Official Cataclysm Thread

**TinCow** · 10-18-2007, 03:35

Choices due by 12am EST, Friday, October 19th

Save Game File

The year 1322 continues to bring grim tidings to the Reich.

The brave men in Outremer have committed themselves to a defense of the lands, rather than a retreat. King Jan and Kaiser Elberhard both put out calls for all pious soldiers and Crusaders to lend their strength to Outremer in its time of need. Their combined reputations as the foremost Crusaders and defenders of Outremer resulted in a mighty response, with Christian soldiers and knights flocking in droves to both of their banners. However, the response was so heavy that there is surely not a single honorable Christian soldier left in Outremer that is not under their banner. Further reinforcements will have to be found elsewhere. Through a coordinated strategy, the defenders of Outremer have also succeeded in maintaining control over Antioch, while at the same time temporarily lifting the sieges of Aleppo and Acre. While this has give them some breathing room, the Byzantines are now marching in full force for both Antioch and Aleppo. Both settlements have been besieged by large armies and the Iron Bridge and the eastern ford have been seized. Scouts have also reported large Egyptian armies assembling around Gaza. Rumors from the East suggest that the Turks may even be considering joining the assault on Outremer.

Franconia has suffered as the result of disunity amongst her Electors. While Duke Ansehelm destroyed the Russian army besieging Thorn, another Russian army has besieged him inside it. The Duke's brother, Peter abandoned Hamburg and retreated to Frankfurt rather than risk facing the massive Danish invasion. The Hamburg militia holds the walls for now, but the city’s trade routes have been cut off and it will certainly fall quickly once besieged. Krakow has already been lost, as the Polish armies were quick to exploit the hole in the Franconian defensive line. The struggle for control of the Army of Saxony has resulted in a split of its forces. Dieter Bresch proclaimed his right to the command as both Furst of Saxony and Count of Magdeburg. While nearly all Franconian soldiers heeded his call, the sizable mercenary contingent decided to remain with Fritz von Kastilien, whose reputation and history inspires them to dream of further plunder. Franconian scouts report disturbing news from the East. Krakow has fallen to the Polish advance, but this appears to be a minor thrust. No fewer than three Polish armies are reported to be assembling within striking distance of Thorn, with further forces marshaling deep in the interior of Polish lands.

Bavaria is in headlong flight and so far her defenders have only managed to save their own skins. Fredericus Erlach broke the Sicilian seize, thus avoiding immediate defeat, but a second army has already landed on the island. Sicilian ships are swarming off the coast and the flood of soldiers is only likely to increase. Ships have even been seen in the waters near Genoa, perhaps scouting for a landing zone on the mainland. Duke Lothar and Dietrich von Dassel combined their forces and left Florence just in the nick of time. They traveled north and shattered the Byzantine army outside Bologna, then pushed their men hard to reach the Alpine citadel of Innsbruck. They will be safe there for a short while, but with their flight all of Northern Italy is essentially defenseless. The Byzantines have continued their advance, taken Florence almost without opposition, and laid siege to Bologna. Refugees from the south report that Byzantine ships are arriving in Naples almost every day, certainly bringing further reinforcements for their armies in Italy.

Swabia remains concerned with internal conflicts and has not yet even attempted to face down her invaders. The rebel Wolfgang Hummel expanded his control over northern Swabia by seizing the city of Bruges. The city did not resist his advance; any loyalty they held to Duke Hans evaporated quickly when they saw that neither he nor Athalwolf von Salza would make any efforts to aid them. With the wealth of this city now in his grasp, Wolfgang Hummel will be able to make far better use of the training facilities in Caen. Hans and Athalwolf have spent their time suppressing the local rebellions within Swabia. Hans rode north and destroyed a moderate sized army of rebels who were threatening Rheims. It turned out they were pursuing King Davy of England and his heir, Prince Barnaby, who had become separated from their army near Antwerp. Hans rescued them from this difficult situation and the King of England has sent some of his finest archers to the Duke of Swabia in thanks. Athalwolf in turn built a small fort between Bruges and Paris, garrisoned by a single regiment, then turned south to besiege the rebels in Dijon. It remains to be seen whether the loyalist fort will slow down Wolfgang’s assault in the north. Meanwhile, the French invasion continues to move ahead at full speed. Paris fell at the end of the year. Rheims and Dijon now lie directly in their line of attack and forces continue to assemble for a strong push on Caen.

Austria has successfully rallied her men and consolidated her resources. Lorenz Zirn retook Budapest and put nearly 5,000 rebels to the sword. After the victory, his army ran wild through the city, looting from both rebels and loyalists alike. The surviving loyalists are glad to have returned to Austria, but the damage to the city’s infrastructure will temporarily reduce its profitability. Karl Zirn and Friedrich Karolinger both succeeded in reaching Budapest as well, though the former chose to abandon the men on foot to ensure the safety of the rest of the force. Miraculously, the foot soldiers managed to make it to Budapest on their own, unharmed, and rejoined Karl Zirn’s forces. The three generals will have only a short time to organize the defenses around Budapest, as the Hungarian armies are marching straight for their former capital. The Venetians are also pushing forward with their assault. Durazzo has fallen to their armies and the port is now seeing regular traffic from Venetian transport fleets carrying men and supplies. The Venetian armies themselves are reading for an attack on Ragusa itself. Duke Arnold remains inside the citadel, where he is attempting to find volunteers to aid Austria in her time of need through passionate speeches about Austria’s plight. One unexpected arrival in Ragusa is Tancred von Tyrolia. Abandoning all men without horses, he was able to slip through the Hungarian, Venetian, and Byzantine lines and return to friendly lands. He is a long way from Franconia and has nothing more than a small cavalry contingent with him, but he has brought all the wealth he gained from the sack of Constantinople.

Elberhard: