[SS 6.3 AAR] Primus Inter Pares - The Kievan Rus *COMPLETED* (w/ Behind the Scenes and a video trailer)

[Radzeer]

Primus inter pares, meaning “the first among equals” described the Grand Prince of the Kievan Rus well in the 12th century. He was the actual ruler only when he was able to exercise his power via his military. Also, the “prince” title was carried on among the descendants even if they had no real power, providing endless opportunities for political intrigues and family infight. From the 12th century the Kievan Rus has declined and became fragmented, especially after the Mongols sacked Kiev in 1241. We’ll see if I can get some alternative history going.

I plan this to be a longer AAR than the Chronicle of a Hungarian Freeman. Its focus will be more extensive too. But this also means that I’ll probably have a bit shorter and less frequent updates (about 4-6 per month depending on my RL schedule).

The setup is the usual: SS 6.3, Early Era, Savage AI, Longer assimilation, H/H (I’m still a casual player ).

Happy reading everybody!

NEW Video trailer



---
Table of contents

Book I.

Prelude: Twenty years ago
1. Of neighbors and rebels
2. The Black Sea
3. The exile from Novgorod
4. The road to Azaq
5. Trouble in the west
6. The mountains of Transylvania
7. Succession
8. "With Fire and Sword" I.
9. "With Fire and Sword" II.
10. The frontiers of the Rus
11. War on the steppes
12. Fathers and sons
13. The Veil of Veronica
14. Princes and assassins
15. Reunion
16. The forest of ghosts
17. Vilnius
18. Brothers in arms
19. The new Grand Prince
20. The icy graves of Lithuania

Book II.

21. The Miloslavich diary
22. The Oath of Zhirovit
23. Revenge
24. New enemies
25. The Caucasus
26. Winter in Poland
27. The schemes of Yurii Yaroslavich
28. Enough blood spilled
29. The siege of Baku
30. Family matters
31. The riches of the east
32. Yaropolk the Conqueror
33. Like father, like son
34. Fog of war
35. The raid on Astrakhan
36. Soldiers of the black cross
37. Where the waves break
38. The soldier
39. The cleric
40. The lost brother

Book III.

41. Baptism of fire
42. The Catholic Prince
43. Reclaiming the Holy Land
44. Fever
45. The siege of Sarkel
46. Fighting the Horde
47. A Scandinavian affair
48. Dark days in Novgorod
49. The man from Tbilisi
50. The fall of Baku
51. Grim tidings
52. Under one banner
53. Frozen plains
54. Lovers and leaders
55. Warm winter
56. United in Christ no more
57. In the spirit of the fathers
58. The enemy within
59. The road to Kiev
60. Darkness
Epilogue - The Rus is the light

Appendix: Final family tree and character biographies (don't read it before reading the story)
Behind the scenes: The making of Primus Inter Pares

~

[la coupe est pleine]

Cool...

You are already ready for another good story. You didn't waste time...
Let make us dream about Kiev, the steppes, the immaculate fields in winter, the wars against the hordes of Mongols, and everything there...

I'm eagerly waiting for that new story.
I know your skills, and your talent.

It can't be good. It can just be amazing...

[S6k6l6v]

uck yeah, finally a promising Kievan Rus AAR. I loved your Hungarian AAR and really looking forward to see what you can come up with the Rus'. I'm playing a Kievan Rus campaign right now too (but in KGCM), and got them Mongols trotting around Kiev, so good luck to ya!

[Exarch]

awesome!!
i await with baited breath

[Desley]

Looking forward to read it.

[Mr. Bean Laden]

I eagerly wait for it

[Radzeer]

Wow, guys, thank you so much for the support! I'll try to live up to the expectations!

I am also thinking about some house rules to mimic the internal conflicts between factions as the family grows, like the faction leader or heir should be leading troops against other nations to assure the presence of the central power; and some limited recruitment, for example if a baron "rebels" then his region could not be used for royal recruitment to fight elsewhere etc. A lot depends on what kind of family the campaign will give me to work with.

[Lethe]

I'll be checking this out.

[ChivalrousKiller]

If this is just as good as your previous one, then it'll be fantastic

[S6k6l6v]

you want some house rules, get some "battle of the ice" action going.

[Thokran]

Definitely looking forward to this. I'm really enjoying the recent surge of Eastern European AARs, and I'm sure that this addition will be just as great as your last, if not better! Can't wait!

[Radzeer]

Prelude: Twenty years ago

The story begins in a small village in the east on a fateful day when many people perished. Rus soldiers were out on the steppe, looking for a band of raiders. Their commander, Captain Miloslav, stationed his archers and militia troops in the village while he and his riders were away. There was no sign of the enemy, and the captain was expected to return at any time. The village was quiet, wrapped in a false sense of security.

The morning fog hid the steppe raiders whose scouts approached the sleeping village to ambush the Rus soldiers.



The commander of the Cuman raiders was looking for this chance for a long time. In the past decades the Rus has extended its authority over large parts of the steppe, threatening the nomadic way of life.



The Cuman commander was determined to demonstrate who the real lords of the steppe are. He sent his troops around the village in small groups to surround the garrison.





When the troops were in place, he signaled the attack. His foot archers and riders were eager to spill blood.





By the time the Rus sentry has noticed them, they were almost in the village.



The Kievan archers had no time to deploy. In the confusion, the Cuman riders hunted them down with deadly precision.



A group of the attackers rode fast to secure the center from the other direction.



First they met with no resistance. The houses were silent, and the local peasants feared the worst.



A few minutes later they ran into the militia that put up a strong fight. The packed streets favored the Kievan soldiers with spears and pitchforks.



But before they could defeat the raiders, a group of Cumans attacked the militia from behind in the main square. With that, the tide of the battle has turned. Some of the Rus soldiers ran into the storage building to find shelter but the Cumans set it on fire.



The steppe archers were waiting for those who tried to escape the flames.





Once the militia and the archers were defeated, the Cumans started to pillage.



The raiders spared no one. They burned the houses, killed the peasants, and looted everything they could.



This was the time when the Rus commander arrived back. Miloslav saw the flames and the smoke from the distance.



The scattered raiders were quickly run down and met their cruel end.



Then the Rus cavalry charged through the streets toward the center.



By the time the Cuman commander realized where his enemy is, it was too late. Most of the lightly armed steppe horsemen were cut down in the melee where they could not use their deadly bows.





The raiders were finally defeated, but most of the Kievan infantry troops were killed too. The village was deserted with dead bodies everywhere. Miloslav sent soldiers around to look for survivors.



One of the young soldiers heard crying from a house half burned down. In front of the house there was the cold body of a peasant with two arrows in his back. At the door a woman lay slain. The soldier went into the house and saw three young boys, no older than seven, hiding behind a barrel and weeping. He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and reached out toward the boys. Soon all of them were in front of the captain.



“You lost your family today,” said the Kievan commander. “But we will not leave you behind. Too many have died already.” He looked into the fog but nobody was there. “We will help you find your new family,” he said quietly. The soldier who found the boys smiled at the youngest brother. “Everything will be fine, I promise,” he said. A few hours later the Rus troops left the silent village, heading back to the west.

This is how three young brothers cheated death and escaped that day. The oldest became a priest and a chronicler in the court of the Grand Prince. The second brother grew up to be a brave and noble warrior. But the youngest of the boys disappeared from history for many years to come.
~

[S6k6l6v]

awesome dude!

[Grouchio]

Sweet!

[la coupe est pleine]

Very interesting start Radzeer.

I would say you are a master when beginning a story!
And I like your idea about the 3 boys. You can write some very original AAR, divided by 3.

Option question : Did you play with that fog, or did you made it thanks to some edit tool?

[Radzeer]

awesome dude!

Thank you! I'll see if I can get some battle of the ice action going (need to wait for the Order to emerge, and snatch the victory from Novgorod )

Sweet!

Thanks, I'm glad you like it.

Very interesting start Radzeer.

I would say you are a master when beginning a story!
And I like your idea about the 3 boys. You can write some very original AAR, divided by 3.

Option question : Did you play with that fog, or did you made it thanks to some edit tool?

Thank you, la coupe! The story of three brothers... now I realize where exactly have I seen this...

I actually played the battle in the fog. I wanted to make sure that I have a realistic fog effect with depth. When I make fog in Photoshop, it never looks the same because it makes both the front and background elements fade the same way, losing the depth of the picture. Maybe I'm just not doing it the right way.
I very rarely adjust the color, brightness etc of the pictures - one exception was the burning hut pic, I had to make the fire a bit more red/yellow.
~

[Pakov]

I will follow that AAR

[Radzeer]

Chapter 1 is ready and will be uploaded some time tomorrow.
EDIT: I had some time today.

[Radzeer]

1. Of neighbors and rebels

It has been a hundred years ago since Vladimir the Great started the Christian conversion of the Rus. His son, Yaroslav the Wise continued his father’s work, leading to the Golden Age of the Rus. Now Kiev is ruled by Vladimir II, the grandson of Yaroslav.

To the south is the Roman Empire and Constantinople, the greatest city on Earth. They showed the light of Christianity to the Rus, and wife of the Grand Prince is Roman. The earlier conflicts are forgiven though maybe not forgotten, and now Kiev and Constantinople has a strong bond linking brothers in faith.

To the east are the Cuman tribes and other nomadic people. They are weak as a state, but strong as warriors. They are sometimes allies, but mostly enemies, and their raids often devastate the traders and farmers of the Rus. That needs to be addressed if Kiev is to become a power on the steppes.

To the north is Novgorod, the Orthodox cousins. The same blood flows in their veins, yet their sole existence is an insult. The prince of Novgorod used to be a vassal of Kiev, but now they are an independent state. But there can be only one master of the Rus people and it shall be Kiev.

To the west across the plains are the Catholic kingdoms, Hungary and Poland. Great powers in Central Europe, but they are looking to the east to expand. They are not to be trusted as they follow the Latin rites and the orders of the pope. Finally, between Poland and Novgorod lies the pagan Lithuania, wild tribes that serve no god but their own false idols.

And who knows what countries and people are beyond the borders of the neighbors? It matters not. The Rus is the light.



The young cleric put down the pen, stretched his legs and looked out of his tent. It was a beautiful sunset in the camp under Zhytomyr. The cleric’s name was Alexios, and he was working for the court. Now he accompanied Prince Mstislav, the commander of the besieging army. The Zhytomyr campaign was the Council’s idea, but the Prince was also eager to impress his Norwegian wife. Yet Alexios knew that taking Zhytomyr would mean a shared border and potential conflicts with Poland, including Catholic monks and priests trying to spread the Latin rites in the Rus.

It was getting dark. Alexios lit a candle and thought about the family of the Grand Prince.



Grand Prince Vladimir was the uncontested ruler of the Rus. There were no internal conflicts, and it seemed that his son, Prince Mstislav would be a widely accepted successor when the time comes. There was only one potential issue: his wife. Norway was Catholic, and some in Kiev were not happy with that influence, although the Varangian connection made many people proud.

Vladimir had two other sons: Yaropolk who was a young commander and governor of Bryansk in the northeast wilderness, and Yurii who was still a small child. He had a daughter too, Eupraxia who was in Novgorod with a diplomatic envoy. All the regional lords, even Georgii Patrikeev the powerful governor of Tmutarakan, accepted Vladimir’s authority without any question.



Alexios was optimistic about the siege. The Prince was a capable commander, and he had more than enough troops to take Zhytomyr. The talk in the court was that if Poland will not be hostile after taking Zhytomyr, the army will march north to subdue the independent principalities of Mensk and Smolensk.

Next day the sun was hiding behind the clouds when the Prince ordered the assault.



The Kievan soldiers took battle formations and the Prince was ready to fight for the Rus.



The commander of the town positioned his troops right behind the main gate.



The Prince ordered the archers to advance.



While one company pushed the ram toward the gate, two other companies targeted the defenders inside the walls.



The town commander did not wait to be a target, but opened the gates, and his infantry attacked the archers at the ram. The archers scattered, and the Prince sent in the infantry.



The Kievan infantry pushed the defenders back to the town. When they entered the gate, the local militia ran back toward the center.



But as the Kievan soldiers marched through the main street, suddenly enemy spearmen appeared from the alleys, stopping the advance. The Prince had to send in all the reserve infantry.





Meanwhile, the Kievan archers ran through the back streets and got around the defenders on the main square.



The town commander and his soldiers fought bravely and held back the attackers. This was the moment when the Prince decided to charge. He and his bodyguards galloped through the main street. The enemy commander looked at his mounted crossbowmen and ordered them to fire, but when he turned back to face the enemy the Rus knights were already there. He died immediately.



By the time the Kievan riders arrived to the main square, all resistance ended.



The casualties were fairly high, mostly because of the ambush on the main street. But the Prince did not allow any looting, hoping to pacify the town quickly. After all, the people of Zhytomyr were of the Rus too.



A few weeks later the army got the marching orders back to Kiev. The local council understood that from now on they have to pay the taxes to the Rus, and the Prince was also ready to leave. It was too late to start another campaign in this season, and Kiev offered more comforts than the newly conquered Zhytomyr.

Alexios did not care much for comfort. He grew up in a monastery and was used to the everyday hardships. He was clever and enthusiastic, but he always had some sadness in his eyes. Yet he was eager to return to Kiev too, because he was expecting a long awaited letter.

The Grand Prince welcomed the news of taking Zhytomyr, and the Council was satisfied too. But winter came early that year and brought bad news. Spies have reported that Mensk was already besieged by a large Polish army.



It did not take long for Mensk to fall. But the troublesome news was that with the Polish army a bishop and other Catholic clergymen arrived who started to convert the population. The Grand Prince knew that Kiev cannot risk a war with Poland yet, despite what some of the Orthodox refugees from Mensk wanted. The priority was now to expand fast and conquer the remaining independent principalities before facing a stronger enemy. Thus, Vladimir and the court planned an ambitious campaign season for next year.

The armies of the Rus were ordered to march in three different theaters. The Grand Prince decided to lead an army to the south to Oleshe, in order to gain access to the Black Sea and its trade routes. Then he ordered Georgii Patrikeev, the governor of Tmutarakan to attack the stronghold of Azaq, the main gateway to the steppe. Finally, Prince Mstislav was given the task to besiege Smolensk in the north. Smolensk was an independent city but with a Novgorod-friendly council which had to be replaced. Vladimir decided that this will be a good challenge for his son and heir.



Alexios was sitting by the small fire in his chamber and felt disappointed. The letter he was waiting for came from the easternmost monastery in Pereyaslav. It was a brief message: “Our missionary brothers found no trace of him.” Alexios stared into the fire and felt exhausted. It was not the first message of this kind, but he hoped for better news this time. Then after some meditation he opened another scroll and learned that he will accompany Mstislav again. He closed his eyes and sighed. Zhytomyr was an easy victory, but at the end of this road it was the northern wilderness waiting.
~

[Exarch]

you did not disappoint
well done