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That Black Death is worrying, but, hey, Russia is still expanding.

It seems like there is a lot of internal dissatisfaction, however. That could be an issue in the future - a civil war would be disastrous...
 
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Despite suggestions that he may not be completely ready to surrender, Narses of the Byzantine Revolt was approached on 17 August to see if he had had enough. It turned out he had: the entire de jure Duchy of Itil passed into Rurikid hands on 21 August 1071. The one downside was that the long diplomatic campaign to reduce Russian threat in the minds of the world’s leaders was set back almost to its starting point.
a great way to begin a reign, and we have a coast to one more sea!

Factional activity had now shrunk in both scope and significance, with Surt now an Arni loyalist and likely to leave the one remaining faction of note soon.
he's taking the ropes into his hands
 
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It's interesting how the disease is still heavily affecting the Empire, even if it hasn't reached the core Russian lands yet.
Yes, though most of our richest vassals and two demesne counties (three baronies) are in France, so it's probably hitting us there. And its only going to get worse, depending on how much harder it hits our western empire and if/when it creeps into the Russian core counties. This has been an 'interesting' (in the euphemistic sense of the word) experience, it still being my first and only CK2 game and not having experienced a serious epidemic, let alone this colossal black death-a-thon, before! o_O
Perhaps it was "natural" in the sense that it was a fitting death for a deposed, possessed, potentially Satanic monarch.
I think so too. ;) Like Toste, he probably got what he deserved.
That Black Death is worrying, but, hey, Russia is still expanding.
The only evening up factor is I guess that its devastating everyone, even if its taking a while to roll around the map. And with Itil in the bag and a few of the marcher lords still trying to do their bit despite Hel's Breath blanketing the land, yes, still a bit of expansion being done.
It seems like there is a lot of internal dissatisfaction, however. That could be an issue in the future - a civil war would be disastrous...
It's not too bad really, I think, for an early reign. And the factions are - literally - dying off! :eek:
a great way to begin a reign, and we have a coast to one more sea!
Indeed, got that in before the enforced go-slow of everyone dying as the plague sweeps through.
he's taking the ropes into his hands
He must do so quickly, given what is surely coming ...

To All: thanks for reading and commenting! Next chapter done and should be up fairly soon. And if you reckon there's been a lot on the plague so far, then get your N-95 masks, flea repellent and rat-catchers ready! :eek:
 
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Chapter 12: Creeping Doom (July 1072 – December 1074)
Chapter 12: Creeping Doom (July 1072 – December 1074)

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

July-December 1072

Momchil’s army had just defeated the peasant revolt in Nyland on 24 July 1072. It was ordered to head all the way to the shores of the Aral Sea in search of lands where the plague had already passed through and wealth for looting was returning.

In Western Europe, the black death had taken full hold. In the first in a series of ‘plague successions’ in this period, young King Sumarliði ‘the Holy’, so successful at such a young an age, was defeated by the invisible killer in August 1072. He was succeeded by a relative of the same age from another branch of the ruling Yngling dynasty. At least the plague had not yet done much to reduce the size of the army he could call on. This may change.

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Something similar happened in Sarkel two days later, with Jarl Gorm’s demesne merged back under the rule of his older brother, the powerful Jarl Kol ‘the Drunkard’ of Moldau (who would himself die of the plague on 1 December).

Later that week, the creeping blanket of death that was Hel’s Breath began to affect Fylkir Arni’s council, with his Spymaster Warchief Surt of the Jomsvikings forced into seclusion in his Polish stronghold of Kujawy.

Amidst the terrible death toll the plague was exacting, Jarl Karl of Lothian still tried to expand his holdings with a holy war for the Duchy of Susa in northern Italy, launched on 19 August. But it would ultimately end inconclusively two years later, in September 1074.

The next significant plague succession (only the major ones will be now recounted here) came in September when old Botulfr ‘the Blind’ of Sviþjod succumbed, to be succeeded by his son Þorsteinn. The powerful magnate was given his father’s position on the council and a gift to encourage good will – but he already seemed to be a little unwell …

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At least factional strife was evaporating within the empire – though part of that may have been the high rate of death and seclusions among potential plotters!

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A raid of Vladimir Volynsky in northern Hungary ended on 1 November after less than two months (only one holding for 32 gold, no casualties) when the army was called to quell yet another liberation revolt in Gnesen, despite the approach of the plague to Poland. The Seeress had yet to be able to convert the local Lollard heretics.

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Alas, young King Guðröðr of Lotharingia had lasted less than three months on his throne before he too fell the Hel’s Breath. He was succeeded by the mad, infected and consumptive King Yngvar, whose wife had already died from the plague. With his existing holdings added, he could command a very large army. A gift was sent, but Yngvar’s prospects did not appear to be good.

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King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod was by 3 November still discontented on the Council [despite +53 opinion] but by then his illness had been confirmed as the dreaded plague. His wife, Arni’s aunt Queen Þora Rurikid, died of the plague on 8 November 1072, so it may not be an issue for much longer. Although it was starting to clear in eastern Anatolia, Asia Minor had been badly ravaged by the plague, which was edging east along the Baltic coast, into Sweden and was now affecting most of England.

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Including Lothian, where it claimed young Jarl Karl in mid-December, leaving the title to his younger brother Toke, so ending a very grim 1072. Things would only get worse.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

January-June 1073

By now, the incessant individual death and broader plague reports had come to dominate the lives and chronicles of the whole of Europe and the rest of the known world. Only a few other events registered every so often beyond the miserable toll of Hel’s Breath.

Plague had by now engulfed all of Poland west of the Vistula, including nibbling at Hrörekr’s army of over 8,800 men as it closed on the rebels in Gnesen from the south in early February 1073 [1.1 % monthly attrition in Kalisz, due to the reduction in its supply limit].

Better news came from the northern Steppe, yet to be affected by the black death, where Jarl Anlaufr of Bolghar had yet another victory over Cumania in mid-February.

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Soon after the Lollard rebels were engaged in Gnesen. They were defeated by 12 March and their leader executed, ending the fourth such revolt. Now caught behind the plague lines, Hrörekr tried to push his army east as quickly as possible, hoping to outrun the pestilence.

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But it seems another was not so lucky: Seer Ingfrid, who had unsuccessfully been trying to convert the Lollards in Gnesen, died there from the plague later in March. Her replacement, recruited from outside the court, arrived a couple of weeks later. She was sent instead to the Orthodox county of Itil in the east, which as yet was plague free.

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By the beginning of April, Russia’s luck was running out. The plague had steadfastly failed to advance from Sugrov in the south for many months, but was now washing inexorably from Poland, pushing the front line of the invading black rats into Yatvyagi and Lyubech.

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The effect on southern Europe was by now also dire, as its inhabitants feared that God was surely punishing them for their sins.

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But this punishment had not struck Warchief Surt of the Jomsvikings, who managed to reach the venerable age of 71 before passing away from natural causes in June 1073, after a very busy and largely successful career. He not only had a successor chosen by his brethren as Warchief, but a new Spymaster was also required. Arni entrusted this key role to his own loyal concubine Kraka Væni, daughter of the famed general Momchil and an adept schemer.

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Unfortunately, Hrörekr – stalwart general and one of Russia’s valuable siege-masters – was another victim of the plague he had not been quick or lucky enough to outrun, losing his life to the silent enemy in mid-June.

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Now on the eastern shore of the Aral Sea and still seeking a safe and suitable raiding target, Momchil was suffering attrition as he passed through desert wastes in mid-June, heading north to the Cuman enclave of Syr Darya.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

July-December 1073

Crown Prince Borkvard had taken command of the northern army after Hrörekr’s death and had still not managed to outrun the advance of the plague towards the core Imperial demesne counties by early July, though the army was not as yet being affected by attrition.

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Even before Borkvard could reach the capital, the foul miasma of Hel’s Breath had washed over Holmgarðr, forcing Fylkir Arni to shut the gates of Nygarðr to all outsiders. The booming economy and population of the capital – and all the Imperial demesne in Russia – and Arni’s military capacity would soon be struck hard by the effects of plague. Belo Ozero and Torzhok would soon follow, forcing more of his Imperial Council into seclusion.

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By mid-August Borkvard was in Holmgarðr and still heading east, try to get his men to safety beyond the plague front. Its further spread in Russia by 1 September showed how desperate a hope this was.

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From this time onwards, the common folk of Europe, from Denmark and Noregr to Dauphiné had begun to fix on a vulnerable minority to blame for the plague’s onset. Arni was determined to resist such superstitious calls for vengeance, which he was convinced were both unjustified and inhumane. It would prove an increasingly difficult battle as despair and hysteria worsened.

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The otherwise deranged and unhealthy King Yngvar of Lotharingia managed in October 1073 to summon the energy for a holy war against Bavaria to gain Würzburg, plague be damned!

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Borkvard’s army was now clear of the plague front and heading for the north-eastern steppe by 2 November. The plague was slowly lifting from eastern Anatolia and the eastern Black Sea coast, but the relief was slow for Europe.

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From 2 November onwards, Hel’s Halitosis really started to cut down a swathe of extended Rurikid family members around the empire, many of them from the younger generation. From then through to mid-Jun 1074, ten Rurikids would die just from the plague. Most were extended kin to the Emperor, one (Alfr, aged just 2) a cousin and the youngest to die. More notable Rurikid deaths in this group were Jarl Sigbjörn of Polotsk (January 1074, aged 22), High Chief Eilif II of Kola (March 1074, aged 33) and his successor High Chief Kettilmund (April 1074, aged 7) and Jarl Toke ‘the Wise’ or Yaroslavl (May 1074, aged 23).

The raid in Syr Darya had begun on 22 July but by this time plague had also slipped into the county, though not yet enough to cause troop attrition. It would continue into the new year.

But in the west, it seemed the effects of the plague had badly undermined Jarl Rikulfr’s attempt to take Rouergue from Aquitaine. By 21 November his war was in trouble and his main army was being attacked at odds of three-to-one in Bordeaux.

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Europe was now fully in the grip of the black death, from Ireland all the way across to the western steppe lands north of where the plague had originally come from.

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Believing they would be cornered anyway and seeking clear ground and richer pickings, the northern raiding army was ordered south, through plague lands to southern Russia, from where they may be able to raid into the now plague-free Byzantine Caucasus.

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Bad news came with the death of the renowned court physician Ofeig Skál. True to his calling he had managed to avoid the plague, succumbing only to old age in December 1073 after many years of faithful and largely effective service to the Imperial Family. Outside recruitment for a successor could not be conducted due to the lockdown, so the best qualified Russian, another Ofeig, was hired for the job.

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The year ended with news that the Byzantines had lost another ruler to disease, but this time it was not the plague, which had now just passed by the Queen of Cities, Constantinople. Instead, it was ’old-fashioned’ dysentery, still a savage killer if not on such vast a scale as the black death. The new Basileus, another Makedon and a dullard by all accounts, was sent a gift to make him slightly less antagonistic, before he became ‘too expensive to buy’.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

1074

As the Rurikid court hunkered down in Nygarðr, Arni had some good news on the very first day of the new year with word his Orthodox concubine Pulcheria Katakalitzes was pregnant with what would be Arni’s second child and her second: her first daughter having died in Arni’s dungeon some years ago, before he became emperor. Just one reason (in addition to having been kidnapped by someone she considered a foreigner, heathen and murderer) she disliked him so much.

In mid-January, King Guðröðr ‘the Depraved’ (it was considered a good idea at the time not to ask too many questions about this nickname) decided to launch a prepared invasion of Italy.

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Factionalism had almost completely disappeared by March 1074 - along with most of the plotters, who by now were mainly dead or secluded [just one faction left with two members, only 5.9% strength].

At the beginning of April, the plague had finally cleared Asia Minor and most of India and Arabia but still raged across Europe and most of the northern steppe.

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East of the Aral Sea, the raiding army was split into two in April after finishing its raid on Syr Darya on 6 January (three holdings, 74.3 gold, no casualties) to move to richer Samanid lands and avoid the plague and further high attrition.

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The raid of Oshrusana began on 10 May and would last into late 1075, proving very lucrative along the way. It and the other raids carried out during this period would keep the Rurikid treasury in balance or even growing, as tax revenues evaporated in the face of the great plague.

On 15 May, the (now leaderless, as almost all commanders were in seclusion by this time) northern raiding army reached the safety of Tmutarakan on the Sea of Azov – but with only 4,000 men left of the 9,000 who had begun the trek. It was a harrowing disaster for all concerned and it would take years to rebuild the force to full strength.

The new court physician Ofeig Orming did not live long in his post, dying of the plague on 26 May, requiring another local to be recruited to the post. Before that could be done, the mad, maimed and be-plagued King Yngvar ‘the Monster’ of Lotharingia shuffled off his rather soiled mortal coil, with his very young son Oddr taking the crown next, inheriting also the war against Bavaria for Würzburg.

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The other eastern raiding force arrived in Urgench (also part of the Samanid realm) on 30 May. That raid too would last into late 1075.

As if acting like a hand on a huge and flattened clock, by June 1074 the black death had circled back to just north of where it had originated in Jiuquan on 1 February 1067.

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In seclusion and amid all the death surrounding them, a new life came into the world on 1 August: a second child and daughter for the Emperor – but no son yet and Prince Borkvard remained the heir presumptive.

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The same day, a weak peasant revolt broke out in Lukomorie. With the county presenting a death trap if the recovering army in Tmutarakan responded, it was decided to leave the pitiful rebels to their own devices. This proved a wise choice, as the rebellion petered out without any intervention exactly three months later. As the leader gave himself up, he was spared the hangman’s noose as sent to the dungeons instead.

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By mid-October, the plague had vacated the Balkans, the entire Black Sea coast and most of southern and central Italy, though its departure revealed a measles epidemic there. Spain, the British Isles and Scandinavia had however become fully engulfed.

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By the end of October, a crisis had arisen with the peasant masses putting increasing pressure on the Fylkir to blame the Jews, though others counselled their protection. He said he would ‘do something’ without promising what, as professing no to care would have made the peasants furious and uncooperative for the next ten years. As it was, there was now widespread civil unrest throughout the Imperial demesne counties.

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The crisis would come to a head two months later, when it came down to a choice between protecting the Jews and expelling them. The ‘easy’ path may have been to do the latter, which would have provided a windfall of cash and eliminated the civil unrest, but at the cost to Arni of a little prestige but further damaging his already poor diplomatic reputation and depressing national tax collection. He took the principled stand, whatever the cost in unrest, and repudiated the masses’ call for vengeance on an innocent group.

With the western raiding army now partly recovered, in mid-November they were sent to Imeretia, just over the border in the Byzantine Empire and safe from the plague, to conduct some looting to keep the coffers filled given the increasing monthly budget deficit from collapsing tax revenues (more on that below).

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

Religion, Economy and Infrastructure

There were no religious conversions during this period: it seems the ravages of the plague had discouraged any such activity as everyone just tried to survive the Great Plague. There would be none until 1076.

The table below shows the deterioration of Imperial income between July 1072 and October 1074 as plague effects began to bite harder and harder. On 24 July 1072, income had fallen well below expenses, most of which were retinue recruitment costs. A snapshot in Paris and Rouen (the two imperial demesne counties then affected by plague, though not yet depopulated at that point) showed the terrible effect plague alone had on productivity.

The retinue replacement rate was halved, so that by September 1072 there was a small positive monthly balance. This would not last as revenues continued to plummet and after heavy attrition losses in early 1074 even half-rate retinue recruitment expenses sky-rocketed. It was the raiding program in the east that kept the treasury comparatively stable during this time. The last major build for some years was initiated on 17 January 1073, when 424.8 gold was spent on a barracks upgrade in Rouen (to IV) – hence the major decrease in the treasury by March 1073 below. Otherwise, a healthy enough emergency reserve was maintained despite large and increasing monthly income deficits throughout the period.

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As the black death took hold in counties, the hospitals the Rurikids had built so assiduously in the last few years seemed powerless to prevent both infection and then population loss. This depopulation would further erode tax takes and recruitment for levies and garrisons and in some cases would increase in severity as the death rate increased.

By December 1074, all Imperial demesne counties except for Torzhok had suffered at least minor depopulation (a death rate of 20%), while in Paris it had become significant, with an estimated 40% death rate which would take several years to recover from once the plague passed.

As can be seen from the chronicle of the last few years and the above information, the Great Plague was having an increasingly profound effect on the Rurikid empire now including its Russian heartland (as well as all peoples it touched, which was most of the known world). This would get even worse for the Rurikids over the next few years.
 
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It seems like the Black Death had created a period of peace. I suppose everybody dying does ensure that there are no wars. Let's just hope that future generations don't take this as a lesson that plagues can stop war.

What will happen to the Rurikids?
 
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Even before Borkvard could reach the capital, the foul miasma of Hel’s Breath had washed over Holmgarðr, forcing Fylkir Arni to shut the gates of Nygarðr to all outsiders. The booming economy and population of the capital – and all the Imperial demesne in Russia – and Arni’s military capacity would soon be struck hard by the effects of plague. Belo Ozero and Torzhok would soon follow, forcing more of his Imperial Council into seclusion.
oh no

Hel’s Halitosis
heh :D

Factionalism had almost completely disappeared by March 1074 - along with most of the plotters, who by now were mainly dead or secluded [just one faction left with two members, only 5.9% strength].
The new emperor is lucky in a way, the new ruler phase was consumed by the black death

By mid-October, the plague had vacated the Balkans, the entire Black Sea coast and most of southern and central Italy, though its departure revealed a measles epidemic there. Spain, the British Isles and Scandinavia had however become fully engulfed.
it would be wise to keep on keeping an eye on the English succession, who knows how many people will die in quick succession and the kingdom can be brought to the empire
 
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It seems like the Black Death had created a period of peace. I suppose everybody dying does ensure that there are no wars. Let's just hope that future generations don't take this as a lesson that plagues can stop war.

What will happen to the Rurikids?
This seems true. And conversely one notices when the plague passes regions, as the shenanigans start up again. The ruling family needs to survive this testing time without being wiped out, after that it will be interesting to see what opportunities may arise in the post-plague world.
It could only be delayed. :( And the capital will be hammered by this.
Glad you liked it. Harking back to the old days, eh? ;)
The new emperor is lucky in a way, the new ruler phase was consumed by the black death
This is true I guess. If not for the raiding, the budget would be looking pretty bad, though. And it will take a long time to recover to anything like pre-pandemic prosperity and levy sizes. Though of course that will apply to everyone else, too.
it would be wise to keep on keeping an eye on the English succession, who knows how many people will die in quick succession and the kingdom can be brought to the empire
Maybe it will happen one day, but the RP part of me wants to keep the other Norse kingdoms largely on side and as allies instead (England and Denmark, anyway). Noregr maybe not so much ;). Too small to be a really useful ally and they have been perfidious to us in the past.
 
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Can the name Helgi be retired from the royal family? Since Rurik's time, the Helgis seem to show great but end in heartbreak.
They don’t seem to have much luck, do they? Still, we leave it entirely to the characters what names they choose. And it seems none are game to call any son, let alone an heir, Rurik either. Perhaps they consider it hubris?
 
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Through #58, when I saw lover's pox and knew that she had kicked out your home health nurse, Linda, I foresaw Empress Ylva as a special guest at the next blot, but King Crab claimed her first. Prince Helgi, may Odin bless his soul, seems to have been overrated compared to Toste and Arni. He was born quick, while his brother (brawny) and nephew (shrewd) had to work hard for their skills. Kudos to Arni for successfully blackmailing his grandfather for a county. Are you getting a malus for too many kingdoms and duchies? Vassals only want emperors to have no more than two kingdoms and duchies, and king no more than two duchies. Fylkirate counts as one. Since House Bull (new sigil in Holy Fury for the Rurikids) is still Norse, the Empire is probably Bjarmaland and Normandy refers to the entire Frankish country and not just the northern coast. Paternity.com proposes checking birthdates. If she has children that have different days of the month, then she is a spoiled tart and should be discarded. Also, if by natural causes, her death date should match children's birth date. It does not solve all questions but could for Empress Ylva. Bring on the Mongols, Land the Aztecs; Mighty Bjarmaland will destroy all foes. Thank you for entertaining me. Consumption in Trapezous for over two centuries?
 
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Toste was quickly toast. (Sorry, me bad.) Toste and his Hel-worshippers could have been responsible for the religious turmoil (forget county) before becoming Fylkir. Did anyone apprehend the rock-tosser or did the Russian secret police conceal the conspiracy? Arni is a mighty warrior, but I like the Empress and with her intrigue, he should confess before indulging in any backstairs romances.
 
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Through #58, when I saw lover's pox and knew that she had kicked out your home health nurse, Linda, I foresaw Empress Ylva as a special guest at the next blot, but King Crab claimed her first. Prince Helgi, may Odin bless his soul, seems to have been overrated compared to Toste and Arni. He was born quick, while his brother (brawny) and nephew (shrewd) had to work hard for their skills. Kudos to Arni for successfully blackmailing his grandfather for a county. Are you getting a malus for too many kingdoms and duchies? Vassals only want emperors to have no more than two kingdoms and duchies, and king no more than two duchies. Fylkirate counts as one.
Arni's move was a good one, wasn't it? It worked out well enough anyway and I couldn't afford another heir to die adventuring!

Can't see any malus for duchies or kingdoms: currently Arni has four kingdoms and three duchies (including the Fylkirate). The only opinion malus is for one too many demesne holdings - he's trying to hold on to see if he can increase it by one rather than giving up one of the built-up baronies. Then there's the tax etc penalty for too many vassals (as at the end of the last session this was partly due to having been in seclusion and having the Council there also), am waiting to see how that settles down.

the Empire is probably Bjarmaland and Normandy refers to the entire Frankish country and not just the northern coast
I couldn't work out what you were getting at there o_O
Paternity.com proposes checking birthdates. If she has children that have different days of the month, then she is a spoiled tart and should be discarded. Also, if by natural causes, her death date should match children's birth date. It does not solve all questions but could for Empress Ylva.
These are things I just don't look at and would rather just leave to the background myself, but I heartily commend your ability to decipher them. :cool:
Bring on the Mongols, Land the Aztecs; Mighty Bjarmaland will destroy all foes. Thank you for entertaining me. Consumption in Trapezous for over two centuries?
Yes, bring 'em on! Though hopefully not just after another round of Hel's Breath! :eek: Expecting both some time early in the 13th century. And thanks! Again, wasn't sure what the Trapezus reference was. o_O
Toste was quickly toast. (Sorry, me bad.) Toste and his Hel-worshippers could have been responsible for the religious turmoil (forget county) before becoming Fylkir. Did anyone apprehend the rock-tosser or did the Russian secret police conceal the conspiracy? Arni is a mighty warrior, but I like the Empress and with her intrigue, he should confess before indulging in any backstairs romances.
:D The rock tosser was just a kid playing and got away with it - very lucky, given Toste's secret! I think Arni will be more interested in the front door, than the backstairs. ;) With the plague and perfidy lurking, he's going to want lots of heirs!

Thanks for the comments - new chapter going up shortly. A bit longer this time, but I wanted to get the last play session all wrapped up, for reasons that will be obvious at the end (suspenseful drum roll ...)
 
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Chapter 13: Days of Reckoning (January 1075 – July 1077)
Chapter 13: Days of Reckoning (January 1075 – July 1077)

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

1075: Hel’s Halitosis

Hel’s Breath was blanketing the capital and the rest of the Imperial demesne in a foul miasma that only seemed to worsen with time. Torzhok suffered a minor depopulation at the start of January 1075. The western raiding army of around 5,000 arrived men in the Byzantine border province of Imeretia on 1 January and laid its siege. A local army of the Duke of Kartli of around 4,000 men was in the vicinity but heading south-east, away from the Rurikid raiders.

Despite Fylkir Arni’s decree, in late January the local peasants of Holmgarðr were rumoured to be planning a pogrom against the Jews anyway. Even though it would worsen the situation in the capital even further, Arni had made a stand on principle and sent in the troops to prevent it. The peasants were furious.

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The plague had now hit Northern Europe hard, with reports of terrible depopulation occurring in many counties, though some more of the earlier infected lands were beginning to recover.

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While in seclusion, things were obviously going well between the Fylkir and his Empress: Asa announced her second pregnancy on 4 February. If only both she and the child could survive. A week later, against perhaps his more cautious counsel, Arni decided to trust his Steward Jarl Klas with a project he suggested regarding hidden tunnels under the castle, thinking perhaps some kind of escape route might be found for later use.

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Klas may have been pleased with this show of trust. It was hard to tell whether the infiltrator was discovered because of the search, or was able to get in because of it, but ten days later traces of such were found. The safest approach may have been to just seal up the tunnels, however Arni wanted to get to the bottom of who it may have been, so an ambush was prepared.

In early March they found the infiltrator – a rather pitiful specimen by the name of Elisabet. Shying away from imprisonment or execution, she was sent for questioning. Had he shown pity, she would have become a friend for life. But this was enough for Arni: he would not risk the integrity of the seclusion any further: "If she is immune, she will be fine!"

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By this time, the loss of life in Rouen had been classified as severe (60% death rate), something that would take years to repair. It was now the turn of Eastern Europe to feel the full force of Hel’s Breath, with a ‘do not travel’ order issued in May 1075. All Arni could do was sit inside the Palace and hope their seclusion would hold.

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While plague was not an issue in Imeretia, inattention was. Before they could evade them, the raiders were ambushed by a larger Byzantine force, while the local Kartli army had returned and were poised to reinforce. Within a few days, the raiders would be outnumbered by more than two-to-one, and had no commander available to lead them (all spares having been confined in seclusions).

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While disaster brewed in Imeretia, the lucrative siege of Oshrusana progressed. When the castle was looted another key was found to open the strange chest held in the treasury. But, naturally in these miserable times, the contents proved worthless.

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Even though they had tried to escape as soon as they could, the raiders in Imeretia were savaged by the time the pursuit was over, losing over 1,800 of their most elite soldiers at a time when recruiting replacements had been slowed for budgetary reasons.

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The mauled raiders would arrive in Abkhazia to recover on 23 June with only 3,364 troops left alive.

The loss of life in Holmgarðr county continued to rise to significant levels, with an estimated forty percent of the population dead by the start of August 1075. In combination with the ongoing plague and peasant fury, this reduced income in all three demesne baronies to zero. By early September, Ladoga was in a similar position. In Torzhok and Toropets, the depopulation would remain relatively minor (20%).

This run of nasty news was relieved by some joy in the secluded court when Empress Asa gave birth to a healthy son and new heir on 6 September 1075.

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It was also noteworthy that with the plague biting deep across the Empire, the notional army Arni could call on at this time was around 20,000 less than it had been at its peak just a few years ago. It was only minimal consolation that most other countries would have been similarly affected.

By mid-October, the two raids of Samanid Oshrusana (4 holdings, 360 gold) and Urgrench (4 holdings, 190 gold) finished without any raiding losses. They had kept the treasury afloat since May 1074 despite recurring monthly deficits. They would next move east to raid another Samanid border province.

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By early November, the plague had also lifted from most of France and Brabant, Hungary and the south of Russia.

There was cause for concern in early November when the Empress fell ill; of course, some feared the worst, but Hysing Rurikid, Chief of Amalfi and the latest Court Physician was called in, pronouncing it to be a case of the flu, not the dreaded Hel’s Breath. His recent experiences had led him to develop into a renowned physician, always good to have during such times of terrible pestilence.

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Now taking a ‘no risk’ attitude to the palace seclusion, a courtier was ejected as the year was ending as soon as he showed the first signs of illness. There would be no mercy shown when the lives of the Imperial family and the longer term stability of the empire were at stake.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

January-June 1076: Rot, Raid and Ruin

A nasty situation had developed in the capital as the court’s seclusion extended into 1076. The angry commoners began piling up the bodies of the dead near the palace walls to try and ‘stink the Emperor out’. But Arni would not risk using the guard to clear the rotting corpses, much to the disgust of the rest of the court. “Wear a nosegay!” was Arni’s disdainful response. “Better a bit of a stink than suffering Hel’s Breath.”

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One of the eastern raiding armies defeated a local army of around 1,300 in Khaylam on 5 February for under 50 casualties. They captured Marzoban Ehsan of Fergana after the battle and a substantial ransom of 70 gold was paid for him. But because of an intervening mountain range, the county couldn’t be looted directly. They would have to head back north to Chuy, where local foraging was ample and they could link with the other raiding force to hasten the siege work.

With the plague now lifted in France, though it was a countryside festooned with tombstones, the latest Jomsviking Warchief decided it was time to strike King Adrien ‘the Mutilator’ once more, this time trying to deprive him of his capital and last Atlantic port: Bordeaux itself. Meanwhile, Jarl Rikulfr was still clinging to his hope of taking Rouergue from Aquitaine.

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The raiders who had been resting in Abkhazia since the disaster in Imeretia in June the year before were considered recovered enough (now with almost 4,500 troops) to make a long march across the north of the Black Sea to western Bulgaria. They would recruit more troops along the way and be ready for a new raid when called upon, to help replenish the collapsing Imperial revenues, which by this time had sunk to just 11 gold per month across the entire empire against just under 29 in expenses.

The effect of the plague in the Russian heartland was now beginning to approach its greatest extent in March 1076, while the northern steppe became the next killing ground, while it started to ebb in Germany, England and Spain.

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Chief Hysing (also the Court Physician) who had arrived in the Samanid province of Chuy on 4 March to start the next raid. The second eastern raiding army joined him on 24 March giving almost 11,000 elite troops to start gathering the loot.

The lifting of the plague also seemed to bring out the mischief between magnates again. Young King Oddr of Lotharingia was confronted with a civil war to implement elective monarchy in mid-April 1076. And as the conflict started, he was badly outnumbered, even though he still controlled the bulk of his kingdom’s territory. Arni didn't try to intervene as yet, waiting to see what happened as his palace gates remained firmly shut.

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Warchief Anlaufr must have still been already suffering from the plague when it subsided in France or had picked it up from somewhere, because in May he fell to Hel’s Breath anyway. As always, another successor was ready to take his place: Valdemar would carry forward the war against Aquitaine.

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Young Oddr was at least able to get one war out of the way as May ended, with his holy war for Franconia against Bavaria finally yielding up the county of Würzburg. He still had his civil war to contend with but could at least concentrate on that.

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ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

July-December 1076: Your Choice of Epidemic

The sharks of the Rurikid world must have smelled blood in the water, because King Oddr was soon attacked by one the other powerful magnates, fellow King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod in mid-July, who hoped to relieve him of the county of Verdun.

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The bad news kept coming, with reports that despite having the best hospital in the entire empire, Holmgarðr had now lost more than half its population to the Black Death by August 1076. With the peasant fury, ongoing plague and this severe depopulation, no income was being produced by the empire’s richest province. Its population (and thus levy size and tax base) would take many years to recover.

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A month later, the Steward Jarl Klas of Vladimir was the next to fall victim to Hel’s Breath. He was succeeded as Jarl by his son Bo, while the able Jarl Karl of Rostov took over as Imperial Steward. All Council members remained in seclusion, detracting from the administration of the ravaged realm.

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But the post-plague thaw in the west continued, with the latest Jarl of Lothian launching a bid to expand his holdings on Sardinia in mid-September.

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At that time, Jarl Rikulfr of Champagne had come of age, surviving a long regency and years of the plague to take his birthright. Unfortunately, the last few years of war and pestilence had reduced his once large army to a shadow of its former self. And the bulk of them that remained in the field near Rouergue were in the process of being defeated once more by King Adrien of Aquitaine. Up to that point, Rikulfr had been recovering some ground in the conflict, but Adrien had now been joined by the Knights Templar. Rikulfr would ultimately be forced to concede defeat early the following year.

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Early October brought news that a new outbreak of consumption had occurred in Pisa. Measles continued to rage in southern Italy and the smallpox epidemic was now spreading quickly through the Balkans, into Greece and around the Black Sea. As if the weary populations weren’t already trying to recover from the greatest plague in hundreds of years.

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A commander had been found for the new raid starting in southern Hungary, though Grand Mayor Refil feared the advancing smallpox more than he did any military response from the Hungarians.

To relieve the tedium of the long seclusion, when word came that a young sorceress had been discovered in an outlying farm, Arni declared it to be a positive omen from the Gods. After a period of quarantine spent in the tunnels, Yrsa was allowed into the palace to take up the role of Völva, which had not been filled for many years.

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Hysing came up with what seemed a good idea and the treasury, kept healthy enough by the raiding program, was used to provide provincial apothecaries throughout the Imperial demesne counties. Anything to help the hoped-for post-plague recovery.

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And despite the long confinement of the seclusion, Arni found it in himself to treat people nicely, earning him a reputation for kindness. By this time, Arni’s potential military resources had begun to recover somewhat as the effects of the plague gradually receded in the west of the empire, at least.

But the run of good news could not continue, of course, with yet another new epidemic outbreak reported on 1 November, this time a new smallpox infection spreading from Norfolk in England.

As the effects of the plague washed through the empire, from west to east, the Fylkir maintained a healthy preponderance over his most powerful magnates, but the gap had been narrowed in recent months as the heart of the imperial demesne in Russia was depleted. And in an indication of the power of Lotharingia, the leader of its rebellion now counted as the second most powerful lord in the realm, followed by Þorsteinn of Sviþjod, Jarl Rikulfr and Jarl Toke of Lothian.

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The raid of Chuy ended on 25 November, having looted three holdings for 180 gold and no troop losses. They prepared for the long march over difficult terrain back to the Russian border county of Chach, which would take until late January, after which they would try to find some new raiding targets. After assisting the local lord retake an occupied holding, they would still be there in early July 1077.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

January-July 1077: Counting the Cost

By early February 1077, the plague had lifted from Poland and starting to do so in western Russia, while the smallpox epidemic was expanding through the Balkans, also crossing over from Norfolk into Brabant, while consumption spread in northern Italy.

Even as the prospect of a reopening in Holmgarðr grew, another unfortunate courtier was expelled in early March after showing signs of illness: no chances would be taken this close to the end of what had proven an effective lockdown so far.

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More temptation to reopen came in mid-April, as Hel’s Breath showed signs of imminent withdrawal. But still Arni would not relax the seclusion, earning him a reputation for cowardice he greatly regretted, but decided he would live with. Rather than seeing his family destroyed so close to the end of their ordeal.

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Just three weeks later, the gates were opened, though of course most people throughout the county and empire felt Arni had abandoned them. All this acted to again reduce the number of levies the Fylkir could call upon if needed. But he, the immediate Imperial Family and most of the court had survived the ordeal of Hel’s Breath.

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Later in May, after two holdings had been looted in Temes for 188 gold for the loss of 438 raiders, the close approach of smallpox led the raiders, now commanded by King Þorsteinn of Sviþjod, to end the raid and head north all the way through Hungary to the safety of Uppeln. From there, new orders would be issued, whether to support the Jomsvikings in Bordeaux or conduct more local raiding in northern Hungary.

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The Imperial Marshal, Godi Starkaðr of Jamborg, emerged from seclusion on 15 June to resume his duties. Now only Chancellor Jarl Bertil of Belo Ozero and the new Steward Jarl Karl of Rostov remained in lockdown, the rest of the Council resuming their full duties.

ᚔ ᚱᚢᚱᛁᚲᛁᛞ ᚔ

2 July 1077: The State of Play

As at the start of July 1077, Ladoga was the last of the Russian Imperial demesne counties to emerge from the plague (its residual effect on the economy would last for another month). Of the four core counties, depopulation ranged from minor to severe. Only the baronies of Torzhok and Toropets were producing some minimal tax revenue, while in Holmgarðr (hit hardest of all) and Ladoga the local economies were still shrinking.

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Despite the unrest in Russia, none of it was serious enough to generate an actual risk of revolt: the main effect was to suppress the tax take.

The Black Death still held sway over the steppe lands and continued to hem the eastern raiders into the area to the south and south-east of the Aral Sea, not wishing to take a large force through plague-infested lands. Having already raided the most lucrative local Samanid targets, they waited patiently for it to lift. And smallpox now ravaged most of the unfortunate Byzantines' heartland.

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After the plague lifted in the west, conversions to Germanicism had taken off again in 1076, with two in France (Saintois and Forcalquier), two in Germany (Lüneburg and Altmark) and one each in the Low Counties (Zealand) and Poland (Laslisz) between February 1076 and June 1077). It seems they had decided to seek deliverance from a new set of Gods.

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As mentioned above, the effect on population levels (noted below for the imperial demesne counties from when Paris first suffered depopulation in November 1072). In the end, it was Rouen and Holmgarðr itself that had been hit the hardest, while Toropets and Torzhok had got off relatively lightly.

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After reaching a low point in May 1076, Imperial revenues began to gradually improve afterwards, though by July 1077 they were still at very low levels compared to before the pandemic. Expenses had gradually decreased as the retinue regathered its strength, so only a small monthly deficit now persisted. Raiding had kept the treasury healthy enough, with a halt to new building in recent years and only selective spending authorised.

It was now up to Arni to decide what path to take next as a battered world slowly emerged from the horror of the recent years. And for some, with war, smallpox and other epidemics now raging in some areas, the horror was not yet over.

One of the first questions to be answered was whether to let Lotharingia’s wars go on unchecked, to keep it within check, or to intervene to prevent one of the most expansive marcher lord realms being too badly weakened.
 
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Despite Fylkir Arni’s decree, in late January the local peasants of Holmgarðr were rumoured to be planning a pogrom against the Jews anyway. Even though it would worsen the situation in the capital even further, Arni had made a stand on principle and sent in the troops to prevent it. The peasants were furious.
In early March they found the infiltrator – a rather pitiful specimen by the name of Elisabet. Shying away from imprisonment or execution, she was sent for questioning. Had he shown pity, she would have become a friend for life. But this was enough for Arni: he would not risk the integrity of the seclusion any further: "If she is immune, she will be fine!"
Now taking a ‘no risk’ attitude to the palace seclusion, a courtier was ejected as the year was ending as soon as he showed the first signs of illness. There would be no mercy shown when the lives of the Imperial family and the longer term stability of the empire were at stake
To relieve the tedium of the long seclusion, when word came that a young sorceress had been discovered in an outlying farm, Arni declared it to be a positive omen from the Gods. After a period of quarantine spent in the tunnels, Yrsa was allowed into the palace to take up the role of Völva, which had not been filled for many years.
And despite the long confinement of the seclusion, Arni found it in himself to treat people nicely, earning him a reputation for kindness. By this time, Arni’s potential military resources had begun to recover somewhat as the effects of the plague gradually receded in the west of the empire, at least
Arni has definitely earned his arbitrary trait. Kicking some courtiers out based on the small risk of infection while also inviting a stranger from outside the walls to join his court. At the same time he shows a penchant for justice when it comes to the Jews, but doesn't care for his own citizens until near the end of the plague when he becomes "kind".

And especially given the empire's history with the Society of Hel and the fact that Yrsa is a sorceress, there might be something more going on.
This run of nasty news was relieved by some joy in the secluded court when Empress Asa gave birth to a healthy son and new heir on 6 September 1075.
Prince Arnfast better hold "fast" with the deadly plague at his door.
There was cause for concern in early November when the Empress fell ill; of course, some feared the worst, but Hysing Rurikid, Chief of Amalfi and the latest Court Physician was called in, pronouncing it to be a case of the flu, not the dreaded Hel’s Breath. His recent experiences had led him to develop into a renowned physician, always good to have during such times of terrible pestilence.
Hysing is really rocking that mask. I'd trust his judgement any day.
 
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The point that I was trying to make with the name changes is of the butterfly effects of the Rurikid family remaining Norse versus becoming Slavic (Russian). Bjarmaland was a later Viking colony on the White Sea's eastern shore. Normandy is named for Norse settlements, if the Francia area falls under Norse rulership, it may become Normandy. Another name could be Danelaw for England.

Arni and Arnfast look more western than previous Rurikids. I have seen Arni's portrait grace HRE leaders and Charlemagne's family.

The plague appears to be beaten back . . . for now.

Thank you for giving us a glimpse of 11th century medicine.
 
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Well, the Black Death devastated Russia. It heavily harmed their ability to make war, and it seems to have led to a bit of internal strife. Will it end up being Lotharingia's ultimate end?

Let's hope that the Rurikids can recover from Hel's Breath!
 
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Early October brought news that a new outbreak of consumption had occurred in Pisa. Measles continued to rage in southern Italy and the smallpox epidemic was now spreading quickly through the Balkans, into Greece and around the Black Sea. As if the weary populations weren’t already trying to recover from the greatest plague in hundreds of years.
Where's CDC when you need it!

To relieve the tedium of the long seclusion, when word came that a young sorceress had been discovered in an outlying farm, Arni declared it to be a positive omen from the Gods. After a period of quarantine spent in the tunnels, Yrsa was allowed into the palace to take up the role of Völva, which had not been filled for many years.
IIRC there might be a nice event chain about mystic volvas.
 
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I'm loving the matter-of-fact, play-by-play style of this more than I'd care to admit. Feels like I'm reading a study material by my prof or something lol.
Thanks! Just wanted to quickly say welcome aboard as a new commenter. :) Glad you’re enjoying.
 
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