Dark Ages RP Idea

I have another RP which will tell the story of the foundation of the Kingdom of Raludcia. It is set around 900AD and will involve lots of war and shit. o/

Tell me what you think, here is the OP.



1. One foot in front of the other...

The Army of Jarl Erik Stolberg,
Outside of the city of Drendau
17th February of 892AD

If one were to glance o’er the crescent of Murevent hill on that cold morning, they would most certainly have noticed what was different from the previous year. The forests of this part of the land had been done away with, torn up. One would have thought such an event could only have been caused by god, and some said it was caused by god, or at least the mortal incarnation of the will of the heavenly power.

On that morning the stumps of the old forest were covered in fresh snowfall, and although it was not snowing at present it was bitingly cold, so much so that those men out in the weather were clutching themselves and huddled in groups around the fires which burnt timidly on the frozen ground.

A sea of tents could been seen to extend for some distance where the forest once lay, amongst them were thousands of armed men, numbers beyond counting that had been summoned here by the will of their master, a Jarl who had been considered a god amongst men, adopting the title of “king of all Raludcia” The king was a Christian, a new convert set on bringing the entire nation under this new faith. Christianity was a new faith in Raludcia, having arrived at the start of the century via missionaries from far off lands. At first it was slow to emerge, but in recent years it had swayed more to its faith, none more influential than Erik Stolberg.

Well, the tradesmen of Drendau would not bow to a self proclaimed ruler of all Ralud people’s and refused to co-operate with the Jarl of Kesseldorf. And lo, that is how, on this cold morning the city was under siege, as it had since the first harvests of that year.

The people in the city were starving, not only was it winter where food would be low anyway but the besieging army of Stolberg had cut the city off, leaving it to survive on its ever dwindling resources. Disease was rife and many peasants had died. The elderly and infirm had been slaughtered in the first few months to allow the rest to survive and fight, giving the city the peculiar air of being a city of only the young.
As the sun climbed higher into the sky it made the snow glisten and cast shadows on the city and the tents of the army outside. Stolberg’s host had mustered on the morn, their siege weaponry brought to the fore, ready for an assault on the city.

There was no surprise for either side, both of them knew this would be the end – Drendau was too weak and it would be overrun by the Christian hordes, subdued and forced to convert to the new faith under threat of death. The armies of Jarl Stolberg thus gathered, gathered into the companies of the various Generelt that were servants of the mighty Jarl. Their banners were raised in the air, standing to attention waiting for their master.

After the sun had risen a little higher in the sky three horsemen rode in front of the host. Jarl Stolberg was sat on the back of a large, specially bred warhorse. Encased in the finest armour with a touching of gold leaf. On his head sat a golden crown, the crown with which he claimed all of the lands of the Raludcian and Aeus people. From the frozen north to the densely forested south he had claimed all for his crown, to unify the people under his one true faith. Bestride him rode a priest, a man who clearly held more power in the running of affairs than his attire and position would normally convey. He sat upright in his saddle, one hand on the reins and the other clutching his holy book, written in a tongue which most of the people could not understand. On the other flank of the Jarl rode a woman. His wife Amea was a headstrong woman, the fact she was willing to ride by her husband’s side into such situations proved that to the host of warriors in which had been gathered. The horses of the three stopped on Stolberg’s command, and he turned around to face his men, signalling them to fall silent.

“Men, friends and fellow believers. We are gathered here today to unify our people and bring a new order over these lands. One of hope, freedom and love. But people would stand in the way of progress and unity; today we shall sweep aside these short sighted fools and bring peace and forgiveness to the people of Drendau.” The Jarl paused, aware that the enemy would be hearing these words also. “Remember, thou must not kill unarmed civilians, for it is murder. Kill those who stand against us, but spare those who you can, we may be able to save their souls yet. Godspeed men. Generelt, you know what to do, standby for my command.”

The priest was the next to speak, and led the host through a service and revilement of the Lord’s Prayer. Once done a few moments passed as the snow began to fall once more. Braziers burnt as archers formed up, ready to send arrows of fire onto the heads of the unbelievers. With a sudden gesture the Jarl signified the start of the assault and his men burst into action.

From the rear of the host 4 ballistae had been constructed from the woods that had formerly been on the location. Loaded with burning bolts they fired their powerful cargo towards the outer, wooden walls of the city. The bolts sped from the ballistae at great speed, cutting through the air like unstoppable bolts of lightning coated in god’s fire of deliverance. A large trebuchet, the centrepiece of Stolberg’s siege machinery then burst into action. The timbers creaked and sinews stretched as the massive engine of war lifted over a ton of rock into the air, sending it hurtling towards the stone walls of the inner city.

The ballistae shots ripped the outer walls of Drendau to shreds, the fiery bolts bringing the light wooden walls down and smashed into houses on the other side, setting parts of the city alight. The boulder launched from the trebuchet fell short of its intended target however, ploughing into a house and completely flattening it, then skidding across the city demolishing several more houses and crushing people in its destructive wake before coming to a halt.

Jarl Stolberg smiled as he saw the power his host was unleashing on the pagans, they would convert or die he told himself, or do not suffer the unbeliever to pass as father Peters had put it. His crusade against paganism in Raludcia was righteous, and just.

The second volley from the siege engines was unleashed, and when they once again impacted on the city causing more destruction and breaching the stone wall in a small part Stolberg ordered his host to advance and take Drendau. The great army marched, some of the younger recruits stared in awe as flights of thousands of fire-arrows and the ballistae bolts arced over their heads into enemy positions up ahead. Their awe turned to fear as enemy shafts began to fall on the army, fired from towers and the walls of Drendau, archers loosed many at the Christian host.

Some of Stolberg’s men were hit by the arrows, the lucky ones were killed outright by the shafts, but many more were simply injured with an arrow stuck in an arm, leg or other parts of the body. The result would be a slow death from bleeding or the eventual infection that would set in. Those with shields put them over their heads to help shelter them and their comrades from the enemy arrows even as the archers of both sides fought a deadly duel across the battleground, firing at each other, the fire arrows of Stolberg’s army giving a painful yet cleansing death to the soldiers of the unbelievers.

As the host approached the breach in the outer wall a rank of infamous Drendau pikemen formed up to protect the gap in the cities defences and presented a row of shining spear points to the attackers. Several more arrow volleys were exchanged before both sides launched javelins at each other, attempting to shock and disorient the enemy before the inevitable close combat set in.

Bloodcurdling battle cries mixed with the sounds of the dying and wounded as Stolberg’s host charged into the wall of pikes with an almighty crash. The pikes claimed many men, a painful death as they were impaled on the shafts of wood and iron. But then were rendered useless by the weight of those already dead and wounded on them, the Drendau pikemen had to drop pikes and reach for their swords to engage in close combat.

Men of both sides prayed to their gods as they engaged in the brutality that was warfare. Like butchers the Raludcians swung, stabbed and slashed with short swords and axes into each other. The din of battle and adrenalin made sure the soldiers could only focus on attacking what lay in front of him, there was no respite, for if one was to rest you would be struck down by the man opposing you, it was a cycle of death and murder on a grand scale, up close and personal.

On that day Drendau fell to the armies of Jarl Stolberg. The Jarl was one step closer to becoming ruler of all Raludcia, but many problems had yet to be faced...







I will probably start the thing in a month or so.