Phew, that's a scary Krivichia for sure. Viryay better be on his guard and keep a few coins ready.
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Yep, surrounded by enemies, but luckily we are not their only enemies. But the ones within will have to be dealt with peronally.
Viryay, and Putyayka, benefited from having Chief Vechkas as their guardian, Kardaz was smart enough to leave their training in the Marshal's more capable hands.
Rodislav and his allies don't have a thousand ships, or even one ship, plus he very soon has other problems. Love the Wendigo image for our neighborhood cannibal.
Definitely keeping an eye on Krivichia, the fact that their High Chief is called Svetozar the Evil makes it more scary.
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777-778 Lost Dreams
777-778 Lost Dreams
Viryay walked up the path to his longhouse after working on the training grounds being constructed in the village. He is hungry and tired after a long day, but inside he finds his two women, his wife Ordava and his concubine Kunegunda, and all his weariness is forgotten. Both women are glowing, pregnant.
They are happily preparing for the harvest festival where Ordvava will be playing the Goddess Akka, the Queen of the Harvest. They stop what they are doing to greet Viryay with warm embraces and welcome him home. Ordava brings him his son, Kubrat, while Kunegunda brings him food and ale. Viryay sits back, all is well with the world... Suddenly everything begins to fade
"Viryay! Viryay! Wake up, brother!" Putyayka gives him a none too gentle shake. Viryay struggles awake and saw his sister, armed and armored, hovering over him, behind her, though the door of the tent, he sees that dawn is breaking over his camp in the forests of Tikhvine.
"What is it?"
"Aimo has stolen a march on us, we won't be able to avoid a fight this time."
With a curse, pulls himself up, reaching for his weapons, his body stiff from sleeping in his armor. More bad news. When was the last time he had good news? It must have been 6 months ago, when his rival Rodislav was betrayed by his own brother Zbignev, who usurped the High Chiefdom of Ilmenia from him.
"How many men?"
"More than us. About 1,700, including those damn mercenaries."
Viryay cursed again. When they had declared the war on High Chief Aimo of Veps based on Viryay's de jure claim on Belo Ozero, all the reports had assured him that Aimo and his vassals could muster a 1,000 men at most, while Viryay and his vassals could raise double that. But things had gone wrong from the start, first his brother's regent had again refused Viryay' call to arms,
reducing Viryay's muster down to 1,800 men, and then had come the disaster at Uglich. High Chief Aimo had stolen a march on Viryay there as well.
***************
5 months earlier
While Viryay's scouts had kept an eye on Aimo's army in Tikhvine, the Meryan troops had gathered at Uglich. By early summer almost 1,400 Meryans had arrived from Uglich, Yaroslavl, and Merya. The levys from Kholm were still marching east, collecting the vassal warriors from Torzhok and Bezichy on the way. Viraya's scouts reported almost 700 Finns were marching toward Uglich from Tikhvine. Viryay was gleeful, when his eastern reinforcements arrived he would have more than double the Finnish numbers and would be defending his home ground. The war could be over before winter. Putyayka was less happy, and his other commander, the former Diviner Kichay, agreed with her.
"Aimo is a Hero of the Followers of Otso, he's a proven warrior and leader. Something is wrong."
Viryay trusted their instincts. "But how can he win? His numbers match Shkay's reports and he has no allies to call on. I would have heard if any of the Followers of Otso had joined him for a chance to fight."
"We're missing something."
Two days later, they had had their answer and it had been too late to run.
One of their pickets, a young boy had come running back to camp. "Chief, there is an army coming from the east, strange men carrying long spears with axe heads attached. They are all walking as one, it sounds like a drum beat."
Kichay blanched.
"What is it?"
"Mercenaries. Aimo has hired a company of mercenary pikemen."
Viryay looked at him in disbelief, "Mercenaries, how did he get them here?"
"They must have traveled down the river from Lake Onega and landed in southern Belo Ozero."
Putyayka cut in, "How he got them doesn't matter, they are here already and we need to kill them before Aimo shows up with his 700 men."
Kichay pointed east, "Aimo is already here." The enemy army was pouring out of the trees near the river, High Chief Aimo's personal standard leading a column of about 500 light infantry and archers. The river was on his left and on his right was a column of 1,000 pikemen
Putyayka took the center of Merya's 1,100 lightly armored tribesman, 50 more in heavy armor and 200 archers and marched to meet them, Viryay leading the right flank and Kichay on the left. The archers took a heavy toll on Aimo's own tribesmen, but the mercenaries shrugged off the arrows and kept coming, smashing through the Meryan left flank and then pivoting to attack Putyayka in the center. Aimo's center almost broke, then his 700 reinforcements arrived and drove right through his faltering lines and broke Putyayka's center. Merya's 300 reinforcements also arrived and entered the fray, joining with Viryay's surviving flank. But the mercenaries were relentless, smashing into Viryay's men as High Chief Aimo was happy to stand back and let them earn their pay. The Meryan army broke and fled west away from the river, leaving a third of Viryay's army behind to rot.
Viryay had been running ever since. Aimo had stayed behind to sack the Uglich tribe and then had followed Viryay west. Viryay had lead his men north into Borrovichi and then cut east, making for Belo Ozero, still trying to win the war. But AImo and his mercenaries plodded along behind them. AImo must has spent gold hoarded from a lifetime of raiding to hire this army and Viryay's best hope was to string out the war until Aimo ran out of coin and the mercenaries left.
The chase continued all summer and into the fall. Viryay staying ahead of the army of Veps , but not far enough to seize control of any of Aimo's lands. It was close to the autumnal equinox when a messenger from Borovichi caught up to Viryay with more devastating news.
High Chieftess Ordava, in her role as Diviner of Merya, had been in Borovichi overseeing efforts to try and convert the Slavic peasants there to the Suomenusko faith. But they had continued to resist the efforts, remaining faithful to their foreign Gods. This came to a head in a small village near Bororvichi when that resistance turned violent and the peasants overwhelmed Ordava's guards and killed the Diviner of Merya and the small contingent of shaman with her.
The Regent Kardaz had overreacted and burned the village to the ground, causing unrest throughout Borovichi. Vladimir, the Steward of Bororvichi had escorted Ordava's body back to Merya. He was her only success. The Ilmenian, inspired by Ordava's faith and sacrifice had converted to the Suomenusko faith. But the cynic in Viryay had wondered if that conversion was truly sincere, or was this Vladimir trying to prevent Viryay's wrath from falling on him, the man charged with managing the peasants of his tribe.
Soon after that the Meryan army reached Tikhvine.
****************
The Battle of Tikhvine, also known as the Battle in the Trees, as there was no open clearing with the two battle lines drawn up. Instead it was a pine forest, the ground covered in a cushion of rust colored pine needles that made the advance of the two armies almost silent, with only a crackling as pine twigs snapped under foot. High Chief Aimo again had the center of 300 some tribesman advancing directly toward the center of the Meryans camp as Viryay, Vechkas and Putyayka got the Meryan army in order. On Aimo's left were another 500 tribesman circling the camp, to his right were the 900 mercenary pikemen, their pikes held steady, snapping off dead pine branches as they came. Putyayka held the center of the camp with 600 tribesmen while Vechkas and Viryay split their remaining 700 men to the two flanks. Vechkas opposite the Veps tribesmen and Viryay bracing for the mercenaries' assault.
The Meryans again had more archers and they all were hunters, used to shooting through the trees and brush at their targets. They concentrated fire on Aimo's tribesmen in the center and on the right, knowing the arrows would do little against the better armored pikemen. The archery had devastating effect on the Veps tribesmen and after only a brief melee Aimo 's center and left flank disengaged and retreated from the battle, leaving it to the mercenaries to face the entire Meryan army. The pikemen were more than up to the task. Four times the Meryans attempted to throw back the mercenaries, with Viryay's flank taking the brunt of the damage, until there were none left able to continue. Putyayka and Vechkas tried one more assault with some 700 men still standing, and were again driven back by the bristling wall of steel. For every man Merya lost they had taken a man from Veps with them, but the Veps had the numbers and if they played it to the bitter end, only Veps warriors would be standing. It was hopeless, so once again Merya fled the field, still faster than the plodding mercenaries.
Three days of running later, the Meryans leaders walked a few yards away from the main camp for a war council. Viryay's command tent now a spoil of war left behind in Tikhvine. They had all been sleeping under the stars since the retreat.
Marshal Vechkas started, "Unless we can find an answer to that mercenary steel hedgehog, we can not beat them on the battlefield."
Viryay looked to Putyayka, but she had no real answer. " We would need to lure them into a trap, onto some rotten ice, into one of the bogs, or below a potential avalanche. It might work if it was just the southern mercenaries, unfamiliar with the local terrain, but Aimo and his Finns would never fall for any of it."
She looked at her brother," We can't beat them, the only thing that can beat them now is Aimo failing to pay them. All we can do is hope we can draw it out long enough for his coffers to run dry."
Viryay looked at both them, tired and dirty. He turned and looked across at the remains of his army sprawled along the creek, most falling asleep as soon as they stopped moving. He had less than half his original strength. Too many gone. Too many wives losing husbands as he had lost his own wife. It was time to send them home to their families and go home to his own motherless son.
High Chief Viryay turned back to his Marshal and his Commander, " We're done. I'll risk no more Meryan lives hoping Aimo will go broke. I'm going home to see my son."
******************************************************************************************************************************
Author's Note: The dream sequence happened in game, with Viryay's wife and concubine both becoming pregnant within a week of each other. But a game crash forced me to restart from the last autosave, losing both pregnancies as Viryay's family life took a different, darker path.
Viryay walked up the path to his longhouse after working on the training grounds being constructed in the village. He is hungry and tired after a long day, but inside he finds his two women, his wife Ordava and his concubine Kunegunda, and all his weariness is forgotten. Both women are glowing, pregnant.
They are happily preparing for the harvest festival where Ordvava will be playing the Goddess Akka, the Queen of the Harvest. They stop what they are doing to greet Viryay with warm embraces and welcome him home. Ordava brings him his son, Kubrat, while Kunegunda brings him food and ale. Viryay sits back, all is well with the world... Suddenly everything begins to fade
"Viryay! Viryay! Wake up, brother!" Putyayka gives him a none too gentle shake. Viryay struggles awake and saw his sister, armed and armored, hovering over him, behind her, though the door of the tent, he sees that dawn is breaking over his camp in the forests of Tikhvine.
"What is it?"
"Aimo has stolen a march on us, we won't be able to avoid a fight this time."
With a curse, pulls himself up, reaching for his weapons, his body stiff from sleeping in his armor. More bad news. When was the last time he had good news? It must have been 6 months ago, when his rival Rodislav was betrayed by his own brother Zbignev, who usurped the High Chiefdom of Ilmenia from him.
"How many men?"
"More than us. About 1,700, including those damn mercenaries."
Viryay cursed again. When they had declared the war on High Chief Aimo of Veps based on Viryay's de jure claim on Belo Ozero, all the reports had assured him that Aimo and his vassals could muster a 1,000 men at most, while Viryay and his vassals could raise double that. But things had gone wrong from the start, first his brother's regent had again refused Viryay' call to arms,
reducing Viryay's muster down to 1,800 men, and then had come the disaster at Uglich. High Chief Aimo had stolen a march on Viryay there as well.
***************
5 months earlier
While Viryay's scouts had kept an eye on Aimo's army in Tikhvine, the Meryan troops had gathered at Uglich. By early summer almost 1,400 Meryans had arrived from Uglich, Yaroslavl, and Merya. The levys from Kholm were still marching east, collecting the vassal warriors from Torzhok and Bezichy on the way. Viraya's scouts reported almost 700 Finns were marching toward Uglich from Tikhvine. Viryay was gleeful, when his eastern reinforcements arrived he would have more than double the Finnish numbers and would be defending his home ground. The war could be over before winter. Putyayka was less happy, and his other commander, the former Diviner Kichay, agreed with her.
"Aimo is a Hero of the Followers of Otso, he's a proven warrior and leader. Something is wrong."
Viryay trusted their instincts. "But how can he win? His numbers match Shkay's reports and he has no allies to call on. I would have heard if any of the Followers of Otso had joined him for a chance to fight."
"We're missing something."
Two days later, they had had their answer and it had been too late to run.
One of their pickets, a young boy had come running back to camp. "Chief, there is an army coming from the east, strange men carrying long spears with axe heads attached. They are all walking as one, it sounds like a drum beat."
Kichay blanched.
"What is it?"
"Mercenaries. Aimo has hired a company of mercenary pikemen."
Viryay looked at him in disbelief, "Mercenaries, how did he get them here?"
"They must have traveled down the river from Lake Onega and landed in southern Belo Ozero."
Putyayka cut in, "How he got them doesn't matter, they are here already and we need to kill them before Aimo shows up with his 700 men."
Kichay pointed east, "Aimo is already here." The enemy army was pouring out of the trees near the river, High Chief Aimo's personal standard leading a column of about 500 light infantry and archers. The river was on his left and on his right was a column of 1,000 pikemen
Putyayka took the center of Merya's 1,100 lightly armored tribesman, 50 more in heavy armor and 200 archers and marched to meet them, Viryay leading the right flank and Kichay on the left. The archers took a heavy toll on Aimo's own tribesmen, but the mercenaries shrugged off the arrows and kept coming, smashing through the Meryan left flank and then pivoting to attack Putyayka in the center. Aimo's center almost broke, then his 700 reinforcements arrived and drove right through his faltering lines and broke Putyayka's center. Merya's 300 reinforcements also arrived and entered the fray, joining with Viryay's surviving flank. But the mercenaries were relentless, smashing into Viryay's men as High Chief Aimo was happy to stand back and let them earn their pay. The Meryan army broke and fled west away from the river, leaving a third of Viryay's army behind to rot.
Viryay had been running ever since. Aimo had stayed behind to sack the Uglich tribe and then had followed Viryay west. Viryay had lead his men north into Borrovichi and then cut east, making for Belo Ozero, still trying to win the war. But AImo and his mercenaries plodded along behind them. AImo must has spent gold hoarded from a lifetime of raiding to hire this army and Viryay's best hope was to string out the war until Aimo ran out of coin and the mercenaries left.
The chase continued all summer and into the fall. Viryay staying ahead of the army of Veps , but not far enough to seize control of any of Aimo's lands. It was close to the autumnal equinox when a messenger from Borovichi caught up to Viryay with more devastating news.
High Chieftess Ordava, in her role as Diviner of Merya, had been in Borovichi overseeing efforts to try and convert the Slavic peasants there to the Suomenusko faith. But they had continued to resist the efforts, remaining faithful to their foreign Gods. This came to a head in a small village near Bororvichi when that resistance turned violent and the peasants overwhelmed Ordava's guards and killed the Diviner of Merya and the small contingent of shaman with her.
The Regent Kardaz had overreacted and burned the village to the ground, causing unrest throughout Borovichi. Vladimir, the Steward of Bororvichi had escorted Ordava's body back to Merya. He was her only success. The Ilmenian, inspired by Ordava's faith and sacrifice had converted to the Suomenusko faith. But the cynic in Viryay had wondered if that conversion was truly sincere, or was this Vladimir trying to prevent Viryay's wrath from falling on him, the man charged with managing the peasants of his tribe.
Soon after that the Meryan army reached Tikhvine.
****************
The Battle of Tikhvine, also known as the Battle in the Trees, as there was no open clearing with the two battle lines drawn up. Instead it was a pine forest, the ground covered in a cushion of rust colored pine needles that made the advance of the two armies almost silent, with only a crackling as pine twigs snapped under foot. High Chief Aimo again had the center of 300 some tribesman advancing directly toward the center of the Meryans camp as Viryay, Vechkas and Putyayka got the Meryan army in order. On Aimo's left were another 500 tribesman circling the camp, to his right were the 900 mercenary pikemen, their pikes held steady, snapping off dead pine branches as they came. Putyayka held the center of the camp with 600 tribesmen while Vechkas and Viryay split their remaining 700 men to the two flanks. Vechkas opposite the Veps tribesmen and Viryay bracing for the mercenaries' assault.
The Meryans again had more archers and they all were hunters, used to shooting through the trees and brush at their targets. They concentrated fire on Aimo's tribesmen in the center and on the right, knowing the arrows would do little against the better armored pikemen. The archery had devastating effect on the Veps tribesmen and after only a brief melee Aimo 's center and left flank disengaged and retreated from the battle, leaving it to the mercenaries to face the entire Meryan army. The pikemen were more than up to the task. Four times the Meryans attempted to throw back the mercenaries, with Viryay's flank taking the brunt of the damage, until there were none left able to continue. Putyayka and Vechkas tried one more assault with some 700 men still standing, and were again driven back by the bristling wall of steel. For every man Merya lost they had taken a man from Veps with them, but the Veps had the numbers and if they played it to the bitter end, only Veps warriors would be standing. It was hopeless, so once again Merya fled the field, still faster than the plodding mercenaries.
Three days of running later, the Meryans leaders walked a few yards away from the main camp for a war council. Viryay's command tent now a spoil of war left behind in Tikhvine. They had all been sleeping under the stars since the retreat.
Marshal Vechkas started, "Unless we can find an answer to that mercenary steel hedgehog, we can not beat them on the battlefield."
Viryay looked to Putyayka, but she had no real answer. " We would need to lure them into a trap, onto some rotten ice, into one of the bogs, or below a potential avalanche. It might work if it was just the southern mercenaries, unfamiliar with the local terrain, but Aimo and his Finns would never fall for any of it."
She looked at her brother," We can't beat them, the only thing that can beat them now is Aimo failing to pay them. All we can do is hope we can draw it out long enough for his coffers to run dry."
Viryay looked at both them, tired and dirty. He turned and looked across at the remains of his army sprawled along the creek, most falling asleep as soon as they stopped moving. He had less than half his original strength. Too many gone. Too many wives losing husbands as he had lost his own wife. It was time to send them home to their families and go home to his own motherless son.
High Chief Viryay turned back to his Marshal and his Commander, " We're done. I'll risk no more Meryan lives hoping Aimo will go broke. I'm going home to see my son."
******************************************************************************************************************************
Author's Note: The dream sequence happened in game, with Viryay's wife and concubine both becoming pregnant within a week of each other. But a game crash forced me to restart from the last autosave, losing both pregnancies as Viryay's family life took a different, darker path.
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Yep, the war went bad from the start, couldn't even scratch the mercenaries. But if at first you don't succeed...
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779-782 A Little Rest and Recuperation
779-782 A Little Rest and Recuperation
After his humiating defeat and heartbreak at losing his wife, Viryay needed time to recover. But while Viryay missed his wife, he was never one to be without a woman for long and was soon bedding many of the young women of his court. However one girl caught and held his attention, she is a low born girl named Chinzhay. She is different than the other women he has bedded as she provides more than just an outlet for his lust. She helps him through his grief and offers comfort to Viryay. He begins to spend more and more of his time with her, slowly forgetting most the other women in his court as their time together leads them to fall in love.
Soon he appoints the girl fill the vacancy on the Tribal Council left by his wife as the new Diviner of Merya. By midsummer, Chinzhay is pregnant.
The Council and the tribal elders have no issue with Viryay's dalliances, but they tell him he needs to remarry soon, as he has only one legitimate child, Kubrat. Despite Viryay womanizing, he is not ready to marry as he fears becoming close to someone else and then losing them as he has lost his father, his sister, and his wife.
But the Council and the tribal elders continue to pressure him to marry. And even Chinzhay agrees he needs a wife and acknowledges that she is not suitable as a wife and High Chieftess. They need someone who will bring prestige and alliances to Merya. To put them off, Viryay finally agrees to a long betrothal to 9-year old Nyayka Muromid, one of the five daughters of High Chief Varaka 'Red Cheeks' of Murom. It will be 7 years before the wedding will take place, maybe by then he will be ready for a new woman in his life. More important than securing a future wife, the betrothal paves the way for a military alliance between the two Mordvin rulers.
A messenger arrives from Chief Ahma, a Hero of the Followers of Otso. He reminds Viryay that he had agreed to fight a duel of honor for Followers of Otso against Koit Vaiga, a Kalevan warrior. Viryay had postponed the fight several times as he was in the middle of a war at the time that the duel was first broached. Now with having been at peace for over 6 months, the Followers of Otso were getting impatient. Putyayka tries to dissuade him, saying he doesn't need to risk his life, but Viryay had given his pledge, so he sends word to Chief Ahma to arrange the duel. Viryay and Koit meet in Kalevan. Viryay is victorious, but doesn't emerge unscathed, suffering a leg injury, Koit too survives.
Viryay's new love for Chinzay does not mean he has forsworn other women, and as her pregnancy progresses, Viryay begins to spend more time with Kunegunda. She still hates him for ruining her life and taking her from her son and often curses at him Polish which he doesn't speak, but she does duty and submits to him as his concubine and eventually becomes pregnant.
Soon after this announcement, Chinzay gives birth to her own bastard son who is named Kezhevat. Viryay acknowledges that the boy is his, but refuses to legitimize him and take away from his older son Kubrat's potential inheritance. Also with Kunegunda also potentially carrying a son, that would further weaken his future heir's power base.
The steward of Merya, Paksyut Paksyutid, dies of cancer in the spring leaving behind a wife, Songul, who is also ill, and a young daughter named Virtyava. Songul leaves court and returns to her native steppe to die under the sky. She leaves her daughter with her husband's people, Viryay takes the little girl under his protection and makes a place for her at his fire.
None of the people in Viryay' immediate circle have the skills to take up Paksyut's duties so Viryay is forced to seek further afield for a replacement. Two months later a suitable candidate is found and invited to Merya. Tyushten Tyushten, a large heavily bearded man well schooled in keeping tally, becomes the new steward of Merya.
The summer passes uneventfully until word reaches Merya that Viryay's rival and Kunegunda's former husband, Rodislav of Rusa has died in his brother's dungeons. His son Putiata, Kunegunda's first child, is the new Chief of Rusa, vassal to his uncle High Chief Zbignev of Ilmenia. Kunegunda fears for the boy, all alone, with Rusa ruled by a Regent and his uncle and liege responsible for his father's death.
Less than two months later Kunegunda gives birth to her second son, Tul Kardazid. At the age of 24, Viryay is already the father of 3 sons.
Viryay is not present for the birth. Raiders from Novgorod had crossed the Volkhov River and were pillaging the Borovichi Tribe. Viryay has raised a large band of warriors and marched west to drive them off. He also receives a message from High Chief Aimo 'the sort-tempered' of Veps, who he had made war on just the year before. The High Chief, acting in his role of Hero of the Followers of Otso, has tasked Viryay with challenging the Veteran Nuyanza of Perm to a duel of honor. This is surprising as Viryay is still only a Fledgling. It is possible that Aimo is trying to humiliate Viryay, or even get him killed, by forcing him into a fight he has little chance of winning. As Putyayka said at their father's funeral, the members of the society are only men, and not above feeling hatred and an urge for revenge against their fellow members.
The duel will have to wait. Viryay and Putyayka first drive the Novgorod warriors from Borovichi and then launches their own retaliatory raid against Novgorod. The Novgorod Tribes village is pillaged and then the Slavic temple at Soltsy, Chief Stanislav of Novgorod is taught a lesson on the price of raiding in Merya.
Before they turn east for home, Putyayka leads Viryay to an ancient grove in the forest near Soltsy. Massive old growth pines circle an overgrown clearing.
"Why are we here, Putyayka?
"Look closely brother, doesn't this remind you of someplace?"
Viryay obediently looks around scanning the clearing and the surrounding trees. "It's just a clearing in the forest, nothing special..." he starts to say when he notices a pale spot in one of the trees. He moves closer and sees the unmistakable sheen of old bone. An ancient bear skull is embedded in the tree, like the one nailed to the tree at the place of his father's first triumph. The skull had been there so long the bark had grown up around it. Looking at the other pines surrounding the clearing he begins to pick out more skulls. Then he looks at the clearing and sees traces in the undergrowth of old paths laid out leading to specific trees. "This is a holy place of the Gods." he says in a whisper.
"One of the most holy, but it has been sadly neglected and profaned by the Slavic shaman building their temple nearby. We should reclaim this land and rededicate the temple to Ukko the god of the sky and Akka the goddess of fertility."
"That is a worthy goal Putyayka and I will keep it in mind, but right now although we can easily take it, we may not be strong enough to hold it. It is on the wrong side of the river from the rest of our tribal lands and not easily defended. We need to first consolidate all the lands between the rivers, then we will look to expand beyond that."
Viryay and Putyayka place some of the loot they had collected from Novgorod and the Slavic temple as offerings at the base of the tree with the first skull Viryay had noticed and ask for the Gods' blessing. Then they continued home.
Once his men have returned home with the spoils from Novgorod. Viryay travels to the Lodge to meet Chief Nuyanza 'the Moaner" of Votyaki in the duel of honor. As expected the Fledging warrior is soundly beaten by the Veteran, but luckily Viryay escapes the fight with only a black eye, not a more serious injury.
But if High Chief Aimo's goal was to humiliate Viryay, his plan backfires. Chief Nuyanza is impressed and willingly instructs Viryay on where he went wrong in the duel. The two of them soon become friends. Viryay's reputation also grows within the Followers of Otso with his willingness to take on a clearly superior warrior for the sake of honor. The Hero Ihala promotes him to the rank of Warrior in the society, a Fledgling no more.
Even more ironically, High Chief Aimo is killed a month later in his own duel of honor with Kako Ngayid, a kinsman to Viryay's old friend Nyalku Ngayid. Unfortunately, Kako also dies from the wounds he suffered in the duel.
High Chief Aimo's death also provides Viryay with the opportunity to redeem himself, the time for rest and recuperation is over.
After his humiating defeat and heartbreak at losing his wife, Viryay needed time to recover. But while Viryay missed his wife, he was never one to be without a woman for long and was soon bedding many of the young women of his court. However one girl caught and held his attention, she is a low born girl named Chinzhay. She is different than the other women he has bedded as she provides more than just an outlet for his lust. She helps him through his grief and offers comfort to Viryay. He begins to spend more and more of his time with her, slowly forgetting most the other women in his court as their time together leads them to fall in love.
Soon he appoints the girl fill the vacancy on the Tribal Council left by his wife as the new Diviner of Merya. By midsummer, Chinzhay is pregnant.
The Council and the tribal elders have no issue with Viryay's dalliances, but they tell him he needs to remarry soon, as he has only one legitimate child, Kubrat. Despite Viryay womanizing, he is not ready to marry as he fears becoming close to someone else and then losing them as he has lost his father, his sister, and his wife.
But the Council and the tribal elders continue to pressure him to marry. And even Chinzhay agrees he needs a wife and acknowledges that she is not suitable as a wife and High Chieftess. They need someone who will bring prestige and alliances to Merya. To put them off, Viryay finally agrees to a long betrothal to 9-year old Nyayka Muromid, one of the five daughters of High Chief Varaka 'Red Cheeks' of Murom. It will be 7 years before the wedding will take place, maybe by then he will be ready for a new woman in his life. More important than securing a future wife, the betrothal paves the way for a military alliance between the two Mordvin rulers.
A messenger arrives from Chief Ahma, a Hero of the Followers of Otso. He reminds Viryay that he had agreed to fight a duel of honor for Followers of Otso against Koit Vaiga, a Kalevan warrior. Viryay had postponed the fight several times as he was in the middle of a war at the time that the duel was first broached. Now with having been at peace for over 6 months, the Followers of Otso were getting impatient. Putyayka tries to dissuade him, saying he doesn't need to risk his life, but Viryay had given his pledge, so he sends word to Chief Ahma to arrange the duel. Viryay and Koit meet in Kalevan. Viryay is victorious, but doesn't emerge unscathed, suffering a leg injury, Koit too survives.
Viryay's new love for Chinzay does not mean he has forsworn other women, and as her pregnancy progresses, Viryay begins to spend more time with Kunegunda. She still hates him for ruining her life and taking her from her son and often curses at him Polish which he doesn't speak, but she does duty and submits to him as his concubine and eventually becomes pregnant.
Soon after this announcement, Chinzay gives birth to her own bastard son who is named Kezhevat. Viryay acknowledges that the boy is his, but refuses to legitimize him and take away from his older son Kubrat's potential inheritance. Also with Kunegunda also potentially carrying a son, that would further weaken his future heir's power base.
The steward of Merya, Paksyut Paksyutid, dies of cancer in the spring leaving behind a wife, Songul, who is also ill, and a young daughter named Virtyava. Songul leaves court and returns to her native steppe to die under the sky. She leaves her daughter with her husband's people, Viryay takes the little girl under his protection and makes a place for her at his fire.
None of the people in Viryay' immediate circle have the skills to take up Paksyut's duties so Viryay is forced to seek further afield for a replacement. Two months later a suitable candidate is found and invited to Merya. Tyushten Tyushten, a large heavily bearded man well schooled in keeping tally, becomes the new steward of Merya.
The summer passes uneventfully until word reaches Merya that Viryay's rival and Kunegunda's former husband, Rodislav of Rusa has died in his brother's dungeons. His son Putiata, Kunegunda's first child, is the new Chief of Rusa, vassal to his uncle High Chief Zbignev of Ilmenia. Kunegunda fears for the boy, all alone, with Rusa ruled by a Regent and his uncle and liege responsible for his father's death.
Less than two months later Kunegunda gives birth to her second son, Tul Kardazid. At the age of 24, Viryay is already the father of 3 sons.
Viryay is not present for the birth. Raiders from Novgorod had crossed the Volkhov River and were pillaging the Borovichi Tribe. Viryay has raised a large band of warriors and marched west to drive them off. He also receives a message from High Chief Aimo 'the sort-tempered' of Veps, who he had made war on just the year before. The High Chief, acting in his role of Hero of the Followers of Otso, has tasked Viryay with challenging the Veteran Nuyanza of Perm to a duel of honor. This is surprising as Viryay is still only a Fledgling. It is possible that Aimo is trying to humiliate Viryay, or even get him killed, by forcing him into a fight he has little chance of winning. As Putyayka said at their father's funeral, the members of the society are only men, and not above feeling hatred and an urge for revenge against their fellow members.
The duel will have to wait. Viryay and Putyayka first drive the Novgorod warriors from Borovichi and then launches their own retaliatory raid against Novgorod. The Novgorod Tribes village is pillaged and then the Slavic temple at Soltsy, Chief Stanislav of Novgorod is taught a lesson on the price of raiding in Merya.
Before they turn east for home, Putyayka leads Viryay to an ancient grove in the forest near Soltsy. Massive old growth pines circle an overgrown clearing.
"Why are we here, Putyayka?
"Look closely brother, doesn't this remind you of someplace?"
Viryay obediently looks around scanning the clearing and the surrounding trees. "It's just a clearing in the forest, nothing special..." he starts to say when he notices a pale spot in one of the trees. He moves closer and sees the unmistakable sheen of old bone. An ancient bear skull is embedded in the tree, like the one nailed to the tree at the place of his father's first triumph. The skull had been there so long the bark had grown up around it. Looking at the other pines surrounding the clearing he begins to pick out more skulls. Then he looks at the clearing and sees traces in the undergrowth of old paths laid out leading to specific trees. "This is a holy place of the Gods." he says in a whisper.
"One of the most holy, but it has been sadly neglected and profaned by the Slavic shaman building their temple nearby. We should reclaim this land and rededicate the temple to Ukko the god of the sky and Akka the goddess of fertility."
"That is a worthy goal Putyayka and I will keep it in mind, but right now although we can easily take it, we may not be strong enough to hold it. It is on the wrong side of the river from the rest of our tribal lands and not easily defended. We need to first consolidate all the lands between the rivers, then we will look to expand beyond that."
Viryay and Putyayka place some of the loot they had collected from Novgorod and the Slavic temple as offerings at the base of the tree with the first skull Viryay had noticed and ask for the Gods' blessing. Then they continued home.
Once his men have returned home with the spoils from Novgorod. Viryay travels to the Lodge to meet Chief Nuyanza 'the Moaner" of Votyaki in the duel of honor. As expected the Fledging warrior is soundly beaten by the Veteran, but luckily Viryay escapes the fight with only a black eye, not a more serious injury.
But if High Chief Aimo's goal was to humiliate Viryay, his plan backfires. Chief Nuyanza is impressed and willingly instructs Viryay on where he went wrong in the duel. The two of them soon become friends. Viryay's reputation also grows within the Followers of Otso with his willingness to take on a clearly superior warrior for the sake of honor. The Hero Ihala promotes him to the rank of Warrior in the society, a Fledgling no more.
Even more ironically, High Chief Aimo is killed a month later in his own duel of honor with Kako Ngayid, a kinsman to Viryay's old friend Nyalku Ngayid. Unfortunately, Kako also dies from the wounds he suffered in the duel.
- 1
Well, that ended up going fairly well. Maybe a new friend eventually in the offing too.
- 1
Yep, was a little nervous going against a Veteran, but then figured a skilled warrior is less likely to kill someone by accident while sparring. Then of course in the next duel I see, both contestants die
.- 1
782 Taking Candy from Babies
782 Taking Candy from Babies
The death of High Chief Aimo has ended the Meryan truce with Veps. Aimo had three surviving sons when he died, all three of the them underage. His oldest boy, Urho, only 7 years old, has become the new High Chief of Veps and the Chief of the Tikhvine and Chlisselbourg tribes, while his younger half-brothers Miemo and Aimo have become his vassal Chiefs of Zaozerye and Belo Ozero, respectively. Viryay wastes little time and renews his de jure claim over the Belo Ozero tribe held by the toddler, Chief Aimo. He sends a declaration of war to the regent of Veps and calls his own vassals to arms.
For a third time, the regent of Borovichi refuses the call to arms in Chief Moksha's name.
By early spring, Belo Ozero is captured and Putyayka's is leading the 1,700 Meryan tribesmen west to relieve the siege of Borovichi which is under attack from a handful of Veps warriors. High Chief Aimo had bled his treasury almost dry with the mercenaries he had hired in the previous war, so his son's regent did not have that option.
After shrugging off a few attacks from Veps and Zaozerye raiders, Putyayka's captures Tikhvine, taking High Chief's Urho's mother, Vanamo, Chiefs Miemo and Aimo's mother Sisko (High Chief Aimo's former concubine), and Urho's niece Tyyne (daughter of his dead elder brother) as hostages.
Soon a parley was arranged and all were gathered together in the captured longhouse of Tikhvine to discuss the terms of the Veps' surrender. Viryay was seated in the High Chief's chair, he had set aside the cushions that had been placed there for Urho. Putyayka stood at his right hand and the three important prisoners were held to his left.
Putyayka was reviewing in her mind the terms that she and Viryay had discussed before the parley. Chief Aimo of Belo Ozero would become Viryay's vassal and the lands of Belo Ozero returned to Merya. The two mothers, Vanamo and Sisko, would be freed to care for their children and young Tyyne Tsuudit would remain in Merya as a ward of Viryay, in truth a hostage toward her uncle's good behavior. Then she glanced over at Viryay and noticed he was not looking at the Finn delegation, instead he appeared to be admiring Sisko's beautiful profile with a hungry look in his eyes as she gazed on her two young sons. Putyayka sighed, it seems plans may be changing.
The Finn delegation walked in led by a dark-haired handsome man with a thick mustache. He was wearing armor, but carrying no weapons. A young boy, who looked scared and angry at the same time, walked with a slight limp in his shadow.
Behind him came two bearded men, lighter-haired. One also wore armor, while the other did not. Following them came two women, each holding a young boy.
The dark-haired man stepped forward and made the introductions, "Greetings, Lord Viryay. I am Päivö, the current regent of Veps, replacing Lady Vanamo following her capture." Indicating the boy at his side, "This is High Chief Urho of Veps." Nodding to his left at the unarmored man with an impressive beard covering his chest, "This Chancellor Hintsa, the regent of Belo Ozero, and his liege, Chief Aimo," indicating the woman holding the larger child, who was struggling to be put down. Turning to his right Päivö continued, "And this is Chancellor Voitto, the regent of Zaozerye, and his lord, Chief Miemo of Zaozerye." The youngest Chief appeared to be asleep in his nurse's arms.
"We are here, Lord Viryay, to hear your demands."
Viryay dragged his eyes away from Sisko and back to Finns, "Our demands are simple, Lord Päivö. Belo Ozero will be returned to High Chiefdom of Merya where it traditionally belongs. Young Aimo will remain Chief as long as he..., and his regent, swear oaths of allegiance to me. And High Chief Urho and I will pledge 10 years of peace between our tribes."
Päivö prompted," And the prisoners?"
Viryay glanced to his left, "Lady Vanamo will be freed to return to Veps and help the High Chief rule." Urho's scowl vanished, and he looked hopefully at his mother.
"Lady Tyyne, will remain in Merya as my ward..."
Päivö protested, "as a hostage you mean."
Viryay continued, "As my ward, and kept in all comfort."
Vanamo cried out and hugged her little granddaughter close, who also started to cry, but she didn't know why.
Chancellor Voitto spoke up, " And my Lord's mother?"
Viryay turned again to study Sisko, and Putyayka waited for what she knew was coming.
"The Lady Sisko will join my court as my concubine, and treated with all honor." Sisko tore her gaze from her children to look at Viryay in shock.
Voitto protested, "My Lord Miemo has need of his mother, you can't deny her to him."
"And what of my future vassal, Chief Aimo? Does he not also need his mother? I must look to my own first, not another High Chief's vassal." Viryay turned to Sisko, "Aimo will be able to visit you at anytime at my court. And Chief Miemo is also welcome to come visit. It will be little different than your life before where you were being forced to remain in Tikhvine where I found you, while your sons were raised in their own tribal lands."
There were further protests, but they had no conviction behind them. In the end, Viryay got all he asked for and the war was over.
The death of High Chief Aimo has ended the Meryan truce with Veps. Aimo had three surviving sons when he died, all three of the them underage. His oldest boy, Urho, only 7 years old, has become the new High Chief of Veps and the Chief of the Tikhvine and Chlisselbourg tribes, while his younger half-brothers Miemo and Aimo have become his vassal Chiefs of Zaozerye and Belo Ozero, respectively. Viryay wastes little time and renews his de jure claim over the Belo Ozero tribe held by the toddler, Chief Aimo. He sends a declaration of war to the regent of Veps and calls his own vassals to arms.
For a third time, the regent of Borovichi refuses the call to arms in Chief Moksha's name.
By early spring, Belo Ozero is captured and Putyayka's is leading the 1,700 Meryan tribesmen west to relieve the siege of Borovichi which is under attack from a handful of Veps warriors. High Chief Aimo had bled his treasury almost dry with the mercenaries he had hired in the previous war, so his son's regent did not have that option.
After shrugging off a few attacks from Veps and Zaozerye raiders, Putyayka's captures Tikhvine, taking High Chief's Urho's mother, Vanamo, Chiefs Miemo and Aimo's mother Sisko (High Chief Aimo's former concubine), and Urho's niece Tyyne (daughter of his dead elder brother) as hostages.
Soon a parley was arranged and all were gathered together in the captured longhouse of Tikhvine to discuss the terms of the Veps' surrender. Viryay was seated in the High Chief's chair, he had set aside the cushions that had been placed there for Urho. Putyayka stood at his right hand and the three important prisoners were held to his left.
Putyayka was reviewing in her mind the terms that she and Viryay had discussed before the parley. Chief Aimo of Belo Ozero would become Viryay's vassal and the lands of Belo Ozero returned to Merya. The two mothers, Vanamo and Sisko, would be freed to care for their children and young Tyyne Tsuudit would remain in Merya as a ward of Viryay, in truth a hostage toward her uncle's good behavior. Then she glanced over at Viryay and noticed he was not looking at the Finn delegation, instead he appeared to be admiring Sisko's beautiful profile with a hungry look in his eyes as she gazed on her two young sons. Putyayka sighed, it seems plans may be changing.
The Finn delegation walked in led by a dark-haired handsome man with a thick mustache. He was wearing armor, but carrying no weapons. A young boy, who looked scared and angry at the same time, walked with a slight limp in his shadow.
Behind him came two bearded men, lighter-haired. One also wore armor, while the other did not. Following them came two women, each holding a young boy.
The dark-haired man stepped forward and made the introductions, "Greetings, Lord Viryay. I am Päivö, the current regent of Veps, replacing Lady Vanamo following her capture." Indicating the boy at his side, "This is High Chief Urho of Veps." Nodding to his left at the unarmored man with an impressive beard covering his chest, "This Chancellor Hintsa, the regent of Belo Ozero, and his liege, Chief Aimo," indicating the woman holding the larger child, who was struggling to be put down. Turning to his right Päivö continued, "And this is Chancellor Voitto, the regent of Zaozerye, and his lord, Chief Miemo of Zaozerye." The youngest Chief appeared to be asleep in his nurse's arms.
"We are here, Lord Viryay, to hear your demands."
Viryay dragged his eyes away from Sisko and back to Finns, "Our demands are simple, Lord Päivö. Belo Ozero will be returned to High Chiefdom of Merya where it traditionally belongs. Young Aimo will remain Chief as long as he..., and his regent, swear oaths of allegiance to me. And High Chief Urho and I will pledge 10 years of peace between our tribes."
Päivö prompted," And the prisoners?"
Viryay glanced to his left, "Lady Vanamo will be freed to return to Veps and help the High Chief rule." Urho's scowl vanished, and he looked hopefully at his mother.
"Lady Tyyne, will remain in Merya as my ward..."
Päivö protested, "as a hostage you mean."
Viryay continued, "As my ward, and kept in all comfort."
Vanamo cried out and hugged her little granddaughter close, who also started to cry, but she didn't know why.
Chancellor Voitto spoke up, " And my Lord's mother?"
Viryay turned again to study Sisko, and Putyayka waited for what she knew was coming.
"The Lady Sisko will join my court as my concubine, and treated with all honor." Sisko tore her gaze from her children to look at Viryay in shock.
Voitto protested, "My Lord Miemo has need of his mother, you can't deny her to him."
"And what of my future vassal, Chief Aimo? Does he not also need his mother? I must look to my own first, not another High Chief's vassal." Viryay turned to Sisko, "Aimo will be able to visit you at anytime at my court. And Chief Miemo is also welcome to come visit. It will be little different than your life before where you were being forced to remain in Tikhvine where I found you, while your sons were raised in their own tribal lands."
There were further protests, but they had no conviction behind them. In the end, Viryay got all he asked for and the war was over.
- 1
A very satisfactory outcome for Viryay.
The Vepsian (?) royal family will be united again sooner or later anyway, I suppose.
The Vepsian (?) royal family will be united again sooner or later anyway, I suppose.
- 1
A very satisfactory outcome for Viryay.
The Vepsian (?) royal family will be united again sooner or later anyway, I suppose.
It was good to have another chance at Belo Ozero and have it go so much easier.
High Chief Urho and Chief Aimo are each other's heirs and have claims on each others titles. So if something happens to either one before I gain the rest of Veps, or they grow up and have children, I'll have to start over.
- 1
782-786 Raiding, a War and a Curse
782-786 Raiding, a War and a Curse
For the next three years, Viryay and people of Merya slipped into an older routine, hunting, fishing, and trading. Viryay would lead a couple raids, following the intelligence provided by his fellow members of the Followers of Otso. The first year there was a raid on Rusa. Viryay makes the raid in the winter using his knowledge of fighting in winter to take the Ilmenians in Rusa unawares.
The raid is a success, much gold and women are taken as loot (Ulita and Fevronia). This made things at home very uncomfortable as Kunegunda was very unhappy that he had pillaged her oldest son's lands. But Viryay endured and learned some additional Polish swear words. The boy, Putiata was unharmed, though quite upset.
When he delivers the Followers of Otso their share form the raid on Rusa he is reacquainted with Chief Nuyanza, the Veteran and they become even closer friends as Nuyanza continues to provide good advice and mentors Viryay throughout the year.
The next summer, Viryay led a raid to the northwest against the Ladoga tribe. The Ladoga send out a force to try and drive him from their lands and a battle is fought outside the village. Putyayka shows her prowess on the field of battle, greatly impressing Viryay.
Before Viryay can take Ladoga, word comes to him that raiders from Novgorod have crossed the river into Borovichi. Viryay breaks off the siege and slips back across the Volkhov River and catches the Novgorodians unawares. The defeated raiders flee back home and Viryay uses one of his prisoners Viacheslav to make a battlefield sacrifice to Ukko the god of thunder.
Then he returns to Ladoga to finish the siege. Ladoga falls and the hidden treasure trove uncovered.
Between the raids, Viryay handles the affairs of the tribe. His spymaster, Chief Shkay, has never married and his concubine has only given him a daughter. So Viryay encourages him to marry and even provides a wife, Ulita, one of the captive Ilmenians from Rusa. The other captive Fevronia is given to the Steward Tyushten Tyushten as wife as well.
Chief Shkay's honeymoon is cut short as less than three weeks later he is dead. Some say natural causes, but a few look at his new Ilmenian wife in suspicion. As Shkay had no sons, the Bezichy tribe looks to High Chief Viryay for leadership. He grants the Chiefdom to Chancellor Kezhapa.
To take up Chief Shkay's duties as spymaster, Viryay turns to one person he knows who has a comparable network of informants and has always kept up with the latest gossip throughout the tribes of the Merya, his mother. Tundava Tundavid is named spymaster and joins the Tribal Council.
It is Tundava who calls Viryay's attention to developments in the south. High Chief Svetozar the Evil may have grown too fast and not taken time to thoroughly cow his new vassals. A Meshcheran Chief named Velmayka of Serpukhov is leading a revolt against the High Chief. Most of the other subjugated Meshcherans have joined him in the fight to throw off the Ilmenian rule.
Viryay's first thought, supported by his zealous Chancellor and new Chief of Bezichy, was to join the Meshchera and help their fellow Suomenusko faithful break free of the Slavs. But Velmayka rebuffs all offers of help and gives no opportunity for the Meryans to join the war on his side. He goes even further and claims Viryay's offer is just a ploy to annex Meshcheran lands. His insults backfire as he has now planted the idea in Viryay's mind. What if they were to annex some of the Meshcheran lands? Looking at the maps available, Viryay realizes that if he were to take Kashin from the rebels it would provide access to the Moskva River and tap into one of the western trade routes.
The tribal council gathers to discuss this further.
Tyushten Tyushten, after Tundava brought everyone up to speed on the current rebellion in Krivichi, agrees, "Kashin will provide us direct access to the western trade routes and avoid us having to send goods down river to the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers in Murom before they can go west. Though you're future father-in-law may not like you bypassing his trade posts." Referring to Viryay upcoming marriage to Nyayka Muromid who was almost of age.
Viryay shrugs, "There are still some goods from the south we will still want, the southern trade will not be completely abandoned."
Kezhapa, still trying to avoid a fight with their fellow Suomenusko, "Won't capturing Rzheva from Krivichia be just as effective as Kashin, it also gives us access to the Moskva River trade and it is a more prosperous area. And by attacking High Chief Svetozar directly we could be helping the rebels win their war."
Tyushten nodded," Rzheva is more prosperous."
Vechkas spoke up, "And it is filled with Slav's loyal to Svetozar. We will be taking on similar issues of unrest as we have seen in Borovichi and Kholm. Also, we have a limited time to take advantage of this rebellion, it could end at anytime. If we start a war with High Chief Svetozar and the rebellion ends we will be fighting the full might of Krivichia. If we decide to go after Rzheva, I would suggest holding off and letting the rebellion weaken both sides more."
Putyayka spoke to Kezhapa, "If the rebels fail, then taking Kashin will mean at least some of the Suomenusko have escaped Slavic rule."
Kezhapa nodded slowly, "Yes, I suppose that is true..."
So the Meryans declare war on the rebels, claiming the actual southern border of Merya is the Moskva River, not the northern edge of the forests of Kashin. Viryay sends out his call to arms, Chief Vechkas and Kezhapa accept and again Borovichi refuses.
The rebel armies are in the west attacking the tribes still supporting Svetozar the Evil. So Kashin is barely defended and is soon captured. But Kezhapa, whose zealous nature has earned him the title of the Cleansing Flame, is badly injured in a fall from one of the scaling ladders. His body is already weakened from battling a cancer within and he soon dies of his wounds. He has never married and has no heir, so Bezichy once again returns to Viryay. Superstitious rumors begin to surface saying Bezichy is cursed, two Chiefs dead in less than a year, and both with no heir. Some whisper only a fool would take the Chiefdom.
Viryay wants to dispel the rumors of a curse and asks his friend and Steward Tyushten Tushsten to become Chief of Bezichy. Tyushten accepts. To try and more quickly end the idea of a curse, Viryay grants him the woman Ulita as his concubine, to keep his Ilmenian wife Fevronia company and hopefully speed up the conception of an heir.
Viryay himself also takes a concubine, Sernyava, a Mordvin woman from among the prisoners captured in Kashin. She is sent back to Merya to await his return from the campaign.
With Kashin taken, Viryay leads his army east into the lands of the Pereyaslavl Zalessky tribe. Again, no rebel army tries to stop them and after a two month siege, Pereyaslavl Zalessky is captured.
The bulk Meryan army, some 1,500 men then heads south into lands of the river tribe, the Moskva people. The remaining 1,000 men are left to finish securing Pereyaslavl Zalessky. In Moskva, the Meryans finally meet their first opposition. An army of 1,900 men led by the Chief of Ryazan, coming north from their own successful siege of the Orekhovo-Zuyevo, who had stayed loyal to Svetozar. Viryay engages them in battle while messengers are sent north to call the rest of the army south to join the battle.
The Meryan victory at Moskva is enough to convince Velmayka of Serpukhov to surrender Kashin to Viryay. Besides, it wasn't even his land, it belonged to Chief Orunza of Pereyalavl Zalessky, and Velmayka's sovereignty over Kashin would end when the rebellion ends, whether he wins or not.
For the next three years, Viryay and people of Merya slipped into an older routine, hunting, fishing, and trading. Viryay would lead a couple raids, following the intelligence provided by his fellow members of the Followers of Otso. The first year there was a raid on Rusa. Viryay makes the raid in the winter using his knowledge of fighting in winter to take the Ilmenians in Rusa unawares.
The raid is a success, much gold and women are taken as loot (Ulita and Fevronia). This made things at home very uncomfortable as Kunegunda was very unhappy that he had pillaged her oldest son's lands. But Viryay endured and learned some additional Polish swear words. The boy, Putiata was unharmed, though quite upset.
When he delivers the Followers of Otso their share form the raid on Rusa he is reacquainted with Chief Nuyanza, the Veteran and they become even closer friends as Nuyanza continues to provide good advice and mentors Viryay throughout the year.
The next summer, Viryay led a raid to the northwest against the Ladoga tribe. The Ladoga send out a force to try and drive him from their lands and a battle is fought outside the village. Putyayka shows her prowess on the field of battle, greatly impressing Viryay.
Before Viryay can take Ladoga, word comes to him that raiders from Novgorod have crossed the river into Borovichi. Viryay breaks off the siege and slips back across the Volkhov River and catches the Novgorodians unawares. The defeated raiders flee back home and Viryay uses one of his prisoners Viacheslav to make a battlefield sacrifice to Ukko the god of thunder.
Then he returns to Ladoga to finish the siege. Ladoga falls and the hidden treasure trove uncovered.
Between the raids, Viryay handles the affairs of the tribe. His spymaster, Chief Shkay, has never married and his concubine has only given him a daughter. So Viryay encourages him to marry and even provides a wife, Ulita, one of the captive Ilmenians from Rusa. The other captive Fevronia is given to the Steward Tyushten Tyushten as wife as well.
Chief Shkay's honeymoon is cut short as less than three weeks later he is dead. Some say natural causes, but a few look at his new Ilmenian wife in suspicion. As Shkay had no sons, the Bezichy tribe looks to High Chief Viryay for leadership. He grants the Chiefdom to Chancellor Kezhapa.
To take up Chief Shkay's duties as spymaster, Viryay turns to one person he knows who has a comparable network of informants and has always kept up with the latest gossip throughout the tribes of the Merya, his mother. Tundava Tundavid is named spymaster and joins the Tribal Council.
It is Tundava who calls Viryay's attention to developments in the south. High Chief Svetozar the Evil may have grown too fast and not taken time to thoroughly cow his new vassals. A Meshcheran Chief named Velmayka of Serpukhov is leading a revolt against the High Chief. Most of the other subjugated Meshcherans have joined him in the fight to throw off the Ilmenian rule.
Viryay's first thought, supported by his zealous Chancellor and new Chief of Bezichy, was to join the Meshchera and help their fellow Suomenusko faithful break free of the Slavs. But Velmayka rebuffs all offers of help and gives no opportunity for the Meryans to join the war on his side. He goes even further and claims Viryay's offer is just a ploy to annex Meshcheran lands. His insults backfire as he has now planted the idea in Viryay's mind. What if they were to annex some of the Meshcheran lands? Looking at the maps available, Viryay realizes that if he were to take Kashin from the rebels it would provide access to the Moskva River and tap into one of the western trade routes.
The tribal council gathers to discuss this further.
Tyushten Tyushten, after Tundava brought everyone up to speed on the current rebellion in Krivichi, agrees, "Kashin will provide us direct access to the western trade routes and avoid us having to send goods down river to the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers in Murom before they can go west. Though you're future father-in-law may not like you bypassing his trade posts." Referring to Viryay upcoming marriage to Nyayka Muromid who was almost of age.
Viryay shrugs, "There are still some goods from the south we will still want, the southern trade will not be completely abandoned."
Kezhapa, still trying to avoid a fight with their fellow Suomenusko, "Won't capturing Rzheva from Krivichia be just as effective as Kashin, it also gives us access to the Moskva River trade and it is a more prosperous area. And by attacking High Chief Svetozar directly we could be helping the rebels win their war."
Tyushten nodded," Rzheva is more prosperous."
Vechkas spoke up, "And it is filled with Slav's loyal to Svetozar. We will be taking on similar issues of unrest as we have seen in Borovichi and Kholm. Also, we have a limited time to take advantage of this rebellion, it could end at anytime. If we start a war with High Chief Svetozar and the rebellion ends we will be fighting the full might of Krivichia. If we decide to go after Rzheva, I would suggest holding off and letting the rebellion weaken both sides more."
Putyayka spoke to Kezhapa, "If the rebels fail, then taking Kashin will mean at least some of the Suomenusko have escaped Slavic rule."
Kezhapa nodded slowly, "Yes, I suppose that is true..."
So the Meryans declare war on the rebels, claiming the actual southern border of Merya is the Moskva River, not the northern edge of the forests of Kashin. Viryay sends out his call to arms, Chief Vechkas and Kezhapa accept and again Borovichi refuses.
The rebel armies are in the west attacking the tribes still supporting Svetozar the Evil. So Kashin is barely defended and is soon captured. But Kezhapa, whose zealous nature has earned him the title of the Cleansing Flame, is badly injured in a fall from one of the scaling ladders. His body is already weakened from battling a cancer within and he soon dies of his wounds. He has never married and has no heir, so Bezichy once again returns to Viryay. Superstitious rumors begin to surface saying Bezichy is cursed, two Chiefs dead in less than a year, and both with no heir. Some whisper only a fool would take the Chiefdom.
Viryay wants to dispel the rumors of a curse and asks his friend and Steward Tyushten Tushsten to become Chief of Bezichy. Tyushten accepts. To try and more quickly end the idea of a curse, Viryay grants him the woman Ulita as his concubine, to keep his Ilmenian wife Fevronia company and hopefully speed up the conception of an heir.
Viryay himself also takes a concubine, Sernyava, a Mordvin woman from among the prisoners captured in Kashin. She is sent back to Merya to await his return from the campaign.
With Kashin taken, Viryay leads his army east into the lands of the Pereyaslavl Zalessky tribe. Again, no rebel army tries to stop them and after a two month siege, Pereyaslavl Zalessky is captured.
The bulk Meryan army, some 1,500 men then heads south into lands of the river tribe, the Moskva people. The remaining 1,000 men are left to finish securing Pereyaslavl Zalessky. In Moskva, the Meryans finally meet their first opposition. An army of 1,900 men led by the Chief of Ryazan, coming north from their own successful siege of the Orekhovo-Zuyevo, who had stayed loyal to Svetozar. Viryay engages them in battle while messengers are sent north to call the rest of the army south to join the battle.
The Meryan victory at Moskva is enough to convince Velmayka of Serpukhov to surrender Kashin to Viryay. Besides, it wasn't even his land, it belonged to Chief Orunza of Pereyalavl Zalessky, and Velmayka's sovereignty over Kashin would end when the rebellion ends, whether he wins or not.
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I don't know how the Suomenusko think about curses, but to me it rather looks like Viryay has chosen already battered men for the position twice in a row. Hopefully Tyushten Tyushten the Impressively Bearded stays healthy.
Hopefully Tyushten Tyushten the Impressively Bearded stays healthy.- 1
I don't know how the Suomenusko think about curses, but to me it rather looks like Viryay has chosen already battered men for the position twice in a row.
The Tribesmen can be a superstitious lot, and all it takes is one person to put the idea out there and then fit the facts together to make the curse seem real. Shkay was Chief for almost a decade before he died, the issue was a lack of heir, and then Kezhapa dying so soon after, again with no heir. I admit, putting a confirmed bachelor, already suffering from Cancer, as the next Chief may have contributed to the chain of events.
.Virjay continues to throw his weight around
Taking advantage of the opportunities that arise for loot and land.
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786-787 A Wedding Feast, a Feast for Crows, and the Birth of a Legend
786-787 A Wedding Feast, a Feast for Crows, and the Birth of a Legend
After the war for Kashin, Viryay returns home to find several new developments awaiting him. First, he finds that his latest concubine Sernyava is newly pregnant, which doesn't add up with the brief time Viryay spent with her after the fall of Kashin. But he sets that issue aside for a later discussion.
Much more pressing is the arrival of a delegation from Murom.
The delegation is lead by a burly, bearded Veteran of the Followers of Otso with a grievously scarred visage. He rushes forward and wraps Viryay in a great bear hug and roars, "Greetings, brother!"
Viryay manages to escape the embrace and asks, "You are welcome, brother, have you come to give me a task?"
The great bear of a man roars in laughter, " A task? Yes, I suppose I do." and begins to turn in red in face as another fit of laughter takes hold.
Viryay looks around at the rest of delegation helplessly, and notices a girl looking at him with curiosity. He gives her a smile.
The warrior finally regains his breath, "High Chief Viryay, I am Parush Muromid, the High Chief of Murom, and I don't bring you a task...exactly, more like a taskmaster." He winks. " I bring you a wife!". He turns and beckons to the girl, "This is my sister, Nyayka, your betrothed. I bring her to you for marriage. We would have come as soon as she was of age, but my father took ill and died in the summer, and you were at war, so we waited so Nyayka could properly mourn for our father and you could return safely home victorious." He paused and said with another wink, "and still alive."
Viryay looked at the girl with renewed interest, then back to her brother, and smiled, "I welcome you and Lady Nyayka, and the rest of your party," indicating the other members of the delegation," to my home... well soon to be our home." with another smile at Nyayka.
After the Muromids had a few days to rest and refresh themselves after their journey. Viryay and Nyayka were married in the sacred grove, beneath his father's bear skull. The Court Diviner, Chinzhay, presided over the ceremony joining them together before the gods.
High Chief Parush and his party stayed in Merya for close to a month celebrating the marriage with a great feast, then going on hunts and discussing trade agreements, and finally renewing the formal alliance that had been originally been agreed to between Viryay and the late High Chief Varaka "Red-cheeks" of Murom.
During the celebrations, his concubine gives birth to a child, a girl named Tetyava. Viryay remembers his doubts about the pregnancy and after only a few questions, Sernyava breaks down and confesses that the baby is not Viryay's. Viryay sets her aside, but allows her and her child to remain in Merya. High Chief Parush looks at Sernyava admiringly, "A healthy girl, and I wish my wife was as fertile."
Soon after Parush and his party return south to Murom and Viryay is left considering what is next.
"Rzheva" said Viryay, "Kezhapa, may his spirit find the path to Tuonela, was right, Rzheva is a prosperous land on the banks of the Moskva River. I propose in honor of Kezhapa's memory and to stick it to the Ilmenians, we make war for Rzheva."
Vechkas looked at him, "That is not a bad idea at all, Chief. The rebellion continues and the Meshcherans appear to now have the upper hand, and word has come that Svetozar is also under attack from the west."
"The crows gather as they smell blood on the wind, I think we should join in the feast."
The army of Merya is soon on the march again, and surprisingly Borovichi has accepted the call to arms, Viryay is finally happy with his brother's regency council, perhaps they realize they will soon no longer be a factor, Moksha is fifteen, soon to come of age.
In short order, Rzheva, Toropets and Polotsk all fall to Viryay in quick assault, all three had changed hands repeatedly during the three other wars Svetozar is fighting, and had no defenders left. But the rebellion is finally over, the Meshcheran Chiefs of Serpukhov, Mozhaysk, Pereyalavl Zalessky, Mochkava, and Ryazan have all won their independence. High Chief Svetozar the Evil of Krivichia, a Hero of Perun, now turns his full attention to Merya. But his strength is not what it was, he is still under attack from all sides and most of his family still imprisoned by his former vassals.
In late autumn of the year 787, when the armies of Kirivichia and Merya finally meet in Kashin there are only 950 Ilmenians versus 1,420 Meryans. Svetozar is not there, he and another 300 men were delayed and trapped on the wrong side of the Moskva River. So Putyayka leads the Meryan center of 700 men, with Vechkas on her right, with an additional 500 men. Viryay holds the left with under 200 men as the two armies come together.
Putyayka and Vechkas rolled up their understrength opponents quickly, but on the more evenly matched left Viryay is barely holding his own, counting on his sister and Marshal to come to his aid. Viryay is in the thick of the fighting, laying about with his axe, splintering shields and splitting skulls. Then when another warrior is bearing down on him, Viryay's axe refuses to come free of the chest of the Ilmenian warrior he had just killed, caught on the dead man’s ribs and as he tries to drag it free he just ends up just dragging the body. Abandoning the axe, Viryay did the only thing he could think of and charged the other warrior, diving under the swing of his axe and tackling him to the ground. He pinned the warrior’s axe to the ground with his knee and began pummeling him in the head with his bare fists. After a few moments a couple of his own soldiers pulled him off the man, “Chief, Chief, he’s dead!” Cried one. The other Meryan warrior looking down at the caved-in skull of the dead warrior, voiced awe, “By the Gods, what did you use to crush his skull? A stone?”
Viryay, coming out of his frenzy, looked down at his bloody hands and said, “No, just my fists.” He looked up and saw a wounded young Ilmenian tribesman lying on the ground a few yards away staring at him with horror and fear.
With that victory, Svetozar concedes defeat and withdraws all his claims to lands north of the Moskva River and turns his attention to the wars he is fighting in the west. Rzheva is usurped from Svetozar's vassal, Chief Putiata Demidvich.
Following the battle, the story of Viryay's unarmed fight spreads throughout both armies and beyond. The legend of Viryay ‘Stone Fist’ has begun.
After the war for Kashin, Viryay returns home to find several new developments awaiting him. First, he finds that his latest concubine Sernyava is newly pregnant, which doesn't add up with the brief time Viryay spent with her after the fall of Kashin. But he sets that issue aside for a later discussion.
Much more pressing is the arrival of a delegation from Murom.
The delegation is lead by a burly, bearded Veteran of the Followers of Otso with a grievously scarred visage. He rushes forward and wraps Viryay in a great bear hug and roars, "Greetings, brother!"
Viryay manages to escape the embrace and asks, "You are welcome, brother, have you come to give me a task?"
The great bear of a man roars in laughter, " A task? Yes, I suppose I do." and begins to turn in red in face as another fit of laughter takes hold.
Viryay looks around at the rest of delegation helplessly, and notices a girl looking at him with curiosity. He gives her a smile.
The warrior finally regains his breath, "High Chief Viryay, I am Parush Muromid, the High Chief of Murom, and I don't bring you a task...exactly, more like a taskmaster." He winks. " I bring you a wife!". He turns and beckons to the girl, "This is my sister, Nyayka, your betrothed. I bring her to you for marriage. We would have come as soon as she was of age, but my father took ill and died in the summer, and you were at war, so we waited so Nyayka could properly mourn for our father and you could return safely home victorious." He paused and said with another wink, "and still alive."
Viryay looked at the girl with renewed interest, then back to her brother, and smiled, "I welcome you and Lady Nyayka, and the rest of your party," indicating the other members of the delegation," to my home... well soon to be our home." with another smile at Nyayka.
After the Muromids had a few days to rest and refresh themselves after their journey. Viryay and Nyayka were married in the sacred grove, beneath his father's bear skull. The Court Diviner, Chinzhay, presided over the ceremony joining them together before the gods.
High Chief Parush and his party stayed in Merya for close to a month celebrating the marriage with a great feast, then going on hunts and discussing trade agreements, and finally renewing the formal alliance that had been originally been agreed to between Viryay and the late High Chief Varaka "Red-cheeks" of Murom.
During the celebrations, his concubine gives birth to a child, a girl named Tetyava. Viryay remembers his doubts about the pregnancy and after only a few questions, Sernyava breaks down and confesses that the baby is not Viryay's. Viryay sets her aside, but allows her and her child to remain in Merya. High Chief Parush looks at Sernyava admiringly, "A healthy girl, and I wish my wife was as fertile."
Soon after Parush and his party return south to Murom and Viryay is left considering what is next.
"Rzheva" said Viryay, "Kezhapa, may his spirit find the path to Tuonela, was right, Rzheva is a prosperous land on the banks of the Moskva River. I propose in honor of Kezhapa's memory and to stick it to the Ilmenians, we make war for Rzheva."
Vechkas looked at him, "That is not a bad idea at all, Chief. The rebellion continues and the Meshcherans appear to now have the upper hand, and word has come that Svetozar is also under attack from the west."
"The crows gather as they smell blood on the wind, I think we should join in the feast."
The army of Merya is soon on the march again, and surprisingly Borovichi has accepted the call to arms, Viryay is finally happy with his brother's regency council, perhaps they realize they will soon no longer be a factor, Moksha is fifteen, soon to come of age.
In short order, Rzheva, Toropets and Polotsk all fall to Viryay in quick assault, all three had changed hands repeatedly during the three other wars Svetozar is fighting, and had no defenders left. But the rebellion is finally over, the Meshcheran Chiefs of Serpukhov, Mozhaysk, Pereyalavl Zalessky, Mochkava, and Ryazan have all won their independence. High Chief Svetozar the Evil of Krivichia, a Hero of Perun, now turns his full attention to Merya. But his strength is not what it was, he is still under attack from all sides and most of his family still imprisoned by his former vassals.
In late autumn of the year 787, when the armies of Kirivichia and Merya finally meet in Kashin there are only 950 Ilmenians versus 1,420 Meryans. Svetozar is not there, he and another 300 men were delayed and trapped on the wrong side of the Moskva River. So Putyayka leads the Meryan center of 700 men, with Vechkas on her right, with an additional 500 men. Viryay holds the left with under 200 men as the two armies come together.
Putyayka and Vechkas rolled up their understrength opponents quickly, but on the more evenly matched left Viryay is barely holding his own, counting on his sister and Marshal to come to his aid. Viryay is in the thick of the fighting, laying about with his axe, splintering shields and splitting skulls. Then when another warrior is bearing down on him, Viryay's axe refuses to come free of the chest of the Ilmenian warrior he had just killed, caught on the dead man’s ribs and as he tries to drag it free he just ends up just dragging the body. Abandoning the axe, Viryay did the only thing he could think of and charged the other warrior, diving under the swing of his axe and tackling him to the ground. He pinned the warrior’s axe to the ground with his knee and began pummeling him in the head with his bare fists. After a few moments a couple of his own soldiers pulled him off the man, “Chief, Chief, he’s dead!” Cried one. The other Meryan warrior looking down at the caved-in skull of the dead warrior, voiced awe, “By the Gods, what did you use to crush his skull? A stone?”
Viryay, coming out of his frenzy, looked down at his bloody hands and said, “No, just my fists.” He looked up and saw a wounded young Ilmenian tribesman lying on the ground a few yards away staring at him with horror and fear.
With that victory, Svetozar concedes defeat and withdraws all his claims to lands north of the Moskva River and turns his attention to the wars he is fighting in the west. Rzheva is usurped from Svetozar's vassal, Chief Putiata Demidvich.
Following the battle, the story of Viryay's unarmed fight spreads throughout both armies and beyond. The legend of Viryay ‘Stone Fist’ has begun.
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Reading this I got the impression of him as something akin to a force of nature.
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Viryay does seem to act on instinct and go a bit berserk in battle.
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