The Four crowns and the Four Rings

Before i begin the story, here's a bit of info about why I am telling the whole story...

This week i found that i would have a lot of free time in the next three to four days, so i decided to sit down and do some hard writing. one thing that had caught my eye just today, was a thread in the TR about an amazing battle fought in MedMod 3.12. I myself hadn't had MM installed since 2.04 when a glitch pit me up against my very own king ( lol imagine my reaction there http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-joker.gif ). So naturally i had to check it out to see how it had been improved. What i found was almost a total conversion of MTW, New units and nearly completely faction specific armies fighting one another. In this Mod i have found a new love for the English and their spear-cavalry armies. The improved AI added so much to the experience, just to do it justice; i decided that i would write of my entire Campaign in a series of posts here. Special thanks goes to WesW for making such a great mod and restoring great fun to an already great game, you are my hero man http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif


Now with that said...On to the Tale (note: this will be a very long saga indeed when it is fully finished, so i hope you got yourself something to drink and you have already used the Throne Room http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-joker.gif )

Chapter I

The Three King Alliance

In 1089 the nations of Europe were not even what we now consider nations. What they were in truth was as much land as the King could keep together by the use of his sword and what he took and held from others. Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, England, they all fought in a series of wars seeing their faction's borders changing almost without rest. Armies of full thousands of men were meeting their doom upon the fields and in the forests of what the land, and there seemed to be no end in sight. The Almohads were fighting desperately to keep their foothold in Spain, fending off both the Kingdoms of Spain and that of the Independent Aragon. Even El Cid and his forces of Valencia were doing their share of fighting.

In the East, things were no calmer. Hungary, Poland, the Turks migrating from the east, and the latter remnants of the Roman Empire all battled without end for land, wealth and power. Just when all seemed lost, and it seemed that the Human race had doomed himself to fighting itself into oblivion, there appeared a man out of the Holy lands of the middle-eastern countries. He preached of God, following the old religions and doing much to help settle disputes wherever he went. Even the Arab princes listened to him should he offer advice, and seeing what such power the man had, three separate Kings called for him. England, France, and Germany all sent for him. And when they found out about the other nation's actions, a great war broke out.

Thankfully, before any true fighting could start, the Preacher arrived in Rome, and called upon every King in Europe following that of the Christian religion to him. Such an event had never accrued, however seeing the man's influence and the clear support he got from the pope, each nation sent forth their King to Rome. Upon their arrival they held a great conference, in which the man revealed himself to be none other than a prophet of the Almighty. He told them of a great storm that would come in the year of our lord 1231, and he told them that upon its arrival, every nation, faction and state would be wiped clean from the world and a new rule of darkness would begin. With this news many Kings were outraged, prophet of the lord indeed they thought, they held so much faith in their own power that they called him nothing more than a beggar trying to stir up trouble. They were so blinded by their titles and over confident that they walked out on the talks and straight back to their kingdoms, but there were still some who listened, the very who had called him in the first place, believed that it was truth sent to aid them by God. Therefore England, France, and Germany's kings all stayed and discussed this storm that would kill off the Christians and be their complete undoing.

He only would tell them that it was a force from out of the Far East, well beyond their armies' power to reach. He told them that the only way to truly save themselves, would be to unite and stop this useless fighting. Of course this did not go over to well with the Kings, The Holy Roman emperor jumped from his seat many times and threatened to walk out then and there if this was truly what they had to do. William II of England and Phillipe I of France had to get between Conrade II and the door many a time and calm their fellow king down. Although they finally agreed to stop fighting among themselves, the three kings still could not fathom how they could repel a force that was described such as this; Numerous as the blades of grass and more powerful that the mightiest sea, these men have full intention of making your kingdoms, their own. that was just one of many long descriptions the prophet made of what he finally called The Mongolian Hordes of Hell itself.

So just what is it we are supposed to do? William II of England asked, clearly tired of hearing of this great threat.

I will tell you, said the prophet rising from his seat. You must go to the fringes of the steppes, and await them

All three kings jumped from their seats, slamming their hands upon the table and beginning a serious of long shouts and arguments. They shouted and yelled many times, all the time pointing fingers at the King beside them, saying 'They will betray this alliance'. It went on for hours, but after the sun had passed the middle of the sky, The Pope, who had been watching the talks from a seat high above the hall, shouted aloud Now you Kings of man be Silent If Ye truly are men of Faith, You shall Sit and resolve this manner as Brothers May i remind you that, not only is your small and petty kingdoms are on the point of the sword, but all of Christendom as well We few who are convened now shall decide the Fate of all who would ever wish to worship Him the Almighty

Respecting his wishes they all sat down and took a few moments to calm themselves, and after a few minutes of waiting, Phillipe of France rose and said Then what is it we shall do? What exactly can we do?

As i have said before the prophet said again, You must go forth and await them on the western edges of the Steppes. Only that way can you prevent them from establishing their deadly and paganistic Kingdom. Still none of the leaders knew what action to take, if that was what they were to do, then who would be charged to make the wall?

That is something the Almighty leaves in your hands the prophet said softly as he turned away from the table and walked off into the shadows. William of England ran after him only to find that he had disappeared. It appeared to them they had a choice; put aside conflict and do his wishes, or be destroyed and know no man in their realm would escape death and damnation. Their course of Action seemed clear to them, and so it was decided that all fighting would cease until a barrier had been put in place of the steppes, that way all would be safe from the destruction. And it would be England's own William II, who was chosen by both King and Pope to lead in its construction.

Chapter 2

The Kingdom of the Holy Crusaders

So it was that England had the Task of assembling the means, place, and way in which the Holy Roman Empire, the English Empire, and the Kingdom of France would defend all of Christendom against the marauding Mongolian forces beset to arrive a full two hundered years in the future. However none the less, it was clear that this should be top priority, and a Kingdom should be set up very early, so that in its time the people and soldiers would know the land and the best ways to fight in them. So that entire families would live there and know what to expect of the strange terrains, so when the time came, it would be fashioned experts who faced the Horde, not a young empire just struggling to set itself up. William II recognized each nation's strong points, his own for its spearmen and Longbows, such troops would be needed to bear the frontal attack and pierce the armors of the wild horsemen he had been told about briefly. From France, he saw the strong cavalry, they would be needed the most to counter the tactics of the horse archers in the eastern armies. From the Holy Roman Empire of Germany, he saw their many types of unique infantry, their power and diversity would ensure that the combined forces could fight, knowing the Mongols would have not learned their tactics. From Germany came another thing, the princes of the lands, which normally caused the empire to be very unstable, were almost always good commanders in this day and age. There William saw his leaders of this new Empire, but his Fellow kings insisted that it be one from his own line. Therefore he would choose Henry I, his third son.

With the plan set, William began to gather the forces for which the Kingdom would be made upon. He built up great ships and set them sail into the northern seas, bearing with them trade and goods, they would cement good relations with any local inhabitants that would be in this new land, and allow them safe passage to their place of last defense. In 1093 the last ship was released from dock and it sailed out north heading to the cold lands of Lithuania, news came back of small armies that may have to be fought to ensure that a new kingdom could be built, yet William was confident in the multi national force that he would eventually send. As 1097 approached, peace still reigned in Western Europe, and to the surprise of many of the local peasants and Kings themselves, there was no aggression between them. So with peaceful surroundings, William called for the first main expedition to set forward. The Army was assembled in Mercia and set off into Flanders in 1098, with Henry I of England at its head, they gathered many Knights and footman to their banner. King Phillipe and The Princes of Germany behind King Conrade sent all the aid that they could spare during such dark times, and it was more than ever thought. (side note: at this point in the game, i sent the crusade through Europe, to my surprise and extreme delight, many troops joined, it was near a full three thousand as it left its final province before going onto the sea )

As they passed through Saxony they went North and arrived in Denmark, there the Vikings were very kind and committed to the cause some of their fiercest warriors, although they did not heed the prophets advice, they held a strong pact with the Norman lords who had their castles in England. Add to that they knew that no matter how many years it would take for them to arrive, with a little bit of Viking blood in them, the defenders would have one hell of a fighting chance. And as 1098 came the Soldiers had disembarked on the North lands seeing first hand the place in which they were meant to fight and die, and though they did not know the land, they knew its people thanks to the merchants who had been traveling this way for the past five years. The entire size of the force was great, numbering at three thousand men, some had taken their families, actually most of them had, seeing as how it was to be here that a Holy Kingdom under God was to be made, and it had to stand for more than 200 years to serve its purpose. They fully understood that they were to be a new people, apart from their homelands. The force traveled north once more, to the fortress city of Novgorod, there they came into contact with the Swedes (MM faction). Much like the Danish, they were the descendants of the Vikings and had traveled here searching for battle and riches. They had settled themselves into the city and it looked clearly to the crusaders that they were there to stay. Though the Swedes gave the great army its permission to stay within the land for one year, they also had many fights with their crusading friends. Yet it became very clear, after the first few bar fights, they were nothing but in the point of fun and joy, many times a scene of drunken warriors of Swedish, English, French, and German origin were seen singing long songs of glory and battle together. The Crusaders enjoyed Novgorod very much indeed, but they had no choice but depart to the East. Henry explained what they must do, and many of the Swedish warriors listening interrupted the story laughing and saying strange remarks of praise. After the story had been told, it was decided that Sweden shall stand there as well. Many soldiers pledged allegiance to the crusaders, and at their own King's leave, they gathered what they had to their names and followed them. It is estimated that no fewer than 150 men joined there, taking with them their wives and children, of course it was a land of battle and the sight of where the World's fate be decided, but what refuge shall they have anywhere else if indeed the world is to be set to the flame? As they left the grand city, they passed many people on the way out, including the Swedish King himself, who told Henry We shall be here, and we shall stand here. I wish you luck on your journey, always know that the gates of our city is open to you. This made Henry and many of his lieutenants around him, feel a sense of new found hope. It appeared they had friends in this endless wilderness.

The warriors went east and arrived in a land named by its own Muscovy. After a brief instant of resistance by its own people, the local people soon realized that the army that had come from the western states had a just cause and they surrendered their capitol without much of a fight, that and because their small armies were just no match for the combined might of more than three kingdoms. Therefore the place upon which the kingdom was founded was Muscovy, and the crusaders built upon the land a great holy empire. With Henry the First at its lead, he carved out a fine defensive position in the north of the land, he even sent out expeditions to the neighboring lands, convincing its people to join the new kingdom. The provinces that followed was the territory of Volga-Bulgaria, and the small fiefdom of Ravyan (sp?). Upon which was set the Knightly order of the Steppes, and by 1105, the place where the kingdom was founded had flourished greatly and began a wealthy state with an unusual beauty, not normally found in the northern lands. It was in 1106, that the Three kings of the West, though a bit old, now each of them either in their late fifties or early sixties, visited their 'holy wall'. Upon arriving they named Henry I its new leader and gave him a crown of silver. William his father said to him as they had met before the main city's great new fortress under construction, You have done well, and we now leave this land to you. However you must remember that while you are an independent Kingdom set upon these eastern steppes, you still owe ultimate allegiance to the western forces. That is why we have made these four rings. William took out a small bag made from a humble cloth, and out of which he brought four great rings that were a splendor to look upon, each ring made of gold it had written on its surface a simple statement, We four stand now, to fight, and to die. Where the small inscription stopped there was set a great stone, each ring bore a different stone each reflecting that nation's purpose in this Alliance.

The Ring with the red stone, he began shall belong to England and its ruler; her efforts made to this land were great and much blood she has given. The Ring with a Blue stone shall be given to France and its King, her boldness stood by England, and hers was the greatest sacrifice in lives to this new land, for it was her that gave us the great cavalry and the man power to build the ships on which we sailed.

As William handed out the rings as he named them, the King of France, Phillipe, who was now getting to be a bit gray in the hair as well, stepped forward and said The Ring with the black stone shall be given to The Holy Roman Empire and its Ruler, Its sacrifice in great commanders and heavy infantry was very great indeed and although they may not know it, it was vital. He stopped and smiled as he said that, as he stopped, the German King, Conrad II stepped forth, he looked about and said to Henry And to you, young king, We give the Ring with a Silver stone in it. It is your people that shall bear the great sacrifice that will come in this war, and always remember that you serve him. pointing up to the sky the German king took his ring and stepped back.

The Four Kings stood around in the center of town, and slipped their rings on simultaneously. When they did there was a great cry of celebration, people cheered raising their hands into the air and holding high weapons. Full families clapped in celebration as their lords stood before them, indeed they were a great union, but its true test was still to come, the test of time.

I will post some more tomorrow, hope you enjoyed the start of one of the greatest campaigns i have ever had the joy to play :D

Very nicely done I love a good tale http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

I hope you have time to snap a few screenies and post them in the Screen Shots thread http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/cool.gif

Shall we dub WesW the Org's patron saint of bards? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/joker.gif

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

You tell stories like a couple of friends I met at another board about Black & White... and that's something http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

Kudos, and lots of em Buy a new car with em http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wink.gif

Chapter III

The peace is shattered

The Kings of the West, having seen the great new empire of the East that they had helped build, departed with great trust in Henry, they left in early 1107 and arrived in their Kingdoms in the same year. However they were old men, and soon they to would pass away. Before they did they over saw great building programs in their own lands, and built up vast armies, of which no other nation could match. Combined the three nations made up all of Western Europe and their combined power was enough to over throw any foe who dared break the peace. Yet in 1110 William II passed on, Taking his place was his Son William III, In France Philippe I also died, and it was one of his sons, Jean I, who took up the crown. In Germany the emperor's only son answered the call, Conrad III came to power with the support of his lesser princes. Though they were new kings, and with them came brash new ideas and young ambitions, they all were great friends. Their fathers, who had made the blood pact with each other some years before, were smart enough to have their sons learn from each other and visit one another's homelands, so when they came to power they would have been long time friends, ensuring the peace which had been established on blood ridden ground. Yet there was one who wished to challenge them, Ferdinand of Spain.

Ferdinand, King of Spain, had united the Iberian Peninsular, driving out the moors who had invaded from Africa and only stopping before Aragon at the request of the pope, now set his sights on Western Europe. With his vast army of Nobility and powerful knights, he felt that it should be his forces that stood where the English and French Kingdoms were. And he soon devised a plan that would tear down everything that had been worked for so hard. In 1116 a French Merchant ship was sunk off the coast of Normandy, its attacker was a Spanish warship, heeding not at all the request of the pope to cease fighting, Spain continued to completely destroy all of France's navy. By 1118 France had amassed its naval forces for one final naval battle in the English channel against the new Spanish threat, though it was a valiant stand, every Warship and merchant ship of France ended up at the bottom of the channel, and Spain was now free to terrorize the mainland, but there was one thing Ferdinand had forgotten about, the Strong alliance Jean I still had with England and Germany.

By 1120 Spain launched, with Ferdinand at its lead, its ground campaign and invaded the small province of Brittany in North Western France. The battle that followed saw both sides loosing great many men, but it was that of the Spanish who had the advantage in numbers and eventually over powered the defenders sending them into their stronghold with little more than 100 men. Jean Saw he could not over come their power alone and pleaded to Germany for help, but The Holy Roman Empire was in a tense situation with Italy, it seemed that the Italians were threatening to push into German territory, and The emperor Conrad III was forced to turn his friend down. However, William III of England met the challenge of the French. Upon Jean's request he assembled a vast army in Normandy, his ships were recalled from the north seas to battle the Spanish, and all of the British Isle was united behind their ally. It took a full two years of battling on the waves of the British channel, but William finally drove out the Spanish warships. Now free to send aid at will, he launched a major offensive. And with the help of the French knights ridding in from Anjou, the English annihilated the Spanish forces and drove them back into the waves. Ferdinand himself fell in the battle, met on the field by the fyrdmen of England, he did not expect their great skill and cunning, nor did he expect the Destriders France sent to outclass his own cavalry; his mistakes would prove his own downfall and ensure his death.

Lead by a young new commander, Sir Henry Plantagenet, the English easily defeated and surrounded the Spanish survivors in a short siege. Humiliated and defeated, those few who were alive were ransomed back to Spain in shame, but when they returned they found their land ravaged by Almohads and The Aragonese who, in the absence of the great Spanish Warrior King, launched a double fronted attack. The Kingdom of Spain had fallen and was replaced by an alliance between the domains of two very different people.

Now safe from any main threat, England and France entered a new age of cooperation and trade, and with William's help, France had her navy rebuilt in a few short years and was ready to begin trading once more. However, not all things last, as William would soon find out. Conrad in Germany, having defeated the Italians in a small war, that only saw brief fighting, was becoming jealous of the new friendship shared by the French and English. He secretly began massing troops for an invasion of France; his plan was simple, eliminate the French and force the English to giver up her mainland holdings. What he wanted was complete control of the trade routes between the North sea and Spain, he had lost all sight of the union he had been apart of in the eyes of His God, and in 1131, to the great shock of all the nations in Europe, he announced Germany's part in the alliance was done. To William he sent the ring of which he had been given by his father to remind him of their Alliance, yet it was broken in two pieces and with a small letter. The letter read as followed;

No land can remain peaceful for long, you and the French have no right to remained allied to us as you will serve us no purpose. Both your puny Kingdoms shall be crushed under our might. The lands in the east no longer concern us as that message was surely fabricated My advice to you king is, stay out of this war, you may not like what we do to your people should we ever set foot in your lands

The letter ended suddenly with the royal seal of the Emperor's court. The following year, German forces poured over the border and into France, The Alliance was dissolved and a new war had started.

Chapter IV

The Alliance In ruin

The year was 1136 and to William's horror, the alliance that his father had formed was now splintered into pieces. He held the letter sent to him by the German emperor, and he wept. He then cried out He who was my friend, through learning and hardship, is now my enemy quickly he sent notice to all his commanders in the mainland Europe, in Brittany, Aquitaine, and in Normandy. To them he sent these words; it is with a heavy heart that the Empire of Britain declares war upon the Holy Roman Empire, we share no front with that of the Germans, yet you are under orders to launch an attack at the soonest possible moment. We must back the French as they are our only ally now.

Heeding their orders, the commanders in France rallied up their soldiers, and conducted drills, training them for a battle they knew might come. Their horsemen began conducting long rides, ensure there were no spies of the HRE abroad, the spearmen were being put through rigorous training, for they may have to face the German heavy infantry, it was rumored that no army had yet stood to a full charge of their various swordsmen, they would need to do so should war come into the far west. And with a number of 1000 men, William sent east a notice that Germany had betrayed the alliance. Looking now to the French, William sent forth a rider to ask if any aid was needed.

Jean sent back to him the words The war shall be ours. William III knew that France had rebuilt her army, but he had no idea it had grown strong enough to take on the mighty Holy Roman Empire. He watched slowly as the Germans were pushed back, province by province, inch by bloody inch. Soon it was not the farmlands of France in which fighting was done, but the plains and forests of Germany. Jean at the French armies lead pushed them eastward until the entire German empire had fallen. Then turning south he snuffed out the last rebels who declared allegiance to their lost lord, Conrad Fell in Switzerland in the year 1139, his grand invasion had failed and with his army in full retreat, he locked himself in one of the tallest towers of the keep and awaited his conquerors. When the French broke down the walls and rushed into the keep, swords swinging killing all who resisted, Conrad appeared above them. Clad in full armor and his crown on his head, he leapt down upon them killing many in his rage, yet he was finally run through as the French advanced on him. When Jean heard of the German king's death, he rushed into Switzerland, and looked upon his fallen foe that was ready to be buried. Before doing so he took his crown and broke it, saying Now Germany shall by my land and mine alone… Old friend…. An evil smile crept onto his face saying that, and his men shuttered at the look of it.

William could do nothing, he only watched as Jean of France decimated the final resistance fighters and claimed all of their land for himself, of course he congratulated his friend and ally on his victory, but he also mourned for Conrad. He held a special prayer service for the dead king and his soul, hoping that God would show mercy to the lost lord, it appeared that God heard him for during that year, William awoke from a dream in a cold sweat, and before him were four figures.

The figures had a mysterious light about them, he could not look at their faces, but he saw what they were dressed in. One had the attire of a warrior, his cape shown red and his armor glinted gold, on his hand was a Ring with a red stone. He then knew what he saw was his father and the old kings before him in his very room. But who was this forth man? And was he a man? His light shown the greatest of all, and to look upon his was to have a fear inside of you, his face was hidden away among the grand light that was emitting from around him, oh and what a light, its touch felt as though William's skin was being soothed in every way possible. Finally, the king got the courage to speak.

Who…who are you? he asked, as he looked upon them with great astonishment and wonder. To his surprise only three answered him, and in loud grand voices they answered at once We are the three kings of the past, we are the ones who made the alliance which now lies in ruin William's heart began to pound and his hands were sweating. His father and the past kings of France and Germany now stood before him, but who was this with them? Was this his brother Henry? No, he had no ring upon his hand, but then if not him, then who?

Again he raised enough courage to ask Who is this with you? Whose light is so splendid it heals at the touch? the figure walked toward him, its light still to great to bear, William diverted his eyes, trying to shield them and look at the same time, he still could not see. But then suddenly his eyes widened and it was clear to him, this was the Lord before him, his God, coming to his castle and standing before him now. He quickly arose out of his bed and threw himself to the floor, but the figure lifted him up and said to him William, listen to me. The king was now in shock, he could barely move and he looked at this figure with eyes as wide as deep holes in the earth. The man basked in light again spoke, his voice booming and loud, yet gentle and kind, I knew it would come to this, know that no matter what you do, your western kingdom shall from this day be on the point of the sword, but your eastern kingdom shall prosper. There will come a man who will deceive you and upon his arrival, your kingdom shall be plunged into a war that It may not win. The figure released William, turned, and began walking toward the other Three Kings.

William III who was now on his knees said how will I know this man? but instead of answering the four figures vanished and faded from sight, William rose to his feet and screamed How will I know him??. Then suddenly there was a flash of light and William awoke from sleep, he sat up in haste and looked about in fear. His wife who was beside him still sleeping was the only one he saw, he held his hand over his face and convinced himself to relax. 'It was a dream he thought, but still even so, I cannot ignore it.' He realized that he had just received a vision from the most holy of sources, and he knew that sooner or later, this western kingdom would fall should be not act. He sat in his bed chamber in silence for many hours, till finally he rose and knew, that his kingdom would see no end of war. He realized what he feared might happen since the day he came to power, the holy alliance had failed.

Chapter V

The War bell tolls

It was the year of our Lord 1139, and William III of England was gravely Ill, sick with some mysterious disease, he would die soon. Quickly he named his son, Richard I, as his heir. No sooner had he written this upon a plain piece of paper, his last strength failed him and he fell dead. So it was that Richard I came to power, thus marking a turning point in History. Richard was not like his father in many ways; his war like attitude put the French on edge, as it did the Aragonese. He had received training from the Knights Templar who had stayed behind in England during the crusades to the East, only one or two living in Mercia, they were not enough to do any sort of fighting, yet they did sometimes train the local nobility. It was the fact that Richard was a mighty warrior, and that put dread into the surrounding factions, it would be this that drove them to invade.

In 1140 the Aragonese crossed the border and entered into Aquitaine with an army of two thousand strong, England's forces there were strong of Fyrdmen and a number of Norman sergeants and Norman Knights, but it was the Aragonites who had the number advantage. Their army consisted mainly of spear men, yet their battle experience from the wars that plagued the Iberian Peninsular was great and they were renowned with valor. As they advanced onto the fields there in France, the English began to harbor fear. They had heard of the great spear walls of the Aragonese from the few Spanish soldiers who escaped north during the great wars. As the battle began both sides knew the other would attempt to use cavalry to its fullest, but there was limited space provided as there was many forests dotting the field of battle England chose. Deployed on the edge of the forest, the English waited. Suddenly, the clouds broke and rain began to fall, England's greatest advantage in her longbow men had just been severely downsized. Far away they could now see the Aragonese moving into their field of view, columns of full thousands moving with great discipline, holding their shields together as one, any attack now seemed pointless. While much of their force lay hidden, the English general realized they would not be able to win.

Closer and closer still advanced the aragonese, they came now within 300 yards and the English longbow man began to fire off volleys, however the rain falling made their bow strings wet making it extremely hard to fire off a good shot, worse still the wind was working against them, one was lucky to shot an arrow one hundred yards let alone three. The Aragonese was now between two main forests, it was time for England to make here move. To the north and south of the Aragon army were great forests, and hidden within was the fearsome Norman Cavalry, the general raised high a great banner and no sooner had he done it, then a great number of horsemen come charging out of the trees thundering toward their destination, throwing his sword into the air, the infantry charged them from the front. Now facing a three sided charge, the Aragon King swung round his flanks and prepared for the on coming cavalry charge with great speed. The spearmen's speed surprised the knights of Normandy, and they found themselves charging strait into the spear line, and they could do nothing to stop their charging war beasts. The Norman horse crashed into the spearmen and fell on the tips of the blade; fully stopped their charge by the spearmen, they saw now that they themselves had been caught in a trap. Now advancing up was the Aragon cavalry with their King leading them, able to charge into the English cavalry's flank with no trouble, there would be no escape for them now. Yet even so the English army still advanced forth, and their infantry clashed with that of Aragon's, the battle that followed with them was so evenly matched that entire units of spearmen fell without routing. They slaughtered each other, trying desperately to gain an upper hand on their enemies, but neither infantry would. The Fyrdman of England and the Spearmen of Aragon were completely even in terms of skill at arms. This battle soon changed, as the Cavalry of Aragon had driven off that of England's, and now they came up on the flanks and behind that of the fyrd. As the final charge was let out, every man within the line saw his doom approaching. Those who could turn around to meet their on coming enemy did so, and formed a very thin spearline, but those who did were few and they could not fully stop the charge. The horsemen broke through slamming their swords down upon their foes and breaking the backs of their enemies moral, even sooner the English's general fell. Those still left alive sounded the retreat and tried to make it out of the death trap, but there was no man who could. The entire army of 1682, nine hundred of that infantry, was destroyed, there were no survivors, no ransom, they were killed to the very last man, thus ended the first battle of Aquitaine.

More of this part will be posted later

(cont'd) Chapter V

Hearing of his armies defeat, Richard was shocked and surprised, quickly he sent reinforcements to Brittany through Normandy. It was his hope to dislodge the Aragonese by use of shear force, he had, by 1141, assembled a mighty army of a good one thousand eight hundred to do battle on the fields and retake the lost land. The fierce and bold Norman Cavalry and the Fyrdman of Wessex mad up the main lines, while the Longbow man from Whales and woodsman from the dark forests of Mercia made up the second line. With this new army, Richard was confident they would succeed without a doubt. And in 1142 the new army set out and crossed the borders into Aquitaine, but they found that lying in wait for them near the same sight upon which one thousand Englishmen met their death, was the Aragon army. Still unmoved they stood, their battle lines already formed and their soldiers thirsty for blood and battle, It was the Knights of the Aragon King who were the first to move, but they rode out to the English under a banner of truce. Seeing an opportunity to end this hostility, the English general rode out to meet him.

The Aragonese sent their own king, King Alfonso III, who was known for his battlefield bravery, shown by a few scars around his face and chest. To meet him the English sent two men, one was Sir Stephen Plantagenet, son of Sir Henry Plantagenet who had fought in the wars against Spain, and was now enjoying his retirement in Normandy. The other was former Prince Edmund, King of Scotland. Stephen was a strong man, known for his tactical genius demonstrated during the peasant revolts of Whales a few years before. However Edmund was a man who's fighting spirit out matched his command ability; he was a fighter and a warrior but not a tactician. The three men riding toward each other finally met at a point straight in front of their two armies, and at an even distance from one another, it was King Alfonso who would make the first remarks.

English generals he said pulling steed to a stop, You cannot hope to win now, I am telling you now that your army shall be crushed if you do not surrender your banners and march back home, what I offer is-- The King was interrupted by Stephen

I would present you with an offer King, he said with a hint of anger in his voice.

The king however spoke to Edmund ignoring him saying I offer to you and your army, one thousand-- yet again he was cut off by Stephen

Listen King, and listen good, we Englishmen do no take kindly to harsh words and threats. Lower your war banners and relinquish our weapons Then you can march straight back to Castile with your tails between yer legs and your shields stuck up your asses …or we can put them there for you

This angered Alfonso greatly; he turned away and rode back to his lines, soon afterward a horn was let out from Aragon's lines signaling their men to ready them for combat. Edmund stared at Stephen and said What are you doing? We can't win here; you saw what happened only two years ago We need to-- again Stephen interrupted.

Shut up, and listen to me, you will take your horsemen and put them in the forests behind our position, there they will be hidden.

Edmund, who did not enjoy accepting orders, did so only for he recognized Stephen's battlefield superiority in rank. The two rode back to their battle lines where horns were sounded, the fyrdmen readied their spear just as the Aragonese made their first moves and began their march. However this time, there would be no wind or rain to protect them from the terror of the English and Welsh Longbows, and slowly yet surely they entered range of them, and the volley's began to fly forth. The bows were raised and fired over and over, and the arrows flew up into the air and came cutting down into the soldiers below. The casualties sustained by the Aragonese became great, just on their advance. Continuously arrows pounding into the lines, but it would not stop them, as they came ever slowly toward the English. And soon the main battle had begun. The fyrdmen rushed forward and began their battle against the spearmen of the Aragon army; once again however they were evenly matched. The longbow man loosing their arrows proved to be the greatest threat to Alfonzo and his army, and he soon realized it. He had still not spotted the English cavalry, but he knew that no matter what he had to end this rain of death, the English archers fired.

Out from the right flank he sent his cavalry, they rode the entire length of the battle line and around to the back, soon they found the archers and began a charge. But as they charged forward, out of the blackness of the forests came charging the Norman Knights. Taking their Spanish foes by complete surprise they soon routed their foes and drove them from the field in a glorious triumph. Now free again to do their job again, the longbow man began to fire once more. Their target now was Alfonso himself, and it did not take long for their deadly accuracy and diligence to pay off, the King ridding to the left flank attempting to reinforce his line, was struck down by an arrow in his chest. He fell from his horse gasping for air, and as he did his entire army broke rank and fled, the English gave pursuit and drove them off the battlefield.

Stephen who was now surveying the battlefield, now found the Aragonese king where he lay dying, he raised his sword up and let it come falling down upon him, the King looked up in horror as the last images of his life flashed before him, and suddenly a blackness overtook his eyes and death took him.

Aquitaine had been recaptured and the Aragonese King had been slain, all seemed fine for three years as a fragile peace was settled between the two nations. But unknown to the English, it would be their closest friends to be their next enemy. While a large garrison was place in Aquitaine, Normandy was left with a rather lax guard, it would be this decision that would prove to destroy a friendship and an alliance. In 1145 French Knights broke the alliance and crossed into Normandy. Now the final bits of peace were now a flame and no act of God would take it back, the small guard was driven out without the smallest trouble. Shocked and disrupted, somewhere around seventy Knights of Normandy were captured and executed by the French, and moving quickly they blockaded the English channel preventing any reinforcements from moving in from the British Isles. The Commanders in mainland Europe would have no choice but to fight this new war alone…

edit: posting errors

Chapter VI

The First Great War

So it was that The Kingdom of France declared war upon the Empire of Britain, which spanned the British Isles and had holdings in Normandy and Brittany and Aquitaine. The two nations, which had once been so closely bound by the Providence of the Rings, was now torn apart and pit against one another across the battlefields of Europe. And though England attempted to settle the War on the diplomatic table, the killing of the 70 Norman Knights sealed this war's fate, it could be settled no other way than that of the path of blood. But the French had already scored two victories early on, the Invasion of Normandy, and the sea battles along the English Channel. As long as France held the waters, she held the war, and Richard of England knew that fact well. It was the beginning of 1146 when he sent out his warships to do battle with the French Fleet, but to his surprise, his forces were soundly defeated off the coast of Wessex, and those who survived were driven off into the North Sea.

Knowing for sure, that securing the Channel would take time, he sent word via a small Swedish merchant ship to Sir Stephen Plantagenet and to Sir Godwin Percy, the two supreme commanders of England's forces in the small holdings they still had. To them he sent only five simple words; At all costs, take Normandy. Knowing the lay of the lands, Sir Stephen, veteran of the Aragonite war, led his men up into Brittany and relieved Sir Godwin of command there sending him south into Aquitaine. In 1147, with a little over one thousand men, Sir Stephen marched out of Brittany and into Normandy; to meet him was Sir Louis Poitevin of France, with a host of eight hundred men. These two men were close friends before the war. As France and England had shared a close bound, many of its commanders and nobility were as family with each other, yet when the war broke out, so broke were the bonds made by the families of both nations. Though friends in youth, they were now soldiers on opposite sides of a battle, they both knew full well that they would have no choice but to fight for their King and their country.

As Sir Stephen advanced his army onto the field at Normandy, he made sure to use best the cover of the small hills and forests that were dotting the countryside, but he was not the defending force, and he would not have the opportunity to lay in wait. His opponent, Sir Louis, was fully aware of the Longbows of England and all their effectiveness, and Stephen was sure he could not take him by surprise as had been done against the Aragonese King Alfonzo.

Dawn broke on the fields; the sunlight peeked over a mountain far off into the distance, signaling the start of the battle. Out of the mists to the north appeared a long line of soldiers, it was the French and their mighty army of heavy infantry and cavalry, and to the south stood the spear lines of England. Fyrdmen, Norman Knights, Norman Sergeants, Longbows, and woodsmen all made up the army of Sir Plantagenet. However soon, he was forced to commit the battle. Slowly he began to advance a steady line of fyrdmen forward, on their left were the brave and powerful knights of Normandy, and on their right were the Norman sergeants. Behind the spear wall advanced the woodsmen, and still behind them was the Longbows walking at an easy pace.

Slowly and steadily the English were moving, and the French were becoming impatient. Already Destriders were shouting out curses, attempting to coax the English into a reckless charge, but it would not work; the army of Sir Stephen Plantagenet was that of a much disciplined army due to his battles in Whales and Aquitaine. Suddenly, the longbows stopped, and they readied their bows, Sir Poitevin began to shout aloud amidst his own lines, and soon his men were moving about attempting to position themselves out of the longbow range, but it would prove futile, as soon the first volley was launched. The arrows flew into the air and arched down coming screaming at their targets, Man at arms were seen holding up their shields trying to stop the arrows, still in some cases the longbow did its job well and punched into their armor.

Plantagenet had advanced his men very close indeed to the French, and at his order all stopped, then he ordered the longbows to stop their rain of death upon the fields. The two armies now stood, almost face to face, waiting for the other to give ground so they could charge, an eerie silence settled over the fields. Then, Stephen raised a banner of green, and suddenly his spearmen parted, the French had no idea what he was doing and out of rashness broke rank and charged. However they soon realized they had walked into a trap, for from within the spaces made by the spearmen, up came charging the woodsmen with axes and shields in hand. The two forces of professional troops met, and the battle begun. Woodsmen from Mercia swinging round their axes, hemming off arms and slicing into helms as they went, pushed their way deep into the center line of the man-at-arms sent to stop them.

On the flanks, the cavalry of England and the Norman Knights went forth and met the Destriders of Flanders and idle De France for the first time. The two cavalry forces who had in the past learned so much from one another, were now locked in combat, battling one another at a near even. At this time, England's longbows once again let their arrows fly and again they served a great purpose, slamming into the armor of the infantry in front of them and providing needed cover fire to their woodsmen allies in the middle. Though fighting well, the French were losing ground, their infantry had not the battle experience that England's did, and soon enough the army of Sir Pointevin was on the brink of a rout. However just as the battle was about to be lost, he swept around behind the English leading a detachment of Destriders and struck home behind Sir Stephen Plantagenet, taken by surprise Stephen ordered that his men should continue the battle, while he swung his longbows around and let them enter the fray behind him.

Though it was a bold move, it sealed his own fate. Without the firing support of the Longbows the woodsmen in the center soon proved no match for the professional man at arms of France. And even when the Fyrdmen reformed and made an attempt at fending them off, it proved to be in vein as they were of greater valor than had been expected at the time. The cavalry on the flanks was doing far better, but sensing his men would be completely destroyed should the battle go on, Sir Stephen ordered that his men fall back to Brittany and regroup. Ordering a Withdraw, he and the entire cavalry force fell back and formed up, then they lead one final charge against the French in a desperate attempt at buying time for the infantry to escape.

The charge would prove successful, but in the process Sir Plantagenet was killed. As the charge came into contact with an advancing line of Spearmen, Sir Plantagenet was struck in the stomach by one such weapon, and fell upon the field. Though his death signaled to them that the battle was lost, his Knights fought on until the infantry had safely exited the field. Yet now, beginning to lose men at a great rate, The Norman Knights had no choice but to withdraw.

The Remains of the army fell back to Brittany to regroup, out of the one thousand, now only half that remained.

More posted later

French will prevail

Alfonso ghost must be mighty please

Louis,

Oohh... First Great War.. there must be more. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wink.gif

What about Henry's Crusader Kingdom in the East?

Chapter VI part ii

The War goes east

The Year of 1147 passed with much sorrow in the Nations of France and England, now fighting for over three years, the war had claimed countless lives of both the rich and the poor, the people of the Nobility begged the Kings to stop this senseless fighting, but Richard I and Jean II would have no part of it. As for the French King he was getting old, and he could no longer fight, but even an old man can hate another, and thus he hated England. He hated her wealth and saw her Island nation as a threat. Before he passed on in 1147, he named a young man by the name of Philippe IV his heir to the throne. And though he bore the name of the French King that made the sacred pact long ago, he was very different from him indeed. His views of England were the same of his father, and as he took the throne in 1148, he vowed that none within the Nation of Britain would be safe from his wrath.

The war dragged on, yet almost forgotten in the sands of time, covered by a shroud of mist in the minds of the Western Kings, was the Eastern Knighthood. The Holy lands established by former kings gone by still stood strong, its people were of a steady breed and its military forces were some of the finest troops on the face of the Earth. On its throne in Muscuvy sat Henry III. Grandson of Henry I who had built the kingdom on the labor and blood of himself and his fellow man, yet unlike the Father nations, he still honored the Alliance, of which only he was a member of, upon his right hand sat the silver Ring, and on his head was the Silver crown.

In 1148 he had no word of any kind from the western kingdoms, but when a Swedish trader arrived from Novgorod, he told him the bitter story. The man sat before the King telling him of the long wars between the French and Germany, he told them of the Holy Roman Emperor's last moments, and he told him of the Great war ravaging all of Western Europe. It is a War not since seen by man he said, Nations all around broke out in war beside them, declaring their allegiance to either France or England, the one act of hostility between the two super powers has cause a serious of events that has sparked a major war, in fact, the entire world is engulfed in the flame.

Thus was the description made by the Merchant to Henry III of the great war being fought in Europe, it was true in what he said, nearly every faction now fought wars for their support of the two. The Remnants of the Roman Empire battled the Sicilians; the Italians battled the Poles, and the Hungarians battled north and south with Constantinople and Poland. The Almohads were once again at war with the Aragonites, and the pope even fought for his right to survive against a much stronger Italian force, all of it stemming from the one battle in Normandy. 'How could such a thing happen?' thought Henry, 'We journeyed here to prevent the world's end, is it possible that even now, we have failed?'

Rising from his throne, Henry placed his hand upon the shoulder of the Swedish merchant, he then said Go to your masters good merchant, and give them thanks. However I shall need a favor of you. The two walked off into the shadows talking at a very low voice, the guards around looked on in wonder, trying their best to hear their conversation, but they had no such luck, as they talked in to soft of voices. However, soon enough, Henry came out of the shadows and said aloud Listen to me, Oh knights of the Almighty, Go to your families, and bring them before me, tell the entire city to assemble in the town square, I have important business.

In a state of awe, the knights obeyed his order, never had such an order been given, and it took some time for the entire city with a population as big as the city of London to present itself, bells tolled and shouts were yelled, horns blew the calls and the people came. It took somewhere around an hour but the entire city was finally gathered in the middle of the City, peasants, nobles, knights, archers, surfs, they were all called by Henry. And finally he came before them, dressed in a cape of black, wearing a crown of pure silver laden with jewels, wearing the ring, and dressed for war he came before them. For a moment his head looked at the ground, as if unsure what to say to his people. However as he stood, he began to find the words to say, almost as if they were being given to him by somebody watching over him.

Finally he spoke, My people, we are a kind set a side from our fellow man, we came here at the will of the Almighty to safeguard the lives of our families and friends in our former homes. One by one we each answered the call and we journeyed here, here we built the shinning glory that is our Empire, and it is here that we are meant to fight. However, I have received news, that our Nations of old have broken the Alliances. His words were interrupted by shouts and wails from both child and man, as if a great bane had been placed on their ears. Yet he continued The Holy Roman Empire…Is no more, and France and England are now at war Now I know we came from these nations, and within us is their blood, but we are now a people apart, We shall not Fight our fellow man, as our brothers in the West have done, we shall stand united, and alone if we must.

Thrust onto the Fringes of civilization, with little supplies and no allies, and at some points no hope. At that very moment, we were at war. We fought the natives hard and we put down every single bit of uprisings, it was with our might and the fire of the Most Holy that we cleansed this land and made it livable. Now our Western brothers have lost their way, and it falls on us, to return to them and put an end to this War which not only insults the name of the Kings and people who founded this great land, but of the very God who gave us the power to be here. Now, I know that many of you wish to stay, but I am going, and I urge you to follow me. For if we do not quell their hatred, then our path shall follow theirs, down that of bloodshed and death with our own countrymen.

As he ended, there was silence, for a moment nobody spoke. Until that is, an old man stepped forward. His hands shaking with his age and showing his lack of strength, however, in his shaking hands was a sword, one only that a Knight of the Templar Order was given, and he said I shall go with you young King. Touched by the old man's courage, the king got down off the place where he stood and shook his hand, saying You yourself are a king, one who has such bravery even with such age holds valor on any field. After that many knights and common folk burst into cheers and chants and vowed that they to would return West with the King Henry III

Chapter VI part iii

A Nation to the flame


While far in the East, Henry III was gathering a force to journey back to England, England itself was in great peril. Having lost the battle of Normandy, and one of its finest commanders, it was now threatened in losing all its mainland holdings. Richard I in Mercia did his best to rally sailors and ships for his attack on the channel's blockading force, but unless he could punch a whole in their defensive grid, he would have no hope of reinforcing the Remnants of English troops still holding on in France. However, Philippe would not stand idly by and watch as his foe massed his forces, for in 1149 he launched a massive invasion of the final holdings of the English. After a short battle the main force was destroyed and routed south into Aquitaine, however even there the English would not find refuge, as in 1150 an invasion hit from the northeast and knocked out their main army, killing them to the last man, while the French took minimal casualties.

It was clear that he had no hope of saving those still under siege, therefore Richard decided it was time to prepare for the unthinkable, a war on the island of Britain. The British Isles had been secured many years before, and no bloodshed had befallen them since, a War on their own home soil was unthinkable to the English, but soon, it would become a reality. With full control over the English Channel, Philippe IV massed a great army in Normandy, gathering that of local peasantry and his own soldiers, he led a seaborne invasion of Wessex.

It was Richard I himself who met Philippe IV on the field of battle near the shoreline. Gathered with him, the finest longbow men and Fyrdmen of the land, he was completely confident that he would succeed. The battle began quickly as Philippe ordered out his Man at arms forward into battle, the French advanced on three points, the Infantry coming up the center with cavalry flanking around them, attempting to trap the English and force an early rout. Richard I would have none of this, he led out his cavalry wing on the left and met the Destriders of France in battle. What followed was a gruesome battle in which Richard slayed many knights before him, as he battled and the corpses around him began to rise, his eyes burned with a fire that had been lost in his forefathers, the king was as a whirlwind of death and doom as he swept into his cavalry foes.

Though their king was doing well, the Infantry in the center was not, though England had superb spear forces, they were not a match for the might of the man at arms that Philippe had brought from his homelands. Soon enough, the spearmen gave ground and were being pushed back into the hills leading into Wessex, but the advance was halted as the dreaded longbows let fly their arrows. They came down riding like bolts of lightning and they made their mark in the bodies of the French, but still the line of Swordsmen was to strong for that of spearmen. Deciding it was time, the longbow men now forsaked their bows and drew their swords, they came charging into battle holding high swords and shouting aloud a great war cry, yet even their skill at arms could not halt the French.

On the Right, the English cavalry was being destroyed and though they battled and fought well, the Destriders had valor many times that of the Norman Knights, and their battle experienced showed as they powered through their English counterparts. Soon, they had no choice but to pull back to a hillside where they could regroup, but as they did, the troops in the middle mistook this for a route and began to run. But before they escaped, their mistake would doom them, for a line of French knights rode up from behind them and rode them down with ease.

With his Men frightened and running all over the place, Richard the I decided that his time had come, he threw aside his spear and drew his sword and shouted, Thou men of honor, Follow me into Hell. As he shouted those knights still with him rode out from the battle that they had been locked in and traveled with speed unmatched, they flew across the field and found the French King, and with a shout he to came galloping out from his forest hiding place. The two leading their knights now met and as they came together, a great thunder cracked above and the sky became dark, the two forces battled now, and as if nothing else happening on the field was of any importance, the two kings fought one another face to face.

Even as all around them went quiet, as all their nights who had rode into battle with them, slew one another until none where left, and all of England's forces had retreated from the field, Richard fought Philippe. They battled, swinging sword and spear about and slashing at one another till finally, one fell from his horse and was struck down. All around the fallen king became light again, and the shroud that had fallen dissipated and there, surrounded by the corpses of no less than one hundred and twenty slain knights, stood the king of France, and upon his hand were now two rings, That of France, and that of England's. He walked to his horse and got into the saddle, then without a word to any of his men, led them north. In his eyes, there appeared a strange red glare, though none dare speak of it, his men knew that their King had been changed forever that day.

OMG no Not the English King Boo Boo Down with the French, boo, boo

Chapter VII part i

Traveling into Destruction's Wake

Now the war was raging all across the British Isles, though the English king had fallen and was left alone to rot on the fields, help was not far off. For at that very moment, the Eastern King was sailing his forces across the North Sea and moving toward Wessex, And after around a month of sailing, they reached the English channel. So happy where they that they rushed on shore gladly leaving the longboats lent to them by the Swedish, though they were grateful of the gifts, they preferred land over sea any day.

Henry III gathered his men and led them inland, they passed London shortly after disembarking, and found it was nothing more than a pile of debris. There was a mass graveyard to the west of the city's former walls, and every building had been destroyed, yet there was no sign of resistance, the army from the East found no bodies lying about or any indication that a battle had been fought. They rode west a bit and stood before the graves, but after digging into them, they found they were all hollow, what could have happened? Was this all some kind of tactic to discourage rebellion? Or was this meant to put fear in the very army that stood before it? Whatever its purpose, those who were in front gave it no more heed and passed on north of the fallen city.

They journeyed no more than 6 miles from the city when they came upon a massive field of death, here was the battle fought that decided the fate of London, thousands upon thousands of bodies were strung out over a field of three kilometers. The bodies of horses and that of men had fallen beside on another, and that of Englishman and French now laid together side by side, no longer in quarrel. There was not a man in Henry's army who was not saddened by the sight of so many dead, the stench and reek of them, and the sound of ravens circling over head was enough to unnerve even the most steadfast of the fighters. Some cried out in anger, others shed tears for the fallen, they knew had they set out only a week earlier they might have arrived in time to aid Richard in his fight, and they realized that the foe they were to face was both cunning and fearless.

It is a sad sight, said a man from the Templar Knights, But we do need to push on.

No not yet, said Henry after a moment of silence, We will go further when he have given these men a place of honor, they deserve that much at least. All his commanders agreed, it was the right thing to do, and the least they could do. So, one by one, the picked up the fallen warriors and laid them to rest near a small forest in the area. Trees were cut down and sticks were gathered, soon small wooden crosses were fashioned and placed at the head of each gravesite, and they soon began to dot the landscape, as men from both nation's were buried in graves left with no mark save the crosses, so no man could tell English from French. 'At least in death', thought Henry as he buried a Destrider, 'these men will be freed from our conflicts.'

But soon, there came a shout from one of the fyrdmen, he shouted with great joy and honor The king, The King Richard Lives ,from all around there came men of all classes, spearmen, knights, archers, all running to see Richard I of England, who they had only heard of in tales. Henry III came riding up from out of his men and dismounted from his horse, there on the ground, in the midst of dead bodies, was the fallen king, but he was not dead. His eyes were open, his left arm was shaking and his right clutched a wound suffered by a spear. As he looked up, he saw the silver crown upon Henry's head, suddenly his eyes began to fill with tears and he cried, Behold the great king of the East. Henry knelt down and grabbed his hand.

I am dying, Richard said grasping for air, but before the Almighty takes me, I give you this. His hand went beneath his armor, and what he pulled out shocked all those around, for it was The Ring of England. It's gold surface shining with pride and its red gem shone with great brilliance as he held it high. A faint smile appeared on Richard's face, then he spoke once more, I hid it away just before that bastard knocked be from my horse, I knew he would try to steal it and declare himself sovereign over my land, so I thought it best to keep it hidden until you came, and something told me I would see the great king come before my death.

Henry took the Ring, and sure enough it was the true ring of England, for there on the golden band was the inscription, We four stand now, to fight, and to die. Amazed and filled with a sense of joy Henry could do nothing but smile as he looked at it., he placed his hand on Richard's head and tried to put him at ease. However, Richard was badly wounded, and shortly after giving Henry the ring, his eyes closed and his hands fell upon the ground as his last strength escaped him. Those who looked on cried out aloud for their fallen brother, they prayed for his soul and vowed they would fight to retake their former homes. Henry rose to his feet and said, We shall continue to tend to the fallen, only ater these men have a place of honor shall we depart and head north. and with a tear in his eye, he slipped on the ring and walked to a small hill overlooking the horizon. He drew his sword and pointed it north, its gleaming blade shone in the light as he spoke Brothers in the north hold fast, for aid is coming soon.

Chapter VII part ii

The True Reason for War

It was first light on the morn of September 4th, when having finished putting their fallen brothers to rest, the grand army of the Eastern Knighthood set off once more, this time traveling north. Their ride was beset by silence; the only noise heard were their foot steps and horse hoofs pounding on the ground below and their echoes shouting back at them over the desolate forests. None spoke, for there was nothing to say, every man in the army knew his end would come soon enough, for even the mightiest English king had fallen to the blades of the French, some began to doubt if they would even see their homes in the east again. Henry himself was also troubled, for he now looked upon a lost homeland, its people were now to frightened to leave their own homes, and mists now gathered in the valleys where once great trade routes had run, with every village they passed by, they began to lose a little more hope, for they would find only that of death and destruction in their path.

He looked down at his right hand, and his eyes fixed upon the silver ring whose beauty was still shining brightly even in this forsaken land of shadows and whispers. Henry gazed into the stone, suddenly his mind became clear, all doubt of their fight left him and for a fraction of a second, he saw a sight that put fear into his heart. For within the ring there was a great fire in the form of one man, his sword was dripping with the blood of the innocent and upon his helm was a great crown, his armor shone like nothing the king had seen before, and its strange shape defied his thoughts, behind him was a vast army of horsemen set upon great war beasts holding high hundreds of weapons shouting aloud 'Ruler of all, Khan of the Mongols we follow thee'. Then as quickly as the image appeared it vanished in a sudden mist that gathered within the stone, and all was quiet within his mind. Henry then knew, that the hardships he was now facing, was but a small taste of the horror to come, he shook his head suddenly and placed his left hand over his eyes trying to forget what he had just see. However when he did so, his eyes looked into the Ring of Red, its fiery stone shone brightly suddenly, but he seemed to be the only one aware of it.

Then, as before, into his mind appeared a great image, yet this time, it was that of a large city, its stone walls were mighty and strong. Its people were happy and the lands around it prospered, but then from the south he saw a great number of storm clouds form, they swept over the lands and then atop the mighty city, its walls were suddenly torn down by the four winds which kicked up all at once blowing with a ferocity not seen in all his days. The storm began to clap thunder and lighting shot out and ravaged to town, the people were frightened and ran from it, but great drops of rain fell onto the ground and formed themselves into large figures. They slaughtered the people without mercy and burned the houses and homes, fire then rained down and tore down the great fortress around which the city had been built. But then out of the commotion there came a loud voice, This is the future of your home Henry, should you fail in your task here, Know that no man shall survive if this fighting continues.

He was then released from the vision and found himself once more in the saddle of his war horse, his eyes were wide and his hands now shook with fear, sweat was dripping from his brow and he could barely keep his balance he was so shocked by the vision. Grasping what was left of his sanity he covered his face with his hands and tried to stop them from shaking so violently, but he could not. He now realized that his men and him had no choice but to drive the French from English soil, for if they failed, all hope would be lost, not only in t he West, but in the East as well. Henry grabbed his sword at his side still in its sheave and held his head down for a moment; he stopped his horse as his men advanced by, he dismounted and walked to a nearby stream that ran past the forest road on which he was advancing his troops, he knelt down and took a drink with his hands. As he raised his head he splashed it with some water and looked to the sky, but then, time seemed to slow down around him, his troops still advancing seem to go at a very slow rate, yet he paid no heed to them, his eyes were set high above looking into the heavens.

Then he heard a voice that spoke out of the trees, its sound was very strange to him, almost as if he had heard it his whole life, but he realized that however similar it sounded, he had never heard this voice before. It said to him Is this the path you have chosen, Henry the III? he set his eyes into the wood and saw a man standing there, surrounded by mist and in a strange blue haze he was, but he could not tell who he was. The man wore a crown on his head and had the Ring of Black on his hand, the symbol of the former Holy Roman Empire. He then knew that this man before him was that of Conrad II, the same man who had helped seal the alliance of the Rings some fifty years before. 'But if this is Conrad', thought Henry, 'what business has he with me?'

You have the power to stop this Conrad said again after a moment, it lies within the rings you hold so dear to you now.

That’s impossible shouted Henry rising to his feet, The Rings were fashioned by the smiths of Germany, your own nation, they hold no power what so ever save that of signifying the bond that once stood between the world's four greatest kingdoms

You really are a fool, Conrad said almost with a laughing voice, it was not by our hand that these Rings were made. They were given to us by the highest Providence to be ours and to help us rule over our countrymen, they have power of spirit, in that so long as its lord is a man of just heart and pays his homage to the one god, he will rule in peace. That is why the reigns of the first kings were so peaceful, but somewhere along the way, we the kings of man lost sight of their purpose, and we fought on another.

Henry could not believe what he was hearing, was it even possible that these bands of gold were made by the Smiths of heaven and given to the kings of the four empires to safeguard the Dominions of Christendom? Even though he was a holy man, Henry could not believe it, his mind kept telling him that could not be the real reason in why war had been sparked, but deep within his heart, he knew the truth. He grabbed his chest and fell to his left knee and accepted the truth, it was by the folly of man that allowed death itself to stalk the western kingdoms. When he finally summoned the courage to look upon the former king, his spirit was gone and there was no sign he had ever been there, Henry looked back and saw his men still advancing. He rose to his feet and walked the small dirt way back to his horse; he climbed into the saddle and trotted off slowly.

Still his mind ached, he thought of all the men who had died around him, and all those who had died in the western wars. He quickened his pace and rode out in front of all his men, he was riding now as fast as his horse could take him and soon he came to a high hill which was overlooking a great plain. As he rode up and looked out he stopped, for down in the valley he saw the war he had been chasing. There no more than three bow shots away fighting was two massive armies between the French and the English. Dust was being kicked up into the air and crowded his sight, but they did nothing to shield him from the screams that shot from the valley of men dieing, the sounds of horses neighing and wailing, and the shouts of a many thousand knights charging into their doom. He looked on with grieve, until his army had caught up with him, then after waiting a moment; he threw up his arm and cried Sons of the East, ride now with me to glory and victory

His men shouted aloud praises and they drew their swords ready, then with Henry at their head, they came charging down the hill with their swords up into the wind letting out a great war cry, of which none had been heard in all of England for many centuries. The great battle of three nations had finally begun.

Chapter VII part iii

The Ending of the War

The Eastern king thundered down the hillside atop his horse with his sword thrust in front of him showing the path of his knights, and behind him was his entire host of soldiers as they rushed down the hill with spear and sword tips gleaming holding them aloft as they ran, they shouted a cry of war that echoed throughout England sending waves of fear trickling into the hearts of the French. Those who beheld them knew only one thing would stop their fight now, and that was the icy grip of death. The English soldiers, who by now were worn down and tired, looked upon the on coming wave of reinforcements sent from their Eastern brothers and cheered, suddenly the sky was filled with fists as the English thrust their blood covered hands in the air, they shouted above the hell in the battle and with renewed hope and vigor they ran forward back into the fray.

Facing a now deadly trap, Philippe of France knew he had no choice but to fight his way through the gauntlet of fire and return back to France for more soldiers, he had not expected the Eastern Knighthood to send aid to the English, in fact he had expected them to stay out of the west, his error proved deadly as around him the jaws of the trap closed and there was now no escape. His men were now fighting completely encircled, swinging their swords and thrusting their spear forward they had no choice but to fight, as now there was no hope of escape for them or their king. They fought now with the strength that out matched many times their aggressors and around them many knights and simple folk fell trying to push their way through to the French King, however even the finest fall when against such odds, as every knight of the Destrider order soon learned.

One by one, and step by bloody step the French were being pushed back, their fighting was proving costly to both the English and the Easterners, but soon the battle changed as Henry ordered forth the knights of the Templar Order, and the battle soon turned. The Templars came charging up from the left and clashed with a unit of man at arms, and though fighting bravely and well, the infantry units that had proven so effective in past engagements was now no better than peasants against this new threat of men. With little hope they fought on, and men fell by the tens around the King of France, yet he ordered all his troops to stand their ground. His spearmen on the northern side met up with the woodsmen of the eastern kingdom, and were soon thrown to the ground as the advance continued, his man at arms were crushed and scattered like grains of sands into the wind before long, and as he fought, he looked about and saw one thing, a circle of Knights all around him, with him only stood three Destriders who had survived the hell with him, and even with broken lances they were ready to die fighting for their King, fighting with nothing but tooth and hands if they had to.


However it was not so, for out of the host of knights came riding two men, the Newly crowned king of England Stephen II, and the Eastern King Henry III. They stood before Philippe, holding no weapons with them, they rode next to him and striped him of the stolen ring he had taken and said This ring was never the true ring, yet you cannot have it in any case, for you do not deserve the honor of the Red Ring. They then opened a way looking south in their circle and told him to go, but only if he should never raise weapons to England again would he allowed to live. Philippe turned to them, his eyes no longer burning with the strange glow that had inflected them on the fields of Wessex and said, For the deaths of your fellow man, I am sorry he then turned south, and rode away with his surviving three knights, he rode off into the mists until he could no longer be seen. Then King Stephen turned to Henry and he said to him,

Thank you oh Great King, you truly are the greatest of us. Henry was silence, he only held out his left hand, when he opened his hand it was revealed that the true ring sat in his palm. Stephen took the ring and placed it on his hand, and looking at it for a moment he raised his head to thank Henry, but as he did, he noticed Henry had already turned and was ridding away with his troops. The English king looked about and saw that The Easterners were gathering up their dead and their horses and weapons, they seemed silent as they walked away, and Stephen could find no words to say to them. He suddenly felt a sense of guilt and betrayal, it was his kingdom that needed aid and the reason these men died around him, however as he sat on his steed, a man from Henry's army passed him and said, Do not grieve young king, we were volunteers and we came on our own accord, it was no fault of yours that these men died in battle. It is that fact that I am sure they are happy with.

The man picked up a spear and a shield and followed his brothers until they to disappeared into the growing mists that were beginning to surround the valley. Stephen stood for a moment looking out south and held his left arm, the arm that bore the ring and said in a low voice I hope you are right my friend, I do so indeed. he turned away and looked upon his surviving troops, in his eyes these men were the bravest soldiers in all of the world, their uniforms had been scared and painted with the blood of their enemies and many of their weapons they held were broken, their faces held a sense of pride and honor, a sight Stephen hadn't seen in them the day before, and he knew then, they would be just fine rebuilding their home. He greeted his warriors and told them that they had just won a great battle, and that god himself would have been proud, he then shouted to the fastest knight atop the fastest horse and sent him into Scotland, Tell the people the war is over he rode off in a great haste and was gone off the horizon before the setting sun had disappeared. He was riding north into Scotland, to tell the people who had fled there that the war was over and it was once again safe to come down out of the hills.

Scotland was meant to be the last place of defense, should this army that Stephen was commanding fail, they would fight to the end in Scotland for better or worse and die as the warrior people they were. Fortunately, it did not come to that, as the battle and the day had been won in Mercia, and there would be no longer a need for a last stand against all odds. Stephen told his men to go home, to spend time with their families and to start new ones if they hadn't already, he told them; that the rebuilding of a lost empire would start in the following year, and that if they did not wish, they did not have to serve in his army any more. So with a very heavy heart, the King sent his men out into the nations of which they had been recruited, and he himself went back to Northumbria.

It was 1161 when finally the war had ended for good, and all was right again. Henry had returned home with his army to the east, but he also closed the path to the west once and for all by ceding Livonia to the Swedes later that year, they did so out of kindness to their Viking friends for help in guarding their Knightly order while their armies were away. France prospered greatly with massive improvements in farming techniques being introduced and new forts being constructed keeping the land safe and under controle. They once again sent out ships, but this time father south from the British Isles and their nation grew into a trading nation whose wealth was not surpassed by any. And as for England, she rebuilt her nation over the course of fifteen years, new navies were raised and dominated the north seas along side their Viking allies, new fortresses and castles were raised and entire cities were rebuilt, her armies were fashioned a new and many men answered, and in some cases re-answered the call to their nation's defense. The city of London was rebuilt and restored to its former glory in 1169.

The people of the British isles were once again living in peace, and remained so for many generations to come. France prospered greatly for the next twenty years, when a new found glory was restored their nation as the True cross on which the Lord redeemed the world came into their possession, this new found object renewed their faith in both the rings and their god, who they had secretly forsaken in the wars that were fought against Germany and England. They even announced that their faith in the rings was renewed and in 1173, the Treaty of London was signed signifying the rebuilding of the Alliance between the two nations. A new friendship entered between England and France and its bond was not broken for many years more, even the factions of Aragon and the Almohads who still fought in Spain for dominance over the land, learned a lesson from the two nations to the north, and in 1176 they declared that their wars were over once and for all. Such a claim was a bold one as peace had not settled over the Iberian for many years, they called the kings of England and France to oversee the peace talks and with their help, the Treaty of Valencia was signed in 1177, thus ending one hundred years of war between the two factions.

It would seem that the plan set in motion so many years before, had finally accomplished its original mission…to give peace to a war torn world.


And thus ends the tale of the West, stick around for the Tale of the East which covers the final chapters of the story, hope you all having fun so far... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif
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edit: posting error

The Tale of the East

Chapter I part i

A King to face the Storm

And so it came to pass, that the West settled into a peaceful state. Every major war seemed to cease and the people who lived within their nation's borders began to live once again happily, a fact that had not been so in many long years. It seemed all had forgotten about the prophecy, all that is, save the Holy Knighthood of the Steppes. Their people was of a sturdy breed, and its warriors were by far some of the finest in all the world, but its leader was that of a young warrior, a man who at the turn of 1205 came to power at the death of his father, his name was Edward. A warrior and leader by nature he was the perfect kind of man that was needed to stop the coming storm that would be upon them in no less than twenty five years, however if he would live long enough to see that day was a question in his mind, as well as all those who knew him.

In 1206 Edward began to construct huge citadels and fortresses, it was very clear to his own people and that of surrounding factions, he planned on fighting to the bitter end with the horde. His construction projects drew many farmers away from their crops and took warriors from their guard duties, however all understood and cared not, for they knew soon, the Mongol hordes would arrive. 'Mongols' thought Edward, ' the word itself is foreign to us, and all this on the shaky word of a man who called himself a prophet, damn why must I be the one to face them?' Edward, King of the Eastern Steppes, doubted himself, though he was considered a great commander and praised by both the Keivans and the declining Romans for his supreme skill at arms. He was often seen walking palace grounds at night looking ever east, always with his shoulders droop and his head hung low, to many he did not appear a king.

One night as the moon raised high into the sky and shone her pale light onto the endless plains round the grand castle of the city of Moscow; Edward awoke in a cold sweat. He rose up with the look of pure fear in his face as if he had seen a great horror that could not be erased no matter what his efforts to do so. He covered his face with both of his hands, he tried to forget what he had seen but he found he couldn't. he rose to his feet and entered a side room, there he dressed himself in a cape and the attire one dawns when ready for battle. Edward then rushed out of his room and climbed up the stairs to the high tower of the palace, he ran up them like a man possessed and on a mission, faster up he went until finally, he emerged into the moonlight shining down from up high, Edward looked out on the plains, and saw all was quiet. A strange peace was about him now, he sat down upon the cold stone and placed his back on the wall and said, I cannot do it, it is too much for me, despite all my efforts they will win…

As he sat a gentle snow began to fall from high above, the flakes of white glided down at the mercy of the wind and gathered a small frost upon the lands. Edward looked up to the sky and smiled as the white specks fell around him, he closed his eyes for as he smiled and for a brief moment in time, he forgot his troubles. For that instant he no longer cared about the storm on the horizon, he no longer cared that his people may face obliteration, and he no longer cared for anything. His mind was cleared and within it no thoughts wandered, but as he sat his moment of peace was interrupted by a voice from the darkness of the stairwell. He heard footsteps echoing up as a voice said softly I thought I'd find you here.

But Edward cared not, he didn’t rise to his feet or ready his sword, he simple stayed on the ground where he was and said who is there? The footsteps stopped and for a moment there was no response, within the darkness below he could see nothing, but Edward realized that this person was right under him and looking at him out of the dark. Suddenly he caught the glimpse of two eyes glowing with a blue light, Edward rose to his feet and put his hand on his sword, but as the figure came into the light it didn’t seem to be of any threat. He had a robe of grey on with a hood over his face that covered him all save his eyes which glowed with a blue light. However the light was not menacing, in fact it was comforting in a way. Again the figure spoke, as I thought, you'd be here thinking of your future.

Still not knowing what to think of this man, Edward was ready to draw his sword, but as he grabbed the hilt the man removed his hood. He was a man of distinction from the look of it, his eyes still shining with the light and his hair as dark as the dust of the earth, then he gave a faint smile and said be at ease good king, I am not your enemy his arms were crossed and hidden within his robe, Edward was still ill at ease, but then he felt as if compelled no hear what this man had to say. The man spoke again and said King, please calm yourself, do you think a prophet would harm you? Edwards's eyes became clear now and they opened truly for the first time in his life, he let go of his sword and fell back upon the wall. He slide down it until he was sitting on the ground, the prophet spoke once again.

Know this young King, you have the power to stop the hordes, but if you do so, you shall die in the process. Therefore you have a choice, to save your own life, you to save the life of your people. Edward sat there amazed and answered,

What choice is that? Of course I would gladly give my life for my people at any time The prophet gave a faint smile and mumbled 'we shall see' he then flipped his hood back over his face and walked back down into the shadows, but as his image dissipated no foot steps could be heard, Edward rose to his feet and chased after him, only to find he had disappeared. The king stood for a moment in the open passages of his palace, then he looked out a nearby window and said So be it.. he then walked away and shifted into the shadows around him, there he sat for many days. The passing of 1207 and 1208 came with no change in his state of mind, he was now preparing himself for what lie ahead.

This is great stuff Monk

I take it the Eastern kingdom is just part of your English Empire in the game?

The Frenchies came pretty close to wiping you out too I bet you were relieved when you finally beat them off http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Mount Suribachi @ Nov. 05 2003,15:41)]This is great stuff Monk

I take it the Eastern kingdom is just part of your English Empire...

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Yes the Eastern Kingdom is nothing but an extention of the english empire, the whole point of it was this, imagine a kingdom that was almost a world away yet it still owed allegiance to the Nation across the sea.

They were on their own from that fateful day and have had to meet ends with limited soldiers as MM doesnt allow for creating soldiers just anywhere. That was the thrill of the game http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]...The Frenchies came pretty close to wiping you out too I bet you were relieved when you finally beat them off http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

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Yes indeed I was, took every man of fighting age to do so but i drove them back into the sea after a long and draining war and by that Time Wessex had been destroyed and the city of london was pretty much gone. Their armies in MM are quite strong, and though I won the war, I have to admit there was a very very uneasy peace that settled between us and i was always afraid they would invade for a second time and defeat me. Fortunatly enough it didn't come to that.

I have been busy working lately, but I have been trying to write this as much as i can to, so updates from now on will be slow, but they will be here at their own pace.

Very nice stuff. Haven't given the English sods (:p) a go for a long time..

But you know what's fun? Burgundy in Late... fighting all over the place, lancers, flemish pikemen, voulgiers, more good cav, and more fights Boatloads of fun especially if you pull the same trick that the RL Burgundians pulled by backstabbing the French and taking advantage of their weak position in the 100 Year's War http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

Chapter I part ii

A meeting of a lone Knight

The years passed slowly by, and Edward was no longer seen walking the palace grounds late into the night, however he was seen sitting on the throne, surveying the lands, and spending time with his family. The days faded away and soon the year of our lord 1211 was upon the people of the knighthood, time was slowly running out as single grains of sand ticked the days away until the coming storm, however there was not one single person within that Kingdom, be they young or old, sick or poor, man or woman, who had fear within them. They knew that by some chance they would live through and be victorious at twilight's end. However able the Knighthood was, the surrounding kingdoms were not readying their forces, they sat in disbelief still ignorant of their power as a people not knowing of what lie ahead.

Around the Christian Knighthood there were two other great kingdoms, to the west was the Swedes and a most trusted ally to the Crusaders they were, however they were still not preparing any defenses, this was expected as they chose not to heed the advice of the prophet. To the south was the domain of the grand price of Kiev and his people, they were a breed apart from other nations and as one of the only Orthodox empires of the day, they faced constant persecution from the Christian kingdoms in the west, however to the North they saw the knighthood as a great ally and many times they sent their scholars there to learn from those who resided there. Edward knew that if they were not warned they would be whipped out by the coming storm, so it was his decision in the year 1212 to send his only son Michael I to Kiev to tell the Grand prince of the danger that was massing at his very doorstep. Michael was a very religious man, and like many of his brethren, he valued all forms of life and learned much as a youth, but also like that of his people, he was a warrior by nature. Having trained in the arts of the sword, spear, and bow, he was also a master of hand to hand tactics and knew well how to knife fight if indeed the battle came to that. In 1209 he pleased his father by becoming a Knight of the templar order and serving as a soldier until 1211 when he was promoted to second in command of a detachment of their cavalry forces. When asked to go on this mission to their allies, he gladly accepted, for he had never the chance to journey to the city of Kiev before.

Assembling a small host of no more than six other knights, Michael set off south in the spring of 1213, with him he took his closest friends; three from the Templar order, two knights of equal valor descendants of crusaders, and three landsmen who were descendants of those who came from Novgorod. They traveled through endless plains and hilly countryside before coming to an outpost in Chernigov, a land that had been taken in 1178 and was turned into a military outpost of the knighthood. Beyond a small river was the kingdom of the Kievian people where the Grand prince sat on his throne, and with little hesitation the company went forth passing the final outpost of Christendom in the world; going forth into that of the unknown. They walked through many valleys and mist covered forests, their minds not knowing what to expect, for this was unknown lands to them. They tried to go quietly not drawing attention; however such an act proved difficult as they did not appear to be of that land. For days on end they walked trying to find their way to Kiev, but they would have no such luck, it seemed that any commoner they talked to always seem to say the same thing, which was It is a mile up the road, give or take of course. After so many tries they decided just to let fate guide them, and sure enough Fate would prove helpful but first it would seem fate had a surprise for them.

It was in the Twilight of the 23rd of the month of May when after walking a great distance the four decided to set up camp in the midst of a large forest they had been walking through for days, sticks were gathered and a few trees hemmed down and just as the sun escaped from sight and the moon was beginning to show herself from the high clouds of the sky, the seven companions had set a fire burning in a space cleared a way within the wood. It was hoped that maybe with a fire going, it would attract those around and with any luck they would be of royal blood, and such an event actually happened. For as the seven sat around the fire laughing and telling stories of battle and old legend, there came a noise of the bushes. All went quiet and the night air was still, the knights gently placed their hands on their swords and began looking around, but as they did no sight did they catch except that of brush and tree, until a voice shouted to them, it was the voice of one who had seen many battles a voice hardened by conflict and one who is a leader, it said Strangers, who are you?

Michael lifted his head up a bit and shouted back well who are you? There was no answer, and there was a very strange silence that had settled around them, the kind of silence when you know there is someone around you, when you know that person is there but they refuse to speak, when anything would be welcome then listening to the awful sound of nothingness. Finally there was a shout, the same voice it seemed, only this time sweeter and clearly trying to sound feeble for fear of something, I..I am nothing more than a simple beggar may I please warm myself by your fire? it was at this time, the knights realized something they had not noticed before, this was the voice of a woman. Though it was somehow different, and though clearly she tried to hide it, her voice sounded like it held power and commanded respect. Again there was a silence before them, but this would be broken by one of the Vikings as he said in a Nordic accent to it Ahh let her come by the fire, couldn't hurt now? Michael agreed and shouted back,

You have no reason to fear, we are but simple travelers on our way to Kiev, come and warm yourself. While he had lied a bit, Michael was trying to put this person at ease and assure her that no harm would befall her should she decided to venture into the light emitted by the fire, and it proved to help as a lone figured appeared out of the brush. The woman was clothed in very modest cloths, a type of faded grey-brown as far as their eyes could determine, over her face was flung a hood and nothing could bee seen except her lips and a few locks of her long dark hair under it. As she walked Michael thought he saw the glint of armor beneath her modest robes, but he could not confirm his guess as she sat quickly, at her side was a sword which had no sheave, and though it looked clean, a knight of the templar order noticed a smell of blood about it but said nothing. Thank you, she said very quietly reaching into her sleeve and pulling out a small container which clearly had some sort of drink in it, though what it was none knew for she refused to share it, despite constant asking on the part of the Vikings and knights. Michael however did not ask, he was attempting to figure out just who she was, it was clear that she may not be of this land either, however if that was the case just who was she? And why was this sword by her side? As the knights and Vikings around continued their talk of old stories and myths, she and Michael sat silent and though he didn't see her eyes, he was sure they were staring at him out from under that hood.

After much thought he spoke, Just who are you anyway? there was no answer at first. The lady made no movement, only the occasional drink of her water, again he asked the question but again there was not a word from her. He asked her a different question this time, and it would be this that got her to stir What's with your armor my lady, you some kind of warrior around here? at this question she became more tense, her head lifted and she threw her hood back to where they could see her face, yet only Michael actually looked at her, for his companions still talked loudly concerned with their own business of stories. As he looked upon her, he was unsure of who she was, her eyes seemed to be that of a different sort than any he had seen before and her face held within it a strange beauty, she then held her head low and spoke with a troubled look So you saw I see,

You are a warrior then, Michael said, You a knight? she gave no word only softly nodding her head, I didn’t think they knighted woman. He said after a moment. The warrior lifted her head and spoke I am the only one her green eyes seemed to pierce Michael's soul as he looked into them, and yet he found it was now very difficult to take is gaze off them. There fell a silence between them, as they said nothing only looking deeply at one another, all grew quiet around them, and by the time they broke concentration with one another, they found that those around them had nodded off to sleep and several hours had passed. The warrior spoke now again, If you are to arrest me then do so. Michael said nothing for a moment, he only held a puzzled look on his face, now there was more to this mysterious person, it appeared she was a wandering warrior, but now the question burning in his mind was, why?

He said after a moment of silence I am not of this land, I have come from the Northern Knighthood, and I am here on a mission of peace to deliver to this land's lord so that he may fully understand what is to come in the next few years. Suddenly the mysterious warrior's face was no longer full of fear and doubt, but that of relief. When Michael had stated he was from the north she almost laughed out loud as she had been frightened for no reason, she then went on to explain My name isn't important right now she said, I am a Knight of this land, I served as a Boyar in the armies of the Grand prince in his wars against the Polish, it was one year ago I was given the duty of leading an army in Georgia against the Turks who have been growing in power, however I soon found that it was nothing but a ploy to get me killed, I was told that I should not return until my objectives were completed but I soon realized I had been given to few men and not enough supplies to even last the march and battle that would have followed. Therefore, I deserted as I refused to fight a hopeless battle only serving to kill not only myself and that of my troops, it was then I became a mercenary and have been wandering through my former lands trying to get north.

I see Michael said having heard this warrior's story, It was not uncommon of a king to send off an heir or a popular general to their doom for fear they may lead an uprising, and though he had never heard of a female knight, it didn't take a man of the templar order to recognize she had skill and appeared to be one who could lead an army to victory. So, he said after thinking for a bit, You were going North when we met? after a moment she gave a slight indication of yes by nodding her head slowly, What will you do when you get there? he asked. The warrior raised her head and said live, there I will be able to live without the fear of dying at the hand of my brothers in arms or being sent to my end by a self righteous king who is too paranoid to see loyalty even if it is right in front of him., However as she spoke an idea appeared into Michael's head though he wasn't sure if he was correct he had to ask, and after she had finished he said You're the Grand Prince's daughter aren't you?

The lady warrior's face became full of surprise and her eyes became wide, it appeared he was right; this was the Grand Prince's only daughter and at the same time one of the finest generals the Kievian army had to its name, and though he wanted her to reach freedom, Michael knew that soon, that to might not even prove to be a place of peace. He began to speak only to stop soon afterward for fear of ending her hopes, but soon he realized she should know the truth of the world's fate, so he told her the story of the prophet, of the alliance, the wars in the west, and of the Mongols. As he stopped her eyes were fixed to the ground and her hands were shaking, she lifted her head and said Tell me, Tell me is the land to the north of strong military? Michael answered that is had to its credit some of the finest soldiers in the world, but good commanders were of short supply these days. The warrior gave a smile and said Then I shall journey north and there I will meet with your king, if he shall have me I will fight with your army with all my strength. She rose to her feet and began to gather her things, soon she was walking off into the north, but as the warrior was walking away Michael shouted Here Take this with you and he threw to her his own sheave of his sword, at first she was puzzled but when she looked at it, she saw that it had upon it the seal of the Northern kingdom, That will get you into the nation and past the guard posts he said, May we meet again in the future and you go with the protection of God my friend. The lady warrior gave a smile, and then she pulled her hood over her head, just as fast as she had came, the warrior disappeared into the shadows around the small light coming from the fire. 'There goes the lady knight with no name' he though to himself, 'I have a feeling she will play a big part of our future.'

ok this is the last time i stay up till 1 am writting lol http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/joker.gif . well probley not but, y'know....

I've been doing some looking around and I have confirmed my suspicions - this is the longest single story in the Mead hall By the time it is done I think it will have won true epic status, even without a film (everyone knows a tale must have a film to be a true epic). Well done Monk keep it going, it only becomes more interesting with time. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

Chapter I part iii

The City found, a King lost

When the sun peeked over the eastern hills and its light shot out from the sky and filled the land with warmth, the knights put out their fire and set off once again, this time traveling to their south west. Still searching for The city they had no luck in their previous days, yet today they felt hope in their quest, perhaps the meeting of the knight in the darkness before the first light had lifted their spirits. Crossing over river and hills they went along searching high and low, but Kiev mocked them and was still unfound. Michael would lead his men for another week of wandering aimlessly through mists and shadows before one day, when while walking through a valley he came across a number of surfs running about.

They were working hard on farmlands plowing and hoeing their land, he noticed a small river running past them and when he looked into the distance, on top of a hill that over looked the countryside was the Grand city of Kiev, the very place he had sought for the past year and a half. The city was surrounded by many walls whose grey stone towered over the land like a beacon of power, its high castle could be seen looming over all other structures and looking out, making sure it's land was safe, and though most of the land was full of a strange mist, the City itself shone with a light only seen in the North. The knights grew happy that they finally had reached their long awaited destination, but now they had the task of going before the Grande prince of Kiev, they had to convince him of the storm to come.

The Knights crossed over the small river and walked along a forest side where they came to a place they could climb the hill to the city. The went up passing many small villages along the way and came to the gates of the great fortress, the gates of the city themselves were of a strange design and they appeared to be created using a different sort of stone found in the north as they shone with a white brilliance. However as they admired the great workmanship of these people, a guard shouted from the guardhouse above and said Halt who goes there? Michael said nothing, only showing a banner with the symbol of the Knighthood, a Red Cross with two swords clashing over it. The reaction of the guardsmen was that of fear instead of welcoming them, suddenly he dashed from the window and disappeared from all sight. Moments later a great horn was blown, it was this time that the knights below realized they were not welcome, in minutes thirty men came rushing out of the gate with swords drawn ready to fight. However they were surprised when the say the Knights from the North, they had not drawn their weapons, they only stood with their arms crossed saying we have come to see the king. No action was taken for the Kievian knights did not know how to handle such an enemy, however after a few moments of this then who would come striding out of the knights but the King of the city himself He ordered all his men to disperse and soon it was only the knights looking at the king. The Grand Prince of Kiev was named Yuri III; he was a slightly aged man in his late forties who enjoyed a drink or two. Though he got drunk more than often he was still considered a fine leader and a great military commander, he wore a cape of blue and his silver armor shown in the sun light above as Michael spoke.

We have been sent here with an urgent message for you King. Yuri said nothing only let us speak in my palace. Afterward he turned and began walking away, the Knights knew they should follow him, but hesitated for a moment, but they eventually let go of their fear and suspicion and followed the Prince as he walked through the gate. As they passed into the interior of the walls the knights were surprised as to how large the city actually was, it's great stature challenged the city of Moscow itself from which many of the travelers where from. Michael noticed how much detail had been taken in making the city; even the modest homes around the streets of pure stone were made of a finer quality of wood and in many cases a mix of wood and stone. The Knights followed Yuri until they came at the end of the street where it led into a great many steps, they knights looked up and saw at the height of these steps was indeed the palace of Yuri, so they climbed up. They walked for what seemed forever yet they did not mind, they were to busy looking about examining the city, and when the finally reached the top they saw the palace up close.

A high stone castle it was with four towers shooting out from the sides, it was by far one of the greatest citadels they had ever laid eyes upon. Yuri was still walking forward and the knights soon realized they had stopped at the top of the steps; they soon hurried to catch up to him. When finally matching pace with the King they found he was saying nothing, but he walked as if he knew why they were there. He passed into the interior of the castle as two guards presented their weapons forward in a show of honor for their passing lord, however when the knights came to the main door they found the guards blocked their path. The two Norsemen who had accompanied the expedition were ready to draw their weapons and fight them for the right to pass, but before they could ready their weapons Yuri shouted from within these men may pass. And at the sound of his voice the guards sprang from where they stood and removed themselves from the path. They continued on into the palace where they saw many torches hanging from the walls and places where the floor was made of marble. They followed the prince into the Throne room where he flung the doors open and walked the long hallway to his Seat, where he sat on the throne.

The Knights walked in and saw that the floor was made marble and reflected their images as they looked down, in the center of the floor leading directly from the door was a carpet of pure red cloth, as the knights stepped onto it they noticed it was very plush under their feet and was a welcome to the cold ground and hard stone they were used to walking upon. They went along with their eyes fixed forward on the king until they reached halfway when Yuri shouted Stop there; you may speak your business. Michael walked a step forward and presented a scroll and he read from it, as he spoke though Yuri was clearly irritated by what he heard, these were the words spoken that day. King of the Kievian people, your kingdom is in great peril for the tide of darkness is drawing near, the year comes upon 1215 in just a few months time and in the year 1231 the greatest threat ever to be faced by any people since the glory days of Rome itself will be here, the Mongol hordes are coming and they will stop at nothing until our kingdoms are theirs. You must-- however as the knight spoke Yuri rose from his throne and said I will hear no more I don't care who you are Knight of the North, but it shall not be you who decides are fate, this is not the time for this; the war in the south with the Turkish is becoming ever fiercer I will not waste my time worrying about ghosts from a lost land

Michael then stopped and cast aside to scroll, he shouted aloud Listen foolish king, you are a great leader but even you will be powerless against them if your guard is down and your armies to far south You must listen; you must send your armies east to Khazar you must have them in position to stop the horsemen from the east, or all is lost for you and your people Yuri was becoming angrier by the moment as he yelled back You are a fool for listening to a mad man, go back to your lands I will heed not your advice for it is surely nonsense

The Knight said in a quieter voice but still audible Then I've wasted my time here, he turned and walked away from the throne, as his friends rushed after him they asked if perhaps they should stay and try to convince him more, but Michael only said, We have delivered the warning to them, now their fate rests in their own hands. We have done our job now, whether they live or die is by their own choice now. He continued his walk as did the rest of the knights, soon they passed out of the palace and before any of them realized it they had passed out of the last gate, they walked north from that day on and at the turn of the year into 1215 they had reached the outposts in Chernigov, the very place they had set out from, they had returned home. Though unable to convince the Rus people who resided in Kiev, the Knighthood cared not. For now only fifteen more years remained before the storm would be upon them, and they realized that their own forces would need much training if indeed they were to stop the coming tide

Therefore in the year 1216 the Knighthood closed off all its border forts, outposts, and checkpoints. They allowed nobody to enter the land except the Swedes to the west, who had proven themselves as friends and believed those of the knighthood about the storm to come. Within the borders on the Knighthood, horsemen were riding readying their skills, spearmen were drilled to perfection and bowmen were seen shooting their weapons almost every day getting their aim down. Every single person who served within the armed forces of the north knew the day was drawing nearer, but to its name the knighthood had only two thousand and seven hundred fighting men, not to mention one certain female knight who was given command of the forces in Ryazan, how they could stop a force many times their own, they didn't know, however they all knew they had to try...

This concludes Ch. I, only a few more posts and the story will be completed http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (frogbeastegg @ Nov. 11 2003,11:45)]I've been doing some looking around and I have confirmed my suspicions - this is the longest single story in the Mead hall By the time it is done I think it will have won true epic status, even without a film (everyone knows a tale must have a film to be a true epic). Well done Monk keep it going, it only becomes more interesting with time. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/smile.gif

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i am just glad people are liking this, Make sure you keep reading as the final parts are the best. (the run in with the horde) http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

but the ending has got the be the best part of it all. I won't reveal anything, just make sure you keep reading http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

Oh man I just read one post and then you go and post another

*makes note* Come back later and read latest installment *finishes note*

Chapter II part i

The Calm before the Storm

Time was unkind to the Knighthood as it marched on, the days passed and slowly by, soon they changed to weeks, and the weeks slowly went into months. The months became years as the people of the land prepared themselves without end for the coming fight. The year was coming onto 1227 and the days went by without conflict, all was at peace and a very serene feeling was on these eastern plains. The people within the kingdom of the knights began to fear for their lives, for now so close was the danger, already they were hearing tales of horror from the east. Merchants told rumors of death and destruction brought by the devils from the steppes, but as the years went on and the warriors and people heard more stories, they found that they no longer feared the Mongols, but that they longed for the chance to do battle with them.

In the early morning before the sun had risen, high above the land on the second wall of the great city of Moscow, was walking The King Edward. He was again looking eastward, but this time in his eyes was not doubt, or fear, in his eyes burned a fire rekindled by time. He looked out from the high walls with a smile, holding himself back from shouting out over the lands in his excitement. The warriors and people of his land had become battle ready and they were almost begging for a good fight. Yet deep within their minds each and every one of them knew that to fight would mean to die, for it was rumored that the Mongols spared no one as they conquered. Edward himself knew this as well, and he wandered if this is what the prophet meant, as he stood his mind was suddenly filled with images; he saw his armies fighting a war they could not hope to win, he saw thousands upon thousands of warriors charging out of the east and crushing his kingdom, families being slaughtered and his warriors killed.

Edward placed his hand over his face and said softly I wonder if I have done the right thing, can we hope to win a battle that is so clearly one sided? There was no answer given to him, either within his thoughts or otherwise. In the distance he saw a pale light shinning out from behind the endless fields of grass, it was the sun rising, and as it rose from its resting place Edward watched as it's light escaped out across the sky and light up the lands around the keep, then he saw his people coming out of their homes and beginning their work, he saw how happy they seemed, working hard plowing and farming. The sight was beautiful, with the sun shinning proudly and his people going on through life with just as much pride, he then realized that this was a land worth fighting for, that this land his great grandfather had built was a place where all could find joy. It was here he first realized that this place was indeed his home, and he found that he would gladly give his life if it meant that those workers in the valley could remain alive.

Suddenly there was a noise to the far left of him, it was the sound of somebody walking toward him, no, it there were two sets of feet walking. One in front and the other behind, from listening carefully Edward thought he could hear them speaking, but of what he could not tell, they were still to far away and they were currently in the shadows of one of the arrow towers. He placed his hand by his side and shouted Who hides in the shadows talking whilst their King is before them? at first there was no answer, the only thing that reacted to him was the ceasing of the sound of foot falls and the two figures were no longer talking, Edward repeated his question. As he stood there came an answer shortly Do not worry father it is only me as the two stepped forward Edward saw that one of the two was his only son Michael, 'but who was the other one' he thought without saying a word.

They walked toward him very slowly and as they got close enough to where he could see much better, Edward realized that the other with him was Elizabeth, the Knight from Kiev, and leader of the forces of Ryazan. He gave a soft smile and then looked back out over the wall. What are you looking at? Elizabeth said walking up to him and placing her hand on the top of the battlement. The King answered The place upon which we shall do battle in only a few short years. He began to walk along the wall going down the south end but still looking out east, after walking a short distance he stopped and looked back at them both, then he said, using not the voice of a king, but with that of a man who is about to die and with no hope of leaving the battlefield alive, I tell you know, this war shall claim many lives and I do not know if we shall succeed, but you both should know that if you do not wish to fight I will understand, but I must, for it is my duty as the King and my destiny as the son of Henry III. Long ago I was told that this war will claim my life, I'm not entirely sure I believe that but I do know that if we fight, many of us shall meet death on the field of battle.

The two standing there did not know exactly what to say to their king and for a moment nothing was said. They stood there looking at one another until Michael said holding the hilt of his sword, Listen father, I am not about to leave here just because it may be to dangerous, I have been trained by many, my whole life for the days ahead, I am sorry but nobody shall tell me now to leave before I do my duty as this land's knight, not even you. There was another silence before them, and as the sun was still rising above the fields Elizabeth the knight of Kiev spoke, I came here for one reason she said looking into the distance, and that was to fight, I came here to live my life freely as I wanted and I decided from the very moment I stepped onto your ground here that to this land my allegiance would go, and if need be on this ground would my blood be spilled.

The King smiled having heard both of them talk, he then turned and walked away from them. He would not bee seen until sometime later, where he disappeared to nobody was sure and it is a secret he kept with him for all of his life. The day went on as the sun raised high above in the sky and shone its great light down upon the kingdom, and all within it rejoiced for they knew not many days such as this would be left. As night fell, there sitting on the throne where the king should have been, was a man clothed in a dark robe and with a hood drawn about his face. All of the surrounding knights who guarded this place were laying face down, not dead, yet not alive. They were in a state that no human can place upon another, they would return only when commanded to, and none could do anything about it. This 'thing' now sitting on the throne had appeared out of the air in a flash of black smoke and subdued the surrounding soldiers with ease; he was now sitting with his eyes fixed on the door, for he knew the king would enter soon enough. Before long his waiting paid off as Edward, the king of the steppes entered the room. Quickly noticing his knights on the ground not moving he drew his sword and flung back his cape, looking about the room frantically he spotted the dark figure on the throne and shouted Who are you? Why have you come here? however instead of answering him, the figure disappeared from sight, then suddenly reappeared right next to him standing not saying a word. The king was so surprised he could not hide the fear in his eyes as this man had just outpaced him, however unknown to the king he wasn't an enemy.

After a moment he spoke in a clear voice saying King, I cannot say you are the best leader, but nonetheless you shall face the horde in no less then five years. The man removed the hood from his face revealing two eyes with a blue glow to them, it was indeed the prophet, he said again in the same tone of voice I was not lying when I said you would die should you choose to fight, but are you willing to sacrifice the lives of the other thousands who will without a doubt follow you into battle? Edward said nothing for a moment, but then he found the words and spoke saying they shall die fighting a just cause as I will, and we shall preserve the world as it is. No one shall destroy our way of life, and even if we do die, those around us will always remember that we, the Sons of the Crusaders, made the stand where others would not. The Prophet had a smile on his face; he then said I hope you know what you are getting yourself into, for there will be no saving force that rides down from the heavens, it shall be by your own power that you prevail or fail in a haze of shining glory. As he finished began to walk away toward the door, however the King stopped him by grabbing hold of his arm.

So you gonna walk away again? he said, That’s right answered the prophet, it's not my place to be here, or to help you, I am only here to make sure you do not go astray. Edward then said with anger in his voice then tell me one thing, what do your visions say about us? What is our fate? The prophet said nothing for a moment, but as he stood he soon decided to say a few words, he then whispered them into the ear of the King, and as the king heard them his face was filled with fear. He let go of the prophet's arm and the man disappeared, all around the king now his knights were rising off the floor trying to shake off a feeling of helplessness, but he paid them no attention, for the words he had been told were simple; If you fight, only a handful of shall live.

Chapter II part ii

The tides of Darkness

After his meeting with the prophet Edward refused to meet with any of his advisors, or consult with any of his military aids. The year was 1229 and soon the war would be upon them, he sent word to his forces on the banks of the Volga, in the hills of Ryazan, and on the plains of Chernigov; his orders to them were clear, hold their ground to the last man. Though it was a very drastic order and such had been given out of pure desperation on the part of the king, every soldier and commander agreed to follow this order until they were killed in battle or released from service. For they knew within their hearts, that the fate of their families and that of the world was upon them now, gladly would they die to keep them both free. And so with much tension building within the Knighthood, the year of 1229 passed and gave way into 1230, it was only now one year until the storm of the great horde would appear, and already the knights and warriors of the Kingdom waiting anxiously. For these were the days they had been trained for all their lives, these were the days ahead that many lives had been sacrificed already, these were the days of prophecy and all looked east waiting the tide to come.

It would be hard to imagine exactly what they were feeling at a time like this, many of the warriors had been waiting for this day their entire lives with a feeling of anxiety, but it was the kind where you can barely stand the wait, where you look to the future saying I wish those days were here now, The people of the Knighthood were a warrior people, they came into existence out of the union of four peoples; Vikings, French, German, and English, the legacies of those great nations flowed through their blood and they were proud to be what they were. Every knight within the kingdom was trained for this purpose of fighting the horde; they were without a doubt the finest warriors in the entire world. As the year 1230 drew near its end, the forces of the knighthood began to gather. Knights left their castles for the last time and said goodbye to their lands, normal warriors as spearmen and bowman gave their families a final kiss goodbye and set off to meet with their commanders, and the King of all the land, looked upon his grand city of Moscow one last time before he set off for Volga Bulgaria, this was the time of the storm, for the clouds on the horizon were growing darker with each passing day, and by the December of 1230, the forces of the knighthood had been gathered for one last great war.

This would be the war to decide the fate of their fellow man; this would be the conflict that would shape the world into what it would be known for all time. They knew that should they fail there was a great possibility that none should live the tides of darkness that approached. However, even though they faced such great odds against them, there was not one warrior within their ranks who was afraid. They found within them, that the hope and courage of their families was with them, and it gave them the strength to go on. Each and every one of them knew that here would they fail, or prevail in the name of all things mighty. In each provincial holding the Knighthood had, battle lines were being drawn, fields were being selected to face the horde upon, and the soldiers were scaring the land to ensure that these vile horsemen would arrive on the field they selected for the battles. In Volga-Bulgaria a small plain in the midst of two forests was chosen, this province had the greatest strategic importance, for if the Knighthood could hold on to it, the horde would be forced to fight a river battle in each and every other province, therefore here was sent Prince Michael the son of Edward, king of the steppes, to hold the ground, and with him nine hundred and forty six warriors and knights to hold fast.

In Chernigov a great river separated the lands from the north and the south, as long as the lines on the Volga held out, the horde would have no choice but to cross the deadly one bridge pass into Chernigov, and not even the Khan of the Mongols was foolish enough to attempt something like that unless he had to. Here Edward himself went to defend, with him he took a number of 300 knights of the templar order, he journeyed south and met up with an army of six hundred varied spearmen, bowman, and axmen from all over his domain. There they pledged allegiance to him and vowed to follow him into hell itself if it meant their lands could remain peaceful and free. So with a force of around nine hundred he drew his battle lines on the river side and there he set his camp to wait the horde. In Ryazan there was a same situation as Chernigov, if Volga could be held then the horde would be forced to cross the river if they intended on fighting and taking this land, here was sent Elizabeth, Knight of Moscow. No longer a knight of the Kievian court she was granted knightly status in the year 1229 and given full command of her own army numbering at eight hundred and fifty three. Her army was one of the finest around even by the standards of the Knighthood as she trained her men rigorously, making them fierce in battle and giving them high valor so long as she was their commander. The ground at Ryazan was a bit different from Chernigov, and by its river were two bridges, however behind these bridges was a large forest in which she placed her main base camp. Elizabeth decided to wait out the horde here, until they had arrived.

With most of its forces deployed Moscow was left with a small guard of only around one hundred men, for as long as the line held in these three provinces Muscuvy was in no danger, however the line had to hold if this plan was to work. For if the Volga fell it was feared that the defense net would collapse on itself, and with their wall ready by the end of December the year 1230 ended and passed into 1231.


We're coming up on the ending now, i will return in a few hours to post the final chapters.

Chapter II part iii

The Second and Last Great War


It was the year 1231, this was the time of prophecy, and in the beginning of the month of March, out of the east came a terrifying sight, what was once written, foretold in prophecies, in visions, the Horde was now was seen and was here. They stormed out of the hills and arrived in Khazar on the footholds of the Kievians. Their numbers were so great that their entire force could fill the land to the horizon with men left over, their army numbered at twelve thousand easily and with them they brought; Mongol heavy horsemen, a type of cavalry never before seen in these western lands, they were armored much like the Roman's kataphractoi only they held with them a more barbaric attitude and were much more fierce in battle. They brought horse archers whose skill and cunning were so great that is was said they could hit a man while riding at full speed, and spearmen from China, a region never heard of before however they to had with them a feel of power though they appeared to be on a class lower than the Mongols, and lastly they brought Mongol foot warriors. Each and every man in their army was like a devil and was carrying enough weapons for three or four warriors. As they invaded the province of Khazar, it fell easily to their onslaught, and from their fortresses on the border the Knighthood could see the final remnants of the armies who once stood south as they fled before a great wave of warriors riding horses. Countless men tried to make it north to safety, but the Mongols had none of it and slaughtered them without mercy, the province was then laid waste to as a warning to all within, to never rebel against their new lords.

After seeing the destruction to the south, many in lands all around became afraid of this new threat, the Turks to the south quickly allied with their eastern brothers so they would not have to face them in battle, and it was said that even the Romans, who by now only held to the city of Constantinople, sent emissaries to the khan of Mongolia, Ogabai. However those in the west now sat in disbelief, the very thing their ancestors had dismissed as nothing more than a story to make them fearful, was now turning out to be truer than their own powers. They sent words to the Eastern Knighthood, saying things like we are sorry, can we help? or we pledge our services to you know that we see our fault. However such words were dismissed by Edward, for if these men were so arrogant as to disobey a direct order from their lord and sovereign, then he had no use for their soldiers who would clearly do the same in battle under his command. So with their weapons ready, they awaited the Mongols for they knew soon they would ride north, and surely they did for in 1232 a large Mongol force under the commander Mondoc numbering at fifteen hundred bloodthirsty warriors crossed into Volga with intentions of making that land theirs, The Mongols entered the land of Volga but found that they had no choice but to journey north for a great ditch had been dug along the western border preventing them from moving on Moscow.

They marched north and met up with the forces of the knighthood across a wide plain bordering two forests. However before any fighting began, the Mongols sent forth an emissary, he rode out to the middle of the field and awaited one from the knighthood, as far as they could tell he carried no weapons so forth the knights sent one of their own to speak with him. As the knight rode up to him the Mongolian emissary greeted him by throwing up his arm, he then began to speak using the tongue of western men, Leave this field, he said as he looked at the army of knights, for you look upon the army of the golden khanate which under our great general has never known defeat. No army in the world has withstood a charge from our most heavy cavalry and neither shall yours.

The Christian man smiled and said listen to yourself, so blinded by your skill you do not realized that you now face the armies of the High King of the Western steppes, and we have never known defeat either. You would be wise to turn back now, or you shall find that we do not take kindly to invaders. The Mongol shook his head and turned his horse around, without another word he sped off back to his own lines there he was given his spear. The knight did the same and returned to his line, however he knew his fellow brothers would not fail, for unknown to the Mongols Michael had adopted a strategy from the past. His men were positioned in a way that looked strange to the eastern horsemen, their infantry was not drawn up in a straight line, but in a way it looked like a bowl with his spear men on the sides and his swordsmen in the center. With horsemen on the left and right, Michael had full intention of winning and without analyzing their foe's strategy the Mongol general ordered his men to advance.

Out in front was marching the heavy horsemen and at their head was the general himself, he had no idea what he was up against and was to egger for glory to see he was making grave mistakes in his strategy, leaving his infantry behind he ordered his men to charge at the center lines of the knighthood, he raised up his spear and let out a yell and with him ran hundreds of horsemen all heavily armored and armed, their hoof beats alone shook the ground like a great earthquake. However Michael had expected this and ordered his front lines to retreat to the sides, this opened up a pocket for the Mongols and they mistook this for a foolish route and charged forth not realizing what was happening, when they had passed the place where the former front lines had been Michael ordered his infantry to move back in place and to circle around his enemy, the plan worked perfectly and before they even knew it the Mongols had walked right into a trap, now with his enemy ensnared Michael ordered his swordsmen forward and they engaged the Mongolian heavy cavalry. And though they were not strong enough to stop them alone, the spearmen who flanked the MHC now entered the battle evening it out and soon changing the tide of the fight in the favor of the knights.

Now realizing the folly of his actions Mondoc tried to order his infantry to charge into battle behind him and break the ring of combatants that the Knights had formed, but as he looked back he saw to his horror, his entire division of infantrymen being charged down by Knights of the Templar Order. He watched as every single one of his warriors was hunted down without mercy and killed to the last man. He saw them running for their lives trying to flee from these white clad knights, Mondoc then felt a great anger build up inside of him, he was released from his gasp of fear and he once more heard the sound of battle around him, the screams of his men and that of the knights, but as he turned his horse around to do battle once again, his eyes widened as he saw coming toward him to his surprise the general of the knight's army. Michael was riding toward him shouting at the height of his lungs with his sword high in the air, and try as he might Mondoc could not raise his spear fast enough to parry the coming attack and was struck down by a stab to the chest, the sword of his enemy pierced his armor and it cut straight through to his back. He could feel the life leaving him as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his mind went blank and he felt no more for he was now dead, his body went limp and fell from his saddle. Seeing the death of their general the rest of the Mongols tried to run, however as they broke they found that there was no place to run as they were surrounded on all sides, so they tried to fight their way out. However brave it would prove to be a futile attempt, as every horseman within the circle would die fighting, and out of the 1500 who had accompanied the Mongol force into Volga-Bulgaria, only seven lived to escape the battle to see another day.

The first battle had been fought and for the Mongols it was a humiliating defeat, they had broken one of the first rules of warfare; never underestimate your enemy, and it cost them dearly. For they had lost two hundred heavy cavalrymen in that battle alone along with almost a full army, the knighthood on the other hand had lost only somewhere around ninety knights and foot soldiers combined, and even though it was a small number of men, the soldiers within Michael's army buried their fallen brothers and they wept for them, for each of these soldiers were closer than family having trained together and serving together. Michael was very proud of his soldiers, however he knew that in time a more crushing assault would be mounted against them, and that this tactic would not work again.

Though he was taken completely by surprise on the bravery and cunning in battle of the northern warriors, The Khan of the Golden horde was not about to risk another attack in the same place so soon. Though he knew that failing to take the Volga would force him to fight a river battle anywhere else, he was willing to take that risk, and in 1233 he mounted his assault, this time he led it himself and Ogabai chose to focus his advance on Ryazan, the double bridge pass defended by the Knight Elizabeth and her army. As the Mongols marched onto the hills by the river, the Elizabeth led her men out of the forest and ordered that they take up defensive positions at both bridges; she knew that the khan would use them both, and if he decided not to then she would. As the Mongols came into view their numbers were around two thousand and four hundred by the estimation of the knights, and those within the lines from the knighthood knew, that this battle may not be winnable, however they also knew that they had to fight for if they retreated the defenses would be easily overrun in the other regions.

Ogabai moved his troops into position near the river's bank and prepared to advance, it appeared that he was about to use all his men to punch through the left side, therefore that’s where many of the knighthood's forces went. Many of the spearmen and bowman lined up ready to fight on the left bridge, however Elizabeth knew that if she put all her forces on this left bridge her troops would eventually fall do to sheer force of numbers, therefore near the right she placed her finest knights, including herself, their goal was to charge over the river and hit the Mongols on the flank sending them into a route. And as she moved her two hundred sixty knights into position, the Mongols began their advance, however unlike before they now moved slowly making sure not to make the same mistake that had been made near the Volga. In front marching was the Mongol foot soldiers, who armed with bow and sword were moving very slowly first, behind them were the Horse archers of the steppes, and on their flanks advanced the dreaded heavy cavalrymen of the Mongols, and still behind them was the khan who was advancing the slowest of all his forces, he did not want to risk anything by losing his life so early on in the war.

As the Mongol warriors moved into place the longbows of the knighthood opened fire, they raised their bows high and let fly their arrows, and as they came down upon the lines of the Golden Horde the arrows brought with them death, as many men and horses fell under the hail of arrows falling down like a summer rain. The warriors of the Mongol empire began to return fire but as they raised their bows many were cut down under the volleys from across the river, it seemed that the art of archery perfected in the British isles, then brought here by Henry I was now saving so many lives in the final battle. The khan was watching his men being slaughtered and he had soon seen enough ordering his fearsome Heavy horsemen into the battle, the heavily armored men thundered down the bank and across the bridge, but as they charged against the bowmen, they could only watch as the knight's parted their bowmen and up between them advanced a large number of spearmen. As the charge went on they realized they were now doomed but their horses were going to fast to be stopped and they soon went rushing head on into the wall of spear tips causing mass deaths in the Mongol troops. Seeing the battle had been joined by both her own spearmen and that of the enemy's horsemen, Elizabeth decided that now would be the time to charge forth over the bridge. She raised her sword high into the air and shouted Let us now charge to victory Let us ride to glory

As she said this the men behind her shouted aloud and followed her across the cold stone bridge, they raced across and reached the other side within seconds, fortunately the khan had not yet spotted them, he was more concerned with the battle on the left bridge as he ordered all his archers to open fire including his horse archers, but still they couldn't match the accuracy and power of the longbows that still rained death down upon the bodies of the Mongolian cavalry. The spearmen of the knighthood were holding fast and were easily fighting off the best the Mongols had to give them, with the help of the longbows they were able to hold them back while taking minimal casualties compared to their pagan foes.

While the battle was raging to the left Elizabeth moved her knights into position, and at her command they set off. First at a soft trot, then they began to gallop softly and soon the knights burst into an all out charge. They flew with speed that outmatched that of the wind itself and they rode with great confidence in their skill, and as they drew closer the Khan of the Mongols finally saw them coming, but he had no spearmen in his army and even when he redirected a number of his heavy knights to stop the on coming attack, it was not enough as they were cut through with ease and soon, Elizabeth led her knights on an attack on the Mongol's left flank. The knights of the holy order attacked with a great ferocity and drove their way through many of the soldiers who ran to stop them, the bodies of the fallen warriors began to pile up quickly as they went further and further into their lines, all the while on the bridge the spearmen of the knighthood were beginning to push back the cavalry there as well.

Soon the Mongol army had broke and its morale was almost none existent, the khan himself admitted defeat and left the field leaving his men to die. While he led his detachment of horsemen away the remaining infantry massed for a final defense against the knights on the slop of a nearby hill, and though it was a valiant stand they were no match against the templar knights who rode in from the right and smashed their line without trouble. The final Mongols left fled the field, and once again the Knighthood was victorious by use of smarter tactics. However this way of battle could not be sustained for in the carnage two hundred and seventy three soldiers had fallen, even though it had the better soldiers, the knighthood was now facing a war of attrition in which the Mongols would win for their numbers were great, and soon the knights realized that they needed one great victory in which to claim the Khan's life.


Still got about...two posts left those will be done tomorrow http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

phew, this thing is finally almost done. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif never thought writting about an entire campaign would take so long, but it has. I will keep on working with it tonight and get it posted by tomorrow morning.

hope u enjoy reading http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

Chapter III part i

The Storm Rages On

With his defeat on the river's banks in the province of Ryazan, the Khan of the Mongols decided to pull back for a moment to regroup his forces. Twice had he sent forces north and it was twice that his grand army had been defeated, the warriors to the north whose skill and cunning in battle had outmatched that of even his fiercest soldiers, and worse yet he had no idea of exactly how many of these warriors the North had. It was this fact that made him back off for a moment and examine his position in Khazar. To the south his flank was protected by his allies the Turks, and the Black sea separated him from the city of Constantinople. His only enemies were to the West and North, in both the Knighthood and the Kievians, and though the Knighthood to the north was his most dangerous enemy, he decided to make his move west before trying to push father north. Therefore in the year 1234 he launched a major offensive to the west with five thousand men, needless to say the city of Kiev fell, but not before being totally destroyed and it's people killed to the very last. This move was done out of anger, the khan was only trying to make force the knighthood off their defensive positions so he could make a swift strike and drive toward the city of Moscow, however his plan failed. Edward saw through the attempt, and though it was difficult for him and his soldiers to stand by doing nothing while the city of Kiev was lost, they knew should the move from their places of defensive their land would fall.

Seeing his ploy had failed, Ogabai decided it was time for another strike against the knighthood, and since he had already tested the defenders in Ryazan and The Volga, he decided to strike at Chernigov. However he did not realized that the force in Chernigov was commanded by the High King Edward himself, and it didn't take him long after he marched on to the field to see the king's banner flying high and proudly over the nearby camp across the river. The terrain at this site had only one single bridge, and the khan of the Mongols was prepared to make the sacrifices needed to get through here, with him he had brought an army of three thousand strong with full intention of using every last man to break the lines. With no hope of a flanking maneuver like the one pulled over the Ryazan River, Edward would be forced to fight a battle on the bridge and there alone. However before any fighting had began he knew that the losses were to be great, it was for this reasoned he summoned two of his fastest knights, and to them he gave messages to give to the commanders Michael and Elizabeth; the words sent were very simple indeed Fall back to Moscow, or all is lost. As he gave them their orders the knights sped off into the distance heading for the Volga and Ryazan. Edward watched them until their shadows molded into the mists settling in the field, he then turned his horse around and faced the bridge.

Already the sky was clouding over, the sun disappeared from view and a cold winter wind began to blow across the river. Edward grasped his sword and looked around him, he had only a small army of nearly nine hundred men and many of them were just spearmen or farmers, he knew that they would have no chance if they fought, but he now knew that he had to buy time for the other commanders to make it back to the city. He closed his eyes as he said very softly, May you reach the city my friends, I shall hold them here as long as I can, If I shall die, I shall await you in heaven… as he said this a small tear escaped his eye and ran across his cheek, quickly he raised his hand and whipped if from his face then he readied himself for combat, for the day had reached noon and the Mongols were starting to advance on his position.

Edward moved about his Infantry forming a circle around the exit point of the bridge, with the spearmen in front and his assorted infantry ( or fanatics ) to the rear, in reserve were his knights, he hoped that he would not have to use them unless the tide of battle changed for the worst, but he had a strange feeling within his chest that that very thing would happen. Slowly the Mongols approached and before long, up rode their archers on horseback letting out a volley. As the arrows came falling down, so with them came a heavy sheet of rain, it made the arrows wet and in many cases it caused them to fall to the ground not hitting their intended target, but still many found their mark as the soldiers of the knighthood began to fall within the spear lines. While the arrows were pounding down, across the bridge came thundering the Heavy cavalry of the Mongols, however usually able to stop such a charge, the spearmen were in a state of disarray while the arrows fell causing confusion in their lines, taking advantage of this fact the cavalry charged forth and slammed into the lines of the fyrdmen.

The battle had began and already the knights were losing, their spearmen could do little to stop the heavy attack on them, so Edward ordered in his knights to ride from the left and right. He directed both his detachments of cavalry to move in to battle, however more and more forces were pouring over the bridge, and while the knights did charge and engage in battle, they could not help the spearmen in the center who were now losing ground by every passing minute. The King did not want to do this unless he had to, but he threw up his sword and pointed it forth ordering his own unit and that of the surrounding infantry to make the final charge. They raised up their weapons and charged forth and met the enemy in combat, and finally the Mongols' advance was stopped, however as the battle raged on more and more knights were falling everywhere. the warriors of the templar were losing fighters by the moment and the king's unit was doing no better, however he ordered that all fight on, for he knew that if they could hold the Mongols back for just a little longer his forces could retreat to Muscuvy and make a stand there, but as he battled an arrow came flying out of the sky and struck Edward's horse in the neck sending it the ground.

As he rose the King saw around him hundreds of his soldiers fighting and dieing all around, he saw the Mongols on the bridge and as he looked across the river, he saw no end to their army, but he refused to die just yet. Edward grabbed his sword off the ground and shouted Troops, All troops loyal to the crown rally to me the shout went far above the sound of battle, and as he held up his sword high many knights can striding out of the carnage and gathered behind him he then pointed forth his sword and they made one last massed attack. The king was now fighting without a horse swinging his sword from side to side striking down many warriors of the Mongols, and even when a great warrior of the Heavy cavalry would come against him, his sword would find its place on that man's helm and he would fall from his steed. After striking down one such man the king climbed into the sattle of a Mongolian horse, his men all gave a faint smile as they looked upon him. The sight of their own King of the Knighthood ridding on their enemy's own horse was very humorous, and with a renewed courage the knights fought on. Wave after wave of Mongolian warriors advanced and wave after wave was repulsed before the onslaught, by now only a small number of knights were left as the Mongols massed for one last push across, yet as the column of warriors was gathering on the far side of the river, the sun appeared out of the clouds on the horizon and disappeared behind the far eastern mountains. Night had fallen, and as they looked the knights saw the Mongols dispersing, it seemed they had no wish to fight on anymore. The High King Edward smiled for a moment as he looked, then holding on to his weapons he looked north and ordered his men to march, for they all knew that this was a close victory, and that one last battle would occur to the north in only a short time.