972-975 The Second Estonian War and Other Issues
King Syrka returned to Yaroslavl following the wedding. High Chief Salinder of Nidaros, Merya’s War Chief, and the rest of Syrka’s commanders would see to providing any aid King Nalka required in defending against the Scanians.
Chief Valto of Belo Ozero was waiting when he returned. Valto had come to call in the favor Syrka owed him for his generous gift he had given a short while back. To pay off the favor, Valto demanded a position on the Royal Council, specifically he want to become Steward. Syrka reluctantly agreed and was forced to fire his uncle, Chief Kezhedey of Vladimir Volynsky, from the Council. Syrka was not happy having to fire his uncle, not only was he family, he was also a much better steward than Valto will ever be. Kezhedey was not happy either, but over all he still liked his nephew and King and understood the dictates of politics.
King Syrka also returned to some sad news, his ward, High Chief Borkward of Iceland had been bitten by a dog and died frothing at the mouth. Syrka felt guilty as he had been the boy’s guardian and should have kept him close and protected him. Syrka vowed to do better and becomes guardian to Borkvard’s younger brother, the new High Chief of Iceland, Suni. Suni had already embraced the Suomenusko gods in imitation of his older brother, but still was Norse in culture. When High Chief Suni of Iceland arrived in Yaroslavl his regents had sent along a large donation to Syrka' war chest in return for a future favor for their young Chief. Syrka accepted the gift and swore to do better guarding the young High Chief.
A few days later, Syrka was admiring his newest grandson named Deryab, the second son of Tutyra and Kordula Penikis. Little Deryab appeared to be exceptionally gifted, already alert and active at such a young age. Bu the moment was interrupted by High Chief Nabtiko 'the Mule' of Zyriane who asked to speak with the King. Reluctantly, Syrka handed the baby back to his mother and asked the young family to excuse them, business of the realm and all that.
Nabtiko watched until they were gone and then closed the door. He turned back to Syrka and said, “There is a problem there.”
Syrka was confused, “A problem with the baby?”
His spymaster shook his head, “No, a problem with the mother.”
Syrka frowned, “What do you mean.”
Nabtiko replied, “There are always rumors of plots against you, plots to kill the King. Well I tracked down one such plot and discovered that the rumors are true.”
Syrka glanced at the closed door, “And this has something to do with my daughter -in-law?”
Nabtiko nodded, “Everything to do with her. She is the leader of this plot, and she is not alone.”
Syrka sighed, he liked the girl, Kordula Penikis was smart, attractive, and seemed to care for his son. Plus, she had already produced two fine grandsons, she was now tied to the family by blood. “Are you sure?”
Nabtiko nodded, “There is no doubt, I have intercepted correspondence between her and other conspirators, and found other clues that put her as the instigator and lead.”
“And who are these other conspirators?”
Nabtiko pulled out a scrap of paper which had a disheartening number of names on it. He began to read them off, “High Chief Parush of Veliky Ustug, High Chief Vesei of Zavarot, High Chief Çortah 'the Kind' of Latgale, Count Orunza of the Onega Peninsula, Chief Pakstyan of Novogrodek, and finally, High Chief Salinder of Nidaros and Bjarmia, the War Chief of Merya.”
Syrka thought, Chief Pakstyan of Novogrodek at least is understandable as the two of them share neither religion or even culture and Syrka had just recently conquered his land. But the rest, they have little excuse, some are even kinsmen. Why would they want him dead, only one of them could be King. And what tyranny was he raining down on them, that they felt he need to die?
Syrka looked at Nabtiko, “I’ll have a talk with the girl, and get her to end this nonsense.”
Nabtiko looked surprised, “You don’t want her arrested?”
Syrka shook his head, “I’ll give her a chance to do what is right. But I will want a copy of that list.”
Nabtiko nodded, “Of course.” Then he looked like he wanted to say more.
Syrka waved at him, “There is more?”
Nabtiko nodded unhappily, “High Chief Vechkas of Velsk is plotting to fabricate a claim on the throne.”
Syrka nodded, ‘So he doesn’t want to kill me, but does want to steal from me.”
Nabtiko nodded, “And he also has support.”
Syrka sighed, “Of course. Who?”
Nabtiko pulled a second slip of paper from his tunic, and cleared his throat, “There are less of them, but they all appear on the first list, the War Chief again, High Chief Salinder, and High Chief Veliky of Ustug, and Chief Pakstyan of Novogrodek.“
“So Vechkas at least doesn’t want to kill me, but his three supporters are trying everything they can to get me off the throne, whether killing me or stripping me of my title.”
Nabtiko nods, “So it would appear, my King.”
“Are there more?”
Nabtiko nodded unhappily, “There are dozens of additional plots, but those are the only two directed at you personally.”
Syrka spent the rest of the day going through the other plots his spymaster had uncovered, and seeing many more of his slips of paper. In the end, he ordered Nabtiko to do what he could to end the two dozen or so that that posed the most threat to the realm, either through the planned murder of Chiefs and their heirs or plots to lay claim to titles. Even after that there were close to 20 active plots that would continue, either initiated by people outside the realm, or lead by people with so much hate, they would refuse to abandon their schemes.
Nabtiko would be effective in getting most of those two dozen plots to be abandoned in the next couple months. Syrka personally dealt with the two plots targeting himself. After confrontations with both Kordula and High Chief Veckhas, they both begged forgiveness and swore to quit their plots.
While Syrka dealt with internal issues, the Scanian war continued. The Meryan armies were led by Commander Uzhara and Commander Naruchad Koshelid as High Chief Salinder, Merya’s War Chief, was too busy fighting his own war against King Khaireddin for Bjarmia to take part. The commanders freed several of the Estonian villages and temples held by the Scanians including the Temple of Livs, King Nalka's capitol of Kalevan, Narva, and the target of the Scanian conquest, Läänemaa. The only major battle was fought outside of Kalevan, with the Scanians driven off for a time.
Syrka also received some news from his neighbors and more distant foreign lands. King Khaireddin of Nenetsia, as well as defending against High Chief Salinder in the war for Bjarmia, was also still defeniding against the subjugation war of Vladimir.
Çat of Çatid reign as Khagan of Khazaria was short-lived, as the horde soon chose to replace him with Khagan Bulan II 'the Wolf' of Khazaria. His clan, the Yeçtirekid, now lead Khazaria. While the former Khagan, Khan Çat of Çatid is content to raid into Merya, attacking Mordva, others within Khazaria are not and Khazaria is soon torn apart by another revolt.
Emperor Chramnesind 'the Frog', the Holy Roman Emperor, is dead from the cancer that had been eating at him when he was crowned. The Duke of Brittany, Gundobad Chiemgaudson, is the new Emperor. This new Emperor shares Syrka’s affliction, he also suffers from gout.
And it seems that the Christian religious leader, Pope Clemens II, has declared a great Holy War on the the Sunni Sultan Sami of the Muhallabid Sultanate, calling it a Crusade for Egypt. Sultan Sami ruled a vast Empire, includng east Africa and much of Anatolia. Syrka had little interested in who would win the conflict, he was just glad the Christians were directing their ire somewhere other than his own lands.
But as interesting as the news of the outside world is, it is the plots and schemes of his vassals that keep drawing Syrka’s attention. Most of his vassals’ schemes and doings were above board, they were openly fighting wars and challenging each other for their own gain.
There were the vassals trying to expand their power by seizing land outside Merya’s borders, such as High Chief Salinder’s ongoing war for Bjarmia. High Chief Nuyaksha 'the Wise' of Tverhad had already subjugated Chief Çat'n of Chuvash, a chief who had become independent due to the changes in Khazaria, and he was now trying to force vassalization on Chief Uchva of Severnaya, an independent Komi chieftain on the eastern border of Merya. Meanwhile, High Chief Nuyaksha of Turov was attacking Khagan Tuzniq of Bulçir in the Liberation of Kiev. The High Chief of Turov is a Veteran in the followers of Otso and a brilliant strategist, so hopefully he knows what he is doing taken on a Khazar horde single-handedly. High Chief Nuyaksha of Turov had also inherited Grodno following the death of his vassal Chief Varaka. Chief Varaka of Grodno was a giant whose heart couldn't handle his size, his only child is Styaka Chumbulatid, the baby girl shows geat promise, but wan’t old enough to xlaim Grodno. She remains in the care of High Chief Nuyaksha.
Other vassals sought power within Merya. High Chief Orunza of Veps was killed by his brother Chipaz in a duel over Chipaz’s claims on his brother’s titles. Chipaz won the duel and claimed the High Chiefdom of Veps. He then survived a revolt by his kinsman, Chief Viryay of Torzhok, who was imprisoned. But Chipaz didn’t survive the next revolt as another kinsman, Tyushtya Torzhokid, usurped the High Chiefdom of Veps from him. Yurak Namid won another family squabble when he usurped the High Chiefdom of Zavarot from his brother Chief Vesei of Vym. Syrka was happy to see one of those who conspired against him unseated.
All the plotting within Merya had been making Syrka very uneasy and then in a four month stretch, a series of events would would make him downright paranoid. It actually started with some good news. The Meryan Chiefs had made Syrka's son Tutyra the new heir to Merya. And Tutyra and Kordula, had just given Syrka a granddaughter who joined her two older brothers. But Syrka happiness didn’t last long as he was reminded that Tutyra’s treacherous wife had plotted to murder him. Had this been the goal of her plot all along? To make Tutyra the heir and then kill Syrka?
Then High Chief Nuyaksha of Murom died peacefully at age of 52. His son, Saksa Yaroslavlid, is the new High Chief of Murom. A new Voice of Merya had to be found. From amongst a host of candidates, Chief Saksa 'the Shadow' of Merya and Tikhvine is chosen. There was nothing outwardly suspicious about how Nuyaksha died.
But then High Chief Salinder used a favor to get High Chief Nabtiko 'the Mule' of Zyriane to join his factions. So Syrka’s spymaster was now part of the independence faction that High Chief Salinder, Syka’s War Chief was leading. There was a second faction trying to unite Nenetsia and Merya under King Khaireddin, but neither Salinder or Nabtiko were part of it. Neither faction is yet strong enough to be a threat.
Syrka now had one brand new Council member, that he knew little about. He had two other Council members who were members of a faction that wanted to literally rip Merya apart, even if one had not joined willingly, the other one had also been part of a plot to kill Syrka. And a fourth council member, Chief Valto, had forced his way onto the Council, using a favor Syrka owed him.
At least, Chief Valto is doing a good job as steward, acting justly and pleasing the peasants. And Valto had helped relocate a strong Mordvin population into Minsk. Minsk had now become predominantly Mordvin, though the population remained largely Tengri. But Syrka was sad to learn that the man Valto had forced out, Syrka’s Uncle Kezhedey, had recently died from severe injuries. His son, also a Kezhedey, is the new Chief of Vladimir Volynsky.
Was his Diviner, Are Ridala, the only Councilor he could trust? She had just recently converted the population of Lukoml to the Suomenusko Gods. Though she had also received some bad news of her own. Her father had just died at the age of 70. Are was taking comfort that he at least saw his grandaughter become Queen of Estonia, a throne the Ridala dynasty had once held. And Queen Sochava and King Nalka 'Ironside' had just had their first child, a daughter named Sanal'ka, a gifted child, but sickly. Yet his other grandchild had been his favorite, Syrka’s 4-year old son, Inzhay.
Syrka’s worries over the the loyalty of his Council and the plotting were becoming all consuming. Only matters pertaining to his family seemed to distract him from that worry.
High Chief Nuyaksha's ambitions had gotten him killed as he died in the battle of Vozviahel against the Khazars. Syrka's secret son, Robin, is now High Chief of Turov, and has inherited Nuyaksha's war. But the Turov liberation of Kiev was doomed to fail and High Chief Robin II soon had to concede the war his 'father' had started.
And his son Ozheg is already 17, a skilled tactician, brawny, diligent, and ambitious. He comes to Syrka with his pet owl perched on his shoulder as always and asked about getting married. He has grown fond of Sbyslava Vidins, a former hostage now living in Yaroslavl, who has become a devout follower of the gods, shrewd, diligent, and well educated. Syrka agrees to the match and the two are soon married.
The efforts of Syrka’s vassals to expand Merya’s borders were paying off. Chief Varaka of Mozhaysk has usurped the Chiefdom of Vorotynsk from Kinyak Roslavsky, taking more former Khazarian land, land which needs improvements as the nomads had left it suitable only for grazing herds. High Chief Salinder of Nidaros has usurped title of Bjarmia from Malyy Tsuudit, taking the title from the beleaguered Kingdom of Nenetsia. And Chief Deryab ‘the Hunter’ of Pinsk has usurped the Chiefdom of Turov from Voislav 'the Just', a Shia Vohlynian. He also claimed the temple of Davyd -Haradok.
Bishop Uthoil of Maelruusan arrives in Yaroslavl, following the in the steps of his predeccessors to preach the gospel. He was sent by King Uuen of Pictland. King Uuen has been King for just two years, since his father’s death and he has already been excommunicated by the Church. He was hoping his missionary would succeed in converting all of Merya and help Ueun get back into the good graces of the church. Syrka can't be bothered, and has the Bishop imprisoned and held for ransom as soon as he arrives.
Then Syrka learns some devastating news, justifying all his concerns. His diviner, Are Ridala, the only Councillor he could trust, was plotting to kill him. There is no surprise that War Chief Salinder is backing the plot, but the other conspirator is the former heir and most powerful vassal in the realm, High Chief Nuyaksha 'the Wise' of Tver.
As Syrka’s rage grows, the ending of the Scanian-Estonian war is barely acknowledged, though the news that his levys are returning home is welcome. Because King Syrka ‘the Quarreller’ was ready to pick a fight.