Sagaria Invicta - A Sergal Mega-Campaign AAR
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Starting Info
- Sergals are the creation of Mick Ono and Kiki-UMA and are part of the Vilous setting.
- The sergal mod is of my own creation and represents my own personal interpretation of the species, and so do not strictly adhere to the Vilous canon. The mod was also mostly untested when I started this AAR and turned out to be incredibly unbalanced; because of that, I had to constantly adjust the code over the course of the game.
- The sergal species is OP militarily by design, which is mostly balanced out by their unique population growth mechanic, which puts a hard limit on their ability to expand.
- I was originally going to base this AAR off of a campaign using the mod “When the World Stopped Making Sense” with the 476 start, but because that game ended up going completely off the rails by mid-game, I decided to start over in another mod and use some of the playthrough from the old campaign to fill out the history from 476 to 769.
- The campaign for this AAR was played using the “Historical Immersion Project” mod with the 769 start and with Historical Railroading turned on.
- I copied the non-dynastic succession feature from CK2+ into my sergal mod, since having a single dynasty rule a country for a thousand years didn’t seem very realistic or interesting to me. Besides, it wouldn’t work with the sergals’ unique succession system.
- Non-Ironman, since I needed the console for debugging purposes, as well as to fix any in-word weirdness and to make sure that the Islamic conquest happened more or less like it did historically.
- I made some very slight adjustments to “Historical Immersion Project”, but only to make it slightly more realistic to the alternate history I was in the process of making.
- Although the core of this scenario is extremely fantastical and unrealistic, I still want to try and make it somewhat believable.
- This is the first part of a mega-campaign spanning from CK2 to EU4 to Vic2, but it will have a hefty epilogue that will chronicle this alternate history right up to this current year. I decided to skip HoI4 because a)I’ve never played that game, and b)HoI4 didn’t seem like the right kind of game to pick up where Vic2 will leave off.
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Art by @KlebinhoBaby from twitter
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Art by Anna Khudorenko
Table of Contents
Origins - 476-544 AD
Sergal Society in the Early Middle Ages
The Great Raid - 544-554 AD
Sergal Military in the Middle Ages
Expansion and Centralization - 554-738 AD
Growing Prosperity - 769-919 AD
The Christianization of the Sergals - 919-944 AD
A Christian Power - 944-1021 AD
Sergal Society in the High Middle Ages
Saints, Cardinals, and Popes - 1021-1083 AD
The Lesbian Crusader - 1083-1124 AD
The Zealous Crusader - 1124-1163 AD
The Third and Fourth Crusades - 1163-1220 AD
The Scholar Queen - 1220-1250 AD
Sergal Society in the Late Middle Ages
The Mecklenburg Queen - 1250-1282 AD
Growing Influence of the Mercantile Clans - 1282-1338 AD
Plague and Trade - 1338-1375 AD
The End of an Era - 1375-1444 AD
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Origins - 476-544 AD
The origin of the sergal species has forever been shrouded in mystery. Prior to the 5th century AD, they left no archeological evidence of their existence, and paleontologists have yet to unearth any fossil that would hint at their evolutionary history. Indeed, even their DNA has proven equally enigmatic, as it does not share any genetic markers with any other extant species.
According to sergal myth, their tribe—the Adai—originally lived in another world. The Adai had been displaced by several other sergal tribes, forcing them to migrate in search of a new homeland. The spirits of thunder took pity on them, and so one night after they had set up camp, the spirits used their magic to transport them to Earth, where they were given a new homeland on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.
Bewildered by their new surroundings, it did not take the sergals long to identify their human neighbors as potential threats. Queen Raisir of Clan Kelasi and the head of the Adai tribe, acted quickly to calm her people and ordered them to build defensive structures to make sure they could protect themselves and their new home.
Unlike their neighbors, the sergals were hunter-gatherers and had no knowledge of agriculture. Fortunately, their new homeland was well-suited for a hunter-gatherer people. There were plenty of game in the forests and the coast had an abundance of fish.
Although they experienced many hardships at first, the sergals of the Adai were doing well enough three months after the founding of their settlement that they were able to hold a small festival, which helped raise their morale. The festival culminated in the burning of offerings to the spirits of their ancestors as well as those of their new homeland.
By the turn of the 6th century, the Adai tribe had grown so large that their land could no longer support them. Because of this, Raisir finally deemed it necessary to expand their territory.
They went to war to conquer Kalevan from the neighboring tribe of Revala, who were easily overwhelmed by the sergals and eventually driven off. And when they did, they left behind not just their huts, but also their farms and much of their livestock.
Not all of the Revala were able to flee, however. Raisir had captured several of their people with the intention of having them teach the Adai how to cultivate crops. Between the conquest of Kalevan and learning agriculture, the Adai now had ample room to grow.
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Good to see another attempt from you. Can't wait ^^ Can you tell when approximately you will release the first chapter?
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Sergal Society in the Early Middle Ages
Compared to humans, sergals are incredibly communal. This in addition to possessing an intuition that borders on being a sixth sense, as well as being excellent judges of character, have been defining features of their society throughout history.Initially, all sergals belonged to the Adai tribe, which was subdivided into a number of clans. Children belonged to their mother’s clan and they were raised communally by their clan. As such, sergals felt a closer kinship to their clan than their biological parents or siblings. Clan-members within the same age group were considered to be one’s brothers and sisters, those in a younger age group were one’s nieces and nephews, those in an older age group were one’s aunts and uncles, and the elders were one’s grandmothers and grandfathers.
Sergals in the Early Middle Ages spent their first years being raised by their clan’s childrearers in communal creches, who provided them with a very basic and early form of public education. Once they were old enough, their childrearers put them to work helping around the community. As hunter-gatherers, this would usually be in the form of foraging, but once the sergals transitioned to an agricultural lifestyle, the youths would instead help out in the fields.
Once they reached adolescence, sergals were taught how to hunt and then served as the tribe’s hunters for at least five years. As hunters, they not only sustained the tribe with wild game, but also functioned as its main military force. After these five years, many sergals were assigned occupations based on their talents and experience. The rest continued serving as hunters until old age.
As the sergals transitioned to an agricultural lifestyle, fewer remained as hunters and more instead became farmers. And as hunting became less and less necessary to sustain the tribe, the hunters gradually evolved into soldiers. This became the basis for the tribe’s standing army.
Although the clans were originally semi-nomadic, this changed with the transition to a sedentary lifestyle. The sovereign would give territory and property to each clan, and this in turn was inherited and bequeathed through the clan, and held in common by it. The Adai originally had six clans, but as the tribe expanded, new clans were established.
Leadership positions were assigned by the elders, shamans, and respected individuals of each clan. As such, the sovereigns of the Adai were appointed based entirely on ability and competence, though martial prowess was also valued. Of course, as sergals have a strong tendency for matriarchy due to their women being generally more domineering, most leaders were usually female.
With a society largely based on merit, the Adai had a significant edge over their neighbors.
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The Great Raid - 544-554 AD
With the death of Queen Raisir, Jusul of Clan Kevusi—the greatest warrior of the Adai—was appointed to succeed her.
Like her predecessor, Queen Jusul believed that strengthening the unity of sergalkind was paramount to their survival. Unlike her predecessor, however, Jusul was not as elegant with how she went about it.
When Ginakk, the Chief of Kalevan and Jusul’s Steward, began to undermine her authority for his own benefit, she dealt with him swiftly and brutally.
During a tribal council meeting, Ginakk made it known that he wanted council members to have more say in how the tribe was governed. When Jusul disagreed, Ginakk made thinly veiled threats to force her to reconsider.
Jusul then suddenly flew into a rage, pounced at Ginakk, and proceeded to claw at and bite him. He cried out for mercy, but Jusul proceeded to tear out his throat.
After this violent display, few sergals dared go against her.
Having secured her rule and stamped out any opposition, Jusul turned her gaze beyond the tribe's borders. She had heard stories of the lands to the south. Stories that sounded so unbelievable that she felt the need to go see them for herself. After gathering a host of warriors and dependable commanders, Jusul set out on the longest infantry raid in world history.
Jusul’s expeditionary force raided tribe after tribe, crushing army after army, as they traveled south through the tribal lands. Eventually however, tribal villages gave way to cities.
Unbeknownst to them, they had ventured well within the borders of the Byzantine Empire. It was at this point that they first entered recorded history, as the people they fought and raided would later write about them.
While raiding one of the cities, Jusul’s scouts spotted a Byzantine army marching towards them. In awe of its size and its impressive equipment, Jusul ordered her troops to get moving as she did not want to risk fighting it. As sergals are able to march significantly faster than humans, they were easily able to evade their pursuers.
The expeditionary force retreated to the north, then went around the Carpathian mountains, eventually making their way to Lombardy. There, they raided several settlements before traveling south to the lands of the Ostrogoths.
Marching west, Jusul’s expeditionary force entered Francia and eventually reached the coast of the Atlantic. They traveled northwards along the coast. Occasionally they would encounter a local ruler’s levy, which they easily crushed. Though they eventually found themselves pursued by a much larger Frankish army, they were able to keep ahead of it with little difficulty.
Once the expeditionary force had made its egress northeast of Francia, it finally began its journey homeward, marching along the coast of the Baltic Sea.
Jusul and her expeditionary force finally returned home nine years after first setting off.
Once home, Jusul threw a great festival to celebrate their accomplishment and return. She and everyone who had been a part of her expedition eagerly shared stories about their exploits and about the incredible lands to the south.
Of course, the Adai expedition had also made a huge impact on the lands they had traveled through and raided, with one Byzantine bishop famously writing “Where had such a people lain hidden?” From the information the Latin- and Greek-speaking world managed to gather, they would come to refer to them as the “Sagari”.
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Sergal Military in the Middle Ages
Although several aspects of their biology have given sergals an edge in combat over humans, three distinct advantages allowed them to dominate the battlefield up until the 20th century: their incredible speed and maneuverability, and their high affinity for cooperation.
Sergal light infantry were able to outrun and outmaneuver cavalry with ease, and the speed of their heavy infantry—which would be developed in the High Middle Ages—was comparable to that of light cavalry. This enabled sergal soldiers to function both as infantry and as cavalry, allowing them to easily adapt as the situation warranted.
As they had developed from hunters to soldiers, sergal troops of the Early Middle Ages ended up fighting human armies in a similar way to how they hunted animals—by outmaneuvering and harassing the enemy on all sides, then striking whenever they saw an opening.
Another advantage sergal armies enjoyed for much of the Medieval era was their shock factor. Human troops viewed them as strange and horrifying, which significantly increased the effectiveness of shock tactics. Additionally, humans had yet to develop strategies and tactics to counter sergal forces. This gradually became less effective in Europe in the High Middle Ages as human soldiers and commanders grew more accustomed to sergals and learned to adapt to their tactics. By the Late Middle Ages, its effectiveness was reduced in North Africa and most of Asia as well. Of course, this advantage was offset by their smaller population during that period.
While sergal armies in the Early Middle Ages were almost exclusively composed of light infantry, heavy infantry would come to make up their majority in the High Middle Ages. This was in sharp contrast with most of Europe where heavy cavalry supported by archers and foot soldiers were favored instead. The benefit of having sergal heavy infantry, of course, was that it enabled them to better defend and attack in addition to harassing the enemy.
While most other European realms relied on levied armies to wage war, the Adai maintained a standing army composed of conscripts and professional soldiers. Upon reaching adolescence, every able-bodied sergal was required to serve for five years in the army. The first six months of this service was spent on training. After their five years of service was over, their commanders would offer the best soldiers a permanent place in the army and dismiss the rest. Once a sergal had managed to become a professional soldier, they became eligible for promotion.
When the Adai weren’t at war, the military would spend its time training, keeping order throughout the realm, patrolling the borders, and hunting game. While the military was costly to maintain, it was cheaper than it would have been for any other realm due to the Adai’s lack of cavalry, one of the most expensive elements of a medieval army.
Individual clans had no power over the army, as it was led by commanders who had risen from the ranks, and they only listened to the sovereign of the Adai. This, of course, made the military exceedingly powerful. Originally, the shamans and elders were the ones who wielded the most influence when it came to appointing the sovereign, but as the tribal kingdom grew larger and more centralized the military came to overshadow them. This is the reason why the majority of the sovereigns were former commanders.
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Expansion and Centralization - 554-738 AD
Some time after Jusul Kevusi’s return, she resumed her work in centralizing power in the Adai tribe. However, during this time the sergals also had to deal with an attempted Slavic invasion. It would be the first of many, but they had little difficulty fighting them off.
In the mid 6th century, Jusul died after having been bitten by a venomous snake that an assassin had left in her bed. No one knows who had her killed, but many at the time believed Ginakk’s son was responsible.
Jusul was succeeded by Sujul of Clan Denaja, who had been one of her commanders during the expedition. She had also been a good friend of hers. As such, she immediately sought vengeance and confronted Didakk, the son of Ginakk.
Didakk fervently denied her accusations, but Sujul had already made up her mind. His bloodcurdling shriek could be heard from afar as she crushed his head against the rocky ground.
Although this incident was quite brutal, it set a precedent that future sergal rulers would take to heart: if you assassinate my predecessor, you will be punished harshly.
Sujul set out to build upon the accomplishments of the previous Queens, expanding the villages into proper towns and having her people get more involved with trade and diplomacy with the neighboring human tribes. Additionally, she further centralized power in the tribe.
The Adai capital prospered under Sujul’s rule. The fishing industry boomed, which provided the sergals with more food, which in turn helped their population grow.
From this point on, Sujul’s history becomes more obscure. While much of their oral history can be verified with archeological evidence and contemporary written accounts, a lot of it was distorted due to being mythologized.
Sujul spent much of her life improving the territory of the Adai and continuing to centralize power into her own hands. However, she also dedicated a lot of time to hunting. According to sergal myth, she began at some point to hear rumors of a white bear and decided to seek it out.
The hunt for the white bear would take a long time. A very long time. Too long, in fact, for it to have even been possible. The oral history of the Adai says that Sujul spent most of her life hunting the white bear, but in so doing was cursed with an unnaturally long life. The accepted theory among modern historians, however, is that Sujul was succeeded by another Queen with the same name who decided to take up her hunt, and that sergal myths and legends simply blurred the line between these two Queens.
According to sergal myth, Sujul initially believed that the hunt had blessed her with health and longevity, but when her children began to die of old age before her, she came to realize that it was actually a curse.
Whenever the Queen wasn’t busy hunting the white bear, she worked tirelessly to take power away from the tribal council and concentrate it entirely into the hands of herself and her successors. And she expanded Adai territory through conquest, which had only been possible by the prosperity and stability her rule had brought.
Unfortunately, the loss of her lover, her children, and now even her grandchildren to old age finally took a toll on her. She went insane.
Sujul spent the rest of her long life chasing imaginary creatures, howling at the moon, and implementing nonsensical laws.
At the turn of the 8th century, Sujul finally died, passing on the reins of an exceptionally centralized tribal kingdom to Suvis of Clan Inari, who was a brilliant tactician and a shrewd ruler.
Although she didn’t exactly do anything of note, Suvis had been a good steward of the Adai and brought back some much-needed normalcy following the last years of her predecessor.
Suvis was succeeded by Neir I of Clan Elanu, who was in her late 20s upon being elected Queen. Neir I was a competent and seemingly mild-mannered woman, but many could attest to her being a terrible force to behold in battle, having famously cleaved an opponent in two during a duel. And like her predecessors, she was an incredible commander, as this was one of the most desirable traits in a leader in sergal eyes.
Neir I would continue to expand the tribe’s territory within the first decade of her reign, and later fight off another Slavic invasion. Her well-tempered rule quickly earned her the nickname Neir I “the Just”.
She was succeeded by Ginakk of Clan Kelasi, who was both a great commander as well as a notorious heartbreaker with numerous mistresses and countless children, both legitimate and illegitimate. He was also known for hosting lavish feasts and was on good terms with almost every major figure in the tribe… except for his wife who despised him.
Ginakk’s rule was largely peaceful as he focused most of his efforts on strengthening the communal bonds of the tribal kingdom. More notably, he made Riga the new capital of the tribal kingdom, as the city by the mouth of the Daugava river had grown wealthier than the old capital. He died in 769 AD of a heart attack while in bed with one of his many lovers.
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Growing Prosperity - 769-919 AD
The period between the late 8th to early 10th century marked the beginning of a steady growth in prosperity for the Adai. This was mostly due to the fact that the sergals were so militarily dominant that they were able to repel any raiders or conquerors. Another factor was the lack of civil wars, which was a result of the tribe’s high centralization as well as the sergals’ sense of unity. This resulted in an incredible stable realm with unspoiled lands, which in turn led to a gradual increase in prosperity.
Upon Ginakk’s death, Saigiv “the Young” of Clan Kevusi, who had been one of his commanders and lovers, succeeded him at the age of 26. Although married herself, she openly mourned his death.
In addition to this display of impiety, she gained the enmity of her own priesthood after chastising Regar, one of their more influential members. When Regar angrily challenged her to a duel, Saigiv agreed and later slayed him in front of a cheering crowd. This, of course, didn’t make her any more popular with the pagan priests of the Adai, but it did reduce their influence somewhat.
Saigiv would go on to further expand the borders of the Adai, as well as improve the infrastructure of the capital. She was succeeded by Naraj of Clan Kelasi, one of her commanders.
Naraj would also add to the Adai’s territory, but more importantly the tribal kingdom saw an increase in prosperity and trade during her rule. Much of this can be attributed to the seafaring Norsemen, who raided the people in the west and traded with the Adai. The exotic nature of the sergals and the kingdom’s stability also began to attract traveling merchants and scholars from far and wide. One of these merchants ended up gifting Queen Naraj a Bedouin eunuch named Abdul-Qadir, who turned out to be a brilliant steward. So much so that Naraj made him steward of the realm.
Naraj died in her mid-60s and was succeeded by Aijega of Clan Navi, who further expanded the realm. Aijega was a lover of good food and drink, but would struggle with her weight for the entirety of her rule. She died due to indigestion at the age of 61, and was succeeded by King Shijukk of Clan Elanu.
Shijukk continued the tribal kingdom’s expansion to accommodate its growing population. In his personal life, Shijukk spent much of his time with his many mistresses, much to the chagrin of his wife.
Shijukk was succeeded by King Genir of Clan Adunu, who was a very able ruler and spent his reign promoting trade and good foreign relations. Genir passed away in 919 AD and was succeeded by King Jadak of Clan Inari, better known today as Saint Jadak.
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The Christianization of the Sergals - 919-944 AD
Ever since they first made their dramatic entrance into the Christian world during Jusul’s expedition, there had been an intense debate among theologians about their nature and whether or not they had souls. Initially viewed as monstrous, this attitude changed over the course of the 8th and 9th centuries as the tribal kingdom of Adai became much more hospitable to foreigners.
“Just as there are monstrous individuals within the clans of people, so there are monstrous clans within the greater human race—the Giants, the Two-Headed, the Trimani, the Dwarfs, the Cyclops, the Sagari, etcetera. These may seem to be born against the law of nature, however these monsters don't arise against the law of nature, but they come about in a certain way with their peculiar disposition since the natural law is an arrangement of God.
“Indeed, in regards to the Giants who are counted among these monsters, almost no one doubts that these people were born from humans, and since these creatures are supported with the authority of divine scripture, we should not omit them. But although we may say or think as much, it does not follow that whatever is produced from a human being is also human and has been granted with the genius of human reason. For instance, it is read that a calf was born from a lady, or that a serpent emerged from a woman. But consequently, I would agree that neither the calf nor the serpent had a human or rational mind.
“While the Sagari may number together with these monsters, they are thought to possess human reason if the things which are read concerning them are well established—so it follows that they have the souls of men and not those of beasts.”
The eventual consensus was that the sergals, like humans, had rational souls, and that they too deserved to hear the word of Christ.
King Jadak was a very well-rounded ruler. In addition to being a brilliant commander, he was a keen diplomat and administrator as well. When Ariald, a Christian missionary from East Francia who had been caring for the sick, was brought before him in chains, Jadak was more than a little intrigued. As Ariald was a learned man and a healer, Jadak decided to make him his personal physician.
Ariald and Jadak enjoyed many lengthy conversations with each other. The missionary provided several arguments for the conversion of the sergals to Christianity, which led Jadak to conclude that both God and the church itself could greatly benefit his people. Ever since the sergals of the Adai first settled here, they had stood apart from humanity and they fully understood that they could be wiped out if enough humans banded together against them. A faith like Christianity would give them common ground with some of the most powerful human nations, which would help secure their continued existence. With this in mind, Jadak decided to convert to Christianity in the year 926 AD.
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Art by @KlebinhoBaby from twitter
The Adai Christianized relatively quickly. This was primarily due to two reasons. Firstly, most sergals tend to be easily influenced by charismatic authority figures, and Jadak was such a figure. Secondly, as sergals raise and educate their children communally in creches, Christian teachings could easily be disseminated to the next generation. Ariald himself would spend much of the rest of his life teaching children about God, as well as to read and write. Even so, however, many sergals had to be converted by other means.
With the Christianization of his subjects well under way, King Jadak sought to develop the Adai realm into a proper Christian kingdom. He drew upon the Adai’s wealth to build churches, pay for the education of a sergal clergy, and to fund missions to help Christianize the rest of the realm. Furthermore, he adopted the Latin name of the kingdom: Sagaria.
In 930 AD, Jadak sent a request to Pope Innocentius II to formally crown him the King of Sagaria. Innocentius II jumped at the opportunity to do so, as he knew that this would be a defining moment in the history of the church. During the celebrations leading up to the coronation ceremony, Jadak impressed the Pope with his charisma and tact. The coronation cemented Sagaria’s reputation as a respectable Christian realm and as a civilized kingdom.
King Jadak also went on to establish the major trade route connecting Scandinavia with the Byzantine Empire, bringing even more wealth to Sagaria. And in 934 AD, he went on a pilgrimage to Rome. He was awestruck by the Eternal City, but he too ended up being a source of awe and wonder for the humans who saw him. Jadak met with many curious scholars, whom he invited to Sagaria to learn more about his kind. He was also invited to dine with several noblemen. Finally, Jadak met with Pope Innocentius II who invited him to stay and partake in the feasts and festivities around Christmas, and was provided a mansion for his stay in Rome. By the time Jadak finally returned home to Sagaria in January 935 AD, he had left a lasting impression.
Like most of his predecessors, Jadak would continue to expand the Kingdom’s borders to accommodate its growing population. He would also host scholars from all over the Christian world so that they could study his species, and these scholars often brought with them new ideas that helped modernize the Kingdom. He would pass away in 944 AD, at the age of 57, and was later canonized in 948 AD.
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You mentioned many different races here. Does it mean we will have more of them later on? (maybe not even in CK2 itself, but in EU and Victoria for example) Or is it only for flavour purposes?
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No, it's just how people back then viewed the world. That part was actually taken (and slightly edited) from a real letter from a 9th century monk:
In this AAR, sergals are the only non-human people that exist.
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A Christian Power - 944-1021 AD
Jadak was succeeded by Queen Neir II of Clan Dagai, a woman who had risen from the rank of a common soldier. Like Jadak, Neir II was a talented commander and administrator. Unlike Jadak, however, she was very crass and thus made for a poor diplomat. Nevertheless, she was a fiercely devout Christian.Sergal culture would begin to noticeably change and evolve during Neir II’s reign. Christianization, the influx of new ideas, international trade, and closer diplomatic relationships with the other European realms were altering age-old cultural practices and the way Sagarian’s spoke. Some of these changes were extremely gradual, while others were more dramatic (such as adopting Christian practices).
Following Jadak’s canonization, Neir II ordered a shrine in his honor to be built on his tomb. In addition, she initiated the construction of the Saint Jadak’s Cathedral in his honor.
Neir II was succeeded by King Kadak of Clan Laishu in 954 AD, a giant of a man who possessed many of the same qualities as Jadak. He also conquered more territory for the sergals of Sagaria, but this time the target of their conquest was a Christian kingdom. As such, he ordered his commanders to minimize the amount of bloodshed—what resulted can be best described as a series of battles, followed by the forced resettlement of the human inhabitants.
In 963 AD, King Arngrimr sent a request to King Kadak to convert the people of Uppland to Christianity. Kadak was more than happy to do so and sent several missionaries to the small pagan kingdom.
Kadak passed away in 965 AD and was succeeded by Queen Suvil of Clan Nagi, who was gifted in all aspects of rulership but also quite old. Although she only reigned for two years, she spent her time well—inviting prominent philosophers to the capital as well as enacting an education reform requiring all communal creches to teach children to read and write. Although quite revolutionary for its time, and only possible due to the way sergals traditionally raise their young, the results would probably raise the eyebrows of a modern school teacher. The spelling of Sagarian words were not at all standardized, which resulted in different spellings in each region, sometimes to the point where something written in one region was virtually unintelligible in another.
Suvil was succeeded by Queen Adijanaj of Clan Ikujusi, who was in most regards fairly unremarkable aside from being a great commander, going on to add more territories to the sergal kingdom. At the request of King Jurva, Adijanaj sent missionaries to help convert the Kingdom of Finland in 971 AD.
Adijanaj passed away in 974 AD and was succeeded by King Lujak of Clan Kevusi, who was a highly capable ruler and a virtuous man. The Kingdom would experience an increase in prosperity under his rule.
Lujak died and was succeeded by Queen Sesev of Clan Veku in 982 AD. The new Queen was young, brilliant, and highly charismatic. She also possessed what many considered to be an unparalleled level of virtue, to the point where many considered her to be a holy woman.
During her coronation ceremony, Sesev impressed Pope Silvester II with her theological knowledge. So much so that he personally invited her to accompany him back to Rome. Because she was pregnant at the time, Sesev had to decline his offer. She gave birth to a healthy daughter later that year, and then went on a pilgrimage to Rome in January of the following year. There she met with Pope Silvester II, who provided her with a mansion for her stay and permitted her to peruse the library in the Lateran Palace to her heart’s content. He also assigned a vicar to show her around the Eternal City. Over the course of her stay, Sesev would often dine with the Pope and have many deep theological conversations with him. The Queen finally returned home to Sagaria after Easter.
Sesev’s visit to Rome strengthened her faith even more, as she made a vow of chastity upon returning home. Her name came to be constantly on the lips of the Sagarian priests during their sermons, as they held her up as an example to others. She would often seclude herself to study the scripture, pray, and meditate on the Bible. Sesev would also frequently visit the nuns of the Alaki Abbey in Saaremaa to see and participate in their works. Additionally, she befriended and maintained correspondence on philosophical and religious matters with several Sagarian nuns and members of the clergy.
Later in her life, Sesev came to be viewed as so pious and wise that she would even provide spiritual guidance to the members of the Sagarian clergy. This in turn attracted prominent philosophers to travel from abroad to join her court. And in 1016 AD, at the request of High Chief Reko, she sent missionaries to convert the people of Savonia, and later funded the construction of several churches there. Sesev also began the construction of a grand university in the capital, which would later be named in her honor and become one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Sesev passed away in 1021, and few were surprised when she was canonized a few years later.
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Sergal Society in the High Middle Ages
Although Sagaria had copied several aspects of the major European powers, they never adopted feudalism. Farmers were free citizens and they worked on land owned by their clan. Each clan was ruled by a matriarch or (more rarely) a patriarch elected by the most influential members of that clan, though the Kingdom’s sovereign held the power to remove them at a whim. Sagaria had no noble class, instead its influential members were mostly clerics, military commanders, and to a lesser extent merchants.The clan childrearers now only provided children with the most basic education, while monasteries and church-run schools provided them with a general education called schola communis. Because this education was given to every single Sagarian child, it was notably less sophisticated than in the rest of the Christian world. Children attending schola communis would learn everyday life skills, reading, writing, and how to be a good Christian. The children would progress up from reading and writing letters, to syllables, to word lists, eventually memorizing and dictating texts. The more gifted children would go on to the schola major, where they were taught grammar, astronomy, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, scripture study, and pastoral theology. Those who did not go to the schola major were instead put to work where needed. After graduating from the schola major, the young did their five years of mandatory military service along with the rest of their age group. After finishing their military service, the very best of the schola major graduates were then given the option to enroll with a university.
Between its high literacy rate and the amount of scholars it attracted from abroad, Sagaria grew to become a center of learning, philosophy, and theological thought.
The clans had grown larger and more powerful by the High Middle Ages, with clan matriarchs and patriarchs being somewhat comparable to feudal dukes.
Having evolved from small semi-nomadic groups to large sedentary social units, clan membership came to depend more on where one was born and raised than on lineage.
Because of this, sergals developed a trinomial system, whereby an individual would have a personal name, followed by their mother’s inherited clan name, which in turn was followed by the name of the clan they were raised by. For example, a sergal woman named Sifel, whose mother is a descendant of Clan Acanou, and who is raised by Clan Eshucan, will be called “Sifel Acanou Eshucan”. If she has a son named Lecar and he is raised by the same clan, he would be called “Lecar Acanou Eshucan”. Within a clan, sergals address one another only with the first and second names (“Lecar Acanou”). Outside of a clan, however, sergals typically address one another with the first and third names (“Lecar Eshucan”). In cases where the second and third names are the same, the second will be dropped.
The Church had also come to wield a great amount of power and influence, but even so conflicts between secular leaders and the clergy were rare. However, the most powerful actor in Sagaria by far was the military.
In order to maintain an experienced military, and to help offset its expenses, Sagaria began to rent out its armies as mercenary companies. Their combat prowess and incredible discipline made them famous and highly sought after. Both the Byzantine Emperor and the Pope would have a “Sagarian Guard” unit. Sagarian mercenaries would also prove to be instrumental during the Reconquista, which they helped bring to a close by the end of the High Middle Ages. Sagarian mercenaries were also notable for not looting their foes unless permitted by their client, and when they did loot they did it in a highly organized manner where all of the spoils would be collected to a central location and then divvied up based on rank.
By this point it was largely its commanders who appointed the sovereign due to their enormous influence and power. Despite this, however, the Sagarian military never launched a coup or a civil war throughout the Medieval Era. This is in sharp contrast to the Roman and Byzantine Empires, which similarly had powerful and influential professional militaries. To understand why this is, it is vital to understand the culture of Medieval Sagaria.
The Sagarian commanders were akin to modern-day rockstars. They were absolutely adored by their soldiers, having risen from the ranks themselves through merit and by possessing particularly strong personalities. They were held up as exemplars by their clans, with celebrations often being thrown in their honor, and the very best commanders were known throughout Europe. Although they did not own any landed estates, they were the closest thing Sagarian society had to nobility.
Although the sovereign technically wielded more political power, the commanders of Sagaria considered attaining the position to be a step down, as the sovereign’s duties were seen as far less glamorous. It was only when Sagaria launched a major war that the sovereign personally commanded an army, and even then it was alongside its existing commander. It was for these reasons that the commanders of Sagaria viewed the sovereign more as their representative than as their overlord.
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Saints, Cardinals, and Popes - 1021-1083 AD
Queen Sifel I of Clan Tashou was appointed sovereign in 1021 AD. A gruff, bullheaded woman, Sifel I was nevertheless generous, pious, and a very capable administrator.
When Sifel I sent a request for Pope Innocentius IV to crown her, the Pope responded that he would be happy to do so, provided she deposed the excommunicated King Thomas of France first. Queen Sifel I reluctantly agreed to the condition and declared war on France.
France was one of the greatest kingdoms of Europe at the time, and had it not been for the Sagarian-French Excommunication War, it very well could have remained as such up to this day. This was not to be.
The Sagarian forces acted honorably. They did not attack noncombatants, those who surrendered were spared, and no captives were taken. The French commanders attempted to take advantage of this at first, but it did not take them long to learn that repeat engagements were about as ineffective as the first. Despite the Sagarians’ policy of mercy, they completely tore through any opposition.
Despite the insurmountable odds stacked against him, King Thomas of France refused to surrender. In response, several of the King’s vassals rose up against him and made peace with Sagaria as independent lords. At the same time, several of France’s enemies took advantage of the chaos and launched wars of conquest and reconquest against it.
In the end, King Thomas was captured by Queen Sifel I and forced to relinquish his crown to a successor approved by the Pope. Having achieved victory, Sifel I returned home where she was finally crowned Queen of Sagaria. For her service to the Church, Sifel I would later be canonized in 1055 AD.
In 1029 AD, the Sagarian Bishop Lafur was made a cardinal by Pope Victor III. He was the first sergal to receive that honor. About a decade later, Idatt, another Sagarian bishop, would also be made cardinal.
In 1034 AD, Sifel I sent missionaries to convert the people of Nenetsia at the request of King Num II. She would also fund the construction of several churches there, and personally visit the King to see how the conversion was progressing.
Pope Sergius III canonized Vailas, a pious and virtuous clan matriarch in 1040 AD.
During the remainder of her rule, Queen Sifel I conquered more territory for the Sagarian people, and invited a number of prominent scholars and philosophers from abroad.
Sifel I was succeeded by King Datan of Clan Rusie, who was a tall, handsome, and charismatic man. However, he was already in his twilight years when he came to power. He was nevertheless an able ruler during his short reign, being somewhat notable for his work in promoting trade.
Queen Sikul of Clan Eranou came to power in 1055 AD. She was a godly woman with an extensive knowledge of the bible, and she would attract many scholars and philosophers from abroad.
Following the death of Pope Sergius III in 1058 AD, the papal conclave elected Idatt as his successor, who became the first sergal Pope. He chose Victor as his papal name in honor of Pope Victor III, who had made him a cardinal. Thus he became Pope Victor IV.
During her reign, Queen Sikul would further expand Sagaria’s territory, enact some minor tax reforms, and improve relations with the Holy Roman Empire. She would also begin construction of the great Library of Saint Vailas in the capital, in addition to expanding Saint Sesev’s University. Sikul also saw the completion of Saint Jadak’s Cathedral, which is still to this day considered to be one of the greatest cathedrals in the world.
Sikul passed away in 1083 AD and was later canonized in 1088 AD. She was succeeded by the notorious Queen Sudul I, a woman who would be alternately admired and despised by those who came after.
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Sergals are so benelovent. Is it propaganda or are they really that understanding and order loving?
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I mean, not exactly? There are several things at play to make them seem that way:
1) Sagarian society in the High Middle Ages was highly meritocratic and stable, which resulted in highly competent people being appointed to positions of power. The most dangerous element of their society were the clan leaders, who often wanted more autonomy in ruling their own lands and people, but at this time they were being held in check by a powerful military loyal to the central government. Recall the assassinations and murders that happened early on in this AAR, when the sergals were more tribal and decentralized.
2) In pretty much every other kingdom and empire, political intrigue and violence is a necessity. Sagaria at this point in time is an exception to this, and so its sovereigns can spend a lot of time and resources on improving the Kingdom or just make themselves look good.
2) The sergals view themselves as an island in a sea of humans, and thus there is a strong political incentive for sergals to stick together, and their leaders want to make sure that they maintain a good reputation with their fellow Christians.
3) Sergals are, on average, more superstitious than humans. And given that Sagarians are raised communally, partially by the Church, they are all very concerned with being good Christians.
4) Sagarian soldiers are highly disciplined and well trained, and they rarely had to worry about not having their basic needs met. Other European foot soldiers, on the other hand, pretty much needed plunder to supplement their meager incomes, with spoils of war typically being used as an incentive by their commanders to fight well.
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