The Gryf Dynasty
King Eric VII, November 1399
"They do what?" The 18 year old King's eyes bulged at the very thought.
"The Swedish noble Knut Bosson is not to be trifled with. Nor, do I think, does he mean this in earnest. This insult was likely only meant to show the rest of the Swedes that their nobility bows to no foreigner." His advisor, Vilfred Pedersen who was a local artist, said.
"I am not a foreigner; I am their KING!" Eric's fists came down on the table simultaneously, the easy strength of his youth breaking it into fragments. He took a deep breath. "I never liked that table anyhow." He said, much like a child would after something had been taken away.
"You are a Dane, and not even from Denmark originally. They see a German on a Danish throne ruling over a bunch of Swedes who have a long tradition of independence. Sweden may still exist, but they hunger for their own king already." Vilfir hesitated a moment, but just a moment. Eric wasn't the sort of king who would take the head of the messenger. "And I know this isn't my area of expertise, but they also have a significantly larger standing army, with larger feudal levies in reserve. And Knut Bosson's father, while deceased, left such a legacy that Knut could call upon all of them if you were to provoke him further."
"You are right. It is not your area of expertise. It is-" The king was rudely cut off by a newcomer coming into his council room, an action not widely done in europe, or even in the world at that time, had they only known it.
"-my area of expertise in fact." Said Frederik Knudtzon, with a rather large grin on his face from cutting his king off. A young German from Eric's native Pomerania, he had grown up in Copenhagen and had become a close friend of King Eric before he had become King, and they shared similar ages. Despite a young age, Frederik was hailed as a rather brilliant army organizer with a special eye for logistics and organization of the forces before the battle.
"And your take is?" Eric asked as his temper settled down. He had learned to do so when Frederik was around, since he was one of the few people that he lost arguments to with any regularity.
"Much the same as Vilfir's. Sweden could crush Denmark like a bug if you simply look at the pure numbers. But there is a reason this Union of the Scandinavian countries has come to be. Together, we are no easy pickings for the Teutonic Order, and that alone is what will keep sweden in line. For the time being at least." Frederik shook his medium length blonde hair out of his face and picked a grape out of the bowl in front of Eric to pop in his mouth.
"Not to mention the Norwegians are firmly on our side and can more or less raise the same amount of feudal levies as Sweden can in the early stage of any war, enough that we will either beat Sweden at once or hold them off long enough for us to bring outside allies in to help us keep the union together." Frederik continued. "I have heard rumors of your mother talking with england much to that tune, strangely enough." Eric's head whipped around to give Frederik a sharp look at that comment; very few knew about the negotiations aside from the fact that a low level ambassador had been sent to England. Most assumed it was aimed at keeping Scotland in check from hungering over the Orkney islands. Eric continued to eye his military advisor sharply for several moments, but then he softened.
"I don't know how you hear what you do Frederik, but just promise me those same sources don't start leaking things to anybody else. Like the Swedes." Eric said in a rather exasperated voice, as if this wasn't the first time Frederik knew something he shouldn't of.
"Never worry your majesty, for my sources are of impeccable loyalty to the crown." He then rose from his seat just to bow in a flourish of flamboyance, then sat back down again.
"Now, I suppose we should move on to the threat the Teutonic Order poses then shouldn't we?" Vilfir asked, and so the meeting continued with the young King Eric VII's two closest advisors. Only time would tell should they be up to the task of ruling the North.
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Hello all! This is my second attempt at a game with DW, the first a horrible failure with Portugal's armies getting crushed by Morocco, and then again by the Ottomans some years later. Abandoning that game and cursing the Portugese for obviously not having the backbone I need in a country, I have chosen the Danes to play, and decided to see how far I would take it AAR wise. This may last only another story or two, never getting off the ground, or it may end up an intricate tale of the many dynasties of the North where the stories of the great kingdoms of Scandinavia, Germany, and the rest of Europe are woven together into a tale you will never forget.
In any case, although I am not far in my game, I shall give 2 hints of where this game is going to go. Stacks and Stacks, endless stacks of German rebels. And Danish Iberia. Take that how you will Gents and Ladies
King Eric VII, November 1399
"They do what?" The 18 year old King's eyes bulged at the very thought.
"The Swedish noble Knut Bosson is not to be trifled with. Nor, do I think, does he mean this in earnest. This insult was likely only meant to show the rest of the Swedes that their nobility bows to no foreigner." His advisor, Vilfred Pedersen who was a local artist, said.
"I am not a foreigner; I am their KING!" Eric's fists came down on the table simultaneously, the easy strength of his youth breaking it into fragments. He took a deep breath. "I never liked that table anyhow." He said, much like a child would after something had been taken away.
"You are a Dane, and not even from Denmark originally. They see a German on a Danish throne ruling over a bunch of Swedes who have a long tradition of independence. Sweden may still exist, but they hunger for their own king already." Vilfir hesitated a moment, but just a moment. Eric wasn't the sort of king who would take the head of the messenger. "And I know this isn't my area of expertise, but they also have a significantly larger standing army, with larger feudal levies in reserve. And Knut Bosson's father, while deceased, left such a legacy that Knut could call upon all of them if you were to provoke him further."
"You are right. It is not your area of expertise. It is-" The king was rudely cut off by a newcomer coming into his council room, an action not widely done in europe, or even in the world at that time, had they only known it.
"-my area of expertise in fact." Said Frederik Knudtzon, with a rather large grin on his face from cutting his king off. A young German from Eric's native Pomerania, he had grown up in Copenhagen and had become a close friend of King Eric before he had become King, and they shared similar ages. Despite a young age, Frederik was hailed as a rather brilliant army organizer with a special eye for logistics and organization of the forces before the battle.
"And your take is?" Eric asked as his temper settled down. He had learned to do so when Frederik was around, since he was one of the few people that he lost arguments to with any regularity.
"Much the same as Vilfir's. Sweden could crush Denmark like a bug if you simply look at the pure numbers. But there is a reason this Union of the Scandinavian countries has come to be. Together, we are no easy pickings for the Teutonic Order, and that alone is what will keep sweden in line. For the time being at least." Frederik shook his medium length blonde hair out of his face and picked a grape out of the bowl in front of Eric to pop in his mouth.
"Not to mention the Norwegians are firmly on our side and can more or less raise the same amount of feudal levies as Sweden can in the early stage of any war, enough that we will either beat Sweden at once or hold them off long enough for us to bring outside allies in to help us keep the union together." Frederik continued. "I have heard rumors of your mother talking with england much to that tune, strangely enough." Eric's head whipped around to give Frederik a sharp look at that comment; very few knew about the negotiations aside from the fact that a low level ambassador had been sent to England. Most assumed it was aimed at keeping Scotland in check from hungering over the Orkney islands. Eric continued to eye his military advisor sharply for several moments, but then he softened.
"I don't know how you hear what you do Frederik, but just promise me those same sources don't start leaking things to anybody else. Like the Swedes." Eric said in a rather exasperated voice, as if this wasn't the first time Frederik knew something he shouldn't of.
"Never worry your majesty, for my sources are of impeccable loyalty to the crown." He then rose from his seat just to bow in a flourish of flamboyance, then sat back down again.
"Now, I suppose we should move on to the threat the Teutonic Order poses then shouldn't we?" Vilfir asked, and so the meeting continued with the young King Eric VII's two closest advisors. Only time would tell should they be up to the task of ruling the North.
--------
Hello all! This is my second attempt at a game with DW, the first a horrible failure with Portugal's armies getting crushed by Morocco, and then again by the Ottomans some years later. Abandoning that game and cursing the Portugese for obviously not having the backbone I need in a country, I have chosen the Danes to play, and decided to see how far I would take it AAR wise. This may last only another story or two, never getting off the ground, or it may end up an intricate tale of the many dynasties of the North where the stories of the great kingdoms of Scandinavia, Germany, and the rest of Europe are woven together into a tale you will never forget.
In any case, although I am not far in my game, I shall give 2 hints of where this game is going to go. Stacks and Stacks, endless stacks of German rebels. And Danish Iberia. Take that how you will Gents and Ladies
