Chapter 1: Whispers of War (769 - 772)
"One of the many tribal unions of early slavs the Dregovich tribe inhabited the banks of the Pripyat river. One of the earliest persons to be known to us from this people is the man known as Igor of Turov, confirmed to have been a ruler in the year 769 and a warlord who would come to expand the tribe's influence in the area."
High Chief Igor of Turov is in his early thirties when we meet him in the year 769, the ruler of several chiefdoms and the High Chief of Turov. His youth was unremarkable and his father is lost to the fog of history but he emerges a diplomatic if short-tempered man with high ambitions who has decided it is time to unite his realm oncemore and with his sights set on war to this very end. At this time he was already married to High Chieftess Premyslava and with an heir, Igor Igorovich who was being raised acording to the ancient tenants of rulership and governance. Supporting Igor is also a highly competent council of particular note for the plans at hand the warrior Rogvolod, already proven in battle as a brilliant stratergist and a honest man.
Igor's realm in the year 769 is small and surrounded by tribal rivals, to the north the Chiefdoms of Polotosk and Lithuania, to the west the Chiefdoms Yatvingia and Volhynia, to the south Drevilania and to the east the Chiefdom of Stolsk. Of particular note were Drevilania and Stolsk as both laid claim which in the past had been considered part of the Dregovich's realm, indeed to the south over the river Pripyiat lay the land Turov from which were Igor's Chiefdom's namesake.
Chief Lyubomir who rules over the Chiefdom of Slutsk to the east is quickly seen as the weakest of the realms and the land of Slutsk itself is that which High Chief Igor has claim upon and so in the early spring of 1769 it is declared that the lost lands will be retaken, the Turov Chiefdom shall be made whole again and Igor shall rule from the ancestral home of the Dragovich family. The warrior Rogvolod is sent out to train the men of the chiefdom and prepare them for the war that is to come whilst Diviner Stanislav seek the gods' omens and blessings for war. High Chieftess Premyslava is sent on a ship down the river to the renowed distant court of Constantinopel, the reasons unknown. At the sametime a discreet messenger is sent north into the realm of Polotsk, a generous gift is made to persuade Chieftan Svetozar's warleader, a proven warrior going by the name of Ilyia, to enter into Igor's service. It is an offer that is quickly seized upon and sees Igor with a tested commander to lead his host.
It is declared that the war will begin come the high summer of the year and as spring begins to near its end a young maiden of the court, Malusha, is sacrifised to the gods to secure good fortune in the battles to come. In the same spirit High Chieftan Igor seeks out the legendary Champions of Perun, warrior of renown to amend his lack of martial prowess. But disaster strikes quickly and in the initial testing the Chieftan is badly wounded, although admitted into the famous lodge. So wounded it was not until well into the autumn of 769 that Igor's ambition got the better of him and the call to war was sounded.
Near fifteen-hundred men were mustered and gathered in Pinsk on the very border of Slutsk lead by Ilyia, now named Master of the Blade. The first battle was in the marshes as Ilyia managed to ambush the warriors crossing the border, an easy victory as they outnumbered the enemy three-to-one. Never the less one of the highborn warriors in the host proved himself well in the battle, known as Yefimiy of Chiting he was quickly appointed a commander for his valour. The host was broken into two groups then, one marching into Slutsk lay claim to the land while the other remained in Pilsk to push back any counter-attack the routed enemies may attempt. A few skirmishes followed but in March 770 Lyubomir surrendered his claim on Slutsk.
Having gotten his first taste of war Igor turned his eyes south of the river then, towards Turov. Letting his ambition get the better of him with his feasting men around him he sent a messenger to Chieftan Dobroslav delcaring his claim upon the land and set to cross the river with his host. Shocked to face no resistance as they ascended the shore of Turov it was first then Igor learned that Dobroslav was already at war. The High Chieftess Dobrava of Kiev had declared a subjugation war and it quickly dawned on Igor this was now a race between them, could he settle his claim on Turov before Dobroslav might turn a vassal to the power powerful realm to the south?
What followed was a longer war as Igor marched into Kiev itself to make battle with Chieftan Dobraslav, it turned out a difficult battle as the crossing of a lesser river granted the enemy the advantage yet number carried the day. It was here Igor took upon himself the monikber "the Great Bear", for he was now a conqueror and no stranger to the ways of war.
It would all prove to be for naught, with victory within his grasp Igor woke one day to find a messenger from Dobrava of Kiev declaring Dobroslav her vassal and demanding he send his host back across the river. Weakened from the earlier battle and now facing the prospect of war with a much stronger foe than he had anticipated Igor retreated. As his warriors returned home he also had his wife sent for, returned from the exotic forieng lands putting his ambitions towards his heir and hopes for new children. With war in his future he also set to create weaponsmiths in his chiefdoms so that he may be able to equip a standing retinue of warriors in the future.
But now he stood at the crossroad of war with Kiev to reclaim his ancestral seat of power. Was it best to strike quickly, before Dobraslav could build up his forces oncemore to add to Chieftess Dobrava's warriors? Or ought he build up his own, his spies suggested their armies would be evenly matched on the field of battle but the great rivers of their land would stand in his way.
It was now the very first dawn of the year 772.
"One of the many tribal unions of early slavs the Dregovich tribe inhabited the banks of the Pripyat river. One of the earliest persons to be known to us from this people is the man known as Igor of Turov, confirmed to have been a ruler in the year 769 and a warlord who would come to expand the tribe's influence in the area."
High Chief Igor of Turov is in his early thirties when we meet him in the year 769, the ruler of several chiefdoms and the High Chief of Turov. His youth was unremarkable and his father is lost to the fog of history but he emerges a diplomatic if short-tempered man with high ambitions who has decided it is time to unite his realm oncemore and with his sights set on war to this very end. At this time he was already married to High Chieftess Premyslava and with an heir, Igor Igorovich who was being raised acording to the ancient tenants of rulership and governance. Supporting Igor is also a highly competent council of particular note for the plans at hand the warrior Rogvolod, already proven in battle as a brilliant stratergist and a honest man.
Igor's realm in the year 769 is small and surrounded by tribal rivals, to the north the Chiefdoms of Polotosk and Lithuania, to the west the Chiefdoms Yatvingia and Volhynia, to the south Drevilania and to the east the Chiefdom of Stolsk. Of particular note were Drevilania and Stolsk as both laid claim which in the past had been considered part of the Dregovich's realm, indeed to the south over the river Pripyiat lay the land Turov from which were Igor's Chiefdom's namesake.
Chief Lyubomir who rules over the Chiefdom of Slutsk to the east is quickly seen as the weakest of the realms and the land of Slutsk itself is that which High Chief Igor has claim upon and so in the early spring of 1769 it is declared that the lost lands will be retaken, the Turov Chiefdom shall be made whole again and Igor shall rule from the ancestral home of the Dragovich family. The warrior Rogvolod is sent out to train the men of the chiefdom and prepare them for the war that is to come whilst Diviner Stanislav seek the gods' omens and blessings for war. High Chieftess Premyslava is sent on a ship down the river to the renowed distant court of Constantinopel, the reasons unknown. At the sametime a discreet messenger is sent north into the realm of Polotsk, a generous gift is made to persuade Chieftan Svetozar's warleader, a proven warrior going by the name of Ilyia, to enter into Igor's service. It is an offer that is quickly seized upon and sees Igor with a tested commander to lead his host.
It is declared that the war will begin come the high summer of the year and as spring begins to near its end a young maiden of the court, Malusha, is sacrifised to the gods to secure good fortune in the battles to come. In the same spirit High Chieftan Igor seeks out the legendary Champions of Perun, warrior of renown to amend his lack of martial prowess. But disaster strikes quickly and in the initial testing the Chieftan is badly wounded, although admitted into the famous lodge. So wounded it was not until well into the autumn of 769 that Igor's ambition got the better of him and the call to war was sounded.
Near fifteen-hundred men were mustered and gathered in Pinsk on the very border of Slutsk lead by Ilyia, now named Master of the Blade. The first battle was in the marshes as Ilyia managed to ambush the warriors crossing the border, an easy victory as they outnumbered the enemy three-to-one. Never the less one of the highborn warriors in the host proved himself well in the battle, known as Yefimiy of Chiting he was quickly appointed a commander for his valour. The host was broken into two groups then, one marching into Slutsk lay claim to the land while the other remained in Pilsk to push back any counter-attack the routed enemies may attempt. A few skirmishes followed but in March 770 Lyubomir surrendered his claim on Slutsk.
Having gotten his first taste of war Igor turned his eyes south of the river then, towards Turov. Letting his ambition get the better of him with his feasting men around him he sent a messenger to Chieftan Dobroslav delcaring his claim upon the land and set to cross the river with his host. Shocked to face no resistance as they ascended the shore of Turov it was first then Igor learned that Dobroslav was already at war. The High Chieftess Dobrava of Kiev had declared a subjugation war and it quickly dawned on Igor this was now a race between them, could he settle his claim on Turov before Dobroslav might turn a vassal to the power powerful realm to the south?
What followed was a longer war as Igor marched into Kiev itself to make battle with Chieftan Dobraslav, it turned out a difficult battle as the crossing of a lesser river granted the enemy the advantage yet number carried the day. It was here Igor took upon himself the monikber "the Great Bear", for he was now a conqueror and no stranger to the ways of war.
It would all prove to be for naught, with victory within his grasp Igor woke one day to find a messenger from Dobrava of Kiev declaring Dobroslav her vassal and demanding he send his host back across the river. Weakened from the earlier battle and now facing the prospect of war with a much stronger foe than he had anticipated Igor retreated. As his warriors returned home he also had his wife sent for, returned from the exotic forieng lands putting his ambitions towards his heir and hopes for new children. With war in his future he also set to create weaponsmiths in his chiefdoms so that he may be able to equip a standing retinue of warriors in the future.
But now he stood at the crossroad of war with Kiev to reclaim his ancestral seat of power. Was it best to strike quickly, before Dobraslav could build up his forces oncemore to add to Chieftess Dobrava's warriors? Or ought he build up his own, his spies suggested their armies would be evenly matched on the field of battle but the great rivers of their land would stand in his way.
It was now the very first dawn of the year 772.
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