Reich
P0sts: 22
V1s1t3d by: 56 users
|
https://pastebin.com/95yyAFBX  The following account is of the 12th century anarchy of the Holy Roman Empire written by the priests of Mainz, and sponsored by the Cardinal of Mainz, Balian von Nedrichstadt The years of darkness Upon the extinction of Henry and the Salian Dynasty, a great evil came to the land of Germania. A great winter soon followed and the houses began to plot, then extending their influence for the war to follow. Above all others though, the House of Nedrichstadt had the greatest right to the throne, for the Henry too was also Franconian, and Viktor von Nedrichstadt was his nephew. The other houses did not recognize this at first, but upon victory over a minor French invasion of Lorraine by House Estienne did his influence begin to rapidly grow. God showed favor to the Nedrichstadt by embroiling his foes in conflicts, the noble Saxons of House Königsfeld bravely resisted the ambitious and greedy House Přemyslid of Bohemia. Their war was one unmatched in the empire in its savagery, both of their lords Ferdinand and Vladislaus falling in the first major battle. In the south, the Lohengramm Bavarians and House Schemeichel of Swabia too engaged in skirmishes to which the House Lohengramm of Bavaria emerged supreme. In that time there was numerous uprisings against August, who was known as the tyrant, it is recorded the taxation of Swabia often triple (or more) anywhere else to the great suffering of its people. In this era the battles within the Church were just as fierce. Pope Innocent II schemed to weaken the rightful Nedrichstadt claim to the throne by claiming the sanctity of Louis (after finding a mere cup he called the grail) and supporting Lohengramm members to the Bisphorics of Konstanz and Salzburg. This was done to counter the ecclesiastical power of Mainz and Koln, who have always been loyal to the Empire, and not the Italians in rome. Despite this scheme, Viktor von Nedrichstadt was elected Emperor in 1137 and then murdered while traveling to Trier. This crime was orchestrated by the accursed Přemyslids, and although they were too strong to be removed from their seat in Prag, the perpetrator Helena Přemyslovna was executed. The dawn Again anarchy reigned for a decade, famines plagued the Franconia repeatedly, the contested bisphoric of Hildesheim finally was granted to the Heinrich of Saxony, which was well deserved. The Königsfelds by this time had begun to regain their advantage, and had come under the masterful leadership of Josef who defeated the weak son of Vladislaus, Hynek, in battle and formed the powerful Duchy of Saxony. Ever increasingly did the Saxons and Franconians begin to cooperate against the forces of disorder and chaos. Viktor's son, Hektor Nedrichstadt was ambitious and determined to make the Empire great again, and in this he began a great effort to expand agriculture and to grow the treasury. He also supported the by now weakened Swabians (who had been largely reduced to only parts of Swabia) against the avaricious Bavarians of House Lohengramm. More and more nobility began to see the Nedrichstadt as the protecter of the Empire and the source of wealthy and stability. The rise of Hektor Hektor was elected Emperor with the backing of Josef of Saxony, and the marriage of his sister Erika. This was a momentous occasion and began the true lineage of the current Dynasty. From this point on the other dukes were merely rebels, no longer claimants. Their hatred against the Emperor grew very great and even the Duke August of Swabia betrayed Hektor and joined with their fomer Bavarian rivals, invading Franconia itself. In a bold counter attack, Josef led the royalist Saxons to take the Přemyslid seat of Prag, which was regarded as a stunning victory, and this should have ended the rebellion if not for the help of Satan who saw fit to increase the torment of the empire by having imperial armies face defeat and to continue the war. The end of the rebellion Emperor Hektor's death was mourned in Mainz, his son Geralt stoically declared that they would resist and opened the great treasury his father had saved in usage of a grand castle building and recruitment drive, as well as donations to the minor nobility and relief to the peasantry. His popularity and might surging, while the rebels were being badly undermined, they attempted a final attack upon the capital which failed. In one last act of wickedness, Reinhard Lohengramm kidnapped Prince Karl. Enraged, Beatrix demanded her Husband conduct a righteous war of extermination against the 3 rebel houses. However, Balian and Ulrich advocated for a peace settlement. Perhaps finally reforming from his family's evil ways, Hynek Přemyslid was the first to end his wars against the Emperor Geralt. In return the Přemyslid's were granted pardon for their previous crimes and maintain control of the Bohemian Duchy. Duke August soon died of disease at Frankfurt, his title passing to his grandson Berthold. All castles in Franconia held by the Swabians were returned and Strasbourg was ceded to House Nedrichstadt, although they retained the Bisphoric of Hildesheim and their duchy. Reinhard used the Prince to negotiate the keeping of the Bavarian Duchy. Upon the return of the prince he was not soon after seized and executed, the bisphoric passing to his kin Alexander in the years after. And so, order has returned to Germania, we pray daily for the long life and health of Emperor Geralt and his son, for.....in the Reich peace and stability is a delicate and fragile thing. ++Map of the Empire++ Winners 1.House von Nedrichstadt (Nedris) 2. House Königsfeld (jesus) Losers House of Přemyslid (Empirezz) House Schemeichel (Surtr) House von Lohengramm (bubartem) (power gap) House Estienne (Zeph)
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Great Houses:  House of Přemyslid VPs:1 Members:  Viktorka Přemyslovna "the Swift"  Hynek Přemyslid "the Persuasive", Duke of Bohemia ⚭Duchess Hildegard von Lohengramm Konrad Přemyslid "the Fearless"  Svatopluk II Přemyslid  House Königsfeld VPs:1 Members:  Lidya "the Bastard" Erika von Königsfeld, Duchess of Saxony Emperor Geralt von Nedrichstadt-Königsfeld "the Accursed" House Schemeichel VPs:1 Members:  August IV Schemeichel "the Tyrant", Duke of Swabia  Helmer Schemeichel "the Ugly"(Suspected for Attempted Murder Adalheida Schemeichel "the Blessed" Berthold Schemeichel "the Ambitious" House von Nedrichstadt VPs:2 Members:  Ulrich I von Nedrichstadt "the Unlucky", Cardinal of Köln, Duke of Lower Lorraine  Balian von Nedrichstadt, Duke of Upper Lorraine, Cardinal of Mainz Empress Beatrix von Nedrichstadt "the Storm", Duchess of Franconia⚭Emperor Geralt von Nedrichstadt Prince Karl von Nedrichstadt-Königsfeld  House von Lohengramm VPs:1 Members:  Reinhard von Lohengramm "the Extravagant", Cardinal of Salzburg (owner of the holy grail, -1 hits in battle if not initiating) Louis von Lohengramm "the Saint", Cardinal of Konstanz Hildegard von Lohengramm, Duchess of Bavaria ⚭Duke Hynek Přemyslid  Alexander Siegfried von LohengrammList of Emperors Nedrichstadt Dynasty Emperor Viktor (1137) Emperor Hektor (1144-1157) Emperor Geralt (1157-?)
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Turn Order 1. Hear Ye, Hear Ye Phase The first phase of every turn is when people announce marriages, conduct elections, the Pope or a Cardinal declares a Crusade, or the Emperor decides to Campaign in Italy. Marriage Alliances A Marriage is a political arrangement to ally two families, and no alliance is possible without a Marriage. Players who agree to a Marriage must announce it publicly. A marriage unites an unmarried Lord (who is not a Bishop, a Cardinal, or the Pope) and an unmarried Lady of two separate Players. Players may have only one Marriage, and thus one Alliance, at a time. Both players are now "allied" and can only win by gaining 5 vp combined, solo victory is not possible. Note that this alliance does not prevent you from attacking each other, although that will surely strain the relationship. End an Alliance Sometimes Players are in an unwanted alliance. To end the alliance, there are only two options: 1. Arrange the death of one of the spouses (thru Battle or Assassination). 2. Receive an annulment from the Pope to annul the marriage ELECTIONS The Titles of Bishop, Pope, and Emperor are gained through elections. First Bishops are elected, then the Pope, then the Emperor. Elections are simultaneous, lords can vote aye for every candidate or nay for every if they wish. Votes are secret but revealed at end. BISHOPS Election Process: If all Towns in a Bishopric are controlled by Players and there is no current Bishop of that Bishopric, then an election for Bishop is held. Candidates: Any male Lord who is unmarried, and NOT already a Bishop, a Captive, Excommunicated, or the Emperor, can be a candidate. A Lord does not have to be present in the Bishopric to be a candidate to become its Bishop Votes: A Player receives:
A candidate wins if he has a simple majority (he receives more votes than any of the other candidates). In case of a tie, nobody wins and the Title is not awarded this round. A Bishop is elected for life, unless excommunicated. Powers
CARDINALS A bishop may be promoted to a cardinal by donating at least 5 Marks to the Church in Purchasing Phase AND getting the Pope's Blessing. There may be only 4 cardinals in the game. These are lost when they die or are excommunicated. Powers:
THE POPE If at least two uncaptured Cardinals are in play and at least one uncaptured Bishop or Cardinal is candidate, an election is held. Votes: Uncaptured Cardinals have one Vote each. A candidate wins the election if he has the absolute majority (more than half of all votes cast). The Pope leaves to Rome. Papal Powers
THE EMPEROR Candidates: Any male Titled Lord without an Ecclesiastical title, who is not captured or excommunicated. Votes: Any Titled Lord, male or female, who is uncaptured, has 1 vote - they are considered Electors -no matter how many or which Titles they have (Duke, Empress, Bishop, Cardinal or Pope). Election Results: To be elected Emperor, a candidate must receive a minimum of 3 Votes, have a simple majority (more votes than any other candidate), and the votes must include at least:
A Emperor remains Emperor his entire life Emperor's Powers
EMPRESS
Empress' Privileges
THE CROWN PRINCE
The Crown Prince Privileges
2. INCOME/ PURCHASING PHASE Before income is received players may get 2 "cards" or 1 card roll for a new lord. Players can have MAX 3 lords at any time, crown prince can be rolled for 4.They spawn in any of your castles or Fortified Cities. New Lord Lord Roll: 1-2 Female, 3-6 Male Cards (max 3 at any time) Cards have various powers that you can use, such as causing good harvests, bypassing sieges, fomenting uprisings, assassinations, justice for said assassinations, etc. They are good to have and Tax card especially allows you if King or Clergy to rake in serious money. Incomes Income Every Player collects the following incomes:
Things you can spend Marks on: Troops All newly purchased Troops are immediately placed on Villages that are occupied by a Player's uncaptured Lords (including besieging Lords) or controlled Strongholds and/or Fortified Cities. There is no limit to how many Troops a Village can hold. However, during the Purchase Phase, the Player can only add up to four newly purchased Troops to each Village. (It is forbidden to place new Troops into besieged Strongholds or Cities.)  500 Infantry (max: 13) Lower class footmen in service of knights, armed with a variety of melee weapons or spears. Cost: 1 Strength: 1 Hp: 1  250 Knights (max: 8) Minor nobility, or well trained men-at-arms equipped to fight on horseback or foot. Cost: 3 Strength: 3 Hp: 3  500 Archers (max: 3) Largely crossbowmen raised from urban areas or mercenaries from Italy Cost: 2 Strength: 1 Hp: 1 Special:Before battle commences, archers do one special pre-battle attack. Archers from both sides simultaneously fire once before all other troops. One archer rolls one battle dice and each additional archer adds +1 bonus hit. When attacking a Castle at least 2 archers are required to roll 1 die . Additional archers provide +1 hit like regular When attacking a City at least 3 archers are required to roll 1 die . Additional archers provide +1 hit like regular Buildings Castle  Cost: 10 Description: May be captured, can only be destroyed in an uprising. Enemy have -1 dice when attacking Mill  Cost: 3 Description:
Duchy Titles A Duchy Title may be purchased by a Player if he controls all of the Towns in the Fief and at least one of these Towns contains a Castle. Duchy of Franconia = 8 marks Duchy of Saxony = 8 marks Duchy of Swabia = 6 marks Duchy of Bavaria = 6 marks Duchy of Bohemia = 6 marks Duchy of Lower Lorraine = 6 marks Duchy of Upper Lorraine = 4 marks Duchy of Austria = 4 marks Upon creation of the duchy, the player then chooses one Castle in the duchy to become its capital, and it becomes a Fortified City. If another Player takes control of this Capital, he also takes the Duchy Title. A Lord can have several Titles (but only up to two Duchies),and usually keeps them until he dies. If a Lord has several Duchys, he may transfer his Duchys to other Lords in his family during the Purchase Phase, but he must keep the Title of his largest Duchy for himself. Succession of TItles If the Lord was the last living Lord of the family and he happens to be married to a Lord of another family, the Duchy is given to his/her spouse. If Troops are in the Capital of the Duchy whose Title is given to a spouse, then all of these Troops join the spouse's family. If the Lord was the last living Lord of the family and he was not married, the Title is unowned. This Title can be recovered (at cost) by this family as soon as a new Lord is born and the family still controls the Duchy's Capital. Note: This Duchy can be gained by another family if they take control of the capital! 3. MOVEMENT & BATTLE PHASE Lords may take up to 2 Moves during the Movement Phase. A Lord can move to a Town and then return to where he started, or he can move two Towns away. When moving, a Lord can take Troops with him. Troops can be dropped off or picked up by a Lord as he moves. This is the only way Troops can move. Troops cannot be relayed between different Lords to extend their movement. A Lord and his Troops may move into an unoccupied or occupied Town. You must be granted permission to move in towns held by other nobles. After movement has been completed, opposing Troops remaining in a Town are not required to fight. One noble may retreat along any route but the route the enemy invaded from IF they have a move left. If they do fight, a Battle will occur in the next Battle Phase. Town Control A town is controlled as soon when a Player occupies it with Lords and/or Troops. If left empty its no longer controlled. The expection to this rule is; Unoccupied Towns in a Governed Duchy are considered controlled by the Duchy's Titled Lord. Cavalcade Move (Blitzkrieg) A special move used to quickly bash aside an army in a town to move onto the next; requires a purely knight army. A Cavalcade may be used to:
The Defender against a Cavalcade receives a +1 Hit Bonus for each Battle Die he rolls This Army can only initiate a Cavalcade if it has another move remaining after the Cavalcade Battle Field Battles Players may declare a Battle in each Town where they and opposing Players have Troops. Opposing Players do not have to Battle each other and can declare a Truce. Note: A Player is allowed to attack an ally. Troops without a Lord can not initiate a Battle, but they can defend themselves if attacked. If three or more Players have Troops in a Town, some may decide to fight together against other opposing Players. They combine their Troops and the Player with the most Strength Points decides which Troops take hits and which Lord takes Captives. Allies may betray each other anytime during the Battle, even switching sides mid-battle! Battle Length A Battle can last several battle rolls. A Battle ends when:
Note: A Player attacking an opponent that is in the safety of a Castle or a Fortified City can alone decide to end the Battle. The defending opponent can force the continuation of the Battle by giving up the safety of his Castle or Fortified City and fighting in the open. Each side (or alliance) counts up its Strength Points (SPs). A Player receives: • 1 SP per infantry/archer • 3 SPs per Knight. • 1 SP for every male Lord. • 1 SP for every female Titled Lord. A side's SP total determines the number of Battle Dice that Player may roll.
Other modifiers Attacker -1 dice if assaulting a Castle Attacker -2 dice if assaulting Fortified City (Capital) Up to 2 dice penalties are cancelled by Siege Engines Dice roll hit results:
+1 hit if army has royal guards +1 hit if defending vs Cavalcade Losses All hits that can be taken, must be taken. Players can choose a mix of Men at Arms and Knights as casualties. Lords are hit and killed last after all other Troops are dead, so if there are insufficient hits to kill the last Knight, then the Lord does not die even if there are 1 or 2 hits left to take. If a Player rolls enough hits to kill all enemy Troops, but not enough to also kill any remaining Lords, the Lords are taken Captive. Captives The Captive is now under his captor's control and his captor can move the Captive along with his Lord's Troops. The Lord remains a Captive as long as he occupies the same space as his captor's Troops and/or Lords. A Captive becomes free if all of his captor's Troops are killed in a Battle.A Captive keeps his Titles and incomes, but cannot be named a candidate for any position or vote in any election. Ransom Ransoms are paid at the beginning of the IncomePhase, before any other purchases, including new Troops, Buildings or Titles. A Captive's Ransom is 2 Marks, plus 2 Marks per Title he holds. Example: A Lord who is both a Bishop and a Duke is worth 6 Marks. Paying a Ransom is mandatory, if the Player has enough money to pay the full price at the beginning of the Purchase Phase. A Captor must accept a full Ransom amount during the Purchase Phase and free the Captive. However, a Captor may accept or refuse a lower Ransom amount. If the Player does not have enough Marks to pay the full Ransom, he may then use all of his Marks for other purchases. A freed Lord is placed on one of his family's Castles or Fortified Cities. SIEGES (not assaults) After resolving his battles, a Player that still has Troops in a Town with an opponent occupied Castle or Fortified City he may initiate a Siege. On the first round they construct small siege weapons allowing next turn to remove 1 dice penalty. If the siege continues another round the army construct formidable siege weapons which allows you to remove 2 dice penalty on the next round. Siege Effects
PILLAGE When ALL Battles are resolved, Players may pillage all Mills on Towns they control or are besieging. A pillaged Mill is removed from the map and the Pillager takes 1 Mark from the game stockpile Victory conditions (checked at end of a turn) A Player has: • 1 VP for each Duchy he controls • 1 VP for controlling the Emperor Title • 1 VP for controlling the Pope Title 3 VP to win solo,5 for 2 players combined in a marriage alliance Traits Traits are assigned to nobles when they are generated, no n oble may have the same trait the BASTARD May never marry the UGLY To marry, this character needs to pay 2 marks to the other family the BLESSED This character cannot be affected by Plague the CURSED Disasters (which usually hit a random bisphoric) have a 33% chance rolled first instead to hit the bisphoric this character is in the UNLUCKY The Bisphoric this Lord occupies cannot have a Bountiful Harvest or Good Weather played on it the GOOD This noble recieves +1 mark if he resides in a bisphoric see the EXTRAVAGANT Collect 2 less Marks per VP Title he has (Duchy, Emperor, Pope) the TYRANT This Lord extracts 2 extra Marks from the Town he personally occupies. Other players may play an uprising on this lord and his troops at any time. The uprising does not affect the village the tyrant lord occupies, nor other lords and troops located in the same village. the AMBITIOUS This lord pays 2 less marks to aquire any duchy or cardinalship the STORM This Lord can move and battle in a Bisphoric affected by heavy rains the SWIFT This lord may make 3 moves if moving with only knights the COWARD If this lord is alone (without other lords), cannot initiate a battle. If attacked by an opponent, who has a greater SP army, immediatly surrenders, is captured, and all troops lost. the CRUEL After any victory where noble(s) are captured, this character kills one instead of holding him/her for ransom the BESIEGER This lord always has a small permanent siege train, remove 1 dice penalty when assaulting. the FEARLESS This lord recieves 1 extra battle die if he is the attacker and has at least 1 battle die (archers not affected) (if two armies attacking each other the one with higher init wins is the official attacker) the LOYAL This lord cannot attack allied lords (by marriage) They may however defend against an ally who attacked them the PERSUASIVE Before battle begins, this lord may convert one enemy infantry to their side. When talking down the rebel peasants, can only fail on a 1 the HEART BREAKER This lord can choose to break a marriage alliance permanently, if he captures one of the spouses the ORDINARY Nothing special about this person the SAINT Once per game, if in an Bisphoric See city, he may find a holy relic the SHADOW This lord may use a free secret passage card once per turn but only with 1 unit mercenaries Mercenaries follow your lords around and can be moved instantly around the map (having their own supply chains) to another lord. They will not do garrison duty or fight peasants, they must always be with a lord. When mercenaries are lost or disbanded they are back up for auction/or new mercs take their place in the next income phase. Bidding: Mercenary companies are bid one at a time. All sides pm their bid secretly. If two players bid the same, they secretly bid again and must equal or exceed their previous amount. Swiss Band - A force of swiss and genoese who have moved north to find employment in the Empire. 3x Swiss Pikemen 1x Genoese Crossbowmen Burgundian Company - minor knights mainly from burgundy who have been on the wrong side of a civil war; now seeking pay and glory. 2x Men-at-Arms merc units so far:  Swiss Pikemen Strength:1 HP:1(+1) Upkeep:1 Trait: If taking hits from cavalry, can absorb an extra hit. For example if your army takes 2 hits and you have 2 swiss pikemen your army can absorb 2 hits you would not lose anything but 1 infantry, but after that pikemen will die by 1 hit.  Geonese Crossbowmen Strength:1 HP:1 Upkeep:1 Trait: Count as archers, and if with your forces, may reroll the archer battle dice  Men-at-Arms Strength:2 HP:2 Upkeep:2
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
House of Přemyslid  Ruler: Vladislaus I Starting town: Prague Starting Forces 5 Marks, (1)250 Knights , 1500 (3)Infantry, 1 Castle
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
In, Bremen , House von Königsfeld name: Ferdinand I (male)
----    >playing atwar:  Furthermore, I consider that NWE must be destroyed
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
House of Dijon-Lorrraine  Ruler: Estienne III Starting town: Nancy (reskinned Trier)
---- Someone Better Than You
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
House von Nedrichstadt Ruler: Ulrich I Starting Town: Frankfurt Starting Forces 5 Marks, (1)250 Knights , 1500 (3)Infantry, 1 Castle
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
Sadly the game reached it's maximum players number 
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
Very sad, well Aetius let me know if you need me, I'll be here!
----  
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
 Estienne III, already Duke of Upper Lorraine was eager to seize the rich farmlands of his Franconian neighbors. Ulrich I soon became aware of this and mobilized his forces to a ridge along the road into his land. The two armies met in the morning, the franconians achieving the initial volley from the woods cutting down many lorrainer troops. Nonetheless, Estienne had more knights and launched a charge which was met by equally ferocious franconian horsemen. As the battle went on many on each side died or fled The battle lasted until nightfall in scattered, disorganized melees with the lords losing control of command of the battle. In the end, no one truly won, but arguably Ulrich did by dispersing the invaders
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
 As soon as the snow began to melt August called his banners of his vassals and declared that the hated Lohengramm would be driven from his rightful feifs in the south. Louis prayed and held his ground until his kinsman arrived from Ostmark with reinforcements. Both sides encamped at a field north of Konstanz, their kinights riding back and forth displaying their skill to intimidate. However on the night before the battle, August, noted for his lack of honor, ordered twenty of his best men to raid the bavarian camp in the night. These troops succeeded totally in their mission, cutting cut down Louis' bodyguards and taking him prisoner. In addition, as a possibly even greater prize, they found the Holy grail, even murdering a priest who protected it with his body before becoming a martyr. Enraged by this act of trickery, Reinhard launched a rash assault against the foe, suffering great losses by deadly enemy crossbow volleys. As the peasant troops shortly fled and the horses became wounded the battle degenerated into a dismounted knight brawl for hours until after sheer exhaustion both sides quit the field. Ultimately, no side decisively won, and the bavarians retreat back to Konstanz.
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
 The Houses of Königsfeld and Přemyslid both claimed dominion over the lands of upper saxony and in the spring of this year Vladislaus, Count of Prag his son and bannermen to invade. Ferdinand, predicted this was not idle, he had prepared a defensive position near the town of Freital. Before the battle began, one lord of Sudetenland who had initially declared for Ferdinand became persuaded by Hynek and brought himself and his footmen to their side. With this Vlad ordered the assault to begin, his archers gained the surprise, and fighting with traditional bows had a much higher rate of fire pinning and devastating the saxon ranks. With them weakened Vlad charged fearlessly against the Saxon line with his bodyguard . Crashing into the foe he was perhaps too succesful and became encircled. Hynek ordered knights to save him but they were too late Pulled from his horse by a halbredier Vlad killed 3 more men as they tried to wrestle him to the ground. Eventually he was brought down by 5 saxons and brought before Ferdinand who ordered him immediatly beheaded and his head put on a pike to be held aloft to dishearten the enemy. So emboldened the Saxon knights unleashed a devestating attack but the Bohemians held firm. Both sides then withdrew to offer terms of peace but Hynek was in no mood to talk, taking him and his best champions on a charge towards Ferdinand's position on the battlefield. A might lance blow by a Bohemian champion caved in his armor killing him instantly. Seeing their leader die, the Saxons lost hope and fled the field. Heinrich, is found in the chaos without his horse, dazed, and is captured . 
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
 Returning to avenge past grudges, both the saxon and bohemians had come to battle in the following year. Hynek was a well liked man, charming, and could talk anyone to do almost anything. He was however, not like his father, he had lived a spoiled life among older sisters and enjoyed the finer things in life. As such he treated this battle not as seriously as he perhaps should have, expecting that his father's soldiers would carry the day. Josef was much different, although not cruel like his father, he was cunning and honorless. Before the day of the battle in the night he had men litter the field with caltrops, and then in the morning deployed a small force in front of it, as bait. The bohemians, thinking the saxons were fools for not deploying their entire force, charged at the small group of knights, before their horses screamed in pain as iron spikes drove into their hooves. As hundreds fell to the ground Josef unleashed his Todreiters; the fearsome elite guard of Saxony, savage and barbaric with strange perhaps pagan symbols upon their cloaks. They disdained the elegant arms of the franks like swords and lances for brutal axes and maces, and descended upon these hapless bohemians. The battle was won, many knights, including Hynek himself were captured.
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
 Kaspar, hoping to end the siege of Augsburg escaped the city with most of his men on a long raid down the danube into bavaria. The Lohengramm lords and ladies, fearing the economic loss of the raid and the amassing army of franconians opted to pursue Kaspar and hunt him down. This they achieved not far west of Linz. The bavarian army was massive, but in terms of knights the swabians were not too greatly outnumbered. After a weak volley both sides charged. In the centre, the Swabian knights and infantry under Kaspar enjoyed initial success, scattering the salzburger urban infantry and nearly killing Louis. A counterattack by Tyrolean knights smashed the isolated Swabian cavalry and Kaspar's entire centre was encircled. Although Reinhard wished for noble Kaspar to be captured, he was slain in combat, a glorious way for a german to die. The rest were killed, captured or driven from the field. A pursuit was not conducted as it was nearly dark. Although the victory was not as decisive as House Lohengramm wished, it did achieve the goal of defeating the swabo-franconian army in detail.
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
 Josef, the bane of the Bohemians, devised an ingenious scheme to utterly defeat his long time foe. A small strike force of saxon knights rode from Meissen along secret paths led by him (or at least this is what people believed). In reality it was a man who looked uncannily like Josef who he used for such schemes as this. Upon seizing the undefended town of Brunn and raiding nearby villages the Přemyslids were baited into sending their forces away from their capital. Konrad routed this small saxon strike force while Hynek retook Silesia. But, upon failing to find Josef, they realized far too late that Josef was advancing on the now undefended Prag with his main force. Merely guarded by 500 militia, they city was swiftly stormed. Adela, unable to bear the ruination of her once mighty house commit suicide. Josef declared the Přemyslid claim to duchy illegitimate and has installed his sister on the throne.
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
 Josef and his saxons had taken the richest and arguably best defended City in the empire with minimal losses. With this he had gained enough prestige to gain the favor of House Nedrichstadt and the Emperor entering into a royal marriage. In return, the Emperor himself marched from Franconia to reinforce Prag. Where before Josef's position was strong, it was now completely unassailable, or so they though thought. For although the Bohemians were humiliated, they were not beaten. Konrad and Hynek combined the entire remaining loyal bohemian, moravian, and silesian nobility under their banner. It was an impressive host although the imperial army had far more knights, and the Emperor's own guard were equipped in new plate coat style and were all champions in their own right.They laughed at the bohemians while on the walls, and did not bother to sally forth believing the bohemians would most likely go home. But...Hynek and Konrad knew the secret tunnels that led into the city, although Josef had found most, he had not found all and they began infiltrating soldiers in and making contact with loyal citizens of Prag. After a week of encampment in the night the Bohemians launched a feigned pathetic attack on the eastern walls while the western gates were opened. Konrad, leading the charge gained total surprise over the garrison. Josef, realizing this as a mounting disaster led a counter attack and nearly succeeded in closing the gate. The Emperor, feeling that Josef was stealing his glory ordered him to fall back and let his franconians finish the job. This conflict in command led to complete chaos in the ranks and some soldiers thought it was a rout. The Emperor was knocked from his horse and his body wasn't found until the end of the battle. The rest of the dismounted knights were easily defeated by the coordinated strikes and encirclements of Konrad who knew the streets and kept mobile. Josef himself nearly escaped but Hyneks own guard blocked his path at the northern gate. Josef did not ask for mercy, and no mercy was given to avenge Adéla . The banner of House Přemyslid was raised at the Pražský hrad, Hynek and Konrad clasped fists and raised them together before a cheering crowd signifying their unified rule.
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
 The Bavarian-Swabian army had seized Fulda without resistance and was posed to overrun much of Franconia. The southern alliance arrayed against the Emperor was, theoretically, far stronger than him. However, the war against the Emperor among the commoners, merchants and lesser nobility had grown increasingly unpopular. Many were unhappy at the cost in lives and economy, and felt the war was to satisfy the wounded pride of the Dukes who could not accept their defeat. They just wanted to return to their peaceful daily lives. Desertions and insubordination had become routine. The only ones they could truly rely upon were the swiss mercenaries. Desperate, the Lohengramm siblings realized they needed a swift miraculous victory to inspire their men, to prove God was on their side. Engaging in a risky maneuver he led his army around Frankfurt castle, ignoring supply lines, and directly on Mainz. Mainz was a strongly fortified city, it was the seat of imperial power, widely regarded as the capital of the Reich. Defending it was the Empress, her boy Prince Karl, and a well trained garrison. Common military doctrine would have been to encircle the city and lay siege, battering its walls slowly and starving them into submission. Reinhard knew his troops would not bear that any longer, they wanted an end to the war, nor did they have the supplies, so he order the city to be stormed. On the eve of battle Reinhard (against the objections of pious Louis) had engineered a devious plot to capture the boy prince, in the very likely case the assault failed he would have a bargaining chip. This succeeded, and upon seeing her son as a captive of the enemy Beatrix became enraged, donned her armor and became a Valkyrie leading the defenses. The storming on Mainz was desperate, near suicidal even. The last true believers in the Duke rushed the walls with ladders, suffering terrible casualties. On this day the hopes of the rebel dukes was finally destroyed, the gallant bavarians could not overcome this final challenge. Seeing enough, Louis and Hildegarde ordered the assault to end, despite Reinhards angry objections. The war was over.
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
L04d1ng...
L04d1ng...
|
