Republican Ambitions: A SS6.3 Medieval 2 AAR

[The Best of Luck]

Hey, Y'all! I'm a new member, but I've been browsing for a couple of months now. Finally got Medieval 2 off the Steam sale and I'm loving it! Decided to do a campaign for the faction I'm playing the Republic of Novgorod! Hope you enjoy it! This takes inspiration from many of the great AAR fics, such as I am Skanatrios, Legacy of Skantarios, Pagan Vengeance, A Wolf Among Dogs, Takeda, A Scotsman in Egypt, Chronicles of a Hungarian Freeman and many others which I've read over the past couple months. Huge shout out to Alwyn's article in The Critic's Quill about writing an AAR and for inspiring me to actually write this out! Read that here!
Game: Medieval 2 Total War
Mods: SS 6.3, 0.25 timescale (might mess around with it some more).
Difficulty: M/M
Late Era campaign
The Republic of Novgorod

This game will shift perspectives: You will always know from the diary of whichever character's perspective it is.

Chapter 1: An Introduction

1220 AD: From the Personal Diaries of Chronicler Vladimir Vladimirovich

Life is such a simple thing, is it not? You are born, you grow up, you have children, you work, and then you die of either starvation, plague, famine, spear (or arrow if you're facing horse archers like most of us in Novgorod) and the cycle continues. Men and nations die as frequently as flies. The Fourth Crusade killed the Byzantine Empire and in its place rose the Latins, the Niceans, the Trebinzods, and others. A pity. A new threat is whispered to come from the East, men who are like the scourge of God, Attila reborn. Rebels are in every direction, while old enemies are numerous; the Cumans to the East, and the Rus in the south. Unknowns.



I am but a simple and humble chronicler in the employ of the Novgordian court. My father was wise enough to save up enough money for one of his children to be educated and that lucky child was me. My brother had been groomed to take over the farm, while my sister was betrothed to a rich merchant from Moscow. I was educated in the proper Orthodox faith, not that silly Latin faith that decided to destroy their fellow brothers of Christ instead of directing their steel towards the Muslims.

My father named me Vladimir, mostly because his name was Vladimir and my brother's name was Vladimir. He wasn't too bright, hence my name. I live in the city of Novgorod, which is ruled by Knayz Vsevolod, an old man (by Russian standards) who had ruled for a long time. He understood that Novgorod's wealth and fortune rested in trade. He knew that trade was the key to expanding the Republic's influence was by opening up trade relations with the nations of Europe and even the pagans of Lithuania. However, he was under no delusion that the Cumans would be open to trade. Maybe the Rus, if they would get off their high horses.



His son and heir, the Knyazich (who also happened to be named Vladimir), was a smart, eager, and promising man the same age as myself. He was in charge of the castle of Smolensk, which guarded our southern border with the Kievan Rus. He had been sent there in order to learn the hard lessons of running a nation. There was talk in the court of transferring him to the East, but all talk had been squashed. For now.



He had adopted a young man by the name of Borivoi Morozov to help him with the administrative duties of running a city, though there were rumors he would be sent east in order to shore up their defenses against the Cumans and allow one of our many generals to face the rebels to the south.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The 'royal family' of Novgorod was not that big. Only a boy and two girls. That's why Vladimir (the Knyazich not me) had adopted Borivoi into the family; just in case anything happened to him. He had two young sons, but it would be ten years until either of them were ready to take the field or run a city. They were being taught by the finest tutors the Republic could afford, with their father also training them in use of sword, bow, spear, and other weapons.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hopefully, nothing would happen to him. God knows we don't need a civil war right now with threats all across the horizon. We didn't need another Byzantine situation, with the remnants fighting over the scraps of a once great empire. Even now, the Niceans, (who I happen to like the most) were fighting the Latins in the West and the Turks in the East. Maybe we could reverse that?

This is what we face now. But I know that the Republic will prevail. God taught us to have faith in him and he will deliver us victories. But he also taught us that we must take our future -is that not why he granted us free will?- and we must always be vigilant. For the Lord said,"Be on your guard; stand firm in your faith;be courageous; be strong."

Letter from Vladimir To His Brother Vladimir

Dear brother, How goes the farm? It has been nearly six moons since we last saw each other. I heard that Tatiana will be married soon to that merchant and we will need to be present for the wedding! The dowry is large and sufficient, much larger than I thought our dear old father would ever accept. But alas, he's in the Heavens, probably grouching to the angels about the lack of borscht. How is your son? He's nearing ten years of age! Ten! Last I saw him, he was only five and still at my waist. I wish I could visit, but my duties demand I stay here. There are whispers that we will be marching soon and I will be sent east, likely to Murom or Yaroslavl in order to act as a chronicler for the army. The Knayz is in constant communication with his son, messengers and letters racing back and forth. I cannot wait to see you and your family. It has been too long. You need a vacation and what better way than to spend it wintering in Moscow with your brother and sister? I will be in Novgorod for a few more months before departing to Moscow. Join me! Your brother, Vladimir

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Hi, The Best of Luck! Welcome to the Writers' Study!

This looks like a great start to an AAR - a character who can observe the goings-on at the Knyaz's court and report back to us through his diary seems like a good way to tell us all about the plotting and the intrigue and the relationships at the court. I'll look forward to finding out which other perspectives we're going to see events from.

I notice you've already read a load of AARs and at least one article - and you've posted on Historia Rhomaike, which I'm sure Roman Heritage will appreciate - so I don't need to tell you that there's a huge amount that's worth reading all across the Writers' Study. We're very glad to have you with us, and I hope you'll continue to find things you want to read (and comment on) as well as continuing to write for us.

(If you have any questions at any point, please feel free to contact a member of WS staff, of course.)

[The Best of Luck]

Hi, The Best of Luck! Welcome to the Writers' Study!

This looks like a great start to an AAR - a character who can observe the goings-on at the Knyaz's court and report back to us through his diary seems like a good way to tell us all about the plotting and the intrigue and the relationships at the court. I'll look forward to finding out which other perspectives we're going to see events from.

I notice you've already read a load of AARs and at least one article - and you've posted on Historia Rhomaike, which I'm sure Roman Heritage will appreciate - so I don't need to tell you that there's a huge amount that's worth reading all across the Writers' Study. We're very glad to have you with us, and I hope you'll continue to find things you want to read (and comment on) as well as continuing to write for us.

(If you have any questions at any point, please feel free to contact a member of WS staff, of course.)

Thank you your kind words Calliagh! I'm looking forward to continuing this AAR and reading the others such as Historia Rhomaike! I'm glad to be here!

[The Best of Luck]

CHAPTER 2: THE DUKE

1220: Diaries of Duke Izyaslav Sivblo

What is the Republic to me? To me, it is the way of the future. To protect our Orthodox faith from the Latins who have betrayed us. To protect the people of Russia, even if they do not want to be a part of us. To be a bulwark against the coming threats of the East; the Cumans, the Persians, and these mystery invaders...these Mongols.

Cumans to the East, Rus to the South, rebels in every direction. Enemies that seek to destroy our way of life, subjugate us, raze our lands, burn our cities, rape our women, and steal our treasure. Enemies who have no mercy for us. Christ commanded us to be merciful to be our enemies. But should we?

I have never questioned my faith. Faith is the bedrock of our society. Without it, we are nothing. Without God to guide us, we cannot live on. Even though our Patriarch no longer resides in Constantinople, lost to the Latin hordes who betrayed us, we stand firm. We are far away from our Orthodox brothers in Asia Minor, but one day, we will restore the proper faith to the world’s greatest city.

But I train my soldiers. Every day, in the drill yard, we are constantly exercising. Drill after drill. Trained troops will always be better than untrained soldiers. The militias, the garrisons of our cities and castles, are also trained in the art of war. Even though the majority of them will not accompany us in the field, they will need training.

But the ultimate teacher is battle itself. No matter how well-trained you are, people will crack at the sight of blood. They will lose their bowels when the first arrows and bolts are loosened against them, crashing against their shields and armor, fluttering from above before plunging down like a bird of prey, finding flesh and bone, killing your friends and family. They will flee when the enemy comes at you, axe and sword in hand, ready to kill for what they believe in. You must give them a cause to believe in.

I must admit, I am a drinker. I enjoy a good cold beer after a hard day of training. My mother tells me that this makes it easier for men of the dark to kill me, but I don’t care. I will always have my sword and my dagger to give me protection, not to mention the men around me who are loyal to Novgorod and Ryazan itself.



Our armies are well-balanced; heavy infantry, archers and crossbows are plentiful, while our cavalry is a match for anybody in the East or West.

Sadly, we cannot rely on native Russians to be horse archers. We must rely on Pechenegs, mercenaries who have lost their homelands to the Cumans and have been utterly crushed every time they tried to set up a homeland. It was tough, but this was the way of the world. The weak are conquered by the strong. The strong are destroyed by the stronger. And the stronger are eradicated by the strongest.

The core of our armies is our spearmen and militias. The Eastern spearmen are solid soldiers, who can stop cavalry charges and mix it up with sword-wielding infantry who are more adept at man to man combat. The militias are proud men, who are willing to defend their homes with their lives. But put them out in the field and they will make excuses, drag their feet. In a way, I sympathize with them. They only want to defend their homes.

But defending your homes doesn’t mean allowing an enemy force to march up straight to your city and besiege them. This doesn’t persuade most of them, which is a pity.



The Druzhina are the proud and joy of my army. They are our heavy infantry, leftovers from the days of Viking raids. Heavy axes that can cleave a shield in half and even penetrate the armor of the knights who come from the West. They are few and far between, so we must hoard them, to release them at the perfect moment, like the Vikings of old. I even have a company of them as cavalry!



I received a letter from Knyaz and I read with great vigor. New orders. I was to take the garrison of my castle and march south for a rebel settlement. To capture it in the name of the Republic of Novgorod and have another province to draw soldiers from, convert to the true faith, and to secure our frontier with the Rus and Cumans.

As soon as I was able, I gathered my companies in the castle and assembled outside the castle walls. They were militiamen, Druzhina, Pechenegs, easterners, all of them different from each other in motivation, training, and armament. The short and powerful bows of the Pechenegs were much different from the long and unwieldy bows of the foot archers. The spears of the eastern spearmen stood in pale comparison to the heavy axes of the Druzhina.

But they all had one thing in common. They were Novgorodians! Men who looked to these lands as the best hope for their families and their futures.

As we were about to set out, they looked to me. Some of them were frowning, others were expectant of something. I searched my mind. Money? No, they had been paid recently. A speech? It was...rather...well expected, coming from the glances from the men.

I looked at them in the eyes, my steely gaze making some of the militia shift uncomfortable. I raised my voice to address them all.

“Men of Novgorod, we have trained hard for the past year! But now battle calls to us! We must answer this call with open arms, to say to it that we will not back down! We will not run away from it. Instead, we will embrace it!”

A huge cheer came from the assembled men, though the militia were less than enthusiastic. It mattered not.

We were on the march.

[theSilentKiller]

Great start to your first AAR! I'm enjoying it so far and I like your way of telling the story. Looking forward to seeing more of this!

[Owlparrot3]

Enjoying your aar .I just like the way that you described the viking leftover troops .Continue please .

[The Best of Luck]

Chapter 3: Decisions

Summer 1221: Diaries of Chronicler Vladimir Vladimirovich

There has been talk in court about a possible expansion. The Council has been discussing this, weighing the positives and the negatives. I have recorded some of the conversations, but the one that I will be writing down today will most likely be the defining moment of our foreign policy.

With the destruction of the Byzantines, we are one of the last bastions of Eastern Orthodox faith that is untainted by the Latins. We need more soldiers for defense against the Cumans, who have been rather quiet I must admit, but no doubt gathering to strike at us. And there’s always the problem of the Rus. However, war is destructive. It kills, it destroys. The meek are always trampled by the strong. But war is sometimes necessary.

I was in court, writing down as the boyars argued amongst each other in front of the Knyaz and the ruling Council. Boyars are Russian nobles, but are poor nobles compared to some of the nations of Europe like France or Spain.

“Expansion is key to our prosperity and protection! Is there anything else that must be said? The sons of Novgorod must look towards the east, west, and south for enemies. The Latins, especially the Germans look at our lands with greed. They look to uproot our faith, uproot us from our homes, and scatter us to the wilds like they did the Byzantines!” one boyar argued, an older man who had fought in the Siege of Murom against the Cumans. “And the Rus seeks to reestablish their dominance over us. We cannot allow this to happen!”

The Rus will always be a sore point with us Novgorodians. We separated from the over two hundred years ago and though we are no longer allies, they are not enemies. However, the leader of the Rus has called for us to submit to his authority under ‘historical precedent’ because he is a Grand Prince. The Knyaz has spoken to great lengths with the boyars and the Council. Would there be war against our fellow Eastern Orthodox brothers?

“And what about the Mongols? Already they are sweeping across the Persian lands as our merchants are reporting. Tens of thousands of screaming horsemen, all of them experts at one thing; killing. Urgench has fallen and soon the eastern cities will fall as well! We must be ready for them, not by killing fellow Christians!” another boyar argued and there were nods of agreement from the older boyars, though the pro-war boyar did not nod. “We must stand united against the Mongol threat!”

“We cannot stand against the Mongol threat if we are destroyed!” the pro-expansion boyar, whose name I found out to be Alexander, countered harshly. “I understand that you want to present a united front. What better way to present a united front than ensuring all of the north bows to Novgorod? And what if the Mongols aren’t the threat they are made out to be? The Latin Christians have always hated our way of life and the Germans continue to expand towards us!”

“And what happens if they are? Why spend blood and treasure fighting against the Rus, the Lithuanians, the Teutonics, the Germans, when we can conserve all of it, and prepare for the waiting storm? What if the Cumans join with them? There are so many what ifs,” the peacenik boyar responded without hesitation. “Knyaz, we cannot make war on our fellow Europeans, our fellow Christians, and our brothers in the Rus. What say you?”

The whole court was silent. The Knyaz has the final say when it came to foreign policy. For decades, we’ve only expanded in defensive wars, such as the war against the Cumans a few years ago. The frontier in the east has always been the focus point, though the events in the south and west has gotten more and more our attention.

Knyaz Vsevolod had always leaned towards peace and trade. He understood it because it had lead to our current prosperity. Novgorod was a trade city, not a war making city. We are a peaceful people, compared to the warmongering maniacs around us. His eldest son on the other hand...well, he was smart. But unlike his father, who as more administratively minded, he always had a mind for the military side of ruling.

“We will not expand against the Rus nor the Cumans,” his voice rumbled deeply, drawing frowns from almost half of the boyars in attendance and about a quarter of the Council. “We will reinforce the regions with fresh troops, but that is it. However, there is the rebels to worry about. The Rus lost the region. Their loss is our gain. I have sent orders to Duke Sivblo to take the settlement for us and my son to send Borivoi to govern it when we’ve taken the castle.”

Now that was a surprise. The Rus lost the region to rebels just a decade earlier, so the memory was still fresh in both of our country’s minds. If we took it, that would be a challenge to the Rus. Though they are much weaker than us, they are still proud warriors, warriors who are a match for us. Would they make war on us for conquering one of their many lost provinces?

“I can agree on that,” Alexander said gruffly, though his tone suggested otherwise. “But this debate must continue. We cannot allow us to be stagnant in the face of our enemies.”

“Peace is not stagnancy Alexander,” the peacenik boyar softly retorted. “But killing our own brothers in Christ will not help our cause.”

As the boyars and the Council dispersed, I was left alone with my thoughts. What was going to happen in the near future? Silently, I prayed and remembered a bible verse from the Old Testament.

“I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your streams will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am God.”

It was a threat against the Edomites when they fought against the Israelites around Mount Seir. Where the Mongols the word of God, promising to fill our mountains, our hills, our valleys, and our streams with the dead?

Or were we going to do that to ourselves?

[The Best of Luck]

Great start to your first AAR! I'm enjoying it so far and I like your way of telling the story. Looking forward to seeing more of this!

Thank you for your kinds words!

Enjoying your aar .I just like the way that you described the viking leftover troops .Continue please .

Thank you as well. I will continue!

[Alwyn]

Welcome, TheBestofLuck! Thank you for your kind comment about my Critic's Quill article.

I am enjoying your story and I like the way that you use diaries to present the views of different characters. The Druzhina look formidable, both the infantry and the cavalry, and it sounds like the decision of the Kynaz means that the army of Novgorod will be in action soon. But will the capture of this rebel region provoke its former owners into war with Novgorod? I look forward to finding out.

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Well, there have been some interesting developments there! And there seem to be a lot of different people to keep an eye on. I'll look forward to discovering what all of them do next.

[Roman Heritage]

That's an impressive start, I must say. I'm really enjoying your style, and I appreciate your choice of a faction. I myself am fashinated by Russian history and Stainless Steel's Russian factions - the Kievans in particular, I must say - so I'm glad to see a quality AAR being written on the subject

What is the Republic to me? To me, it is the way of the future. To protect our Orthodox faith from the Latins who have betrayed us. To protect the people of Russia, even if they do not want to be a part of us. To be a bulwark against the coming threats of the East; the Cumans, the Persians, and these mystery invaders...these Mongols.

Cumans to the East, Rus to the South, rebels in every direction. Enemies that seek to destroy our way of life, subjugate us, raze our lands, burn our cities, rape our women, and steal our treasure. Enemies who have no mercy for us. Christ commanded us to be merciful to be our enemies. But should we?

“I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your streams will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am God.”

It was a threat against the Edomites when they fought against the Israelites around Mount Seir. Where the Mongols the word of God, promising to fill our mountains, our hills, our valleys, and our streams with the dead?

Or were we going to do that to ourselves?

Those are both outstanding lines! I really like the way you convey and stress in many points of your chapters how deeply felt is the Latin Crusaders' betrayal to their brothers in the Faith. Treacherous Latin and Frankish dogs! Also, your description of the Mongols potentially being the instrument of the Wrath of God seem really plausible, in terms of authenticity, and in line with Medieval scholarly thought on the matter.

Hope this keeps being updated, I'm really enjoying it!

Edit: I also appreciated your description of the army, and its cultural and social components. Variety and that "rusty" and "gritty" look is what makes Russian armies so appealing to me. Plus, Druzinhas and Boyar armours are simply beautiful.

[The Best of Luck]

That's an impressive start, I must say. I'm really enjoying your style, and I appreciate your choice of a faction. I myself am fashinated by Russian history and Stainless Steel's Russian factions - the Kievans in particular, I must say - so I'm glad to see a quality AAR being written on the subject





Those are both outstanding lines! I really like the way you convey and stress in many points of your chapters how deeply felt is the Latin Crusaders' betrayal to their brothers in the Faith. Treacherous Latin and Frankish dogs! Also, your description of the Mongols potentially being the instrument of the Wrath of God seem really plausible, in terms of authenticity, and in line with Medieval scholarly thought on the matter.

Hope this keeps being updated, I'm really enjoying it!

Edit: I also appreciated your description of the army, and its cultural and social components. Variety and that "rusty" and "gritty" look is what makes Russian armies so appealing to me. Plus, Druzinhas and Boyar armours are simply beautiful.

Thank you very much! I've always enjoyed the Russian factions because they're in between the Cumans and the West. They're influenced by both.

Well, there have been some interesting developments there! And there seem to be a lot of different people to keep an eye on. I'll look forward to discovering what all of them do next.

Thank you!

Welcome, TheBestofLuck! Thank you for your kind comment about my Critic's Quill article.

I am enjoying your story and I like the way that you use diaries to present the views of different characters. The Druzhina look formidable, both the infantry and the cavalry, and it sounds like the decision of the Kynaz means that the army of Novgorod will be in action soon. But will the capture of this rebel region provoke its former owners into war with Novgorod? I look forward to finding out.

Your article is really good, been a good guideline for me when I've been writing this AAR. The Druzhina really proved their worth in the first couple battles. Also...maybe about the Army of Novgorod? We'll find out.

[HuliganFish]

I am an absolute fan of the way you chose to tell the story of the Rus.

Its a fresh take on storytelling that allows you to add a noticeable depth to even the smallest event and make them exciting (such as the question if to expand the Rus empire or not- something that is taken for granted in a game like TTW).

The same goes for introducing the Rus forces.
It allows us, the readers, to further delve into the mindset of the characters.

Eagerly waiting for your next chapter!