Slepazbringanąleuşą
or
(The Song of the Sleep-Bringers)
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An EB2 (2.3)
Sweboz
AAR In Prose
by thecheese
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This is my first time playing Europa Barbarorum 2, and my first TW AAR altogether; so I have no idea what will happen but I hope to see my virtual kin through to a bloody end. Playing on M/M/Long Campaign/No battle time-limit. The screenshots were taken on a potato, for that authentic, old-timey feeling*.
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*1) Also, there are occasional footnotes for funsies.
When I was a fighting-man,
the kettle-drums they beat,
The people scattered gold-dust
before my horse's feet;
But now I am a great king,
the people hound my track
With poison in my wine-cup,
and daggers at my back.
What do I know of cultured ways,
the gilt, the craft and the lie?
I, who was born in a naked land
and bred in the open sky.
The subtle tongue, the sophist guile,
they fail when the broadswords sing;
Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king!
Robert E Howard, The Road of Kings
1.
There was a man named Swartagaizaz, called in his own tongue “Swarthy-Spear”, who lived among the Swebungoz and was known as a mighty and most clever raider. He spent the summers of his youth harrying and raiding, ranging from the western Heruskoz’ wood to the northern shores of the ship-building Kembroz; but winters he would spend at home with his father. He presented his father many treasures from his raids, and this brought standing amongst tribes to both father and son.
All folk soon said of Swarthy-Spear that his good fortune and luck was greater than ever the gods had yet bestowed, and so freemen and warriors of large number began to rally behind him. After Swartagaizaz had rustled the most coveted cows from his foemen, proven false the oracles of a dozen enemy tribes, and taken the fairest maiden among them to wed he found himself wealthier and had more followers than any before him. He was still very young at this time.
Swartagaizaz’ wife-prize was Theudawaurdjo, in her tongue called “Promise of the People”; she was a powerful seeress and priestess of the Hawks. She gave to Swartagaizaz many children as she had foreseen. Heruwulfaz, mighty spear of the Swebungoz, was first-born among the sons of Swartagaizaz. Five winters later, Theudawaurdjo delivered Swartagaizaz’ second son, Athawulfaz.
Five winters later still, and Ansuharjaz was born; whereupon Theudawaurdjo prophesied the gods would not deliver Swartagaizaz further sons. Ever headstrong, Swartagaizaz made sacrifices and had fertility rites performed, and conceived Hrabnaz within the following year. Swarthy-Spear was maturing at this time, and he had a retinue that usually consisted of around one-thousand warriors.
Sons of Swarthy-Spear (left to right):
“Lord Wolf”, “Second-Wolf aka Reject-Wolf aka Return (or), Later-Wolf” “Holy-Warrior/ Divine-Foeman” and “Raven”
One summer Swarthy-Spear led all his kin, kine, and followers to a very popular spot* along the river Elbe. This was in the province called Ermunhaimaz. Here the local tribes most often met to barter and fight one another over slaves and honey that they had brought to the riverbanks for the rare Walhoz merchant and other intrepid traders*. Here, between the Elbe and Oder rivers Swartagaizaz claimed all the land for his kin and built himself a farm called Haubudastadiz*, much to the astonishment of weaker local tribes.
Many of his followers built farmhouses nearby as well and called upon their wives to settle down. As was the custom amongst other people's in those days, they did not build their houses side by side but instead left large tracts of farm and grazeland between them. These little clearings in the forest were called hamlets. Thus did Swartagaizaz begin to exert control over trade along the river and spare himself the necessity of raiding.
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*Footnote #1: There were no actual popular spots in this region. It was poor with little surplus and moody weather, consisted of swamps, shallow lakes, and primeval forests decorated with various types of skulls affixed high up in the ancient trees, placed there by generations of feuding tribes when the trees were but saplings. Anyone not born there generally avoided it.
* #2: No traders came here (see footnote #1).
* #3: ( Haubudastadiz: lit. “Head-Place”, the place where Swarthy-Spear could lay his enemies heads, i.e. settle down.)
2.
Now as the other local tribes and neighbors had never seen such heroically anachronistic leadership amongst their own kind, they themselves grew in equal parts envy and enmity; but each rally against Ermunhaimaz was met with the staunchest resistance. And as was custom in those days, when a charismatic leader had gathered his warband, and marched against, and fallen to the Sweboz, the army dissolved and the fighters having lost heart went back to their homes and womenfolk.
And so for awhile it seemed that there was a stalemate imposed by Swartagaizaz who was content to stay home and let his sons bring him treasures from their raids, or to try out novel designs on administration, or otherwise maintain his farms in a somewhat more sedentary lifestyle than his nomadic and warlike ancestors had. This level of success was completely unheard of in those days.
Now when Swartagaizaz died peacefully in his sleep, it was much hoped amongst his enemies that the loose union of comrades held together through Swartagaizaz canny chieftaincy would dissolve, as was often the way of it. But the Sons of Swarthy-Spear had long been renowned for their shield-arms at home, and their spears for fighting abroad.
Thus when the Winter of Swartagaizaz’ Passing had given way to the melting of snows and clearing of passages, men eagerly traveled many days from parts all around to the traditional springtime gathering of tribes (which they called a Thing for lack of better word), which took place in a most sacred grove.
And all those families who had followed Swartagaizaz said they would stick around awhile and see how his son’s luck fared in the running of things.
And Theudawaurdjo the priestess and widow of Swartagaizaz cast her willow rods, and read the entrails of the sacrifice, and declared that all the world would soon come to try the might of the Sweboz. And Lord-Wolf firstborn of Swarthy-Spear said he had a plan, and the freemen assembled at the Thing rattled spear against shield; and Theudawaurdjo said that this was good.
3.
Aways south of Sweboz lands along the Elbe lay Luppae, and further east beyond the Oder river lay Scurgum; long the gathering-places to folk of those regions. Lord-Wolf judged them meek, harried by raiders on all sides and would not entreat with them. But he did send tokens of friendship further south to maintain his father’s trade agreements with old Boiorix Bossomaras, a great and rich chieftain among the Boii.
Beyond Scurgum to the south-east lay the land of the Lougoi, ruled by Rikos Deiwokabiros and his sons. Heruwulfaz thought to begin a great friendship with these peoples so that they each might trade what surplus they could, and also share the tidings and rumors of lands further abroad from themselves. It was still many years before that friendship started between Heruwulfaz and Rikos turned into that fatal feud between their kin.
Now the tale tells that to the west and north of Haubudastadiz lay the lands of the Swebungoz’ greatest and most numerous rivals, and it is of these enemies that Lord-Wolf is first concerned. When springtime had come in earnest, Heruwulfaz had mustered over one-thousand warriors under his banner. They had all heard how the Kembroz, Heruskoz, and Ubioi tribes planned to march and join forces against the Sweboz now in Swarthy-Spear's absence.
It would be the largest warband assembled in living memory, Theudawardjo declared. If they were allowed to march upon Ermunhaimaz they would frighten all the land spirits and there would be no more harvests and disease would take the animals, she warned. While many men said they were willing to quit the land and the whole Haubudastadiz business and relocate altogether if the Heruskoz and Kembroz and such wanted them dead so badly, Heruwulfaz convinced them otherwise.
Most of the men of Ermunhaimaz were so poor they did not own real armor nor weapons. Many were so young as to still be only boys. They were yet only half thawed from the winter and starving. But the next few years would see them all on an unprecedented campaign of nonstop victory in battle.
4.
There lived among the Kembroz in the nations of the Ingaveones far north of Haubudastadiz and its neighborly hamlets a man called Blothabrandaz. During the heyday of Swarthy-Spear’s time, Blothadrandaz had lost his father to a young Heruwulfaz in a skirmish against the Sweboz. Blothabrandaz harbored much resentment for the kin of Swartagaizaz, and would not be swayed from battle upon gaining renewed courage after hearing of the great man’s passing.
Thus when he had gathered a raiding party and marched south from the Ingaevones, Heruwulfaz met him at that forest which marked a border between Kembroz and Sweboz lands. Lord-Wolf cleverly offered to pay honorable weragelda for Blothabrandaz’ father’s death, pointing out that although it was no murder but fair combat, he would nonetheless pay.
Furious Blothabrandaz said:
“Cutter of the Life-Weave, have you no Minds Worth?
Winter’s Blanket has been burned by the Sky Candle;
We Children of Battle will accept from you only
The Toast to Ravens
For putting to my father
The Sleep of the Spear”,
And then he departed and went back to his encampment, shouting aloud to all his men that Lord-Wolf prefered to bribe with honey and cows rather than fight. No doubt Blothabrandaz had originally planned to await Alaweniz his younger brother, who was further north with yet another raiding party. Then they would have descended upon Sweboz lands and met with the Heruskoz and Ubioi.
Now however, Blothabrandaz wanted to fight immediately. So that very night Lord-Wolf, his brothers, plus all one-hundred and eighty trusted hearth-companions, as well as a force almost twice the number of Blothabrandaz’ raiding party, crept forth to the far side of the border wood.
Among Lord-Wolf’s numbers were fifty-one horsemen, whom he commanded to stay far out of sight and to bide time hiding in the nearby forest. When the battlelines had formed fast, the overwhelming numbers of the Sweboz encircled the Kembroz. And at Lord-Wolf’s signal his brothers, his horsemen, and he all came together and cut Blothabrandaz down.
(“Blothabrandaz last stand”)
When Alaweniz, called “Everyman’s Friend”, heard how his brother had gone to battle without him and what had befallen him there, he composed this verse:
“High upon Green Spears of Earth
that mark our borders long
See the spring bird return;
Watch its hatchlings now
Nesting within the sturdy
Skull of my kin”
And he marched his men all the way down to the border forest, to recover the corpse of Blothabrandaz as well as take Lord-Wolf’s.
This time the enemy force had more horses than the four brothers had brought with them; so the Sweboz sent forth their fleetest fighters second in speed only to the wild stallion. These grim, muscular and lanky men all wielded crude clubs or simple hand-axes to great effect. The enemy cavalry were soon overwhelmed and driven from the field, with the Sweboz light infantry in dogged pursuit.
Then the four brothers who most often led their battleline from the center broke through the ranks of opposing spears and foemen, cutting and battering aside large swathes of shields and limbs alike with their own deadly swords. And at Lord-Wolf’s signal his brothers, his horsemen, and he all came together and cut Alaweniz down.
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After this battle, all the warriors under Lord-Wolf knew him to be worthy of following and they gained in confidence what they had depleted in men and supplies. But they wanted to go home now that they had thwarted the threat of their enemies banding together. Charismatic Heruwulfaz convinced them all to go against their natural inclination however. Promising greater wealth than any Swebungoz had ever won plus wider acres, better soil and fatter sheep, Heruwulfaz soon continued his momentum and pushed north to Himbroburgz.
Now the tale tells that Lord-Wolf did not anticipate such staunch defenses from these peoples after having slaughtered an entire generation of them in the field of battle earlier that year- but it was a full year itself before the siege* culminated into the battle for Himbroburgz.
During this time the men under Lord-Wolf’s command had begun to starve; they had wintered on the fields and in the forests of hostile territory. The only option, of moving men further afield to hunt and secure more foodstuffs, ran the risk of letting the enemy attack and thus destroy those splinter forces piecemeal, breaking the siege. So they starved.
Gloomy Athawulfaz, or Reject-Wolf, called thus for being second-born son of Swarthy-Spear, was the only one among them with an inkling of logistical planning or resource management; and this only extended so far as bringing enough beer to last him and his hearth-companions for as long as they planned to stay away from home.
Come winters passing, and the warrior's morale was very low. But these grim Sweboz lived with hunger and morose dispositions from birth, and had long learned to anticipate battle much like a dog hearing his dinner bell rung. Thus when those folk of Himbroburgz finally tired of being cooped up, and insulted over the walls, and had sallied forth before they themselves ran out of rations- they found their enemy impossibly high in spirits. And at Lord-Wolf’s signal his brothers, his horsemen, and he all came together and cut them all down.
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*#1: The tactics of “siege warfare” here are likely those basic elements like incremental provocations via the cutting off and securing of natural resources and external supplies until the starved populace would be forced to confront the invaders or otherwise act. The Sweboz had no artillery or siege-engines.
6.
When finally the battle was over, Lord-Wolf and his brothers were just as exhausted as the men. Having seen enough slaughter or perhaps too exhausted to continue, and almost unbelievably contented with the newfound ownership of the fine lands they had been camping on they neither put the womenfolk and children to the sword nor did they make thralls of them.
None of the Swebungoz warriors had seen their homes in over two years at this time of the tale; now came north a wanderer and erstwhile spy of the Sweboz to tell that the Heruskoz had joined with the Ubioi and crossed the Elbe to raid the borderlands and slave-market there, but without Blothabrandaz and Alaweniz’ joined forces they had not progressed any further than that. Most of the men wanted immediately to quit the whole business of Himbroburgz and rush home right then and there. But Lord-Wolf convinced them otherwise.
Now Athawulfaz took closely after his mother Theudawardjo; in these days it was not yet seen as effeminate to practice magic, or if it was then that was no great shame either for one had merely to kill those who spoke out against your perceived lesser standing. Either way, immediately upon hearing the news of their homeland being invaded Athawulfaz snatched up a nearby stray dog and killed it on the spot.
As he began rooting around the inside of the sacrifice, men watched without breath. He looked up from the dog to the sky for a long while, then looked back down, then closed his eyes and composed this verse:
“The Wolf has ranged far from home,
Brought his Fretting Cubs to the Morimarusa.
But that Fair Dispenser of the Serpent’s Flame
Has found the Red-hot Embers of the Harbor,
Has warmed the Wolfpack’s heart with Shore-Flame...
And yet;
The Dragon of the Morimarusa,
Famed Hlewagastiz of Hleifthoz
Will take to his war-canoes,
Wrest away to the Rugiz
And Gutanz all that we gained,
Striven so mightily for,
If we are to go home,
Without paying that famed Lord
What Tiwaz declares
The Wolfpack owes him.”
And so Raven fourth son of Swarthy-Spear and a small band of men stayed at Himbroburgz that winter while the rest of the warband moved southeast to an island of Skandinauja. If Himbroburgz and the Ingwingoz looked promising, Hleifthoz was a literal silvermine: an ancient land of kings providing amber from the Baltic all the way down to the Mediterranean. The Sweboz just had to avoid getting themselves all killed and thrown into the bogs as sacrifice.
7.
It will be recalled that earlier in the tale, Lord-Wolf had sent entreaties and tokens of friendship to Rikos Deiwokabiros. It should be no surprise then that upon the dwindling reserves of the warchest a goodly portion was spent in acquiring the services of Lugian mercenary adventurers.
This was a small band of experienced horsemen who had come from the Lugian lands to the east upon hearing of the great parceling and divvying up of land via the Spears of the Swebungoz. Their horses were much stronger than those of Sweboz stock, and they were also much better equipped than the Swebungoz’ cavalry. Lord-Wolf gave them each a golden ring and promised them much more.
Now when the Swebungoz had marched upon Hleifthoz, it was mid-winter. They found it well fortified, with the chieftains hall far in the center of the village which itself was encircled with a wooden palisade. The prospect of another year-long siege was absolutely unacceptable to the fighting-men, and Lord-Wolf was in total agreeance. So they set about felling timber with which to fashion long battering rams.
However Hlewagastiz looked out upon those gaunt warriors at his gates, and decided he would rather sally forth and drive them all from his fields rather than let them start breaking his furniture. And while Hlewagastiz’ army did outnumber the Sweboz war-party, Lord-Wolf was growing cleverer.
Heruwulfaz commanded his band to backup aways from the open farmland outside the village, to give plenty of room for all the Rugizoz and Gutanzoz to sally forth. He then split his force into multiple little bands of fighters so that Hlewagastiz and his army would be like a great charging bear that finds not one but multiple stag running amok.
Trusting his men to do what they did best, Heruwulfaz took out his sword and leapt into battle himself wherever he might be needed most, as did his brothers. As soon as all Hlewagastiz’ entire army was occupied, the Aswiniai calvary and the Sweboz riders all came rushing out of the nearby wood.
Hlewagastiz was a younger man than Lord-Wolf, and stronger. As was custom in those days among honorable chieftains or kings, they had both chopped and hacked their way towards each other so that they might themselves test the others strength.
Never before had Heruwulfaz had his shield-arm so thoroughly tried. But at Lord-Wolf’s signal his horsemen came together and charged and cut Hlewagastiz down from behind. His army broke in sheer panic but they had been locked out of the gates by the terrified townsfolk, and so suffered the immoderate wrath of the Sweboz.
8.
Again the Swebungoz war-party refrained from looting “in favor of long-term expansion”, Heruwulfaz admonished and explained. They spent a short period recovering, treated those men likely to survive, and then left a small band to keep order before leaving for Ermunhaimaz province. The Heruskoz and Ubioi warband were apparently attempting to settle there now that there were no fighting-men around to stop them.
The first thing that every man wanted to do was split up and immediately each go to his own household and check on kin whom they had not seen for so many years. Lord-Wolf had to convince them otherwise. He said they should go and face their ancient enemies, and spoke at length of “unification, destiny, and the gods”- until he had to recapture their attentions by promising that beating these men would leave the Walhoz’ lands to the west “completely vulnerable to plunder”.
So they soon marched to meet Nammeios of the Heruskoz and Uerokloetios of the Ubioi, whose very difficult to pronounce names the Swebungoz laughed at. With the help of the Lugian Aswiniai and their own increasingly experienced cavalry, haughty Lord-Wolf and the impetuous Swebungoz defeated the combined Heruski and Ubioi warband and their overwhelming cavalry, drove them from their lands, harried them further still and only then finally went home.
Theudawardjo could not believe her eyes, that all four of her boys had come home alive, so thin and pale yet wearing such bright cloaks and golden rings. Then she began berating them and swatting their chests with her elderly fists. They would have to sell all those rings and cloaks and fancy saddle-blankets she said. The land had languished somewhat without the menfolk around. But within a year, all the wealth from the northern provinces began flowing in; ancient silver coins, amber, copper, silver, rebel-folk turned slaves, and even cows- the largest token of legal currency recognized in those lands.
9.
Now that Lord-Wolf was home he sent for Raven in Himbroburgz and began the great work of governance. The new lands were still querulous and quarrelsome, but within time they were pacified, and a greater force of Sweboz were stationed there. These new lands however were far north of the hubbub of Ermunhaimaz which was itself a northern hinterland, so things were quiet in Germania for a time.
Lord-Wolf kept all the influx of new wealth directed towards the building up of infrastructure, and trade, and security throughout his lands. He became famous for using his surplus to maintain an army of over one-thousand warriors. It was a time of radical change and there began to grow a feeling of solidarity amongst the Germanic tribes, even if the northern territories murmured discontent occasionally. Camps grew larger, farms became rooted and the youths of Germania became taller and thicker, though they were already giants relative to southern folk.
The Sons of Swarthy-Spear each had many sons of their own during this halcyon period, and they grew up on tales of Swartagaizaz’ cunning and their own fathers’ glorious conquest of the northern territories. To alleviate the boredom of living in a stable kingdom on a smooth rise to power, and to slake the natural inclinations of the youths, the entire family would meet together and go on daring raids into enemy lands and bring back enormous surpluses of wealth and treasure, merely for the sport of it
However it must be noted that it was not the effort of Lord-Wolf alone that brought wealth into Sweboz lands. There lived among the Swebungoz a judge named Hagaradaz, who was so great a lawyer in the quarter court that none were his equal in arbitration. Laws and legalities in those days were already ancient, and entirely of oral transmission.
The tale tells that for many years this Hagaradaz left the Swebungoz to roam the wide world to make profitable trade agreements among the far flung kingdoms of men on behalf of Lord-Wolf. He would regularly send home maps of far nations which fascinated Heruwulfaz, and also sent letters which the Sweboz could not read or make sense of.
The purpose and nature of the scratchy marks on vellum meant nothing to them* so they often used the letters for kindling or other such common application. Regardless in some mode or manner, amber was successful in moving from the Baltic to the Mediterranean during this time, and some wealth even made its way back. We know nothing of how Hagaradaz managed this singularly amazing feat. In later years when Hagaradaz came home to retire wearing voluminous robes and foreign airs, both he and Germania had been changed completely.
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*#1: It has long been assumed Hagaradaz had learned Latin or Greek in his travels, and was becoming gentrified by the various courts of kings he was entreating, and the wealth that passed through his hands over the years. The Sweboz themselves had no written language at this time.
10.
The tale slows here for a period. There are passages about early Germanic culture, daily life, and religion: there are constant feasts, marriage celebrations, birthing celebrations, religious ceremonies, great legal-cases at the Thing. There are surprisingly few internecine troubles not arbitrated at the quarter-court tribal gatherings, and none of them ever broke out into violence amongst the confederation.
The Boii took Luppae to the south, but were met with mercenary cavalry patrolling Sweboz borders anytime they thought to camp too near. Otherwise the Boii seemed content to throw waves of warriors against the walls of neighboring Walhoz, and apparently were weakening themselves in the process. After they had besieged Bogadunon and were defeated there, the Sweboz descended on that famed place and took it for themselves with little trouble.
The Lugoi remained fast friends, but grew ever larger. The Walhoz to the west warred among themselves. The Romani were preoccupied fighting with Qarthidast for supremacy of the Mediterranean, and were not yet bent on gentrifying the swamps and wilds of Gaul and Germania. And so Theudawardjo the priestess and widow of Swarthy-Spear said that things were good, and that was taken as the word of the gods.
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So that's the first hundred turns in the Sleep-Bringer Saga. I thought I'd get this posted before playing further, but things are far from over. I hope this AAR stands as a worthy token of my appreciation for everything the modders have done over the years. EB2 is amazing, and I've been having an absolute blast with it. Till next time!
Song of the Sleep-Bringers; a Europa Barbarorum 2 [v2.3] Sweboz AAR in Prose
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Originally Posted by thecheese
