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The Aelfricson Chronicles

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The Aelfricson Chronicles​

This is my first ever AAR! I'm going to play Earl Eadric Wilde Aelfricson of Shrewsbury in 1066 as the norwegian King Harald IV invades England from the north,
and Duke William de Normandy invades from the south. A tough situation for England and an Earl with only one demesne.

I have no set goal for what I want to achieve. I will be roleplaying the characters based on their traits and see where it takes me.
I'm enjoying Crusader Kings 2 and hopefully I will be able to put it down in writing.

I also hope anyone reading this will enjoy it as well. I am not a regular writer of fiction and will gladly read and reply to comments, critique or helpful hints!



 
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Ah, I was wondering how long it'd take for a Saxon AAR - not long was the answer. Good luck in kicking Harald Hardrada and William the Bastard back to Europe!
 
@Dogia It will be very interesting to see if I survive the invasions. :)

@Saithis Thank you. This is my first AAR so I'm looking forward to see and write about what happens!

Feel free to comment and critique my writing.
 


The Slaughter​


1 October 1066

The army of King Harold I had marched for a month to reach the barony of York where the norwegian army had been laying siege upon Scarborough.
Earl Eadric Wilde Aelfricson was one of 10.000 men in the english army standing ready to face the 8000 men of the enemy.
As the Marshal of Lancaster he was leading the levies of his liege, Duke Eadric I of Lancaster, gathered by their King to end the invasion from the north.

Eadric was a soldier at heart who lived for the moments of battle. His bravery was well known among the men. Though he had never been quite
comfortable being appointed Marshal. He did not wish to lead but rather focus on defeating his foes without the responsibilites on the battlefield that
comes with leadership. But he had served his liege well and his service had been reluctantly rewarded.

It took a month for the english army to free York from the norwegians hands. It was a convincing win with the enemy forces suffering 3/4 in casualties
while the english still stand with over 6000 confident and strong men. King Harold would give them no quarter. He wanted the head of King Harald IV
and the invaders corpses scattered across the fields, feeding english crows. He commanded the army to pursue the fleeing norwegians first through
Derby and then to Chester where the norwegian army made a last stand, now only 800 men strong as many had fallen during pursuit.

It was a slaughter. No man was to be left alive and the invading ruler would be layed before the feet of the King. And all but King Harald and a handful
of personal guards managed to escape. But King Harold was convinced he had made his mark upon the norwegians. The butchering would be told as
horror stories among their people and they would think twice about invading his kingdom again.

The slaughter in Chester had been a memorable event for Eadric as well. He had killed countless soldiers with anger and without mercy.
His Kings words had fueled his anger towards the invaders who had the audacity to land upon his native shores and plunder its lands.
Being the cynical unbeliver that he is, he could not care less about his choices affecting the afterlife. There would be no heaven or hell.
There would only be death and the best way to avoid death is to bring it swiftly to others.

 
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England Burns​

14 February 1067

Defeating the norwegian army had taken 3 months. During this time Duke William de Normandy arrived with his fleet of 13.000 men and occupied Middlesex with but the slightest of resistance.
Eadric and the english had marched to Bedford where they now camped. Outnumbered by more than twice their numbers, King Harold could only watch as William made his way with his lands.

Eadric despaired. He loathed the feeling of helplessness. There was nothing worse than watching the enemy do as they please but it would be suicide to attack and this Eadric knew.
Where would they get the men to strengthen their army? How long would it take? The longer they waited, the more of England William de Normandy would take.

England burns before their eyes and Eadric had a feeling the fire would grow and they would not be able to stop it in time.


 
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I've decided to reboot this AAR after installing the latest patch with the rebalancing of the forces of King Harald, King Harold and William de Normandy.
I'm also taking a different approach to my writing, I was not happy with what I had achieved so far. It's a learning process trying to figure out when to write,
how much and in what way. But I'll get the hang of it. :)
 



Everyone Is An Enemy​

19 June 1067

"Is it true?" asked Eadric. He had in much haste been ordered back to Lancaster by his liege Duke Eadwin I of Lancaster. During his return
he had heard rumours that King Harold had been excommunicated by the Church.

Duke Eadwin sat by a grand desk in his chambers discussing matters with his steward when Eadric had entered. He was annoyed with the
sudden intrusion but told the steward to leave them.

"If you are referring to the Kings excommunication, then yes," said Eadwin. "Pope Alexander II has sided with the normans. The Church
wants England to fall."

Eadric could not believe it. Why would the Church do this? Without them England is fair game to anyone who desires its land. He stood in
silence while trying to grasp the situation.
"I ordered your return as soon as I heard," continued Eadwin. "Be certain that there is no hope left for the King and the kingdom. All that
is left is to prepare and protect your own borders should the need arise. That is why I need you here, training the troops."

Duke Eadwin was right. 2 months later William de Normandy engaged the english army, 12.000 men against 5000 brave englishmen.
At the same time Duke Boudewijn V of the Duchy of Flanders had landed an army in Norfolk on the order of William, who was
Boudewijns son-in-law.

In the start of September, there was nothing left of the english army. 400 men fled the normans who had only lost 2000. There was no
need to pursue, the english were broken and William ordered his army to occupy Sussex.


 
In my game of this Duke Eadwin kills his brother and takes Duchy of York and Nottingham. I am then given Warwick, Hereford and Gloucester
 


Intermission - The State of England 1 January 1068​

YMfi6.jpg

England was in peril at the start of 1068. The excommunication of King Harold I had made England an easy target
for anyone with the strength and ambition to take it.

Duke William de Normandy had an unstoppable army and now occupied three counties.
Duke Boudewijn of Flanders - Williams father-in-law - had Norfolk in his grip.
King Harald of Norway had begun sending smaller raiding parties across the countryside.
And to pour even more salt in the wound, Duke Gudrod Crovan of The Isles - only 18 years old and married to the Princess of Norway -
is leading a small force into english soil.

Things were not looking great for the saxon kingdom. I don't think King Harold can summon enough forces to repel William and
a surrender is only a question of when.

How do you think England will look by the end of 1068? :)




 
Have you married the other Norwegian princess? If so perhaps then you could join your new Father-in-Law Harald Haardrada's side in this war even pledging allegiance to the Norwegian crown if necessary. You'd also be allied through marriage to Both the King of Norway and Duke of the Isles. First things first you could hope to get the Duchy of Hereford title before making a move.
 
spinoza013 said:
Have you married the other Norwegian princess? If so perhaps then you could join your new Father-in-Law Harald Haardrada's side in this war even pledging allegiance to the Norwegian crown if necessary. You'd also be allied through marriage to Both the King of Norway and Duke of the Isles. First things first you could hope to get the Duchy of Hereford title before making a move.
Click to expand...

That's a sneaky way to do it. :)
But Eadric is no traitor. He hates the norwegians and normans for invading. He's still unmarried as he's been leading troops for the most part and only recently been called back from the war.
 
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