Tales of the Baltic Empires: Teutonic PBM write-up thread

[Privateerkev]

This is a thread for players in the Kingdoms Teutonic PBM to post about their empires.

This is totally optional.

Expect postings to lag far behind actual turns so as to keep certain things secret.

[Zim]

Place holder for the annals of Novgorod. It'll probably be at least one more turn before I can put anything down.

[Privateerkev]

Denmark Turn 1: 1250

King Knud walked up to the ramp of a ship followed by an aid who kept annoying him.

"But sir, your sending your armies all over the Baltic! We don't have the men and we'll be strung out!"

Without turning around, the King said, "Then build a navy to link these settlements together. I want Scandinavia under Danish control before my death. And I want Visby and Finland. We'll make peace with the Rus in order to keep Danish Estonia. And we'll make peace with the Kaiser to keep Denmark."

"But my lord! The Grand Duke of Novograd is going to want ports! How do you know he won't just take over Danish Estonia?"

The King, now on the ship, started walking down a hallway, "Because I will try to convince him that there are other ports to take."

"But the only other ports in the area are controlled by the Teutonic Order! You would try to convince non-Christians to war with other Christians?"

"Bah, I hardly have to convince anyone to war with the Order. Who haven't they angered? The Lithuanians hate them. The Poles fear them. The Kaiser can't control them. The Novogradians have not forgotten their earlier wars with them. The Mongols have other things to worry about and are far from the area. Norway could care less. No, no one will miss the Order."

"But sir, they might figure out what your doing. What if the Order moves it's northern forces against us in Danish Estonia?"

"Move the navy in. Blockade the straits at Arensberg. Tell the Order Hochmeister that it was a "navigation mistake". He won't believe it of course and he'll probably attack. We'll have all the reason for war that we will need. Then we build a navy, attack the Order's northern territories, and assist in their destruction. Then we can all get on to the business of making money."

The aid realized he was on a ship about to set sail. Not wanting to be trapped on a ship heading for Scandinavia, ran to the ramp before they pulled it up.

[_Tristan_]

THE TEUTONIC ORDER


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I am Gunther, HochMeister of the Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Ierosolimitanorum, Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus St. Mariens in Jerusalem in our own language, the Order of the German House of St. Mary in Jerusalem called simply the Teutonic Order by most…

We came crusading to those lands to bring the word of God and to carve a Kingdom for ourselves…
The black crosses on our tabards have been seen as far east as the city of Novgorod and have gained us the Kingdom of Heaven all the while gaining us a more earthly kingdom at the same time.

Our successes have been many and our failures few…
However, our quick rise to power has made many a nation angry with us…

Our German brethren are wary or the political importance we may gain through Papal support, being themselves at odds with his Holiness…
The Danes, though now Christians, remain barbarians at heart, still dreaming of conquest, raiding and plunder and our coastal lands may well be their next target…
The Poles are even more fearful of us. We helped them get rid of the Mongol hordes plaguing their lands and carved our Kingdom from lands that once belonged to them. They bear with us like your bear with an obnoxious neighbour, until now…
The Republic of Novgorod are money-grubbing Orthodox, ready to make any and all alliances to develop their trade routes, the bear on their coat of arms asleep for now…
The Mongols have retreated in the steppes but they remain a threat to all the kingdoms bordering on them, being nomadic raiders at heart…
Norway is so far away from us that contact is almost impossible…
The Lithuanian heathens were the target of our Crusade in order to bring down their false idols. They remain faithful to their false Gods for now but our faith is spreading in their lands, maybe we should plant our swords in the ground to turn them in crosses, and wait on them to be conquered by the Grace of God…

If not having many friends around was not enough, our lands are divided in two by the pagan lands of Lithuania… Those pagans make valiant foes and for the once, I am ready to make a change in our policy… Crusading times are over, it is now time to consolidate our assets and prepare to defend the lands acquired at the cost of our brothers’ blood.

While I oversee our operations around our main fortress of Marienburg, I’ve delegated the command of our northernmost lands and troops to my second in command Maximilian, OrdenMarschall.

Hard decisions will have to be made in the future…



Turn 1

Our main problem is that we are Soldiers of Christ, bred for battle and not for the subtleties of diplomacy… Nevertheless, messengers were sent to our neighboring rulers…

As I feared, most of our brothers were dismissed with few encouraging words. Only the Poles seemed to listen, but only out of politeness and fear of incurring our wrath, offering us only what is already ours or unacceptable, like turning on our German brethren or giving them free rein in doing so… Surely, our sword- and armour-bearing, white and black-clad brothers do not make the best of diplomats…

So I have sent to Rome for priests to establish an academy in our capital city of Marienburg.

Maximilian has asked of me the authorization to fortify one of our northern cities and begin the training of brothers to strengthen our position. I refused him but pointed to him instead the availability of the village of Olystra at the Novgorodian border, which could be a good site to begin the building of a castle. The villagers have made no allegiance to any of the local powers, so none should take badly our ascertaining of our rights on that region.

Acting swiftly, Maximilian quickly rounded up the villagers and even if some tried to put up a fight, they were quickly cowed. The offer of a castle’s protection eventually gained them to our cause and those peasants have been put to work on building the motte and bailey that I hope will become someday a mighty fortress. In the meantime, Maximilian rode along the border establishing watchtowers.

Komtur Dietrich has been asked to set up a series of forts and watchtowers between Marienburg and Thorn to control movements at the fords on our western border.

I also have asked our Bishop to name priests from the monasteries to go wandering about our lands spreading the word of God to the still mostly pagan population.


Turn 2

I had hoped for some years of calm but it seems that God has other plans for me…

The Danes have sent their ships in the straits of Arensberg, picking fights with fishermen and imposing a toll on the ferries carrying goods to the island population. I’ve ordered Maximilian to deal with this. I know full well that this could lead to war with the Danes, but the Order is not weak, was never weak and will not be seen as weak now or ever… I even wonder if this is not some kind of bait from the Danish ruler, so that he can act the wronged party thereafter… If bait it is, I will gladly take it but Knud may have caught a bigger fish than he expected…

Maximilian has embarked some of his men on a ship to Pernau, asking that ship to protect our fishing and trading fleet in their crossing of the straits and if necessary engage the Danes. This is no simple task as the Danes are reputed to be some of the best sailors in those waters, their longboats the plight of sea-coast settlements…
The fleet captain truly proved to be a competent sailor for he managed to defeat the longboat with his troop transport ship, losing few of his men in the battle. It seems the Danes’ Viking blood has been much diluted… Admiral Michel then disembarked his men on the road of Pernau.

However, true to our Christian vows, we have sent word to King Knud of our will to end this unnecessary bloodshed, but to no end.

Idleness was never a part of my character and looking at our maps, I can only see that the Poles are a threat to us, separating us from our German brethren and possible reinforcements. So gathering some men and a catapult crew, I lead them over the Polish border and attack the coastal town of Danzig. Our catapults open the town’s rampart and I lead the charge into town to get rid of the city garrison. The town’s mayor is brought before me and begs and pleads, swearing allegiance, informing us that the governor appointed by the Polish king is out in the country setting up watchtowers. So I’ve sent some riders out to locate him and they’ve found him near the coast, overlooking a watchtower building site. I ride to meet up with them to subdue him but the leader of the scouting party hastens to attack at my approach and scores himself a victory, sending the would-be governor running back to the town of Koszalin. I congratulate the captain and appoint him Komtur on the spot. His name is Godwine von Holstein.

Having ridden too far from any friendly city, we have set up camp in the cover of woods.

Another unit of catapults was also sent south from Marienburg to prepare for an assault on the Poles.

Komtur Hans in Königsberg has been asked to prepare his forces to board ship to bring relief to our northern provinces should it prove necessary.

One more of our brethren is appointed Komtur, Matthias von Salzgitter. I order that he immediately sees to the building of a fort to control the bridge access to Thorn.

Komtur Dietrich goes in ambush in a large forest on the Polish border, sending scouts to the polish-held town of Plock and estimate the size of its garrison.

[Privateerkev]

Denmark turn 2:

King Knud sat in his command tent. The conquest of Scandinavia was proceeding. Kalmar had already fallen. Two more settlements were under siege. The rest of his main forces were on their way.

Then he looked over to the Estonian area of operations. It seemed the Order took the bait and hit his ship. Well there were more where that came from. A second ship was parked in the strait of Arensburg while a third was on order. The Danes could afford to keep building ships while the Order had so many other problems to worry about. Danish naval superiority was just a matter of time.

King Knud also saw three units, that had been landed by ship, moving to reinforce Pernau. The King had two groups of 4 units in the area. Only one group could reach the Order reinforcements. His vikings attacked the archers and clergymen and forced them to run to Pernau. The King swore as he saw that he should have besieged Pernau with the second group before attacking the reinforcements so they could not have run into the city he was trying to take. Also, he now had to besiege Pernau with 2 groups of 4 instead of 1 group of 8. These would be easier for the Order to break.

Oh well. War was risk. More men and ships were on their way to the Estonian area anyways. He hoped his allies were fairing well. The Order would be a tough nut to crack and it would take a massive concerted effort to do it. But it was possible. While skilled and full of zeal, the Order was not invincible. The Hochmeister simply could not defend everywhere at once. The alliance would take their losses when they met up against concentrated Order forces but would compensate by hitting soft targets that the Order was forced to abandon.

The King read some letters from other Lords in the Baltic area and smiled. Everything was going to plan.

[Zim]

The Grand Annals of Novgorod:

Turns 1-2: deteriorating relations.

In the Years of Our Lord Turn 1-2, Novgorod was at a crossroads. It was potentially one of the most powerful states in the Baltic, with a large population and several large cities. However, appearances could be deceiving. Novgorod had been forced out of ancestral lands by the Teutonic Order. These "Crusaders" belied their lofty proclamations of being soldiers of God by slaughtering innocent Christians, and made their northern base mostly on the Christian lands once occupied by the Rus. Meanwhile Denmark had established themselves in Estonia, blocking Novgorod off from Finland, which they would have for their own. The Mongols had occupied Kiev, but it was no longer the rich city it used to be, and trade with Byzantium had dropped sharply.

Something had to be done. Diplomatic missives were sent to each of the Kings of the Baltic. Several did not respond, earning the Ire of Grand Duke Alexander. Denmark made friendly overtures, but remained intransigent on the issue of Estonia and Finland, and The Order...they prefered not to fight Novgorod, but aggressively went after their other neighbors. Word went around the Baltic that they had declared war on Poland. At the same time, they were fighting a war with Lithuania that seemed to be only able to end in one of the combatants' complete destruction. Once this task was complete, it was only a matter of time before they turned back around on Novgorod.

Grand Duke Alexander sent a letter to the Order, offering peace if they would abandon some of their northern territories which belonged rightfully to Novgorod. This letter went unanswered. Something had to be done. A minor Danish presence in Estonia would not threaten Novgorod nearly so much as a Teutonic empire stretched from Warsaw to Riga. Perhaps it was time for the sleeping bear to awaken...

[_Tristan_]

THE TEUTONIC ORDER


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Turn 3

The Order conclave has offered to fund the training of some knights if I would order the attack the village of Neustettin, a border town standing in between German, Polish and our own Order lands. I undertake that mission personally with one company of knights and quickly submit the town. The villagers are put to the sword and their houses to the torch, leaving nothing standing for the Poles… Before leaving the town, I have renamed it Reichburg, in honour of our Vaterland.

The Danes have ignored my offers of peace and laid siege to Pernau, after having attacked the reinforcements en route to that town. These men were defeated but most of them managed to gain the safety of the walls, just before the Danes closed all access to the town. One Danish force positioned itself at the southwest corner of the town, the other on the opposite side. This forces the defenders to split in two forces on the wall but makes it easier to take on them, should a relief force reach them. I’ve given orders to Maximilian to bring help to the steadfast defenders of Pernau.
The Danish ships once again ply the waters of the straits of Arensberg, trying to prevent the forces on the island to bring reinforcements.

Admiral Michel, with new sailors to replace the lost ones, once again sets sail to Arensberg to gain a new victory on the Danes. He truly demonstrates that he is a fine officer at sea. Danish seaworthiness seems a thing of the past…

With the Danish ships gone, the ferries are again free to carry troops from Arensberg to Pernau. Maximilian himself reaches the town to take command and attacks the Danes on the southern side of town, with the help of the men from Arensberg, defeating them. The men from Arensberg join the garrison of Pernau and Maximilian leads the assault from outside the walls against the second force of Danish invaders, breaking the siege once and for all.
We offer to free the men for ransom but our offer is rejected. We cannot afford to feed those prisoners, so they are put to the sword. The war with the Danes has moved from a border dispute into a blood feud, our relations abysmal.

The Lithuanians also are on the move. Two large forces have been spotted, headed seemingly for Königsberg for one and Marienburg for the other. I have appointed Athalwolf von Tyrolia as Komtur in Königsberg and he has gathered the men under Hans’s orders to man the walls of the city. He also immediately ordered the garrisons of Windau and Riga to send scouts in the Lithuanian lands to see if more armies were coming. Their reports were much more interesting than expected. The Lithuanians have left their towns almost defenceless and our scouting parties are ordered to lay siege to the towns and make preparations for the upcoming assaults.

Informed of this new development, I have sent an emissary to the Lithuanian Grand Duke, warning him that should he not stop his trespass on our lands, his cities are forfeit.
To give weight to my warning, I ordered men from Dunaburg to raze the Lithuanian village of Panezevys, looting everything of value and killing the villagers. The men, acting on the example I set at NeuStettin have renamed that town Orden Herz, for it is with their hearts that Order brothers fight.

A siege is started at Siaulai (sp ?), south of Riga, while another is set up around the castle at Palanga, to cut access to the sea to the Lithuanians. I sent a message to Komtur Athalwolf, advising him to send his mangonel crew north with the fleet to help in conquering Palanga. Those sieges should make sure that at least some of the Lithuanians will turn back to defend their homeland, giving some time to Athalwolf to organize the defences of Königsberg.

To give thanks for my swift action at Reichburg, the Conclave has agreed to raise four units of Christ knights from the Bruder ranks, a welcome addition in facing the Lithuanian threat.

In the meantime, Komtur Matthias warned me of two forces of Poles west and south of Thorn. The smaller force of the two is led by the Polish Prince. Komtur Godwine is sent south from our common forest hideout and attacks Prince Boguphal from behind, while Komtur Matthias leads the Thorn garrison to help him. Boguphal is defeated and finds refuge in Poznan. Matthias then leads his men against the Poles south of Thorn and with the help of Komtur Dietrich scores another victory.

On the eve of the Poles’ defeat, Komtur Dietrich and the catapult crew sent south earlier attack the Polish town of Plock and quickly subdue the garrison. The town is looted and renamed Teutonische Kreuz, to honour the Holy Cross born on our tabards.

True to the vows of the Order, I have offered to let the vanquished of our many battles go free, be they Danes or Poles, to their homelands should they pay the ransom I set for their freedom. My offers have only be met with scorn from the “benevolent” rulers of those Kingdoms. I showed the same scorn in ordering the butchering of those poor souls.

Our neighbours will soon learn that the Order can be either a tame or wild beast…

When left alone, like a tame dog, it is man’s best friend… But cross him, and it becomes a wild beast, and every wound suffered adds to its fury…

[Privateerkev]

Denmark turn 3:

King Knud sat in his command tent somewhere in Scandinavia. The consolidation of Scandinavia was going well. Two more settlements had just fallen to his forces. In time, the Norwegians would see that there was no choice, but to join his Kingdom. All of his men in Denmark, were now in Scandinavia and the navy was now free to be moved elsewhere...

The King looked at the next set of reports. Elsewhere of course meant Danish Estonia. The 2 small forces besieging Pernau were attacked and sent back to Danish land. The 2nd ship in the Arensburg strait was attacked and sent away. Reports from allies did not look good.

"My King" It was one of his generals.

King Knud looked up, "yes, what is it."

"Perhaps we should rethink our war against the Order. Things are not going well. We risk war with the Kaiser. Perhaps we should cut our losses. This war with the Order is putting everything at risk."

King Knud stared at the general and said simply, "Your fired. While I wish for my aids to give me honest advice, I will not tolerate defeatism." The King turned to the other generals, "Get him out of my sight."

The fired general was ushered out of the tent. The King then turned to the rest. "Listen up. We are not quitting. Our allies are depending on us to put the pressure on the Order up north. And it is time to put on some pressure. Scrape together the whole police force of Revel. Have them meet up with the reinforcements from Narva. Then make them go and besiege Pernau again. Keep the pressure on. Every unit the Hochmeister has up north is a unit he can't send south."

The King turned to his admiral. "It's time the navy really got into this war. Take that new longboat at Revel, and have him sink the Order's cog at Riga. Then blockade Riga's port. Riga is one of the Order's most profitable cities and any money we can prevent it from getting will help our allies. Then send the 1st longboat, that the Order damaged last year, back to port for refitting. And give orders to the navy over here to head over towards Estonia. I want no less than 6 ships off of the Order's coast within two campaign seasons. We will blockade every Order port, sink every Order ship, and make plans for the next phase of this war."

As the generals just listened silently to their King, Knud allowed himself a rare smile. "It's time the vikings got back to their old habits of raiding..."

[_Tristan_]

THE TEUTONIC ORDER


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Turn 4


The dark clouds that were gathering for some years over our lands seem to have broken and are pouring droves of men onto our soil. The Danes, the Poles, the Lithuanians and even the men of Novgorod are all coming seeking fame and fortune in defeating us and plundering the riches of the Mother Church.

I have sent a message to the garrison at Pernau appointing a second to Maximilian from the brothers there, in order to help him deal with the Danish threat. Unbeknown to me, that man Peter BecKer (:laugh4:) had lived too long in the proximity of the ale-drinking Northmen and had taken a bad habit with alcohol. The messenger reached him as he was lying dead, suffocating in a pool of his own vomit. Maximilian will have to face the Danes alone as I am sure he can do.
Coming out of his hiding place, Maximilian deals another hard blow on the Danes’ confidence. They are forced to retreat back to their nearest settlement. The garrison took the brunt of the blow, Maximilian losing only one of his bodyguards when running after the routers, his horse stumbled in the snow, crushing him on impact. Taking on the Danes almost single-handedly has gained Maximilian a reputation of fairness.

The Poles have taken back Reichburg and left some poor peasant folk to fend for themselves. I grieve for those poor souls but this land shall never be part of Poland.
Leaving behind my accompanying unit of knights, I ride with my bodyguard alone to reclaim that town for the Order. Once again, the villagers give a weak fight and we end up torching the town.
With the flames still eating the remnants of Reichburg, I lead my bodyguard southward.
Peasant folk we meet on our way tell us that a Polish general has just preceded us on that same road.
We catch up with him only to find that it is the man Sambor, against who Godwine von Holstein won his Komturei, after the battle of Danzig. He turns to face us and I can almost see the fear on his face as we ride to meet him. The fight is short and once again, Sambor’s horse feels the spurs hard on his flanks as Sambor flees to Poznan, with less than half his men remaining while only one of my own men died.

I then proceed on to relieve Komtur Godwine besieged in a fort commanding the bridge access to Thorn. Our pincer move take them unawares and they quickly flee the field of battle back to Poznan.

Godwine fetches the men under Dietrich’s command. He then sets onwards to the Polish-held castle of Jazdow. Our catapult opens the walls like a cracked nutshell and our men pour in, killing the defenders in the courtyard, the ramparts, leaving none alive. Godwine remains in Jazdow, bestowing the name of Sancte Marie on the place, to honour the Mother of Christ, while Dietrich rides back to Kreuz.

Faced with the expansionist threat of the Lithuanians, the Order Conclave has asked of me to oversee the conquest of the small village of Bialystok. This mission I assign to Komtur Matthias. He assembles the Knechten of Thorn and leaves town for Bialystok. The Polish occupants of the town are quickly taken out and proceeding as I did in Reichburg,
Matthias burns the town to the ground, leaving nothing of use for the advancing Lithuanians, led by their Grand Duke and headed Bialystok-way.Renaming the town Meisterburg, Matthias then proceeds to go into hiding in some woods.

Novgorod is also on the move. Our southernmost castle of Dunaburg, deep into enemy territory, is besieged by Novgorod’s men. The army at the gates is composed only of cavalry, some with lances, others with bows or javelins. Our defenders do not have a single horse to ride. Nevertheless, they make a successful sally which brings out the unexpected result of a victory, thus freeing the castle and allowing some reinforcements in, in case of further attacks.
Another of Novgorod’s armies is spotted heading for Riga. Rumor has it that many smaller forces are hiding in our lands but they have been too discreet to come to our notice. I ask Maximilian to take charge of dealing with those invaders. So he sets for Riga and meeting that city’s garrison engages the Novgorodian army led by general Tvozimir. Those men are forced to retreat after having suffered heavy losses. Maximilian sends the men back to Riga while he remains in the field to scout for other possible threats and remain at hand.
Captain Charles Scherer, captain of the garrison at Olystra, has been warned of the presence of a siege engine train on the bridge near Pskov. He rushes out with the men under his command and routs the servants. Then, all the machines are destroyed by being overthrown in the frozen waters of the river. Charles Scherer has been elevated to the rank of Komtur for having shown so much initiative.

This war is not only a clash of arms and armour but affects many layers of our world. Our economy is all oriented in funding our war against our aggressors. Therefore, hostile takeovers of foreign merchants have been authorized by the Conclave and one such Lithuanian merchant, trading salt, is taken out of business east of Siauliai.

[_Tristan_]

THE TEUTONIC ORDER

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Turn 5


Our sword-bearing “diplomats” have made some approaches to the neighbouring lords for ceasefires. All offers have been rejected but our men report that some of those lords are not so sure anymore of the path they are on… Only time will tell…

Our lands are still threatened from all sides…

The Lithuanian Prince Vaisvilkas has surprised us in bypassing Marienburg and going south deeper into our lands, perhaps intent on joining with the Poles on attacking Thorn or our border forts. Komtur Athalwolf, defender of Königsberg, rides to meet him with help from the Marienburg garrison. Although half the number the Lithuanians are fielding, the odds are equal. The armies meet and Athalwolf comes out victorious, the Prince forced to seek refuge in the lands of the Poles.

I quickly gather the men from Thorn and personally lead the assault against the Prince’s army, hoping to take him prisoner and exchange him for a ceasefire. The battle turns in our favour and Vaisvilkas, trying to turn the tide of the battle, charges with his bodyguard towards a unit of spearmen. our men brace for the impact and Vaisvilkas flies from his horse and lands with a spear through his throat. A gruesome death… On seeing this, the Lithuanians lose heart and rout from the field. Only 400 men remain of the 1500 that made up the Prince’s army.
With the battle over, I have the corpse of the Prince carried to my tent, cleaned up and order some brothers to respectfully carry the body to the advancing army of his father, Grand Duke Mindaugas. This is a great loss for Lithuania, but even more for the Duke. I give prayers for the salvation of the Prince’s heathen soul.

Matthias von Salzgitter conquers Meisterburg back from the Lithuanians, setting fire to the few rebuilt structures, leaving nothing of value should the Lithuanians wish to reclaim that village.

The Lithuanians are desperate and strike on every front. In the north, they have lain siege to Siauliai, hoping to reclaim it. Out of Windau, Captain Fritz von Lombardy rides with some Knechten to bring relief to the garrison and repels the besiegers. Such bravery truly deserves reward and he is appointed Komtur. Some say that he acted so to prove his worth to his older brother Ansehelm, newly appointed Komtur to second Godwine von Holstein in submitting the Poles.

The only remaining Lithuanian threat lies in the army led by the Grand Duke east of Thorn. But none of our men can be sent at this time to deal with them.

Novgorod is a growing nuisance also… Grand Duke Alexander lays siege to the proud city of Riga where Ordenmarschall Maximilian was forced to retreat by the Russian advance. It plays in our hand as Maximilian can organize the city’s defences.

The small and former Lithuanian village of Orden Kreuz has been taken and flies the colours of Novgorod. Maximilian orders some riders sent from the castle at Dunaburg to reclaim the town, to cut all avenues of retreat to the besiegers of Riga. This is quickly done and the name Jansylvania, given by the Russians is restored to its former Orden Kreuz.

Once this is taken care of, Maximilian leads a first sally against a small force of Kazakhs helping in the siege, under the cover of night and thus leaving the main Novgorodian force in the dark as to what is happening on that side of the town. The men quickly rout and run north towards the Danish-held lands.

Now the way is clear for reinforcements and men come from both north and south to help defend Riga. Maximilian once again takes the lead and defeats Alexander under the walls of Riga, forcing him to retreat east of Olystra.

But the threat remains too close and Maximilian sends word to Komtur Scherer to move and intercept the retreating army of the Duke.

Scherer first has to deal with another threat : one of his scouts has spotted a new siege engine train coming from the south and surely meant to help in conquering Riga. The scouts’ captain Karl Kniess quickly routs the engineers and Scherer cuts the last men down when they try to cross the bridge back into their homelands. Kniess is granted the rank of Komtur for his actions. A worthy second to Charles Scherer.

Scherer then takes his men to intercept the Grand Duke’s army and with help from Riga’s men wins another victory on the Lithuanians, letting the few warriors left alive return to the safety of Pskov. They numbered 1200 at the siege, less than 300 are coming home today.

That should give some things to ponder to Grand Duke Alexander.

On the western front, the Poles are still no match for our men…

The village of Reichburg turns to be hell on earth as once again it is reclaimed by our men and put to the torch… Our riders leave the village a smoldering ruin once more before regaining the safety of the walls of KaiserSchloss.

The Polish generals fear to meet us I battle and now send their captains to lead their armies in the field. Godwine von Holstein with Ansehelm von Lombardy as his second rides hard to meet the Polish force advancing on Teutonische Kreuz, formerly Polish Plock.

Although being outnumbered two to one, the odds are in our favour. And true to our reputation of mighty warriors, Komtur von Holstein scores another victory for the Order, killing half the Polish force.

A smaller Polish army has been spotted south of Reichburg but too far to be reached this year while Poznan seems to gather an ever greater number of men, surely in preparation of a major assault against us.

Now would be a good time for our German brethren to decide to strike now at the Poles and give them something to chew on.

In the north, the Danes have not dared attack Pernau once again. To prevent any surprise, the town’s mayor has organized militia patrols in the forested lands around the town. Such a patrol, led by a minor noble, has discovered a Danish scouting party at our common border. Although ill-equiped and ill-trained, Wikerus von Niesse’s men have proven their valour in defeating the Danes. I have sent a message to congratulate von Niesse and make him Komtur. To provide more safety for Pernau, he requested the right of building a network of watchtowers at the frontier, request immediately granted. A good idea it seems as it revealed that a Danish fleet crossing the straits at Arensberg was laden with Danish soldiers intent on wreaking havoc on our shores.

Another Danish fleet has been blockading the port of Riga, intent on destroying our trade and strangling us from the lack of money… We have no means to force the blockade at this time, naval warfare will have to wait…

Preparations must be made…

The same lookouts have warned us of the passage of the men retreating from Novgorod and one of von Niesse’s friends, eager for advancement, requests authorization to deal with them. Von Niesse is hard-pressed to deny his friend and gives him command of some of the garrison’s men. Thus, Elberhard von Nassau leads his militia men against the Kazakhs and wins himself a victory. I appoint him Komtur to second von Niesse, thus granting his ambitious wish.

All these battles are taking a heavy toll on our brothers… We might be victors but we have our own losses… So I’ve ordered men to be trained in all haste to replenish our most depleted units… Our treasury couldn’t afford that much and so I have ordered all merchants assets seized and the closure of all grain exchanges in our lands. That may lose us some money but it will bring us a quick and much needed cash-flow.

If all that was not enough, word is coming from our coasts of several other sightings of Danish ships… No landings have been made at this time but these ships must be scouting and certainly looking for a weak point in our defences.

I sometime feel like I’m at the helm of a ship, in the middle of the biggest storm any sea has ever seen, trying to maintain the route, while my ship is being buffeted by mighty waves after mighty waves, trying to cast us upon the rocks…

I truly hope we will reach a safe harbour soon…

[_Tristan_]

THE TEUTONIC ORDER


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Turn 6


At last, the alliance against us is breaking… The wolves are starting to bite each other…
The Lithuanian pagans, men of no honour, have ambushed a Novgorodian army…
On the aftermath of that attack, Grand Duke Alexander, with his country a wreck, has come to us with an offer of peace. I immediately accepted… One less opponent will give us more men to fight those still standing… And the me of Novgorod are Christian after all… We worship the same God…
Moreover, it removes the threat on Dunaburg and Riga, provinces we could not afford to lose.

But the wolves are still howling at our doors…

The Danes are laying siege to Arensberg at this moment and blocking the straits to prevent our men from Pernau from relieving the siege. I knew we would have to cut one limb off to save the rest of the body, so the loss of Arensberg was to be expected… But in a moment of glory the outnumbered but valiant garrison of Arensberg decided to make a sally, taking the Northmen by surprise and sending them back towards Reval. A fewof the Danes were taken prisoner and offered for ransom, but the offer was turned down and the men put to death. Von Niesse gathered his men to cut the retreat of the Danes, scoring some more kills but unable to stop them from regaining the town.

Komtur von Nassau has been attacked by a force of Danes while in the field but came out victorious. The Danes have retreated into some woods near our common border and von Nassau has called upon von Niesse for help in getting rid of them. The fight once again is in our favour and the Danes flee back to Narva. Von Nassau then heads towards Reval to make an assessment of the forces defending the town.

The Danish fleets of which we had received word have blocked the port at Königsberg with the fleet of Admiral Friedrich in the harbour… The Danes are intent on cutting off all our sea trade and regain full mastery of the seas, as it was in the past…

But they are not yet up to the task… The Viking blood coursing in their veins is diluted… Admiral Friedrich out-manoeuvres the two fleets, attacking the smaller first to gain the high seas and using it as a screen from the larger one. With the first out of the way and fleeing towards the North, Friedrich takes on the second, stuck between the shore and our fleet. Surprise and the lack of space to manoeuvre forces them to flee in the wake of the first fleet.

Friedrich then heads back to port to refit and be celebrated. Celebrations are somewhat marred by reports arriving of another Danish fleet eastbound.

So the situation in the North remains at as stand-still : however, I think that our men have proven to the Danes the might of our armies, be they professionals or levies…

In what was once Poland, the Lithuanian Grand Duke is now almost completely cut off from the rest of his men. In a last attempt to secure some foothold from which to make further attacks against us, Mindaugas has taken the city of Teutonische Kreuz, renaming it Mindaugas in his megalomania.

Sensing the opportunity I ride to take the town at the head of a small force of men. When I arrive, Mindaugas has already left the town leaving only some peasants and siege machines to defend it… A quick battle gives the expected outcome : the city is once again ours and given back its name.

From what we heard, Mindaugas had just left when we arrived and is still in the vicinity.

I send orders for Komtur von Salzgitter to ride and meet with me. We finally catch up with Mindaugas at a bridge crossing south of the recently abandoned city… Salzgitter prevents the Lithuanians from crossing while I engage them from the other side.

It is a fearsome battle… Men on the bridge are either cut down by swords or pushed over the brink by spears, drowning in their metal armour… I finally find myself facing Mindaugas… We exchange blows for blows, both filled with rage… One lucky blow from Mindaugas makes me fall down from my horse and before I can get back on my feet, his huge mace strikes down pinning my shield-holding hand to the ground, crushing it on impact… The pain is so fierce I almost pass out… It gives him time to strike another blow at my head, taking half of my helm with it… I feel my left cheek tearing, the metal shards entering the flesh… I cannot die here… So much is left to do… Gathering my wits and howling a battle cry, with my sword Heilige Kreuz in hand, I strike at Mindaugas, standing over me… So strong is the blow, he is forced to back away, giving me time to get back on my feet… I can’t feel my left hand, I can’t even feel my arm under the elbow… I lash with my sword, missing several times but driving Mindaugas away from me, until he cannot back anymore, his back to the parapet. Gathering my faltering forces, I launch myself at him, diving under a wild blow from his mace, I lift him up and over the parapet down to the icy waters of the river… As one, all men seem to stop their fighting around us… Soon , the word spreads of the Grand Duke’s death and the Lithuanians begin to run to impale themselves on our men waiting for them on the other side… All are cut down to the last man…

I wake up some time later to find von Salzgitter by my bed… His face is a mask of anguish… My own is wrapped up in bandages and hurts like hell… My left hand feels nothing but a dull throbbing in place of the terrible pain I suffered earlier “Tell me the truth, Matthias… How bad is it ?” His face tells almost all of it “Tell me, please…”
“Well, Gunther, the doctors had to cut your hand at the wrist… There was no telling where your hand stopped and your gauntlet started, they seem almost as one…”
“And my face ?”
“You’ve almost lost half of it… You’ve kept your left eye but that’s it… All of the left side of your face is a mass of scars… On a lighter note, I would recommend you fight without a helm from now on… A look at that face will send every opponent running for shelter…”

I would laugh if I could but the bandages are wrapped too tight for that… I hope that all this was not for nothing… (OOC : Gunther got the Brutally Scarred trait on that fight…)

“What of the others ? How did they fare ?”

I sit back in bed while I listen to Matthias tell me of how our brothers have fared against our enemies…

In the north near Siauliai, former Prince Casimir learns of the death of his father by my hands… With him rides his own son Tautvilas, now Prince and Edivydas, the general that rode on Königsberg intent on taking it…

We must get rid of the pagans in our lands… They have respect for nothing… Some of their men under the pretence of being merchants have succeeded in gaining access to Riga and have desecrated the most holy place of the town : the Church of our Lady…
Maximilian ordered a large manhunt to be organized for the desecrators to be found… they were finally found and arrested… Maximilian himself saw to their trial and ordered them burnt at the stake…

Maximilian has a plan that he expects with deal a crushing blow to the Lithuanians, killing their whole ruling family in one stroke… He sends fast messengers to all our settlements for reinforcements… Men from Palanga, Olystra and even as far as Königsberg come in answer to Maximilian’s call. Having gathered enough forces, he then brings the army led by Prince Tautvilas to battle… During the battle, Maximilian makes sure that his men encircle the Lithuanians, leaving no avenues of escape… Totally surrounded, they fight to the last man, even after both their Duke and his Prince have fallen…

However, it seems some family member has taken up the burden of the Lithuanian crown for that cursed still stands united against us…I don’t know who the new Grand Duke is but I will not rest until this whole cursed family is dead…

Matthias then recounts his own assault against the Poles at Czestochowa… It was only a small village and had no value in itself but it was manned by nearly 400 men, a threat to our lands… All the Poles were killed and the village left a ruin as is the policy concerning the Polish-held villages…

He then tells me that Reichburg has been taken by the Poles once more, seemingly intent on keeping it this time, having left enough men to keep it… The Poles have also continued massing a large army in Poznan… Where and when will it strike ? At us or at our German brethren ?

He further tells me of the orders issued to all our Komturs in preparation of next year campaigns… What will the Lithuanians do ? What of the Poles ? And the Danes ?

So many enemies, so few allies… Only faith in God keeps us fighting… I hope to be back on my feet soon enough to lead the Brothers on to some more fights… And I pray fervently to God to give us strength and victory…

[_Tristan_]

THE TEUTONIC ORDER


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Turn 7


God has answered my most ardent prayers… “From the fury of the Northmen, Good Lord, deliver us”, to quote one of our English brothers-in-religion…

Yes, I have been answered… The Danes have agreed to a ceasefire… The situation is still tense but what else to expect after such a prolonged fight ?… I am still unable to trust them completely and cannot but wonder if it is not a plot to have us let our guard down… Otherwise, where will they land their ships ? Where will they raid and plunder ?

I will remain vigilant but as the French say “A cheval donné, on ne regarde pas les dents…”, which translates as “If given a horse, don’t you mind whether its teeth are good” (OOC : I wish I knew more English proverbs…)…

With the Danish threat on our coasts receding, I am now free to order our brothers to finish off the Poles and Lithuanians…

A German diplomat has finally reached our lands with an offer of alliance… It brought us news also of the defeat of the Polish King Boleslaw and announced that German armies are marching on both Reichburg and Poznan, where the new Polish King Boguphal is entrenched. This agreement with our Vaterland has itself brought an end to the hostilities with the Danes. This may confirm my fears that the Danes have been forced into this truce and will not feel obliged to respect it…

To prepare for the German onslaught on Reichburg, I’ve ordered Komtur Hans to begin the siege. He has only his retinue of knights with him and cannot be expected to take the town on his own but he will be able to avoid anybody getting in or out.

On the diplomatic front, a Russian emissary has come forward to sign the previously-agreed truce. He offered his maps as well, which was fortunate because the eastern lands ware totally uncharted to us. He even offered us to allow our merchant trains to cross Russian territory, giving us access to the riches of the east.

Our first trained diplomat has arrived from Rome and the Conclave has requested that he be sent to Lithuania to negotiate the acquisition of Minsk. I grieve for the man : his first mission is an impossible mission, as well as the devil to part from his horns…

I don’t know what to make of the news I received from Königsberg : it seems that Lord Charles Watzisname, English “Crusader” has made landfall and has requested our assistance in organizing a “pagan hunt” and proposing his help in bringing the word of Our Lord to those God-forsaken lands… At least, he came with a full retinue of knights and footmen… Perhaps I can find some use for him… I’ve sent him to Maximilian, our own “Pagan Hunter” to see what he can do with him…

The Danes have been true to their word and have lifted the blockade on Riga and freed up the passage from Arensberg to the main land. Their fleet have all gathered at sea near Windau, still in position to strike at our coasts… Komtur von Nassau has established a watchtower network near Arensberg to prevent any Danish surprises…

The Poles have been struck hard by our German brethren and in their death-throes they have struck at us, in a half-hearted effort… The village of Schwarze Kreuz is Polish once more and the castle of Sancte Marie is besieged by two separate Polish forces, one led by General Konrad Wos…Our scouts report that the second Polish besieging forces hails from Przeworsk and has left the bailey completely undefended, ripe for the taking. Komtur Dietrich is within reach and I’ve ordered him to make haste in seizing this castle.

Komtur Athalwolf on his way to take charge of the Thorn castle has gotten word that some killers and spies are hiding among the Polish refugees fleeing the advancing German forces on Poznan… He immediately orders a large hunt and surrounds them in the area of the bridge leading to Thorn. They are quickly put to death and their bodies put on display on posts at the start of the bridge to warn any fools wishing to follow in their tracks of the fate awaiting them…

I have devised a plan to deal with the besiegers at Sancte Marie but it requires that I myself ride to relieve the castle although my wounds are not quite healed. So gathering the Order soldiers from Teutonische Kreuz and ordering most of the light cavalry under Komtur von Salzgitter’s command (which Matthias proceeds to place under the orders of Ansehelm von Lombardy to join me at the siege), I ride to Sancte Marie. Komtur Dietrich has also been asked to make a detour from his route to Przeworsk to assist in the siege.

Putting aside the pain, I personally lead the assault on the besiegers under the cover of night, dealing first with the larger force under General Wos. Not one Pole leaves the battlefield to warn his comrades while thirty of our men lay dead. Stealthily, we make our way to the second Polish camp and strike swiftly at the Poles, killing all the men, still awaking from their sleep. In the confusion, five of our men are struck down.

The road to Cracow is now wide open before us…

With the siege lifted, Komtur Dietrich then rides on to Przeworsk… As expected, the castle is devoid of defenders so that Dietrich rides in unhindered. The few remaining inhabitants, peasants from the countryside looking for shelter, are almost glad to see us… Not one of them is killed and all bow to our rule… It seems that the news of the example I ordered made of Reichburg has travelled as far as these parts… The Poles are good Christians and not our enemies even if their leaders sided with evil… It is the Polish leadership that we must strike down not the Polish people… The Castle is renamed Heiliges Vater, in homage to His Holiness, who sent us in this mission.

As much as I would have liked to have Matthias by my side to make the Poles lift the siege, I have another mission for him to accomplish. I need him to undermine Polish supply lines by taking the small farming villages between Poznan and Cracow.

Both towns are defended by mere militia, more used to hunting brigands than fighting knights. However, they put up a brave fight but it is not enough. Once surrounded, they have enough sense to lay down their weapons, a gesture that guarantees that the townsfolk will be left unharmed.
Once again, the townsfolk are almost glad of our coming, however they are a malcontent lot and Matthias not being able to leave a garrison to keep order, some rioting has occurred.

Matthias has renamed the last town Bruderheit to show he bears me no ill will for not wanting him in taking out the threat on our southern castle. A brother’s bond is stronger than anything.

The Lithuanians have surprised us once more… They have put all their forces in taking back the undefended village of Orden Herz seemingly taking the bait that we had intended for a smaller prey… The occupying force is led by their new Grand Duke Aliminas…

After consulting with Maximilian, we have agreed that this is an opportunity we may not get another time. Combining his forces with those of Komtur Scherer, Maximilian assaults the Lithuanians entrenched in the village… We outnumber the Lithuanians and so the fight can only have one outcome… Aliminas is eliminated… As he was the last of his line, all central authority is gone, the pagans have reverted to their tribal ways, each petty chief asserting his claim on his own patch of land, the cities claiming their independence… Lithuania is destroyed…

The mission we set upon in the eyes of God is nearly accomplished… All that is left is to subdue the remaining pagans that have declared their independence… It is time we begin to consolidate our assets…

But that will only be possibly done if the Danes or Russians wish to remain at peace… An age of peace may soon be dawning on these lands…

[deguerra]

OOC: If I may, some of the German placenames (and I do love that theyre being renamed) need some (stupid) grammatical corrections:

Reichburg should be Reichsburg (the "s" denoting it is belonging to the Reich)

Schwarze Kreuz should be Schwarzes Kreuz (the "s" in this case just being a necessary addition to any adjective because Kreuz is gender-neutral)

and we do have the exact equivalent of the English proverb in Germans as well:

"Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul"

cheers

(by the way, would you like me to fix up that fleur de lys in your coat of arms to be silver like you wanted and I accidentally ignored?)

[_Tristan_]

My German teachings are so far back that I couldn't remember if it was Dieor Das Kreuz... A rule I remembered in naming the town Heiliges Vater (I hope I got it right...)

As to Reichsburg, that's the first name I gave it but thought that the "s" shouldn't be there on second thoughts...

Btw, deguerra, if you have any suggestions of german-sounding name for my future conquests (:laugh4:), you're welcome to PM some to me...

And finally on the matter of my coat of arms, if you can go for the silver for the fleur-de-lys that would be cool...

[deguerra]

HeiligeR Vater. Sorry Tristan :beam: its a silly language (not that French is that much better :clown: )

I'll think of some town names and do the fleur de lys on the weekend some time.

[_Tristan_]

Thanks a lot... on both counts...

[_Tristan_]

THE TEUTONIC ORDER


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Turn 8

While the north-eastern front seems to calm down, war has turned ugly on the western front… News has reached me that our former liege lord, the Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich has died facing the Poles… We know nothing of how it happened but the news is a warning that Poland is not yet defeated… We will punish the Poles once and for all for that crime…

The Danish princess Ingrid has approached us with an offer of trade… Seeing how we will certainly benefit more than the Danes from it, I gladly accepted. I offered also an exchange of our maps. The princess has sent a quick messenger to her father requesting his orders on the matter.

The Conclave wishes us to come to terms with the Poles. They are under some pressure from Rome, where some of his Holiness entourage are beginning to take umbrage of our successes. They wish me to ask the Poles to surrender Cracow to us, leaving the price to be paid into my hands… They have even tried to bribe me, making promises of funding the training of troops should I succeed in the negociations…My price is too high for them but I know the price to pay for Cracow and it can only be paid in one currency : blood…

Our scouts have reported that King Boguphal, last of his line, has been seen marching near our borders with the remnant of the army that killed the Emperor…

I am too far to ride and take revenge myself so I order Komtur Athalwolf to launch an attack on the Poles… Komtur Hans leaves the siege of Reichsburg into the hands of newly-elected Emperor Nikolaus and joins Athalwolf.

Like a wolf in a pen, Boguphal is cornered and forced to fight… His men have no fighting spirit left and soon the field is covered with their bodies, our horses trampling them... None escapes our wrath… Boguphal’s retinue fight to the end even when surrounded… Athalwolf asks for his surrender, which Boguphal refuses. In a last gesture of defiance, he spurs his horse forward, followed by his Honor Guard, running straight at our line, intent on striking Athalwolf, only to impale himself on our braced line of spears.

The news of his death spreads fast… Poland is no more… Poznan, the Polish Capital City, declares its independence… Cracow does the same…

The governor of Reichsburg sends an envoy to Athalwolf offering to surrender his castle if he has the Order assurances that none of his people will be harmed. The offer is accepted and Komtur Hans is assigned as commander of the place. (OOC : In fact, with the elimination of Poland, Reichsburg turned rebel which automatically lifted the siege and without a single unit in, allowed me to ride a single unit effectively taking the town)…

To prevent the last remnants of the former Lithuanian army joining the cause of rebellious Poznan, Komtur Athalwolf dispatches some of his men to cut all access into the town to the Lithuanians. It seems he did well because as soon as our men appeared, the Lithuanians attacked. Our Bavarian commander Michel von Munich responded efficiently and killed the pagans to the last man, with only few losses… I appoint him Komtur on hearing the news to act as second to Athalwolf in the coming siege of Poznan.

For my part, I am marching on Crakow assembling men from Sancte Marie. All of Poland will be ours…

On our eastern front, a man by the name of Mil Gubin, a renegade Lithuanian noble, has been fomenting rebellion in the region of Dunaburg. We left him alone when he was only a brigand, even if his attacks on our convoys cost us much, we could not divert a large enough force to eradicate him. Now, with the fall of Lithuania, that brigand has taken for himself the title of King of Lithuania and is trying to federate all the former Lithaunian cities under his banner. A stop must be put to that. I’ve dispatched orders to the captain of the Dunaburg garrison to deal with that self-styled King.

Captain Lorenz surrounds the woods that act as shelter to Gubin and his followers. Brigands are no match for brothers and soon Gubin is captured and meets his fate. He hoped to bear the crown of Lithuania on his head, now he lost his head to the executioner’s axe.

Captain Lorenz der Stolze is appointed Komtur for his quick rendition of justice.

To prevent men from following in the footsteps of Gubin, I have ordered Maximilian to see to the capture of the last of the former Lithuanian cities, Kaunus, Vilnius, Hrodna and the castle of Lida.

Maximiliam recruits some auxiliaries from the men that suffered under the pagans’ yoke and lays siege to Kaunus, enlisting the English “Crusader” to give him his first taste of pagan-hunting… He orders Komtur Lorenz to lay siege to Vilnius with the men stationed in Orden Herz and Komùtur Scherer to ride down to Lida and siege the castle with minimal forces until the resolution of the other two sieges. Finally, he orders the siege weapons that accompanied Lord Charles to be re-routed towards Hrodna in the hope of taking that town in the next campaign season.

Near Lida, Matthias Scherer informs me that the men of Novgorod had set their sights upon the castle but that he beat them to it.

At sea, our merchant ships report that the island of Visby is still independent and controls a large part of sea commerce in the northern Baltic. Should that town fall into our hands, we would have an almost monopoly on sea trade in the area. Although trade is not the business of the Order, I know full well that we must fill our coffers if we wish to remain powerful. So I order Admiral Friedrich, veteran of the naval war against the Danes, to sail north from Königsberg with some of our men heading for Visby. I’ll have to appoint a Komtur to lead that expedition but I have none at hands now. Perhaps von Nassau if I can get him a ship off Arensberg…


THE TEUTONIC ORDER


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Turn 9

This year will see the end of Poland for all times…

Athalwolf lays siege to Poznan. Peculiarly, Emperor Nikolaus has gathered his own army under the walls of the city, not even laying siege. Athalwolf has asked for his assistance in taking the town, only to be met with a clear refusal. I think that the young Emperor fears he will be seen as a puppet of the Order.

Nevertheless the assault is ordered… Our men take the city under the watchful eyes of Emperor Nikolaus (OOC : the HRE’s army was standing next to the walls and joined as ally in the siege assault but didn’t score a kill nor suffered a loss hence the story…). The city is renamed Orden Macht, as an homage to our power.
The city’s riches will replenish our coffers, emptied by so many years of war.

For my part, I have assembled my force and launched an assault on Cracow, intent on bringing the last remnants of Polish rebellion to heel. The disheartened inhabitants of the city are no match to our brothers… The outcome is nothing less than a clear victory… The city’s vaults are filled with more treasure than Poznan’s own… those riches will make a fine contribution to the effort needed to rebuild our kingdom and expand its boundaries.

All of Poland is now under the control of the Order…

East, Maximilian leads Lord Charles on his first pagan-hunt at the siege of Kaunus. Lack of food and disease has done its work and the garrison is no match for our men and the zeal of the English “Crusaders”. Kaunus falls quickly followed by Vilnius.

At Vilnius, Lord Charles has ridden hard to be present when Lorenz der Stolze orders our men to take the walls of the city. It seems he has taken to pagan-hunting after all. Vilnius falls and the pagan riches go to our coffers while the town-folks are given the choice of converting or join their Gods in whatever afterlife they offer.

Maximilian himself rides down to Lida from Kaunus and assists Komtur Scherer in assaulting the castle. His commandeering presence gains our men an easy victory, the castle defenders laying down their weapons as soon as our men storm the battlements. Lida is given the name of Orden Lanze, as it is the spearhead of our advance in these lands.

The mayor of a small Lithuanian village has come forward to Maximilian asking for the protection of the Order. With its former masters gone, and the threat of the Mongols to the east, Baranavichy could not defend itself. Maximilian has given the task of organizing the town defenses to Matthias Scherer. In exchange for our protection, Komtur Scherer, a rather unforgiving man has requested conversion from the townsfolk with any refusal met with a quick execution. He requested also that the inhabitants participate in the building of whatever items necessary to the defences, either in money or in nature. Notably, Scherer has established a watchtower network to give us warning of any stirrings among the Steppe People.

Finally, I have ordered Komtur von Nassau to leave Arensberg by ship and take command of our detachment besieging Visby.

It seems the Lithuanians are a truly rebellious lot… After the execution of Mil Gubin, the “King Of Lithuania”, another man has risen and taken up the banner of Lithuania… This man Jovirdas has no army, nor does he bear a sword but his words are more dangerous than a full contingent of Ritterbrüder… He preaches to the masses the return of the pagan false gods and the banishment of our Lord…

On hearing of his preaching, I immediately gave orders for his arrest and trial… The Inquisitorial Tribunal, with Friar Otto von Bremen standing as Inquisitor, convicted him of blasphemy and he was condemned to be burnt at the stake in Vilnius in front of the assembled people of the city. I hope that will teach a lesson to any would-be prophets…
Vilnius then becomes Heides Fall, for here is the end of paganism in these lands.

With pacification of the region well under way and our coffers filling, I have turned to the long overlooked task of consolidating our assets in those lands…

With peace coming back, trade follows on its footsteps and so our merchants need facilities from which to ply their trade, Roads have to be traced to allow faster movement of our armies and merchant trains…

In Riga, a new church is being built to replace the torn-down one that had been desecrated by the Lithuanians and other churches are built in the pagan lands to spread the Word of our Lord.

While peace seems to settle in these lands, I am left wondering if a new menace is not beginning to form in the eastern steppes…

[_Tristan_]

THE TEUTONIC ORDER


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Turn 10

A few warlike issues still require my attention…

First, there is the matter of Visby… Elberhard von Nassau reports that he has taken the town with few losses… He immediately established some watchtowers on the coast of the island to prevent further invasion by sea. It seems we acted at the right time as the Danes seemed to prepare to launch their own assault on the city. We now have the ability to control all trade in the northern Baltic. I think the building of a navy will be necessary to make true that claim…

In Lithuania, Komtur Lorenz and Lord Charles jointly lead the assault on the town of Hrodna, capturing the town and looting its coffers. With this victory, the last free Lithuanians are brought into the Order… Now the Friars will have to replace the Brothers, it is no longer a clash of steel but a clash of faith, with our own the strongest of all…

Still, my fears were justified… The Mongols have taken Minsk… I don’t know yet what their ultimate goal is but I know what they are capable of… Something will have to be done…

The Conclave wants me to parley with the nomads asking them to surrender Minsk to us… I don’t want one of our Brothers to lose his life making insults to the Khan nor will accept that the same Brother be insulted by unacceptable demands… I will take Minsk for the Conclave, just not how they expect me to… (OOC : This is the second mission I get from the Council to annex a settlement through diplomacy… This is the second time I won’t heed them…)

Our scouts reports that the Mongols in their pride have left Minsk un-garrisoned… Being nomads, they cannot bear the confining space that city walls have to offer so they set up camp outside the city. So I order Komtur Scherer to send some of his men ask for the surrender of the town to us…
Our men report that the citizens of Minsk are grateful for the offer and greatly prefer to surrender to us than face the wrath of the Mongols. So grateful are they that they even emptied what was left of their coffers for us… The gates are closed prohibiting the Mongols to enter it once more… A siege is now sure to come… It is war, unless they accept my offer of a ceasefire… Negociations should gain us time… And maybe, just maybe, Novgorod will seize this opportunity to reclaim their lost lands.

But we must prepare for the worst… I fear that the powerful army led by the Mongol Prince will raid our lands in search of plunder… We must deny them any lands that are not yet under their control…

So I’ve asked Matthias von Salzgitter to take the small village of Liuboml, once on the Polish border. He rides to it with a light cavalry force and easily deals with the armed peasantry that defended it. While it widens our borders, it also denies expansion to the People of the Steppes.

Whatever I do, some threat always seem to appear when the last decline… I’ve dedicated my life to the Order… I will see it prevail against all odds…