realm of Estonia like one of the Orthodox church bells. A little boy, young Armas, takes the throne and the kingdom, and all around the realm the powers shift.

The enemies of Estonia begin gathering almost immediately after. The Finn's, the most rebellious of Triinu's subjects, have begun arming themselves for war yet again.



Led by Taisto of the Suomi, one of the many chiefs who had battled Triinu in the frozen north and lost his independence to the female warlord, the Finns have begun organizing men in order to gain back their freedom from the southern Estonians. The ambitious bastard has openly proclaimed the rights of Finns to find their own path, separate from the Estonian menace. Nobody stops him, the king's authority nonexistence, and he plots openly about his plans.



Armas's regent, one of the many Robin's that Andyamo had recruited, has the boy sent to the Shaman, Altocumulus. “The future is unclear,” Robin tells the young boy, “and you must lift the haze with the aid of the ancestors.” The boy is hardly old enough to walk, and understand little besides the mad dancing and bright lights, but soon the Shaman returns from his council with the spirits and tells Robin and Armas what the ancestors had told him.



Armas begins playing with a loose piece of string while Robin frowns to himself. The message told them little they didn't know, but coming from the spirits it felt all the worse. Altocumulus tried his best to tell Robin what could be done, but there is little that wasn't common knowledge. Altocumulus then gave a series of coughs, no doubt caught from the late Triinu, before being shooed off by Robin.



As Armas returns home, they are met by a messenger who had ridden hard from Livonia. The man bow's before the boy king before hastily telling Robin everything in the message he carried. Livonia was falling, the Balts and other southerners storming the keeps that Andyamo had once taken, and the Livonians begged for aid from their Estonian brothers.



Robin saw opportunity here, and the very next day, Armas announced (with a very obviously rehearsed speech) that they were joining the war against the southerners. Armas knew next to nothing about what a war was or who the southerners were, but Robin had the cook give him a sweet for the trouble and Amras remained happy.

The combined armies of Estonia-Finland were called soon after. The plan was simple, march to the island of Saaremaa to relieve the trapped Livonian forces. With their combined might, they can organize their generals and march against the southerners. Together they could win the war, but only together.



The Estonians make their move, hoping the Pechenegs who are aiding the Balts shall be too busy with their invasion of Latgale that they wouldn't dare make a move against the Estonians. This quickly proves wrong however, and the Pecheneg cavalry soon slam into the marching Estonians flank, the Estonians quickly being surrounded by the larger force. The pride of the Estonians proves false as their hubris quickly leads to hundreds dead, only the regent, Robin, able to lead in the ambush.

The battle goes worse and worse, and messengers beg the Livonians to send their forces to hold off the Pechenegs. The Livonians ignore them however, remaining on their island, shoring their defenses. As the battles across Liviima continue to worsen, Robin looks west sadly, knowing no help is coming.



The battle ends soon after, the myth of Estonian invulnerability being shattered. The Estonians lost nearly all of their men during the battle, a scant 300 scattering to escape the Pechenegs. Robin is thankfully among them, but the King's retinue is nearly completely destroyed, the few survivors moving to Saaremaa.



When they reach the island, the Livonians refuse to allow the Estonian soldiers into their defenses, feeling like it would give the Pechenegs an opening to attack. The southerners invade the island regardless and the Estonian soldiers find themselves slammed against the walls of the Livonian defenses. Robin manages to slip inside to help organize defenses, but those few remaining Estonians are slaughtered. Only 13 who had not ran to the island survive the campaign.



The Livonians find themselves slaughtered, and when Robin limps back to the king's court, he is only met with more bad news.

Kiev has grown.

The Kievan beast has absorbed even more of the lands of Rurikovich. Only Chernigov remains, and once the Kievans take the small country, nobody knows where Kiev will expand. Many hope they move east, away from the Estonians and their Finnish subjects, but many more fear they will wage holy war on the westerners.

And then they'd all be well and truly doomed.



As Robin tries to recover the remains of the retinue, only half the size of the great army that Triinu had commissioned and unlikely to grow further, the war in the south is concluded. The Pruthenian Balts take the lands of Livonia while Elyuva converts to the Baltic gods, abandoning the Finnic ones which she had worshiped all her life.

This is surprising, how could someone related to the pious Queen Triinu ever waver in faith? Talk begins of marching south, reclaiming Livonia and ousting the pagan Elyuva from power before they can subjugate their Finnic brothers, but these wishes receive little traction. The armies of Estonia are gone, and the only talk is of recovering from where they left off.



Months pass and King Armas turns six, signaling the beginning of his tutoring. Robin sifts through the lists of potential guardians until he finds one that suits him, the old hag, Tuula.



The woman is skilled in the arts of court intrigue, nearly a Sage in her knowledge of the Finnic faith and able to out talk even the martial himself on military matters. She has the skilled tongue of a diplomat, and her way with money is considered above average. All around, the woman is a genius, and as long as she doesn't break a hip, Robin believes she will be the perfect tutor.

Her husband was Vaino, friend of Andyamo. The Parns and the Nyen's histories were linked even further as Vaino and Tuula's son, another Vaino, was the enemy of Triinu. His passing in the queen's dungeon broke the close ties the families held. Tuula's other son, Putyayka, had passed away from an illness not long after his brother, and her only daughter was nothing but an outed homosexual, and concubine to one of the Finnic chiefs.

Truly, the Parnish curse had spread.

She begins tutoring Armas in the ways of the court, and clearly something goes right when Armas begins eating well, carefully choosing what to eat and when to maintain his body image and help himself become a strong warrior like his grandfather was.



Tuula quickly shows her worth and takes him off this silly little path.



Things continue to go well as Armas begins a wroth little brat, the boy beginning to punch anything that looks at him funny. Tuula happily allows this to happen, and Armas is soon fighting nearly everybody around him. He is becoming a decent warrior, but hardly much else.




As Armas walks down a dark road, news enters from the south. The Poles have invaded north and conquered most of the Pomeranian's holdings, leaving the Pomeranians as little more than fodder for the invading Obotrites. Meanwhile, the followers of Christ, led by the Norman, 'Reinard', has conquered the southern Pruthenian holdings, forming a Catholic nation of 'Prussia', and leaving the Pruthenians stranded in the north.



This is hardly an expected series of events and widespread panic begins falling on the Estonian court. Many remembered Andyamo's belief that the only way for Estonia to resist the followers of Christ was to expand, and suddenly the room the Estonians can move in has gotten far smaller. When before they believed they could conquer all the way to the Kingdom of the Danes, or even take on the Novgorodians if they truly wished it, they now face the looming beast of Christianity.

Plans are made soon after. If Estonia is to survive, the Balts must be conquered by them before they are taken by the Christians. Armas is still too young to lead men in to battle, but he is growing, and one day the world shall know to fear the Estonians.

One day.

Chapter 7: A Swedish Theocracy

As Armas turns 12, he begins to hold court himself, although his mind still tends to wander. More and more news has been reaching the Estonians of the lands of the Germans, and more importantly, the expansion of it. The Germans have marched west and taken land from the 'French', apparently a distant kin of the Normans of Prussia. Tales tell of a massive empire several times larger and stronger than even Kiev.



The messengers and spies tell their tales, of the German hordes who will lovingly smash the Estonians if they had the chance, and Armas gets a sinking feeling in his gut. He doesn't want to fight these Germans, he doesn't want to fight anything. Armas sinks into his chair and orders the messengers away after a short time, for he has heard enough.



Armas leaves soon after, hiding in his room for fear of the Germans. Tuula enters soon after, talking to the young boy.

“But I don't want to fight Germans!” Armas cries, pushing himself under his covers. The old woman shakes her head and tsks.

“The Germans are nothing but children, fighting among each other more than anyone else.”

“But there's so many!”

“They're children. You've fought children before, remember when you fought the blacksmith's son? If you can't fight a little German, how can you expect to fight the castle children?” Armas remembers the fight and raises his head, refusing to believe he couldn't beat the other children in a fight. If the German's were as bad fighters as they were, what did he have to fear?



Armas feels better and Tuula takes him to the kitchens for a snack. Armas leaves with his sweet roll and Tuula coerces the cook to give her several for herself. Armas is well away when Tuula begins choking on her treat, and only learns that his guardian had died an hour or so later.



One of the Robin's soon takes charge of the lad, but he is nowhere near as bright as Tuula was. The hag will be missed.



However, the new guardian has some uses that Tuula was never capable of, and soon takes Robin out to learn swordplay, hoping to channel his angry energy.



Robin may be an old cripple, but the sword is simply an extension of the man's arm, and for all of Armas's rage he can not even hope to best the man in a fight. Armas constantly tries to knock the man off of his balance, attempting kicks at his wooden leg and swings at his thigh, but Robin easily deflects every blow and sends the boy on his ass every time.

But he is learning.

As the two return to court, Robin without a bead of sweat and Armas panting from the effort, they meet a series of scouts from the south and east. The fight thing he hears ends with Armas clenching his teeth, the Germans are in Estonia.

The foolish Pruthenians have tried a desperate attack on the Prussians to take their land back. They underestimated the unity of the Catholics, and the Germans have marched to their aid. The Pruthenians had little hope to defeat the massive armies of the Germans, and after throwing the Pruthenian armies from Prussia, the Germans have marched through Estonia to finish them off.



The other scout tells of the fall of Cherginov. The Kievans have taken the rest of the Rurikovichian lands, and the Kievans now look outward. They are thankfully held back by the ambitions of the Cumanians who have recently invaded Kievan lands, but no matter who wins that war, Estonia is a likely target for the Kievan-Rus.

Between the Kievans and the Germans, Estonia seems to be swarmed by Christians. Even to Armas, it seems the question of whether they shall fight the Christ-god or bow to him will be one they'll have to answer soon.



The final messenger comes from the Finns. One of the chief's concubines has passed away. Maija, last of the Nyen.



The Nyen, once friends, then enemies, then guardians of the Parnish rulers have now been extinguished. A footnote on the history of Estonia-Finland no doubt, but still one worth notice.

The court is solemn, as if in rest, until Shukshtoroyka turns 16, a great cause for celebration. She may look different than the other Parnish siblings, but she is still a Parn and shall be celebrated as one. She is a kind girl, who has taken to the sword despite her gender and frailty



She developed quite... well, compared to the young Armas. There are murmurs of the court, many wondering why Armas could not be as kind her brave as his weak older sister.

Despite the attempts to hide it, Armas can hear the muttering in the halls of his keep. He knows he is not as quick of wit or strong of character as his sister. Instead of becoming angry like he normally does, he becomes a bit more reserved, admitting that at the end of the day, he might not be the better child.



Despite this, he works to become as good as his sister. Not only does he admit his faults, he works to improve himself as well, constantly doing homework and practicing hard with Robin.



The rumors stop suddenly when his sister is found in bed, passed away. Shukshtoroyka has always been sick due to her frailness, but this comes to a surprise to many. Armas is inconsolable for quite some time. Both parents and his sister are now gone. The only other Parns are his brother and the heathen Balts in Livonia.

He wonders if the curse will ever claim him. He prays to the spirits to let him see an end when he is old, unlike all the others who have come before him. Not long after his sister's death, Armas turns 16. Celebrations are had for his coming to adulthood, but they seem forced. The north is falling to the Christians, the Parns are cut down like wheat to a scythe, and the future remains uncertain.

Armas himself has shown improvement, but he still lacks any real skill in diplomacy or with numbers. He is more good with spending money than using it, and otherwise his greatest skill is with a sword.



All in all, he's a near spitting image of the late Andyamo.

Now that he's of age, the first order of business for the now adult King Armas is to find a wife. The best candidate is brought forth and... well...



She's a Balt. However, she's also known across the realm as a genius, and Armas hopes some of her brains will move on to their children. He isn't particularly diligent in his faith, and cares little for the fact that his wife worships a different god than he does.

With Armas now in charge of the realm, he is eager to show his worth. Armas is a warrior without a war, and he gazes hungrily south.

After a short meeting with his generals, two wars are declared. The Balts shall be pushed from the rightful lands of the Kingdom of Estonia, and this requires wars with the Parnish Livonians and the Pruthenians. The Pruthenians have yet to recover from their war with the Prussians, and the Livonians are small. It is wrong to invade a family members holdings Armas knows, but it is for glory!



The Pruthenians call in their Pecheneg comrades, and both sides beg the aid of every last surviving Balt leader in desperation. The Estonians are prepared for the war however, while the Pruthenians are disorganized and scattered. The Pruthenians are crushed and the Livonians shortly after, and Armas hopes to besiege their keeps before their allies can move their men north.



As he sits in camp with his men, besieging the Livonian city of Jersika, a strange man enters the camp. He wears long robes of white and gold, and scurries away from the glares of the surrounding Estonian-Finnish soldiers. He is admitted into the King's tent soon after, and seems much more happy to be away from the crowds of warriors.

When in the tent, Armas leans back in his chair and tells the man to speak. The preacher, Thorvald, introduces himself as a servant of the Cardinal Halsten of Sweden. He tells Armas of the sins he has committed, and his need to follow the Christ-god's will. Armas is rather busy fighting a war, and is intrigued by the first Christian to enter his realm on good terms.

His guard's glare at the rapidly shrinking preacher who seems to be withering under Armas's stare. The man realizes that walking into a camp full of angry heathens may not have been the best idea, and begins sputtering some sort of apology before realizing it's useless, for Armas's decision will change no matter what. After some time, Armas leans forward, his chin wresting on his palm, and asks the man to tell him more. It is good to know one's enemy, after all. The preacher sighs in relief.



After a long series of debates and questions, Armas sends the preacher off to the man's own tent, deciding to allow the man to live. Soon after, a rider enters the camp, informing Armas that his wife had collapsed while receiving guests several nights before and had not since woken up.



Armas hardly knew the woman and was rather accustomed to losing loved ones. He cursed and sighed, though he was more disappointed at his lack of heirs. He soon orders his councilor to find a new wife for him before getting back to the siege.

Several days later, the councilor informs him he found a suitable girl. She is a Slav of the Obotrites, but she is nearly of an age with Armas and is renowned for the width of her hips, clearly a suitable woman for a man needing heirs. Armas agrees with his councilor and orders a message sent to the girls father. For now, a betrothal will have to do, but the girl's birthday would be soon.



It seems the spirit's favor the match, for they soon bless Armas with victory. The defenders of Jersika soon surrender, and Armas's warriors swarm the city and the remaining holdings. Armas is named the High Chief of Livonia the next day, and his aunt Elyuva curses his name just before she bows before him.

Now for the Pruthenians.



As he marches back north, his army runs across a Gotlander trading caravan. Armas has their leader brought to him to bring him news from their land, and is surprised by what he hears.

Cardinal Halsten, master of the preacher Thorvald, has usurped control of the Kingdom of Sweden. He has proclaimed the land a 'theocracy', and claims it is now a land of god. Armas is suddenly glad that he did not kill the preacher and anger his leader before thanking the Gotlander and sending him on his way.



The Catholic foothold in the north strengthens, and Armas presses on his enemies even harder. They must reunite Estonia-Finland or else they will surely be conquered by scheming priests and crusader kings!

fabiolundiense said:

Great story! May the gods grant that your family expands even as your realm does!

Click to expand...

Thanks!

I recently tried out the new DLC and everything and I like it, as well as all the mods that HIP has incorporated. However I can't update the mods or move to the new DLC without breaking the save. I can transfer the relevant characters and the current borders to a new game by manually editing it but countries would lose a lot of claims and such.

Anyone think I should do it?

Sorry guys but some life is getting in the way. I'm going to have to put this on hold until I have some more free time, as most of it right now is cut between school, several other projects and MEPs.

Thanks for understanding! I hope I can start this again or pick it back up some time.

TotalyMoo said:

We made a dramatic reading of this AAR!

[video=youtube;qNxXSrJha1Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNxXSrJha1Y[/video]

Click to expand...

Oh my god! I didn't think anyone ever really read this! EEEEEEEEEE!