The East Stirs - A Ck2 - Eu4 "let's Play"

[_pok_ 1768]

The East Stirs
 

 

The East Stirs is the chronicle of our CKII Multiplayer Campaign which will then transition to EUIV. Gaius, 30326, Sneaky, and myself have each decided that we would write roleplay-style stories about our endeavors. This is the first installment. I am playing as the Kingdom of Poland, Gaius is playing as the Kingdom of Rus with Sneaky as a Duke beneath him, and 303 is playing as the Kingdom of Sweden.

 

867 AD

“Lemme tell ya ‘bout my ambition”

 

The High Chiefdom of Greater Poland sits poised to unite the many Chiefdoms that make up the Kingdom of Poland. To the Southeast lies the High Chiefdom of Lesser Poland, a weak tribal system with limited reign over its clans. To the East, the High Chiefdom of Mazovia sits maimed and weak, primed to be swallowed up by a Polish ruler with ambitions of unification. And to the west lies the mighty Christian kingdom of Great Moravia who holds lands which rightfully belonging to the Polish people. The High Chief of Greater Poland, Piast I, would be the ruler who would take back those lands, and subjugate the unruly lords who lay claim to his rightful Polish kingdom.

 

“Pretenders surround our Chiefdom, all of whom claim to be the true inheritor of Poland. Those men shall remember the day they pressed their claims to my rightful Kingdom as the day they signed the declaration of their own deaths. Time will pass and their corpses will stay hung from my walls, a lasting reminder of the fury which I shall soon bring down upon them. Rally the men and prepare for war, it is time that I reclaim the Kingdom which rightfully belongs to the me”

- High Chief Piast I of Greater Poland

 

In order to raise sufficient funds for his campaign to subjugate the Polish pretender chiefs, Piast I orders his finest raiders into the Germanic cities of the Karling East Francia while the Kingdom fought a devastating internal conflict in its southern regions along the Alps. The northern cities of Hamburg, Celle, and Oldenburg all put to the sword by the raiders of the High Chiefdom. Although these actions seriously wound relations between the two, mounds of gold flow back to the coffers of the Chiefdom, creating a strong foundation for the conflicts ahead.

 

 

The first war came in 872, as the High Chief rode to his Easternmost border to rally the many peoples of his tribe. A total just greater than 2000 rallied behind Piast, marching with him into the High Chiefdom of Mazovia, which had already lost tribal lands to the equally ambitions Lesser Poland, which would be a threat addressed soon after Mazovia had been crushed. The Mazovians are crushed in one swift battle, the Battle of Pruszkow. After a brief siege, the war ends with the Mazovian chief’s execution and surrender of the tribal lands to the direct control of Piast’s first born son.

 

 

While in Mazovia, Piast received word that his envoy sent to the Rurikid Kingdom of Rus had been received, and his offer of betrothal between his eldest daughter Kenna, and the first born Rurikid, Faste warmly accepted. The tribes would soon secure a tighter bond, once the High Chiefdom had risen to the status of Kingdom which it deserved.

 

 

For several years, the tribal levies returned home and the High Chiefdom of Greater Poland recovered it’s manpower. Piast secured greater central power in the regions which he directly controlled, and established a tighter grip over those whom he did not. All of this in an effort to form a Kingdom which operated like the Frankish kingdoms of the West in the future. Raiding in crippled East Francia and the northernmost settlements of the Byzantine Empire, allowed the High Chiefdom to stuff the treasury with gold and treasures that would enable Piast to initiate new construction projects. Markets and Hilltop Forts are constructed in every province capable of sustaining them.

 

As the raiders returned home and spent valuable time among their individual tribes, the High Chief began the early stages mobilization. The High Chief moved his court to the southernmost border of the tribal lands, and called on all able bodied men in the High Chiefdom to rally to him. In addition, a Tribal Army of 2,500 brave warriors marched beside the already assembled 4,000 men. Together they marched into Lesser Poland, demanding the head of the pretender who so carelessly thought he could usurp Piast’s rightful title of King.

 

 

The war began with several tight battles, going to whomever held the advantage of terrain. However, the Siege of Krakow would turn the tide of the war in favor of the rightful Polish king, Piast I. 2000 brave tribal warriors stormed the beacon of Lesser Polish defiance, slaughtering the inhabitants and staking the claim of Greater Poland upon the city which had stood defiant against Piast I. Soon more cities and towns surrendered to the true King, and the High Chief of Lesser Poland found his head resting gently upon his own makeshift throne which sat inside a crumbling tribal palace which was burning to the ground.

 

 

After the defeat of Lesser Poland and the subjugation of all Polish territory save for those under the unstable Kingdom of Great Moravia, Piast I organizes a coronation to celebrate his new acquisitions and the unification of the Polish people. Piast I became the first King of Poland, accomplishing at the age of 34, his ultimate ambition.

 

Piast did not stop though, immediately turning his armies back up north where they marched upon the crippled Chiefdom of Lithuania. The Chief quickly surrenders after his army routs along the border the two nations share and Piast is named Chief of Lithuania. The new King considers the possibility of continuing his conquests, and subjugating the entirety of Baltic tribesmen. The decision would be made later on though as more pressing concerns troubled the infant Kingdom.

 

The first act of the Kingdom would be, naturally, war. The Chiefdom of Brennenburg held provinces which had been settled largely by tribes with Polish ethnic background. The King mobilized his army yet again and marched on the small Chiefdom. The lands are quickly surrendered, and peace is established for the first time in nearly two decades in the now unified Kingdom of Poland.  

 

 

[Knox213 10]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.