Some feel they have to hold on to every thing they conquer.
I am one of those, if I loose a province I see it as the beginning of the end.
If you could put my playing style in a text file like the AI, it would probably say, Warmonger: 100%, Feriociy: Yes. I will not hand over a province even if the enemy hold it for a century.
About grabbing Gotland, it would have to wait a little, now I will have to defend my eastern holdings.
The last years of Hvamm-Sturla Thordarsson
The Principality of Novgorod declared war upon Iceland in the year of 1175. Novgorod's allies in Vladimir came to their aid and the war had begun. The armies of Novgorod were already pushing into Finland, defeating the Norwegians and sacking the towns like wild savages wherever they went. Their declaration of war against the Republic of Iceland brought armies of Vladimir and Novgorod into Iceland's only holding in the east, Ingermannland. Thorvardr was overwhelmed when 20,000 Russian troops attacked in late January. Thorvardr spoke to his men, counting not much more than a thousand, as the enemy aproached.
"The odds do not favour us in this battle, and it is most likely that we all die on this field. But we shall not retreat, for there is no retreat. Hold the ground brave warriors and fight with all your heart, let us go forth into battle now, and die with honor!".
When the Russians approached on the field of battle, they were met by the most fierce group of warriors ever seen for a long time. The Icelanders fought with bravery, holding the ground from sunrise to sunset until the last man had fallen. The Vladimiran general, Oleg, was impressed by their courage, and his army of 14,000 men had been reduced to the half before he had won, the Novgorian army was reduced to one thousand men.
Only one man had survived, he had been laying unconcious on the field for days until he finally woke up and saw all the dead bodies laying around him. He managed to get into a boat and row his way to Sigtuna and ride to Bjørgvin, where he sailed back to Iceland. When the Law-Speaker, Sturla, finally heard of this he was outraged. 5,000 men were recruited in Iceland and 4,000 in Ireland, they were sent to war.
One year after the Battle of Narva, on the 11th of January, 1176, the Icelandic warriors arrived on the shores of Ingermannland. The Russians were shaken when they saw the 100 longships approaching. With full rage, eight thousand warriors unloaded on the beaches and stormed towards the Russian army. Oleg and his men did not stand a chance, and they were slaughtered. After they surrendered, each one lost their heads, only the general was left to survive, lacking one eye, one ear, one arm and one leg when he returned to his lord.
The land was retaken, and it was time to enter the war with full rage. While the navy went west to defeat several Saxonian navies in the Sea of Skagerakk, the army marched into Nyland, Tavastland, Österbotten and finally Gästrikland where they joined King Magnus Erlingsson and defeated a Novgorian army of nearly ten thousand men that were pushing towards the heart of Norway. Magnus Erlingsson was greatful for the help, but there was no time to celebrate, more had to be done in this war. The Norwegian king attacked the northern Novgorian posessions of Kola and Karelia, while the Icelandic army moved towards Savolaks, Kexholm and Olonets, meeting no resistance from Novgorod. The Novgorian army had meanwhile captured Ingermannland, but the Icelanders was determined to attack undefended Arkhangelsk to force Vladimir out of the war. The land was captured and pillaged to the ground, in fear of further attacks, Vladimir signed a peace with Iceland in October. The Icelandic army arrived in Ingermannland on the 15th December, ready to battle the Novgorians. But when the Novgorian officers met with the Icelandic ones to negotiate, the Russians decided to offer peace. They would hand back Ingermannland to Iceland, if Iceland gave back Savolaks and Kexholm to Novgorod, Iceland would keep Olonets and recieve 100,000 sterling in indemnities. The Icelandic representatives accepted this, and the Novgorian army returned to its homeland. Novgorod had been cut in two (OOC: The Northern part should have been a seperate country anyway, Karjala) and Iceland was victorious once more.
The following years was peacefull. Except of course, the sea battles in the Skagerakk, and fending off invasions of Norway. But that was mostly taken care off by the Norwegian themselves. Except for one time, when the Saxonians managed to land 9,000 men in Skåne. The Icelanders came to their allies aid that time and sent 2,000 troops from Ingermannland, the Norwegians attacked from Småland with 5,000 men and after a devastating battle, the northmen gained the day. Only a thousand men out of the combined Norwegian-Icelandic army survived, but they had managed to fend of an invasion. Another invasion would come, as 4,000 Saxonian troops landed in Österbotten after their navy had managed to flee from the Icelandic longships and make a landing before their ships were sunk. The invasion force were to be dealt with very soon.
While celebrating the new year of 1181, the great politician, Hvamm-Sturla Thordarsson drank himself to death. This was a great tragedy for Iceland, but a new law-speaker had to be elected, the Allthing gathered the same week and elected Gissur Hallsson, a man without specific ambitions, but with the promise of less taxes and fewer wars he became very popular. How he was to forfill those promises was uncertain, as taxes were needed to finance wars and kingdoms constantly declared war upon the republic...
