The first order was settling the will of King Konstantin; all of his estates and gold passed down to King Dragija, all of his other sons were already landed from Konstantin's conquests, and with some mighty intrigue King Dragija ensured that Konstantin's firearm fell into Dragija's hands. A lot of Miroslavs silently disputed King Konstantin's will, and the old gun would be a great boon in fending off assassins and rivals.
The second immediate matter of order was finishing off King Konstantin's unfinished business. Crushing the Occultist rebellion was a good start, and King Dragija certainly proved he was not incompetent - shattering the Occultists at the
battle of Mount Desert. Outnumbered 2 to 1, the Serbian taskforce crushed the occultist army remnants of 1,500 and killed the survivors at the
battle of Mattawamkag. Many of their officers were captured, from Marcas to Nolan - named after the old occultist fiend, Bravo Nolan.
King Dragija's taskforce had no time to rest, immediately returning home to Batchawana Bay
where 750 Vikings were waiting to die, and were promptly massacred. One thing about the Vikings is that they were better raiders than soldiers, for all their talk about being tough they spent more time attacking the defenceless than fighting the Serbian armies (not until they couldn't run away to their longships anyways). King Dragija would have to continue his father's work in destroying the Viking menace, but first he needed time to recuperate, consolidate and assess the threats to his rule. He was a smart man, but beneath him were also many smart Miroslavs - ambitious and jealous Miroslavs.
King Dagija looked southwest and saw the vast woodlands and their Viking tribes concealed within, with the great deserts of Catholics and Revelationists in bitter combat beyond them. To the southeast however, was the Rust cultists, the Occultists - and right on their doorstep was the Kingdom of Ontario and the High Church Indians of Outaouais. The Ontarians were a mixed society, although by virtue of having a larger population it seemed that in another generation or two the Native Americans would disappear from their population by virtue of interbreeding, leaving a lot of people going 'eh' capable of claiming native american descent.
And their Queen did a lot of breeding indeed. Ontario had an unusually large number of female rulers amongst all the Kingdoms, with under half a dozen Duchesses under Queen Charlotte's rule. And Queen Charlotte was prolific, establishing her rule with a harem of Earl enforcers; there was barely a man in Ontario who hadn't slept with the Queen - including the husbands of the Duchess. Everyone except her
own husband it seems, who was a bit queer. By blackmailing the Duchesses and sleeping with all the Earls and Lords of the Land, rebellion was impossible. A robust state by any standards, in its own weird way. King Dragija decided the slut Queen of Ontario was not worth the cost of battle, unless he managed to get a claim on the entire Ontarian crown (unlikely in this generation).
King Dragija looked elsewhere for land. A good candidate was Timiskaming, a land that held the last of the Davieux, the family that once ruled over Almogad. It was best to remove them before they started building hosts to try and retake their lost lands.
The Daveiux armies were demolished at the battle of Temagami whilst the Serbians
stormed the Fortress under the threat of horrible winter breaking their siege. The Davieux family was finally written off the pages of history, betrayed by Miroslavs - ended by Miroslavs.
King Dragija returned home triumphant to find assassins
around every corner. Whether these were Daveiux, Miroslav or Northland assassins, Dragija did not know - but they were there. Dragija watched on as
disease spread, killing Miroslavs, and all the while raiders landed all over Aurora, requiring endless policing and marshaling of the coastline. He awaited the next war.
And with funds gained from creating debased coinage, King Dragija had the money needed for a campaign. Nothing would distract unruly subjects better than a good war.
King Dara of the Maritimes requested military aid in their invasion of Occultist lands. King Dragija obliged, but offered little in the way of soldiery support and just offered a little material assistance - the Occultist lands of New England were undergoing about
6 different rebellions and were frankly too violent to conquer just yet, and King Dara's efforts were likely to yield little returns in the way of good land, or even land in general. It was not a war King Dragija wanted. On the bright side the projection that the capture of Maine would result in the collapse of the Occultist faith was proving true. The Kingdom of New England was falling apart because of these endless series of rebellions, to the point where it was a non-functional state. The Occultist faith had been shattered.
And so he waited at home for the right war to present itself. Without an external enemy to fight just yet (Viking raiders don't count, they were even more infuriating), Dragija looked inwards to his court. Someone was working with the assassins after his life.
Was it his wife?He hired spies to spy on her, then hired even more spies to spy on her when the first spies found nothing. All evidence pointed towards Queen Ljubica being completely faithful, but Dragija was a paranoid man - it had kept him alive so far and there was no reason not to distrust his paranoia now. Which was unfortunate for Ljubica as she probably was actually innocent, and
she voiced her anger publicly. King Dragija was displeased. He needed someone to kill to get this mess off of his mind, and went to war with
with the Duchy of Outaouais. High Church folk, and what better time to invade than when
Aurora was plagued with far too many diseases? Quite frankly it was safer to be in battle than to stay at home in a plagued city!
Whilst out laying siege to the Canadians, the nearby port of Bangor received an unusual visitor.
Old world merchants had arrived from beyond the Atlantic from the old world, had made their way past the St. Lawrence River into the calm waters of the Lake to escape the Hurricane and had found themselves presumably forced north into the Kingdom of Aurora by Vikings. Their ships were quite battered and their people looked quite haggard too - they maintained a cautious, and respectful distance from the garrison and people of Bangor. They were quite visibly merchants and in no position to fight an army of several thousand Serbians, so Dragija let curiosity get the better of him and allowed the merchants to have an audience with him. His paranoia was with limits after all, though he did keep his firearm close at hand. In his hand to be precise. The merchants requested the usage of Aurorean ports for trading. This would very quickly establish a trade route between Aurora and the Old World, given his father's precedence with detroit - Dragija allowed it and endorsed it. Dragija
even accepted scholars from these merchants, to possibly facilitate greater interactions in future and longer-term trading partnerships. Some of local mayors were quite disapproving of harbouring foreign infidels, but they could teach a thing or two to the Serbian court. They were British - and British courtiers had been occasionally arriving in the Serbian court so Dragija knew they had ready access to North America and this confirmed it.
And so the Serbian court grew to harbour Consumerists, Brits, Serbs and Indians.
With this interesting interlude out of the way, King Dragija marched back to war with a few curious foreign and native scholars in tow, tasked with writing down his exploits in both the Serbian, Canadian and British tongue. The defending Canadians found their Aurorean territories occupied, and had to defeat the Serbian forces or face losing them with little chance of regaining them, what with the Kingdom of Ontario being in the way and all. They attacked the Serbians at the battle of Callander. 2,600 Serbians fought 2,500 Canadians, it was evenly matched,
but due to the incompetence of the left flank, the Serbian forces crumbled
and lost 1,400 men to the Canadian's 200. The commander of the left wing led a cavalry charge right into massed archer volleys - it was a massacre. Despite losing the battle, in the battle of Callander Dragija won the war. To the scholars it appeared as if this was a terrible defeat, but Dragija was ecstatic! Laughing!
Amidst the battle an arrow glanced off of Dragija's armour and the looming figure of the Duke of Outaouais charged to kill him in single combat; the King versus the Duke, both the commanders who could end the war in heroic single combat.
Heroic used liberally, as King Dragija shot and killed him, forever becoming known as King Dragija 'Thunderhand' Miroslav. It was not a fair fight. The Outaeouais Duchy was now without leadership.
A new army was assembled, traveling quickly to the frontline on wooden ships with woolen sails. They killed a Viking host on the way, and got ready for battle.
4,000 Serbians crushed the 2,500 Canadians still left. Without their Duke, the state of their supplies, gold and reinforcements quickly fell apart.
In contrast, foreign wealth merely flowed in ever-increasing quantities in Aurorean ports. It seems that his previous dealings with the British had given off the impression that Aurora was welcoming to merchants - and this was not an impression unfounded, all were welcomed as long as they respected the law.
Vikings also smelt this greater wealth. They attacked in greater numbers.
Death did not deter them. One could kill 4 out of 5 northmen, could kill 5 out of 5 northmen - new northmen would fill in the empty shoes of their predecessors.
A punitive holy war to take over the islands and ports
of Copperland was planned and executed. Take over Rock Harbour and Northlander raids would vastly decrease, with the long-game being to eventually capture every single Northland harbour until the lake was Serbian and the merchant/abbey lands were free from Norse molestations.
A grand fleet and army was assembled for war.
6,000 men strong, it was the largest Serbian army ever yet assembled. The beach of Rock Harbour was taken and siege
began, though Winter forced the Serbian army to split into two taskforces. One to take Rock Harbour, another to fight on the
mainland peninsula. Also of note is that around this time the Canadians officially
surrendered, completely and utterly incapable of retaking their lands. They were really an afterthought, the war was lost for them a long time ago.
The war for Copperland however, increasingly began to look like a great mistake. Military technology had not yet advanced to the point where a naval logistics system large enough to support a massive invasion of the Norse lands, until now all invasions had been on the Serbian doorstep. This was like attacking beyond the Serbian pond, only the pond was an arctic pond and the Serb was wading barefoot through it. And there were a lot of Northlanders defending. A LOT OF NORTHLANDERS. The entire Norse world rushed to defend the Copperlands. At the battle of Houghton,
5,000 Northlanders threw 2,400 Serbians into the lake, though 1,000 were fortunate enough to survive and escape into their galleys. The Serbian plan at this point was to take Rock Harbour (bringing the war to a stalemate) before returning home to recuperate and storm Houghton with renewed vigour. Wars with the Northland tended to take around a decade to conclude, Dragija did not want for patience.
This plan was promptly demolished by
the Northwoods Vikings declaring a prepared invasion on Aurora with over
11,000 men. If Dragija lost this war, he lost the entire crown. Dragija's consolations were that
an Abbess professed support (that was not noticeable/never came) and tuberculerosis was sweeping through the land. This was very noticeable, it infected the Chief of Northwoods and did terrible things to the vast Northern horde.
The 11,000 marched right past the buffer zone of North Shore, which looked to be a really good investment right about then. Winter and the bloody cough killed thousands until only
8,000 Vikings remained to commence the siege of Lakehead. If the capital of Lakehead fell, the war was lost. If the siege endured, the Viking host could be whittled down by winter and disease to a number manageable by Serbian forces.
Aurora was such an inhospitable plague-ridden arctic wasteland that in 3 months over 90% of the Viking army had died. With just 2,000 men left
their armies were smashed in the battle of Thunder Bay, breaking their siege on Lakehead and trapping the 1,000 survivors in Nippigon, where they were hunted down and annihilated by the Serbs. The Serbian army then disbanded as it desperately needed to recover manpower to take over the Northlands, who were regularly fielding armies in the range of 5,000 to 8,000. Dragija began tapping into his gold reserves to hire
the shinier company, bolstered by Ursuline Knights and Lakehead levies.
And they went to war, ambushing an army of 4,000 Vikings with 7,000 soldiers at Batawing. Both sides lost 1,400 men each at the
battle of St. Marie, but the Vikings were on the defensive and the Serbs were keen to press the advantage in running them down.
1,000 more Vikings were killed at Newbury,
700 more at Wetmore - the Serbian forces were relentless, the shinier company charging headlong with the spirit of the ancient gladiators of the bowl.
Eventually only 5,00 of the Northwoods army remained. The Miroslavs marched onwards in the cold, determined to reverse their fortunes in war.
Dragija personally fought bitterly, killing many infidel norsemen with his thunderhand. Age was no issue when he carried the great equalizer, with an abundance of bullet food. Dragija had to take the Copperlands or else face certain defeat.
So just as Rock Harbour was occupied by 3,000 stranded Norsemen, Houghton was once more assaulted by the Serbs.
The Vikings knew the Serbian armies were getting desperate.
They were ambushed on the beach by an army of equal size, but by an army that was not shaken by the voyage there. The Serbian army had not properly organized before they were killed,
2,100 dying to the enemy's 1,200.
The war was swinging further and further out of Dragija's favour.
It was King Dragija and King Dara versus the Norse world. They simply could not compete with the sheer rate at which the Norsemen replenished their forces, and the Northwoods invasion had crippled all the momentum the Serbs had started with. King Dragija mustered the Knights of the Ursuline order, the last of his replenished levies, and made one last call to strike rock harbour. The harbour was held by 3,000 men and only an amphibious landing was possible. And so, with 5,500 men -
the Serbians attacked.92 ships brought them to Rock Harbour, the enemy at the peak of their prime and in perfect readiness for the Serbian landing. The Serbs attacked on the northern beach where Viking ships could challenge them not one bit, and the Serbians at once prepared for battle - the Vikings were already upon them. Wave after wave of heavy infantry forced their way through the cold arctic swell and the tide of Viking warriors, their cavalry crashing through and their skirmishers exploiting all the gaps. What they didn't expect was for there to be 1,260 archers waiting to fire from the Serbian ships, nor did they expect Dragija to personally lead a vicious and aggressive charge through the Viking right flank - gaining the high ground, and causing the entire Viking army to collapse. 289 Serbian soldiers died; the Vikings, incapable of retreating -
were annihilated to the last man.Half of the army remained in Rock Harbour to take the garrison down yet again, whilst the other half assaulted
Houghton. The possibility of winning the war was not yet out of the question.
Until yet more Vikings appeared at Houghton, ambushing the Serbs, defeated. The Serbians returned to Houghton once more, this time with
6,300 men. They enjoyed brief success,
Dragija proved himself just in the fair distribution of war loot, and Dragija ordered the assault on Hancock
killing 3,100 hired mercenaries just to take the Fortress. Less men to pay.
After 5 years of war Rock Harbour was so close to falling and the peninsula of Copperland was already under Dragija's control. Victory was so close - yet so far away. King Dragija was simply running out of money, and soon would be at the whims of mercenary captains.
When the Duke offered a white peace Dragija accepted, his pride slightly wounded but his lands intact. With the Copperlands invasion called off,
Dragija sorted out the Northwoods invasion of Aurora, forcing Jarl Paul II to surrender.
The war was not without consequences. It left Dragija in near-bankruptcy and his levies very depleted. This led another Dragija Miroslav
to declare a rebellion in exchange for Gavelkind law, which would inevitably result in independent Miroslav Kingdoms forming. The war of two Dragija Miroslavs was particularly infuriating, as Earl Dragija began tearing apart everything King Dragija had been working towards. The Miroslavs of Maine fought with the rebellion whilst Aurora mostly stayed with the loyalists.
Earl Dragija even began assassinating Miroslavs fighting for him, trying to take over their lands. Dragija of the Revolt became a kinslaying,
team killing fucktard. There were serious soviet-style purges within the Aurorean revolt; I'm 100% the revolt wasn't even intended to win - it was only intended to allow Earl Dragija to kill King Dragija's spies and assassinate his brothers. Needless to say, because the Aurorean Revolt's powerbase was in faraway Maine -
they were doomed to defeat.Not before Dragija dragged King Dragija into conflict with the Northlanders once more. In the time it took Earl Dragija to start the rebellion, half the Miroslav brothers had been murdered and the other half were off fighting Vikings trying to invade Arrowhead (whose Miroslav had joined the rebellion). The Serbs had the home advantage,
and ambushed the Vikings every step of the way.
What frost couldn't kill the Serbians finished off. Thousands perished trying to reach Maine through Aurora, all the whilst Earl Dragija laughed.
He didn't laugh as much when the Vikings finally reached Maine. They quickly began conquering the tribes with help from Occultist partisans, and the Quick of mind and Strong of arm Miroslav in charge of Maine may have been regretting his choice of associates round about now.
King Dragija could not accept their surrender whilst foreign viking troops still occupied his lands. They had to be removed. King Dragija did not lack in Viking-killing experience.
A new fleet was assembled. And after
6 years of rebellion, the Serbian army set foot on Maine once more. They were conquered, the Vikings slaughtered - and the sons forgiven. Only in so far as they were forgiven to keep a close eye on them, given comfortable positions in the court of Lakehead. Comfortable prisons from which they had to prove their worth in raising swans and pouring wine.
Given Dragija's sons and brothers being just as likely to kill him as a deer whilst out hunting, Dragija found he had no friends still living nor relatives to accompany him. Surprisingly his daughter
was the one to fill the empty shoes. The hunt went incredibly well, with King Dragija and Princess Bastina catching far more game than they could eat. They sold the excess, but when it came down to splitting the money Dragija took the lion's share. They were his woods after all, and he needed the money for war.
Princess Bastina was not amused.Despite his daughter's father issues, Dragija still found the time and peace of mind needed
to conduct an invasion of Arrowhead as controlled by the Northwoods Northlander clans. A vast column of 6,000 levies and an additional dozen thousand Ursuline Knights broke through, quickly taking the hill forts. Supply lines were an issue but not as severe an issue as with the disastrous Copperlands campaign; the Serbian forces could afford to keep their forces spread and nearby their own lands without worry.
They cleared all opposition and got the war going in their favour long before the almighty Northern hosts could unite and drive the Serbians off, for the time being at least. A
Nippigonian revolt would draw the Levies back, with only around
700 Ursuline Knights staying behind to guard the Hill Forts (as the Knights refused to fight Christian faithfuls).
The Serbians crushed the revolt at home, but also returned to find
only 46 surviving Ursuline Knights. The rest had died fighting, charging into a horde of Northlanders with twice their numbers. It was a valiant effort but ultimately a doomed one. The victorious soldiers at Nippigon took their fleet to kill the raiders at
Richard's Landing (as one can assume any time I don't mention Viking raiders, that there were in fact Viking raiders attacking), before returning to the western front to decisively defeat the Norse Americans.
The Serbian forces were arrayed in a pincer movement, ready to attack the Viking forces from two sides. A flawless plan.
It's just a shame that King Dragija's life was at its end around here, he did not live long enough to see the conclusion of his strategy.
The crown and command fell to King Aldimir Miroslav, amidst the battle for the tribes of Arrowhead.
Next up: King Aldimir Miroslav
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Topic: Crusader Kings 2 is released. (Read 2120638 times)