In this situation I have to feel rahter sorry for the women involved. To, in effect, be impotent as their fates as decided by the blade.
Lords of the North, a Finnish AAR
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Chapter 17
Lessons Learnt...
Ahma had only taken his personal guard and whatever men he could get from Pohjanmaa and his lands in southern Finland. This totaled to around 2200 men, which he figured would be plenty enough to face High Chief Jaolemb 'the Rash' of Estonia. He traveled to High Chief Jaolemb's realm through land, figuring using his fleet for such a short trip would be too expensive. He had to travel through Holmgarðr lands and then lands conquered by Sviþjod to get to Estonia. On his way Ahma saw how the Norse and Rus treated the local Finn and Estonian populations. The Norse worshipped gods they called Odin, Thor, Freya and others, and tried to make the local populace to worship them too. In a way Ahma could understand why they were doing it. If they all worshipped the same gods they would be less likely to see their rulers as foreigners. But those were the same gods he himself worshipped that the Norse and Rus tried to stop the locals from worshipping. But he could do nothing for now, for if he did it could be seen as an act of aggression since he was still on foreign soil. Soon enough he would be in Estonia though, and the war could start in earnest.
The two armies met in Kalevan. Ahma's scouts informed him that Jaolemb's army numbered nearly 1200 men. More than Ahma first thought, but not enough to be considered a significant threat. The Estonians had one advantage though. They were on top of a hill. This posed a problem. Ahma could charge up the hill and he would likely win due to his soldiers being more experienced than the Estonian ones. But the losses would be huge. It would be like he wins and loses at the same time if he charges right away. So he came up with a different plan. In the cover of night he sent his cavalry of some 200 men to circle around the hill and charge from behind the enemy at sunrise. The plan worked. Just before sunrise Ahma made it seem like his army was going to charge soon. They roared and howled and banged their shields to cover the noise of the hooves of the cavalry charge coming from behind the enemy and to keep their attention at them. When they noticed the cavalry coming from behind, it was too late to form any kind of shield or spear wall to stop them. They threw javelins and knives and axes at the enemy line and cut down those who broke ranks trying to fight them or drive them away. At the same time the main army charged and the enemy was sandwiched between them. Soon the enemy ranks broke and they began to retreat. The battle was a victory. Not even a hundred Finns had died, whilst the Estonians lost over 400. Soon after the battle the High Chief's home was captured and he was forced to surrender. Thus, High Chief Jaolemb 'the Rash' of Estonia became one of King Ahma's tributaries.
On his way back to his own lands Ahma once again crossed through foreign territories. He had learned many things about Estonians and their culture and faith during his short campaign south of the Gulf. In the end, the Finns and Estonians were not so different. "We share many traditions with them, even many gods. Though I must admit I hadn't heard of any god like that Taara, before. Or was it Tuura," he thought to himself. "A god of war. Like what the Norse worship in those Thor and Tyr, or whatever their names were." He felt sorry for the locals that they were being forced to abandon their old traditions by their conquerors. He wished that he could help them, but right now he cannot. The only way to really help them would be to conquer those lands and allow them to live on like they have, but he didn't have the resources for such a campaign. But still, he swore to himself that if such an opportunity were to come that he could help those who shared similar traditions and faith as he does, he would come to their aid.
Few months later another of Ahma's commitments came to him, however. High Chief Atyamas 'the Grinner' of Veps, Ahma's brother-in-law and ally is requesting his help in war. Atyamas' younger brother, Chief Nishkepaz of Zaozerye has declared war on Atyamas to claim the High Chiefdom for himself. Ahma answers the call and sets off towards Veps with his army. Once he arrives there however, he is told that the battle between the armies of Atyamas and Nishkepaz was already over, and Atyamas had won, though barely. All that was left now was to take the fort in Zaozerye that Nishkepaz had made his seat in the region. The problem was that after the battle Atyamas didn't have enough men to properly siege the fort and he didn't want to destroy or damage the settlement that was around it either. After all, those were his people that lived there. But now that Ahma had arrived with his 2000 man strong army, taking the fort would be easy. And so it was. The day after Ahma's army had set up camp the fort surrendered, as they had realized they could not hold out against such overwhelming odds. Nishkepaz knew that his brother would call in his ally and so had hoped to win the war in the first battle. It had been a close one, but that Nishkepaz lost the battle also sealed the eventual outcome of the war.
Upon returning home Ahma notices that Taimi is pregnant again. Her belly had begun to grow soon after he had left for Veps and by now it was noticeable. Especially since she had been pregnant so many times already that he could easily recognize the bump on her belly. That night when Ahma was reading the notes his father had made on warfare maybe for the hundredth time, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Come in" Ahma said.
The door opened and it was Branislava who came in.
"Ahma, there is something I need to speak with you about," she said after she had closed the door.
"Tell me then. What is it?"
"It's about High Chief Soini again. You know how he visited while you were away, wanting to discuss something with you but couldn't wait as he had matters to attend to at home," she said with a bit of a shaky voice.
"Yes, my councilors told me. And since he couldn't meet me he instead wrote me a letter. He wrote that he had come to apologize for his behavior and actions, and that he has learned his lesson and is going to change his women-chasing ways," Ahma said, somewhat happy that Soini had seemed to have learned his lesson, despite the method that was used to "teach" it to him.
"Actually, I doubt he learned anything," Branislava then told him. Ahma seemed puzzled, but then with a shaky hand she handed him a letter. Ahma began to read it and he realized it was Soini's handwriting. And it was for Taimi. And based on the contents Soini indeed hasn't learnt anything. As he lifted his eyes from the letter to Branislava, he asked her with a calm voice, from which a hint of anger could be heard too, "Has Taimi read this letter?"
"No, I managed to persuade Soini to give it to me so that I could give it to her. He didn't know it was me who told you the last time," she answered with a shaky voice. Ahma then stood up and walked to her and hugged her. "Thank you for telling me about that snake's schemes again Branislava. And no need to be so afraid, I'm not going to go running to Savonia again thirsting for blood. No, this time he will come to me," he said as he was holding her.
It was a brisk morning in early winter. The ground was still frosty from the cold night, but snow itself hadn't arrived yet. Ahma was waiting for Soini on the edges of the town that was next to his fort. The town had grown a lot from the day that Jalo had returned, almost doubling in population. In this part of the world such growth was unheard of. Mostly the new buildings were along the small road that lead to the small fishing village/trade outpost, which was to the south, whilst the fort was to the north-east of the town, more towards inland. That way it also protected the town better.
"This is a waste of time!" the man said. "You should be preparing yourself to duel that blasted Norse Hakon 'Red-Cheeks' instead of fighting with one of your own!" he continued. The man was a messenger from the Followers of Otso and he had been sent to tell Ahma that he had been chosen as the one to duel Hakon 'Red-Cheeks' of the Wolf Warriors. Apparently Hakon had been bad mouthing the Followers, insulting them and saying that he could defeat their best with just one hand. And the Followers couldn't let that slide.
"I will duel the man when the time comes! Besides, I couldn't fight the man even if I wanted to right now, now could I?" Ahma answered. Hakon was currently leading an army somewhere in Bjarmia, so he wouldn't even accept any requests for duels. For some reason in the last few years many Norse Chiefs from the westernmost lands of the Norse have been conquering land in Bjarmia. "Maybe they feel they don't get to fight enough amongst themselves anymore now that they are all under one ruler," Ahma thought to himself. The westernmost lands of the Norse were all under the control of king Halfdan of Viken. And Bjarmia, what a mess that had become. His daughter Tuulitar was married to the High Chief's brother and heir apparent, Xëryuchi, in the hopes that they would become his allies in the future. Well, he was not an heir apparent anymore. It seems that Xëryuchi has lost favor as fast as he lost battles against the Norse. Now the High Chief's youngest brother was the heir apparent, since High Chief Nyalku himself still doesn't have any sons.
Then Ahma and his guards heard sounds of horses. "Finally," Ahma said. It was indeed High Chief Soini with his escort. When they were still a fair distance away, they stopped and came down from their horses. And stayed there. Ahma got impatient. "What? You've come this far and now you're going to back out? Coward!"
"I just don't see the point of this. What have I even done to offend you like this? I already apologized for my actions and this is your response to my sincere apology?" Soini yelled back.
"Sincere apology!? For what? That you have learnt NOTHING!? I know about the second letter! The one you addressed to my wife!"
Soini was about to speak but Ahma cut him off.
"Spare your lies, I have it with me if you don't believe me! I just can't imagine how stupid one must be to still try to seduce the woman of the man that cut your hand off after he caught you trying to do it the first time!"
After that Ahma caught his breath and continued, "But what hurts me the most, and what I consider the greatest insult in all of this, is that I made you the High Chief of Savonia when I could've just as easily made your brother the High Chief, and this is how you repay me!? I know you had tried to get Taimi as your wife even before I had even met her, but she wouldn't have you. But you just couldn't leave well enough alone now, could you?"
Soini has been silently listening to Ahma's shouting, but couldn't take it any longer. He took his sword and began charging towards him. Ahma answered in kind, unsheathing his sword and charging at Soini. The two men fought fiercely and aggressively, Soini even with just one arm. But in the end, Ahma was the more aggressive one and he kept on swinging at his opponent. Then, Soini slipped on a patch of ice and he fell just as Ahma's swing was coming from the right. The sword cut right into Soini's leg, cutting it off just above the ankle. Soini was writhing in agony on the frosty ground. Ahma came up next to the man and spoke: "I will suffer you no longer!" He then drove down his sword to Soini's throat, killing him.
As Soini's escorts were taking the body to take it back to Savonia to prepare for a funeral, one of the men came up to Ahma.
"My King, was it really necessary to kill my High Chief?"
Ahma turned towards the man and without hesitation replied, "Yes. I had already fought with him about the same matter and he lost his hand as a result. And he still didn't learn his lesson. Do you think he would've learned after I took his foot? I doubt that he would've not. After he would've had healed his wounds he would come after my wife again, and what would I have to take from him then, hmm? His head perhaps, maybe he would've learnt after that."
Not knowing what to answer, the man then asked, "What should be done about the High Chiefdom then?"
"Soini had a son with his wife right? Now that Soini is dead his son will be the High Chief. Who shall be the regent until he comes of age is for you to decide amongst yourselves."
The man nodded and joined the others. Ahma looked to the sky and gave a deep sigh. "It's over. But at what cost? Have I created a rift with Savonia that can't be mended, or will the next High Chiefs understand why I did what I did or just simply side with their predecessor?"
He kept thinking on what to do next as he walked back home to his fort. It wasn't even noon yet, and he already had blood on his hands.
Lessons Learnt...
Ahma had only taken his personal guard and whatever men he could get from Pohjanmaa and his lands in southern Finland. This totaled to around 2200 men, which he figured would be plenty enough to face High Chief Jaolemb 'the Rash' of Estonia. He traveled to High Chief Jaolemb's realm through land, figuring using his fleet for such a short trip would be too expensive. He had to travel through Holmgarðr lands and then lands conquered by Sviþjod to get to Estonia. On his way Ahma saw how the Norse and Rus treated the local Finn and Estonian populations. The Norse worshipped gods they called Odin, Thor, Freya and others, and tried to make the local populace to worship them too. In a way Ahma could understand why they were doing it. If they all worshipped the same gods they would be less likely to see their rulers as foreigners. But those were the same gods he himself worshipped that the Norse and Rus tried to stop the locals from worshipping. But he could do nothing for now, for if he did it could be seen as an act of aggression since he was still on foreign soil. Soon enough he would be in Estonia though, and the war could start in earnest.
The two armies met in Kalevan. Ahma's scouts informed him that Jaolemb's army numbered nearly 1200 men. More than Ahma first thought, but not enough to be considered a significant threat. The Estonians had one advantage though. They were on top of a hill. This posed a problem. Ahma could charge up the hill and he would likely win due to his soldiers being more experienced than the Estonian ones. But the losses would be huge. It would be like he wins and loses at the same time if he charges right away. So he came up with a different plan. In the cover of night he sent his cavalry of some 200 men to circle around the hill and charge from behind the enemy at sunrise. The plan worked. Just before sunrise Ahma made it seem like his army was going to charge soon. They roared and howled and banged their shields to cover the noise of the hooves of the cavalry charge coming from behind the enemy and to keep their attention at them. When they noticed the cavalry coming from behind, it was too late to form any kind of shield or spear wall to stop them. They threw javelins and knives and axes at the enemy line and cut down those who broke ranks trying to fight them or drive them away. At the same time the main army charged and the enemy was sandwiched between them. Soon the enemy ranks broke and they began to retreat. The battle was a victory. Not even a hundred Finns had died, whilst the Estonians lost over 400. Soon after the battle the High Chief's home was captured and he was forced to surrender. Thus, High Chief Jaolemb 'the Rash' of Estonia became one of King Ahma's tributaries.
On his way back to his own lands Ahma once again crossed through foreign territories. He had learned many things about Estonians and their culture and faith during his short campaign south of the Gulf. In the end, the Finns and Estonians were not so different. "We share many traditions with them, even many gods. Though I must admit I hadn't heard of any god like that Taara, before. Or was it Tuura," he thought to himself. "A god of war. Like what the Norse worship in those Thor and Tyr, or whatever their names were." He felt sorry for the locals that they were being forced to abandon their old traditions by their conquerors. He wished that he could help them, but right now he cannot. The only way to really help them would be to conquer those lands and allow them to live on like they have, but he didn't have the resources for such a campaign. But still, he swore to himself that if such an opportunity were to come that he could help those who shared similar traditions and faith as he does, he would come to their aid.
Few months later another of Ahma's commitments came to him, however. High Chief Atyamas 'the Grinner' of Veps, Ahma's brother-in-law and ally is requesting his help in war. Atyamas' younger brother, Chief Nishkepaz of Zaozerye has declared war on Atyamas to claim the High Chiefdom for himself. Ahma answers the call and sets off towards Veps with his army. Once he arrives there however, he is told that the battle between the armies of Atyamas and Nishkepaz was already over, and Atyamas had won, though barely. All that was left now was to take the fort in Zaozerye that Nishkepaz had made his seat in the region. The problem was that after the battle Atyamas didn't have enough men to properly siege the fort and he didn't want to destroy or damage the settlement that was around it either. After all, those were his people that lived there. But now that Ahma had arrived with his 2000 man strong army, taking the fort would be easy. And so it was. The day after Ahma's army had set up camp the fort surrendered, as they had realized they could not hold out against such overwhelming odds. Nishkepaz knew that his brother would call in his ally and so had hoped to win the war in the first battle. It had been a close one, but that Nishkepaz lost the battle also sealed the eventual outcome of the war.
Upon returning home Ahma notices that Taimi is pregnant again. Her belly had begun to grow soon after he had left for Veps and by now it was noticeable. Especially since she had been pregnant so many times already that he could easily recognize the bump on her belly. That night when Ahma was reading the notes his father had made on warfare maybe for the hundredth time, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Come in" Ahma said.
The door opened and it was Branislava who came in.
"Ahma, there is something I need to speak with you about," she said after she had closed the door.
"Tell me then. What is it?"
"It's about High Chief Soini again. You know how he visited while you were away, wanting to discuss something with you but couldn't wait as he had matters to attend to at home," she said with a bit of a shaky voice.
"Yes, my councilors told me. And since he couldn't meet me he instead wrote me a letter. He wrote that he had come to apologize for his behavior and actions, and that he has learned his lesson and is going to change his women-chasing ways," Ahma said, somewhat happy that Soini had seemed to have learned his lesson, despite the method that was used to "teach" it to him.
"Actually, I doubt he learned anything," Branislava then told him. Ahma seemed puzzled, but then with a shaky hand she handed him a letter. Ahma began to read it and he realized it was Soini's handwriting. And it was for Taimi. And based on the contents Soini indeed hasn't learnt anything. As he lifted his eyes from the letter to Branislava, he asked her with a calm voice, from which a hint of anger could be heard too, "Has Taimi read this letter?"
"No, I managed to persuade Soini to give it to me so that I could give it to her. He didn't know it was me who told you the last time," she answered with a shaky voice. Ahma then stood up and walked to her and hugged her. "Thank you for telling me about that snake's schemes again Branislava. And no need to be so afraid, I'm not going to go running to Savonia again thirsting for blood. No, this time he will come to me," he said as he was holding her.
It was a brisk morning in early winter. The ground was still frosty from the cold night, but snow itself hadn't arrived yet. Ahma was waiting for Soini on the edges of the town that was next to his fort. The town had grown a lot from the day that Jalo had returned, almost doubling in population. In this part of the world such growth was unheard of. Mostly the new buildings were along the small road that lead to the small fishing village/trade outpost, which was to the south, whilst the fort was to the north-east of the town, more towards inland. That way it also protected the town better.
"This is a waste of time!" the man said. "You should be preparing yourself to duel that blasted Norse Hakon 'Red-Cheeks' instead of fighting with one of your own!" he continued. The man was a messenger from the Followers of Otso and he had been sent to tell Ahma that he had been chosen as the one to duel Hakon 'Red-Cheeks' of the Wolf Warriors. Apparently Hakon had been bad mouthing the Followers, insulting them and saying that he could defeat their best with just one hand. And the Followers couldn't let that slide.
"I will duel the man when the time comes! Besides, I couldn't fight the man even if I wanted to right now, now could I?" Ahma answered. Hakon was currently leading an army somewhere in Bjarmia, so he wouldn't even accept any requests for duels. For some reason in the last few years many Norse Chiefs from the westernmost lands of the Norse have been conquering land in Bjarmia. "Maybe they feel they don't get to fight enough amongst themselves anymore now that they are all under one ruler," Ahma thought to himself. The westernmost lands of the Norse were all under the control of king Halfdan of Viken. And Bjarmia, what a mess that had become. His daughter Tuulitar was married to the High Chief's brother and heir apparent, Xëryuchi, in the hopes that they would become his allies in the future. Well, he was not an heir apparent anymore. It seems that Xëryuchi has lost favor as fast as he lost battles against the Norse. Now the High Chief's youngest brother was the heir apparent, since High Chief Nyalku himself still doesn't have any sons.
Then Ahma and his guards heard sounds of horses. "Finally," Ahma said. It was indeed High Chief Soini with his escort. When they were still a fair distance away, they stopped and came down from their horses. And stayed there. Ahma got impatient. "What? You've come this far and now you're going to back out? Coward!"
"I just don't see the point of this. What have I even done to offend you like this? I already apologized for my actions and this is your response to my sincere apology?" Soini yelled back.
"Sincere apology!? For what? That you have learnt NOTHING!? I know about the second letter! The one you addressed to my wife!"
Soini was about to speak but Ahma cut him off.
"Spare your lies, I have it with me if you don't believe me! I just can't imagine how stupid one must be to still try to seduce the woman of the man that cut your hand off after he caught you trying to do it the first time!"
After that Ahma caught his breath and continued, "But what hurts me the most, and what I consider the greatest insult in all of this, is that I made you the High Chief of Savonia when I could've just as easily made your brother the High Chief, and this is how you repay me!? I know you had tried to get Taimi as your wife even before I had even met her, but she wouldn't have you. But you just couldn't leave well enough alone now, could you?"
Soini has been silently listening to Ahma's shouting, but couldn't take it any longer. He took his sword and began charging towards him. Ahma answered in kind, unsheathing his sword and charging at Soini. The two men fought fiercely and aggressively, Soini even with just one arm. But in the end, Ahma was the more aggressive one and he kept on swinging at his opponent. Then, Soini slipped on a patch of ice and he fell just as Ahma's swing was coming from the right. The sword cut right into Soini's leg, cutting it off just above the ankle. Soini was writhing in agony on the frosty ground. Ahma came up next to the man and spoke: "I will suffer you no longer!" He then drove down his sword to Soini's throat, killing him.
As Soini's escorts were taking the body to take it back to Savonia to prepare for a funeral, one of the men came up to Ahma.
"My King, was it really necessary to kill my High Chief?"
Ahma turned towards the man and without hesitation replied, "Yes. I had already fought with him about the same matter and he lost his hand as a result. And he still didn't learn his lesson. Do you think he would've learned after I took his foot? I doubt that he would've not. After he would've had healed his wounds he would come after my wife again, and what would I have to take from him then, hmm? His head perhaps, maybe he would've learnt after that."
Not knowing what to answer, the man then asked, "What should be done about the High Chiefdom then?"
"Soini had a son with his wife right? Now that Soini is dead his son will be the High Chief. Who shall be the regent until he comes of age is for you to decide amongst yourselves."
The man nodded and joined the others. Ahma looked to the sky and gave a deep sigh. "It's over. But at what cost? Have I created a rift with Savonia that can't be mended, or will the next High Chiefs understand why I did what I did or just simply side with their predecessor?"
He kept thinking on what to do next as he walked back home to his fort. It wasn't even noon yet, and he already had blood on his hands.
Obviously the chiefs still haven't learnt their place, and there's more work to do for the kingdom. And outside of it, to keep the Norse expansion in check.
Yet he still didn't learn.
On another note, I think this is something that I think Paradox should look into. If the partner of the target of seduction learns of the seduction attempt (thus becoming rivals) and then duels and wins, the losing seducer should either A) drop the seduction focus B) change target of seduction, or C) stubbornly try to continue seducing the same target (if has stubborn trait or other similar ones that would justify this behaviour). Honestly, right now it seems to always be option C for whatever reason and thus I'm killing stubborn idiots left and right by both duel and plot.
This should also be a factor. If it is known that someone kills those that try to seduce their partner(s) then their partner(s) should be less likely to be picked as the target of seduction except maybe by brave and/or master seducer/seductress. Those, and by complete idiots.
Well, there has never been a king in their lands so there is some adjusting to be had. Oh, and the Norse will be kept in check, just wait and see
Chapter 18
The Mess That Is Bjarmia (Part 1)
Early next year after High Chief Soini's death Taimi finally gave birth. It was another son. Ahma decided to name him Toivo, for he hoped that his family would finally get to live in peace since Soini wasn't around anymore, trying to seduce his wife. Less than a week after Toivo's birth it was noticed that Branislava was also pregnant. The time passed quickly and nothing of note really happened that spring. And so, come summer Branislava goes into labor. She also gives birth to a son, whom Ahma names Haapa.
Tragic news from Karelia soon follow though. Ahma's father-in-law, High Chief Tuure of Karelia, has passed in his sleep at the age of 55. Thus his only living son, Voitto, becomes High Chief and also inherits all of his father's lands.
It was almost fall when Ahma finally received the news that he had been waiting for for a while now. Hakon 'Red-Cheeks' was no longer leading an army in Bjarmia and had returned home. It seems that his liege was successful in his war, taking Onega Peninsula from High Chief Nyalku of Bjarmia. The High Chief now only held the heartland of Bjarmia itself, and even that was being contested. There was nothing that Ahma could really do at the moment however, since Nyalku hadn't requested any aid in his wars. But that didn't matter now, what mattered was his upcoming duel with Hakon. Soon enough the day of the duel came and the two men met on a small island just off the coast of Sviþjod. Big enough for a fight, but small enough that King Eirikr didn't care that foreigners landed there. At the beginning it seemed like the duel would be a close one. Hakon with his axe and shield and Ahma with his sword and shield were an equal match at start. Then, Ahma is being forced back, but sees an opening and makes a couple of wild swings to force Hakon to back away in turn. But instead of forcing him to just back away, Ahma lands a hit on Hakon. He cuts the man from just beneath his right eye to above his left eye, knocking his helmet off in the process. Hakon drops his axe and falls to his knees, screaming in pain and fearing he has lost his eyes. Ahma has defended the honor of the Followers, and that is enough for him, this time.
Later the same year Ahma decides to make High Chief Sárra of Kola pay tribute to him. Now, the High Chiefs of Kola have never paid tribute to Ahma or his father, mainly because they had been so weak, with what their remaining lands having been split in two by a peasant revolt many years ago. But now, with Sárra having been the High Chief for only a year he had already retaken Kantalahti from the upstart peasant, a feat his father never accomplished. And so, to make sure the young High Chief doesn't start to think too highly of himself, Ahma wants to bring him in to the fold by making him a tributary. But whilst Ahma was preparing his army to march north-east, a group of riders approached him. The one leading them introduced himself as High Sárra, and that he was there to officially agree to become a tributary. He knew there would be no way for him to oppose a Kingdom much larger than his own meager High Chiefdom, and also wished to spare spilling blood needlessly in an impossible to win war. Ahma was a bit surprised at this turn of events, but gladly accepted the offer. It would also save his time and men.
Couple years later Ahma was once again raiding in Holmgarðr, since his Rus neighbors were preoccupied with yet another defensive war. This time there was a strange chest that they found whilst they were raiding a Rus settlement. Apparently the house it was found from belonged to a merchant, who now laid dead just outside the door, so he would definitely have no need for it anymore. The strangest thing about the chest was its carvings. They didn't resemble anything Ahma knew. They weren't Finn or Norse or Rus in origin. Heck, he could even say they weren't from this legendary great empire in the South that he had heard of from his father and with which the Rus often traded. Some of those items also ended up in Finland, either through raid or trade, and this chest didn't bear any resemblance to those items. Nevertheless, when shaking it, Ahma could hear there was something inside. Too bad the chest was made wholly of metal or it could just simply be smashed to get to what is inside. Ahma searched the house and the merchants body but found no key. "Seems like this chest didn't originally belong to him as well," he thought as he concluded his search. But even if he can't get what is inside, the chest itself is pretty. It could be used as a decorative item at least, if nothing else. "It would look nice on top of the bookshelf in the workroom."
Later that same year Taimi is once again pregnant. This time however, the pregnancy is tough. Her aches and nausea are far worse than during any of her prior pregnancies, she feels exhausted all the time and her appetite is all but gone, largely thanks to her continuous nauseatic feeling. Ahma suggests the she retire from court life for the rest of her pregnancy. She agrees, and decides to take it easy for the rest of her pregnancy. This helped with her exhaustion, at least, but Ahma decided to help find her something easy to eat that also doesn't smell very strong, so as not to make her nausea worse. He talked about this with the cooks of the fort, and they came to the conclusion that most fish and meat would be off the list for now, since they tend to have a strong smell. Then he went to talk with his tietäjä, Onni, to see what could be done about her aches. He promised to look into it, but couldn't promise anything since his most common remedies hadn't helped her prior to her rest.
Some months later, Taimi was feeling a lot better, though she still remained out of court matters. This was also the time that Ahma received news that last of the lands of High Chief Nyalku of Bjarmia had been conquered a few months ago. Ahma still didn't understand why the Chiefs under king Halfdan IV of Viken would suddenly in the span of a few years conquer Bjarmia. "Didn't the Norse have more lucrative targets for conquest beyond the sea to their west, or were those just tall tales I've heard?" he thought. He shook his head, "No, they are definitely true. Even father told me about those lands and how he once sailed there with his brothers-in-arms when they were hired to fight the Norse by some Anglo-Saxon king." Ahma stared at the fireplace, deep in thought. "I guess those Anglo-Saxon kings must be too strong for the Norse Chiefs to fight and so they turn their attention east to weaker targets." The thought made Ahma shudder. Firstly, because the thought of all the Norse coming to conquer his Kingdom was a frightening one, no matter how strong or weak you are. But secondly, because he's not weak. And he didn't want his neighbors to think that he is. And so, after much thought, Ahma decided it was time to show to all of the North the might of the King of Finland. He could also fulfill the promise that he had made to himself some years ago when returning from Estonia. That he would help the peoples who share similar traditions and faith as he. This would be the perfect opportunity for that. And so, Ahma declares a new kind of war on king Halfdan of Viken. A war of Liberation!
The Mess That Is Bjarmia (Part 1)
Early next year after High Chief Soini's death Taimi finally gave birth. It was another son. Ahma decided to name him Toivo, for he hoped that his family would finally get to live in peace since Soini wasn't around anymore, trying to seduce his wife. Less than a week after Toivo's birth it was noticed that Branislava was also pregnant. The time passed quickly and nothing of note really happened that spring. And so, come summer Branislava goes into labor. She also gives birth to a son, whom Ahma names Haapa.
Tragic news from Karelia soon follow though. Ahma's father-in-law, High Chief Tuure of Karelia, has passed in his sleep at the age of 55. Thus his only living son, Voitto, becomes High Chief and also inherits all of his father's lands.
It was almost fall when Ahma finally received the news that he had been waiting for for a while now. Hakon 'Red-Cheeks' was no longer leading an army in Bjarmia and had returned home. It seems that his liege was successful in his war, taking Onega Peninsula from High Chief Nyalku of Bjarmia. The High Chief now only held the heartland of Bjarmia itself, and even that was being contested. There was nothing that Ahma could really do at the moment however, since Nyalku hadn't requested any aid in his wars. But that didn't matter now, what mattered was his upcoming duel with Hakon. Soon enough the day of the duel came and the two men met on a small island just off the coast of Sviþjod. Big enough for a fight, but small enough that King Eirikr didn't care that foreigners landed there. At the beginning it seemed like the duel would be a close one. Hakon with his axe and shield and Ahma with his sword and shield were an equal match at start. Then, Ahma is being forced back, but sees an opening and makes a couple of wild swings to force Hakon to back away in turn. But instead of forcing him to just back away, Ahma lands a hit on Hakon. He cuts the man from just beneath his right eye to above his left eye, knocking his helmet off in the process. Hakon drops his axe and falls to his knees, screaming in pain and fearing he has lost his eyes. Ahma has defended the honor of the Followers, and that is enough for him, this time.
Later the same year Ahma decides to make High Chief Sárra of Kola pay tribute to him. Now, the High Chiefs of Kola have never paid tribute to Ahma or his father, mainly because they had been so weak, with what their remaining lands having been split in two by a peasant revolt many years ago. But now, with Sárra having been the High Chief for only a year he had already retaken Kantalahti from the upstart peasant, a feat his father never accomplished. And so, to make sure the young High Chief doesn't start to think too highly of himself, Ahma wants to bring him in to the fold by making him a tributary. But whilst Ahma was preparing his army to march north-east, a group of riders approached him. The one leading them introduced himself as High Sárra, and that he was there to officially agree to become a tributary. He knew there would be no way for him to oppose a Kingdom much larger than his own meager High Chiefdom, and also wished to spare spilling blood needlessly in an impossible to win war. Ahma was a bit surprised at this turn of events, but gladly accepted the offer. It would also save his time and men.
Couple years later Ahma was once again raiding in Holmgarðr, since his Rus neighbors were preoccupied with yet another defensive war. This time there was a strange chest that they found whilst they were raiding a Rus settlement. Apparently the house it was found from belonged to a merchant, who now laid dead just outside the door, so he would definitely have no need for it anymore. The strangest thing about the chest was its carvings. They didn't resemble anything Ahma knew. They weren't Finn or Norse or Rus in origin. Heck, he could even say they weren't from this legendary great empire in the South that he had heard of from his father and with which the Rus often traded. Some of those items also ended up in Finland, either through raid or trade, and this chest didn't bear any resemblance to those items. Nevertheless, when shaking it, Ahma could hear there was something inside. Too bad the chest was made wholly of metal or it could just simply be smashed to get to what is inside. Ahma searched the house and the merchants body but found no key. "Seems like this chest didn't originally belong to him as well," he thought as he concluded his search. But even if he can't get what is inside, the chest itself is pretty. It could be used as a decorative item at least, if nothing else. "It would look nice on top of the bookshelf in the workroom."
Later that same year Taimi is once again pregnant. This time however, the pregnancy is tough. Her aches and nausea are far worse than during any of her prior pregnancies, she feels exhausted all the time and her appetite is all but gone, largely thanks to her continuous nauseatic feeling. Ahma suggests the she retire from court life for the rest of her pregnancy. She agrees, and decides to take it easy for the rest of her pregnancy. This helped with her exhaustion, at least, but Ahma decided to help find her something easy to eat that also doesn't smell very strong, so as not to make her nausea worse. He talked about this with the cooks of the fort, and they came to the conclusion that most fish and meat would be off the list for now, since they tend to have a strong smell. Then he went to talk with his tietäjä, Onni, to see what could be done about her aches. He promised to look into it, but couldn't promise anything since his most common remedies hadn't helped her prior to her rest.
Some months later, Taimi was feeling a lot better, though she still remained out of court matters. This was also the time that Ahma received news that last of the lands of High Chief Nyalku of Bjarmia had been conquered a few months ago. Ahma still didn't understand why the Chiefs under king Halfdan IV of Viken would suddenly in the span of a few years conquer Bjarmia. "Didn't the Norse have more lucrative targets for conquest beyond the sea to their west, or were those just tall tales I've heard?" he thought. He shook his head, "No, they are definitely true. Even father told me about those lands and how he once sailed there with his brothers-in-arms when they were hired to fight the Norse by some Anglo-Saxon king." Ahma stared at the fireplace, deep in thought. "I guess those Anglo-Saxon kings must be too strong for the Norse Chiefs to fight and so they turn their attention east to weaker targets." The thought made Ahma shudder. Firstly, because the thought of all the Norse coming to conquer his Kingdom was a frightening one, no matter how strong or weak you are. But secondly, because he's not weak. And he didn't want his neighbors to think that he is. And so, after much thought, Ahma decided it was time to show to all of the North the might of the King of Finland. He could also fulfill the promise that he had made to himself some years ago when returning from Estonia. That he would help the peoples who share similar traditions and faith as he. This would be the perfect opportunity for that. And so, Ahma declares a new kind of war on king Halfdan of Viken. A war of Liberation!
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A Big Thank You for the nomination for the Best Character Writer of the Week @PEnglish82 and a Big Thank You for everyone who is reading my story and supporting me on this journey.
Holy crap, never did I think I'd be nominated for anything for my first AAR, let alone before I even hit 20 chapters
Holy crap, never did I think I'd be nominated for anything for my first AAR, let alone before I even hit 20 chapters
Chapter 19
The Mess That Is Bjarmia (Part 2)
Ahma stepped outside of his tent in the campsite. The whole army had now been gathered. He himself had brought some 6000 men with him to Karelia, where he was to meet the armies of his vassals, allies and tributaries. All of his tributaries had agreed to join his call to arms, most surprisingly Chief Kaleva of Rovaniemi had joined too. High Chief Yar of Velsk was no surprise really, since the Norse that the war was declared upon were right in his doorstep. All in all, the Estonians, the Veps, the Velskians and the Sami from both Kola and Rovaniemi along with all of Ahma's vassal Chiefs brought some 5000 men to the war. So the entire liberation army numbered 11 000 men. This was the largest army the North had ever seen so far, and also a testament to Ahma's power and influence in the region. Ahma took another good look at the camp from the small hill that his and other commanders tents had been set up on, and then walked to the tent next to his. "Such a large army. Much larger than I had hoped for. I thought that ten thousand might be possible, but over a thousand more than that? Never did I think that was possible," he thought to himself as he entered the tent. Some of the leaders of the liberation army were already in the tent, along with their commanders, when Ahma entered. High Chief Yar and High Chief Atyamas were sitting to his left, both of them with two commanders standing behind them. The young High Chief of Kola, Sárra, was sitting to his right with only one commander accompanying him. High Chief Jaolemb and Chief Kaleva were the only ones still missing, but they would arrive soon enough. The Estonian forces were the last ones to arrive just two days ago, so they were still somewhat exhausted from their long march from the south of the Gulf. And Chief Kaleva, well, he was never an early bird.
An hour later High Chief Jaolemb arrived with two of his commanders and Chief Kaleva arrived soon after looking barely awake and with his second son who was also one of his commanders. Now that all of the leaders and commanders were present, Ahma's marshal, Taisto, began to explain the plan. "Thank you all for coming. Now, I will say this first, as it is probably the most important thing about this war. This is a war to liberate Bjarmia from the Norse, thus we must not bring harm to any of the locals. We are here to free them, not to conquer them. If you need more supplies, forage for it or buy it from the locals. If you need guides, hire them, do not force them. Under no circumstances are you to loot or pillage local settlements. If you're so desperate for supplies then find an enemy camp to raid or contact one of the other leaders of the army if they have some to spare. Teamwork is important for the success of this war." Taisto kept a pause to let all that he said sink in and to see if everyone understood what he told them and if any of them might have some other ideas about the matter of 'leave locals alone'. Ahma had made Taisto his marshal a few years ago. He was young for such a position, but more than capable. Heck, he was just a few years younger than Ahma who had just hit his thirties. Taisto may be young and of common birth, but that doesn't mean he can't do his job. He had started as a commander, scouted out by none other than marshal Havu just a year before his death. He had proven to be an excellent commander and thus seemed the natural choice as the next marshal after Havu's follower had died some five years ago.
Taisto looked at Ahma and Ahma nodded to him, telling him to continue.
"As I'm sure many of you are aware, this time of year is not usually the most convenient for war, with what all the snow and cold, but this will actually give us the advantage over our enemies. With the northern seas frozen and freezing winds blowing, our enemies will not come upon us with their ships. No, they will have to march through the lands of Finland where our own people will make it even more difficult for the enemy to travel. Our scouts can warn the settlements on the enemy army's path to take their food and belongings and leave nothing for the enemy, whilst also harassing their foragers to prevent them from getting even what little they could gather in the winter. And so, when we finally fight them, starved and exhausted and frostbitten, they will be easy pickings."
High Chief Yar was the first to speak his mind. "And what if the Norse don't come running to defend Bjarmia? What if they wait till summer to come by ship? What then?"
"Oh, they will come" Taisto answered. "If not the king himself with his army, then at least the Chiefs who have taken lands in Bjarmia will want to defend it. And those are the most powerful Chiefs in Viken too, so the king can't exactly ignore them either." Taisto's face then turned into a slightly wicked grin when he said "Besides, come summer, the Norse would already be too late as Bjarmia will be completely under our control by then. And they know that."
By noon the leaders were done with the meeting. They had decided that Ahma and marshal Taisto would lead the 6000 strong Finnish army to take western Bjarmia, namely Onega Peninsula and Bjarmia proper, whilst High Chief Atyamas and High Chief Yar would lead the allied army to eastern Bjarmia, which is Dvina and Kuloy. No way could the entire 11 000 man strong army move as one before summer, and even then it could barely forage enough supplies to support itself. So they would have to move separately. They would leave on the crack dawn the day after tomorrow, to allow the Estonians and Sami who had arrived just a day or two ago to rest properly before the war truly starts. Ahma was sitting in his tent, looking at his armor and weapons, deep in thought. His armor consisted of thick, hardened leather, a big round shield that he had copied from his Norse neighbors and his wolverine helmet. His weapon of choice was his father's sword, but he also carried a dagger with him as a backup weapon. He had also taken to carrying some javelins with him to throw them at the enemy if there's an opportunity to.
Ahma had been preparing for this war for a few months. Taimi had even given birth shortly before Ahma departed, and they decided to name their new son Urho. Ahma hoped that he could finish this war soon, for he didn't want to miss seeing his youngest son growing up. He had missed a lot of things from his children's lives due to his wars and raids and other duties, but he still tried to be a good father to all of them, like his father was to him. But his duties were keeping him away from home longer and longer. His eldest, Kivutar, was almost of age by now, and his oldest son, Susi, was close behind. And he hadn't even found suitable spouses for them yet. But there would a time for that later. For now, he would have to worry about the war.
It was late spring when the gates of the fort in Bjarmia finally broke. They had taken control of Onega Peninsula a couple months ago, and his allies had taken Dvina short time before. Currently they were in Kuloy laying siege on the fort there, and possibly even taken it already. And if that was the case, Bjarmia was all that was left. And they had not seen a hair of the Norse army yet. Just some occasional camp or the garrison of the fort. Taking the fort in Onega Peninsula went smoothly, as his forces remembered that they were not to loot or pillage the fort or the town. This time it was not so smooth. Many of his forces seemed to have forgotten that they were there to drive away the Norse conquerors and not conquering or raiding the lands. Several hundred of his men who were first through the gate started to pillage the town and fort, taking valuables and killing townsfolk instead of fighting the Norse garrison. Ahma decided that this would not stand and he would find those responsible for this reckless behavior.
After the pillagers had been stopped and imprisoned, it was time to find those responsible. Most of them were ordinary soldiers, but some of them were lower ranked officers of his army. As it turned out, they were the ones who had planned this. They thought that most of them would get away with it too, since there were so many of them and not all of them could possibly be caught. They had told the men under their leadership that most of the people in the town and fort were most likely Norse and had either driven out or killed the local populace to be able to hold the fort as long as possible with what provisions they had. So it wouldn't technically be breaking their orders if they were to pillage the town and fort a little. But they were wrong. The Norse hadn't driven out or killed the local populace so as to keep the local militia that was now part of the garrison loyal to them. Ahma had told the guards who were on the walls that they were there to free them from the Norse conquerors and that the locals would not be harmed when the gates are opened, one way or another. This didn't have the desired effect on the militia, as they were outnumbered over 2 to 1 as Ahma later learned. And his promise of not hurting the locals had also been broken, though not by his orders at least. But this still made him seem a weaker leader than he really was. That was why this punishment was needed. That was why it was made a public affair in the town market. That was why Ahma was now standing on a makeshift stage in the market with several dozen of his men in chains and even more of his men standing guard around the market.
"Good people of Bjarmia!" he began. "Two weeks ago my forces stormed through the gates to liberate you from the Norse invaders! Despite my orders to the contrary many of them began to pillage the town! This was unacceptable! I had promised that the locals would not be hurt once I get through those gates! I am ashamed that my men would do such a thing and betray not only me, but also you, whom I had promised safety and protection! That is why I have brought the men responsible for this heinous act on to this stage! To receive their just punishment!"
Nine men were then dragged on to the stage in chains. These were the officers who had planned the whole thing. Eight of them were positioned towards the back of the stage, behind Ahma, whilst one of them, the most high ranking of the nine, was brought next to Ahma on his right hand side.
"For disobeying the orders of your King, your crime is TREASON! And your punishment, DEATH!"
Ahma then drew his dagger from his hip, held it in front of himself for a second that everyone could see, and then struck it up to the hilt to the throat of the man beside him, as he himself was still facing towards the crowd. He then twisted the dagger before pulling it out and wiping it before sheathing it. That was also when the remaining eight were put to their knees and their heads placed on blocks. Then the men beside them lifted their weapons. Swords, axes, there was even a single war hammer among them. Then, in unison, they lowered their weapons. Seven heads dropped to the ground and one was crushed. After this Ahma spoke to the crowd again.
"I know it will not bring your loved ones back, but I hope that you will at least get to rest easy knowing that the ones responsible for their deaths have received their just punishment."
Ahma then nodded to another guard that was waiting next to the stage. The guard then left and soon came to the stage with yet another man in chains.
"This man was one of the soldiers that those men before deceived into doing what they did! While he is not a man who led the others in this crime, he still should've known better, as he had heard it directly from me that no locals were to be harmed or a town pillaged! And that I had made no exception to this order in the case of your town either! Whilst he was no ringleader in this crime, he was still one of those who committed it! For that, the punishment for you and your ilk, is losing a hand!"
The man was then brought to his knees and his hand was placed on the block on the left hand side of Ahma. He then took his sword, raised it, and swung it. The man screamed in pain as Ahma tossed his dismembered hand in front of the stage.
"I cannot bring all of his ilk to this stage to be punished, for they were too many for that. But know that this is the fate awaiting all of them!"
He then walked off from the stage with his bloody sword still in his hand. He knew that there would be several hundred more men imprisoned and waiting for punishment. And they all would receive that punishment! But doing all of that here in Bjarmia would take too long. His scouts had told him that the enemy was finally coming.
The Mess That Is Bjarmia (Part 2)
Ahma stepped outside of his tent in the campsite. The whole army had now been gathered. He himself had brought some 6000 men with him to Karelia, where he was to meet the armies of his vassals, allies and tributaries. All of his tributaries had agreed to join his call to arms, most surprisingly Chief Kaleva of Rovaniemi had joined too. High Chief Yar of Velsk was no surprise really, since the Norse that the war was declared upon were right in his doorstep. All in all, the Estonians, the Veps, the Velskians and the Sami from both Kola and Rovaniemi along with all of Ahma's vassal Chiefs brought some 5000 men to the war. So the entire liberation army numbered 11 000 men. This was the largest army the North had ever seen so far, and also a testament to Ahma's power and influence in the region. Ahma took another good look at the camp from the small hill that his and other commanders tents had been set up on, and then walked to the tent next to his. "Such a large army. Much larger than I had hoped for. I thought that ten thousand might be possible, but over a thousand more than that? Never did I think that was possible," he thought to himself as he entered the tent. Some of the leaders of the liberation army were already in the tent, along with their commanders, when Ahma entered. High Chief Yar and High Chief Atyamas were sitting to his left, both of them with two commanders standing behind them. The young High Chief of Kola, Sárra, was sitting to his right with only one commander accompanying him. High Chief Jaolemb and Chief Kaleva were the only ones still missing, but they would arrive soon enough. The Estonian forces were the last ones to arrive just two days ago, so they were still somewhat exhausted from their long march from the south of the Gulf. And Chief Kaleva, well, he was never an early bird.
An hour later High Chief Jaolemb arrived with two of his commanders and Chief Kaleva arrived soon after looking barely awake and with his second son who was also one of his commanders. Now that all of the leaders and commanders were present, Ahma's marshal, Taisto, began to explain the plan. "Thank you all for coming. Now, I will say this first, as it is probably the most important thing about this war. This is a war to liberate Bjarmia from the Norse, thus we must not bring harm to any of the locals. We are here to free them, not to conquer them. If you need more supplies, forage for it or buy it from the locals. If you need guides, hire them, do not force them. Under no circumstances are you to loot or pillage local settlements. If you're so desperate for supplies then find an enemy camp to raid or contact one of the other leaders of the army if they have some to spare. Teamwork is important for the success of this war." Taisto kept a pause to let all that he said sink in and to see if everyone understood what he told them and if any of them might have some other ideas about the matter of 'leave locals alone'. Ahma had made Taisto his marshal a few years ago. He was young for such a position, but more than capable. Heck, he was just a few years younger than Ahma who had just hit his thirties. Taisto may be young and of common birth, but that doesn't mean he can't do his job. He had started as a commander, scouted out by none other than marshal Havu just a year before his death. He had proven to be an excellent commander and thus seemed the natural choice as the next marshal after Havu's follower had died some five years ago.
Taisto looked at Ahma and Ahma nodded to him, telling him to continue.
"As I'm sure many of you are aware, this time of year is not usually the most convenient for war, with what all the snow and cold, but this will actually give us the advantage over our enemies. With the northern seas frozen and freezing winds blowing, our enemies will not come upon us with their ships. No, they will have to march through the lands of Finland where our own people will make it even more difficult for the enemy to travel. Our scouts can warn the settlements on the enemy army's path to take their food and belongings and leave nothing for the enemy, whilst also harassing their foragers to prevent them from getting even what little they could gather in the winter. And so, when we finally fight them, starved and exhausted and frostbitten, they will be easy pickings."
High Chief Yar was the first to speak his mind. "And what if the Norse don't come running to defend Bjarmia? What if they wait till summer to come by ship? What then?"
"Oh, they will come" Taisto answered. "If not the king himself with his army, then at least the Chiefs who have taken lands in Bjarmia will want to defend it. And those are the most powerful Chiefs in Viken too, so the king can't exactly ignore them either." Taisto's face then turned into a slightly wicked grin when he said "Besides, come summer, the Norse would already be too late as Bjarmia will be completely under our control by then. And they know that."
By noon the leaders were done with the meeting. They had decided that Ahma and marshal Taisto would lead the 6000 strong Finnish army to take western Bjarmia, namely Onega Peninsula and Bjarmia proper, whilst High Chief Atyamas and High Chief Yar would lead the allied army to eastern Bjarmia, which is Dvina and Kuloy. No way could the entire 11 000 man strong army move as one before summer, and even then it could barely forage enough supplies to support itself. So they would have to move separately. They would leave on the crack dawn the day after tomorrow, to allow the Estonians and Sami who had arrived just a day or two ago to rest properly before the war truly starts. Ahma was sitting in his tent, looking at his armor and weapons, deep in thought. His armor consisted of thick, hardened leather, a big round shield that he had copied from his Norse neighbors and his wolverine helmet. His weapon of choice was his father's sword, but he also carried a dagger with him as a backup weapon. He had also taken to carrying some javelins with him to throw them at the enemy if there's an opportunity to.
Ahma had been preparing for this war for a few months. Taimi had even given birth shortly before Ahma departed, and they decided to name their new son Urho. Ahma hoped that he could finish this war soon, for he didn't want to miss seeing his youngest son growing up. He had missed a lot of things from his children's lives due to his wars and raids and other duties, but he still tried to be a good father to all of them, like his father was to him. But his duties were keeping him away from home longer and longer. His eldest, Kivutar, was almost of age by now, and his oldest son, Susi, was close behind. And he hadn't even found suitable spouses for them yet. But there would a time for that later. For now, he would have to worry about the war.
It was late spring when the gates of the fort in Bjarmia finally broke. They had taken control of Onega Peninsula a couple months ago, and his allies had taken Dvina short time before. Currently they were in Kuloy laying siege on the fort there, and possibly even taken it already. And if that was the case, Bjarmia was all that was left. And they had not seen a hair of the Norse army yet. Just some occasional camp or the garrison of the fort. Taking the fort in Onega Peninsula went smoothly, as his forces remembered that they were not to loot or pillage the fort or the town. This time it was not so smooth. Many of his forces seemed to have forgotten that they were there to drive away the Norse conquerors and not conquering or raiding the lands. Several hundred of his men who were first through the gate started to pillage the town and fort, taking valuables and killing townsfolk instead of fighting the Norse garrison. Ahma decided that this would not stand and he would find those responsible for this reckless behavior.
After the pillagers had been stopped and imprisoned, it was time to find those responsible. Most of them were ordinary soldiers, but some of them were lower ranked officers of his army. As it turned out, they were the ones who had planned this. They thought that most of them would get away with it too, since there were so many of them and not all of them could possibly be caught. They had told the men under their leadership that most of the people in the town and fort were most likely Norse and had either driven out or killed the local populace to be able to hold the fort as long as possible with what provisions they had. So it wouldn't technically be breaking their orders if they were to pillage the town and fort a little. But they were wrong. The Norse hadn't driven out or killed the local populace so as to keep the local militia that was now part of the garrison loyal to them. Ahma had told the guards who were on the walls that they were there to free them from the Norse conquerors and that the locals would not be harmed when the gates are opened, one way or another. This didn't have the desired effect on the militia, as they were outnumbered over 2 to 1 as Ahma later learned. And his promise of not hurting the locals had also been broken, though not by his orders at least. But this still made him seem a weaker leader than he really was. That was why this punishment was needed. That was why it was made a public affair in the town market. That was why Ahma was now standing on a makeshift stage in the market with several dozen of his men in chains and even more of his men standing guard around the market.
"Good people of Bjarmia!" he began. "Two weeks ago my forces stormed through the gates to liberate you from the Norse invaders! Despite my orders to the contrary many of them began to pillage the town! This was unacceptable! I had promised that the locals would not be hurt once I get through those gates! I am ashamed that my men would do such a thing and betray not only me, but also you, whom I had promised safety and protection! That is why I have brought the men responsible for this heinous act on to this stage! To receive their just punishment!"
Nine men were then dragged on to the stage in chains. These were the officers who had planned the whole thing. Eight of them were positioned towards the back of the stage, behind Ahma, whilst one of them, the most high ranking of the nine, was brought next to Ahma on his right hand side.
"For disobeying the orders of your King, your crime is TREASON! And your punishment, DEATH!"
Ahma then drew his dagger from his hip, held it in front of himself for a second that everyone could see, and then struck it up to the hilt to the throat of the man beside him, as he himself was still facing towards the crowd. He then twisted the dagger before pulling it out and wiping it before sheathing it. That was also when the remaining eight were put to their knees and their heads placed on blocks. Then the men beside them lifted their weapons. Swords, axes, there was even a single war hammer among them. Then, in unison, they lowered their weapons. Seven heads dropped to the ground and one was crushed. After this Ahma spoke to the crowd again.
"I know it will not bring your loved ones back, but I hope that you will at least get to rest easy knowing that the ones responsible for their deaths have received their just punishment."
Ahma then nodded to another guard that was waiting next to the stage. The guard then left and soon came to the stage with yet another man in chains.
"This man was one of the soldiers that those men before deceived into doing what they did! While he is not a man who led the others in this crime, he still should've known better, as he had heard it directly from me that no locals were to be harmed or a town pillaged! And that I had made no exception to this order in the case of your town either! Whilst he was no ringleader in this crime, he was still one of those who committed it! For that, the punishment for you and your ilk, is losing a hand!"
The man was then brought to his knees and his hand was placed on the block on the left hand side of Ahma. He then took his sword, raised it, and swung it. The man screamed in pain as Ahma tossed his dismembered hand in front of the stage.
"I cannot bring all of his ilk to this stage to be punished, for they were too many for that. But know that this is the fate awaiting all of them!"
He then walked off from the stage with his bloody sword still in his hand. He knew that there would be several hundred more men imprisoned and waiting for punishment. And they all would receive that punishment! But doing all of that here in Bjarmia would take too long. His scouts had told him that the enemy was finally coming.
Fighting a war is tough enough even when part of your army forgets what it is doing. No wonder he is a mite annoyed.
A liberation war is hard to wage if the "liberators" appear as pillagers. For compromising the goal of the war, Ahma had to take drastic measures.
(Ah, the pillaging event. I've come to hate it with a passion, so much that my characters almost never lead the centre of a sieging army anymore. Especially if firing for a raider's army.)
(Ah, the pillaging event. I've come to hate it with a passion, so much that my characters almost never lead the centre of a sieging army anymore. Especially if firing for a raider's army.
)
Chapter 19.5
Side Story: Nabtiko
His shift had just ended and he was walking to the tavern for a drink and a meal. A change to the not-so great food served in the barracks that he ate in almost daily. He didn't understand how things had come to this. Some Norse Chiefs from a kingdom called Viken had taken over the region and driven out the old High Chief from his seat in Bjarmia not a month ago. And a few years even before that his home, Kuloy, had been taken by the same Norse. Norse that Nabtiko had hoped he would never have to come face to face with.
Nabtiko did not have an easy start to his life. He was born to a young woman from Bjarmia who became pregnant after some Norse raiders had had their way with her. She died soon after childbirth and her father, not being able to bear having Nabtiko as a reminder of his daughter and what had happened to her and not willing to kill or abandon his own blood, gave the baby to a couple he knew could take care of him, since they had also just gotten a baby too so she would be able to feed him. At the age of six Nabtiko was more or less forced to leave with his adoptive father's brother after the family became unable to provide for so many mouths. The man was a travelling merchant and Nabtiko learned many things while on the road, including a few languages. Sadly, his mentor was killed by Norse raiders when they were travelling to Bjarmia. Nabtiko managed to escape back to the town from where they had left in Kuloy. He stayed there and at sixteen years of age decided to join the town guard to provide for himself and to save enough to become a merchant himself some years down the line. But, fate had other plans. The Norse began not just raiding, but invading Bjarmia. Kuloy was the first to be taken by the Norse. Later Dvina and Onega Peninsula, and lastly, Bjarmia itself. Nabtiko had tried to quit being a guard after the Norse took over, but the Norse made it clear what happens if one abandons their post. And so, he had to stay. Nabtiko's pride gave way to his will to live.
And so we arrive at present day. Nabtiko's shift for the day was over and he just arrived to the tavern. One of only two in town. And not the better one either. Nabtiko did used to go there, but not after the Norse began frequenting there as well. He couldn't stand them. His mother had to suffer because of them. His mentor died because of them. They had invaded his homeland and were trying to get the locals to even worship their gods. Even him. But he had just cursed at them and told he would never abandon his gods. He paid for that even still. He had gotten a good smack in the face, sure, but that he could take any day. But they forced him to wear an amulet they called Thor's hammer around his neck from now on all day every day and almost doubling his regular shifts and to be put on duty to replace the Norse guards if weather turned sour too in between his regular guard shifts. All this would end if he would just abandon his old gods and begin worshipping Thor. But he would not budge. His actions had also earned him a little bit of a reputation among the other local guards and some patrons of the tavern as the "one who openly defied the Norse invaders in their face despite having to be around them daily." It did earn him a couple of free drinks in the tavern every now and then, but nothing more. Truth be told, Nabtiko would probably be quite content in his life if the Norse just weren't there.
Then he heard the news. The King of Finland had declared war on the Norse. And not to conquer Bjarmia for himself from them, but to drive them away and let a Bjarmian rule over Bjarmia again. He couldn't believe his ears. Either the man is selfless or stupid. Either way, Nabtiko welcomed the news. He would gladly see the Norse driven back to the freezing White Sea.
Next spring the army had arrived. It was even larger than Nabtiko had imagined it to be. The Norse were talking about an army of 5000 men, but Nabtiko had never seen so many people at one place before, so it was larger than he imagined. And apparently a second army was heading towards Bjarmia itself, that one 6000 man strong. Nabtiko was amazed at the power and influence a King could seem to wield.
"With an army of that size he could definitely drive the Norse away. The Norse garrison here doesn't stand a chance." He paused for a moment. "But me and many locals are also part of the garrison. We could get killed too in the confusion. I have to do something about that!"
That night Nabtiko managed to convince many of the other Bjarmians working in the guard and militia to join him in opening the gates two nights from now. They would also wear white strips of cloth on their arms to distinguish themselves from the Norse. They would have to tell this to the army outside before letting them in though. For this job one senior member of the guard offered his son as a volunteer. Neither of them had any love lost for the Norse, for they had lost many family members to the invaders. The son was a former smuggler so he knew how to slip past anyone if needed. He had become an honest merchant though, after his father had caught him red handed and scolded him severely for it. And so, it was decided. In two nights they would wear white strips of cloth on their arms and take the gate and open it, hoping that the former smuggler made it through to tell the army outside about the plan.
It wasn't easy to get everyone to the agreed upon place. The Norse were guarding the walls themselves and had placed a strict curfew in place, not allowing anyone who wasn't a guard on duty to be outside after sunset. But they managed it, and without alerting anyone. Then they rushed to the gate. Some forty local guards and militiamen wasn't much compared to the over 300 Norse guards acting as garrison, but they were spread thin. They were able to take the gate rather quickly and began to open it. Now, they could only hope the army outside was ready to charge in as soon as possible, for they wouldn't be able to hold the gate against hundreds of Norse warriors for too long. Soon the Norse descended upon them, trying to take back the gate. Nabtiko doesn't know how long he fought, but for him it felt like hours. But then, finally, the army came pouring in. They went right past the men with white cloths on their arms and charged straight at the Norse.
"It worked! The plan worked! He got through to them!" Nabtiko wanted to sit down now, to rest, but he knew he couldn't. He still had a score to settle with these blasted invaders.
By noon the fighting was over. Nabtiko was resting with his fellow guards when a man riding on a horse came to them. "I am High Chief Yar of Velsk and I lead the army charging the gate. You have my word that this town and it's people will not be harmed if we are not provoked to act. I would like to know which of you was in charge of this little... operation?"
The other guards pointed at Nabtiko.
"I see, so you were the one who lead these men to storm the gates from the inside. Do tell me, who are you and how old are exactly, you seem rather young."
Nabtiko stood up and said somewhat nervously, "I am Nabtiko sir, and I am soon twenty years old."
High Chief Yar chuckled. "Barely of age and you were already leading a small warband against fearsome enemies such as the Norse? I have a feeling I'm going to hear more about you before this war is over." High Chief Yar then turned around with his horse and joined his commanders who were waiting for him. Nabtiko and rest of the guards were left standing there, dumbfounded and thinking about the High Chief's words.
Side Story: Nabtiko
His shift had just ended and he was walking to the tavern for a drink and a meal. A change to the not-so great food served in the barracks that he ate in almost daily. He didn't understand how things had come to this. Some Norse Chiefs from a kingdom called Viken had taken over the region and driven out the old High Chief from his seat in Bjarmia not a month ago. And a few years even before that his home, Kuloy, had been taken by the same Norse. Norse that Nabtiko had hoped he would never have to come face to face with.
Nabtiko did not have an easy start to his life. He was born to a young woman from Bjarmia who became pregnant after some Norse raiders had had their way with her. She died soon after childbirth and her father, not being able to bear having Nabtiko as a reminder of his daughter and what had happened to her and not willing to kill or abandon his own blood, gave the baby to a couple he knew could take care of him, since they had also just gotten a baby too so she would be able to feed him. At the age of six Nabtiko was more or less forced to leave with his adoptive father's brother after the family became unable to provide for so many mouths. The man was a travelling merchant and Nabtiko learned many things while on the road, including a few languages. Sadly, his mentor was killed by Norse raiders when they were travelling to Bjarmia. Nabtiko managed to escape back to the town from where they had left in Kuloy. He stayed there and at sixteen years of age decided to join the town guard to provide for himself and to save enough to become a merchant himself some years down the line. But, fate had other plans. The Norse began not just raiding, but invading Bjarmia. Kuloy was the first to be taken by the Norse. Later Dvina and Onega Peninsula, and lastly, Bjarmia itself. Nabtiko had tried to quit being a guard after the Norse took over, but the Norse made it clear what happens if one abandons their post. And so, he had to stay. Nabtiko's pride gave way to his will to live.
And so we arrive at present day. Nabtiko's shift for the day was over and he just arrived to the tavern. One of only two in town. And not the better one either. Nabtiko did used to go there, but not after the Norse began frequenting there as well. He couldn't stand them. His mother had to suffer because of them. His mentor died because of them. They had invaded his homeland and were trying to get the locals to even worship their gods. Even him. But he had just cursed at them and told he would never abandon his gods. He paid for that even still. He had gotten a good smack in the face, sure, but that he could take any day. But they forced him to wear an amulet they called Thor's hammer around his neck from now on all day every day and almost doubling his regular shifts and to be put on duty to replace the Norse guards if weather turned sour too in between his regular guard shifts. All this would end if he would just abandon his old gods and begin worshipping Thor. But he would not budge. His actions had also earned him a little bit of a reputation among the other local guards and some patrons of the tavern as the "one who openly defied the Norse invaders in their face despite having to be around them daily." It did earn him a couple of free drinks in the tavern every now and then, but nothing more. Truth be told, Nabtiko would probably be quite content in his life if the Norse just weren't there.
Then he heard the news. The King of Finland had declared war on the Norse. And not to conquer Bjarmia for himself from them, but to drive them away and let a Bjarmian rule over Bjarmia again. He couldn't believe his ears. Either the man is selfless or stupid. Either way, Nabtiko welcomed the news. He would gladly see the Norse driven back to the freezing White Sea.
Next spring the army had arrived. It was even larger than Nabtiko had imagined it to be. The Norse were talking about an army of 5000 men, but Nabtiko had never seen so many people at one place before, so it was larger than he imagined. And apparently a second army was heading towards Bjarmia itself, that one 6000 man strong. Nabtiko was amazed at the power and influence a King could seem to wield.
"With an army of that size he could definitely drive the Norse away. The Norse garrison here doesn't stand a chance." He paused for a moment. "But me and many locals are also part of the garrison. We could get killed too in the confusion. I have to do something about that!"
That night Nabtiko managed to convince many of the other Bjarmians working in the guard and militia to join him in opening the gates two nights from now. They would also wear white strips of cloth on their arms to distinguish themselves from the Norse. They would have to tell this to the army outside before letting them in though. For this job one senior member of the guard offered his son as a volunteer. Neither of them had any love lost for the Norse, for they had lost many family members to the invaders. The son was a former smuggler so he knew how to slip past anyone if needed. He had become an honest merchant though, after his father had caught him red handed and scolded him severely for it. And so, it was decided. In two nights they would wear white strips of cloth on their arms and take the gate and open it, hoping that the former smuggler made it through to tell the army outside about the plan.
It wasn't easy to get everyone to the agreed upon place. The Norse were guarding the walls themselves and had placed a strict curfew in place, not allowing anyone who wasn't a guard on duty to be outside after sunset. But they managed it, and without alerting anyone. Then they rushed to the gate. Some forty local guards and militiamen wasn't much compared to the over 300 Norse guards acting as garrison, but they were spread thin. They were able to take the gate rather quickly and began to open it. Now, they could only hope the army outside was ready to charge in as soon as possible, for they wouldn't be able to hold the gate against hundreds of Norse warriors for too long. Soon the Norse descended upon them, trying to take back the gate. Nabtiko doesn't know how long he fought, but for him it felt like hours. But then, finally, the army came pouring in. They went right past the men with white cloths on their arms and charged straight at the Norse.
"It worked! The plan worked! He got through to them!" Nabtiko wanted to sit down now, to rest, but he knew he couldn't. He still had a score to settle with these blasted invaders.
By noon the fighting was over. Nabtiko was resting with his fellow guards when a man riding on a horse came to them. "I am High Chief Yar of Velsk and I lead the army charging the gate. You have my word that this town and it's people will not be harmed if we are not provoked to act. I would like to know which of you was in charge of this little... operation?"
The other guards pointed at Nabtiko.
"I see, so you were the one who lead these men to storm the gates from the inside. Do tell me, who are you and how old are exactly, you seem rather young."
Nabtiko stood up and said somewhat nervously, "I am Nabtiko sir, and I am soon twenty years old."
High Chief Yar chuckled. "Barely of age and you were already leading a small warband against fearsome enemies such as the Norse? I have a feeling I'm going to hear more about you before this war is over." High Chief Yar then turned around with his horse and joined his commanders who were waiting for him. Nabtiko and rest of the guards were left standing there, dumbfounded and thinking about the High Chief's words.
I felt like this guy deserved his own little side story, after all, I'm the one responsible for changing his future so
But don't worry, the main story will continue later this weekend with chapter 20.
And I'm pretty sure you guys know what this Nabtiko fellows' role will be in the future if you've ever waged any religious liberation wars in CK2.
But don't worry, the main story will continue later this weekend with chapter 20.
And I'm pretty sure you guys know what this Nabtiko fellows' role will be in the future if you've ever waged any religious liberation wars in CK2.
Chapter 20
Kingly Negotiations
Ahma was finally facing the enemy army. He had led his men to face them in battle after all of Bjarmia had been taken and he had then received word of their arrival. The two armies finally met in Olonets, but the Norse had taken defensive position on top of a hill. Not a particularly steep one, but a hill nonetheless, forcing his army to face an uphill battle. The enemy numbered around 3000 soldiers, whilst his was some 6000 strong. Though somewhere around 300 of them were one handed after his punishments had been carried through during the journey to Olonets.
Ahma knew he could wait for his reinforcements to arrive, but he didn't. He knew he could take the Norse on with just his own army. He wanted to show the sole strength of the King of Finland, not that of the King and his allies. And so, come morning, Ahma's army was taking positions. He decided to surround the hill on three sides. If he surrounded it on all sides he would be spreading his army too thin and the enemy might be able to break through. So the hill was surrounded in a U-shape, with heavy infantry in the center and light infantry on the sides. All three sides would be backed up by archers, but the ends of the U-shape were especially thick of them. Ahma thought they could fire arrows in to the enemy with some of them actually coming from behind them. They could also begin to pelt the enemy with arrows if they were to try to flee from the open part of the formation. Ahma was actually a little surprised how easily the Norse let his army take the formation, since they were effectively surrounded. "Maybe they think that having the high ground and so many men will be enough even if they are surrounded" Ahma thought before ordering his forces to march forward.
The battle was bloody and gruesome. Ahma was in the thick of it too. He had taken down a couple of enemy soldiers already when suddenly he heard someone shout at him. He turned around and right before him was an enemy soldier, apparently challenging him. Ahma didn't speak much Norse but he was able to make out that the young man's name was Åke and he was an enemy commander. Ahma accepted the challenge and immediately lunged at the enemy. The fight was tough, but despite being some ten years younger, by Ahma's estimate, Åke was the first one to tire and run out of stamina. He couldn't lift his sword quickly enough anymore and Ahma drove his sword deep into Åke's chest. He let out a chilling scream, coughs blood and tries to raise his sword arm, but can't. He then slowly goes limp, dropping his sword, and finally turns lifeless right in front of Ahma's face. "The young warrior thought he'd win some fame for himself by defeating the enemy King" Ahma thought as he pulled his sword out of Åke's chest.
The battle lasts for the whole day, but by the end of it, Ahma emerges victorious. But at what cost? The Norse army lost almost 2000 men, yes, but Ahma had lost a thousand men as well. As Ahma was walking through the battlefield riddled with corpses, he notices a familiar one among them.
"No, it can't be!" he shouted. He then ran to the corpse and then fell on his knees besides it.
"Why? Who?" he thought to himself. The body was marshal Taisto. He had been killed during the fighting, by what seemed like a stab wound through his throat. That day Ahma lost a talented young marshal with a great future ahead of him, as well as a friend.
Ahma couldn't mourn for too long however, as he received word that another enemy army was heading their way, this one some 2000 strong.
"So that's why they didn't try anything when we surrounded them. They were waiting for their reinforcements, hoping to outflank us while the battle was still going on" he realized. "The Norse had thought we wouldn't attack right away or they could hold out longer than they actually did. If that had actually been the case, we might've been doomed ourselves. Yar and Jaolemb would've never been able to make it in time to help if that had happened. I was a fool! I should've waited for them. That's why I called my allies and tributaries to this war: to aid me. Instead I go off on my own and get a thousand men killed along with my marshal and friend, Taisto." He remained there on his knees for a while, thinking what to do. In the end, there was just one option. Prepare for their arrival! The enemy was too close to fall back to Bjarmia and also too close to really be ambushed anymore. So all he could do now was strengthen his position. He outnumbered the enemy more than 2 to 1, but his men were still exhausted from the battle and the scouts say the enemy is just two, maybe three days away at most. He ended up taking position up on the same hill as the Norse before, but he still decided that since he still had time he would come up with some sort of tactic to fight the Norse coming for him to get himself the advantage. And he thought to use his cavalry this time who didn't get to see much action in the previous battle.
Two and a half days later, the Norse arrived. They began making formations immediately after their arrival. They then marched up the hill and when they were half way up, Ahma ordered a charge. But nothing happened. Then the cavalry hidden in the woods around the hill came out and struck the enemy flanks from behind them. Then the soldiers from on top of the hill charged. Lead by the heavy infantry in the center and light infantry right behind them, which soon spread out to the flanks to face the enemy. The right and left flanks of the enemy were now fighting the Finns on both their front and back and soon they cracked under the pressure. The light infantry then turned their attention to the center whilst the cavalry chased down the routing flanks. The center soon gave in too and routed. The Finns lost maybe around two to three hundred men, whilst the Norse seemed to have lost almost a thousand.
The greatest prize, even greater than a victorious battle, came soon after however. Some of Ahma's cavalrymen returned a little later than the rest, but for a good reason. They had been chasing a fleeing enemy after they had recognized him. And they had caught him eventually. They brought king Halfdan of Viken with them as a prisoner.
"Excellent. With this the war will be over even sooner than we thought," Ahma thought to himself and let out a sigh of relief. The war would be over. All that would remain would be to name a ruler for Bjarmia. He had thought to reinstall Nyalku as High Chief, but it would be a whole other question if the people of Bjarmia would accept him as their High Chief anymore.
And sure enough, when Ahma returned to Bjarmia to place someone as the leader of the liberated Bjarmia the locals already had someone in mind. And when Ahma tried to suggest High Chief Nyalku to them, there was a silence at first and then loud shouting along the lines of "why would we want that incompetent fool back" and the like. And so Ahma was forced on the bargaining table with a complete stranger whom the people had decided would be their King of all things, not just High Chief. When Ahma returned to his tent in the camp outside the town, he let out an exhausted sigh. These Bjarmians were a handful to deal with. He would be meeting with their chosen leader tomorrow in the fort, alone.
"That will at least make the negotiations a bit easier when it's just the two of us and no townsfolk shouting demands or any of my allies demanding compensations for anything" he thought. Ahma had sent his allies and tributaries home before heading to Bjarmia himself. He would have no need for them in the upcoming negotiations, since he could take care of that himself. Besides, the war was over and there would be no need for such large armies anymore. Men needed to return to their fields and jobs. They had been in this war for over a year and last year's harvest must have suffered when thousands of men were missing from the fields. And he would still have to compensate the families of those who died in battle as he had promised his men, so as to ensure they would be more willing to participate in what would be a long and possibly gruesome war. "Actually, that might have been one of the reasons why I managed to gather an army larger than I had anticipated. Guess I should make it a permanent thing then to compensate the families of the fallen with a up to a year's pay, depending on the scale of the war of course," he thought to himself as he went to sleep.
The next morning Ahma was making his way to the fort to begin negotiations. The town seemed to be in a festive mood, with what the Norse driven out and the peace and also getting a King of their own like the Finns and Permians have. When Ahma finally entered the great hall of the fort he could only see a lone young man standing on the other end of the hall.
"Is that him?" he thought. "Is that really the man these people have chosen to be their King? He's seems to be barely of age!"
The young man came up to Ahma and greeted him in fluent Finnish. Ahma was slightly surprised at this, but greeted him back with the young man's own language. He had learned at least that much during this war and from his fellow Followers of Otso. The young man then proceeded to introduce himself.
"I am Nabtiko. I was the one who lead a group of local guards and militiamen in Kuloy to open the gates for your second army led by High Chief Yar. I guess the stories of that battle spread fast and twisted even faster, given how people wanted me to be their new leader now that the war is over."
Ahma was sizing the young man up whilst they spoke. He was indeed young, early twenties at most. His build suggests that he might've actually been a guard or a soldier for a few years at least. But his fluent Finnish still eluded him. Granted, their languages are similar, so much so that two people from their countries who have never met someone from the other might understand one other if they really tried, but this young man was speaking fluent Finnish whilst he obviously was a local. And he spoke well. Almost like... a merchant. Maybe he was a travelling merchant before he settled down in Kuloy or an apprentice to one? That would explain his skill in a foreign language, or maybe even languages, and his well mannered speech.
After they had exchanged their pleasantries and talked about the war and its impact, it was finally time to take care of the matter of the future of Bjarmia and its leadership. Nabtiko was the first to speak on the matter.
"I know you had wished to reinstall Nyalku as High Chief of Bjarmia, and honestly speaking, I myself wouldn't have minded that. The people however see him as weak and a failure of a High Chief after how easily the Norse drove him out. If he were to be reinstalled as High Chief now, I would be hated by everyone for letting it happen, becoming a pariah, and ridiculed as someone who gave away the opportunity of a lifetime. And the people, they would eventually just rise up in rebellion to throw Nyalku out again and put someone else as their leader."
Ahma nodded. "I understand the situation too myself. Believe me, I would've loved to put Nyalku back as High Chief. He would owe me the greatest of favors for it, securing his loyalty for as long as he lived. But now I have to bend to the will of the people because they are the ones I came to help after all." He sighed, and then continued. "I shall accept you as the leader of this new kingdom, but I have two conditions for it."
Deep down Nabtiko was relieved that there were only two conditions for this. If these negotiations failed, who knows what might be the result. Worst case scenario, a war between Finland and Bjarmia. And these war torn lands wouldn't be able to handle that. But two conditions should be easy to accept, no matter what they are. He then asked the all-important question.
"And what are your conditions?"
"First is easy, and beneficial to us both actually. Since you are unmarried, you shall marry my eldest daughter Kivutar. The wedding itself will be held later this summer when she comes of age. This will help bring our peoples closer and acts as symbol of goodwill and trust between us."
Nabtiko was taken aback by this. "I wouldn't call that a condition, more like a gift" he thought.
"And what is the second condition?"
"That the Kingdom of Bjarmia pays tribute to Finland as a tributary state and recognizes us as their suzerain."
"Again, hardly a condition but almost like a gift. This land has suffered under many wars lately and is in a severely weakened state so the protection of Finland is very much welcome. And all I have to do for it is to pay a yearly tribute? A bargain if you asked me" Nabtiko thought to himself.
Ahma himself knew that these conditions were more like gifts, but he wanted this whole ordeal to be over with and return home. This war, and peace, had been more of a mess than he initially thought. And besides, with these conditions he could ensure near similar loyalty from this King that he could've expected from Nyalku if he was put back as High Chief, so there's that too.
The two men then began to bid each other farewell after successful negotiations, when Nabtiko suddenly said: "Oh, and by the way, it is not the Kingdom of Bjarmia that I will be the King of. It will be the Kingdom of Nenetsia."
"Nenetsia?" Ahma answered, looking puzzled. "And where does that come from?"
"We call all the people living on this side of the White Sea coast as Nenets, and our hope is that with this Kingdom we show that we want to unite all Nenets in a single realm."
Kingly Negotiations
Ahma was finally facing the enemy army. He had led his men to face them in battle after all of Bjarmia had been taken and he had then received word of their arrival. The two armies finally met in Olonets, but the Norse had taken defensive position on top of a hill. Not a particularly steep one, but a hill nonetheless, forcing his army to face an uphill battle. The enemy numbered around 3000 soldiers, whilst his was some 6000 strong. Though somewhere around 300 of them were one handed after his punishments had been carried through during the journey to Olonets.
Ahma knew he could wait for his reinforcements to arrive, but he didn't. He knew he could take the Norse on with just his own army. He wanted to show the sole strength of the King of Finland, not that of the King and his allies. And so, come morning, Ahma's army was taking positions. He decided to surround the hill on three sides. If he surrounded it on all sides he would be spreading his army too thin and the enemy might be able to break through. So the hill was surrounded in a U-shape, with heavy infantry in the center and light infantry on the sides. All three sides would be backed up by archers, but the ends of the U-shape were especially thick of them. Ahma thought they could fire arrows in to the enemy with some of them actually coming from behind them. They could also begin to pelt the enemy with arrows if they were to try to flee from the open part of the formation. Ahma was actually a little surprised how easily the Norse let his army take the formation, since they were effectively surrounded. "Maybe they think that having the high ground and so many men will be enough even if they are surrounded" Ahma thought before ordering his forces to march forward.
The battle was bloody and gruesome. Ahma was in the thick of it too. He had taken down a couple of enemy soldiers already when suddenly he heard someone shout at him. He turned around and right before him was an enemy soldier, apparently challenging him. Ahma didn't speak much Norse but he was able to make out that the young man's name was Åke and he was an enemy commander. Ahma accepted the challenge and immediately lunged at the enemy. The fight was tough, but despite being some ten years younger, by Ahma's estimate, Åke was the first one to tire and run out of stamina. He couldn't lift his sword quickly enough anymore and Ahma drove his sword deep into Åke's chest. He let out a chilling scream, coughs blood and tries to raise his sword arm, but can't. He then slowly goes limp, dropping his sword, and finally turns lifeless right in front of Ahma's face. "The young warrior thought he'd win some fame for himself by defeating the enemy King" Ahma thought as he pulled his sword out of Åke's chest.
The battle lasts for the whole day, but by the end of it, Ahma emerges victorious. But at what cost? The Norse army lost almost 2000 men, yes, but Ahma had lost a thousand men as well. As Ahma was walking through the battlefield riddled with corpses, he notices a familiar one among them.
"No, it can't be!" he shouted. He then ran to the corpse and then fell on his knees besides it.
"Why? Who?" he thought to himself. The body was marshal Taisto. He had been killed during the fighting, by what seemed like a stab wound through his throat. That day Ahma lost a talented young marshal with a great future ahead of him, as well as a friend.
Ahma couldn't mourn for too long however, as he received word that another enemy army was heading their way, this one some 2000 strong.
"So that's why they didn't try anything when we surrounded them. They were waiting for their reinforcements, hoping to outflank us while the battle was still going on" he realized. "The Norse had thought we wouldn't attack right away or they could hold out longer than they actually did. If that had actually been the case, we might've been doomed ourselves. Yar and Jaolemb would've never been able to make it in time to help if that had happened. I was a fool! I should've waited for them. That's why I called my allies and tributaries to this war: to aid me. Instead I go off on my own and get a thousand men killed along with my marshal and friend, Taisto." He remained there on his knees for a while, thinking what to do. In the end, there was just one option. Prepare for their arrival! The enemy was too close to fall back to Bjarmia and also too close to really be ambushed anymore. So all he could do now was strengthen his position. He outnumbered the enemy more than 2 to 1, but his men were still exhausted from the battle and the scouts say the enemy is just two, maybe three days away at most. He ended up taking position up on the same hill as the Norse before, but he still decided that since he still had time he would come up with some sort of tactic to fight the Norse coming for him to get himself the advantage. And he thought to use his cavalry this time who didn't get to see much action in the previous battle.
Two and a half days later, the Norse arrived. They began making formations immediately after their arrival. They then marched up the hill and when they were half way up, Ahma ordered a charge. But nothing happened. Then the cavalry hidden in the woods around the hill came out and struck the enemy flanks from behind them. Then the soldiers from on top of the hill charged. Lead by the heavy infantry in the center and light infantry right behind them, which soon spread out to the flanks to face the enemy. The right and left flanks of the enemy were now fighting the Finns on both their front and back and soon they cracked under the pressure. The light infantry then turned their attention to the center whilst the cavalry chased down the routing flanks. The center soon gave in too and routed. The Finns lost maybe around two to three hundred men, whilst the Norse seemed to have lost almost a thousand.
The greatest prize, even greater than a victorious battle, came soon after however. Some of Ahma's cavalrymen returned a little later than the rest, but for a good reason. They had been chasing a fleeing enemy after they had recognized him. And they had caught him eventually. They brought king Halfdan of Viken with them as a prisoner.
"Excellent. With this the war will be over even sooner than we thought," Ahma thought to himself and let out a sigh of relief. The war would be over. All that would remain would be to name a ruler for Bjarmia. He had thought to reinstall Nyalku as High Chief, but it would be a whole other question if the people of Bjarmia would accept him as their High Chief anymore.
And sure enough, when Ahma returned to Bjarmia to place someone as the leader of the liberated Bjarmia the locals already had someone in mind. And when Ahma tried to suggest High Chief Nyalku to them, there was a silence at first and then loud shouting along the lines of "why would we want that incompetent fool back" and the like. And so Ahma was forced on the bargaining table with a complete stranger whom the people had decided would be their King of all things, not just High Chief. When Ahma returned to his tent in the camp outside the town, he let out an exhausted sigh. These Bjarmians were a handful to deal with. He would be meeting with their chosen leader tomorrow in the fort, alone.
"That will at least make the negotiations a bit easier when it's just the two of us and no townsfolk shouting demands or any of my allies demanding compensations for anything" he thought. Ahma had sent his allies and tributaries home before heading to Bjarmia himself. He would have no need for them in the upcoming negotiations, since he could take care of that himself. Besides, the war was over and there would be no need for such large armies anymore. Men needed to return to their fields and jobs. They had been in this war for over a year and last year's harvest must have suffered when thousands of men were missing from the fields. And he would still have to compensate the families of those who died in battle as he had promised his men, so as to ensure they would be more willing to participate in what would be a long and possibly gruesome war. "Actually, that might have been one of the reasons why I managed to gather an army larger than I had anticipated. Guess I should make it a permanent thing then to compensate the families of the fallen with a up to a year's pay, depending on the scale of the war of course," he thought to himself as he went to sleep.
The next morning Ahma was making his way to the fort to begin negotiations. The town seemed to be in a festive mood, with what the Norse driven out and the peace and also getting a King of their own like the Finns and Permians have. When Ahma finally entered the great hall of the fort he could only see a lone young man standing on the other end of the hall.
"Is that him?" he thought. "Is that really the man these people have chosen to be their King? He's seems to be barely of age!"
The young man came up to Ahma and greeted him in fluent Finnish. Ahma was slightly surprised at this, but greeted him back with the young man's own language. He had learned at least that much during this war and from his fellow Followers of Otso. The young man then proceeded to introduce himself.
"I am Nabtiko. I was the one who lead a group of local guards and militiamen in Kuloy to open the gates for your second army led by High Chief Yar. I guess the stories of that battle spread fast and twisted even faster, given how people wanted me to be their new leader now that the war is over."
Ahma was sizing the young man up whilst they spoke. He was indeed young, early twenties at most. His build suggests that he might've actually been a guard or a soldier for a few years at least. But his fluent Finnish still eluded him. Granted, their languages are similar, so much so that two people from their countries who have never met someone from the other might understand one other if they really tried, but this young man was speaking fluent Finnish whilst he obviously was a local. And he spoke well. Almost like... a merchant. Maybe he was a travelling merchant before he settled down in Kuloy or an apprentice to one? That would explain his skill in a foreign language, or maybe even languages, and his well mannered speech.
After they had exchanged their pleasantries and talked about the war and its impact, it was finally time to take care of the matter of the future of Bjarmia and its leadership. Nabtiko was the first to speak on the matter.
"I know you had wished to reinstall Nyalku as High Chief of Bjarmia, and honestly speaking, I myself wouldn't have minded that. The people however see him as weak and a failure of a High Chief after how easily the Norse drove him out. If he were to be reinstalled as High Chief now, I would be hated by everyone for letting it happen, becoming a pariah, and ridiculed as someone who gave away the opportunity of a lifetime. And the people, they would eventually just rise up in rebellion to throw Nyalku out again and put someone else as their leader."
Ahma nodded. "I understand the situation too myself. Believe me, I would've loved to put Nyalku back as High Chief. He would owe me the greatest of favors for it, securing his loyalty for as long as he lived. But now I have to bend to the will of the people because they are the ones I came to help after all." He sighed, and then continued. "I shall accept you as the leader of this new kingdom, but I have two conditions for it."
Deep down Nabtiko was relieved that there were only two conditions for this. If these negotiations failed, who knows what might be the result. Worst case scenario, a war between Finland and Bjarmia. And these war torn lands wouldn't be able to handle that. But two conditions should be easy to accept, no matter what they are. He then asked the all-important question.
"And what are your conditions?"
"First is easy, and beneficial to us both actually. Since you are unmarried, you shall marry my eldest daughter Kivutar. The wedding itself will be held later this summer when she comes of age. This will help bring our peoples closer and acts as symbol of goodwill and trust between us."
Nabtiko was taken aback by this. "I wouldn't call that a condition, more like a gift" he thought.
"And what is the second condition?"
"That the Kingdom of Bjarmia pays tribute to Finland as a tributary state and recognizes us as their suzerain."
"Again, hardly a condition but almost like a gift. This land has suffered under many wars lately and is in a severely weakened state so the protection of Finland is very much welcome. And all I have to do for it is to pay a yearly tribute? A bargain if you asked me" Nabtiko thought to himself.
Ahma himself knew that these conditions were more like gifts, but he wanted this whole ordeal to be over with and return home. This war, and peace, had been more of a mess than he initially thought. And besides, with these conditions he could ensure near similar loyalty from this King that he could've expected from Nyalku if he was put back as High Chief, so there's that too.
The two men then began to bid each other farewell after successful negotiations, when Nabtiko suddenly said: "Oh, and by the way, it is not the Kingdom of Bjarmia that I will be the King of. It will be the Kingdom of Nenetsia."
"Nenetsia?" Ahma answered, looking puzzled. "And where does that come from?"
"We call all the people living on this side of the White Sea coast as Nenets, and our hope is that with this Kingdom we show that we want to unite all Nenets in a single realm."
A mistake was made, but it paid off in the end, even though Taisto had to pay the ultimate price.
Surely Ahma wouldn't have anything against Nabtiko achieving his goal - as long as Nenetsia remains a Finnish tributary, of course.
Surely Ahma wouldn't have anything against Nabtiko achieving his goal - as long as Nenetsia remains a Finnish tributary, of course.
Interregnum
No new chapter this time, I've been busy with other stuff lately. But Chapter 21 will be up by the end of this week, I can guarantee that much. Just decided to post something now since there was a certain kind of a milestone at this point. Well, not really a milestone but something like that. Something, noteworthy happened, I could say. It was at this point of my game that Crusader Kings II version 3.2 Iron Century came out and the game had updated itself despite me putting all updates on hold and on manual in Steam (at least I think i did but apparently not). So, from this point on the game is in 3.2 and so far the only problems I've encountered are that some CoA's for some duchies and the like are missing, nothing major so far. But I do have the savegame from before 3.2 and if it looks like this won't work out I can try to revert the game back to 3.1.1 and continue from there, though of course I'd have to start from chapter 20 onwards so..... sigh.... Let's just hope that won't need to happen.
On a sidenote, I don't know how many have noticed it or have even paid attention to it, but in my AAR I write king and King. And I use this to distinguish between the duke level petty kings and the kingdom level Kings. Just thought I'd clear that up
Oh, and I have some screenshots of the world too. They're a few years into the future from where chapter 20 left off, but there aren't any major spoilers outside of North Europe. And I'm gonna post pictures of only the borders since religion wise, nothing of note has really happened.
No surprise, the Idrisids, Aghlabids and Tulunids are still in North Africa and the Kingdom of Nubia exists but is currently a tributary of the Tulunids. Abyssinia is doing surprisingly well and even Semien is still kicking around but are currently in a defensice holy war against Abyssinia In west Africa only the Kingdoms of Kanem and Hausaland have formed with Ghana and Songhay being indenpendent Duchies.
Europe is still a mess of Karling Kingdoms as always. One major chanhe though is the Kingdom of Baetica (Andalusia) that was taken from the Umayyads by some Norse Child of Destiny, who is currently still Norse in religion but visigothic in culture (hence the name). England is quite an interesting mess though. Welsh control Mercia and the Norse are still in Jorvik. Scotland is divided in to three parts by the Kingdom of Scotland (Scottish Catholics), the petty kingdom of Suðreyjar (Norse Catholics) and the petty kingdom of Strathclyde (Welsh Catholics), with Strathclyde having the same Alt Clut dynasty as Mercia.
The Abbasids, Saffarids and Samanids are still on power in the Middle-East. And the ERE of of course. Interestingly, the Queen of Georgia and Duke of Armenia are matrilineally married and are both Bagrationi, so we'll see if they will turn into a new major power in the region in time. Seljuk and Sabuktigin have actually spawned but Sabuktigin was sent to China and Seljuk failed (first time ever in my games that he fails after spawning) and was imprisoned for over a decade but was somehow released or escaped(?) and is now Sheikh of Damascus under the Abbasids. So there's still some hope for a Seljuk Empire
In South-East Europe and Balkans Bulgaria is going strong and so is Serbia, despite the King being Slavic in religion while half of his vassals are following either Orthodox or Catholic Christianity
Hungary on the other hand. Well, King Arpad II (grandson of Arpad the Great) converted to Catholism and is now facing a peasant revolt AND a tengri uprising, so we'll see how that goes for him.
In India, well the Pratihara's imploded. Didn't get to form the empire of Rajasthan so now there are two Pratihara realms: Pratihara (Kosala) and Punjab (also holds Rajputana). Same happened with the Rasthrakutas in the south, split in two: Rashtrakuta (Karnata and Mahastra) and Telingana. Let's see if the same happens to the Pala too
Whilst in Tibet Ü-Tsang is well on it's way to possibly form the empire of Tibet.
Oh, and Western Protectorate only has Nepal and some other small place under their wing, I don't remember what exactly though.
And the Steppes. Well, nothing really interesting hasn't yet happened in the Steppes. Just that Zoroastrinism is now a heresy because of the Manichean nomads doing so well for themselves and the Karen converting to Sunni Islam. I guess that's about it.
And I'm going to post a picture of North Europe too, but be warned, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
You've been warned!
So, where to begin. Chief of Rovaniemi inherited the High Chiefdom of Estonia, which by this point had won the war of subjugation against Holmgardr (now called Ilmen, or was it Ilmenia). Nenetsia has expanded to control all of the eastern coast of the White Sea. Without a single war! Perm is still kicking around and are trying to kick the Nomads of Bashkiria out of the county... of... Bashkiria. Okay. What else. King of Viken hasn't yet been able to get enough money to declare himself King of Norway despite having the land for it and the ambition which reduces the cost. And southern Sweden is still indenpendent under the house of Gautske. Because for some reason the swedish King has only been interested in Pomerania these last few years. And the Norse are still in power in Ruthenia, or Könugarðr, though who knows how long. Every time I check on them they're in a war with somebody, a lot of the times in a defensive war too.
Well, I guess that's about it.
No new chapter this time, I've been busy with other stuff lately. But Chapter 21 will be up by the end of this week, I can guarantee that much. Just decided to post something now since there was a certain kind of a milestone at this point. Well, not really a milestone but something like that. Something, noteworthy happened, I could say. It was at this point of my game that Crusader Kings II version 3.2 Iron Century came out and the game had updated itself despite me putting all updates on hold and on manual in Steam (at least I think i did but apparently not). So, from this point on the game is in 3.2 and so far the only problems I've encountered are that some CoA's for some duchies and the like are missing, nothing major so far. But I do have the savegame from before 3.2 and if it looks like this won't work out I can try to revert the game back to 3.1.1 and continue from there, though of course I'd have to start from chapter 20 onwards so..... sigh.... Let's just hope that won't need to happen.
On a sidenote, I don't know how many have noticed it or have even paid attention to it, but in my AAR I write king and King. And I use this to distinguish between the duke level petty kings and the kingdom level Kings. Just thought I'd clear that up
Oh, and I have some screenshots of the world too. They're a few years into the future from where chapter 20 left off, but there aren't any major spoilers outside of North Europe. And I'm gonna post pictures of only the borders since religion wise, nothing of note has really happened.
No surprise, the Idrisids, Aghlabids and Tulunids are still in North Africa and the Kingdom of Nubia exists but is currently a tributary of the Tulunids. Abyssinia is doing surprisingly well and even Semien is still kicking around but are currently in a defensice holy war against Abyssinia
In west Africa only the Kingdoms of Kanem and Hausaland have formed with Ghana and Songhay being indenpendent Duchies.
Europe is still a mess of Karling Kingdoms as always. One major chanhe though is the Kingdom of Baetica (Andalusia) that was taken from the Umayyads by some Norse Child of Destiny, who is currently still Norse in religion but visigothic in culture (hence the name). England is quite an interesting mess though. Welsh control Mercia and the Norse are still in Jorvik. Scotland is divided in to three parts by the Kingdom of Scotland (Scottish Catholics), the petty kingdom of Suðreyjar (Norse Catholics) and the petty kingdom of Strathclyde (Welsh Catholics), with Strathclyde having the same Alt Clut dynasty as Mercia.
The Abbasids, Saffarids and Samanids are still on power in the Middle-East. And the ERE of of course. Interestingly, the Queen of Georgia and Duke of Armenia are matrilineally married and are both Bagrationi, so we'll see if they will turn into a new major power in the region in time. Seljuk and Sabuktigin have actually spawned but Sabuktigin was sent to China and Seljuk failed (first time ever in my games that he fails after spawning) and was imprisoned for over a decade but was somehow released or escaped(?) and is now Sheikh of Damascus under the Abbasids. So there's still some hope for a Seljuk Empire
In South-East Europe and Balkans Bulgaria is going strong and so is Serbia, despite the King being Slavic in religion while half of his vassals are following either Orthodox or Catholic Christianity
Hungary on the other hand. Well, King Arpad II (grandson of Arpad the Great) converted to Catholism and is now facing a peasant revolt AND a tengri uprising, so we'll see how that goes for him.
In India, well the Pratihara's imploded. Didn't get to form the empire of Rajasthan so now there are two Pratihara realms: Pratihara (Kosala) and Punjab (also holds Rajputana). Same happened with the Rasthrakutas in the south, split in two: Rashtrakuta (Karnata and Mahastra) and Telingana. Let's see if the same happens to the Pala too
Whilst in Tibet Ü-Tsang is well on it's way to possibly form the empire of Tibet.
Oh, and Western Protectorate only has Nepal and some other small place under their wing, I don't remember what exactly though.
And the Steppes. Well, nothing really interesting hasn't yet happened in the Steppes. Just that Zoroastrinism is now a heresy because of the Manichean nomads doing so well for themselves and the Karen converting to Sunni Islam. I guess that's about it.
And I'm going to post a picture of North Europe too, but be warned, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
You've been warned!
So, where to begin. Chief of Rovaniemi inherited the High Chiefdom of Estonia, which by this point had won the war of subjugation against Holmgardr (now called Ilmen, or was it Ilmenia). Nenetsia has expanded to control all of the eastern coast of the White Sea. Without a single war! Perm is still kicking around and are trying to kick the Nomads of Bashkiria out of the county... of... Bashkiria. Okay. What else. King of Viken hasn't yet been able to get enough money to declare himself King of Norway despite having the land for it and the ambition which reduces the cost. And southern Sweden is still indenpendent under the house of Gautske. Because for some reason the swedish King has only been interested in Pomerania these last few years. And the Norse are still in power in Ruthenia, or Könugarðr, though who knows how long. Every time I check on them they're in a war with somebody, a lot of the times in a defensive war too.
Well, I guess that's about it.
Chapter 21
Haunting Memories and a Dragged Out War
When Ahma finally returned home he was struck with tragic news. His sister, Ilmatar, had died just a few weeks ago at the age of 27. Apparently the cause for her death was the Great Pox. This was tragedy for Ahma who was close with all of his sisters, but it was tragic for another reason too. The marriage was the basis for the alliance between Kingdom of Finland and High Chiefdom of Veps. With her death the alliance is officially no more, though the close ties formed during the alliance haven't disappeared and Ahma and Atyamas will probably continue to work together in the future despite the tragedy.
Due to his sister's death Ahma didn't tell his daughter Kivutar about her upcoming marriage until a few days after his return. She took it quite well. She knew that she would one day have to get married and leave home, but it was a bit more sudden than she initially thought. It didn't hurt that she would get to marry a King either. Thus, come the end of summer, Kivutar was finally of age and she and King Nabtiko were married.
The following fall and winter were long and arduous for Ahma. He had been finding the families of the soldiers who had been killed during the war and many times even personally bringing the news and bringing the compensation of one year's pay to the family. One of those instances, however, has been haunting Ahma a lot lately. Every night when he goes to sleep, he can still see the look in the eyes of one certain teenage girl when he brought the news of her father's death to the family. The man had served him for many years and had recently risen to become an officer in the army. He will forever remember the burning hatred in her eyes when she smacked the pouch of coins and stack of squirrel furs from his hands, screaming how he was the reason her father was dead before she ran past him, crying. Her mother then picked up the pouches and told him that their daughter hadn't yet accepted the possibility that her father is most likely dead since he hadn't yet returned. Ahma then asked if they're going to be alright, and the widow just said that she had already made her peace with the matter. That she knew when she married a soldier that one day he might not return from war. She thanked Ahma for the money, saying how it will help her family to get through the next couple of winters at least.
This instance has been haunting Ahma every night lately, and tonight was no different. In his mind he would see that day multiple times before falling asleep, but tonight he just wasn't falling asleep at all. He decided to try to catch some fresh air and see if that would help. He was walking around the town when he came upon one of the town's taverns. He decided to go inside and join the merriment that seemed to be going on. This helped ease Ahma's worries somewhat, but he was still feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Then he was approached by two men who introduced themselves as members of the Followers of Otso and had recognized Ahma as one of them. They asked if Ahma would be interested in joining them for a hunt tomorrow. Ahma was more than eager to join them. Maybe this hunt is something that he needs to help him ease his worries. And it did.
Next year brought with it some shocking news from their southern neighbors. King Dyre of Holmgarðr has been deposed and his eight year old son Rurik has been placed on the throne as king Rurik II. The leader of this rebellion was Chief Radoslav and as he was the Chief of Torzhok, Tikhvine and Bezichy, he was probably the most influential man in the whole kingdom of Holmgarðr after the king. Who was now an eight year old placed on the throne by him.
This was an opportunity Ahma couldn't let slip. Holmgarðr was now weak, having just come out of a civil war with a child king on the throne and still embroiled in three other wars that had either started before or during the rebellion. He decides to use this opportunity to conquer Ladoga from his southern neighbor, gaining direct access to the heartland of Holmgarðr that way and making any future wars that much easier. A few weeks before Ahma takes off to lead an army to war again, Branislava tells Ahma that she is pregnant.
Ahma was leading his army of 5000 men in Ladoga when his scouts told him that the enemy army was approaching. They were being lead by Chief Radoslav himself, and apparently they only numbered around 1300. Ahma couldn't believe his ears.
"1300 men? He has only 1300 men against my 5000 and he's still coming straight at us? What is the old fool thinking? We've been sieging the fort here in Ladoga for weeks now and are well entrenched ourselves and I'm damn sure he knows that too. And still he is planning to take us on almost one to five?" he exclaimed in disbelief at what the scout had told him. One of Ahma's commanders, Vilho, then chimed in.
"He probably believes himself to be some sort of great war hero now that he had lead the rebellion against the previous king successfully, and feels himself to be untouchable and unbeatable now!"
"That must be the case" Ahma replied. "After all, our scouts have reported no other Rus armies anywhere near us that might act as reinforcements for Chief Radoslav's army."
But just in case Ahma decided to prepare well for his enemy's arrival. And when they finally arrived, they didn't hesitate for a moment but charged as soon as they had formed ranks.
"I guess he had hoped to take us unawares, seeing how he charges right away" Ahma thought as he watched the enemy close in. His heavy infantry formed a shield wall on all flanks, with light infantry and archers behind them and the cavalry in reserve in the rear. Once the archers had rained their arrows, it was time for the light infantry to throw their javelins. And once that was done, the heavy infantry on the front braced for impact. The wave of flesh and steel slammed to the shield wall, but the wall held. Ahma even threw a few javelins from horseback himself, downing at least one enemy soldier as far as he saw. The fighting continued for almost the whole day, but in the end the Finns won. The Rus lost almost 800 men in the fight whilst Finns didn't lose even 50. Ahma was somewhat amazed at this result himself. He had expected that he might lose closer to a hundred men, at least. After all, the enemy did have over a thousand men so they were a rather big army, though still nowhere as big as his. But he was just glad he didn't lose that many men in the end.
By next winter the war was still dragging on. Ahma had occupied Ladoga and Ingria early on in the war, but found it difficult to occupy any other regions close by as they were occupied by participants from the other wars that Holmgarðr was fighting. And since Ahma wasn't in a war with those other folks, he left the forts alone. This left Tikhvine as the closest unoccupied Rus territory. It also happened to be ruled by Chief Radoslav, along with Torzhok and Bezichy. And it was also in Tikhvine where Ahma discovered the Rus army was, mending their wounds and bolstering their numbers. Though they still didn't prove to be much of a threat. The army in Tikhvine was barely over 1000 men strong. Ahma decided to make the battle swift. He went ahead with his cavalry to charge at the enemy with the rest of his army following close behind. The Rus army was taken by surprise, as for some reason they hadn't placed enough scouts around their positions. The cavalry, lead by Ahma, was freely charging around the camp, killing soldiers and destroying supplies. By the time they had managed to form some sort of battle positions, it was too late. The main Finnish army had arrived and began charging towards the camp. The Rus put up a valiant fight, but ultimately it was for nothing. The Rus lost over half of their soldiers, when the Finns lost just a few dozen. After Ahma had finally taken the fort in Tikhvine, he received news that a small Rus army was trying to retake Ladoga. And so the march back to Ladoga began.
After the battles and long marches Ahma still had some 4500 men in his army. More than enough to take on the enemy in Ladoga, who only had around 750 men trying to retake the region.
"This won't be a tough fight" Ahma thought when he saw the enemy army ahead of him, in defensive positions. "They may have dug themselves in, but there's less than 800 of them. No need for a grand strategy on this one. Just march close enough for the archers to do their jobs and if they run out of arrows then just cut down the rest."
Ahma turned around to his commanders and told them the plan. It was simple, but there was no need for complex maneuvers this time. Just take them down and be done with it.
And that was how the second battle of Ladoga began. Ahma's forces marching in line towards the enemy positions, stopping when close enough for the archers to fire. For several hours the archers rained death on the Rus forces, but they stood their ground and fired the occasional arrow back. One of Ahma's commanders then decided to move the left flank he was commanding to try to circle the enemy flank, to get a better shot at them. This move, however, had some unforeseen consequences. The Rus forces broke formation and charged, for fear that they were being encircled. The battle turned into a melee, and Ahma was also fighting. Then Ahma notices that one of the enemy commanders had stayed behind. He turned his horse around and rushed to where the enemy commander was. He dismounted his horse and shouted:
"Coward of a commander staying behind lines, come and fight me if you're a man!"
Apparently the commander understood some of that, since he turned red and charged Ahma with his spear. The battle was tough. The enemy commander, Kirill, may have been younger and more inexperienced, but his skill with spear was nigh masterful. Ahma had trouble closing the distance to strike with his sword, but he persevered. And finally Ahma managed to use his shield to throw aside a strike from an exhausted Kirill, and steps in for the kill. With one step he closes in and sinks his sword deep in Kirill's chest. He drops his spear and goes limp, dropping dead on the ground after Ahma took his sword out. The rest of the battle went in a haze. But by the end of it the Rus had lost almost 400 men whilst Ahma had lost just a few dozen again. This was the final nail in the coffin for Holmgarðr and soon the Queen Regent and her chancellor were negotiating peace terms. The war to conquer Ladoga was over with a Finnish victory.
Upon returning home Ahma notices that the town has grown a little. Some new houses have risen to the edge of town where there were none before he left. And when he returned to the fort he was greeted by Taimi and Branislava, the latter of whom was carrying the newest addition to the family. A daughter named Hellä. Ahma takes a good look at his daughter who was born while he was away. He then walks back inside the great hall with both his wife and concubine by his side. There was to be a great gathering of the Followers of Otso the following winter, and he had plans for that gathering.
Haunting Memories and a Dragged Out War
When Ahma finally returned home he was struck with tragic news. His sister, Ilmatar, had died just a few weeks ago at the age of 27. Apparently the cause for her death was the Great Pox. This was tragedy for Ahma who was close with all of his sisters, but it was tragic for another reason too. The marriage was the basis for the alliance between Kingdom of Finland and High Chiefdom of Veps. With her death the alliance is officially no more, though the close ties formed during the alliance haven't disappeared and Ahma and Atyamas will probably continue to work together in the future despite the tragedy.
Due to his sister's death Ahma didn't tell his daughter Kivutar about her upcoming marriage until a few days after his return. She took it quite well. She knew that she would one day have to get married and leave home, but it was a bit more sudden than she initially thought. It didn't hurt that she would get to marry a King either. Thus, come the end of summer, Kivutar was finally of age and she and King Nabtiko were married.
The following fall and winter were long and arduous for Ahma. He had been finding the families of the soldiers who had been killed during the war and many times even personally bringing the news and bringing the compensation of one year's pay to the family. One of those instances, however, has been haunting Ahma a lot lately. Every night when he goes to sleep, he can still see the look in the eyes of one certain teenage girl when he brought the news of her father's death to the family. The man had served him for many years and had recently risen to become an officer in the army. He will forever remember the burning hatred in her eyes when she smacked the pouch of coins and stack of squirrel furs from his hands, screaming how he was the reason her father was dead before she ran past him, crying. Her mother then picked up the pouches and told him that their daughter hadn't yet accepted the possibility that her father is most likely dead since he hadn't yet returned. Ahma then asked if they're going to be alright, and the widow just said that she had already made her peace with the matter. That she knew when she married a soldier that one day he might not return from war. She thanked Ahma for the money, saying how it will help her family to get through the next couple of winters at least.
This instance has been haunting Ahma every night lately, and tonight was no different. In his mind he would see that day multiple times before falling asleep, but tonight he just wasn't falling asleep at all. He decided to try to catch some fresh air and see if that would help. He was walking around the town when he came upon one of the town's taverns. He decided to go inside and join the merriment that seemed to be going on. This helped ease Ahma's worries somewhat, but he was still feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Then he was approached by two men who introduced themselves as members of the Followers of Otso and had recognized Ahma as one of them. They asked if Ahma would be interested in joining them for a hunt tomorrow. Ahma was more than eager to join them. Maybe this hunt is something that he needs to help him ease his worries. And it did.
Next year brought with it some shocking news from their southern neighbors. King Dyre of Holmgarðr has been deposed and his eight year old son Rurik has been placed on the throne as king Rurik II. The leader of this rebellion was Chief Radoslav and as he was the Chief of Torzhok, Tikhvine and Bezichy, he was probably the most influential man in the whole kingdom of Holmgarðr after the king. Who was now an eight year old placed on the throne by him.
This was an opportunity Ahma couldn't let slip. Holmgarðr was now weak, having just come out of a civil war with a child king on the throne and still embroiled in three other wars that had either started before or during the rebellion. He decides to use this opportunity to conquer Ladoga from his southern neighbor, gaining direct access to the heartland of Holmgarðr that way and making any future wars that much easier. A few weeks before Ahma takes off to lead an army to war again, Branislava tells Ahma that she is pregnant.
Ahma was leading his army of 5000 men in Ladoga when his scouts told him that the enemy army was approaching. They were being lead by Chief Radoslav himself, and apparently they only numbered around 1300. Ahma couldn't believe his ears.
"1300 men? He has only 1300 men against my 5000 and he's still coming straight at us? What is the old fool thinking? We've been sieging the fort here in Ladoga for weeks now and are well entrenched ourselves and I'm damn sure he knows that too. And still he is planning to take us on almost one to five?" he exclaimed in disbelief at what the scout had told him. One of Ahma's commanders, Vilho, then chimed in.
"He probably believes himself to be some sort of great war hero now that he had lead the rebellion against the previous king successfully, and feels himself to be untouchable and unbeatable now!"
"That must be the case" Ahma replied. "After all, our scouts have reported no other Rus armies anywhere near us that might act as reinforcements for Chief Radoslav's army."
But just in case Ahma decided to prepare well for his enemy's arrival. And when they finally arrived, they didn't hesitate for a moment but charged as soon as they had formed ranks.
"I guess he had hoped to take us unawares, seeing how he charges right away" Ahma thought as he watched the enemy close in. His heavy infantry formed a shield wall on all flanks, with light infantry and archers behind them and the cavalry in reserve in the rear. Once the archers had rained their arrows, it was time for the light infantry to throw their javelins. And once that was done, the heavy infantry on the front braced for impact. The wave of flesh and steel slammed to the shield wall, but the wall held. Ahma even threw a few javelins from horseback himself, downing at least one enemy soldier as far as he saw. The fighting continued for almost the whole day, but in the end the Finns won. The Rus lost almost 800 men in the fight whilst Finns didn't lose even 50. Ahma was somewhat amazed at this result himself. He had expected that he might lose closer to a hundred men, at least. After all, the enemy did have over a thousand men so they were a rather big army, though still nowhere as big as his. But he was just glad he didn't lose that many men in the end.
By next winter the war was still dragging on. Ahma had occupied Ladoga and Ingria early on in the war, but found it difficult to occupy any other regions close by as they were occupied by participants from the other wars that Holmgarðr was fighting. And since Ahma wasn't in a war with those other folks, he left the forts alone. This left Tikhvine as the closest unoccupied Rus territory. It also happened to be ruled by Chief Radoslav, along with Torzhok and Bezichy. And it was also in Tikhvine where Ahma discovered the Rus army was, mending their wounds and bolstering their numbers. Though they still didn't prove to be much of a threat. The army in Tikhvine was barely over 1000 men strong. Ahma decided to make the battle swift. He went ahead with his cavalry to charge at the enemy with the rest of his army following close behind. The Rus army was taken by surprise, as for some reason they hadn't placed enough scouts around their positions. The cavalry, lead by Ahma, was freely charging around the camp, killing soldiers and destroying supplies. By the time they had managed to form some sort of battle positions, it was too late. The main Finnish army had arrived and began charging towards the camp. The Rus put up a valiant fight, but ultimately it was for nothing. The Rus lost over half of their soldiers, when the Finns lost just a few dozen. After Ahma had finally taken the fort in Tikhvine, he received news that a small Rus army was trying to retake Ladoga. And so the march back to Ladoga began.
After the battles and long marches Ahma still had some 4500 men in his army. More than enough to take on the enemy in Ladoga, who only had around 750 men trying to retake the region.
"This won't be a tough fight" Ahma thought when he saw the enemy army ahead of him, in defensive positions. "They may have dug themselves in, but there's less than 800 of them. No need for a grand strategy on this one. Just march close enough for the archers to do their jobs and if they run out of arrows then just cut down the rest."
Ahma turned around to his commanders and told them the plan. It was simple, but there was no need for complex maneuvers this time. Just take them down and be done with it.
And that was how the second battle of Ladoga began. Ahma's forces marching in line towards the enemy positions, stopping when close enough for the archers to fire. For several hours the archers rained death on the Rus forces, but they stood their ground and fired the occasional arrow back. One of Ahma's commanders then decided to move the left flank he was commanding to try to circle the enemy flank, to get a better shot at them. This move, however, had some unforeseen consequences. The Rus forces broke formation and charged, for fear that they were being encircled. The battle turned into a melee, and Ahma was also fighting. Then Ahma notices that one of the enemy commanders had stayed behind. He turned his horse around and rushed to where the enemy commander was. He dismounted his horse and shouted:
"Coward of a commander staying behind lines, come and fight me if you're a man!"
Apparently the commander understood some of that, since he turned red and charged Ahma with his spear. The battle was tough. The enemy commander, Kirill, may have been younger and more inexperienced, but his skill with spear was nigh masterful. Ahma had trouble closing the distance to strike with his sword, but he persevered. And finally Ahma managed to use his shield to throw aside a strike from an exhausted Kirill, and steps in for the kill. With one step he closes in and sinks his sword deep in Kirill's chest. He drops his spear and goes limp, dropping dead on the ground after Ahma took his sword out. The rest of the battle went in a haze. But by the end of it the Rus had lost almost 400 men whilst Ahma had lost just a few dozen again. This was the final nail in the coffin for Holmgarðr and soon the Queen Regent and her chancellor were negotiating peace terms. The war to conquer Ladoga was over with a Finnish victory.
Upon returning home Ahma notices that the town has grown a little. Some new houses have risen to the edge of town where there were none before he left. And when he returned to the fort he was greeted by Taimi and Branislava, the latter of whom was carrying the newest addition to the family. A daughter named Hellä. Ahma takes a good look at his daughter who was born while he was away. He then walks back inside the great hall with both his wife and concubine by his side. There was to be a great gathering of the Followers of Otso the following winter, and he had plans for that gathering.
Holmgarðr doesn't seem to be in a good shape, and led by some foolhardy men through the regency. That can only be good news for Finland.
And what better way to deal with PTSD than to resume killing with your bear-pelt-wearing friends?
Though it does look like the next adventure with his fighting friends is just beginning.
And what better way to deal with PTSD than to resume killing with your bear-pelt-wearing friends?
Though it does look like the next adventure with his fighting friends is just beginning.
Chapter 22
Hero's Tributaries
The noise in the hall was almost deafening. Shouting, singing, grunting from men arm wrestling. The sounds you'd expect to be hearing in the halls of Followers of Otso. Ahma was also there, sitting on the table in front of the one where the Heroes sit. He was talking loudly on purpose with another veteran on the table.
"... and I've also been thinking that maybe it's time for me to become one of the Heroes. I'm tired of waiting for one of them to kick the bucket to be able to rise to the rank..."
Viggu 'Hundred-Flagons' was one of the Heroes present, and he heard what Ahma was talking about.
"Upstart youngling, guess I should teach him his place" he thought and stood up from the table, cracked his knuckles and asked Ahma if he would like to put his words into action and fight him for the position if he really was so eager for it. Ahma had been waiting for this. He gladly accepted the challenge. The two men walked outside, followed by a large crowd consisting of almost all the other members present.
The two men fight with actual weapons and not sparring ones, as is tradition when fighting for the position of Hero. The fight starts rather evenly, both men assessing the other first. Then Ahma makes a couple of wild swings to push Viggu back. One of the swings connects, however, slashing Viggu across his chest, possibly even cutting down to the bone given the feeling Ahma got through the blade as he cut Viggu. With that, Viggu was no longer able to continue the fight and Ahma was declared the victor. And the new Hero, at the age of 36. Quite possibly the youngest in the history of the Followers.
During the merriments that ensued Ahma learned something from a few Sami members of the Followers. Apparently Chief Kaleva of Rovaniemi had died bedridden a few days before the gathering started, so the news hadn't reached Pohjanmaa yet when Ahma had left. His holdings in Kemi and Rovaniemi were split between his two living sons, Haapa, now Chief of Rovaniemi, and Ahvo, now Chief of Kemi.
After the gathering was over, Ahma returned to Pohjanmaa and upon arriving to his fort, steward Hintsa was waiting for him.
"My King" he began. "Have you heard the news from the north?"
"About Chief Kalevas death?" Ahma replied.
"That, and a some others too."
"Alright, do share the news then."
Hintsa cleared his throat, and then began: "Well, as you seem to have heard, Chief Kaleva died shortly before you had left for the gathering. His second son, Haapa, is now the Chief of Rovaniemi and has decided to continue paying tribute to you as his father did before him. His younger brother on the other hand..."
"Go on" Ahma said, slight irritation in his voice, as he was guessing what Hintsa was going to say.
"Well, the third son of Chief Kaleva, Ahvo, is now Chief of Kemi and decided not to pay tribute to you, my King. He had always detested how his father gave up so easily after what happened between his sister, Tyyni, and you."
"So you are saying the younger brother is now Chief of Kemi and is not paying tribute, am I right?"
"That is the current state of events, yes"
"Alright, I'm going to go speak with my marshal. By the way, where is Satatieto?"
Satatieto had become the new marshal after Taisto's death near the end of the war to liberate Bjarmia. He was a skilled commander, but he was no Taisto. He was skilled enough for the job though, and was also about the same age as Ahma, so he would be around for a while too, unless he dies on the battlefield like his predecessor.
"I believe he left earlier today to lead a patrol around the countryside. He should return before sundown if everything is alright" Hintsa explained.
"Alright. Tell him to come see me once he returns."
"I will, my King" Hintsa said and bowed.
Ahma went to his study to think about the situation.
"What in the world is that idiot thinking? Does he think he is small or insignificant enough that I don't care if he refuses to pay tribute like his father did before him. Or does he simply do this to spite me, not caring that if I walk over his lands with my army, whole of Kemi suffers too as a result?"
He took a deep breath, and sighed.
"Or it might a combination of all of those. Who knows. But I can't let this slide, it would be an insult towards my authority. And if I let it slide, more and more of my tributaries may stop paying tribute to me, forcing me to go to bigger and bigger wars because I didn't care to put one small Chief back in his place early on."
Ahma slams his fist on the table.
"Damn it all! I had hoped to have some peace and quiet for a few years after the last wars, but no, that one idiot had to refuse paying tribute once he got his hands on just an ounce of power."
He sat on the chair, leaning on it hard, almost tipping it over. He sighed again.
"Forget it, I should just wait until Satatieto comes back and discuss the situation with him. I think he agrees with me that my personal guard will be enough for putting Ahvo back in line."
He leaned forward on top of the desk where his father's notes were placed and began reading them again for maybe a hundredth time.
After Satatieto arrived and discussed the situation with Ahma it was decided that Finland would go to war with Kemi to make them pay tribute. Ahma didn't take any more than his personal guard of around 2400 soldiers to war. They would be more than enough, since according to Satatieto's information Chief Ahvo should be able to raise barely 200 soldiers. Once Ahma's army reaches Kemi they find Ahvo's army of 150 soldiers waiting for them. Ahma simply orders his men to charge to take them down or make them flee. Unsurprisingly Ahma won the battle of Kemi, slaying all the enemies on the field.
"Poor bastards refused to retreat even though their leader had never even taken to field" Ahma thought to himself. "Were they thinking we came as conquerors and they wanted to defend their homes or were they just seeking a glorious death on the battlefield? Though I'd say being outnumbered more than ten to one and getting slaughtered is far from glorious."
Ahma then turned his army towards the major settlement with the Chief's fort to siege it down.
A few days after Ahma had begun sieging the fort there was a messenger coming from Rovaniemi to Kemi. Ahma stopped him and told him to tell him the news he was bringing, and then he might be allowed to enter the local fort with the news. The man said that Chief Haapa of Rovaniemi had died of great pox, and having no sons of his own the two Chief's nephew, Kaleva, has become the Chief of Rovaniemi. Kaleva is the son of late Uoti, eldest of the sons of Chief Kaleva of Rovaniemi. The young Chief has also decided to continue to pay tribute to Ahma much like his predecessors. This pleased Ahma. "Either the young man has more sense in his head than his uncle or he was afraid I'd bring my army over to Rovaniemi next, with what being in Kemi already," Ahma thought to himself and chuckled a little. He then allowed the messenger to continue on his way. "At least Ahvo will now know that his brother won't be coming to help him. Though I doubt he would've helped him even if he was alive."
By the end of summer the siege was over and Ahvo was forced to surrender. As a gesture of goodwill Ahma released Ahvo's wife, Suonjar, unharmed the moment the war ended. When Ahma returns home, steward Hintsa was waiting for him once again.
"My King, have you heard the news from Holmgarðr?" he asked as soon as he saw Ahma come through the gate.
"No, I haven't heard anything about Holmgarðr during my campaign in Kemi. Why? What has happened?" he replied as he was coming down from his horse.
"It's High Chief Jaolemb of Estonia my King. He has taken over Holmgarðr. He had declared a war of subjugation some time before you declared war for Ladoga yourself. And he finally succeeded in ending the war in his favor."
"Really now. When I left from the south after conquering Ladoga, Jaolemb was in a stalemate with king Rurik II, with neither having the upper hand."
Marshal Satatieto then chimed in: "I think us destroying the majority of their armies during the war helped them in turning the war in their favor."
"Most likely that is the case" Hintsa agreed. "He now calls himself the High Chief of Estonia and Ilmenia. But he still continues to pay tribute to you, my King."
Ahma nodded. "Good. At least some people have some sense left in their heads. If I hadn't taken care of Chief Ahvo, who knows what Jaolemb might have decided to do now that he holds the lands of Holmgarðr too." He then paused for a moment before continuing. "By the way, aren't his new lands divided now from his old lands in Estonia?"
Hintsa was the one to answer. "Yes. His old lands in Estonia are divided from his new lands in Holmgarðr, or Ilmenia as he now calls it, by the High Chiefdom of Pskov in the south of lake Peipus and on the north of lake Peipus by lands under the control of King Tjudmund of Sviþjod. This division between his lands was surely a factor too in his decision to continue paying tribute."
Ahma nodded in agreement, having also thought the same. But he still cannot ignore the new territorial extent that his tributary has gained. He needs to try to ensure that if after his death some, or gods forbid all, of his tributaries refuse to pay tribute to his successor, the successor must be ready to deal with them.
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Hello everyone! Finally a new chapter after a few weeks. I haven't uploaded new chapters for a couple of reasons. First, I was on vacation for a few weeks so I just did other things too besides writing. Secondly, and more importanly, I've also decided to abandon my previous way of uploading a chapter a week, because I've felt it stressing me a bit and I've also felt like the quality of my work has suffered due to it. I caught up to what I had written in store around chapter 15 or so and after that I've basically written a chapter and uploaded it on the following weekend before I've even finished the next chapter, sometimes barely even started on it. So I've decided to ease down on the pace and write when I feel like it, not because I feel like I have to. Maybe this also helps to bring back more motivation to writing and thus slowly cause me to write and upload more often. But to start with I'll try to upload every two or three weeks at least, we'll see if that works and go from there.
Hero's Tributaries
The noise in the hall was almost deafening. Shouting, singing, grunting from men arm wrestling. The sounds you'd expect to be hearing in the halls of Followers of Otso. Ahma was also there, sitting on the table in front of the one where the Heroes sit. He was talking loudly on purpose with another veteran on the table.
"... and I've also been thinking that maybe it's time for me to become one of the Heroes. I'm tired of waiting for one of them to kick the bucket to be able to rise to the rank..."
Viggu 'Hundred-Flagons' was one of the Heroes present, and he heard what Ahma was talking about.
"Upstart youngling, guess I should teach him his place" he thought and stood up from the table, cracked his knuckles and asked Ahma if he would like to put his words into action and fight him for the position if he really was so eager for it. Ahma had been waiting for this. He gladly accepted the challenge. The two men walked outside, followed by a large crowd consisting of almost all the other members present.
The two men fight with actual weapons and not sparring ones, as is tradition when fighting for the position of Hero. The fight starts rather evenly, both men assessing the other first. Then Ahma makes a couple of wild swings to push Viggu back. One of the swings connects, however, slashing Viggu across his chest, possibly even cutting down to the bone given the feeling Ahma got through the blade as he cut Viggu. With that, Viggu was no longer able to continue the fight and Ahma was declared the victor. And the new Hero, at the age of 36. Quite possibly the youngest in the history of the Followers.
During the merriments that ensued Ahma learned something from a few Sami members of the Followers. Apparently Chief Kaleva of Rovaniemi had died bedridden a few days before the gathering started, so the news hadn't reached Pohjanmaa yet when Ahma had left. His holdings in Kemi and Rovaniemi were split between his two living sons, Haapa, now Chief of Rovaniemi, and Ahvo, now Chief of Kemi.
After the gathering was over, Ahma returned to Pohjanmaa and upon arriving to his fort, steward Hintsa was waiting for him.
"My King" he began. "Have you heard the news from the north?"
"About Chief Kalevas death?" Ahma replied.
"That, and a some others too."
"Alright, do share the news then."
Hintsa cleared his throat, and then began: "Well, as you seem to have heard, Chief Kaleva died shortly before you had left for the gathering. His second son, Haapa, is now the Chief of Rovaniemi and has decided to continue paying tribute to you as his father did before him. His younger brother on the other hand..."
"Go on" Ahma said, slight irritation in his voice, as he was guessing what Hintsa was going to say.
"Well, the third son of Chief Kaleva, Ahvo, is now Chief of Kemi and decided not to pay tribute to you, my King. He had always detested how his father gave up so easily after what happened between his sister, Tyyni, and you."
"So you are saying the younger brother is now Chief of Kemi and is not paying tribute, am I right?"
"That is the current state of events, yes"
"Alright, I'm going to go speak with my marshal. By the way, where is Satatieto?"
Satatieto had become the new marshal after Taisto's death near the end of the war to liberate Bjarmia. He was a skilled commander, but he was no Taisto. He was skilled enough for the job though, and was also about the same age as Ahma, so he would be around for a while too, unless he dies on the battlefield like his predecessor.
"I believe he left earlier today to lead a patrol around the countryside. He should return before sundown if everything is alright" Hintsa explained.
"Alright. Tell him to come see me once he returns."
"I will, my King" Hintsa said and bowed.
Ahma went to his study to think about the situation.
"What in the world is that idiot thinking? Does he think he is small or insignificant enough that I don't care if he refuses to pay tribute like his father did before him. Or does he simply do this to spite me, not caring that if I walk over his lands with my army, whole of Kemi suffers too as a result?"
He took a deep breath, and sighed.
"Or it might a combination of all of those. Who knows. But I can't let this slide, it would be an insult towards my authority. And if I let it slide, more and more of my tributaries may stop paying tribute to me, forcing me to go to bigger and bigger wars because I didn't care to put one small Chief back in his place early on."
Ahma slams his fist on the table.
"Damn it all! I had hoped to have some peace and quiet for a few years after the last wars, but no, that one idiot had to refuse paying tribute once he got his hands on just an ounce of power."
He sat on the chair, leaning on it hard, almost tipping it over. He sighed again.
"Forget it, I should just wait until Satatieto comes back and discuss the situation with him. I think he agrees with me that my personal guard will be enough for putting Ahvo back in line."
He leaned forward on top of the desk where his father's notes were placed and began reading them again for maybe a hundredth time.
After Satatieto arrived and discussed the situation with Ahma it was decided that Finland would go to war with Kemi to make them pay tribute. Ahma didn't take any more than his personal guard of around 2400 soldiers to war. They would be more than enough, since according to Satatieto's information Chief Ahvo should be able to raise barely 200 soldiers. Once Ahma's army reaches Kemi they find Ahvo's army of 150 soldiers waiting for them. Ahma simply orders his men to charge to take them down or make them flee. Unsurprisingly Ahma won the battle of Kemi, slaying all the enemies on the field.
"Poor bastards refused to retreat even though their leader had never even taken to field" Ahma thought to himself. "Were they thinking we came as conquerors and they wanted to defend their homes or were they just seeking a glorious death on the battlefield? Though I'd say being outnumbered more than ten to one and getting slaughtered is far from glorious."
Ahma then turned his army towards the major settlement with the Chief's fort to siege it down.
A few days after Ahma had begun sieging the fort there was a messenger coming from Rovaniemi to Kemi. Ahma stopped him and told him to tell him the news he was bringing, and then he might be allowed to enter the local fort with the news. The man said that Chief Haapa of Rovaniemi had died of great pox, and having no sons of his own the two Chief's nephew, Kaleva, has become the Chief of Rovaniemi. Kaleva is the son of late Uoti, eldest of the sons of Chief Kaleva of Rovaniemi. The young Chief has also decided to continue to pay tribute to Ahma much like his predecessors. This pleased Ahma. "Either the young man has more sense in his head than his uncle or he was afraid I'd bring my army over to Rovaniemi next, with what being in Kemi already," Ahma thought to himself and chuckled a little. He then allowed the messenger to continue on his way. "At least Ahvo will now know that his brother won't be coming to help him. Though I doubt he would've helped him even if he was alive."
By the end of summer the siege was over and Ahvo was forced to surrender. As a gesture of goodwill Ahma released Ahvo's wife, Suonjar, unharmed the moment the war ended. When Ahma returns home, steward Hintsa was waiting for him once again.
"My King, have you heard the news from Holmgarðr?" he asked as soon as he saw Ahma come through the gate.
"No, I haven't heard anything about Holmgarðr during my campaign in Kemi. Why? What has happened?" he replied as he was coming down from his horse.
"It's High Chief Jaolemb of Estonia my King. He has taken over Holmgarðr. He had declared a war of subjugation some time before you declared war for Ladoga yourself. And he finally succeeded in ending the war in his favor."
"Really now. When I left from the south after conquering Ladoga, Jaolemb was in a stalemate with king Rurik II, with neither having the upper hand."
Marshal Satatieto then chimed in: "I think us destroying the majority of their armies during the war helped them in turning the war in their favor."
"Most likely that is the case" Hintsa agreed. "He now calls himself the High Chief of Estonia and Ilmenia. But he still continues to pay tribute to you, my King."
Ahma nodded. "Good. At least some people have some sense left in their heads. If I hadn't taken care of Chief Ahvo, who knows what Jaolemb might have decided to do now that he holds the lands of Holmgarðr too." He then paused for a moment before continuing. "By the way, aren't his new lands divided now from his old lands in Estonia?"
Hintsa was the one to answer. "Yes. His old lands in Estonia are divided from his new lands in Holmgarðr, or Ilmenia as he now calls it, by the High Chiefdom of Pskov in the south of lake Peipus and on the north of lake Peipus by lands under the control of King Tjudmund of Sviþjod. This division between his lands was surely a factor too in his decision to continue paying tribute."
Ahma nodded in agreement, having also thought the same. But he still cannot ignore the new territorial extent that his tributary has gained. He needs to try to ensure that if after his death some, or gods forbid all, of his tributaries refuse to pay tribute to his successor, the successor must be ready to deal with them.
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Hello everyone! Finally a new chapter after a few weeks. I haven't uploaded new chapters for a couple of reasons. First, I was on vacation for a few weeks so I just did other things too besides writing. Secondly, and more importanly, I've also decided to abandon my previous way of uploading a chapter a week, because I've felt it stressing me a bit and I've also felt like the quality of my work has suffered due to it. I caught up to what I had written in store around chapter 15 or so and after that I've basically written a chapter and uploaded it on the following weekend before I've even finished the next chapter, sometimes barely even started on it. So I've decided to ease down on the pace and write when I feel like it, not because I feel like I have to. Maybe this also helps to bring back more motivation to writing and thus slowly cause me to write and upload more often. But to start with I'll try to upload every two or three weeks at least, we'll see if that works and go from there.