In Defense of the Gods - A Lithuanian AAR

[Xtiaan72]

I'll be playing Lithuania, VH/VH 5.6 Beta Version 4... The AAR begins in the year 1230 and will cover Pagan Lithuania's struggle for survival against the Christian powers during the first Age of Darkness... Heavy role-playing and plenty of screenies.

[Xtiaan72]

In Defense of the Gods
A Lithuanian AAR

The year is 1230 and death stalks the lands of Lithuania. The omens are foreboding. As if the civil war hadn't been bad enough, a trading ship from Denmark has brought the plague to Riga. The death of the dreaded Grand Duke Gytautas has brought an end to a bloody civil war but the House of Riga, the true heirs to the throne have fallen out of favor. A regent sits upon the throne and his ambitious sons covet the kingdom. Three noble houses vie for power in the realm.

The religion of Lithuania is as old as the land itself and it is our beliefs in the old ways that are the greatest threat to our survival. A strange new faith has infested our lands... A faith that must have been spawned by Velnias himself. They call themselves Christians and they are fanatically dedicated to our destruction. To the west is the most terrible threat of all, the land of the Teutons, ruled by an order of demonic knights whose very purpose is to wipe us from the face of the earth. To the east lies Novgorod and to the south Poland and Kiev, all covet our provinces so they can gain access to the Baltic Sea.

We will not bow to these kingdoms and their false god. There will be blood.....May Perkunas protect our lands and our children.

- Kestutis, High Priest of Perkunas


HOUSE OF RIGA

The shadow of the dreaded Grand Duke Gykautas hangs over this house like a curse. Under his rule the kingdom expanded from the forests of western Novgorod to the east to the Norse island of Visby in the west. From the frozen wastes of Finland in the north to the borders of the powerful Kingdom of Poland to the south. But this glorious expansion came at a huge cost. The wars of the expansion caused crushing debts that offended the nobility and peasants alike.

House Riga is led by Gytautas' eldest son Narvydas the Chivalrous, The Duke of Riga, who is the rightful heir to the throne. After his fathers assassination, a deal was brokered by his uncle Duke Jaunutis that barred Narvydas from the throne but left the door open for his young son Skiraila to rule some day in the future. Narvydas took his fate in stride, he does not possess his fathers blood lust and had no inclination to put his family and the kingdom at risk for the purpose of his own blind ambition.

Instead Narvydas plans for the future of his young son Skiraila. His brothers, Gintautas and Karibalis, rule Visby and Kaldiga respectively and remain fiercely loyal to their older brother and House Riga. Visby and Kaldiga are among the poorest provinces in Lithuania but their geographical locations have allowed the House of Riga to dominate trade in the Baltic Sea from their seat in Riga. Riga itself is a wild, boisterous port and it's wealth is only surpassed by the province of Raseiniaia and Vilnius itself.

Narvydas has considerable political savvy and likes to operate behind the scenes. He possesses the best spy network in Lithuania. His diplomats have orchestrated trade agreements across the breadth of Europe and his foreign contacts are impeccable. Wielding this influence he attempts to stave of wars with the Christian kingdoms.


HOUSE REVAL

Founded by the first Duke of Jersika, Jaunutis, brother of Grand Duke Gytautas. House Reval is steeped in military tradition. Jaunutis was the greatest general in Lithuanian history, having conquered Riga, Revel and Turku personally as well as putting down countless rebels. It was Jaunutis that crushed the rebellion lead by the Princes of Raseiniai and brokered the agreement that ended the terrible civil war that raged for ten years. Throughout, he remained loyal to his brother Gytautas until his assassination. After his death Jaunutis proved himself surprisingly pragmatic.

The Princes of Raseiniai were confined to their estates in Raseiniai and ordered not to marry until young prince Skiraila could take the throne. Their father Duke Vytautas was made regent of the realm until that day. Duke Vytautas had been Gytautas' right hand and most loyal and trusted aid. The conduct of his sons is his great shame.

House Reval is now ruled by Liuntauras, Jaunutis' eldest son and the current Duke of Jersika. He has the strict military bearing of his father. From his seat in Jersika, the arsenal of Lithuania, he watches House Raseiniai like a hawk and works to transform the Lithuanian military into a professional force that can repel foreign aggression. House Reval's other fiefdoms are carved out of the tough, frozen territories of the north. His brother Labgaugus rules Reval and his brother inlaw is the Regent of Finland. None of their provinces are particularly economically valuable. It is their absolute control of Lithuania's professional army that makes them a force to be reckoned with.


HOUSE RASEINIAI

Founded by Grand Duchess Gabrina, younger sister of Grand Duke Gykautas. In a move motivated by political convienience, Gabrina was married by Gykautas to Lord Vytautas of Raseiniai. It was a decision he would live to regret. The Raseiniai's were among the wealthiest lords in Lithuania, buoyed by their considerable trade and agricultural interests and in Vilnius and Raseiniai. Gykautas needed their backing to fund his endless conquests.

Vytautas, himself cuts quite a tragic figure. A genius administator, he became the king's right hand and his most trusted and valuable aid. It is generally believed that Gabrina was responsible for ' The Troubles'. Where as House Riga is loathed and House Reval is feared, House Raseiniai is loved by the commen people of Lithuania. In the Raseiniai, they saw a family that had risen from the merchant class into the heady halls of power in two generations. In Raseiniai and Vilnius, they were fair in rule and beloved.

If Vytautas had a fault it was that is duties made him an absentee father and in his absence his ambitious and beautiful wife plotted greatness for her sons Ringaitas and Saurnas. Using the wealth and popularity of her house, Gabrina and her sons plotted revolution and the civil war that followed raged for ten years before House Reval put it down. Although never proved, Ringaitas is generally believed to be responsible for the assassination of Gykautas.

It is a credit to the character of Vytautas that he remained loyal to Gykautas throughout the troubles and remained by his side in Vilnius while his wife and children stirred rebellion. In a move to reconcile the houses after the assassination, Vytautas was named Regent of the Realm until Skiraila of Riga comes of age. He has never recovered from the shame of his family's betrayal but the realm has prospered under his regency.

Gabrina was imprisoned. Ringaitas and Saurnas are confined to their estates in Raseiniai under guard. Some say Duke Jaunutis did not have them executed because their popularity with the people would have only started the troubles once more, others say he was paid off with the Raseiniai's great wealth. The truth will never be known and most would rather forget.

Ringaitas and Saurnas are forbidden from marrying until Skiraila takes the throne. The Raseiniai burn for revenge but despite Vytautas' position, the future of the house is doubtful at best.

[Furin]

It's but don't you wanna wait for the final release, there's lotsa tweaking going on atm

[Xtiaan72]

Can't wait...I'm in the groove and have a lot of time to write at the moment. Besides DLV Lithuanian campaigns are quick, painful and end in tears.... All the makings of a short Greek tragedy. :hmmm:

[Xtiaan72]

HOUSE RIGA - 1230 A.D



Duke Narvydas was a troubled man. 'Damn that plague ship' he thought...Briefly pondering whether The Danes had sent it on purpose. ' They certainly had cause to. Our possession of Visby is right of their shores'... Enough reason to be suspicious.

He walked on toward the sacred grove...

He had done all he could to contain the pestilence. The port of Riga was closed and all traffic in and out of the city had been halted...Still, every day it went on cost the city a fortune in treasure and lives. His own son in law had been carried away to the after-life.

'The plague does have some advantages', he thought... 'The population of Riga bursts at the seams and a few less peasants won't do us any harm'. He banished the thought, 'Sacrilege'. 'Perhaps I do have too much of my father in me'.

Narvydas entered the sacred grove, High Priest Kestusis was there to meet him. If House Riga was feared by the people and hated by the minor nobles, at least The Priests of Perkunas revered them as the true protectors of the faith.

"Greeting my liege, We have studied the stars and honored Perkunas with the traditional sacrifice... The omens are worse than we imagined."

" Do not mince your words. Speak freely and tell me what you have seen." The Princes of Lithuania had never acted without the guidance and blessings of the priests.

" This plague is a warning from Perkunas and it is just a taste of the troubles to come. This black death will pass in good time but when it returns you will know that an Age of Darkness is upon us."

" This is grim news indeed, Priest. What do the gods demand of the House of Riga?". " What must be done? We shall do it!"

" Your house may indeed return to power but you will not live to see that day, so prepare your son Skirgaila well. One day the hopes of our people will rest on his shoulders." "Our Christian enemies will be on us like the demon dogs of Velnias. " Their armies are vast, their wealth unfathomable....and they will not stop until the fires of our sacred alters are smothered forever." " The omens are cloudy, Our only hope is that Skirgaila has the cunning of a fox and the mercilessness of a wolf in the dead of winter."

" Then that is what he shall have, Kestusis."

" Go now Narvydas... The blessings of Perkunas are with The House of Riga as always." " Prepare our kingdom for the worst...for the worst is the best we can hope for."

. . .


HOUSE REVAL - 1230 A.D



Duke Liuntauras waived his sword in the air.

" Cease fire!!! Now ride! Like the wind, run them down"

The Duke of Jersika was in his element with the wind in his hair and blood on his blade. The battle had cost him seventeen good men for the price of four hundred and fifty stinking rebels.... Not a good trade by his reckoning... but thank god for rebels and bandits... They kept his men sharp and honed their experience... Experience they would need in spades.

" You have earned your spurs today, Gentlemen." " The road to Novogrod is clear"..."Send a rider to Vilnius and inform the merchant's guild. The Regent will be pleased."

For a moment, Liuntauras' thoughts turned to Vytautas, the ancient custodian of the throne. The man was regent only because of the blessing of his long dead father, Jaunutis. House Revel had always been the power behind the throne. Commanders of the Armies, conquerers of Lithuania's foreign territories, stalwart defenders of the laws of the land.

Liuntauras' chuckled, Vytautas was a strange bird. He had remained loyal to the ruthless Grand Duke Gytautas even while his sons stirred the rebellion to put him on the throne. Or had he? Liuntauras wondered....For Vytautas had been the acting Grand Duke in all but name for the last ten years...

Ahhh politics....Best not to dwell on it. The leaders of House Reval had always been pragmatic as long as the army and the defense of the realm were not neglected by the crown.

" Feed the horses and pitch the tents...In the morning we ride with haste to the south." Polish and Teutonic armies had been probing along the borders...and Liuntauras felt the need to construct watch towers along the southern reaches before all out war broke out. The Lithuanian army was small and could not be everywhere at once. ' We must have warning if they make a move'

. . .

HOUSE RASEINIAI - 1230 A.D



Duke Ringailas looked surprisingly relaxed for a man that burned for revenge. His mother imprisoned, denounced by his father Vytautas, confined to his estates in the Raiseiniai countryside. Still for a man under house arrest he still wielded considerable influence.

To the people, he was a hero, the man who had stood up to the crushing tyranny of Grand Duke Gytautas. ' I am probably only still breathing because House Reval was afraid of creating a martyr.' That and the fact that Lithuania could not function without the coin and business acumen of his house.

But Ringailas was a patient man...' I only need a moment when the other houses are distracted to escape this prison... Opulent prison though it is, he thought. The crown should be his, he mused...It must be his. Had the realm not flourished under Raiseiniai rule? Should not the people be given the ruler they desire?

'Yes, they will have it...No matter the cost.'

" Servants....You lazy currs!! Bring me my wine!" "That means now or I will have you flogged."

[Omar Nelson B.]

Nice I like your writing style so far. Can't wait for more. This one is gonna be good. I can feel it!

[Marku]

yeah this should be a good AAR

[Xtiaan72]

Thanks guys. I'm looking for some good info on Lithuanian Pagan religious practices.... So Lithuanian experts...please chime in and give me some accuracy pointers! I write AARs to hone my writing skills and to learn more about history...

Thank you guys for the comments and support.

Cheers

Also, how literate was the Lithuanian Aristocracy and priesthood at the time?

[Xtiaan72]

The Arsenal of Perkunas - 1446 A.D

HOUSE REVAL ( Jersika)



Duke Liuntauras poured over his maps... His nephew and protege Squire Skirgaila of Riga by his side.

" It is not enough.... No matter how you look at it, It's not enough!!!" His frustration was plain to see. He had worked for fifteen years to prepare the Kingdom for the inevitable Christian assault... But Lithuania was poor! " We shall be like a pebble holding back a flood..."

" We will have to use unconventional tactics, my liege." For a recent military graduate, Skiraila showed exceptional promise... And that was a necessity...For a young man who was rightfully the future ruler of Lithuania.



" Here in the southern regions is where we must hold them, Between the River Neris and the River Nemunas." " We will detach the Lithuanian Cavalry and you will lead them Skirgaila." " I am far to old for the kind of riding you will be doing."

" The Teutons will not make a move...They are weak and they are already at war with The Poles.... It will be the Poles....and they will cross the River Nemunas......HERE". He pointed to a bridge on the map.



" OR HERE...."



"And you will be there to meet them, Skirgaila." " Shoot them at a distance and fall back....DO NOT ENGAGE THEM."" There will be no reinforcements..." " If we are lucky, they will follow you into the vast country side of the south and not move toward Vilnius..... " But if they do, I will meet them HERE"



" With as much foot as I can gather and The Ducal Cavalry."

"If by chance, The Teutons move....They will pay a heavy price laying siege to Raseiniai."" They will be stopped dead in their tracks and it will buy us some time."



The Duke's thoughts turned to Vilnius and the Regent Vytautas..." We cannot let them assault Vilnius, Skirgaila." What was the magic elixir that keeps the man alive! He still ruled the Kingdom at the age of 94!!! ' I don't think that is what my father had in mind when he appointed him Regent'.... " If the city falls and with it Vytautas.... We will not be able to crown you Grand Duke!!! And the troubles will start once more!"

Skirgaila marveled at the situation...' The future of the realm depended on keeping a 94 year old man alive!!!'



" You have your orders Skirgaila... Until you are crowned, you are only a squire and my lieutenant... Take command of the Lithuanian cavalry garrisons and may Perkunas be with you"

" It will be as you wish my liege, Perkunas be with you."

[Xtiaan72]

HOUSE OF RIGA - 1247 A.D



All roads in Lithuania led to Riga but a cloud of uneasiness had settled over the city and the House of Riga. Sick men were arriving on ships in the harbor and it could mean only one thing....The prophecies of the long dead priest Kestutis were coming true.

Duke Narvydas' trusted advisers entered his study. The Duke's Right Hand, Mindaugas, husband of the Duke's eldest daughter Lina. Childless at 60, Mindaugas would never rise to the Dukedom of Riga. But he was wise, capable and loyal to a fault. Skirgaila the Elder, his son in law by way of his youngest daughter Rasvita. Still youthful and energetic, he dealt with most of the daily business of the dukedom and most likely would be the future Duke of Riga. And Joridas, the current High Priest of Perkunas. The Priest of Perkunas always hovered around The House of Riga, as they were the most ancient, prestigious and pious family in Lithuania.



" The situation at the port is grim, my lord." Skirgaila the Elder shook his head...." The quarantine has failed...There is no stopping it this time...People are already dropping like flies in The Norse Quarter."

" And what is the news from the south?", Duke Narvydas inquired."

Mindaugas, loathed to answer. " The news is the same...The Plague rages in Vilnius, in Jersika, in Raseiniai...Trade has ground to a halt and worse still Poland blames the pestilence ON US! " " They believe their god will grant them a reprieve if only they destroy our kingdom and our ancient ways."

The Duke's head jerked at the mention of Jersika...' Perkunas help them all , if the plague took his son Squire Skirgaila' " So the prophesy has come to pass."

"Yes, my lord." Joridas responded. " An age of darkness is upon us." We all must do our part if we are to survive." " I will proceed to the Norse Quarter, as always, the Priests of Perkunas will tend to the sick and supervise the burials of the dead."

It pained The Duke to issue his first command. " The dead must be disposed of without the customary rituals." " May Perkunas forgive us, dispose of the bodies in mass graves and as quickly as possible." " Our thoughts must be for the living."

" Yes, my lord, it will be as you wish." Joridas backed out of the study to tend to his grim duties.

" Poland has surely thrown down the gauntlet, We must aid House Reval to the best of our abilities" The Duke paused, deep in thought." Send a rider to my brother Duke Karibulas of Kuldiga....He is to strip The Northern Garrisons and proceed south to aid in the defense of Vilnius." "Novgorod will not move against us... Not as long as the Mongol dogs are at their throats." " Send a ship with a skeleton crew to Visby and inform my brother Gintautas of the situation. He is too distant to be of any assistance... But he is to keep us appraised of the movements of the Norse..." " They are devious opportunists and might very well move against us at the worst possible moment."


'If only there was more I could do' The Duke thought hopelessly...' Now my prayers must be with with my son, Skirgaila. 'I have made him as cunning as a fox...The Duke's face brimmed with pride. ' If my cousin Liuntauras has done his part...he now has the mercilessness of a wolf in winter'.

[LlamaD]

Nice work. Why had i a thought about Harkonnen, Atreides and Ordos?

[Xtiaan72]

HA....I was going for George R Martin...But come to think of it, he bit Hubert too! Here I thought he was some sort of genius and it was Hubert all along...

[Xtiaan72]

THE ARCTIC BEAR

HOUSE REVAL - 1247 A.D



Given a choice, Regent Skirmantas of Finland, would not have spent half of his natural life in the frozen wastes on the Northern Fringe of the Lithuanian Empire... But it isn't often that a Lithuanian Cavalry Officer marries into one of the most powerful Royal Houses in the land....and she was beautiful.

It started as a fairy book story... A dashing cavalry officer meets the beautiful Reval princess Vainara and sweeps her off her feet. Jaunutus, The Duke consents to the marriage because of Skirmantas' heroic deeds on the battlefield. And Skirmantas' is granted the title of Regent of recently conquered Finland... But that is where the fairy tale ended.

An unhappy wife used to the comforts of court but living in the poorest backwater of the empire.... Two lost children, both to the plague...A talented cavalry commander itching for action but instead managing a handful of peons scratching a living our of the frozen soil. And a small, bored, drunken garrison...

For most, the Age of Darkness offered only misery but for Skirmantas, he could only smell opportunity. Most of the time, when a governor from the House of Riga made a military decision it lead to disaster and Skirmantas' had known from the start that stripping the Northern Garrisons to fight the Poles was a bad idea. Narvydas' was a political genius but was he was simply incapable of making military decisions? In fact, Skirmantas was the only military commander of any repute remaining in the north.



It would be many months before any troops from the south could come to the aid of the north.....If they came at all. Skirmantas, was a giant of a man, Standing 6ft 5, Vigorous and fit at 59.... And he sprang into action like an arctic bear after a long hibernation.

A tearful goodbye to his wife.... Cold water splashed on his drunken retainers and a daring, hair brained plan to foul Novgorod ambition.


A wild ride into the heart of the Novgorod Territory. Villages burned! Peasants raped and slaughtered! A madman stabbing at the heart of his enemy....Daring them to give him chase... This is what the traitors deserved...And it worked, the Novgorod's half hearted attack on the feeble remnants of the Northern Garrisons was broken off. Detachments of the Army of Novgorods began to desperately hunt down the thorn in their side... and finally months later a most unfortunate captain found him.



" But Lord.....The odds are 10 to 1!

" That's the way I like it!" " Up the hill and around the spear men.....Like the wind!"



" Smell their fear!!!!"





Skirmantas leapt from his horse and tackled the last man standing! " Go....Tell your king that I will not rest until I have burned Novgorod to the ground...and that I will live to see him hanging from his own walls by his balls." " Now run...before I tear your throat out with my own mouth!"

His men were shocked and exhilarated .....They weren't likely to see a 60 year old man do something like that again in their lifetime...Unless they could keep him alive.



He men broke out in cheer. " Congratulations boys... you have just dashed our enemies hopes until next spring", he had not lost a single man.

. . .

[The Bronze boy]

Great aar lookin forward to more

[Xtiaan72]

HOUSE RIGA ( Southern Lithuania ) 1247 A.D



Squire Skirgaila was determined not to buckle under the weight of his new responsibilities. ' It is the best laid plans that go awry'... One of the lessons of his Uncle Lintauras years ago during his military training in Jersika. His mission was simple, delay the Poles as long as possible.. The Southern Polish forces had problems of their own, bogged down in a siege of a rebel castle on their own territory. Luckily for him...That castle also commanded the crossing of the River Nemen.

But not even Lintauras had known how vast the forces arrayed against them were. A second Polish Army had slipped across the borders of the independent Duchy of Minsk and was now within striking distance of Vilnius... If he rode all night....He could at least show them that Lithuania was aware of their presence.... and buy Lintauras some time.



It was a wild ride though a stormy night. Skirgaila's men were tired, wet and hungry.... but his enemies weren't expecting him...



His men were uneasy...This was Skirgaila's first command but he had no intention of getting them all killed.



The Polish cavalry rushed ahead of their main force..Skirgaila shot them from a distance and fell back.....'I just need to turn them away from Vilnius...nothing more.'



"Keep falling back...!!! Do not engage....Do not!" Some of him men were obstinate , it was all he could do to keep them together and out of the enemies reach. 'Experienced soldiers do not like taking orders from boys.' He mused.



Skirgaila pressed the horn to his lips..." Retreat"..." Into the woods."

There was nothing more he could do....But he could do it to them all the way to Vilnius... 'I have survived my first battle'... But there was no glory to be found in this kind of warfare.

[Xtiaan72]

HOUSE RIGA - Winter, 1247



Desperate times demand drastic actions. 'The enemy of your enemy is your friend......', Duke Narvydas tried to rationalize what he was about to do....' YES THAT MAY BE TRUE'...It was the booming voice of his long dead father..


' BUT THE ENEMY OF YOUR GOD IS VELNIAS HIMSELF'....

Narvydas' body shook uncontrollably... It mattered not how long ago he had died... The dreaded specter of his father Gytautas would haunt his memories for the remainder of his life. ' Perkunas forgive me'... He lowered his head in a silent prayer... 'and you too father.'

The Teutonic emissary was ushered into his chambers... It was the middle of the night and only Governer Mindaugas knew the meeting was taking place.

" We can dispose with the pleasantries.." " Wouldn't you agree?" The Duke asked

" Yes, this isn't easy for either of us."

" I find it interesting that your own masters turned against you before they turned on ' The Demonic Pagans of the North." " In some ways it confirms what we have always believed about your kind." " An let me make it clear...We know what you are...There will come a day...Not too long from now, when we will meet on a battlefield that will destroy my country or your order forever." " The only thing that gives me comfort is that you would not gain the glory for yourselves if Poland exterminates us first."

" I'm glad we understand each other...Pagan Devil."

" Velnias....Satan...." " It all amounts to the same thing...We are mortal eternal enemies." " We both look forward to that day of reckoning." " But it is agreed? The treacherous Poles will be dealt with first?"

" Though it pains.....me to say so." The emissary could barely get out the words...." We are agreed..." " We will postpone the inevitable until The Poles are....Ummmm...Compromised..."

" Then our meeting has served it's purpose." " Go now...There will be no grand announcement." " This understanding should probably remain....Private."

"Yes.....Pagan..." " It would be better for all involved if this information remained...mmmm...Unspoken."

With little fanfare the emissary was ushered out of the chambers and into the night. Mindaugas emerged from the shadows, he had witnessed the unlikely meeting from a hiding place...with the dagger in his hand... A Teutons true intentions could never truly be understood by a Lithuanian.

Narvydas sighed...

"Do not fret, my liege...You have done what needed to be done."

He hoped Mindaugas was right. The Duke had made a deal with the devil so he could strip the garrison of Raseiniai and bolster Skirmantas' forces in Novgorod. 'It was my own miscalculation that forced my hand... I should have never underestimated The Novgorods.' At least he had managed to turn around half the Northern garrisons. 'If Skirmantas could just hold out until the rest of the reinforcements could arrive.'

" Mindaugas, Inform Skirgaila the Elder... I am placing both of your household guards under Skirmantas' command. You will ride for Novgorod in the morning.

Mindaugas was shocked...He was 65 years old and had never fought in a battle in his life..."Ahhh... Yes....My... lord...This is most...unexpected."

" You are dismissed..." He would have pitied the old man but not in times like these. 'We all must do our part.' Now all Narvydas had to figure out was how to convince his cousin, The Duke of Jarsika, that the garrison in Raseiniai was no longer necessary...without exposing that he was a traitor to his people... No one would understand that what he had done, he had done for his people. Least of all The Priests of Perkunas... 'Perkunas can't help me if anyone finds out.' It was a thought he did not relish.

[Ambiorix_thijs]

Amazing. keep it up

[Pelican Man]

I'm enjoying every word of this.

keep it goin

THE P-MAN

[Xtiaan72]

Thank you guys... Will get a few more chapters out tonight! I made a few corrections. There were a few posts where the names Luintauras and Narvydas were reversed... Sorry if it confused. Liuntauras is The Duke of Jersika and Skirgaila's uncle and military commander... He's also the head of House Revel...Narvydas is the Duke of Riga and Skirgaila's father.

[Xtiaan72]

HOUSE OF RIGA - Winter, 1247 A.D

It had been a wild ride back to Vilnius but Duke Liuntauras' plan was working to perfection. The Polish Army that Skirgaila had been harassing had moved off to the north into the countryside and laid siege to the Lithuanian Ducal Cavalry garrison.... ' They will be surprised when they learn that the Ducal Cavalry isn't there!!!...' The outpost was being held by a handful of militia soldiers and had the whole Eastern Polish army occupied. Vilnius was safe for the moment.



" I got them out just in time", Skirgaila's uncle Duke Karibalis mused..." We are losing more soldiers to the plague than our enemies!"

Skirgaila was deep in thought, Duke Liuntauras' lessons during his military training were coming back to him in a flood, ' Never rush to battle...You must only engage the enemy at a time and place of YOUR choosing!' But where was Duke Liuntauras!!!..." Where is the duke!!.... We cannot afford to wait for him any longer!" Skirgaila knew Liuntauras had left Jersika at the same time he had but he had never arrived in Vilnius to take command." That had been months ago...Skirgaila feared the worst, Liuntauras was an old man...traveling in winter while a plague raged.

The horses milled about nervously.... A vast Polish host was gathering south of the Neres River.....' This was the time, This was the place.... to smash them if they attempted the river crossing!!!'

" They will move to fjord the river at dawn, Skirgaila." " The Poles have no fear of us, all we have done is run so far." " With or without Liuntauras, now is the time...We must hit them at the river." Karibalis....was Skirgaila's uncle, the Duke of Kaldiga..." Our only chance is to smash them now before their forces to the north can move on us..." If we let that happen, we will be surrounded, pinned between two forces and outnumbered 4 to 1...."

" There is no one to lead our army, uncle!!!" You are not one of Liuntauras' officers....'That leaves me as the highest ranking officer on the field and I am a lowly squire!!" Skirgaila was horrified, This couldn't be happening...Yes, I can command a handful of cavalry but the entire Lithuanian Army???'

Karibalis laughed, long and loud..." Only the chaos of war could make a Squire, a general and a Duke, a lowly lieutenant!" " I will not leave your side GENERAL Skirgaila!!!" You have more military training than I...." and what experience I have is yours.." If I will follow, the army will too!"...." I suggest you give them a stirring pep talk though!!!"...He laughed again....





" Sons of Perkunas, Soldiers of Lithuania!" " For two years, the Minions of Velnius have infested our lands..." "... Ravaged our fields.... Infected our children with their foul diseases..." Treated our wives and daughters like the goats of their native land....." And we have run!!!"

A gasp rose from the soldiers.....

" But that ends now!!!!" " You know of my love for our general, 'Liuntauras' " We all wish he could be here it witness this moment..." Skirgaila paused "...when we turn the tide!!!" " Do not forget that it was his genius that gave us this moment...This opportunity!" " We did not wait because we fear these dogs." " We waited, so we could destroy them at a time and place of OUR CHOOSING!" " And this is the time, this is the place that Liuntauras, by the grace of Perkunas, chose."

The Troops cheered!!!

" Now I ask you, will you do what Liuntauras........and Your GODS expect of you? They ask only that you do what you have already done freely....We ask only that you do your DUTY!!!!"

LOUD CHEERS!!!!........Weapons beating against shields...." Well done, Skirgaila...Well done...." I think there will be a battle this day, after all !!!" Duke Karibalis unsheathed his sword." SPEARMEN ADVANCE!!! HOLD THEM AT THE RIVER!" " BOWMEN, PREPARE TO FIRE....MAKE EVERY ARROW COUNT!!!"


Spearmen hold the crossing, Ducal Infantry in reserve!


" Let fly the arrows!!!" " Do not give them a respite!" Skirgaila, encouraged his men. He could not help admiring the bravery of the Poles, such was the carnage that followed.


His spearmen began to buckle, "Ducal Infantry, ADVANCE!!!"


"PUSH!!!!! YOU HAVE THEM!!!!"



The Polish General attempts to turn the tide..


" I will take him myself." Skirgaila took his horn to his lips..." Cavalry CHARGE!!!!"


" THEY ARE BROKEN!!!!" " RUN THE DOGS DOWN!!!"

" SKIRGAILA!!!!" " THIS IS A VICTORY FOR THE AGES!!!"

" ALL HAIL SKIRGAILA!!!"..........Skirgaila wasn't so sure...Two hundred and thirty seven good men killed...Men that could not be replaced for the battles to come... But the Polish Army of the South had been annihilated and scattered... Only a handful of enemies had survived to skulk back toward Poland...or more likely, starve and freeze in the blinding winter snows.