Holy Fury Prussian AAR - The Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

[Groogy]

WHAT IS THIS AAR THEN?​

I was booting up Holy Fury one day to try out all of the new cool stuff and my mouse hovered over the Prussian Duchy in the 1066 start date. I realized I know very little about the original Prussians the Hohenzollern founded their Empire on. So I started reading, one link led to another and I got intrigued by this small Baltic culture that got lost to time (and a few swords at their throat probably didn't help either).

So I decided: "You know what? I want to mod in the 10 Clans I could identify into the game and play as them." One thing led to another and now we're here. The game will be heavily modded because I want to empower the narrative that happens. I will also allow audience participation through votes. In my previous one I had the audience be the Allthing of my realm, but this time I will have to figure out something more interesting for people. If you have ideas for let's say laws or events put a suggestion in the thread and I'll evaluate if I find it fitting to add.

f you haven't read my previous one (which unfortunately met an untimely end) you can start reading it here.

Schedule for updates will be that a new chapter will be posted 10:00 every Wednesday starting from now.

WHAT WILL BE THE END GOAL?​

So the situation for the Prussian Clans is very dire, for years they've been slowly pushed back by Slavic and Lithuanian tribes all around them. Especially the Polans of Mazovia have been very adamant on getting support to grab more of the Pagan Prussians land. On the horizon there is also the potential of the Christian German Empire to set it's gaze upon our small patch of land. The goal? To survive.

Compared to my other AAR I will not see it as end game state if my dynasty disappears or dies out, as long as there's Landed Old Prussians somewhere, I will play as them.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue - The Ten Tribes
Chapter 1 - A Rus, A Pole and a Goat
Chapter 2 - Blood of Pagans and Poles
Chapter 3 - Money, The World and Paranoia
Chapter 4 - The War of Blackmail
Chapter 5 - The Grand Pameddi Tribe
Chapter 6 - To Stand Alone or United
Chapter 7 - The Masquerade Pact
Chapter 8 - Battle of Coin​

 

[Idhrendur]

Looking forward to it!

 

[daird]

Nice to see a dev having fun with their creation.

 

[loup99]

Subscribed!

 

[Groogy]

Subscribed!

Nice to see you still following me ^^

 

[loup99]

Nice to see you still following me ^^

I really enjoyed your Vogelius Dynasty mega-campaign while it lasted, and noticed your post announcing this, so it felt natural to jump over to here. Otherwise I tend to unfortunately miss new AARs and have too much reading to catch up on, so there is that too.

 

[Groogy]

Also whenever I can and marketing doesn't notice I'll spoil some features or show how it plays out instead in an actual game

 

[Nikolai]

Looking forward to reading about your exploits, Groogy!

 

[spendabuck]

I'll be looking forward to seeing some of the new mechanics in this AAR.

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

Well, I quite enjoyed your last AAR, incomplete though it may have been. I'll be all too happy to be along for this one.

 

[iniudan]

Looking forward to it.

 

[Prominences]

I tend not to play in that region very much, so this might be a bit of a learning experience for me as well. Good luck!

 

[oskar-kar]

Well, because of having less and less free time as the years passed I've stopped reading AARs, but still got Vogelius AAR in watched threads and when I saw your announcement I thought "Heck, for this one I'll find some time"

So yeah, count me in Groogy, can't wait to read and participate in it! And I hope you'll have more luck with this one and won't have to cancel it

 

[Groogy]

Small update ^^
I've finished up the Prologue and will be posting that tomorrow morning. It's going to be a bit of a big dump of pictures since I have to very shortly/quickly cover 10 clans there aren't much information about until the 1200-ish when the Teutons come.
Now time to actually write the first chapter.



Also great to see old faces return
How did you guys feel the audience participation was last time?

 

[Ursul]

I want to mod in the 10 Clans I could identify into the game and play as them

The game will be heavily modded because I want to empower the narrative that happens.

So basically Holy Fury as Groogy want it.
Huh.
Sound fun, count me in!

 

[Alfray Stryke]

Subscribed! Hopefully the AI doesn’t crusade against you too soon before you’ve got enough of a power base to fend them off.

 

[Groogy]

Prussia. It stretches from east of the Vistula river to the Sambian Peninsula and the Curonian Lagoon. It is one of the very few places in Europe that as of yet has not been weeded out by the loyal flock of Christ. It retains its old barbaric ways and worship of nature deities. The land is inhabited by the Prussian people, Baltics whose language are related to the Lithuanians. However even with a long history and tradition going back together with their brothers, they are isolated and surrounded by foes who would prey on their slice of home.

There are 10 larger Clans of the Prussians that have any significance by controlling the various smaller settlements around them.

In the furthest north on the border with the Lithuanians and Lettgalish tribes we have the Semba and Nadravo clans. Budo is an acomplished warrior who subjugated the settlements around him. Sergonis would be his opposite, a hard working man whose people migrated to Nadruvia and settled itself by building fortresses against the Skalvians to the north. Also part of the area known as Lower Prussia are the Notangi and the Waarmi clans. All of these four clans cover a large part of the Amber Road and their settlements are important stops on it including the settlement located in Malbork and Kulmus ruled by the Pameddi Clan.

However it is clear that Budo holds the power in Lower Prussia, both being ruler over the well populated penninsula and the famous temple of Romowe being the site where the so-called "pagan pope" resides, who apes the Bishop of Rome without holding real power.

On the southern border of Prussia are the Barta, Galinda, Sasnis and Luubawa clans. Once much more mightier and prosperous they have lost a lot of land at the emergence of the Polans slavs in the 10th century and are now considerably weaker compared to their more isolated brethren.

Though they are still known to perform raids into their former land capturing riches from the Mazovian duke.

In Upper Prussia, the region bordering the Vistula river and the Pomeranian tribes we have the Paguddi and the Pameddi. The Paguddi controls the entire stretch of the east side of the Elbing river and uses it well to keep control over the various settlements and any trade that passes through there. Their main rival are the Pameddi clan who does the same on the west side of the river and all the way to the Vistula river.

The Pameddi are probably the most influential in the entire Prussian region, even rivaling Budo of Semba in the north. They have two major settlements of Kulmus and Malbork which are lead by their Chieftain Milzas. He is a warrior rumored to hold the very axe of their thunder god Perkunas. Compared to Budo of Semba, a brute of a warrior who can take down any foe before him, Milzas is more the warrior of the battlefield and the even larger perspective. Though doesn't mean he isn't known to give his axe a swing himself from time to time.

Immediately to the west across the Vistula river comes the Slav tribes known as Pomerania and Obotritia. They have recently started to adopt the ways of the Germanic people to their west, establishing a feudal relationship to the tribes under them. To the north of them are the newly Christian kingdoms of Sweden and Denmark. The Baltic coast has always been a target of plunder and conquest for these people, and the Prussians were no exception to that and have met the Slavs and Vikings in both battle and trade.

To the east besides the Lithuanian and the Lettigalian tribes we have the mighty Kievan Rus and it’s tributary states of Polotsk, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl and Novgorod ruled by the descendants of Rurik of Holmgard. With many of these local rulers lacking a strong sense of loyalty to Kiev, there are doubts whether this mighty empire can last...

The Polans of Mazovia have for soon a hundred years encroached on Prussian land resulting in the current state of the southern tribes. Duke Wladyslaw of Kuyavia-Mazovia are currently trying to gather support to invade under the cause of bringing Christ to the Baltic pagans, through kind words or at the end of a sword if so need be.

On the very distant horizon there are also the Holy Roman Empire. The German Kaiser has yet to turn his gaze upon the Prussians but he is well aware of their existence through the trade relationship between the western merchants and the various settlements on the Amber Road.

The Prussian tribes and their old customs are not long for this world, isolated and seemingly abandoned by their gods as the bearers of the Cross continued to march ever closer to them. How will they go out? When the brave crusaders of Christ comes to extinguish their fire how will they face their final hour? With a whimper or with a holy fury?

 

[Nikolai]

With a whimper or with a holy fury?

My money is on holy fury.

 

[oskar-kar]

How did you guys feel the audience participation was last time?

It was really good. Wouldn't mind seeing similar system here, but if you have new ideas how to handle interaction with the readers, feel free to introduce them

 

[Groogy]

Ow yeah I should state I have done some balance changes to troops and their strength. Tribals can still amass a a horde of light infantry but Feudals have been made significantly weaker at the start. At the start the larger can muster around 3-4 000 men from their demesne instead of the 12 000 they could before. Retinues have been buffed in strength but their numbers lowered and made more expensive.