Kronicka Polska - A Series of Polish AAR's - Part 1 - Kiedy Storice Bylo Bogiem

[Brucha]

Now, the battle at the river crossing of the Viadua River was but an opening move for the expanding war between the Langobardi king and the Venedii starostas. Great hosts were on the move everywhere and more blood would be shed before all would be told forthright.

Now, in the north, Gorzyslav had received Radzim’s call for aid and with all haste gathered his army and marched swiftly to cross the Vistula River in the spring of four forty-three. In defense of his home, Gozyslav left his adopted son Biezdziad to guard the city with but a small token force for the starosta of the Boruscii had little men to spare to leave behind.

In response, Captain Badeloga turns aside from his march on Campus Venedae (the city now having been garrisoned by Radzim’s battered and bloodied troops fresh from the Battle of Południe Bridge) to march north instead. Eager to bring the enemy to battle, Gorzyslav too turned aside from his march on Campus Abotrites and marches south to meet Captain Badeloga.

In the south, following the narrow victory over the Langobardi, Radzim now retired his battered army to Campus Venedae, leaving the crossing that was sorely defended that summer now unguarded. For though the crossings had been held, it was at a high cost in men and now the bridge was to be abandoned while Radzim retreated north to gather more fighting men. To the east, Zbylut marched his small force southwards now towards the city of Campus Horvati on a sweeping raid deep into the enemy lands, burning and pillaging as he went.

The Sack of Campus Horvati and the Death of King Rando

And so that fall, Zbylut drew near to the Langobardi city of Campus Horvati. And the Vendii were almost dumb with astonishment when they approached the city from afar. At first there was much debate as to the course of action for Zbylut’s force was more a raiding party than an army and they were doubtful of their ability to take the city by storm. Yet, as they approached the city, no enemy host came out to meet them. Zbylut’s cavalry who had ridden on in front soon returned to report that the city was indeed occupied and the gate shut, but there were neither pickets on guard nor troops on the walls.

This second surprise held Zbylut back even more so and he feared a Langobardi trap and so they halted outside the city for the evening and reconnoitering parties were sent out to spy on the city and gather what news they could. Scouts were sent to the west to watch for approaching Langobardi armies as well. The Venedii sat before the walls for two days when a message was brought to Zbylut with the greatest of news. For it seemed that Radzim had agents within the city to act as spies and one of them, a Venedii named Biezdar, who spoke fluent Teuton and could pass as such, delivered a method for access to the city gates.



Biezdar promised the Venedii commander that, on the morrow, he and his men could overpower the pitifully tiny gate garrison and open the gates to allow Zbylut’s army in. Overwhelmed by this news, Zbylut now prepared his men for the coming dawn attack.



True to his word, Biezdar and his small band of men overpowered the gate garrison and the gate was swung open just as the sun broke over the horizon. And with that, the Venedii army, waiting in the early darkness of dawn, swarmed into the city unopposed.





The tiny city garrison, having woken to the terrible truth that the gates had been breached through subterfuge tried in vain to repel the Venedii in bloody street fighting but they were far too outnumbered and though the gates were retaken for some time, the counter-attack did not succeed.



The tyranny of the Langobardi invasion on their homeland was unleashed in the slaughter of the citizens of the city. Seized by a frenzy of vengeful blood lust, the Venedii cut their way through the streets, breaking open houses, shops and butchering every man, woman and child they could find.

As the Venedii swarmed over the city, King Rando now called forth his last remaining men and prepared for a final stand within the city.





But the fight had been taken out of the Langobardi and though their king raised his sword in defiance to the invaders, he was cut down by Zbylut’s cavalry in the streets.



As the news of their king’s death spread, so did panic and fear and the Langobardi dropped their weapons to turn to flee. The killing went on for several hours as the Venedii went street by street seeking out any remaining defenders and out them to the sword until none could be found.

[Brucha]

I noticed that in my last two posts I made a minor mistake in dates. The last two posts should have covered the time period of Spring, Summer and Fall of 443 AD. I fixed it so that there is no confusion, as well as made changes to the Chapter List. I still need to complete the AAR posts for the Winter of 443 AD - it seems that the write-ups take me longer than playing the game!

I also experienced a series of Ctd's - each time they occurred after completing a certain battle that I have to write-up. I tried to fight the battle four times, and had a CtD afterwards each time. The only thing that seemed to prevent it from happening was to fight another battle first that turn and then the battle that was causing the CtD. Very strange...but I was able to complete the two battles and move on through the turn.

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

Edit: Good job! Nice Strategy!

[Merula]

Hi Brucha, i have started reading this ambitious project yesterday, and i really like the idea!!

So that got me thinking about the different mods you could use for your "series", RIO being an excellent choice to start off with.

But i did notice that you had said you might use the Sicilian Vespers dark age mod for your second section, and i just thought i'd ask whether you would like to use my mod (that i work for ) for the late dark age section?
It looks like you will be doing this part of the AAR for a while yet, and my mod will be finished most likely towards the end of this year

Our mod, Heiðinn Veðr, starts in 968AD and is focused on the struggles between christianity and paganism in europe (there is barely any middle east on the map)

We feature Poland starting off as a dukedom then (through certain scripts) it can progress into kingdom-hood. Then you could start the middle ages section with SV!!

So i just thought id let you know and good luck with this awesome looking project!!! +rep

Blip

Click my sig if you want a link to our mod

[Brucha]

Hi Brucha, i have started reading this ambitious project yesterday, and i really like the idea!!

So that got me thinking about the different mods you could use for your "series", RIO being an excellent choice to start off with.

But i did notice that you had said you might use the Sicilian Vespers dark age mod for your second section, and i just thought i'd ask whether you would like to use my mod (that i work for ) for the late dark age section?

It looks like you will be doing this part of the AAR for a while yet, and my mod will be finished most likely towards the end of this year

Our mod, Heiðinn Veðr, starts in 968AD and is focused on the struggles between christianity and paganism in europe (there is barely any middle east on the map)

We feature Poland starting off as a dukedom then (through certain scripts) it can progress into kingdom-hood. Then you could start the middle ages section with SV!!

So i just thought id let you know and good luck with this awesome looking project!!! +rep

Blip

Click my sig if you want a link to our mod

Thank you Blip99 for the interest and praise of the AAR! I originally had planned to include five AAR's for the entire time period, but was forced to reduce it to four after discovering a problem with the mod I planned on using to cover the time frame between Kiedy Storice Bylo Bogiem - When the Sun was a God and Gesta Principum Polonorum - Deeds of the Princes of Poland 888-1222 AD.

I am currently awaiting the release of AoD III to evaluate whether of not including it as the fifth AAR (to be played between this AAR and Gesta Principum Polonorum). I did take a look at your mod and it looks interesting. I will compare it with AoD III and decide after that whether or not to include a fifth AAR in the series.

I finally broke down and purchased Empire Total War and I am considering expanding the AAR series to include the 17th to 19th centuries as well. However, I am not fully decided on that decision as of yet.

[Merula]

Thank you Blip99 for the interest and praise of the AAR! I originally had planned to include five AAR's for the entire time period, but was forced to reduce it to four after discovering a problem with the mod I planned on using to cover the time frame between Kiedy Storice Bylo Bogiem - When the Sun was a God and Gesta Principum Polonorum - Deeds of the Princes of Poland 888-1222 AD.

I am currently awaiting the release of AoD III to evaluate whether of not including it as the fifth AAR (to be played between this AAR and Gesta Principum Polonorum). I did take a look at your mod and it looks interesting. I will compare it with AoD III and decide after that whether or not to include a fifth AAR in the series.

I finally broke down and purchased Empire Total War and I am considering expanding the AAR series to include the 17th to 19th centuries as well. However, I am not fully decided on that decision as of yet.

Yeah thats what i thought I would have to say though that Empire does not have much room for Role Playing, as its kinda limited (family tree is static, generals die regularly and you cant connect with any characters in the game) basically everyone in Empire feels like cannon fodder
It would still be nice though, and who knows Poland might find its way to invading Japan hahaha

[Brucha]

And so, My Lord, the War with the Langobardi had closed on its first winter of four forty-three, and the advancing Venedii had invaded Langobardi territory and sacked the city of Campus Horvati and brought death to their king, Rando. While the frightened citizens of the city fled into the surrounding countryside, the Venedii underwent an orgy of pillaging and looting and burning of everything in the city.

Many of the city’s buildings were ransacked as the Venedii poured over the city in a frenzy of bloodlust for three days. But Zbylut, even as his men brought ruin to the Langobardi city, was beginning to be vexed. For though he had won a great victory, there were great numbers of enemy on the move to the west and he was coming to think that he could not hold Campus Horvati against a determined assault. And instead of holding out against an attack, Zbylut had begun to give orders to his army to pack up and depart as quickly as possible. To what in the city could not be taken or removed, Zbylut ordered destroyed as to leave nothing for the Langobardi to use. Even so, the Venedii were laden heavily in their march northwards from Campus Horvati and with them his men brought upwards of fourteen thousand denarii worth of gold and loot.

Meanwhile, it happened that Gorzyslav had marched west from Campus Borusci answering the call from the starosta of Campus Venedae for aid. And he was greatly amazed in the inactivity of the Langobardi who had invaded from the west and crossed the Viadua River that spring. First east then south, Captain Badeloga marched, seemingly unwilling to engage neither in battle nor with any sort of objective. For though the starosta halls of Radzim lay unguarded and defenseless to the south (for he had marched south to Południe Bridge that spring), Badeloga was thus seized with indecisiveness. And only with the arrival of Gorzyslav’s army from the east did he act with determination and Badeloga once more turned aside to march north to meet the oncoming Boruscii army.

To this, Gorzyslav was glad, for he was eager to bring the Langobardi army to battle in a decisive clash of arms. It was Gorzyslav that had distinguished himself by the defeat of the Veltae and of the Abotritii, and when word reached him in his halls of Campus Borusci of the crossing of the Viadua by the Langobardi, he wasted no time in his pursuit. And so, it was that winter of four forty-three that the two armies met on the field of battle.

Battle of Inowrocławska Plain
Now the location which the two armies clashed was along a road north of Campus Venedae that crossed a great open plain flanked to both the west and east by light forests. By winter of that year, Gorzyslav had turned from his march towards Campus Abotritii to march south to engage the Langobardi. Yet as winter came, he ordered his men bivouacked and camped for the rush of the deep winter was upon them. Badeloga, meanwhile, did not encamp and rigorously continued his march northwards, striving to gain the road from the west and south.

When scouts brought word of the arrival of the Langobardi army from the south, Gorzyslav was ecstatic and he broke up his encampment and carefully positioned his men squarely across the northern end of the plain and awaited Badeloga’s arrival.



As the Langobardi drew from their marching columns, Gorzyslav calmly positioned his men along a front atop a low slope overlooking the enemy advance. To the left and right he positioned his trusted voje with his spear-armed borcje holding the center. In the rear to his right he placed his elite druzina warriors and to the left his konnica horsemen. Screening his front, Gorzyslav sent forth his skirmisher lekki voje.

Meanwhile, Badeloga drew his men up into a single battle line, with warbands holding the opposite flanks. To hold his center, he placed his peasant levies, and Lemovii and Heruli allies.



Outnumbered, Badeloga seemed reluctant to give battle (as the Boruscii held the high ground) and thus after a time of both armies facing one another in silent inactivity, Gorzyslav choose to act. He first sent forward his skirmishers to harass and pepper the enemy center with volleys of javelins. Many of the Lemovii allies fell as they stood under the barrage and yet Badeloga did not order the attack, nor did he attempt to drive the enemy skirmishers away.

As he called back his skirmishers, Gorzyslav now ordered a general attack down the slope towards the enemy, having little but contempt for Badeloga's cowardliness. With a rolling drum beat and the harsh cries of the Boruscii warriors rending the air, Gorzyslav’s line moved forward and down the slope towards the enemy line with a relentless march. With a crash the Boruscii line broke onto the enemy front with the heaviest blow landing on the Langobardi left flank, for it was here that Gorzyslav ordered forth his strongest attack with his borcje and voje, and supported by the druzina. And with great swiftness, he ordered his horsemen to ride round the enemy flanks in unison with the forward attack.



Under the heavy assault on the right flank, the Langobardi war band soon gave way and began to give ground and as Gorzyslav’s horsemen rode round their rear, the Langobardic cried out and turned to flee. Yet they were now trapped, with the Boruscii infantry pressing from the front even as Gorzyslav now slammed into their rear with his horsemen. It was too much and the Langobardi soon began to rout, dropping their weapons to turn to run from the battle.

Elsewhere, the Langobardi initially held their ground despite the heavy assault all along the rest of the line. But it was the peasant levies, poorly trained and equipped, were next to begin to crumble. With the press of the borcje down the slopes onto the enemy center, Gorzyslav’s konnica now appeared round the flank and fell upon the enemy’s rear in a devastating charge. Within moments, the levies had lost the fight and tried vainly to flee, only to be overwhelmed by the swift konnica. The rout spread as a wild fire along the line and the Lemovii too began to waver from the assault and soon turned to flee to the rear, with the Boruscii in fast pursuit.

Now, with his right flank turned and his center crumbling, Badeloga tried vainly to bolster the remaining pockets of resistance by charging into the fray with his personal guard. But even as he gave the order, the remainder of his line began to buckle and give ground. First the left flank gave way, the warband therein turning to flee to the south and then the Herulii, now overwhelmed to the fronk and rear and flank, too gave way and were swept away in an uncontrollable retreat.



With utter cowardliness, Badeloga held his charge forward and rather turned to flee from the battlefield, leaving his men to their fate.

[Brucha]

Thus with Gorzyslav’s victory over Badeloga, the north was relieved from the Langobardi invasion, and it was now time that the starosta of the Venedii, Radzim, to act, for the Langobardi now pressed the invasion from the south once more. Now Hariulfas had retaken the burned remnants of Campus Horvati and gave pursuit to Zbylut’s retreating forces towards Campus Venedae. In a swift advance, Hariulfas marched north with little difficulty and soon drew near to the frontier of the Venedii lands. And here he halted, despite that Zbylut was making no attempt to guard the approaches from the south and instead fell back to Campus Venedae. Seemingly not fully acquainted with the country and afraid of ambush or having is flank turned, Hariulfas now opted not to advance further but posted his army along the frontier along a wide plain with the road towards Campus Horvati to his rear and he made camp for the winter.

Now, following the Battle of Południe Bridge in the fall of four forty-three, Radzim had retired back to Campus Venedae with his battered army to rebuild his forces even as Zbylut retreated north from Campus Horvati, with Hariulfas in pursuit. In all earnest, Radzim gathered fresh troops and marched with all haste to meet the Langobardi to the east.

And Hariulfas’ refusal to advance further north gained Radzim much needed time to encounter them with his rebuilt army. It was no season to resume fighting, with the heavy snows having already covering the ground, yet march he did from Campus Venedae with all haste eastwards.

Now the road north from Campus Horvati followed a narrow plain that stretched north and was bordered by forest and hills. And Radzim desired battle above all else, for he sensed Hariulfas’ hesitation and he now held numerical superiority over the Langobardi. Radzim met the Langobardi camped at the north end of the wide level plain and he hoped that his swift march would catch the enemy unawares, as they seemed not expect a winter attack.

Battle of Psie Pole
Now, Hariulfas’ complacency continued to mount even as Radzim approached the Langobardi camp along the road, for he made no move to disrupt the Venedii advance and thus Radzim was allowed to reach the battlefield unhindered by the enemy. With little sense of haste, the enemy disgorged from their encampment and positioned their lines squarely across the road as Radzim drew up his battle lines just north of the enemy positions.



Here Radzim was struck with inspiration, for he now saw Hariulfas’ hesitation in neither disrupting his advance nor his deployment and he now knew that he could provoke some of the Langobardi into an unorganized attack.

The morning that broke across the cloudy sky was cold and snowy and grey. Hariulfas was still languishing from the fever of indecision and inactivity yet this was not so for many of his men. Despite the seemingly indecision of their leader, the Langobardi men were much caught with impetuousness and being quite headstrong in their desire to come to blows with the enemy. The expanse of land between the two armies was flat and treeless and so Radzim threw his men into a wide front line, with his flanks held by his Voje on the left and borcje on the right. But his center was held by the great numbers of his heavy infantry, the togi voje. Behind them he placed his skirmisher lekki voje and on the flanks stood his konnica and allied Alan cavalry.

When all was ready, Radzim sent forward his konnica to harass the enemy line from a distance, discharging their javelins from a safe distance. Now the day was quite raw and snow was falling and the Langobardi had stood under arms for some time awaiting the deployment of the enemy. And despite the general orders from Hariulfas, the provocative advance of the enemy cavalry was soon too much to bear for some of his men. Eager to come to grips with their foes and unwilling to stand under the harrowing barrage of missiles, one group of Langobardi axe men cried aloud and charged forth from the main line. Here is what Radzim had anticipated and he quickly signaled for his konnica to retire with the Langobardi axe men in pursuit.



Headlong the Langobardi axe men crashed into the right flank of the Venedii line and straight into the bristling shield wall of the borcje. Now finding themselves outnumbered and with no friendly support, panic began to spread among the axe men as the borcje, far outnumbering the attacking Langobardi, soon wrapped around the enemy flanks to both sides in a death grip.



Sensing the initiative slipping away, Hariulfas now ordered the rest of his line forward, throwing the majority of his weight in support of the unordered attack on the Venedii right flank. With the order finally given, the Langobardi pushed forward in dense masses towards the Venedii line with a great rumble. Yet not all his strength was thrown onto the enemy right flank, and Hariulfas sent forth a single group of swordsmen against the enemy left flank and a slightly larger assault on Radzim’s center.



Straight into the voje and togi voje on the Venedii left flank did the Langobardi swordsmen charge, only to finds themselves soon outnumbered and quickly overwhelmed. As the main Langobardi assault shook the Venedii center and extreme right flank, the Langobardi swordsmen quickly gave ground and a panic seized them and the men began to turn to run off towards the encampment.



Sensing an opening, Radzim now recalled his left flank to turn it towards the main fighting and now ordered his Alan allied cavalry forward to pursue and run down the retreating enemy. In the center, they fell upon the flank of the assaulting enemy and took them by surprise and fierce hand-to-hand fighting broke out all along the line. And with the weight of superior numbers, the Venedii soon began to throw back the enemy assault step by bloody step. A complete victory seemed to be close and now Radzim’s Alan allied cavalry had succeeded in completely destroying the enemy left flank. He quickly gave the order for his konnica to now sweep round the enemy flanks as well and the konnica and Alan allied cavalry fell upon the enemy from the rear.





Dismayed, the Langobardi began to retreat almost immediately and soon the withdrawal turned into a rout as the surviving Langobardi sought desperately and cowardly to flee the field en mass. Now knowing victory was at hand, radzim unleashed his men forward to trample and cut down the fleeing enemy all over the field. And the killing did not stop for many hours, until dusk approached, as Radzim’s men sought out the remaining fleeing groups across the snow-swept plain.

[Brucha]

I must apologize for the lack of posts, but I have had a difficult time deciding on my next course of action in the current game. The war with the Langobardi has been dragging on far more than I had anticipated. This is due the the terrible AI diplomacy in the game - despite the fact that I have beaten them in battle every time (as well sacking two of their largest cities), they refuse to accept peace. After some delay, I decided to simply continue with the game as the present situation exists so that I do not fall behind. I should be able to post a new write-up over the week end.

[Merula]

I must apologize for the lack of posts, but I have had a difficult time deciding on my next course of action in the current game. The war with the Langobardi has been dragging on far more than I had anticipated. This is due the the terrible AI diplomacy in the game - despite the fact that I have beaten them in battle every time (as well sacking two of their largest cities), they refuse to accept peace. After some delay, I decided to simply continue with the game as the present situation exists so that I do not fall behind. I should be able to post a new write-up over the week end.

See if you can get someone to make you a force diplomacy mod for it, i think you are playing IB are you not? and just use it sparingly for major decisions like ceasefires or when you believe the AI SHOULD have actually accepted your vassalage of them

[Brucha]

Diplomacy is broken in RTW alas - looking forward to the update though!

See if you can get someone to make you a force diplomacy mod for it, i think you are playing IB are you not? and just use it sparingly for major decisions like ceasefires or when you believe the AI SHOULD have actually accepted your vassalage of them

Actually, the delay on updates is partially due to my failed attempts at tracking down a Forced Diplomacy mod but could not find one. If someone knows of one that is compatable with INVASIO BARBARORVM certainly let me know.

Indecision is also a reason for my delay of updating. I was literally unable to decide of my course of action with the Langobardi. I am facing no danger from them since I have severaly damaged their infrastructure and economy. However, the war nonetheless drags on.

In the end, I decided to just continue with the war no matter how long it endures, but decided to pull my troops back from enemy territory and only fight battles when the Langobardi crosses the frontier. If need be, I can always sack a couple more cities if need be.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Diplomacy is broken in RTW alas - looking forward to the update though!

[Merula]

Hang on i will try and find one for you

As for the Langobardi, i would recommend hoarding them into the roman empire, that is if you have the upper hand on them, you can do this by placing forts around their last settlement, though leaving one gap for them to come out of, then its basically about 'herding' them south. Hoarding armies generally dont come back to thier homelands not in any of my games in any case!

EDIT: It appears the only IB mod that has working Force Diplomacy is SAI which is not your timeframe...although you may want to go over there and ask how they did it?
EDITx2: Give this a try, maybe you can make sense of it, apparently it has worked in other mods http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=85442

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

Good job on your latest battles

[Brucha]

Hang on i will try and find one for you

As for the Langobardi, i would recommend hoarding them into the roman empire, that is if you have the upper hand on them, you can do this by placing forts around their last settlement, though leaving one gap for them to come out of, then its basically about 'herding' them south. Hoarding armies generally dont come back to thier homelands not in any of my games in any case!

EDIT: It appears the only IB mod that has working Force Diplomacy is SAI which is not your timeframe...although you may want to go over there and ask how they did it?
EDITx2: Give this a try, maybe you can make sense of it, apparently it has worked in other mods http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=85442

The problem with the forced diplomacy mod (as far as adopting it to a mod) is to make sure you have made all pertinent corrections in the script for the factions in the particular mod. It can be done, but is simply time consuming. I might just continue to play without it and see what happens.

Good job on your latest battles

I have had alot of (dumb) luck and typical stupid AI tactics in battle so far. I have managed to soundly beat the Langobardi in every battle so far, unfortunately I must be able to continue to do this to the end of the game without too many drastic defeats in order to survive to the end.

The game thus far is shaping up rather strangely. In trying to play historically, I have limited my knowledge of the wider world to a minimum and have restricted to knowing only those lands just along my borders. Thus I have scant knowledge of whats going on in much of the world.

For instance, only last turn I spotted a pair of rebel army stacks (one a full stack in command of a general and another half stack) that were listed as "Ostrogoths". It seems that the Ostrogoth faction has had some deal of difficulty with these rebels (whether they were rebel-spawned or an AI general rebelled?), and this has restricted the faction from pushing north into Langobardi lands. The two rebels stacks were sitting on the Ostrogoth frontier for several turns and then withdrew without attacking.

The Huns, meanwhile, seem not to be expanding very much, although here too my knowledge is scant as best. I finally decided to march a diplomat down to Constantinople to speak with the Emperor and perhaps make an alliance with them. Maybe then I can get an idea of how the rest of the world is shaping up.

[Brucha]

And so, My Lord, the war against the Langobardi, to which I had become a chronicler of, had now drawn nigh upon its first year as the snows of winter began to melt and fade away. Terrible damage had been wrought upon the Langobardi in that time; Campus Horvati was sacked and burned and their king, Rando, had been killed and the city lay in ruin. The Langobardi invasion of the north was thwarted at the Battle of Inowrocławska Plain and the Teutons had been pushed out of all the Venedae lands and the cream of the Langobardi manhood lay dead and dying upon the fields of a half a dozen battlefields.

And yet the Langobardi did not yield and calls from the Venedii starostas for peace to once settle and the two peoples to forego further bloodshed fell upon deaf ears, for the lust of conquest was strong in the Langobardi.

Thus, even as Radzim celebrated his victory at the Battle of Psie Pole, now Gorzyslav was on the move. Marching relentlessly from the north, he now crossed the Viadua River in the Spring of four hundred and forty-four to march on Campus Sorabs to bring the fight to the enemy’s lands fully and without mercy.

As Gorzyslav crossed the Viadua, the Langobradi made a goodly show of resistance and the Południe Bridge. But when his men had crossed the river in force, the Langobardi turned their backs and went away south flying back to Campus Sorabs and abandoned the crossing.

Cautious of a counter-attack, Gorzyslav rode slowly south until his army stood before the walls of the city as the summer drew forth. There he sojourned thus for three days and took council with his men to settle what things they should do. Most of his men were firmly minded that scaling ladders b ought to be built and the attack made with all haste, lest reinforcements from the west arrive to lift the siege. Others called for a long siege and to starve the Langobardi out. All this while, no one came out of the city against them, as for every man.

But Gorzyslav wished to take the city but to also crush the last of the Langobardi resistance in one stroke. And thus he called the building of rams and of ladders and threw a ring round the city to prevent anyone from escaping or from approaching from without. And he ordered his men to begin to build huts for quarters as the thought was that the siege would keep up through the coming winter.

Siege of Campus Sorabs

As the siege ended its first month, relief arrived from the west as Captain Gunderic came upon the field ahead of a small force bent upon forcing his way through to the beleaguered city. And yet, Gunderic was hopelessly outnumbered and even with the aid of the city garrison, he could not hope to field more than half of that of the Venedii.



On the morning of June 18, Gunderic launched his doomed attack, having sent word to the city garrison and imploring them to launch an attack from without to aid him. Though terribly outnumbered, Gunderic’s attack was stiff and fierce and good, though doomed from the start for his peas for aid from the city garrison was unanswered and no attack from the city was forthcoming.[

In desperation, Gunderic and his men charged the great host surrounding the city and fought there, hand-to-hand, with axes and swords. The initial assault was readily repulsed and yet Gunderic redoubled his efforts and attacked once more, but the outcome was the same. He had far too few men and the enemy was far too many for his small army to force a victory against. And by the afternoon, Gunderic and his men lay wounded and dying upon the fields in view of the city walls.



Thus the siege continued unabated and through the summer Gorzyslav remained encamped round the city, holding it in a death grip. And yet the city garrison did nothing but stand before the high walls. But when the season for the new harvest approached, there came again a relief force from the west. It was Horsa, third son of the fallen king, Rando, who had marched on the city with the sole purpose to force the Venedii to give him battle and fight his way to the doomed city.

Before him, he sent word to the garrison of his approach and pleaded with them to come to the attack and sent forth sorties to break the siege. But even as he approached the city, he heard no response and feared the worst.

[/B]

Then Horsa, sensing the gravity of the situation, called for an immediate assault as soon as his men were in position. Terribly outnumbered, Horsa hoped for an decisive blow to the enemy flank and thus opted to throw the bulk of his weight upon the Venedii left flank. To draw from the main assault, he sent forth a smaller force against the enemy’s right flank, but this was but a diversion.



The battle was begun by a hopeless charge of Horsa’s Heruli spearmen allies upon the Vendii right flank. Meanwhile, the main blow fell upon the opposite flank as Horsa’s men charged and got to close quarters with the Venedii, grappling man to man in a desperate plea for victory.

But the Venedii, far outnumbering the hopeless Langobardi, soon got the upper hand. The Heruli attack on the right flank was repulsed and even driven back with much loss among the Heruli. For a short time, the attack on the Venedii left flank made some advance and the Langobardi fought gallantly, but they were soon overwhelmed by the sheer weight of a strong Venedii counter-attack and they began to give way and retire to the rear.



The attack on the left flank had now been forced back and even now threatened to be surrounded on all sides as the Heruli on the opposite flank gave more and more ground. And here Gorzyslav saw his opportunity, for the two sections of the Langobardi army had become wholly separated and a gap appeared in the line of fighting. Through this hole Gorzlsav sent charging front his cavalry to engage the enemy cavalry still held in reserve. The lighter Langobardi cavalry was soon routed as it fled far to the rear and now Horsa found himself surrounded by the numerical Vendii cavalry. It was at this point that Horsa fell in the thick of the fighting.

[/B]

As word of Horsa’s death swept across the field, the Langobardi, sorely pressed to stop the relentless Venedii counter-attack, now gave up all hope and began to flee the field in earnest.

It was at this time that the garrison of the city choose to arrive on the field, even as the remnants of Horsa’s men flew from the battle. Unorganized and haphazardly, the garrison drew up in a long battle line and prepared for the inevitable charge.

Without plan or strategy, the Langobardi charged the strongly-held Venedii line. Indeed, the initial attack upon the enemy right flank failed to reach the Venedii line before being disrupted by missile fire and a counter-charge of the Venedii Konnica cavalry.

Meanwhile, the Langobardi attack upon the left flank was coldly stopped and even repulsed with little loss to the Venedii. With both attacks stalled, Gorzyslav now launched a bloodly counter-attack and soon the Langobardi resolve was broken and the tattered remains of the garrison was fleeing the field.



It was at this point that, a snight set in the fighting came to a halt. But in the minds of the Venedii, the city was far from taken. They expected fighting still to last for weeks to come, perhaps even months. In their minds things were far from decided. And yet, the Venedii awoke the next day, expecting the siege to continue, only to find that the city lay open and the garrison gone. There was no opposition. The city surrendered.

[Constantius]

Very good, the quality remains. Have you no luck with Forced diplomacy?

[Brucha]

Very good, the quality remains. Have you no luck with Forced diplomacy?

Unfortunately no luck on the Forced Diplomacy mod - the script would have to be modded to fit the exact factions in the game. A simple thing really just time consuming but I dont have the available time right now now to do so.

I had a discussion with Rio about the diplomacy dilemma - he laid out that after some time in the mod, there develops four to six juggernaut factions that gobble everything else in the game. Since the victory conditions for my first game is simply survival, I might not succeed, though I always have the ability to horde to fall back on.

I did play several turns past the fall of 444 AD, but need to complete the write-ups, so stay tuned.

[Brucha]

The Pillage of Campus Sorabs
Much surprised thus, My Lord, was Gorzlslav’s men following the defeat of Horsa’s force in front of the walls of Campus Sorabs, for though the relief force had been defeated, they now expected to be forced to contest control of the city street for street, and house by house with the embittered Langobardi defenders. But there was much that the Venedae did not see, for the walls of the city now lay undefended, the city folk defeated and people had already begun to flee the city in droves.

And thus began the sack of Campus Sorabs, the richest of the Langobardi cities. No one controlled the Venedae troops are they flooded into the undefended city. Thousands of defenseless citizens were slaughtered. Women and children, old men and young boys, were killed outright in a frenzied bloodletting. Those frightened citizens who had chosen to remain ran out of their homes and into the streets only to be cut down by the rampaging Venedae. And others were massacred in their houses or in the pagan temples they foolishly thought would grant them a reprieve from the violence.

Blustered by the long campaign and siege, the Venedae men gave no quarter. When they had massacred and there was no longer any resistance, they now turned their intent upon pillaging and roamed the streets stealing, robbing, pillaging, and looting. The pagan temples were desecrated, ransacked and pillaged. Those sacred objects not of value were scornfully flung aside and those of wealth were piled high to be hauled off or melted down to be sold later.

And thus, in the winter of four hundred and forty-four, Gorzyslav now returned to the north after the long siege to his own lands, enriched by the loot they had received.

Such was the devastation and hurt brought to the Langobardi that they did not venture forth from their lands for some time. Though no formal peace was breached between the Venedae and Langobardi, there now came a time of relative peace between the two foes. For two years no hostilities broke this peace and the Langobardi seemed content to disregard their claims to war and to rebuild their shattered lands that had been ravaged by the marauding Venedii a year earlier.

Map of the Venedii Lands - Circa 444 AD

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Of the Starosta of the Boruscii
My Lord, let me now relate the sweeping changes that had overtaken the lands of the Venedae since I first set eyes upon their lands. Through many trials and bloodshed, much had occurred since I first began to dwell among these barbarous peoples.



Let us recall the fact that Gorzlslav, the starosta of the Boruscii, had one father named Vojbor, was of the age of forty-three and had never married, seeming to shun the desire for marital life for that of a warrior and a military leader. Much time did he spend in the field and seldom did he rest at the starosta halls in Campus Borusci. Yet the wiec of the Boruscii, worried about a successor to the office of starosta, implored Gorzyslav to marry and bear an heir, but he did not for the love of war and of battle was strong in him.

To quell the rising and constant pressures of the wiec of his peoples, Gorzyslav did select the bravest and most renowned of his tribal warriors and took him as his own son. Biezdziad, son of Cibor, was his name and this choice was looked unfavorably by the wiec, for Biezdziad was but ten years junior to the starosta at the time of the formal adoption.

As starosta of the Boruscii, Gorzyslav regulated much of the administrative duties to his adopted son and spend many years in the field to which his desire for martial prowess yearned for. He had defeated Abotritii and Veltae in battle and conquered the lands of Campus Abotrites and Campus Vicus Baltia. Gorzyslav turned the tide of the Langobardi invasion in the north and sacked the great city of Campus Sorabs. In but nine years, Gorzyslav had tripled the lands of the Brouscii and made himself the most powerful of all the Venedii starosta. The lands of the Boruscii now stretched from the banks of the Viadua River and along the Northern Sea, all the way into the east to the Rhu River whence the Huns dwelt.



Before elected as starosta of the Boruscii, Gorzyslav had been raised by his father as a farmer, and much love did he hold for the soil and a fondness for the simple life of a simple toiler of the earth. And yet, as starosta, the call to battle was strong and in warfare, he did prove to be a most capable commander in the field. His countless victories over the Abotritii, Veltae and Langobardi showed signs of military greateness within him and his list of victories did much to build confidence in his men for he never felt uneasy in battle but rather treated it as an old friend to be greeted and enjoyed.
But to his adopted son, Biezdziad, whose wife was named Bernildis and who stood to inherit the position of starosta, was of different cloth than his adopted father. Chosen among some of the best of the Boruscii warriors, Biezdziad had set himself apart as a leader whose skills in warfare were in ascension. As a tribal war leader, he had shown his adherence to training and detail that, though seen as an unwelcome duty, and was well loved by his men.



And yet, the lavish lifestyle among the halls of the starosta did little to nurture the warrior within him and Biezdziad soon fell victim to the most heinous of vices and of slovenly behavior. Charged with the daily administration of his adopted father’s domain, he soon showed a liking for more mundane pleasures. Soon there was much gossip concerning his habits of gambling and growing disregard for more lordly responsibilities. Indeed, there was darker talk whispered among the starostas men of growing moral flexibility of Biezdziad, and that more monies seemed to be spent on the man’s personal vices than in well-being of the people of the starosta.

But little of this talk was brought to the starosta, who held all confidence in his beloved adopted son, despite the growing concerns among his highest councilors and advisors. So great was the starosta in the eyes of his people, that even wiec chose silence rather than confrontation over the growing malignancy seeming to grow within Biezdziad.

Of the Starosta of the Venedii
Now the starosta of the Vendae was Radzim, son of Nadbor, of whom I have mentioned before. He had two siblings bore by his beloved wife Ramis, his eldest being his daughter Othelhilds and his son Storgobor. Yet too did Radzim select to adopt a son of his own, that being Zbylut, son of Volrad, whose wife was Eponina. Once the greater of the starosta among the Venedii, Radzim had accomplished much for his people yet the star of Gorzyslav had overtaken him in recent years.



Like his brother starosta in the north, Radzim was of farmer stock but quickly left those trappings behind in the halls of the starosta where he did make a name for himself as a competent military commander. Well known for his ability to inspire his men in battle he was beloved by his men for his heroic deeds on the field of battle. Yet he was of a scholar of sorts as well, and much of his time as starosta was spent dealing with the administrative aspects of his station for his skills in such matters was widely accepted.



And yet, much was the talk of late of the seeming change in the starosta over the years. Less prone to activity that in the past, Radzim spent more time now in his halls than in the field, as a starosta would and much was the gossip of his growing vices that seemed to occupy his time more than ever in the past. However, weakened though he meay seem, Radzim still held great sway over his people and that of his brethren to the north, the Boruscii and ever the consummate politician he did seem still. Yet more and more did he prefer the lavish halls of Campus Venedae to that of the field and began to leave more and more the tasks of battle to his adopted son, Zbylut.

Of his adopted son, Zbylut, son of Volrad, whose wife was Eponina, had a son, Przysnobor, who ws the younger of his step-brother, Strogobor. Once a promising tribal war leader, Zbylut had distinguished himself on the field of battle against the Langobardi time and time again and his skills as a general were now well-known among the Venedii.



Indeed, the defences of the Venedii lands now fell more and more to the responsibility of Zbylut while his adopted father looked more to the simple pleasures of his halls in Campus Venedae.

[Brucha]

Before I post my next AAR report, I must explain a change that I have made. Initially, I had planned upon not conquering any settlements othet than the two I began the game with (those being Campus Borusci and Campus Venedae). However, after a discussion with Rio about how I will probably be steam-rolled over later in the game, I decided to change some things up a bit.

With the war against the Abortritii and Veltae early on in the AAR, I had captured the rebel towns of Vicus Baltia and Campus Abotrites. SInce they were rebel settlements, I sacked them and then vacated, believing they would revert back to rebel control after a riot. They never did so, as far as the AAR story went, I consdered that the settlements did revert back to the rebels and that any income I gained from them was in the form of tribute. I did not build any improvements in them, garrisoon troops in them, nor did I train troops either.

I now will consider both settlements as part of my lands, to improve and train troops as I see fit. However, since it was Gorzyslav of the Boruscii that had originally sacked them, both settlements will be under the control of the Boruscii, making them (at least geographically) three times bigger than Campus Venedae and Radzim the starosta there. However, they are in poor shape, having been sacked and looted and nothing replaced for some time.

Hopefully, using these settlements will aid me in staying alive in the game until the end.

On another note, I did manage to secure some peace with the Langobardi for about two years - or rather I destroyed so much of their economy and military that it took two years in the game before they could field another army to attack me! During that time, I left them alone and pulled all my troops back. that will be covered in the next AAR. I am still looking for a method to broker some kind of lasting peace treaty with them though.....