The Blood Axe: (campaign story)

[IronMonkey]

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/denmark_1080_start.jpg
The Kingdom of Denmark 1080 AD.

Date: 1080
Campaign Length: Short
Objectives: Destroy The Holy Roman Empire, hold 20 factions.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
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Hello all!
This is my first AAR/Campaign story posted here.
Ill be updating this post, as a series of replies since I cannot edit the original post.
It is my intention to offer a good story with great pictures and I intend to keep it short by only including the juicy highlights of the campaign as opposed to a long winded report of boring details.
I will be using in game screen-shots edited in Photoshop and royalty free images I find on the web for historical flavor.
I'm a big fan of Beefeater's posts and reading his posts inspired me to register here and give it a go!
I plan on updating soon _stay tuned!

[Shahed]

Sweet. Looking forward to it.

UPDATE PLEASE !!! :P ;)

[elbasto]

*drool*

[Beefeater]

Looks promising :D

[Lord Magus]

Going to follow this, but I recommend you use another map, this map doesn't show all the regions in the game.

[TheSeated]

Going to follow this, but I recommend you use another map, this map doesn't show all the regions in the game.

Its a title picture, chill.

[IronMonkey]

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/titletocampaign_page1.jpg

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/denmark_startmap_1080.jpg
The Kingdom in 1080(in dark red)
The annals of Ivo of Genoa, scholar sent to King Knud at the behest of his Holiness Pope Gregory.

February 2nd 1080 AD. the gates of Arhus, capital of the Danish Kingdom.

....as our wagons approach , the wind and freezing rain bites and gnaws at the stoic faces of the driver and knights in our caravan as I peer out I see that one rider's beard is solid ice. The howling gusts of wind are like a cold fist battering the sides of the carriage. One can barely make out the guards or the fluttering torch light at the gatehouse.
We have been traveling since the spring to reach our assignment to serve the court of Knud, King of the Danes. We have traveled from Rome through Genoa (my birthplace), over the passes of the Alps through the length of the fractured Dukedoms of the Holy Roman Empire to finally reach our destination.
I am to serve as the Kings Chronicler and tutor to his family, as we move through the gates into the city I wonder what this world of ice and savage legend holds for me, I pray the Lord has a plan for me other than freezing to death, of course...

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/royalfamily_1080_use.jpg
The Royal Family

June 6th 1080 AD. The Royal Court of King Knud
..the annals of Ivo of Genoa, man of letters, servant to the King

....I find the summers here to be quite nice, the days are long and temperate.
My accommodations are a little on the spartan side compared with Rome but quite comfortable actually. The Kings Family are warm and friendly I spend much time with the King going over matters of State and I am privy to quite sensitive matters. I have learned that the King plans to settle old scores with peoples to the north/east of the kingdom in a place known as Sweden, a castle lies there called Stockholm. Soon before the chill of winter is upon us the King will set out and conquer this place. His army is already assembled and final preparations are being made.

The Battle for Stockholm: Old Scores new Wars!

..The armies of Denmark found the Resistance stiff in this land and did not reach Stockholm until December 1080 ad...once there the battle of Stockholm was an easy victory for the King. The King himself entered the battle and cut enemy archers to pieces in the fight. The Danes are not known for their horsemanship, but the King and his Knights are truly an exception to this myth.

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/02_king_charges_sweden.jpg

During the battle the enemy general was struck with an arrow and dropped dead. His men upon seeing this broke and ran leaving the prize to the Kings forces.

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/01_theenemygeneral_falls.jpg

..after the battle and a great banquet the King and his captains make plans for their next target, a place far to the west known as Oslo in the lands of Norway, ships of the Danish navy are on their way to receive the army and carry them to Oslo.

The Exploits of Prince Charles

..While the King and his army dealt with Stockholm, Prince Charles marched South to capture the rebel Castle at Hamburg.
, a great prize for the Kingdom if the Prince can capture it.

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/01batteringram_smash.jpg

Summer 1080 AD. After a relatively short march Prince Charles and his army reached the Gates of Hamburg a great castle located to the north of the Reich but controlled by Germanic rebels. The young Prince ordered his men to construct battering rams and ladders for the siege of the castle, as the men set to work the future King surveyed the defenses with his engineers and formulated a plan...

the next morning the Prince ordered the Ram to smash the gates of Hamburg! as the ram lumbered up toward the gates, enemy archers reigned arrows down upon the ram, to no avail, the men drove forward and made short work of the gates. The infantry was already poised for the attack and marched to engage the enemy. After initial contact with the fierce Danish Huscarls the enemy dropped their weapons and begged for mercy under the savage brutality of the attack they knew they had no chance. The Prince accepted and set the captured men to work repairing the gates and removing the fallen from the field...another region is added to the Growing Danish Kingdom.

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/01hamburg_falls.jpg

..Whilst the King and his Son continued in matters of conquest, the Kings lovely daughter, Princess Ingrid was sent south under heavy guard to Frankfurt to marry the Heir to the Throne of the Holy Roman Empire, Prince Henry. This arrangement had been made with the Emperor of the Reich(Prince Henry's father) years ago when he and King Knud were driving off the last remnant's of pagan Vikings from the region. It is whispered in the Danish court that his majesty Knud does not altogether trust the motivations of the Reich and needs the alliance to secure his southern border while he consolidates his empire in the north, east and west.

https://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/heavyfrost/princessingridmarries_hener.jpg

==================================================

Summary

As Princess Ingrid begins her new life in the court of the Holy Roman Empire, the King sails west to Oslo capturing it with little trouble, Prince Charles captures the settlement of Stettin to the east of Hamburg. Alliances and trade rights are brokered with Poland, Milan, the Papal States, the Magyars of Hungary and the the Norman King in Sicily. The Kingdom of Denmark is growing rich off of trade of furs, amber, fish and lumber. Silver mines are constructed, churches are built, roads are laid, military buildings are constructed in Hamburg, which will serve as the training center for the Kingdom with Arhus becoming the cultural, religious and trading center of the Kingdom.

MY plan is to keep the peace as long as possible with the Poles and the HRE and to get an alliance with England and France so I can concentrate on adding Antwerp and Bruges to my empire. Ill try not to outgrow my defenses and leave regions vulnerable to attack. I will have 3 armies 1 northern Army led by the King that can respond fairly quickly with the navy transport, this army will also conquer Helsinki giving me a foothold in Russia, the Princes western army will go after Antwerp and then Bruges (rich cities:)), and in the east the army will basically act as a deterrent from invasion from the Poles.

Thanks for reading! I hope this was as enjoyable to read as it was to play and put together.

[Beefeater]

Very nice use of pictures - the map in particular must have taken some work.

[Lord Magus]

Very nice, but you don't have to edit every picture.

[Naefen]

Nice one:laugh4:

Keep it coming!!

[Bijo]

Looking good, looking good. Some of those pictures look so nicely OLD. I like this "old style" you put to it.

[IronMonkey]

@Bijo&Naefen Thanks for your comments. Hopefully I will update in the next few days.

@Lord Magus"Very nice, but you don't have to edit every picture"
True, But I chose to enhance the pictures to a state that I like stylistically.

@Beefeater"Very nice use of pictures - the map in particular must have taken some work"
Thanks and yes the map took a little time to composite. I find these take quite a bit of investment of time, even for a short one like part:1 of mine. I imagine you've streamlined your working style a bit since you've started.

[IronMonkey]

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=72768

The very first AAR/Campaign Story I did was playing Milan, it's pretty rough but you may find it entertaining.