Arquebuse
Chieftain
The Jarls select Eysteinn as the next king of the North!
Eysteinn- 7 votes
Hrólfr Kraki- 2 votes
Eysteinn- 7 votes
Hrólfr Kraki- 2 votes
The Great Union of the North
- Thread starter Arquebuse
- Start date
Arquebuse
Chieftain
The Reign of King Eysteinn
He walked in with a smirk of pride and followed by his men. The jarls looked at Hrólfr with malice. Hrólfr set Eadgils's head at the end of the dining table and stood up on the bench. He took the king's crown out of his bag and placed it on his head. The mass of jarls circled around Hrólfr and his berserkers, staring up at the man. Still smirking, Hrólfr spoke to his subjects, I have slayed the man who stole from and murdered my father. He then stole my mother from me while I was still a child. Now I may have called this man a criminal, but you called him a hero and a king. But now your king is dead, and since it was my sword that struck him down, I believe that his throne is... The eldest of the jarls, standing at the outside of the circle cut him off, You are no king. Before the berserkers could even draw their weapons, the jarls took their daggers out from under their cloaks and slit the throats of Hrólf's men. Hrólfr himself was able to draw his sword but was met by a dozen more pointed at him. Hrólfr dropped his weapon and stepped down from the bench. The, Eadgils's eldest son, Eysteinn, walked through the door, Do not kill him. That would be too honorable a death for him. Eysteinn did not even look at Hrólfr, but walked straight to him throne. One the jarls ripped the crown off Hrólfr's head and carried it over to Eystienn, My liege he said as he knelt before the king with the crown and placed it upon his head. The oldest jarl pointed at Eysteinn and spoke to Hrólfr again, Now he is a king. Hrólfr was then dragged out of the hall and into a small room in the back of the city granary and chained to the wall. Once every day after the attempted coup, a scream could be heard from the granary. On the rainy morning of the eleventh day, the screams stopped. Two soldiers dragged Hrólfr out of the granary and into the commons in front of the great hall. He was covered in mud and naked except for bandages on his hands. It was obvious he had not been fed since his imprisonment and his feet dragged in the mud. The rain stopped and the people of the town gathered around the man as the guards placed him on his knees in front of a large rock. Eysteinn stepped out of the hall, followed by the jarls, and approached Hrólfr. He looked at his subjects gathered around to witness the execution. He spoke, This man is not only a thief and a murderer, but a traitor to Sweden and our unified Norse kingdom. He killed your king, my father, and tried to take his throne, but the gods could not allow this. They could not let such an arrogant and evil man rule this great kingdom. Such a man must receive a fitting punishment for betraying both the king and the gods. Eysteinn removed the bandages from Hrólfr hands. There were no fingers. It could be seen that some of the wounds were older and some had already been infected. This is what happens when you betray the kingdom of the gods. The guards bent Hrólfr over so that his head lay on the rock. Hrólfr was too weak to resist. A servant walked out of the hall carrying an ax and handed it to the new king. The king spoke to the growing audience, For theft, murder and treason against the king, you, Hrólfr Kraki, will be executed by my father's ax. May the gods have mercy. Hrólfr did not even blink, he knew he had been defeated. Eysteinn swung the ax, and in one swing severed Hrólfr's head.
Scouts venturing the rivers of Eastern Europe came under attack from local nomads. Skirmishes erupted with the Norseman firing arrows from their ships and the nomads from their horses along the shores of the river. After a few small battles, the horsemen ceased their attacks.
After the defeat of Hrólfr Kraki, the power of the unified kingdom was recognized on a greater level, and more of the smaller kingdoms in Sweden pledged their allegiance to King Eysteinn. These newly annexed kingdoms would provide more pastureland and fishing territory needed to help expand the union. They would also supply large quantities of copper to make bronze weapons and armor.
Scouts in the area west of Byzantine lands discovered a weak, but wealthy city ripe for raiding as well as an even wealthier Byzantine outpost to the South. Settlements were also found farther west, but it seemed that they had already been victim to raids.
The sailors were tired and sore from being cramped in the longboats for a whole week. Then a hushed call came out from one of the other ships, We are approaching Stockholm! The men could not see the end of the boat let alone the city due to the morning fog, but they trusted the knowledge of their king. They extinguished the torches in the sea, furled the sails, took up their oars and began to row. After half an hour of rowing, the first dock came into sight. The men put on their helmets and gathered their shields and weapons. The sailors exited their boats and crept onto the docks. They were alarmed by a sound of quick footsteps along the wooden deck. None of Sölve's men would be so reckless to make that much noise. The sound had faded into the fog by the time the men realized they had lost the element of surprise. All at once, the two hundred men began to rush down the docks toward the city. They reached land and emerged from the fog to find their target, Stockholm. Already, the town sentry had formed a loose shield wall to hold off the attackers. It took the raiders only a few minutes to rout the sentry and enter the city. Although the shield wall broke quickly it did buy time for the city garrison to react. Groups well-armed soldiers, shieldmaidens, and peasants armed with hunting bows charged up the streets of Stockholm to meet the pirates. They clashed in the streets, the sounds of metal on metal, metal on wood and warriors crying out in agony filled the city. The muddy streets became stained with blood and buildings caught fire as the raiders passed. The sea-king Sölve led the main force of raiders toward the great hall. The king, Eysteinn, had grown old and weak; a lost leg during a raid forced the king to have servants carry him to do even the most mundane tasks. The king was still recovering from a stroke in the great hall when Sölve launched his attack. One of King Eysteinn's servants, carrying the frail man in an attempt to flee the city, opened the doors and found himself face to face with the sea-king himself. A devilish smile came across Sölve's face as he shoved the old man and the servant back into the hall. His men then barricaded the doors with a nearby merchant's cart. Maintaining his smile, Sölve gave the order to torch the building and his men complied with pleasure. But Sölve did not stay to watch the hall burn and instead took his men to help the other raiders still fighting in the streets. Almost an hour into the fighting, the defending forces were reinforced by soldiers and peasants alike from the surrounding villages causing the battle to grind into a stalemate. Sölve's men had now been fighting for hours, and the fact that they had spent the last week confined to boats only worsened their fatigue. He called for a retreat and the raiders made a run for the docks only to find their longboats burning or already sunk. Thinking on his feet, Sölve directed his men south and out of the city across the river Norrström. After his men crossed, he burned the bridge, trapping each army on either side of the river. Seven days into the stalemate, Eysteinn's son Ingvar arrived from the north to lead the Stockholmians after securing the allegiance of another kingdom. Sölve, now down to only eighty men in fighting condition, was without any means of transport and established camp until new ships could be built. Ingvar, with an poorly trained army of around three hundred, did not dare cross the river in the longboats for the raiders were well dug in and an amphibious assault would be suicide. But neither side knew about about the massive army of cavalry led by several jarls that was only a week's ride away.
He walked in with a smirk of pride and followed by his men. The jarls looked at Hrólfr with malice. Hrólfr set Eadgils's head at the end of the dining table and stood up on the bench. He took the king's crown out of his bag and placed it on his head. The mass of jarls circled around Hrólfr and his berserkers, staring up at the man. Still smirking, Hrólfr spoke to his subjects, I have slayed the man who stole from and murdered my father. He then stole my mother from me while I was still a child. Now I may have called this man a criminal, but you called him a hero and a king. But now your king is dead, and since it was my sword that struck him down, I believe that his throne is... The eldest of the jarls, standing at the outside of the circle cut him off, You are no king. Before the berserkers could even draw their weapons, the jarls took their daggers out from under their cloaks and slit the throats of Hrólf's men. Hrólfr himself was able to draw his sword but was met by a dozen more pointed at him. Hrólfr dropped his weapon and stepped down from the bench. The, Eadgils's eldest son, Eysteinn, walked through the door, Do not kill him. That would be too honorable a death for him. Eysteinn did not even look at Hrólfr, but walked straight to him throne. One the jarls ripped the crown off Hrólfr's head and carried it over to Eystienn, My liege he said as he knelt before the king with the crown and placed it upon his head. The oldest jarl pointed at Eysteinn and spoke to Hrólfr again, Now he is a king. Hrólfr was then dragged out of the hall and into a small room in the back of the city granary and chained to the wall. Once every day after the attempted coup, a scream could be heard from the granary. On the rainy morning of the eleventh day, the screams stopped. Two soldiers dragged Hrólfr out of the granary and into the commons in front of the great hall. He was covered in mud and naked except for bandages on his hands. It was obvious he had not been fed since his imprisonment and his feet dragged in the mud. The rain stopped and the people of the town gathered around the man as the guards placed him on his knees in front of a large rock. Eysteinn stepped out of the hall, followed by the jarls, and approached Hrólfr. He looked at his subjects gathered around to witness the execution. He spoke, This man is not only a thief and a murderer, but a traitor to Sweden and our unified Norse kingdom. He killed your king, my father, and tried to take his throne, but the gods could not allow this. They could not let such an arrogant and evil man rule this great kingdom. Such a man must receive a fitting punishment for betraying both the king and the gods. Eysteinn removed the bandages from Hrólfr hands. There were no fingers. It could be seen that some of the wounds were older and some had already been infected. This is what happens when you betray the kingdom of the gods. The guards bent Hrólfr over so that his head lay on the rock. Hrólfr was too weak to resist. A servant walked out of the hall carrying an ax and handed it to the new king. The king spoke to the growing audience, For theft, murder and treason against the king, you, Hrólfr Kraki, will be executed by my father's ax. May the gods have mercy. Hrólfr did not even blink, he knew he had been defeated. Eysteinn swung the ax, and in one swing severed Hrólfr's head.
Scouts venturing the rivers of Eastern Europe came under attack from local nomads. Skirmishes erupted with the Norseman firing arrows from their ships and the nomads from their horses along the shores of the river. After a few small battles, the horsemen ceased their attacks.
Spoiler :
After the defeat of Hrólfr Kraki, the power of the unified kingdom was recognized on a greater level, and more of the smaller kingdoms in Sweden pledged their allegiance to King Eysteinn. These newly annexed kingdoms would provide more pastureland and fishing territory needed to help expand the union. They would also supply large quantities of copper to make bronze weapons and armor.
Spoiler :
Scouts in the area west of Byzantine lands discovered a weak, but wealthy city ripe for raiding as well as an even wealthier Byzantine outpost to the South. Settlements were also found farther west, but it seemed that they had already been victim to raids.
Spoiler :
The sailors were tired and sore from being cramped in the longboats for a whole week. Then a hushed call came out from one of the other ships, We are approaching Stockholm! The men could not see the end of the boat let alone the city due to the morning fog, but they trusted the knowledge of their king. They extinguished the torches in the sea, furled the sails, took up their oars and began to row. After half an hour of rowing, the first dock came into sight. The men put on their helmets and gathered their shields and weapons. The sailors exited their boats and crept onto the docks. They were alarmed by a sound of quick footsteps along the wooden deck. None of Sölve's men would be so reckless to make that much noise. The sound had faded into the fog by the time the men realized they had lost the element of surprise. All at once, the two hundred men began to rush down the docks toward the city. They reached land and emerged from the fog to find their target, Stockholm. Already, the town sentry had formed a loose shield wall to hold off the attackers. It took the raiders only a few minutes to rout the sentry and enter the city. Although the shield wall broke quickly it did buy time for the city garrison to react. Groups well-armed soldiers, shieldmaidens, and peasants armed with hunting bows charged up the streets of Stockholm to meet the pirates. They clashed in the streets, the sounds of metal on metal, metal on wood and warriors crying out in agony filled the city. The muddy streets became stained with blood and buildings caught fire as the raiders passed. The sea-king Sölve led the main force of raiders toward the great hall. The king, Eysteinn, had grown old and weak; a lost leg during a raid forced the king to have servants carry him to do even the most mundane tasks. The king was still recovering from a stroke in the great hall when Sölve launched his attack. One of King Eysteinn's servants, carrying the frail man in an attempt to flee the city, opened the doors and found himself face to face with the sea-king himself. A devilish smile came across Sölve's face as he shoved the old man and the servant back into the hall. His men then barricaded the doors with a nearby merchant's cart. Maintaining his smile, Sölve gave the order to torch the building and his men complied with pleasure. But Sölve did not stay to watch the hall burn and instead took his men to help the other raiders still fighting in the streets. Almost an hour into the fighting, the defending forces were reinforced by soldiers and peasants alike from the surrounding villages causing the battle to grind into a stalemate. Sölve's men had now been fighting for hours, and the fact that they had spent the last week confined to boats only worsened their fatigue. He called for a retreat and the raiders made a run for the docks only to find their longboats burning or already sunk. Thinking on his feet, Sölve directed his men south and out of the city across the river Norrström. After his men crossed, he burned the bridge, trapping each army on either side of the river. Seven days into the stalemate, Eysteinn's son Ingvar arrived from the north to lead the Stockholmians after securing the allegiance of another kingdom. Sölve, now down to only eighty men in fighting condition, was without any means of transport and established camp until new ships could be built. Ingvar, with an poorly trained army of around three hundred, did not dare cross the river in the longboats for the raiders were well dug in and an amphibious assault would be suicide. But neither side knew about about the massive army of cavalry led by several jarls that was only a week's ride away.
Arquebuse
Chieftain
The Second Election of the King
Ingvar-
Son of King Eysteinn and next in line for the Swedish throne. He will attack Sölve and his army once he receives experienced soldiers. A born warrior, but not the smartest when it comes to strategy and politics. Wants to take the Norse army and raid Lutetia Parisiorum.
Sölve-
Once a Norwegian prince who became one of the many sea-kings, whose piracy terrorizes the Baltic and North Seas. He has killed King Eysteinn in his own hall, but has given up on raiding Stockholm and is preparing for a final retreat. Although a poor politician like Ingvar, Sölve is an expert military commander. He believes an assault on Lutetia Parisiorum will fail without siege equipment and should be put on standby.
Ingvar-
Son of King Eysteinn and next in line for the Swedish throne. He will attack Sölve and his army once he receives experienced soldiers. A born warrior, but not the smartest when it comes to strategy and politics. Wants to take the Norse army and raid Lutetia Parisiorum.
Spoiler :
Sölve-
Once a Norwegian prince who became one of the many sea-kings, whose piracy terrorizes the Baltic and North Seas. He has killed King Eysteinn in his own hall, but has given up on raiding Stockholm and is preparing for a final retreat. Although a poor politician like Ingvar, Sölve is an expert military commander. He believes an assault on Lutetia Parisiorum will fail without siege equipment and should be put on standby.
Spoiler :
CaterpillarKing
Conqueror of Cacoons
Ingvar, by Odin's beard! Any gold is good gold!
GreekAnalyzer
Back from the Dead
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- May 9, 2013
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Ingvar
adhiraj.bose
Deity
Ingvar
Not much of a choice really since both want basically the same thing.
Not much of a choice really since both want basically the same thing.
VGL
Deity
Ingvar
Manuss
Sleeping man
Ingvar
Arquebuse
Chieftain
The Jarls Select Ingvar as the Next King of the North!
Ingvar- 6 votes
Sölve- 0 votes
Ingvar- 6 votes
Sölve- 0 votes
Manuss
Sleeping man
Poor Sölve. 
adhiraj.bose
Deity
The electors are vengeful. Whoever kills the King, doesn't become the next King
This only happens in Ancient India
Arquebuse
Chieftain
The Reign of King Ingvar
Sölve and his men were working frantically to build longboats to escape. What remained of his army was now fourteen days into the stalemate with Ingvar and the Stockholmians. Ingvar was nervous as well as it was beginning to look like Sölve would escape before reinforcements arrived. Then in the early afternoon of that day King Agni of the neighboring kingdom of Svealand arrived with his army of just over four hundred mounted soldiers. While Ingvar gave a sigh of relief, Sölve grew even more nervous; should he surrender now and save the lives of his men or order them to prepare for the attack. He chose the latter. An hour later, five longboats began to make their way up the river. Sölve ordered his men to take their positions behind the chest-high palisade they had erected. The ships closed in on the pirates and their passengers came into view. Each ship contained around forty soldiers and was a mix of Ingvar's city garrison and Agni's cavalrymen. At the bow of the lead ship was Ingvar himself, eying Sölve's defenses. Across the river, the remaining soldiers began to hit their shields against their weapons and made a thunderous noise. This visibly lowered the morale of Sölve's men and as the ships grew near, a few broke the line and fled into the forest. Sölve was outnumbered by over two to one and his front line had begun to falter before the enemy was even within arrowshot. Sölve's men gave him worried looks, What do want us to do? Sölve's second in command spoke out. Sölve let out a sigh and clumsily hurdled over the palisade. The Stockholmian ships grew closer and Ingvar's men were drawing their bows. The thunder from across the river died down. Upon seeing Sölve, Ingvar ordered his men to cease rowing and called out to the sea-king, Are you prepared to surrender? Sölve took another sigh, threw his sword on the ground in front of him and called back, I will surrender as long as you let my men live. Why should I? They burned my city and killed many of my people. I have no sympathy for them. They only did so because I ordered them to. Please, no more death, these men have families too. I will cede to you my kingdom and offer my life in exchange for theirs. This seemed to satisfy Ingvar as he landed slightly down the river from Sölve's defenses. He approached along with King Agni and forty other soldiers. Sölve told his men to stand down and Ingvar ordered his entourage to take their weapons. Ingvar walked up to Sölve by himself and grabbed his sword lying on the ground. Sölve thought the king would strike him down right there in front of his men, but Ingvar instead sheathed it and pulled out a small length of rope. He bound the sea-king's hands behind his back and blindfolded him with a cloth. He then felt a firm hand on his shoulder push him forward and Ingvar's voice next to his ear, Walk." Sölve could not see through the clothe but after a short march he felt the river's water around his ankles. He was lifted out of the water and thrown on the wooden deck of the longboat. A few minutes later, he heard Ingvar's voice again, Let's go. After what seemed like an hour of sailing, Sölve realized they were not going to Stockholm, Where are we going? he called out. Ingvar's voice responded firmly, Be quiet. Sölve asked again and received the same answer. Where are my men? he asked. Again Ingvar's voice: Alive. They sailed for two days, and Sölve would ask Where are going? every so often, but received the same response from Ingvar each time. When he felt the longboat hit the shore he once again asked but this time received a different response, Gotska Sandön. Sölve knew this place well, it was an island in the middle of the Baltic with no inhabitants and no trees, it was a death sentence. The rope binding his hands was cut and was thrown out of the boat and onto a sandy beach. Sölve removed the cloth from his eyes just in time to see the last people he will ever see push off from the shore.
The scouting expedition in Eastern Europe ran into another band of nomads. The experience they gained in their earlier battles allowed the scouts to easily and swiftly defeat the attackers.
Another group of scouts traveling in the Byzantine Empire came upon a small village on the frontier. The villagers pleaded to the scouts to help defeat a small warlord that had been harassing Byzantines in the area. Their government could not spare the soldiers for they were fighting a large war in the east. Our scouts chose to aid the villagers and fought side by side with the Byzantines to defeat the warlord. They received the thanks of not only the villagers, but also the Byzantine government.
The Union was almost ready to incorporate a new district into the kingdom. Settlements in Nordland, Finland and Estonia had grown to considerable sizes since the time of Eadgils and had begun raids of their own. In just a few years the Union will be ready to set up a new administrative center in one of these territories.
Just one year after the Battle of Stockholm, King Ingvar set sail from his capital with a Swedish army of over fifteen hundred soldiers. The Swedes linked up with more soldiers from Norway and Denmark combining to form an army almost four thousand strong. After a month of sailing the armies reached the shores of the land known as Francia. They navigated up the river that led to Lutetia Parisiorum for another week. Ingvar and the raiders were only a few miles away when the city came into view from behind a forest. Ingvar ordered the soldiers to set up camp in the forest and scout out the city. After a month camped outside of Lutetia Parisiorum, an emissary from the city came to talk to Ingvar. The emissary represented the king of the Merovingian Empire, Chlothar III. His king wished to know why Ingvar and his men had taken residence outside of his capital. Ingvar responded that he would not negotiate with an emissary, but only King Chlothar himself. The emissary returned once every week for five months, but could never speak to King Ingvar or convince him to enter the city to negotiate. By now the scouts had determined that the city was poorly defended with only two thousand men armed with bows and behind minimal fortifications. Almost seven months after first making camp outside Lutetia Parisiorum, King Chlothar finally came to the camp to talk with Ingvar. As soon as Chlothar asked, Ingvar admitted that he was there to loot and sack the city. When he said this, King Chlothar was taken aback and his guards tensed up. King Ingvar then gave Chlothar an alternative; he would hand over all the gold, silver and gems in the city as well as five hundred of his subjects to be taken as slaves and his capital would be spared of complete destruction. King Chlothar immediately stood up and walked out of Ingvar's tent followed closely by his guards. The soldiers laughed at the king as he hurried out of the Norse camp. After Chlothar left, Ingvar emerged from his tent and climbed up on a large rock to speak to his men, It seems that the king of the city has refused our offer of peace. We now have no choice but to crush his army and set his precious city ablaze. The men cheered at the king's declaration and that night the whole camp erupted into a party. After the soldiers recovered from their hangovers the next afternoon they got to work making final preparations for war. Six days after Ingvar's declaration of war, the Norse army marched on Lutetia Parisiorum.
The first wave formed a shield wall as soon as they were within arrowshot of the Parisian archers. The archers were poorly trained and only a few arrows found their marks. When the raiders reached the defensive line, the archers all at once bolted toward the city in a full retreat. The Norsemen broke their formation and perused the routed soldiers with Ingvar leading at the front. The lightly armored archers were able to outrun the attackers and formed up again at the edge of the city. Ingvar refused to slow down and slammed into one of the archers before they could fire their first volley. The collision put both the king and the Parisian on the ground. King Ingvar recovered quickly and killed the soldier with his sword. The other archers launched their volley and brought down a few more Norsemen, but did not impede the advance. The raiders hit the line of archers while they reached for another arrow. The result was a bloodbath. The archers used their arrows like knives in a futile attempt to survive, and the Norse soldiers hacked them apart with swords and axes. The first wave was just finishing up with the defenders when the second arrived. King Ingvald called out to his soldiers, Their defenses have been obliterated, Tyr, Odin, Thor, all the gods are with us! Burn the city! The soldiers roared and charged through the streets of Lutetia Parisiorum torches in their hands and gold in their eyes.
The soldiers broke down doors and met screaming families huddled in corners of their homes. They grabbed all they could and left the city with their arms full of loot. Ingvald and a small group of men headed straight for the palace. He kicked down the door to find the main hall filled with gold, but empty of kings. He searched the entire building, but could not find a servant, let alone King Chlothar. He returned to the hall to help the other soldiers haul the loot out into the street. There was so much wealth in that city that a messenger was sent to bring the soldiers at camp into the town to help bring it back. Not only was the raid on Lutetia Parisiorum, the most profitable in history, but also the easiest; only twenty-one Norsemen were killed in battle that day. The loot was amassed into a large pile back at the Norse camp. King Ingvald stood upon the same rock as when he announced the attack on the city and spoke, Now to divide our plunder. Half of the wealth you see before you here will go into the coffers of the union, a quarter will go to the kings and a quarter of this is for you, the bravest warriors of Midgard. You who made the king of the city run away like a startled rabbit into the bushes. Take your share of the gold, bring it back to your families and tell your children and grandchildren that you fought alongside your king and the gods here in Francia on this great day. The men cheered and that night another party was held in the camp. One week later, the longboats were turned around and heading down the river toward home with their hulls deep in the water full of gold.
King Ingvar continued to lead raids all over Europe, but never had as much success as he did at Lutetia Parisiorum. On one of these raids, he was not so lucky. Leading a raid in the interior of Estonia, Ingvar tried to fight an army much too large for the Swedes. Ingvar's mistake cost him his life. When the raiders saw their with arrows sticking out of his back like a porcupine, they retreated back to their boats and sailed to Sweden without any plunder.
Sölve and his men were working frantically to build longboats to escape. What remained of his army was now fourteen days into the stalemate with Ingvar and the Stockholmians. Ingvar was nervous as well as it was beginning to look like Sölve would escape before reinforcements arrived. Then in the early afternoon of that day King Agni of the neighboring kingdom of Svealand arrived with his army of just over four hundred mounted soldiers. While Ingvar gave a sigh of relief, Sölve grew even more nervous; should he surrender now and save the lives of his men or order them to prepare for the attack. He chose the latter. An hour later, five longboats began to make their way up the river. Sölve ordered his men to take their positions behind the chest-high palisade they had erected. The ships closed in on the pirates and their passengers came into view. Each ship contained around forty soldiers and was a mix of Ingvar's city garrison and Agni's cavalrymen. At the bow of the lead ship was Ingvar himself, eying Sölve's defenses. Across the river, the remaining soldiers began to hit their shields against their weapons and made a thunderous noise. This visibly lowered the morale of Sölve's men and as the ships grew near, a few broke the line and fled into the forest. Sölve was outnumbered by over two to one and his front line had begun to falter before the enemy was even within arrowshot. Sölve's men gave him worried looks, What do want us to do? Sölve's second in command spoke out. Sölve let out a sigh and clumsily hurdled over the palisade. The Stockholmian ships grew closer and Ingvar's men were drawing their bows. The thunder from across the river died down. Upon seeing Sölve, Ingvar ordered his men to cease rowing and called out to the sea-king, Are you prepared to surrender? Sölve took another sigh, threw his sword on the ground in front of him and called back, I will surrender as long as you let my men live. Why should I? They burned my city and killed many of my people. I have no sympathy for them. They only did so because I ordered them to. Please, no more death, these men have families too. I will cede to you my kingdom and offer my life in exchange for theirs. This seemed to satisfy Ingvar as he landed slightly down the river from Sölve's defenses. He approached along with King Agni and forty other soldiers. Sölve told his men to stand down and Ingvar ordered his entourage to take their weapons. Ingvar walked up to Sölve by himself and grabbed his sword lying on the ground. Sölve thought the king would strike him down right there in front of his men, but Ingvar instead sheathed it and pulled out a small length of rope. He bound the sea-king's hands behind his back and blindfolded him with a cloth. He then felt a firm hand on his shoulder push him forward and Ingvar's voice next to his ear, Walk." Sölve could not see through the clothe but after a short march he felt the river's water around his ankles. He was lifted out of the water and thrown on the wooden deck of the longboat. A few minutes later, he heard Ingvar's voice again, Let's go. After what seemed like an hour of sailing, Sölve realized they were not going to Stockholm, Where are we going? he called out. Ingvar's voice responded firmly, Be quiet. Sölve asked again and received the same answer. Where are my men? he asked. Again Ingvar's voice: Alive. They sailed for two days, and Sölve would ask Where are going? every so often, but received the same response from Ingvar each time. When he felt the longboat hit the shore he once again asked but this time received a different response, Gotska Sandön. Sölve knew this place well, it was an island in the middle of the Baltic with no inhabitants and no trees, it was a death sentence. The rope binding his hands was cut and was thrown out of the boat and onto a sandy beach. Sölve removed the cloth from his eyes just in time to see the last people he will ever see push off from the shore.
The scouting expedition in Eastern Europe ran into another band of nomads. The experience they gained in their earlier battles allowed the scouts to easily and swiftly defeat the attackers.
Spoiler :
Another group of scouts traveling in the Byzantine Empire came upon a small village on the frontier. The villagers pleaded to the scouts to help defeat a small warlord that had been harassing Byzantines in the area. Their government could not spare the soldiers for they were fighting a large war in the east. Our scouts chose to aid the villagers and fought side by side with the Byzantines to defeat the warlord. They received the thanks of not only the villagers, but also the Byzantine government.
Spoiler :
The Union was almost ready to incorporate a new district into the kingdom. Settlements in Nordland, Finland and Estonia had grown to considerable sizes since the time of Eadgils and had begun raids of their own. In just a few years the Union will be ready to set up a new administrative center in one of these territories.
Spoiler :
Just one year after the Battle of Stockholm, King Ingvar set sail from his capital with a Swedish army of over fifteen hundred soldiers. The Swedes linked up with more soldiers from Norway and Denmark combining to form an army almost four thousand strong. After a month of sailing the armies reached the shores of the land known as Francia. They navigated up the river that led to Lutetia Parisiorum for another week. Ingvar and the raiders were only a few miles away when the city came into view from behind a forest. Ingvar ordered the soldiers to set up camp in the forest and scout out the city. After a month camped outside of Lutetia Parisiorum, an emissary from the city came to talk to Ingvar. The emissary represented the king of the Merovingian Empire, Chlothar III. His king wished to know why Ingvar and his men had taken residence outside of his capital. Ingvar responded that he would not negotiate with an emissary, but only King Chlothar himself. The emissary returned once every week for five months, but could never speak to King Ingvar or convince him to enter the city to negotiate. By now the scouts had determined that the city was poorly defended with only two thousand men armed with bows and behind minimal fortifications. Almost seven months after first making camp outside Lutetia Parisiorum, King Chlothar finally came to the camp to talk with Ingvar. As soon as Chlothar asked, Ingvar admitted that he was there to loot and sack the city. When he said this, King Chlothar was taken aback and his guards tensed up. King Ingvar then gave Chlothar an alternative; he would hand over all the gold, silver and gems in the city as well as five hundred of his subjects to be taken as slaves and his capital would be spared of complete destruction. King Chlothar immediately stood up and walked out of Ingvar's tent followed closely by his guards. The soldiers laughed at the king as he hurried out of the Norse camp. After Chlothar left, Ingvar emerged from his tent and climbed up on a large rock to speak to his men, It seems that the king of the city has refused our offer of peace. We now have no choice but to crush his army and set his precious city ablaze. The men cheered at the king's declaration and that night the whole camp erupted into a party. After the soldiers recovered from their hangovers the next afternoon they got to work making final preparations for war. Six days after Ingvar's declaration of war, the Norse army marched on Lutetia Parisiorum.
Spoiler :
The first wave formed a shield wall as soon as they were within arrowshot of the Parisian archers. The archers were poorly trained and only a few arrows found their marks. When the raiders reached the defensive line, the archers all at once bolted toward the city in a full retreat. The Norsemen broke their formation and perused the routed soldiers with Ingvar leading at the front. The lightly armored archers were able to outrun the attackers and formed up again at the edge of the city. Ingvar refused to slow down and slammed into one of the archers before they could fire their first volley. The collision put both the king and the Parisian on the ground. King Ingvar recovered quickly and killed the soldier with his sword. The other archers launched their volley and brought down a few more Norsemen, but did not impede the advance. The raiders hit the line of archers while they reached for another arrow. The result was a bloodbath. The archers used their arrows like knives in a futile attempt to survive, and the Norse soldiers hacked them apart with swords and axes. The first wave was just finishing up with the defenders when the second arrived. King Ingvald called out to his soldiers, Their defenses have been obliterated, Tyr, Odin, Thor, all the gods are with us! Burn the city! The soldiers roared and charged through the streets of Lutetia Parisiorum torches in their hands and gold in their eyes.
Spoiler :
The soldiers broke down doors and met screaming families huddled in corners of their homes. They grabbed all they could and left the city with their arms full of loot. Ingvald and a small group of men headed straight for the palace. He kicked down the door to find the main hall filled with gold, but empty of kings. He searched the entire building, but could not find a servant, let alone King Chlothar. He returned to the hall to help the other soldiers haul the loot out into the street. There was so much wealth in that city that a messenger was sent to bring the soldiers at camp into the town to help bring it back. Not only was the raid on Lutetia Parisiorum, the most profitable in history, but also the easiest; only twenty-one Norsemen were killed in battle that day. The loot was amassed into a large pile back at the Norse camp. King Ingvald stood upon the same rock as when he announced the attack on the city and spoke, Now to divide our plunder. Half of the wealth you see before you here will go into the coffers of the union, a quarter will go to the kings and a quarter of this is for you, the bravest warriors of Midgard. You who made the king of the city run away like a startled rabbit into the bushes. Take your share of the gold, bring it back to your families and tell your children and grandchildren that you fought alongside your king and the gods here in Francia on this great day. The men cheered and that night another party was held in the camp. One week later, the longboats were turned around and heading down the river toward home with their hulls deep in the water full of gold.
Spoiler :
King Ingvar continued to lead raids all over Europe, but never had as much success as he did at Lutetia Parisiorum. On one of these raids, he was not so lucky. Leading a raid in the interior of Estonia, Ingvar tried to fight an army much too large for the Swedes. Ingvar's mistake cost him his life. When the raiders saw their with arrows sticking out of his back like a porcupine, they retreated back to their boats and sailed to Sweden without any plunder.
Arquebuse
Chieftain
The Third Election of the King
Injald-
The next in line in the House of Yngling and the grandson of King Ingvar. He saw his grandfather die on his first raid in Estonia and vows never to return to the land. He wishes to incorporate the territory of Nordland to the north, as far away from Estonia as possible.
Sporsnjall-
King of neighboring Nerike and a brave warrior as well. Spornsjall was also part of the army that fought alongside Ingvar in Estonia. Spornsjall wants to avenge his king's death by invading Estonia and annexing the territory.
Algaut-
King of Götaland in southern Sweden and the brother-in-law of Ingjald. Although he did not fight on that fateful day in Estonia, Algaut wants vengeance on the Estonians. He believes in incorporating Finland and use it as a staging point to attack Estonia.
Olof Trätälja-
The illegitimate son of King Ingvar who was sent to a foster family in Norway. When he learned of his father's death, he traveled to Stockholm to claim the throne. Unlike the other potential kings, Olof does not want to add new territories at the moment and save the resources for potential expansion projects elsewhere.
Injald-
The next in line in the House of Yngling and the grandson of King Ingvar. He saw his grandfather die on his first raid in Estonia and vows never to return to the land. He wishes to incorporate the territory of Nordland to the north, as far away from Estonia as possible.
Spoiler :
Sporsnjall-
King of neighboring Nerike and a brave warrior as well. Spornsjall was also part of the army that fought alongside Ingvar in Estonia. Spornsjall wants to avenge his king's death by invading Estonia and annexing the territory.
Spoiler :
Algaut-
King of Götaland in southern Sweden and the brother-in-law of Ingjald. Although he did not fight on that fateful day in Estonia, Algaut wants vengeance on the Estonians. He believes in incorporating Finland and use it as a staging point to attack Estonia.
Spoiler :
Olof Trätälja-
The illegitimate son of King Ingvar who was sent to a foster family in Norway. When he learned of his father's death, he traveled to Stockholm to claim the throne. Unlike the other potential kings, Olof does not want to add new territories at the moment and save the resources for potential expansion projects elsewhere.
Spoiler :
adhiraj.bose
Deity
Algaut, all the others are useless !
VGL
Deity
Algaut
adhiraj.bose
Deity
And what does Sporsnjall offer that Algaut doesn't ? If we chose the latter we will get Finland AND Estonia ! Think about that
. Also Finland is a very good base, not just for Estonia but for conquering the whole of Russia !
